It's all in the family!

I've been waiting to post about this past weekend til I can get my pics uploaded, but so far this week it hasn't been happenin'. So, you get some text now, pics later. Onto the weekend...

It was long and short at the same time, but it was good. I met Rach after work on Friday at Alfred Angelo so I could help with her dress alterations. That was all fine and good except it put Josh and me leaving SA way too late. It normally takes me about 15-20 minutes to get from my house, down 410, up 35, to 1604. On Friday it took us about 45 minutes! Yeah! Not a happy camper! But we made it without incident to the 'burg, dropped the kids off at their grandparents, and then we headed out to my grandparents for hamburgers with the family. When I say family, I mean the WHOLE family. Well, not quite WHOLE, because we were missing some, but pretty dang close. There was Harvey & Annette. Amy and her boyfriend Mike. Brandon and his girlfriend Brittany with their absolutely adorable 2 1/2 month old son Phoenix. Ken & Dawn. Doreen. Ralph & Cindy. Rossy-poo. Mom & Dad. Me & Josh. Ryan. Rach. Moni. Grandma & Grandpa. It was quite the crew and Josh hadn't met Ken & Dawn and none of us had met Mike, Brittany, or Phoenix. Dad made homemade ice cream which is always delicious. I had two big cups of it. (Last weekend was my last weekend to splurge because I have a dress to fit in!!!) It was fun to sit outside and talk with everyone.

Saturday morning started bright and early around 7:15. Josh and I took Ryan and Ross with us to the bakery for sustenance and then to LaGrange to the tux shop to get measured. Those two crack me up! Then it was back home to get dressed for the 90th birthday party!! It was a lot of fun! I got to see a lot of relatives who I haven't seen in a while, and got to visit some more with family. That was over at 2:00, but I don't think we left until 3:00. Josh and I carted Aunt Doreen and the cake to my grandparents house. We hung out there for awhile while they opened all their cards and gifts. Then we headed back to my parents to get ready for the family coming to eat dinner. Dad made shrimp gumbo!! Yum!! It was so good! I managed to pry Phoenix out of Aunt Cindy's arms for a little while and everyone kept telling me how natural it looked! HA! Yeah right! There will be none of that for quite a while!

On Sunday, Ryan wanted to resurrecte a very old family tradition. We all get up and go to 7:30 Mass and then come home to cook breakfast. We were all pretty sad looking at 7:30, but we made it through mass alright. And then we made eggs, bacon, and pancakes for breakfast which was really good! Josh and I packed up our stuff and headed out to the grandparents to say good bye to everyone. We got back into SA a little after 2:00. Josh had to fix our toilet that was not bolted to the floor! Who does that? Anyways, we got that done and I ended up in bed and asleep at 8:30!!! Pathetic, I know, but I really don't care! It was a long, tiring weekend, and I was ready for some sleep!

There was some really exciting news! My cousin Kirsten had her baby Sunday, August 24 a little after midnight, making her a great-great granddaughter!! I'll have to snag some pics from Paul's facebook of Brooklyn Ann to put on here!

This...check, That...check

Josh and I have been some wedding list checker off-ers this week. I'm trying to remember what all got done because this week has flown by!!

*We got tables and chairs...for free! Ahh, but everything comes with a price and usually a stipulation! This would be that we have to have them back to the generous loaners by 7 AM on the Sunday after the wedding! Yeah! But you know what? Beggars can't be choosers, so someone will be getting those things back by 7!

*I got my bridesmaids stuff in and semi put together.

*Josh ordered the groomsmens gifts.

*Candle holders and candles were ordered and I just got them a little while ago.

*I got more ribbon that was on sale at Hobby Lobby and some that wasn't on sale at Michael's.

*I bought tablecloths to go on our free tables!

*We bought Josh's ring! This one was stressing me because I didn't know if we were going to have to order it and if we did, would it come in on time. Well, he finally decided on one and we went ahead and got it because it was his size!!!

*I started working on some coordination and logistical stuff for the wedding day.

*Got all the invitations out and have started receiving RSVPs. If you read this, have received an invitation and have not mailed in your handy pre-stamped envelope, do so now! Thanks!

