Weekend Getaway

This weekend Matt and I had the pleasure of getting out of the city for a night thanks to a FABULOUS Christmas/Thank you gift from Kelly and Joe. Included in our weekend getaway was a night's stay at The Cliffs, two rounds of golf and FREE babysitting for Lemmon by her aunt and uncle. To maximize our time at the resort we left first thing Saturday morning and booked a 1pm tee time. The Cliff's is at Possum Kingdom and neither Matt nor I have been before. Well Worth IT! I am a bit concerned now that no golf course is ever going to match up to this one...at least for awhile. The views were unbelievable. After golf we cleaned up for a dressy dinner date followed by a lovely morning of breakfast in bed (courtesy of Matt) and a couples massage. We are back well rested and ready for the work week to come.

Headed to our first hole.

We may or may not have lost a few balls in the creek between the tees and the green on this hole!

I took this picture to show how diverse the course was. Some parts felt like the desert, others were on the top of the cliffs overlooking the lake. On one hole we even saw a family of deer.

This picture is very important. It was taken just a mere put away from making my first BIRDIE of all time. This is where my drive landed!!! Having never had an "official" birdie on the books, there was a lot of pressure riding on this putt! I sunk it!

Talk about cutting it close to the edge!

Love this backdrop!

About 6 holes in the guy in front of us asked if we would like to join us as the course was moving really slow. Besides great company he was the perfect photographer!

This was my favorite hole...well second favorite. I would say the birdie hole goes down as my favorite!

Ready to relax!

Thanks again Kelly and Joe. Your thoughtful gift was truely appreciated and you couldn't have picked a more ideal location. Love you guys!

Spring is in the Air...

...and we are getting ready for Easter.

1. Starting with: Modest, yet Creative Easter Decorating. I didn't go crazy! I saw a friend do something similar with her Christmas ornaments. What a great idea! (Notice the Kitchen in the background...)

Steph and I enjoyed a crafting afternoon - and the letters below are the results of very productive "girl time" while the boys went golfing.

Love these table runners. I can't wait for my family to arrive for Easter! I have already started the countdown.

The final touch....thank you dollar section at Target!

2. Next Step is getting the outside ready. I have a brown thumb, as well as my dear friend Steph. We have engaged in a "who can keep their plant alive the longest." I am one week in and still going strong. We also stocked up on all the yummy fresh fruit at the Farmers Market.

The Plant Challenge!

3. My newfound appreciate for SPRAY PAINT. Take note of the white table in this picture. The old owners left us their old patio furniture (the white, not the new brown and green stuff - we gave the chairs to our friend's for their lake house) and the smoker for $50. Add $20 of spray paint and you have brand new awesomeness!

The smoker BEFORE spray paint.

This is incredible!

This small table is a set of two - and was the same color as the white table above. We spray painted it a hammered copper/brown/black color. Same as the large table. Then we got the spray paint texture for the plain brown plant holders they left us as well. I love how it came out!

4. The grand finale! After 1.5 months of looking at glue on the walls of our kitchen - we broke down and hired professionals. Two days later, 3 guys flattened, textured and painted the kitchen. The also painted the foyer!

These pictures just don't do it justice!

Celebrating Saint Patrick!

Matt and I participated in the Saint Patrick's Day parade for the second year in a row with friends and family. We kicked off the morning with brunch at Kelly, Joe and Carissa's...followed by watching the parade and walking 4 miles down Greenville to a friend's house on the M streets. It was a blast!!! The weather was great - and thanks to the sun being out all day we are all a bit red! Some more than others.

Yummy brunch

With Kelly and Carissa - Kelly hooked me up with some awesome knee high socks!

Greenville Avenue - It is so much fun to see everyone out enjoying the day!

CUSTERS!

You can't see it but Joe is holding vuvuzela, Matt's mustache got 25 comments and everyone felt the need to high five Brian!

We Made It...

...a year with Lemmon!

That's right, a year ago March 8th we picked up Lemmon on the corner of Lemmon and McKinney Avenue. Some boys found her on the street in Paris, TX and were trying to find a home for her. For some reason we were drawn to her, picked her up, brought her with us in the car as we were on the way to Fort Worth. Gardia, Mange, Anxiety, Intestinal Issues, Hip Dysplasia later, she is still in our lives and we have a special spot in our hearts f

or her.

