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.

FLAVOUR

Mom and I attended the Flavour Conference this weekend hosted by Lisa Young at Fellowship Church. There were over 2200 ladies there and we had an incredible time!

Miracles Happen!

I'm continually amazed at the blessings God gives us. My good friend Vanessa has been told her entire life that the chances of her ever having children were slim to none. However, she found out this week she is expecting and we are all so excited! She is proof that miracles happen and God will provide!

Congrats Vanessa!

Playing catch-up!

It's been so long since I've blogged. I had a routine when I worked at PBK - got to work before everyone else so I could spend some time on Facebook and reading all my favorite blogs! Then, because I was unemployed, my routine changed thus I neglected my blog.

I'm now back working...for the Dallas Cowboys! I work as an Assistant for Mr. Jones himself. It's been a surreal experience but exciting to say the least. It's interesting to see how the "other half" of the world lives. I must say, the entire family is much more down to earth than I expected. I've enjoyed getting to know them and can't wait for the season to begin. I've always been a Cowboys fan but something tells me this season may be a little different!

Chris and I also just purchased a new home! We're beginning to think about adding to the family so it seemed like a good time to purchase a home that we could grow in. The dilemma comes to play in the sense that we haven't sold our existing home yet and I so badly want to start moving into our new home. From our experience at looking at new homes, they always show better when they're "stagged" so we're going to try and stay in our current house for as long as possible. We'll see.