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"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. "
Zephaniah 3:17

Friday, June 26, 2009

It's Our 10 Year Anniversary and we are...

at the BEACH!!

We decided to take a family vacation and for our kiddos to see the ocean for the 1st time! So fun!


Happy anniversary to the most amazing man EVER! I praise God for the gift of you every day and I am definitely one lucky girl! I love you, sweetheart! Here's to 40 more years at least!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Thankful Thurdsay - Our Parents and Grandparents

Mike and Betty Mauritzen, Cora and Gary Werley, and Yvonne Blevins
What we put on the back of our Wedding Day program 10 years ago and it still reigns true: To our parents, we could never thank you enough for all the many things you have done for our lives. You have played a role in shaping who we are today, and for that we offer immeasurable respect and gratitude. You have taught us how to build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ and how to love unselfishly. We pray that we may one day reflect your strength and love. Thank you for your support and understanding while planning this unforgettable day.
And to each of our grandparents who have played a unique and significant role in our lives. We praise God for these special people and their legacy :


Walter and Jeanne Mauritzen - Granddaddy and Jeannemommie
My Jeannemommie passed way almost 3 years ago now and I still miss her terribly.

Virginia Geist - my Mom's mother


Andrew's Grandparents - Peggy Neufeld, Charles Whitaker, Jane Harakal, Hazel and Sam Werley


We love you all and are so thankful for you!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Some more of our Besties

Our Wedding Party

My little sister, Suzanne Renee... I am not even sure words can describe how grateful I am to the Lord for the gift of a sis like her! She is my very best friend (besides my hubby:), she is one of my biggest cheerleaders, she challenges me spiritually, she is one of my prayer warriors, she knows everything about me (and loves me anyways!) and she has always been there for me. She has the most beautiful heart of anyone I have ever met, people are drawn to her godly character, she loves to serve the Lord and has such incredible loyalty and kindness to the people in her life. She is unselfish and self-sacrificing, virtuous, a peacemaker and the Lord has used her discernment and compassion for His people in many occasions. I could go on and on about my precious sis! (And those of you who know her would agree with me! :) Suzanne, you are a true woman of God and I love and admire you so much! I can't believe that you are already 27 and about to leave for the mission field - your dream that God gave you in 7th grade!! You are completely amazing and I praise God every day for your life and the many ways you have impacted mine! Thank you for standing by me on my wedding day and all the many other days since then! You are dearly loved by your big sis!!

My Maid of Honor and Andrew's Best Man - Kevin Napier



Kevin and Andrew have been best friends since their college days and they were both each other's best men at their weddings. I actually met and knew Kevin before I ever met Andrew. Kevin was also one of the guys that introduced me to Andrew. A group of us took a trip up to DFW from Nac so that Kevin could ask his girlfriend's parents for her hand in marriage and for us to hang out with this guy named Andrew. It was that weekend when I knew I would one day be Andrew's bride. It was so crazy! I will never forget it! Kevin is an amazing guy/friend and him and Andrew are like 2 peas in a pod. Deanna, Kevin's wife and I have joked for years that they act more like a married couple sometimes. :) I praise God for Kevin's life and the ways he helped Andrew early in his walk. I know that the Lord used Kevin and that Andrew is the man he is today because of incredible people like Kevin. Thank you for always being Andrew's 'best man', Kevin! You and your family are so precious to us!

Here is Kevin with his beautiful wife Deanna. we seriously would do anything for these two people! Some of our favorite married memories involve Kevin and Deanna. When we lived in Houston, we tried to hang out often. Many hand and foot games (with the girls ALWAYS winning:), great conversations, memories at Lake Conroe and laughs. We love you, Napiers!



