A Big Texas Truck, a new Business Venture, a Glamorous Evening, a Lovely Mother’s Day, and the Goodness of the Lord

The last week has been intense, in mostly a very good way! The Lord has provided for us in every way this week, and we are amazed at his work in our lives. I wish I could blog through absolutely all of it, because blogging is one of the ways that I pray and think through things in my life, but even Humble Handmaid has to keep some things to herself 🙂

One awesome piece of news is that we finally purchased a second vehicle! And not just any vehicle…a Big Texas Truck! As many of you know. Michael and I have been a one-car family since January, but we’ve had the huge blessing of a loaner car from our friend Linda for the past couple of months. 

We found this Chevy Silverado just this past week. It was exactly in our price range (within $100 of what we saved up!) and has all of the features we wanted. The truck was also immaculately kept by its previous owner, and it’s in fantastic condition. 

So that brings me to why we purchased a truck. 

Other than the fact that both Michael and I are starting to love being Texans (Michael is dying for a real Cowboy Hat and Boots now :), we needed a truck because Michael is starting his own lawn care services business as a side business for us. 

The business name is CrossCutt. The logo design is still being tweaked a good bit, but here’s a prototype: 

We’ll be focused on high quality commercial and residential services and also will have a special Christian mission of giving back to the community as much as we can in some special ways. We have already done almost all of the business formation work and are in the process of purchasing the equipment and tying up loose ends. 

We have been discerning starting this side business for a while now, and God has really been putting everything in place for us to start this. Especially since I’m going to be home full-time starting in June, and we have a new baby coming this year, the extra income will be a blessing for us. 

The best part is that Michael will get to do something he loves to do and also strike out into the business world, something he has been eager to do for a while! (And with two sets of parents who are entrepreneurs, I knew this was bound to happen at some point when I married this man!)

Enough of CrossCutt for the moment though…and on to more glamorous (but not less exciting) things! 

Check out this gorgeous dessert from the Virtuosi of Houston gala we went to last night. It was a work of art: a dark chocolate piano filled with vanilla mousse and fresh strawberries and blueberries; an apple pie tart; and a piece of printed white chocolate with Virtuosi’s logo on it. Everything tasted delicious! 

The gala was so much fun! Michael and I had a blast and met many interesting people. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go.

Virtuosi of Houston is a non-profit youth chamber orchestra made up of the top 11-18 year-old classical musicians in the Houston area. They give several concerts each season, and they play at the gorgeous Hobby Center downtown. They are incredible! I highly recommend attending a concert if you live in Houston. The ticket prices are extremely reasonable, and really what makes this orchestra so exciting is that you can hardly believe such perfect music is coming out of such young people–and such passionate young people. You can see these kids absolutely putting their hearts and souls into playing for you, and it’s so neat to watch as well as hear. One of the pieces they played last night almost had me in tears it was so beautiful. And this is coming from a girl who had never heard been to a live orchestra concert in her life. 

One of the best parts of the night was dressing up and feeling beautiful in a I-Just-Need-a-Red-Carpet kind of way. It was also a very special treat to dress up for my husband, and he was quite appreciative! 🙂 My friend Julie graciously lent me this fantastic dress of hers, since my–ahem–curvy new figure didn’t fit into my one formal gown.  Here are some pictures for proof! 

22 weeks pregnant and feeling great! 

The picture below was taken after we got home from the gala. And after my amazing husband presented me with the GORGEOUS freshwater pale pink drop pearl necklace and earrings he had bought for me (without my knowledge) in the silent auction at the gala. I had oohed and aaahed over this beautiful set when we passed it, and so he secretly went back and got them for me for Mother’s Day. That is not like Michael at all, and so I was so surprised and speechless I think I teared up 🙂 This is my first real pearl necklace and earrings. I didn’t want to take them off!