Sunday, September 30, 2007

100 Miles COMPLETED!!

We are so PROUD of our Dad and Mr. John for riding 100 miles in the Waco Wild West Century on Saturday! They started at 8:07 am and finished at 4:06pm! Thats a total of 7 hours and 59 minutes! They are pretty sunburnt and sore, and yet still plan to ride again next year! More pics to come!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

100 MILES!!!

Joel, aka daddy, will be cycling in the Waco Wild West Century on Saturday. The Waco Wild West Century is held each year to promote bicycling, and bicycling safety. There are several routes you can ride, and Joel has chosen to ride the 100-mile Presidential Tour, which will take him on scenic roads throughout our area. It passes by the Western White House, and through the oldest state park in Texas, Mother Neff Park. He will also get to stop and rest at the Masterfoods USA candy factory, home of Skittles®. Which means-FREE CANDY!

We are so proud of our dad. He has become such an amazing bike rider! We have no doubt that he can conquer 100 miles!

We will check back in and post the results! Plus pics of our daddy in leotards!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

These cute boys!!

This baby is getting so big and funny!














And what do you think these two are conversing about?

Thank you for celebrating with us!

Thank you everyone for your emails of encouragements, and posts of kindess. It was truly a blessing to share our ten years with all of you!

Here are a few photos from our weekend getaway.
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We had a great time. We enjoyed the B&B, especially the jacuzzi and the homemade breakfast! We went to the chapel we got married at. We took some photos of the places we both enjoy- the Methodist Home grounds, Logans Steak House, in the jacuzzi, and having some yummy Dr Pepper! We also went through our memory box, saw a great movie, helped out a girl who flipped her car-upside down, got a new car battery, and took lots of "detours".

A HUGE BIG OVERWHELMING THANK YOU TO WILLIE AND KATHY! You guys are amazing. We could not have done this without you! We love you! And our kids love you dearly!

Friday, September 21, 2007

An anniversary getaway!!

We are on our way to a B&B for some R&R.










Here we come rocking chairs!


Wednesday, September 19, 2007

A Testimony Ten Years!!

Obviously, you all have realized that our ten years together have been a true testimony to God's faithfulness.


























A dear family friend, Shawn Richmond once said that when he attended our wedding he had doubts we would ever make it so young. But now he stands in awe at the testimony of the ten years we've been together.
























































It would bless Joel and I if we could hear from you out there, would you share any testimonies of our years together? Or share any favorite stories or memories of Joel and I, or maybe of just one of us? We would deeply be grateful to hear from any of you.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

# 2!

At the breakfast table pondering ten years...

And NUMBER ONE!!!!

Well, this is the last post before the big 1-0. What do we have left to say?

First off, thanks for coming by and walking through the past ten years with us, its been a blessing to have been able to share this with the world, because we are so proud of this grand accomplishment - celebrating ten years together.

But we both have to testify, these ten years wouldnt have been possible without God. We have made so many mistakes, but He is always forgiving and always faithful. I'm still not sure how we got it so good: A happy marriage, four healthy-beautiful children, a supportive family, amazing friends, Joel has an excellent job, we own our home, have nice transportation, and always seem to be able to eat, and have nice clothes, and enjoy hobbies together. What more could we ask for? We declare that GOD IS GOOD!

Nor would these past ten years have been possible without all the family and friends that have come alongside of us. You all have contributed to our lives in one way or another. We are so rich in relationships and we look forward to another decade of the same and even more.

Tomorrow- September 20th- our anniversary
, we have a special post in store for you. Please make sure you stop by and leave a comment--it'll be sort of an interactive post!!

Number THREEEE!

Joel's ALL time favorite picture of Tressa!















Tressa's ALL time favorite picture of Joel!

















