We're Back.

We had a fabulous time in Hawaii! Jason and I enjoyed the time in Maui to relax and enjoy a break. The time in Oahu was much busier, but we loved hanging out with Jason's friend Pagnarith from Cambodia. This was his first trip to America, so it was fun to hear his perspective of things. Jason and Pagnarith's presentation was very well received at the conference, and they were even recognized by an internationally-known doctor who specializes in treating kids in resource-poor areas. He thought the work in Cambodia was done so well, he offered to help Pagnarith and Jason publish some of their findings. It was a huge encouragement to Pagnarith, above all, because he lives and works in Cambodia every day. The battle with serious disease and poverty there is overwhelming at times, but it was awesome to see such a young Cambodian doctor be recognized for the difference he is making. He is a truly amazing person and we were grateful to share in his success at the conference.

Enjoy the pictures!

Jason and Pagnarith after parasailing in Honolulu. Too bad I couldn't get a close up of them on the parachute, but the speed boat didn't seem like the best place for a pregnant lady.

Pagnarith and Jason listening to other presentations at the conference...looking very smart.

"Our" poster displaying the research and findings. We label it "ours" because Pagnarith and Jason did the work and I designed the poster. What a team!

On the first night of the conference, there was a big welcome bash in Waikiki. Basically, a big fancy party on the beach with tons of food and entertainment. Pagnarith said, "I've only seen this kind of fancy party on TV! I feel like a movie star." Frankly, Pagnarith, us too. =) We don't hang out at parties like that very often either.

Mine and Jason's feet in the black sand on Maui.

We went whale watching and saw lots of whales! They were so quick, but I happened to catch a tail in this picture.

Self-portrait on the black cliffs of Maui.

Beautiful views on the road to Hana...

The Maui countryside.

Nothing.

There is nothing to report about Cyd's kidnapping. Investigators in Afghanistan have no clues about her disappearance and no one has claimed responsibility for her kidnapping...Please continue to pray for Cyd. Pray that God will give her great strength and peace. Pray also for her family who is grieving the absence of the woman they dearly love. May Jesus Himself be their rock, comforter, friend, and Peace.

Kidnapped.

Perhaps you heard a story over the weekend about an American woman who was kidnapped in Afghanistan. It was reported by several international news sources. This woman, Cyd Mizell, is someone I worked with about 5 years ago when I was in Turkey. She is a precious person and went to Afghanistan because she was so compelled to help women in such a desolate place. Please pray for her release. No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of her and her driver in a Kandahar neighborhood. The more time that goes by, the more desperate the situation is. Here are the links to two stories (and a photo of Cyd) posted on foxnews.com. The second story is particularly interesting because it reports that over 500 burqa-clad women marched in support of Cyd yesterday in Kandahar. Such a display of protest from women in Afghanistan is rare, and would not have been possible even 5 years ago. Their march makes quite a statement that the work Cyd was doing and her reputation there was phenomenal. Please read the articles and pray for her safe release...

American Woman Kidnapped in Afghanistan (foxnews.com)
Hundreds of Burqa-Clad Woman March in Protest of Kidnapping (foxnews.com)

Next Stop: Hawaii (for work, of course)
Next Monday Jason and I will have a real chance to thaw out...in Hawaii. Now, before you start questioning how we could possibly need a vacation after just returning from Bora Bora, please be advised that this is a work trip. Seriously.

I'm actually really excited about this trip because it seems like a really great opportunity for me to see first hand some of the work Jason did while he was in Cambodia. Jason and one of his Cambodian collegues will be presenting their work at a Critical Care conference in Hawaii next weekend. Of course, Jason and I will go a few days early to hang around Maui. After all, we wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity for another mini-vacation, would we?

If you'll allow me for a second, I'd like to explain a bit about some of the work Jason did at a pediatric hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He and a group of Cambodian doctors were part of implementing some life-saving changes in the way the hospital treated patients who needed a certain type of critical care. The work is significant because the old therapy that was being used required expensive equipment (not readily available in Cambodia - often imported from West) and frequently landed patients in worse shape - many times even leading to death. Jason and his Cambodian collegues were able to use a much more cost-effective and simple therapy to treat these patients and the results were staggering. It turns out that the new treatment was less complex, easier to use, more cost-effective, and much more realistic for a place like Cambodia to reproduce and use effectively. (Side Note: this is not a new therapy all together, it is actually an old therapy that was replaced in the US by expensive equipment several years ago. Well-meaning doctors brought the expensive and complex equipment to Cambodia intending for Cambodian doctors to use it.) Most importantly, though, the new therapy has increased the outcomes of the pediatric patients. In lay man's terms, this means that many more patients lived instead of died. That's significant.

