We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Blazing hot Texas heat deserves some delicious cold Baskin Robin's ice cream. Yum!

A Day at the Ranch!

The drive to My Aunt and Uncle's ranch is my favorite thing in the world. Open skies and good ole Texas farmland, everywhere!
This weekend, we were invited to my Aunt and Uncle's ranch for some fun in the sun and good cookin! We had so much fun. The best part was that we were able to enjoy a day with Grandma outside of the nursing home. She was able to come and be with us! Thank you so much Aunt Shaila, Uncle Bill and Brody for having us all out. The food was great and we really enjoyed seeing everyone! Mom, Kathryn, and I

The grandkids with Grandma! I posted two because the photo above, my Uncle Bill was making us all laugh... so it's my favorite. However, you can't see my little cousin, Brody. I just had to post the other one... even though Ryan's (my brother) eyes are closed and you can't see his smile!Then, as soon as it got dark, we went outside to gaze at the stars and talk. Brody started to tell us about the aliens up in the galaxy. Rachel and I, being the good cousins that we are, asked him if he wore a special helmet every night at bedtime just like everyone else did. He told us no, so we decided to make him one so the aliens wouldn't suck his brain out at night while he was asleep. He was so scared that he didn't have one and everyone else did! I love this photo below. We had just made our helmets and we were so pleased. Brody was very content now that he was safe!!!Here we are explaining to him about the aliens and how we were safe! Don't worry, we reassured him that aliens are not real and it was all pretend. Aunt Shaila, we're so sorry if we gave your poor child nightmares for the rest of his life...

Sweet Summertime!

There is nothing better than a sweet and juicy watermelon on a hot day! Yesterday, we decided to cut our watermelon we've had for awhile now. It was so yummy. We ate it with grilled chicken and garden fresh green beans! I dread summer every year, but a cool and refreshing watermelon always puts a smile on my face.

My Sweet Better Half...

I just have to share with all of you what Brenton did for me this morning. As I got into my car this morning, I saw a rose from our rose bush laying on my dash. He cut the rose from our rose bush and left it inside my car so I would see it when I left to go to work. I know this may seem cheezy, but it meant a lot to me. It was so sweet. It was so small. It meant the world! The flower wasn't bought, and to be honest with you, it wasn't even pretty. Our rose bushes look a little sick due to the temperatures... but it meant more than a brand new rose with pretty ribbons and bows! Thank you B for being so sweet... I don't think you know how much the little things mean.

If I had an Oreo right now... I'd give you the side with the cream filling... cause you deserve it after this!

July 4th Weekend

Our Independence Day Weekend was celebrated in The Woodlands, TX. We arrived Friday and had such a blast all weekend! Friday, we checked into our hotel and changed into some comfy clothing. We spent the evening at The Woodlands outdoor ampitheatre watching an orchestra that played beautiful patriotic music. They had seating underneath the canopy, but we chose to be away on the grassy area with our blanket! It was a very relaxing night... but it was HOT!
After sipping on a cold drink, we felt much better. Keep in mind the temperatures were over 100 degrees and we were outside for hours!
The concert was wonderful!

Afterwards, we took a stroll down the riverwalk that was absolutely beautiful!

Night-life

What a fun day! We had fun taking random photos once we got to the hotel. At this point we were in desperate need of showers and a nice cold room to fall asleep in!
Saturday morning, we decided to go down to the riverwalk and take some photos before the sun came up! Only one came out like we wanted it to. We may have looked crazy standing in front of a camera on a tri-pod and smiling, but at least we got a good one!

Some things we came across as we continued our walk down the river.

A group of women felt sorry for us and offered to take our picture. We must have looked pathetic!

As we continued to walk further, we heard music playing in the distance. The closer we got, we realized a parade had just started. We had no clue! We sat and enjoyed a 4th of July parade!
Even the helicopter joined the parade!

The parade ended and once again were hot and sticky! We decided to hang out at the pools the rest of the afternoon. What a great idea! Gotta love the pine trees!

We were at the pools for hours. We had a delicious meal and got ready for the big event... fireworks! The fireworks started at 9:00 that evening, but starting at 6:00, they were having fun music and festivities for everyone. We enjoyed games and a concert!
Now for the fireworks!!! They were amazing and there were so many of them!

After the parade, fun in the sun, concert, and fireworks, we were exhausted. One last night at our hotel was what we were looking forward to. Before falling asleep, we agreed that we would sleep in and have a Cracker Barrel breakfast (our favorite) the next morning. We fell asleep the minute our heads hit the pillow... not knowing what the night would bring...

About 2:30 AM, we were awakened by loud, loud, loud fire alarms. Not a good way to wake up! They sounded for a good 10 minutes or so, but by the time we realized what was going on and got dressed, they stopped. We never saw anyone outside in the parking lot nor did we see/hear fire trucks. After feeling reassured and seeing others go back inside their rooms, we decided it was just a prank.

The next morning when checking out, we asked what had happened and it was indeed a prank. We got our night for free. We only ended up paying for one of the two nights that we were there.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. We hope everyone else had a good 4th of July as well!

Good Morning! BAD Morning...

Today I am not a happy person. Today I woke up and followed my morning routine getting ready. I went to go blow-dry my wet hair and about halfway through my blow-dryer decided to go out on me. As I frantically got dressed and put on make-up, I called my Mom to see if I could come over and borrow hers. She graciously said to come on over! I quickly got ready and packed the rest of my things that I would need to finish my hair. Brushes, flat iron, hairspray... the works. While speeding to her house so I can get to work on time, I hear a loud THUD. I hit a stinkin squirrel! I've never hit ANY sort of animal on the road. At this point my eyes began to fill up with tears. "This is not a good morning... This is not a good morning," I repeated over and over outloud. I get to my Mom's and I finish my hair in about 5 minutes, then out the door! As I am driving to work, I have to pass back by the squirrel that I ran over... not good. Tears filled my eyes again. I told myself, "It's just a squirrel, get over it!" I finally got to work... and yes I got to work on time! As I am sitting in my chair typing this, I looked down and realized that I never finished buttoning my shirt. Opps! Good thing I have another shirt underneath it! I'm sure I've given lots of people a good laugh this morning. I hope I gave you all a good one too!

P.S.- I'm NOT laughing though...

Friends that Sweat Together... Stay Together!

"The guys... and gals!" Saturday we spent the day with our small group friends from our church! We had a picnic at the park with the intentions of playing frisbee golf, but instead decided to take a hike in the park due to the HOT temperatures! We survived the 100 degree weather together and had so much fun! Even the newest member of our awesome small group was there braving the heat!
We had hamburgers and hotdogs with tons of melted goodies to enjoy. All the baked goods tasted as though they came straight from the oven!"the hike"