Looking Back {on 2012} Part I

For me 2012 was a year of personal growth. As the year began I found myself searching for meaning and purpose in my life. It was a year of challenges, but those challenges eventually turned into triumphs, and as the year came to a close I felt at peace. I had learned to seek happiness for myself, instead of waiting for it to find me. 

January

We celebrated the new year in Texarkana for Britt and Dustin's wedding weekend. It was such a memorable weekend and a wonderful start to 2012. 

At some point in January it became a reality that Brandon actually had to leave for three months, starting at the end of March. I began worrying about what this meant for me. I didn't have anything holding me back in Corpus, but I started to wonder if having a job would make the coming months easier. I looked into possibilities outside of child life, and I considered going into teaching. After weighing all my options I decided against it. I didn't want to jump into something just because I was scared of the challenge ahead. 

February 

I spent the month of February taking advantage of my time with Brandon, since I knew he would be leaving in a matter of weeks. Although we squeezed in as many date nights and fun outings as we could, it still felt like there was cloud of sadness hanging over us. Even though we tried not to think about it, we knew that we were quickly approaching the biggest challenge we had ever faced as a married couple. 

Towards the end of the month I made my first Austin trip of 2012. Shell and I experienced the Campus Candy Store for the first time and attended a Texas Country benefit concert that was close to my heart.

March

I realized I had spent so much time trying to figure out the next step in God's plan that I hadn't even noticed His presence in the present moment. I began to see Him working in my life in ways that I hadn't even considered. I learned to accept the stage I was in, and life seemed fun again. 

We spent a weekend in Yoakum before Brandon started his rig training, and at the end of the month we began our Dallas adventures. 

April

I did a lot of traveling in April. I was either in Yoakum with my parents, in Austin with Michelle, or in Dallas with Brandon. I had a lot of time to myself, which I spent running, reading, and just thinking about life. 

We also celebrated my PaPaw's 90th birthday, and we felt so blessed to have him in our lives. 

April was also the beginning of Courtney and Kyle's wedding festivities. My maid of honor duties included a day in College Station for Courtney's bridal portraits, a day I will never forget.

Stay tuned for parts two and three...

Christmas 2012

This holiday season was one of my favorites. We were able to step away from our lives here in Corpus and spend a few days with our families. It almost felt as though time stood still, like the world stopped for a brief moment and allowed us to just be.

I wrote my last post while we were at Brandon's mom and dad's house, and we spent the day with them visiting and watching football. Brandon's aunt and uncle from Georgetown were in Yoakum for the day, and it just happened to be the weekend of the Pivo League playoffs. My brother-in-law, Kendall, won first.

We opened gifts that evening, and I told everyone that the gifts from us meant even more this year, because Brandon did the shopping. {I was sick the week before, remember?} I was excited to receive several serving pieces that match our china set, and Brandon loved opening his new yard equipment. It was a relaxing day, and we really enjoyed visiting and catching up with everyone.

{My favorite ornaments on my mother-in-law's tree: Brandon's baby ornaments,
our wedding favor ornaments, Bride and Groom, and Texas Santa}

That night we went to my parents' house and watched Pitch Perfect with my family and a few of Michelle's friends. {It's almost embarrassing how many times I've seen that movie.}

On Christmas Eve we went to Mass, and we were able to wish a few of our friends "Merry Christmas" afterwards.

{Before Mass}

That evening we went to Brandon's aunt and uncle's house to celebrate with the entire Renken family. We don't get the chance to see some of them very often, so we enjoyed our visit.

Christmas morning we woke up at my parents' and started opening gifts right away, just like when we were kids. We gave my mom and dad a Keurig, and we gave my sister a cute camera strap for her new Canon T3i. Our favorites were the cornhole boards that my dad built for Brandon and the coasters that Michelle made me. My mom also got me an apron that has vegetables printed all over it. The card said "If you can't grow your vegetables, at least you can wear them." Good one, Mom!

{My Coasters: Hey Cupcake, 6th Street, Maudie's, Austin Skyline,
Michelle, Bevo, The University of Texas Tower, Capitol of Texas. Perfect!!}

The rest of the day was spent playing cornhole, trying on our new clothes, relaxing and visiting with PaPaw.

