Traditions! Traditions! Traditions!

As most of you know, I am a sucker for traditions, so Christmas is no exception. I especially love starting new traditions and seeing them through. So when Vernon and I got married we had so much fun thinking of what we wanted our new family traditions to be! Some are old ones with a twist, some out of our own little minds and still others are spin-offs of things we've heard others do. (2 years ago i blogged on this same thing!)
So lets all share what our traditions are and maybe it will encourage creativity in each other!!!!

Here are some of ours. (and some pictures for visual) I tried to keep them simple so we can do them if we are in the States or in Sudan.

*The first year we were married I made ornaments that have the names of Jesus on them. We have a separate tree that we call The Jesus Tree. Each day, starting on December 1st, we pull an ornament out of the advent box and read the corresponding scripture, talk about Jesus and hang the ornament. Also, as people send Christmas Cards, we hang their pictures on the tree and pray for them after we read the scripture and hanging the ornament.

*On December 1st each family member gets a "shepherd's pouch." (this idea came from Noel Piper's book Treasuring God in our Traditions, its an amazing book I revisit each year) It is just a little piece of fabric I have sown into a little coin purse. All month each person put money in it. On Christmas Eve, everyone lays them at The Jesus Tree. In the morning when the children wake, they can come and see what the money has turned into. ( we calculate a head of time what we will give as a family to random places and ministries around the world, most often we buy something from the World Vision Catalog, like a goat to feed a family) This takes the focus off of getting and onto giving. We talk about where the money went, by using the map and globe and pictures. Last year, our money went to Sudan, because we were there, but we hope to spread it out all over so that our children will know much more of the world than the US and Sudan.
*We have Advent Candles. This is something I especially love. It is a very old church ritual to bring about anticipation of the coming King. Each week we light a candle and read some liturgy. It builds the anticipation as the children await for the "Jesus Candle" to be lit. (in the past we have kept the Jesus Candle in a specific place and lit as much as possible. Then during lent bring special attention to it so that the Thursday before Easter is the last day they see it lit until Easter morning)

here are some random pics of some things i through together this year from decor....just dorky fun stuff from around the house to add to the cheer...
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Soooo.....please oh please, do share your traditions! What do you do for Christmas?

A House Divided

not really, but on this particular night we have to agree to disagree! I was raised to cheer for KU and Vernon was raised to cheer for MU.....so if you are online and not watching the game, turn on ABC and cheer away!

VS

***update*** so as you have heard, KU lost. But to all you MU fans....i will be cheering loud and proud for MU next week against OU! MIZZOU RAH!!!!!!!

Gaddis Family Extravaganza

Here are some pics from today at the Burger home. Thanksgiving was so great! ALL of my Gaddis cousins and aunts and uncles came. We had a great meal and LOTs of laughs. We were 22 in all. (my sis and bro, their fams and mom and dad were not able to come). We even had our very own in house concert. We played MANY rounds of catch phrase music edition. And shared lots of great stories. AND IT SNOWED...briefly but it did in fact move from sleet to snowflakes....who knew.
Picture #1: the Dessert Table, can you handle this 6 pies, 2 cakes, homemade Christmas candy, puppy chow, Christmas Crunch, apple snicker salad, lemon bars, oatmeal raspberry cookies and all kinds of other little snacks! AMAZING.

Picture #2 : the fam, minus some who left early.
Picture #3 : Rob and Ann Lowe, my sweet little cousins. They are like siblings to me. I love them dearly.
Picture #4: Rob Lowe of Balmorhea (we got our own little concert!)
Picture #5 : Micheal Muller of Balmorhea (seriously check them out buy there stuff)
So if you can check out Ann's Jewlery Design sight you will not be sad. And Micheal is also a photographer check out his stuff here. ENJOY!

2 years of blogging

i wish i had something great to say,
something clever to add.
but little will come to this mind of mine,
i am sorry this poem is so bad.
But thanks to all who have read through the years
of my joys, my rantings and my stories.
Some entries were pleasant and some were just rude
and others were, lets face it, just boring.
You have seen our son grow from a baby to a boy
and heard of our Sudanese adventures
And who knows at this rate if i keep up the work
I'll be blogging the day I get dentures.
Two years of this rambling,
Two years today
with Xanga I started
with Blogger I'll stay.

