Our Last Days in Waco

I wish I would have taken more pictures in these last days, but you know how it goes... We were packing like mad and had a million things going on and wrapping up as we prepared to move.  Here are some I found when cleaning out our camera's memory this week.

Our poor dogs didn't know what was going on as our house filled up with boxes.  One evening I found them both laying in the guest room bath trying to get some peace and quiet away from it all.  I think the transition of moving was exhausting for them too. :)

The Roushs came to Waco one week to help us pack and we all enjoyed a favorite local Waco sandwich shop for lunch.

Then of course, we went to Chuy's, one of our favorites for dinner.  Can't beat that creamy jalapeno dip!

So thankful for my girl friend, Meg!

Aren't they cute?

After dinner, we came home and decided to take family pictures of each other.

Look how well Tegan did for their picture.  Great one, isn't it?

Okay, now see how well ours went...

Tegs thought she could help us whip them into shape.

This is the best one out of the bunch.  Our pups were easily distracted. :)  I blame it on Dakota's puppy energy and lack of an attention span.  Oh well!  We'll get a good one some day.

  

Our time in Waco was filled with growth for us as a married couple and some great memories.  It is the place where we became friends with the Roushs, who will remain one of our most dear couple friends despite them living in Dallas and us in Houston now.  Waco is the city where I had my first job and built relationships with some volunteers that believed in me and the mission of the March of Dimes.  They became friends as we worked hard to grow the presence and awareness of our mission in Waco.  I already miss them terribly and know they will always hold a special place in my heart.  It's the place where JW and I built a relationship as a dating couple while I was in college at Baylor, and then the place where we spent our first years as a married couple.  Waco is the home of the first church JW and I attended as a married couple and a Sunday School class we miss.  Waco is a neat community that we enjoyed very much.  We will always look back fondly on the memories we have there and look forward to going back to visit.

Life Lately

 At the end of March we attended a marriage conference at our church with Gary Thomas as the speaker.  It was great.  We enjoyed the chance to slow down and spend some time together talking after the sessions.  After the conference was over, we went to the Texas Rangers Museum and checked another Waco Bucket List item off our list.  JW definitely enjoyed this one more than me.  We made it in time for the last showing of the day of a 45 minute documentary on the history of the Texas Rangers.  It was just as exciting as it sounds... I ended up taking a little cat-nap. :)  Hubs had fun though and enjoyed walking around and reading about all of the exhibits.

 JW getting to handle an old revolver.  That thing was heavy!

 In other news, we have been trying to move dinner time back for the pups.  They have been spoiled and were getting fed right at 5 p.m. with Joey's schedule being so flexible.  In Houston that won't be the case, so we have been working on pushing it back.  They're not a fan of the new schedule.  One day we found them both hanging by their bowls at 5 wondering where their grub was.  It was pretty funny, so JW snapped a picture.

 One day last week our kitchen sink got backed up and JW attempted to fix it before we sent in a maintenance request.  Although Joey has an uncle that is a plumber, he has spent no time with him on the job and had no idea what to do.  Dakota tried to help.  JW put forth great effort and did his best, but we still had to call the plumber.  Oh the beauty of renting!

 We're in moving mode around here.  We have to be completely moved by the end of the month, but May is a busy one for us, so we are trying to pack a little bit at a time when we get the chance.  We took pictures of the house before we started packing so we could remember our first place.   I enjoy being organized and don't mind packing too badly as long as I can spread it out and don't have to do it all in one week.  Being able to pack a few boxes a night is a great way to get it done for me.  We have 19 boxes packed so far, and we still have 17 more days to go before the movers come!  I think we're in pretty good shape.

 We gave our 30-day notice and a sign went up in our yard.  It made me a little bit sad the first time I saw it... it's all setting in and feeling more real.

 We've both been wanting Waco shirts to take with us as we move from here.  We went to a local t-shirt shop and picked these up.  I got a cute Baylor shirt too.  It's like it was made for me... with the megaphone and BU.  Love it.  Sic 'em Waco!

