An yet another update...

PRAISE THE LORD!!! I am finally completely 100% moved out (and moved on) of the place I have called home for the last year. This past weekend I was able to move the last of my belongings from the apartment to Megan and my house!! (**Actually this is Brian's house that he is graciously allowing us to live in... as long as we keep it clean... I don't think he has anything to worry about!**) Megan and I have pretty much made the house a home. We have cable/Internet up and running. The swamp cooler is pumping cool air as much as it can (not much) and we have every single fan up and running 24/7. It is over 100 degrees out side and inside it has to at least be 85... there isn't much we can do without AC... another thing to be thankful for. Over the last year I have become SO appreciative of running water, cold water, clean water, air conditioning in cars, and now AC in homes. :)

It has been monsoon-ing a lot lately which means more humidity in the air which means swamp coolers don't work as well. However, with the monsoons abounding at this time of year this means fabulous weather to watch. Here are a couple of pretty pictures... and please allow me to preface... these pictures do not do justice to visual seeing the storms rolling in. You look out your windows to gorgeous mountains... five minutes later they are complete covered with the fluffiest clouds you have ever seen... 10 minutes later everything is gray and it becomes very windy outside.

Here is a sunset view from my front yard.

another pretty view with the cactus (also in the front yard)

A storm beginning to come in.



On to another topic.
I live in the desert. I think everyone is aware of this fact. Desert life means lots of desert wildlife. I don't mind admiring most of these animals/reptiles from a far however I have absolutely no desire AT ALL to see any up close or touch a single one of them.
Another reminder... Brian's house sits on 2 1/2 acres which means we have a lot of desert plant life and dirt surrounding every inch of our home.

Saturday afternoon my friend Shannon and I were going to run some errands and grab lunch. We were walking from the carport to her car. This is what that looks like.

Just a bunch of gravel... nothing to exciting.
Then Shannon stops.... looks down at the gravel and notices this...

This is a baby rattle snake... can you see it.
Here is a closer view.



There is a hole right by the car port that I cover up with dirt ever evening and every morning it is there again. I figured that it was a snake hole but this proves I ain't too crazy!

God bless the desert... as long as I don't find one of the suckers in the house or by a door I think I'll be okay.

Later! :)

Vegas fun

Brian and I had a wonderful time in Las Vegas visiting with some of his wonderful college friends Pete and Nina. Nina and I did a lot of shopping and a WHOLE lot of walking! Brian and Pete gambled a little and enjoyed each others company so much. Here are some pictures... though I did not get near as many as I would have liked... alas.

The best boyfriend in the whole wide world!!

and another...

Nina and Pete doing the Chicken Dance at the Hoffbrau(?) House



And in a recent blog I was talking about the weather. These pictures do not do it justice but this is just a little look of the clouds coming in while driving...

...you can see the cloud coverage coming over my apartment (middle to top right) and the crystal clear blue sky that is being covered (middle left)

same thing here... the weather was beautiful outside my door at my apartment but you can see the dark clouds moving in from a distance over the mountains!

God bless the monsoons!

Harry

So, I finally finished the final chapter of Harry Potter yesterday evening. As soon as I finished the last page I processed for about 3 minutes and then called my parents house hoping that either mom or Veeves would answer... you can always count on Valerie to follow through with your hopes and wishes. We discussed the book for about 15 minutes and then went our separate ways.

Around 11:30 am today I called my mom to process through the book with her. I know it may sound slightly tacky to use the word "process" with a children's fiction novel... but man, there is so much detail and 7 years worth of storyline to finally see how it all comes together.
My mom and I both shed tears over parts of the book that really broke our hearts and discussed topics that we found to be quite interesting.

I recognize that many Christians have very strong opinions against these novels and I recognize where most are coming from on the basis of witchcraft and wizardry. I humbly respect your decision not to read these books. However, I find these books to be so much for than just an enjoyable fiction novel. Throughout the 7 years these books take place there is a constant battle between good vs. evil, between dark and light.

