Heat Advisory

I know I have talked about how hot it is down here over and over, but, the honest truth is that IT IS!

Yesterday was a record-breaking day. 111º
Today is another record-breaking day. 107º


We have been in a Heat Advisory for a couple weeks now (I lost track after the first week). We are in day 40-something of 100+ heat in a row. But, I've been managing all summer with these temps, so what is the difference now?


Our AC broke.


Yesterday (during the record heat) I was at a pool party and Kyle was at work. When we both got home around 8pm or so, it was 85º in our house! I was hot from being in the sun all day, so I felt like I was literally burning up. After some cooling-off minutes with Tucker on the cool tile floor, I finally managed to fall asleep with a fan blowing right on me. I pray Kyle can meet with the repair man today and get it fixed! If not, I am at the nearest hotel getting a good nights sleep in a cool 73º.


So, hope you all are enjoying your AC units or Heaters, whatever you may be usuing. Just remember...don't take them for granted! Hopefully this heat can brake soon. I think we are all on our way to melting sooner rather than later...

Drought

Not sure if you have heard or not, but Texas is in one of the worst droughts in the states history. Since last October we have had 8 inches of rain. We are in day 40-something of 100+ heat. People are finding any means they can to keep cool (besides staying inside the house going crazy).

On Sunday we took Tucker and our friends dog, Koda, to the lake for a couple hours. I mostly stayed in the water and floated while Kyle played with the dogs. But, just to give you an idea at how much the lake has gone down, here are some pictures to compare. (Sorry they are not all the exact angles...that would have been better!)

Trip 1: March 28, 2011
(Boat ramp open)


Trip 2: June 26, 2011
(Boat ramp closed)


Third Trip: August 21, 2011
(All of the concrete for theboat ramp is out of water. Puddles are forming at the foot of it)

If you scroll through the photos and compare, you should be able to tell where the water started vs. where it is now. If you think you are looking wrong, trust me, you are not.


So, let's pray a hurricane heads this way (not hitting any cities, of course) just sending some of its rain this way. We could really, really use it.

Beer League Champs

Do you remember the softball league I mentioned in a previous post? Well, that season wrapped up last night with the last game. It was at 7, so the sun was super powerful and right in our eyes, but it was worth it. The boys ended up pulling out a win! Last time I heard the score it was something like 11-1. So, with that win, WE WON THE LEAGUE!

First time it has happened, but it was a great season. All 13 guys showed up for the last game, and the ended up getting t-shirts as a prize. (Much to the dismay of the Aggie fans the t-shirt was UT color...burnt orange!)

Anyway- here is the team. Congrats guys! Can't wait for next season...in about 2 weeks ;)

Skeet

This past weekend Jason, Kyle and I rounded up our dogs and headed south of town to our friends, Chad and Bridgetts. They have a nice open place to shoot skeet, a watering hole for the animals, and plenty of room to have fun. So we shot skeet in the afternoon and worked with the dogs for the upcoming bird season. (Dove hunting is HUGE down here...starts in September!)

The dogs in the car, ready to go! We found out Tucker loves to people watch, and drool while he does it. Our friends land, can you see how dry it is?! (Sidenote, we have had a total of 8 inches or rain TOTAL since October 2010).


Meet the three dogs: Koda (left), Tucker, (middle), and Bella, (right). It was SO HOT that afternoon they found the coolest mud to sit in, and the enjoyed running in the water to retrieve.


Kyle's turn to shoot. Tucker was right by his side, and as soon as Kyle shot, Tucker was up and ready to chase down the bird, but in this case, the bumper.

It was a fun afternoon out with the dogs, and they all did excellent! Can't wait for bird season!

Vacation

Kyle took a week off of work, thats right; and ENTIRE week.

Since Jason and Sally will be starting new jobs soon, it is likely we will not be able to see them over Christmas, or Thanksgiving for that matter this year. So we decided to take a Bruns Family Vacation to the WI Dells. Kyle and I were in the Midwest (for the wedding), easy drive for the rest of the family, so away we went.

We rented a "lake home" for the week. We were away from the city, away from everyone, and it had ample room to spread out and play. Perfect size for the 13 of us.

I'll let most of the pictures do the talking, but we enjoyed 2 days at Noahs Ark Waterpark. We mini golfed, did some go-kart racing, had an old time photo taken, and enjoyed lots of family time at the house with yard games and inside games. It was a great way to unwind for a week and get away from the Texas heat. Until next time!

All the kids are so big, and baby Blake is more adorable than ever. It was great seeing everyone...not sure when the next time will be!

Ketchup

Ok, not really the ketchup as a condiment, more so as the good old fashioned catch up with friends. We had a nice surprise on our (long and horrible) drive from Bismark, ND to Rochester, MN after the wedding. We had planned to stop at a friends new apartment (they just made the move from Fargo to St. Cloud) and they had invited some of our old college friends that were in the area over for an afternoon BBQ. Kyle, Kelly, and I were SO surprised. It was so nice seeing friends that we had not seen in over a year.

One couple drove from Eagen, one from Alex, and one from a suburb of the cities. They each had roughly an hour drive, so it was so nice that the made it to catch up with us for a few hours. The boys hung out outside and tried out the new grills (Mark is in learning mode, he will be a grillmaster in no time!) while the ladies stayed inside in the AC and talked and talked and talked. I still cant say how nice it was to see everyone again! It makes me excited for our mini-reunion coming up in October!

Until next time...I literally can't wait!!

Wedding Bells

Last weekend Kyle and I traveled all the way up to Bismark, ND for a very close friend of ours wedding. It was a long trip (3 hour plane ride, 4 hour drive to Fargo, then another 3 hour drive to Bismark) But it was well worth it. On our drive to Bismark we saw so much water!!!! They were controlling it at parts to keep it from flooding. Can we ship some of that to TX, please?!


On Friday Kyle borrowed some clubs from our friend (unfortunately it was a female friend with pink and purple clubs) and I treated myself to an afternoon with the girls and pedicures. It was amazing! Then we had the rehersal and grooms supper, which was an amazing evening at the park with make-your-own tacos. It was a beautiful evening (with GREEN grass!).

The hair dresser got to the room at 7:15 am to start on hair. It was an early start to the day but with 9 girls getting their hair done it takes a while! Shannon, one of my other super close friends, did my hair and I loved it! Picture and the ceremony turned out wonderful...can't wait to see the professional ones!

My partner in crime for the weekend, Kelly. Kyle & me, and me with the beautiful bride, and my very close friend, Ann

After the ceremony all the wedding party piled in the 'Retro Bus' to drive around town to go take some group pictures out by the (flooded) river. They turned out awesome! She picked an excellent photographer. The reception was amazing, with plenty of dancing and drinks to go around. She had a super cute idea of a popcorn table instead of candy table, all with different flavors. The entire day was a success and it was awesome to spend time with friends. Even though I payed for it the next day, I had an amazing time :)

The Retro Bus..complete with fuzzy pillows and rope lights in the floor! The bus drive made a pit-stop at Dairy Queen...we were all so confused. Here he wanted to get the first thing for The Newlyweds to share...an ice cream cone!





The popcorn table (every flavor was delicious...Ranch, Jalepeno Cheddar, Parmesan Garlic), a group of old college friends, the "Hector group" and the group that started the entire friendship...the Call Center Group. We all met through our part-time job at college at NDSU and we all developed life-long friendships.

Congrats, again Mr. & Mrs. Shoenberg!