Summer Lovin'

It has been FOREVER since I last posted...but for a reason. I always feel like I need to post pictures with my blogs, and I haven't taken any pictures in a long time. So, I have felt like I have nothing to blog about.

I have been out of school/work for a couple of weeks now...and it is WONDERFUL. I am always worried that I am going to get bored really quickly, but I have found so many things to do :) I am helping to coordinate VBS at my church this summer, so that has kept me uber busy. I have been trying to figure out a cheap way to make t-shirts, and have been making posters to advertise the event.

Last week I went to Dallas to visit one of my best friends, Stephanie. She went to grad school with me in Dallas, and we spent A LOT of time together during our two years there. I am so happy that we have both been working hard to keep our friendship up. We talk at least once a week, and have been able to see each other every couple of months. While in Dallas, Steph and I got to visit our other friend, Krista. Krista got married several months before me, and just had a baby in February. So, I got the privilege of meeting Krista's baby, Gracie. She is beautiful.! However, it was slightly weird to see Krista with a baby. I am used to being around babies/small children, but none of my close friends have had babies yet. I still think of myself as too young to have children, so it was kinda surreal.

What else have I been up to?....hmm...I wake up, check my email/blogs/facebook, work out, work on VBS stuff, read, take a nap, and make dinner. That's about it...and its great!!

Jennifer is graduating from her master's program in July, and the whole family is headed up to Vermont to see her walk. Chris and I decided to make a vacation out of the trip as well. We will be flying into Boston,and will stay there for several days. Then we head to Vermont for graduation. Finally, we will drive to New york City and stay there for the remaining three days. Of all the states I have been to in my lifetime, I have never made it that far up the east coast. So, needless to say, I am VERY excited. We have booked our flights and hotels...but I still need to do some trip planning. I should probably get on that, since we are leaving in a few short weeks.

Next week (July 4th weekend) we will be going to San Antonio to spend time with Dad's side of the family. All of Dad's brothers and sisters will be there, and many of the grandchildren as well...so, hopefully I will have some updated pictures to post in the not so distant future :)

The worst hail storm...EVER

Austin....more specifically, northwest Austin...even more specifically, our neighborhood, was recently hit by the worst hail storm I have ever experienced in my life. It was a Wednesday evening, and luckily Chris and I were both home from work already. The sky suddenly became black and small ice pellets began falling from the sky. Then within about one minute, golf ball size hail began pelting the ground, our house, and unfortunately, Chris' new truck. The entire lawn and street were completely covered with icey balls. If one didn't know better, it looked as if it had just snowed. The hail came down in golf balls for about five- ten minutes before letting up and completely stopping. The storm disappeared as quickly as it arrived. The storm damage left us with getting Chris' car repaired and a new roof on our house. Pretty much everyone in our neighborhood is getting a new roof. It looks like a roofing advertising lot as you drive down the streets. Hopefully the amount of money we get from insurance will cover the whole cost of the roof, including the deductible :) Not much else is going on in our world.....we are going to visit mom and dad for Easter, so maybe I will have some family pics from next weekend :)

Evan's First Birthday

As I sit here typing, it is finally Spring Break! Yay! I definitely needed this week off of work, if to do nothing else than rest. About a week and a half ago, I came down with a virus that I wouldn't wish on a single soul. It started with a simple rash on my hands and feet. It didn't itch, and only hurt when my shoes rubbed against it. I decided not to see any kids at work that day and went to the doctor to have it checked out. As it turns out, I had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. ugh! what an awful name! As that day progressed, I ended up getting ulcers on my tongue and on my inner lip. I could barely talk or eat for the next two days. Chris avoided me at all costs, and I was made to sleep on top of the cover :) Needless to say, I am better now. But, that was an awful way to spend an entire weekend!!
This past weekend was much more enjoyable. It was Evan's first birthday party. He turned one-year old on March 12th and we celebrated on Saturday. For those of you not in Texas, this past we have been having an unseasonably warm late winter. It had been in the 70s and 80s for a couple of weeks, until last Wednesday. We had a cold front come in that brought lots of rain. While we needed the rain, it didn't make for much of an outside birthday party on Saturday. I stayed outside for brief stints until my brother-in-law lit the outside fire pit. I am such a whimp that I won't even tell you what the temperature was that day :) The party was fun...Evan got LOTS of toys and clothes and was able to tear into his first cake.
Now I am spending the week relaxing, and catching up on extra work from last week. I would always much rather do work sitting on my couch than at work, even if it is spring break :) I hope you all are doing well !!

By the Grace of God

By the grace of God, many prayers, and lots of hard work...mom and dad's house is complete AND liveable! Dad and grandpa have been working non-stop since September to fix the house after it was completely destroyed by Hurricane Ike (see previous post with before pictures). Dad was able to finish the house this past week, and they moved in on Tuesday February 3rd. After the storm hit, I couldn't even fathom how long it would take for them to complete all of the work that lay ahead. There were many volunteers from various churches, along with much help from grandpa, (and endless hours on Dad's part) that made it all possible. It truly is amazing to see God's love and faithfulness through the help of others.