* * *The answer to Countdown # 5 * * *
A.True, we both got our belly buttons peirced at Valentines Day.]
B.True, for our 7th anniversary, we drove all over Texas to visit our homes of the past.
C.False, we did not own motorcycles at the same time! We actually had these two motorcycles in our possession, but not at the same time, and we didn't own the GoldWing-Joel's dad did!
D. True, we never wanted a ceremonial wedding, wanted to elope! We thought it would save time and money! We sure are glad we had a wedding, thanks MOM!
E. True, our highschool nicknames were Rooster and Lucky- we were such geeks!
F. True, we actually both worked at a Texaco gas station. One of our very first jobs. Joel was a Lube Tech and I worked in the back and sold Texaco collectibles, you know the nostaglic Texaco signs, and such.

Number Four!

Artifacts FOUND in the memory treasure chest!
We have kept a special treasure chest of memories of just Joel and I. Here are some favorite and old artfacts I wanted to share with all of you!


This is some artwork done by Joel in HIGH school in art class.


You can see what
was on his mind!




If you look close, you can see
a "J" for "Joel", "T" for "Tressa",
"R" for "Rooster, an "L" for "Lucky",
And a "A" and "J" for our alias names
we used when we went on secret missions!





This is the letter I wrote Joel on my last night living at the Methodist home in Waco. The next day I moved back home, and was happy to leave the M.H., but sad to leave Joel in Waco.










This is an original nostaglic invitation to our wedding ten years ago!














I'll try to post more artifacts later in the week!

NUMBER FIVE!!

* * * TEN YEARS TRIVIA * * *
Okay, this is how you play the trivia. There are several statement/stories written below about our past ten years. All are true but one, you have to guess which one is false!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Click on "comments" link and post your answer-which statements/story you think is false. If you dont feel comfortable leaving your name just leave an answer. We want to see how well you all really know us!! We will post the answers in the countdown day #3.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A*
When we were 17 and 16, for Valentines Day we both went and got our belly buttons peirced.
B*
For our 7th anniversary we traveled by to see all the places we (together) ever lived at.
C*
At one time, we both owned a "his" (1993 GoldWing) and a "hers" (2002 Honda Shadow VLX) motorcycle.
D*
We never wanted to have a ceremonial wedding, Tressa's mom talked us into it.
E*
Our highschool nicknames were rooster-Joel, and lucky-Tressa.
F* Both Joel and Tressa worked together at a Texaco Gas Station.
* * * * * * * *

#6

DO you know how Joel and I met?

I was sent to the Methodist Childrens Home in Waco when I was 14. I met Joel right when I turned 16. At that point I was allowed to venture out in public to social functions, so I attended a youth event at Highland Baptist Church. We had mutual friends and we both initiated to find out who eachother was. Almost immediatly we were connected. We knew we were meant to be together.

This is us (ages 16&17) doing a photo shoot on the beautiful Methodist home grounds. We plan to visit the M.H. on our anniversary vacation for some more updated photos!

#7

"Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invaribly they are both disappointed." (Albert Einstein)



























Well, I tried, and was not so successful, but Im thankful for who Joel really is. He is a great man with a great heart, even with the holes in the pants he insists on wearing out in public.

Number 8!

"Dont be cheap." these are the last instructions i recieved before being relesed into the world of blogging. This of course was preceded by, "here is the spell checker. you'll need it."

I have to say, it was pretty bold of my wife to allow me to post ANYTHING. Of course, that is one of the reasons i am so attracted to her. She is bold AND beutiful. That wasn't cheap was it? und i shur dont need no spill cheker.

i have to say, i love my wife. she is everything that i am not. most of which i need. I am blessed to be her husband. no. really.

Number nine!


Joel
and I
are so

thankful
for the
amazing
journey
God
has put
us on. .


This is us inspecting baby number last. Who would have known we would be the proud parents of four children! We declare that God is GOOD!

NUMBER TEN!!!!

The Lord knew what He was doing when he put us together.
Jeremiah 29:11





















Our first picture together in high school.
We were dressed alike, both wearing overalls, Joel wore his bib part hanging down-that was cool ya know! We almost look alike!

Top TEN Countdown!

Starts tomorrow on Sept.10 - through
Sept.20 (Our TEN year anniversary!)