Father's Day Weekend

Notice: I had written this entry in June, but didn't post it

Chris and I were thrilled to have my wonderful parents drive up from South Texas to visit for the weekend! They arrived on Thursday evening and left Monday morning. Even though the trip amounted to a little over three full days, our time together still seemed brief.

Thursday we just spent the evening eating our Chik-Fil-A and watching TV. Friday I was lucky enough to have a half day so I took my parents to see the Dallas Farmer's Market and then headed to Maximo's, a Mexican restaurant, to try their yummy dessert and one of their signature drinks, a Maximo Heat (which is a margarita on the rocks with lots of diced jalapenos). Then it was off to run errands with mom while dad relaxed at home.

Saturday Chris played a softball game and two flag football games in the morning while the rest of us rested for a bit before starting our day. After Chris returned, we all went to see Prince of Persia and then made our way to Rockwall so Dad could finally go to a Bass Pro Shop. While there, we played a game to test our hunting skills. Mom and I weren't so great, but Chris and especially Dad were excellent marksmen.

Dad showing us how it's done...



Dad's score

Hunter Chris

Mom would have made a great actress... :)

We started our actual Father's Day morning at the mall. We took my Dad on a little shopping spree as his gift from us. Chris was also treated to a Dad's day gift from his adorable son, Shamrock- a new Craftsman edger/ trimmer (yup, we are definitely suburbians now!). Then it was off to the IMAX theater to see Toy Story 3 (if you haven't seen it, we highly recommend it). We ended the day with a family barbecue and topped it off with a homemade cake. :)

With my parents

Daddy and son celebrating Father's Day

I am so glad I was able to spend this particular weekend my parents. It's been a few years since I've been able to enjoy both Mother's AND Father's Day with them. Thank you both so much for driving all the way up to visit us. We absolutely love having you both here and can't wait until your next trip!

Dad, I just wanted to remind you how much I love and appreciate you- as a father, as a friend and as a person.  You have always been one of my biggest supporters and for that, I'm eternally grateful. I know I always say this, but thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me (and Chris and Shamrock). WE LOVE YOU!!! :)

Mother's Day

May 9th-

Mother's Day weekend happened to fall on the same weekend as Allison's graduation (see blog post below). Since my parents were in San Antonio for the occassion as well, Chris, Shamrock and I were able to spend the holiday with them. We didn't have much time to celebrate as we all had to drive back to our respective homes, but we did have time for a Mother's Day lunch.

Mom decided to go to one of our favorite places, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. She enjoyed a pina colada and both she and Chris shared some oysters while waiting for our table.

We had a fantastic time over lunch. The food was excellent (as usual), conversation great and mom opened her gift-

Dad, mom and I before it was time to say goodbye. :(

Couldn't leave without proof that Shamrock got to celebrate, too!

Mom, thanks for all you've done and continue to do for me (and Chris and Shamrock, too). I know we've had our ups and downs (as all mothers and daughters have), but through everything I've always admired and appreciated you. I wish we could have spent more time with you on your special day, but I'm just glad we had a chance to be there to tell you in person how much we love you. Thank you, again, for everything! Love you!

Hearts and Hoops

A few people have asked me, what did you two do on Valentine's Day? Well, we did a few things, actually. Chris and I woke up earlier than usual so we picked up breakfast and Starbucks and enjoyed our morning together. We had a lazy Sunday for a bit then went out to run a couple of errands. Then it was off to the major event of the day...the NBA All-Star Game!

Thankfully, we were smart enough to get there early because it was a madhouse! We parked at around 5:15 PM and didn't get into Cowboys Stadium until 6:45 PM. From walking to the correct gate, waiting in line, and finally getting through security, we were outside for quite some time in the cold, cold weather. Not fun.

However, once we got into the building, it was smooth sailing. We grabbed our Nathan's hot dogs and headed to our seats.

We really enjoyed watching the All-Stars play, listening to and witnessing the entertaining performances of Usher, Shakira and Alisha Keys and getting to be a part of the largest crowd in history for a basketball game, which will be put into the next edition of the Guiness Book of World Records!

