THE DALLAS DAVISES

weekend wrap up

2011-10-17T21:47:00.002-05:00

Not a whole lot going on this past weekend. Just tried to enjoy being at home and not having much of a plan. Bill, however, has been gone on his annual golf trip with some friends from AR. They go to different golf courses on the Robert Trent Jones golf trail. They play 2 rounds a day, eat dinner, then travel to their next destination.

Friday night was girls night out. I went out with some friends to Gloria's. After 10pm at this restaurant, it turns into a salsa club. We stayed around to watch and participate (mostly involuntarily). Girls nights are always fun!

While he was away, my dad and I decided to go to the SMU football game on Saturday. It is so strange to me that this university is in the middle of a big city. Having gone to UofA, a college in a small city in the northwest corner of Arkansas, is in what you call a "college town." The whole town revolves around the university. You get treated different there. You get treated like a student, not just another person trying to make it in a big city. Don't get me wrong, SMU is a great school, on a fabulous campus, and in a great city. I just prefer the "small town" feel that my university had.

Now you want to talk about different, going to this football game was WAY different than attending an SEC game. The stadium was small, and the stands were not full. I couldn't figure out where the student section was until the second qtr. We sat in the 17th row on the 40 yard line, coveted seats at an AR game, for less than $40. We had room to stretch out our legs, no one sitting next to us, and a clear view of the field. So as much as we commented on the differences between this and that, we had a great time. It was super hot out, so we didn't end up staying the entire time. But we enjoyed brunch together before hand at Breadwinners, one of my favorite places. Checked out the merch at the bookstore, and enjoyed our favorite sport together. SMU won, if you were wondering.

Saturday night the Rangers played. As you saw in my previous post, they won the ALCS! It is a super exciting time in Texas and for the Rangers going back to the world series. Game 1 is on Wednesday in St. Louis.

Sunday I spent most of the morning cleaning and getting things put away. I ran a few errands and gave myself enough time to lay out a little before the Cowboys game started. I know you're thinking, lay out? Yes, here in TX it was almost 90 degrees on Sunday, so I took full advantage to get a little sun before it turns wintry. Then I watched the Cowboys game. Now, looking back I should have kept laying out, because the game was so disappointing. We lost in the last 2 minutes of the game. I can't even talk about it, it frustrates me so much.

So, that is my eventful, uneventful weekend. Bill and I are looking forward to another weekend at home this week. The Razorbacks play in Oxford and the Cowboys play here. I'm feeling crafty again, so I might take on another project! Stay tuned...

ALCS Champs... again!

2011-10-16T17:01:00.002-05:00

Last night the Texas Rangers won the American League Championship for the second year in a row. We are headed back to the World Series, and this time, we're hoping to win it all. Last year, the Rangers lost to the San Francisco Giants. We've got unfinished business, and if you ask me, I have a pretty good feeling about it. So, it all starts Wednesday. We find out tonight if we'll be playing the Brewers or the Cardinals. GO RANGERS, ANTLERS UP!

3rd Annual Pig N' Gig

2011-10-16T16:30:00.004-05:00

I hate being behind on the blog. Things just are non-stop these days. Between Cowboys games, and traveling to Fayetteville for Razorback games, and everything in between, there just isn't much time for blogging. Not to mention, our Internet has been acting up lately. So here we go, I'm going to try and catch up on some blog worthy things that have happened lately.

A couple weeks ago, we hosted the 3rd annual Pig N'Gig tailgate before the Southwest Classic matchup between the Razorbacks and Texas A&M. Things got started the Friday night before. Michelle and Larry showed up early afternoon and we headed to the stadium to go on a tour. We ended the tour by walking on the field and got to take some pics on the Arkansas endzone. I don't know how to rotate pics, so here is my pic on the "A" in the endzone.

Carla and her sister Johanna got in late Friday night. We all went to bed pretty early since we were headed out early the next morning to get to the tailgate. We backed out of the driveway to head to the stadium at 6:50am! Once everything was set-up, people started showing up and the party got started. Now, of course, things didn't get as rowdy as they would if we didn't have an 11am kickoff, but we made the most of it. We had sausage balls, fruit, muffins, brisket breakfast tacos, John Daly's, and much more.

Me and my cuz. We missed his friend Chance, who typically finishes out the Razorback sandwich.

The entire Pig N'Gig host committee. My aunt, uncle, cousin, husband, step-mom, and Dad.

A new addition to the tailgate this year was Squares. You paid $1 a square, then we drew for the numbers. There was a halftime and final score winner. Congrats to JT, the overall winner!

