Anniversary Celebration

Our anniversary fell on a Monday this year.  Joey still had one more week at the firm he was interning with in Houston, so I came in town and worked from my parents house for his last week.  We were both tired of being apart and especially didn't want to be in different cities on our anniversary.  It worked out that the firm had a few social events that I was able to attend as well. 

We had a little anniversary trip planned for the following weekend once his internship was over, so we decided to hold off on most of our celebration.  Monday evening Joey came home from work with beautiful roses for me, and we went out to dinner at Carrabba's in Sugar Land and then had ice cream at Marble Slab.  We talked a lot about our future and reflected on the two years we have been married.  It was a great evening and reminded me a little bit of high school, going on dates in the Land of Sugar. :)

Since we were in Houston, I called the bakery that did our wedding cake and asked them to make us an anniversary cake that was the same flavor and style of our wedding cake.  I picked it up on Friday and we took it back to Waco with us.

We cut into it that night when we got back.  Yum!  I didn't get a whole piece at the wedding.  It really was good cake!

Saturday we slept in, unpacked, ran errands, and re-packed for our little anniversary get-away.  We left Sunday morning for Granbury, TX.  We explored the historic downtown district and all the cute shops. We stopped for lunch at a little diner called Rinky Tinks that played the movie Grease while we ate.  The restaurant was a step back into the 50's.  We checked into the hotel and got ready for dinner at the only "fine dining" restaurant in Granbury open on Sunday night- Stringfellows.  We were the only people in the restaurant for most of our meal.  Kind of romantic...

After dinner we got candy and headed to the drive-in movie theater in town.  The last time we did this was right after we started dating again when we were in college.  This place played two movies in a row.  I made it through the first one, but slept through most of the second one.

Monday our plan was to enjoy the beach at Lake Grandbury.  It was right next to our hotel and looked so fun.  We got there without towels, chairs, floats, or an umbrella for shade and decided fast that we were armatures... it was so hot!  So we waded into the water, took a few pictures, wished we had some jet ski's or a boat, and packed up.  Next time we'll be more prepared!

Lake Granbury Beach

Then, we were off to Dinosaur World on our way back to Waco in Glen Rose.

It was an outdoor park with over 100 life-size dinosaur replicas... again it was hot, but fun!  Joey didn't realize I had an interest in dinosaurs, but hey- the Land Before Time movies were some of my favorites growing up!  This park made me want to watch them again.

We stopped at the Nike Outlet in Hillsboro before we got back to Waco and got Joey some cool new basketball kicks.  It was a fun weekend and a great celebration of our anniversary.  Now, Joey's gearing up for PC, practice court, that starts on Monday.  PC is the toughest part of Baylor Law School... so you could start praying for us now!  :)  I think we're both going to need it.

Two years ago today

Two years ago today I married my high school sweetheart and the man of my dreams.  I never thought that after dating for 7 years that I would love him more after we got married... I was wrong!  There is a country song called Then by Brad Paisley that talks about how a couple's love grew over time and through all of the life experiences they shared.  I now fully believe that our love will continue to deepen as we go through life together.

There were so many things about Joey that attracted me to him in the beginning.  The fact that I was 14 years old and he was 16 and could drive was a big perk! :)  But, other than that of course, he had a confident personality and strong character.  My parents always told me that dating was preparation for marriage, and there was no use dating someone that I couldn't see myself marrying.  In high school that seemed a little extreme, but as usual, they knew what they were talking about.  Because 7 years later the teenager I met my freshman year of high school and fell in love with would be the man I called my husband.  And today he is the man that I am so proud to be married to.  He is hard-working, strong, and generous.  He is the counsel that I trust and the opinion I want in any situation.  He is the safe place where amidst transition and uncertainty I find peace and comfort.  I am blessed to be married to a man that accepts me and encourages me to be all that I can be and all that God created us to be.  Two years has flown by, and I look forward to many more filled with meaningful memories and life experiences that will shape us and make us look back and say, "And I thought I loved you then."

