We walk down the street side by side. Hot and crowded, this place does not allow the simple luxury of holding hands for this country and these people are not our own. But in our hearts they are and so we adopt their customs and let affection fill the space between. The space grew less and less until suddenly one day distance came crashing in and time in its way took hold of our hands and lead us away from one another until we’d meet again in a familiar place thousands of miles away.

This is Kat and Glen’s story. It is one of the world and her joys and sorrows. Across the ocean in a small city in Thailand Kat and Glen began dating. The culture of the city in which they lived did not permit even hand-holding among the unmarried and so these two learned to navigate a relationship that is filled with space. It was on the eve of deciding to go beyond the city walls to spend more time together that Kat and Glen were struck on their motorcycle by a drunk driver. His leg was broken badly in two places and both of their emotions were shattered in the accident. Glen’s leg had not yet mended when Kat left that place for Germany. Upon Glen’s recovery, he returned stateside and 4 months passed before either saw the other. Fall brought their reunion in the mighty state of Texas and the two moved in down the street from one another. They had a winter of nearness and Glen pondered his affections in this proximity. It was a year from that Christmas before Glen proposed. He painted a promise of his love for her on a great wall and vowed distance would never again pulls their palms apart.

Let it be known that we in Waco have but one Lebanese restaurant and it ranks as a favorite for Glen and Kat. Cheers to you, World, and all your great love stories. :)

Welcome baby Sloan!

I give you, Maureen. Her loveliness is surpassed only by her good nature and captivating joy.

The world can seem so small when we are young. You grow up in a city, the same city, for all your life. The world is an object, not a place, that spins on an axis on a bookcase in the library; its marked out nations a thing of fairy tales and imagination. Then one day you leave that singular city for someplace much larger and suddenly all the world is rushing at you.

Marybeth moved to Dallas from Waco about 2 years ago. It was there she met a man named Alejandro, Hanj for short, and they went for coffee. He was not from Texas, in fact, and he was not even from the States. He speaks French, Spanish, English, comes from the mountains of Peru, and had a dream about Marybeth before he even met her. Dallas was where they met and also where she made plans to travel to Africa for over half a year. They had one month together before she flew 8,000 miles away to live in the bush for 7 months. Despite the distance, Hanj pursued Marybeth – she the true woman of his dreams. Their letters to one another crossed the ocean and as in the great novels their hearts were knit together with such ink and parchment.

It was in the fall that Marybeth returned stateside and by Christmas she and Hanj were engaged. It is not just the fairy tale of the world that has been made known and tangible to these two, but their own story of travel, romance, and great love.

Sometimes in the midst of unexpected change and a complete shift in one’s life, there is amidst it all a perfect surprise that seemingly comes out of the blue. Beckett was just that surprise for the McLaughlin family. It was just one week after dropping their entire life in Seattle, WA and moving to Plano, TX for job requirements that Amy found out she was pregnant. While chaos seemed to encircle the fast change, the pregnancy was peaceful. The birth was easy. And the child, well, Beckett is patient and content – a most wonderful gift for so delightful a family. Especially sweet since Norah has enough energy and spunk for the both of the kiddos. Welcome Beckett Oak!