Rocking in the New Year

Girl Band (we rocked, kind of...)

Boy Band (they rocked more, but don't tell them that...)

We had some friends over to welcome in the New Year. The night was filled with games, Rockband, and food. Sorry for the poor pics- bad lighting for picture taking... and Patrick doesn't stand still. :) I'll post more later.

Happy 2009 Everyone!!!

Photography

One of Dennis' hobbies is photography. When we went to New York, I teased him that I escorted he and his camera on the trip- as he took over 2,000 pics in one week. Every year, he does our Christmas card. I think he has a good eye. Anyhow, these are from a day that we took the camera out after church. We were still working on the Christmas card. I bet people watching us think we are crazy.

Date Night

Dennis and I have date night every Friday night- a way to invest in our relationship. One of my favorite things to do on date night is take along the camera and take pictures of things. On this particular date night, we were working on Christmas card pics. Though none of these pics actually made the card, they are some of my favorites.

And what is date night without a little Starbucks?!?!?

Gas Wars

I have no idea how it started, but my mom and I have this silly gas war of our own- constantly seeing who finds the best price. So far, I win!!! My little brother Brandon is even getting in on the action now. haha.

It's About Time...

Tomorrow will mark exactly three years since we updated the blog. Not a stellar record, to be sure. Anyhow, it's a new year and we are looking forward to an exciting year. We thought we would re-up the blog and try to be a bit more diligent in the keeping of it.

Three years gone by... how to summarize it all...

Some of the "highlights", so to speak are:
-We hosted a foreign exchange student from Brasil for a semester. Lucas was such a blessing and we grew to love him as our own son. The pictures are of him.
-Dennis graduated with his undergraduate degree from Liberty University with a dual major in Business and Religion. He then began studying for his MDiv at SWBTS. He has since transferred back to Libery to attend their seminary, working on a more specialized Master's Degree. He is on track to graduate December 2009.
-About 2 years ago we felt God's urging to sell our house in Burleson and move to West Fort Worth. So, we put the house on the market and the house sold within a month. We were, in effect, homeless at the signing. We were graciously put up in guest housing with all of our possessions in PODS and our pets in a kennel for 2 weeks. From there, we moved to an apartment for about 7 months, awaiting the completion of our house. In March of 2007, we moved into our new home.
-In the Spring of 2007, Toni was diagnosed with PCOS - causing infertility. She underwent surgery in October of that year to correct some other physical challenges relating to the infertility. She underwent treatments until December of 2007, at which point we discontinued agressive infertility treatments.
-Dennis was ordained the weekend of Toni's surgery- and as other circumstances would have it, church service was held in our home that weekend- so he and another friend were ordained here in our house.
-As for work, Dennis is now starting his fourth year in the capacity of Assistant Director of Media Services at Southwestern Theological Seminary. This past fall, he was also an adjunct professor at Southwestern, teaching a class about Media/Technology in worship. Toni just started a new job at a new school in August of 2008. She now teaches in the Language Center at a school only 3 miles from home. (Huge blessing!!!) Last year she was a Curriculum Differentiator for Science as a part of the FWISD Curriculum Writing Initiative.
-As for ministry: it has been a topsy-turvy few years. We were at a church called Team Church which morphed into The Gathering. Sadly, that church closed in October of 2007. We continued hosting the youth (club180) until this past October when we felt God releasing us from that ministry. We have started our own non-profit ministry (e320 ministries- after Ephesians 3:20). It is our prayer that God will build a church in west Fort Worth from this ministry. We are currently praying and seeking His guidance and plan- as we started to do things our own way and came to realize what a disaster we were creating. We floundered for quite a while, looking for a church in which we could heal and also serve for several long months. We are now members at Stonewater Church in Granbury, TX - learning, growing, and serving. We are really blessed to be part of a life group that actually meets very close to home and is full of a great collection of people. As for our neighborhood ministry, we currently host a weekly Bible study in our home. We are praying about and pursuing the possible birth of a Celebrate Recovery group with a new friend. It is exciting to see how God is moving; but also difficult sometimes to remain patient and wait on his timing (since we're being honest, and all!).
-God has also blessed us with many new friendships and has brought reconciliation in old relationships as well.

Overall, these past 3 years have been marked by CHANGE and challenges- but God has been faithful to bring us through. Even in the lowest points with the infertility- He has been there loving us and growing us.

