Michael and Tyrette's sharing space

2004-02-21T15:32:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!(better late than never, right?)

This is Tyrette again. Betcha thought we have dropped off the face of the earth, huh!? Well, we are still here and pleasantly amazed at how God continues to bless us.

Most of you that know us already have heard but, for those who have not... We have been facing the trial of Michael's diagnosis as a type 2 diabetic. God has provided us peace and wisdom through each day. Michael has been a real trooper! He took the news well and decided to see it as a blessing. He has made all the necessary changes to his diet in order for his blood sugar to get back to normal levels. He is still taking some meds to help his body maintain those levels. We would like to thank all of you who have been praying for us. Please continue.

I had promised that I would inform you more about my job... (again, better late than never...) I work as a Program Manager for the PACES Program in Freestone and Limestone Counties. PACES is a program that focuses on assisting at-risk youth with academic and career preparations in order to become an active member of the workforce. We are the WIA Youth program for our region of the state. I love this job because not only do I get to work with youth (always been a draw for me) but I also get to try my hand at a little teaching (Leadership Development) and guidance counseling (Career Counseling) as well. My mom was a teacher for over twenty years and I always wanted to do that... who knows, I just might yet.

Michael is off with some band students at Baylor in Waco for Solo and Ensemble tryouts. I am sure he is enjoying it ;) I have been doing some cleaning around the house. Thanks for letting me share. Let us know what you think of our sharing space.

Bye for now, Tyrette

2003-10-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, now that my wife has brought me to a nice rosy red color, I must agree with her sentiments, only insert her name wherever mine is (ha).

Things are getting better and better each and every day. I must thank God for His continued provision, and for His hand in things where we are not able to see, meeting our needs on every level, in ways we never imagined. I am glad I don't have to do it all. . .because I would surely mess it all up.

After some very rough and frustrating times at work in the past few weeks, things have gotten much better. Things seemed to be downhill for a while, all the while dealing with some bad attitudes, nothing major, but enough to bring morale down, which is deadly when it comes to a band program.

Anyway, it all culminated at our 3rd Annual Invitational this past Saturday. They performed as poorly as they had been (no big surprise) and got a 2, and the kids were actually shocked. It was just the motivation they needed to see how their attitudes were hurting us.

This week has been nothing but cleaning and polishing. . .some great rehearsals. So, UIL is a week from Saturday and we will see how it goes. I am anxious, but not holding my breath. I'll just be happy in knowing I have done my best with them.

My grandmother is not doing well. All of the family back in Leesville now take their turns staying with her 24/7. I don't expect her to be with us much longer, but she has led a very full life. I will miss her for so many reasons.

Braden MICHAEL (and no my caps key was not stuck) will be turning one on Nov 1st, and I cannot wait to be there for the party to play with him and Nathan. Nathan just turned two, and unfortunately I could not be there to play with him and love on him, so I get a double dose in a few weeks. :-)

Well, I am gonna close this and go spend some time with Ty before bed.

2003-10-08T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I think it is about time I start posting on this Blog Spot. Thanks to all of you who have read and commented.

If you didn't figure it out. This is Tyrette Bodine(I love saying that!) This is my first time posting so cut me some slack(hehehe).

Being married to Michael has been a wonderful, challenging, and satisfying journey so far. I love being his wife, his friend, and his buddy. He is all of these and more to me. I am so grateful that God in His divine wisdom knew our needs, and brought us together in the way He did. My soul is often renewed when Michael askes if we can pray together over a certain issue or concern. He is a wonderful and kind man who loves me more than I could have ever asked or imagined. How wonderful it is to place your faith and trust in God for so many years and then experience His gracious provision of what you asked for and more!

Well, I just wanted to let the world know that I love Michael Bodine with all my heart. I am thankful and honored to be his wife. I cherish him as my friend, and my husband.

By for now... I gotta get back to work. I just thought I would blog during my break. I will get you more information about my job later.

