White Christmas

It seems Chris & I are on a roll of White Christmases. Last year we watched the snow fall in Vermont & this year it followed us to Lubbock. I love SNOW! So it was the perfect addition to our holiday celebrations. Unfortunately Christmas in our family was a little rough this year. My Granny fell and broke her hip just a few days before and so we spent the holiday on hospital rotations. However I really would not trade it for the world. Chris & I spend part of Christmas night at the hospital. My Granny had slept most of the day which made her awake & alert for our 9pm-3am shift. We just sat & talked. I held her hands, rubbed her back & just shared the details of our Christmas day. She commented on all her great grandchildren & how beautiful they are. It was truly priceless time! We always treasure our family time and this year was really no exception! I think the kids all had a wonderful Christmas!

Pre-Christmas Christmas

This was the first year that Chris & I have been on a more typical holiday circuit with our families. Since we spent Thanksgiving with his family then we will be in Lubbock for Christmas. So his family had a Pre-Christmas Christmas this past weekend. The kids got tons of toys, games, clothes & costumes! I still cannot believe all the loot! We enjoyed spending the evening with everyone & watching the Cowboys afterwards. The pictures really tell it best...

Run the Rock

My twin sister has always been the athlete, so it should be no surprise that she has a new hobby....running. A few years back she & a friend began training for a half marathon. They have since run 3. It just blows my mind! Anyway this year they were back to run the White Rock Half Marathon & fortunately for me we now live close enough to participate as spectators! Saturday night we "carb loaded" with she & Andrew at Bucca. Yummy food & great Sangria! Then Sunday morning I met up with Andrew, the kids & her in laws. We drove down together and found a place to spot her at mile 9. They stopped long enough to hug Drew & I got a quick photo op. Then it was back on the road to the finish line. Susan & Sarah set new personal records & were very pleased with how the race went. Congrats ladies!!!

JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS!

It is so great to be back home where we can enjoy the little things in life...like my nieces Christmas dance recital. They did a number to a Jingle Bells tune. It was priceless! She was eating it up! We look forward to this spring when the next recital comes around. We love you Emmerson!

Gobble Gobble

We have so much to be thankful for! This year has been a whirlwind, but we have seen God's faithful hand in everything & so we give thanks! It was nice to spend the holiday here in the Dallas area - no traveling required! Wednesday night we had dinner with our friends the McKenzie's in from Baton Rouge. We finally got to meet Anna Claire and she was so much fun! We only wished they lived closer so we could hang out more often. That evening we met up with Shane & Laura (who really need to update the blog) to see The Blind Side. It was soooo good! A must see for everyone out there :). Thursday we spent the afternoon & evening with Chris' family. Lots of good food & fun times at the park. Followed by a big Cowboys Win & an Aggie loss...I guess we can't have everything we want! The Seiferd's entertained again on Thursday night - definitely a night I will never forget. Not sure if I can explain without it becoming a novel, but I will try. We met them at a friends house (they were house/dog sitting) & headed for some relaxation in the hot tub. Got out of the hot tub to learn we had locked ourselves out in the cold. Its 11:30pm, we have no clothes (just bathing suits & towels), no shoes, no keys, no phone, no phone numbers...you get the picture! Fortunately we found some neighbors who were awake and were able to eventually call a locksmith. In the meantime we waited it all out in Shane's key less entry truck. But not before Shane & I found the dog poop in the dark! Good times my friends! Memories of a lifetime for sure :) Friday we slept in and then did a little Christmas shopping. I cooked up brisket for dinner and we enjoyed some time with Aunt Debbie & Uncle John. The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We finished up a few more things from the to do list around the apartment & of course we decorated (or rather I decorated) for Christmas!

Here are some great pics from Thanksgiving Day mostly. And no unfortunately there are no pictures from the hot tub incident - you will have to picture that yourselves :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Drew!

My little nephew turned 3 yesterday! He is such a big boy now and really it all goes way to fast even for us aunts & uncles. I still remember seeing him for the first time via Skype. We were living in Phoenix and could not be there for the birth. It was a cold snowy day in Lubbock so really Skype was the best way to see him even if we had been local. Drew is the perfect blend of Susan & Andrew - it is crazy how much he looks & acts like both of them! We love you Drew & we were so happy to celebrate with you this year! My sister threw a great party with a fire truck and everything! She really is so creative. Way to go sis you did an amazing job!

After the party Chris & I were able to hang out with family and friends we have not seen in at least a year! It is so awesome to think now we can see them whenever we would like :) We were able to have 2 double dates for coffee & lunch with 2 very special couples. Thanks for making time for us Rineharts & Kings! We look forward to doing it again soon!

This trip was also special because I got to meet my newest niece Brooklyn. She is already so big! I have serious time to make up for! She is a wonderful baby, so happy & sweet! We love you too Brooklyn!

