THE HUXFORD'S

Family Cruise

2010-05-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

My family was blessed enough to be able to go on a cruise together this past February. Harrison’s dad’s church (Savannah Christian) gave this vacation to the family as a gift for Cam and Sarah’s 25th year of serving there. We left from Ft Lauderdale, FL and headed down to Grand Cayman, Roatan Honduras, Cozumel and Princess Cays. We also had a few days at sea. Roatan was my favorite place! It was beautiful and we got to play with dolphins there too!! This has always been something I wanted to do and it was so amazing! Cam and Hailey were not allowed to go on the cruise b/c Hailey was past 20 weeks of pregnancy, so they stayed in Cozumel. When we got off in Cozumel, they came and got us and we spent the day together. We went to some ruins and then the guys went diving while Sarah and Hailey snorkeled. I offered to watch all of our stuff b/c the water was cold and the weather wasn’t too warm that day! We ended up at their hotel and enjoyed our last few hours with them. It was great to see them, but we wished they would have been able to go on the cruise. We ate so much food on the cruise, I was sure that I weighed 10 pounds more when we came off the ship!!! All you can eat, can be a little scary sometimes. We went to shows and watched movies under the stars and read by the pool. It was a great, relaxing time with the Huxford family. I am just sad that it is over and that my tan is already fading!

The New Addition

2010-03-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Harrison and I decided that since he will be graduating in June, that we would begin to start trying to have a baby. This may have had something to do with the many days we were with Karland (our niece) over Christmas. We have been ready to have a family for a while now, but wanted to make sure that Harrison was done with school. We know the timing was never going to be perfect, but it just made sense to wait (to us...not our parents - j/k). Harrison and I kept having conversations about how it could take a while and we need to not get our hopes up each month. I just didn't want to be disappointed every month. We knew that whenever the timing was right, we would get pregnant. Well, come to find out...it didn't take long at all. We got pregnant the first month that we were trying! I think we are still in shock. It's hard to believe that there is a baby growing in me. We can't wait to see this beautiful creation that God has blessed us with. I am only 5 weeks, so I haven't seen the doctor yet. In three more weeks, we will go and hear the heartbeat.

Father, thank you for blessing us with this child. We pray that you keep the baby healthy and growing properly. We also pray for me to make it through this pregnancy with little sickness. We pray that we can raise this child in You, the way our parents did with us! We love you! AMEN

Christmas in Georgia

2010-03-01T10:50:00.001-08:00

Harrison I got to go home for Christmas this year, which is a huge treat! We love being with family and can’t imagine being away from them at Christmas time. We left for a 16 day trip, where we were never staying more than 3 days in one place! So, it wasn’t really relaxing, but it was a lot of fun. We started out in Covington with my family, but made a very short trip to Savannah to see Harrison’s parents. The boys went shooting, while the girls went shopping and the next thing we knew it was time to go back to Covington. On Christmas day we traveled to Virginia (a Raynor tradition) to be with my mom’s family. Luckily we got to see snow, which was fun. The guys even made huge snowmen! We went shopping and bowling while we were there and then we said “goodbye.” Next, we went to a lake house. This was so that we could have some time as a family – without all of the distractions of hometown life. We really enjoyed this time together, spoiling Karland, playing games, watching movies and building a gingerbread house. We made it home in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve and then Harrison and I flew to St. Louis. This was the last stop before home. We spent some time with the Jobe’s and checked out Harvester Christian Church. We had a lot of fun, but again the visit was very short (oh yeah…and it was freezing there!). Christmas was great, but it took us quite a few weeks to recover from the trip. Here are some pictures!

