My life is "REEEL NAH-ICE"

Roller coaster ride! This last week has been busy yet amazing! Our prayers have been answered for many reasons, thanks to a lot of faithful family and close friends. They know what I'm talking about =) It's amazing that when it seems like nothing is working out, at the last minute, everything falls into place and you wonder why you questioned any of it to begin with!

Last week we packed up and left San Antonio on Saturday for Shreveport, Louisiana. We were excited for our new adventure, but really enjoyed San Antonio. We were soooo blessed with amazing people surrounding us for amazing support. It was especially needed these last few months and we've learned a lot about friendship. How grateful I was for these amazing people.

Since arriving here in Shreveport Saturday night, we had been so busy finding housing and getting our stuff settled that we even missed some of the big Mardi Gras things happening (yesterday was officially Mardi Gras). After the relief of finding ourselves a 2 bedroom apartment (yes, we're shrinking down as there's not much decent and reasonable housing to choose from) and getting some other things settled, Doug and I finally were able to enjoy our first night on the town and we loved it! We went to the "Louisiana Boardwalk", had dinner, caught a tiny bit of the Mardi Gras parade, then caught a movie.

I gotta be honest, though... My impression of Shreveport from Sunday (first real day here) to last night has dramatically changed. It started as "What? We have to live in the ghetto??" to "I think we're going to like it here!". It's definitely not the most upscale place by ANY means nor does it have near as much to do as San Antonio did, but we're optimistic to what we'll be experiencing. We're especially grateful that we already have some friends here. My buddy from our homeward, Mike Middents, and his wife and kids are here and have been great help in getting settled. Tomorrow we move in to our apartment and hopefully get officially settled soon!

I'm sure I'll have fun explaining more about the food, culture, and experiences here this year. I'm just hoping to not pick up this southern accent... it's everywhere! "REEEL NAH-ICE"