Life is... Glamorous and Fabulous!

In My Perfect World...

2012-01-30T15:27:00.002-06:00

Last night I was thinking about how quickly weekends come and go. It's 48 precious hours spent away from work, doing what I need/want to do, with the people I need/want to do them with. The only problem is that it seems to fly by. Before I know it it's Sunday and I'm racing through the grocery store trying to figure out what in the world we're going to eat for the week and whether or not we're out of toilet paper and dryer sheets.

In my perfect world I'd be a bit more organized. I'd actually use my meal planning binder, I'd pick out my clothes each night before bed, I'd wash my hair every other day, I'd get up 10 minutes early so I could make my lunch every day, I'd have a basket in my refrigerator for lunch items to make said lunch packing easier, and since it's my perfect world an all, I'd make time to work out. Notice I said MAKE not FIND...because I can find the time for a pedicure or the bachelor or a glass of wine but I seldom find things like the time to work out. :)

Between pinterest, blogs and common sense, I'm equipped with a few tools to make my life more organized so why is it that I put it off? Is there something you do religiously that helps you get through the week?

That concludes our Monday deep thoughts...talk amongst yourselves...

Current favorites/weaknesses/loves...

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on Kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string...

These are a few of my (current) favorite things!
A cup of hot apple cider or homemade hot chocolate almost every night...

I feel kinda bad having a wish list so soon after Christmas, but I think this watch is adorable.

I'm loving TOMs ballet flats arriving this spring!

I love the knife I gave Dave for our 5th anniversary. We try to stick to the traditions for fun and 5 years is wood. He gave me a lovely wooden frame and some gorgeous earrings (not wood :)

As my mom always says, "leopard is a neutral", and I'm loving my new leopard flats I got on super sale at the J.Crew outlet! I have my sister to thank for the tip!

My new wine glasses I pretty much stole from Anthropologie! Before Christmas their sale stuff was take an additional 50% off and I got these for $5 each!! I'm in love. Too bad they only had 5 left...I would have bought 12 if they had them.

Don't even get me started. This ice cream rocks my world and unfortunately, it's rocking my waste line! We bought this before Christmas and I just finished it last week. I'm literally willing myself not to go get more before it disappears! It's a seasonal flavor. I won't even tell you how it's a slice of Heaven when you put a scoop on top of a brownie...I'm so naughty.

In keeping with the food theme...I've only experienced this greatness once in my life, but I had these delicious pumpkin-spice waffles with apple cinnamon butter, roasted pecans and dried cranberries at Penelope in NYC during "Sister Trip 2011" and it was beyond...It's the things better dreams are made of. :)

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad....I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad! ~ Frauline Maria

The Pursuit of Happiness...

2012-01-16T09:32:00.007-06:00

We had a really fun Friday night where we got to feel kinda posh for about...oh, 3 hours. Some dear friends of ours had a suite for the Spurs game and they invited a few of the little people to tag along. :)

We had a great time, enjoyed the Spurs win, and for anyone who knows my affection for the Mavs, please don't feel confused...I'm still totally MFFL. My loyalty lies in Dallas, but Dave is a born and raised Spurs man so we're a house divided. On this occasion I gave Timmy D credit where credit is due and gave 1 or 2 "Go-Spurs-Go". Here are the 2 photos I got before the game even started (I hadn't even taken off my coat) and before I dropped my camera. May it rest in peace.

In other news, our sermon on Sunday was really great and I wanted to share it with you. The title was "The Recipe for a HAPPY Home" but the message can be applied to all relationships really. Marriage, family, friends, colleagues...it's a recipe for healthy interaction. Here is the CliffsNotes version: **I'm sorry for the spacing issues. It's pretty much impossible for me to fix!

H- Humor

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” ~ Psalm 126:2

The home should be a place of joy and laughter. Your home should be fun! Fun for your kids, fun for friends to come over, fun between you and your spouse. People want to "hang out" in places they enjoy with people they enjoy. Make your home that place.

A- Affection

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ~ Luke 15:20

We need affection from those we love. A hug, a pat on the back, a touch on the arm, further more a kiss, holding hands...we want to feel affection from those we love and children need affection. Hugs, sitting in your lap, holding their hand as you go for a walk, the act of touching (obviously I'm speaking of healthy interaction) builds affirmation and shows affection. Be the one to teach your children what healthy, normal affection looks like. It will go a long way in shaping how they view affection and how they seek to fill a void if there is one.

P- Praise

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:2

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

We should be an encouragement to one another. We should be building our family and friends up, encouraging and supporting, commending and praising, not tearing them down and being an accessory to low self worth and value. People tend to live up to your expectations. Set the bar high, encourage people to achieve and praise them when they do and encourage them along the way as they need encouragement. We can teach and we can rebuke but we can do it in a spirit of love continuing to place value in each other.

P- Pardoning

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32

Unfortunately, we're human. We're going to sin, we're going to hurt one another, and those closest to you tend to be the ones who hurt you the most. It stings the most when it's inflicted by someone you love. We need to be people who forgive. Not holding grudges or keeping score. We can't neglect proper discipline but we need to discipline and move on releasing them from their "debt". God didn't give us what we deserved, He gave us what we needed. And that is freedom from our sins. Who are we to not forgive others just as we have been forgiven?

Y- Yielding

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. ~ Joshua 24:15

The most important of the bunch...be yielding. Love Jesus. Teach your family to love Jesus. Yield to God's leadership and Lordship over your home. He has great things in store for you and your family and there are blessings that come with rooting your home in Christ.

I enjoyed this acronym and I think it's a great reminder of the important things. I hope I can be a wife, daughter, sister, friend, co-worker who extends these graces to those in my life. I hope you all had a great weekend! Just another manic Monday...let's do it!

Who Wore it Best?

2012-01-13T10:04:00.004-06:00

The apple certainly didn't fall far from the tree! My mom picked up my Nana for their trip to Dallas today and she just sent me this text message:

The Bobbsey Twins take Dallas! Hysterical! I love it.

2,628,000 minutes....

2012-01-06T07:00:00.002-06:00

Loco,

Happy Anniversary! How would I have known just 5 years ago that marrying you would change my life so completely? I never dreamed I would enjoy serving someone the way marriage calls us to serve. You make it easy because I know I am appreciated and you never hesitate to serve me in return. Who knew I would go from ordering my steak well done and eating it with ketchup to ordering medium to medium well and eating it with no condiments?? And don't even get me started on the fact that I actually ENJOY watching shows like Swamp People and Sons of Guns. It's like I don't even know myself!

Truly you are my soul mate, my partner in crime and my best friend. God gave me my perfect compliment in you. This year I feel like we really got a dose of the "for better and for worse" portion of our vows. Having a doctor say that it would be difficult for us to have children together was a blow that I never dreamed of. The thought of not seeing your blue eyes in our child, or seeing if they got your nose or thinking of the amount of sunscreen our super pale kids would need was almost more than I could bear. But as I think of the man that you are, the reality is that I don't need them to look like you...I just need them to be like you. Your integrity, your honesty, your humility, your wit, your selflessness, your respect, your ambition and your love are just a few of the characteristics I am excited to see you pass on to our children.

2,628,000 minutes...that's approximately how long we have been married. I can't imagine a minute without you!

All my love,
Combo Loco

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Moments so dear

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?

In Daylights - In Sunsets -In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles - In Laughter - In Strife

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure A Year In The Life?

How About Love? Measure In Love
Seasons of Love.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Journeys To Plan

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life Of A Woman Or A Man

In Truth That She Learned Or In Times That He Cried. In Bridges He Burned Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now - To Sing Out, Though The Story Never Ends

Let's Celebrate, Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love
Measure In Love

Oh you got to you got to remember the love

You know that love is a gift from up above

Share love, give love, spread love

Measure, measure your life in love.

Above all, love each other deeply. For love covers a multitude of sin

~ 1 Peter 4:8

Sunrays and Saturdays...

2012-01-04T11:31:00.009-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and rang in the new year in style! We enjoyed great time with family over the holidays and now we're settling back in to normal programming.

December 31st and January 1st are always the same for me. I say (about 100 times) "I can't believe it's *insert year*!" Time flies! Each passing year I realize how quickly the time goes and how we need to make the most of each moment.

I never have many complaints. Life is good. God is good. We are blessed. But I was ready to wrap up 2011 and usher in a new year. I realize it's just a new month. Sunday turns to Monday and the reality is that it's another day. But a fresh calendar year just symbolizes new things.

2011 was a hard year for us. After a year and a half of trying for a baby we began the countless doctor's visits to get to the bottom of our issue. We began seeking answers in 2011 and we ended 2011 with a failed attempt at a pregnancy. There were a lot of hard times, a lot of tears, a lot-a lot-a lot of prayers, tons of encouragement from friends and family, tons of doctor's appointments and a lot of disappointment in between January and December.

There was also a lot of joy. A lot of growing...both as a couple and individually in our relationships with God. At the end of 2011 we still don't have a baby, but we have hope. We have hope in the God who gives life and peace and joy. I do not regret 2011...I am thankful that in the midst of a year of trial we had a lot of triumph. We have wonderful friends, family and prayer warriors on our side and God has shown us time and again that He is good and that His plans are far better than any we could imagine!

As I look forward to 2012 I can't help but think of the goodness 2011 brought...

The BIG 3-0 and a FUN weekend of surprises and celebration with family and friends!

Thank you!!

I RAN...for "fun"...for the first time in my life...and I didn't die! I ran my first race with 25,000 of my closest friends - Capitol 10K Austin, TX.

Mumford and Sons!! It was amazing.

We took a really fun trip to Savannah with my family...

My sister and Brad got engaged!

Dave and I enjoyed a FUN weekend Staycation here in Austin using all Groupons :)

We spent a few Saturdays exploring our city and enjoying time together...

Sister-sister found THE dress!

I had an amazing sisters week in NYC with my sister and sister-in-law! We honestly did it all and had a ball doing it!

We took Tennessee by storm with my in-laws. We visited Dave's grandad and I fell in love with fall all over again!

Had a legit spa party at my house!! Had the most fun with my girlfriends E-V-E-R!

My brother and Rebecca got engaged! Turning 30 AND having your "baby" brother get engaged in one year will really make you feel old. ;) Lots of weddings to look forward to in 2012 for this fam!

Happy New Year!!

From me and mine, to you and yours, I hope you have a blessed 2012!

The Brunch Bunch...

2011-12-21T11:12:00.010-06:00

I hosted my annual Christmas brunch (I can say that now because I've done it for 3 years and I love doing it, so I think it's gonna stick) last weekend and I'm finally getting around to posting photos. I always have a blast visiting with my girl friends. They are all a blessing to me, so I'm glad we can get together during this busy time and laugh, eat lots of good food and celebrate the birth of Jesus.

I forgot to take any photos of the setup besides these on my phone, but there were lots of breakfast goodies. I got a few poinsettias and scattered them around the house and I'm doing my best to keep them alive! I don't have a great track record with house plants but I just love the way they look.
I always use some of my china as serving pieces at my brunch. I love it but I don't use it enough so It's fun when I can get it out and put it to good use.
I got all Pinterest happy and made homemade candles as party favors. I made them with peppermint and fresh balsam scent and the guests chose which one they wanted. I haven't burned mine yet but I'm not sure they take the place of Slatkin & Co. Fresh Balsam candle. At least they looked cute and each guest was able to go home with something.

Mom had fun entertaining the tiny guests! Anytime there is a baby she's on the job! Sam had so much fun playing with Rookie...they were each other's shadow. Always keeping tabs on each other. Every baby needs a dog :)
This year's card tree...It will probably still be up in March because I love seeing every one's photos so much!
So glad my mom came!

Fun friends from my Bible study and my Pi Phi girls. I always look forward to the brunch and I'm so grateful my friends and family give up a few hours of their weekend so close to Christmas to get together, relax and have fun. Love to all...

Merry Christmas!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-16T09:13:00.002-06:00

Thank you so much to those that ordered from Be Wee! I got word on Saturday that one of you ordered your beanie when I posted on Thursday and already got it on Saturday! So that is really fun.

I want to apologize because for the life of me I cannot figure out how to put the photo of the "Random.org" number generator, so you're going to have to trust me. But the winner of the Beanie was comment #12:

Nikki- from Me to We!

So, congratulations to Nikki! Please email contact@beweeshop.com to choose your beanie.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Good luck finishing last minute shopping or resting before the Christmas mayhem! I'm hosting a brunch for friends and I can't wait. It has become a bit of a tradition and I look forward to it every year. I've got egg casserole and mimosas in my foreseeable future. :) XOXO

Giveaway! Enter Today!

2011-12-15T14:42:00.005-06:00

Don't forget to enter my beanie giveaway! You have until 6pm CST today to enter to win a gorgeous beanie from Be Wee!

And if you need a gift for a special someone on your list, order today to receive your beanie by Christmas. They are gorgeous and for every beanie purchased 1 will be given to a child at Dell Children's Hospital. Happy giving and I'll cross my fingers you win :)

The Gift That GIVES!

2011-12-08T08:34:00.006-06:00

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 9:11

A few weeks ago I went to the Junior League of Austin's Annual Christmas Affair. It's a huge holiday market with vendors from all over the country selling everything from tamales to household items to jewelry. I was walking through the rows of vendors and goodies when some darling beanies caught my eye. I walked over and fought through the crowd at her booth to see her beautiful work, and then I read her "mission".

For every beanie purchased, a beanie is given to a sick child at Dell Children's Hospital.

What an AMAZING opportunity we have to make a difference in the life of a child as they fight their fight! This would be a wonderful Christmas gift. You get a beanie for those special people on your list, a child will receive a very cute, but also practical, gift because of your purchase...and there's more...CaryAnn, the precious owner of Be Wee and the creator of the Beanie Project, has set up a blog where you can go and write a note of encouragement, hope and love to the child that will receive the other "half" of your beanie! How wonderful would that be for your children to receive their beanie for Christmas, know that another child has also received a beanie, and be able to write a note to them? (Check out her blog and notes others have written HERE)

The 411: The beanies are $30-$35 for a set (Be Wee gives 1, YOU get 1)

Orders need to be placed by 12/15/11 to be receive by Christmas

SHOP HERE! Ps...she has lots of other goodies besides beanies. She's super talented!

And finally, if CaryAnn isn't generous enough already...

she's giving away a gorgeous beanie to one of you!

And all you had to do is read this post! (And hopefully spread the word and tell all of your friends!!) Simply comment on this post, maybe tell us who would be a great recipient of one of these adorable beanies, and I will use Random.org to choose a winner on 12/15. Remember: That is the last date to order for delivery by Christmas, so that will be the cutoff of our giveaway.

HAPPY GIVING!

Santa Baby...

2011-12-07T11:09:00.007-06:00

Have you made your list for Santa yet? Some of the elves on my list are super easy to shop for and some take a little more searching! Here are a few of my favorites for this gift giving season

Give the gift that keeps giving all year long! Birchbox comes monthly with 4-5 premium beauty supply samples ranging from perfume to face cream, makeup and hair care. She'll look forward to it every month. They have 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions for $10/month!

Gorgeous, one of a kind, handmade pottery from Buck pottery. Made in Gruene, TX, this pottery is beautiful, durable, dishwasher safe and unique. From mixing bowls to coffee cups, they have something to fit everyone on your list!

A magazine subscription is the perfect stocking stuffer! Cooking light for the resident Betty Crocker, ESPN Magazine for the sports fan, Southern Living for the southern belle or House Beautiful for the decorator. The list goes on and on!

How about this darling ipad case? It's gold...don't mind if I do! (OH, except that I don't have an ipad...details, details!)

Bobbi made my list this year! I've been good, so I asked Santa for this palette.

How about this fabulous weekend bag? It's durable and it's a great size for short travel.

Need a secret santa gift? Gifts for office friends? This is one of my favorite gifts to give. These stemless, chalk board wine glasses are wonderful! They are $3/each from Pier 1 so you can give a set of 4 without breaking the bank.

Last but not least...comfortable and cute slippers your mom, sister, daughter, BFF are going to love! Hurry...they're on sale!

Happy Shopping!!

An Engagement, A Birthday, A Wedding, A Christmas Party...and a Partridge in a Pear Tree!

