Adolphus Christmas parade 2008

Last weekend we went to the Dallas Adolphus Neiman Marcus Christmas parade in downtown Dallas. We had a blast. It was a great start to the Christmas festivities in Dallas. We woke up early and walked downtown, found a great spot, and settled in. Living in downtown Dallas is great because we did not have to deal with parking. Yay!! The weather was cool, but not unbearable. It was a fabulous morning!

Below are some pictures from this fun morning!





A Christmas parade is not complete without Santa!




"Ice Age" is one of my all time favorite movies. I laugh like a crazy lady during the movie. I'm so glad they were in the parade.



Care Bears!! This brings back memories!




We had a blast in downtown Dallas!!

Kicking

It's so weird to feel the baby kicking. For about a week or two I have been feeling flutters in my stomach and I have not been sure if it was a kick from the baby or just indigestion, but today I knew for sure! I was in the middle of our math lesson, teaching about cents and coins, and all of a sudden, BAM!! I felt a really strong kick. I literally smiled in front of the whole class. One of my students asked me what I was smiling at and I just said "You". I can't explain the feeling I have knowing there is a life inside of me. I know other women experience this all the time, but it's such a beautiful thing when I step back and see the big picture of what is going on. A BABY is growing inside of me.

There is so much that goes into preparing for a baby. What type of bottles, diapers, how long to breastfeed, cribs, strollers, carriers, parenting styles, and Dallas Cowboys gear. It sounds so petty, but it can drive a lady crazy.

I asked a lady who discipled me in college and who is an amazing mother what books she recommended I read and her advice was,
"Love Jesus and HE will make you a great mom. Enjoy that little baby, Jaya. Everyone always says it, but it really does go by so fast. That tiny little bundle will bring out the best - and the worst - in you! :) It's just another amazing way God gives blessing and causes growth all in one cuddly little package. :)"
What great advice. I think I will stick with that. :)

Dallas Mavericks Date Night!!

We love living in Dallas and being able to go to Maverick games. We have been so blessed to receive free tickets to Maverick games this season and we enjoy every minute of the games. This week we went to the Mavericks vs. the Clippers at the American Airlines Center.

First of all, we got there and parked for FREE! A meter not very far did not require money. We thought this was too good to be true to happen in Dallas and so close to the American Airlines Center. We easily walked inside, found our seats, and enjoyed all the preseason extravaganza Mark Cuban is so good at having for fans.



Being pregnant, I am hungry ALL THE TIME, so we were off to get some grub. We decided to splurge and each get our own item. I crave heavy food so I went for the heaviest thing possible, a foot long chili dog piled with jalepenos. Yeah, so it's not the healthiest thing, but it was amazing. :)



Tim, who can live off mexican food for the rest of his life, bought supreme nachos. We really enjoyed our dinner that night. :)

The game started off rough. We were behind within the first 10 seconds until the end of the game. But in the last minute of the game We came back and won 100 to 98. Jason Terry had an awesome game and started us on ranking up the points the last minute and then Jose Barea brought it home with his scoring.

Great game, silly and fun conversation, and a restful night. This was a fun date!!

Bun in the Oven!

I am currently 4 months pregnant and can't believe how quickly the time has past by! I am so thankful I did not get sick during my first trimester and was still able to give my students my all. I was completely drained when I got home, but Tim was so gracious with me during those 3 months when no dinner being made and our home was a mess. :)

We are so excited to be parents, but also a little nervous about the responsibility. The 2nd trimester has been great! I have more energy and I am even cooking dinner now. :) We had our 3rd dr. appt this week and heard the heart beat again. It was much stronger this time and louder. Sometimes I think, "Am I really pregnant?" because I am not showing too much, but when I hear the heartbeat, it's like music to my ears. I can't describe the feeling I have when I hear the heart beat. There is a little life inside of me! It's so crazy to think about. I get to be a part of God developing this precious little life.

One of my favorite Psalms is 139 and right now God is constantly bringing me back to this Psalm to show me how He is in control of all things and every little detail of our development physically and spiritually.

Psalm 139:13-17

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to [b] me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Not only am I "fearfully and wonderfully made", but so is the sweet baby inside of me. I receive emails from babycenter.com once a week which describes what is developing that week and it's amazing to know each week during the pregnancy is important and vital for the whole development of the baby.

