Job Search Update

Quick update/prayer request. Josh has an interview tomorrow for a student pastor position at a church in Liberty, SC! It's a great church so we are very, very excited about the possibility of settling there! Keep us in your prayers!!!!

Greetings from South Carolina!

That’s right; the Forrests are back in the south! After several months of praying and weighing options, we decided that it was time for us to move back to South Carolina. Josh is able to finish his degree online, so we are working at Camp McCall this summer while he is looking for a youth pastor job. It was very difficult and sad to leave our friends and church family in Fort Worth, but we know that SC is where God wants us to be, and we’re so excited to be close to family again. It’s been a crazy ride, but God has really answered our prayers by giving us lots of support through this move. From prayers to giving us temporary places to stay, our family has been invaluable! Moving is always a huge transition, especially with a lot of unknowns in the near future, but God is here giving us all we need!

Amidst all the changes happening with moving and finding a place to settle in SC, God decided to give us another blessing. We’re expecting a baby in November! Tiffany is 15 weeks along today (which means the baby is the size of an orange!….why the books compare babies to fruit I’m not sure J). She’s doing well, and so far everything seems to be progressing very normally which is a huge praise! We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat a few weeks ago, which was a really crazy, exciting experience!

As usual, I’m sorry for the delayed update! But thank you for praying for us and keeping up with what we’re doing! It means so much! Here is what we are currently praying for: Josh’s job search; Tiffany and the baby’s health; and our ministry here at Camp McCall this summer. Thanks for praying and I will send another update soon!

Groundhog Day

Well I apologize for not updating the blog more often! Here's the best recap I can come up with for the past few months:

• Thanksgiving was very different but fun! Josh's cousin Jesse was in town for work, so that was great to have some family around! A co-worker of mine invited all three of us to go with her family to the country club for Thanksgiving dinner. Quite the experience! :)

•  I went Black Friday shopping with a friend at midnight....INSANE! We had a blast but I'm glad we weren't too serious about shopping because we probably would have never found what we were looking for in that mass of people!

Me and Jenna

Yep, the 2nd busiest Wal-Mart in the US...we were there!

• Christmas decorating with Maggie was quite hilarious. She wasn't too sure what to do. And every time she got to wagging her tail near the tree she would end up sending ornaments flying!

Maggie was already exhausted after getting the boxes out of the closet!

The Final Product

The Kitchen Table - It was fun to be festive every time we ate!

• Christmas was so fun back in SC! We got to see family and also got to see some friends. We ate too much food...For me that was mostly mac & cheese at Mom's dinner (Rachel and I hogged it all!) and mint chocolate candy from my stocking at the Forrest house (Definitely glad I didn't plan on dieting during the holidays!).

• New Years' was a very quiet night at our house, but we did eat ice cream at midnight now that my New Years' resolution was over! Super delicious!

• A few weeks ago I went on a trip to MD to see my cousin Ashlee's wedding. I hated that Josh couldn't go, but I did have so much fun seeing my grandmothers, aunts, and lots of cousins! It also snowed so it was good to see some winter weather - Texas hasn't had any of that this year. And I got to see Jennilyn before I went to the airport. So great to see my maid of honor!

Me and Ashlee, the beautiful bride!

Me and my other cousin, Rachel, with her hubby Garrett in the background!

The Table Decorations

The Cake - Beautiful and Delicious!

Rachel and Garrett's son, Jaice, giving my arm a good morning hug. So cute!

•  I'm not sure if this qualifies as a bullet point, but here's some food pictures!

Bean and Kale Vegetable Soup

Milk Muffins - they were really good!

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies - only 90 calories each :)

Morraccan Eggplant Couscous - not very tasty, but it was fun to make!

Maggie trying to lick icing off her nose...I guess I'm just a mean mom, but it was really funny!

Well now it's February...Groundhog Day to be exact. We are busy as ever with FishStix ministry and work and school. Josh is really working hard in classes; he has a few extra hours this semester. Work is going pretty well for me, just trying to get spring and summer events organized. FishStix has been exciting, and there's been a busy calendar the past few months. The spring is a busy semester, and it's also the last few months before the 6th graders move up to the middle school ministry. Continue to pray that the kids will learn what it means to be a Christian and that they will accept the gift God has given them with a repentant heart. We pray that the kids who have grown up in church will not take God for granted and that the kids who are starting to hear about God for the first time will understand how He cares for them and offers a different life.

Our couples small group that meets at our house has been really exciting too. It's been great to be part of building community. Pray that we will continually be open with each other and that we can all grow together. We are currently in a study on the characteristics of God. Also please be praying for one couple in our group. David is working in Ohio for a few months, and his wife Caroline is here in Fort Worth. They are both working very hard to keep a strong marriage despite the long distance, but please pray that they will have perseverance during the next few months.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

It finally feels like fall around here! I've been really enjoying the crisper weather, and of course the holidays are right around the corner!

A couple weeks ago my parents surprised us and came to visit. We had a great time showing them our favorite parts of Fort Worth and they also went to Dallas to see Dealey Plaza and all there is to find out about the J.F.K assassination. It was quite possibly the fulfillment of my dad's lifelong dream. And we got to see some Texas high school football which was fun....although Byrnes vs. Dorman will always be more fun!

Chillin out at a Heights high school football game

Aren't they cute?

We're so predictable....

But they also got to see Maggie "bird dog" notions. She really enjoys treeing squirrels.

Lucky for all of us, it's finally time for soup and pumpkin carving weather! (and pumpkin muffins at coffee shops....)

Our jack-o-lantern!

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Thanks for praying Josh through midterms! He did really well. It's always nice to see him get rewarded for studying so hard. The semester continues on and school is always lots of work, but it's really rewarding to see how much he has learned and been able to apply already in working with FishStix.

Josh's cousin, Jesse, is in town for work and we are so excited that we get to see some family for Thanksgiving! We are really enjoying the start of the holiday season!

Autumn Showers!

Howdy Folks,

Just wanted to let everyone know that today has been a beautiful rainy day! We are finally getting some of the rain we need. It's a great feeling, and since it's a little cooler today it feels like the perfect day to curl up under a blanket with a good book....granted that typically means textbooks in our house, but books none the less.

Texas Tea :)

Everything here is going well. This week was fall break for Josh so it was great to have a little more time at home and time for him to catch up on schoolwork before classes. Our schedule's been really busy this semester, so it was refreshing to have a little down time. And of course, much of that time involved food...

Spritz Cookies...very unhealthy but delicious!

My new talent...egg flipping

Other than baking, we're just still trying to understand Maggie's personality. She's a rather interesting dog. But she does have a fascination with sleeping close to the desk. I think she likes to study with Josh.

Maybe she likes Josh's feet???? No clue.

Anyway, not I really don't have much new news to tell. But I did want to share a few of the newest pictures. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

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!