Fall Greetings to Everyone out there! I am proud to announce that it's finally cooling off in Texas!!!!! Yes, most days are still hot, but at least it's better than over 100 degrees every day! I'm excited about fall. Can't wait for sweater weather!

Things have been insanely busy during September. We went home to visit family and see Gunkin's wedding, which was fantastic! We also housesat/babysat for a family in our church, which was really fun. So we ran three kids and three dogs around for five days. Man big families are fun but exhausting!! I also had a bake day at my house with some of the sixth graders from church. We had a great time baking bread for our neighbors and muffins just because. They really got a good taste for serving others and having lots of fun doing it! And as always, it's a grand time packing out our little house with preteens!

Working hard

Well...maybe not too hard

My "neat" bakers :)

Everything girls need...music, snacks, and a recipe

The center of attention as always

Here's some pictures from Gunkin and Christin's wedding in SC. I probably should've taken more pictures, but I was having too much fun catching up with everyone to worry about it until right before I left...here's my family!

Siblings...we're still cute :)

Josh looking all spiffy

My parents looking snazzy

Maggie came along for the trip home, which was quite an adventure. She really did pretty well, but the drive clearly wore her out!

Excited about the car ride 

Very bored of the car ride

The way home - You might be tired if you use a box as a pillow

Also on our way home we drove through a forest fire, which has really been a problem in Texas right now. Although we have gotten a day of rain since our trip, please continue to pray for rain here! The drought has really caused a lot of agricultural trouble. Thousands of people have lost their homes due to fires, and the crop and cattle industries are really suffering.

View from a distance

The fire's right behind this house and pasture

On a much lighter note, tis the season for college football! Go Clemson! Beat Florida State like you did Auburn! We don't have cable at our house, so our good friend Brett usually lets us crash at his apartment when we want to watch games. He lives in an apartment with 4 other college-aged guys so it's the sports lover's dream.

Yep, 4 different games at once.

Well, that's a pretty good overview of all the picture-worthy things going on in our lives. We are also really enjoying hosting a small group this year. We have 4 other couples who meet with us and we are working through a series our church is doing about obscure Old Testament characters. If you want an awesome story about how God keeps His promise to protect and bless the Israelites, check out the story of Balaam and his talking donkey (sorry Dad, Shrek was not the originator of the talking donkey) in Numbers 22-24. Please pray that all 10 of us in this small group will really dive into God's Word and discover more about His promises and His character.

Here are a few other things you can be praying for. Pray for our ministry with 5th and 6th graders. Sunday night small groups started this week so pray that the kids will really be able to open up and discover what they really believe. Pray that they can understand the Gospel and how it changes their everyday lives. Also be praying for the kids to develop servant's hearts. As a group, FishStix is starting to support a child through Compassion and I am praying that this will be a great opportunity to show the kids that they can help those in need even before they are grownups. Another big prayer request is Josh's classes. Seminary is definitely not easy and his classes are really difficult this semester. Most of his free time is spent studying, and I know he is craving a break. Pray that he can persevere...and master speed reading in the process! We really feel blessed to have a chance to serve God in Texas and even though we miss you all, we know that you keep us covered in prayers! Thanks so much and as always, we pray for you every day!

Josh and Tiffany

Popsicle Jokes

Did you know that popsicle sticks now have jokes printed on them? You normally would have to eat the popsicle to see the answer...but I'll just make you read our blog. Why shouldn't you play hide-n-seek with a leopard?

While you're thinking on that...

A lot has been going on here. Summer has been crazy, but thankfully it's fall and we are getting a little more of a regular schedule around here. Josh has finished his summer classes and started up classes for the fall. It's the start of another semester!

Maggie and Josh goofing off. We have a crazy family.

This summer has been hot that's for sure, but as close as we were to breaking the record for days over 100 degrees, we didn't quite make it. Still though, the inside of my car definitely points out that it's still hot!

Yep. 120 degrees. Poor Alyssa,

Since I last wrote we also celebrated our first anniversary! We took a weekend "away" and stayed at a fancy hotel downtown here in Fort Worth. It was a fantastic staycation! We lived the high life for a couple days which was really fun. And they had a pool which was great! But don't worry, we've still just a bunch of country folk living in a city...there's pictures to prove it.

Classic

Ridiculous

????

That's us for you!

Carrie also came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was such a blast! It's always good to see family and to get to hang out. We got to hear her stories about Camp La Vida and of course make some new memories while she was here! Adventures wandering around Cabela's, seeing Eli Young Band at Billy Bob's (where we almost got in a fight because of crazy girls...pun intended), and watching the Rangers beat the Red Sox were some of my top picks. And of course Farkle (Josh's new addiction) was fun too. It's the perfect game that doesn't require much skill, which is why I love it!

Random food update...we made shrimp n' grits for the first time. Delicious!

Yum!

Overall everything has been going good. The new group of 5th graders at church has been really fun. It's a ton of names to learn, but it's also another great opportunity to share God's Word with more kids this year! And we get to go see our camp brother Gunkin get married next weekend. Can't wait to see some family and friends and get to celebrate together!

Because you'll be spotted!