My Birthday Boy

Ryan was gone to Amarillo for work on his birthday...can you think of a more beautiful place to spend it?! You think he could've at least been out in the Gulf on the water or something, but no...Amarillo it was. So, we celebrated his birthday this past weekend. He keeps telling everyone that this was his "first" 29th birthday, because I guess he doesn't want to think about the big 3-0 creeping up next year. I think he's more afraid of it than I am! Anyway, to keep him feeling young, I surprised him with a "big boy toy"...a Play Station 3. And what good is a PS3 without a nice game of Guitar Hero to go with it? We had some people over on Friday night to cook out, eat birthday cake, and play endless hours of Guitar Hero. We are all totally addicted, but at least our house is the "cool" house now. Woo Hoo!! So, here's to Ryan and his perpetual 29th birthday...there's no doubt he will ALWAYS be young at heart.

And here is our one and only Easter picture that even remotely turned out...the wind was CRAZY! We were very "matchy-matchy" in our yellow and brown. Probably too much for Ryan's taste, but oh well!

Wedding Bells

The Three Musketeers--Brad, Clayton, & Chad

This weekend, I got to witness the last of the "Three Musketeers" getting married. Brad got married in 2006, Clayton in 2007, and Chad in 2008. Clayton & Chad have always been like my own little brothers, so it was kindof surreal to see these 3 best friends all officially grown up now. I was so honored that I got to play for Luke (Chad's oldest brother who is MY life-long friend) to sing in the ceremony. Chad played baseball at DBU, so the favors were personalized baseballs...too cute! Unfortunately, Ryan was out of town for the wedding, which also happened to be his 29th birthday, so we'll have to wait to celebrate. Anyway, since Ryan was out of town, I played 5th wheel to my parents and Brad & Kendall, but oh well...they're pretty fun to hang out with.

Mr. & Mrs. Longacre

Brad says that Kendall and I look like we could be related in this picture??

Luke & Me

Mom & Dad with their Groupies

"Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of."

This weekend, I got to meet my life-long friend Holly's little girl, London Jane. Oh my goodness...she is the sweetest, most petite, baby girl I've ever seen! She just slept in my arms for about half an hour and made the cutest little baby noises. Adorable. I also got to meet London's cousin (Holly's sister Emily's little boy) Jared Patrick. He is the happiest baby ever, but unfortunately he likes my Mom better than me...most babies do. He would just laugh and laugh at her, and then when he came to see me, he spit up all over me, and then kept laughing at my Mom. I guess she is pretty funny. I wish I had a picture of Big Brother Davis too because he is all grown up now that he's got a little sister to take care of. He was proud to show off his big boy room since London took over the nursery. What a precious family they are to me! Here are a few pictures from the weekend. I'll be posting more from the rest of my weekend and Thompson & Caden's shower as soon as my mom sends them to me. I was hurrying to get out of town to beat the snow storm on Thursday and left the house without my camera!

Tag, I'm It!

I forgot I was tagged by Molly last week, so here goes:

10 years ago: March 1998 was my senior year of high school. I don't remember what month Senior Musical was, but it was around this time...we did "Annie Get Your Gun" and it was SO much fun! If Molly says that the Football Banquet was that month, then I guess she'd remember better than me. I went with Zack Wristen, just as "friends". I think I was actually dating a different Zack at the time, but that's neither here nor there. OH! We went to London during Spring Break on choir tour, and that was an amazing trip. I remember bawling my eyes out through "Les Mis"...it was my first time to see it, and after the show, we were crazy fans and went to the back stage door to meet the cast. The girl playing the role of Fantine said that she remembered me crying on the 3rd row. How embarassing! Was I that loud and obvious?!

Things on my to-do list today: be productive at work, eat my leftover P.F. Chang's for lunch (YUM!), go to the bank, go to the grocery store because my husband is actually in town this week, so I'm cooking tonight! (He won't know what to do with himself!!), get started on our taxes, practice music for a rehearsal I have tomorrow.

What would I do if I suddenly became a Billionaire? Build our cabin on our lake property in Athens, buy each of my parents a new car, take Ryan to Europe, give lots to charities that I wish I could support more now...especially to the Wounded Warrior Project, host lots of fun parties, probably keep working because I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't.