2011-12-05T13:37:00.011-06:00

This weekend was straight up crazy! I was at home during non-sleeping hours for about 3 hours the entire weekend and that was Saturday when I was showering and prepping for a wedding. The holidays are always a whirlwind but this weekend was the icing on the cake!

Let's start at the very beginning...My brother has been planning his proposal for several weeks now, and Friday was the big day! He planned to propose downtown near a coffee shop with "I love you so much" spray painted on a side wall. I was hiding out like paparazzi to capture the big moment. The plan was to propose and then to come to my parents' house under the pretence of showing them the ring. He put together a surprise celebration for Rebecca with their close friends and family at their house and she was certainly surprised. It all went as planned and they are happily engaged!! Congratulations!

These two photos (above and below) are my favorite!

The bride and the mother of the bride!

Dad congratulating Taylor

Rebecca, showing the ring to all of her friends!

Taylor, with Rebecca and his future MIL above and with our family below

Goodies for the bride!

Dave with his bride ;)

A party pic with my sister!

On Saturday we had a really fun "birthday brunch" for my sister. We had breakfast casserole, Tammy's Treats (sausage and cream cheese in croissants...family favorite!), fruit, mini cinnamon rolls and mimosas. It was so much fun and might be a new tradition for Kristen's birthday. It's her favorite meal.

After a morning of fun we all got ready for a wedding on Saturday night. The bride is the daughter of one of my parent's dear friends. She was my mom's best friend growing up and my dad's high school girl friend. :) The wedding was incredible! We had a fabulous time. I especially loved it because they got married in the same church David and I got married in almost 5 years ago! It was really nice to listen to their vows and be reminded of the vows we took in front of our family and friends on that very same alter.

Dad, mom, my sister- Kristen, Brother- Taylor, me and David

The tiiiiiiny cake. Have you ever seen such a thing? It was GORGEOUS and the flowers were just to die for!

Hydrangeas and roses lines both sides of the banister.

The beautiful bride and groom taking their first dance...

An "ice bar" with a golf theme. The groom played golf at SMU and there were SMU golf balls frozen in the ice and mustangs carved into the ice. The green on the right side allowed guests to drop the ball through the ice sculpture and try for a hole in one. Unreal...

Taylor, dad and Dave enjoying the cigar bar

Mom and Dave "sword fighting"...We're so mature

On Sunday, we enjoyed a Christmas party with our Sunday School class. We sang carols and had a fabulous dinner together and David and I got to know a really fun new couple. We had a busy but a wonderful weekend. And as you can see....I took a few photos! I hope you had a great weekend too. Did you get your Christmas shopping done? That's on my agenda for next weekend!

I'm Late, I'm Late, for a very important Date!

2011-12-01T11:40:00.006-06:00

I haven't ordered my Christmas cards yet! But there's still time, and I'm about to....

I briefly mentioned in my "confessions" post that one of my favorite things about the Christmas season is getting cards from friends and family. I have always loved getting mail. I check it everyday and when I get an actual card or personal piece of mail that isn't a catalog or a bill it makes my heart so happy!

Lately, it seems that my personal mail comes in the form of baby announcements or moving announcements, but the joy of the holiday season is Christmas cards! I always have fun ordering my cards. Picking out something I really love, choosing a verse we'd like to share, and of course, finding the photo that does the best job of hiding my double chin. Thus far I have had luck with the former but not the later!

I shared with you all that I display my cards throughout the holidays on my Christmas card tree. I have had a few emails asking exactly how I make it, so I figured I would share! It couldn't be easier.

Walk out into your back yard or front yard and pick out a couple of branches off of your tree. I picked some that spread out widely but had several branches off of the thicker limb.

Grab a vase and fill it with green peas, coffee beans, rice, whatever color scheme you want to go with, but something that can hold the branches upright (*I had a vase so the entire project only cost about $5

Stick your branches in your vase and I add a bow for good measure

Get ribbon and beads- I use 1/4 inch ribbon in red and green (again, whatever colors you want) and tiny wooden beads

As you get your Christmas cards from friends and family, punch a hole in the top, string your ribbon through, drop your bead on there to weigh it down and allow it to hang correctly. Tie a knot allowing it to hang as long or as short as you want it to.

Arrange your cards on your tree & enjoy throughout the holidays!

My branches are set up and ready, so order your Christmas cards and send me one!! You'll make my day!

A Very Mendenhall Thanksgiving!

2011-11-30T09:41:00.009-06:00

I'm late with this post, but it's important for me to note the precious time we spent with David's family over Thanksgiving. We traveled to Arkansas to celebrate his grandmother's 90th birthday on Thanksgiving day! We visited with his aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother and grandfather and we had a wonderful time and WAY too much food! I think I ate more off of the dessert table than anything else, and outside of my pants being snug, I don't regret it one bit!

Here's the tale of our time on the farm in photos...and maybe a few words. :)

I love, love these photos of David's grandparents!

Where I spent most of my time...You're looking at Coconut Cream (I stayed away from that bad boy), Pecan (I did NOT stay away from that), apple pie (I may or may not have had 2 pieces. In my defense, we were there 2 days), pumpkin pie and birthday cake! Holy moly dessert table...

Dave, his cousin Bailey and his dad, Mark getting the hayride set up for us!

Dave and his sister

Us on Thanksgiving day

In the midst of celebration we had a little plumbing snafu...the good news is that there were several Mendenhall men in the house. There are a lot of chiefs and not many indians in our family. :) This picture makes me laugh out loud! Brothers....

Kate, reading birthday cards to her grandmother...and below, Gloria loving on her daughters in-law as they read their cards

Dave with his sister and cousins

Hayride fun! My sister in law and my mother in law above and Dave and I below

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and are looking forward to a merry Christmas!

Confessions...

2011-11-17T09:24:00.002-06:00

I'm currently in survival mode. I have been running between work, doctor's appointments, Bible study, weekend activities with friends and family, etc, etc. While it's all fun, it doesn't leave much time for gourmet Pinterest meals, wreaths made of burlap and pine cones and perfectly side braided hair....What it does leave time for is ordering a pizza (wife/cook of the year), laundry piling up (we'll just buy new underwear) and an unmade bed just about every morning (yes mom, I know that's your pet peeve and you raised me better than that). Hi. I'm Tiffany...These are my confessions...

~ I'm a really good lip reader. Anytime coaches start yelling on the sideline I get the, "What did he just say??" Most of those words aren't proper for mixed company. It also came in handy during the William and Kate wedding. I must have rewound the TV 10 times to get it all just right.

~ I don't eat anything out of the water. Ew, ew and ew!! I've tried it all...from fried catfish to high end lobster tail. It all gives me the heebie-jeebies.

~ I (apparently) have little ears. We were driving one day and Dave looked over and said, "if you had an Indian name it would be 'Little Ears'".

~ I put up 4 large Christmas trees and 2 small trees. My house is currently a disaster because I pulled everything out to get started and I haven't had any time.

~ One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is getting cards from friends and family! I absolutely love seeing photos of their families and I display them for the entire season.

~ I'm a mother hen. I'm the oldest of 3 and I've always had the "mothering" personality of the group. In college, I would volunteer to the be the designated driver just to make sure it was covered and we all got home safely.

~ I'm totally ADD. Self diagnosed of course. I am great with the dreams and ideas but terrible with the details and follow-through.

~ I hate checking voice mails. When the 1, or 2...or 6 sits there on the front screen of my phone it drives me crazy! But not crazy enough to make me check my voice mails...

~ And finally, if this isn't a great party trick I don't know what is...I know all of the words to We Didn't Start the Fire.

And there you have it folks. Thursday confessions.

One Foot in Front of the Other...

2011-11-15T15:52:00.007-06:00

This weekend was the Austin Race for the Cure. We had a beautiful day to celebrate my mom and the many other men and women who have fought this horrible disease that affects so many. Too many.

We had sweet friends, sweet babies and all of my sweet family come walk...

Team Zsa Zsa 2011

Charlie man, above and Sam the man, below (TOTAL troopers! They were in such good moods the whole time!)

My sister- Kristen, Mom and Me

The whole fam! Dave, my brother- Taylor, his GF- Rebecca, Mom, Me, Kristen and Dad

My dad, mom and mom's best friend- Coleen

One foot in front of the other...we'll keep walking 'til there's a cure.

Celebrating my favorite survivor as she crossed the finish line fully healed and got her pink rose.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

Blessing Branches...

2011-11-11T08:31:00.003-06:00

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

These branches sit in my garage year-round waiting for the first Christmas card to come in the mail. This year, we decided to bring it out a few weeks early.

I made these little cards and the point is for Dave and I are to write something we are thankful for each day. We're hanging it up so we can be reminded of our blessings during this time of Thanksgiving. We've had to face a few things this year that have been hard and there have been ups and downs, but through it all, God has been faithful. He has been faithful in giving us strength, hope and peace, He has been faithful through family and friends who encourage us and pray for us...the list truly goes on and on.

You can imagine Dave's enthusiasm when I first mentioned that he actually had to articulate his emotions and feelings. But I stood firm and the result has been wonderful. We are blessed. And when you sit down and actually begin to count your blessings it makes it much more difficult to focus on the negative. God is good...all the time. Happy Thanksgiving!

She Said YES to the Dress!

2011-11-07T10:21:00.004-06:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of going wedding dress shopping with my sister.

Highlights of the day included:
The red velvet cake at lunch
Kristen looking STUNNING in every dress she tried on
Mimosas at the bridal salon
Watching the other girls trying dresses on...everyone's style/taste is so different!
Me taking a blusher out of the case to try on and mom saying in her "gritted teeth" voice, "Put that down before you get in trouble!!" :) I'm only 30...
The champagne toast they brought us once she found the dress! So fun.

And highlight numero uno....
Kristen, bursting into tears when she found The.One. Don't worry that my mom, Carole (her future MIL) and I all followed suit by bursting into tears too.

I love you, Sissy! You stunning bride, you!

Happy HOWL-o-ween!

2011-11-01T13:47:00.004-05:00

From our crew to yours, hope you boys & ghouls had a really fun HOWL-o-ween!

From Scarecrow Jake, Dr. Rookie, and Head Cheerleader Maggie!

(If anyone from my HS is reading this...yes, that is my cheerleading uniform. Mom and I were cracking up!)

Dr. Rookie, ready for the trick-or-treaters!

We had some fun carving pumpkins! Mom and Nana were gutting theirs and dad was in charge of cutting the tops off of all of the pumpkins.

Real Housewives of Austin, TX

2011-10-26T16:29:00.006-05:00

Bradley's 31st birthday turned into my extreme good fortune! Her mom wanted her to feel special and pampered so she planned a surprise spa party in place of Our regularly scheduled Tuesday night Bible study. It was one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time!

Mrs.Bradley selected the menu and my job was simply to implement! I love easy jobs like that!

Bradley came in, we all shouted "surprise" and told her what she was in for and the first words out of mouth were, "I literally feel like the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills!"

We sure didn't feel like our normal Austin Housewife selves that night!

Thank you so much Mrs.Bradley! What a fabulous night!

If I Were Ever to Leave Texas...

2011-10-26T10:18:00.007-05:00

There's a good chance you'd find me in Tennessee! We had a wonderful weekend in Franklin, TN visiting Dave's grandad. He is a month shy of 94 and he is still spry, such a jokester and completely precious! He told us story after story, showed us all around Franklin and is genuinely just a lot of fun to be around!

It is such a joy to me to be able to see Dave cherish the time spend with his grandad. We sure made the most of our short time there and I hope our next trip won't be 2 years in the making!

Me, Dave's granddad and Dave

The first day when we got there, we went to Dave's granddad's apartment to visit. We hadn't been there 30 minutes and he told us we were wasting a beautiful day! He took us out to Arrington Vineyard's to enjoy the weather and the beautiful view. Dave, Kate and I also enjoyed a wine tasting. :) When in Rome!

Kate (my SIL, Dave and their granddad)

On Sunday we went out to Gentry Farms. It's an absolutely adorable pumpkin farm with tons of activities for kids. You can pick your pumpkins from the hundreds they have available or you can go find your own and pick it off the vine.

L-R: My FIL Mark, my MIL Claudia, my SIL Kate, me and David

Dave's grandfather lives in an assisted living community. He has his own apartment, but they provide meals in a community-style manner and they have activities, workout classes, etc for the residents. It is a wonderful community and he loves it!! One of my favorite things is their wall of honor. They have a Veteran's Wall where their resident's photos are displayed. I loved seeing Dr. Mayhew's photo up there. Looking all handsome in his uniform! It was tough to get a good photo because of the glare in the room off of the frame, but it was worth documenting.

(This collage has his photo on the wall of honor, Dave's granddad and his daughter...my MIL, obviously :) and then Dave and his granddad)

I'm SO grateful for the men and women spanning generations who have served our country. I'm grateful to those that continue to find ways to honor them and show appreciation for their service and sacrifice. They are our heros.

What a wonderful trip! I'm grateful for family time and the opportunity to hear all of the wonderful stories Dave's grandfather has to tell! I hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Passionately Pink...

2011-10-20T09:46:00.006-05:00

*I've told y'all a bit of this story before, but this is the entire awesome story behind the pink jersey and the pink bat and my brother's bid to remain the favorite child.

The Background...

We're into pink around my house. It's weird how, outside of my sister, I don't think any of us ever had a really strong like for pink. I was a total tom-boy growing up. I was into sports and playing outside never dresses and dolls. I don't think I had a single item in my closet that was pink. So it was interesting when our entire world turned pink in the fall of 2005.

When mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on September 25th it was a mere days before pink was everywhere for breast cancer awareness month. It was amazing how our eyes were opened because for the first time, it hit home with us. We formed our first Race for the Cure team in 2005 and we haven't looked back! We printed pink team bracelets that year and all of our friends and family received one. It was our way of asking people to wear them and remember to pray for mom as she began the battle for her life.

My brother put that bracelet on and to this day, he has not taken it off! Our family has been changed forever. We have a fighter and survivor in our midst and we celebrate that and we will never forget what she's been through.

The Story...

Most of the MLB, for mother's day, wears pink in support of breast cancer. The major leaguers will play with pink bats and then auction them off, you'll see pink jerseys and pink batting gloves and many have the pink ribbon embroidered on their hats or jerseys. This past season, the Augusta Greenjackets wore their pink jerseys and the jerseys were auctioned off and the money was donated to the Komen Foundation. The cool part was that Taylor's start fell on the day they got to wear the pink jerseys! He talked to their manager before the jerseys went on sale and asked if his jersey could be left out of the auction. He asked if he could buy it himself as a gift for our mom since she is a survivor. And they let him!!

He gave it to her while we were in Savannah a few weeks later and she cried like a baby! Obviously his favorite child status is going nowhere! He's got that one in the bag.

A few weeks later, he was playing in Louisville and a few of the players went to the Louisville Slugger Factory. My sister and I got this email and I immediately started crying!

It wasn't long before a funny shaped (and heavy) package came in the mail and my mom received a precious gift! Again, she cried like a baby and was so grateful to receive such a treasured gift.
I absolutely LOVE that her name is beautifully engraved on that bat. She is a fighter and a survivor and she is my roll model and great inspiration. Praise God for her healing! I think it's safe to say she has made an impact on many and we never see pink without thinking of her. Keep thinking pink this October! I believe we'll find a cure soon.

There's no place like Hope!

*And my sister and I are not kidding ourselves. Taylor's got a corner on the "favorite child" market after this. Lock-stock-and-barrel. He's such a suck up! ;)

It's all fun and games until someone's bleaching grout in the bathroom...

2011-10-16T21:15:00.009-05:00

I've been completely out of control lately. Life has just been throwin' me Nolan-Ryan-Style fastballs and I'm standing in the batters box with the bat on my shoulder. It's tough to complain when my weekends have been spent in New York, in Dallas and soon to be spending my weekend in Nashville. It's just crazy because my weeknights fly by in a flash too. I have a women's Bible study one night, community group (group Bible study) one night, Dave has class one night, and then add in any other social obligations and before we know it our week nights and weekends are spent running 90 to nothin'.

