Category / Mr. Right

by Bethe

I’m a Mrs.

I’m sitting in my hotel room, listening to the sound of the waves crash below my window and waiting for a fierce storm to blow through. The wind is howling outside, and yet inside it’s peaceful. As I sit here in bed, sipping my coffee, waiting for my husband to come back from the gym so we can go to breakfast, I am thankful. Thankful that the wedding went off without a hitch. Thankful that I married my best friend. And thankful that this week, the biggest decision I have to make is what I want to eat for dinner.

Aren’t honeymoons wonderful?

by Bethe

2010 Year in Review

This is my fourth year to do a year-in-review. It’s fun to look back on how my life has changed over these past few years, and I think 2010 may have been one filled with the most changes, and the MOSTS fun. For past years, feel free to check out 2007, 2008, and 2009.

Where did you begin 2010?
I went to a church party, but left a little before midnight, so I rang in the new year on the telephone with my sister. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were both filled with dozens of media calls, and on January 2 I had a story on the front page of the paper (the best New Year’s gift a PR gal can have).
New Year’s Eve
What random cool things happened in 2010?
I went on a first date with a certain Mr. Right who ended up being the man of my dreams… six months later he asked me to marry him, and VERY soon we’ll officially be husband and wife! Other than that rather cool thing, I also went on a mission trip to Colombia, a beach trip to Florida, cooked a ton, hosted 30 people at my house for Easter, attended my first World Series game, watched my sister marry her best friend, bought a car, had my picture made with the governor, I got a new office with a window, and went on some amazing dates. Oh, and my house got hit by a tornado.
Books read in 2010?
Beth Moore’s So Long Insecurity
Son of Hamas (one of my favorites of the year)
Laura Bush’s autobiography: Spoken from the Heart (this is what I’m reading now, only half-way finished)
Orange is the New Black (such a fun book!)
Forgiveness: Breaking the Power of the Past (maybe the best study I’ve ever taught… life changing)
The Magician’s Nephew (a Narnia book)
The Horse and his Boy (a Narnia book)
Do anything embarrassing?
Right before Mr. Right asked me out, but when I knew he was kind of digging me, I had a very flirty conversation with him after church one night. I was feeling really good about myself… probably too good. As I was walking away, still looking at him as I said goodbye, I walked STRAIGHT into the visitor welcome desk. HARD.

What scripture did you study? (this is for me… fun to keep a record)
I did pretty deep studies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, John, and all of Paul’s letters in the New Testament. I did an amazing study during Christmas on the Advent with Mr. Right (we’re going to make this a new family tradition) and taught Sunday School classes on forgiveness, prayer, and fasting. I had never studied much on fasting, let alone practiced it, and this year I loved learning about this often missed spiritual discipline. Even better, we had some much older and wiser people come speak and give us tips – it was so interesting to learn from them.

Did you know anybody who got married?
2010 was the year of the wedding. My other sister got married (Sarah & Philip), Sara & Dave, Amanda & Kevin, Amanda & James, my boss’ daughter, and two of Mr. Right’s closest friends. I was a bridesmaid twice and ALMOST a bride (I’ll make the 2011 list).
(With my sister @ her wedding)

Did you move anywhere?
Celebrating four years in my house this January. And getting a new roommate!

What sporting events did you attend?
I went to the last game of the Rangers World Series (we lost), and also to a Division Series playoff game against the Yankees. I went to Opening Day of the Rangers and saw a handful of their games through the summer. I also attended my favorite marathon, where I single-handedly handed out about 8,000 finisher shirts. Woah nelly, that was a crazy exhausting but very fun day.

(at the World Series)

Describe your birthday:

Mr. Right threw me a lovely birthday party at our favorite coffee shop (site of our first “sort of” date) and our two families and some friends came by for cake made by our wedding cake designer (my favorite). Since it was my 30th we did a lot of celebrating – I also went to dinner with some girlfriends, and my family and his family both had family dinners.

(at my 30th birthday)

What’s something you learned about yourself?
I learned that God really did have plans for me that were better than my own. I learned a lot about what it takes to love someone else in the way they want to be loved, and I got lot’s of great advice from married couples young and old about how to make a good marriage. Hopefully I can put those things into practice!
I also traveled to my first third-world country and learned so much about myself, my desire to serve the Lord, and my willingness to follow Him wherever He leads me. I learned a lot about people – we’re all the same, whether we live in the interior of Colombia or in the suburbs of DFW. It’s one of my favorite parts of traveling – realizing just how similar we all really are.

(in one of the barrios in Cartagena, Colombia)

Were you in school this year?

NO! For the first time since 2006… no school for me!

