brister/cagle wedding -- what an event!!

1st Lt. Aaron K. Brister weds Kelley Cagle -- July 29, 2006. Both families are friends of ours with the Bristers being really special family friends. They were our next door neighbors for about 7 years. Tyler and Aaron grew up together and we have always considered Aaron a part of our family. Tonight was a very special and beautiful night culminating a busy week of fun activities. Aaron is a USAF Academy graduate and flys a C21 (VIP jet) and Kelley is a RN. They will be living in Colorado Springs where Aaron is stationed at Peterson AFB.

Best man speech --- Paul, Aaron's older brother (also USAF -special forces) gives a very touching speech and toast to the bride and groom. Both of these boys were such a positive and encouraging force in Tyler's life

Bruce and I with Tyler looking all handsome in his tux before the wedding starts

Cutting the cake - I wish you could see all of Kelley's dress -- it was gorgeous!!
Kevin and Tyler preparing to "usher" down the aisle all the beautiful women

tyler goes to tampa, florida

sunbathing on the gulf coast side of tampa

bayshore boulevard in tampa -- breaking from bike riding

beach happy at the Karlouel Yacht club on the beach

on a trolley car in tampa

tyler has spent the last five days in tampa visiting his new girlfriend he met at pinecove. kathryn was a counselor at towers the same time tyler was. this will be a loooooonnnnggg distance "relationship" as kathyrn goes to the university of georgia and is from tampa. as the pictures show.....looks like they are having a great time in florida.

KONICHI--AHH and his cabin mates

week 1 -- what did i get myself into??? God really challenged tyler right off the bat from day one with this group of 5th graders...it could only get better - and IT DID....i am sure through a lot of prayer and lots of patience and guidance from other senior staff members and the big man upstairs
week 3 -- 3rd/4th graders -- bible study time and group talk time to learn more about the Lord and each other -- good week


week 4 -- awesome group!! this time 5th graders were the best...won spirit stick several times and many of the games -- best week of the summer

week 5 - last cabin -- 3rd/4th graders -- good week to end on

"KONICHI---AHH in action

Tyler has just returned from six weeks of being a counselor at PineCove Christian Camps. He was at the TOWERS camp which was for 2nd-5th graders. He had an incredible experience and the pictures below show him in "action." All staff at PC are given camp names that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Because of an experience Tyler had when he traveled to Japan, his staff named him "Konichi---ahh." Someday you will have to ask him about his name. It is quiet comical and very fitting. Since he has been home, we have had some incredible talks and heard many amazing stories of his experience. He is truly blessed by this experience and hopefully the many campers he "counseled" were touched by him and his love for the Lord.

opening day every Sunday -- high energy when the campers arrive...tyler is on the back left a few feet above the ground

buffalo hunt - favorite friday night game - campers try to get 4 rubberbands off of each buffalo (counselor) and then they are "dead." this was a favorite of tyler's when he was a camper at Towers

week 4 -- tyler was chosen by campers as the "prized buffalo" -- here he is dead -- and by the way -- campers ALWAYS win the buffalo hunt

monday nights -- pitch black attack -- another camper favorite -- tyler and his week 4 cabin

playing hockey during afternoon activity time

“Pine Cove exists to be used by God"....

“Pine Cove exists to be used by God
to transform the lives of people
for His purposes and His glory.”

-Pine Cove Motto


sundown over the lake PineCove is located on

TYLER RETURNS FROM PINE COVE

TOWERS pool staff - morning

TOWERS basketball staff - afternoon

Friday night "buffalo hunt" Tyler is the "prized" buffalo for week 4
tyler at the basketball court - afternoon activity

konichi--ahh and peatree

Kathryn and Tyler -- both counselors at Towers
Kathryn attends University of Georgia and is from Tampa, FL
PineCove employs college students from all over the United States.......way cool!

sadie mae

Tyler's border collie. Almost 2 yrs. old. She is so smart and so loving. Don't know if we can part with her for her to go live with Tyler in College Station.

New York City

NYC - May 2006. First trip to NY... Bruce, Tyler, Big Drew, Little Drew go to visit Taylor. Packed weekend full of site-seeing - Times Square, ESPN Zone, Broadway, Central Park, Coney Island, Empire State Building, Lady Liberty, USS Intrepid, Yankee Stadium and more........wore bruce out!

Suzy Q

Susan Caroline - Suzy Q is our youth pastor's 4 yr old little girl. (joel/jennifer owens) She has Tyler wrapped around her little finger. He thinks she is pretty special too. This is from one night when he was keeping her and they were watching "The Little Mermaid" her favorite movie.