It's lots of great stuff, don't get me wrong. But at some point (and that point, for me, was last Tuesday night...) it all becomes too much and I reached boiling point. Last Monday I finally had a night at home. My suitcase was still unpacked after my trip to NYC, the kitchen was a mess, the floor needed to be vacuumed and I was sitting on the couch, after making dinner, watching DWTS. I looked up and in the right corner of the living room I saw a cobweb. I literally had not.one.single.ounce. of energy to go clean it. So, I sat there and I finished watching the very sub-par talent on this season and then went to bed.

On Tuesday, I got a call from our fertility nurse that put me over the edge and I just started crying on the phone with her. That's when I realized I was out of control in more areas than just my messy house. It seemed like every aspect of my life was overwhelming & in complete chaos. I cried to my friends about it on Tuesday night at Bible study and like the wonderful friends that they are, they just listened. I so appreciate them listening and letting me cry without thinking I'm (tooooo) crazy. I know they have to think I'm a little whack-a-do let's be honest. That night, I decided I needed to get a grip.

I have absolutely no control over our fertility situation and I know that. I realized that me asking God to take this burden and deal with it means trusting Him with it daily. That entire situation is His problem to handle and I trust Him more than anyone else with the future of our family.

It felt so good to put Him in control of every aspect of my life. An enormous burden was lifted and it actually gave me the desire and the energy to "move" and start dealing with other out of control areas, so I decided to get a move on it.

It's amazing how when you just get started and make one change everything else follows. After mentally getting my act together I decided to physically start with our house. We were finally in town for the weekend so I rallied the troops (Dave) and I spoke his love language (an excel spreadsheet) and we got down to business.

The spreadsheet listed every room in our house. I outlined what needed to be done in each room and assigned the duty to either myself or to Dave. I knew that it was going to be tough and I didn't want us to get side tracked. I also wanted it to be very clear what my expectations were and the things I wanted Dave to help me with.

And let me stop right there and say, my husband is a rock star! He totally got on board and agreed that we needed to get these things done and he helped me from 5:30pm on Friday until 3:30 pm yesterday! I am SO grateful for a help mate as wonderful as David!

Ok, back to the spreadsheet...we decided that the easiest way to skin the cat was to start with the closets. We figured we could knock out our master closet and the 2 upstairs closets and get all of our items for Goodwill. If we could Goodwill run on Saturday morning and get the items out of the house then we could start the deep clean.

I love a plan!

The problem was that 2 hours into the plan my bedroom looked like this...I felt like blowing up my entire house and starting over!

The good news is, around midnight, the feeling passed and our closet was completely cleaned out and organized.

Saturday, we woke up, took our loot to Goodwill and hit the showers (literally) around 9am. Dave tackled the bathroom while I tackled the pantry and the kitchen. At one point I walked in to check Dave's progress and he was on his hands and knees with a grout brush and bleach and he was cleaning the grout on the bathroom floor!! It was at that point when I realized he was going for the gold star in cleaning and I'm pretty sure I fell even more in love with him. :)

I didn't really take any pictures because we were cleaning our butts off and I was already pressing my luck with Dave, but we moved all of the furniture out of our formal living room to clean the carpets, dust and vacuum. I took a couple of pictures that I sent to a few friends who were questioning our dedication. ;)

After church on Sunday morning, I ran to the grocery store and got a few pumpkins because I was feeling inspired and ready to move on to fall. (It's been hard since it's still 95 degrees here...but there is buzz of a cold front coming in tonight!) I also got ingredients to make chicken and dumplings (It was delicious! Recipe here) from this pinterest recipe! I started the chi9cken and dumlings and figured it could cook while we finished cleaning. Y'all, it was SO stinkin' easy and delicious! And that brings me to my final project of the weekend....

I made this "menu planner" and I love it!! Find all of the printables here (once again, love you, Pinterest!!)

I feel like such a nerd saying this, but I actually had FUN making my grocery list on my snazzy new shopping sheets.

In all, it was a nutso weekend! We worked our tails off...and the end result is a truly refreshing and amazing home and overall refreshing feeling in my soul. That may sound silly but it's how I feel. Last night, we went for a walk and I told Dave I just felt SO productive. We got rid of things we don't need, we cleaned, cleaned, cleaned, our pantry is organized, our refrigerator and freezer are cleaned out...we are completely organized and I was able to go for a walk and know dinner was going to be ready in the crock pot when we got home. PHEW!

Why in the world don't we do things like that more often??

How was your weekend?

The Cutest Thing I've ever seen...

2011-10-11T09:53:00.005-05:00

I'm not joking, this might be the cutest thing I've ever seen! I've watched it 3 times and literally grinned ear-to-ear and cried out of complete joy for this little girl (who I've never ever met yet I cry...what??) every time. It will make your day.

I only hope that when I have kids some day A) I can give them a surprise like this and B) they would be SO joyful about pajama pants and a DVD that the "real" surprise would be that much sweeter!

Special thanks to my sister for sending this my way! It made my day yesterday and again today. (Because I can't stop watching it!)

The Agony of Defeat...

2011-10-09T21:37:00.009-05:00

Well kids, that was ugly. I think my favorite quote of the weekend goes to my Papa:

My dad: "Well, Papa...did it look as bad from where you were sitting as it did from where I was sitting?"

Papa: "Steve, there wasn't a seat in Texas that made ANY of THAT look good."

Touché, Papa. Touché. The good news about playing at the Cotton Bowl is the ability to express your emotions (good or bad) through food consumption and let me tell you, we did not disappoint! Enjoy our happier times at the TX/ou game and the fried goodness that is the State Fair of Texas!

We bought food/drink tickets the minute we walked through the gate. A) because apparently everyone needed a corny dog for breakfast and B) because we knew the lines would be crazy long after the game. This wasn't our first rodeo...

It was almost 10am...the perfect time for a Fletcher's corn dog, right? Let me just say, I cannot stand corn dogs or hot dogs. But there is something about a Fletcher's corn dog at the fair that is second to none. They are delicious!!

The Texas Star! The tallest ferris wheel in North America.

Happier times. Ha! We took all of the smiling pictures before the beating started.

The Longhorn Band's pre-game performance was awesome! The flag looked great and they spelled out Texas on the field.

I like this picture of the scoreboard because it still said 0-0. Ha!

The atmosphere at this game is electric! Some of my most fun memories from college football games have all come at the Cotton Bowl for Texas/ou games!

After the game we needed to drown our sorrows so Dave headed for round 2...

I chose probably the best thing I've EVER eaten. Drumroll please....fried queso & fried guacamole!! Y'all....I.Die. It was beyond delicious. The queso was spicy and the batter was beyond delicious and perfectly crispy. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I actually think the fried guacamole might have edged it out in awesomeness! They took avocado, mixed it with a bit of monterey jack cheese, some salsa and then battered and flash fried it. It was beyond! The only sad part was that I shared. :)

Items consumed by some (or all...you know who you are) members of our party:

Corny dogs

Fried Queso

Fried guacamole

Turkey leg (there's always one in every group:)

Fried Oreos

Chocolate covered strawberries

Roasted corn on the cobb

Frozen sweet tea/frozen Arnold Palmer/Frozen cherry limeade (I got the frozen CL and it was incredible)

This one didn't go our way but it's always a good time...and we'll get'em next year! How was y'all's weekend??

Friday Fun Day...

2011-10-07T09:44:00.009-05:00

I am really weird. And this comes as no surprise to my close friends, yet it will still stir up fierce emotions in them and for that I say, "I can't help it...I was born this way."

I am a proud graduate of Texas A&M University. I loved my time in Aggieland, my lifelong best friends were made there, I had 4 amazing years there...but those 4 years somehow couldn't undo my upbringing. I was raised a longhorn. I know, I know...

The truth is, I was raised on Longhorn football. Our summer trips were spent in Austin walking the campus, bowling in the student union and taking photos on the field of Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium. I spent many an early October weekend wearing my orange and cheering for the Good Guys during the Texas/ou games. When the Longhorns win it brings me great joy. When they do not, I choose food to cope with my emotions.

Let's be honest, they play at the Cotton Bowl...which is on the fair grounds of the State Fair of Texas. So win or lose, I choose food to cope with my emotions!

This weekend I'll be in Dallas, wearing orange, cheering for the good guys, and I won't count calories. And I am beyond excited about it.

Come early, be loud, stay late, wear orange! ~ Mack Brown

Hook'Em!

All images above via Google Images Credit: photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

And let's not forget...across town, my Texas Rangers will be playing in game 1 of the ALCS against the Tigers. Maybe it will be a weekend of #WINNING!

NYC In a lot of photos and a few words...

2011-10-05T09:22:00.009-05:00

Well, New York was fabulous. As usual, it did not disappoint. We ate, we walked, we giggled, we ate more, we subwayed, we shopped, we wined and dined, and cupcaked and we came home exhausted!

And broke...

Here's the photographic version of events:

Day 1: Brunch at Peels- It's beyond adorable. Exposed brick, adorable bakery, wonderful food, "Build a Biscuit" (why on earth not I say?) and that gorgeous and enormous urn of baby's breath.

We walked around near NYU and Greenwich Village and then....the rain came. So we scurried into a tiny little wine bar, and to our surprise it was the most darling wine and cupcake shop ever. It's called Sweet Revenge and they do wine pairings with their cupcakes. Of course we had to share a cupcake and get an afternoon cocktail!

(below: Me, My sister- Kristen, my sister in law- Kate. My SIL lives in NYC so we stayed with her.)

That evening, we had the privilege of visiting the 9/11 Memorial. It is really beautiful and very tastefully done. I can wait to see the grandeur of it all when the buildings are finished and the museum is open. If you'd like to view more of the Memorial photos click here.

After the Memorial we walked through this fabulous park and had dinner at Barrio Chino which was to die for and some of the best *Mexican food I've ever had in NYC. (*It's certainly not tex-mex but they did have guacamole and fresh squeezed margaritas. My steak fajita tacos were delicious!)

Day 2: We started our day with another delicious brunch at Penelope in Murray Hill. Now is as good a time as any to admit that I had pumpkin waffles with dried cranberries, toasted pecans, apple-cinnamon butter and baked cinnamon apples. I'm not usually a huge fan of pumpkin anything but I'm not kidding when I say this could be my last meal. It was unreal.

We left brunch and made our way to the Upper West Side where we went to the Met, walked through Central Park, visited our happy place and got some banana pudding, and went by my sister's old apartment and took her little picture on her stoop. :)

Above: A few exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Below: The rooftop at the Met

We had our very late lunch/early dinner at Shake Shack and then got ready for the Yankee Game.

We had a ton of fun through the first 2 innings of the Yankee game...unfortunately, it decided to rain....a lot!

Day 3: Began with coffee and a trip to the Union Square Farmer's Market with our sweet friend Sarah who moved to the City in May.

From there, we headed to Brooklyn, did some shopping and had lunch at the Brooklyn Flea.

On our way home, we made our way through Mario Batali's Eataly. It was so fabulous. Handmade pastas, fresh made mozzarella, wine and cheese tastings, gelato, a restaurant, fresh made breads...I can't even begin to tell you how overstimulating this place is. The photos below are a glimpse at the gorgeous produce and cheeses. YUM!

We met Sarah and her boyfriend Daniel for a glass of vino and then we headed to Lil' Frankies for some beyond delicious pizza.

Day 4: Also known as our last day- Began with brunch at Freeman's with my sister's old friends. She had so much fun catching up with them and I loved meeting them!

After Freeman's we went to the J Crew Bridal shop on Madison Avenue for Kristen to do some quick browsing!

We went to a Matinee of How to Succeed in Business with ~~Harry Potter~~ Daniel Radcliffe. It was one of my favorite plays I've seen on Broadway! (which is a bold statement!)

We said our farewell to NYC with dinner at Jane and a promise to be back very soon!

I love you and your quirks, NYC. Thank you for taking me in for a long weekend! And Kate, you were a wonderful and gracious hostess, as always. Thank you! XOXO

Testimony of a Fighter...and Survivor!

2011-10-04T10:06:00.004-05:00

I can't even believe it's October! I was walking through the airport yesterday and inside the gift shops I could see the employees pulling out their boxes of Halloween decorations. They were stretching cobwebs and affixing spiders to the check out counters. My mom kept Rookie while I was gone and the night before I left, she sent me a text saying, "Rookie is going to be very very scared!!" with a photo of her pumpkins and ghosts she had spread throughout the house and front yard.

October-December flies by in an instant. It's Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas and before we know it we'll be eating black eyed peas, watching Ryan Seacrest and singing Auld Lang Syne.

Back to October...It's a great month full of pumpkins, cool weather, fall recipes and Halloween costumes. Until 6 years ago, one thing I always managed to overlook during the 10th month...or maybe just "underlook" was breast cancer awareness. Of course It's hard to miss the pink.

Pink Kitchen aid mixers, pink ribbons, Race for the Cure information, pink cupcakes...the thing is, it didn't affect me because it hadn't effected me.

Until it did.

Breast cancer rocked my world and changed my life. Forever. In late September of 2005 my mom found a lump in her breast doing her self breast exam. To make a long story short, she mentioned the lump to a few friends on the tennis court and by the grace of God and a few (very) persistent friends, she found herself in the doctor's office that very afternoon. (And those women will never know how grateful I am for their "we won't take no for an answer" attitude with my mom and for making that phone call and scheduling that appointment) Within 48 hours we had test results, and because of a dear friend who is a genius and wonderful Oncologist, he was able to tell us that things did not look good.

My beautiful mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy, chemo and radiation. She fought the fight against a savage beast and it took a lot out of her. She was tired, she was sick, and though she was physically weak she was mentally tough. And she will be the first to tell you that she never felt more peace than knowing she wasn't fighting it alone. Mom's faith carried her through. God carried her through. And she influenced so many lives as her friends and family saw her fight with grace, humor, strength and courage. She is a true testimony of grace and I am so honored to have her as on of my greatest influences and treasured gift.

Last week we had several individuals and several families participate in "cardboard testimonies" at church. It was wonderful, heartbreaking, encouraging, humbling and downright enlightening to see people, some I know well, get up in front of the church and share their story. We were able to see how God has lifted people out of the ashes and blessed their lives and the lives of those around them because of their journey. My mom was asked to participate, and as a first hand witness to her journey I can absolutely tell you her testimony has been far reaching.

It was SO incredible seeing her on that stage...completely healed. Cancer free. Praise God! I'm grateful for every day I have with her and I know that it's because of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the many other pioneers in breast cancer research, development and treatment. Without the hard work of these organizations, the funding and the fundraising we would not be where we are today in development and treatment. And my mom might not be here today.

So think pink!! Buy pink!! Donate to breast cancer research and one day (hopefully very, very soon) I will hold the biggest PINK PARTY you've ever seen when we get to celebrate a CURE! When we get to celebrate that no more women, men, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, sisters, friends...have to fight this ugly disease. Until then...fight like a girl.

A City's Tribute...

2011-09-30T07:57:00.006-05:00

I'm having a fabulous time in New York with these 2...

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of heading down to the 9/11 Memorial. It was amazing.

A city's tribute...the world remembers.

Tailgate celebration...

2011-09-28T07:39:00.007-05:00

This past weekend was my future brother-in-law's 30th birthday. As a newly inaugurated member of the dirty 30 club I felt it my civic duty to personally welcome him to the group. He is a huge Texas Ranger's fan so my sister put together a great tailgate surprise party and then we all went to the Ranger's game.

Brad was shocked! I think he had a great time and really appreciated everything my sister did to make his day so special! Happy 30th Brad!!

Waiting on the birthday boy...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Are you kidding me with how cute Brad's neice is? Look at those eyelashes!! She stood her ground near us as we ate and was so precious as she "begged" for food. :) She wanted mom's cookie. I DIE of cuteness!

My family getting ready to head into the game...

Congratulations AL West champion Texas Rangers!

Fall Bucket List!

2011-09-22T10:26:00.010-05:00

This week it's hit the 90s here in Austin (and by 90s I mean 97-99) and it has been SO refreshing! On Monday it was even low 90s. Dave and I went running after work and we didn't die! I was close though...

I digress. September hits, football starts, temps drop below 100 and next thing you know I'm wearing a cardigan to work out of sheer summer rebellion and determination to make it fall. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy pumpkins yet though. When I sweat walking into the grocery store it just doesn't seem right to walk out with an assortment of gourds.

