Home Sweet Home

     I have quickly realized how it's possible to not update your blog, because time flies by so quickly.  Sorry for my delay in getting the next post to you for your reading pleasure, but the Hixon house has be on-the-go literally!  The last 2 weekends in August we were out of town in the Marble Falls/Burnet area.  The first weekend a sweet couple in our Sunday school invited our class up to their family's ranch house in Burnet.  Since Casey and I are new to the Honeymooner's class, we thought it would be a great opportunity for us to meet some new people and make some new friends.  I love being home, but I love going away to this part of our state because it's so relaxing and so pleasant to look at what God created.  We headed up there a few hours early and stopped by to visit Casey's sweet grandfather.  This man is so wonderful and easy to love, and always calls me "granddaughter" when I see him.  We visited with him for a few hours, which included dinner at the lovely Bluebonnet Cafe (on a side note, the peanut butter pie is delicious!) From there, it was off to the ranch house! We both really enjoyed getting to really know the couples that were there, such a blessing to meet such great people and to know that your faith is what has brought you together.  The weekend included shooting guns (first time my SUV has transported weapons/ammo in it), playing dominoes, swimming in the pool, singing, spending time in God's word, and just a lot of good, fellowship time together.
     Then there was that whole work thing in between, but it wasn't too bad since we only had to go 4 days!  Casey and I both took off Friday, so we left to go out of town again to Marble Falls Thursday evening.  I tried to unpack as little as possible out of my suit case since most of it was going right back in there.  This weekend, which was also Labor Day weekend, was very laborious for us!  We helped Casey's Pawpaw paint his garage and well house.  The plan I had thought up in my head was that we would paint all day Friday and that way on Saturday we could just relax, go fishing, etc. before we left to come back to Houston on Sunday.  We ended up painting both Friday and Saturday because there was a lot to paint and it took longer to paint than what I first thought it would, the lovely summer heat forced us to take more breaks.  Even after painting for several hours each day, we still didn't finish, but we got most of it, and Pawpaw told us we could stop because that would give him something to do later.
     Now, the main reason for us to go that weekend was to paint Pawpaw's house for him, so it would save him some money from hiring painters and also so he wouldn't fall off a ladder and hurt himself trying to do it all himself.  Ladder and elderly person is an instant recipe for a broken hip in my book.  The almost 86 year old man doesn't fall off the ladder, the youngest person (@ 28 yrs. old) painting does!)  I only fell 3-4ish feet I'm guessing, and there was not any permanent damage.  Though I did get to sport about 5-6 bruises on the side of my leg:)
     Needless to say after my fall, my husband restricted me to ground duty, but I kept on painting!  Casey's mom, his brother David and his wife Taci also came up to the lake house that weekend too, which was wonderful!  I LOVE Casey's family!  I've never had a bad time with them ever, and I always wish I could spend more time with them and reminds me of my own wonderful family!  We celebrated David's birthday with a DELICIOUS home-cooked meal by my mother-in-law and topped it off with my favorite, Great American Cookie Cake!! I'm thankful for both my brother-in-laws for the wonderful men that they are, but I'm almost equally thankful that they choose cookie cake to have as their birthday cake each year!  After church on Sunday, we headed back to Houston again and did some stuff around the house on Monday.
    You would think I could put the suitcase up wouldn't you?  But no.  I went on a business trip to Philadelphia to tour some of the refined products facilities my company operates.  Thankfully it was just a 2 day trip, so I left on Wednesday morning and came home Thursday night.  I was thankful Thursday night that I came home to these things/people:

 

 

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25