2003-08-16T01:40:00.000-05:00

Well, much time has passed again, but with all that has happened in the past couple of months, I think I have a pretty good excuse for not posting an entry in a while.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Everything seemed to come together perfectly! Everything was beautiful, everyone there behaved (hehe) and the ceremony was exactly as we planned it. The best moment for me was turning toward the back of the sanctuary and seeing Ty in her wedding dress and those church doors opened and she started her trek down the aisle. I was breathless and fighting back the tears.

The honeymoon was a lot of fun. We had a few days in Orlando enjoying Disney and Universal, and also a couple of days in New Smyrna. We stayed in a resort overlooking the ocean which was absolutely breathtaking.

Let me begin by saying that the joys of being married amaze and bless me all the time. There are of course moments when things are not so easy, but, there is so much about having a wife that makes life so great. I love coming home to Ty from work. I love all the little things like her calling me in the middle of the day, or leaving a note on my care or a voicemail on my phone. I love all the little things she goes out of her way and does for me. I love her!

Aside from marital bliss, the job has kicked back up in full force. Today marked the end of a 2-week camp with the band, and then regular school begins Monday. We accomplished our goal being able to march and play through our opener. Things are looking good on the job front. I am really enjoying it as I have from the beginning. Ty got hired in a new position last week. She will now be a program manager working with youth. It is another social work job, and as you can tell I really do not know any of the details. We are very thankful and give God all glory for these great blessings. It is such a great thing to be able to enjoy what we do and to be provided for.

Oh, one more thing. One of our favorite things to do is to read together. I normally do the reading because Ty thinks she is not good at it (she does fine). Anyway, tonight we finished our first book together entitled "First Person Plural: My Life As A Multiple" by Cameron West. It was an outstanding account of a man living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (written by himself) somewhat in novel form. Anyway, it was a great read. Tomorrow we will be beginning "Under the Banner of Heaven" by someone that starts with a K. It is centered around the Mormon faith and polygamy and also presents a supposed violent side of faith specifically honing in on the Mormon church. It looks interesting. . .we shall see.

That is all for now.

2003-05-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

Almost a month since my last entry, so I thought maybe it was time to sit and write a bit.

Things are going real well for us. There are only 22 days left until the wedding, and I think we both grow in anticipation and excitement as each day passes. Aside from that bliss, there has been a little bit of life going on around us. Work for both of us has been really busy. For me, it is the time of year that we are fitting in all kinds of trips. . .some of them fun trips, some of them competition trips, some of them both. Tomorrow, I will be with 100 7th and 8th graders at Six Flags in Arlington. Yes, I need your prayer! Next Friday Ty and I leave for Leesville to get the marriage license applied for, to finish up arrangements with our photographer, and do a few last minute things a couple of weeks before the wedding. The weekend before the wedding I will be gone to Austin with a group of kids to state solo & ensemble. Ty will be moving into my (our) house that weekend. We both have memorial day off, then we will both work on Tuesday. Then Tuesday night, she will head to Shreveport to get her dress, and be with her mom while I head to Leesville to be with my folks. Her and her mom will be in Leesville Wednesday and we will spend the next two days finishing everything that needs to be done before the rehearsal dinner Friday night. . .which thankfully is not much *knock on wood*.

So, there is the low down on the next few weeks. Whew!

I just finished the "pseudo itenerary" for our honeymoon. It's gonna be nice. Along with some time at Disney and Kennedy Space Center, we'll be near New Smyrna Beach. I also have reservations for us at some really nice places to eat, a couple of which have something special planned for us since we'll be on our honeymoon.

I really cannot wait to be married! I cannot wait to spend that time with my family and friends and to share in such a special time. Ty and I have been so blessed during this time.

Well, I should get to bed. . .I have to up around 6 for Six Flags!

2003-04-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

Again, it has been way too long since I've been here. I did post one other time about a week ago but it for some reason did not show up on my blog. I guess in my impatience I did something wrong.