Looking forward to 2009:

This year we begin the year with great anticipation. God has really laid adoption on our hearts, particularly the adoption of children in the foster care system. We will be attending classes (30+ hours), having a home study, and (hopefully) getting licensed over the next few months. Even now, we are praying for the children (you read that right, more than one child as we are looking at sibling groups)- and praying that He will start preparing us to love them and shower them with His love. We are also praying for preparing of our hearts and minds as the children will have some unique challenges from their pasts that we will need to face as a family. With God, though, we are confident that they can experience healing and a fresh start- it will just take some time and work. Please join us in praying for this.

Purses, Purses Everywhere!!! What is that Toni did swear?

Well, Toni's souvenier of choice this trip seems to be purses! She bought one at Planet Hollywood, one at Macy's, and today she bought one at Bloomingdale's. The one she bought today is actually cool. That, however, is besides the point. How many purses does one person need?!?!?! Tomorrow is her birthday and part of the day is dedicated to shopping. We haven't been to Saks 5th Avenue yet and it is projected that she will leave there with yet another purse. She promised today that once we board the airplane to go home on Saturday she will not buy another purse for one year. Raise your hand if you think that will actually happen...
That's what I thought!

Fat American Squirrels

Well... we had another whirlwind day in NYC filled with excitement and new experiences. (That was very travel brochure of me!)

We went to the United Nations this morning. Dennis got escorted back to security because they let him bring his tripod into the UN and apparently you're not supposed to. I was sure they were watching us on big screens in some hidden room after that. ;) We learned a lot about what the UN does and why. As we were leaving there was a group of what appeared to be German students feeding a squirrel. One of them remarked that the squirrel was so fat that people ran around him to get exercise. It reminded me of one of those "Yo' mama's so fat..." jokes that we've all heard at one point or another... whether we admit it or not. ;)

As I mentioned last night, Dennis has Jewish heritage in his bloodline. Paired with that and the fact that he is studying to be a church planter so we are always trying to notice ways that people are reaching out to others, we found something called the Mitzvah Tank fascinating. As we were walking through Times Square tonight and one night a few days ago there were students from the Jewish Rabbinical College of America standing on the street passing out free menorahs and dreidels. Along with them came information explaining the history behind the items, their religious importance, and how to use them. Anyhow, they travel around from place to place in these camper things called Mitzvah Tanks. We thought it all a very unique way to educate others about their beliefs. How creative are we in sharing our beliefs with others?

Well, I need to run. Tomorrow is my birthday and Dennis is taking me to FAO Schwartz to play the big piano (as seen in the movie "Big"). I have to download some music so I can play "Happy Birthday" for myself. I think that will be easier to pull off than my favorite Kelly Clarkson song.

Above are some random pics from yesterday. Hope you enjoy. We'll have much more to share when we get home... seeing as how Dennis has already taken over 1,000 pictures.
(Unfortunately, this is not one of my famous hyperbolations... it is probably a low end estimate!)

-Toni

The Post That Shall Not Be Named

In trying to name this post, we just couldn't narrow it down to one...
"American Idol M-60 Style", "Arctic Slip-n-Slide", "The Dancing Porcupine", "How Did I Get Out of Macy's With This?!", "NUTS!!", "Street Vendor: Everything $1.00 or Less", "The Law Abiding Mugger-to-be", "Pretend You're Not Listening... Mmmm! These Beans Are Good!", "I Did It!", "I Did It, Again!", "This is Why...", "Culture Shock", "The N-Train", "Judaica World", "Monkey Ball", "Turkish Delight: The Gift That Keeps on Giving"

These mean nothing to you right now... but let's see if I can use these to highlight some of the more memorable (both humorous and solemn) experiences we have had over the past couple of days.

"American Idol M-60 Style": The M-60 is a bus that we take every day to get to the subway station. Last night, about midnight, we were riding the M-60 home and there were two girls (probably high school) that had on headsets and were "performing" for the rest of the bus. Something about "Laffy Taffy". It was funny because they were dancing (as much as you can in a bus seat) and would only sing about half a song before changing to the next one. If only Simon Cowell were there...

"Arctic Slip-n-Slide": Ice-skating in Rockefeller Center in the pouring rain... need I say more?

"The Dancing Porcupine": We went to the Brooklyn Zoo today and they have porcupines. There was one little porcupine in a cage all its own doing this strange pattern-dance thing. It would do two half spins up on its hind paws then walk in a circle and start over. It was fascinating. Dennis will be posting that to our yahoo site soon... check back here for the link later...

