Memorial Day

Hope everyone had a great Holiday Weekend!

This is what I did over the weekend:

We were so busy all weekend I don't even know where to start. 7 girls went for the long weekend to celebrate my best friend getting married. It was a first time trip for quite a few, so we saw the sites and walked alot. I did manage to learn how to play roulett and ended up winning $25!

Here's to you, Ann! Can't wait for the wedding in July!

Pool Time!

Even though it is only May, the temperature's have reflected summer heat. This week alone it has been in the upper 90s almost every day, along with humidity (usually around the 80% marker.) Sunday we were all baking, Tucker included, so we ventured out and bought a $10 kiddie pool.

We might as well call it "Tucker's Pool" becaues he LOVES it. The first day we had water in it he was walking in and out non-stop, drinking, and dunking his head in the cool water. It has stayed cool, even yesterday during the 100+ heat.

Hopefully the rain can stop up north and some heat can find its way up to you. We have a North wind today, and, miraculously the humidity is down and it is only about 76 degrees (at 9 in the morning!)

Here is a video of Kyle and Tucker playing fetch, incorporating the new pool.

I will be traveling this weekend, leaving Kyle and Tucker to hold down the fort. Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Historic Gruene

This is one of the last weekends all of us friends would be together, so we decided to hit the town and go out to eat. Two of the people in the traveling PCI program are leaving TX soon, and heading up to Spokane, WA. Everett and his girlfriend, Jenny, are packing their bags and taking off next weekend. To 'celebrate,' (for lack of a better word because I really hate to see them go) Kyle and I thought it would be fun to take them about 20 minutes north to a small TX town, more so known to the locals then the tourists.

(Couple buildings around town)
Gruene, (pronounced 'green') TX, has been around since the mid 1800s. It started out as a cotton farm, and eventually building after buidling was added to help aid the cotton farmers. The historic Gruene Hall was built in the 1880's and it is the oldest Dance Hall in TX to date. Many famous country singers got their start right there in little ol' Gruene, signing at the Gruene Hall. Some of them include George Strait, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Jerry Jeff Walker, and many others. They are all displayed inside the hall, complete with autographs. There are live bands and concerts playing every week at the hall.

(Front and back/side of Gruene Hall)

The town offers everything from wine tasting to antique shopping to tubing down the river that is runs through the town. There area number of excellent places to eat, including the Gristmill River Restaurant, where we took our friends. The restaurant is located on the top of a bluff overlooking the Guadalupe River. You have "inside" seating and "outside" seating, as well as "riverside" seating. You are never fully enclosed indoors, it is all pretty much open and airy, but the best seat in the house is down along the cliff side, overlooking the river. The restaurant is an old cotton gin converted to fine dining :)


So here are a few snaps of us in town, exploring the shops and enjoying dinner. I'm going to miss Everett and Jenny! Wish them the best of luck!



(L) Jenny and Everett, originally from Moorhead, MN.
(R) The PCG boys: Josh from Boston, Kyle, and Everett


Jenny and I enjoying our drinks and trying on silly hats at the general store

I could get used to this...

Lately Kyle has had more normal working hours (for now anyway). He has actually been getting home around 6 or so every night. Know what that means? More grilling time! We have the luxury of grilling year-round, but there is nothing like grilling in spring/summer when its nice and hot out, and you get to chill with an ice cold beverage. The other night we grilled T-Bone steaks, potatoes, and steamed some veggies. Tucker is always close by (as you can see in the photo) either sniffing whatever we have on the grill or pestering us to throw a toy for him to retrieve. The umbrella comes in handy because the sun sets directly into our backyard. It makes for some very pretty sunsets, but shade the umbrella offers is a nice break from the sun. (Note: at supper time this time of year it is usually still in the upper 80s, so it is still plenty warm).

Hope the weather is warming up enough up north, so all of you can get our your grill and enjoy summer!

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Happy Birthday to my BIG SISTER today!