I do love the fall. The smell of spice candles, Saturdays spent with the tv turned to football, switching from shorts and flip flops to jeans and boots (that will happen November-ish around here), and the buzz of the new fried foods at the State Fair of Texas. As gross as fried butter might sound, I can assure you it's a tiny, calorie-packed-punch of heaven right here on earth.

Moving on! In preparation and excitement for fall I decided to take a page out of my friend Katie's book and create my Fall Bucket List.

Get a salted caramel mocha from Starbucks

See the leaves turn and buy a pumpkin at the Nashville Farmer's Market

Go to Contigo Austin for a fall Patio dinner

Eat here, here, here and here while in NYC and go to the 9/11 Memorial

Make at least 3 recipes from my Pinterest arsenal- Maybe crock pot recipes

Get our fire pit and heater set up and have friends over for wine and s'mores!

Do a photo shoot with Rookie in the leaves or with pumpkins

(I don't have kids, y'all. Allow me this. ha!)

Rookie's fall photo shoot of 2009 :)

His very first Halloween...he was the KING of the pumpkin patch

(I do know that I'm a dork)

His fancy costume was given to him by his aunt Kristen

The gorgeous Farmer's Market in Nashville- above

And the gorgeous markets in NYC- below

Happy FALL y'all! What's on your fall bucket list?

Creativity at it's Finest...

2011-09-20T10:26:00.006-05:00

I'm not well traveled. I've been around the United States and I've been to Mexico and that about sums up my jet-setting. Honestly, I feel privileged just to have been the places I've been. Sure, I have lofty aspirations of travels abroad. I've pinned my fair share of photos from Greece, Australia, Italy, Norway, Vail...it's fun to dream. The common theme among my travels is not only stunning beauty but also the vast differences of our world.

Mountains, rain forests, oceans, deserts, volcanoes, lakes, canyons...can you imagine the creativity of our maker?

Last year, Dave and I went to Lake Tahoe for his big 3-0. I had done my google searches and had seen a few photos of the lake but nothing prepared me for the actual beauty I took in. We drove up one side of the mountain from Reno and as we came down, around the mountain, into Tahoe this was our first glimpse of the Lake...

Blue skies, gorgeous towering pine trees, and the lake that's a color of blue you can't even imagine.

We spent the next few days exploring. We went hiking, Dave played golf, we took in the snow capped mountains and walked along the sandy shore of the lake.

At one point, I asked Dave, "Can you even fathom how beautiful Heaven will be? I look around and see the beauty of this earth and it makes me realize I can't even come close to understanding the beauty and the glory of it. If He gives us this beauty here, but tells us we can't comprehend the majesty of Heaven, what must it be like?"

It blows my mind. How can my God be so creative? Forming snow capped mountains with the same hands that He rolled out the beaches of Turks and Caicos.

I've been thinking about all of this lately as I find peace in our infertility battle. I've always wanted to be a mom. And not just wanted to be a mom, but have truly felt like that's what I've been called to do. I've thought about my life with 3 boys, I've thought about my life with 3 girls, and I've thought about the joy of a mixed family. I've thought about adoption, I've thought about 2 kids...3 kids...4 kids...I've never once thought about zero kids. I never thought the couple struggling to have children would be us.

In the beginning (when we first found out we had a problem) it went from zero to 60. We began to realize that our story was going to be different. I wasn't going to get pregnant, get to surprise my husband with the news, get to surprise my family with the news, etc. For a year and a half I had been waiting month after month...hoping...and dreaming. "Ok, if I get pregnant this month I'll tell David this way, we'll tell our parents around this time in this way...." I did that with Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, my mom's birthday, Dave's birthday, Father's day....Y'all probably think I'm crazy, but I was willing it to happen. It never did.

At first I kind of went through a mourning period. I struggled with the fact that I might not be able to have children with my husband, and then I went through struggles of the "how". How do I feel about the few treatment options available to us? Where do we go from here? How is God going to build our family? IS God going to build our family?

I still don't know all of the answers to all of these questions. But what I've been enjoying lately is the dream of it all. God knows the desires of my heart. He knows my desire to be a mom. My desire to see Dave as the wonderful father I know he'll be. My desire to go to soccer, and ballet, and teach little hands how to fold in prayer and little voices to sing Jesus Loves Me. And the good news is....He's able.

If He created beautiful sunsets to hold different shades and shapes every single day and if He created gorgeous snow capped mountains to tower over an azure blue lake, I am so very excited to see how He chooses to create our family. And one thing that I'm most excited about is that I won't miss it. I'm so certain...beyond certain...that God is the only person who can create my family. And I'm so very grateful that if we have the privilege of adoption or if I have the joy of carrying a baby, that I'll be so grateful to the one who makes all things glorious!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

Southern Living Style House

2011-09-10T23:10:00.012-05:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of touring the 2011 Southern Living Idea House in Horeshoe Bay, TX. It was beautiful and full of gorgeous features and ideas! I didn't realize I could take pictures until my heart's content so all I had was my iPhone and my little point and shoot, but I did snap a few photos to remember some of my favorite elements and to share it with those of you who haven't had the pleasure of going. Of course, clicking through the photo gallery on their website gives you MUCH better pictures than these that I took!

A few disclaimers:

My first FAIL is that I didn't take a picture of the front of the home. Who forgets that? Anyways, it is a Tuscan style home. Click here to see the floor plan and professional pictures.

The lighting in these photos is skewed due to the dark ceilings, my poor photography, me hiding in the corner to take the photo since there were at least 30 other people touring, etc. So, for example, the wall coloring in the first photo of the living room looks very yellow and it was not quite so buttery. The second photo has more natural light and shows a truer depiction of the wall color.

Apparently I didn't take pictures of things I didn't like. ha! So, I will explain to you the 2 bedrooms upstairs because I didn't take a single photo...oops!

As you walk in, you look directly to the stairs and you can turn right or left. Left takes you into the formal living area...I am absolutely OBSESSED with the cathedral, wood-exposed ceilings. (I took the first 2 pictures from upstairs so you could see the entire room)

As you turn right from the front door, you walk into the dining room and turn right into the kitchen. FAIL #2...I only took one photo of the kitchen. There were people everywhere and I couldn't get any decent photos without a million people in them. Bottom line: no upper cabinets. All lower level cabinets. The vendor booklet said all of the cabinets were from IKEA. I'll just say it was nicer than anything I've ever seen in IKEA (and I love me some IKEA, don't get me wrong) so I'm not sure exactly which cabinets they used. I do LOVE the light fixtures they used in all of the rooms.
See the woman in the blue walking through a walkway? That leads into the laundry room and down to the garage. The photo below is of the laundry/mud room. I was standing in the garage and taking the photo looking through the laundry room and that doorway leads into the kitchen. I love the sea foam green chosen for the laundry room.

Off of the kitchen is the dining room. I think it's interesting that they put curtains around the entire dining room walls. looking through the dining room is the second living area. What I would call the "den" or the "living room".

Below is the living room. Things I loved: The dimension of the windows. Again, the exposed-wood, cathedral ceilings, the gorgeous distressed wood wide plank floors, the interesting light fixtures, and I adore the lamps, tufted ottoman, throw pillows, etc. I greatly apologize for my poor photography! It doesn't do the colors any semblance of justice. :)

Now for my favorite part of the entire home...off the living room was a tiny library nook. It was SO cozy, SO homey, and exactly what I would love to walk through to get into my bedroom everyday! The small windows on the right added some natural light and looked out onto a private courtyard/patio of the residence. Again, the wood ceilings are Texas Hill Country swoon-worthy and I beyond adore the yellow chair for a great pop of color. I don't know what it is about books but I've met very few home libraries I didn't like! I by very few I really mean not one.

You walk through the library nook into the master bedroom...swoon! And don't miss the exposed rock. Truly gorgeous! As you can see, most of the colors of the home are very earthy and natural. The master bedroom has whites, khakis, light blue, etc.

The master bathroom had it's highs and lows. Remember how I told you in the disclaimer that I forgot to take pictures of things I didn't particularly care for? Well, this is my fail. The master bathroom was very modern/contemporary. It's not that I didn't like it, I didn't like it for THIS home. The home was beautiful wood, earthy colors, rustic, and then the bathroom was all marble, white cabinets, etc. Click here to see (PS...this makes it look better than it did in person! In my opinion).

I was, however, completely obsessed with the indoor/outdoor shower. Having a door in the shower to walk outside and enjoy an outdoor rinse was pretty awesome.

I gasped when I saw the master closet. The convenience of a washer/dryer in the master closet seems almost too good to be true!

Finally, the private Juliet-style patio off the master suite was perfect. I can see many great mornings with coffee and a good book or nice evenings to unwind spent out on this patio.

As you walk upstairs, this darling little nook is a great gathering place. It overlooks the formal living room.

Unfortunately, that's all I took of the upstairs...the bedrooms left me completely underwhelmed! There were 2 bedrooms upstairs off of this nook and they were fairly small and completely contemporary. There were a lot of people coming in and out and I didn't see anything particularly noteworthy, so I didn't shove my camera in all of the other tourist's face. :) I'm sorry in retrospect because I'd like to show you.

Moving on! The outdoor patio was very large and had several sections of sitting areas. The pool was very small, more of a private pool type than a laps pool.

Do you see that small "house" those 2 people are walking into? That's the guest quarters.

Inside the guest room. We were taking a poll with the ladies I went with: Twin beds or Queen/king sized bed in the guest room? Ready....go! This house opted for twin beds.

And finally, from the guest house looking back to the main house....

So, your thoughts on the 2011 Southern Living Style House? I'll tell you that it's being sold for $3.7 Million...that's a lot of zeros out of my price range. While I thought there were many beautiful, unique and cozy things about this house I also thought it was a bit of a choppy layout and some of the items weren't very functional for a Texas home. (ie- the metal table on the back patio that was holding in the 107 degrees of Texas heat the sun was radiating.)

But let's be honest, if Dave came home with the keys tomorrow I wouldn't turn him away! What are your thoughts? See anything you particularly love? Or don't love? Do share!

Meat and Potatoes...

2011-09-08T10:31:00.010-05:00

When Dave and I got married, one of the funniest transitions was food. We dated for 3 years before we got married so you would have thought I would have been more prepared, but living with someone is totally different than eating OUT with someone and the occasional homemade meal. You see, as I've told you before, my favorite food group is chips and salsa and/or queso. I can make an entire meal off of that.

Dave thinks that's bizarre.

He doesn't understand how I can be satisfied with a meal that is only made up of 2 items. None of which are meat. I, on the other hand, fully understand. Because those 2 items are cabs and dairy. Amen and amen.

That brings me to my point. I've been meaning to post all week and my post was going to be very chips and queso. I was going to tell you about these darling shoes we tried to talk my Nana into this weekend because they only had them in a teeny-tiny 5 1/2. I was going to tell you about some amazing cookies I made thanks to Pinterest, and I was going to tell you about how my mom, Nana and I all showed up on Friday night wearing a version of the same outfit. It was really special....

But there is something much more significant for me to share with you. Y'all get the meat and potatoes today because you have to know what's going on in our city right now.

This is my city as smoke and fire takes over: Austin, TX

I'm sure you've seen on the news that Texas is being consumed with fire. We're in a serious drought y'all. It's the worst in 100 years. We haven't had rain in months and months. Trees are literally huge matches right now and we're at a critical point. On Sunday, we got a huge wind storm. We didn't get any rain from hurricane Lee but we got some of the winds. Those winds downed a power line and the sparks started a series of wild fires about 30 miles from here. Bastrop is right outside of Austin and at this point, practically the entire city is on fire or has been burned.

Over 1,400....did you catch those zeros...1,400+ homes have burned. Families got out just in time. Many of them with nothing more than the clothes on their back.

photo gallery from KVUE news. *Photo Credit AP (first photo) and viewers

Please pray for our state. We need rain so.very.badly. Like pouring, drenching rain that stays for days. Please pray for the firefighters as they are on their fifth day straight of fighting fires around the clock. Please pray for the families that have lost their homes and everything they own. Many of them have lost livestock. Not only is that heart breaking, but it's their livelihood.

We will take your prayers for sure. If you can help in other ways we could certainly use that too. Please consider a donation to the Red Cross of Central Texas. Anything helps...and I am so grateful! I've been asking y'all for a lot of prayer lately. Sorry about that! But thank you for stepping up to the call.

I took this picture about 2 weeks ago driving home from work. I was sending it to my brother to tell him Austin misses him...

I took this picture yesterday driving down the same road. You can hardly even make out the Capitol. And this picture was from an even closer vantage point than the first one. It's just crazy.

God bless Texas....and please just make it rain a little....

Update ~ The iPhone Version...

2011-08-31T11:54:00.004-05:00

I have a few things to share with you...let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

My weekend went like this....

I got my gold-ish Toms I had been waiting on. :) They are so stinkin' adorable in person. If I wasn't ready for fall before (and believe me, I WAS) then I'm sure ready now!

I've been house/dog sitting for my parents (its own post entirely) and I got home from work on Friday and this was sitting on the front porch. This means 2 things:

1. My brother is coming home very soon!! This is his first batch of "stuff" mailed home

2. My parent's neighborhood is very honest. I mean, what-in-the-what UPS that you leave a huge guitar (hello, obvious!!) on the front porch. Do people not have to sign for these things??

Dave went to New Braunfels this weekend to go to his High School's first football game of the season with his dad. Since he was out of town I invited my boyfriend over for a sleepover. :) I decided to invite his mom too...I had so much fun with Liz, Lauren, Kate and Charlie man. We decided to let him swim (or float and splash in the spa...same thing). The adults on the other hand, did not swim. We sat and watched him with a cold beverage in hand because...

It was THIS hot. I mean, unreal. Do you see why I'm dreaming of fall? PS...that's legit. That's not "hot car sitting still 111 degrees" that's "driving with the AC full blast and 111 is being generous". I live in a constant state of sweat...real nice.

My boyfriend, flirting with Maggie. :) The Loj, get that boy a dog!!! (and yes, I have incredibly high arches...the end.)

UM. Blythe turned 1. We partied on Sunday. SHE partied like a champ and did us all proud. When she went head first into that cake my heart sang....GET.IT.GIRL.

And finally...this is where the weekend came to a screeching halt. And why I've been absent on the ol' blog. It's tough to share the positive when your heart breaks because of the incomprehensible. I got a call from my brother on Sunday. His girlfriend, Rebecca had called to let him know that she was on the way to the hospital to be with her dad. He was with her sister at the Special Olympics when something happened. It seems that he had a brain aneurysm. He was rushed into emergency brain surgery. Unfortunately, there wasn't much that could be done.

Today, he will be take off life support.

Rebecca and Abi have lost their father. Her mother has lost her husband, her helper. And the world has lost a good, good man. That's so evident by the many who have come by the hospital to make sure the family knows that they feel that way. I am so heartbroken for them. This final picture was of the sunrise on Monday morning. I was driving to work praying....her dad had made it through the night and it seemed that was a positive step. I was praying for them and this sunrise was SO beautiful. The picture does it no justice. I was praying for him to be healed because that is our wish on earth, but I was praying for God's will to be done. Monday afternoon is when we found out that he would not make it.

This is tough. Words fail me when I try to tell Rebecca that I'm sorry. That I'm praying for her. That my heart is broken for her. So, instead, I use all of my words to ask God to comfort them and bring them peace. It's crazy how life can change in one.tiny.minute. So spend one tiny minute today letting those you love know it. And if you can spare a prayer...throw one up for the Rawson family.

"The Lord is close to the broken hearted and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed." ~ Psalms 34:19

Peachy Keen...

2011-08-23T11:07:00.005-05:00

Judging by the tweets I caught up on around midnight last night and the alarmingly ridiculous soundbite played on my morning radio show, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I didn't miss much last night on Bachelor Pad. And by "didn't miss much" I actually mean that I missed a slew of drama, a promise for infinity and a sad attempt at a love song.

Ahhh...the unashamed joy of being young and in love...The man has a duty to fulfill. What on earth would Vienna do without someone there to guard and protect her heart? I missed bachelor pad because I was having too much fun visiting with friends over a cheese board and an amazing bean dip. We won't tell weight watchers how many points were consumed last night. That will be between me and the cheese board....