Titus Time

These are some pics of Titus taken by our friend Sarah Barnes. Titus LOVES to go to "Reerah's" house to play. She is the Best! As you will see, Titus is WAY into soccer right now...and thanks to New Balance's line of children's 'wide' shoes, Titus will now gladly wear his shoes...amen.

A Sell-Out of Sorts

Well folks tonight i deemed myself a sell-out. Now, that is not to say things will remain this way, but for tonight....a sell-out am I. It all started Friday morning when I rolled over in my cozy warm bed and heard the recycle truck picking up the recycle bin. I thought to myself, "Oh no! i forgot to take the trash and recycle to the curb last night!" So i threw on my robe and rushed out hoping what I had heard was the truck down the street. Well, as the day went on i found out that, yes, it was indeed our Recycle Truck that woke me that morning. All this to say, now, Tuesday evening, our Recycle Bin is filled to over flowing. We have two recycle bags full in the garage waiting for next week. So tonight i was faced with having to throw away cardboard, two cans, a plastic container and a glass jar. It was dreadful, just dreadful. To make it worse I noticed how simply throwing those away eliminated having to rinse them and discard the labels and made dish doing a little less. WHAT AM I THINKING....i will not let these thoughts win!
If you come to our home much, there are a couple things you know well. One, i love the fact that you can freely and easily recycle in Fort Worth. Two, i am obsessed with baking, so a homemade dessert of sorts is always awaiting. Well folks sell-out number two happened within minutes of the aforementioned selling-out. I have this thing, I can not get my self to make cookies from those little bags of pre-made-just-add-butter-and-a-egg bags...i just cant do it. But Monday at the store i was feeling the exhaustion of pregnancy and was in the baking isle buying my usual baking goods. In said isle, i happened upon the bag-o-cookies section. I thought to myself, I would really like to make some cookies but i have no energy, this is just the trick. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME! So tonight while i was busy ruining the environment by not recycling, i made cookies FROM THE BAG....what is happening to my life?
the worst part....the cookies were really good.

Sudan Update

I just thought I would let yall know that we updated some video footage on our Sudan blog. Robin and Megan are back from Kenya where Isaac had his surgry. Isaac is back in Sudan and doing great! amen! Robin also went back to Sudan with Isaac and got to attend the opening celebration of Sunday School at the church in Yei. They have never had a children's ministry until now! Some of the Video are of the children enjoying their first Sunday School meeting! There are also photos (like this one) of the children working on and painting the building where they will be meeting! enjoy!

**we got word this week that a bad storm came through our Morobo Orphanage and damaged the orphanage building. No children or workers were hurt...amen! You can read more on the blog as well**

And Now, The Costume You've All Been Waiting For.....

Wishing for Fall

Being from Missouri leaves much to be desired out of Fall and lets just say, North Texas is not cutting it! This weekend we decided it was time to stop denying that this, in fact, was north Texas's version of fall so we packed up the fam and went to the Pumpkin Patch. In honor of the occasion and the supposed "cold front" we decided to all dress in long sleeves just in case. We had to cut our trip to the patch short because we were all SWELTERING! It was really hot but all in all we had a great time and Titus loved it. He was way into the tractors, more so than the pumpkins or scarecrows this year.

Here are some pics and somethings to note as you look: 1) we have a dilemma, Titus is to skinny for anything bigger than 2T but too tall for anything shorter than 3T, this is not a problem in the summer with shorts, in fact the shorts he wore to church today were 18 months! But when he is wearing jeans...its an issue! 2) Vernon is wearing cowboy boots. 3) Titus really wanted a yard ornament scarecrow instead of a pumpkin and since it was only 2 bucks verses the crazy prices of pumpkins we caved. 4) We believe Titus has the gift of praise dancing. He often breaks out in dance when he hears music, only it almost always includes waving something in the air, in this case, the scarecrow acted as his praise banner. Give Him Praise!

