Rewind

So where have we been since August?

As much as we were looking forward to Fall, I think it caught me off guard - I've been trying to catch up ever since! Here are some of the highlights.

Halloween:

We decided to stay in this year since we've been so busy. We made soup, pumkin sandwhiches (like an ice cream sandwhich but with frosting in the middle), amazing spiced apple cider (with cinnamon sticks), rented Ghostbusters (which David had never seen before!) & relaxed for the evening. So nice to just be home.

Retreat:

We took a weekend off & headed to Cedar Creek Lake with our small group from church. Some friends from church have a house that they were gracious enough to let us stay at. We ate meals & hung out on their amazing deck/boat house over the lake, watched the Rangers beat the Yankees, played games & soaked up the silence.

Family visit:

My mom & grandma came to visit us the first week in October. I wore them out & fully enjoyed spending 4 full days with them =) The weather was perfect while they were here, which meant we got to do lots of fun stuff! We went to the Texas State Fair, the Dallas Arboretum and the Dallas World Aquarium (which I think we all would agree was the highlight). There were toucans flying over our heads & monkeys (even a sloth we could have reached out & touched) in the trees around us - it was like being in a rainforest! And they had manatees, which is pretty cool =) My mom & Grandma took me shopping & watched girl movies with me too. So good to be with them.

Friend visit:

Kendra & Greg (our close friends from college who now reside in Virginia) came to visit in September. Greg was coming out for business in Fort Worth, so they made a weekend out of it & came to see us! So fun. It had been over a year since we had seen them (way too long!!). We of course had to play disc golf, so we found this neat course on Lewisville Lake, grabbed some slurpies when we finished (it was pretty hot), & barbequed dinner on White Rock Lake. Sunday we went to Fort Worth Zoo & grabbed some dinner in Sundance Square. Monday I got to spend the day with Kendra, shopping, eating at Snappy Salads =) & chatting. Girl time is so good. I think this weekend went by before I even realized it had come. I was very sad to see them go. It is hard living to far from such close friends, but it is such a huge blessing when we can get together.

Other updates:

1. David is continuing to work part-time at the ESD bookstore through the school year. He has worked there the past 3 summers & they have decided to keep him on staff. Yay!

2. Per bullet point #1, we are considering moving to a slightly larger place nearby. David needs the study space & I could use the closet space =)

3. ThM status: Pending completion date May 2012

4. PhD status: currently considering Wheaton or DTS

5. Lindsay just started co-leading her SWIM Bible study (soon to be leading)

7. We will be in California Dec 23 - Jan 1. Yay!!

Going Solo

I've been in training for about 2 months for my new position at work & this week I am officially "on my own." The last month has been full of anxiety over not knowing how to do my job & fear of Cherith leaving, but as my days with her were dwindling to the number of fingers on my left hand, a peace came over me instead. I love how God does this. I get anxious because I am not trusting my situation to the Lord, then I pray about it because my stomach really can't handle it anymore, and then he gives me the peace I should have had all along. I'm going to be fine.

I am starting to get a little more comfortable in my job & in my office (so fun!) & am very thankful that things are a little quieter around the office at the moment - gives me time to work through things at my slower pace & catch up. This job is challenging and detailed and I like it. Definitely miss Cherith though - we bonded through our two months of training =) She did give me her email & cell if I had questions, so I do have a lifeline. But I also have a fantastic boss, so I am covered. I am so blessed.

Learning to trust the Lord is a continual process, but he proves himself faithful every time. We are so thankful for our jobs & the opportunity David has to be here at Dallas Seminary. Thanks for your continued prayers & support!

Trip to Missouri

Plans for the big, much anticipated Thornhill Reunion were compromised at the last minute due to some unforeseen & unavoidable circumstances, but we headed out to Missouri nonetheless & still had a great time. We drove up on Friday, June 25, with our books on tape: The Hobbit (although it was so painful to listen to, we couldn't finish it) & Adventures in Odyssey (thanks Bekah!). We met David's mom & Brett upon arrival for dinner (they took a road trip out from California for the weekend) & stayed at David's Aunt & Uncle's house. We were still able to have a mini family reunion on Saturday, which of course included games, food & catching up.

