Walker Family Grows!!

Our very own Claire just had a baby!

Elise Joy Walker was born on December 24 at 12:21am.

Her sweet daddy, Joey, wrote an wonderful description of how the Lord provided for baby Elise and mom on their blog...

Wacky Walkers

Click and enjoy the full story!

We are so proud of you Claire and the chicks are thrilled to have another girl in the bunch!

Hay moves to ATX!

This post is a bit delayed...it's been written for months, but was never published.
I moved to Austin in October.
Better late than never!

For the past year I have been living in a little 'Bungalow' in Denton. It's been great. BUT...I really really missed having roommates.


The Bungalow sure was cute.

But these girls are way cuter!


I am loving my new home in Austin with Rubey and Jess. Truly, I feel spoiled by this little set-up I've got going now... I was able to take my incredible job with me to Austin. So I am able to continue working for a really incredible company doing something I really enjoy and live with people I really love! I mean...wow!
Here's a quick house tour. You should come visit!






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Brooke Home From Thailand!!!

To keep the chick blog alive.... here's an update on my (Brooke) life in the past year! :)

Last August I returned from the beautiful, tropical country of Thailand. I miss the green mountains, gorgeous beaches, colorful flowers, and huge waterfalls. After three awesome & at times challenging years, I moved back to Texas. I deeply miss my friends in Thailand and hope to go back and visit them in the next couple of years. It's fun to keep up with them and hear how their hearts and lives continue to be touched by our Father.

Over the past ten months I've been involved in college ministry in the States. Based out of UT-Arlington, I spend most of my days hangin out with college kids. Mentoring and sharing life with them has been a joy. I really think I have the best job in the world!

Here are some of the sweet girls..... we went to college girls' conference in Aggieland this past year! We had a great time together at a ranch near College Station.

This past year I've felt like a college kid again. Maybe I'm in denial about being in my upper 20s. But, I've eaten enough pizza and stayed up past midnight way too many times to be outta college. ;)

One of the awesome parts of my job is to encourage students to take part in missions locally and globally. This year our students raised over $14,000 t0 send students on mission trips. A large portion was raised at an auction. I was one of the lucky "winners" who was auctioned off to slide down a slip-n-slide of nasty old food products. Check out the video link below for a visual. ;)

JAR WARS Fundraiser

I'll be working on full-time BSM staff this coming school year. I'm excited to continue life with college students and can't wait to be a part of the journey ahead!

The Walkers Move to Cali

Our lovely (and wacky) Walkers have become a bi-coastal couple. Their love story started on the banks of Lake Tahoe and then traveled to the smoky mountains of Boone, NC. And now, dear readers, Joey and Claire have returned to their beloved west coast.

The Walkers reside in the booming metropolis of Colusa, CA.

They have single-handedly doubled the under-30 population in the town.

Joe has finished his student teaching/coaching and is now taking on the task of youth pastor and YoungLife leader. Yep, he's a busy guy.

And our little Cla is rocking yet another school as the best Chemistry/Biology/Physics teacher of all time. She is also qualified to teach in 3 states now. Booyah.

Living in Colusa does have its benefits. Only an hour away from Tahoe, San Fran and Chico-- the Walkers are able to partake in all of California's finest outdoor activities when they can. They are also living in abundance with pomegranate farms, almond trees and other yummy fruit (just ripe for the stealing...)

They have really figured out how to make life work for them in Cali. A few of the chicks have already ventured out west for a visit. With homemade pie, stellar views, the smallest mountain range in the world, great hiking, and lots of laughing--there's much to love about the Walker home.

So I'm pretty sure there's nothing Joe and Claire can't do. They make a great team.

Next on our fearless travelers' list?

Home ownership.

Here's hoping escrow is more than just an strange sounding word....

CHICK REUNION (minus Brookie...)

In June 5/6 of us gathered for a weekend of fun! We met Jess in College Station. It was the first time to be back in CS together since graduating. Naturally, we stopped at Layne's for dinner first thing and then took a little tour down memory lane...we made it to Eagle Pass and imposed ourselves on the sweet girls who live there now. It was surreal being back in that house. We walked around campus reminiscing about our days there. The Hendrick's generously opened their home to us for the night and the boys even gave up their beds for us.
We then headed back to the metroplex and had some time together at Sarah's apartment. Mr. D.O. even stopped by to see us.
The next day marked the first Six Chick Baby Shower! We hope there are countless more. We are pretty crazy about little Ms. Ashlyn Helton. More on that later...
We even found some time to get out on the lake. It really was the cherry on top of a dreamy weekend together.
We sure missed Brookie big time, though.













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