Snowy California

2010-02-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

That's right...I said "snowy." Most people think of Southern California as a place where it's always sunny and 70 degrees. Well, usually it is, but there are also mountains in California that are really close to LA. So, 2 hours from our home in Pasadena, there are places that actually get snow. The whole Huxford family decided to have a California Thanksgiving this year. We were so excited for them to get here!! We love family and enjoy every minute we get to spend with them. Our apartment is very tiny, so instead of cramming in there or staying in different places in Pasadena, Sarah suggested that we go to Big Bear, CA (this is the mountain that I mentioned earlier that is 2 hours away). Everyone got here and we spent a few days in Pasadena so they could see where we live, work, go to school, etc. Then we headed to Big Bear. When we left on Wednesday it was high 60s or low 70s in Pasadena. I was sweating like crazy while we were packing up the car. Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) was still pretty warm (I was starting to wish I had brought some short-sleeve shirts), but it started cooling down that night. Friday, the girls decided to go shop a little in their cute downtown area. At this point the wind was really picking up and we were ready to get home to a warm fire. Saturday morning we woke up to SNOW!!!! We had gotten about 6 inches overnight!! It was so pretty, but I had not prepared for snow at all. It was the furthest thing from my mind when I left 70 degree weather on Wednesday. I didn't have good snow shoes or warm enough clothes. Luckily, most of the time we just stayed in the warm house (or in the hot tub). Patrick and Lindsey also joined us for Thanksgiving lunch. I am grateful they made the drive to spend time with us that day.

We split holidays between our families, so we were spending Thanksgiving with the Huxford's and Christmas with the Raynor's this year. Because of this arrangement, the Huxford's usually do Christmas at Thanksgiving (when we don't see each other at Christmas). So, we woke up Friday morning to stockings and gifts. We had such a great time with Cam, Sarah, Cam, Hailey and Garrett!!! We hated to see everyone go back home, but we made some great memories. Here are some pictures of our time in Big Bear.

San Diego

2010-01-20T12:50:00.001-08:00

So, back to our adventures in California. Harrison and I went with Patrick and Lindsey to San Diego on Labor Day weekend (I know...that was a long time ago). Of course, we chose it because it was a long weekend, but what we didn't know is that our office would close down on Friday too!!!! It was a great surprise. This happened to be the same time that the wildfires were running rampant in the mountains near our city. It was so smoky outside, but to make matters worse, it was extremely hot and we have no central air conditioning. So, our house smelled like smoke because we use a window unit to cool down our apartment. Even the office smelled like smoke...there was no escaping it. So, they decided to shut down the seminary on Friday. Harrison and I headed down that morning and stopped in La Jolla. This is a place right by San Diego and it is really beautiful. We saw tons of Sea Lions there and took tons of pictures. They are so fun to watch. A lot of people were in the water, but they had to be careful not to get too close to the Sea Lions. After spending some time there, we went in to Old town San Diego. This place is quite interesting. It is really set up like an old western town. They have tons of Mexican food there and Harrison could not pass up the opportunity to eat (they had home-made flour tortillas)! We went to Griffith Park and then headed to a sports bar to watch UGA play. Then we made a stop at Hotel Del Coronado on Coronado Island. It was BEAUTIFUL there. I loved it!! It was an amazing, old hotel and gorgeous beaches. We went to their ice cream shop, which was connected to the hotel. It was kind of like a Cold Stone, where they mix lots of goodness into your ice cream. Harrison and I decided to splurge and got a huge helping of white chocolate ice cream with brownies and strawberries. We were sure that we would not be able to eat it all when we saw how big it was. BUT, after our first bite...we were hooked!!!! It was the most amazing ice cream we have ever eaten!! We keep trying to recreate it, but can't find a place with white chocolate ice cream. Oh well! It is a good memory. Sunday, we decided to visit a church called "The Rock Church." We enjoyed that as well. Before we went home, we decided to visit Hotel Del (as the locals call it) one more time. Surprisingly, we didn't get anymore ice cream (I think we were kinda scared they would notice us from the day before - our ice cream was THAT big). We went out to the beach and enjoyed some time on the rocks. We ended our trip back at Old Town, eating Mexican (Harrison can't get enough). Then we made our way back to smoky Pasadena (I tried to take pictures of the fires, but nothing turned out well). San Diego is a really awesome place and we hope to visit again before we move.

The Future

2010-01-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

Usually I use the blog to tell you of all our adventures and to show you pictures. Today, I would like to share a little of my heart. Harrison and I have been in Sunny California for a year and a half now. It's crazy to think that our time here is almost coming to an end. As much as we have loved the new adventure, it has been really difficult. We have struggled with so many things since we have been out here (mostly being away from family). But we have seen how the Lord has provided for us and comforted us through the whole process. We have met some great people here and I can't wait to see how God uses these relationships in our future (either in the memories from our time here or our lasting relationships with them). It's funny (and amazing) to see how God brings people into your life at the right time to help you through. The most amazing thing that God gave us in California is a little bit of the South. We moved out here a week before our friends Patrick and Lindsey (who had previously lived in Savannah, GA). Although we are thousands of miles away from home, when we are with P & L it feels like we are much closer.