Three of my bad habits:
1.Re-setting my alarm at least 3 times each morning
2. Saying "YES" too often, when I really want to say "NO" (I'm learning, but I'm still not very good at it)
3. Leaving half empty water bottles all over my house and car. Drives Ryan nuts!!!

Five jobs I have had:
1. Church Music Adminsitrative Asst.
2. Accompanist/piano teacher
3. Retail merchandising at Magpies Gifts in Houston
4. Property management for an apartment complex (worst job I've ever had in my entire life),
5. Accounting assistant at HSU.

Five things people don't know about me:
1. I LOVE watching gymnastics...I DVR meets all the time and watch them over and over.
2. I'm actually a pretty good cook when I try.
3. My closet is organized in rainbow order...and I keep it that way ALL the time.
4. When I was little, I wanted to be a pathologist when I grew up, but considering I pass out everytime I go to the Dr., I don't know what I was thinking!
5. I've never seen the movie Ghostbusters...don't judge me.

I tag...Robin, Tiffani, Natalie, Kelby, and Brittney

An Explosive Day

I have no will power. None. I was in line at Target and couldn't resist picking up a bag of Easter peanut M&Ms. I usually don't allow myself to buy holiday candy so far in advance of the holiday because I know myself TOO well. Oh well, I caved. Anyway, I got back in my car to drive the whole 2 minutes home, but could I wait to open the bag until I got home?! Of course not. So while negotiating turning left in stupid traffic, I'm digging to the very bottom of my bag to find my M&Ms. Then comes the task of opening the bag. Of course it was one of those bags that just wouldn't open no matter how hard I tugged or tried to rip it with my teeth. Keep in mind, I'm almost home by this point, so the scissors in my kitchen (the "quick fix") are only moments away. I proceed to jerk on the bag, pulling as hard as I can until POW! The bag explodes M&Ms all over my car. So, for the past few days, I've been eating M&Ms out of my cup holders, off the passenger seat, and off my car floor (just kidding on that one). I managed to salvage these and put them in my pretty little bowl. OK, not really these...these are from my 2nd bag that I bought yesterday. Like I said, NO will power.

Last night brought explosions of a different kind. I went to bed at about 12:30, and took the dogs out right before. My little Harley woke me up at 1:00 begging to go out. She "lies" a lot and tells me that she needs to go out when really she just wants to go play. So, I ignored her for a few minutes. Her cry got pretty desperate though, so I took her out. An hour later, the same thing happened, but this time she didn't quite make it outside! I'll spare you the details. Evidently, my little puppy got a stomach bug of some sort. YUCK!! So, like any good mom would, I spent the night on the couch close to the back door letting Harley out every hour and fifteen minutes on the dot. There was NO way she was sleeping in my bed! I wouldn't let her get on the furniture, but when I wasn't looking, she found a comfy spot on the couch and I just couldn't make her get down. She kept falling asleep standing up. Bless her little heart, she was so pitiful. I wonder how long she'll milk this. Is that not the poutiest dog face ever?

My Funny Valentine

Pretty flowers

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New picture for the bedroom

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setting the camera timer on the dash while driving on 35...might not have been the smartest idea ever

+

CANTINA LAREDO

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really cute movie!

=

A Very Sweet Valentine's Day

On Friday night, our Sunday school class had a Valentine's party, and the entertainment was "The Newlywed Game"...complete with our very own Wink Martindale "wanna-be" host. Here's the sad part. There were so many of us at the party that we couldn't all be on the panel. So they gave us a qualifying test to start with. The couples with the most matches got to participate in the game. OK, so the average number of matches was around 5 or 6, but some couples were getting 8 or 9 out of 10 right! Of course they were the ones who got to play in the first round. Then for the second round, they decided to let the couples with the least matches play, and just guess who was in that bracket?!? YEP--Ryan and I matched exactly TWO questions (one of which, we had to BEG for them to count right), so we got to play in the losers panel. We'll blame it on not living together half the time. It was hilarious though! We actually wound up matching 4 out of 5 once we were on the panel, so I guess we redeemed ourselves.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

You are ALL my Valentines!