Kelly, Priscilla, Amber, Me, & Emily Jean

Best friends a girl could as for...Meesh, Jo, & Car

Me and the Hubs with Boss Hog

The game started off a little dicey for the Hogs. Going into halftime, the Aggie's were up by 18 points. I did not have a good feeling in my stomach about the outcome of the game. I was preparing myself to put a smile on my face around Aggie fans after the game. But, after halftime, we made some major adjustments and came back to make a BIG WIN! That makes 3 in a row for the Hogs. Just another way to say, "welcome to the SEC" Ags!

Final score: Arkansas-42, Aggies-38

The Razorbacks receiving their trophy from Mr. Jones

Overall, it was a huge success. We were more prepared than ever this year. We had to deal with an unfortunate start time to the game, but given what the circumstances were, we still had a good turnout. We are already planning for next year, and could not be more excited that it will be a conference game!

Go Razorbacks!

tasty tuesday: buffalo chicken pasta

2011-10-05T22:42:00.002-05:00

I know I'm a day late... so sue me. I didn't have anything tasty to report yesterday other than $1 tacos at Fuzzy's Tacos for National Taco Day. Plus, my internet wasn't working last night. I digress...

Today I bring you Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad. My husband loves Frank's Red Hot. Ya know, the commercials with the old lady that says, "I put that s*** on everything!" I found this recipe on, you guessed it, Pinterest and I had to try it out. I whipped it together real quick after I got home from work. Literally took no time at all. The hubby loved it, and so did I. I'm sure it will get even better as it sits. I'm sorta looking forward to trying a little itty bitty taste in the morning for breakfast. It calls for a cup of olive oil, but I think I'll add less next time. I love olive oil, but you could really taste it and it seemed a little excessive. I served mine up with some King's Hawaiian Rolls that I had on hand to sop up the extra sauce!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

feeling crafty: fall wreath part 2

2011-10-03T21:56:00.002-05:00

I've been falling behind on my blogging lately. Mostly due to our annual tailgate for the Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game, which was this past weekend. Hopefully I'll do better, but can't make any promises. Don't forget... I told you football season is busy around here. Anyways... if yall will remember several weeks back I told you I got to feeling a little crafty; feeling crafty: fall wreath. I was inspired by a picture I found on Pinterest to create my own Fall wreath. Here is the picture I designed my wreath from.

As described in my previous post, I was surprised at how simple it was to make this wreath. After making my own, I actually made one for a friends wedding shower that I helped host. We hung the wreath at our front door as guests entered. I, of course, used her new last name's initial in place of my own. So here we go, here is a picture of my masterpiece...

Not exactly the same, but I feel like I did a pretty good job. I took fall leaf garland that I bought at Michael's and attached it to a grapevine wreath with floral wire. I also bought 3 "Fall Picks" and stuck those in at random places around the wreath. I feel like the top of the wreath needs a little bit more, maybe another pumpkin. I might add to it. I also bought a plain white initial "D" that I sanded down and spray painted with metallic gold. I attached this with a ribbon.

If you're looking to find a simple fall craft to spruce up your front door, I highly recommend this one. It's super easy and easy to personalize. I'm already looking forward to making one for Christmas.

Happy Fall Y'all!

bill flies an airplane

2011-09-24T17:57:00.003-05:00

For those that don't know. My husband is in flight school to get his pilots license. He's been working on this for several months now. He typically gets up early in the morning to meet his instructor and fly. On Thursday he flew by himself for the first time. He sent this email to me and his family after the flight...

"Quick update on my training.

I wasn't able to fly for 3 weeks because of the usual issues. But yesterday I went back up for 2hrs with my instructor and did 8 or so full stops at 52F. The winds were crossing the runway so my CFI stayed in the plane and it was a great experience. A few planes working in the pattern and it was fun to watch everyone navigate with the wind. With my confidence back up I was given permission to fly solo this morning from ADS to 52F.

I arrived early at the baby bird this morning and waited until 7:00 to taxi out. The winds were 10@330 so I took of on runway 33 behind all the big planes. Its a different perspective going that way but it made my trip to 52 F a little bit shorter. As I climbed above 1200msl the winds really picked up and I could tell I was going to have to crab into the wind to go out above Lake Lewisville. My indicated airspeed was 120mph but I was probably only doing 100mph because of the headwind.

I have never landed on runway 35 at 52F so I did some more thinking about that on the way over. As I entered the pattern I couldn’t help but think about the trees at the end of 35 but they were easily cleared with only 20 degrees of flaps. My airspeed was right at 65mph on final so I didn't see the need let out more flaps. The ground effect was pretty strong and the little bird floated down 1/2 the runway before landing. I had to fight the urge to drop the nose and bounce it so just listened to the whine of the stall horn as I coasted down the runway.

