80's Night

I had to steal these pics from Cheryl's facebook because they are hilarious and I'm also so impressed with their creativity. It was 80's night in their youth group so Cheryl took them to the roller rink.

Great job ladies - you look FABULOUS!

Cheryl

John & Cheryl

(the boys didn't participate but went and played frisby golf instead)

Andrews Family Reunion

We flew home to Amarillo this weekend for the Andrews family reunion. I'm so glad we went - it was so much fun catching up with family we hadn't seen in a long time.

Chris & Averi

Madison, Allison & Tyler

Tyler & his bashful daughter, Carter

Averi

Me & Allison

Closer to the final product...

Mom and I have made some progress on getting the house decorated.

Here are some more pictures...

New Art in Entryway

(some of you are aware of my love for horses so these were a great find)

Breakfast Nook

Kitchen

Master Bedroom
(Mom and I padded the walls and the stripped material is actually fabric. Easy way to add color and texture.)

Paul Family Visit

My dearest friend and her family came to visit us here in Dallas this past weekend and as always, we had the best of time. I must say, I give her and her husband so much credit because having two kiddos (3 months and 23 months) just for the weekend was exhausting so I can't even imagine what it's like having them full-time!

Mom and baby Bella

Carson

Monica and her precious babies

Mom and Carson blowing bubbles

Mom and baby Bella relaxing in the pool

Before & After

Chris and I got all moved in to our new house and things are slowly starting to come together. I always enjoy seeing before and after pictures so I thought I'd post some of my own...

Entry Way

Living Room

We have so much to do but it feels good to have some things accomplished! I'll post more pictures as we progress.

Exhausted...

The excitement of a new home sure seems far away as you find yourself scooting along the floor, cleaning the baseboards.

Chris and I managed to fill up a 26 foot U-Haul on Saturday, by ourselves, and hauled the load to the new house. Naturally, it was 85 degrees and muggy as it rained the entire night before.

Rather than moving things in, we stacked everything in the garage so I could give the house a quick clean. Clearly I was already exhausted because cleaning a house double the size of my existing one would not be classified as a "quick clean". Sometimes I find cleaning therapeutic but not this go around. After hours of cleaning baseboards, shampooing carpets, windexing the inside of every cabinet, scrubbing toilets, cleaning windows and moping floors, I decided I had exhausted all energy and called it a day.

Meanwhile, Chris was in the backyard reading a "how-to" book on being new pool owners. As much work is that will probably be, I am looking forward to sitting out by the pool reading a magazine after my next "quick clean".

Happy Mother's Day

Although I don't know what it's like to be a mom, in my opinion, you somehow become an incredible giver. Even when you're exhausted and feel like you have no strength to continue, you somehow have the ability to put others first and give generously. Although my mom only had one child, she made a lot of sacrifices and for that I am forever grateful...

Thank you mom for not giving up during those first few years when you felt like you were raising a child alone.

Thank you for raising me in God's house and teaching me the importance of a relationship with Him.

Thank you for sacrificing 8 years of your life driving me to the barn, mucking stalls, bathing horses and hauling me across the country so that I may pursue my passion for riding.

Thank you for your conversations - you offer me wisdom, encouragement, strength and perspective.

Thank you for the special memories we've shared all over the world - my first scuba experience in Cancun, New Year's in Times Square, eating at the local pubs in London, seeing the Eiffel tower in Paris, walking the beaches in Tahiti, eating at Paula Dean's in Savannah, shark diving in the Bahama's, icecream dates in Belize, sight-seeing in Italy and many more...

Thank you for being an incredible mom but most importantly, thank you for being my best friend.