She's turning, well, not sure she would like me to announce that ;)

Hope you have a fabulous day, Shell! [Yes, the picture is about a year old. I could not find a more recent one of just the two of us, or of one of just her. But this is a good memory...taking the Coors Brewery tour in CO and taste-testing!]

xoxo

Texas Ski Ranch

Texas is famous for thier ranches, right? But I never knew that Texas had a SKI ranch. Ski, as in, the water sport. At this 'ranch' there are helicoptor rides, shere ball rides, wakeboarding, skiing, kneeboarding, skateboarding...pretty much a combination of everything. It is located about 20 minutes north of us, and one of our friends was interested in trying out wake boarding. I did not feel like embarassing myself in front of strangers (I would like to save those fun time for friends and family only as much as I can ;) so Kyle and I went along with to go check it out and root for our friend.

To give you an idea, the wake boarding part is one big circle of water (with, oddly enough, a pathc of grass in the middle with goats on it). They have a cbale system that pulls you around the circle, complete with jumps if you wish to try them. There are about 5-8 people that can be going around the circle at a time, with people crahsing and joining in continuously. Our friend has been a life-long snow boarder, so he picked up on it pretty quick. I got some sun while watching him, and enjoyed seeing something new. Here are a couple picture to show you the wake boarding part of the 'ranch'.

On Sunday we went over to Jason's new house he just purchased and had a BBQ. Even though zero of the utilities were hooked up, we made the best of it and had a feast! Fresh fruit, burgers on the grill, drinks, and even the puppy dogs had a good time. His dad was visiting from WA, so he was also there having a good time. We even ended the afternoon with some games of Catch Prase! I can't wait for more BBQ's and getherings at his new place...first though, we need to help paint a few rooms and move him from his apartment to the house. Small price to pay :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and hope the week ahead is a good one!

Rain[ing] Babies?

Since February, we have not seen a drop of rain. From what I have been hearing, its the complete opposite up north. But, here in South Texas, we have been in a Stage 1 drought for at least a month. Yesterday was like heaven. When I went to work in the morning, it was dark and cloudy. I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. Once our store opened, so did the sky. Rain poured down, thunder boomed, lighting cracked...it was music to my ears! I am not positive on how much rain our house got, but enough to make Tucker all muddy and fill his food dish about an inch full. :)

In other news, I want to welcome baby Cloe to the world! My cousin Lynsey and her husband Joel welcomed thier first baby on Monday, May 9.




One might think with all these babies on my blog lately I'd be getting the itch? Nope. Not yet, sorry ;)

Have a great weekend!

PROM

My little sister, Ashley, had her prom this last weekend. I was completely bummed that I could not be there, and was super sad. I did manage a quick Skype with her before her date picked her up at the house, but it was still enough to get big ol' tears in my eyes. It made me see what I was missing, and remember all the times that she was there for me, and now I can't return the favor. (I know I am thousands of miles away buried in the deep south, but still ;) )

So, here are a few pictures of the lovely lady. She actually found her dress while visiting down here in TX at Dilliards. She also found her earings and ring at a sweet jewelery store here in town as well. I think she looked absolutely stunning! Can't wait to see more pictures :) Hopefully I can make it next year...maybe. :)

Yardhouse Bowling

How was your weekend? Mine was excellent (except me missing my little sisters prom). That made me sad, but we made up for it. Kyle and I went out hunting for a TV console. Currently are electronics are sitting on a floor, under our TV that is sitting on a coffee table. With my employment being at a furniture store, we decided to take advantage of it! I'll have to post a pic or two when we get it set up in the house.

Saturday night we went to a place called the Yardhouse. It has over 130 beers on tap, and they have a glass that is actually a 'yard,' hence the name ;) I tried several beers, but my favorite of the night was Magic Hat #9. It is a Pale Ale, so if you like that kind of beer, I strongly suggest trying it whenver you get the chance. I was totally "that girl" and took a picture of the bar. See the silver tubes? That is attached to the keg room, which attaches to the specifc spout. Pretty sweet.

After the Yardhouse we went bowling. That's right, bowling. I love to bowl. I was on a Wednesday night league while I was in elementry school, and I will be forever grateful my mom signed me up. I learned the proper technique, and have acquired a decent skill. It's something that I can rely on, without ever really needed to practice at. But, let's be honest, I'm no pro. haha. I will say, though, that between the 2 games we played, I had the highest combined score, beating out 3 other guys :) After 2 games we decided to play some pool, and now THAT is a sport where I need some practice!