Bucket List Weekend

Last weekend was our last one until Joey graduates at the end of April with nothing going on, and we took advantage of the time to mark several things off of our Waco Bucket List.  Take a look at some of the things we did.

Me and JW at the Heart O' Texas Speedway.
We drove about 7 miles north of Waco to see the dirt track car races in Waco.  It was a totally new experience for both of us.  Pretty cool!

We sat up high in the bleachers, but were so close to the track we could feel the rush of wind when the cars zoomed by.  Oh the smell of gasoline, burnt rubber, and cigarette smoke!  Nothing like hanging out with the car racing crowd. :)  We sat there picking cars for each race and found the few wrecks that happened exciting.

Saturday morning we went to the Waco Farmers Market downtown.  It was really neat!  There were a bunch of local vendors that brought out fresh produce, plants, meat, and other homemade products.

We were a little overwhelmed for this being our first time, but wanted to leave with something.  So, we got some homemade corn and black bean salsa.  There were a lot of great things, and we definitely plan on going back.

The line for fresh crepes was unbelievably long, so I'm guessing they are good.  There was also a food truck named Sergio's making fresh breakfast burritos.  I ordered one and it was delicious!  I have been craving another one all week... so good!  I've got to find out where Sergio and his truck go the rest of the week.

Yum!

After the Farmers Market we headed to one of our favorite Waco spots, the Cameron Park Zoo.  The weather was gorgeous, so it was a great day for the animals.  Lots of them were out and active.

These Gibons are my favorite animals in the whole zoo.  They swing around and make this hilarious "whoo" noise like they are warming up their voices to be in a broadway musical.

Joey likes a lot of the animals, but I made him take a picture with this Comodo Dragon statue.  He likes the reptiles and I don't.

After the zoo we came home for lunch and then loaded up the dogs to go to the dog park.  Our dog park does not normally have a water feature.  However, we got a ton of rain here last week, and the park acquired a pond.  Our dogs loved it!  There were literally spots where the water was up to Harley's head and she was swimming... crazy!

Harley and Dakota definitely played hard and fell asleep in the backseat on the way home.  They were pooped!  It was bath time when we got home, and then they slept most of the rest of the day.  Joey and I cooked dinner together and watched a movie to top off our eventful Saturday.

Our weekend was full of fun Waco things and lots of great memories!

Waco Bucket List

With our time left in Waco now at about 6 months, JW and I have decided to make a list of the things we want to do while this city is still our home.  (If you missed our news about plans for after Joey graduates, see this post.)  I have lived in Waco for almost 7 years and Joey has been here almost 3.  We have really come to love this community, and are certainly going to miss it.

So, here's our list so far.  I'm sure we will add to it over the coming months, and hopefully will be able to check some things off.  Whoever said there is nothing fun to do in Waco?  I'd certainly beg to differ!

• Go to a Baylor Theatre production- We have gone to a few shows at Baylor before and they are always really good, but haven't gone to one in a long time.  They are doing the play, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde January 31- February 5th, so we plan to get tickets and go next weekend.
• Visit the Waco Mammoth Site- This public park opened at the end of 2009 for people to view the dig site where Mammoth bones were discovered back in 1978 and we have never been to check it out.
• Go to a race at the Heart O' Texas Speedway- We pass this dirt race track on I-35 north of Waco and every time we do, Joey has made a comment that he wants to figure out what kind of racing they do there and go to one.  They host racing events from March - September, so we can go to one.
• Visit the Texas Ranger Museum- This one is for JW.  He records shows about things like this on the History Channel all the time and enjoys learning about the history of law enforcement.  This hall of fame and museum is right up his alley, but we have never been.
• Go to the new Waco Downtown Farmers Market- This is new to Waco as of last November, and we haven't been to check it out yet.  Vendors set up downtown from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturdays. 
• Walk around the Carleen Bright Arboretum in the spring.  We have driven by the arboretum several times, but have never stopped to walk around it.
• Waco is getting a water park.  Hawaiian Falls Waterpark opens Memorial Day weekend this year.  Maybe we'll find some kids to borrow and go check it out. :)
• Waco has two wineries and we haven't visited either one of them.  TCV Winery and Valley Mills Vinyards both do tours and tastings, so we plan to check them out.
• We want to rent a canoe or kayak and paddle our way down the Brazos River.
• Go on a horseback ride at Brazos Bluffs Ranch.  I stumbled across this place online once when I was looking for fun date ideas.  It seems like a really neat place.  I would really like to do one of their horseback rides along the Brazos River and up to the bluff overlooking the surrounding countryside.
• You probably know one of our favorite "Waco things" is the zoo!  So, this is not a new one for us, but we plan to visit the Cameron Park Zoo a few more times while we still live here.  It is a great zoo!