As we wind down our time here (hopefully in the next 6 months), we are beginning to pray about our future. This is exciting because it's a blank slate right now, but also scary. Harrison has been yearning to be back in the church full-time. He has learned a lot, but wants to use this knowledge to help build the Kingdom of God now. His heart is so focused on ministry and serving people. We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us (we just hope He shows us sooner than later). That is our prayer right now - "God we want to go where you want us to go, and serve where you want us to serve. Help us to look to You for direction." With the economy the way it is, I find myself wondering if we should just take whatever is available, so that we have a job. Maybe He does want us at the first thing that is available, but maybe not - and I need to be okay with that. I need to follow His leading, not the urges of my own paranoia to just have a job.

Father, I know that you will guide us and I thank You in advance for the life that you have set out for us. We are excited to serve you, wherever that may be. We look forward to being an instrument for You to use to expand Your Kingdom. We love you!

This is where I am at today. I am thankful for all that God has blessed us with and prayerful for what the future holds.

Happy Birthday Harrison!

2009-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Harrison's birthday is in July (shows you how far behind I am in blogging). Luckily Harrison's mom came to visit that month, so she was able to spoil him during birthday month. Harrison chose to go to The Melting Pot for his birthday dinner. It was so fun. We enjoyed getting to experience something new and special. We also went to The Huntington, which is a place that has lots of gardens, a house made into an art gallery, and a library. It is a beautiful place. We loved it so much that we got a year long membership so that we could go back again and again. It was such a special weekend. We always love when we get to be with family. So, on Harrison's actual birthDAY we decided to go to Disneyland. You get free admission on your birthday this year, so we didn't want to pass it up. We left after work, so we didn't have much time. We really had to map out what we were going to ride and see. We did a lot in the small amount of time we were there, but have decided we need to go back one more time to get the full experience. I think Harrison had a pretty good birthday this year...at least that is what he told me. Here are some pictures:

Keith Urban Concert!

2009-10-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

Harrison and I heard that Keith Urban was coming to LA, so we looked up tickets. Unfortunately, all the tickets were sold out. So, we entered a contest held by Verizon with very little belief that we would win. One day I got a voicemail that said that I was one of the contest winners, but I wouldn't believe it until I spoke with someone in person. So, I called back and she said that I had won tickets!!! We were so excited!! We had floor seats, not too close to the stage, but he came out to a backstage and we were RIGHT THERE!! It was so great. It was a great concert. Lady Antebellum opened for him and they were great too. The bonus was that his wife was there in the sound booth for a minute and we saw her (just in case you don't know...Keith Urban is married to Nicole Kidman)!!! That's right...my first real star sighting since I moved to California. We had a great night listening to Keith Urban at the Staple Center! As usual, here are some pics.

Karland Jo Curtis, June 25 2009

2009-09-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

My sister, Kelly, was due on June 25th. So, we were anxiously awaiting the call for when they were heading to the hospital. That call finally came on Tuesday, June 24th and the waiting began. I kept getting updates all day about how she was doing. Finally, they called at 10 something (our time) and said that Karland had finally made her entrance into the world. SO, Karland was actually born on June 25th (her due date...so like her mom...has to be exact). Harrison and I had to wait 2 whole months before we got to see her, but when we did, it was such an amazing experience. I never knew that being an aunt would bring me so much joy. Being the aunt and uncle who are far away, we get updates all the time. Pictures, by text email and videos by skype have been the tie between the miles of space between us. We can’t wait for our next visit…and for more nieces and nephews!! Here are some of my favorites:

The Two Week Turn-around

2009-07-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, Ashley, whom I love dearly got married 2 weeks after my sister. So, Harrison and I flew to Atlanta, stayed for 5 days and flew back home. Then 2 weeks later, we flew back to Atlanta, stayed for 3 days and flew back home. It was crazy to be away from home for so long and then go twice in a matter of days. It was great though! It was such an amazing weekend to share with some of my closest friends. Ashley and Josh are such a great couple and I wouldn't have missed their wedding for anything. I was also able to go to my sister, Kelly's baby shower while I was home. I was so glad to be able to go to one, so that I could take part in celebrating Kale and Kelly's sweet baby Karland before her birth. Here are some pics from the baby shower. I don't have any from Ashley's wedding.

