so much to say...

wow...these last two weeks have been so full, i don't know where to begin. first i must apologize to my family and friends for not calling much recently. i have been meeting myself coming and going.

first, last week i enjoyed relaxing with my Mom and Aunt Lori for 6 days!!!! while bret was gone to pepperdine to lead worship for the lectureship. we ate very well, had many wonderfully long conversations, drank coffee, and watched a few great girly movies. i loved it. i loved every minute of it!! i would have been so lonely without my husband for a week without them. instead, i enjoyed a very special and forever remembered week of chillin' with the women who loved me and raised me. i love you both sooooooo much. thanks for taking care of me (and my kids) while bret was gone.

pepperdine went great according to all. bret stayed very busy this year, leading morning worship on wednesday for the entire assembly, three smaller intimate worship settings with our minister, scott, reading reading and a famous artist from PRCC, Ro Diaz, painting three different paintings that went along with the theme. the praise team did about 5 or 6 presentational pieces which i hear were all fantastic. bret also lead afternoon worship for the youth track. to top it off, he also helped Rhonda Lowry out with music during her class one afternoon. he was busy, but in hog heaven, or should i say, malibu heaven:-).

for his return, i made chicken and dumplins and suzanne's cheesecake. these are his two favorite things. he was very appreciative. actually they were a team effort with my mom and aunt lori. i could not have pulled it all off without them. they turned out pretty good, i have to say.

sunday, our church celebrated ground breaking for our new building that should be ready by next summer. it was a neat ceremony, very hp(highland park)-like, complete with golden shovels, and plastic hardhats for everyone. the children were given their own toy shovels and wrote their name and age on rocks to bury. the youth buried a signed cross and prayers for the new building that will all lay under the foundation of the building. my favorite part of the ceremony was the closing prayer, which john and crysty lead. crysty's words were so tender and sweet, i cried, of course!!

the man hired to set up sound for the event did not show up (until 5 minutes before the ceremony began) so bret had to set up sound during worship and Jeff, our worship deacon, lead worship. i was so disappointed because my mom and aunt lori stayed through sunday so they could see bret lead worship. oh well, it was a short service anyway.

monday, i ended up working though i was in need of a catch up day. tuesday, i worked and readied everything for Muffins for Mom at micah's school. i bought almost 900 mini muffins and 12 gallons of sunny delight. we decorated in bright summer colors with gerber daisies and such.

wednesday morning, bright and early, i hosted muffins for mom. the event ran from 7-7:45. by 7:03 there was a line about 30 people deep and it only grew from then on. with ten minutes remaining, it looked like we might run out. luckily, we made it with a few to spare. everyone said it went well, as far as i know. and i thnk it did. i am soooooooooooooooooooooooosoooooooo
glad it is over. i am now finished with PTA. its something i can say i did, but that's it for me. i will still volunteer from time to time, but no more major committment from me.

thursday--my favorite day this week!!!--was our ten year annivrsary. we started the day out with breakfast at IHOP. it was good. we both had work that day. our babysitter got sick during the day, so pure determiniation and good neighbors is the only reason we got to have a date that night. our neighbors who are also fellow tigers on our soccer team offered to watch them so we could run to dinner. we did and promised to return the favor with their three kids sometime soon. we went to a special restaurant here in rockwall called the Oar house--it was the best little oar house in texas in my opinion :-). he gave me the sweetest letter before we enjoyed capellini au aspargai and filet minon au congac. the were incredible. afterwards was where the suprise came. i thought we were going to find dessert somewhere, but bret took me to a jewelry store instead. he said, you know, we always said on our tenth anniversary we would get you a nicer wedding ring to go with your diamond. we also like white gold now as opposed to yellow gold. he bought me a new diamond ring and is having my solitaire set in the center. it is GORGEOUS and i am still weak in the knees from the suprise. it should be ready saturday afternoon. that is why he hasn't been very helpful in planning our anniversary trip. i kept suggesting nice big, extravagant destinations and he was thinking something smaller so we could have new rings. how sweet!!!!!

i am the luckiest woman in the world to be married to bret. the last ten years have been amazing and make me excited to see what the next ten will bring. we have experienced alot. made it through alot--together. and i am more in love with him today than ever before. he is my greatest gift on this earth.