(NEW!) Where did you travel this year?
I got to add South America to my ever-growing list of places I’ve conquered. We took a week-long mission trip to Colombia, where I discovered that I love the people there and LOVE the food.

I also went to Destin, Florida with my family for a week, I went to “The Lake” with Mr. Right (aka – his family reunion), drove to Oklahoma for a wedding shower, took two trips to Midland, and squeezed in a quick road trip to Abilene.

Destin, Florida

Any new additions to your family?
I got another new brother-in-law (Philip), plus an enormous family through Mr. Right. I am so blessed to be marrying into a solid, laid-back Christian family who has been absolutely welcoming. All my life I hoped I’d marry into a big family, and last year when I attended their family reunion with 100+ people (complete with an old-fashioned baptist hymn sing-along), I knew my prayers had been answered!

Favorite night out?
There were several. Our first date at my favorite Italian restaurant (Taverna) and then a walk through downtown and our favorite bookstore. Or the night we had a private tour of the Amon Carter Museum and then a walk through the museum grounds and a nightcap on the patio at Starbucks. Or maybe it was the night he took me to Babe’s for old-fashioned comfort food after a particularly stressful day, and then we walked out onto the dock overlooking the lake, dipped our feet in the water and watched the stars… for hours. Or maybe it was a simple evening of hanging out next to the glow of our Christmas tree listening to the crackle of a warm fire. There were MANY favorite nights this year.

What do you want to change in 2011?

I think I’m going to get married. Maybe gain a new roommate–seems like a good idea. I also look forward to finding a new way to serve in our new ministry. There’s lot’s of new folks I don’t know very well, and that has to be remedied quickly. It’s time to start hosting dinner parties again.

Where did you spend most of your time?
I spent a lot of time home in my kitchen, cooking dozens and dozens of dinners with Mr. Right. It’s kind of “our thing” and probably why he and I have had to hit the gym a bit harder lately. Worth it though.

Do you have a new year’s resolution?
Get married.
Memorize 2 verses per month.
Read through the Bible chronologically.

What was your favorite purchase?
I didn’t purchase any of these things, but my new favorite things are (1) my engagement ring, (2) my new chaise lounge, (3) my Nook.

Did you get sick this year?
I was very healthy this year – what a blessing.

Start a new hobby?
No, but I picked my quilting and knitting back up. It seems to go in spurts, but I think this year I’ll have more time than ever before to work on projects, since Mr. Right is in grad school and will have lot’s of homework to keep him occupied. I also sorely neglected my writing (and this blog), but hope to remedy that in 2011.
My latest quilt, made from scraps of material samples from Ethan Allen

What are you hoping and planning for in 2011?

I plan to learn how to be a good wife to Mr. Right. I plan to learn how to serve in a new ministry–this includes figuring out how to be a good minister’s wife (not the cookie-cutter stereotypical minister’s wife, but one who can help my man love on our people and reach out to folks who desperately need to know Christ’s love), but it also involves me finding my own “place” in a new ministry and different areas of the church than I’ve been for the past seven years. I plan to read through the Bible in a year, this time chronologically (I have been going in book order before). And I plan to log a lot of time on my knees asking God where he wants us… whether it’s here or in some far off land. Either way, I pray that we can both be faithful to the Lord and his calling for us in 2011, whatever that looks like.
by Bethe

The Latest

Here’s the latest:

Two years ago I saved up for a new dining room table, and right before I was set to buy it, one of my best girlfriends asked me to go with her on a 3-week Mediterranean cruise. Plans for that dining room table were quickly abandoned in favor of one of the best adventures of my life. Fast forward two years, and I’m now inheriting a gorgeous, hand-made dining room table that belongs to Mr. Wright. I promise I’m not marrying him for the table, but it was certainly a nice perk. Last night Mr. Wright moved his beloved dining room table into my our dining room. Now all I want to do is throw a dinner party. It may kill me. (ignore the mess on the table… those are wedding invitations that are going in the mail next week.)
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My tornado-riddled fence has been repaired. Praise Jesus!
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I have a new obsession: Cuppies & Joe cupcakes. Someone served them at our first wedding shower, and now it takes every ounce of restraint I have left in my body not to hop in the car and drive 3.5 hours to Oklahoma City just to get their carrot cupcake with cream cheese icing. I should add that I don’t like carrot cake OR cream cheese icing, but these cupcakes are change-your-life good. Oh. My. Goodness.
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I turn (cough cough) 30 in about a week. I’ll admit that I’ve been dreading this birthday since I turned 26, and I’m not overly thrilled to be entering a new decade. But I’m working on getting my mind right and I’m determined to rock any age. But it still sounds so much older than I feel.
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We took our engagement pictures this week with McGowan Images. These photographers are amazing–some of their photos are going to be published in People magazine! They shot 750 pictures of us in less than two hours, so I figure they’ll have at least a handful where my eyes are open and I’m not acting like a total dork. Here’s a sneak preview of one of our pics (the rest are posted on their blog on Tuesday). It helps that Mr. Wright is total arm candy. (sigh)
by Bethe

Tornado

My house got hit by a tornado today. No, that’s not a euphemism for how messy my house looks after a crazy wedding week. My house actually got hit by a TORNADO. No kidding!