On Sunday, we spent some time with David's Aunt & Uncle on his Mom's side of the family & of course played some more games =) I found out that I am not the weakest link - good to know. We headed out that evening in a fantastic thunderstorm for Branson, where we stayed the next two nights with David's mom & sister. We decided that Branson is kind of the Hillbilly version of Las Vegas & it was an interesting drive down the "strip" to our hotel on the way in (which was thankfully off the main road). We did not take part in any of Branson's popular shows, but instead spent the following day at Silver Dollar City - a Knott's Berry Farm type theme park. The weather was perfect & it wasn't too crowded. I think the highlight for me was the folk singers that we sat & listened to - they did a Beatles medley as if the Beatles had been from the Ozarks. It was pretty entertaining & they definitely had me tapping my foot & singing along (even though I think I was embarrassing my family ;) Also, it is pretty safe to say I will avoid the tea cups next time.

Oh yea, and we had an awesome screened in porch at our hotel, so we sat out in the evenings & played games. The weekend came to a close too soon though & we headed for home on Tuesday morning.

While we said goodbye to Missouri on Tuesday, we didn't have to say bye to Mom & Brett until the following Saturday morning! They headed down to Dallas on Wednesday & stayed with us for three nights. I think we mostly served to allow them to rest up before the long trek back to California (before Brett's next trip to Europe!), but we had a great time with them while they were here. We got to visit with David's Aunt & Uncle who live here in Plano, we played some games (thanks again for Pictionary!!) & they visited me at work and took me to lunch at Chick-fil-a (I can't lie..it's becoming a new favorite of mine)!

It was so good to see you guys!

lazy summer

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Summer = no classes! It is a much needed break for David, although I know he would tell you he is already getting bored. But I welcome the break & admit we have been pretty lazy with our evenings & weekends. Oh so nice to have nothing to do sometimes =) We are both busy at work though - David is working full time at the bookstore again this summer & is in the middle of a move + inventory. I am just starting my new position & very thankful to have my trainer for over a month still! New title: Transfer Administrator. I have business cards. Nothing much else new on the home front =)

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So far, we have managed one round of disc golf in the heat & disc golf means slurpies. Worth it.

There is a cute park down the street where I like to spend time reading, praying & reflecting when I get a chance...although I get distracted taking pictures sometimes =)

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Now that it is summer, I have had to give up some staple dinners like Chicken Tortellini Soup, Chili and other heavier, hot dishes...which means I've been forced to search for alternative, summer-appropriate recipes. I've been trying a lot of new things & finding that I actually am somewhat enjoying it =) This whole "cooking" thing is still kind of new for me, especially cooking on a budget (& with limited time) but I am learning. We finally discovered for ourselves how easy & delicious homemade smoothies are and it's a new weekend favorite. I've made a couple "summer" salads & shish-kabobs, yumm. We also brought back breakfast for dinner! Awesome.

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Last month we got to see my family back in California & next weekend we get to drive up to Missouri for the Thornhill family reunion! This year we are going to Silver Dollar City, in Branson, which I guess is kind of a big deal out here? Anyways, we're excited & also so blessed to have David's mom & Brett coming to visit us in Dallas after the reunion for a few days too! Yay for family.

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Hope you are all enjoying your summers so far!

Monterey, California

Thanks to the generosity of a coworker (letting me use accrued miles for a free plane ticket), we were able to fly home for a short vaca in California with my folks this month. Let me just say this a huge deal because the alternative is only going home once a year at Christmas - and well, I am finding that I really do need to see my family more than once a year. But instead of sitting at home for four days looking at each other, we decided to hit a favorite McIntosh vacation spot: Monterey. Overcast, cool beach weather was just what we needed before heading into our Texas summer!