A New Brother!!

2009-07-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while...I actually got reprimanded from one of my friends who said she was sick of seeing the Dodgers game at the top of my blog. So, I am going to try and catch you up on some very exciting events that have been happening...one blog at a time. I am going to try and keep it in chronological order. Starting with...my sisters wedding!!

So, my sister Paige got engaged in February to Jason Dees. They set the day for May 23rd and we prepared to make the trip across the country! We were so excited to be gaining a brother, sharing in this happy event, and also to have a reason to go home to see family. It was a very eventful weekend to say the least. Wedding weekends are always crazy, but the fact that it rained (it was an outside wedding) all weekend made it even crazier. We ended up moving the wedding inside and it turned out beautful!!! Thankfully Paige was an easy-going bride and Jason just went with the flow too. It was wonderful! Here are a few pictures. These are from my cousin, Courtney, because I didn't get a lot. I think the rain kept me from taking any pictures!

The whole Gang

Our First Dodgers Game

2009-05-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our friend Brian had a birthday on May 12th. Kelly, his wife, organized a trip to the Dodgers game to celebrate. We brought our own grilled hot dogs, chips and drinks and enjoyed the view way up from the top. It was great!!! There is nothing like a good hot dog and cheap seats at a baseball game. I love it! At the end of the game (which we lost) they had fireworks. They actually opened up the field and we got to go out on the grass and watch the show. It was awesome. It was themed to music and everything. Here are some pictures from that night. Hope you enjoy!

On the field!

Brian and Kelly catching a (pretend) fly ball

Our own "Kiss Cam"

A lady playing the organ for "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." I didn't know that there was someone who actually played this live!!

I don't know why this is on here twice...but I can't get it to delete...Sorry!

Just arriving at the field!

I definitely need to preface this video...

Harrison thought it would be fun to get a view of the whole stadium and have us spinning with the camera. This is a pretty crazy video...especially when Kelly starts to fall.

Cam and Sarah come to visit!

2009-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Harrison and I were so excited for Cam and Sarah to come in April. We had a lot of fun the week they were here, but of course it went really fast. We did a lot while they were here. We made it to Malibu, Irvine, Fullerton, San Clemente (for some clam chowder in a bread bowl) and then we went to Temecula. Temecula is close to the Ranch that Harrison's Grandfather managed during his retirement years. It was so great to see a place that holds such a special place in Harrison's heart. Here are a few pictures we took on the Ranch. Sorry there aren't more.

Joshua Tree

2009-04-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

During the long Easter weekend we decided to go camping. Any long weekend we get, we don't want to waste it. So, we headed to Joshua Tree, which is about 2 hours from us. We went with some friends from work and school, Brian and Kelly. When we got there (around 4pm on Thursday), we found out that every campsite was full!! The Ranger informed us that they had overflow campsites that we could use that were right outside of the park. By the time we got to the end of Joshua Tree (where the overflow camping was) it was late, so we were searching in the dark. We ended up finding a dirt road that had a few open dirt spots with a rock-made fire pit. They were pretty bare, but they were free. So, we set up camp in the dark and started making dinner. The next day we went hiking and found the Palm Springs Oasis. We headed back home on Saturday, to get ready for church on Sunday. It was a very full weekend, but it was fun. We had a great time and are looking forward to camping some more in California.

This is what a Joshua Tree looks like

Our very desolate campsite

At Palm Springs Oasis

A Few Updates

2009-04-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Its been a few weeks since I posted anything, so I wanted to catch you up on a few things. Harrison and I went with Patrick and Lindsey for a drive down Sunset Blvd. This was our March adventure and the book (1,000 Places to See Before You Die) told us what we were looking at and where we were as we drove from one end to the other. We were in the car most of the time, but once we made it to the coast we got out, stretched our legs and took some pictures. Our next adventure was to go to "The Getty." This is a really nice Museum that sits up on a hill in L.A. We enjoyed it, but it was definitely more than we bargained for. We got to the Getty and had to wait in line to get into the parking deck. Once we paid the parking fee and got in the deck, we waited in another line. Then we parked and started walking, then we realized that we had to wait in line to catch the tram that takes you up to the Getty. There were quite a few lines. It was really nice though...once we finally got up there. For April, we finally made it to the beach!! We have been waiting on beach weather for a month now and we finally had a great weekend. We didn't stay very long, which probably helped us not get burned, but we are hoping to go the beach a lot more on the weekends. That's it for now. I will catch you up on a few other things very soon.

