Sweet treats...

This weekend we decided to head out to the LA Farmers Market. We had heard great things about it from Graham and Ashley while they were here, as well as everyone we've talked to since being here. What a neat place!! We walked around all the amazing stands of great looking produce and meat and decided to have a late breakfast at one of the local vendors. We had pancakes with fresh strawberries and an omelet with fresh tomatoes! So yummy! Graham and Ashley, we plan on eating at the Gumbo Pot next time we go in honor of you guys! On our way out we bought some fruit and veggies for the week, had our first celebrity siting (Christina Richy), and bought a little sweet treat for Shiloh, a "pupcake". Below are pics of Shiloh enjoying his tasty treat! So cute! This weekend we are heading back to Tennessee for a wedding and some time with the Strahans! We are excited about being with family, meeting our new nephew and catching up with old friends! Tennessee here we come!

Yummy Pupcake!!

Licked all the icing off then didn't know what to do!!!

A day at the beach

On the suggestion of our friends Whitney and Nick we decided to take a Saturday at the beach! We headed out to Zuma beach in Malibu. The drive out was gorgeous!!! On our way we passed by the apartment complex where Graham and Ashley used to live. It was strange to be so familiar with that part of LA and sad to think about how close we could have been to each other! Graham and Ashley we miss you!!

We got out to the beach around 10:30am. It was pretty quite for a Saturday and we didn't have to much trouble finding parking which we heard could be the worst part of a beach day. We settled in, took a walk, and dipped our feet in the COLD water! We had packed a lunch and enjoyed eating by the ocean, enjoying the view.After lunch, we were able to spend some time in deep conversation, something we both needed and hadn't really had since the move. It is amazing what being out in God's amazing creation can do to open up the senses and allow hearts to connect again.

Just as it started to get really crowded we headed out, having had enough sun for the day. We decided we will have to invest in an umbrella if we want to spend all day out in the sun! On our way home we stopped at a little yogurt place in Malibu that we found on our visit to see Graham and Ashley last year. Yum!! It was a refreshing end to a great day!

Tonight we plan on trying Wahoo Tacos, recommended to us by a professor back home. We'll let you know what we think!


Congrats to Justin and Allison on the birth of their precious little one's! Everyone is healthy and happy! We are so excited for the four of you! Can't wait to meet them!

Another week gone by....

Well, I am about to complete my second week at my job. I still have quite a lot to learn but my spirits are higher than they were at this time last week! I know God will grow me through this job and for that I am truly grateful.

Last weekend Josh and I went to the Getty Museum. Wow! What a beautiful place. We took a short tour of their gardens which are spectacular. What a peaceful place in the midst of such a busy city. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I can only show you in words what we experienced that day. We ate lunch picnic style and then toured some of the many galleries of art. The great thing too is that it is free, you simply pay for parking! We had such a good time and know we will be spending many more Saturdays soaking in the beauty of the Getty. Hopefully next time I will remember my camera so you can share in the beauty with us!

This week we were able to have dinner with my boss Whitney and her husband Nick. They are such a neat couple and were so gracious to have us over and share their home with us. We really enjoyed getting to know them both and pray that our relationship will continue to grow!

God has been so good to us since our move out to California. He has provided us with an amazing place to live, a wonderful place for Josh to study and grow, a good job and steady income, and the opportunity to know some great people. We praise His name for all He has done for us and pray that we can share the blessings He has given us with all we meet.

Speaking of blessings, we are so excited for our cousins who will be having their beautiful twins tomorrow morning. We can't wait to meet precious little Jake and Mallory as they come into this world. To get a sneak peak of all that has been going on to prepare for their arrival check out Justin and Allison's link on our blog.

We are hoping to go to the beach sometime this weekend so check back for more updates soon. To all our family, we love you and miss you. Justin and Allison, we wish we were there to share in this joyous time with you. Ryan and Amy we are praying for your precious little one as she continues to grow. Mark and Rachel we are excited to see all that God is doing in little Belle. Graham and Ashley, we can't wait to hear about your adventures in Connecticut and look forward to coming to see you! To our parents, we love you and miss you dearly. Looking forward to seeing both of you in a few weeks! And to our family in Abilene, we miss each one of your smiling faces!

Living in Pasadena...

Today was my second day of my new job. Lets just say I am currently living on information overload! There is just soooo much to learn and know! Pray that God gives my wisdom and the ability to learn quickly during the next few weeks! All that to say I am enjoying the job and those I work with and for.

Josh and I have made a vow to try to spend our weekends being productive and relaxing at the same time!
So this past weekend we went to the Griffith Observatory (not the Getty Museum. Sorry!). It was really great! We spent a couple of hours there but are looking forward to going back and enjoying the vast park that surrounds the museum and taking Shiloh too! And of course, going back one night to the planetarium to see Saturn and it's rings!