We left a few days after David finished up his semester & arrived (after some flight delays) @ 10am in LA on Thursday, May 13 & immediately began to make our way north to the beach. And yes, we made our mandatory stop for in-n-out =)

After 6 hours of driving, my parents surprised us with a luxurious hotel right on Cannery Row (complete with a balcony overlooking the ocean AND a mini Zen garden) - it was pretty amazing. We settled in, had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp & went out to see Iron Man 2, even though we were all pretty tired from the long day of travel.

Our first full day was mainly spent at the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium (I love this place!!), and if you're with someone like me, who needs to see & touch everything, then it can take a while to get through =) David's favorite creatures were the sea turtles & mine were the sea otters, as usual, although they had an awesome display of seahorses too.

We took the rest of the afternoon pretty easy. We drove leisurely up & down the coast, David & I climbed around on the rocks searching in tidepools for more things to stick our fingers in, although we never did find a starfish. David wasn't sure they existed outside the Aquarium after that. We walked down the wharf & attempted to see the seals we could hear in the harbor, although we learned you have to be quick when using those timed binoculars if you want to see anything =) We grabbed some dinner at El Torito (a CA favorite - yum!) & headed back to the hotel for some game time.

Saturday we spent most of the morning on the 17-mile drive, a route along the coast that ends in Pebble Beach, with markers along the way of interesting places to hop out & take pictures (including the Lone Cypress pictured below). I like to stop at pretty much every one, even in the cold (good thing we stashed up on our saltwater taffy before the drive - not sure why, but Monterey has the best!). My mom & I had some girl time @ the outlets in the afternoon, while the guys took their afternoon naps. After dinner & a walk on Cannery Row, we spent the evening getting whooped by my parents at cards.

Oh, and did I mention that the breakfast at our hotel was amazing? Well it was - almost everything came with fresh berries - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries piled on. Heaven & certainly worth mentioning...even though this post is getting long. I'm just disappointed I didn't get a picture...I was too distracted with eating it I guess.

Sunday (after aforementioned awesome breakfast), we headed for home, but we made a couple of stops along the way. First pit-stop: SLO-town, well Avila really @ Avila Vally Barn...and I got some Divinity Fudge, an old favorite =) My dad got his boysenberry jelly. Second stop: Carpenteria. My uncle Terry was camping at the beach there with my Aunt Cheryl & Grandma Mac, so we got to stop & have dinner with them & hang out for a bit. And before flying back to Dallas the next day, we had breakfast with my Grandma Lockwood, so I got to see her too! Yep, that's pretty much my entire family =) So good to see them even just briefly!

The trip went by very quickly, but it was relaxing & SO good to see my family & spend some good quality time with my parents. Now summer in Dallas is underway & there is no turning back...no more trips to the beach for an escape =)

Thanks Mom & Dad for everything you do & for a great trip - so good to be with you guys!!!

Summer Has Arrived

It is official: summer break has arrived!

Friday evening kicked off the celebration. Thanks to a new grilling pan, steak is now a viable dinner option and has been the favorite in any sort of celebration meal for me. After dinner, the only thing I was really capable of doing was lying in bed watching a movie. So that's what we did.

For Saturday, taking a play out of Roy and Bekah's book, we took a day trip down to Houston to watch the Padres play in Minute Maid Park. Not wanting to drive all that way just to see a game, we added a nature preserve to the itinerary. The preserve was alright. Not quite what either of us expected, but it wasn't without its highlights.

Highlight #1: Live armadillo sighting. This was the big one for Lindsay. I don't know what the habitat range for armadillos is, but it does not include CA. We had seen dead ones on the road and stuffed ones in Texas souvenir shops, but now we know that they exist as living animals. We are becoming more Texan every day.

Highlight #2: Buffalo and alligator sightings. These we have seen before, but not everyday. The big alligator was hard to see. Bonus points if you can spot him in the picture.

After the nature preserve, we headed out to the game. The orange train apparently runs back and forth when an Astro hits a home run, but we didn't get the chance to witness it. It was a game of pitching and singles, but in the end the Padres were victorious. Bonus! If you haven't been keeping track, the Padres are semi-decent so far this year. We'll see how long that lasts.