The Chapman's

2009-03-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to introduce you to Jim and Aaron. We don't have a lot of pictures of or with them, because we do every day life with them. We try to eat together at least once a week (usually we eat at their house). They have been so helpful since the day we moved in. They helped us get settled and took us out to dinner. They informed us on all the things they wish they had known about Pasadena or California when they moved out here. They are from VA, which is where my mom is from. It was nice to have some East Coast people that we could connect with right when we got here. They also love sweet tea and Chick-fil-A!!!! These are a few things you can't find very easily out here. Here are a few pictures of them when my parents were here. They went out to eat with us on Sunday afternoon, to get to know my parents a little bit. We have some great times with Jim and Aaron and have appreciated their friendship. They are very giving people and are always thinking of what they can do for others. We are glad to have them in our lives and are grateful for them. These pictures aren't that great. I will try to get some more soon.

This picture isn't very good, but this is the whole crew

Jim and Harrison

Dad and Jim

Me and Aaron

FAAP Day Fun!

2009-03-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

Our office has something called FAAP day every year around this time. This is when all the financial aid paper work is due for the new year. FAAPs (Financial Aid Applications) usually fly in on the due date and so it makes for a busy day. To make things fun for the staff on this day, they have started a tradition of having a new theme each year. The theme this year was Faapy Days (from Happy Days). So we dressed up like we were from the 50s (the best we could, with what we had in our closets) and decorated the place to look like a 50s prom or sock hop. It was fun to see everyone dressed up. We had food laying around all day…so I ate and ate and ate!!! It was fun and at sometimes hectic. But overall it was a great day.

We had a ballot that we all had to fill out. Shannon (left) and Kelly (right) tied for Prom Queen. Here they are fighting for the title.

Here's Rachel (or June Cleaver) hanging up more decorations

Noel (neighbor and co-worker) working hard

Josh working hard

Prom King (Doc - The Director of Student Financial Services) and the Prom Queens!

Kelly and Heather (Heather got best Dressed)

kelly putting in her ballot

The whole gang!

Lance Armstrong comes to Pasadena

2009-03-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Patrick informed us in January that Lance Armstrong and his team were ending a ride in Pasadena. We decided we shouldn’t miss out on something like that and had Patrick find out all the details (since he keeps up with this kinda stuff). Mark Hall happened to be in town that weekend, so he got to go with us as well. So, we drove to the Rose bowl (where the ride was ending) and it was crazy. We had no idea that there were going to be so many people. We thankfully found a spot to park, but called Mark (who was coming a little later) and told him it would probably be easier for him to ride Harrison’s (or Jeff’s…if he is reading this) bike. So Mark rode the bike from our apartment, which isn’t very far (I mention this because we have a great picture of Mark coming down the hill). Anyway, the excitement of this race is more than I can describe to you. I didn’t think it would be this cool to watch a bike race, but they are flying by you and they have cars and motorcycles that are following them. It was really crazy! They came by us 5 times, so we got the chance to try and locate Lance 5 times. Finally on the 5th round someone told us that he was the one wearing the yellow helmet. So, on the last lap, we finally saw him. They are going by you so fast that it is hard to see anyone. Patrick almost got hit by a motorcycle from leaning into the rode a little to get a good picture. It was a blast though and I am glad that we went!

That's Lance Armstrong in the yellow helmet

Here they come

Patrick and Lindsey

Mark riding in to meet us

Dad and Mom Come to Pasadena!

2009-03-19T08:45:00.001-07:00

My dad and mom got to visit us in February. We were so excited to see them, but also for them to see the school, our apartment, our church, our friends…pretty much, our life out here. We have a one bed, one bath apartment, so things were a little cramped, but that has never stopped us before. Dad and Mom actually came out here for a conference, so they were gone for part of the week and then came back for us to hang out over the weekend. The weather was not what you think you will get when you go to Southern California. It was rainy and cold almost the whole time they were here. Saturday, it did clear up, so we were able to enjoy the outdoors. It was still really cold though. While they were here we went and visited Kyle Livgren, an old friend that is out here for military training. It was great to see him!!! We went to Malibu and the Santa Monica Pier while they were here. So, here are some pictures of their visit. Hope you enjoy!

