Tatooed Memories

Sugar and Spice

2012-01-30T20:05:00.002-05:00

Meet Sugar and Spice! Cade and Cole were hired to feed and care for Sugar and Spice since their owners live full time in Houston--they try to make it up most weekends their home isn't rented out. For a time being, Sugar and Spice moved into our pasture (owners are working on their fence). We are really enjoying having them so close! There is something so beautiful about looking out into a pasture with horses. We have come to really like us some Sugar and Spice! The pictures below are us welcoming them.Can you guess which one is Sugar and which one is Spice? Ha!

Yep, this is Sugar!

Mr. Bob asked if we wanted a ride back to the house...yes, sir, we sure do! And thank for all your help!

Wimberley Texans Parade

2012-01-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

Do your boys play sports? Do theyplay football? The two highlight questions since moving here to Wimberley.

The town of Wimberley is on ahuge high, and rightly so they should be. They had perfect season and won State! We wishwe had been here for the game-- we left SC the day they played for the StateTitle--but we sure are glad we made it in time for the celebrations!!

The town of Wimberley literally shutdown for a couple of hours on Saturday, January 7th to celebrate this huge winand recognize ALL those involved to help get these boys there. It was neat for our family, new to thecommunity, to see just how close knit the Town of Wimberley is: a big family!

Well, below ere are a few parade pictures!!

Here they come!

Dustin and the boys were glued to the Texans season as soon as we knew we were moving to Wimberley. So even though we weren't officially moved in, we felt a part of what was going on.

Just can't wait to see my boys in a parade!

We found a spot to watch as they went by. :) As we were waiting, I got to chat with a really sweet couple. They were from Houston. They had family here and had come to be a part of the celebration. They were considering moving our way soon. I know they will LOVE it!

Coach Weldon Nelms in the passenger seat.

Here come the cheerleaders.

Awesome band!

Texans football team!

You can't really see him, but the gentleman speaking isWimberley’s mayor, Mayor Bob Flocke. Well, this morning on the way to school,Cade said, “I like our mayor. He helped clean up and actually worked after theparade." Wow! Way to go Mayor! Youjust made an impression on the youth of Wimberley. You are leading by example!

Good looking trophies!

All that excitement made us hungry....good thing we were surrounding by Wimberley's dining.

We are loving Wimberley! Everyone we meet is so nice and makes us feel right at home. We just feel so blessed to be here.

Until my next post.........

Christmas

2011-12-30T10:30:00.033-05:00

The Night Before the Night Before Christmas

We had unpacked the house, YAY!, and then, together we tackled the Christmas wrapping.

Cole made sure all the presents had ribbons.

Wrap away my little elves.

Once we were done...Cade did some relaxing( no cable yet)

You can't even tell we moved in a few days before. I love that! Team work, baby!
(a huge thanks to family that helped move us in!!)

Shh...so worn out from all that wrapping.

Christmas Eve

Pepa, Mema, Cade, and Cole

Our Family

The Whole Family(Wiltshire, Blacklock, Marler)...I barely made it in. Ha! Dad was worried I would fall coming around the counter that was holding the camera...I was the reason for all the smiles. What can I say... :)

Dinner after the Christmas Eve service at our favorite Jewish Deli...

Christmas Day

Mema and Pepa's House

The Cousins...what was I thinking to stand between them and the gifts that "Santa"left.

Christmas Eve they tried to negotiate the morning schedule with Pepa. It was quite humorous.

FCA Bible

Pepa and Mema

Little Aaron...funny little man.

My men!

G.G. (Eighty-seven years old)

Shannon knew I was scanning the room for pictures. Always!!

So excited about shooting each other... with paintball that is.

Better than any Waffle House... John's Waffles!

Pappy and Mammy's

Uncle Brandon found him some fans!

Pappy, Cash, Uncle D

Where is Uncle D?

Sweet Campbell... Bell of the ball(Christmas party)!

Cash sure does love his cousins. I can tell. I know his cousins LOVE him.

The traditional reading. All of us created a picture book of the Christmas story. All the grandkids read it every Christmas. Each year a new grandkid joins in...such a great idea!

Dustin getting him some Rhett time.

Mammy got them these hats...Cade said he will wear it on the first day to his new school(ha ha!). That is so NOT happening(not because I won't let him but because I know Cade).

It was an amazing Christmas; mucho family time! On our short drive home I thought about the holiday book (family journal) that my dad started a few years back . The idea is to write things we are thankful for or what the year has meant to us. It is so neat to see just how blessed we all are. To see all God has done and continues to do... God totally rocks!

The way I see it, no matter where we are in life, where we are going, where we have been, God has a plan and He is just waiting for us to join Him on the ultimate journey of our lives( His will). He loves ALL of us unconditionally and proved that by giving the PERFECT GIFT, His PERFECT SON, to us so that we too could experience forever with Him. There is nothing in this world that we could possibly get or give that could compare to Him. Kinda puts CHRISTmas in perspective, doesn't it?

