Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone is having a fun day. Our front door is decorated and we are waiting for the trick or treaters..Sutton and I are staying in tonight, making dinner, eating and passing out candy, and watching the Great Pumpkin (Sutton's choice...He loves it). Today is a romantic holiday for us because 7 years ago today we fell in love. He surprised me by flying in to Stamford and we had a date. We both decided after that night that we were done and that we had found the one.

I also have to wish my sweet Papaw a very happy birthday (though he will not read this...). Papaw turns 86 today and he is one of the most special men in my life. I feel very blessed to have gotten to grow up in the same town with all of my grandparents. Some of my favorite memories growing up are of fishing with Papaw on the river and spending the night with he and Grandma. He also makes the very best fried catfish and hushpuppies in the world and he is one heck of a domino player. Have a Happy Halloween and I will post more tomorrow.

Old Friends are the Best Friends

We have had so much fun this past month visiting with family, but we have enjoyed getting to catch up with old friends as well. This past weekend we had a blast hanging out with my dear friend, Natalie, and her husband, Sean. Natalie and I were State FFA Officers together and also great friends in college. The cool thing is that Nat and Sean are also good friends with our good friends, Jeff and Lori. Jeff and Nat met through Texas Young Lawyers. I love that it is such a small world! We all went to Lowake Steakhouse for dinner and then came back to our house. It was such a fun night catching up and laughing.
Lowake Steakhouse is a bit of a hole in the wall, but the steaks were good and the beer was awesome (notice the very frozen mug- they brought new frozen mugs with every pitcher-that doesn't happen at most places...) Apparently people come from all over to eat here. One guy asked if he could take Sean's picture... Sean actually has a tv show on RFD-TV, so we thought that was why the guy wanted to take his picture, but it turns out, he was from New Jersey and was just excited to see a real cowboy. We all got a big kick out of it. We had a great time and just wish that Nat and Sean could move to Angelo so we could all hang out more often.


Earlier this month, I got to visit with my best friend from college, Callie, and her sweet husband David. They recently moved back to Texas after living in New York City for over 6 years. We are so glad they are back closer to us and hope to see them again soon. For those that know Callie, she has some exciting news, but I will let her share it with you...

Why Scrapbooking Matters....

I just read this post on Stacey Julian's blog and it is a really good reminder of why scrapbooking and documenting our stories really does matter. It inspired me today and made me want to just scrapbook without all of the pressure I typically put on myself. My Memaw scrapbooked her entire life and it is such a blessing to have her books even though she has passed on. I doubt she ever worried about design techniques...She just wanted to get her pictures and memories in a book and by doing so she has left a legacy. Stacey's post was a good reminder of why this hobby is important and why I love it so much!

Sweet Caroline

Today is our niece, Caroline's 1st birthday. I can't believe it has already been a year...It just seems like we were holding her for the first time and now she is walking. We were able to see her last weekend, but have to miss the big celebration today. Happy Birthday, Sweet Caroline! We wish we could be there, but we are thinking of you always. Here are a few pictures of Caroline's first year...If you can't tell, Aunt J is already planning the scrapbook page:)...
1 year ago today
December 2007
January 2008
April, May 2008


July 2008
October 2008

Company

We had a visitor at our house the other night. Wendy and I were walking and this guy came bounding up to us. He made us very nervous for a minute because we were not sure if he wanted to be our friend or attack. He ended up to be a very friendly fellow and he followed us home. I gave him some food and got his tag information, but his vet clinic was closed, so I had to wait until the next day to let them know we had found him. Sutton was not very happy with me when he got home later that night and found this guy barking at him on the front porch. He turned out to be an excellent guard dog. He would not let Sutton near the front door and we had to distract him with food so that Sutton could get in through the garage. He stayed on our front porch and barked until about 1:00 that morning. The next morning he was gone. We let the clinic know where he had been and I sure hope his family found him.
Our precious dog, Piper, got out last year and was gone for a week. A very sweet family in the neighborhood nearby found and cared for him for us until the vet clinic called. We were very lucky that it worked out so well, and I hope it worked out well for our visitor and his family.

Happy Birthday, Casey!