So after a year we did what any crazy dog owners would do and had a birthday party! I will take any excuse to throw a party - so as embarrassing as it is to admit - we had a party, I went all out and we LOVED every minute of it. I mean, really it was the perfect excuse to get our closest friends all together at the same time!

Party Highlights:

• Best Dressed: Sam - Way to go Steph on the homemade shirt!!!! You are the best!
• "Lemon" themed everything: Yellow cutlery, Sparkling Lemon water, Lemon zest in the shrimp pasta, Lemon designs on the cupcakes, etc...
• Lemmon got birthday presents - which was extremely unexpected. What sweet aunts and uncles she has! She has lots of toys that will be spaced out over the next couple of months.
• An intense game of Apples to Apples after dinner.
• Lemmon didn't snarl at anyone - she was actually super sweet.
• The Lemonhead party favors that Matt picked up at the store, along with a birthday balloon (so cute).

Visuals:

I love these people!

Opening Presents

With our "babies"

The scarf Aunt Stephanie made Lemmon...it says "Birthday Girl"

Love. This. T-shirt! (Love this KIDDO!!!)

Fasting and Feasting for Lent

I really liked the following a friend sent to me...

Fasting and Feasting

God, help us during this season of Lent to:

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from focusing on differences; feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

May our fasting and feasting during this season of Lent purify our hearts and minds that we may more worthily heed the voice of the One who beckons us, "Come and follow me."

Happy Mardi Gras

To start off - a big happy Mardi Gras to everyone. For those of you about to embark on Lent - I hope you enjoyed a day/weekend of getting it all out before a focused, forty days ahead. I have grown up participating in the Lenten season, but would say that the season (or rather long weekend) of "Mardi Gras" is a relatively new experience. Three years ago Matt and I went to our first Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I assumed I would be walking into a scene from Girls Gone Wild/College Spring Break...but it was nothing like what they portray on TV. Mardi Gras in New Orleans, as hard as it might be to believe, is actually a family friendly weekend and something quite special and unique that bonds the community of New Orleans. Bourbon street of course is another story - but honestly - Bourbon street has booze, boobs and craziness every day of the year. If you stay off of Bourbon, aren't out wandering around late at night, and understand that you will run into the occassional crazy during the parades - it is an experience I think almost anyone could enjoy. My favorite part of the weekend though is the "ball" (and getting to spend time with my brothers). We are lucky enough to get tickets to the Bacchus ball ever year with a table on the platform. It definitely ups the anty and I am concerned the bar has been set too high to do it any other way :-). This year's trip was a success and worth the trip down. A big thank you to our friends and family for including us in the "VIP" activities associated with Bacchus!

Mardi Gras Highlights:

Starting the weekend off right with begniets at Cafe du Monde!!!

This might be one of my favorite parts of New Orleans. Look at all of that jambalya!!!

Bacchus 2011.

Usually we get to see a day parade, a night parade, and then go to the Bacchus ball. I was so excited to get to wear this dress. I have been in love with it for over a year. Thanks Kelly for letting me borrow it!!!! Matt was pretty excited about his cheesehead bow tie as well! (Go Packers)

With Amy - she did my hair and I loved it!!!

With my boys...so handsome!!!!

With Mrs. Tiffany

Table #9...prime location for watching the parade go through the convention center. Gotta love getting to see the parade finish inside with the krewe unloading their beads to all of their friends and families.

This year's King of Bacchus was Andy Garcia...

Lundi Gras.

A real word - for the Monday before Mardi Gras. We stayed over until Tuesday so we could relax and enjoy the city on Monday. We were in for a special treat meeting General Jack and his amazing wife Cindy for lunch. Jack and Cindy surprised us after lunch with access to a Bourbon street balcony. It was incredible to throw beads from the balcony. Incredible and slightly R-rated at times...haha! But definitely something fun to check off of my bucket list! I still can't believe we got to get on a balcony during Mardi Gras. A big thank you to Jack and Cindy for thinking of us!!! AND for my "special hour walk" around town.

We met Jack and Cindy at our first Bacchus ball and managed to form a lasting friendship. It was really fun to see them and catch up.

To sum up: Mardi Gras was a success - but glad it only comes once a year...because it is exhausting!