{Shell with her new camera, Princess's Christmas treats,
My vegetable apron, Our first game of cornhole}

{PaPaw working on his new puzzle book}

That evening we played a family game of Catch Phrase that had us laughing so hard our stomachs hurt. Hey Michelle, "Ohh I want my money back." Haha... Christmas day ended with a pot of my mom's tortilla soup and a good movie.

~ I think Michelle may have been right when she predicted Christmas 2012 to be the best Christmas ever.

10 Week YOU Challenge: Week 5

Happy Tuesday!

via

Six Places

Each of these places has played a big part in my life,
but the people and experiences that I encountered in each place
are what make each one special.
  

Austin
My all-time favorite place to live.
The first place we lived when we got married.

Yoakum
Our hometown.

Georgia
Home of my Aunt Betty and Uncle Robert.
My all-time favorite summer vacation spot.

The Forty Acres
Read more here.

Red Rock / Rockne
Home of my grandparents,
and the place that holds my favorite childhood memories.

Corpus Christi
Our current city.
Although it's not my favorite place to live,
I'm sure I'll look back one day and appreciate everything this city has taught me.

Absence makes the heart...

Go crazy.
Or at least that's the case for me.

~~~

For the past three months {twelve weeks, 5 days to be exact} Brandon has been in Dallas.

We knew when he took this job that there would be a three-month training course he would have to attend. That's three months that he would have to leave our home and live somewhere else.

Without me.

We knew this, but we tried not to think about it. We tried, I tried, to tell myself it would never come.

But it did.

~~~

On March 24th we went to a wedding in the Austin area. And the next morning we said goodbye. Brandon drove to Dallas, and I caught a ride back to Yoakum.

"I can do this," I told myself. "Maybe it will be like a vacation...I'll go to Dallas, Corpus, Yoakum, and Austin, and it will be fun!"

That thinking lasted about six hours.

Sunday evening, after I got to my parents house, we started gettting ready for church. I walked into my room to change clothes, and it hit me.

I opened the closet to choose a shirt, and I realized it wasn't my closet. Sure it had my old prom dresses, my tucked-away trinkets and suvenirs, and my wedding gifts that I don't have room for, but it wasn't my closet at my home. {And, I only had about three shirts to choose from for church, ha!}

I started crying. And my mom and dad immediately began to comfort me.
I got the feeling that they knew this was coming.

Me {crying}: "I just don't know what to do!" ..sniff, sniff... "If I go home to my house I'll be so lonely, because no one is there!..But that's where all my stuff is...And if I stay here I won't have any of my stuff!"

Mom {in her very calm I'm-always-going-to-take-care-of-you voice}: "Emily honey, you can bring as much stuff here as you want! You can bring your whole closet if you want! We want you to do whatever you need to to be happy here."

Me {still crying}: "I know, but I'm a grown up now and I should be at my own house."...sniff..."I shouldn't have to stay with my parents."

Dad {in his very wise voice}: "Emily, you have the rest of your life to be at your house. It's okay if you want to stay with us while Brandon is gone."

Me {a little less emotional}: "Okay." ..tiny sniff.. "But I'm going to need some more clothes."

~~~

And at some point during the following weeks I went down to our house in Corpus to get more clothes. And shoes. And hair stuff, and swim suits, and my yoga mat, and weights, and my favorite blanket, and after a few more trips I had everything I needed.    Thank goodness!

~~~

I've now spent the last three months hanging out with my mom and dad. I drove to Dallas every few weeks and stayed with B for about a week at a time, but I spent most of my time in Yoakum.

We've stayed pretty busy. And after 2 couples showers, 3 bridal showers, 2 funerals, 2 softball tournaments, 1 5k, 1 weekend in Austin, 2 weddings and at least 4 trips to Dallas {for me}....

...After 89 days...

B is coming home!...

...On Friday! And I can't even begin to tell you how happy this makes me, how happy this makes us!

Check back soon for P's side of the story...