XOXO

Something to Talk About...

The other night, our house alarm started going off in the middle of the night. Weird thing is, we don't have our alarm set up. I made the decision to not set it up here after paying $30 a month for the 3 years we lived in NC and literally NEVER setting the alarm other than on the day I got it. I'd rather buy a new pair of shoes or 2 each month. Speaking of shoes...I went to the DSW 30% off Clearance sale yesterday during my 30 minute dinner break, and wound up getting a pair of Merrells for 80% off. Amazing. Anyway, so we don't even have the alarm monitored and it started going off. It sounded like someone was trying to talk to us through the speaker, which made me start thinking about the UFOs that were reportedly seen in Stephenville. Were aliens trying to contact us during the night?? Creepy. Ryan started ripping cords and things out of the ceiling while I decided to just go unplug the whole thing, which turned out to be much less destructive than Ryan's method.

The next morning we woke up and the temperature in our house was 56 degrees. Now, I like to sleep with it cold in the house so that I can pile on lots of covers (can I get an Amen?) but 56 was a LITTLE bit chilly. Obviously the heater had gone out, so Ryan went into the attic to try and fix it himself. After trying and trying and trying to get the heat to kick on we finally had to "call the man" as my Dad always says in his most defeated voice. Why do guys hate asking for help? The guy came out and charged us $60 to show Ryan where the switch is that turns the heat back on. Hmmm...how can I become a heating technician? I'd be happy to go flip people's switches all day for 60 bucks a pop. Now I'm sitting in our nice and toasty house with a working heater and no alarm going off.

The next morning, my brother called me right as I was re-setting my alarm for at least the 4th time and said that he had been in a wreck and needed a ride. Now THAT'S what I love about living close to family. So I went and picked him up at the collision place and drove him to work in Weatherford (who works in Weatherford?!?) I was only 2 hours late to work after all that. Now that I think about it, I should have milked that wreck for at least a 1/2 day off. What was I thinking?

Don't bad things happen in 3's?? If so, then I'm going to have a great weekend!

I've Got the New Year's Blues...

I think the first week of the year has to be one of my least favorite. I should be excited and refreshed as I've made my list of New Year's resolutions (or not...) and have a blank canvas on which to paint my life for the next year. Somehow, it doesn't work that way with me. Instead, I'm bummed that my Christmas decorations are all put away for another 1o months & 28 days (but who's counting), I can no longer justify eating WAY too much because "it's the holidays", I have to be a responsible adult and go back to work, and even worse--Ryan has to go back to work, which means lots of time away from home.

I'll quit complaining though. We had a really great holiday, and unfortunately, I have NO pictures to show for it. I'm now regretting not asking for a new camera for Christmas because mine is a piece of...well, you know. Brad, Kendall, the 2 dogs, Ryan & I packed ourselves and all of our presents in the Jeep and went to Abilene the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with my family. There is nothing like being at my parents' on Christmas...it smells the same every year, I love our matching plaid stockings, playing Christmas music on their piano sounds better than any other, and breakfast on Christmas morning (or whatever morning we're celebrating Christmas on) is the best of the year. We played games, ate, watched Christmas Vacation (of course!), ate some more, and just relaxed. Then, we drove back to FW on Christmas Eve in time for our Christmas Eve service. When I started my job in October, I had no idea that part of my job was to put the little no-drip sleeves on all 550 Christmas Eve candles, so there was no way I was gonna miss the candlelight service after all of my hard work!

On Christmas Day, Ryan, Jack, Harley, and I woke up at our own house, in our own bed, with our own presents, under our own Christmas tree, and had our very own Christmas just the 4 of us before heading to Flower Mound to spend the day with Ryan's family. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to be HOME for Christmas and not traveling from the East Coast. That may have been my favorite part of the holidays. Ryan's family came in full force, and we spent the day opening Round 1 of presents, then eating lunch, then opening Round 2 of presents. It was a busy day, but lots of fun. We were definitely spoiled!

