Christmas Baking

This week has been exciting. I baked with my mother-in-law yesterday and today I spent time with my little sister. we went to the mall and shopped then I came home and Brandon and I made some really cute snowman pretzels. We got all of our Christmas shopping done and now I am just excited to spend time with my husband for our first Christmas together.

Since Halloween our lives has just been getting busier. My big sister came into town with her baby and husband for thanksgiving and we spent the whole day with them. That night my sisters and I went with my grandma to the outlet malls for Black Friday shopping. We shopped from 10PM thanksgiving night and I didn't get home until 6AM the next day. I did find a lot of nice deals but I was so tired the next day. Black Friday shoppers are crazy! People were running around stores fight with others over toys and other non important things. I have to admit I was a little scared. I did manage to get enough energy to help Brandon set up the tree and decorate our apartment for Christmas. On Saturday we had Brandon's family over for and after thanksgiving get together. I made a really yummy Pumpkin Roll that surprisingly turned out great. We played the Wii for awhile and then everyone went home.

The rest of the month doesn't really get slower for us. Tonight we have the church staff christmas party and then the parade of lights tomorrow followed by more work christmas parties, youth christmas parties and family christmas parties. And somewhere in all of this Brandon is planning on doing something special for our 6 month anniversary. I can't believe it's already been 6 months! Time has gone by so fast. I can't wait for the holidays to be over. Maybe then life will slow down a bit.

Wedding Pictures

Homemade Goodness

With all of the snow today, we closed our office at noon and I decided to make homemade Chicken Noodle soup. It actually turned out really good. I also made chocolate covered apples that look like pumpkins. They are really cute and were really easy to make. We are supposed to
get close to 20 inches of snow tonight so I may have to make more goodies if we close the office again.

A Mi Me Me Me Gusta Teposcolula!

We just got back today from our trip to Oaxaca. We had a blast! The base was a ton of fun and we learned a lot about missions and unreached people groups. Here are a few facts that I found interesting:

• 1.9 billion people (27% of the world) have never heard the gospel
• $370 billion are given to a "Christian" cause (that's 2.25% of the worlds average total income)
• Out of that $370 billion, only $22 billion gets sent to foreign missions and out of that $22 billion, only 1% goes to the unreached people groups, 87% goes to the parts of the world that have already heard.
  

I found it all so interesting. I don't know why it really stuck in my mind but I have been thinking about it since I heard it.




Other than learning facts about missions we visited a village named Teposcolula for 3 nights. We had a great time getting to know the people and just fellowshipping with them. The guys and girls split up during the days to do separate tasks. The guys spent their time helping the pastor start the bathroom. They dug a 9 ft. hole that was to be filled with cement for the foundation. While the guys were doing that, the girls spent the time inviting people to the movies we were showing (Facing the Giants & Fireproof). We also went to the schools in the area and taught them health and a very little bit of english. We got to hand out the Prayer Turtles that the children's ministry made at VBS. It was really cute to see their faces when they received their turtles, and they got even more excited to see the little notes inside of them.

On Friday we had our free day in Oaxaca City. We got to go to Monte Alban. This was an Aztecan City that is supposed to be build in 200 B.C. Brandon thought it was great. it was interesting to see. That night we went into town and shopped at the market.

All in all, I feel like the trip went well and all the students seemed to enjoy their time.

We have been pretty busy this week with the mission trip coming up. We are taking a team to a base called Global Frontier Missions located in Tlaxiaco. Oaxaca is in the southern most tip of Mexico. There are about 155 different people groups and out of the 155, 30 are still considered to be "unreached" with the gospel. This makes Oaxaca the biggest concentration of people in North, Central and South America. I love visiting Mexico. Every time I go I feel at home. The people are always very hospitable. It always amazes me to see how little they have and yet they are still content. It really makes me think about how much Ido have to be thankful for and how much I have and how many times I am not content in the things I have. Even though I have been a few times, it's still a life changing experience every time.



We had a and all day training this past Saturday and we had a lot of fun. We did team builders and had a lady named Gwen come and teach our team how to make balloon animals.

Life has been going well in our home. We have been pretty busy recently getting ready for mission trip next Saturday. We have been trying not to get too stress out over little things. We are really excited for the trip. Our team has now dropped from 10 to 9. One of the girls going has the swine flu and will not be able to travel out of the country with us. The rest of the team is doing great. We have our all day training tomorrow. I am excited to see how we all come together as a team.

Other than the mission trip we have been keeping ourselves busy. Last weekend we went to a corn maze with the Purvises. We had a blast and it was really fun to play with Tre. Here are some pictures from the day.

just got blogger on my phone

So, its been a while since I last posted. Things in the Yates houshold have been busy. We are still working with the youth at REAL and in November we will be launching our new services and times. Our Jr. High ministry will now be called "REAL68". We are both super stoked for the change. We will now have a Jr. High only service with small groups. We really believe this will help to build our ministry. Brandon and I are also leading the mission trip to Oaxaca in October. This is our first trip to lead on our own and we are both a little nervous. We have helped to lead a few trips in the past but now we are the leaders. We are both also very excited. Missions has been a huge thing on both of our hearts. Our team is awesome and I can't wait to go and serve in Mexico.

Other than church, I have been busy with Ashley, Brandon's older sister. She is getting married on November 7th. This Saturday we had her Bridal Shower and it was a blast. There were so many women and children. I am so happy for her!