In front of my office

Harrison and I have started a tradition of walking to Noah's Bagel shop on Saturday Mornings. Mom and dad got to join us on our first walk.

Here is Kyle and of course dad and Harrison

Mom was taking pictures of the ocean as we were driving on Hwy 1

In Malibu

Malibu Beach at Sunset

Valentines Dinner at a Malibu Seafood place

On Santa Monica Pier

Eating a funnel cake on the Santa Monica Pier (it wasn't very good)

Hollywood!!

2009-01-28T09:48:00.001-08:00

So, Lindsey got a book of things to do in the United States (I think) and it has a whole section on things to do in California. We decided that we should pick something to do twice a month (or at least once a month). We could go sight seeing one time and then go hiking another time. So, our first trip was something that everyone does if they come to the LA area. We went to Hollywood!! Harrison and I had been there before. Actually Lindsey had been there before too. But I believe that it was Patrick’s first time. We did go to Rodeo Drive, which I have never done and we went to Pink’s (famous hot dog Stand). We waited in line for over an hour at Pink’s and I still think my favorite hotdog is at Bryson’s Store (this is my aunt and uncle’s general store in VA). We had a good time, but we were ready to get home and rest. We had all of the Hollywood we could handle for one day. Our first, monthly excursion was fun. I will let you know when we have another adventure. Here are some pictures from that day:

Pink's Famous Hot Dog Stand

Hollywood Sign above and below (see if you can spot it in the picture below)

Lindsey and Judy Garland

Harrison with Harrison Ford

RODEO Drive

Christmas events with Patrick and Lindsey

2009-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures that were taken on Lindsey's camera that she sent to me. This all happened right before our Christmas break. So, this messes up the order of the blog, but I wanted to put them on here anyway.

This was a short show we saw at "The Grove" (which is a really cool outdoor mall in LA). They rode in on a trolley and danced for us. (above and below)

Lindsey and I at The Grove

Harrison and I at The Grove

At the Grove

Lindsey and patrick in Glendora (right after Thanksgiving). This was a fun way to usher in the Christmas Season. They opened up all the shops and had fun "christmassy" things to do.

In Glendora

2009-01-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our California Christmas and Savannah Christmas. The pictures are in no order...sorry. I started adding them and didn't realize that they weren't going to be in order. We had a wonderful time on our Christmas vacation.

Harrison and I had gotten Sarah some Sushi dishes last Christmas. Through the year she had added to it and we had a Sushi night at home...it was great! (above and below)

New year's Day Football

I made Chocolate Covered Strawberries for New Years Day lunch

On River Street

Watching Football on New Years Day

In Downtown with the family...The Raynor's made it to Savannah (above and below)

On a Sailboat (above and below)

Christmas Day Feast...Cornish Game Hens

We gave Cam and Sarah (Harrison's parents) a calendar with pictures of the family...It turned out really well!

Christmas in California. We celebrated the Saturday before Christmas day (above & below)

Christmas morning in Savannah

Christmas Eve feast...it was so good

Sorry this is sideways. These were our Christmas Eve appetizers

Back from the Break

2009-01-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a while. I knew work was going to get crazy right when I started this blog. I am going to have to try extra hard to work on it in my spare time at home.

We were so blessed to be able to go home for Christmas this year. Harrison had not been to the East Coast since we left this summer. I got off work on Dec. 23rd and we hopped on a plane at 11:15 that night. We arrived very tired, but safe and very excited to be in Savannah on Christmas Eve. Christmas in Savannah was so relaxing and just what we needed. The whole family was there, which was amazing. It has become very hard to get the whole family together for events these days. My parents and siblings made it down to Savannah a few days after Christmas and we spent the New Year's together...all of the Huxford's and all of the Raynor's. I still can't believe that we were able to pull it off. We had 9 great days in Savannah before we had to go home. It was so hard to leave because our time flew by. I wasn't ready to get back to the real world. Harrison started school Monday, Jan. 5th and I went back to work. The first week back has been really hectic. Harrison has 3 night classes this quarter, so we will really be cherishing the time that we do get to see each other. This was a very quick update. I will write more and I will post pictures later.

The Holiday Season has begun!

