Playing Catch-Up

It's been quite the time in the Fowler household. We're very grateful for those of you who have hung with us through this sparseness of posts. :( Lord willing, time will return for blogging, but for right now, I'm having to rely on "catch-up" posts.

First off, the Lord is returning health to our household! Amazingly, Kevin, though a public school teacher, is sick very rarely. This past week, however, it hit him hard--no voice, sinus pressure, the works! He's healing, though, and it's great to have him back to normal--whatever that may mean. ;)

Also, as some of you know, I've been sick with chronic tonsillitis since roughly August. I was given the option to continue a barrage of antibiotics, but when I thought about that, coupled with the multiple times I've had strep and tonsillitis in the past year or so, Kevin and I decided that surgery was the best option. Last Thursday, I underwent my first real surgery since having my wisdom, teeth removed in 10th grade. I wasn't nervous about the surgery; it's routine enough. I was nervous about the recovery. Tonsillectomies in adults bring with them incredibly difficult recovery processes. But, friends, the Lord has been merciful! A mere four days post-op, I was eating spaghetti with a little ground beef, and the next day I was eating chicken stir fry! There have been some rough spots, but it's humbling to think that the Lord would protect me from having to go through weeks of pain before healing.

Along with that, my parents drove down and spent 9 days with us to serve, care for, and manage our household while Kevin was at work and I was recovering. I think we were all a little anxious to see what would come of it, since that amount of time with anybody can be a bit of a strain under a tiny roof. But, again, the Lord was gracious, and we had one of the best visits with them. Funny enough, they're turning around and coming back in just 2 short weeks for Christmas.

And now we're busily set about getting things ready for Christmas. We've got our tree up.

Do you like the tree topper?

And I'm wrapping presents like mad trying to get it all done before I go back to work on Monday.

But in all things, friends, may we never forget who this season is truly about.

May you have a wonderful, safe, happy time of celebrating all that Christmas is truly about!

Baby Love

In an effort to preserve our baby selves, Kevin scanned in our baby pictures. I'd like to have them restored (they're discolored in person) and then hang them together in our home. In the meantime, thought you'd like a look.

I was born a red-head. Then I went bald. Then it came back in blond, and it' s been steadily darkening since then. My mom like to tell how I was quiet long enough for the picture, but burst into tears the moment the shutter had shut.Kevin apparently always smiled with his tongue out. Thankfully, that much has changed. ;)

The Last 5 Days in 20 Pictures or Less...

Back in February, we decided to surprise my mom with a visit in March.  The plans were set, the tickets purchased, and then we just had to wait....But the time finally came, and she was just as surprised as ever when we showed up and sat down next to her while on a date with my dad. 

Following are some pictures from our trip.  Can't fit all 247 of them on here, but hopefully, this will give you the flavor of our time there.  

Wednesday, Day 1:

We took the train from Ft. Worth into Dallas.  Quite the sweet ride.

Dealey Plaza is famous for the location of JFK's assassination, but it's also where the very first homestead of Dallas was established.
Kevin in front of the second of two white x's marking the spots.

The crosswalk where history was made.

We couldn't take any pictures inside the 6th Floor Museum.  If you ever get the chance to visit, it's well worth it, albeit sobering.  By the end, I just had to leave the museum.  What a time in our nation's history...

Kevin's second time ever on a train on the ride back home.
We stopped to pay our respects to my biological father, who died when I was just a baby.  It was an interesting feeling to see the year of one man's death as the same year that gave me life.
Thursday, Day 2:

It seemed only right that the day after visiting where JFK was shot, we would travel through Austin on our way to San Antonio and stop at LBJ's presidential library.  

He is commemorated as a man who was forced into a job he didn't want, but in reality, he established many government programs that are still alive and running today (ever heard of PBS?).
We also visited the capitol building, where I met George W. Bush while on a 5th grade field trip. :)

Can't go on a vacation without a little Starbuck's!!!

On the streets of Austin.
Friday, Day 3:

After a day in Austin, we arrived in San Antonio late Thursday night and hit the ground running the next morning.

We took Kevin to the house I grew up in...funny, it seemed so much bigger back then....
He also got to see my old elementary school...which also seems to have shrunk.
And then breakfast at the Gunther House.  World Famous Sticky Buns and all home made (the flour is ground on the premises).
Long Live the Alamo--as well as the line to get in!

We decided to forgo the two hour wait to spend 15 minutes inside its walls, but we did get to see the museum on the perimeter.  

Can't visit good ol' S.A. without seeing the River Walk.  After a lengthy walk down it's bank, we had dinner at a little restaurant with...
...two of the most special ladies I know!!! I grew up with Leslie and Danielle right next door--and we spent hours at each other's houses playing anything and everything you can imagine!
With our Mammas.
Saturday, Day 4: 

Our last night there, my brother, Don, and his wife, Danielle, joined us for dinner.  It was the first time our family had been together since their wedding in November, 2007.  It was fun to see them!

And today is Day 5, of which I have no pictures only a sad case of let down that it's all over.  I'm so grateful to Kevin for allowing us this venture!  It was 100% worth the money, time, and energy put into it. :)

And that's it!

I would be lying to say that I'm glad it's over.  It's always sad to say goodbye to my parents, but I am very grateful to report that their house is sold and they are on their way to Pittsburgh, PA as of the beginning of May!  We're hoping our visits with them will be much more frequent! :-)

Hope your weekend was as fun as ours was!  

Now, it's time to recover... ;)

The Fam Came to Call

I know this is my second post today, but we've just had such an abundance of excitement over the last twenty-four hours, I had to write about it, and I'm not great at posting things in a timely manner, soooooo you get two posts today. :)

Our Fowler Family gave us the incredible blessing of making breakfast--

and they even let us eat it with them!  

I'm a little un-practiced in regard to en-masse cooking, so it was probably quite the site to see Kevin and I scrambling around the kitchen before they got there.  But we did it!  

He took on the eggs and I made the bacon and sausage.  Our guests arrived right on time, and there were (thankfully) no hungry bellies by the time we were done.

The Ladies got the table:

Since we only own four "real" chairs, the men took the couch:

And since a plain ol' breakfast just wouldn't be exciting enough, 

we asked Dad to close the porch door in just the right way so as to cause our power to go out.... 

okay, so that's not true--but the power did go out at the exact moment he came back inside.

So, the rest of our meal and time together was had by candle light:

Or, more accurately, this is what is looked like:

And then our visitors left, their bellies full, and their traveling to the Big City done--for now.

We'd be happy to have them again.

They are, after all, very pleasant company. :)