BoJangles and Chick-Fil-A ... Home :)

So sorry it's been a while since we've been able to update! We've had trouble getting on the internet during our travels along the east coast... but God has been overwhelmingly good to us.



We spent all of last week in Raleigh, NC, which is "home" to Wes and I. We met, married and had all three boys there. So, it was wonderful catching up with old friends and family, and fellowshipping together again! We must've eaten at least 4 times at Chick-Fil-A that week, and Wes also had to make his BoJangles runs. :) It was nice to be "home."



Roxie Cash graciously gave us her ENTIRE home to relax and entertain in... and she went and stayed with one of her children, depending on where she needed to be the next day. It was SO fun to be with the Cash's again... it so felt like home. It was a little different this time, as the boys are all grown up.



Andrew has a home he has been fixing up over the past several year, and we always enjoy seeing what he has done. It looks amazing, and he has such great taste in paint colors and decor! He had us ALL over one night... along with a number of other friends... and he cooked burgers for everyone!! Jeff married Brooke (actually, that was the wedding we came back east for Wes to preform a couple years ago) and they have a beautiful baby boy, Samuel. Brooke and I had fun talking "Baby Wise." :) And, we were so excited... Ben came home from college for a day, so we could hang out with him! We could hardly get enough time with them all, we enjoy them so much. :)



Our first Sunday in Raleigh, we had the opportunity to go to my sister's church in Apex. Trisha brought breakfast for us all that morning (it was amazing!); and the boys got to go to children's church with their cousins, for the first time ever! :)



Wes had connected with Matt Rice, the pastor of The Creek, prior to arriving; and he graciously allowed us to share a little bit about what we'll be doing in Spain. We were so impressed with the love and depth of this brand new "church start." They meet in a local school gym, and they have many young families. Their passion for prayer and heart for missions were evident all the way through the service. Matt taught an excellent message... and I say "taught" b/c that's exactly what he did! It was wonderful to get 45 minutes of in-depth study. We fully enjoyed our time with this church family, and we are so thankful to be able to add them as prayer partners! The Lord has connected us with many amazing people as we have sought people to support us in prayer.



Wes also has family in Raleigh still, so we spend several nights catching up with the Abbott family! Wes's cousins are all grow, too! Sabrina is the oldest cousin; she's married and working in management with Chick-Fil-A. Kimberly got married at the beginning of this year, and she left with her husband this past week, so he could finish up school in Germany! How cool that we will both be in Europe at the same time! :) We didn't get to see Paul (the next in line after Kimberly), since he was away at Liberty University. Steven and Josh have also grown up so much! It is always fun to sit and chat with this amazing family. :)



We felt like we rushed around everywhere all week, trying to fit in as many people as possible, but we still didn't get to see everyone! Our last Sunday in Raleigh, we did get back to Bay Leaf, our church of 9 years. It was so amazing to be back with such familiar and comforting faces. :) Marty Jacumin, now the pastor at Bay Leaf, invited us to come up afterward to greet people. It was wonderful to see everyone again!

Home from Argentina!

Wes has made it home from Argentina, and they had an incredible trip. God always shows Himself in amazing ways when we step outside our comfort zone.

While he was there, he had the chance to build a relationship with Dave and Paula Sinclair, who are missionaries in Buenos Ares. They are an amazing couple, and Wes was able to ask all sorts of questions about what to crate, what NOT to crate, what Orientation is like, and just general things about life outside the US. It was the beginning of a precious relationship, and we are grateful to the Lord for that blessing.

The boys were so excited to have Daddy come, and even Carolina showed her excitement! She could hardly keep her eyes off her Daddy, once he got home. It was the cutest thing. She just had this look of awe in her eyes, and she would follow him wherever he was in the room. So sweet! I love it. She learned how to say "Daddy" this week... a progression from "DaDa."

This time, while Daddy was gone, Carolina stood for the first time on her own. I'm not sure if she plans that, but it seems she does the big mile-stones when Wes is out of town. Crazy. She is walking all over, holding onto our fingers, and she's quite opinionated as to where she wants to go! :) She is also just beginning to cruise furniture. It is perfect timing. I'm praying she'll be walking by the time we are at FPO. It would make things much easier for us, than to have her crawling all over the place while we share living space with other people. Jonathan was my earliest walker at the age of 14 months, so I am praying that Carolina beats his record. :) She will be 1 next month!!!