We closed and moved!

We did it! We bought a house! In a crazy 3 days: Clint comes home from Sharp Top Cove with Raleigh, we drive from the airport to Kinston to close on our house, I have my last day at Chick-fil-A at Cameron Village, we pack 75 boxes and 1 biggest size Uhaul, and a Highlander to the max and we move to our new house! This was a crazy 3 days! And to add this transition and excitement we pack up and leave that next day, Sunday morning, at 5am to go to Sharp Top Cove with 12 Kinston high school friends/strangers! It was the craziest of 3 days, but the best! It is 100% evident The Lord has us here In this small town! We love our home and we are so excited to let The Lord use this home to love and care for people through these walls! Here are a few pictures of the move:

There she is! Our new home! Taking down the for sale sign and carrying me over the threshold! I know... Cheesy...had to do it! 

It was so fun when we arrived to 1103 Margaret Lane there were 15 people (neighbors, committee families, ministers, friends, children, cousins!) waiting to help us unload and unpack! I wept with overwhelming love and support that we felt! We unloaded a truck that took us 2 days to pack (THANK you Raleigh friends for loading us up!!) in 35 minutes! It was incredible, and it was in the pouring rain!!!!!

Check out those Chick-fil-A waffle fry boxes!

Reynolds...

My emotions to a T! 😁

Blue skies headed east!

More posts to come about the inside and  from Sharp Top with my new sweet friends!

Until then I leave you with my life verse for this day: 

Biggie and Betty's 60th Extravaganza

Happy 60th wedding anniversary Biggie and Betty! Wow, what a marriage to celebrate! For this special occasion we headed to Beaufort for 5 days with 34 other Wilkins to celebrate this precious couple. The week consisted of sitting, eating, laughing, and sleeping! A good time was had by all, that is for sure! I am so thankful to be a part of this family through marrying Clint. My grandparents are sweet memories that I have from my childhood, but I was never given the opportunity to have a relationship with them as an adult...so I cherish Clint's grandparents!! Biggie is always the man making jokes and making people laugh! Betty is always the sweet lady concerned  for others needs.  Biggie and Betty still went fishing on the boat everyday,truly  remarkable for a 91 and 89 year old! Here are a few pictures from the week:

Clint and I on a night time cruise up Taylor's Creek!

The whole family (minus one or two members!)

Clint and Biggie paddle boating! Yes he is 91 and paddle boating!

Austin, TX

Clint and I had the great pleasure to attend Kelly and David Hooks wedding in Austin, TX. We were in Texas from Wednesday to Sunday, we adventured around the city Thursday: wring Tex Mex and swimming in natural springs! Friday we ate more Tex Mex and had the rehearsal dinner down town Austin, Saturday was full of wedding festivities and a very fun reception! I have never sweated more in my life! A fun side note is that Kelly and David are both in the Air Force, Kelly who just became a captain and a hook so now she is: Captain Hook!

Fun adventures around town:

At the rehearsal dinner:

  

What a beautiful wedding!

The incredible reception!

Check out that attractive groomsmen!

Playing dress up in Allen's Boot store!

Hope you have a great day!

Under Contract

Rouse House Under Contract

1103 Margaret Lane

Kinston, NC

 

 

After several weeks of looking at houses and trying to decide if we should buy a house or rent a house? should we live in the county or in town? Here she is! We are so excited!  Trying to not get TOO excited, because our closing date isn't until July 31st!  But, we are under contract for this great home!  Fun fact about this house, the family that used to live here are the Rouses, too!  So, it is really a Rouse House!

 

Here we are in Austin, Texas signing and faxing our contract to Gram our real estate man! So, our joke is that we bought a house in Austin, Texas.  P.S.: We are in Austin right now for Clint's best friends wedding, David Hook!

 

Clint looked through every detail and every dotted line for the contract before signing!

 

Here is the out door patio in the back yard!

 

Here is den with a fire place!

 

A guest bed room, check out those wood floors! 

           

                                                                                

Hall way to the 3 bedrooms!

 

The front view!



The formal living room!

 

The Kitchen!

Here we are in Austin, TX! Excited to be soon to be home owners in Kinston, NC!

2 YEARS!!

May 29, 2011

Today we celebrate! Today we enjoy 2 years of marriage!  WOW! 2 whole years!  Can I say WOW again!  Where has time gone?  In all the days of my life my favorite day ever has been May 29, 2011! Clint and I were married!  What a day to celebrate!

