Travels and Birthdays

I will start off with our trip to the Dallas area for Claire and Cody's wedding. We cannot possibly express how excited and happy we are for this new family. The 7 hour drive to Coppell starting at 6 PM Texas time, and then the two hours to Pittsburg from Coppell on Saturday, was worth it to see Claire and Cody get married. We enjoyed being able to see them and celebrate their big day with them because we do not get to see much of them anymore now that the guys are graduated and we are in New Mexico. Congratulations to Claire, Cody, and baby boy Cason! We love you guys and cannot wait to meet your sweet little one.

Long trips are not on our list for awhile. Those car trips can be brutal and because of traveling we had not seen a weekend at home for three weeks. Yikes! Our first weekend back home was uneventful due to all the high winds we are experiencing. This past weekend Clovis/Portales had a huge grass fire. 17,000 acres of land was burned along with four homes. Very sad. On my way to school, I pass part of the area that is burned. The air over there is hazy and I can smell the smoke inside my car passing through. Please keep all the people affected by these grass fires (and other storms) in your prayers.

Also this past weekend we had planned a day trip on the motorcycle to Santa Rosa, but again, due to these awful winds, it was canceled. We actually drove out about 10-15 miles before turning around. Hopefully soon, once the windy spring has passed, we will plan a trip out there again. We plan to see the Blue Hole (a natural spring), Route 66 museum, and the Billy the Kid museum. Here is a picture from our trip which was sadly short-lived. 

Because our trip to Santa Rosa was canceled, we went to Ned Houk Park that is outside the Clovis city limits. Roy really loves coming here because of all the ducks. I am sure if I let go of his leash he would be in the water chasing them in no time. We took expired bread with us this time to feed the ducks. 

Michael and I are both 22 now! We like to joke that for about four days there, he was married to an older woman. ;) Michael got me beauuutiful roses and took me to dinner at Vine's Italian Restaurant in downtown Portales. I do not think we will be back there though. The food is overpriced and not that great. Oh well, you live, you learn. Poor Michael had to go into work at 6 AM on his birthday. To top it off, they were out of coffee. Oooppss. Spending our birthdays here in New Mexico has been weird. For the past four years, our birthdays have fallen around parents weekend at A&M so our birthday weekends were always jam-packed with family and activities. Having nothing to do around this time of year has been an adjustment. C'est la vie.

Things I'm loving - Wednesday Style

So I am going to steal a little idea I saw on a friend's blog. Jennifer Rush, this blog is thanks to you! (Hope you do not mind, hehe)

Moving to Clovis, New Mexico has its negatives, but I really do not give it enough credit as I should. Moving so far away from family and friends has been one of the toughest decisions for Michael and I, but what better way to start a marriage than by completely relying on your significant other. We look to one another each and every day when the going gets rough and it only makes us stronger because of that. Every now and then we all need to be reminded about the little joys in life.

Therefore, my first thing I am thankful for is my husband. He truly is the most amazing man I know (besides my Daddy of course). He keeps me sane when I feel at my craziest. He is so fun to be around and he makes any bad day a good one. I love you, babe!

The second thing I am thankful for: POPCORN! We got a popcorn maker for a wedding gift and it is the most amazing thing. As a matter of fact, it was mine and Michael's dinner tonight. Y'all may think we are crazy, but come on, dinner of champions! 

Third thing I am thankful for: Sweet Tea. I have my Momma to thank for this addiction. Growing up, we always had a gallon of sweet tea in our fridge. With summer just around the corner, nothing tastes better than sweet tea on a hot day.

Fourth thing I am thankful for: My stinkin' cute A&M Armadillo Yard Decorator. My sister, Jenna, gave this to me for my birthday. I love my armadillo.

The last thing I am thankful for: Dry, warm weather here in New Mexico. Probably the best thing about Clovis is the dry weather. If we were still living in College Station there is no way we could shut off our A/C and open the doors and windows. Well... we could do that in CS, but would have to sacrifice nice looking hair (humidity there is ridiculous). Best part of this deal, lower energy bill. We are all about saving the monies these days. I do not have a picture of dry air, so a picture of our house in the springtime will have to suffice. ;)

Okay well after publishing the blog, I came up with ooonnnee more thing I am thankful for: Roy. He is so funny and I am super glad to have him back home with us.He will never be away from us for three weeks ever again. Sorry, Jay! And yes, he really slept like this.

Too often we can be so self-absorbed. The next time you are having a bad day, stop to think about the little things in life that make you happy and enjoy the life God gave you.