The conference will be a great opportunity for Jason's Cambodian collegue, Pagnarith, to tell about the hospital in Siem Reap and raise awareness about the impact this type of simple critical care therapy could have in countries without a lot of resources. It could be very significant for Western doctors to see that sometimes over-complicating procedures and importing Western equipment is not always beneficial in these places, particularly IF there is a simple, reproducible, cost-effective solution available. Hopefully Pagnarith and Jason's presentation will be well-received and perhaps provoke some good conversations about what's really best in international medicine. We'll see.

Jason and I are looking forward to hanging out in Hawaii with Pagnarith. Personally I am looking forward to the chance to see this sliver of Jason's life that is still somewhat foreign to me. We have planned to take a trip to Cambodia together someday, so I can see the hospital in person. I am so proud of his work there and the impact he has made. I honestly can't wait to see him in action at the conference and I'm thankful I get to tag along on all his work trips now (oh, the perks of being a wife!)

You can learn more about the hospital in Cambodia and see pictures by clicking here: www.angkorhospital.org

Baby's First Picture.

The journey to Des Moines.

Crossing the state line from Missouri. Iowa seems like a friendly place already.

A BIG shout out to the movers. Maybe you have wondered if hiring movers is really worth it. Take my word... worth every penny. Granted, Jason's company paid for it, but we have already decided that it is a worthy investment. They packed all of our things in 3 hours, loaded them, delivered them to Des Moines, and carried them up three flights of stairs. Priceless. We have already started saving for the next move, just in case someone else doesn't pick up the tab for that one.

This is our view of downtown Des Moines. And a lovely view of the snow.

I'll post more pics of the house as it develops.

Des Moines & Baby Reynolds

We are here and getting all settled. I will post some pictures as soon as I can figure out how to get our internet to move faster. =) I have some especially great pictures of the 7 or so inches of snow on the ground. It looks really beautiful from our third floor window and I keep thinking about how grateful I am that we don't have to shovel it. We can simply enjoy its beauty from afar. Our house is fabulous. We are enjoying unpacking and making it home. Again, I promise photos as soon as possible.

Another big announcement to make. We are expecting a Baby Reynolds! We are truly grateful for this gift. Our little boy or girl will arrive somewhere around July 31. Yesterday was my first doctor's appointment and we were so thrilled to see Baby moving around on the sonogram screen. What a miracle! Truly God has blessed us with this tiny gift. Pray for us as we wait in excitement and watch Baby grow in the coming months.

A New Year, A New City

A short apology for being an absent blogger. I truly did not intend to be that person that annoys me in the blogging world...the one who NEVER posts. You know who you are. You wait weeks and sometimes months to post something. Just about the time I have given up on you, you post a back log of the last six months complete with pictures. Sometimes you have a radically new hairstyle, or got married, or moved. A vast amount of life has changed in those absent months...Now, I AM that person. Sorry. I will try to do better. I haven't changed my hairstyle, but I'll include some of the newest updates.

First, there was so much to celebrate in 2007. Namely, marrying the love of my life.

Life with Jason is incredibly sweet. We enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with family and were spoiled a bit with Jason's 18 or more days off in December. We spent Christmas in West Texas, going back and forth between my family and his. All in all, it was a great time to catch up with family and enjoy the Christmas season together.

There is also much to celebrate in 2008, starting with a new city! We are moving to Des Moines, Iowa this month. Jason has been doing work in hospitals for over a year now as an independant contractor. It's a super fun life for a single guy, but the travel and schedule is not so conducive to a stable home life. So, he interviewed in Iowa in September and we took a trip together to scope it out. We accepted the position in October (again, a late announcement on my part). For months now we have been looking forward to this new chapter. Des Moines is a real answer to prayer for us - a great job, friends nearby in Iowa, and a home. We are excited to be on the journey and look forward to all that's in store for us in the Midwest. Seems like a cool place.

This week went to visit Des Moines and walk through the condo we are buying. We found a great place directly across the street from the hospital, so Jason can walk to work and we can walk all over downtown. True urban living in Des Moines. The condo is in a 100 year old building that has been completely redone with all new stuff. The great thing is that they kept the cool old hardwood floors and woodwork, so it feels "old" even though it's new. Perfect. I'll post a few pics when I can...

I'll leave you with an article published in the NY Times recently about the "coolness" of Des Moines.

Our wedding photos are up!

Check this link: www.capture1000words.com/reynoldswed

Back from the Honeymoon...

Married life is incredibly sweet.