We are also taking advantage of as many quick trips to Dallas as possible while we are still here.  We have a lot of great friends in the Dallas area and making the 1.5 - 2 hour drive to visit them is nice compared to the 4+ hours we will be from them once we are in Houston.  We are looking forward to the opportunities and plans that God has for us ahead, but want to live fully in our last months here.  Stay tuned for posts on some of these bucket list things as we check off our list!

Hot Digity Dog

Waco got a dog park!  It is called the HOT Dog Park (Heart of Texas), and is actually not very close to us, but worth the drive to get some of our pup's energy out a couple times a week.  We have been wishing Waco had a dog park for some time now, so we are happy campers!  A vet close by donated the land, and a group of community members went through a pretty long process to get it going.  We are so thankful!   It's a beautiful fenced in park with lots of hills and trees, but there are Jurassic Park sized mosquitoes.  Being from Houston, we know skeeters, but I have never seen blood suckers this big!  We learned fast that bug spray was a necessity if we weren't going to be eaten alive.  It opened on Saturday, and tonight was our second visit.  Forgive the bad phone pictures...

Harley found a chocolate lab mix that reminded her of Tegan I think... they were buddies the whole time we were there. :)

Yea for new friends!

This water bucket was in the far corner of the park, but our pup found it.  And instead of getting a drink like all the other dogs, she jumped right in. 

She was a mess.... surprise, surprise.  But, at least she was a tired mess and very thankful we drove 20 minutes to let her play.

Happy Birthday Joey!- part 2

On Fridays, Joey has an hour and a half break in class for lunch, so there is usually a group of law students that goes out to eat together.  I had a lunch meeting, so couldn't join them for lunch, but was able to swing by Vitek's where they were eating to bring by cupcakes.  It was fun to see him with some of his school friends and to make sure they all knew it was his birthday.  They headed back to the law school for afternoon class, and I went to finish up work for the week. 

When Joey got home around 4:00 he found a box on our front step that was his birthday present from my family.  They gave him a Houston Texans party in a box complete with a t-shirt, Lids gift card to get a new Texans hat, game towel, and tickets to a game of his choice next season when he won't have to worry about school on the weekends anymore.  It was a very cute gift and he loved it! 

JW with all his new Texans gear

For dinner we headed to Olive Garden, one of Joey's favorites, and then to the HOT (Heart of Texas) Fair & Rodeo.  The fair and rodeo is a pretty big deal here in Waco every year and something we had never done together... a Waco Bucket List item for us.  It was a lot of fun!

No, this is not the zoo... there was a wildlife exhibit with three tigers, monkeys, a horse, snake, and more.  This exhibit did shows throughout the night and we made it just in time for one.  Pretty cheesy, but cool to see all these animals so close up.

This momma tiger was huge!  The guy doing the shows got in there and pet these huge tigers like they were house cats.  Pretty amazing!

