New addition to the Parr family...

    No no, not THAT kind of addition...yet ;)  We got home from Texas on Sunday and Monday headed back to work as normal.  The day ended up not being so normal, because on Andrew's way to work, his Blazer overheated.  It has needed tires for a while and has a small oil leak as well as a VERY embarrassing sounding catalitic converter, but we dealt with it because it was better than purchasing a new vehicle; however we've been saving for a while, just in case.  Thank goodness, because that day came the Monday after Thaksgiving.  Luckily I didn't have to go into work until noon that day so I was able to take him to work; we went that night to meet Andrew's parents so we could borrow their little truck until we found another vehicle.  We were so happy we didn't have to share a vehicle.  Andrew did a lot of research and we got some awesome help from my step-dad Terry who is a master mechanic.  This last Saturday, Andrew found a 2005 Toyota 4Runner 4X4.  We went to take a look at it and ended up taking it home with us!  We traded in the Blazer...Andrew was sad to see it go, he's had it since highschool, but it was nice to replace it with such a great vehicle!  Since I cart the dog around, grocery shop, etc. I will be driving the 4Runner and Andrew will take over my truck. I LOVE SUVs so I'm ok with the switch :)  It has tan leather interior that the future owners (lawyers) took amazing care of.  It also has a sun roof....or is it a moon roof?  Either way, I can't wait to try out this summer!
Here's a few pics of the new ride:

- Carrie

We're back!

    Well, as promised, I'm back after Thanksgiving!  We had such a great visit with everyone and as usual, it was really hard to leave.  Tonka did great in the car and only whined when he needed to go potty....we were relieved because sometimes he can get whiny in the car for no reason.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family and then a few days later, celebrated Christmas with my mom since we won't be in Texas then.  Andrew went hunting with my step-dad, Terry, so I had a girls day with Mom, Heather, and Kailey (and Kal) going to lunch and baking Christmas cookies!  Heather has started her own business, Heather Echols Photography, so she took photos for us when we were down there for us to post in our home as well as use for Christmas cards.  She is so talented and I don't say that just because she's my sister!  If you're in need of a great photographer or know someone who is you can find her on facebook or her website is http://www.heatherecholsphotography.com/ . Here are some or our favorite pictures from Heather and from the trip:

Tonka and his friend Whiskers, my mom's dog



My sweet sweet nephew, Kal



Such a happy boy

 

Andrew and I with our niece Kailey, and nephew Kal



Didn't mean for them to match but it sure makes for a cute picture!



Drawing with Kailey on her magnadoodle



Baking Christmas cookies

     Here are a couple pictures from the photoshoot with Heather in downtown Houston:

    I know there's a ton of pictures in this post, but I hope you've enjoyed them!!  Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving.

- Carrie

    WOW, has it really been over a month since I've posted last?  Andrew and I have been working like crazy lately. We've both been working a little later than usual and still keeping up with our other activities. I've also added another one to my list; I was asked to be on a planning committee for a women's event. We want to have a huge women's event at church in early February to get women connected and get them excited about getting involved in Bible studies. I'm really excited about it!
    For Halloween, Andrew and the 211Band played at the event center here in town for the final event that wrapped up the food drive the People's City Mission had.  It was a pretty good turn out, but I think next year they'll do it on a Saturday night instead of ON Halloween night when kids would rather be trick-or-treating.  It was still a lot of fun though and so much fun to see everyone dressed up.  The best part was that last year, the Mission collected 5,000 lbs. of food....this year they collected over 27,000 lbs.!! It was incredible to be a part of feeding so many people. Here are a few pictures from the night:

"John Lennon" and "Yoko Ono" in the 60's



Some of the guys



Brent and Dawn as "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Mad Hatter
Dawn MADE Brent's costume!!