Chris and I didn't have the most conventional Valentine's Day, but it was still full of fun and love. Hope all of you had a great one, too!!! :)

Various photos of the game

Various photos of the entertainment

We were part of history :)

Proof we were actually there ;)

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010!

So 2009 has come and gone in a blink. We had quite a busy past year! We moved into our first home, had our first full year as husband and wife, Christopher's sister, Misty, married JD in July, both of us had our class reunions (mine I actually had to help plan), we had our big trip to Ireland and the UK, plus I was singing with the Genepool Band and working on my photography (with Chris attending every show and assisting me with every shoot). Whew! We were running around all year!

As much fun as we had in '09, we're ready for a new, exciting year filled with adventures! We're hoping to take a couple of trips (not sure where yet). We can't wait for Angeleque and Hunter's wedding in Alabama on May 1st. And we're ecstatic to welcome a new addition to Christopher's side of the family! That's right, my friends, Misty and JD are expecting their first child in August!!!

2010 appears as though it's going to be one fantastic year. Let's hope it's a great one for all of you, too! :) Happy New Year!!!

Easter Weekend!

Hmmmm...obviously I like to write about events that happened weeks ago. ;)

April 10th- 13th:

Chris and I drove to Corpus Christi on Thursday night to get into town early Friday morning. We never look forward to the actual driving part, but it does give us time to just talk to each other without any distractions. This was perfect timing as Chris and I were still thinking about what we should do with the house in McKinney. We decided we'd see how we felt after the weekend ended and decide on the ride home.

In Corpus, we spent most of our time with my family. Friday we went to a victory party for my mom's friend, Larry Elizando. He was re-elected to the city council. Congrats, Larry! :)

On Saturday we celebrated Easter with family, my Aunt Cookie and Uncle Manual, my cousin, Alex, and her husband, Dustin, my little cousin, Allison and my Uncle David. I know...we were a day early, but Allison was driving back to San Antonio on Sunday and we didn't want her to feel rushed, so we celebrated early so everyone could relax and enjoy themselves. We kicked off the day with a barbecue. Everything was SOOOO yummy!!!

After eating and chit-chatting, we started watching "The Ten Commandments" (an Easter tradition). Later that evening, my Uncle Horacio came over and set up his karaoke stuff so we could all sing along and have our little private karaoke club! :) It was great because everyone had a chance to sing whatever we wanted without waiting in line for other people. Plus, it gave all of us a chance to sing things we normally wouldn't because it was just us, so who cared it we didn't know it or sang it totally off key- we're all family! :)

Below are photos from our day and big sing-along:

Chris and I on our first Easter as a married couple! :)

My Aunt Cookie busy in the kitchen
Jason, my mom and Uncle David before the feast!

Dad cutting up some meat

Chris rockin' out!

Alex and Aunt Cookie

Mom and Dad "So Happy Together..." :)

Uncle Horacio- The Karaoke King!

Singing sisters, Allison and Alex

Uncle Manuel and his dancing toy singing "Wild Thing"

The ladies jammin' out...and Aunt Cookie stealing the show. ;)

Dad and I singing our duet, "Unforgettable"

On Sunday, Chris and I decided to visit the T-heads and get a few shots down there:

The bird Chris would NOT stop following~

Near the water

Chris by the gulf "Los Barcos" exhibit- The "Nina" replica
Photos Chris took of pelicans :)
My favorite of the day...

The main goal for the day was to spend some time with his sister, Jamie, her husband, Matt, and their kids, Julianne, Tyler and McKenzie. Tyler is Christopher's godson, so we had a special Easter basket for him that we needed to deliver. Included in his basket was a Spiderman kite, a 3D crayon set and a TON of candy. All of the kids loved the goodies and were very excited to play with us. Chris took on Tyler and Julianne with a few games on their new Wii. Julianne pretty much owned Chris on their first few games of Wii tennis, but he got better towards the end. And Tyler showed his Uncle Christopher how to be a boxing champion. :)

After visiting with Christopher's family, we headed back to my parents' home, ate and hung out with my family.

Chris and Shamrock

Mom and Dad

We left CC on Monday (yup, we took another day off for that) and made our way back to Dallas. It was during our trip back home that we decided to put in a formal offer for our house! Stay tuned for more updates!!! :)