Happy Birthday TJ!

What's this?? I am blogging??? After over a year?? :) I have a good reason today! (And it is my goal to start doing this regularly...but we will see!)

It is my TJ's birthday today! 26 years! :)

I tease him that when he turns 40- I'll still be 38...he says he doesn't care...but I think he will then.

Happy Birthday my love! I am proud of you, and love being your Annabelle. I hope your day is wonderful! I am blessed to be yours.

The Man Cub with Kada Girl in our blizzard this winter.

Tim and Jay Thorpe climbing clifs and exploring caves in our Colorado trip this past February.

It has been a big week for him! Poor guy always seems to be studying or in the middle of some big section of school during his birthday, and this year is no exception. Last Friday the guys all had their last day of class. Year 2 is almost done! This week was full of end of year finals. They finished on Thursday. Year 2 down! Boards to go!

I am so proud of Tim, and the rest of the guys! They have worked so hard, but have still managed to have a blast!

Enough said! :)

We are headed to BRGR tonight with our KC family to celebrate Tim's birthday. I'll post pictures later.

Happy Weekend!

Hello There!

It has been a really long time since I have posted. I have been slacking in keeping up lately, but I am hoping to get caught up with all of you in the next couple of weeks. Life has been busy here in Kansas City. I think we might have just had our last snow storm for the winter/ spring... I THINK (HOPE!) :)

The past few months have been busy and a challenge! I am thankful it is officially spring here. Just to give you quick updates on things-

I have to brag on my man for a minute. Tim is doing wonderful in medical school! I am beyond proud of him. He is in the top quarter of his class, and was invited to join an honor's society because of that! He also made a 93 on his last test. God just affirms over and over again that this is where we are supposed to be, and medical school is where He has us right now. Not to mention, he is also doing well while getting a dual degree of a Masters in Business Administration/ Healthcare Leadership. There is a school here in Kansas City called Rockhurst that works with KCUMB to offer that dual degree. He and Andrew Brochu are doing this together. They have a class once a week that goes from 5:30 to 9:30ish then this summer they will have those classes rather than having the summers off.

Work for me is wonderful! I still love my job! I work for my three reps, and try to keep their businesses running as smooth as possible. We have alot of fun. It is a challege some days, but I am learning alot, and I feel like God has placed me in an area where my talents and ablilities can really be used. I have made some fun friends at work too- which has been such a blessing!

Another fun thing is, I think we have found a church! It is called Redeemer Fellowship. Some of our Kansas City friends (Andrew and Jenny, Jacob and Jetta, and Ben and Aly) have been going there for a few months now. We visited there after we got back from Christmas and really liked it. The teaching is wonderful, and we have left every Sunday really feeling like we learned the Word of God. Church has probably been the biggest challege of moving for us. The Summit Church will always have a special place in both of our hearts, but I really have struggled with leaving that church family! Anyway, I think we have found our church home. I think Jetta and I are going to start working in the church nursery together. I am really excited about that. I need some little kids in my life. :) More fun stories about church later.

The past three weeks have been especially busy for us. I made a quick trip home the weekend of the 12th. It was a study weekend for Tim, and I was missing some loved ones in a bad way! I left work early on Friday and made the drive. It was wonderful to come home, but it absolutely flew by! I made the drive back on Sunday, and went back to work that week. Then Kari and Hudson came to KC on that Friday. Back in November we found out that John Mayer was coming to KC on March 22, so her and I found out that Hudson's spring break started that weekend. We bought tickets for us and our men, so they came up for the weekend. The got here on Friday just in time for it to start sleeting/snowing. We had a slow morning on Saturday cause of all the snow, but still had a blast. We all went to church on Sunday, lunch with our KC friends, the Plaza, and cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. Tim and I got up and went to work/ class on Monday- then JOHN MAYER that night!

The best part is we got to the Sprint Center and went up to our nosebleed seats, and this lady came up to us and asked us if we were big John Mayer fans. We were like, "yeah!" She asked us what our favorite songs were, and then she told us she worked for John Mayer, and how would we like front row seats?? I was just sitting there waiting for the catch- but she pulled out 4 tickets and handed them to us, but asked us to keep it quiet. We were SO excited!! We couldn't believe it, but sure enough...we went down to the ground floor, handed them our tickets and we were right there! :) Pictures below!

All the people behind us!

So excited for the concert!


I'm excited too! Can't you tell?