As I taxied I could see the weather rolling in, so I made the decision to not shoot any more landings at 52F. I was concerned about the winds continuing to pick up and possibly shifting across the runway. As I left 52F it turned out to be a good decision because the winds were definitely picking up. As I flew over the lake I could see some white caps that weren't there before. As I came back over the lake I got handed back to ADS tower and they asked me to make a left downwind for 33. My only experience landing on 33 has been to make a right traffic pattern over the tollway and those large buildings. I definitely like the left pattern better. It was easy to pick up the runway on final and I felt like the runway had a tracker beam drawing me to the numbers. I did a no flaps landing and was asked to expedite my runway exit for some waiting traffic behind me. No doubt they were going faster than me so I scooted out of the way.

I always laugh when the 150 comes peddling in as some biz jet is sitting idling at the hold short line. I always wonder if those pilots would trade places to go pleasure flying in a 50 yr old C150 instead of jockeying around grumpy customers. Being able to fly out of ADS is a privilege I hope isn't taken away from us."

He is really enjoying this new challenge and I am just praying for his safety. :)

what i'm loving wednesdays

2011-09-21T21:59:00.003-05:00

I am loving Fall TV shows starting back up! It's almost a little overwhelming. There are so many new shows I want to try out, then there are the shows that I've been watching for the past 10 seasons. Let me fill you in on some of my favs...

The Rachel Zoe Project. Who doesn't love RZ? I die. This season she is without her trust sidekick Brad, but she is preggers and still full of personality. She has a new clothing line coming out, and I basically want it all. Too bad it's all WAY out of my price range. Ba.Na.Nas.

Another fav is Modern Family. This show is seriously hilarious. This is one show that the husband and I actually enjoy watching together. I typically have to DVR all my shows and watch them after he goes to bed. When Modern Family is on, I know that is something we both enjoy.

Some other favorite fall shows are, Desperate Housewives. I started watching this when it first started, and rumor has it that this is the last season. This show has had its ups and downs, I think ending it this season is probably needed. Some of the plot lines have gotten a little strange, but I do still love all the characters. Another fav is, Grey's Anatomy. I've been watching this one since it began too. I have a feeling it could be coming to an end as well. I just can't help but love the drama week to week.

There are several new shows I've wanted to catch this season. All of them comedy's. First is 2 Broke Girls. This premiered on Monday, but I missed it. I've heard nothing but good reviews on this one. Also, The New Girl. I did actually watch this one. It was just ok. I am going to give it another episode to make up my mind if I want to continue watching. The acting was just sub-par. And finally, Up All Night. I missed the first episode of this one too, but caught the second episode tonight. It was pretty funny. I like these 30 minute sitcoms.

Now all we need is some fall temps outside to go with the fall shows! Happy Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: so much to share

2011-09-20T23:27:00.004-05:00

I've been real behind on my Tasty Tuesday posts, so I have several things to share with y'all. Lets jump right in!

First up is Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken. I've really been trying to utilize the crock pot a little more lately. The crock pot is one of the best inventions ever. I would hug the neck of the person who came up with it. I'm convinced it was a really smart woman. I digress. So, this is one of the best crock pot recipes I've ever made. Super simple, and you can cook it on high for about 5 hours and it's all done. I used Mexican rice instead of white rice. It came out more like a gumbo, but it was super delish. I topped it off with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheese. YUM!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Up next is Chicken Roll Ups. Again, a super easy recipe to throw together. I can see this being a big hit when I have kiddos running around wanting dinner ASAP. But until then, the husband approved it and that is all that matters. I used the jumbo crescent rolls, instead of the small ones. That means you get to add more of the yummy goodness into the inside. This is a picture of my chicken roll ups, but here is the link to the recipe.

Chicken Roll Ups

Ok, finally I made these amazing Asian Chicken Lettuce Cups. Who doesn't love Pei Wei lettuce wraps? Well, these are pretty darn close. Did I mention healthy? When I got finished making these, my initial thought was, "Bill is soooo not gonna enjoy this!" Well, I was wrong. He went back for seconds. WHOA! Next time I'm going to make some brown rice to go along with it to complete the meal. PS: the recipe calls for turkey, but I used ground chicken.