A walk down memory lane... 2 years ago today we were in Beaufort, NC getting dressed to greet one another at the end of the aisle in the Ann Street United Methodist Church!  We celebrated with 300 of our closest family members and friends at the Duke Marine Lab on Piver's Island in Beaufort.  Here are a few pictures to help visualize our special day!

The flowers and the ties! Peonies and Lilys

The Bridesmaids! Leigh, Eva, Teresa, and Betty Brandt

All dressed!  Carter is ready and excited to throw some feathers!

The Boys!  Clint and his groomsmen and ushers!

Let the water works begin...

YIIIIPPPPEEEE!!!

Posing on the dock!

The church, rings, flowers, and cake!

The historic Beaufort bus we took from the church to the reception!  Wind Blown!

The tent!

Sweet Memories!

And we're off!  Headed to the Pecan Tree Inn downtown Beaufort!

Ephesians 5

 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—  for we are members of his body.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wifeas he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

And to celebrate these 2 years of marriage we ate a ton of food!  We decided we would go on "vacation" in Raleigh, since our days are numbered here in Raleigh before we move to "K-town."  We decided to eat at The Angus Barn!  OHH man was this delicious!  We started with cheese and crackers, then delicious salads, then texas toast, and then our meals!  Clint ordered the combo of a Filet and the Pork Ribs.  I ordered the bacon rapped Filet!  The Angus Barn is so great, for anniversaries and birthdays you get your very own pound cake!  For real... a whole cake!  Then one of Clint's old Leesville Young Life guys was working that night and he gave us an entire chocolate chess pie! Yes!!  Night made!  Thanks Anugs Barn and Jordan!

Here are a few photos of the night:

Excited to order! Fasted all day for this moment!

Check out that spread! And strange glow around Clint!

The POUND CAKE!

2 years under our belt!

Clint special ordered Peonies!! They smell like our wedding day!

My thoughtful husband!  I have been wanting the J.Crew "barber jacket" for MONTHS!  And, he gave me one!  SO sweet!

Well... there you have it!  We are just some old married people!  2 years down, infinity to go!

Fun Filled Four Days

Young Life Banquet, beaufort, Cape Look Out

What a fun 4 days! The Garner Young Life Team loaded up to head east!  And we tackled the east coast!  We spent 4 incredible days in Beaufort: resting, reading, running, tubing, skiing, paddle boarding, sitting, sun tanning, laughing, eating, pushing boats, sailing...  For real! Such a fun "family" vacation.  Maggie, Sarah, Taylor, Cameron, Becca, Clint, and I took on Beaufort!  We missed Nolan very much... for real we found times saying "WWNBD" (What would Nolan be doing?) 

Here are a few pictures of our adventures:

We went to Cape Look Out for a day, or as Sarah was saying "Cape Out Look"

We spotted some horses across Taylor's Creek

We played on our Christmas gift from Biggie and Betty!  Paddle boarding is a work out!

Classic beach trip: someone has got to get buried!  Maggie was a great sport!

Friday May 17th we had the Lenoir County and Greene County Young Life Banquet!  Wow!  What a fun night!  The Lord provided in very large ways.  It was super encouraging and undeniable that this is the town we have been called to!

 Maggie and Sarah dressed up as Wanda and Rhonda the F.L.E.M. (Female Ladies Entertaining Melodiously) SO FUNNY!  

This is the core group of Young Life committee that are working their socks off to raise money and prepare the way for Young Life to step it to the next level.  We are SO thankful for you all!  Paula, Jeanette, Susan, Jimbo, Summer, Paula, Margaret, and Ashley!  Such a blessing to be beginning our friendships with each of you and your families!

The Garner Team "Family"  So thankful for y'all and your hard work as serving in a "work crew" way at the banquet!  Becca the socializer, Cameron the slide guy, Sarah and Maggie on program, and Tay Blay playing guitar!  Love y'all!

Let's just say these past 4 days have been so incredible!  Getting to be with our sweet friends and begin new relationships in Kinston.  The most encouraging part of the weekend was when our Garner Team told Clint and I, "Wow, Kinston is the town y'all belong in!  These people are SO great!  It just looks like y'all."  So, between raising more then expected at the banquet and the kind words from our friends, Clint and I are SO pumped to be moving to this small Eastern North Carolina community!

Love y'all!

Mary