Today is our brother in law Casey's birthday. This picture was taken two years ago at Christmas, and I love it. Casey is married to Sutton's sister, Chelsea, and he is one of the most laid back, easy going people I have ever known. He is just one of those people you enjoy being around. He is a great husband, father, brother, son, salesperson, and friend and we feel very blessed to call him family. Casey- Sutton and I hope you have a great day and we wish you many more happy birthdays.

Patiently waiting...

I have never done this before...I am actually blogging while I patiently wait in one of my offices. Isn't technology amazing? We can always be in contact. I am loving this beautiful, crisp, fall weather. I stayed with Mom and Dad last night and we woke up to frost on the grass this morning. I am looking forward to getting home to Sutton tonight, making some soup, and curling up with him on the couch to watch Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy. Hope you are enjoying this beautiful day as much as I am!

Weekend Update

Well, we are back from a fun weekend with family. We really enjoyed just hanging out, playing with babies, talking, telling stories, watching football, eating great food, laughing, and going through old pictures. It was the perfect fall weekend. Here are a few fun pictures....

Caroline with Gigi and Grandad
Marks, Casey, Chelsea, Nancy, and Sutton
Caroline and Uncle Sutton- He is totally smitten with his precious nieces.

Davy and Aunt Johnna











Sweet Caroline and Chelsea

Chels and Casey








I can't believe I did not get any of Russ and Becky with Davy. Russ was the chef on Saturday night and he grilled some amazing steaks. I think we were all too busy enjoying the evening to think to take pictures.

We have really enjoyed seeing our family over the past few weeks, but we are looking forward to a weekend at home to catch up around the house and farm. The holidays are just around the corner and we are looking forward to more time with our families and more play time with our nieces and nephews. I was very depressed on the drive home last night when I realized we would not be seeing any of them for the next few weeks. Hopefully Sydney won't mind if we come over to get our baby fix.

For all of you Red Raiders out there...

Gig'em Tech! It was not as bad as I expected, and for a minute I thought we might just stay in the game. Unfortunately, the Tech flag is back in place for another year. Now I will be rooting for Tech to beat the hell outta t.u...That should be a really good game. Please keep in mind, though, that I will always bleed maroon.

Gig'em Aggies and other weekend stuff...

We are headed to Dallas for the weekend to visit Sutton's family. Sutton is going to a seminar on Saturday and Sunday during the day, and I am looking forward to spending some quality time with the girls. We can't wait to see our sweet nieces, Caroline and Davy. It has been two months since we have seen them (when Davy was born) and I know they have both changed so much. I'll post pictures when we get back.

I also have to say Gig'em Aggies. Texas A&M and Texas Tech play this weekend in College Station. This is the only weekend when the fact that Sutton and I went to different colleges really matters. If Tech wins, I am supposed to hang the Tech flag in the front yard for the whole year. Unfortunately, the Tech flag has been in my yard much more than the A&M flag over the past 6 years of our marriage. A&M is having a rough season this year, so I have already resigned myself to the fact that the Tech flag will probably remain for another year...but, I will still be rooting for my Aggies on Saturday. Have a great weekend!

Miss Rachael takes the cake...

We also enjoyed seeing my sister, Jessica, and her family this past weekend. Jack, Rachael, and Avery are growing up so fast! I tried to get a picture of the three of them, but they were having too much fun to cooperate. Rachael always lets me take her picture, though. She is only 5, but she is already quite the scrapbooker herself. She loves bling stickers and buttons even more than I do! Here is a cute one I took while we were enjoying birthday cake (notice her shirt)... When I printed the pictures I realized I have several cute pics of Rachael from throughout the years and they always involve her eating cake! I cannot wait to incorporate all of these into one layout. Stacy Julian talks alot about this type of scrapbooking in her book, Photo Freedom, and why it pays to have your photos organized in a workable system. I am a huge fan of Stacy's scrapbooking philosophy and have finally let go of my obsession with chronological scrapbooking. Jody-I know you will be proud of me!:)
October 2005
April 2007

Birthday boys...

I cannot believe these guys are already one year old!
It seems like just yesterday they looked like this, all wrapped up like baby burritos...



Sutton and I were not able to fly to Hereford because of the weather, but we drove up late Friday evening for the weekend. We had fun helping to get ready for the big party and also watching the twins take it all in. They were not big fans of all of the birthday hoopla at first, but calmed down after they got a taste of the cake.


















