Remembering 13 years

Today, June 13th, Dave and I celebrate our 13th year of marriage. I thought I would make a list of some of the high lights of the past 13 years.

1st year-1998-1999-our first little rental house in Gordo that we worked on so hard to make a home. Bible studies with the sweet students from Gordo.  Going to Grace Church in Tuscaloosa and making some lifelong friends.  Oh...and we can't forget the air conditioner never working... :)

2nd year-1999-2000-we bought our first house in Oxford, both of us had new teaching jobs, WOW...what a year that was.

3rd year-2000-2001-we got a new titles.....mommy and daddy.  Abigail Grace was born.

4th year-2001-2002-another baby girl....Erin Rebekah was born, and Dave began seminary at New Orleans.

5th year-2002-2003-and another baby :)  Samuel David, our baby boy was born, we lived in the little apartment in Alexandria, and learned to manage 3 babies together.  Dave began full time ministry at Hill Crest.

6th year-2003-2004-bought a new house in Weaver, Dave went to Germany on his first overseas mission trip.

7th year-2004-2005-busy raising babies, working....ahh the simple life.

8th year-2005-2006-started homeschooling. Abby's first year of school.

9th year2006-2007-Dave's graduation from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Erin's first year of school.

10th year-2007-2008- Began leading the college ministry at Hill Crest, went to Disney world with Ken, Ann and the boys.  Samuel started school.

11th year-2008-2009-became a part of Grace Fellowship.  Dave started teaching at Donoho.

12th year-2009-2010- so much happened this year, but the main thing was that we learned what the words we said on on our wedding day "in sickness and in health"  really meant. We went to Hawaii with the Donoho Band and Choir, I had major surgery, Dave was diagnosed with cancer.

13th year-2010-2011-we tag teamed school in Houston, lots of family time, watching God heal Dave through his fabulous doctors.

It been a happy 13 years of marriage Dave...I love you more and more I look forward to many, many more years!! Now...here are some pictures of us through the years.

12 Days

Well the countdown is on.  12 days until we arrive at our home!!  We are excited...and a little sad.  We have gotten used to our routine in Houston.  Dave is doing great.  He is looking forward to getting back to work.  He is finished with the Lovenox shots....HOORAYY!!  He is so glad to not have to get those anymore.  Plus the fact that they were super expensive.  He will be on another blood thinner until surgery. 

We have started packing up some of our stuff.  Oh my oh my how did we get so much stuff out here.  I guess having people bring a bag or box of things here or there over 8 months really adds up.  It is hot hot hot here.  But I hear its hot hot hot at home too. 

So that's a quick update of what's going on with us.  :)

DONE

We are DONE!!!! with school that is. We had a couple of marathon days of Science and we finished last Friday. Dave took the kids to buy some good chapter books this week so their brains don't turn to mush over the summer.  Over the next 3 weeks we are planning to make another trip to the space center.....our last chapter of Science was Astronomy, so we thought it would be a good educational trip...shhhhh.  don't tell the kids it's educational :)  We studied the History of the United States this year, so we are going to visit the American Cowboy Museum....how fun does that sound?  :)  We are also going to the Holocaust Museum.  We will be home in 20 days...wow.  So we've got alot to do over the next two weeks.

Last few minutes of the school year caught on camera :)

Pictures from the past week



Birthday cupcakes at a friends house on Sunday night.




Look at all those sweet kiddos.  Our kids love these kids.



My beach babes!!

They found a coconut in the ocean.

Big chocolate bunny in the candy store.

He had a great time swimming in the ocean. He kept begging me to get in, I just couldn't get past all the seaweed....yuck.



We took a boat tour in the Port of Houston last week.



The countdown is on!!  23 days until our Uhaul will pull into our driveway.  We are super excited about coming home.  Dave is doing great, but he still has some issues with neuropothy. 

Happy Birthday Abigail Grace

Today is Abby's 11th birthday. There is so much I can say about Abby. She has always been my little sidekick. She looks and acts just like her Daddy. Over the past year she has started to look like a big girl. The mascara she wears may have something to do with that. ;) She is just as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. She has just completed the 5th grade. She love music. She loves rollerblading. Every night at around 7:30 she has to take one last skate around the apartment complex. :) She was such a big help to me while Dave was sick. She is becoming quite the little cook. She can go in the kitchen and just about cook anything. She loves baking and decorating cupcakes too. She is beginning to really know who God is. I can hardly believe she is 11. Time really does fly. I look forward to seeing what she will become...but right now she can just be my little girl.

Soon We'll Say Goodbye to Houston

A couple of months ago we picked up a great children's book written by  local Houston authors.  The name of the book is Goodnight Houston.  As I have thought about leaving Houston and moving all of our things back home to Alabama, I couldn't help but think of this book.  In the book, the author says goodnight to a lot of the main attractions in Houston.  We have been  to so many of those places.  We have missed our friends and family like crazy, but we will miss Houston when we go home.  I guess we just get attached to wherever we are.  We have been able to do a lot of really fun things as a family on this little adventure in Houston.  Our kids have gotten to spend an entire school year here. We will begin to pack our things over the next few weeks and move home on June 22nd which is also Dave's last day of radiation.  For the next two years, we will come  back every 3 months for scans.  Then we will come every 4-6 months after that.  So we will always have a reason to come back and visit.  So with the idea of the book in mind, I will say goodbye to Houston.

Goodbye Promenade Apartment, thank you for being a comfortable place to live.
Goodbye swimming pool, you made some of our long days really nice.
Goodbye Reliant Stadium, to Texans football and the Rodeo.
Goodbye Minute Maid Park where we watched the Astros play the Mets.
Goodbye Pappasitos and your yummy Teximexican food.
Goodbye Johnson Space Center, we had a great time there in December with the whole family.
Goodbye Children's Museum, you brought our children much joy.
Goodbye Museum of Science, we love your free Tuesday afternoons.
Goodbye Zoo, we liked you even on the really cold day we were there.
Goodbye Hermann Park, what a fun place to play and ride the train.
Goodbye bumpy roads, we will remember you as we get our van aligned.
Goodbye MD Anderson, there is no doubt we came to the right place.
Goodbye Bethel Church, you became our friends and our place to worship here in Houston.
Goodbye Sara, Ron, and Myra Sue......you have become like family.

I will forever be grateful for the 8 months our  family has had together in this quaint little apartment.  Sometimes it seemed we would drive each other crazy, but the togetherness was priceless.  We have learned to care for each other.  I have watched the kids as they cared for Dave on some of his hardest days.  I have wondered how the kids will look back on this time in their lives.  I hope it will be with good memories of how God truly took care of our every need during such a hard time. 

I asked the kids a couple of questions.....kind of an exit interview :)  Here are the results.
 1.  What will you miss most about  Houston?
     Abby said "skating around at the apartment".
     Erin said "the apartment, the pool, and the children's museum".
     Samuel said  "the space center, children's museum, the pool, and Texas Roadhouse.
 2.   What are you looking forward to doing when you get home?
      Abby said "spending the night with Chloe and Emma and inviting Bailey Davis over."
      Erin said "seeing my friends, going to church, seeing my family, and sleeping in my bed."
      Samuel said "playing with my cousins, going to my church, jumping on trampoline, and eating at Milos."


*Goodnight Houston
by Jennifer and Kyle Solak