one of the best.

my mardi gras break was spent in Galilea with some of the most amazing people on Earth.

the Stagg Family. Jenn, Rich and their 3 boys , Amber,Becca, and Jamie. we had an AWESOME trip.

first off, words really can't explain Galilea and the love that i have for this place and how i feel when people fall in love with this place like i do. it just does something. it connects. theres a bond like no other. we were only there for 2 full days and the things that got done and the way there were done was pretty much unbelievable. this group rocked. every thing was done without complaining. it was just Good. the kids were soooo impressive. to see them interact with the NINOS totally blew my mind. there was no 2nd guessing. they stepped in and it was comfortable. the hugs and smiles that were shared between them were really sweet. almost like the NINOS had instant trust and felt like thats these kids are my friends and we will be friends for a long time. i loved just sitting back to watch this. It made my heart smile!!

thanks to this group for all that they did. for being so sweet. for stepping in and getting the job done. for trusting in me..even when things didn't make sense. for loving Galilea and wanting to continue to go back. for loving on kids that have had it hard. but, mostly for loving them with eternal love that only comes fromt he Father. HE ROCKS!!

thanks to the people who donated without you and your willingness to support most of the projects would not be possible.

here are a few words that i think about when i think about this trip:

humility. tuff. non-stop. service. bonding. long-term. able. a want. friendship. helpful. impressive. trust. prayerful. believing. being obeident. a lotta LOVE.

i am so thankful. i feel like this is a vision and a prayer that is coming to. the Lord knows exactly what He is doing. im trusting in HIM. HE has amazed me. im humbled.

Lord, thank you. thank you for being the KING.

i love my family and i am so thankful for them!

not really knowing what is to come.... but trusting in the ONE who does!!

this past weekend was really good.

my brother and his family got their house moved on their property.. its so nice! finally a 5 bedroom. everyone has their own space. i am so very proud of them!! they have worked so hard on this and finally get to move in. the kids are so excited!

ruben came to visit. we had a great time. on saturday mom, dad, ruben and i went to the bass pro shop. my dad loved showing ruben around and telling him all about "louisiana wildlife". ruben really loved it too. he was so impressed with the decor! on sunday we went to Kelli and Davids church where Bobby Jindal was the guest speaker. YES, Bobby Jindal. Our Governor. He was so awesome, so sweet, so funny. i have to say that i am proud to be a Louisianaian with a wonderful Governor.
after church, we BBQ'ed and played all day. ruben had a great time! i am so thankful that he was able to come!

i have been doing a bible study (its a 30 days of prayer that my church is doing) .... anyway, this study has be awesome! we are studying John 15. Learning to truly abide in Christ and what it means to abide. its been a learning time for me. if you want to check it out you can go to the rings website. http://www.ringcommunity.org/

happy 27

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS... RUBEN!!!!!!!

espero que tu tienes una bontio cumpleanos.

i have 2 really cool friends.

http://virb.com/chasesmith/videos/58142

they made this sweet video for me. i can't stop watching it and i cry everytime.
thanks rebecca and chase. you have no clue how much this means to me.
im thankful.

2008

1st two weeks in january:
played with Deacon (born Dec. 22)
said goodbye to family and friends (way harder then i thought it would be)
packed for mexico

january 22:
moved to Casa Hogar Galilea. Monclova,Mexico
hard. hard. hard. no spanish. attacked. I made it. Thank YOU JESUS.
january 29-next couple weeks:
Broke ankle. no spanish. mexican ER. boot thing. crutches. strong arms. bonding time with bety.
being served instead of me serving them. humility.
febuary:
Esteban ruben monroy franco. awesome kids.loving galilea.spanish getting better. cast up to my knee. stronger arms. routine.building trust.
march:
home. mom meets galilea. lana too.over 100 people in galilea at once. sooo cool. mom falls in love with galilea. home again. best friends wedding. good family and friend times!
april:
new addition, Josephine Paige Dart. vacation to monterrey,mexico city.quaterrro with ruben. Fernanda is born. awesome time. awesome time.really awesome time. back to galilea.
may:
more awesomeness. spanish getting better. kids are the best. groups from the states come.weekend fun. movies. baseball. bowling.
june:
hot.summer time in monclova. new kids. love. haircuts. late night soccer. Emily is born (i think it was this month). late night tacos. jamie and rebecca come. they fall in love with galilea too. english classes. kids are smart. swim at the pool. sun burn.
july:
sarah comes. make jewelry.jump on trampoline.still hot.
august:
back to la. sad. beth moore in san antonio. (shes amazing)
september:
family time. dart kids. white kids. beach with mom and rebecca. fun. still sad. no clue what is going on. houston.
october:
sassy scissors dos opens. awesome loyal clients. awesome friends. ugly bety for Halloween. (i looked just like her). more weddings.mawmaw turns 86.ruben comes.
novemeber:
back to galilea for the weekend. good trip. mom and dads surprise dinner. thanksgiving. good family times. new addition=HOOCHIE. (shes cool). more weddings.
december:
cold.snow.wow.gift buying. advent conspiracy.back to Galilea.sweet trip.still love this place.
Christmas. new years eve. friends. wedding rehearsal. fun.congrats eryn and matt


WELCOME 2009....im ready.
im thankful. the LORD is good.

Galilea for Chirstmas

so, on Dec. 19th. me,amber,rebecca and ryan got in the mini van and cruised 10 hours to eagle pass,texas..slep for a couple hours then cruised right on cross the border and finally made it to Casa Hogar Galilea....

we had a wonderful time. it was so AWESOME to see the kids. thanks to some really awesome people at the ring ...we were able to get the kiddos some presents. they all loved their gifts!!!

it was a short trip but really every second means the world. the kids absolutely have my heart. i love Galilea and the people there. i am so blessed and so very thankful for Galilea!!

we had a photo shoot with these darling boys on saturday.... we had such a great time... these boys are have such sweet hearts and they are all loved dearly by the ring community church.