I feel silly sometimes talking to the baby but it's so fun share my heart, dreams, and prayers with my baby. It makes me wonder "What is the baby's personality going to be like", "Is he/she going to be a momma's baby or a daddy's baby?", or "What does God have in store for his/her life?"

It's such an exciting time and I am enjoying every minute of it!

Shelly's 30th Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated Shelly's 30th Birthday. Her husband Chris planned a surprise birthday party and invited all of her friends and us to enjoy a delious turkey dinner. We ate like crazy, enjoyed getting to know their friends, and partied like there was no tomorrow! :)


Shelly turning 30, but still being in strong health to blow out the candles. hee! just kidding, 30 is not old. :)


Her cake is so cute!! Chris had it made with a baby picture of her on it.


We had a fabulous time celebrating!!

Shubhra's "Back Home Celebration" and "30th Birthday Celebration"

This past weekend we celebrated Shubhra's return from Iraq and her 30th Birthday! Shubhra has been in Iraq since Ausgust 2007. For 15 months she has been seperated from her husband and family. With alot of prayers, emails, and packages Shubhra made it and has returned safe and sound. We are so thankful that God protected her and gave her strength when she was in Iraq. Below are a few pictures of her celebration. She had a blast reuniting with everyone and grubbing on yummy indian food. :)


Chad and Shubhra together again. They look great together!!



Nayan and Sanjay sporting the black and pink theme of the night.



My sister and me!



Deepika, the hard planner and doer of the night. She organized everything and worked really hard that night.



Shubhra's friends since elementary school.


Tim and I had fun hangin out, sharing our big news about being pregnant, and catching up with everyone.

Beauty (and some random thoughts)

My sister sent me a lot of pictures similar to these representing God’s beauty and creativity. I hate it when I think I am too busy and miss the beauty God has created all around me. I often go back to these pictures and look at them in awe of knowing how beautiful creation is and to think our God is so much more beautiful than this. This phrase from a song makes so much sense to me right now, “the art we make is only a faded reflection of something He has already made”.

I serve a God who gave me life even though I don’t deserve life. I have a personal relationship with Him now and for all eternity and I treat it sometimes like a chore to spend time with Him or give up my fleeting desires for fulfilling desires from God.

I am currently reading a book that talks about how we try to put knowing God into a box and into a formula. God is not a formula to put together or scientific proof to make the world believe with earthly facts. I know I am not articulating this as well and he did, but this really struck a cord with me. He is a God who is BIG, BEAUTIFUL, and MAGNIFICENT!
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
Romans 1:20

I work with kindergarteners and I go crazy sometimes thinking about what is the best way to share Christ with these kids. I don’t want to push God on them and I want them to have a clear understanding of who God is and for them to know God at a young age. God is revealing to me, don’t make it so complicated. This is my hearts desire and He knows I plead with Him for my own child’s soul and these students. He is showing me this is the best place to be, at His feet.
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”
Psalm 78:4

I know these are some random thoughts, but I wanted to share what’s been on my mind lately.



"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -all things were creatd through Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:15,16







"The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty."
Psalm 29: 3,4


"Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the counceil of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him."
Psalm 89: 5-7

Cherish

We recently had a close friend, Jill Attebery, pass away. Why is death so hard to deal with? We know she is in heaven with her heavenly Father and He is saying to her, "Well done my faithful servant." But it still does not take the sting away of her not being on earth.

To read more about her, go to:
www.theblessedbairdbunch.blogspot.com

She was a believer who lived her life to glorify God and lived out the gospel with her every moment. The funeral was a true testimony to this. Different people read excerpts from her journal and bible and I was truly in awe of her heart and desire to know God more. Not to look holy, not to be knowledgeable about God, but to personally know God within her deepest being. She cried out to Him in desperate times, in joyful times, and in times of confusion. She had 3 parts to her prayer life: her personal relationship to God, her husband and her relationship with her family, and the people she discipled and influenced. Her marks in her bible made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. She would make notes to herself like in Romans 9 "Understand God is sovereign before moving on" or in Psalms "He is my refuge, don't ever forget this".