Ruling the Road

Let me begin by saying that I know I am not the most patient driver, but come on people!  Really?  Today I blurted out things in the car directed at other drivers that I am not proud of.  I wasn't even in a hurry or hormonal.  These drivers just really twerked my tater! 

Now, I think I am a pretty good driver.  I have never been pulled over or gotten a ticket.  My husband may say I'm a little aggressive or lack a little thing called patience, but I say I am just efficient!  I learned how to drive from my parents (who may be even more "efficient" than me), in a big momma suburban, in Houston traffic.  So, I like to get from point A to point B quickly and efficiently.  Yes, I did back into a couple of things early on in my driving career, but I have since gotten much better at lifting my little hinny out of the seat to see things behind me even when they are not apparent in my mirrors.  And, I may or may not have rear ended a few people before.  But, that's only because the person in front of me could have gone, so I assumed they did while looking into the traffic, only to find they didn't.  Who knows, maybe the little nudge they got from me will encourage them to be more efficient next time. :)

So today, these Waco drivers that made me blurt out unkind words got me thinking.  A- I should probably work on my road rage a little bit, but B- there are some rules that aren't taught in driving school that sure could make people more considerate drivers if they were followed.  So, here we go-
Courteous Driving Rules by me:

• The left lane is for people driving at or above the speed limit, hence its nickname: The Fast Lane.  If you're not driving fast, move over.
• Even when you think you are driving fast or fail to realize that you're not, when someone comes up fairly close behind you, move over.
• When approaching a red light and you are in the right hand lane, but not turning right, get over to the left.  Someone behind you may want to turn right on red and not appreciate siting behind you through the duration of a very long light.
• When pulling out into traffic do not, I repeat, DO NOT pull out right in front of someone and go slower than them. 
• On the other hand, when stopped, waiting to pull out into traffic- DO take initiative and go when the opportunity presents itself.  Give yourself a pep-talk if you have to.  But you're likely not driving an 18-wheeler and therefore don't need to allow for that large of an opening.  Be efficient!
• Do not switch lanes when it means cutting off the person you get in front of.
• Do not switch lanes to get in front of someone, go slow, and then continue to slow down to turn.
• Do not brake in the middle of the road for no reason.
• Do not brake in the middle of the road in preparation for a turn when there is a turn lane or shoulder.  That's what they are for.  Use them!
• Do not attempt to operate or talk on your phone while driving if you are not capable of multi-tasking.

Warning: Failure to abide by the guidelines above may result in being honked at, having your bumper ridden a little closely, people swerving to get around you, and likely an unpleasant look from a driver as they pass you. 

Some of you may be shaking your head, judging, or even laughing at me.  But, I know that some of you are bursting to give an "AMEN!"  You share the same pet-peeves as me.  Wouldn't the road be a better place if everyone was an efficient driver?  So, here's to hoping you think twice before pulling out in front of me if we meet on the road.  Safe driving everyone!

Lazy Weekend

This weekend we did a lot of this...

Harley got to spend last week with Momma Hance and her two dogs, Max and Calamity Jane, while I was in Florida for work and Joey was in Houston working.  She had a blast and has been a very subdued puppy this weekend since she's been back at home.  Yea! :)  I love a cuddly pup!

Joey and I enjoyed being back at home and relaxing together.  Traveling can really take it out of you!  This marks our half-way point for Joey's second clerkship of the summer that's been in Houston, and we are three-quarters of our way through this whole summer of long-distance!  I can get excited about that!!!   I would never wish to be apart this much, but Joey's time at the firm in Houston has been a really great experience for him so far.  He loves the work and the people.  I am so thankful for that and am looking forward to meeting some of his new friends in a couple of weeks when I go to visit.

Moving on to a completely different subject... Joey told me I had to post about this, so here it goes!  The last couple of days since being home I have noticed the soil in one of my potted plants on the front porch looked like someone had dug in it.  Today I went to water it and moved some of the soil around to even it back out and heard something croak at me!  I screamed and called Joey over and this is what we found. 

Ewww... right!?  Look closely.  A big fat frog!  Joey thought he was cool, but I decided he had to go because he was uprooting my plants and just plain grosses me out.  So, Joey nudged him with a stick until he leaped on out.

