HI(gh)-LO.
HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!
Fact: sometimes it takes me wayyy longer than it should to get with it.
Take blogging, for example.
And a list of other things that at this time i choose not to discuss.
But alas, we are here! and by here, i mean both the blog world and our new home…..PHOENIX AZ!!!!!!!!!!!
isn’t it beautiful!!!!!! if you can’t tell, i highly suggest you come visit us. really…please…come visit us.
Anyhoooo, since we have been away for so long……
here is a description of events to date:
The 3rd wknd in Feb., Mom, Jacee, and i had our last hoo-rah together which was, of course, AMAZING. i’m grateful to know some remarkable people who live honest and open lives. i have especially learned a great deal from these two women. they are beautiful. i’m happy they’re family.
idk what kind of face that is. also mom and jace, props for having white teeth.
The following Monday, i had my wisdom teeth removed. the ensuing image is sick, but i am always a sucker for sympathy. the overall experience was 50% as painful as the extracted teeth may lead you to believe.
I stayed home most of that week while my super-mom nursed me back to health. on Thursday, i drove myself back to Ft. Worth and reunited with my amazing husband.
That entire wknd was a blur. i had a much needed date with two more ridiculously fantastic women. we took a photo to commemorate the night, but it was a royal bust. of all of us, even though we’re all good looking. so it has been omitted.
That Sat., Bryson’s awesome mama generously gave us an opportunity to make some cash by raking leaves in her biggg yard.
Bryson found this:
EEEEEEEEEEK! that would be a snake.
The next day was Sunday, and we attended our last service @ Paradox Church, downtown Ft. Worth. wish we had been there longer to really plug in. it served us greatly by consistently reminding us of the Gospel of Jesus! Pastor Jim and the crew are a deeply Christ-centered bunch. he’s also a good teacher. i especially loved the ecclesiastes series he preached through. you can listen to his sermons here:
http://theparadoxchurch.com/sermon/chasing-the-wind/
Monday & Tuesday basically consisted of packing. in the words of my new friend brianne errett: “packing just makes me feel like a hoarder.”
trueism.
Wednesday Feb 29th, my parents met us at our apt in Ft. Worth and helped load boxes into my dad’s big covered trailer.
I don’t have a picture of that, but it was jam packed.
Thursday the 1st, we gassed up and began the journey to Phoenix. A whopping 17 hour trip.
On this trip:
We each experienced an avg. of 10 really good leg cramps.
My car died in Las Cruces, NM. My saintly parents stayed behind and waited till the morning to find a mechanic that could give Jenna (my car) a diagnosis. Bryson and I drove his truck straight into Tuscon, AZ and stayed the night.
Jenna was raised back to life thanks to a new alternator, and by midday on friday my parents got back on the road…my dad hauling the trailer and my mom in my car. there are times in life when you realize you will never be able to repay your parents for all they have done & do for you…..this trip was one of those times.
They got there just in time to drop off our stuff to the storage, meet the crew, and then head back. :(((((((((( we’re not going to talk about that anymore. it was awful. i can’t wait till Christmas.
This brings me to the Erretts.
Wow, the Erretts.
First of all….look at them!!
yes. they are as awesome as they seem.
As Bryson and i were desperately looking for an affordable place to live so that we could make the move to Phoenix, the Errett’s called and offered to share their home with us for a couple of months while we continued to raise support to find our own apt. crazy. they are crazy. and already one of our favorite families in america.
Corey is our “life pastor” @ Life 180. he will pastor people who have no lives. jk. that was cheese. but really, he’s awesome and freakin hilarious. great dad, loves his wife, and has such a shepherd’s heart. he and his wife Brianne both desire to see people experience changed lives because of an encounter with Jesus. they are big on community, and have set such a great example of that by choosing to invite me and b into their lives. we are SO thankful to them for helping us out.
