What do birthdays and Romance have in common?....Kidnapping and Survival Man weekend

The Howell lady had the plot well in motion by the time it was too late for her "victim" to back out..... It was a kidnapping of the most romantic kind for this young couple with a 5 year old and a toddler left with loving relatives as they stole away for a weekend made for two!

Glad we could assist in your conspiracy:)

This time of year brings all the "zipper spiders" out in full yellow and black regalia. Yes, we consider these good creatures as they capture unwanted flies and grasshoppers making quick work of the nuisance insects. Here is a quick lesson on arachnid culture via an unlucky grasshopper venturing too close to a waiting web. (NO WE ARE NOT SPIDER lovers, but these are an exception as they do not sting or bite... they merely capture bad insects and make lovely webs)... I must say we did have to rescue a wayward praying mantis from our Charlotte.

Lizards are hatching out at the sandbox.... what fun to catch and RELEASE the little guys.

This fine October day brought families out for 2 little guy's SURVIVAL MAN birthday party.

A scavenger hunt, turning messy water into clean water, and certainly the requisite cupcakes with MOUNDS of sugary icing made this a day worth remembering.

Even the Dads didn't want to leave.... they stayed for the whole deal. I wonder if it was the kids just being kids in the country... or the cupcakes???

So what do birthdays and romance have in common?

THEY shared a weekend at the GateWay and what a great weekend it was!

Summer 2010 Weddings Farris and Jones

July of 2010 brought a wedding from our down the road neighbors....

Congratulations all the Farris's family! Katelyn, you were lovely!

What a great way to christen your family's new home here on Lemons Gap,

A WEDDING in your front yard with guests at our cottages.

Then, another wedding bridging the countries of Holland and the USA!

Hunter Jones and Marloes Mout.... congratulations!

All the friends from Kansas City and IHOP were such a breeze of joy in our homes and in our worship time on Sunday morning.

The wedding at Logston was lovely even though the temperatures soared again into the 100's after a rehearsal night where rain poured so unexpectedly in August in TEXAS!

Brand Jones... your family is increasing exponentially!

We welcomed several guests from Holland in both cottages.

Our deer, many with twins, welcomed our guests as well.

Jack Rabbits made our Dutch feel a true taste of Texas.

You are all welcome again, should you ever consider a stop in Texas.

Congratulations to Ino on his engagement here on this trip.

Opa... yes, it is HOT here and I will try to learn what 100 degrees Fahrenheit is in Celsius:)

It was a good week you spent here in our cottages.

We pray blessings over both these new marriages and we thank God for new friends from around the world!

GOD IS GOOD!

Western Heritage/graduation/Mother's Day Weekend

The annual University graduations, Western Heritage,
and Mother's Day weekend
was supposed to be lovely weather....
But on that Saturday the winds blew in some storms.
Our guests were still able to host bunches of family members to a picnic on the hillside.
We were told that the sandbox was a real hit with the under 10 set:)
Glad you guys liked it... ours do too!
Of course... as soon as the weekend concluded... the weather of spring returned to the somewhat sultry pretty days of May.
Ebear says HOWDY to all you guests and "yall come back now... ya hear?"
(maybe next time there will be no car in a ditch for the back hoe to remove:)

Poppies and Roses... SPRING treasures

We had a family of 6 lovely ladies at our cottages recently.....
They knew how to do it up right! Courtney booked the cottage for her mom, sisters and a pretty little 18 month old to enjoy a girl's weekend right in the middle of GateWay's Spring glory!
Not only did they get to enjoy incredible weather, and the pretty flowers, but they also set up to really indulge themselves with our massage therapist (who came the cottage) and our gourmet chef who prepared their meal as they sat outside with the breezes and good conversation to make their stay perfectly memorable.
(Please check out their own words on our VRBO comment page)
I always get great help with the watering tasks this time of year....
with much of the water going on the helpers as in the pots:)
Thank you ladies for your kind words and the wonderful way you regarded our home as yours!
WE LOVE guests like you.....welcome back any time!

Words are more than Words at the GateWay:)

One thing that you will always find WORDS!!!!

We here at the GateWay believe that Words have power...

We greet you with our guest book,

Our FYI page,

AND.... a "caution" about some of the
not so friendly inhabitants of the area:)

AKA... rattlesnakes (especially as they come out of winter hibernation about this time of year)

HENCE... the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

One of our favorite promises rests above the kitchen table nook...

As you come through the gate of our 2 bedroom, or the 1 bedroom, we pray that your cares drop from your shoulders and that the rest you choose will be found in this special place we call
GateWay GetaWay....

.... oh yes....

not only do we leave you words of blessing...

SOMETIMES,

we have guests who reciprocate!

Thanks Odessa friends.... We hope to see you again!

Late January and February Rains fill ALL the tanks and make WILDFLOWERS ready to SPRING FORTH!

AS Troy looks over our newly overflowing tanks... he says "Carla, this is water for years in this place!"
I agree.... the tanks we've just dug have all been filled to overflowing with these late January, early February rains over Texas. MOST unusual rain pattern!
WE even found a waterfall in the prayer chapel tank... simply the heavy runoff from our rain drenched Texas land.
The muddy road is hopefully going to be replaced with the grasses and wildflowers the grandchildren planted on the new East property tank. We are praying it holds water as we believe this is one of our most valuable resources and gifts from a loving GOD!
All the wildlife will be loving this spot!!! it is their favorite watering hole, and now it is again filled!

Happy New Year 2010

The holidays of 2009 into the beginning of 2010 brought special guests!
Our neighbors had family in both cottages and we loved getting to allow a place for fun,
exploration, and more room for families to gather!
Loved having you Petterson crew and Martin family!
Glad Barbara's leather coat made it through the snow!
Troy found it over the outside chairs and it was still in great shape after being covered in snow!
Better check out that brand!
Babies, and kiddos were in abundance at the 2 bedroom....
Loved giving you guys a cozy place to place and enjoy the holidays!
A place by the fire is always welcome in these cold temps of New Year 2010!
Our newest improvement, my Christmas gift for 2009, a new tank!
In my opinion, as any of you who have been our guests know,
WATER is one of our greatest resources.
A truly valuable gift!
For a day, the good top soil made a great "mountain" for those looking to conquer the heights!
Then... it was laid on the tank sides
allowing us to plant wildflowers and grasses for this new aspect of our land!
Hopefully, this spring will bring wonderful flowers to the GATEWAY!!!
I already see an abundance of bluebonnets ready for the Spring 2010 debut!
Come to Texas this spring... I guarantee....
It's gonna be a banner year for our Texas wildflowers!!!