Information Overload

Three of the last four weekends have been spent at "retreats." First a personal/family retreat to the DG conference. Second, my church's Women's retreat and Third, Stonegate Fellowship Girls Retreat. Granted the last two I was part of the leadership by worship through music, but all the same a lot of great Truths were received by my heart.
It is funny when Truths you learned as a youth keep rearing their head as an adult. It is like the enemy uses the same old tricks just disguised as something different. The Truth that seems to be overwhelmingly repetitive through out the last 4 weeks is. "what goes in is what comes out" or also said, "Garbage in, Garbage out, Truth in Truth out." It seems this is a life lesson that can never be taught enough in our day and age, where information about any and everything is a click away. It also seems that this lesson, in certain Christian circles, has become, "old school," as if to say it doesn't apply. For example, if a certain speaker got up and spoke about music or whatever it is that is filling your mind, and suggested that you pay attention to what is going in to your mind and getting rid of what doesn't glorify God, these certain said Christian circles would blow them off as teaching WWJD or something of the like. When all the while, we all, especially me, need to be reminded to observe what we are taking in so that we can take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ.
Along with attending these conferences I have 'happened' upon two great articles on Un-pluging and Fasting from Information. I highly suggest you read them and pass them on to others. (they are both real short so dont worry)

CELL SIN

INFO-TECHNO SABBATH

As I was at the DG conference I loved the fact that I had NO Internet and i used my phone to communicate only with the ones we were at the conferences with (besides the phone call to Vonda to let her enjoy some of the conference). Then at the ladies retreat, my phone had no battery and i had no Internet. I got to enjoy a great jog through the trail around the lake and take in much missed silence. And again at the SGF retreat, my phone had little to know service and no Internet....great rest and focus. And through it all i was actually able to put my finger on areas in my life that were being affected negatively by subconscious thought from cultural noise. AMEN.
Enjoy the articles. And Enjoy GOD.

99 Balloons

please take a minute and watch this video. warning: to all mothers, grab a tissue, there will probably be some tears, but they are worth it.

99 Balloons Video

Here's a brief description from the website:

Eliot was born with an undeveloped lung, a heart with a hole in it and DNA that placed faulty information into each and every cell of his body. However, that could not stop the living God from proclaiming Himself through this boy who never uttered a word.

In the midst of heartbreaking tragedy, the Mooney family found the presence of God strengthening, comforting, and guiding them. Their story reminds us to seek God and endure our struggles rather than blame Him for our hardships.

For more on Eliot visit www.ninetynineballoons.com

BEARCATS FOR LIFE

yes folks, today is SBU Homecoming, and not just any Homecoming, but my five year reunion Homecoming. Am I going? you ask, that would be a big NO. But of all the 2002 graduates I would guess that my desire to go is in the top 10%. I loved everyday of my SBU career. It was a place of spiritual growth, physical growth (haha) and of course Academic growth for me. I honestly cant think of any other place, except maybe Houston, where God molded me in every way. Not to mention all the friends and all the pranks! good times!
Now all you who are SBU Alumni in the DFW area, I expect to see you at the upcoming DFW SBU Alumni Picnic Saturday November 3 from 10-2! Andrea and Sarah I am talking to you!

Honored and Privileged

These were the two words I kept thinking during the Desiring God Conference this year. I was so honored to be able to sit under the teaching of such incredible Saints, whose lives have stood the test of time. Each of them spoke on the theme, Stand: a call for the endurance of the saints. Each of the spoke from different angles and passages but all with the same plea: Endure until the end....make the Name and Renown of the Lord known until your very last breath. It was Dr. Jerry Bridges, Dr. John MacArthur, Randy Alcorn, Dr. Helen Roseveare and Dr. John Piper.
Two of the speakers are personal Heroes of mine, Dr. Helen Roseveare and Dr. John Piper.
Although I have sat under Dr. Piper's teaching for years, through Passion, DesiringGod.org, DG Conferences, many a cassette tape and now many a CD or Mp3 download, I had never had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of Dr. Roseveare, and honestly, outside of quotes in biographies of her life, I had never heard a word from her. But oh the joy and privilege it was to here her speak, possible for the last time in such a setting.
Here are some photos and downloads. All the messages are free to download! (the audio or video!)Dr. John Piper teaching on "Growing Old to the Glory of God"
Dr. Roseveare taught on Psalm 27. One Thing I know, One Thing I do and One Thing I ask.