Thankfully it was just a small tornado, but some old ladies in the neighborhood really saw it skip throughout our neighborhood, and one of the places it touched down was in my backyard. My house is fine, but my fence died a quick and dramatic death. I heard a neighbor’s trampoline ended up on someone else’s fence, and a few others lost their chimneys. My neighbor’s tree snapped in half and two others suffered fence damage, but my yard seems to have fared the worst.
This tornado hit the day after my sister’s wedding, so I hadn’t slept in a week. It was the most amazing wedding in the history of weddings, but as with any big event, exhaustion plus emotion plus constant activity for days in a row makes for a delicate emotional state. So you can probably imagine my reaction when my house got hit by a tornado. Let’s just say that it was terribly scary for two minutes, and after the wind died down and I saw the damage, I did the only thing I knew to do.
I called Mr. Right. And started crying.
And he did the sweetest thing ever. He dropped everything and drove across town to take care of me. Even though I told him not to, even though I told him I was fine and there wasn’t anything he could do to fix the damage, he still came. He brought me lunch, rubbed my shoulders, and then left me to a much-needed nap while he did other things around my house.
Now the rain has stopped. The house is quiet. He’s in his study, working on homework and I’m sipping on a big cup of comfort coffee and enjoying the stillness of the early evening. I’m thanking God that he spared my house, kept me safe, and gave me a man who is so wonderfully fantastic. I am blessed.
And I am going to bed early.
by Bethe

October 1996

My beloved Texas Rangers are back in the playoffs after more than a decade of disappointment, and not only are we playing, but we are winning. That hasn’t happened since October 1, 1996. I remember because I was glued to my television when they took their first game against the Yankees in New York. I remember because a few days later I got to witness the first ever Rangers playoff game in Arlington… at home… in our stadium. It was one of the most electrifying games I’ve ever been to, and I’ll never forget sitting 20 rows behind home plate, cheering on Pudge and the rest of my boys as they fought a hard fight… and lost.

But October 1996 holds a special place in my heart for another reason. Because two weeks after that playoff game, I got to go on my first ever date. With a boy.
I was a month shy of turning 16, the magical dating age my parents had set years ago. I was like Cinderella, dreaming of the world outside as I was locked away in a far-off attic, unable to go to the ball. Okay… so maybe I wasn’t locked in an attic… actually I was quite busy cheering on the JV squad, competing on the debate team (I know… debate kids don’t usually get a lot of dates…) and hanging out with friends. But I was forbidden from going anywhere with a boy. Alone.
Despite these hard and fast rules, somehow I was able to convince my parents to bend their rules ever so slightly so that I could go to Homecoming with the heart throb from my church. I had a crush on Dustin since we met back in the elementary school. He had one of those super cute bowl cuts, and his sandy blonde hair made me melt even as a 10-year-old. Fast forward to 1996, and I somehow managed to score a homecoming date with this mysterious boy who happened to go to another school. I was in love.
Okay, so it wasn’t exactly love. It was more like giddy with 15-almost-16-year-old school girl excitement. I picked out a hot new outfit (brown cigarette pants with tapered legs, clogs, and a mock turtleneck… such high fashion), ordered him a garter with all my saved up babysitting money, and curled my bangs so that my amazing beauty would completely overwhelm this poor boy when he saw me and he would immediately drop to a knee and propose, right there in my doorway.
It didn’t exactly happen like I had imagined it. My overwhelming beauty was more like awkward teenage gawkiness, and he ended up buying me a rather ugly mum that I was almost too embarrassed to wear. Since we were 15, my parents had to drive us. I remember finding the whole evening to be horribly unromantic, and it didn’t nearly live up to the unrealistic expectations I had created in my head. That poor boy never had a chance.
But 14 years later, as the Rangers win their next playoff game, I find myself in a slightly better situation. I’m now with a boy who makes me giddy with 15-almost-16-year-old school girl excitement, even though I’m 29. I’ve dropped the bangs, replaced babysitting money with a full time job (and a car), and I learned that cigarette pants and clogs are a huge fashion no-no. If only my 15-almost-16-year-old self had only known that someday those dates WOULD live up to my expectations. That someday I would find a boy who would make me melt… again and again and again.
Go Rangers.