Our happy little group.

This is the guitarist for Michael Franti & Spearhead. We loved them, and he was so much fun! I think his name was Joel?

Michael Franti- he didn't wear shoes the whole show.
They were SO much fun! We got to talk to all of them afterwards!

Then, it was John Mayer time! He is a character, but the concert was great!!

Tim got some really good pictures!

We missed Uny!

Our picture with the guitarist! :) And our favorite security guard!


We had so much fun! :)

Ok, I am going to wrap this post up. I know it took forever. Thank you for sticking with me.

I love you all! Thank you for your love and prayers as Tim and I are on this adventure. You cheered me on through the crazy winter! :)

Everlasting Arms

Deuteronomy 33:26-27, 29

There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in His majesty.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword...

I think that is enough said. Thank you dear Lord. You are my refuge and my helper!

Christmas in KC

I know it is past Christmas and New Years, but I wanted to post pictures of our little home all decorated. I had SO much fun decorating! It also gives me an excuse to do some furniture rearranging, which I love to do!

:)

I love how the Christmas tree looks at night! So cozy.
It makes it feel not quite so cold outside.

These were already up, but I added some snowflake ornaments to make them a little more fun.

I think stockings are my favorite part of opening gifts!

Our living room

The bookshelf- had fun with it this Christmas!

Welcome!

Love my nativity scene. My Aunt Karen got it for me for Christmas last year.

I am going to add to it every Christmas.

One of my favorite Christmas decorations! It says, "If a kiss were a snowflake I'd send you a blizzard."

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was amazing! We got to spend some good time with friends and family, but there were still people I love who I didn't get to see. It is amazing how time just flies. We left Kansas City for Little Rock on Wednesday the 23- just in time to miss the big snow storm that came through! Tim was kind of bummed about missing the white Christmas, but I did not mind a bit!

We spent Christmas Eve with my family. SO fun! I have so much fun with my siblings. We took Kada over there too. Jake (the Grissom chocolate lab) was not quite sure about her being in his house, but they did pretty well!

Christmas day was at the Dietrichs. That was a fun day too! Andrew was able to fly in from Salt Lake which was so fun! Kada and Kobi had a blast playing outside all day. They would just be exhausted at the end of the day.

We came back to Kansas City on the 2nd. There was snow everywhere. And It has not left since. I have been trying to have a better attitude about the weather. I've been praying that God would help me see the beauty in winter and snow....I'll keep praying....I feel like my love for spring and summer is being reinforced. There is a season for everything.

Well, I guess I should wrap this up. I love you all, and hope you are having a wonderful beginning to the new year. I am excited to see what God does this year. He sure is good!

Catching Up

I have so much to post, but so little time.

The days seem to be flying by lately. We have been busy ever since we got back from Thanksgiving in Arkansas, and we are getting ready to head back there on Wednesday morning. We are all looking SO forward to going back. From the looks of the weather, me might be missing a white Christmas. I am not so sad about that, but Tim is kinda bummed. Personally, I have had my fill of snow for at least a couple of weeks.

We had a WONDERFUL time in Arkansas for Thanksgiving. Our dear friends -Andrew and Jenny Brochu- came home with us. It was a fun/interesting drive home. We took the Camry. Tim and Andrew sat in the front. Kada, Jenny, and I sat in the back. It was up close and personal, but Kada was an angel in the car. I was so thankful!

Besides being with family and friends, one of the BEST and most entertaining parts of going home was watching Kobi and Kada play! They just had a total blast playing with each other. They would wake up at 6:00 and be ready to go for the day.

They were stinking cute!

We had lots of fun with the Dietrich family and the Grissom family at the Thanksgiving dinners! We got to spend some good time with Grandma and Granddad Borden too.

We even got some updated family pictures while we were there.

(Susan, Joanna, me, Jenny, and Abby)

A bunch of my girls met at our favorite breakfast restaurant Delicious Temptations on Saturday morning. We had so much fun, and laughed alot! My sisters were also there, they just weren't in this picture. I have some of the best friends a girl can have! I have missed those girls.

We also got to go to our church in Little Rock, The Summit Church, while we were there. I have a special place in my heart for Summit. I love so many of those people. This was after church on Sunday before we made the roadtrip back to KC.