For those of you anxious to see wedding photos, they will be posted on our photographer's website. There are already some reception photos up, so take a look if you are interested: www.capture1000words.com/reynolds.htm

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from Bora Bora & Rangiroa. We highly recommend a Tahitian vacation. =)

This is the hotel pool...seriously.

Our feet in the sand in Bora Bora.


This is my smokin' hot husband.

A view from the sailboat tour of Bora Bora.

Hypothetically speaking, if we were ever in a plane that crashed in the South Pacific it could totally crash on this island. I'm pretty sure the view, the sand, the water and the coconuts would keep us company until the rescuers arrived...Not that I'm signing up for a plane crash or anything. I'm just saying this place doesn't look all that bad from the plane window.

The Blue Lagoon on Rangiroa.

The Bora Bora Airport is the most scenic I've ever seen.

This is my husband swimming in the water where the sharks are being fed. He's the first one next to the guy throwing raw fish guts into the water for the sharks to eat. I'm the one INSIDE the boat taking the photos of my husband and all the other people willing to swim in shark infested waters. Jason was so excited to jump in the water with the sharks! When the tour guide suggested everyone should get in the water to watch the shark feeding, Jason's face lit up with excitement. I was truly in awe of his adventurous spirit and relieved he didn't expect me to come too. We are a team in most everything, but I drew the line at the shark infested waters. I was very happy when he climbed back in the boat after feeding time was over!

These are my feet and a view of the Blue Lagoon.

Here's a picture of my handsome to-be husband and I at Red Rocks in Denver. We went to Denver at Labor Day so we could see some friends., finish up pre-marital counseling (thanks, Dudley & Laura!), and tour one of Jason's favorite cities. He did his residency in Denver so it was fun to see where he lived and hear more about that part of his life. Denver is fabulous. Hopefully we will get to visit often...

Only 43 days till the wedding!

Hope this doesn’t spoil the suspense for those of you who will receive wedding mail (meaning, the invitation) next week. The wedding is October 13 in Albany, Texas. We are looking forward to a small hometown wedding followed by a honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I’m so overwhelmed with the fact that God’s plan for me to marry Jason has unfolded in less than a year. Last August, Jason and I had never met. We will be married before we reach the one year anniversary of our first date. How fun! We are grateful for God’s goodness in providing us with each other. Many, many things to rejoice over in these days. Attending wedding showers, opening gifts, planning a life together, preparing for the wedding, and enjoying this last month are all things we plan to take full advantage of in the coming weeks...

Fun Fiesta Shower

This past weekend some friends hosted Jason and I a wedding shower Fiesta. We loved it! We are so blessed to have such fabulous friends who love to party. And, really, who could turn down a party with chips, salsa, and sangria...? What a great time spent with family and friends.

Paul Saxon is now in the arms of Jesus. God surely chose a precious, brave, and cherished little boy to take home today.

Please continue to pray for Leigh, Terrill, Jack & Whit in Waco. May they continue to place their hope in Christ and trust Him for all that they need in this time of sadness.

If you'd like to read about Paul's journey with cancer and how to pray for the Saxon family, click on the link that says "The Saxon Report" on the right.

Engagement Photos.My fabulous photographer friend, Rebecca, took our engagement photos last week. There were lots of shots worth publishing, but these are some of my favorites. Engagement is a real blast.

The Engagement Story.

You all have been waiting so patiently for the story of my engagement nearly two weeks ago. It’s been a complete whirlwind of surprises, wedding planning, and sharing in the new “engaged” status with Jason. It’s fun to be at this unique stage of almost one – but not yet.

On the Friday before Jason asked me to marry him on Wednesday, he began sending me emails and little cards with very sweet reminders of things he appreciated about our relationship. Each day had a new theme – music we both like, pre-in-person-meeting emails, our shared love of exercise, etc. – and a new gift to go along with it. Every day I was reminded of his thoughtfulness and in the back of my mind I thought this was probably moving towards his proposal…but at the rate he was choosing topics, I thought it would take weeks.

On Wednesday morning, I got a card with a bike on it and it said “we make quite a team” on the inside. I was so excited because just the week before, we had looked at matching bikes. We decided to wait to purchase them. But, on this day, I was convinced I was getting a new bike later in the day! I was excited about the bike and even told the girls I work with that I was probably getting a new bike that day. Now that I look back on it, it sort of makes me laugh.

Jason had asked me to meet him at a local church at 4:00 p.m. When we got there, we looked around a bit and he walked me to the front of the room. There was a table there with a book on it. The book was tied with ribbon and he told me this was a gift for me. The book has scripture on the front and a short introduction:
“Today I want to remember the central aspect of our relationship. This is Christ and following God’s plan for our lives. It was God who brought us together and it is through Christ that we will continue to walk together the rest of the days of our lives”.