The scores after the first game! I win :)

*warning: the boys were very animated that night, so I have only a select few pictures to show you.*

Hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day...Weekend!

This weekend is a big one at home. My little sister's FIRST prom, and mother's day! I will not be able to make it to either, and I will be thinking about it all weekend. I can't do much about it, thank goodness for Skype, I guess!

I will do Ashley's prom next week, but here area few pictures of (both) my mom(s)! Happy Mother's Day!

Hmm..do you notice a trend? We both took pictures by flowers/landcaping and both with margaritas. haha. :)

Hope all you mom's have a great day!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I hope everyong gets a little chips n salsa or some guac today...you can never go wrong with either of those! In honor for today, thought I would share with you some recipes (of course...I LOVE food so I have recipes for even Cinco de Mayo)!

My sister shared this simple recipe with me for guac, and even though I found a mix down here I love, this is always a good standby and quick to whip up.

Easy Guacamole
I usually use 2-3 avacados (but depending on how many people will eat it, of course)
Roma tomatos
Limes
Parmesean Cheese

Remove the skin and the pit from the avacados and mash them together in a bowl- a simple fork will do the trick. *Side note the softer the avacado, the more ripe. Do not keep them in the fridge unless you don't plan to eat them for a few days.*
Cut up your roma tomatos and add to mix. Drizzle fresh squeezed lime juice (as much as you want...I usually go by taste!) Top with some parmesean cheese and you have a simple and amazing Guac recipe! My favorite is eating them with Lime Chips...perfect combination!

Tequila Lime Chicken
4-6 Chicken breasts, boneless skinless
1/4 cup tequila (chicken broth for the young ones!)
6 oz. frozen limeade concentrate
1 Tbsp. grated lime peel
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Combine all marinade ingredients in shallow container and mix well. Poke each chicken breast with fork and place in marinade container. Marinate in fridge a minimum of 1 hour. We made ours on the grill, but I'm sure a grill pan or the oven would work as well! Enjoy!

Margarita Cupcakes
Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for this recipe either. I found it on one of my food blogs and hope to try them out SOON! Enjoy!!
(Click the word 'margarita cupcakes' and it will take you to the recipe!)


I celebrated last night with some friends, and let's just say I will be staying away from margaritas for a while. Nothing beats chips n salsa and margaritas with the girls!

Feliz cinco de mayo!

Sunshine & Springtime?

You know the song, right? "Sunshine and Summertime" by Kenny Chesney? Well that is exaclty what it felt like this weekend, although it was only April 30 and not summertime. This weekend a friend came to visit who is moving down in June and we had a blast! Friday we enjoyed some BBQ outdoors and played some yard games and played the good ol' standbye, Catch Phrase. If you EVER need a laugh, play this game :) Saturday we went to the pool. It was 90 something or another, same as it has been for the past 2 weeks, so we decided to take advantage of it. We set up shop at our friends pool and had a great time! Sun, drinks, pizza, and friends...it was a perfectly awesome afternoon :) Sunday we finished up the weekend with a little shopping and playing with Tuker at the park and chilling with a new book and some xbox.

I hope it warms up for you in the north, soon!

Have I introduced you to the new clan? I've mentioned Jason before, but the guy sitting to the left of Kyle is Everett, the girl at his feet is his girlfriend Jenny. They are originally from Moorhead, MN and he is part of the traveling program with PCG. They have moved across the South so far and are now helping out at Kyle's branch. We think come June they will be moving on, but we hate to see them go. To the left of them were 2 more boys, but for family-appropriate reasons I cropped them out. One is Josh, from Boston, and the other is Dan, for Moorhead MN as well and starting full-time in June at Kyle's branch.

Our friend Jason is notorious for having random weird sunglasses, so since they matched my swimsuit oh-so-well, I decided to borrow them for the day. Josh, pictured above, is wearing his neon shades too, so that called for a picture :)

A couple of our friends also have boats, so I cannot wait until they come out of storage so we can hit the lakes up!