Texas - Field Trips, Bethel Baptist Builders, and Sweet Family

Back in June we took a trip to the great state of Texas! :)  We went on a building mission trip with the Bethel Baptist Builders from Alabama to Pass Christian, MS in 2008.  We went again for just one night when they helped build a church in Betsy Layne, KY about 2 years ago.  This time we were able to go for most of the week and we were so excited!  We left out early Saturday morning on the 15th of June.  We had two sweet ladies from church to puppy sit for us. :) 

We drove straight through to Aubrey, Texas and it took us about 16-17 total hours.

Sunday after attending the church we were working on, New Hope Baptist, we decided to go exploring!

Our first stop was Southfork Ranch in Parker, TX!  Guilty confession - growing up I never really ever watched this show, but after Brian and I got married and when he worked 2nd shift I watched it almost every night for a while!  We didn't tour the house, but we drove by and visited the gift shop.

Next we headed downtown Dallas!

Had to get a picture of President G. Bush HWY sign!

We went to see where John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

This was the sign on the building where Lee Harvey Oswald was "allegedly"!

The famous Grassy Knoll.

The window on the middle right side is where Lee Harvey Oswald was supposed to have been.

We had an impromptu tour guide when we first arrived to the Grassy Knoll.  He was a nice guy and gave us a lot of information, but it was a little unsettling!  Our prayer is that we were a good witness to him!  

If you notice my feet in this picture I was ready to bolt if he decided to run with my camera!  Haha!

It was a very interesting place.

There were X's in the road where the shots where JFK's car was when the shots were fired.

The window again where Lee Harvey Oswald was located (allegedly.)  It's the 2nd from the top on the right.

Our last stop in Dallas was the George W. Bush Presidential Center.  It wasn't open, but we roamed around a little bit.

Then we went back to our hotel to get ready for a week of hard work!

The frame of the fellowship/family center building was already there and the BBB team built inside walls and flooring on the second level.

This awesome stain glass was in the foyer of the church.

Anna helping the youth with the flooring upstairs.

It rained some and made the weather actually nice.  There was a few pop up storms too.

There is a lady on the kitchen crew that makes these amazing handmade from scratch cinnamon rolls and they are SO good!

Yummy!

Holly and her sweet friend Mary Kate from Alabama.

Holly's artwork. :)

She helped Daddy with the nail gun (made me super nervous) and also helped to take scrap wood out.

Upstairs

Mary Kate and Holly handing out the afternoon snacks.

I love these next pictures!!!  A wall raising!

Isn't that neat!

The walkway from the church to the center.

My honey working hard!

Anna and her sweet buddy Morgan (MK's sister) from Alabama!

Wednesday night the youth sang a few songs!  See Anna on the front left side!

Brian and Mac, MK and Morgan's brother.

These stair step girls formed a very special friendship in Pass Christian, MS in 2008 and have remained pen pals all of these years.

2011 in Betsy Layne, KY.

Last year on our way back from Fort Walton we stopped by and stayed the night with their family.

This year's stair step pic!

Sweet friends saying their goodbyes.

We had a very blessed week and honestly this group of people is just like family to us.

On Thursday afternoon we headed south to Georgetown, TX to see these sweet boys and Gigge, Becky, Kati, Cori, Roni, David, Sandy, & Audrey.

Drake, my nephew David's little boy. :)

Sebastian, my niece Roni's little boy. :)

Miss Audrey, David's stepdaughter is on the right.  I think she would have come home with us! 

Sweet boys!

David and Drake

Papaw and Drake :)

Drake looks so much like David when he was little:

Love my nieces!  We loved seeing them and wished we could have stayed longer. :(

Cori and Kati!

Kati is a Senior this year - yikes!  We'll be heading back down that way next May!!!

Drake, Sebastian, and Audrey!

We were blessed with great traveling grace and wonderful fellowship!  Can't wait to go again!