She made a huge impact on Tim's life growing up. When he was in high school, she really taught him God is grace and love and we have nothing, but God still chooses to lavish His truth upon us. After Tim came back from Romania on a short term mission trip, she was the first person he wanted to share with about what God revealed to him and how God used him in Romania. She was so excited and told him, "God is going to make you a missionary. I know this is what God is going to do and that is what I am praying for you." Well, it was true. God is using Tim to be a missionary in Dallas and eventually in Austin. God has placed on our hearts to be missionaries wherever we are.

I did not know her as well as Tim or as long, but she made a huge impact in my life as well. She sang "Own Me" by Ginny Owens in our wedding. On her own without her husband, she flew in from Arkansas Friday night for rehearsal, stayed in a hotel by herself, sang at our wedding, and hung out the whole night with people she had never met. We did not get a chance to spend a lot of time with her because during the wedding time things were so crazy. But she never complained and was always so encouraging to the both of us. She was a BIG reader and and was always buying people books to read. (this was told at the funeral) Well guess what, I was one of the recepients of those books. A few weeks after our wedding, she mailed me a book called "Feminine Appeal" by Carolyn Mahaney with a 2 page letter she wrote to me the night of our wedding. The letter said she wanted to disciple me from afar and encourage me in my journey of marriage. The first time I met her was at our wedding, but I felt like she was a close friend.

Her husband Scott really showed me how in marriage you reflect your spouse. When we spoke to Scott at the funeral, the first words that came out of his mouth were, "I am so sorry I was unable to make it to your wedding." (He is a pastor and was unable to make it). He totally took the focus off himself and put it on us. This displayed to me such selflessness. He told us what a great time Jill had at our wedding and what an honor it was for her to be a apart of our wedding. She has no idea what an honor it was to us for her to be a part of our wedding. Scott told Tim, "Jill was really proud of you." This meant the world to Tim and to me.

Please pray for her husband Scott and their 10 week old baby, Bryce. They are amazing people with an amazing love for the Lord. They know God is sovereign and good and this is the only thing they have to rest in.

You can go to www.keltys.org to see the Memorial Service they had for Jill in Lufkin, TX.

Mac Computer Fun!!

Tim and I have owned a Mac Computer for almost 2 years and we have alot of fun with all the fun programs. The best one is the camera built into the computer. The funny part is we take pictures of ourselves sometimes sitting in front of the computer when we are bored and we have a good accumulation of goofy pictures. Below are some funny pictures we have taken in the past and I thought I would share them with the many people that check our blog. (hee! hee! j/k)
Enjoy!!

New Job

Well, for the past 2 1/2 weeks I have officially been a kindergarten teacher, responsible for molding the young minds of 5 and 6 year olds. It's been challenging and rewarding at the same time.



It's so rewarding to see their eyes light up when they remember all the days of the week, what day of the week it was yesterday, and to know what day of the week it is today.



During our phonemic awareness time when they make the association of similar sounds or know how to use words in sentences.



Most of all, they have a deeper understanding of who God is through our bible and prayer time. I'm learning how to continually share the gospel with them without them feeling it being forced upon them. When I ask a question of who God is and they say "A loving God who loves me when I am good and bad", that is rewarding. The first time I asked that question, everyone said in unison, "No he does not love us when we are bad" and that just about broke my heart. We cleared that up quick!! :)

It's not so fun when you make a child cry 3 days in a row for putting him in time out to teach him the importance of obeying and listening because I love them and want to protect them.

It's not fun when you are constantly instructing the children to "sit with you legs folded and hands in their laps", "walk with your hands behind your back and in a straight line, and "are you obeying or disobeying?"

But I would not trade any of it! God is stretching me and preparing me for the future when I have my own children.

"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young."
Isaiah 40:11

These are not my blood children, but God has given me the opportunity to invest truth and love into these children 5 days a week and I want to be a part of what God is doing in their lives. But I truly need God's wisdom and strength to do it because I fall to my flesh so many times. I am so impatient with them and then reminded how patient God is with me when he has to guide me through the same situation over and over and over.

End of our Wedding Anniversary Month...

In honor our a wedding anniversary month coming to an end, I am reminiscing about our 1 year wedding anniversary celebration.

We learned so much about each other and could not believe now quickly 1 year came. We lived in Nacogdoches our first year of marriage and moved to Dallas 2 weeks before our 1 year anniversary. We were excited to move to Dallas to start Dallas Theological Seminary, look for a church, and build relationships with people in the same stage of life as we were.