Courtney and Kyle say 'I do'

This past weekend we celebrated Courtney and Kyle's wedding day. All the planning and peparation paid off, because the day was absolutely perfect! Courtney was a beautiful bride, and I have never seen her as happy as she was on this day.

Kyle, she may now be your wife,

but she will always be our 'Court-Court'.





Weekend Update

    Brandon and I spent this last weekend in Yoakum. Our days included family, friends, Mi Tierra, two-steppin', good music, and home cooked meals from our moms' kitchens. Here's a few pictures from Saturday night. We don't get to see our friends nearly enough, so this night was much needed :) 



     Michelle and I also made this strawberry-coconut cake, which just happens to be her favorite (strawberry) and my favorite (coconut) put together. Shell found the recipe on Pinterest, of course! 

  

The cake is super moist, and the icing is amazing!

I hope everyone had a great weekend :)

Trying to Live in the "Here and Now"

The past few weeks have been tough. First of all, Brandon was in Oklahoma for two weeks. This was the first time he has been gone for more than a few days, and I was not looking forward to it. Thankfully I have some amazing people in my life who kept me busy. Michelle, her friend Alayna, and Alayna's sweet baby Noah came to visit during the first week. We did some Christmas shopping and had fun playing with Noah. He is such a sweet baby! This was Princess's first time to meet a baby, so it was fun to watch her reactions.

I went back to Yoakum with Michelle and Alayna, and spent the next week there. During that time I got to do more shopping in Austin with my mom and Michelle, and I finally got to see the cute bridal boutique where Michelle works. If you're shopping for a wedding dress, you should definitely look them up!!

This brings me to the tough part...being in Austin. I've only been to Austin a few times since we moved, and I can usually make the trip without becoming emotional/sentimental. Until I see the tower of Dell Children's. That's when I start reminiscing and thinking about all of the amazing people I encountered during my time there. I think about how hard I worked to go from a college volunteer, to a gift shop employee, then a practicum student and intern, and finally a child life specialist. I did so much learning and growing in that one place, and I still miss it like crazy.

Driving by Dell Children's reminded me how much I love being a child life specialist. I could go on and on about what we do and why I love doing it, but I won't. I just hope that I get to do it again someday. I've sent my resume to the children's hospital here in Corpus, but there are no positions available right now. So I'm playing the waiting game. And I don't like it.

I was talking with Brandon a few days ago about how much I miss my job. I told him that working as a child life specialist was what I was "supposed" to do. He said, "Who said that's what you're 'supposed' to do?" I said, "Well I did." He then reminded me that WE do not decide what we are supposed to do.

Once again, I was trying to take control of my life. And after realizing that, I am doing my best to live in the moment and enjoy where I am in life.

I found a book a few days ago that has been extremely helpful. And as I opened it to start reading I noticed that it came from my Aunt Verna. I'm assuming she gave it to my dad, who then gave it to me, and I was probably too busy at the time to read it.

The book is about living life in the present and taking time to notice God working in our lives each day. As I read it last night, I came across a quote that really stuck with me. This particular chapter was about the Spirit of God working in our lives. It said,

"Don't be afraid to let go of your need to control your own life. Let me fulfill the true desire of your heart."

Wow! That's exactly what I needed to hear. So thanks, B, for loving me and being patient with me. And thanks to Dad and Aunt Verna for placing this book in my life. I think I read it at just the right time :)

Thanksgiving Summary

This Thanksgiving was abslutely amazing! Brandon and I spent time with both of our families, got to see several of our close friends, and witnessed the Texas Longhorns beat the Aggies. It just couldn't get any better! Oh, and Michelle and I cooked our first Thanksgiving meal! All by ourselves!

When we woke up on Wednesday morning, Michelle and I started cooking. We had planned the menu (ham, dressing, green bean bundles, mashed potatos, sweet potato casserole, and pie) earlier in the week, and Mom and Dad made sure we had all the groceries ahead of time. Michelle and I were determined to prepare the meal with NO help, which meant Mom was banned from the kitchen all day. I think this may have been one of the hardest things Mom has even done. But I think we all learned something from the experience. After hours of cooking, our family (Mom, Dad, Michelle, James, Brandon, PaPaw, Me) sat down and enjoyed the yummy food that Michelle and I worked so hard on. I felt so proud of us! I just kept looking at all the food on the table and thinking, "We did that!"