I digress...This past weekend was an eventful yet uneventful weekend. We played catch up, did lots of laundry, cleaned the house, did all of our grocery shopping on Friday night (which was awesome because we were the only losers shopping on a Friday night!) which made Sunday night really awesome because I didn't have to fight all of the soccer mom's for Dave's applesauce and string cheese. It's always crazy this time of year. My regular grocery items fly off the shelf in rapid fashion. They are buying for their 3rd grader heading back to school...I am buying for my husband. Some things never change!

Some fun events from the weekend...This wonderful note my sister handed me when my family came over for dinner on Saturday night. I opened it and this is what I found...

Inside were very sweet words about me standing by her side as she and Brad start their lives together. It is my extreme pleasure and honor to serve as her MOH. The next few months will be very exciting as we plan her special day. She also gave me a delicious wedding cake cupcake from Gigi's bakery! The sad part is...I ate it before I could take a picture because I'm cool like that. #MOHFAIL

We had a great time with our family grilling burgers, listening to Taylor's game (he got another W!) and Teenie made her world famous homemade vanilla ice cream! I decided to try a recipe for homemade Peach Cobbler I found on The Reluctant Entertainer. It.Was.Awesome! This recipe is so easy, very few ingredients and absolutely delicious! I'm sure you could make it with apples, cherries, blackberries...whatever tickles your fancy. I know I will make this in the fall with apples!

I'm thankful that with 7 of us there, we ate just about the entire cobbler. There was just enough left over that Dave and I had a little bite yesterday but not enough that I can eat it everyday this week. Because let's be honest, I have no will power, so I would have!

A Grateful Heart...

2011-08-19T08:00:00.006-05:00

It's Friday! Can I get an AMEN??

I'm so ready for this weekend! I have housecleaning in my Friday night future because we are so cool and hip like that. Really, it's because we played all last weekend and I have had fun after work doing things like sitting on my rear watching the Bachelor Pad and going to see the Help with sweet friends. So tonight's the night...bathrooms, dusting, laundry...if anyone wants to come help I'll order the pizza. :)

I was praying this morning and just thanking God for His blessings and provision. I think I spend so much time praying about my wants...I want a baby, I want to be patient, I want to not have my blood pressure spike and my heart race while I yell at the driver in front of me who just cut me off. I want, I want, I want.

While it's true that those things are important to me and are desires of my heart, I also desire to have a grateful heart. I have many prayers that have been answered and blessings I didn't even know to ask for that have come my way. So today, in an effort to live in gratitude and praise God from whom all blessings flow, I'd like to share with you a few things I'm excited and thankful for.

AND, I would LOVE to hear about your current blessings...big or small. Did you get a new job? Did your baby start walking? Did your baby start kindergarten? Did your husband bring you flowers just to show he cares? Did you get a kind word from your boss because of the wonderful job you've been doing? Did you do a back dive into the pool that would have scored you a perfect 10 in the Olympics? I would love to share in your joy!

Without further ado...

I am so thankful for my family. They make me laugh when I need to, they let me cry when I need to, they send me hysterical (and occasionally inappropriate) someecards, and they are always honest with me.

I'm thankful for Rookie, who hasn't been very cuddly lately, but last night cuddled with me for about 3 hours. I ended up not going out to walk/run because I was just loving having him want to sit with me. I'm sorry, let me be honest with you, I think you deserve it. I didn't go run because it was hot and I was sucked into David Feherty's new show and it was icing on the cake that Rookie wanted to cuddle. Phew...honesty is always the best policy!

I'm thankful that my brother gets home in about a month! And in an effort of being thankful and also bragging slightly...I'm thankful that his hard work and dedication has paid off with him having an outstanding season. Last week he threw a complete game shutout and was awarded pitcher of the week for the South Atlantic league!! *Big Sister Brag over*

(Photo Credit: Joseph Pun)

I'm thankful that I can live in the same city as dear college friends and watch them raise their babies. I love that I get to see them on a regular basis and know Avery, Blythe and Charlie as they grow. I love them all more than they know...

(Pictured: A, B & C)

I'm thankful for my husband, who wakes up before me every morning, showers, let's me sleep the extra 15 minutes, and then wakes me up so I don't have to wake up to an alarm clock. This past week he has been waking me up with really sweet words and it's a great start to the day.

I am so thankful...beyond thankful...for the emails and comments I have received regarding our infertility battle. Your words of encouragement and hope mean more to me than you'll ever know. Old college friends who've reached out and said hello, dear friends who've heard our story many times and sat with me while I cry, and those of you who I have never met yet you took the time to pray for us and support us during this time...I thank you. From the bottom of my heart.

I'm thankful for last weekend with Dave. Weekends are so hectic. We work during the week so the weekends are filled with yard work and house cleaning. Grocery shopping and laundry. Errand running and business. It was nice to spend an entire 48 hours together. Talking, laughing, connecting and enjoying each other. He is a good, good man and I am lucky.

I'm thankful for laughter...yesterday, as I was walking Rookie, he was just yipee-skippy. So happy to be outside. And as he was ~~walking~~ prancing, he was TOOTING with every.single.step! It was so hysterical...and audible! He had no idea, he was just loving life and obviously feeling better with every step. Ha! I was literally laughing out loud at my crazy, goofy, tooting dog. One thing's for sure, he's got a knack for taking it all in and loving life!

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:8

They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. ~ Psalms 145:7

Orange! Orange Who? Orange-you Going to Share the Recipe?

2011-08-18T09:18:00.006-05:00

Ok, I admit that was a horrible blog title, but I'm not feeling very creative today. The good news is, I'm feeling generous which is where you benefit. :) I have a delicious recipe to share!

A couple of months ago we were out at a lake party and there were several ice cream freezers of homemade ice cream. Someone brought vanilla, someone brought strawberry (which Dave raved over) and someone brought this Orange-Crush-sorbet-goodness. I was hesitant because I'm not a big sorbet fan but it was approximately 147 degrees, and like the Wicked Witch of the West, I was melting.

It had me at hello.

It was delicious, refreshing, light, and kinda fun! I say fun because the orange crush gave it a bit of a zip! I asked for the recipe and was surprised to learn that it has THREE ingredients! It doesn't get much easier than that...so without further ado...

Orange Crush Sorbet

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1 can crushed pineapple (you can use crushed or chunks depending on how big you want your pieces to be)

Approximately 3 cans of Orange Crush

*Notes: I made this in my Cuisinart 2-quart Ice Cream maker. If you use a large 1-gallon ice cream maker, double the recipe. Also, just fill your maker with Orange Crush until it's full. Could be 3 cans, could be 4.

Eagle Brand and crushed pineapple...

Adding the Orange Crush goodness...

And off we go! Unfortunately, I was so excited to EAT it when it was done that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It's Orange. :) Enjoy this perfect summer treat!

The Great (Groupon) Escape!

2011-08-14T21:16:00.006-05:00

I'm not ashamed to admit that we live on a budget. I've mentioned before that we are Dave Ramsey followers and I live with my very own Dave "Ramsey" Mendenhall. We have a yearly travel budget and the majority of the time, that budget is spent on family outings. We have a lot of family that lives out of town, so travel for weddings, Thanksgiving, visiting grandparents, visiting siblings...it adds up.

The crazy thing is, we've only been on ONE vacation that's just the two of us since our honeymoon! Last year, for Dave's 30th birthday, I took him on a surprise trip to Lake Tahoe. It was amazing, and beyond gorgeous, and it won't happen again for a while!

Don't get me wrong, we had a BLAST in Savannah, and I'm looking forward to a great (and very low budget) trip to NYC in the fall, but there really wasn't a lot left over for the two of us. I had a 2 night hotel stay, for the Hyatt here in downtown Austin, that I won at an event last year, so we decided to enjoy a weekend "staycation" in our city! With our free 2 night stay we decided it would be our challenge to plan our entire weekend using Groupons (or Living Social, coupons, etc). The last 2 months we have been scouting out great restaurants, attractions, etc on these coupon sites. It's been a bit of a game and we were excited for our weekend "getaway" to finally be here.

We both got off early on Friday, we didn't go home, and we started our "staycation" in style! We met at the hotel, changed into our swimsuits and hit the pool for a couple of hours. We had dinner reservations at 7:30pm at Shoreline Grill on Lady Bird Lake. We had a wonderful, over-indulgent meal and then headed over to Esther's Follies. Esther's is a satire, vaudeville-type comedy show that is hilarious!

Saturday, we woke up and rented a kayak to hang out on Lady Bird Lake. Our hotel was downtown on LBL, so we walked the entire weekend and loved seeing our city in a different way. Back to the kayaks...we got SO lucky that it was a bit overcast or we would have been so hot! It was a great workout and really fun to enjoy this part of our city. I can't believe we hadn't done it before this weekend.

Side note: The kayak/canoe rental was packed. I love that Austin is such an active city!

After kayaking, we had a great lunch at Austin Java (seriously, I had a black and blue burger that was to.die.for. Peppercorn and Gorgonzola goodness) and then we cleaned up and went on a Riverboat cruise on the lake. Not gonna lie, it was hot. It was 3:00 in the afternoon. We had fun. I would definitely do it again, but I would do the sunset cruise or go in the fall. Or do the sunset cruise in the fall. :) But, It was awesome to hear things about Austin that I didn't know.

This might be my favorite picture of the weekend. After our boat cruise, we went for dinner and drinks at Ten Oak. I decided on the pulled pork nachos and Dave decided on the rosemary grilled chicken. Can you see Dave's tiiiiiny chicken behind my ENORMOUS plate of nachos? HA! It was literally a breast of chicken on a plate. No sides, nothing. If you only knew...Dave eats SO much and I never finish my plate. We laughed really hard. He ended up pounding my nachos after he ate his chicken in about 2.5 seconds.

We went for a "night cap" at Cedar Door on our way back to our hotel. They have amazing mexican martinis and the night was still young. We snapped this picture as we were headed back to our hotel. The quality of our photos for the weekend isn't amazing considering we took all of them ourselves. Ha!

Sunday, we got up, had a wonderful breakfast at Jo's to use the last of our Groupons and it was beyond wonderful! I had a blueberry pancake that was out of this world and Dave had a 3 egg omelet with enough meat and cheese in it to feed Cox's army!

After our big-boy-breakfast we walked it off on the trail of the lake. We had high hopes of going for a run but my pancake and Dave's omelet kept us to a decent 4 MPH pace. One fun thing about Austin right now...last year, local artist hand painted giant guitars and they were placed throughout the city. They were awesome! After a couple of months, they auctioned the guitars off and people/businesses bought them. All of the money went to charity. This year, they are doing cows. Again, the cows have been hand painted and are featured throughout downtown, along the trail of the lake, etc. These are a few we ran across this weekend. They are awesome! And they have hysterical names like "Cow-Pital" (with the capital building painted on it) or "Moo-lah" for the cash-cow that was outside a downtown bank. This is my favorite below...all of the Austin sites.

We had a ton of fun! We stayed 2 nights on Lady Bird Lake, ate out 4 meals (and dessert), had a few drinks, rented kayaks, went to Esther's Follies, and did a riverboat cruise....and the total damage...$160! We are pretty big fans of Groupon right now!!

What Does "Normal" Really Mean?

2011-08-12T09:50:00.006-05:00

I was telling someone the other day that my family was "normal" and no sooner had the words come out of my mouth, I started laughing hysterically. I mean, what does "normal" even mean? Whatever it is, I'm sure we're not it!

We are our own version of normal...the high strung, high energy, never-met-a-stranger, type-A, "everyone's a comedian" (or at least we think we are) kind of normal. And.I.Love.It.

I was deleting things off my memory card last night, (because today begins our staycation!!) and I ran across some pictures from this past Christmas that made me laugh out loud! We were setting up the tripod for our annual Griswold Family Photo my mom makes us take, and we were messing with the lighting, self-timer, etc. The following were the photos that ensued...and yes, my brother looks like Joe Dirt with his ridiculous hair. (*note my favorites...when we started adding people 1-by-1. Me, Taylor, then Kristen, then Dave.) This is the exact sequence they came out of my camera...

The pictures below began the self-timer fun. We turned around backwards until it was taking and then we'd spin around and strike our pose.

We know we're not as funny as we think we are...

And finally...

Merry Christmas 2010 ~ Love, the Griswolds

48 Hours...

2011-08-08T10:49:00.005-05:00

I'm so glad that I have a renewed interest in blogging. For a while there I just lost the desire. I didn't really have anything to say and wasn't overly enthused about anything. My entire blog is about nothing but yet, I thought I needed something to say. I really felt like I needed to entertain you guys and be funny and it took the fun out of why I started blogging anyway. All that to say, I'm glad to get back to blogging about my little life. I still don't have a lot of things to say that I feel are exciting to people other than me, but I want to appreciate the little things in life and celebrate the day to day. You're invited along with me for as long as you'd like!

Here's a little bit of lately...

We're all booked! Saturday morning my sister and I officially booked our tickets to the Big City. I've been there a million times so I'm not sure why the overabundant excitement but I'm just SO giddy about this trip. I guess that means it's much needed! I'm ready to hop on a plane with this girl...

And head out to see this girl in this city!

Last week, I got my first letter from this little muffin cup and my heart about leapt out of my chest. It is such a joy to me that Dave and I are able to be a part of Cesar's life through Compassion. His birthday is coming up and I'm working on a special little birthday surprise for him. :)

I finally got to pick up the last of my chairs that I had recovered and they look awesome! After all of the drama (which was MY fault) I was so glad to see that everything turned out better than I expected. I'll try to take some pictures tonight. I had my very first "recliner nap" yesterday afternoon and I must admit...I loved it.

I had the privilege, once again, of attending the Texas Longhorn Grid Iron Luncheon last week. It got me completely hyped for football season and made me excited for all things fall. The low 90's - mid 80's can't come soon enough! You can imagine my excitement when amidst talk of Longhorn football, personnel changes, "new blood" and "young talent" we were introduced to Texas high school football's coach of the year...Coach Taylor. It was a joke, obvi, but He gave a nice speech about the passion Texas feels for football at all levels, and spoke of the challenging yet fulfilling life of a HS coach. Might I add, he looked mighty fine while doing it.

I'm excited because there is a group of Austin Pi Phi's getting together tonight! I can't wait to catch up with some of my pledge sisters that I haven't seen in YEARS. We need to do this more often!

Last night I got to video chat with my brother and his hair. I started cracking up the minute I answered because he looked like Ace Ventura. :) Our catch-up-sessions are few and far between because of his schedule but I really enjoy it when we can talk. His season ends in about 4 weeks and then he'll be home for about 5 months...hip-hip-hooray!

It was a fairly uneventful weekend at the Mendenhall household, but it was definitely a good weekend. I hope yours was too!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

2011-08-05T11:16:00.008-05:00

I am beyond giddy on this Friday morning because my sister, mom, and I have been dreaming of a getaway to one of our favorite cities and it seems as though the stars have finally aligned! And by stars I mean our schedules compared to the UT football schedule. We were overwhelmed when it looked as though our only available weekend was Texas/ou weekend, but we avoided that near disaster and have found another! Crisis averted...

Back to The City...most of you are well aware that I love New York. My sister lived there after college, and allowed me to fall more in love with the City that has always been hers, and now my sister-in-law lives there to allow me continued fun. I'm so thankful for them spreading their wings because it allows me the opportunity to vacation there more than I could if not for free lodging. :) It's also rather helpful to have incredibly knowledgeable city guides and restaurant aficionados! I'm a completely spoiled NYC tourist and I am A-OK with that!!

I have a plane ticket on hold waiting to see if Mom's going to drink the Kool-Aid and come too. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! So happy Friday to ME and I hope you have something that's bringing you joy today too! XOXO

*Credit where credit is due...the first 3 photos are mine, the last 3 are from Pinterest...

The Great (Groupon) Escape...

2011-08-04T09:28:00.003-05:00

Do y'all use Groupon? We're cheap, so we bark up that tree. We use it for restaurants, photography classes, spa packages, weekend getaways, Dave uses it for golf and of course, the infamous carpet cleaning scandal of 2011. Let it be known that that is the only time Groupon has failed me and they immediately refunded my money and were so nice and helpful.