We came back to KC and decorated for Christmas. (I'll post those pictures next time.) Tim and the guys proceeded to study away. They had four days worth of finals. Ironically, that week of finals was also when it decided to have some winter weather...so much fun...as well as a little allergic reaction for Kada which resulted in a trip to the emergency vet at 1:00am the night before Tim's biggest final. Icy roads, late night, early morning, a precious dog with a very swollen face, a stressed Tim, and a worried Anna. Oh the drama of it all. Kada is doing just fine now ($150 dollars and 2 shots later), and Tim passed his tests with flying colors! He finished his first semester of medical school with two A's and a B+!

The past week has been just as crazy even with Tim done with school for the semester. After Tim finished with school, Operation Issue began for me at work. Operation Issue is crunch time at Northwestern Mutual. Everyone is trying to meet deadlines and production goals for the end of the year. It has been kind of crazy this week, but I just keep loving my job more and more. Since I work for 3 reps, there are times where I wonder if I can do it all, but thankfully, I am getting a part-time assistant at the beginning of the year. I am so thankful!

Well, I guess that is all for now. I will post pictures of our apartment all decorated for Christmas soon. Tim and I are having our Christmas on Tuesday night, and then Wednesday morning we will drive back to Little Rock for the holidays. My boss is being so gracious and not having me come back to the office until January the 4th. I am so thankful. We will get some more good time in with our families and dear friends!

Can't wait! :)

Things I'm Thankful For

It was so wonderful to get to be HOME in Little Rock this past weekend. I'll post more details about the fun weekend later, but I just wanted to share some of the things I am thankful for. So of them are kind of silly, but oh well! :)

• road trips with friends
• our new puppy- Kada (and the other two puppies in Little Rock. Jake and Kobi)
• that we got to see both of our families for Thanksgiving
• for my DEAR DEAR friends
• laughter
• time with grandparents
• my pillow
• The Summit Church
• our new home in Kansas City
• my job at Northwestern Mutual
• Tim doing so well in medical school- I am beyond proud of him!!!
• Dr Pepper :)
• that I got to marry my best friend
• my friends and family at the Rice Lewis Clinic
• for little kids
• Delicious Temptations and Senor Tequila (my favorite places to eat in Little Rock)
• quality time over a cup of coffee from Starbucks
• my Dad
• hugs
• introducing new friends to old friends
• the book of Psalms
• Beth Moore books
• cameras to capture memories
• safety
• my sisters who make my stomach hurt from laughing so hard
• my brother who would do just about anything to protect me (and visa versa)
• the peace and protection of my Savior
• praise and worship music

I am just overwhelmed time and time again with the love and provision of the Lord. He is so good and so faithful.

Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

and establish the work of our hands for us.

Psalm 90:17

SNOW

Yup, it snowed. Before Thanksgiving even. It's not winter yet, and it snowed!

Apparently, this is the 6th year in a row that it has snowed before Thanksgiving. No one told me that before we moved here. (Which is probably a good thing.) We made it to work/class just fine though, and to make things even better, the snow was gone by the time we got home from work/class!

I guess God is trying to break me into this winter thing early. It is beautiful...if it were only not so cold... :)




Some of the pictures didn't turn out quite so well, but I still wanted to share them.

In other news, we are headed to Little Rock on Wednesday for Thanksgiving! Tim and I are SO excited. Kada is making the trip with us, as well as our friends Andrew and Jenny Brochu. Their families are in Texas which is a little far for a roadtrip...even if it is a long weekend.

Andrew and Tim go to KCUMB together. They actually had classes together at Baylor, but really weren't close enough to really keep up after college. They both walked into med school the first day and were surprised to see each other. Jenny and I met and clicked pretty quickly. She actually is how I got my job at Northwestern Mutual (NMFN). She had worked for a rep there since her and Andrew moved here after they got married this summer. She connected me with the office manager at NMFN, and God worked out the rest of the details.

There is also another couple, Jacob and Jetta Perry, who we all met at a KCUMB social function. At the event everyone was supposed to wear shirts from their college. (It was like a sports social event.) Jacob and Jetta both had University of Arkansas shirts on, and so Tim went and started talking to them. Tim, Andrew, and Jacob have been inseparable ever since. When the boys get together to study, usually the girls head to the plaza to shop or watch a movie! We have so much fun together! I am so thankful. It has been so fun to see how God works in the details.

Anyway, we are headed to Little Rock this coming week. Our families (and the 2 family dogs) haven't met Kada yet either, so it should be an interesting week! SO excited!!! :)