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“Texas on a Saturday Night”

There’s nothing quite like Texas on a Saturday night
It’s honky tonkin’ heaven underneath that lone star sky

These lyrics come from a Willie Nelson song from 2001, but a better song could not have been written for the Saturday night that was 12-29-12!! Curious as to what happened that Saturday night? Of course you are! :)

First let me back up to the beginning! Friday, December 28th Jason, Daniel and I flew into Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to meet my other brother Robert, his girlfriend Gloria and her sister Kitra. They graciously picked us up from the airport and took us back to our hotel where we got ready to head out to an amazing Brazilian Steakhouse dinner with the Airforce Academy football managers. Thanks to Rob and Dan S. for inviting us along!IMG_0798

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The food was absolutely amazing! If you have never been to a Brazilian steakhouse, you don’t know what you are missing! The one good thing is I was not in a diet mode at the time, which allowed me to eat all I wanted without feeling guilty. :)

Even better than the food though was the company! These 6 people are some awesome people, if I do say so myself! :)

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My handsome husband! I am so blessed to be married to such an incredible man!

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Two beautiful sisters!

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The following day, we woke up early, got ready and headed to the Armed Forces Bowl at TCU stadium where the AFA Falcons were taking on the Rice Owls!

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We got really lucky in that Saturday proved to be the prettiest day we were there. The temps were in the low 50s with a bright sunny sky! As we got there we were treated to a flyover of 4 F-16s! I have to come to realize that my favorite part of AFA football games are the amazing flyovers I have gotten to witness!! We were treated to another flyover at halftime that consisted of a Cobra and a Huey! They flew around the stadium several times before flying off — what an incredible experience!

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Along with the flyovers, the game was a time to hang out with the awesome 6!

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Did I mention how awesome my husband is? He was such a good sport, that he even wore some Airforce gear for the game! He is still a proud Marine, but chose to be a supportive brother-in-law! I love you Jason!

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Unfortunately, the wrong team won the bowl game, but a great time was still had by all! After the bowl game, we went back to grab some lunch a nap before the Randy Rodgers band concert at Billy Bob’s later that night.

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Due to some awesome connections through Dan S., we even got to go to the meet in greet with the Randy Rodgers band — a definite cool experience.

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So you may still be wondering what I was alluding to at the beginning of my post of “Texas on a Saturday Night.” Well the biggest part of 12-29-12 is my brother Robert proposed to his long-term girlfriend and she said YES!!

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Rob and Gloria had actually met at Billy Bob’s over 2 years ago, so he decided to propose in the very spot where he had asked her to dance over 2 years ago. He had the whole thing planned and rehearsed! It was such a neat incredible experience to get to be there when my brother proposed! The best part is that I get to have a sister out of this! She is one amazing young lady, and I am so lucky to get to claim her as part of my family now!

So there you have it, Texas on a Saturday night in a Honky Tonk bar proved to be a very special night!

Well there’s nothing quite like Texas on a Saturday night
Nothin’ can compare to it no matter how you try

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Wedding Wednesday — Showers

So I am back tracking to the beginning of all the wedding fun (can you tell I haven’t blogged in 6 months :) ). After documenting our engagement and our beloved session, it is time to document the wedding showers.

I am one blessed lady — I had three showers thrown for me.

Shower 1

My first shower was given by my amazing Matron of Honor Meredith in her lovely home.

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Her home was beautifully decorated for the shower in yellows and greys. She definitely is quite talented in the hosting and decorating department.

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The shower was attended by several great friends, my mother, and Jason’s family. It was very relaxed, but a ton of fun. Meredith sent with each invitation a recipe card, so along with great gifts I got some amazing recipes from each and every lady at the shower. What a great idea. I have loved having these yummy recipes to add to my collection.

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Thank-you Meredith for a great shower!

Shower 2

My second shower was in my hometown and was thrown by a good high school friend Katie, and two of my mom’s friends – Ann and Linda. This shower was attended by my friends and family from back home. I also was surprised by my best friend from college Jess who made the trip down for the shower!

The shower was hosted in Ann’s house and took place on a Saturday afternoon. The shower was beautiful and I was blessed with some great gifts. Sadly though I somehow do not have any of the pictures from the shower.

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My third and last shower was a work shower thrown by some amazing ladies – Tracy, Megan and Nora. This shower took on a beach feel — perfect for getting in mood for our beach wedding.

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It was nice to get to celebrate with my co-workers. I am so lucky to get to work with such awesome people! Thank-you all!

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I can’t begin to tell you how incredibly lucky and blessed I feel. A big thank-you to all of you who helped throw a shower, attended a shower, and/or got us a gift! We love you all.

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Fresh Start

With the start of each new year, people tend to think of it as a fresh start. It has become a time to make changes in one’s life and look forward to how the new year will be different from the year that just ended. The most common question in the first week of January always seems to be what are your new year’s resolutions?

I know that many years have started with me making a list of my personal resolutions for the year. What I seem to find though is by week 3 of January I can’t even remember what my new year’s resolutions are and I am definitely not working on my resolutions. :)

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This year I have decided that I would still like to make a list of goals (aka resolutions), but I am going to make them more general, rather than so specific. Jason and I have spent time today discussing what are somethings we would like to accomplish in the coming year. I thought I would share some of my resolutions with you, hoping that by sharing I will be more likely to work through them:

1. I would like to live a healthier lifestyle. I don’t want to say I will lose x amount of pounds or say I will work out 5 times a week. I would just like to make a conscious effort to eat healthier and become more active, so that I do have more energy and just feel better.

