April/May....

Well, it has been some time since I last blogged, so I thought I would do a catch-up post of sorts. I must say that April and May have been anything but ordinary as so many different events have affected our lives. Soon after we returned home from Easter, Ryan left for London for a business trip. What we thought would be a 5 day trip turned into an 11 day trip all due to a volcano in Iceland. This particular volcano was spewing ash into the atmosphere shutting down most of European airspace. We lived in a state of limbo wondering when and how Ryan would make it back home. He finally did on April 21st! We were so grateful and so excited to see him!

Below is a picture of that volcano that impacted our lives:



When Ryan boarded the plane to come home, he received an email from a friend whose husband had been working on the Deepwater Horizon. She wanted us to know that he made it out safely but that the rig had exploded and was in flames with 11 people missing and who were soon presumed dead. A day into Ryan's return from London, he was working in the crisis center dealing with an oil well that was spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the explosion. Another incident that again deeply affected our daily living. It has been 45 days now since the explosion, Ryan has been working long, hard hours and I must say that we have grown a lot during this crisis. Just today I was reading Ephesians 5:15-21. In verse 15-16 it says "be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity...." I feel that even though this crisis is difficult and makes me anxious, I know it is preparing Ryan and I for the plans God has for us. I find that trusting in Him, keeping my eyes on Him and knowing He knows the end result has given me a certain amount of peace and contentment. He has provided us moments of joy in the midst of all of this and below are some pictures of those blessings:

Ryan and I had scheduled a getaway to the Florida keys back in February knowing that we wanted to take a trip together before the arrival of our second baby in October. Ryan's parents graciously agreed to watch Jack, and we planned our trip for the last week in April. With Ryan stranded in London, we wondered if we were going to be able to even make the trip. Then with the oil well crisis we again wondered if we were going to be able to go. We were able to getaway, and we had a fabulous, relaxing time. Above and below are pictures from our beach side balcony.

We enjoyed sitting by the beach, kayaking, playing tennis, golf and eating lots of good food! The time together was also so very refreshing!

At the end of May, Jack had his last day of school. We had such a wonderful experience at Holy Covenant and were so blessed to have had Ms. Michelle and Ms. Juanita as teachers. Jack learned and grew so much over the course of the year. They made a special memory book for each student with pictures from the entire year. I cried looking over it and seeing how much my precious Jack had grown!

On May 19th, Ryan and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary! We were able to go on a dinner date to one of our favorite restaurants and celebrate!

I don't think I have mentioned this on my blog yet but we are expecting baby #2 in early October! On May 25th, we had the ultrasound and we have a precious baby girl on the way. Below are some pictures of her profile. We are so excited to meet her and for Jack to have a baby sister. She is a blessing from the Lord! A precious gift!




Memorial day weekend we were able to go to the ranch for some rest and to celebrate Ryan's mom's 60th birthday! We had such a nice time. It was so good to see Michael and Barbara and to spend some time by the ranch pool.

Jack was fascinated with Uncle Michael playing the guitar.

Uncle Michael and Barbara

Jack and Ryan pictured with the birthday girl! We enjoyed a yummy Italian cream cake that night! Delicious!

Jack playing in his blowup pool. He loved it so!

Jack with Grandpa Texas.

Well, that wraps up April and May! Despite all of the unusual circumstances and the events that have affected our lives over the last 2 months, God has been good and blessed us with so much! To Him I give thanks and glory!! I pray I make the most of every opportunity!