MAYFEST

The first weekend in May, Michael and I went to MAYFEST. It's kinda like Market Street in Columbus and is on the Trinity River near Downtown Fort Worth. It was geared more towards the kids, but we had a good time. Below are some pictures from the frisbee dogs show and the duck races. Also is a picture of a guy wakeboarding on the Trinity River. This was a bit anticlimactic. They didn't pull him behind a boat, but there was a big wire run diagonally across the river. The wakeboarder held onto the rope that was attached to the wire and was pulled by a motor. Hence, there was no WAKE from the boat for the WAKEboard to WAKEboard in. It was interesting, but I don't think it would be as fun as the real thing. Definitely didn't look as cool.

For Daddy on His Birthday...

...one day late! Sorry about that! :)

My Top Ten Memories with Dad...in no particular order:

10. Going to the store on Tuesday mornings as a kid in the summer to "work" for 50 cents.

9. Going to the store every morning during my junior and senior year of college for Daddy time

8. Dad being the "cool" chaperone on field trips in 3rd grade

7. Test driving my first car on Lock and Dam Road when I was just 14 and picking me up from school one day in it. (even though I couldn't drive for 4 months)

6. Going to hit a bucket of balls with you in the afternoons and/or driving your golf cart while you golfed

5. Riding jet skis together...in particular the time we ran out of gas in the middle of the ocean and you convinced me it was an "adventure" so I wouldn't hyperventilate

4. Our phone conversations nearly every single weekday morning since I moved to TX--and how our relationships has grown and changed because of them (for the better)

3. "Sandwich snuggles" every night before I went to bed

2. The day I got my first ticket (only 1 month after getting my license no less) and you just folded it up and put it in your pocket because I was so hysterical. You never yelled at me. I appreciated that!

1. Dancing with me at my wedding. I know that wasn't your thing, but it was special to me!

I love you Daddy! Can't wait to make more memories with you! Happy Birthday!

Mother's Day

When I was a little girl, I wrote my mother a poem in honor of Mother's day. In it, I praised her for her ability to make me creamed corn. Now, with some age and perspective, I can find many things to praise her for, although making me creamed corn is always sure to be a success. In an effort to keep this moderately brief, two main things stand out about my mom. First, she is always ready and willing to listen. She has always been this way. I cannot remember a time in my entire life when I was not perfectly comfortable talking to her about ANYTHING. From childhood problems, to teen-aged boy drama, to "grown-up" (if that is what I am) fears and dreams. Whatever it is that's on my mind, she is always there ready to listen. As a child, we usually had our chats as she tucked me into bed each night--yes right up until the night before my wedding--or on long road trips to visit her family. Now, these conversations are on the either end of a phone, but I'm looking forward to the time when I can actually sit with her and talk about what's going on in life again. Second, mom has ALWAYS supported me 100% in the things I feel like God as led me to do in my life. She did this even when it was at great cost to her. (i.e. her baby spending 7 weeks on the other side of the planet as a summer missionary or her baby moving 8 hours away to pursue a seminary degree.) Her actions in response to these decisions speak volumes to me about what my mother believes about God. I know that she trusts Him to lead and guide my life.

For these two reasons and SO much more, I am thankful for my mama. I love you! I only hope that one day I can be as great a mom as you are.

Martin Bryant Benton

My apologies--Martin Bryant Benton will join the family in September. :)

Playing Catch Up?

Okay, so I feel like every time I blog now, I am apologizing for a 6 month absence. But Summer is upon us which means no classes and lots of fun things like the beach and babies.

So, Baby Burks that was announced at Christmas is now Jack Lucas Burks to be called Luke. Another addition will also be made this fall to the Burks family in Bryant Martin Benton--my cousin's son. My good friend in Fort Worth is due in June. They are letting the gender of the baby be a surprise but I had a dream, and its a girl. :) I swear every time I turn around, someone else is pregnant. Hopefully one day it will be me! I am hanging in there--just one more year of school. Then I can have all the babies I want.

Did you catch that--just ONE more year of school! Crazy huh? I'm ridiculously excited. I'm already "house hunting" in Starkville. I'm trying to convince Michael we should build. He's politely tolerating my ridiculousness and just laughing at me. But seriously--we have to have a place to live there. Why not start shopping early!? Hopefully whatever home I choose will last a LONG time--so I wanna draw out the process and enjoy it!

What else is there to tell you? Fun upcoming things? Well...I'm taking a one week class in May--hip hip hooray! No seriously--I am excited about getting a WHOLE class out of the way in one tiny week. Then its off to Cuba for a wedding. Michael's old college roomie is marrying a girl from Cuba. (you have no need to fear, she's not communist--its Cuba, AL). Kevin let me go on believing she was from Cuba the country for quite a while when they first started dating. Anyways, the hubbie gets to get all dressed up in a tux...:). Then the very next weekend the Barlow girls (all SIX of them) are coming to Fort Worth for Memorial Day weekend. I am sure many posts will be devoted to that little adventure. Then we are off to the beach for a week the first of June. I CANNOT wait! I LOVE the beach. I didn't know how much until an ENTIRE year went by without me visiting one. I'm here to say that will NEVER happen again if I have anything to say about it. I will even chaperone a youth trip to go, and I'm not fond of youth--unless you are Caleb or Carrie or Cason when he gets there. Teenagers scare me. Okay that was a rabbit trail. Back to summer plans. Then I'm hoping to come home for Ashley's baby shower and bring two good friend from Texas with me in June. Then hopefully Erica and Alan are coming to visit in July. Finally--the grand finale of the summer--sit and wait for Luke's much anticipated arrival!