Anyway, to say things are busy would be putting it quite mildly. Things are great at work, but still busy as ever. We have finished up contest season which means less stress, but we have moved right into preparing for our spring concert, working on the show for next marching season, putting the band banquet together, having auditions for all the stuff for next year, and preparing for state solo & ensemble.

Ty has her good and bad days with work. We have talked some about what she wants to do within the social work realm, or possibly even massage therapy. This job does not seem to be a fit for the long haul, so the search continues for some joy on the job. Maybe she will soon sit down and tell you more about all this.

The wedding planning seems to be complete for the most part. The last hurdle was securing the photographer. Ty had been arranging it with a friend of hers who works in the biz and everything seemed to be lined up until he had to have surgery, and now the recovery time is somewhat uncertain and so he could not commit to it any longer. So, in a semi-panic with 6 weeks left we called family and my dad knew someone who was not booked on the day, in the area, very affordable, and seems to be easy to work with. Praise God!

We finished our last session of premarital counseling tonight. It has been so wonderful and such a blessing to have such wise counsel and loving people to share with. This last session was on sexual intimacy. It was kinda funny at times because there were obviously some things/issues they did not want to delve into, hehe.

Ty and I purchased a bed and a couch a couple of weeks ago. It is somewhat comical that we live in this small house with two small bedrooms and you walk in one of them and there is this gigantic bed that takes up most of the room. It was an important purchase though, as some of you have shared with us.

I think that is it, but I am going to share a recipe before heading to bed. This is yummy and very easy. It is sort of a take off on a pecan pie, but without the goo and somewhat like a cookie.

Take 20 crumbled ritz crackers and combine them with 1 1/2 cups of pecans, 1 cup of sugar (both brown and white mixed to your preference), teaspoon of baking powder, teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 egg whites. Stir this all together and pour into a greased or "pammed" pie plate/tin. Bake for 20 min. @ 350.

Good night everyone.

2003-03-31T22:15:00.000-06:00

It has been a while and I don't wanna get out of this habit, since it is a good one. Things continue to get busier, but I think Ty and I are handling everything well. We got some bad news from her brother last week. He and his wife Lisa are temporarily separating. He has been living with some friends of theirs and is now living with his and Ty's mom. Although there is some encouraging talk going on between them, it is uncertain how temporary this will actually be. Jim is planning on getting an apartment soon and up to this point they have not attempted to see a counselor. We are praying and trying to help when the opportunity is there. They also have a kid who is 7. Ryan is his name. Please say a prayer for them.

After a busy work week this past week, Ty and I headed to Leesville for our wedding shower there at the church thrown by some of my extended family members and friends from the church. It was again overwhelming. I honestly did not expect such a reception even considering I had grown up in that church since being in 6th grade. Several people there and the next day during the church service met Ty and would tell me how proud they were and how special she seemed. I really have to watch myself because as most people know I am not one to hold back on the emotions. Ty did a little speech thanking everyone there, and then they wanted her to talk about how we met and what we were doing now in our lives. Thank goodness she kept it short. . .I was about to lose it.

We got a lot of things in the mail we had ordered for the wedding. Everything from disposable cameras, unity candle stand, a gigantic box of stuff for the reception, more invitations, as well as some gifts from people who will not be able to attend the ceremony.

A big goal of mine in the next couple of weeks is to map out a pseudo-itenerary of our honeymoon with all the numbers, details, directions and pertinent info so I can have it at hand. We have determined that we both are detail/planning type people in different areas, and it seems this another area where we complement each other. She can be really anxious/concerned about one thing that I am not worried about, and then vice versa on another subject or task. It's kinda neat!

The next 2 weeks are pretty busy. In this time we will have at least one trip to shreveport, one of which will be our final shower. I will take 3 bands to contest during this time, and Tyrette has a million tasks to complete at work herself.

The only way we are staying grounded and enjoying this time of our lives (which we should be!) is by relying on Christ. It is so neat to see how the both of us are changing. . .and not for each other, but instead just being molded into mates for one another by Him.