Months ago I bought a Groupon for a sunset cruise for 2 on Town Lake for $5. This is something I have never done in my own city and always see people out doing. Likewise, a couple of months ago, Dave bought a Groupon for a nice restaurant here in town. Last summer, while attending a conference, I won a 2 night stay at a local hotel. It was funny that they were giving away hotel stays all across the state and I won the one in my own city, so we have never put it to use.

That brings us to a few weeks ago...Dave mentioned that it would be fun to do a little "staycation" and we could use our hotel stay and go enjoy a nice dinner out with our Groupon. I told him about the sunset cruise I had bought and that we could do that too...

And then, the great "Groupon Staycation" was born. I laughingly said that we should only do things that we have a Groupon for. Since then, it has become a little game and we have bought several restaurant groupons and a few for fun "experiences" to help complete our weekend. We pretty much have our entire weekend planned and it makes me laugh everytime I think about it!

Are we crazy or do y'all take full advantage of Groupon's too??

WWKD...

2011-08-02T10:42:00.003-05:00

I spent some really special time with my sister this weekend. She came to town and we enjoyed talking about her wedding, brainstorming fun ideas and ways to make her day a wonderful reflection of not only she and Brad's love for each other, but also their personal style and character.

We set out on Saturday in an effort to try on wedding gowns and to look at a few bridesmaid dresses. When we went into the bridal boutique it was a bit of a bee-hive as a few of their morning appointments had run over and the next appointments were in waiting. So we took it upon ourselves to wander through the boutique and get an eye for a few of our favorites. We made our way to the bridesmaid dresses and I picked up one and turned it towards Kristen...she said:

"It's cute, but I'm just not sure if it's 'classic' enough. *insert a moment of silence as she's looking the dress over* I mean, what would Kate do?"

At that point, I broke out into hysterical laughter and the wedding planning mantra was born. WWKD?

"Til Foxtrots and Final Roses Do Us Part...

2011-07-29T09:00:00.007-05:00

Marriage is full of compromise.

"What do you want for dinner?"
"I was kind of wanting Mexican food."
"Oh, I had Mexican food for lunch....could we ever do burgers?"
"Yeah, I can do a burger."

Or...

"I've been dying to see Bridesmaids! It looks hysterical!"
"You know, that sounds like a perfect girls' night in the making! Why don't you and your girlfriends go have a fun night together and see that?"
"Done and Done!"

You see? Compromise!

Before we got married we went through a 12 week pre-marital counseling class through our church. It was absolutely wonderful. We had topics like dealing with conflict, in-laws, finances, family (having children/not having children, how many, how we wanted to raise them, etc), "sex-pectations", communication, etc. It was really nice to sit there with couples who had been married 20+ years and talk realistically about things that would inevitably come up in our marriage. But they forgot one topic....Reality TV and Remote Control. And by remote control, I actually mean who controls the remote. The answer during prime time TV...is obviously ME, no?

We got married before I was introduced to So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, so I'll give him that. He was blindsided. But the Bachelor/Bachelorette? Come on now. This is nothing new. I've been sucked in since Andrew Firestone. I've even hung in there through Prince Lorenzo Borghese, whiny-boy-Jake and Brad Womack....twice. So it's safe to say that my Monday's are a lock.

For the record, my compromise is Swamp People marathons! You need subtitles to understand what they are saying for sobbing out loud...I'd say we're even.

Don't even get me started on sports. In his defense, I'm a huge sports fan too, so I don't mind endless football Saturdays. In fact, I do that with or without him around. But golf...6 hours of golf on a Sunday...I'd rather go to the dentist. That's 3 weeks of the Bachelorette rolled into one afternoon!

+1 Point: Tiffany

So you see, marriage is full of compromise. You win some, you lose some. But a very wise poster that hung on the side of my 7th grade science teacher's desk once said, "Stand for something or you'll fall for anything!" So I stand for Monday nights with Chris Harrison and Wednesday nights with Cat Deeley. :) (And certain times of the year, Tuesday nights with Bob and Jillian...so sue me!)

*This was Melanie and Neil's contemporary piece from Wednesday night and it.was.amazing. When she literally FLEW at him in the end...chills.

Tiny Miracles...

2011-07-28T12:12:00.003-05:00

Over the past 2 years I have been reminded of the miracle a child is. People always say it. I mean, I always say it, but the truth is that the full reality of that never sank in.

We always hear, "children are a gift" and when a friend has a baby we say things like, "What a precious miracle!" But I have never felt stronger about those statements than I do right now. Children are a precious, priceless, undeserved gift from God and they are, without a shadow of a doubt, a miracle.

Some dear friends of ours were expecting their second little girl this week. My husband has grown up with the expectant father and they have been dear friends since childhood. David talked to him this past weekend and they discussed the fact that their little girl would be born sometime this week and he would call David when she made her debut. Dave I both received a text on Tuesday evening and we were expecting that this sweet girl had made her arrival. Unfortunately, we received news that you hope you never hear.

Just days before her due date, our friend found out that she lost her sweet girl.

David and I have been beyond heartbroken for them for the past 36 hours since we learned of their loss. We have hardly talked about anything else. I have hardly prayed about anything else. I cry at inexplicable times because God gives me teeny-tiny-fraction-of-a glimpse of their heartache. I count that a privilege. It leads me to pray for them...to beg God for grace, strength, peace, comfort...will. Will to go on. Will to keep taking breaths in and out and to begin to plan for their daughter's burial. Will to walk out of that hospital without their baby girl.

Children are a precious gift. An incredible miracle. And when a child is conceived, as it develops, when it is born...it is a sight to behold and a praise worthy event. Life is one more gift...one more blessing we are given by God. We're so privileged to be a part of His miracles every day.

If you feel led, please pray for our friends. These next few days will be very difficult for them as they leave the hospital, plan their daughter's burial and begin a life very different from the one they were anticipating. Thank you...I'm so grateful for your prayers for them.

Amen and Amen.

2011-07-25T08:33:00.003-05:00

*PS...Pinterest never gets old...

Summer Lovin'...

2011-07-22T13:51:00.012-05:00

See the curtains hangin' in the window, in the evenin' on a Friday night

A little light a-shinin' through the window, lets me know everything is alright

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind

See the paper layin' in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door

So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world

See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two

See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind ~ "Summer Breeze" Seals & Croft

I hope you're enjoying your summer and looking forward to a great weekend! XOXO~ Tiffany

You Can Skip This Post if You Want...

2011-07-20T13:30:00.003-05:00

Because I have nothing of great worth to say. Not that I ever have anything of great worth to say, but I'm feeling especially "worth-less" today. So I will tell you some very trivial things going on in life right now...

I'm absolutely loving My Chihuahua Bites and can't seem to talk my nails into anything else.

The good news: I'm obsessed with Pinterest. The bad news: I literally want to re-do my entire house!

I cannot keep my succulents alive for the life of me. Dad-gum drought!

I can't stop eating. I must get "back on track" but all 105 degrees keep talking me out of running and into ice cream!

I made PW's meatball sliders for dinner on Monday night and Dave wanted to kiss me, they were so good!

Dave and I have planned a "staycation" for mid-August and it can't get here fast enough.

All week I've been thinking it was a day later than it really was. That works great when you think it's Wednesday and it's really Thursday, but it's not as fun when it's the other way around...womp, womp!

I want to print recent pictures and refresh all of my frames, but that takes time, and I'm being lazy.

Lastly, (I know this post has been riveting but I have to wrap-up sometime...) I finally read The Help. I know, I know. I'm always late to the party. But it was just as wonderful as you all said it was going to be. Now I can't stop watching the movie trailer. Austin girls, be watching your email for "dinner and a movie" invite!

THE END.

One for One...

2011-07-13T16:05:00.003-05:00

I have gotten a couple of emails from people saying they didn't realize TOMS was now carrying sunglasses! I linked to the eye wear line in my previous post and also linked to the reason behind the mission, but here is a short, wonderful explanation of their passion to bring sight to the people of Nepal.

It is well worth your 110 seconds of time to watch it!

Pretty powerful and wonderful isn't it? So let's all put TOMS sunglasses on our birthday and Christmas list! :)

What I'm Loving...

2011-07-13T12:05:00.006-05:00

I decided to play along with Jamie today and tell y'all what I'm loving...

I'm loving pool time with these knuckleheads...

I'm loving my new popsicle molds I found at Target for $3.99!

I made Crystal Light Lemonade and pureed fresh strawberries. Filled the molds with both and Dave and I are loving our refreshing evening treat.

I'm definitely loving that they are about 20 calories each!

Rookie is loving his new puppy pillow! Nope, he's not spoiled. Not.At.All.

I'm LOVING this fabric I found this weekend. Trouble is (if you read my post from yesterday...) I've met my quota on fabric/recovering for the next, oh I don't know, 2 years. But this would be sooo cute in my upstairs living area...In person this is a light coral, light blue and light yellow pattern.

And finally, I'm loving TOMS eyewear. I absolutely love their mission. The fact that they are literally out to change the world one pair of shoes and one eye exam at a time is remarkable. When they announced they were carrying sunglasses and will provide someone with an eye exam, eye surgery, or glasses... I'm not gonna lie, I cried! Pardon the cheesy pun, but what amazing vision for their company. Making a difference in people's lives.

Not to mention, the styles are super cute!

What are you loving these days?

Lemons and Lemonade...

2011-07-11T10:40:00.006-05:00

I had a really great weekend. There wasn't really any one thing that made it great it was just a bunch of little things bundled together that equated to goodness.

If you judged my life on my last few posts you'd say life is pretty darn good. And in all honesty, I can't disagree with you, but I will tell you there is more than meets the eye. I'm very blessed. I have an amazing husband, a wonderful family, genuine and fun friends, the list goes on. But life is not without it's trials, frustrations, and don't forget the heartache.

I have always heard about Mt. Bonnell. It's a tourist spot here in Austin that overlooks Lake Austin to one side and downtown Austin to the other. With Dave and I both growing up around Austin and now living here almost 5 years we couldn't believe that neither of us had ever taken the time to go up there. So we decided that Saturday morning was just the time. We woke up early (6:30! On our one day to sleep in) and we headed out.

The views were truly amazing! After our morning at Mt. Bonnell, we went and got breakfast tacos, ran errands, he studied, I went to my parent's and swam with the dogs and then we ended the night with a dinner date. On the way to dinner I was thinking that it had been the perfect day!

I really needed Saturday. I had started to feel sorry for myself and there's no time for that! I've been plagued with a series of mishaps that are just life, but I've been letting it weigh on me. In January, we had a huge water leak from our upstairs bathroom that resulted in a lot of damage, we've had a lot of car repairs/general maintenance, my jewelry was stolen out of my checked baggage on our way to Savannah (I know I should have put it in my purse...), I was completely scammed by a carpet cleaning company, and I had 4 chairs recovered...got there to pick them up and they had been recovered in the wrong fabric. AND, it was my fault. :( I had to repurchase new fabric and have them re-done. Sometimes, life gives you lemons...

And, if you're still reading...and you hadn't guessed by my semi-vague posts before, we have been dealing with infertility for quite some time now. The lost jewelry and the very expensive fabric/furniture mishap seems fairly insignificant doesn't it? Of course it does, and it is all completely insignificant when compared to the one true desire of my heart. I want to be a mother more than anything. I dream about what our kids would look like and what kind of father Dave would be. But I know God is sovereign and He has a plan for our lives.

Here's the facts...some days are harder than others. Some days I just want to go to bed because it seems like "this one's just not in the cards" and maybe tomorrow will hold a different story. But I'm loved, I have friends praying for me and for Dave and for what our future holds. I pray we have a family. I pray on my hands and knees...sometimes my praying is more like begging. But I know that my story is written by the master story teller. And truthfully, in the last 3 months He has filled me with so much peace about our situation.

So tonight, I'm praying for a baby, I'm praying for whoever took my jewelry that was not theirs, I'm praying for my luck to change, and in an effort for it to not be all about me...because really, it should be all about HIM, I'm praying that I will see the beauty in my "average" life. Because He intended for me to live each moment for Him. There are blessings all around me...literally ALL around me. And I'm so grateful...here's to an ice cold glass of lemonade made straight from those fresh lemons!

Ps...if this entertains anyone even a little bit....Dave is such a good sport. My camera was balancing on a rock and my backpack to take this picture of us on self-timer. He just expects this from me. :)

Circling Back Around...

2011-07-08T10:33:00.007-05:00

I was diverted from sharing all about our trip to Savannah by that exciting little engagement, so I'm going to circle back around and over share some photos from the trip. I'm a little snap happy and firmly believe you can never have too many pictures. :) After all, how often is my entire family together having fun? Unfortunately, not often enough!

So here we go, Savannah in photographs...

This is the ONE picture I took in Hilton Head...We were only there for a day and a half, but still?

Cast of characters L-R: My husband- Dave, me, my brother- Taylor, my sister- Kristen, my mom, my dad

Day 2 we decided bikes would get us around town a LOT faster! It was so fun/hysterical.

The reason we went to Savannah...to watch my brother play baseball!

Day 3: Back on the bikes! We're basically the VonTrapps...You can imagine how much Big Daddy liked the bikes...about as much as a root canal! ha!

No trip to Savannah would be complete without a last minute stop at Leopold's! It was a wonderful trip full of Southern charm and southern food! I'll write a quick recap post just outling places we ate, houses we toured, etc for the couple of people who have asked. This post is just too long to do it all. If you're still reading, have a wonderful weekend!! XOXO

On the Road to Mr. and Mrs!

2011-07-05T11:20:00.008-05:00

This weekend was an exciting one for our family and one that involved a few "white lies". Let's just say mom's up for an Oscar nomination for her antics! Let's also say how alarmingly good she is at "untruth's".

I digress...and I'll cut to the chase...

My sister's getting MARRIED!! Her fiance, Brad, proposed on Saturday night in a sweet moment between just them (and a squirrel but that's another post entirely) and then had asked his family and our family to join them for a surprise party back at her house afterwards. It took several white lies to get us there without her knowing, but it was the perfect evening!

Brad is a wonderful man and we are over the moon excited for them. Kristen is a catch, and I mean top tier, and we know he loves her beyond measure. They are a great couple and I'm so honored to be able to witness their relationship that has grown to this point.

Brad's niece, London, who shared her 1st birthday with the happy couple!

"The Crew" waiting patiently...

Our lookout man!

CONGRATULATIONS!! (She was scared to death! ha!)

The Father of the Bride giving a congratulatory kiss

Kristen had no idea that Brad had friends taking pictures across the lake from where he proposed! They showed up and she was SO thrilled to know someone had photographed their special moment

The bling! It is so gorgeous and perfect for her!

Brad, Kristen, Dave and me

The happy couple!

My favorite ladies: Nana, mom, Kristen and me

Brad and Kristen, we love you, we're SO excited for you, and we are looking forward to May 19th to celebrate the beginning of your lives together and husband and wife! Love you, Tiffany

A little of this, a little of that...

2011-06-27T10:46:00.005-05:00

Everyone needs a vacation here and there. You've got to recharge your batteries, see parts of the country you haven't seen, spit milkshake on your mother because you're laughing SO hard, explore the history and charm of a new city, watch your brother pitch the only game you'll get to see him play all year, eat more than any human should in a 120 hour period and pile into a car with 5 of your closest family members, 2 sets of golf clubs, 12 bags and a partridge in a pear tree...

The good news is, I lived to tell the tale...the iPhone version at least!

We ate here... (twice, but who's counting?)

And had one of these as well as a bite of their banana pudding...I have 3 words for you...TO.DIE.FOR. I even have a few fighting words for you...almost rivals Magnolia!

Went on joy rides around the city...

With this bunch of yahoos...

Seeing things like this...

And adorable, adorable stores like this...

(I couldn't help but think of The Shop Around the Corner in You've Got Mail and then I recited movie lines in my head the rest of the day)
We passed tons of beautiful parks and Dave got out and read all of the history of each one. Of course we stopped for photos in many of them including the famous Forsyth Park...

We spent a muggy evening at a baseball game...

And finished our trip with more indulging...

It was a perfectly wonderful vacation and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to be charmed by Savannah! And don't kid yourself, this is the quick and dirty version. Once I upload my pictures I'll share more of our Savannah fun! Thank you to each one of you who gave me recommendations! They were so helpful!

What's a Girl To Do?

2011-06-14T13:35:00.003-05:00

Life's about to get really rough for me. In the next few weeks I'm going to be heading out on vacation with this bunch of yahoos...