Our 1 year celebration:

We started the weekend by traveling to Houston to meet a new addition to our family, Noah. Our friends Marshall and Shannon had their first child, so we picked up a Dallas Cowboys jersey and drove to Houston to meet this new bundle of joy.


Tim surprised me with tickets to a one man comedian show called "Defending the Caveman". It was hilarious!! It was about the difference between men and women which was very appropriate for our 1 year. We had learned so much about the opposite sex by being marriage and experiencing what it is like to live with a boy/girl.


Our 1 year old cake. Hmmmm.....


We had dinner at Reunion Tower in Dallas. I had never been there before and was so excited! It was a big "Dallas" moment for me. It's just one of those places you have to go to when you are in Dallas.


Tim pretending he is laughing really hard as he drinks his water. We were getting a little goofy. :) Story of our marriage. I love it!


The End of our Night.


Until next year when we will celebrate another wonderful year of marriage and share new adventures...

Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary Celebration!

Tim and I just celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary this week. We had such a great time together. I love being married and I look forward to starting our 3rd year of bliss!



When I got home from work, Tim decorated our apartment with balloons hanging from the ceiling. I had to pop all the balloon to get to the sweet note he wrote for me and then rolled up and put inside the balloon. I have an amazing husband. Sorry ladies, he does not have a brother! :)


Each balloon had a sweet note on the outside too!


For lunch, we made homemade pizza!


I framed this picture of us with our dear friend Tony Romo. :)


I also gave Tim a frame of the pictures he took with a few Dallas Cobwboy players he met this summer.

In the afternoon, we played tennis and had a few good rallies. I first learned tennis when Tim and I first starting hanging out way back when. It gave us a reason to hang out because he would teach me how to play. We would play for like 4 hrs at a time CRAZY, I know!
Now i can only play for maybe an hour max! hee! hee! Oh, how things change.



We had dinner at Patrizio's. We loved it!


The bill. Ahhh!!! j/k. It actually was not bad. We had a great time over dinner just reflecting on the last 2 years of marriage and talked about things we can work on this next year and encouraged one another about the last 2 years amazing years.


Our last picture to remember a fabulous 2nd Wedding Anniversary Celebration!

I Thee Wed

Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary is coming up this week and it just makes me reflect back on the past two years.

I LOVE being married!!

God has taught me so much about who He is and has deepen my understanding of what Christ loving the Church looks like. We truly enjoy the simple joys in our lives and embrace our time together. It's hard at times for me to be transparent with the good, bad, and ugly in my lives, but it's comforting and sweet to do this with my best friend. I have an incredible man that I love so much!

More thoughts on our marriage to come!

Below are our wedding vows. Enjoy!




Tim, I stand before you today in front of family, friends, and the presence of God proclaiming my deep love and commitment to you.

I commit to LOVE you unconditionally and selflessly with all my heart and with a Christ-like love. I will pray for you daily, take care of you when you are sick, and create a warm home for us.

I commit to HONOR and CHERISH you all the days of my life. I will support you with all my heart and actions in every decision. I am and will continue to be your biggest fan. I will even support the Dallas Cowboys. I will constantly remind you how amazing you are and how handsome you are.

I commit to RESPECT you with a heart of reverence. I will respect the position God has given you and I will be a suitable helper.

I commit to FOLLOW you wholeheartedly and cherish you with all my heart, knowing you are being obedient to the Lord’s leading. I will follow your leading in this relationship and honor your decisions. I will build you up and make you my first family.

I commit to do all these things for the rest of our lives.




Jaya, I stand before you today in front of family, friends, and the presence of God proclaiming my deep love and commitment to you.

I commit to LOVE you without condition, making sure daily that you know there is nothing you could every do to make me love you any less than I do at this very moment right now.

I commit to LEAD our home in a complete trust in God, resting in His divine wisdom and purpose for our lives.
I commit to take care of you when you are sick and not feeling well and when your tummy hurts.

I commit to COMFORT you in your times of trials and conflict

Lastly, I commit to CHALLENGE you to never settle or be satisfied with the fleeting pleasures of this world, but to always seek to experience the eternal joy of knowing God and making Him known.

I commit to do all these things for the rest of our lives.