Nine Years Ago ...

my family and I moved from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin to Canyon, Texas. It was the summer before my senior year in high school, and needless to say, the hardest move of my life. When my parents told me that they were feeling called to Canyon, they talked with me about the possibility of me staying in Wisconsin while they moved to Texas. I could have stayed and enjoyed my senior year with all of my best friends, but I would have given up my last year with my family before college. It was a hard decision - I loved Wisconsin! I thrived there and I had no clue during my junior year that it would be my last year at Tosa East. After a lot of praying, thinking and crying, I told my parents that I felt like God was asking me to go with them. I knew it was going to be hard, but I knew that it was what I was supposed to do.

Fast forward nine years - as I stood in the sanctuary of FBC Canyon this Sunday hearing my dad preach his last sermon as pastor there, these memories came flooding back. I reflected on the last nine years in the my life and you know what? God is so good! I'm not going to lie and tell you that the year that I lived in Canyon was easy - because it wasn't! It was definitely the hardest year of my life. But God used it in so many ways to change my life! During that year, I learned to rely on God, I found a best friend in my sister Lorin, I played dominoes with sweet older couples, I grew closer to my parents and little sisters, I enrolled as a student at Howard Payne University (which forever changed my life), I learned about sacrifice and love and grace and strength. So much of who I am today has been shaped by this time in my life.

It was a bittersweet morning, saying goodbye to the church members who have meant so much to my family. Canyon has been my family's home for the past nine years, and it was sad to say goodbye. I know that God used our time in Canyon to change each of our lives. I can see how He has allowed each of us to be challenged and grow into who He wanted us to be. I can say with confidence that as the Lowries leave Canyon, we are all leaving as better people.

At the same time, I look with anticipation toward what God has in store for my parents and sisters in the future in El Paso. God is mighty and faithful and a great provider. I know He is going to do some great things!

Easter Tales

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you were blessed this weekend remembering the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us! During Dad's sermon yesterday he reminded us that Easter isn't just about the Resurrection - which is amazing - but it is also about the death that Jesus endured for us. His love is so much greater than I can comprehend and I know that I take it for granted too often.

I just got home from a great weekend with my family in Canyon! I had Friday AND Monday off, so it made for an extra special 4 day trip at home. On Friday, I got to go over to my friends Cliff and Jess Cary's house to meet their precious new baby boy Camden Scott. He is so adorable and I loved getting to meet him! Jess is one of my best friends from college and I am so thankful for her in my life! I can't believe she's a mommy now! Little Camden is blessed with some awesome parents!!!

I also had some great sister bonding time with Jamie and Madie. Lorin and Phil couldn't make it up for Easter, and we missed them a lot! It is hard growing up and realizing that our whole family togetherness time is going to be fewer and farther between. But, we did get to skype with them, so that was fun! I have such a precious family and I am so thankful for them!

While at home I did the usual good stuff - saw a movie, went shopping, hung out with my parents at Barnes & Noble. I also got to spend some time with my friend Cristal (aka Lorin's best friend), which was great!

On Sunday we had our annual Easter lunch with my mom's students. There were 15 internationals that joined us for a feast and it was a lot of fun! I got to talk with one of Mom's students about Taiwan because that's where he is from and that was really great! He was impressed with all that I did while I was there! It is always neat to have Mom's students join us for special holidays. I know it's going to be a crazy week, so I'm really glad I had this nice restful weekend to get re-energized!

Party all the time

Over the past week we have been quite the party animals. In addition to celebrating Christmas and New Years, we also celebrated Lorin's 23rd birthday, Jamie's 19th birthday and Madie's 16th birthday. Jamie and Madie's birthday's actually aren't for a few more weeks, but we wanted to celebrate while we were all together, so we did. Lots of cake was eaten, presents were opened and fun was had.

Lorin's Bday Lunch at Johnny Carinos

Cristal and Lor on her birthdayMadie and Jamie's birthday party

White Christmas

I didn't have to dream about a white Christmas, because we had one this year! It was so beautiful and made me miss Wisconsin! I had such a wonderful Christmas celebrating with my family and am thankful for the long vacation from work - I don't have to go back until Sunday! Here are some pictures from the last week so you can see all the fun that has been had by the Lowrie family.

SNOW! We actually played football in the snow on Christmas Day, it was so much fun!

Me and Jamie, I didn't realize the camera was on zoom, but it's still fun!

Sisters at the Christmas Eve service
The Newlyweds by the roaring fireMom and her new Emeril saucepan, she was WAY excited!

On Christmas day we went to my grandparent's house in Lubbock. There are so many of us that my cousin Rachel had to sleep in the bathtub, haha. Our newest addition to the Lowrie family, Ben Brooks (he's my cousin Sarah's baby boy and he is adorable, as you can see!)
Sisters and our grandmother - she has been researching our family history and gave us cookbooks with old family recipes. We have a very rich heritage!

Perfect Day

It's official - my dad is over the hill! Yesterday he turned 50 years old and so to celebrate, my family and I planned his "perfect day." The whole day involved all of us getting together to do his favorite things.

1. Run with the fam - Dad loves to run, so we all joined him for his "cool down" around the block. We were quite the site!

2. Golf - Mom gave Dad a year membership at the Canyon Country Club, so we all went and played a scramble round together.

The Jean Team

The Girls in Black (and Mom)

3. Steak and Potatoes - for dinner we made a delicious dinner including red velvet cake!

4. Presents - We gave Dad a new leather briefcase for all his traveling. He liked it! :)

5. Movie - we ended the day with Dad's choice of a movie. He picked Top Gun, which I think was a good choice! All in all it was a wonderful day! I am so thankful for my daddy and I hope he is blessed with another 50 years!

All grown up

A couple of weekends ago, Jamie and I went home to Canyon to see little Madie in her high school musical The Music Man. While we were watching her, Jamie and I both looked at each other and realized that our baby sister was all grown up! She looked so beautiful and was a wonderful dancer and chorus girl! Here's a few pics from her standing ovation producing performance!