Dawn and I

     Andrew and I have decided that once a month, or every couple months, we will go on a "special date".  We defined it as something a bit more out of the ordinary than just dinner or going to the mall or renting a movie at home, and something that maybe we've never done together before. This Friday night was our first one and it was so awesome!  It really was great to reconnect with each other after a few really busy weeks.  We purchased tickets to the Jeff Dunham show.  He is a comedian ventriloquist, and is absolutely hilarious.  We've seen him on tv a few times, but never live.  So Andrew made reservations at this Thai restaurant called The Blue Orchid, that neither of us had eaten at before.  It was really good, and the atmosphere was really nice and intimate.  The only downfall of the night was that it was pouring down rain, by the time we left dinner it was a mix of rain and snow...quite a mess!  We went to the show and laughed so much we cried, it was just as good as we thought it would be!  As I had predicted, when we left, it was still pouring....but it was all snow.  So yes, Friday night we got our first snow of the season.  Some stuck around through Saturday morning, but it'll all be gone soon...until next time!  Just a little 2" reminder that winter is quickly aproaching!  Here are some pictures from that night and of the snow:

    And finally, on Saturday Andrew and I got to got to the Nebraska football game against Kansas.  Andrew was asked by his boss to take one of there guys that works for them oversees who was in town for training.  He is originally from Italy, but moved to Germany to work for Li-Cor.  Gerardo had never been to an American football game, so was excited to go and had a great time.  I went with my friend Jenny, we tailgated before the game and then, even though it was quite cold, went to the game and had a wonderful time as well! We actually found out right before the game that Andrew and Gerardo were in the section right next to us and only one row in front, so it was fun to go over there at half time and meet Gerardo. Here are the pictures from the game:

Jenny and I at Brothers before the game



Bundled up at the game




We had GREAT seats!




Andrew and I at halftime



    Well, the next time I write will probably be after Thanksgiving.  Andrew is going to Iowa this weekend to play a show and I am staying behind to pack up and get things ready to drive down to Texas.  We can't wait to get there are look forward to seeing all our friends and family very soon!  Love y'all and have a great Thanksgiving!

-Carrie

Life As It Should Be

    Gosh, it feels like it's been forever since I've posted, we have been so busy!! The weekend of the 9th we celebrated my 23rd birthday with some friends, as well as participated in an awesome new middle school ministry.
    The ministry is called UnPaved. It's geared towards middle schoolers and once again, it was awesome! Andrew and the band played for the two day event and I volunteered to help with registration, concessions, and pretty much anything else! After that, we then traveled to Denver last weekend to do the same thing all over again. It was our first UnPaved event outside of Lincoln so we were pretty pumped. The devil must have known that we were at work for the Lord because he tried his best to ruin our event...from the generator going out (the band needs a lot of power the run and the church didn't have enough!), to videos not working when we showed them to the kids, to frustrated and tired workers, and large groups cancelling a day before the event; he was certainly on a destructive path. Luckily, he didn't succeed. The event was awesome and we really felt like God was at work in each one of those kids! We really look forward to seeing this ministry grow and being a part of it every step of the way.
    Here are a few pictures from my birthday and the two UnPaved events:

The group out for my birthday



One of my best friends, Annette



Practicing before the event in Denver

He's awesome

The theme for this year

Concession girls!

Speakers, band, and volunteers...what an awesome group of people!

Couldn't resist :)

    Hope you once again enjoyed the update! We can't believe that November is only a week away. October, like the rest of the year, has just flown by! On halloween Andrew and the band get to play at People's City Mission for a food drive they hold every year.We're pretty excited about it, but also excited that it'll be our last major event for the year as far as the band goes. After that we're looking forward to coming to Texas for Thanksgiving! Can't wait to see everyone! Have a wonderful week.
- Carrie

Fall has arrived!

    Ahhhh fall has made it to Nebraska and it is beautiful! With Andrew's birthday coming up on Tuesday and mine the following Saturday, we decided to celebrate with family this weekend. Today Andrew and I, along with his parents and Grandma, went to the apple orchards. It could not have been a more perfect fall day with temperatures in the 60s, no wind, and a clear blue sky. I'd never picked my own apples so I was very excited. We picked enough for me to make a couple fresh apple pies, and then some! There was also a vineyard and pumpkin patch so we took part in those festivities as well.

    We had a blast and ended up bringing home some delicious wine, lovely pumpkins for our front porch, and some yummy apples! Below are some of my favorite pictures of the day:



A pretty accurate description of our relationship lol



I found some clippers, decided we should return them to the owners,
but not before some goofing around!



My very first "fresh off the tree" apple




All the ones the guys wanted were at the top...
I was the choice individual to be hoisted up to get them. Brought
me back to my good ole cheerleading days!



There were so many pumpkins...Andrew the fun hater only let me get three
I think this one is especially cute...if pumpkins can be cute ?

    Well, I hope y'all enjoyed the pictures! It was a wonderful day and Andrew and I have decided to make this a new fall tradition!

Love y'all and happy fall!!!!
    Carrie