To go visit this yahoo...

In these cities...

That's right...we're headed to Hilton Head, SC and Savannah, GA to see Taylor play ball, eat some good food, do some shopping and for the guys to play a little golf. I'm beyond excited!

I'm not sad that I will have to miss 3 days of work and I am not at all sad about seeing my brother and having some fun in the South.

Exactly a year ago, Dave and I were hanging out here hiking, golfing (I was riding in a cart taking pictures and gasping at the beauty of it all), eating, lounging, and overall enjoying life! Before we went I really researched and knew exactly where we were going to eat, where we were going to sight see, all of the local attractions, etc. I had it planned to a T and we enjoyed every minute. We really felt like we got the most out of our vacation because we had a plan.

Unfortunately, I have been so busy lately and I haven't planned a single thing about our Hilton Head/Savannah trip!! So I need you...where should we go? What should we do? Where do we HAVE to eat? What MUST we see?

We're going to have some girl time while the guys play golf so I'd love your shopping tips, favorite cupcake places, perfect ice cream shops...everything that we need to know. Of course we'll be spending a little time at the ballpark watching my brother deal...Did I tell y'all he made the All-star team? :) I'm supposed to brag...I'm his big sister!!

Thank you in advance for your recommendations, advice, tips and tricks! XOXO

*HH/Savannah photos via google images. Photo of my brother via Joseph Pun Photography

Class Act...

2011-06-09T10:11:00.004-05:00

Sports are a few things. They're entertainment, they're money makers, they're game day crowds and they're couch quarterbacks. They give us something to talk about in between innings and in between games.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda....and "back when I played..."

My family is a big sports family, so we're pretty intense. We get super involved in the teams, in the players, in the games. If any of you follow me on twitter you know I'm currently HYPED about the Mavs in the playoffs and I maybe have said on a few occasions that Dirk is my homeboy. Dirk does not know me. He probably wouldn't claim to be my homeboy but as he hits a fade-away jumper at the buzzer he is, in fact, my homeboy.

I digress...sports can symbolize a lot of things. Hard work, determination, knowing how to win, knowing how to lose, teamwork, mental and physical toughness, pursuit of a dream and sometimes the will to win at all costs. Sometimes athletes and franchises can get a poor name or a bad reputation based on actions taken in attempt to win at any and all cost. It feels like this day in age we hear so much about college players being paid under the table and getting treatment that's against the rules. Coaches resigning for immoral or improper acts and schools facing sanctions and violations....

But every once in a while we get to hear one of the good stories. One of the stories of hard work and dreams rewarded. Where a kid gives his all, works hard and it's noticed. Yesterday, in the 2011 player draft, the Texas Rangers took Johnathan Taylor, a paralyzed player for the Georgia Bulldogs in the 33rd round. It was a moment that made me so proud to cheer for the Rangers. So proud to support their ball club with my cheers, my effort, and my money whenever I'm lucky enough to head to Arlington for a game. You can read the full article here. (And it's worth it!!)

Johnathan broke his neck in an outfield collision on March 6th. He was a talented player that most certainly, would have gone pro were it not for his injury. How refreshing to see Texas draft him despite what he could do for them. For once, it was the other way around. Knowing they will get nothing in return, they gave him and his family a little hope, some excitement, and a day of celebration for the talent the Rangers saw in Johnathan.

Class act, Texas Rangers. I can't wait to follow Johnathan Taylor and I pray one day we can celebrate him walking again!

Ranger Bob...

2011-06-07T10:58:00.005-05:00

I am a stray dog magnet. I can't help it. I see a dog, I don't see an owner, I go into panic mode. Especially when busy streets are involved.

Does anyone remember the tale of Lucky Boots the Border Collie? "Lucky" is putting it mildly as he was dancing with death in middle of South Congress Avenue playing chicken with a school bus! Never mind I pulled my car horizontally across 2 lanes of traffic to get him.

I might need to go to one of those "split second decision making" classes. I could stand to brush up on my skills...

Back to Ranger Bob...I was pulling into my driveway last night when this flash ran out of my bushes and through the front yard. I realized it was a dog and my initial panic was that it was Rookie! As it ran across the driveway (right in front of my car...y'all don't even want to know what would have happened if I had hit it. 2 words...psych ward) I realized it was not Rookie, but was definitely a Terrier. I stopped my car and got out to get him just as he ran into my garage.

To make a long story short, he came inside and acquainted himself with a none-too-thrilled Rookie. Rookie was anti-hyped about my rescue and became less enthused with each frisky move "Hey" tried to place on him. He quickly earned the name "Hey" as he had no collar and I had to have something to call him. For instance, "HEY! Quit scratching at the back door!" "HEY! Don't potty in my house!" "HEY!! Don't hump my dog!!!"

He really is cute though, right?

Dave got home from work and wasted no time talking about making signs and canvasing the neighborhood. Ha! I was just about to bathe him (because it was TOO hot for him to be outside and he was STIN-KY!) when we saw a husband and wife walking through the neighborhood still dressed from work. In 103 degree Texas heat I figured they probably weren't out for a power walk! I walked outside with "Hey!" and asked if he was who they were looking for. She immediately shrieked, "RANGER BOB!!!" and reached out her arms to welcome her puppy back.

It was a happy ending as Ranger Bob was reunited with his family and Rookie could de-puff his chest and reclaim his status as an only child. :) All in a day's work....

Honor. Integrity. Duty. Sacrifice. Hero.

2011-05-30T08:56:00.001-05:00

Thank you.

Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

The Day to Day...

2011-05-25T09:45:00.005-05:00

Life can feel mundane, no? I think I've been lacking in the blogging department because I've felt like things have been pretty status quo and I haven't felt inspired to drone on about seemingly boring things. But I began this blog, and chose it's title based on that very point. That it's the little things in life that really do make it both glamorous and fabulous.

Most of us don't go on dates that rival the Bachelor/Bachelorette. Most of us are lucky to get taken out to Chili's and you're really on a date when you get a movie afterwards! I spend my weekend watering plants, going to the grocery store and cleaning bathrooms. Just call me Fancy.

But the truth is, it all adds up to a great life...so here's a little bit of what I've been doing lately...

Picking out fun fabric for several chairs I'm having recovered!

Now I'm dying to get everything back and have my house in order.

Mumford and Sons Rail Road Revival Tour concert with my boo. IT.WAS.AWESOME.

Planting a slew of flowers out front last weekend in crazy heat and humidity. But it looks pretty sharp if I may say so myself!

Getting HYPED over the Mavs in the playoffs! I've been going to Mavs games since I was a wee one and they were terrible! So this is very fun. Tried and true Mavericks and Rangers fan and my teams are finally winning! What in the world!?? PS...Dirk is my homeboy.

Photo Credit

A trip to the coast a few weekends ago with Bradley, Lynch, the babies and the husbands. It was full of food, fun, and the ROYAL WEDDING! We literally watched every.single.channel's.coverage. And it was awesome.

I've been listening to this guy's games on the radio and I'm counting down the days until we get to go visit him in Savannah! Miss you, brother.
*These photos were taken by another player's mother. It was Breast Cancer Awareness night and the players wore pink jerseys. It was PERFECT that this was a night Taylor started. They auctioned the jerseys off to fans but Taylor had asked if he could make sure and get/buy his own jersey as a gift for my mom who is a survivor! What a perfect gift!!

Last and definitely least...I've really slacked off on my running since the 10K. I was so proud of myself for setting that goal and reaching that milestone. Then I was just tired. And I've reverted back to my sporadic exercise the last 6 weeks. But I'm back. I did a few miles last night, I'm exhausted today, and I'm vowing to get back in the groove. OH, and my sister may or may not be throwing around words like Half Marathon....Heaven help me!

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life - well, valuable, but small - and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void." ~ Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

Don't Squat With Yer Spurs On!

2011-05-22T19:20:00.004-05:00

The best things about this weekend include (but aren't limited to)...

Celebrating Baby Lee (Quatro, if you will) with Reams.

Laughing until my sides hurt with best friends.

Steins petifores. I'm gonna be honest because we're friends. In 24 hrs I've had 3.

S'more pops. A little bit of Heaven on earth.

*Little nuggets of wisdom from Bradley.

Getting so much joy from the cuteness that is a mason jar.

Laughing until Reams cries about blueberries, paperweights and baby's first flight.

Spending good time with sweet friends.

Me and my sweet friend Robyn (aka Reams) and baby Lee Allison Robertson IV (aka Quatro:)

The shower was Cowboy themed and we had precious pictures of Robyn's husband dressed as a cowboy from his childhood. All of the guests signed a copy of the Pioneer Woman's new book, "Charlie the Ranch Dog" for Lee's library.

The ADORABLE diaper cake made by Bradley. She was voted the hostess MVP.

Trail mix was the party favor. The tag read, "Happy trails to you, until we meet again. Baby Lee will soon be here to meet all of his friends!"

We had fun putting Cowboy slogans throughout the house. On the left is George W. Bush's quote, "Some people say I walk with a swagger. Which in Texas is called Walking.
The sign on the right was put in the bathroom. :)

Some of the hostesses/BFFs (minus the Loj, we missed you!)

L-R Back: Me, Reams (Robyn), Bradley (Allison)

Front: L-Merc (Laura), Lynch (Allison)

This weekend was so fun! Reams, I hope you felt loved and celebrated! I can't wait to meet and love on Lee!

*"Are you guys taking Lee on your vacation?" ~ Bradley

"Yeah, he's gonna go." ~ Reams

"Ok, good! So when you get on the plane, make sure and tell the flight attendant it's his first flight. You'll get a certificate, wings, and you can take a picture in the cockpit!" ~ Bradley on level HYPED.

"If we had a shower hostess draft I would definitely draft you first." ~ Lynch to Bradley
"Really?????" ~ Bradley, whose eyes had lit up like diamonds (Best compliment she could have ever received!)
"Of course! Not only do you have great ideas, but you have all of the equipment. It's a no brainer." ~ Lynch

One Nut Shy of a Fruit Salad...

2011-05-17T10:28:00.004-05:00

You know, just the normal family photo shoot following Mother's Day lunch....Mom brought candy cigarettes for the crew. Please note Papa's placed behind his ear....no words.

We really were short one crazy...missed you brother!

Mom, Mom, Mom, Mummy, Mummy, Lois....

2011-05-11T14:08:00.009-05:00

Better late than never, right? I have not been the most consistent blogger lately. I'm not sure to what I owe the pleasure of blame but I'm sure it lies somewhere.

I let mother's day come and go without a mention on my blog and now I feel compelled to rectify that. If any mothers deserve a blog post dedicated solely to them it is the mothers that have the greatest impact on my life.

And why make the statute of limitations to just Mother's day? Without further ado...many thanks to the best of the best...

Mom, You're beautiful both inside and out. I do know how lucky I am to be yours.

Thank you for...

~ Loving me unconditionally. Even when I (at 26 no less) spilled nail polish remover on your (brand new) coffee table and it took all of the varnish off. I guess dad was right- "Kids are a money pit!"
~ Bringing my BLOOMERS to school my junior year of high school so I didn't have to show my entire high school my "goodies". Who forgets the most important part of their cheerleading uniform?
~ Your prayers. You are a true prayer warrior. You have always taught me the power of prayer and I can't underestimate the power of your prayers in my life. There is no telling what blessings I have received that I owe credit solely to your prayers for me.
~ Singing me show tunes, oldies, Elton John, Creedance Clearwater Revival and anything else that tickled your fancy. You are the best entertainment I can think of!
~ Telling me how much you and dad love me, but making sure I know that Jesus somehow loves me more.
~ Teaching me that the best meals need only 3 ingredients. Cheese, tortilla chips and Diet Coke.
~ Letting me eat M&Ms for breakfast.
~ Coming in to wake me up for school and then declaring it "skip day"! Those were the best days of my life. Not going to school, spending the day in my PJs with you, watching movies, ordering pizza....I pray I can do that with my kids someday.
~ Teaching me respect for authority. I was always more scared of the trouble I would get into when I got home than any punishment I could receive based on my offenses. Respect adults, respect authority, respect the rules.
~ Teaching me WHO I am and WHOSE I am.
~ Writing me sweet notes and journals giving me words of wisdom, quotes, encouragement, and little glimpses into your thoughts and prayers for me, Taylor and Kristen.
~ Always attending every.single.event from gymnastic meets to cheerleading competitions, football games, pep-rallies (in case I forgot my bloomers...), church plays, softball games. It didn't matter that you had 3 kids in 15 activities each. We always knew our biggest fan would be there.
~ Teaching me to be kind to animals. True love for the defenseless, the dependant and those that love us even when we're unlovable is something I see in you.

I love you, crazy!

Nana, where do you think mom learned to be such a good mother?

Thank you for...

~ Always coming to "grandparents' Day" at school. You were the HOTTEST Nana there! I was always so proud to have you sitting by me eating some terrible hot-pocket concoction.
~ Tea parties on the bottom of the pool. At this age, I can totally see what a pain it was for you to get your hair wet in the name of tea and crumpets in the shallow end! But those tea parties were the best.
~ Cantaloupe and a handful of Frito's after a long day of swimming
~ Schooling me at "Go Fish" and slap jack. I didn't know what a card shark you were!
~ Always coming to my defense when my parents got on to me in front of you. You always said, "Don't get on to her!" Even though I'm sure I always deserved to be "gotten on to"
~ Taking me with you to the beauty shop on Saturdays. When Joyce would let me do the paraffin wax I thought I was a Hollywood glam girl!! You taught me that a woman always needs to look her best! You have always been so beautiful!
~ Sitting out in the front yard singing "I see the moon" and looking at the stars. Just enjoying beautiful Texas nights and the opportunity to spend time together.
~ Teaching me the value of a Macy's coupon :)
~ Loving mom so deeply and showing us the precious relationship of a mother and daughter.

You are so precious to me my Teeny, Tiny Nana!

Claudia, I am so, so lucky to have you for a Mother-in-law. I fell in love with your son and you, Mark and Kate are sweet icing on the top! I would have never dreamed I would be so blessed.

Thank you for...

~ Sharing your chocolate chip cookie recipe right out of the gate! Very first Christmas and BAM! It is my all-time favorite cookie recipe.
~ Opening me up to the world of recycling, Farmer's Market-ing, reusable bagging, and... I'll stop there. Because we both know I won't be composting anytime soon. :)
~ Loving me and accepting me into your family.
~ Teaching me the excitement of a children's book. Your passion for children learning to love reading is wonderful. I look forward to you reading to grand kids and telling them all about Olivia, David and all of the other fun and fabulous characters they need to know!
~ Being my partner in crime when it comes to ordering dessert! The guys don't know what they're missing!
~ Your generosity. Not only to "us" but also just to me. You've truly accepted me right into your family and you treat me like one of your own.
~ Your prayers. We know you pray for us, love us and want only the best for us.

I love you all and thank you for molding me teaching me. If I am 1/2 the woman each of you are I'll be doing pretty well!

Puppy Love...

2011-05-06T09:23:00.030-05:00

I love my dog. He's the 15 lb. king of our castle. He was the man of the house before Dave was, so he has a bit of a feeling of entitlement. I think that's the Yorkie in him!

This week is National Pet Week, so in an effort to show y'all my favorite family members and raise a few bones for the Town Lake Animal Center I'm asking for your help (no worries, you'll be spending my money, not yours :). TLAC is working to make Austin a NO KILL city!! The problem is that their current facility is just too small to house all of the animals. They have a wonderful network of foster families (though they could always use more!) and rescue groups as they strive to save animals.

Now for the fun part! I'm taking a page out of Sara's book (go comment there too!!)...

For every comment received on this post, Dave and I will donate $1 to the Town Lake Animal Center of Austin, TX!

With a second of your time (the time it takes to comment) you will help save an animal's life! And you will put a smile on my face with your comment.

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you enjoy a little fun in the sun this weekend! Love on your mommas! And thank you, thank you, thank you From Rookie and the Gyllenhalls! (Maggie and Jake are my parent's dogs...Rookie's BFFs and my other love bugs)

Breath of Life...

