This time last year, we were just barely planning a wedding and now we’re nearly seven months married. It still feels so surreal, but we both agree marriage is spectacular! Hopefully this letter can give you a glimpse of what this past year has looked like for the Reynolds family.
Our Wedding – May 23
The wedding was a dream come true. We felt loved by so many family and friends. We were honored to have both Joe Schmidt, our former BSM director, and Dede, Matt’s grandfather, perform our ceremony. The ceremony took place at FBC Lancaster in the beautiful sanctuary I grew up going to and was baptized in.
After the wedding, we had an impeccable honeymoon vacation to Colorado. (Kudos to Matt for planning it all on his own). We stayed in a cabin with a beautiful view of the mountains and went whitewater rafting, sightseeing, helicopter touring, horseback riding and more.
Our Home
We returned back home to our cozy duplex in Lancaster, Texas, where we have two bedrooms and one bathroom. Well, one room is being used a bedroom while the other is currently an office/study/music room for Matt. It’s a perfect fit for us right now and is conveniently located between our work offices.
Our Pets
Thank goodness Matt is an animal person. Anyone who knows me knows I needed to marry someone who shares the same fondness of animals as myself.
Jozi is our pit bull/border collie mix. I adopted her from an animal shelter two summers ago. She is a bundle of energy and entertainment. She never turns down an opportunity to go on a nature walk with me or to wrestle on the living room floor with Matt.
Calvin is our goofy cat that acts like a dog. He and Jozi are best friends, but he clearly defines the boundary lines. Calvin was my Christmas present from Matt last year, but I am convinced Calvin was really a gift for Matt.
Our Work
This summer, we both celebrated one-year anniversaries with our jobs!
As a news and public relations manager for Texas Baptists, located in North Dallas, I have gained far more experience in various areas of journalism and public relations. I learned in school how to write and interview, but this job has allowed me the opportunity to go beyond that and learn media relations, photography, video interviewing and so much more. Working in a non-profit has its challenges, but the perks far outweigh any of that. I am blessed beyond measure to have opportunities to hone skills in more than just one specific area.
Through my writing, I have met the most inspirational people and gotten to share their stories, something that is truly my heart’s passion. This year, I traveled to various places around Texas; Mexico City, Mexico; and Beirut, Lebanon. All these travel experiences were for stories and/or events.
Meanwhile, Matt has been using his computer science degree with his job as a solutions developer for The Seed Company in Arlington, which just moved to brand new facility south of I-20. He works to help build websites that his team can use to help missionaries translate the Bible and manage their projects across the world. he just recently returned from a training in Albany, New York where he learned new technologies to better serve this mission.
The Seed Company is doing amazing work of translating the Scripture into languages where people would otherwise never know the name of Jesus. What a privilege it is for Matt to serve with an organization that it pursuing such a remarkable mission.
Both of our companies made big transitions to new buildings. While Matt’s commute decreased by a few minutes, mine increased by a lot of minutes. I’m grateful, though, for an easy-going department and flexible hours.
In addition to working full-time, Matt has been studying at Dallas Baptist University. He plans to graduate in May 2016 with a Master’s in Theological Studies then will continue to seminary. Please pray for us as we seek to determine where exactly God would have him study.
What does next year hold?
In this next year, as I mentioned before, we’ll be seeking out where God would have Matt further his education. In February we are traveling to Hawaii with some of Matt’s family. His grandfather, Dede, has a close relationship with the Hawaiian Baptist Academy, so we’ll witness what that looks like and get some free time to enjoy the island.
That just about sums up our first Reynolds’ Christmas letter! We plan to both periodically contribute to this blog as God continues working in our lives.
We hope you and your family have a merry Christmas!
Love,
Leah
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