Where Did July Go?

Umm...okay.

I just polished off the remainder of a huge box of chocolate covered raisins from Trader Joe's. YUM!

Why?

Because that's the motivation I needed to sit here and even attempt to put into a few words ALL that has occurred in the last month.

I don't have a whole lotta confidence in my ability to keep this brief and interesting, but I'm gonna try. There may even be a prize for you at the end if you stick with me through this whole thing. ;)

Wedding:
Matt's youngest brother, Josh, got married at the beginning of this month to one of the most incredible girls I have ever met. I've really gotten to know Kimberly throughout this last school year because of the internship she just completed for Chi Alpha at Sam Houston State University. She and another girl came down to Houston every Monday to help out with the girls' small group here at UH. What a beautiful heart she has! She made such an impact on each one of our lives and she really will forever be a thread in the great tapestry that's being woven at the University of Houston. You don't really get to pick who your in-laws marry. And I gotta say, I couldn't be more thrilled at Josh's choice for my forever sis-in-law! Congratulations to the two of you! So excited about this new adventure in life that lies before you!

Josh and Kimberly Hoogendoorn

The beautiful bride with all the UHXA girls.

Family Reunion:
Right after all the wedding madness, all the Hoogendoorn/Smith family headed out to the Hill Country of Texas where they've been going for family reunions for many years now. One of the aunts owns a part of this incredible property right on the Frio River and an entire week out of each summer is dedicated to tubing down the river, relaxing on the porch under the stars, stuffing faces full of yummy food, sleeping in and spending quality time with family. Sounds like a good time, right? Not only was it just a good time, it was also vital for us. We both just really needed some major down-time. This was perfect. I so LOVE being apart of this family.


CMC in Phoenix:
We came home from Leakey (the Hill Country) long enough to sleep in our bed once and do a load of laundry and then we were on the road and headed west yet again. This time we were going all the way to Phoenix, AZ for the Campus Missions Conference. Every 4 or 5 years, the head guys of Chi Alpha put together a big "family reunion" of sorts, for all the Chi Alpha directors and staff in the nation. Can I just brag for a minute? These guys pulled out all the stops and went out of their way to spoil us silly.

I'm a little ashamed for not taking any pictures of anything while we were there, but honestly, we were way too busy having way too much fun to worry with a camera. So, the following photos are all stolen. Whoops. But they should give you a good idea of what our week was like.

This is the Arizona Grand Resort. Uh-Mazing! Planning a honeymoon ever? Go here.

We stayed in a room very similar to this. WONDERFUL. I coveted the bathroom...hardcore.

Spent a lot of good time with these phenomenal women and their families. I love my XA sisters!

Did I mention that they had a golf course, a spa and a water park there? So much fun!

A portion of our free time was spent in this lazy river. (No, this is not us. These pictures are stolen, remember?)

We love our job! And as much fun as we've had traveling around this month, we are so glad to be home for awhile and to get back into routine. There are many friends that we missed while away and are looking forward to catching up with them before the school year starts.

So, I lied. No, about all this. Just about the prize at the end of the post. But hey, if you actually stuck it out with me, then you'll receive the well-deserved prize of the satisfaction of knowing that you can survive almost anything. Ha! :)