As my mom and I discussed, once you get to the end of the book, though I would never compare Harry to Jesus in any sort of literal sense, you really do recognize that this book really does have some pretty heavy take-aways from it... I do not want to say too much because I know a certain sister of mine has still not had the chance to read it.

Moral of the story... I am so glad I have been able to be a part of the growth (mentally, emotionally and physically) of these characters... who they once where to who they have become.

That is really all I have to say on this topic at the moment... I am sure I will read it again within the next month to find more things I missed out on the first time.

Blessings to you and yours... I'm off to Las Vegas for the weekend to meet up with one of Brian's college buddy's and his wife. Yeah Pete & Nina!!

Love,
Cath

An update

I am very sorry it has been a while since I have updated my blog. I enjoy getting to keep everyone up to date but the days just get a way from me every once in a while. I have spent the last two weeks house sitting for a co-worker who lives about 30 minutes away, packing up my apartment, moving into the home I will begin living in within the month, continuing to work diligently on the Kenya Come before Winter video and now trying to read some Harry Potter. Work has been quite nice over the last week since my boss has been on vacation as well as the other two guys I work a lot with. I have been able to finish up with the morning show at 9 am every morning and just bang out all of my work without any interruptions! I have loved that!

Today I took my car into get my brakes checked... nearly $400 later all is good to go. They had been squealing for a while but this weekend they began to grind so I knew I needed to get them fixed. I decided to get a tune up as well since I hadn't done that since moving to Tucson over a year ago.

With the Monsoon beginning it has been overcast on and off over the past week. One of the things that I will miss about Tucson is being able to watch the storms come in. There are no large buildings blocking your view and you can see so far out. Storms move gracefully into town; clouds maneuvering around one another until the perfect lite storm hits. Since it doesn't rain but during the monsoon there is no efficient storm drainage or run offs so when it rains... everything floods... similar to what a lot of TX has been going through lately. It is quite amazing to see washes bone dry 10.5 to 11 months out of the year, in one day, become 1 to 8 feet high. Between the rain in town and all the run off from the mountains, water just pours into town... it's slightly dangerous but cool to watch happen. I am always reminded of God's glory during this time. You can't help but look up into the heavens, watch the clouds roll in and not be thankful for the beauty the power and the awe that He provided... man it's cool! :)

However, speaking of dangerous... Tucson has implemented a newer law in town... it's call the Stupid Driver law. It now holds (stupid) drivers liable for getting stuck in washes, washed up roads, under or over passes, etc. when driving in an unsafe area during monsoon. The driver will have to be pay charges that occur if a person has to be rescued... pretty interesting.

Here is a recent picture of Brian and I. We had a dinner party with some of my co-workers from Starbucks. It was so much fun!!
And for my little Veevesy...
Here are pictures from the house that I am moving into.
Obviously, this is the front of the house.
Here is the round about...
Another round about view... we have a front large entry way.
Here a two views from the front door...
This is the back porch. We have a big back yard... it would be perfect for a BBQ or for dogs... we have neither.

This is our pool. It needs a good cleaning job but it will be wonderful to have once it is all up and running!
This is Brian's storage spot for the hobbie cat. The house is on 2 and 1/2 acres so we have more than enough room to store the boat!
Here is the car port. Two cars can fit nicely in there. The door you see to the left is the entry into the tool shed, work space, laundry room. We have a washer and dryer already!! :) The door behind my car leads into the kitchen and living area.
The kitchen is still under construction but should hopefully be done this week...
And here is the living area... used also as storage until the kitchen is complete. Then we will begin making the living area a little more livable! :)
This is my bathroom and if we get a third roommate, hers as well.

So I apparently didn't take any pictures of my bedroom... however there is nothing in it right now so it doesn't really matter. I take more pictures once the house is put together.