On the 26th, our friends Jeff & Kristy Skains and their new baby girl Aubrey Claire came to visit from California. Because Ryan and I did our fair share of traveling over previous holidays, we know how hard it can be to see everyone you want to see. So...we had about 30 of our college friends over for a party that night. It was a BLAST to catch up with people that I haven't seen for the past 5 years. And to think, we all live so close together! My house may never recover, but the party was well worth it.

Luckily, this week will be over soon enough, and 2008 will be well underway. I hope you all have a VERY Happy New Year!

A Winning Weekend

This weekend was great, from start to finish. On Friday, Ryan got home from a dive job in Houston just in time to make it to his company Christmas party. They had reserved a room at Walnut Creek Country Club, which was really nice. I was just excited that there was a "no jeans" rule mostly because I couldn't wait to see some of these guys dressed up! Most divers aren't exactly blessed with, uh, let's say, "social graces." It was great to meet a lot of the people Ryan has been working with these past 4 months. They are so laid-back and nice...and they know how to party. When we got there, we were each given $250 in fake money to play blackjack. When they closed the tables, we went and turned our winnings in for tickets. Then, we took our tickets over to a table with a bunch of stockings laid out. On each stocking was the name of a prize...things as small as Chick-fil-a and Target gift cards to big prizes like IPods, GPS, and a Nintendo Wii. Ryan and I didn't exactly "hit it big" at the blackjack tables, so we put one lousy ticket in the Nintendo stocking, 2 in the IPod stocking, and crossed our fingers as everyone put their TONS of tickets in. Let me just say, it only takes 1 ticket to win because I got myself a new IPod thank you very much. I was super excited! At least, I think it's mine...Ryan hasn't exactly let go yet. Anyway, that wasn't the biggest winning of the night. At the end of the party, they started handing out annual awards for the company. Since Ryan has only been there 4 months, we didn't figure the awards pertained to him. But lo and behold he won the "Exceptional Performance for a Newcomer" award! The plaque is nice and all, but what it really means is that he got an awesome evaluation which equals (here's hoping) a big raise! WOO HOO!! I was so proud of him. They only gave it to 2 people, and the other guy has been there quite a bit longer than Ryan has. He's also become one of Ryan's really good friends, so they were pumped to win it together.

On Saturday morning, we slept in, and then headed to Dallas to pick up Ryan's packet for the White Rock 1/2 marathon. On our way back to Fort Worth, we passed through Arlington in perfect time to meet up with the Camps for lunch. It was so fun to see them (and Thompson's cute little pooch) for a little while. After that, we went furniture shopping because I've been looking and looking for a chair for the living room. I finally found one, so we bought it, drove home to get Ryan's truck, drove back to almost Dallas to pick it up (who wants to pay a delivery charge?!) and drove back home. When we got home, I absolutely hated it. I was SO bummed! So we returned it, and now I'm on the hunt (again) for a chair for our living room. Sigh...

On to Sunday...we woke up bright and early, bundled up, and headed to Dallas for Ryan to run the 1/2 marathon at White Rock. It was COLD and drizzly. We found Molly & Peter when we got there, and Molly and I sported our t-shirts in support of our hubbies. We couldn't show them off for too long though because it was freezing! The more layers the better. We sent the guys off and went to the starting line. Somehow, amidst the mob of people, we missed them taking off. So we hiked back to the car, grabbed us some much needed Starbucks, and headed to the 6 mile point. Luckily, Ryan & Peter had a pretty similar pace, so we were able to catch them both within about 5 minutes of each other. It was so fun to cheer them on as they passed by! I felt like they were going really fast...especially with 7 miles left! We attempted to see them one more time at around the 9 mile point, but we got nervous that we'd miss the finish, so we drove back to the AA Center. I'm glad we did too, because after we parked and walked/ran back to the finish line, Ryan came flying by (shirtless, in 38 degree cold) just a few minutes later! I was so proud of him!! He finished his 13.1 miles in 1 hr 38 minutes, which was better than his goal. I was definitely glad it was him out there and not me. I couldn't believe how many people were running...registration maxed out at 15,000 runners, which was a record. So crazy.

Here's Peter close to the 6 mile mark. I nearly missed Ryan and didn't get the camera ready in time.