Now, I am gearing up to head home for the weekend to celebrate my grandparent's 90th birthdays! It's going to be lots of fun with the whole family in town. Next weekend is my bachelorette party!!! woohoo!! Stay tuned to hear about all the fun that will be!! I just need to get the house cleaned and organized next week. Should be lots of fun!

Have a good weekend!

My prayers were answered

God smiled down upon me this weekend. At the beginning of last week, I began checking the weather forecasts for the coming weekend and they all said RAIN! My bridal portraits were on Saturday afternoon, so I was freaking out! But we'll get to that is a second.

I went home Thursday night to begin my fun filled weekend of wedding stuff and family time. I got up early in Friday to take my truck to Ford to get checked out. Then home to take a shower and get ready for the Praha festivities!! Dad, Rach, and I ran some errands before heading out in the heat. Lunch at Praha was so good!! The stew was the best I had had in a long time. We caught up with some people and then mom and I headed back to S'burg and then to Weimar for my practice hair session. Heather at HairStop was awesome and I got a very nice 'do on the first try. As we got back into S'burg, my truck was ready, so we picked it up, stopped by the house, loaded up the dogs, and took them to Flatonia to get lyme vaccinations. The SA vet doesn't do them, so I had to take them to Clint, who amazingly was not a smart ass while we were there. He decided to save it until he saw dad later in the evening. He and my dad have quite the love/hate-pay your bill/don't pay your bill relationship. We got back home and the dogs and I laid down for a nap which ended up being 3 hours long!! yeah! I still can't believe it. I think my body was just worn out! I got up and got ready to go back to Praha for burgers. We got there around 7:30 and by 8:00 the sky had gotten really dark and all of a sudden the heavens opened up and buckets of rain began to fall along with some serious thunder and lightening. You would have never known it was pouring because everyone kept drinking and dancing like nothing else was going on!

Saturday morning was early also and a little cloudy, but I kept saying some little prayers that it wouldn't rain. Dad and I had a good breakfast at the bakery and I got some to go. Then he and I stopped by the shop to get some rebar together for Josh to make the shepherd's hooks for the reception. That was a much easier process than I thought it was going to be. I then headed home to take a shower and get ready for my official hair appt. My hair turned out so well! And the sun was still shining, so I was really excited. We then headed out to the Kalina's because it was Grandma's 90th birthday!! and our cousin from Montana was down visiting. We had some great BBQ and birthday cake! Mom and I left after lunch to get my dress and go out to Linda's for my bridal portraits. The weather was still looking really good, so I was very excited about that! I got dressed and we got to taking pics! It was so much fun! I did a million poses. I can't wait to see what they all look like. Just when we were finishing up inside the house, I happened to look out the window and the sky was dark blue in the distance. So we hurried up and took a few outside. I also wanted some at Piano Bridge. We went down there, I got posed, and just as they started snapping, it started sprinkling. I made a beeline for the truck and about that time, t started pouring!! I was so happy that we made it!!! We went back to the house to get a few more and then we were done!!

Sunday, mom and I got up for church in Dubina...can't beat a 30 minute mass. When we got home, dad had cooked some breakfast, which was pretty good. Then dad, Ryan, and I took Rylie on a little hike to the creek. It was so hot down there! I was soaked by the time we got back. After that, mom and I headed out to the Tatum's to talk to Mrs. Tatum about doing a luncheon for me. That was a trip that lasted longer than I expected, but it was so nice to see them. When we got home, I loaded my truck, then dad, Ryan, and I went to visit Grandpa Bennie. He was so glad to see us. By the time we got home and I got the dogs loaded, it was almost 5 before I got on the road. Once I got back to SA, I unloaded, talked to Josh about his adventures with our toilet, took a shower and hit the sack for some much needed sleep! This coming weekend, I get to do some of it all over again!!

