Splish Splash!

Our new friend Charli took us to a park in Bryan with a splash pad... Lots of wet fun!



Johnathan was not enticed by the spraying water, however. He elected to sit with me in the shade and SNACK.



Yay for water fun! Although, curiously, it was almost COOL today. Naomi was a bit purple after running through the water. But it didn't bother her a bit. She is ecstatic to play in the water any time we'll let her!

What I learned from my pastor today... 5-31

My pastor preached from Jude 24-25 this morning about the glory of God. Amazing that our enjoyment and satisfaction in Him is one of the things that brings Him glory! Kevin read a prayed by John Piper this morning that said "Incline our hearts to your Word and the wonders of your glory. Wean us from our obsession with trivial things. Open the eyes of our hearts to see each day what the created universe is telling about your glory." I praise Him who is able (Jude 24).

Nap Time Praise and Worship

I can't get too upset about the fact that Johnathan is not napping and Naomi is keeping him awake when this is what they are up to... (click play button to view)

Blessed be the name of the Lord! Hope your day overflows with praise!

Settling In

People often ask us, "Are you all settled in?" I think we're getting there! Almost all the boxes are unpacked, except for one pesky box of randomness in our "home office" that I haven't had the fortitude to unload. I've gone back now and reorganized almost all the closets that we hurriedly unloaded in those first few days.

We have a general routine that includes a Tuesday morning Bible study followed by a picnic with two little friends who are just Naomi's and Johnathan's ages, and Friday is "family day". Today we registered Naomi for a preschool for next fall. Still working on doctors and dentists (funny how I'm putting that dentist thing off!). But we have a library card! And we're using the GPS less and less as we figure out our way around town. So, though being completely "settled in" is a relative term, I'd like to think we're almost there!


Snack time on the front patio... By the way, the red puddle on the concrete is humming bird nectar. Nothing dangerous happened here!

Pastor Kevin's New Office

This weekend we finished setting up Kevin's new office, since the new furniture arrived. The best part about his office? The "commute" takes less than a minute! Here are some photos...

Flora and Fauna

We've had fun discovering all the types of flowers, birds, bugs, and animals around our new home. For our "northern" family and friends, here's a guided tour...

Lots of flowers are blooming around the parsonage and church grounds. These Rose of Sharon bushes that line our fence are popping buds left and right.

We had a playdate with some new friends last week. Their newest pet? A baby deer, only a few days old and still wobbling like Bambi! Naomi and Johnathan were highly impressed!

I walk on this gravel lane every weekday morning at 6:30 with a new friend from our church. Its a beautiful walk with the sun rising, green, green, pastures, and chirping birds! Can you spot the deer?

There are plenty more exciting creatures, including geckos and chameleons, cows and horses, so needless to say, the kids find it quite a thrill!

"Swimming" in Lake Bryan

Kevin's day off is Friday, so we're excited about checking out all the new sights in our area on Fridays. Today we started close to home with a picnic and "swimming" at Lake Bryan. Johnathan made sure all the rocks on the beach were thrown back into the lake, and Naomi practiced her kicking and paddling. It was a beautiful morning!

Signing off from the wifi hotspot at Chick-fil-A in Bryan, Texas!

Austin Pictures

Before Randy flew out on Monday, he and Kevin, along with Naomi, visited the Capitol building in Austin. They are related to a former governor of Texas, S.W.T. Lanham (he’s their great-great- either uncle or grandfather – we’re still confirming those details!). Naomi got to sit in on a legislative session and see the current governor (um, I've forgotten his name... one of those facts that will have to get in line behind memorizing my own address and phone number).

Welcome to Kurten!

What a busy first week we’ve had! There’s the mountain of unpacking, but we’ve squeezed in some fun, too. Naomi and Johnathan used boxes to make houses and “grumpy old troll bridges”. Kevin, Rachel, and Randy toted, unloaded, and moved boxes and furniture. We got a lot done in just one day.

The fire station, which is just across the road, was testing their equipment this weekend. The fire chief stopped by to meet the kids and bring them fire hats!

On Saturday we went to the air show in Bryan and the George Bush Presidential Library and museum with Uncle Randy.

Saturday night we broke out the grill to try some ribeyes that a church member gave us – Good stuff!

On Sunday, our district superintendent came to preach and install Kevin as pastor of Zion Church of Kurten. The service was followed by a potluck, of course! More good stuff!

On Sunday night, Kevin and I drove to Austin for a pastor’s appreciation dinner. We got to meet other area pastors and their wives. Uncle Randy watched the kids for us – Thanks, Randy! Looks like they had a bunch of fun:

Traveling South

Our trip from Colorado Springs to College Station was remarkably smooth and as easy as it gets when traveling with a 2 year old! Kevin's brother Randy qualifies for sainthood by traveling with us to help drive, entertain the kids, and set up our new home.

At the hotel in Childress, TX, we stopped to swim, eat, sleep, and breakfast on Texas-shaped waffles before hitting the road again:

We received a very warm welcome (and I'm not just talking about the weather!) when we pulled up to the parsonage. The church family here had been working hard to make the parsonage beautiful. I love the red door and fresh flowers! Inside was new carpet, paint, fixtures, and a pantry that had been "pounded". We were overwhelmed.

Next... Mission: Unpack!

Visiting Colorado

We had a nice visit in Colorado Springs at the end of April. We filled most of our time with trying to rest and hanging out with family. Above is a picture of Naomi and poodle Prissy in their matching outfits.

We watched our nephews Ben and Matthew scale a wall for the first time at Red Rocks Canyon. Happy Birthday, Ben!


Making and eating gyoza is a Boaz family tradition transported from their days as missionaries in Japan. Everyone pitches in to fold the filling into wrappers.

Kevin and Rachel were thankful to have a night away as a sort of mini-retreat at the Broadmoor. Very relaxing and luxurious!

We were so thankful to have a little time to take a breath and soak in time with our families before diving into the next season of ministry!

Where on earth have I been?

Ahh! I just set eyes on our blog after two weeks of travel, unpacking, and NO INTERNET. So sad! Yes, I've composed dozens of posts in my head and have so many pictures to send, but alas, I have no way to get them to you. So if you've been checking and think nothing's going on, don't be fooled. The posts will return. But my laptop has not been cooperating with the free wifi access at Starbucks, then Chik-fil-A, and now Burger King. Hopefully we'll have access at home soon. Meanwhile, I'm drafting posts on my seemingly crippled laptop and as soon as I can, there will be gobs of new posts to munch on. I'll stop now and try again to get my zip drive to cooperate.

By the way, we're doing really well. We're settling into a routine and nearing the end of the boxes. Kevin preached his first sermon this morning and we've been very warmly welcomed and smothered with love. Country life is good! Its warm, humid, and the flowers are beautiful. Looking forward to sharing it with y'all.