This is my dear friend, Kylie Lindsey Higgins. Kylie is one of the most beautiful people I know from the inside-out and I know that we were placed in each other's lives for a divine purpose! We have been best friends since high school and I can't even begin to tell all of the MANY wonderful memories I have with her from youth group/camp days to summers and swimming. Who knew that we would be the two out of our group of friends to marry guys called into the ministry?! Kylie has been such a source of encouragement to me for so many years and she and her precious family are one of the many reasons that I miss Waco so much! Our two oldest - Austin and Hudson are 3 weeks apart in age and I cherish those early days of us "going through" being mom's for the 1st time together and for our boys being so close. Both of us also had some complications with getting pregnant with our boys and I remember many sweet emails from Kylie when she and Ronny were living in Africa - her always praying and encouraging me even through her own struggles. She is just that kind of friend! Then to be prego together and moms together has been such a blast! Kylie, look where we are 10 years later! You are one of my hero's and I love you so much! Thanks for being such a wonderful friend to me for so many years! I praise the Lord for you and the many ways He has used your life to shape mine. You are precious to me, my friend!


Here is Kylie with Jonathan Stewart. Jonathan was one of youth when Andrew and I were married and every time even to this day i look at Jonathan and see a little mini Andrew. I don't know if I can say that he was one of our favs, but Andrew spent a lot of time pouring into Jonathan's heart and life. He was an incredible young man and we would love to catch up with him one day soon and see what the Lord is doing in and through his life. Thanks for being a part of our special day, Jonathan!
And that completes the gushing of the people we chose to stand beside us on our wedding day! More to come...

Monday, June 22, 2009

The Flshback Wedding fun continues!

Another fun pic at our wedding reception 10 years ago. These are some of our favorite guys on the planet!

Okay, this is where I start getting emotional when it comes to describing the deep friendships I have with my bridesmaids coming the next few days! This is Blake Self Boring and she is one of my very best friends. I actually "heard' of Blake before I met her Welcome Week in college because everyone was confusing us and calling me Blake and her Angie. (Even her boyfriend at the time did this! Haha!) The minute we met I knew that we would be BFF's for life. We had pretty much everything in common and it seemed like we lived the same life, but in different cities growing up. We did EVERYTHING together our first year of college and I have many funny stories that I won't share because Blake would KILL me if I did! We just have always had a blast together! She was just "that" friend for me and I praise God for her life and friendship over the years. We were roomies when Andrew and I were engaged and it was a no brainer for her to stand beside me as I married the man of my dreams. I got to return the favor to Blake on her wedding day a few years later. :) The Lord has brought us back together and we live about 10 minutes away from each other now! Our sons Austin and Hudson are 1 week apart in age and we get to play together all the time (and have fun girl nights, too!) I love that I have a friend here that knew me before I became a "pastor's wife." Blake, I love you girl! Thanks for all of your support and encouragement all of these years and for being one of my very best friends. You are the BEST!

This is Blake with Dave Austin. Dave was serving on staff with Andrew at Oak Grove Baptist Church and they became great buds during that time. Dave and his wife Sara were some of the only young married people we knew before our wedding and they were such awesome friends to us during that time. Dave helped Andrew with our engagement setup and him and Sara were the 1st people that we "told" we were getting married. Fun memories! :) we praise God for amazing friends like the Austin's before and during our journey together!


Christina Tripi Cox and I became great friends in college as well. I fell in love with her heart and love for others and it was another one of the easiest friendships I ever cultivated - just so natural. Christina was my roomie the semester before Andrew and I were married and she also served as my accountability/prayer partner during that time. I don't think she even knows today how much she helped me those months before our wedding. Tripi and Andrew also had a funny sibling-type relationship that was a lot of fun. Christina will always be a dear friend to me and I am so proud of the wife/mom she is today. Love you, girlie!



Here is Christina with Chris Pearson. Chris was one of Andrew's roomies and one of the most laid back and nicest guys I have ever met! Both Andrew and I aren't sure where Chris is now or what he is doing, but we are sure that with the kind of heart he has, he is doing great! Thanks for being part of our special day 10 years ago, Chris!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day to my two Favorite Dads!

Dad - Thank you for being such a wonderful father to me and teaching me so much about unconditional love, loyalty, love for Jesus, serving, trusting, kindness and patience. I realize even more now that I am a parent just how much you sacrificed for our family and I am a truly blessed daughter to have such an amazing dad! I love you!

Andrew - You exemplify and completely blow away my expectations when it comes to how serious you take being a father. Our 3 kiddos ADORE you and love you so much! Austin already wants to be just like you in every way and I love to watch him follow you around the house just wanting to be near you. We are so proud of you and all of the hard work you put into your ministry and this church the Lord has called us to. Thank you for being the same daddy you are at church at home and for having such a passion for your family to be close to the Lord. The 'A Team' is BLESSED to have you leading our family! We love you!