Here is a link to where you can listen to all the messages...don't miss out on such great wisdom and encouragement!

Along with the amazing teaching, we got to spend great time with some of our favorite people. Vernon's sister Phyllis, Danny and Mallory Dyer, Zack and Jen Atchley and Mary Ellen Atchley. It is always a highlight of our year to meet up in MN for this event! We love you guys!
The gang minus me.The gang minus Phyllis.

Desiring God Conference

Each year we make our way to Minneapolis to the DG conference. We are SOOO excited about this one!

Sooo.....

Jesus Loves Me and Dave Matthews

Hope you enjoyed the video.
While you are watching it I will be enjoying Dave Matthews Band Live in Dallas!
While my friend Moe previously posted about how she is, "trying to grow up and not love pot-smoking college-music," I on the other hand, turned down many a DMB concert while in college and now that i am an "adult" I decided I could handle it! For Moe's credit, she did regret her decision. So more on that to come. Allison L Richmond and Katie Gerli this night will not be the same without you.

Ava Elizabeth Self

so i got the privilege of going to my sweet friend Lauren's house yesterday and photographing her sweet newborn, Ava. Here is a sneak peek at some black and whites, i just threw them in this collage so this totally just for preview purposes. Hopefully i will have them all loaded soon and have a link for Lauren to post!

Saturday with the Burger's

Every Saturday morning we get up and go to the Donut Shop!

Then we make our way to Starbucks....it is always so much fun.

I love that middle picture. it could be our next family picture, or at least my new profile pic!

Nothing says amber, vernon and titus like what we order at starbucks. Can you guess who gets which drink?

So next saturday, why dont you join us...its lots of fun!

RAMADAN

Today is the day that around the world Muslims of all races start a 30 day fast to commemorate the receiving of the Qur'an. They are to fast from sun up until sundown. In addition, "Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an.
Muslims tend to perform the recitation of the entire Qur'an by means of special prayers, called Tarawih, which are held in the mosques every night of the month, during which a whole section of the Qur'an (‘Juz', which is 1/30 of the Qur'an) is recited, so that by the end of the month the entire Qur'an has been completed" stated this very informative article from Wikipedia.

Millions of Muslims will be participating in Ramadan. This is a great time to begin relationships with Muslims around you, asking them about their faith and why they fast. Many wonderful resources are available to us as Christians, to help us pray specifically during the next 30 days and to educate us on Islam. (the photo is from Vernon's last visit to Uganda)

I found some awesome resources on Justin Taylor's Blog Theologica. I am linking the ones I found to be family and user friendly!

May the Lord increase your love for the Muslim people!

30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World

PDF File for 30 Days of Prayer

The Kids Edition of 30 Days of Prayer

BOOK CLUB TONIGHT!

Hey everyone! We are starting a book club every Wed. night at our church.  If you are interested come and join us! If you cant come to the meetings but still want to read along and learn with us, we have a blog that we will update each week and let people update during the week with questions and dialogue from the reading!  here's the Blog, come check us out!