"How Did I Get Out of Macy's With This?": We went to Macy's tonight to check it out. Massive doesn't even start to explain it! Anywho, Dennis bought me this cute Stuffed Scooby-Doo. When we got back to the hotel, I noticed it still had that little ink spitting anti-theft thing they put on clothes. We DID pay for it and the store alarm did NOT go off when we left.

"Nuts!": Still frequenting the Nut Vendor... I'm telling you this is a must do if you ever come here!

"Street Vendor: Everything $1.00 or Less": No joke, this one street vendor (food) had huge neon posters that said "Everything $1.00 or Less"... sounds like the makings of a food vendor clearance sale. YIKES! Needless to say, we did not eat there!

"The Law-Abiding Mugger-to-be": Well, we think we almost got mugged today, but thankfully, the mugger-to-be was law abiding and stopped to wait on the crosswalk light to change, so we quickly re-routed ourselves and took off. He had been walking down the opposite side of the street and caught sight of Dennis' pocket PC, which Dennis was looking at a map on. He physically stopped and was staring at us. He then started to cross the street toward us, but luckily was unable to cross...

"Pretend You're Not Listening! Mmmm! These Beans Are Good!": So, the mugger wasn't enough excitement for us, no, no... we found a restaurant in the same general area to eat lunch at. It was a little hole-in-the-wall. We were eating and all the while these guys at the table behind us and down the counter a couple of stools were talking about and arranging drug deals and something about 12G in a backpack. Having never been in such a situation before I wasn't sure what to do. I knew a dissertation on "you're better than that" was not appropriate nor was bolting from the restaurant, so I focused on the beans and rice before me, emphasizing to Dennis how delighted I was with my meal. He had no idea I was so passionate about beans and rice...

"I Did It!": For those of you who know me, I am afraid of amusement rides of all types. But, I went with Dennis on one called the "New York Skyride" which is a simulated helicopter ride over NYC. I only closed my eyes 3 times and swore to kill him twice!!!

"I Did It, Again!": Bigger than my fear of amusement rides is my fear of heights. We are talking hyperventilation and Xanax! (no joke) Well, last night, we went up to the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building.. 86 floors up! I went outside and didn't freak out! It was positively amazing (freezing cold, but amazing all the same).

"This is Why": On a much more sober note, we visited Ground Zero yesterday morning. Dennis described an anger that rose up within him... for me it was more confusion... This is why we are fighting the war... We both really got it. I mean, my brother is in the Army and I "understood" and supported the war, but now we both UNDERSTAND. To see that gigantic pit in the ground.. the twisted metal where the buildings literally broke. We also went to the church across the street that served as a rest area for rescue workers. There was kind of like a museum with pictures of the deceased hung on the Christmas Tree as well as funeral bulletins and other memorbilia. It was like a numb horror.

"Culture Shock": Overall, this has been a very culturally eye-opening experience for both of us, probably more so for me than Dennis, but wow! Experiencing all the different cultures and ways of life in such a blatant and whirlwind manner has been amazing. I have learned a lot about what the world is really like outside my bubble of a life as well as a lot about myself and the misgivings I have.

"The N-Train": Our primary source of transportation this trip has been the subway. I have all but memorized the top part of the "N-Train" route and we have realized that when we ride any train other than the N-Train, chances are we will get lost... VERY LOST!

"Judaica World": We actually went to a store today called Judaica World. Dennis actually has Jewish Heritage in his bloodline. his family was part of the "Hidden Jews" of Spain. Anyhow, with this and the fact that it is Hannukah, we went to Judaica World. The neighborhood it is in is a Jewish neighborhood. It was interesting to experience a bit of their culture as we traveled through the neighborhood. We hope to go to the lighting of the giant Menorrah in Central Park tomorrow or Friday.

"Monkey Ball": Wicked baboon exhibit at the Brooklyn Zoo... one baboon in particular took to throwing its toy balls at the other baboons as well as at the exhibit windows.

"Turkish Delight: The Gift That Keeps on Giving": For any Narnia fans, we actually ate Turkish Delight today. It was really quite good. Dennis nicknamed it the gift that keeps on giving when I told him that the sugary part was sticking in my mouth and the sweet gooey taste lingered quite a while.

