My Sister Nhu


I have sat down to write, and rewrite, this post over and over again. 

At first I sat down to write about what a fun day I had with my sister, Nhu, a couple days ago.  It was a blast!  What does a girl from Cambodia want to do when she hangs out with her sister?  You guessed it! Shop, go to sushi, and watch a movie! :)  It was one of the most fun days I have had in so long!

But as I sit here, each time I begin to write, I feel like there is so many different things I want to share.  I have so much more to say than the fact that I had an amazing time with this sweet, sweet girl.  In the end, I am just thinking about how much I admire Nhu and how much she has taught me.

It is a rare thing to be able to call somebody your "sister."  But I have to say it is such a special thing.  She tells me that when people ask who I am, she says, "She not my friend, she my sister."  (In her sweet accent.)  What a special thing.  It is an honor to call Nhu my sister, and to be called hers.

To most she is the name behind the organization "Remember Nhu."  I told Nhu that more and more people are hearing her story and want to meet her.  She is getting quite a name for herself. 

But to me....she is my example of bravery, faith, compassion, and grace.  To me, she is my sister.  I have a protective love for her.  I love it when we share secrets with each other...it reminds me of growing up with my sisters and sharing things behind closed doors.

And I wish I could express to all around me that her heart is so beautiful.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely know that seriously anybody who meets her immediately knows she is humble, and loves deeply.  But, I mean this....her heart is so beautiful.  When most would be bitter, resentful, defensive, and unforgiving....Nhu is gracious, so forgiving, warm, and compassionate. 

All that being said, I have to go back to what I began by saying.  When we hang out, we really don't talk about all this deep stuff as much as people would think.   Sure we do sometimes, but more than anything else, we like to talk about fun girly stuff.  She is such a girly, loveable, fun young lady. 

After we were done with our days events, we went back to my house.  Nhu watched a movie as I cooked some dinner.  It makes me smile thinking about it...I would be cooking away and I would hear her laughing out loud in the other room, over and over again, to what she was watching.  She is just so, so precious.

I love my sister, Nhu. :)

Nhu had me do her hair like mine when we got back to our house....makes us look even more like sisters!





Texas Surprise 2011

About a month ago, Caleb's brother Cam went off to college.  So, his mom Sheila has been pretty heartbroken with the house being empty....so we came up with the brilliant idea to all take off work and surprise them for a weekend! 

Cam set it up by saying that he needed them home for the weekend because he was coming home to do something special for them.  Caleb and I flew into Dallas and stayed at Kate and Garrett's for a night.  And then we all drove to Perryton and got to the house before anybody got home.  When Sheila walked in, she thought the surprise was that Kate and Garrett where home visiting for the weekend.  Then Caleb and I came out from a back room.  I think it took a second for her to grasp the fact that we were in front of her!  It was such a fun surprise!

And after Bob (Caleb's dad) got home, and we surprised him as well, we got into the car to go see my first 6 man football game.  I had no clue there was even such a thing, until I met my husband. It was so fun!  And we got to see Caleb's childhood friend, Ray, there as well.  I felt like we were at a scene from "Friday Night Lights"...small town all coming out for the Follet vs. Miami game.  :)

The next day we just hung out doing "everyday" type things all day...it was super chill and relazing.  Totally laid back.  Most of our day consisted of playing games, eating, and watching a movie. 

Sheila is a great cook!  And she is wearing an apron I made her :)

We ate some amazing meals!

Brothers wrestling :)



The next day we all did what meant most to Sheila...go to church together! It was fun seeing her there with her whole family!  Afterwards, we all got some photos taken of us together...since this was the first time we were all together, other than at one of our a weddings!



And then we went to lunch at a great restaurant in Liberal, Kansas (yes, we went throught three states to get there and it only took 45 minutes!).  The restuarant was in an old train station building and even had a gluten free menu!



Overall it was just a relaxing week.  What meant most was that we all just got to spend time with each other.  :)  What a great family...what great memories! :)

Date Night at a Country Diner

Considering Caleb is gluten free, and he seems to like my cooking over going out, we don't seem to expand our horizons when it comes to restaurants we seem to eat at.  So tonight we decided to have a date night, take the most relaxing drive through the countryside, and try a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called "Cruise In Country Diner."  It was a perfect night.

Since we were going to a country diner, we had to take his old beat-up (but somehow he loves it) pickup truck.  It just seemed fitting. Haha!  So with the windows down, we drove through the country.

Once we got there, we ordered buffalo burgers...and got Caleb's on a gluten free bun.  That was the main reason we tried this place.  I had been told it was an amazing diner and there don't seem to be any other restaurants where they have gluten free hamburger buns.  It tasted great!

The way home was so relaxing.  Our tummies were full.  It was starting to cool down.  The sun was setting.  I saw first signs of fall...the first trees with leaves changing color!  And we smelt the hay being harvested.  It made us want to take more drives in the country. 

Over all, it was a simple, but great date night!  I think next time we will try a different hole-in-the-wall restaurant...a Mexican restaurant called "Nacho Mama's."  :)

Coach Barnes

One of Caleb's goals have been to coach football.  And on a very regular basis he is told that he really needs to work with young boys, because he is such a good role model for them.  So this year he is finally putting his 10 years of football experience and studies to work!  He is an assistant coach with the Tigard Youth Football Team (a middle school team)!  And he LOVES it! 

This has been a lifestyle change for us, in that he is gone everyday for 13 hours straight (between his normal job and coaching).  But it is so great to see him come home with a smile on his face and excited about what he is doing!

I am so so so excited to go to the games, and cheer on his first team!  But inside, I will really be cheering for Coach Barnes! :)