Green Bean Bundles

Dressing--made in MaMaw's dressing pan :)

Coconut, Buttermilk, and Pumpkin Pies

We cooked our Thanksgiving meal on Wednesday, because on Thursday Brandon, Michelle, and I all went to the Texas vs. Texas A&M football game. Michelle went with some of her Aggie friends, and Brandon and I sat with our friend, Craig. And I'm so glad we went! I had never been to a game at Kyle Field, and I'm glad I got to experience it. Aggie fans can get pretty loud, but there's just something about being at DKR and hearing over 100,000 people yell "TEXAS FIGHT" that gives me chills every time! Did I mention that TEXAS WON??!!!!

Michelle and I before the game



The Texas band made me proud :)



Brandon and I after the game (a little wind-blown).

 We had fun being at the game, but it was a little awkward at the end. Texas won with a field goal, and Brandon and I went crazy (yelling, clapping, throwing our horns up crazy) until we noticed that everyone around us was standing in silence (we were at Kyle Field, remember?). At that moment I wished I was watching the game with the same group that watched the 2009 Big XII Championship together (you know who you are). We quietly walked back to the tailgate, feeling proud to be Texas Longhorns :)

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing with family and visiting several of our friends. We had fun, but we're glad to be back in Corpus. Our favorite time together is hanging out at home, with Princess of course!

***We also bought our first Christmas Tree! I'm not posting pictures, because you have to come visit if you want to see ;)

Belated Birthday Blog

This past Thursday I turned the big 24. Unlike my childhood birthdays, the world did not pause and allow me to be a princess for a day. I did not get to take cupcakes to school to share with my friends or have people fighting over who got to sit by me at lunch. But even though the world continued to turn, I did enjoy my 24th birthday. I happen to have some amazing people in my life who made me feel pretty special :)

Let me rewind a little and share how much birthdays mean to me. When I was little, my Ma-Maw made each of our birthdays very special. No matter what day of the week it was, she and Pa-Paw drove down from Red Rock to spend the day with us. I always looked forward to sharing that special day with her. And when I look back on my childhood birthdays, I don't think about the presents or Disney-themed parties. I think about Ma-Maw.

My Ma-Maw died when I was a freshman in high school, and birthdays haven't been the same since. For several years after she died, I didn't even want to acknowledge my birthday. That day was just another reminder that Ma-Maw was no longer here.

I don't think I enjoyed a birthday again until I turned 20. That year my best friend, Courtney, surprised me and came to Austin to celebrate with me. We all went to see Aaron Watson, and I finally remembered what it felt like to be happy on my birthday. Thanks, Court for that fun surprise! And Kayla, I think you planned the Aaron Watson thing?

My best friends Kayla and Courtney with Aaron Watson on my 20th.
Love you girls!!

Now back to my 24th... The day started with an early morning birthday call from my sweet Pa-Paw. Even though I don't get to see him, he continues to make each birthday special by being the first person to call. I don't know if it's harder for him to actually remember my birthday, or to wait until a somewhat decent hour to call! I was in Yoakum that morning, so I felt like a kid again when my parents woke me up and told me 'Happy Birthday'. Kayla took me out for a yummy birthday lunch, and then I headed back to Corpus so I could spend the evening with my hubby. Brandon took me to P.F. Chang's for dinner, which was so fun! I loved having him to myself for the entire evening!

Our yummy dessert at P.F. Chang's

All of the calls and texts that I got were so sweet, and just knowing that people were thinking about me meant so much. My family gave me some great gifts, and I have to share Michelle's. Part of her gift was a t-shirt from Maudie's (my absolute FAVORITE place to eat in Austin). When I opened it she said, "Now you can have a little bit of Maudie's with you in Corpus!" Being away from her has been tough, and now I can wear this shirt and imagine sharing a big plate of 'sausage migas con queso' just like we used to :)

Thanks, Shell!!