He was huge!  Joey was so impressed with this big boy, but I was happy to see him go.  Farewell froggy!  I hope you don't find your way back to my flower pots.

Toes in the Sand

This week I have been in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a national conference for work.  It has been fun, but super busy!  We have had almost every waking minute scheduled for us since we arrived.  We are staying at this beautiful beach resort and spa, but have been working too hard to spend any time enjoying this.

This is the view from our hotel balcony.  The beach is beautiful.  Tonight they had a big dinner celebration planned for us outside, and my toes hit the sand for the first time since we've been here.  It was wonderful!  The sand is white and the water is blue.  I wish my hubby was here and that I had more time to sit out there and enjoy it.  I fly home tomorrow though, and am very excited to see Joey and Harley.  I think we'll have a nice relaxing weekend at home all together again. 

"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! :)

Vacay with the Roush's

After talking about going on a trip together for some time now, we decided to make use of the long holiday weekend, and planned a vacation with Rich & Megan.  We all took Friday off from work and headed to Austin, TX.  Since the drive from Dallas to Austin is not a short one, the Roush's headed to Waco after work on Thursday.  They spent the night with us, and we hit the road Friday morning.  Our first stop was the Outlet Mall in Round Rock.  So many stores and sales... enough to make a girl happy for hours!  We all enjoyed bargain finds and left with goodies like new sunglasses and clothes.  We then headed on to our hotel to get settled in and soak up some rays by the pool.  We showered and headed to dinner at Z Tejas.  To finish off our first night of vacation we enjoyed a cool treat at an Austin favorite, Amy's Ice Cream. 

Saturday morning we had breakfast at the hotel and headed to Zilker Park for some outdoor recreation.  We rented kayaks and enjoyed some time paddling around the lake.  It was a great workout!  You know with Joey along there had to be some competition.  So, the Roush's and the Hance's duked it out racing a part of the way back.  The stretch we chose to race was a bit long, and the Hance's took the win.  It was a good time.  After turning our kayaks in, we enjoyed a picnic lunch we had packed in the shade, and then headed to the Barton Springs Pool for some more fun in the sun.  The natural spring stays a refreshing 68 degrees, so to say the water was cold is quite the understatement.  We laid out on a big hill with a couple hundred other people and then cooled off in the spring.  I could only last for about 5 minutes at a time in that water, but it was a neat experience and definitely cooled us off fast in this ridiculous Texas heat.  We each got a snow cone on the way out of the park that totally hit the spot!

Then, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner with Rich's sister- Michelle, Meg's sister and brother-and-law- Kristen & Matt, and new baby- Georgia, who all live in Austin.  We ate downtown at The Iron Cactus and had a great time seeing how big Georgia has gotten.  After that, we went to Cheesecake Factory to get yummy dessert to-go and headed back to the hotel to watch a movie and eat our cheesecake. 

Sunday we slept in a bit, had breakfast at the hotel, and packed up.  Our hotel was right across the highway from a Marshall's, so you know we couldn't leave without shopping it.  After Marshall's we made a stop at one last Austin favorite, Thundercloud Subs, for lunch.  With full tummies it was time to hit the road.  The Roush's headed back to Dallas and we went on to Sugar Land for the rest of the weekend.  It was an awesome vacation with great friends!  It was fun to be reminded how much we are alike and how blessed we are to have close friends.  We enjoyed catching up on couple time together and look forward to many more memories with the Roush's!

Happy 4th of July!

We spent the 4th of July in Sugar Land with family and friends.  Momma Hance had her annual 4th of July Party featuring tons of good food and watching the fireworks show from the comfort of her backyard.  My family came over for the festivities as well as lots of friends and neighbors.  We laughed, swam, and ate way too much...  Can't think of anything lacking to make this patriotic holiday a great memory!  :)

And as an added bonus, Emily & Brittan got home from their family's lake house in time to join us for fireworks!  What an exciting surprise visit with them.  They are coming to Waco next weekend to visit, so more fun memories with the Pittman's to come.  Stay tuned...