These are just a few of my favorite things

Blogs, that is. I really enjoy reading about and learning from other people's lives, and the internet is fantastic for that. I have come across some amazing blogs that I check religiously and want to share. Some have similar themes, but most are very different from each other. It all started 3 or 4 years ago when I heard a little girl named Krista Brewer on Kidd Kraddick in the morning as I was driving to school one morning. The short story is that she was fighting cancer and they had just given her a popcorn machine because she loves popcorn. They mentioned her website and I made a mental note to check it out when I got to my office. Somehow I managed to remember without making myself a note and I was hooked. It was pretty much a journal of her struggles and triumphs of battling cancer. I still follow her site to this day and am saddened because her family just found out a month or so ago that there is nothing more that can be done for her. She is on her third battle with cancer and is only 10 years old! http://www.kristabrewer.com/

On the site, her mom listed other children who were also fighting cancer so I checked out those sites as well. One was for Jacob Duckworth, an absolutely adorable little boy who is a triplet who I think was 4 or 5 at the time. His mother's writing was so captivating. Sadly he passed away two years ago, however she continues to blog about her family. In August of last year, they adopted a cute little girl from Guatemala. http://faithfulfroggers.blogspot.com/

It was through these two children that I started following many, many children with childhood cancer. I now know more about it than I ever thought I would. Their journeys are amazing and very different from each other. Some others that I follow which is just a small handful:
http://www.midgetsandmoonpies.blogspot.com/
http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=jaxonburns
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/adamwisdom
http://caringbridge.org/fl/sydneysims/
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/sinjinandrukates
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tylerthompson

Somewhere along the way, I started discovering other people's blogs as well, not just children with cancer. I think one of the most touching and tearfilled blogs I have ever read is this one...
http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ ...the mom found out early in her pregnancy that her child was not going to live. She had the option to terminate the pregnancy or go through with it. Well, she decided to go through with it and her story is absolutely amazing. Her faith in God is so unbelievable and enviable. Sometimes, I wish I had that kind of trust and faith. If you do read it, start at the very beginning and be sure to have a box of kleenex by you.

I found this next blog I think from the one above. http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ This one started out a little on the sad side, but has since improved greatly in the last few days. You'll have to read it to find out what I am talking about. The mom is hilarious and very entertaining. To protect her kids identities, she has given them pseudonyms. The oldest at 3 is Big Mac, the next at 2 is MckNugget, the baby at about 9 months is Small Fry, and the baby she is pregnant with who has a heart condition is MckMuffin. She is MckMama and her husband is Prince Charming. If you scroll down, on the sidebar are the topics she has written about. There are some really interesting subjects, that make you think a little more...like they got rid of their TVs! When I first read it, I thought she was crazy, but now, not so much.

A more lighthearted blog is http://wilkinsonquints.blogspot.com/ . This family lives in Cedar Park, Texas, and they had, I believe a 7 year old boy, and 4 or 5 year old girl and wanted one more. You know how that goes...they got 5 MORE, completely adorable quintuplets. There dad creates videos called the "Quint Olympics." that are really cute.

I guess I should have put a disclaimer on here that most of these stories do not turn out happy, although there are some that do. If you think your life is perfect and nothing can happen to you, reading one of these blogs will knock you back down to reality in a hearbeat. It is so humbling to read these stories and watch how these families grieve and celebrate life all at the same time. I just hope that if I am ever in a similar situation, I can have the kind of strength and grace that these families have.

The road goes on forever...

or at least it feels like it does when you are headed out west on I-10 in a truck with 4 people, 2 dogs, and more than enough luggage for the weekend.

Josh and I, along with my parents, headed to Ft. Stockton this weekend for a couple's shower/party put on in our honor. Woohoo!! Surprisingly, we left SA around 2:45. This was a huge point of contention last week with my dad. He is notorious for not leaving on time, and I did not want him to do the same for this trip. He knows it bugs the crap out of me and I sometimes think he does it just to spite me. Anyways...I called him Friday morning to tell him that Josh's parents were expecting us to be there by dinner so he needed to leave S'burg no later than 12:30. Lo and behold, I got a call just after 12:30 that there were on the road. So far, so good until they get to San Antonio. He decide he wants Starbucks. The closest one I know of that is on our way out is in Leon Springs, but on the opposite side of 10. So, we go and he's happy, as are the rest of us because we all got calorie and fat filled drinks to satisfy our cravings we didn't know we had! The rest of the way there was pretty uneventful. We all talked, read the newspaper, pointed out particular landmarks (boobie mountain, windmills, deer stands), played the M&M game, and watched the price of gas get higher as we headed west. We got into FS, check the parents into the hotel and headed to Josh's parents house and then to eat. Mmm, nothing like good mexican food late at night.