Did i mention they have three ridiculously beautiful little boys? i am smitten with each of them. totally whipped. true story: today Bri was watching home videos of the kids and i started crying. hahhahaha. what the heck. so happy i know them now, but i hate that i’ve missed out on watching them grow so far. hahaha i know that’s weird.
(ps blair and ….another special someone… ;) i am going to do the same when i see footage of your precious little ones!)
Daylan-5
Decklyn-3
Zion-2
ohhhhmygoodness. Bri deserves an award. idk what kind, but she is the epitome of a modern, fun, laid back, practical mom. also she looks like a rockstar 24/7. SO PRETTY. while me and b have realized that we are NOT ready to be parents for a while, living with these three little boys has been such a joy. i love them sooooo so much!
lol…that is Zion. not the best pic to show off his good looks, but it does his personality justice. he is affectionately called, “chunk”. the brother loves to eat.
last but not least there is my MAIN MAN B-moneyyyyyy. or bryson. idk why i give him thug names…..
haha. he continues to be my very best friend on the planet. teaches me a ton. looks after me spiritually. cares for me diligently. acts retarded publicly. i don’t give him enough credit on a regular basis. -my apologies for that babe. you are incredible. and handsome…but you already know that.
Bryson hit the ground running. and he’s enjoying it! not only has he been developing a regiment and outline of the new student ministry, but he is also refining future curriculum and weekly devo’s for our AWESOME interns. they are very cool and will be featured on another post. in addition, he is trying to stay on top of some seriously intense online Seminary courses. on top of all that, B is learning to manage work (as a LA fitness trainer) along with tending to general ministry-related affairs. there’s a lot that goes into planting a church. even when you have more staff members than church members. lol. Oh! annnnnd he is involved with a local Young Life Club, which is a great way for us to meet and reach students. he is for sure swamped, but i don’t think he would have it any other way….God is definitely opening doors and we are pumped about it.
we went on a date the other night! hanging out with this guy is my FAVORITE.
#beingalonehasitsperks.
chillin. in the sun. did you know we have a ton of that here?
date night!
climbing up a nearby mountain/hill….
The Errett’s do something with their kids each day that i remember my dad doing with me. At the end of the day they make a point to ask the boys, “Ok what are your high-lo’s?”
So, the HIGH for us has been getting here. Phoenix is great! So far our experience in AZ has been fantastic. God is faithful to meet all our needs. a month ago we had no idea how we would get here, but we’re here and ready to see what all God is up to.
The LO? Probably different for me and Bryson. i am ready to have a j-o-b. being a wife is awesome but i’m realizing (by watching bri) that having kids takes on a full role. until we have kiddo’s i have a great opportunity and i’m VERY free to do a lot of work. just interested in knowing what that is.
I’ll ask bryson what his lo is bc i dont want to put words in his mouth…TBA.
So that about wraps it up!
Things you can continue to pray for:
- Life 180 church! pray we keep the main thing the main thing and PREACH the GOODNESS of JESUS! if you sit and think of difficulties that you might encounter trying to plant a church, chances are it’s more difficult that you think, so pray for us concerning those issues.
- I need a job. i’ve spent the better half of march driving from business to business where they tell me to “apply online”. i had a bite recently…had an interview… and i’m waiting on a call-back…..it’s a frustrating thing, job searching. although i will take pretty much anything, i have emailed a variety of non-profits in phoenix (with ministries dealing with everything from human trafficking to aiding churches in Africa) and would LOVE to hear back from them.
- Bryson’s latest request was that God would give him wisdom & discernment. he desires to be a courageous, strong man of God.
- We still need financial support.
A HUGE MEGA THANK YOU is in order to all of you who have so generously given to us. We continue to pray for you and want to stay up to date on your lives. thank you for taking the time to catch up on our ISOM life. if you would like to email me or bryson you can email:
marlee.isom@hotmail.com
or
brysonswc@gmail.com
your words are always welcomed!
we love you guys! hope to update you with more on what Jesus is teaching us individually and together, but it has been so long since i’ve posted i thought we would just cover the latest happenings.
In Him,
marlee