Sunday we went to church with Katie, one of our friends who lives out here! We are so glad her and her husband Matt are here! Matt was working this weekend so Katie come out to Pasadena to go to church with us and then we went to the Pasadena City College Flea Market! The college is just down the street from us. The flea market was a very interesting experience to say the least! Lots of people and LOTS of stuff!

Josh will take his French test this Thursday and then start studying Latin. He still has about a month and a half before his fall quarter starts and is working hard on getting all his language credits out of the way!
We are really enjoying life in Southern California! The weather is great and there is so much to do! But we also miss our family and friends back east! Come visit us soon!
More pics of the house to come soon!

Our new home

It's Friday night. We spent most of our day today at the DMV getting licenses, registration for our cars and plates. We can now say we are official California residents! Just took us all day to get there. We just finished taking Shiloh for a walk around the PCC (Pasadena City College) which is right down the street from our house. They have lots of open areas for him to run and play and he got out some much needed pint up energy!
We are slowly adjusting to living here. It is such a big city...but there is so much to do! We are hoping to go to the PCC Flea Market this Sunday. It is supposed to be really great...we will let you know!
As promised, here are some pictures of our new place. Since it takes awhile for me to upload pics these are a few of our favorite things about our place. I will post more on facebook if you would like to see more!

This is our amazing kitchen which has tons and tons of cabnient space and counter space, a gas oven and stove (which we are still learning how to use) and even a window...which you can't see here but I promise it is there!

Next we have our fun dining room with our little patio out back. We have already had a meal here with Mom and Dad and hope to have many more with all our friends and family that we love.


This is our great living room with our fireplace (which we hope to use even if it never gets cold enough!) and our fun new tv. Not shown is our new chair and a half we bought that will not be here until Wednesday. We put lots of time into picking out a super comfy chair and now we are just ready for it to be here!

Our front door! We don't go out this door as much as we would like because our cars are in the garage one floor down but we do love this door! Outside is so pretty too!

This is taking me much longer than I thought so I will do the upstairs of our place in my next post. Stay tuned!

To all our friends in Abilene, we miss your precious smiles and the blessing of your fellowship! Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Finally here...

Well we are here in Pasadena. It is amazing how fast a week can fly by. We are starting to get settled in our new home. We really only have a few things left to do because my parents are amazing and have been here with us helping us get all set up in a matter of days! They just left tonight (on the red eye flight!) and we are already missing them! They did SOOOOO much to help us make this transition to California. We literally could not have done this without them and we feel so grateful for their amazing generosity and willingness to help us in the ways they have. We love you guys so much!


For those of you who might be wondering, yes we did experience the major earthquake that took place yesterday morning. Welcome to LA, huh?! The above picture is of the aftermath a store not to far from where we live. Fortunately no one was hurt and no major damage was done. I have never experienced anything quite like that. More of that experience to come.

Tomorrow I plan to take pictures of the place (and even a video for you, Grandma and Grandpa so you can see EVERYTHING!) and I will post them as soon as I can.

Good night for now from California!

Goodbye Abilene

Well, it is our last night in Abilene. It is crazy how fond we are of this place. What neat experiences God has allowed us to have these last few days here.

Yesterday we were able to eat lunch with a wonderful couple from our small group. What an encouragement they were to us, having walked a little farther in life's journey than us, their excitement for our future simply contagious. We look forward to the moments when we will share in sweet fellowship with them again.

Last night we were able to take the younger three of the Martin kids out to the movie to see Wall-E. What a precious time we had. Josh and I , sitting on either end of them, relished in their laughter and joy. Saying our final goodbyes to their family was very difficult for us both and we can't help but look ahead and anticipate their possible visit to see us soon!

Today was my last full day of work. I am going to miss Highland so much. What a wonderful place it has been for me to regroup and regain my focus after a difficult first few months in Abilene's business world. Michael has been so fun to work for and I feel so blessed to have been able to witness the birth of his precious twins. And I will miss dearly the deep friendship I have grown to have with Sarah! I can't wait to hear about all the awesome things God is going to do in her life over the next few years! I am only sad I won't be able to witness them first hand.

Tomorrow I will spend a few more hours in the Youth office before hitting the road to California. Josh and I are both excited and nervous. But we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we will be driving into God's will for our lives and so we have no fear. We know there will be moments in our time there that will be difficult and hard to bear, but we place our hope in God's perfect love and anticipate the awesome ways in which He will use our new home to grow us in our outpouring love for Him.


It may be awhile before I write again but stay tuned for pictures and stories of our exciting journey to our Pasadena home.