2003-03-24T22:28:00.000-06:00

There is not much better than fervently praying with and for your soon to be wife.

2003-03-22T23:32:00.000-06:00

Today just seemed to be one of those days. . .not bad, but not great either. I am blaming it on the weather. . .cloudy, misty, and rainy off and on. Anyway, all was not lost. Ty and I did some major cleaning here at the house. We also made a Wal Mart run where we bought a new grill. I love cooking on the grill! We also picked out some old pictures that we will use for a slideshow at our wedding. My sister has decided she wants to do a powerpoint slideshow for us of old picture to be shown during the pre-ceremony part. It will be nice. Thanks Kimberly!

I also bought 6 of those disposable cameras online decorated especially for weddings. They were only $4.29 a piece for 27 exposures. I thought that was pretty good.

We're still hunting for a few items like paper napkins, reception plates, some table cloths, and a few other odds and ends. I have found it all over the place, but when you are doing a wedding on a budget you search for the cheap stuff :-)

I talked with Charles (& Amanda) for a while Thursday night. It is always nice to catch up with them. We do not talk as often as we used to, but when we have the opportunity to it is always great. Amanda is our main musician for our wedding, so we talked and her and Charles helped me pick the last bit of wedding music that was kind of up in the air. It is gonna be nice.

We had a great counseling session Friday night with Gene and Sue. We found out they will be moving right around our wedding time, which is sad because they are one of the few people here that we have gotten to know (that we like hehe). They have been such a blessing to us, though.

I am hoping that this week will fly by. Mine and Ty's shower in Leesville is next Saturday and we are very excited! There will be a lot to fit in to the short weekend though. My brother and his family will be in and we have not seen them since Christmas. Plus, we have to spend some time discussing some things with our wedding coordinator. Then, there is of course the obligatory and necessary playing with baby time that we have to fit in to the weekend.

Anyway, I should close this and get to bed. I have been drained all day and need to be refreshed for tomorrow.

2003-03-16T22:39:00.000-06:00

It's been a while, mainly because we have been so busy. Last weekend the boosters threw us a shower, and we were overwhelmed with how many people blessed us with their presence and with gifts. I had no expectations at all except for some fellowship and cake :-) . . . but we received so much more.

Then, Sunday afternoon I headed off to Louisiana seeing as I had my spring break. I spent that night through Wednesday morning at my parents. I had a really nice visit. I spent a lot of time with my sister and parents, and played with Braden (my newest nephew) quite a bit. He has an amazing amount of personality for a child of only 4 months. I cannot wait to be blessed with one of my own!

I made my way briefly through Monroe on Wednesday. I spent just a couple of hours visiting people at ULM and seeing the new music facility. I picked up some music from Lindsey and I was on my way back to TX. Ty had been sick for a couple of days, so I felt kinda guilty and wanted to be home helping her out. She of course had expected me to stay in LA longer, but I was ready to be back near her.

Since then we've been working on what will be our house. . .which is what I live in now. We moved a ton of stuff from the living room into the guest room, making room for some of Ty's stuff. Also, we did some arranging of stuff for our garage sale, throwing away a bunch of stuff, and beginning to organize what we have received as gifts thus far. We went to Sam's yesterday. We have been trying to buy reception stuff little by little so that the cost does not hit us all at once.

Today, we went to a new sunday school class at our church. It was okay, but I wanna try a different one next week. Also, the preacher was out, and his "fill-in" was a guy who grew up in the church and is now a career missionary. Nice guy. . .good message. . .but definitely not a preacher. His public speaking skills or lack thereof really got in the way of anything he was trying to get across.

Tomorrow it is back to the grind. This will be such a busy time. The end of the year push at work includes taking 4 bands to competition, 3 end of the year trips, state solo & ensemble, beginning work on next year's marching show, spring concert, band banquet. . .and I think that is it. Oh, and then there is this little thing called my wedding. God give me peace and strength to make it!