Chris, Jennifer, and I were able to make a weekend trip to Galveston to see the new house. It is beautiful! I am so impressed that it was done so quickly, and looks so professional! I have included pictures of every room in the house. Keep in mind that mom and dad haven't unpacked any of the few boxes that were in storage. They also haven't purchased any decorations yet, so it will look even more complete in the coming weeks.

Thank you for all of your constant prayers. They have paid off!! Thank you God for helping us all to see your handiwork, kindness, and blessings during a time of trial and devastation.

Love you all!!



The front door


view from the front door- notice there used to be a complete wall there...it was shortened to make the room more open



the new dining room



the living room

the living room from a different angle

the kitchen

kitchen again

bathroom

the new study- the desks haven't arrived from the store yet

the guest room

mom and dad's room

again

The teeth are out!

I was finally able to get my wisdom teeth taken out today. I have been trying to get this procedure done for over a month now. My dental insurance has really been giving a run for my money. They initiall denied any coverage for the procedure until they received copies of xrays. So, they were sent and finally received about a week ago. Once they got the xrays, they decided to completely throw my oral surgeons opinion out the window. My oral surgeon had decided that the procedure would be surgical because some of my teeth were impacted in the gums. But no, why would insurance belive the person who has been trough at least eight years of school. Instead they decided to only pay for 200 dollars of a very expensive procedure. So after many, many days of arguing with insurance, I decided to go ahead and get the procedure done and hopefully get more money reimbursed than what was originally projected.

So, I got my teeth (all four) taken out today. I actually slept pretty well last night, but I was very nervous this morning. I opted for the IV sedation, because I know I am a whimp when it comes to procedures like this. The last thing I remember is the doctor asking me if I wanted a Texas Martini. Then he injected the meds, and what seemed like five minutes later I woke up to Chris receiving post-op instructions. So, I have to say that the actual procedure was not that bad. I slept most of the mid-morning/afternoon and am now just laying in bed. I have been given an antibiotic and several types of pain killers. I am sticking with the IB profen right now and will bump it up if need be. As of right now (knock on wood) I am not feeling any pain. Lets just hope that this continues and I don't experience any of the possible complications/risks. Last time I had surgery I was one of the lucky estimated 4% to experience complications. Hopefully that will not happen this time. I guess thats it for now...if My cheeks puff up I will probably take pictures for laughter purposes :)
The end

The Christmas Story

So, I forgot to take pictures of my Christmas dinner table. Whoops! Everyone said that the food was edible, and no one has died yet...so I guess I did an acceptable job. Christmas was definitely a whirlwind..but worth it. We celebrated Christmas eve and Christmas morning with Chris' family. Then we drove back to Austin and celebrated Christmas evening with my fam. The day after Christmas Jen and I spent the morning/early afternoon exchanging items around Austin. Then Chris and I went down to San Antonio to spend a day with Grandma, Grandpa and my parentals/sister. It was definitely good to spend time with everyone, even if it was brief.

In other news, I have been spending my Christmas break at the dentists office. I recently found out that I have several (putting it mildly) cavities and I need my wisdom teeth taken out. Insurance didn't approve my wisdom teeth extraction in time to get it done before Christmas, so I have been getting some cavities filled instead. What a wonderful way to spend your Christmas break, right? For anyone who doesn't know, I am deathly afraid of the dentist. I have been only going to the dentist over the last several years for emergency situations. So, they would fix one or two teeth here and there...but I never took care of any preventative measures. So now I am stuck with fixing what I have been putting off since I graduated high school. Not fun!! I am scheduled to get my wisdom teeth removed on Jan 16th if insurance ever approves it.

Christmas was definitely short, but fun. I am glad I got to see everyone over the past couple of days. Now on to spending the rest of our budget on fixing my teeth :)


Abby opening her present

The above pics are of my nephew, Evan, opening presents on Christmas morning

New Traditions???

Chris and I are about to head to Temple to spend Christmas Eve with his family. We are going to church, and then coming home for a tamale dinner. Tomorrow morning we are opening gifts, eating lunch, and then coming back to Austin. Then, my family is coming over for Christmas dinner and more gifts. Who is making this dinner you might ask? Well, me. I know, I think it is humorous as well. I have already made the turkey because I won't have time tomorrow...it looks edible, and smells pretty good too. On tomorrow's agenda is making the mac n cheese, stuffing, and green beans. I conned mom into making the rolls...one less thing on my list. I will hopefully have some pictures to share with you guys come tomorrow...

I hope everyone has a very, merry Christmas!! I love you all!