Ryan about to cross the finish line.

Yeah, my husband is the naked one (from the top up) running in the freezing cold.

And here's Peter at the finish!!

We came home in time to catch most of the Cowboys game and relax a little. Then I went to church to play for the Children's Choir program. The little ones were SO cute, and we made it through the program with minimal catastrophes. All together, it was a successful weekend!

If Only I Had Something to Say...

How depressing is it that I really can't think of a single thing to blog about?! I love reading everyone else's, then I feel guilty when I don't post. It's kindof like going to a potluck dinner and not bringing a dish.

Things have been really good around here. I guess no drama is good news! Ryan has been home more this month than probably any point in our marriage. It's a little weird to be honest. Not that I don't absolutely love it, but it's just funny. When he's here, there's suddenly this battle over the TiVo (because he inevitably wants to watch some "guy" thing while I have 2 things already in the works). Then I have to make a rushed decision and decide which of my worthless shows to forego that night. Luckily, there have been lots of reruns lately, so I haven't missed much. I guess if TV is our only argument, then we're doing pretty well. It's also weird to come home from work and he's HERE. Lately, he's been beating me home, so we get to do the whole "Honey, I'm home!" thing. What I really want to say when I walk in is, "Where's my dinner?" but I guess I can let it slide. We're both new at this. So, with Ryan being home so much this month, I got a little sad to see him go out to the Gulf this week. He was only gone 5 days, but I kindof hated coming home to an empty house at the end of the day. Hmmm...I guess I love being married after all!

When I write sarcastic stuff like that, I kindof wonder who reads this that doesn't know me very well. You know there are lots of "blog-stalkers" out there. I think we should have a "Coming Out" party, and everyone should just admit that they read each other's.

Okay, so other than being happily married, and working (which I still LOVE), and staying busy playing the piano for tons of Christmas concerts (which are my FAV), and getting the house all decorated for the holidays, nothing much is going on. Just thought I'd update...

Thankful...

Well, it's about that time, so I'm making my "Top 20 What I'm Most Thankful For" list... some serious, some silly, some superficial, but all sincere. Here goes:

I'm thankful...

1. that Ryan has been safe and sound in the USA all year. And while I'm on the subject of my husband, I'm thankful that he is the rock of our marriage and has enough faith for the both of us.

2. for my family...ALL of them...in-laws included (and I'm not just saying that).

3. for my dog, Jack, who even though he growls a lot and his breath is less than desirable, is the most devoted pet I've ever known. I'm thankful that when Ryan is out of town, Jack won't go to sleep until I do.

4. for my other dog, Harley, who is the best cuddler and makes the sweetest puppy noises and will turn 3 on Thanksgiving (just thought I'd throw that in).

5. for the fact that Rosa's, Taco Bueno, Target and Starbucks are all less than 2 miles from my house.

6. for my driveway...I know it sounds silly, but after living in an apartment, I truly appreciate pulling up to my own driveway at the end of the day and not having to look for a parking spot.

7. That reminds me...I'm also thankful for my own mailbox.

8. that I have a job I actually enjoy going to every day and co-workers I enjoy spending the day with.

9. that the Dallas Cowboys are kicking ass this year. Yes, I said ass.

10. that I'm a TEXAN! I never appreciated Texas as much as I should have until it was a 24 hour drive away...no state tax and genuinely nice people everywhere you go. Love it!

11. for Diet Cherry Cokes from Sonic every morning on my way to work.

12. for OLD friends, who even though we don't see each other as much as we'd like will always be the easiest people to pick up with because we know each other inside out.

13. for NEW friends, who make every place I've moved feel like "home".

14. that I've been given the opportunity to use my gifts as a way to provide for our family. I love that I can be productive and do what I love at the same time.

15. for my TiVo. I know, I know, but even though I waste a lot of time watching worthless shows, I'm at least saving time by skipping the commercials. Does that justify it?!?

16. that it's officially time to listen to Christmas music and decorate this coming weekend!!!

17. that the Rex Sox won the World Series.

18. for my freedom.

19. for the things God has blessed me with that I take for granted everyday...a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food to eat, family & friends.