I have encouraged Ty to get on here and blog. Maybe she will soon.

2003-03-06T23:05:00.000-06:00

Probably (hopefully) anyone who has been engaged and is married or leading to it has had those moments when you think you could not be any more in love with your beloved. Today/tonight was one of those moments for me. . .where I felt at the pinnacle of all the warm fuzzies of loving Tyrette. It had been an especially long day for the both of us, all culminating in a frustrating/angering email received from someone regarding our wedding plans. I became the "protector" in the situation responding in a civil manner to this person. After we ranted a bit and then prayed, we hopped off to dinner with our "mentor couple". The mentor couple is a couple in our church which will help facilitate some pre-marital counseling for us. They are Gene and Sue Wilson. . .a wonderful couple who have been married for almost 50 years. After dinner we sat and talked with them til around 9 before returning home.

All I can say is that we are so amazingly blessed. It becomes more and more clear to me each and every day that almost as much as God is helping us to succeed in our relationship, satan is trying to hurt us. This has only caused to strengthen us as we continue to seek God's guidance, and the possible pitfalls have aonly spurred us on to arm ourselves even more fervently.

I could go on and on about all the wonderful ways God is molding us, but it is late and I need to be fresh for work tomorrow.

I look forward to many many more of those "pinnacle" love moments for Tyrette.

2003-02-23T17:31:00.000-06:00

Part of my valentine from Ty was a CD for us to share. . .the new Steven Curtis Chapman called "All About Love" It is a collection of songs written for and about his wife and their relationship, as well as a couple of songs she requested he sing. Along with the songs, in the liner notes are some thoughts on each song, some by him, and some by her. Here are a couple of great ones I enjoyed reading.

From the song "How Do I Love Her" Steven writes:

"I was asked what the one secret has been for keeping our marriage together and growing strong. I would answer without hesitation, "Prayer." Prayer has been at the center of our relationship since our first date, and this particular prayer is one I have prayed so many times. Who better or who else should we go to for wisdom and understanding about how to truly love each other than the very source of all love and relationships. And besides, true and pure love for others, especially my wife, grows naturally and most fruitfully out of a right relationship with God. There is truly a very destructive enemy seeking to destroy and devour our marriages and our families, and prayer is the only weapon we have. Fortunately, I've found it to be the only weapon we need."

Mary Beth Chapman writes about the song "I Will Be Here":

"A very special song played for me for the first time on Mother's Day many years ago. I cried many tears listening over and over again to this incredible oath of commitment. Born out of the painful divorce of Steven's parents, "I Will Be Here" is a pledge of Steven's unwavering commitment to our marriage. I didn't think this song could be updated; you don't mess with a classic! I was wrong! This version is unbelievable. I love everything about it. Thanks, sweetie, for making this song even more special for me. And fans, I want you to know that my favorite part of Steven's live show is when I hear ALL of you singing this song at the top of your lungs. It is awesome! Never forget the lyrics and their significance in your relationships. Steven, the mirror, tells me every day that I'm older (and more in shape---round is a shape!). Thanks for continuing to make me feel pretty every day of my life. Also, I know the times when I have been quite and the times when I need to speak my mind have not been equal. Sorry! I love you."

2003-02-19T22:49:00.000-06:00

Today seemed to be just one of those days filled with jus about every angle and end of the spectrum. I did not sleep too well last night; the wind was absolutely scary last night. I woke up about 3:30 not feeling too well and also noticing a giant cold sore forming on my bottom lip. When the alarm went off at 6 I really thought my alarm clock was joking.

Anyway, all at work was going fairly well and normal until the afternoon. One of my favorite and usually well-behaved kids was acting up quite a bit and I had to ask him to leave the rehearsal. Evidently while he was exiting he told me that I was #1 by the use of a certain finger on his hand. So, at the end of class the kid, myself, and Cari had a conference to *ahem* talk it out. He at first lied about it, and then he was calmly reminded that he would be much more respected for telling the truth. He bursts into tears and tells us about his dad recently moving out of the house and his parents filing for divorce. I would have normally wondered the truth in a story such as this, but this is one of our best kids. He then told us the only reason he initially lied about what he had done was because his mom had been so down and he did not want to make it worse for her by getting into trouble.