And last but not least... for the mom... we have bunnies all over the place. Every day when I pull up to the front door they go scattering. Brian and I were over at the house last Saturday morning trying to get some handy work done and I glanced out to the back... there were 4 bunnies playing in the back yard and three very large hawks sitting on the ledge of the pool. It was so cool!
And for your enjoyment...

Lindsey came to visit and play time in Mexico

One of my closest friends came to visit me in Tucson this past weekend! Lindsey McCrary and I had so much fun getting to spend time together catching up, driving around and playing in Mexico. We enjoyed a homemade dinner on Thursday night... God bless yummy chicken salad that we have bonded over since college, a fabulous and cooled temperatures drive up Mt. Lemmon where we walked around and enjoyed all the beautiful nature you see driving up the mountain and then walking around on all the big rocks. On Saturday morning, Lindsey, Megan (my new roommate), Shannon (my new friend) and I met Brian, Adam (his roommate), Gavin (Brian's cousin) and Kristin (Gavin's girlfriend) at Brian's house (soon to be Megan and Catherine's home!!) where we loaded up, tried to get the boat ready (we didn't and decided to leave it), and headed out for the 4 hour drive toward Puerto Penasco, Mexico.
Lindsey and I at Mt. Lemmon
Brian and Catherine at Puerto Penasco, Mexico
Catherine & Lindsey playing in the ocean
Catherine & Megan: My new roommate who just moved down to Tucson from Michigan. She is working for an International adoption agency. Her neighbor in Michigan is one of the board of directors for Family Life Communications, the company I work for. How great is God!!!
Me and Shannon falling while still looking of-so-beautiful for the camera!
That's my baby!!

We all had such a wonderful time. Who knew that just 24 short hours at the beach and playing in the ocean would be such a renewing experience. It took us 4 hours each way and through the border crossing. It was a great time for Lindsey and I to catch up while Shannon and Megan relaxed in the back. And a great time for old friends (Adam, Brian, Gavin) to meet new friends (Lindsey, Shannon, Megan, Kristin).

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I want more friends to come visit!! Moral of the story... COME VISIT ME!!

Goode Lyndsey Goode has already canceled on my because of work so I how have an availability in August! :)

Love,
C

This past weekend Veeves came for a visit to Tucson! My first visitor since my parents moved all of my things out here back in September. It was so much fun to have her around even though it was for such a short time. She flew out Friday afternoon and had to leave Sunday evening. The Lord certainly was on our side though because her flight back to Dallas was delayed by two hours which meant two unplanned extra hours just to spend time together!! What a blessing and what an honor to love all of your siblings so much!!

This bunch of pictures are all from the drive up to and on top of Mt. Lemmon. Brian, Valerie and I drove to the top enjoying a climate that began around 103 degrees and ended at about 78 degrees at the top of the mountain... not much to complain about there! We did however stop at this very popular, considering it is the only one, cafe for lunch. It took forever to get service, it wasn't that great once we got it and Valerie NEVER got her food, oh, and it was WAY over priced. So, needless to say, the "experience" isn't worth it at all and I will not be doing that (stopping at the cafe) again... just in case you were wondering... :)


ain't she cute...
Looking out toward the city from the top of Mt. LemmonValerie took this one of Brian and I from the back... good job Veeves!
Valerie helped me pick out place mats and napkins for my kitchen table. I have been wanting to add some color but just wasn't sure what I was looking for. Praise the Lord for little sisters with an opinion and Crate and Barrel sales!!!!!


The end... so Lindsey McCrary (one of my sweetest college friends) is coming into town TOMORROW!!! We're so pumped! Then we are going to Mexico on Saturday to go sailing!!

Goode-Lyndsey Goode :) is coming in August!! YEAH VISITORS !!!! I LOVE IT!

Learning to be thankful... and faithful

It is official. I have actually been living, and I say living because I have gone out of town at least one weekend a month since I moved, here for ONE FULL YEAR. My first full day in Tucson was June 12, 2006. I can not believe one year as passed. I remember so vividly walking outside the Briar Church of Christ building where all of the Goode family was catching up and reunion-ing and walking to my fully loaded car with mom, dad, aunt Jeanie and Brian. We all hugged a lot, my dad shuck Brian's hand, we got in the car and drove away. Approximately 15 hours later we were pulling into the faint city limits of Tucson, Arizona.