Amidst all of that fun I will be working at ACH with my kiddies and counseling at Catholic Charities for my internship.

Here is a pic from Super Bulldog Weekend. I'm posting both of them b/c Dad and Ashley are giving the camera dirty looks in opposite ones. I wanted everyone to have a chance to look nice.

Internship!--Almost Settling for Less Than God's Best

Part of my degree program is a semester long counseling internship. I am set to start mine this summer. I am so excited that I will be interning at Catholic Charities. (I know, I know, but like 60% of the employees are Baptists and its an amazing organization with a great reputation!) About a month ago, it dawned on me that I had one month to determine where I was going to do my internship. I had assumed I would just do it at the counseling center on campus because I wanted to work with kids, and I could not get any other suggestions of places to work with kids. After a Wednesday morning Bible study with my wonderful girlfriends, I was convicted that I was taking the "lazy" way out by not pursuing an internship elsewhere. I was settling for less than God's best. (not that anything is wrong with doing an internship at the campus counseling center, I just began to feel that God had something else planned.) SO, I freaked out on the phone to both my parents and my husband, got a list of recommended sites from the campus counseling center, and started researching those sites online. I found two places that offered opportunities to work with children using play therapy. So I called and e-mailed hoping that someone would call me back. Literally the minute I got off the phone with my dad after worrying over my lack of preparation for this, one of the places called me back. She told me to pick up an application, fill it out, and then call her to set up an interview. I immediately did all of this, but she I did not get a return call for an interview for TWO WEEKS! While I was waiting on the first lady to call me back, the second lady e-mailed me. I thought well great, at least one of them wants to meet me. So I set up an interview to meet with this lady. After this interview got set up, the first lady called to set up an interview. So then I had TWO interviews set up for the week before my letter of intent was due to the school. Any of you who know me know that I do not operate that close to deadlines. Ideally, I would have liked to have this handled a month ago, but for some reason it snuck up on me. Anyways, I attended the interview with lady #1, and we got along quite well. She offered me the internship, but they did not have a play therapist on staff although they had a play therapy room. I left thinking that would be a good place to do the internship but hoping that the second place would offer a little bit more. My interview at the second place was great. They have 2 play therapists on staff who would be willing to help me. I would have 1-on-1 supervision once a week. They are moving into a new facility next month featuring two state of the art play therapy rooms! I WAS SOLD! Thankfully, she offered me the internship and I took it! I told mom, I don't know why I worry about how God is gonna work stuff out. He NEVER ceases to amaze me with his provisions that are so much better than mine!! So I start in May! YAY!

It snowed...a LOT!

So I finally got to experience some snow!! We had record-breaking snow fall in Fort Worth yesterday. School was canceled both yesterday and today! Fun times! Here are some shots Michael and I took this morning. The snowman's name is Fred and he is peaking inside our window. Yes we know he's a little deformed.

I know I haven't blogged in a really long time. I'm pretty sure my only two readers at this point are my mom and Brother Sammy. Seeing as my mom is in Vancouver on a mission trip, I'll probably only have one person read this post! Be sure the leave a comment if you read. It might inspire me to attempt to update more often.

So...a break down of whats been going on since August. Well, one more semester of graduate school is behind me. That officially puts me past the half-way mark. The Fall came and went rather uneventfully. I managed to attend THREE MSU football games this season! Mom and Dad were sweet enough to surprise me while I was at a Counseling Conference in Nashville and take me to the Vanderbilt game! Michael and I made it home for the first and last game of the season! I just want everyone to know that we won all three games I attended, so it might be beneficial for y'all to fly me in next season. I'm just sayin'...you could take turns!

So Christmas was super exciting! We found out that the Burks family is going to grow by one! Yes, Stephen has procreated! Watch out world!!! We are all ecstatic awaiting BB's arrival. So far Ashley is doing great--no morning sickness just tired. BB is the size of an avacado this week. Not sure if its a big or small avacado, but we do know its an ACTIVE one. At the last appointment, BB wouldn't sit still long enough for the doctor the check his heartbeat. I thought, we've got another little Stephen in there!!!

So as of now, I've started another semester taking 15 hours. Michael is busy with tax season and studying for the CPA. We're just trucking along. Dad recently had rotator cuff surgery but got an A+ at this last appointment for his progress in recovery. Mom is on a mission trip in Vancouver, Canada at the Olympics working with "More Than Gold". And MSU has beaten TSUN (That School Up North) in all regular season football and basketball games this school year. Life's pretty good.

Love y'all!!!