Well, I imagine you are tired of reading, and being it is 2 a.m., I am just plain tired. Peace Out! -toni


pics: 1. Ground Zero, 2. Us @ Jets vs. Patriots Game, 3. Football players @ Jets vs. Patriots Game

What onomatoepaeia best describes New York?

Tick.. tick... tick... Time's up!!! If I had to choose one onomat- opaeia (How do you spell that word anyhow?) to describe New York City it would be.... H-O-N-K!!! I have come to the conclusion that it is not rudeness on the part of New Yorkers but rather a way to pass time and ward off boredom in stand-still- traffic. Nothing like a little neighborly competition to see who can lay on their horn the hardest, now is there?

Seriously, we got in late today due to visibility issues upon arrival in New York. Finally by "some dumb luck" (the pilot's words... YIKES!) we landed at LAG about an hour later than planned. We took care of baggage and all that boring stuff. Once all was settled we decided to head out for Ground Zero and Christmas Dinner. It didn't take but about 45 seconds on the NYC bus to realize that we had no idea where we were or when to get off. I got annoyed and said let's just get off... in Harlem. We found the subway... got lost on that, too. We soon realized that we were not going to make it to Ground Zero today. Sounds like a bummer of a day... but it was kind of funny and ended up turning into a spectacular evening. We ended up at Time Square... and they have these little street vendors that vend the yummiest honey roasted nuts. They are warm and mmmmm!!! I told Dennis I would be okay with him giving me $5 a day for meals the rest of the trip. Each bag of nuts is $1 and so I could have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. We even found Christmas Dinner at Planet Hollywood of all places!

So, our first day has been a challenge where transit is concerned, but has been memorable none-the-less. Tomorrow we set out for shopping and Monday Night Football in Jersey.

-Toni

P.S. For those of you running behind on Christmas cards, don't feel bad, we just "stuffed" ours this a.m. at the airport while waiting for our flight. No time like just after the last minute! (Procrastinators unite!... when you get around to it).

New York or Bust

Merry Christmas!!!!
Well, I know it has been a long time since we've updated the blog, but here we go... I have been very busy at work. I was given a promotion that starts Jan. 1st and that has kept me really busy, thus the reason I haven't posted :(. It is now 12:48am Christmas Morning. Toni and I are packing and getting ready to leave on our trip. For those of you that don't know we are leave to New York City for a week. This is a dream vacation for us and we have been wanting to do it for a long time. So, for those of you that care...we will be updating out blog everyday while we are in NYC with pictures and descriptions of our day. So if you want to keep up with the Garcia's check back daily. Well, for now I need to finish packing!!!!! Merry Christmas to all!!! P.S. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Oh my....

I'm not sure, but this is a test I think I may have failed. Here are my results. It's okay, mama, don't cry! Thanks for the link, Bonnie!

-Toni



You are Kip Dynamite and you love technology.

Which Napoleon Dynamite character are you?
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Get some sleep, Toni!!

Isn't colored text FUN?!?

SURPRISE!!!

We had quite the unexpected surprise (okay, aren't all suprises unexpected sheerly by essence of being a surprise?) last night. I was working on school stuff about 12:30 a.m. and my cell phone rang. It was my big brother Aaron. He's in the Army, mid-tour in the Middle East, so I figured he was calling just to talk. Nope! He was stuck at DFW airport and needed a place to crash for the night, so we got to see him last night (really this morning, if you want to split hairs about it). It was a fast but good visit. He is home on Emergency Leave due to his father-in-law's health (You can be praying for them all... the father-in-law's name is Stanley). I took him for some real american breakfast (Waffle House!!!!- they now take credit cards which is completely not Waffle House, but whatever). He is now on his way to Albuquerque then to Tucson, AZ. I did not realize exactly how much I missed him until I dropped him off at the airport this morning... so I am thankful for the blessing of surprise visits. And in case he's reading this, I love you, Aaron!!! (Check out pics of Aaron and his buddies having some r & r in Egypt in our photo album... The sphynx says "Hi!")

-Toni

Lovin' It!

Dennis took me on quite the fun little date night Friday... we went to the drive-in movie. We took the dog, she totally loved it. So, exactly why did these things go out of business? They are awesome and the chili cheese dogs are delicioso...
We saw "Flight Plan" - bizarre but good- and "Made in Heaven" - even for a chick flick (which I LOVE) this was cheesier than the afore mentioned dog- the whole flying scene was a bit Ghostbuster-esque. Speaking of which, we watched Ghostbusters 1 last night... gotta love the special effects!

-Toni