First Irving Ladies Book Club

Our first book is a MUST read for all Christian Moms.  It is short, practical and to the point! You will love it!

deep thoughts by titus burger

driving down the road on the way home from the ymca
Titus: Mom, when we go to heaven, Jesus will show us mercy
(shocked and thrilled that this came from his little mind)
Me: That's right Titus, if we believe in Him, Confess that He is the Savior and Follow Him

in bed after the prayer
Titus: mom, we need Jesus to save us
Me: that's right Titus
Titus: but not God (long thoughtful pause) because He is God (referring to Jesus)

at target after a lady startled me by banging though the warehouse doors in the back,
Me: whoa! that scared me
Titus: Mom, you should just trust God then you wont be scared.
Me: oh, thanks for reminding me of the Truth!

a good friend: Titus when's your birthday?
Titus: John 3:16


I love that his mind is being formed by the Truths of God's Word! I had to laugh though after the conversation about mercy i later found out he thinks mercy is a "she" and it is an actual object or person Jesus is going to show us! i love it! so i explained it to him just as we do every once in a while when we withhold a deserved punishment, that the action of with holding a due punishment is called mercy. He just nods and keeps on playing. Lord, One day, may it be soon, would you set Titus apart for Your work, call him to Yourself and save his little sweet soul.

its been one week...

not really, but that song has been in my head since i heard it on the radio on the way to Andrea Bowmans birthday party. Its funny that i remember sooo many of the words! I remember trying so hard to memorize that song because it was so hard to learn, and i guess all that was good for, in the scheme of life, is that one day i will giggle and bust into song when it makes it on one of those ridiculous, "you know you went to high school in the late nineties if..." surveys.

It has been quite a while since i blogged, so to all of you who each day get up anticipating an update, i am sorry. Please dont give up on me. hehe! Adjusting to the new school year has been a lot harder than i remember it being the last two semesters. I guess it is because i have a lot more commitments this year, ALOT more friends in the metroplex and i LOVE the college students from our church and they are back from the summer. (not to mention i have taken on some side jobs like making journals and paintings for people and doing Pre-school with Titus at home)

So I will dedicate the rest of this post to our sweet son Titus. (i added a new pic to our blog)
*He is Three and let me tell you there is a BIG difference from Two to Three just take a look at our family photo to your right and then his three year old picture, that is only one year difference. It is like he went from a little Toddler to a Pre-Ker.
*He loves to be read to, and when i say LOVES to i mean, HOURS worth. If the story is good he could listen for ever!
*He also enjoys pretending to be David (he makes me be Goliath and i have to fall dead when he sling-shots me), superman (by putting a blanket around his neck and running around) and of course, Bob the Builder. If you need anything fixed, Titus is your man, but you must refer to him as Bob.
*He loves to play on the computer. He now has mastered the ability to open the laptop, open the Internet, navigate himself to elmosworld.com and play whatever game he likes. crazy huh!
*He is a little barista, he can now officially make a perfect shot of espresso, start to finish. Scoop the beans, tamp them just right, put the pod on the machine, press the shot button, watch for the creme to hit the 2oz line and press stop. amazing. He can also count out four scoops of whole bean coffee, put them in the grinder and grind the coffee for the coffee maker. We enjoy this together every morning as we make daddy his drink and take it to him in his office.
*He has mastered most of his letters and their sounds, all his shapes and colors, sorting, picking out what doesnt belong in a group and connecting the same items in different columns with lines.
*He is mostly potty-trained (he still wheres a pullup or diaper at night and nap mostly because i dont want to clean up the mess)
*He says funny phrases like "just chillin" when asked what he is doing. He refers to his pants as his drawers. and when he exits a room he has been known to nod his head and say "peace."

There is so much more, but i will spare you. Thanks for reading! hopefully i cant capture some of these things on camera and post them soon!

i will.

i will blog soon i promise.

out.
ab

I am addicted

or something of the like. with this, long awaited, album.

don't waste time. just buy it. it will not disappoint.

a little story.
while in MO vernon and i went to a beloved coffee shop to spend time reading our Bible and writing. while reading, the music kept distracting me. About every 2 mins i would tap on vernon's shoulder and say "hey babe, this sounds like robbie seay," followed by a nod from him as if he didnt understand the big deal and i would say, "but i ve never heard this song and i am certain that i have EVERY song of his that has been recorded." He would nod again and continue reading. I would try hard to focus and then yet another unknown song would come on, i would listen to see if it could possibly be any one other than RSB and then have the aforementioned conversation. After about three rounds of this vernon said, "why dont you just go ask." "What a brilliant Idea," i thought. So i got up and found the nearest worker. She went to the back and confirmed it to be the RSB. only that news was followed by, "it comes out August 28th." mixed with emotions i thought, "i am so glad it was RBS but Aug 28 that is 14 more days!" followed by the thought, "i know many a person who could possibly get there hands on an early copy for me" to which my conscience responded, "no amber, be a good fan, wait and be the first to buy." so that is what i did. and God rewarded my waiting. I got it for 7.99 on itunes for getting it so quickly and i got an extra, only on itunes, track with Shane & Shane. So, moral of the story is DONT WAIT ANY LONGER JUST GO BUY IT.

