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!