2008-12-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

We had our first Thanksgiving without family this year. We were supposed to be with my family, but it was impossible to fly home during the holiday. So, we spent Thanksgiving with some of our friends. Here is how our thanksgiving day went: We woke up early and went and served with Christ Church of the Valley (CCV – the church we are attending). They worked really hard to make this a more enjoyable holiday for those who don’t have much. We delivered meals to some and then helped set up for lunch and helped make bags of non-perishable foods for them to take home. Then we headed home to get the turkey started. Patrick and Lindsey came over and we lounged around (mixed in with checking the turkey, making pumpkin roll and Lindsey making mac-n-cheese) and then we went over to Jim and Aaron’s for dinner. This was the first turkey I had ever made and I was really nervous. Thankfully it turned out really well…thanks to the step by step instructions from my Aunt Becky. Also, props to Becky for the pumpkin roll recipe. It has become a legend out here.

*Sidenote: I walked into a party last night with a pumpkin roll and one of the people said to me– “Is that the infamous pumpkin roll I have heard so much about?” Seriously…everyone loves my Aunt Becky’s recipe.

We had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner, with wonderful friends. We all chipped in and it turned out great.
The next day, Harrison and I slept in and then had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. We had no desire to get up early and go shopping. That afternoon, we got our Christmas decorations out and put up our tree. The Reichanadter’s let us have the tree that they used last year and it fit perfectly in our living room corner. They also told us about the lighting of the Christmas tree in Old Town Pasadena, so we decided to get out that night and go to all of the festive events. The City had brought in “snow” for everyone to play in. It was crazy. It was real, fake snow (if that makes since). They used a snow blower to create a patch of snow in the middle of the street. Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun throwing snow balls at each other. They also had real reindeer, a trolley, free hot chocolate, and music. I am glad that they try hard to make it feel like Christmas, even though the weather doesn’t feel Christmassy. So, we finally made it to the lighting of the Christmas tree and it was packed. We found the Reichanadter’s and were able to squeeze our way up to where they were. Then we were handed magic fairy dust and were told to throw it at the tree so that it would light up. Santa showed up, the choir sang carols and we threw our dust (little star confetti) at the tree. It lit up and we got out of there…it was way too crowded. We had a lot of fun though. We ended our night having dinner with Jim and Aaron. They invited us over for some take-out Italian. It was really good. The next day we met Patrick and Lindsey and Jim and Aaron for a movie (a tradition for some on the holiday weekend) and then went with P & L to a College basketball game. Our holiday weekend was full of fun memories with friends. We are so grateful for the new friends we have made out here and the bond that we are forming. It definitely made a time that I was sure to get homesick, into a fun memory. So here are some pictures of our thanksgiving dinner, our Christmas tree and the lighting of the Christmas tree.

Our Christmas tree...tucked away in the corner

Christmas tree

Real-Fake snow in Pasadena

Harrison with a snowball!

The lighting of the Christmas tree in Pasadena

Emma on her dad's shoulders...after drinking hot chocolate

Adrienne and I waiting on the Christmas tree lighting

Thanksgiving appetizers

Thanksgiving dinner

The Turkey!!

The Thanksgiving Feast

September & October Adventures!

2008-12-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I wanted to tell you about some of the things we have done since we came to California. We haven’t done as much as we’ve wanted to. There was this battle between, using our free time (when we didn’t have jobs) and saving our money (because we didn’t have jobs). A lot of times we decided it was wiser to save our money. We did make it to the beach a few times. One time we went with a family from our community at Fuller. They are the Reichenadter’s (Jeff, Adrienne, Clayton, and Emma). They let us ride to church with them and then we went to the beach. Jeff had a friend who was going to teach him how to surf, so Harrison got in on the lesson as well. The waves weren’t great, but they both got up. It was fun to watch and we had a great time!

We also had some visitors from GA come to see us in early October. Ashley, Kurt and Tara traveled here for a few days and we had so much fun. They went to LA without us because I had just started my new job and Harrison was in school. We did get to see all of the pictures though. Friday, I took off of work though and we traveled to Sequoia National Park. It was amazing!!! The sequoia trees are unbelievable. This is a must see place. I am posting pictures, but it doesn’t do the park justice. This was by far the greatest California experience so far. I thought Ashley was going to freak out…oh yeah, and she did! To make the day even better…we saw 4 bear in the park. They were so close to us to. I can’t believe that we were able to be that close and not bother them. They were amazing!