Followed by this picture…(as seen in a previous post)
The rest of the book contained a few more passages of scripture and a printed oath from Jason, taken from a traditional Christian ceremony, which was used for centuries as couples entered into engagement.

When I turned, he was already on his knee. I remember thinking I couldn’t wait to say yes!

We sat together for an hour or so while he told me about his quest for the perfect ring and timing. We didn’t call anyone. We didn’t talk about the wedding. We just enjoyed the several minutes of peace – shared with just us - and took a few self-portraits...

Jason had then arranged several plans for the remainder of the evening. He invited my mom (flew her in from Abilene), dad, and grandparents to join us at Bonnell’s – my favorite Fort Worth restaurant. Next he had arranged for our Life Group from church to surprise me with an impromptu engagement party with friends. It was perfect – such a nice balance of being able to share the day with Jason, my family, and our church community here in Fort Worth.

We are so excited about the life God has for us together! The overwhelming feeling I have each day is gratitude. I am so grateful for God’s faithfulness. I am so grateful for His timing, and I am so grateful for the tremendous gift I have in Jason…

p.s. Check out the ring!

It's Official!

Jason asked me to marry him yesterday and I said YES!

Pictures and other info to follow...but for now I am trying to pretend I'm busy at work...all the while rejoicing in the idea of forever with the love of my life.

More to come. I promise.

No One Else I'd Rather Kiss.

This past weekend I took Jason to Amarillo for my brother's wedding reception. We had a great time hanging out with my family and two of my best friends from college.

By far, this is my favorite photo from the weekend.

Finally a photo for those of you who have been bombarding my comments with requests to see Jason. Here's a picture of Jason, his nephew Kaden, and I this past weekend in Houston.

He's about a foot taller than me. See?

Andrew David, my new nephew. He was born just a little over 24 hours ago.

My niece and nephews are so proud of their new brother!

On his way to get a bath...

This is my new nephew's very first picture. He's only about 45 minutes old...and already knows to have his eyes open for photos!

Jason.

So, evidently many of you have read my blog closely and picked up on my hints about someone who has become a very important part of my life.

Jason and I were introduced by our families. His sister and my mom work together in Abilene, Texas and for literally months they were nudging us on either side. I totally thought he was too good to be true. I knew he had just moved back from Australia, was a pediatrician, a world traveler, and from Abilene, Texas. At the very least, he sounded interesting – a West Texas guy who had grown up and had some fascinating global experiences.

I gave in to my mom’s nudging only once. I told her, “I will email him ONCE. And that’s it.” Basically I was hoping to sort of pacify her and satisfy the building curiosity about a man I knew virtually nothing about. I was willing to go out on a limb just to learn a little more about this man my mom (and his sister) seemed convinced would be a good match for me.

From his very first email response, I was impressed. He shared a bit why he had chosen medicine, his desire to be a part of global work in the future, and his willingness to entertain the idea of him and I emailing to get to know each other “just to see how it goes”.

Over the course of several weeks, we discovered that we did indeed have LOTS in common. He is driven by a desire to love and serve Christ in life, be actively engaged in global work, and welcome any opportunities to grow and learn along the way. These are the qualities that shine most brilliantly in who he is. He also likes to laugh, is a great communicator, and radiates generosity – all qualities to love in a person. We even figured out that we had the most random things in common: we have both spent time in Kathmandu (Nepal), grew up 30 minutes from each other, went to the same high school hang-outs, and were even in Berlin this past summer within days of each other.

We met in person in early October (the original email was at the end of August) and hit it off. Our first date consisted of him taking me to eat Lebanese food and both of us getting to know the person behind all the emails. Since then we’ve seen each other as much as possible and spent time with friends in Fort Worth and in Houston. All of the friends seem to agree that he and I are very well-matched. That has, perhaps, been one of the best things about this journey…to have friends who are close to me affirm that he and this relationship are something really special. A real gift from God… one that has been a tremendous reminder to us both that a Christ-like relationship is truly worth waiting for.

I’m also now a little bit less skeptical that family and friends really ARE capable of arranging some pretty good dating match-ups.

For now, he’s in Houston. But by July 1st, he’ll be in Fort Worth. I can hardly wait to start hanging out with him in person a lot. He and I both agree that we’d like to hang out in a together sort of way for a long, long, long time.

Absent Blogger.

So I have been a terribly absent blogger lately. Life has just been too busy to take a few minutes and update. So, here's a short one (update) and a few photos to keep the faithful Notice:Nicole readers pacified...