I guess thats it for now. I know we will probably have some exciting stories and testimonies from Mexico. Stay Tuned!

It's been a while since I have last posted. Things are going great in the Yates household. We are starting to get the hang of being married and are enjoying every moment of it. A few weeks ago we bought our first car together. We got a blue 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the best part, besides the fact that it has air conditioning, is that we paid it in cash! Brandon's Jeep was officaily paid off in July so we have no car payments which is really nice. Other than that, nothing too exciting has happened recently. Brandon had a job interview with a ministry that is looking into bringing him on part time which would be amanzing. If this job works out he is planning on quiting his job at the flooring company and working part time at this new ministry and the church. I am so excited for him to be in a place where he is doing what he loves rather than working somewhere just becuase it pays the bills. We have been very blessed!

Mr. & Mrs. Yates

Finally!!!!!! It's so great to be able to finally introduce myself as Mrs. Yates. Life has gotten back to a some what normal place. Both of our cars died so we are now using Brandon's parent's van until the 4th of July and then they need it back. His best freind John offered to let us use their extra car until we get this whole car situation figured out. Other than that minor speed bump we are loving married life. It's exciting to decorate our home together. We got a brand new grill from Brandon's parents and we bought patio furniture. Everything is slowly coming together in our home. I can't wait to see what God has for us in the future. I know whatever it is its going to be great!!!!!!!!

Bridal Shower

Today was my Bridal Shower and we had so much fun! Brandon's mom and Sister hosted it and did an amazing job. We played games, laughed, had cake and caramel apples. It couldn't have been any better. My mom asked a friend of hers to make my cake and it was gorgeous and Laney made these really cute caramel apples with tags that said "She is the apple of his eye". It was such an amazing day. Here are some pictures from today, thanks to Celeste Bernard.

1st RSVP

So today we got our first official RSVP by mail today. The response cards are addressed to my mom but she called me at work to let me know. I am so excited! Also, last night I took my dress to the lady who is going to bustle it for me. Everything is finally starting to come together and it is so nice! Hopefully we will be able to see the mock up of our cake so we can make any final changes. Only 49 more day left but I already feel this next month and a half are going to be the longest of my life.

Fun in the Sun .... sort of

Today Brandon and I took Bronx to Columbine park. We were hoping to enjoy the sun but by the time we made it there the sun had gone away and it was a little windy/rainy. Brandon was a little frustrated with Bronx. We just bought him a new "Easy Lead" that goes over his face (which Bronx hates). Bronx kept trying to run after other dogs or people and refused to listen to any of Brandon's commands. I just stayed back and laughed to myself. I thank God every day for the beginnings of our little family!

Let it snow, let it snow, let is snow....

Just when it was starting to feel like the warm weather was here to stay, it begins to snow. While I love the snow I am excited for warm weather and shorts and tank tops. It always seems to amaze me how people forget to drive in the snow. On my way to work this morning I saw 2 accidents and on the radio they were saying there are a ton more. Anyways.... Things have been going great since the last blog. The wedding is coming up soon. It feels like just a few months ago we were at Hanging Lake and Brandon was proposing. Time really does go by so fast. Not only are we getting married this year but Ashley and John are getting married as well in November. My freind Lindsay gets married in May, my cousin in August, Brandon's cousin in October and my other friend Desiree exactly one week after Brandon and me.

We met with David and Amanda last Monday and went over the order of the Ceremony. Everything is starting to become more real to me. I am really getting married! I feel a little stressed as time goes on. My mom and Ashley have been huge helps to me. Making sure I think of every little detail. I would be very lost without them.

Here are a few pictures from my nieces birthday!

So, I just got home from Florida on Sunday. It was so much fun. I have tons of pictures to post later. Now I am back, we begin the race to the wedding day. Everything seems to be moving so fast and there is never a moment to relax. It bothers me so much. I want to take in every moment and make "kodak" moments in my mind. Don't get me wrong. I love planing my wedding but it would be nice to be able to take in every moment of everyday leading up to the BIG day. I know when that day comes I will be so glad that I put so much time into every detail. I am also excited to anounce that Brandon's sister Ashley is officially engaged! Its so exciting. There are going to be so many weddings this year. Its crazy to look back and realize how much we have all grown up. We are no longer children or young adults. We are adults and soon we will be starting families of our own. That thought brings tears of joy to my eyes.

When I was in Florida, my mom took our family to Disney World. There were many moments when I had to hold back tears. Watching every child glow with joy. Their expressions were priceless as Mickey arrived to open the park. Seeing all of this made me want to start our family sooner than we had originally disscussed. Brandon does not agree with me and I understand. We both want to travel and we want to enjoy each other for a while before we beging our Yates Klan. I don't know. All the birth control makes my emotions a lot stronger than normal.

The First of Many......

This is the first of hopefully many blogs. I am new to this so bear with me. There has been so much going on lately I don't even know where to start. The wedding is coming up soon. Only 4 months from tomorrow. We still have so much to do. Who know that planning a wedding involves so much. Brandon has started working 1 day a week at the church and he is starting his licensing process. I am so proud of him! We are signing the lease on our new apartment on Feb. 26th. I am going to move in that weekend. It will be so nice to have a place that will be OURS. Well, I guess thats all for now.