Nashvegas

The drive from NJ to TX is about 24 hours long - so we decided to enjoy the sites along the way to break things up and give our legs a good stretch! Our main stop was Nashville! Chris had never been before and well I barely remember it from a trip there when I was younger. We had a great time doing all the touristy things during the day. We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium and walked the streets of Broadway. For lunch we stopped at Jack's. Clearly it was the best choice as the line was out the door. They have some serious BBQ and everyone wanted to try it! After we had seen all we could see we met up with Cody & Raylissa Batten for dinner and then stayed the night at their house. It was so great to see them & meet their sweet little girl Trenda. Thanks again to the Battens for letting us stay & for entertaining us :)

We took tons of pictures....so enjoy as many as you can!

WDW 2009

After we sent all of our stuff in a moving truck headed for Texas we hopped on a plane to Orlando to spend a week at Disney World. Amanda had been to Disney in the last decade but I hadn't been in over two decades and this was our first time to go together. We got there on my birthday so it was great because they gave us a gift card to buy stuff since we already had tickets. Another great thing about the time we were there was it was the International Wine & Food Festival so there were booths from tons of different countries and those booths had great food and wines to try.

We have decided that October is a great time to go because the weather is nice and the lines aren't that long. During our week there we visited all for Disney parks and also visited the two parks at Universal Studios. We really liked the rides at Universal & Adventure Island and were really glad we spent a couple days there. Another thing we enjoyed was our resort that we stayed at, the Wyndham Bonnett Creek was a great resort with a shuttle to all the Disney parks.

All in all it was a great trip and we look forward to the day we can go back!

Our FINALE

Today was officially our last day in NYC....as locals that is...I am sure we will be back again but probably only as visitors.

These past 2 years have been many things:

a wild ride
trying times
once in a lifetime experience
horizon broadening
marriage building
faith testing
a great adventure
culture shock
unforgettable (in both good & bad ways)

I could probably go on forever! We are truly going to miss this place - because well we just love city life and trying new things :) God truly blessed us with an amazing opportunity to share our lives in a new town, new city & new culture! His divine plans are sometimes challenging but almost always rewarding on the flip side. We can see the impact we have left behind and Praise God for His work in NJ & NYC!

I am still trying to fathom life without Broadway musicals, weekend trips to Boston, apple picking, trips down the shore, subway & train rides - just public transportation in general, working on Wall St, Christmas in NYC, Soupman, Nuts for Nuts, Dean & Deluca, picnics in Central Park, shopping at Union Square, day trips to Princeton, citylights, South Seaport dinners....its definitely going to be a change! But we will press on and enjoy life back in Texas with real Mexican food, real COWBOY Football, real families dinners & holidays! Its going to be great!

Today we completed our 2 year tour with a trip to St Pauls Chapel, Trinity Church, Stone Street, dinner at Spotted Pig in the West Village, dessert at Milk & Cookies!

Next stop DISNEYWORLD!

Top of the ROCK

Over the Labor Day weekend Chris had some time off work so we spent the afternoon touring the Top of the Rock @ Rockefeller! It was the perfect day! Beautiful weather and no crowds! We had such a great time soaking it all in. The views are just amazing and they really give you a feel for the size of New York City. Top of the Rock is definitely a must see!

Perfect Picnic

A few weeks ago Chris & I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary with a fabulous (and probably once in a lifetime) picnic in Central Park. The day was AMAZING! It was sunny, clear, dry & 80 degrees. I am certain it was the most perfect day we had all summer long. Earlier in the week I ordered a picnic "box" from a local gourmet grocery store & then we grabbed a sleeping bag and headed out. We found a great spot in one of the larger meadows and set up shop. The food was awesome & the company was even better! This will definitely be a hard day to beat on future occasions.

Sophia Alexis Jones

We are thrilled to have another beautiful niece! Sophie was born Friday, August 28th. She is just perfect! Chris & I are looking forward to meeting her soon!



Congratulations Brian, Sarah & big brother Ethan!

LOVE x THREE = YOU & ME

Happy Anniversary Chris!

Three years ago today I married the man of my dreams! I love you more with each passing day & I thank God for bringing our lives together. You truly are my life and my world!

Brad Paisley sings it best in his new song THEN:

I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mezmorized
And three weeks later, in the front porch light
taking forty-five minutes to kiss goodnight
I hadn't told you yet
but I thought I loved you then

And now you're my whole life
now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

And i remember, taking you back to right where I first met you,
You were so surprised
There were people around, but I didn't care
Got down on one knee right there once again,
I thought I loved you then

And now you're my whole life
now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

I could just see you, with a baby on the way
And I could just see you, when your hair is turning gray
What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more
But I've said that before

And now you're my whole life
now you're my whole world
I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl
We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in
And I'll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then