This brings us up to Halloween. We have some traditions in the family that we make caramel apples and carve pumpkins. This gets us in the fall mood. So, we asked our friends Patrick and Lindsey if they would like to do this with us. We went to their house and carved pumpkins and made caramel apples (and of course documented it all with pictures). It was a lot of fun and I am so thankful that we were able to share this memory with Patrick and Lindsey.

Harrison Surfing

He was up, but of course I snapped the picture too late

Poor Harrison. He didn't have a wetsuit on and the water was freezing!

Ashley, me, Harrison, Kurt, and Tara in Pasadena

A Sequoia fell...these are the roots

The largest Sequoia...General Sherman

This is one of probably 100 pictures we have of bear

Harrison and I in front of a Sequoia

Patrick, Lindsey, me and Harrison - pumpkin carving night

Cleaning out the insides. Bailey loved eating the pumpkin

Recap of our Summer Roadtrip

2008-12-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

So this summer is when we actually moved from Covington, GA to Pasadena, CA. We didn’t go straight there though…we had a few stops on the way. First, we stopped in Kansas to see the Livgren’s. They have been friends with my family for a long time and it was so good to see them. The next stop was Steamboat Springs, CO. We met Cam and Sarah (Harrison’s parents) there and stayed for a week. It was a lot of fun (and nice to get out of the car for a few days). From there we traveled to Montana for a family reunion. This was a lot of fun. I met a lot of family for the first time and got a lot of Huxford family time as well. We stayed there for about a week and then headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to meet my family. My sister was working there at a Ranch right outside of Jackson Hole. We went hiking and horseback riding and to the Rodeo. We stayed pretty busy, but had so much fun. The next stop for us was Las Vegas. Neither of us had ever been there. It was definitely an experience. I think we have experienced all of Las Vegas that we care to. Here are some pictures of our trip. Again, this is still catching you up on our lives. Eventually I will get to the recent stuff!

Las Vegas

Show outside of Treasure Island in Las Vegas

Chariot Races in Wyoming...this was crazy!

After horseback riding at the ranch (The whole Raynor crew - minus Kale)

Huxford family in Montana

Harrison's birthday in Montana

Stonecroft has been in the Oursland (Sarah's family) family for a long time

We stopped through Idaho on our way to Montana

We also stopped in Jackson Hole, WY for the day to see Paige on our way to Montana

We went through Yellowstone 3 or 4 times this summer. One time we made it to Old Faithful

This was after fly fishing in Colorado. We didn't have a lot of luck that day!

Our Quaint Apartment!

2008-12-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

For all of you who are not on Facebook...I thought I would show you the pictures of our new apartment in California. We live in a very old building that has a lot of character. It is very small, but we have all the space we really need! We love our apartment and our neighbors. It is great to live in a community at Fuller!

We have covered the boarded window with a curtain!

Here is our living room (we have actually changed it around since this picture was taken)

Here is our Kitchen
We don't have much cabinet space...so we improvised!

We thought our table was small, but not in our new kitchen.

We have palm trees right outside of our bedroom window!

Our headboard used to be turned the other way at our old house, but our walls slant, so it wouldn't fit the other way Again, we improvised

This is our apartment complex. We live on the top floor in the far right corner.

My First Blog

2008-12-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

So, I have been fighting this for a while now. Right now I have plenty of time at work to start and keep up with a blog, but don't know if that will always be the case. Also, FYI, I am not the best writer, so don't expect the best grammer, punctuation or spelling. I will try my best...but please understand I just want to share our lives with you. I want you to know what is going on with us and keep you posted on all the adventure that is taking place. Anyone reading this should know, but just in case...Harrison and I moved to California in August. We are here for Harrison to go to Fuller Theological Seminary. He is really enjoying school and I am working in the Student Financial Services at the school (we are in our slow season right now). The great thing is that Harrison and I live on campus, so he can walk to classes and I can walk to work. It has been difficult getting used to California life and being away from family and friends. We do have a wonderful Fuller Community that has helped us with the adjustment. Also, Patrick and Lindsey (friends from Savannah) are here and we are really enjoying our time with them. Since I started this late in the move...I may go back and update you on some of the things that we have done while we've been out here. I will show you the apartment we moved into (a lot smaller than our 3 bedroom house), some of our friends and some of the memories we have already made. My pictures are at home, so I will add them later (when I figure out how to add them) and do some more posting. For now...that's it.