We watched the rodeo events- horse riding, calf roping (Which I hate! It is so sad to see those baby cows run out of the shoot, get roped, and pulled to the ground.), barrel racing, and bull riding.  Joey liked the bull riding most, and I found that game where they put 20 kids in the arena with 10 calfs and let them keep the calf they catch hillarious!

We walked around the fair after the rodeo ended.  They had a lot of rides that kids were having a blast on.  Joey calls them death traps since they travel around, set up in parking lots, and can't possibly be safe. :)

We still had Joey's birthday cake that I made the night before to eat when we got home.  This cake... oh this cake!  Every year I make a different kind of cake for Joey on his birthday.  This year, he said he wanted a lemon cake.  I got online to look for a recipe and found a Paula Deen one that looked great.  You know how I love Paula.  So, I went to the store and got all the ingredients I needed and began the baking process.  Only things kept going wrong.  I needed three 9 inch baking pans, and I only had two.  I zested my finger while zesting lemons.  I needed a hand mixer to make the icing over a double boiler, and I only have a stand mixer... You get the picture.  It was a long process that left me and our whole kitchen a sticky mess.  I did my best, and it tasted pretty good, but was certainly not the prettiest cake I've ever made.  Joey thought the drippy icing was hillarious and took pictures of it, so it could go on the blog. 

:( So sad...

Overall, I think Joey had a pretty good birthday.  Momma Hance came in town to surprise Joey last weekend and took us out to dinner and a movie to celebrate.  Joey was definitely surprised, and we had a great time spending time with her.  So, JW got to celebrate two weekends in a row.  I sure hope he felt special because he is to so many people in his life.  Happy Birthday, hubs!  You are loved, and I know your next year of life will be filled with more great things.  I am proud of you!



"Pit Stop" in Waco

The Pitmans came to visit us in Waco last weekend!  I've been meaning to get this post up all week, but it was just one of those weeks...  So, last Friday after work Joey had a social event with the firm he is interning with in Houston, and then the Pitmans picked him up, and they all headed to Waco.  They got in pretty late, but it was so wonderful to have a house full of people I love.  I had been looking forward to it for days.  Emily is allergic to dogs, and even though she took allergy medicine before she came, Harley got brushed every day the week leading up to them coming, I bathed her by myself (although I'm not sure who won... we both ended up soaked!  I think if I had recorded it we could have been on America's Funniest Home Videos), and I vacuumed the house twice.  Em gets asthma with her allergies, so she had to puff her inhaler a few times, but she was such a trooper!  By the end of the weekend I think she and Harley were almost friends. :)

Har and Brit were definitely buddies!

We stayed up pretty late just sitting around talking on Friday night.  Joey had lots to fill us in on after his first week of work in Houston, and we haven't spent much time with the Pitmans in way too long.  Saturday, we slept in a little bit, had breakfast, and then the girls went shopping while the boys played frisbee golf.  We all met back at home to have lunch and freshen up.  

Then, after much deliberation and even a little heated debating (big surprise around the Hance's, right?) on where to go for dinner, we decided to go out to the Lake Waco Marina for drinks and then to Chuy's for dinner.  It was great! 

Our friendship with the Pitmans is a lot of fun.  Emily and I are definitely women who know what we want and and how we want it, and our men are pretty great to us.  We certainly had our share of lively discussion and laughter.  Em and Joey ended up siding together a few times on topics and when Emily decided to get strangers at the restaurant involved, Brit and I were not exactly surprised, but were too committed to pretend we didn't know her.  We didn't want her surveying any other strangers coming into the restaurant, so we decided to just agree to disagree... but of course we were right.  We cherish our friendship with Emily and Brittan and love the way they make any situation a fun one.  

After dinner we came home for some Wii competition playing Mario Cart and Just Dance.  You know that was fun and of course filled with a little friendly competition.  Sunday, we went to church and out to lunch before the Pitmans headed back to Houston.  It was a wonderful weekend with awesome friends.  We can't wait for our next "Pit Stop" with the Pitmans! :)