I Do

Ryan and I said our "I Do's" this past weekend. No...we didn't renew our vows. But, we did vow to be the best godparents we can possibly be to our godson, Lawrence William Gazes Jr., or "Willie" as we call him. When Robin called me back in March to ask if Ryan and I would be her son's godparents, I was blown away. Of course Ryan and I discussed it, but it didn't take much for us to agree to it!

Robin, Will, and their daughter Jackie Rose were our family in Virginia and North Carolina for the 4 and a half years that we were away from ours. We have spent holidays together, traveled to the Big Apple together, rivaled over the Redskins and the Cowboys, and endured 5 deployments between us. I watched Jackie Rose grow up, so it felt awkward to not be there when Willie was born this past January. I didn't know when I was going to get to meet him, but once we found out we were his godparents we made it a point to fly to Virginia over the Memorial Day holiday for his Christening. That made meeting him this past weekend even more special.




The ceremony was so precious, and Willie was really good for the most part. He didn't fuss until the priest splashed the holy water in his eyes and nose, which by the way was some HOT holy water! It burned me when it splashed on my hand, so I could only imagine how much his soft tender skin must have hurt. Bless his little heart...he's a trooper! How can you not love him with that red hair and those blue eyes?!? He is such a cute kid with such a fun little personality already. I am so proud, honored, humbled, and grateful to have such a precious godson. I can't wait to be a part of his life as he grows up in the Lord. I also consider myself blessed that this makes Ryan and me part of the Gazes family, and now we have a bond that distance can't separate. Robin, Will, Jackie Rose, and Baby Willie...We love you and miss you already!!

"For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This has been the Thornton Theme Verse over the past 5 years as we've trusted God with a lot of blind faith through some pretty "up in the air" times. Once again, we find ourselves playing this waiting game, and it's almost funny. I say that I want to stay put in the next house that we buy and settle down a little, but I don't know if I'll know what to do with the stability! With as much moving around and flying by the seat of our pants Ryan and I have done, I know that I can trust God to "prosper us and not to harm us".

It reminds me of when we first moved to Virginia, and we were young, dumb, newly-weds, and we thought it would be a good idea to move ourselves to Virginia, with no help, and without finding a place to live ahead of time. What were we thinking!? We drove through the snow covered mountains of Tennessee...me in my Pontiac Grand Am packed so full that I couldn't see out of any windows and Ryan's truck pulling a Uhaul trailer with mattresses and a bike strapped to the top. We looked like a modern day version of the Beverly Hillbillies. Looking back, I can just see God rolling his eyes at us, and saying, "Kids these days..." and completely putting his hand of protection on us the whole way. When we got to Virginia, we rented the first apartment we looked at, and by some miracle, we were able to move in the very next day. After working for an apartment complex, I know how annoying that is.

All of this comes about because Ryan's interview went really well last weekend! He got some great feedback from the company and liked what they had to offer. They liked him too, and would've hired him on the spot if he had already graduated. Instead, they said that they will keep in touch with him until he graduates, and then he can plan to come work for them. They just can't make anything official until he has the credentials needed for them to sign him. So... It's a waiting game at this point, which I knew it would be. As positive as all of that sounds, I just find it hard to trust that he has the job if it's not on paper. It makes me nervous because I don't want to plan too much and then be let down. We can't buy a house because we don't have the "dollars and cents" of it spelled out yet, so we don't even know what price bracket we will fall into. We have an idea, but nothing set in stone. Our lease is up on August 10, so we need to have found something by the end of July so that we don't overlap our mortgage payment and rent payment more than one month. Going back to the verse...it gives me hope, yet sometimes drives me insane to know that all of these details are already worked out. God knows. But I want to know too!!! This is such a test of our patience right now, but I know that just like it's worked out before, it will work out this time.

Thanks for all of your prayers last weekend. Now, I'm just praying for patience and peace these next couple of months as we trust God and WAIT.

BIG Weekend

Most of you know that we're desperately trying to get out of Houston and up to the metroplex as soon as possible. Really, Houston is not that bad...we've gotten plugged into a great church and met some wonderful people that I would really miss if we left. I now have a great job that is a perfect fit for me, and Ryan is doing what he loves. The company he works for now is really an excellent company...great benefits, good people, lots of variety. BUT...the only problem is that it's here. So, we started researching a little bit about a company in Burleson called U.S. Underwater Services, and found out that it could be a great opportunity for us. Who would've thought that you could be a deep sea diver based out of Ft. Worth?!? Anyway, Ryan went to the President of his school to find out a little bit more, and it turns out he and the owner of U.S.U.S. are good friends. Well, Ryan doesn't even graduate with his certification until the end of July, so it's too early to be job-hunting, but Ryan mailed them his resume anyway just so they would have it. And now you'll have to indulge me while I brag on him...Ryan got a call last week to come interview with them this Friday!!! He is the only one in his class so far to have gotten a serious interview with any company. He didn't even tell any of them because he didn't want to stir things up...it can be a pretty competitive industry. So, please be praying for Ryan Friday morning at 10:00. We're both praying that it will be a good fit, and that if it isn't, we'll be happy to stay with the company that he's with now. It's truly a win-win situation, and we are so thankful to even have this option to consider. Now we just have to not be selfish about it but to trust that God will put us right where he wants us.

Unfortunatley, I can't go with him because I have to work. It's Mother's Day weekend, and it's our busiest day of the year at the store. I actually don't mind working this weekend. It's so much fun helping these men shop for their wives. Some of them bring their kids, and others are by themselves. It's really sweet to see how thoughtful some of them are. And then there are those that are just like, "Here's $200...find my wife something she'll like, and wrap it, and put this card on it." Nice...really classy.

Thanks for the prayers about Ryan's job situation. Hopefully we'll be seeing some of you in the metroplex sooner than later!!

The End of an Era

Three and a half years ago I purchased my favorite pair of flip-flops. You know when you have a pair of shoes that are so comfortable that they have molded to the shape of your feet? It's the best feeling to have those shoes that you can throw on with anything and just walk out the door. Well, this morning when I walked out the door to take the dogs out, Jack had other plans for my flip flops. As we rounded the corner, Jack spotted a very attractive female dog heading his way. He is NEVER interested in other dogs, but this black poodle struck his fancy for some reason, and he proceeded to wrap his leash around my leg three times and run in the opposite direction. As I was trying to get untangled from the leash while still keeping control of Jack, I stepped in a hole, twisted my ankle, fell down, and broke my favorite flip-flop beyond repair. In the midst of my embarassment (especially at the fact that my 15 pound dog got the best of me), I couldn't help but mourn the loss of my sweet Reefs that now lie in the bottom of my dumpster. Am I cheating on them to get another pair exactly the same??