What's On the Menu Monday

This is a fun meal to make when lots of people are coming over. It is one that people can join in and help, or you can do it yourself. If someone is cooking with you, split duties by assigning the waffles to one group and the Topping to another. If you are doing this alone, turn on waffle iron and prepare the waffle mixture. Then prepare the topping and let it sit while you cook the waffles. This is an AMAZING meal, full of down home taste!

Creamy Poblano Chicken and Cornbread Waffles

TOPPING:

3 Tbs butter
1 large sweet Onion, chopped
2 poblano chile pepper, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 chicken breasted cut to bit-sized
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
cracked red pepper to taste
garlic salt to taste
1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup (10 3/4oz)
1 conainer sour cream (8 oz)
1 package of shredded harp Chedder Cheese

Melt butter in a deep skillet with lid on. Add onion, chile pper, and garlic; saute 5 min. Add Chicken, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring often, 8-10 min or until chicken is done. Stir in Soup and sour cream until smooth. Add garlic salt and red pepper. Add Cheese, and cook 5-7 mins until cheese is melted and it is nice and creamy. Serve on top of the Cornbread Waffles.

WAFFLES:
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tb sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cup frozen white shoepeg corn, thawed (or any frozen corn works)

Stir together first 5 ingred. in large bowl. Stir together egg and next 3 in separate bowl. Add to cornmeal mixture stirring just unil dry incrdients are moistened.
Spray waffle iron and cook just like you would regular waffles.

Reasons to Celebrate

music. life. love. friends.

so many things to say today as we transition back into the routine of new school year. The crazy travel life of the summer is winding down and the rigorous schedule of school and work are cranking up. So i thought i would start this laborious season with Celebration. So many wonderful things to Celebrate.

life.

vernon is in his Senior year!

titus went to target yesterday with big boy undies on and no accident!

at this very moment i have three Candle Cafe candles going at the same time thanks to my trip to midland.

love.

i have never been more in love with my husband.

we got to spend a couple nights on the Plaza in KC for our anniversary...amazing.

Danny is married!

we weren't suppose to be looking but me and the guys couldnt not look! this was through the window of the church doors when they were seeing eachother for the first time.

friends.

our souls are greatly refreshed from the weekend in KC. we have the best friends in the world.

we got to catch up with so many SBU/ MO folk.

we had a BLAST with andrew and sarah.

we got to meet Coby Smith (jake and allison smith's son)

i got to hold Marin Adam (shannon and matt adams baby girl)

we got to love on Windsor Atchley (zack and jen atchley's girl)

seeing my dear friends children filled my heart with great joy...i had no idea it would be so joyous.

Music.

we got to listen to Zack sing and play.

nate jones sang the Full House theme song at Paddy O'quigly's Karaoke night.

Robbie Seay finally came out with a new album.

and last but not least Switchfoot is FINALLY FREE!!! and this could be a post all its own.

My Best Friends Wedding

I guess I have known for years this weekend would come but little did I know the effect it would have on me. I have been full of so much joy and remembrance. I have reflected on the life and the friends that God brought into my life and have been overwhelmed with thankfulness towards our Great Gracious Lord.
For over a month now I have wanted to write this blog. I have sat down and tried many times and it just ended in tears (or Titus woke up from his nap)! I have so many memories I want to write out so that they are never forgotten. So here goes.