UNTO THE NATIONS - Via Vienna

Missionaries we support....Jeff and Greta Simon from Nacogdoches and Grace Bible Church. Departed for Austria June 20 for a four year mission. We will be praying daily for them and their work. Please pray with us. They are an awesome couple.
“To love and lead refugees from many nations into a vital relationship with Christ and his church.” www.untothenations.org

DEMPSEY SCORES!!! GOOOOOAAAALLLLL.....

Clint Dempsey scores FIRST ever USA goal on European soil!!! Whoo whoo....way to go Clint and first goal for USA 2006 World Cup. Too bad USA is eliminated with 2-1 loss to Ghana. Dempsey voted Man of the Match.....Nacogdoches is PROUD!

WORLD CUP SOCCER

Nacogdoches' own...Clint Dempsey -- #8 -- midfielder -- USA National team. Way to go Clint! Beat Ghana!
Taught him everything he knows about soccer in PE class at TJR Middle School in 7th grade. Yeah right, I wish! He was a great player even at that age and before. I coached both his sisters in 8th grade. His oldest passing away unexpectedly early in high school. Her death has inspired Clint to go out and make a difference and work hard. He is a few years older than Tyler, but they have played many games together and Tyler played with his youngest brother at Nacogdoches High School. Tyler wore his #11 jersey in High School...even before this, it was a big number to live up to. Clint plays for the NE Revolution and was MLS Rookie of the Year a couple of years ago. Not bad for a kid from small town Nac.

spring break 2006 -- Juarez Mexico

After -- New Home for family
Before - Old Home (water supply outside in barrels)
Tyler with little girl whose home he was building
Making friends
Bruce and his AIM "Crew" turning over new home to single lady and daughter

first home to build -- Juarez Mexico

Bruce and Tyler in front of their "home" they built in three days

what's up with the mccrary fam? BRUCE

bruce -- still the greatest husband and father on earth!
Still at McLean Orthopaedics for almost 18 yrs. now...whew!
Turned the big 5-0 this past May, but you would never know it and celebrated 24 years of wedded bliss this May with his very lovely wife.
Very involved at our church, www.gracebiblechurch.com -- chairing the Missions Committee and recently being nominated and selected to be an elder. That is very exciting. His term will be for the next three years. Tyler and I are so incredibly proud of him and the godly leader of our family that he is.
This past March at spring break, he accompanied Tyler and about 150 Aggies (aggies in mission -- AIM www.aim.tamu.edu to Juarez, MX to build homes for the very poor. It was a great experience for the two of them. They built their home in three days, the group a total of seven homes.
While I was in Japan, he and Tyler went to NY to visit Taylor...more on that in later post....
Just returned from Atlanta where he had his National Trainer's meeting. It was a good trip. We will travel to Little Rock in July for the State meeting.
Bruce is also surviving the "empty nest" and working me like a dog every nite out on the streets of our neighborhood.

our fam -- christmas 2005

tyler holding sadie mae our 1 yr. old border collie.....too excited to look at the camera

what's up with the mccrary fam? SHERRY

School's out for the summer.....whoo whoo!! My favorite time of the year. For the last two years I have been teaching US History to 8th graders at Mike Moses Middle School and dept. head of the Social Studies dept. On the last day of school this year, the opportunity to move to 7th grade and teach Texas History became available. After discussing with Bruce ("that's a no-brainer"), his words of wisdom to me, I decided to make the change. Sooooo, I have spent the last two weeks moving my room and setting up all my "stuff" (which I have way too much of) and preparing to teach Texas History. I am very excited and looking so forward to the change. How exciting to be teaching Texas History in the oldest town in Texas. I also gave up dept. head which required me to put in so many extra hours at school and home.....I am actually looking forward to coming home after school gets out next year....no more meetings afterschool. That's my biggest news.
In May, I returned to Kagoshima JAPAN for the second time. Accompanying 12 - 8th grade students for a two week homestay exchange program. WOW, it was even better 2nd time around. I stayed with my same family -- I can't even begin to explain how special that was and how much fun I had. You can see just how much fun we had at: www.mikemosesjapan.blogspot.com
Otherwise, I am just mostly enjoying the summer. I have adjusted well to the "empty nest" and find we still stay as busy as when Tyler was here. I am in a Bible study of Ephesians at my church, Grace Bible, www.gracebiblechurch.com for the month of June. Just got back from Atlanta (more in another posting on that), swimming a little, walking everynite with Bruce and enjoying life.

tyler's roomies

Tyler and two of his new roommates -- brooks and grant with chi o friend shay. grant has since buzzed his head full of hair.

SAFE LANDING