A Golden Birthday

This year I turned 24 on the 24th, which by tradition, made this year my "Golden Birthday". It was a really great day! Joey got home Thursday night and had the whole day Friday planned for us to celebrate.  My mom and two youngest siblings were driving through Waco Thursday night, so they stayed the night and celebrated with us on Friday morning too. 

Joey woke up early and cooked a big breakfast.  As was a tradition of my family growing up, I was woken with breakfast and presents in bed.  Joey did a great job... it was yummy!  Then, mom and the kids left to head on to Dallas and Joey revealed his first surprise of the day.  We were going to make homemade ice cream!  He had gotten all of the ingredients and found a recipe for Butter Pecan Ice Cream- one of my favorites.  We put it all together so that it could finish freezing during the day. 

Then, Joey revealed our next activity when he came out of the room with a kite.  He said we were going to the park to fly a kite.  There was no one at the park, so Harley got to get off of her leash and run around.  She loved it!

Harley tired out fast in the afternoon heat and parked it in the shade by her water bowl.

With neither one of us as expert kite fliers and the wind not being very strong that afternoon, we experienced a little difficulty.

And, after switching jobs, the kite eventually broke when I was holding it and Joey took off a little faster than I had anticipated...  It was a fun afternoon though trying something that we don't normally do.  After our fun at the park we came home for lunch and a much needed shower.  Joey told me he was taking me to Marshalls to spend some of the gift cards I had gotten for my birthday.  Does my hubby know me or what?! :)  It was a big success, and I had no trouble filling my basket with more than enough to fully redeem the credit I had.  I ended up with two adorable pairs of shoes and a great dress!  Thanks Momma Hance, Grandma, and Kimmie!  

Then, we went out to dinner and came home to eat that yummy homemade ice cream we had waiting in the freezer for us. 

It was delicious!  With full tummies, we drove out to a park by the lake to watch the sunset, another one of my favorite things.  Watching the sky turn a golden orange was a perfect way to end my "Golden Birthday".  Only I didn't know we were not finished... 

We got home and Joey said he still had one surprise left, and he hoped I was still hungry.

He said you couldn't have a birthday without birthday cake... duh!  Take notice the candles are black and white to match the black and white Oreo Pie he picked out.  Also, the candles are backwards in the picture, but see he did a group of two candles and a group of four candles... Get it? 2-4 for turning 24!  I thought his thought process was pretty cute! :)

The best part of all was spending the whole day with my hubs and having him home!  He put a lot of thought and planning into my special day which made me feel cherished and loved.  I'm grateful to be married to and celebrate one more birthday with the man that makes me feel special everyday.



Dad's Day Weekend

Last weekend we were in Houston to celebrate Father's Day with our dads.  We left Waco Friday morning and stopped for lunch with Joe, Angie, Matthew, Macie, and their newest addition- puppy Reecie.  The boys grilled burgers and we celebrated Joe's birthday and an early Father's Day. 

Joey and his dad

Matthew and Reecie

Reecie, Macie, and Angie

pictured above: Daniel, Jennifer, Joey, me, and Carol

After our afternoon with Joey's dad we continued on to Sugar Land for dinner to celebrate Momma Hance's birthday. 

We stayed at my parent's house for the weekend.  Papaw and Denie came over to celebrate Dad's Day on Saturday and we enjoyed some great family time catching up.  Though it was a Father's Day celebration, my dad insisted on cooking his world famous steaks, beans, and baked potatoes.  We helped where he would let us.  It was delicious! 

Later that evening the family surprised me with my birthday present a little early.  They gave me two beautiful dresses that are going to be great for some events I have coming up.  The style of both of them is so me, and they fit... A-Mazing!  Go Mom!

pictured above: Harley, Joey, me, Hunter, Taylor, Mom, Dad, Claire, and Noel

Sunday, we went to church as a family and then out to lunch to celebrate dad.  I am very blessed with an amazing family and a wonderful dad.  My dad is an incredibly hard-working and loving man.  I have learned a lot from him over the years and we are lucky to have him in our lives.  We had a great weekend making memories and celebrating with family.