Dear Sweet Friend Danny,

My family and I have been forever blessed by your friendship to us. I have been thinking through all the fun and laughter we have shared, the hard times and the great times. You have been a friend to us, a loyal, true friend, and we are forever grateful. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that when you came up to Connie and I at Esquire after the song “Better Is One Day” and introduced yourself, that 9 years later my husband would be a part of your wedding! Isn’t God so good!
I couldn’t think of a good way to begin this list, no clever intro or anything, but here is a list of some of my favorite memories. May the Lord give us so many more as He graciously joins your heart with Mallory’s!

In no particular order:
• Climbing Chapel and getting everyone on campus…those sags!
• You and Trevor always dressing up for intramural volley ball
• The crazy trip to Colorado Skiing! So fun!
• The life changing drive to Atlanta MO. Our first John Piper sermon. Thank you Zack and Jen!
• The Carthage’s D-Now. You preach about being “Bold as a Lion.” There is something mysteriously magical about that town.
• Skipping finals to go to ONEDAY! The drive, the anticipation, the camping.
• This could be one of my all time favorite memories, Standing on a bank the night before oneday. You, Me, Aaron Cline and a little AW Tozer.
• Me telling you about Vernon, you meeting Vernon and from that moment on yall’s oddly metro obsession with one another’s physique.
• Preaching class. Sitting between you Jerrel passing notes and trying not to crack up laughing the entire time.
• Baptist Denom. With Dr. Fuhrman, best and worse class EVER. Best people, worst course. I think I have laughed more about this class than any other.
• Greek with Dr. Reeves. So many from this class, but the one that stands out is the day we stayed after because at random Dr. Reeve’s mentioned that it is likely that the Beloved Disciple is not John.
• Jack trading his entire Fantasy Football team for Amber Gaddis and Zack Atchley’s SBU Worship team!! HAHA!
• The Duh video.
• Eva Cassidy’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
• The E.V Hill sermon at his wives funeral that you and Aaron had on cassette!
• You and Vernon living together in Houston.
• When you got the new Shane and Shane CD and we blasted it at the Intern house. We declared Beauty for Ashes as the wedding song of the year and in less than a year later was in our wedding!
• The day I asked you to marry me! Hehe! But what I meant was perform part of the wedding, and it came out wrong! Haha!
• You forever correcting my grammar and me being forever grateful!
• Being a part of our wedding.
• You driving all the way to Midland to meet baby Titus, you will never know how much this meant to us.
• The night we sat in your mom’s driveway in Raytown and you told me all about Mallory.
• The DG Conference last year.
• Taking Titus and I to Uno’s on the plaza.
• The plethora of Texts and phone calls that have been so timely for both me and Vernon.

As you join you life with Mallory, may the memories continue. We love you Danny and are so excited for you!

CAM, Family Fun and Issac's Surgery

• We have had quite a ride the last week and half. I took Titus to Midland for Camp Aunt Martha (CAM) where two of my Aunts had a ball with two of the great nephews. It was a little boys dream! Everything from power-tools with Uncle Bruce to Horse back Riding! They even had registration and camp shirts! Hopefully i will have some pics up soon!

• We arrived back in Fort Worth on Wed. and My sister, her husband and three boys arrived at our home on Thurs! Saturday all the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins that live in Texas came from their towns to see my sisters family. (it is not often that they make it to TX so it is a big Gaddis event!) I have a video of Titus and his two cousins pretending to be in a band, it is hilarious! I will work on posting it as well.

• On to the most exciting news... Issac's Surgery is this weekend! Robin and Megan just made it to Kenya to meet up with Issac. Please Please follow along on the Sudan Blog and pray pray pray! if you don't know the story of this sweet orphan click here. We are so excited for this day and SOOOO thankful to all who have made it possible!

until later
amber

A Titus Moment

I just realized i have been pretty bad about getting pics of Titus the last couple months so i took some snapshots of playing in the yard today. Enjoy!

Four Years Ago

Four sweet years ago today Vernon and I got married. I love him more today than I ever thought imaginable! Thank you Lord for a Husband who fears You. Thank You Lord for a husband who loves his family. Thank You Lord for our Marriage. May your Name be made known though our lives.