This is a pic of us this last week at a Rangers vs. Astros game. It was an awesome game and we had so much fun (and we had 2nd row seats on the 3rd base side!) Thanks Williams family!!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Ainsley Kendall Werley is ONE!

Happy First Birthday, Ainsley!

Okay, so I am already crying and I haven't even typed anything down yet! I am a mess! What an incredible year it has been and with our precious Ainsley in our lives! The Lord has blessed us so much more than we could have imagined! I wondered a year ago how much Ains was going to change the "dynamics" of our little family. It has been such a whirlwind the past 3 years having children back-to-back and I honestly at times had no idea how we were going to survive throwing Ainsley into the mix we called "normal". I just couldn't imagine sitting here a year ago! I was so happy, but majorly overwhelmed at the same time. Ainsley just created a new normal for us and she has brought us so much joy! Baby Ains (as Austin calls her) has a beautiful smile that Andrew likes to say "she just gives away to anyone". She has been such an easy baby with a laid back/go with the flow attitude. She ADORES her brother and sister! Some of my sweetest moments of the day are when Austin and Audrey are giving her kisses or helping their baby sis out in some way. Her sweet little personality is blossoming more every day and as I see myself reflected in her, it makes me realize how much love our Father has for us. Andrew and I have one shot as parents of these 3 amazing lives. It is a humbling thought that just makes my desire to know Him more so crucial. Our prayer: Lord, may we reflect You and lead our children into Your arms!

We have SURVIVED! And every day seems to get easier. Praise God for our beautiful little Ainsley Kendall Werley! Happy Birthday, sweetheart! We are so proud of you and we love you so much!

Friday, June 12, 2009

More Wedding Day Fun!

This is another one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day. How cute is my sweet hubby surrounded by all of my favorite girls?! It was such an amazing day! Now on to more of the wonderful people who were a part of our special day 10 years ago...


This is Cathy Hutzler. Cathy is the girl who I met when I knocked on her door to ask her if I could be her roomie after my pot luck "pick" kicked me out b/c she was a junior still living in the dorms and wanted to have a room all to herself. Good times! I will never forget that day and how the Lord literally put us together. We were so different that it worked and I praise God for Cat and the many ways He has used this sweet friend to shape who I am today. AND we had so many fun times in that dorm room! I love that we both live in the Dallas area now and that we have girl nights a couple of times a month. Love you, Cat!



This is Cat with Erik Wolfe or Wolfie as we all called him. Erik was another friend of Andrew's (and mine) in college and he is probably one of the most fun and random guys I have ever met. When I think of Erik I think of guitars, running, coffee and his Honda! So fun!


This is Dawn Dixon and our friendship began on a softball team that we played on together in 7th/8th grade. I will never forget her dad being like one of my favorite coaches of all time, how awesome of a pitcher she was and the HUGE black eye she got when she got hit by a ball during a practice. We became really close our junior and senior year of high school and I have many great memories of youth group, summer camps, late night talks, car rides, boy drama and fun summers. We also went to SFA together and there are many memories from that time as well! Dawn was the friend the Lord put into my life to help me be more bold, confident and break out of my shell a little bit. I always admired that Dawn wasn't ever afraid to approach anyone and that she was so much fun to be around. She was definitely the life of any party! :) I get emotional when I think of how we have drifted a part and how I could have been a better friend. I do know that she has been an important friend on my journey and that I praise God for her! Love you, D!


Here is Dawn with THE Adam Lamar. I don't even know where to begin with Adam! I was actually friends with Adam before I ever met Andrew and they were buds when Andrew was in college. I will never forget the night when Adam and I had a long conversation about Andrew before we even started dating and how he knew we were going to be together forever. He was right! ;) Adam is an amazingly talented musician and also so much fun to be around!


