Q4 2011

I had the opportunity to visit my friend Kendra in Virginia for a quick weekend at the beginning of October. The highlight of the trip (besides seeing Kendra of course) was apple picking. It was a gorgeous day, we became pros at using the picker, only one bag was broken & we made some scrumptious apple donuts with our winnings! So great to spend some quality girl time with my friend!

For Halloween this year, our friends Ressie & Philip hosted a costume party - I'm pretty sure I hadn't been to a costume party since high school.  David came up with a great idea for our costumes & we endeavored the entire week prior to make our costumes.  Can you guess what we were? 

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving together, just the two of us.  Sleeping in, wearing pajamas most all day, football, games, movie, simple turkey dinner together, giving thanks for all the many ways God has blessed & provided for us - it was the perfect day. 

As soon as Thanksgiving was over, out came the daily Christmas music, Christmas decorations & yes, a Christmas tree. It's taller than me, our biggest yet, so fun!! 

Christmas in California is always a requirement (as far as I am concerned) & I am so grateful that we are able to make the trip each year.  We flew into San Diego on Thursday, December 22 (after a delayed flight..), took a trip to the beach and spent Christmas Eve & Christmas morning with the Thornhill's.  Brett was able to come home from Arroyo Grande (yay!) & she planned a "Thornhill Extravaganza" event for all of us: Minute to Win It.  We each participated in 10 events (ex: carrying 5 clothespins between your knees across the room & dropping them into a jar) & the person with the best overall time was the winner.  It was so much fun & I was crowned the victor, with bragging rights for the whole year!  Mom & Dad also created a trivia game where we climbed the steps of the Mayan Temple of Doom.  It involved many gift cards, which is always fun =) 

After stockings on Christmas morning, we traveled up to LA for Christmas with my parents & extended family. Activities were slightly delayed, due to a gas shut-off that morning, but we had a great time - it is always so good to catch-up with my family & see how much my little cousins have grown!  We had Christmas brunch on the 26th with my parents & Grandma, exchanged gifts, then went to Cheesecake for dinner & saw Sherlock Holmes for a second time =)  We enjoyed a few very relaxing days with my parents - sleeping in, playing with our new toys, loving on their cat Bob (& trying to spot Paige), playing ping-pong, staying up late playing games, going out to dinner (yes, El Torito is a tradition) & movies - then headed back to San Diego on the 29th.  

We had a Murder Mystery dinner night with family friends, The Devries, which was lots of fun, and had lunch at Acapulco before departing for Dallas on the 31st.  The weather was beautiful the entire time & not many people can say they went to the beach on Christmas break =) Soo great to see our family - thank you for everything!!

We arrived home to an angry little kitty (she was a little scared with all the New Years noises in our apartment complex), who quickly became delighted in our return & voluntarily stuck close to us all night (usually I have to enforce mandatory cuddle time!).  We ate In-N-Out, drank Martinelli's & watched Parts 1 & 2 of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows to welcome in the New Year. What a great end to 2011.

newness . chapter 3

We adopted a cat from the Dallas Animal Shelter. She came right up to us & we knew she was the one as soon as we saw her. We picked her out on a Saturday and had to wait almost a full week before we could bring her home (although we are very glad they took care of all her shots). She is approximately 8 months old, so we are declaring her birthday to be on November 7 (July 7 is when we took her home). We intended to get an adult cat, but well, what can you do when she is the one? She is certainly still a kitten with lots of energy & is a troublemaker =)

We brought her home & she claimed her territory very quickly. We played with her & she explored our whole apartment on her first night. She is very comfortable in her new home & is exploring new heights every day. So far she has conquered up to the entertainment center & I think the only thing higher are the bookshelves in David's office. The only time she will go in her bed, which David has now put on his desk, is when he is working, so she can be next to him. It's a good thing we got him a desk with such a large work space =)

All that to say, I finally have my cat (and for those of you who know me, you know that I need me a kitty - I can't deny it) & even though David just agreed to get her because he knew it's what I wanted (thank you hon!!), I'm pretty sure he likes her ; )

newness . chapter 2

Yes, the facebook rumors are true. I cut my hair shorter than it's ever been - about 7 inches off! I finally found the courage to go through with it & I love it. It is great for summer and to answer the all important question, yes, I can still put it in a ponytail. Phew.

Hope you are all surviving this hot hot summer, especially those of you suffering through this Texas heat!!!

newness . chapter 1

New apartment! We moved on February 26, just in time for our 2 year anniversary - I guess we are now past the point of calling ourselves 'newlyweds,' even though it still feels like it in some ways =)

With the help of donuts, pizza & some great friends (despite the broken elevator), we successfully made the transfer from our 1 bedroom, 648 sq ft apartment in The Village on the second floor, to our 2 bedroom apartment in The Ansley on the 3rd floor. Most everything was still in boxes by dinner-time, so some friends made & brought us dinner, ate with us & helped us start unpacking - what a blessing! Bekah & I made some great progress on shelf liner, while Roy & David got the entertainment center set-up (which I am told is the most essential step in unpacking).

Add a little paint, some furniture, a few pictures, some details and it starts to feel like home =) I'm not sure I will ever have all of the wall space filled, so if you see a good sale let me know! We are very happy in our new place. We have a little room to stretch out - David has his work space (an office finally!) and I have a big kitchen (with a window), living room to entertain in & a fireplace with a mantle =) Yes, they do exist in Texas. And yes, ours does turn on with the flip of a switch.

summertime again

Our first act of summer was a vacation with my parents. Literally, the day after finals (Saturday, May 7) we drove down to San Antonio & met them for a long weekend. Especially exciting since this was my Dad's first time to Dallas since I moved here in March '09! We spent two nights in San Antonio. It was definitely on the warm side, so we enjoyed an air-conditioned trolley ride around town and a 'breezy' boat ride on the river walk. And we saw all of the most important sites: The Alamo, the Menger Hotel, the Davy Crocket Hotel, the Riverwalk Mall, the Guenther House and Market Square.

Notable restaurant: La Margarita.

Notable pastries: Mi Tierra.

We drove from San Antonio to Austin, stopping in San Marcos for some serious shopping at the Premium Outlets and cruising up through "Hill Country," with a stop in the cute town of Wimberley. We were a little late in the season to catch the blue bonnets, but it was still a nice change of scenery from the city. We dedicated our entire lone evening in Austin waiting for & watching the famous bat fly out from under the Congress Bridge. It was a unique experience to say the least.

After a quick trip to the Botanical Gardens the next morning, we headed for Dallas - on Tuesday, May 10, if anyone is keeping track of days. Upon arrival, we did a drive by of Dallas Theological Seminary & our old place at the Village, before showing off our new place to Mom & Dad (did I mentioned we moved? Stay tuned for more on that!). They didn't have too much time in Dallas, since their flight left the following afternoon, but we got to spend some time relaxing & they helped furnish our new place =) Learning to love Lowes.

Thanks Mom & Dad for coming out to visit us!!! So great to spend some time relaxing & playing with you guys. Please come visit us again =)