2011-04-26T10:04:00.008-05:00

Do you guys watch Survivor? I have never seen a single episode, but I know it's very popular and has a loyal following because it continues to come on season after season. This morning, my radio show was talking about the last episode and the fact that the casted off contestant, Krista, left her luxury item to another player as she left. Their luxury item is the ONE item they are allowed to bring from home to the island. Krista brought her Bible. As she left, she asked if she could give her item to another player and she gave it to Matt, another believer who did not have his Bible with him. As she gave it to him, he smiled and hugged her and then he said these words....

"I can't explain how much that meant to me because...

that book just breathes life..."

In the last 3 months I have found myself in the biggest trial period of my life outside of my mother battling breast cancer. It has truly been a low period of my life which I have chosen to not blog about and am still not ready to fully disclose. However, as I listened to those words this morning I was overjoyed with how true Matt's statement is. "That book just breathes life."

For whatever reason God has called David and I to this place, but he has a plan and a purpose for us. I know this in my heart and I trust Him with our lives so I have hope and a peace for tomorrow. Please do not get me wrong, I know the way I want it to work out, but I also know that God is SO good. All the time. And He may not bless me the way I thought He would or the way I want Him to, but I feel certain the blessing will far outweigh my wildest dreams. I am certain in that. I've had the joy of a few travels in my life and I'm blown away at the beauty of this earth and I know that was all a design of the creator and a reflection of His love for us and His creativity. I know my situation is not new to Him and He will be so creative in His plan for us. I'm finding peace in that.

It doesn't mean I don't cry sometimes (and by cry I mean sob uncontrollably) or tell Him how mad I am at Him sometimes (He's big, he can handle it), but I tell Him that I am clinging to the promise that He gives me in Jeremiah 29:11 ~ "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And I'm depending on Him to make good on His promise and fill me with hope, joy, peace, patience and an understanding that He is sovereign and He has this all figured out.

And the truth is, while I struggle with the desires of my heart that are so real it goes from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes, He calms me and reminds me that He is all I ever need. So I'll find resolve in that and beg Him to fill me with himself.

I'm not sure who first said it, but I know my mom always says it:

"Sometimes God calms the storm and sometimes He lets the storms rage and He calms the child."

So I will praise you in this storm.

My Cup Runneth Over ~

2011-04-14T10:14:00.006-05:00

"But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children" ~ Psalm 103:17

Living Room Sessions...

2011-04-12T08:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch reading my Twitter feed and Dave was reading it over my shoulder. He said, "Who is that? Is she a friend from high school?"

I said, "No. I don't know her. We're just blog friends."

Dave: "Blog friends???? What does that even mean??"

Me: "It means we read each other's blogs and have gotten to know each other via blogs. I mean, obviously we've never met in real life.....yet."

He looked at me, completely puzzled, actually bewildered, and said, "You're living this entire 'blog' life and It's like I don't even know you!"

HA! I laughed for a good 5 minutes. I would totally have ~~coffee~~ chips and queso with my blog friends and then when he asks if I really know you I can say YES!

Wishing my Husband Cared about my Wish List...

2011-03-31T10:52:00.016-05:00

I took Thursday and Friday off last week and it was glorious! I ran errands, went on walks with the dog, actually made my bed in the morning, took a pair of jeans I've had for at least a year to get hemmed...it was amazing that I could actually get things done during the week. I was kicking butt and taking names with all of the time I had on my hands so when the errands were done there was nothing left to do but shop! I come by it honestly.

Have you met my mother and Nana? Sophie Kinsella based a series of books on them. I digress...

Sometimes when I go shopping I find nothing. My husband likes those times. This was not one of them. Lately it seems that EVERYTHING is cute. From the clothes to the shoes to the watches to the purses, back to the shoes...It's all very tempting. Dave's favorite 2 words are NO and BUDGET so I am left to wish and hope and dream. I'll share a few of those dreams with you...

I can't get enough of maxi dresses in the summer. I think they are so cute, flattering, and they're literally the most comfortable things I put on. This dress is from the BP section at Nordstrom so it won't break the bank at $48.

These had me at hello. Trouble is, I like them in every.single.color. Oh, and Dave would never let me pay this much for "flip flops". Ever.

This Michael Kors satchel is at least 3 X cuter in person than it looks on your computer screen. Guaranteed. My mom and I were both in love. The good news for me is that she usually gets what she wants so I'm holding out hope that this is no different and I can carry it when it's old news to her. :)

I am in LOVE with these stackable rings from Tiffany's. My sweet sister and dear friends each got me one of these for my 30th birthday and I adore them. They are so perfect and meaningful and I would love to add this "I love you" band from a special someone to the stack. (Was that hint as subtle as a bus or what?)

These would go with everything. No more justification needed. The link sends you to J. Crew but Dillard's and Macy's sell them too and they are slightly cheaper. Especially if you can get them with a coupon at Macy's.

This is the one thing on the wish list I can actually get, because at $15, it's a no fuss purchase. In fact, I might go get it today just to make me feel better about all of this wish list business. These Camelback water bottles are my absolute favorite. I have several colors, but I have my eye on this one because of the shape. Finally one that will fit in the cup holders in my car! You need this for all that water you'll be drinking this summer!

Happy shopping!

Giving "Carb Loading" a Whole New Meaning...

2011-03-28T11:18:00.008-05:00

In this world there are runners and then there's me. I've said for several years that I needed to "get serious" about exercising but I'm always just lip service. A few months ago I decided to put my money where my mouth is and actually do something. What I decided to do is still a bit of a puzzle to me.

I was fed up with myself the day after Christmas when I was looking through all of our family photos and I was counting my chins, so I got on a local website that lists all of the Austin and surrounding area races several months at a glance. I decided (having never run a mile, mind you...) that I would participate in the Capitol 10K at the end of March.

I recruited my sister and her BFF Alyssa and then I began begging Dave. I knew with his classwork that it might not interest him, but he readily agreed. Which is good, because had it not been for those 3 accountability partners I might have backed out!

I went ahead and signed up, but didn't tell many people....just in case.

December 28th was day 1. I started with the couch to 5K program and away we went. I won't lie...I don't like to run. It's hard. I can't breathe. I sweat like a pig. My knees hurt (PS, they only hurt for like 2 weeks and then they stopped). My legs felt like led weights. Did I mention the breathing? Because I felt like my chest was loaded with dynamite and was literally exploding. I'm also a bit ADD so it was boring! BUT, I sweat. I got my heart rate up. And for the first week when I was hard to run from my house to the stop sign (which is about 4 houses...) it began to feel really good when I could run 8 houses...then 12....and it just got a tiny bit easier each time.

I began to doubt myself a few weeks ago when I was hitting my wall around 3 miles. I thought I had bit off more than I could chew with 12 weeks to a 10K. I thought I should have started with a 5K. But this weekend I sucked it up, laced up the shoes and put on my big girl panties... I joined 25,000 of my closest friends in doing the Cap 10K in Austin, TX.

Photo Credit: Kelly West- Austin American Statesman

The actual running on race day was the only thing I did all weekend that a real runner would do. Because the 3 baskets of chips I had the night before probably doesn't count as "carb loading". But who doesn't love a good sunset at the Oasis on Lake Travis?

Below is our race day adventure. I forgot to take any pictures after the 10K, but everyone passed the finish line with flying colors! #WINNING.

PS...I do realize that most of you run a 10K in your sleep and it's part of your daily routine but this was a new adventure for me. I'm thrilled that while I will not lie to you and say I am "a runner" and have been bitten by the running bug, it did feel good to set a goal, work hard and accomplish it. A marathon is STILL not on my bucket list, but I am feeling great and hope to make a 5K and/or 10K part of my yearly routine to keep me working hard for something. And maybe (MAYBE) I might one day do a 1/2 marathon....maybe.

It only hurts when I'm awake....

2011-03-21T13:57:00.004-05:00

Spring is here! I know that because I have a sunburn, my nails are broken and it hurts when I sit down to go to the bathroom.

Too much information?? Well, David and I put the petal to the medal this weekend and we did yard work until the cows came home (or until the sun went down because we don't have any cows...). We trimmed trees, pulled weeds, pulled out pretty much every bush in our flower beds and I worked for 2 hours digging up monkey grass that has over taken an entire flower bed.

Lots of crazy things were planted by the previous owner and we decided to start fresh and begin to get things the way we want them. But the way we want it takes a lot of work! And on Sunday (day 2) I may or may not have stepped on the end of a rake and the handle popped up and slapped me in the face! For a brief moment I thought it broke my cheek bone it hurt that bad. So I decided that yard work was dead to me and I went inside and started laundry. I'm only halfway through with that project. Can't we just buy new underwear??

But here are a few fun "spring-things" inside my house....

I used a few of the branches we trimmed and put them in a vase on my dining table. My co-worker gave me this cute "Happy Spring" sign for my birthday!

My $4 flowers I picked up at the grocery store really make a colorful splash in my living room....

And in random fashion, I thought I'd throw in a recipe for y'all. I went to Lynch and Ryan's house for dinner last night to watch some of the Madness and I was in charge of dessert. Since I didn't have a lot of time and couldn't move parts of my body very well I decided to go the easy route. Ice cream pie!

Ingredients:

Chocolate pie crust (the Oreo crusts are the best but I can't ever find them anymore. You can make your own with Oreos and butter blended and formed into a pie pan but I wasn't about to go there!)
1/2 gallon of Blue Bell Cookies 'n Cream Ice Cream (You can use other cookies and cream ice cream but I'll just feel sorry for you that you don't have Blue Bell!! That's one of my favorite things about Texas! :)
Tub of Cool Whip

Here's the hard part...it will take you an entire 3 minutes. Ok, maybe 5: Let the ice cream soften and stir it until it's creamy. Dip about 3/4 of the softened ice cream into the pie crust. *You can freeze it at this point for about an hour. If I have time I usually do and let it harden before spreading the Cool Whip. Then spread the tub of cool whip on top and freeze it. It's best if you can freeze it for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving. I find it easiest to slice with a pizza cutter.

Enjoy!!

Take Your "Child" to Work Day....

2011-03-18T09:11:00.003-05:00

Due to circumstances beyond my control, it became necessary that Rookie come to work with me today. Luckily, we are a very small staff (16) and the majority of our staff is out on spring break with their kids, so my boss readily agreed that it would be ok.

In preparation, homeboy got a bath so he would look professional, we packed his lunch, and he got a stern talking to about office policy and etiquette!

So far so good, but we've got a long day to go! He's taking "Casual Friday" to a whole new level!

You Give me Fever...

2011-03-14T10:39:00.006-05:00

Bieber fever, spring fever, it's all good. I do not suffer from the former but definitely from the later!

I am itching for green grass, flowers in bloom, back-to-back-to-back gorgeous sunshine days, white pants, flip flops, You're a Pisa Work OPI pedicures and little girls in their Easter dresses! BRING.IT.ON.

Last Thursday I got a wild hair and started painting furniture in my house from black to off-white. I decided I just needed to lighten things up. I took 3 chairs to be recovered on Friday and there is no telling when I will actually get them back, so my house is in a bit of disarray right now....but for some reason it feels better. It's exciting to me to be changing things up. I think that's it...I need a bit of change. I need my yard to be colorful and blooming. I'm ready for floral, cheerful candle scents instead of all of the spice and cinnamon filled fall and winter candles. I'm ready for frozen yogurt and strawberries instead of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

Here are a few "Spring Things" I'm crushing on...

Potterybarn's garden lighting. I don't even know which one to choose. I love the mercury globes, and of course the globe string lights are so classic, but I also really like the fisherman's lanterns. Decisions, decisions.

J Crew's Perfect Shirts which are at the outlet mall right now for $36! They are 40% off until at least Thursday so hurry, hurry.

Special thanks to C&P for this fabulous find- Essie's Demure Vix nail polish.

I wish these were about to sprout in my backyard...oh how I would sit out there every.single.night. drinking a glass of wine and reading a magazine. Do we think this is even possible in Texas or is it too hot for them?

And a spring day (or night) can certainly be made complete with a trip to the park...

What are you loving this spring?

30, Flirty, and Thriving!

2011-03-07T11:19:00.005-06:00

My 20's...how I loved thee...let me count the ways...

College- Check! Loved all of it. Made many precious, dear friends who are still by my side today. We made many wonderful memories and we continue to "do life together" even though life has changed a bit from fraternity parties and dance parties to baby showers and lunches planned around nap schedules. I wouldn't change a thing!

Dave- Who would have known that 23 would bring me you. It's so fun to think that you knew the 23 year old version of me, now the 30 year old version of me, and God willing, the 50 and 75 year old version of me!

My 20's brought me a breast cancer scare with my mother, a triumph over breast cancer with my mother, an appreciation for my family and friends and the understanding that life really is short and we're not promised tomorrow. My prayer is I would live each day as my last and never let my family and friends go a day without knowing how much I love and appreciate them.

My 20's brought me a wedding, made me a wife, and shaped the beginning my life with Dave. God is good!

I've loved the last decade and I praise God for who He is and what He has done in my life. Who He has made me to be and how He continues to mold me into the woman he wants me to be. Life is good and I'm hopeful that the blessings didn't stop at 29. So here's to 30 and the promises that lie in my next decade!

The celebrations leading me into 30 were nothing short of fabulous!! I enjoyed a wonderful family dinner on the lake complete with the most beautiful sunset! Saturday brought pedicures and brunch with my sneaky Austin girlfriends and then a wonderful dinner with my sneaky boo! After dinner we were "meeting Bradley and James for drinks" which turned into a surprise party for me! It was SO fun...SO surprising...and SO special to see all of my family and friends in one place! I am humbled and grateful that you all would celebrate with me! I love, love, love you! *PS...most of the pictures from Saturday night were taken with Bradley's camera since my camera card was full (who knew I was having a surprise party and needed more room??). So I will be sharing more pictures of my dear friends once I get those!

My sister- Kristen, Me, Nana and Mom

The whole fam...without brother! We miss you already!

Papa and Nana and Me and Dave

My boo...

My cute cake which had 30 sparklers on top that almost set off the smoke alarms...oops!

Birthday brunch and pedicures with my girls! They were so sweet (and sneaky) to still have brunch with me even though they were going to be celebrating with me again that night!

Kristen and I after the big surprise!

Mom and Dad

Dave was so sweet to plan such an amazing party for me! But he enlisted the right help with decorations! Mom, Kristen and Bradley brought fun decorations...yes, that is an Anthropologie candle...in the bar on 6th street. Mom thought it smelled "a little musty". Love her. Also, please note the personalized party favors!! Chapstick (I'm an addict) that says, "Life is Glamorous and Fabulous". LOVE.

All of the girls

Nana and Papa! Total troopers partying it up on 6th street! Nana said, "Do I need to put my drink down for the picture?" No way teeny!!

Alice and Jeff

And Sarah and Lauren!

There were other precious friends there, but the pictures aren't on my camera!! Know I am so, so thankful for you to! I can't wait to see the other pics!! THANK YOU ALL! XOXO

Here's to the dirty 30!

Here Today...Gone Tomorrow...

2011-03-03T14:01:00.004-06:00

It's amazing how time flies. And by time I mean 29 years. Today I can still pull the "I'm in my 20's" card. Tomorrow marks the beginning of my older, wiser, more mature years. Or something like that...

I thought I would document the final sunrise of my 29th year. (Really I just took pictures of my very pretty view from my hotel room and it happens to be the day before my birthday.) Here's to the beautiful city of Austin and to the final 24 hours of my 20's...

Mr. Postman Look and See, Is There a Letter In Your Bag for Me??

2011-02-21T08:47:00.004-06:00

I'm sure it's a simple glitch really. It could be the President's Day Holiday mail delay. The Royal staff may have goofed and left off the stamp. They're going to feel silly when it's returned for postage! I hope they ordered a few extra envelopes. Come to think of it, Kate was one number off on our house number on our Christmas card. Shoot. I knew I should have e-mailed her and let her know.

But I'll tell you one thing, if my postman is holding my invite hostage just so he can show all of his friends I'm going to be really disappointed. I mean, I don't want the Queen to think my mama didn't teach me the importance of RSVPing!

Yes please! 2 please! :) And for your convenience, we don't HAVE to sit by Posh and Becks, though it would be nice to be seated among friends. ~ Sincerely, Tiffany and Dave (He'll go by David on the event date since he'll be in uniform attire. We keep it real)