Asian Lettuce Cups

So y'all know they say the way to a man's heart is thru his stomach? Well, these are all hubby approved recipes, so I highly recommend them. Have yall been watching Pioneer Woman's new show on Food Network? This post makes me think of one of her latest episodes, "Lad Approved Meals." Sometimes its hard to please the husband with your cooking, and for the most part I've been lucky, but when he goes back for seconds you know it's a success. My heart always flutters a little when he asks for more. A wife's job well done. :)

emmy style - top 5

2011-09-19T21:47:00.003-05:00

Confession: I didn't even watch the Emmy's this year. I just can't get into awards shows. However, I do try to pay attention to the fashion. Here are my top 5 looks from the 2011 Emmy Awards...

5)Katie Holmes- She isn't her usual polished self, and I sorta like that. She caught a lot of grief for the fact that she wasn't very glammed up, almost dressed down, but the simplicity of the look makes me like it even more. I love the color, and the simple belt to go along with it.

4)Lea Michele- There was A LOT of red on the carpet this year. I mostly liked the back to her dress. I would have liked this dress even more if it had a longer train. Then again, it might have been too much with the big shoulders, low back, and train. Either way, it was a lovely dress.

3)Cat Deeley- Gotta love the glitter. I definitely would have worn my hair in a different way. Glam it up girl!

2)Evan Rachel Wood- This dress reminds me of my mother's original Barbie Doll, and the fancy evening gown it game with. It looked perfect on her.

1)Nina Dobrev- And, my favorite of the night. This beautiful red gown with amazing structural details. I wish I had somewhere to wear this!

Happy Monday!

weekend wrap up

2011-09-18T21:07:00.003-05:00

Weekends seem to fly by these days. With all the football I have to watch, errands to run, and projects to get done around the house, the weekend just feels like a big blur. Now I'm sitting here watching Sunday night football and listening to the thunder, thinking how I can't believe it's already time for another work week! Good news is, Monday's after a Cowboy victory are much more enjoyable than if we've lost.

We're actually celebrating two wins this weekend. The Razorbacks played Troy on Saturday night. Bill took my Dad with him Saturday morning to head to Fayetteville for the game. I stayed home since I've been gone the past 2 weekends. I painted the second guest bedroom, did some re-decorating of the guest bath, made a much needed trip to Ikea, and of course watched football. The Cowboys played San Fran and won in overtime. It was a stressful game, but thank goodness they pulled it out. Unfortunately, we came out with several injuries.

I thought I would take the time to give y'all an update on our child... Lucy dog. She is a funny creature. She loves her crate. It is her safe spot. She has an old pillow of ours, and she positions herself at the very back of the crate, and snuggles herself into the pillow. Sometimes in the mornings, its hard to tell if she is even in there. Speaking of mornings, she is not a morning dog. Guess she takes after her momma. She's typically pretty grumpy in the mornings. It takes a miracle to get her to do her business. She is very protective of us. She barks at every car, person, or leaf that blows by the front of our house. She is the most ferocious dog that is scared of her own tail. Yup, she is scared of anything that is out of the ordinary. Most of all, she is terrified of trash trucks. Friday's are not good days for her at our house. She is definitely a baby though. She loves to cuddle with me on the couch, and she gets more attention than any pet I know. We love our little pup.

Hope everyone has a great week!

catch up: football has begun

2011-09-13T20:34:00.004-05:00

oh my goodness. I am so behind on the blog. I've been out of town the past two weekends, and my weeks have been super busy. I wasn't kidding when I said things get busy when football season starts. Two weekends ago Bill and I traveled to Fayetteville, AR for the Razorback's season opener. It was over Labor Day weekend, so we got to enjoy a long weekend with all of our friends. We got into town Friday evening and hung out with friends at an old college hangout. Then Saturday we woke up and had breakfast and got ready for a long day of tailgating. We split our time between some of my friends tailgate and Bill's friends tailgate. The weather wasn't too hot, so it was a perfect way to kick off the football season.

Me with my bestest friends, Michelle and Carla

Old and new friends.

Me and Lori tailgating

Me and Bill before the game

The Razorbacks won but we were all so tired from being out all day tailgating, that we just hung out at Cory's house after the game. On Sunday we woke up and headed to Beaver Lake with Cory and Amber. We met at a friend of theirs lake house to enjoy the day. Unfortunately the weather changed overnight, and it was cold and windy. We enjoyed the day anyways, and stayed the night at the lakehouse.

Since Monday was Labor Day and I took Friday off, I had a quick 3 day week and traveled to Little Rock. I drove down on Thursday night after work by myself. On the drive up, I hit a raccoon on the interstate! It was a raccoon on steroids in my opinion. I decided not to pull over, since I was alone and on a dark interstate. When I woke up the next morning, I found some damage to my brand new car. Bummer! It isn't too bad, but still upsets me a lot.

