Last week (actually January 23-29th) Benny and I went down to Ruston, LA to spend some time with our old friends. We had an absolutely WONDERFUL time. It was so great to see everyone again (we hadn't been back since we moved in June)...to catch up, have great conversations, and to laugh a lot (and I mean A LOT!).
Here are some pics from our trip!
Friday the 23rd there was a "staff dinner" at the Skinners. (Everyone who is/was on staff at the church + their significant other.)
Benny, me, Theresa and Ryan. (Theresa helped direct the college ministry while we were there, and moved to Austin shortly after we moved to IN. She found this great fella...Ryan...right after she moved there!)
Karen, me and Natosha.
Chris and Benny.
One of the big reasons we had specifically picked these days to go to Ruston was so we could watch Benny's old soccer guys play a game. Those boys sure do miss their old coach...
Chris and Benny (Chris graduated in 2007, so Benny just got to coach him for 2 years). I really like Chris because he's not afraid to talk to me! (Apparently I'm pretty intimidating to high school soccer boys... :)
Christian and Benny. Christian is one of Benny's closest friends from Ruston, and he was an assistant coach as well.
Christian, Nick, and Benny. (Nick is a senior this year, and was one of the guys Benny had on his JV team the first year he coached.)
Jake and Benny. Jake's a great kid, and an excellent soccer player.
Playing games was one of my favorite things we did with our friends when we lived in Ruston. So, a trip back wouldn't have been complete without a game night! Scategories, for some reason, was always a go-to for us. We always left every game of Scategories with lots of great memories, and this night was no different! (Ex: An excuse for being late that starts with "W"...Matt William's answer a couple of years ago..."Witches." Really Matt? Witches?)
Benny, Karen, Alicia, Mary and Christian sharing their answers and laughing at everyone else's.
A great captured moment of Mary, Christian and Chris laughing at someone's answer.
Natosha, Erica, Karen, me, Alicia, and Mary.
Benny, James, Chris and Christian.
The whole game night crew: Christian, Benny, James, Chris, Mary, me, Natosha, Erica, Karen, and Alicia. Y'all are some really wonderful friends, and Benny and I are very thankful for all of you!!
Our friends, Wade and Amy Burnett, have three awesome kids. Here's Jake, their youngest, snuggled up to Benny after church on Sunday.
We were very blessed to do ministry with some incredible families in Ruston. We were very thankful to get some time with a few of them!
Charis Kennedy and me.
Caleb Kennedy and Benny.
Brienna Gilbert and me.
Most of you probably heard about (or were affected by) the crazy weather we got in the midwest last week. Well, Benny and I got to drive THROUGH it!! We had left Ruston on Tuesday morning, plannng to make it back to Anderson by that night. But, in southern Missouri/Illinois, we ran into this...
We ended up spending the night at a hotel in southern Illinois, and got back on the road Wednesday morning. We made it back to Anderson at 5pm, just in time for me to be at work at 7! We got more snow than ice in Anderson...
We were very thankful we made it home safely!
Ruston will always have a special place in our hearts...it was the first place Benny and I lived as Ryan and Rachel Bennison, and we just adore the people there and our church. We love you guys!!