This is my sweet friend Lindsay Turner and I still hate to this day that she ended up not being one of my bridesmaids! She was prego with her 1st (of 4!) kiddos, Will and I think in the end she was worried about the dress fitting and such. She was there that day and I definitely consider her as one of my special girlies on our wedding day. Lindsay and I have been bff's since jr. high and I can't even tell you how many times we spent the night at each others houses or how many hours we have talked on the phone in our lives! She is a precious friend and I love that I can pick up the phone at any time and we can catch up in a matter of minutes with our crazy lives as mommies. Andrew actually performed Lindsay and LT's (her hubby) wedding a month before we were married and it was Andrew's very first wedding to do! So happy 10 years to LT and Lindsay!! Love you and praise God for you, my friend!
More gushing and fun wedding pics to come...



Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Celebrating 10 Years

I know that this may seem kind of an odd thing to do, but it is something that I have been wanting to do for a while and because I have my very own blog I can do this - celebrate our wedding day and the people who were a part of it all month long! :) I still can't believe that we have been married for 10 years at the end of the month! It has been quite an amazing journey full of ups and downs. I praise God every day for the incredible man He created for me and there is absolutely NO ONE else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. There will be more gushing over the hubby in the blogs to come. :) Today I want to start celebrating the guys and girls we asked to stand by us 10 years ago on the day we were married. I think like everyone, we have stayed closer friends with some of our wedding party more than others over the years, but ALL of these people mean so much to us even today and we would be there for them in a second if they ever needed us. So, here we go with the fun flashback pics! Bear with me this month as I reminisce! You know you love it! Ha ha!

This is me with all of my bridesmaids like seconds before I walked down the isle. It is one of my favorite pics from our wedding day. Every time I look at this picture it takes me back to the emotions and excitement the day itself holds for me. I had just finished writing a letter to Andrew that I would give him on our honeymoon and then the girls huddled around and prayed for us, the day and our journey together. Priceless moments with some of my favorite people in the world!
This is Whitney Halbert Parlin. She was one of my buddies at SFA. She was that girl the Lord put into my life to make me laugh and I have lots of fun memories of dorm rooms and BSM functions with her. She is now married and her and Brad have a son and another little one on the way! She also is an assistant principal at a school and I know she does an amazing job at that! Love you, girl!

Whitney walking with Tim Kirkley. Tim was one of Andrew's buds in college and they were in each other's weddings just a couple months a part from each other. So, happy 10 years to Tim and Kara as well!


This is Jennifer Davis Dove and she was such a great friend to both Andrew and I. Her and Andrew have many fun memories of college days and I fell in love with Jennifer and her heart the minute I met her. We all lived/worked in Houston together a couple of years after we were married and it was great to do ministry briefly with her at Second Baptist. Now she is married and due to have her first kiddo this summer! Praying for you, Jen and I know you are going to be a fabulous mom!


Here is Jennifer and my sweet bro Cory. I love that in this pic Cory was about to start his senior year of high school and now he will be getting married himself to a great girl this summer! Look where 10 years has gotten you Cory! Andrew and I are so proud of Cory and can't wait for him to experience the many blessings marriage brings!
More fun pics to come...



Thursday, June 4, 2009

Thankful Thursday - Fun Daze in the Sun!

I don't know about you, but when the weather starts turning warmer our family gets excited because we love to spend time outside. We LOVE the summer months! There is just something about it - swimming, barbecuing, beautiful sunsets, cool mornings and evenings, bike riding, tons of outside time, swinging, parks, picnics and the laid back atmosphere of it all. It is definitely one of our favorite times of the year! Here are some first swim of the summer pics. Enjoy!
I love this man...


Jumping time! Over and over again... they love to wear their Daddy out!


This was Ainsley's first time to really be in the pool. She had so much fun playing in the water!



This is pretty much what we are doing every evening after dinner. Austin lives for our bike-riding time. And look how adorable Audrey is on her Dora power wheel!


3rd kiddo to float around in this crab floaty. We have definitely gotten our money's worth out of it!



Spinning with Daddy.




Love that precious face!


And this one too!!! :)


Monday, June 1, 2009

Look what we got in the mail!


Here is our baby girl's 1st Birthday invite! I mean seriously, isn't Ainsley such a doll?!




And here is my brother's Save the Date Wedding card. So fun! I still can't believe that he is getting married this summer and to such a WONDERFUL girl!