It looks like Spring in Texas! I am very much looking forward to wildflowers on the Texas Highways, exciting family happenings (sister's having a baby and brother is getting married, in that order), and a very special man in my life is moving to Fort Worth soon. So many exciting things to share...

But for now, I'll post a few pictures of recent (meaning last couple of months) events. Enjoy. More later...especially for those of you who read carefully and just picked up on the fact that I have a really special man in my life. More about him very soon.

It also snowed a bit this winter in Fort Worth.

Running in February.

In February, I ran the Cowtown Half Marathon with my roommate. It was a fabulous race - I shaved a whole 10 minutes off of last year's half marathon time.

Since then I've been eating a lot of chocolate cake and donuts.

Just kidding.

To all of you who think of doing something like training for and running a half marathon - just do it!

Also in January, my foursome of friends Callie, Amy, Rebecca, and I celebrated the pending arrival of little Caroline Olivia. Caroline is already here, but here's a cute picture of how she looked in Rebecca's tummy prior to her debut...

In January, I went to Purgatory, Colorado to ski with my grandmother for four days. She's so cool, isn't she? All I can say is that when I am 79, I hope I look half as good as she does on the slopes! She has promised to take me next year too just so she can say she skiied down the mountain at 80 years old. I am SO there.

( This pic from Google Images reminds us that there are definitely appropriate times to ignore calls...)

Fellow cell phone users:
Let’s resolve to always use good manners when dealing with cell phones in the year 2007…

Now that I’m in a very fast-paced and sometimes demanding job downtown, I often use my lunch hour to disconnect and run various errands I’d rather not save for the evening when I’m busy doing important stuff (like hanging out with friends, running, watching TV, etc.).

Today was one of those days when I used the lunch hour to do some important shopping I don’t have time to do later. It was a perfect plan to be very productive and enjoy a short shopping experience…until I landed in line behind a very rude female cell phone user. After spending time chatting loudly on the phone during her entire store experience, she received another call while she was standing in front of the cashier – just in line in front of me. The girl behind the counter had already rung up the items and bagged them nicely when another very important call came.

After listening to a couple of minutes of discussion about which movie the woman was to see this afternoon with her friend, the cashier kindly asked the woman if she should take the next guest in line. The cell phone lady ignored the cashier, putting her hand up as if to say, “I’m busy talking right now. You can wait and so can she (glancing my way)” Even after the woman hung up the call and was digging for her wallet – she had yet to pay – she was dialing again. She spent a total of 6 minutes in front of the cash register dealing with her phone calls and trying to pay for her items. It seemed like an eternity as I watched her failure to give either task proper attention and waste the time of virtually everyone involved…

Fellow cell phone users, let’s resolve to NEVER have a not-so-urgent personal discussion when standing in line in front of other customers at a store. Matter of fact, let’s resolve to choose to not to answer or make cell phone calls while interacting with someone else face-to-face. Nothing could be more inconsiderate, rude, and as we say in West Texas, downright tacky.

Promise to be a polite cell phone user in 2007? Good - me too!
Hooray for 2007 and resolutions.

For other cell phone rants, you should check my friend Malita’s blog. Her 2006 rants on the subject are hilarious…and will make you think twice about your cell phone etiquette.

http://curlsz.blogspot.com/2006/06/get-off-your-freakin-phone.html
http://curlsz.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html (check the Cell Phone Rant #2 in August 2006)

HOLIDAY PICS

My brother Jeff, and his fiance Tara. What a beautiful new sister I am getting!









My niece and nephews

Me and one of my brown-eyed boys!

Merry Christmas!

For some reason I have an annual tradition of neglecting to send Christmas cards. Mostly it is because I have either recently moved, been out of the country - making it difficult to send cards, or simply failed to buy them. So for those of you who keep up with this blog, consider this my Christmas greeting and "life update" all wrapped into one.

This year I am celebrating Christmas with my family - who is now much closer than several states away. I am rejoicing that my life in Texas has been full of old friends and new ones. I am grateful for the many ways God has shown His love and faithfulness to me this year. It has been a good year full of travels and transition. I've had the opportunity to finish a season as a college professor, lead 25 high school students on an international experience, involve myself in a great community of believers in Texas, celebrate my 30th birthday alongside my nine-year-old niece, begin sewing lessons with my grandmother, and start a career as an event planner. It has been an eventful year indeed.

I am truly grateful to look back over this past year and remember that God has given an abundance of good things. May this season be a reminder of how beautiful, precious, and REAL He is.

I pray He is adored by you and yours today, tomorrow, and always.