last post from Texas

Some facts about Texas:

• know as the Lone Star Sate
• bluebonnets are the official state flower
• the armadillo is the official state mammal
• more land is farmed in Texas than any other state
• know for their wildflowers
• it gets VERY hot here!!

Just some other stuff:

• people drive big vehicles (trucks or SUVs) & do not have any rust on them
• people are friendly
• most people wear their shoes in their homes. One man from church told us he only takes his shoes off to go to bed
• houses here do not have basements since the ground is like clay
• you do see a few cowboys, but since we live in the city, we do not see as many as we had thought. There are ranches in the country
• it gets really hot here and very humid. We are at about 93 degrees or more each day and by the time July & August are here it is well over 100 degrees. We are thankful we will not be here then, and are very thankful for A/C!!
• they do not have a recycling program here, so I feel so guilty when throwing out paper or plastic
  

We have definitely enjoyed this experience of living here in Texas. It has been neat to be able to see another part of God's beautiful creation. It really opens your eyes to how people do things here and the differences of cultures. It really makes us appreciate what we have at home. All our family, friends and belongings. We realize how much God has blessed us with. We have health and strength and were granted safety throughout this time of being here. We have been blessed with so much family time, even though Paul was very busy with his studies.

We are travelling home on Friday and we would appreciate your prayers for our safety. We look forward to seeing y'all real soon!

he's almost done!

Paul is almost done is training here at TEEX. He has 4 days of exams. He has been studying so hard and doing so well on his tests. Please keep him in your prayers as he writes his exams. He is so ready to be done with school and looking forward to going home and getting back into a normal routine again! Good job, Paul on all your hard work!

the "jungle" of Texas

They are building a walk path to a new park across the street from our place. We took a stroll there to check it out. It was pretty amazing with all the vines hanging down. What a beautiful part of God's creation. We wanted to take pictures since it was so neat.

for mommy

Seth found this heart shaped stone at the family night on Monday. He told some of the ladies there, "this is for my mommy, because I love her!". I thought this was sweet to share. :0) Sure made me feel special.

video of burn night

Here is a video of Paul's group putting out the fire. They did an excellent job & wonderful team work! We're proud of you Paul!

family night (burn night)

Last night was family night at Paul's school. The whole class got into their gear and marched to the site where they were going to put out their first fire. It was a fun night and great to be able to meet some of the classmates as well as see what they are learning. I was sure proud of Paul and all the guys for a job well done!

getting ready to go and fight fires!

their first fire

Seth & daddy chatting

the boys in their matching firetruck shirts

marching off to fire #2

this one was more exciting, more flames and more action!

daddy & his boys

the boys and the fireman statue (Seth kept calling him daddy)

It was a late night, but lots of fun! We are on our way home in 10 days. The time has gone by quickly.

father's day & more

Father's day was yesterday. It was nice to spend time together as a family. We went to church in the morning and had a relaxing afternoon and enjoyed a picnic supper at the park again. What is so nice about father's day is that when we came here to Texas, we said that once it was father's day we would have less than 2 weeks until we were on the road home again. So here we are, father's day has come and we will be on our way home soon!! yay!

daddy & his boys

We love you daddy and appreciate all that you do for us!!

Seth is growing up so much lately. He is definitely not shy about asking people if they go to church or if they love God. Oh to be like a child and be bold to ask others! When we were at the park last night, a young teenager girl was pushing him on the swing. He was telling her his whole life story. It was so cute. Then we heard him ask her if she went to church and if she loved God. She said yes. And he thought that was so amazing. They said their goodbye on a first name basis. He is not so little anymore. He is asking many questions about God, and just life in general.

give a child an old diaper box and he has fun for hours!

our sweet Ethan!

he absolutely loves freezies (or just food in general)

like a baby bird, waiting for food

the boys

Seth @ almost 4 1/2 yrs

Seth & his rock & stick collection. He would collect them on our walks each night. We told him he can only take 1 rock home with us.

Ethan @ 14 months

Ethan crawling here, but walks all the time now.

driving fire truck & more rope rescue

I have not taken any pictures yet, but we have been receiving them from a teacher and fellow classmates. So sorry about the order of the pictures. But at least this gives you an idea of what Paul is involved in. He will be doing live burns for the next 2 weeks so when the boys & I go to watch, I will take pictures and post them.

the driving course where all the guys practiced driving the trucks

a job well done!

here is a few more of rope rescue from the 5 storey building. Looks a little scary to me!


going down ...

& down

made it to the bottom!

more of Paul's training

the t-shirt emblem

a figure 8 on a bight (type of knot)

a stokes basket (used to lower people down by ropes)

one of Paul's classmates being lowered down

getting ready to head down a 5 storey building (all I can say is I am glad it is him and not me!)

going down ......

this is Paul's last week of in-class and then he has 2 weeks of live burns (which we get to go and see when they have burn night! yay!). Then he has 4 days of exams and then we are on our way home again! We are all anxious to be done & looking forward to being home again with family and friends. We are so thankful that God has blessed us with health and strength while being here! We are all doing well and Paul's studies are going very good too!