Saturday started bright and early at 7:00 because we all were headed out on a little road trip through the countryside. We started out by heading west to Balmorhea. The state park has the largest spring fed pool and it is COLD! But it's such a cool (no pun intended) place. We spent a little time walking around and then got back in the van to continue on the trip. Next stop was Ft. Davis. We first went to the state park there to check out Indian Lodge and then we drove up the scenic route to check out the surrounding landscape. Whenever I load my pics, I'll have to post some because the view is gorgeous. After that we headed into town to eat at the original drugstore. Wow, the burgers were delicious!! Mom, dad, and I shared a banana split that was so worth it. We're already planning a trip there in the spring. After lunch, it was back in the van for the return trip to FS. I was able to catch a little bit of a nap, which was much needed. We dropped my parents off and went to meet Josh's aunt from New Mexico who had come in for the weekend. We visited with her for awhile til we had to start getting ready for the party.

The party was so nice! The hostesses made it a "Fiesta" theme, so everything was bright and colorful and they made some great mexican food. It was nice to get to visit with the people I already knew and meet some new ones. We got some really great gifts too. We only had to actually open a few, but while we did, we were forced to wear huge sombreros...talk about embarassing. We were later told that we were supposed to wear them the whole time! Yeah right! It was a long night and early morning again. Josh's mom cooked a really good brunch for everyone and we stuffed our faces again! We visited a little more, then loaded up and headed back east. I think the trip back felt longer. It could have been because I was tired or that my oldest (and heaviest) dog slept in my lap for the majority of the trip. Rylie is grouchy when she is tired, and on Sunday, she was tired. So every time Bayla so much as shifted and barely touched her, she was growling and trying to nip at him. Therefore, I moved him to my lap which is where he stayed, sound asleep on his back, feet in the air. I just wish I could sleep that easily and soundly!

We got home, unloaded, and sat for a few minutes. I then unpacked all our gifts, which were mostly kitchen items, washed, dried and put them away. I didn't even get to unpacking my suitcase. I took a shower and headed to bed. I don't know if I was so tired or what, but I fell asleep and don't remember waking up once until my alarm rang.

It was a long, quick weekend, but a lot of fun. Now, all we have is 9 weeks, 5 days until the wedding!

10 Weeks and 4 Days...are you kidding me?

No, folks, I am not. That is exactly how long until I get married. Holy crap. Am I scared? A little. Am I nervous? Oh yeah. Am I excited? Yes. Am I ready? Yes, but as far as planning goes...nope.

We have pretty much everything done, but there is still quite a bit to do. I know it will all get done, but I still have my moments of terror and hysteria, although usually it is all internal and never gets out. I'm sure at some point it's going to boil over!

We are headed to Ft. Stockton this weekend for a couple's party/shower. I think and hope that it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm just really tired from everything and would love a weekend to sleep in. But that's not going to happen for a few more weeks...like 4 or 5. This weekend we are in Ft. Stockton; the weekend of the 16th, I am in S'burg for my bridal portraits; the weekend of the 23rd is a joint 90th bday celebration for the Kalina's; and the weekend of the 30th is my bachelorette party!! Woohoo! So until the weekend of I think the 6th, I will not be getting much sleep, which if you know me, is not a good thing...I treasure any and all sleep I can get!

Not too much has been going on lately. We've just been working and getting settled into the house. Everything with it is going pretty well. If only we could figure out what the heck is going on with the AC. We know it works. It was serviced right before we moved in. However, the difference between the living room and the master bedroom is 4 degrees. I have put my atomic clock in the bedroom where it says the temp at night is 76. I left the outdoor sensor in the living room and on the clock it usually says it is 72. Thermostat is set to 73. So somewhere, something is going on and we just can't figure it out. All I know is that I can't continue to sleep with it that hot. Hopefully we can get it figured out soon, because it's getting kinda ridiculous!