Pheasant Hunting

While we were home for Christmas break, Kyle and his brothers and my dad went pheasant hunting. They went on a game farm near Litchfield, MN. Tucker and Trigger (Adam's dog) were the dogs that went with, and they had a workout! The day ended up being windy so it wasn't prime conditions, but it was still worth it!

This was Tucker's first time pheasant hunting (he's been dove hunting before). He did EXCELLENT conisdering. He chased up birds for everyone to shoot at, and only chased up 1 too far ahead of the guys to shoot.

I think they had a great time and got a few birds while they were at it as well!

Kyle and Tucker

The brothers, dogs, and birds!

Kyle, my dad, and Tucker! Such a proud pup ;)

11.11.11

Happy Veterans Day, 2011! Anyone doing anything special?

Just wanted to send a very special THANK YOU to all the retired and active military people. They do awesome work for our country and I am very, very grateful.

My Dad and Grandpa are both veterans, and I am so thankful for both of them in my life!

And, in addition to it being Veterans Day, it is also November 11 of '11. At 11:11 am or pm today, what will you be doing? Anything special? If you follow the tradition, a wish is to be made on 11:11...hope its a good one! I'd tell you mine, but then it wouldn't come true :)

Weekend at Home: Part 2

The OTHER reason for going home this past weekend (besides watching my lil sis play vball) was for my parents. My dad has had a life-long dream of building a shop. A shop for tinkering, more or less. This shop is not an average one, it is huge. It has a built-in office, lunch area, storage space, a wall of peg boards above work benches, and a bunch of other tool-type setups that I have no idea what they are used for. It is very well insulated, and basically, it is his dream coming true.

To honor that, my parents through a party! It turned out to be a 35th Wedding Anniversary Part along with a shed warming party. So we took full advantage of being home and seeing friends and family. It was nice to see everyone, some I handn't seen since my High School graduation! It's times like that that I miss being home. Thankfully Kyle and I were able to make it work. Here are a few snaps from the party!

35 Years!

The family...all together for the first time since Christmas!



Seriously, how cute are these two?!

Sisters <3


















Lauren had such a good time with my sisters and me!




It was a great party, and like I said, great to see everyone. (Looking at the pics, I still feel like the mailmans child with my dark hair...not sure where that came from!)

Until Christmas...

Daytona

While in FL we scheduled some time for fun days. On Thursday, the day after vball was over, we drove the hour to Daytona Beach. It had super white fine sand, clear water, and it was the perfect temp! It was pretty windy, so the waves were excellent. I should have brought my boogie board with! haha. And have you ever drove your vehicle on the beach? For a small $5 fee would could do that, as we can in Tx. I love doing it...it's so much fun!

Ashley and I enjoyed jumping waves, well more so haveing the waves knock us down. We had fun nonetheless. Dad enjoyed a nap under the umbrella with mom while Ashley and I soaked up the sun and played in the sand.


After we had enough salty water and sand everywhere we checked out the Daytona Speedway. It is the infamous spot where Dale Earnhardt died in the fatal crash 10 years ago. Can you believe it? 10 years already!

Above: Dale Earnhardt standing on his number, 3. He still holds the record for the most wins at Daytona, 34. They had all his winnings engraved in the cement with dates, as well as a replica of his gloves.

Right: The founders of Nascar, Bill France Sr. (William France Sr.) and his wife. Founded in 1947-48, and its headquarters are located there at Daytona to date.

It was a fun and relaxing day at the beach!

Next: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure

Visitor #2

This past weekend my mom, dad, and little (although she is not so little anymore) sister came to visit. It was a wonderful FAST 3 days, but it was worth it. They saw our new house, saw our puppy that is in the overgrown toddler stage, and took them to some new sites here in San Antonio.

Thursday, when they flew in, we wasted no time in heading straight for some good ol' BBQ. Remember that place I told you about a while back? Texas Pride? Well this is a new place, WAY closer, and just as good. It's called Rudy's. Have you heard of it? They have the best cream style corn, they sell their own BBQ sauce (in different sizes) and they even had Peach Cobbler for my dad! Best (or worst?) of all? It's located right at the entrance of our subdivision...so what do you think? Good or bad? ;)

Friday while Kyle was at work we went dress shopping while dad was in heaven at Bass Pro. We met up later and went home, and mom and I took a nice long walk with Tucker while Ashley soaked up the sun. (Yes, it is that warm here right now!) We grilled and had margaritas. YUM. We also played Farkle. Ever heard of it? It's a dice game I got for Christmas from my friend, Ann, and it's SO much fun. Check it out!

Saturday we went to the San Antonio Rodeo. We walked the grounds, the coliseum, saw different vedors, sampled different Texas foods, and had a great time. We also saw Bull Riding that night (as MN was getting dumped with snow!) and mom and dad even got to dance at the dancehall. Sunday the boys checked out Cabelas as the girls had a VERY productive shopping day. I can't remember the last time I had a shopping day like that!

Overall the weekend was a blast, but as always, it went way too fast. Until next time!

thanksgiving: part 2

I know its way long after thanksgiving, but I still want to share with you what Kyle and I did on the other half of thanksgiving...out at the farm.

My dad recently purchased a new tractor, and this was the first time I had a chance to see it. So, why not make it a family picture?? Our christmas card a few years ago was taken with the new JD gator and our dog, Maggie. This year, we decided to re-create the picture with a larger JD product and our next dog, Chester. You will have to wait for the christmas cards to seethe final result, though!

We did, however, go on a mini photo shoot around the other place. The barn was recently torn down, so we had fun with the old copolas and an old truck. It was windy and cold, but fun. Here are a few of the pics that you won't see on the Christmas card ;)

veterans day...

A special THANK YOU to all the veterans

who have served, are serving, and will in the future.

....including my dad :)

xoxo

happy birthday...

Just a quick note to wish my dad a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Wish we could be there to celebrate with you! xoxo