A lot has happened in a year. Definitely a lot of tears. A lot of what in the world am I doing. A lot of what is God doing in me. I have realized that I really need to focus on this season of my life for just that... a season in time. I have spent so much time being negative, being angry and being uncertain. In deciding to smile and look at the positives that Tucson, Brian and my jobs hold there are great things happening.

Being able to glance back I am thankful that I have a heavenly father that doesn't allow His children to be complacent. He doesn't want us to be comfortable all of the time. I look at my wonderful cousins Randy and Kelly Vaughn and all they have done in Benin, Africa over the last 10 years... it wasn't always easy and it wasn't always fun but it was what they felt they should be doing.
I look at my older sister, Lyndsey. She is the struggling artist in NYC but loving every minute of what she does though the money isn't always flowing in and the roommates she has always desired were not the oh-so-NOT-enjoyable bed bugs that decided to move on in.

God places us for a season in time to learn, to grow and to trust and love Him more. What a blessing Tucson has been. I write this knowing that I need to listen to my words even as I type them. Being in Tucson isn't at all about me. It is about finding out who I am and ultimately whose I am. If I were moving to Tucson as James and Vicki's daughter or Lyndsey, Philip and Veeves sister, I would have moved back to Farmers Branch and heck of a long time ago. If I were just Brian's girlfriend I would have decided that Dallas needs me more. But what I have decided is that I am His and He can lead me where He feels I can stretch, where I can grow and where I can learn to trust more and more in Him the rest of the days of my life.

One year... really! Wow, it's crazy!!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday mom and Aunt JJ! I wished I could be closer to both of you to give you big big hugs! I love you so much and am so thankful for you continuing to be my mom and my aunt! Mom, thanks for waiting $# years to finally have a daughter who is nice to be around!! :)
I love you guys! Happy birthday!

My "FOR REAL" trip to Dallas! :)

So, I finally was able to make it to Dallas twice without really any travel issues!! On May 19th two of Brian and my high school friends tied the knot!! It was so much fun getting to go home and see about bunch of childhood friends. My camera battery died after only two pictures so hopefully I will get more to add soon! But as of right now, these are the only pictures are got...

(Susan Harding, Catherine Goode & Mary Kha Ho... we've all been friends since we were 5 years old!!)

(Brian & I at the reception)

Then on June 2nd, Brittany & Zac got married!! Brittany was one of my sweetest friends I have made since I graduated from college! Zac, Brittany and many many more of us were all in the singles group together at Prestoncrest church of Christ. One of the things that was very important to both Zac & Brittany is that the engagement was not about the "ring". So Brittany just wore a silver band on her finger until the actual wedding ceremony. So, the picture below is us being excited about the beautiful ring Zac picked for her! Way to go man!

(Cat & Brittany)

(Zac & Brittany heading off after the wedding)

(Cat, Erin Ralph & Jill Henderson Horton... two of my fabulous Dallas friends)

(Brittany getting walked down the isle by her daddy... Mr. Northen also performed the ceremony)

I do!

(making it official)

(Kathy Hinds, Me, Katy Wallis...ummm, probably two of the coolest girls EVER!!!)

(Right before the ceremony... Me, Katy Wallis, Brittany (almost) Leslie, Tiffany Massmann Burns and Kathy Hinds)

Me & the Bride

Kathy Hinds and Catherine Goode... we've known each other since we were both in the womb... how precious!! :)

It was such a wonderful trip! Of course, I was not ready to get back to Tucson and Valerie thought I was being rude all day on Sunday though I was just trying not to cry a whole lot... however, I'll be back soon enough... but anyone can feel free to fly out and spend some time with me whenever you want!!!

LOVE!!
Cat