Pinch Me

Have you ever had those times when it seemed like you were living in a dream, that reality had taken a break?  That has been my life the last week.  Chad and I had the opportunity to take an early anniversary trip and celebrate 15 years of marriage last week.  We went to New York, and it was so special!  I treasure the time that we have together, just the two of us.  I am SO thankful for family that takes care of our precious children.

The view from our hotel room - the Chrysler Building.  We were on the 33rd floor!

Our first meal in NY- S'Mac.  Yum!  They make all kinds of mac and cheese.  I had the Alpine which included bacon.  Chad had the cheeseburger.

It snowed the first day we were there.  It was beautiful!

Another meal, their turkey sandwich was delicious!

Chad had to visit the newest Apple Store in Grand Central Station

Fried zucchini from Carmines-no we did not eat it all.  Do you see a theme with our trip???

We took a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. 

This is the view from the Empire State Building.  It was beautiful at night.

We went to Serendipity for dessert.  We shared this and still did not finish it.  It was my favorite meal!

Along with the adventures above, we also saw two shows, Phantom of the Opera and Spiderman, walked the financial district, saw the Freedom Tower that is under construction, and happened upon a celebration of the Chinese New Year.  I was able to read two books over the week as well!  I enjoyed every minute with my best friend and can't wait to do it again!

This weekend we have eased back into reality.  Last night we had the opportunity to attend the chamber banquet, and I received the cute bag below.  I just love it!

Back to life was we know it, doing our best to live for Jesus.  Have a great week!

Thankful Thursday

After a challenging day, I decided that I needed to focus on some things that I am thankful for!
I am very thankful for...

*A new year - starting over, a fresh start, a hope filled future
*Running-after not having run since the half-marathon at the beginning of December, it felt good to start running again this week
*Nice weather - it has been so pretty the last few days-definitely not typical January weather
*Notes of encouragement- I received the sweetest letter today in the mail, and it really made my day.  There are so many times that I think about writing a note or email to someone, but I don't follow through.  I am going to try to do better with this.
*My wonderful husband - He is amazing, always putting the needs of others first
*Two great kids - They are a gift
*God's Word - We have decided to try to memorize a scripture each week as a family.

This has been a great verse to work on this week, and it has really allowed us all to think about our attitude.

These are just a few of the many things I am thankful for.  What are you thankful for this day?

A Lovely Wedding

This afternoon we went to the wedding of one of our former youth.  It was the most unique wedding I have been to, and I loved it!  It was held in the event center at church instead of the sanctuary, and everyone was seated at tables.  Each place at the table had a different mug.

The mugs were for the coffee bar after the wedding that included hot chocolate!  My fave!

Also, instead of just cakes, they had a table filled with a variety of delicious cupcakes!

I know it appears that all I cared about was the food, but the ceremony was just as wonderful.  The father of the groom and father of the bride both officiated which made it very special. 
I always love weddings as two people come together to form one bond, as a new life is birthed, hopes and dreams are shared.

Mini-Vacation

We decided that we were going to get away for a few days and wanted to make part of our trip educational.  Since Conner is studying Texas' history, a trip south was in order.
We left on Tuesday for San Antonio.  When we arrived, we drove straight to the Alamo.

We enjoyed touring the Alamo, reading the stories, admiring the artifacts, and watching a brief video.  Conner took many pictures that he hopes to share with his class.  After the Alamo, we got checked into our hotel and then went to eat dinner at a Mexican food restaurant called Mamacita's.  We had eaten there once before with Wade and his family.  It is a neat restaurant.

Davy Crockett plays Happy Birthday for visitors

On Wednesday, we put our Six Flags season passes to work at Fiesta Texas.  It is a nice park, and we had a good time.

They even had an "ice skating" rink for the kids.

After Fiesta Texas, we went to dinner.  It was Chad's birthday, and we had gift certificates, so we tried out Longhorn Steakhouse.  It was pretty good!
Thursday morning we headed to Austin and went to the State Capitol.  It was amazing!  The kids were ready to go about half way through and wanted to move quickly through the floors.  Unfortunately for them, I wanted to explore every nook and cranny.  I especially enjoyed the two chambers.  In the house, there was a huge Christmas tree.  It was decorated with an ornament from each district.  The representative for that district chose the ornament that best showcased their district.  They had a book with a picture of each ornament and why it was chosen.

Sadly, this is the only picture I took while there!

Once we left, we headed to the hotel.  The kids were excited because it had an indoor pool!

We headed home today.  We had a super time making memories together and learning more about this great state!  Thank you, Jesus, for times of refreshing!

Christmas in Pictures

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Fun Times with Uncle Beau

My brother took Conner, Caitlyn, and my niece and nephew ice skating on Friday.  I told him that he was either brave or crazy!  They had such a good time together!  First they skated around the huge Christmas tree.Then they ate lunch at Caitlyn's favorite place-McDonald's.  They enjoyed a Christmas show at the mall as well.  Beau finished by taking them to Toys R Us and letting them pick out a present for each other.  The kids loved spending the day with their uncle and cousins, and Chad and I were able to see a movie.  I told Beau that he started a tradition, and I was looking forward to next year already!  He was still smiling by the end, so that is good!

Friday Night with Family

Chad's brother and his family came into town on Friday, and they and my in-laws came over for dinner.  We spent all day preparing a fabulous meal...pizza from Goodfella's!  Pathetic, I know, but I did put together a salad!  We always love when they are in town, and we can catch up.  The kids adore their cousins and enjoy when they can spend the night together.
Usually an evening together leads to a mean game of-

  We have a good time playing and usually there aren't TOO many fights.  Chad's dad doesn't ever want to sit by me because he claims that I don't ever give any good cards.  However, he was stuck next to me, and nobody volunteered to switch places with him.  Well, guess who ended up winning???

I documented the score sheet so that next time he says he never wins, I can redirect him here!
After the game, everyone went home except the kids.  They stayed the night.  We did our Advent devotional together and had a sweet time of prayer.

This morning, the kids had fun playing together.  The girls built a fort.

The boys competed on the Wii.  Don't they look so excited???

We ended our time together with lunch at one of our favorite places.

We are so thankful for family and the time we have together.  Looking forward to a weekend filled with family, love, and Immanuel!

PS I forgot to post a pic of Conner's cookie from when we made Christmas cookies, so here it is.