watermark

First of all, WOW...I can't believe it has been a month since my last post! This month FLEW...which is awesome because I took two sections of the CPA exam and Ryan had two-a-days, so needless to say we weren't exactly thrilled about how our days were spent haha. We are both starting to see the fruits of our labor though. Ryan is doing GREAT with coaching corners and is feeling encouraged by their performance. I am so proud of the work he is doing...he amazes me...especially by starting his day at 5am and not getting to bed until after 10pm. I'm a girl who needs her sleep, so I've officially ruled out varsity football coach as a profession. That was easy. I have been encouraged by passing two of the three sections of the exam I have taken! I am still waiting on the third score, but I am so incredibly thankful for my success. God is good. His hand was absolutely in this.

Now that we got that out of the way... the actual point of this entry was to write about what an amazing influence Watermark is beginning to have in our lives. We attended a kick off for Foundation Groups on Sunday. Foundation Groups are a group of 4-6 newly married couples gathering together with a mentor couple. At the meeting they stressed the fact that their approach was offense rather than defense. Meaning that they are proactive in their ministry toward newly married couples rather than fixing problems as they arrive...how refreshing! We are so excited and can't wait to be placed in a group. I start my women's bible study on September 9th and cannot wait to dive into that. On September 12th Ryan and I will start serving on Frontlines (as greeters). We feel so blessed to be a part of such a great church home. Todd's message on Sunday was my absolute favorite sermon that we have heard during our attendance since last August. His focus was on your story not being over yet. He gave 10 practical ways to be a disciple. What a humbling and truth-revealing sermon! Here is the link to the podcast if you have a little bit of time to listen: http://www.watermarkradio.com/index.php?id=153

blessed

On a daily basis Ryan and I express both verbally and non-verbally how blessed we feel. We were absolutely blown away by everybody's generosity at our wedding. Whether it was a group of wonderful women going together to get our pots and pans or a scotty dog jelly jar, a set of dishes or a set of dish towels, bathroom towels or home decor---we feel blessed. We also feel blessed by our steady jobs, our amazing families, having working cars, being healthy. God has been good to us!

We are having so much fun using our new home accessories as well as re-arranging our new home accents! Some of our most used items are our Pyrex (both sets...they are awesome), our kitchen utensils, our pots and pans, our blender (so money!), our dishes of course, among other things. I got to use our new Kitchen Aid hand mixer the other day and died laughing because I pressed the "eject" button and the mixer went flying right into the cake pan full of cake batter...it was awesome.

Ryan and I were talking with my mom on Sunday about what we might want for Christmas (the Mentzel family starts early...it's serious business). I mentioned that I really wanted the Kitchen Aid stand mixer that we registered for, but that I also knew that I would be "needing" stuff for my new job (clothes, shoes, cute bag, you get the idea). That night my parents went to dinner with some absolutely wonderful friends and were able to reconnect with them for the first time in over 7 years!!! They were a huge part of our lives and unfortunately our families lost touch over the years. At the end of dinner they told my parents they had a gift for Ryan and I and since my parents were in Dallas they decided to go ahead and just bring it to us. To our surprise and gratitude....it was our stand mixer. We were absolutely amazed by their generosity. Our family and friends have been so supportive, loving, and encouraging as we are experiencing this incredible time in our lives.

So for that, thank you!