It's already May!?

I cannot believe that it is May tomorrow!! Where has this year gone!? One one side, I'm extremely glad that it is going by so quickly because that means the quicker that we are done with seminar and have a dual income home again! :) But on another side, I'm sad it is going by soooo quickly!! Am I savoring every experience (whether good or bad) here at seminary? Am I not taking for granted every amazing moment I have with my wonderful husband? Am I living for today and not for tomorrow or the next week? Am I getting too old?.... Ha!

Tony has finals and all next week - Pray for him! And for me as I am bored and lonely while he studies ;) But he doesn't get a break yet! He starts his next class that very next week! I'll let him tell you all about his classes this summer, when he is done studying! ;)

However, that same week he begins his first summer class... my momma is here!!! That is right! My momma will be here one week from tomorrow!!!! EEP! (Can you tell I'm excited!?) Her and her boyfriend will be flying in next Saturday and staying for the WHOLE WEEK!! That means I get to spend Mother's Day with my momma!!! :D I'm soo ready for her to be here it is ridiculous! I will give you next weeks events and pics after next week!

Until then.... Love ya and praying for ya!!!

Diamend

Are you Exhausted?

Today's devotional really hit home with me today! Tony and I have been going and going and not seeing much of each other and are just.... TIRED. Are you? Do you ever just feel empty have nothing left to run on? I pray that this devotional speaks to you as much as it did me:

"Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" Matthew 11:30

I had just arrived at my favorite coffee shop. As I opened the door, the smell of freshly brewed java greeted me and filled my creative mind with possibilities. I was eager to get to work and excited that my warm coffee-friend would come along with me for the ride. As I grabbed a cup from the counter and paid, I asked the barista how she was doing.

"I'm exhausted!" She lamented with a sigh.

I knew exactly how she felt. I feel that way a lot! I am famous for trying to put ten pounds of living into a five-pound sack. She was tired. Stressed. Drained. Over-committed. Under-rested. Exhausted. Yep! I totally know that feeling.

Have you been there? Ha! Of course, you have! It is so easy for us to rush into our days and get busy with life stuff, attempting to accomplish mountains of tasks and deal with emotional situations in our own strength. We are constantly pulled in a million directions. Trying to juggle the slow, steady drain of complicated relationships, crazy schedules, and weighty challenges.

The truth is our exhaustion problems cannot be solved without God. I find it comforting to realize that we are not the first people to struggle with feelings like this. All throughout Scripture people got worn-out and lamented about their tired souls. David wrote countless Psalms about being weary, and Elijah was so exhausted at one point that he sank into a deep depression and lost his God-courage. Jesus spoke to a crowd of people in Galilee one day about the only sure-fire solution to our exhaustion problem.

He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

The MESSAGE version of those same verses reads this way, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I will show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I will not lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep Company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:28-30).

When you keep company with Jesus, you will learn to live freely and lightly. Does that sound appealing to you? If so, then it is time to respond to His invitation. Whether you have thirty seconds or thirty minutes, pause now to turn to Him. Grab your prayer journal if you have one. Center your heart on His splendor and approach Him with reverence. While you are in His presence, empty your exhaustion out before Him. Tell Him the concerns on your heart and take a soul rest.

That day in the coffee shop, as I filled my cup I gave my exhausted, coffee-serving friend a smile and a knowing look. Then I spoke a word of hope to her heart and encouraged her to refuel in the secret place, the presence of God. She smiled back and thanked me for the reminder. She loves the Lord, but - like all of us - she sometimes forgets that soul rest is available.

Keep company with Him today. All day. When you do, you will experience His strength for each moment and His hope in each challenge. Live freely and lightly in Jesus.

Heavenly Father, You are mighty to save and all I need. Thank You for reminding me that I can always come to You and trade in my exhaustion for Your rejuvenation. I come to You today and ask that You would restore rest to my soul. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Funtivities!

The Monday after Easter happened to be opening day for the Rangers!! Our dear friends, the Tollers, got us some awesome (all you can eat) tickets for a great price - so it was the perfect day for a half day to eat and relax at the ballpark!! We even won!!

We had such a great time!!!

After a great weekend and a great Monday (that is a rare-ity) we had to get back to the real world! Tony was the Chair person for the Exhibit Hall for Southwestern Seminary's Youth Ministry Lab from Thursday to Saturday this last week. He had a lot of responsiblities and a huge work load - on top of his homework. He did a great job! I had strangers coming to me all weekend telling me how great a job he was doing and praising him! I, of course, had to agree he is almost perfect ;)

BUT - we had one little incident with Tony's poor car and Thursday. So sadly, he had to ride his

bike ALOT this weekend, after being very tired and we are in a little financial crunch now dealing with it :( but, God is good and He will provide.....

We can always use a little humor.... ;)

Blessings,

Diamend

Easter Celebrations!

Sorry this is a little late, it has been very busy for Tony and I!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend! We both had Good Friday off, so we decided to get out of our little apartment and spend the day with each other (which was so nice, since it seems we never see each other enough!) We went to IKEA and day dreamed of one day owning a house and window shopped at the Grapvine Mills Mall... it was just a relaxing day together! Sunday for Easter we had friends over for a little Easter dinner party for everyone who didn't have family in the area. It was so nice to fellowship with friends and enjoy the day!