These pictures show them more in their element- They are both very happy, laid back guys
My sister, Judith, her husband, Chris,Johan, and Josef

We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and staying at Judith and Chris's new house. The boys are at such a fun age and we had a blast helping out with bottles and meal time...Fortunately, Judith handled the diapers, so we got to do the fun stuff. I tried to talk her into letting me take one of the twins home with me, but she did not think that was a good idea.
This is not a great pic of me (Saturday morning, no makeup, bed head), but I loved snuggling with the boys as they had their bottles.
Sutton was a great sport and helped alot. He is going to be such a good dad one of these days!

Bath time Mor Mor and Pop (my parents) came for a visit on Friday night.


A sweet one of Josef and Uncle Sutton hanging out.

Prayer request

Please keep my friend, Jeffi, and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Her sweet grandmother, Momsie, passed away this week after a very short illness. Momsie was a very special lady to so many people. She was 87 years young and the life of the party. I know my life is richer for having known her (even if it was only a short time.) I always thought it was so neat that Jeffi called Momsie every night before she went to bed just to talk. It is a good reminder to me to never take those we love for granted because you never know how long they will be here. Life should never be so busy that we don't take the time to stay in touch with our loved ones. There is a special place in Heaven for Momsie, but she will be missed very much on earth.

Facebook...

I have joined Facebook and it is my new favorite thing. Where have I been for the past few years? I just thought I was too old for Facebook and that my little blog was enough, but I am having so much fun getting back in touch with old friends. I am really going to try to stay up with both...We'll see. I am committed to the blog because this is my online scrapbook. I have gotten way behind with my actual real life scrapbooks because I am working on another project right now, so I am using the blog to document our life at the moment. Tomorrow evening Sutton and I are flying to Hereford to visit my sisters and celebrate my twin nephews' 1st birthday, so I will be away a couple of days, but I promise to update with lots of pics when we return. Have a great weekend!

6th Anniversary Trip- Part #3

This is the last post about the trip- I promise! 6 years later and a few more pounds :)... I have always said I would rather be fat and happy than lonely and thin. We have been very happy the past 6 years.
The fish would swim right up to the pond bank. We saw some huge catfish, too. When we go back, I hope we can go fishing and also ride in the paddle boats.
This is my favorite. You might want to click on the picture to see it better, but this was an actual camel grazing in the pasture by the airstrip. It was so bizarre! I felt like we were in another country.
I always like to take a picture of the plane at the different places we land. This one is neat because you can see the windmill in the background.
Sutton gets annoyed with me taking these pictures, but one day I am going to get a great one where you can see us and the fact that we are in the air, too.
Sutton was excited because we got up to 180 mph, the fastest he's gotten this plane to fly. It was an amazing trip and I highly, highly recommend splurging on a trip to Cibolo Creek Ranch in Marfa. We will definitely go back and hopefully for more than one night. The staff was awesome, the food was fabulous, and the whole environment was peaceful, relaxing, and a throwback in time. It was a perfect romantic getaway.

6th Anniversary Trip- Part #2

I love this one of Sutton...I took it while we were exploring the grounds. On Saturday afternoon we toured the 4 small museums at the fort. We learned all about the history of the ranch and the area.
Dinner was great. The neat thing about meals at Cibolo Creek Ranch is that they are served family style with the other guests. We enjoyed meeting several interesting people including the owner of the ranch. We met a really neat couple from L.A. and enjoyed visiting with them throughout the evening. We all sat around a large fire after dinner. At one point we heard a mountain lion yell... and it did not sound very far off.
Relaxing in the room with a nice cup of coffee on Sunday morning.
Another beautiful view
Walking the trail to Cibolo Springs
We layed in hammocks at Cibolo Springs and just enjoyed the fall morning.

Cibolo Springs

We hiked up a trail to the mauso-leum where the original owner of the ranch is buried. It was an amazing view from the top of the hill. When we go back, we hope to hike to the waterfall we heard so much about...


There are 4 dogs that roam the ranch. I think they have the best life in the world. They went exploring with us and then came back for a dip in the water and then just lounged beside us.

I will post part #3 tonight.