Well, I saved the best picture of the day for last. It's a shame the picture isn't real clear. Here she is, my mom, Terry Wiltshire.

She is a hoot. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

We hope you too had a fun Christmas!! Love to you all!

Front Porch View

2011-12-29T11:08:00.000-05:00

I grabbed the camera to capture what we look at from our front porch.

Our greeting party. :)

The boys have called the calf Little Lizzy. She is all over the place now. It is so cute to watch her run and play now that she has found her footing. :)

Sun is setting. It actually gets dark out here. What a concept.

Miss Daisy Turned One!!

2011-12-28T14:47:00.000-05:00

Daisy when we first brought her home.

Daisy a year later.

Happy birthday sweet girl!

Life has not been the same since we picked you up...seriously! Ha!

Lets Take a Walk!

2011-12-27T22:58:00.008-05:00

The other day, we took a break from unpacking to walk around the property. Here are a few pics from that walk.

Gate

As you enter, to your left, is an original Pony Express stop. How neat is that?!

The road we live on dead ends into our home. Talk about peaceful. Love it!!

Pasture

We are going to attempt gardening..I am so excited!!

Cade quickly realized that shoveling isn't easy. :)

Walking out into the pasture. Daisy loves the freedom to run (we haven't had to worry about her getting lost, she won't leave our side).

Daisy found water...oh boy!

Swim girl!

Still walking!!

Great climbing trees!!

Now back to work...:)

Going Away Party

2011-12-22T23:07:00.003-05:00

Kim, a dear friend, put on a going away party for the Marler boys. We kept it small: best friends from the neighborhood...some really great memories for these guys.

The Baxter Pack

Strike a pose!

The Marler boys awesome friends!!

My awesome friends.

I love my lady friends...sure do miss y'all.I wish we had gotten one with all of us...didn't think about it. :(

Woohoo, the Big 6th/7th graders. They are getting way too big. Some of them are almost taller then me-one of them is! Cade will be there soon. My grandma, their G.G., used to tell me she was going to put bricks on my head to keep me from growing anymore....now I want to say it to Cade. When we arrived in Wimberley, Cade had a gift waiting online from his buddies in SC(they play online games and can send things to each other). .. Made his arrival that much more awesome.

Then you have the awesome 5th graders. Cole's brothers from different parents( I wish I had gotten one with Graham in it...UGH), Boy he misses them. Cole's phone has been going off like crazy....rings and dings. (Cade's would be too if he could keep a phone long enough. So Cole texts and Cade Skypes...)

What a great way to say...till we see y'all again, friends!!

Marlers are Moving!

2011-12-07T16:44:00.013-05:00

This will probably be one of my hardest posts. How do I put on a post what really is on my heart? I am not the most eloquent of writers but I will do my best to convey what hopefully needs to be said.

We moved to Fort Mill, SC two and a half years ago. We had no idea how long, but we, I, prepared the mind and heart for forever if that was what God had for us. Dustin’s company was a godsend, for sure, and we were not going to say no to what God had provided for our family: a stable job in an unstable economy. So off we were, on a journey that to this day will be tattooed in our minds and forever treasured in our hearts.

South Carolina has been an amazing place to live: so much beauty to be seen and adventures to be had. Before this move we were born and raised Texans, and to come to the Carolinas and experience the changing of seasons has been a pretty darn wonderful thing in itself. I am in constant awe of God’s creativity here. We are very thankful to God, and Experis Manpower Group (COMSYS at the time), for providing such a wonderful destination for the last 2.5 years.

I could go on and on about the beauty surrounding us here in the Carolinas, but I don’t think that would be fair. For you see, the true reason we have been so deeply impacted by the Carolinas, well, that would be our friends of course! When we moved here my biggest fear was getting to know people. Would the Marler boys make friends?

Not to toot our horn, but I think we just might have met the greatest people to be met. Each and every person that we have gotten to know has moved us in some special way. I am almost in tears thinking we have to let them go. We will be forever grateful for the time we have had with them.

People always ask how we like it here in the Carolinas. We LOVE it! So why the move? Crazy as it may be to some, family is in Texas. Texas will always be home, it is where our hearts are. We tried to believe two times a year was enough for the Marler boys to get to know their grandparents. It isn’t. So we started praying as a family for God to reveal His plan for our family….and most of all to find peace in His answer.

Well, we started to feel peace about desiring to be back home, closer to the ones we love and so dearly love us. We started to pray that God would open a door-- and He did! I won’t bore with all the details, but I cannot say enough about what a blessing it is for Dustin to be employed by such a wonderful company as Experis: a company that has a solution not only for the professional workforce but for their employees as well.

We leave Sweet Home South Carolina on December 16th and we arrive in Wimberley, TX on December 18th. Wow, it is crazy to think it is so close. Even in all the craziness of moving during the holidays we head to our new home with a total peace that we are headed where God has set before us His plan and we are in His will. So with that confidence we are ready, ready to Tattoo some more memories at our new home in Wimberley, Texas!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1