The trip back was a long one, but we managed to make it back to our apt. around 2 am. Needless to say, we made sure we got a Sunday nap this week. But it was worth it. We can now cross Houston off the list. Not sure if we will ever return. I think we both prefer Dallas to Houston.

fresh flowers

It had been a grueling week of studying for finals, translating Hebrew, writing papers & generally late nights. After finishing his finals on Thursday afternoon, David stayed up all night Thursday writing his last paper, due at 5:00pm on Friday. I fully expected to come home on Friday after work to a sleeping husband, recuperating from the long week. Instead, I arrived to a clean apartment, a smiling husband & fresh flowers on the dining room table. After finishing the semester well, he still took time to thank me for supporting him. There really is no better way to this woman's heart. Thanks hon, great job this semester! Yay for summer & being done!!

the best month.

We started the month out with a free night at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - scores from Oscar winning movies. Definitely my favorite symphony so far - from Lawrence of Arabia, to the Godfather, to the Wizard of Oz. Awesomeness.

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One of the best parts of Spring (specifically in April) are the tulips - they are everywhere, even downtown. And downtown Dallas at dusk is gorgeous. This is right outside the Meyerson Symphony Center.

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Easter brunch at home (we kinda went all out with ham & sweet potatoes) & California Pizza Kitchen (yes it is in Texas!)

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Oh yes, let us not forget we both have birthdays in the month of April (25, watch out, we can rent cars for less!). For David's b-day, he had the old roomies over for a night of Settlers & rootbeer floats (while I had a girls night with Andrea!). I took Monday off work (actual day of David's birthday) & we played - omelettes for breakfast, disc golf, slurpees, steak, games & a movie. My birthday fell on a Wednesday this year (kinda lame) - but David met me for a quick dinner after work @ chick-fil-a & brought me a red velvet bundt cake for dessert =) I went to my last Bible study @ church, where we learned the OT in 77 steps with hand motions - fun! I came home to gifts, games, popcorn & tea before bed. And he made me lunch for Thursday. Birthdays are the best.

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Watermelon. Yum...almost summer. Let me just say my husband can lodge three playing cards in a row into a watermelon in 20 seconds from a distance of 6 feet. What can your husband do? (Note: this may seem extremely random to you if you have never seen "Minute to Win It"). So...he has to take a break from studying some time.

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Blue skies, random Mexican restaurants & fun spring sandals (and maybe a little birthday shopping...). In between studying, we spent the last weekend of April going to see the new Disney's Oceans & reading/sleeping in the grass at the Arboretum. So, maybe there will always be lots of studying in April as David finishes up his semester & who can forget the dreaded April 15th, but April is the best moth (for us at least) because it's a month of celebration. Celebration of the death & resurrection of our Lord for us; celebration of getting older together; celebration of warmer weather, green grass & new life. Yep, best month. April, you will be missed.

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Spring is here! I think...

Last weekend, after a productive morning of spring cleaning, David & I took a long awaited trip to the Dallas Arboretum. It was the first nice weekend we've had here for a while - yay for spring! Everyone else had the same idea though - we had to park off-site & take a shuttle in it was so crowded. The tulips were out (Dallas Blooms) & it seemed like spring was officially here.

After taking in the beauty of the grounds, we found a patch of grass with a nice sloping hill, snapped a few pictures (maybe closer to 20...sorry David!), took out our books & soaked up the sun - fantastic. Every time spring comes around, I am reminded that it truly is my favorite season. Kicked off with our anniversary (which makes it even better now!), followed by our birthdays & Easter and filled with the budding of flowers & sunshine after the cold winter. Doesn't get much better.

After a week of this 70* weather, this weekend, on the first official day of spring, we had freezing cold weather & snow! Yes, those are spring flowers in a patch of snow at church on Sunday morning. Two days of freezing weather & today we got back up to 70*. Texas weather is very unpredictable! Although I have been assured by Texans that in the dead of summer, I won't have to wonder what the weather will be like - it will just be hot, every day. Joy.

As far as I can tell, the flowers survived the bit of cold weather & we are on our way to warmer weather.