By this time, Cari and I were fighting back the tears. Cari comes from a broken home, and there were a few times in my childhood that I truly feared that happening to me also. Not only that, this was the 2nd time in 3 weeks that a kid had told us about their parents splitting up. Kids should not have to deal with the mistakes of adults who make bad decisions and do not adhere to the guidance of a sovereign God. It breaks my heart to see the results of these situations through the kids in the middle of it all.

The flip side to this horrible situation is being at home and spending time with my beloved. God is amazingly blessing Ty and I each and every day with a deeper understanding of Him and who He is in our relationship. I continue to be in awe of what He is doing with us. Two very single people who at times have had some trouble adjusting (and will continue to at times I am sure hehe) have been brought together in a great union. I give all praise, glory and honor to Christ Jesus.

I am so glad tomorrow is Thursday and the weekend is looming.

2003-02-17T17:36:00.000-06:00

Movie review time! (I tried posting this and lost it, and now typing it all over again. . .guess it is all part of learning to blog.)

I have seen a few great and not so great movies recently that I wanna discuss. One of the great ones is "The Hours" starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Ed Harris. Very well made, it tells the story of 3 different women in 3 different time periods who although lead very different lives, all are intertwined in a unique way.

Kidman plays Virginia Wolfe, an author in the 1920s who suffered from mental illness yet became one of the great literary figures of the last century. Moore plays a housewife and mother in the 1940s who is reading a novel by Wolfe and struggles with her family and how she fits into it. Streep plays a publicist in 2001 New York City who is a lesbian, and whose best friend is a noted author/poet who is soon to die of AIDS (played by Harris). She is also a mother (daughter is played by Claire Danes).

Although the women almost never meet, the struggles they go through and how they deal with them are presented in such symbolism and meaning beyond the decades that separate them. Although it is not told with a sense of the spiritual world, the truth each character comes to brings a sense of completeness to the movie. It is nominated for quite a few Oscars and I am sure it will win a few, including Harris for best supporting actor, Kidman for best actress, and the movie for best motion picture. I recommend this one.

Today Ty and I sat and watched "A Walk To Remember" starring Mandy Moore and some guy whose name escapes me at the moment. Although this is a teen oriented movie, it had been recommended to me by a friend, and I had seen bits and pieces of it before. It seems at first to be your basic bad boy meets good girl turn in to love kinda movie, but once you get into it you see it is much more. The guy is the typical too cool for school kinda guy who is in with the right crowd and is too busy to do the right things. Moore is the opposite. . .a PK who is the outcast in school, the girl who transcends all the cliques while remaining virtuous and unselfish. Through different circumstances the two spend some time together and eventually begin a friendship. Although initially he wants to hide it, before long the two are in love and everyone begins to notice.

The neat thing about the movie is that even though at first she is made to be the outcast because of her beliefs, in the end the movie shows us that doing the right thing, loving others, having faith, and trusting in God is actually a good, "cool" thing. How often does a mainstream movie accurately portray a true christian? I rest my case.

This is a real tearjerker for reasons I will not give away. All I can say is "Tito, pass the tissue." I highly recommend this movie.

The last movie I wanna discuss is "The Antwone Fisher Story" which is the true story of Antwone Fisher, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. It stars Derrick Luke as Fisher and Denzel Washington as the Naval therapist who is to help save Fisher from himself. The story presents Fisher as a lowly seaman in the Navy, always in trouble and unable to handle his anger. He is sent to Washington for therapy, given only three sessions before Washington is to assess whether Fisher is worth the Navy's time or not.

