Spring Break

I had a great one day Spring Break.  We went to the beach with Kevin's brother and his family (wife, 3 kids - baby stayed with grandparents).   We had to 'wait and see' all week with the weather, but it turned out to be a great day!     Cloudy in the morning, but cleared off.  The water was chilly but that didn't keep the kids out, they were in it all day.....  we had a great time, and grilled some delicious hot dogs.   I am so glad I had some cash, since an ice cream truck came by and we got each kid a treat.....best way to have dessert - -watch kids eat it, all the fun and none of the calories.  The weather held out for us, and then stormed on us going home -- complete with hail, and its a cool front!  

Great way to spend the day.

only in Texas..

I debate just taking this blog down I write on it so rarely, but still like documenting our adventures so for now it stays.  

I'm at a conference for work this week in San Antonio.  For what a quick drive it is to get here (3 hours) we should probably come here more often, but I haven't been since our holiday trip a few years ago...

I saw this gem in the hotel gift shop and had to take a photo.....only in Texas......this is especially relevant as my school (and other colleges and universities around the state) talk about how to implement campus carry.

This conference is the same one that I have served as an officer with and so I"m excited to get to be an attendee this year and to get to see so many folks I've gotten to know through being involved with it.

I wish Kevin could've attended with me, but during the semester he really can't get away, so he stayed home with Smokey.

PSA: donating items

I am becoming a master at finding charities who need the random things we need to give away -- for example, old towels, bathmats and empty pill bottles - animal shelters can use them!  

It makes me happy when I can find an organization that needs items that we no longer have use for.

Please consider local charities when cleaning out your belongings....I'm trying to reduce what goes to Goodwill and find more direct use charities, there are so many out there that need help.

I haven't talked much about it publicly, but we moved my parents to an assisted living facility towards the end of last year and have been dealing with how to work through the belongings they don't want anymore at their last home, it made for a different sort of holiday but was the best move for them, really for all of us.

Happy New Year!

We're already 10 days into 2016, where does the time go?


We rang in the new year at our neighbors' house, sort of a progressive party to the other two townhouses in the complex, it was great!  We even ran back home to get a card table that was needed, so convenient and no driving.    I was able to snap one photo of us both with our party hats!


I'd like to say I'll post more in 2016, but that is not likely to be true, but I can give you another blog you should read...my coworker posting about her adventures, including many photos of her almost 2 year old, its called Momma is thinking.

So that they are more public, I will  go ahead and post a few of our resolutions here:

• travel outside of Texas
• 
  
• incorporate more vegetables into our diet -- plan: try 1 new recipe each week for a veggie dish/side dish
• one week in: success -- we tried glazed carrots

• take break from alcohol - no alcohol the month of January (joint resolution with Kev
• one week in: mixed success, Kevin has amended to refraining from hard liquor; and I had 2 drinks on Friday 

Belated Christmas

Merry Christmas (a few days late)!   We had a wonderful Christmas filled with family and food.  We were able to spend Christmas day with ]my husband's side of the family, including his grandmother and husband who flew in that day.   We received wonderful gifts and yet my favorites were seeing the kids' reactions to their gifts.    I think we finally nailed the gifts to niece and nephews (only took 10 years!).  

Our niece recently discovered pop-up books so she received two totally different pop-up books -- one about a ballerina since she loves to dance and the other the more classic story, Little Red Riding Hood.  She "read" them both to us that day.

For our two older nephews, we gave them each a toy car that the hood and doors open and Roblox gift cards, do not ask me to explain Roblox -- I don't get it - but they LOVE it.....I saw them playing it and it looks like a facebook world....I wonder if that is how my parents felt about Nintendo?

Youngest nephew received clothes from us, he's only 3 months so we'll give him clothes until he can complain :)

The other most fun gift to buy was for Kevin's grandmother, a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so we had to go to The Chocolate Bar - that is the BEST way to go there, you can browse and pick stuff out and know its a gift and not for you...we got her a 'chocoholic' mug and an assortment of delicious looking chocolates.

Smokey had a much calmer day (at home) and the picture above is the look he gives me every night when he wants in my lap...how can I say no?   For some reason, "he sees your when you're sleeping" pops in my head whenever I see that photo.

We were also able to show the grandparents our new home over the weekend, and took them to eat at a great place we have been wanting to check out, Grace's.  So good, and the atmosphere is great, the whole place looks like one big living room.....we will go back.