2. I want to find or retake up some hobbies. With all that I managed to cram in last year, I realized that I hadn’t spent much time on hobbies. In fact, I don’t know that I could tell you a hobby I like anymore. I would like to get back into running and run some races this year. I would also like to maybe pick up some kind of crafty hobby. Time will tell. :)

3. I want to find ways to better manage my stress. I am hoping that with living a healthier lifestyle and taking some time to have hobbies, this one will work itself out. :)

4. I want to spend more time with friends and family. Life is precious, and I want to take each possible moment to learn more about the people I love. It is also during spending time with loved ones that precious memories are created. Here is to many great memories in 2013.

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Do you make new year’s resolutions?

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Happy New Year 2013

As 2012 is coming to end, we all spend some time reflecting on all that has happened in our lives over the last year. This past year has been full of memories, experiences, excitement, and trials. I have noticed that as my life has gotten busy, my blogging has seemed to go by the wayside — it has been two whole seasons since I have blogged — yikes! In the 6 months since I have blogged, I have:

- Written and defended my thesis

- Bought a house

- Gotten married

- Started a new job

I would like to blog about all these experiences, but that will have to wait until after the new year — stay tuned for an influx of blog posts. :) I can say though that as the year closes I am starting to look toward the new year and see what 2013 will bring with it.

I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! May 2013 be rung in with a bang!

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First Full Day of Summer

It is hard to believe that today marks the first full day of summer — with our weather it has felt like summer for a couple of weeks! :) Yesterday which marked the summer solstice, also marked 4 more months until our wedding day! I cannot believe that it is coming up — I can hardly wait!

For me the start of each new season is a time to look at life and reevaluate where you are. So with the start of this new season, I thought it would be a good time to set out some goals I have for this season. I have also recently read about how goals are something we have more control over, where hopes are things we would like to happen, but don’t always have total control of. I like the distinction, so thought I would share some of my goals and hopes for summer with you!

Goals:

1. Finish my thesis! I am so ready to have this written and done!!!

2. Drink 6-8 glasses of water. I feel so much better when I drink water daily.

3. Work out 3-4 times per week. I have let my exercise slack — hence why my weekly workouts have not been blogged. Time to get back into it.

4. Eat cleanly. I want to track my food at least 6 days a week to help keep me accountable. I have noticed that I truly feel so much better when I eat well. Now it is just a matter of following through with it!

5. Order and send out my invitations for the wedding.

6. Finish most of the smaller details for the wedding before I got back to work in August.

Hopes:

1. Pass my thesis defense!

2. Lose 10-15 pounds — I want to get back to my happy weight– the weight I feel best at.

3. Spend some time enjoying family and friends.

What are you goals and hopes for Summer?

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Savannah with Mom

I have been meaning to blog about my trip to Savannah with Mom for a while, but haven’t managed to get it written, but it is time! :) Right after school let out for summer, Mom and I took a trip to Savannah, GA for a few days. Mom wanted to get a feel for the city that will be the site of my wedding before the big day, and of course I was more than happy to show her around.

Mom and I drove down on a Saturday and stayed through Wednesday. We stayed at the extended stay Marriott on Bay Street. Location was fabulous as we were just up from River Street — on of my favorite streets in all Savannah. :) Saturday night we ate at Lizzy’s (fabulous food and drinks) and took it easy. Tropical storm Beryl was threatening to make landfall in Savannah early in the week, so we decided to hit the beach and see where our ceremony would take place before we got hit with rain on Sunday. We lucked out with our location in that it is on the south side of Tybee Island down from the pier. I was starting to really get excited when we found our location and were walking on the beach! 4 more months.

After we walked around a bit on Tybee Island and saw the pier, we headed towards the Crab Shack for lunch. We really lucked out in that we got a corner table near the water under the tree. Perfect area to enjoy a yummy lunch!

Monday we were expecting Tropical Storm Beryl to make landfall, so we decided to do the Savannah Trolley tour to give Mom a sense of the city. I love doing trolley type tours as you learn so much about the rich history of the city. I also hear about all the various places I want to stop and see more of!

After the tour we had lunch at the Boar’s Head. This was a neat restaurant in that one — the food was delicious and two — the place was made from the ship masts of ships that came through the port. We sat near a window and watched a couple of ships come into the port as well as leave the port. It was a neat lunch!

Tuesday the rain finally came. I took Mom to Savannah Station so she could see where the reception would take place. We didn’t do much else that day due to the rain. We did though find a new cafe called Kayak Kafe that is amazing!! I so wish we had one of those here as I would frequent it often. We both had tacos that came on corn tortillas that may have been the best tortillas I have ever eaten. If you are in Savannah, I highly recommend this place!

We took it easy Tuesday afternoon and revisited River Street during a break in the rain.  The trip was a great time of bonding between Mom and I. She helped me try out new places to recommend to the guests while they are in Savannah. She was also full of great ideas for the wedding weekend. I had so much fun having a girls trip just with mom.

Thanks Mom for a fabulous girls vacation! Love you!!

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Happy Father’s Day

102 years ago in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910 the first Father’s day was celebrated. A year earlier, Sonora Smart Dodd heard a sermon about Mother’s day and she told her preacher there should be a similar holiday to celebrate fathers. Sonora’s father was a Civil War veteran who had single-handedly reared his six children. The initial date suggested was June 5th (her father’s birthday), but the preacher didn’t have enough time to prepare a sermon, so it was set on the third Sunday in June — which continues to be the case a century later.

I am blessed in that I have a wonderful father who I get to honor on this date. I am also picking up a great father-in-law! Two amazing men that I get to celebrate on Father’s Day! While this date is set aside specifically to celebrate fathers, fathers should be celebrated year round. On this day though, I want to say a special thank-you to my father for all he has done the last 30 years and continues to do for me! I love you Dad!!

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there!