20. for God's unconditional grace, love and forgiveness that I definitely don't deserve but absolutely thank Him for.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

America's Heroes

"O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness

And every gain divine."

That is my favorite verse of "America the Beautiful" because it captures the heroism of our nation's veterans. This weekend, we got to be part of Lewisville ISD's Veteran's Day ceremony. Ryan's Papaw came in for it also, so it was really neat that they got to be honored together. We went to breakfast at an elementary school where the students had decorated the tables with hand made patriotic placemats, and at each seat there was a thank you letter written to a veteran. The kids served us our coffee and treated these guys like rock stars. To see some of these men's faces light up when they realized that they are appreciated for their service brought tears to my eyes. The whole event was SO well done by everyone involved. I was really pleased to see that our schools are making a big deal about supporting the troops. I regret that we don't make every day Veteran's Day because every day we have is a day that we are free to work, to go to school, to pray, to speak our mind, and to enjoy the freedoms that these veterans fought for us to have. I don't know if many of us truly grasp the significance of that. I know I don't...and my husband is a vet! The Flower Mound band played the anthem for each branch of service, and when the Marine Corps Hymn was played and Ryan stood up, my heart swelled with pride. I make a much bigger deal out of it than Ryan ever will, and that's really how most of these vets are. Selfless. Speaking of selfless, the guest speaker for the ceremony was a Marine Staff Sergeant (and Lewisville H.S. graduate) that lost part of his arm in Iraq. Instead of being bitter, he uses his situation to serve as a mentor to fellow amputees at Walter Reed and the Naval Medical Center. He did a great job of reminding everyone of the importance of supporting our troops. So, next time you have a chance...thank a Vet!!

Two of my favorite Vets...Ryan & Papaw

Marine SSgt Mark H. Graunke, Jr. and his family. This Liberty Bell replica was brought over by the Daugters of the American Revolution. I was SO excited to see that on either side of the bell were tablets with the 10 commandments inscripted on them....YES, at a school function.

Coming Home, Homecoming, and 2 New Homes

It's been all about HOME lately. Ryan spent 3 weeks out in the Gulf of Mexico and FINALLY came home last Thursday. What was supposed to be a week long job turned into 3 weeks of waiting out tropical storms, so I was thrilled that he got home just in time to drive to Abilene for HSU Homecoming over the weekend. I know that I should be used to him being gone...after all, 3 weeks is nothing compared to the 7 month deployments from our Marine Corps days. Still, it just doesn't get easier. He is doing an amazing job as a diver though, so I couldn't be more proud. Here are some pics of my man in action! (For some reason, he doesn't feel the need to shave when he's out on a rig, so this is Ryan's "rugged" look.) :-)

A group of our friends got together at Jenn & Scott's for a 5 year reunion party. We had so much fun catching up and reminiscing about the "good ole days". Funny how most of the reminiscing involved MY husband pulling a prank on someone. I think that was his sole purpose in going to college.

And here's my name on the new Alumni Wall! (I'm the Sarah C....the Sarah E was my roommate...go figure!) It was so cool to go find the names of all my family members that have gone to HSU. They go all the way back to the graduating class of 1941! I love that HSU is a small enough campus that they could fit the names of every graduate from 1895 on. What a cool tradition they started!

When we got home, we decided that since Jack & Harley are the best dogs in the world, they deserve the best dog house. So, we went and found them a log cabin, complete with a front porch, which Ryan put together last night. This is more for me than for the dogs. Now I won't feel as guilty leaving them when I go to work knowing that they have a place to get out of the weather and cuddle up. Obviously, when the weather is really bad they stay inside, but this way a little rain won't keep them from spending the day in the yard. Jack went right in, but Harley didn't know what to think. She was not happy with us at all. Hopefully she'll learn to love her new home!

Last but not least, my brother and Kendall finally closed on their new home that just happens to be 1 minute and 28 seconds from my house...and that's including a red light. They are so excited to be first time homeowners, and it's really fun that we're practically neighbors. My parents are glad because it's "one stop shopping" for them to come visit! The only downside is that I think my weekend plans now consist of painting and unpacking boxes. I knew I'd have to return the favor soon enough!