Here are some pics of the day:

My Easter Bunny Cake that I mentioned earlier:

From our living room window, we watched the little ones Easter egg hunt in the courtyard :)

The 3 couples that came for dinner:

Courney and Jonathan, Dustin and Whitney, and Rob and Melinda

Of course, me and Tony completely forgot to take a pic of ourselves! :(

We had to break out the Rock Band!!

Tony is multi-talented!!

The GIRLS

ROCK N ROLL!

I have lots to update you on so I promise lots of posts SOON!!!

Praying for you!

Diamend

A Letter to the Youth at Grace SBC,

Dear Students,

Yes, we have heard and know the troubles and emotions you are going through right now even down here in Texas. First, let me say that this letter is being written from Tony AND Diamend with love and humility. Second, we want you to know that we miss ALL of you more than you will ever know. But that is not to say that we are doubting what and where God has called us.

With that said, there are going to be issues and trials in your lives that will not make sense. God's plans are not always our own, but His will is always for our good! There may be dilemmas that come up that we cannot understand or circumstances that seem ridiculous and unfair. But all are done for God's glory and ultimately YOUR good.

We are writing this letter to you to encourage you even though we cannot be there with you. BE ENCOURAGED that God is always faithful! Think of the life of Joseph. He was a follower of God but bad things/disappointments seemed to follow him where ever he went. He was first thrown into a well by his own brothers (Gen. 37: 23-24), sold into slavery (Gen. 37: 27). After a semi-positive time, he was framed for adultery (Gen. 39: 14-15) and as a result thrown into jail (Gen. 39:19-20). Even through all this is happening to Joseph God is with him. And after all of this and because of all of this (all of this being God's plan) he is in a position to save Egypt and his family from famine (Gen. 47: 11-12). Yes, even his brothers who sold him into slavery, even the man who threw him into jail, and even the woman who framed him. Joseph saved his "enemies" and the country of Egypt. God knew this was going to happen this way, it was going to happen HIS way. And even though it did not look good for the majority of his life, Joseph trusted God and His plans and because of his faithfulness to God Joseph was able to be apart of something great from and for God! We want to encourage you that even though times look tough and rough, God has a plan and His Will, will be done. Stay faithful to Him, the one who rescued you from your sin. Stay faithful to the one who reigns on high above all leaders, rulers, and kings.

Please know that God has not left you. He is there, around you, with you, and within you! Keep your faith in Him and you will see just as Joseph did, that everything that happens, even the bad stuff, is all apart of God's plan and for His Glory!

Know that Diamend and I pray for you daily! We pray that God will continue to work in your life and will live through you. We pray that you stay faithful to prayer, reading your Bible, and the searching for God's will in your own life. We pray that you will not let bad times or down times discourage you but you will use them to see what God could be teaching you or possibly testing your faith in Him.

Please comment and let us know how we can pray more specifically, by name and concern! We love you all and know that we may be in Texas but we are always with you in prayer and in Christ!

Blessings,

Tony & Diamend

We're still alive!

Hello out there!! ;)

I feel like I haven't been able to update with a post in forever!! :( So sorry!

Well, the day the Bianco's left Texas, I got SOOO sick! Coughing and migraine and all sorts of junk! :( I thought it'd eventually go away... but no... I forgot that i am me and that means I must complicate everything. Soooo, I was sick for 3 whole weeks! Finally last Friday I took a sick day and went to the doctor. I got a shot in the office and about 100 (exaggeration) different pills to take at every hour of my day for the next week! So, needless to say, Dr. Tony (yet again) has been my "pill pusher" and getting me better. And even he got a little congested this last week with a stuffy nose and small cough :(

However - amidst it, we got to meet with friends we haven't seen in a while and catch up! Now that we are in the same state again, the Tollers and us try to get together more frequently.... AND the Gerdance's were in town visisting! We had a great dinner and fellowship at Case Torres (my favorite) and it felt like good ole' days!

The weekend is near and we are on the up side! :) Good Friday we both have off and we are spending some much needed hubby/wife time! We are having friends in our apt complex over for Easter dinner and I am sooo excited! I am going to make my first ever Easter Bunny Cake!

Hopefully it will look like this:

I'll post actual pictures next week to see how I did! ;)

Tomorrow is April and we are in the home stretch of completing Tony's 2nd semester!! It feels good to know that we have almost survived our first year of seminary! Can't wait to see what all God has in store for us!!

Miss and love you all! Comment and let us know how we can pray for you! And thank you for your continual prayers and support for us!

Love

Diamend

Family Visit!

We had our first family visitors this last weekend!!! Tony's mom, dad and sister came down Thursday and stayed through Sunday!! We had SO much fun with them!! It was so nice to hang out with family and be loved on!! Here are some pics from the weekend:

Thursday the Bianco's went and played golf while I was stuck at work:

The Bianco Girls got to do lots of shopping!! I took them to SAMMOONS!! We went to the mall and had so much fun!! I miss my girls days!! Of course we are too serious of shoppers to have stopped for pics;) Except maybe once to goof off:

We went to this great Mexican restaurant in Sun Dance Square Friday night: Mi Cocina!!

For their last night in Texas, we had to take them to BABES!! It is family style serving with fried chicken so good "it'll make you wanna slap yo momma!" Of course we didn't, but it was that good!!

The best part of Babes is they have waitresses that sing and go around the room... AND for your birthday they make you dress and dance like a chicken!! Happy almost 21st Birthday Sis!!!

I love you!!!!

Diamend