Once in therapy, Fisher relucantly begins to share about his past. . . .a past filled with a lot of abuse and failure. Fisher was in foster care his entire life, given up by a mother who gave birth to him in a state penitentiary, and a father who was killed 2 months prior to his birth. His foster family and those surrounding him, save a friend or two, abused him in every sense of the word. He eventually gets away on his own and joins the Navy.

Some of the abuse footage is slightly graphic, but the payoff in this movie is extraordinary. This is a story of redemption, triumph, overcoming, and most importantly it is about relationships. It is ana amazing story and I am glad someone is allowing Fisher to tell it. I highly recommend seeing this one.

I have gumbo and rice on the stove. I think I am gonna plate (or bowl) up some and enjoy it with my fiancee. It has been a wonderful day today!

2003-02-17T10:18:00.000-06:00

I am still working on getting this all set up. I think the comments feature is in the wrong place, but I am not sure how to fix it in the html. I am also still trying to set up a friends list of blogs. Anyone reading this who may know what I am doing wrong, please help. Thanks! By the way, it sure is awesome to have today off! Have I mentioned that yet?-----Michael

2003-02-17T01:20:00.000-06:00

Well, it has been a while. I need to let Ty in on this so we can both post whenever we feel the need. This past week has been quite busy. I joined the church this past Sunday (Ty had the previous), and soon we will begin our marriage counseling. Wednesday morning I left with Cari on our way to San Antonio for TMEA. It was a lot of fun, but we were both ready to get back to Fairfield and see our respective loved ones. Since Valentine's Day fell during our time away, Ty and I had decided to celebrate after I returned back home. I had left her a letter and a CD to enjoy on the day, and she had given me a card. When I returned home I gave her something we can both use after the wedding (inquiring minds wanna know), and she gave me this great SCC cd and a card. Then tonight she totally blew me away. She had written out a beautiful letter to me outlining some vows she was making. It was not what is to be her/our wedding vows but far beyond that. I was sorta in awe of God's faithfulness in taking care of us. She then presented me with my wedding band and asked if I was gonna marry her. What is a man to do when the woman of his dreams asks him to marry her? Let it be known that I did ask first, hehe.

Anyway, tomorrow we both have the day off, so who knows what we will end up doing. I am thinking quite strongly about trying to make some gumbo, which I have never done before. I continue to explore my secret chef passion by trying new things and challenging myself in the kitchen. I do think if I were not a band director I would be one of two things. . .a chef or a family therapist. Maybe one of these days God will see fit to lead me down one of those paths.-----Michael

2003-01-02T13:20:00.000-06:00

Howdy Friends!

Ty and I were introduced to this by Lamar Cranston. He is the father of Amanda Roberts which is my best man's wife (and we're all good friends also). We have decided that this would be a great way to let everyone interested keep up with what is going on in our lives here in TX. We are far away from a lot of you and would like to stay in touch with everyone.

Let me begin by saying that we had a wonderful Christmas. Tyrette moved most of her things into her place a couple of weeks ago before I finished work and we left for the holiday. We spent a few days in Shreveport, then to Leesville, then to Baton Rouge, then to Monroe, back through Shreveport and to home on Sunday the 29th. It was a long and tiring journey, but it was wonderful to see friends and family, some of which we have not seen in a long time.

Right now Ty is working on landing a job and finishing up getting all her stuff here and in its place. I am finishing my holiday break fro work today and have been doing some rearranging and cleaning here in the house. The next 5 months are going to go by very quickly and we have a lot to do in that short amount of time. I will be spending tomorrow working on a calendar all the way through the wedding. I will have some weekends of working, and then we have to schedule in other weekends to attend showers as well as get things done for the wedding. It is exciting and scary all at the same time.

It ahs been neat to finally have Ty here everyday with me. This may sound weird, but this is the first time Ty and I have lived in the same city. The closest we have ever been was her in fort worth and me here. . .about 2 hours.

Anyway, I should close this first post for now and get something done. I have a dentist appointment today at 3 to get a permanent crown put in finally.

Hope everyone is doing well. God bless.-----Michael