On Friday, I spent the day with my mom helping her get things ready for a bridal shower we threw on Sunday. Friday night I spent the night over at my best friend Lori and Trevor's house. We stayed up getting all the tailgate food prep done and dancing in the kitchen to our favorite college rap songs. I know, so corny. Bill came down Friday afternoon and went straight to the farm to spend time with his family.

Saturday morning, we got up super early to get ready to leave for the tailgate. We got to the golf course by 7:30am! All the girls rode together, as tradition, and the boys followed. We spend the entire day moving from tailgate to tailgate to see all of our friends. It was super fun, as always! I love LR tailgating. It's taking tailgating to a whole new level.

All the girls at the tailgate. Such a wonderful group of ladies.

On Sunday, mom and I finished the preparations for the shower we were throwing. It began at 1pm and it was lovely. It was good to see some people who I have not seen in a while. After the shower and helping clean-up I got on the road back to Dallas. While the shower was going on, Bill and my step-dad went to play golf.

So, that has been my last two weekends. Football. There is another game in Fayetteville this weekend, but I'm sending my dad in my place with Bill. I just couldn't be gone 3 weekends in a row. I have plenty to do around this house to get ready for fall and the Texas A&M game. We will have lots of company at our house, and want it to be perfect.

Cowboys Kickoff Luncheon

2011-09-01T22:30:00.002-05:00

This week has been a whirlwind! We had our annual managers meeting at work. We bring all 30 plus managers of our Pro Shops into town for a couple of days to talk about the upcoming season, and have a little fun. For the past couple weeks, I've been an assistant buyer/event planner. It was quite rewarding to see the meeting go smoothly, or as smoothly as it possibly could, and that the managers all had a good time. We all met at the stadium for the 1st day. The buying team got to do our presentation that day. We like to have fun, so we came up with a trivia game for them. After the meeting we took everyone to Hard Eight BBQ. I haven't talked much about Hard Eight on the blog, it deserves a post all to itself, but its basically the best BBQ that you can imagine. Then after dinner we all went bowling. It was tons of fun hanging out with all our awesome managers.

The second day we met at our offices. For lunch, all the managers were invited to attend the annual Cowboys Kickoff Luncheon.

This is a pretty special event to get invited to. Actually, most people have to pay for tickets to attend. It is a big benefit for a charity near and dear to the Cowboys and Jones family, Happy Hill Farm Academy. At the event they announced the entire team of players and coaches. They gave away annual awards to players, and coach Garrett and Mr. Jones spoke to get everyone exited about the upcoming season. It was pretty exciting to be around all these people, including past and present players.

Working in this business it is easy to get acclimated, and accustomed to being at events like these, or being around players, coaches, and just Cowboys in general. But, there is always that feeling way down deep inside that is screaming and jumping up and down for joy and excitement when I get to attend something like this. Everyday I wake up, I get to say I work for the Cowboys. I work for the Jones family. I wake up every day and have to earn my Star just like the 'Boys on the field. (cheesy I know) I hope I never take what I have for granted when it comes to this job. It has truly been a blessing, and it is exciting every day to go to work and be a part of the Dallas Cowboys.

What's next? Well, Bill and I are headed to Fayetteville for the Razorbacks season opener! Lost of pics to come next week!

feeling crafty: fall wreath

2011-08-29T21:56:00.003-05:00

So, I told yall in a previous post about my love for Pinterest. There are a lot of dreams when it comes to Pinterest finds. You see a house you love, you pin it. You see a place you want to travel to, you pin it. You see a yummy recipe, you pin it. But, when it comes down to it, have you made that beautiful looking pie, have you re-purposed the flea market coffee table, or bought the pretty ring you found? Well, maybe... but for most of us, its all just a collection of dreams.

Hold the phone, because I actually got crafty this weekend! I think crafty people are cool. I envy their patience to stain a piece of furniture, or paint a canvas. I found this wreath while searching through Pinterest and thought it was really pretty. This person made this wreath, gave all the direction on how to make it, and even included how thrifty it was to make it herself rather than purchase a pre-made one. So, I thought I would give it a try. Here is the wreath I found on this crafty person's blog:

Pretty right? Screams fall, and by far the cuter than the ones I've seen in stores. So, off I went to Michael's to get my materials. I spent entirely too much time in that place. But, I wanted to make sure I got everything I needed and that it would all match up. Once I got home, I tackled my craft project, and it was super fun, super easy, and super fast. It turned out really cute, and I was sorta proud of myself when I stood back to check out my work.

Here's the disappointing part of this post... I'm not going to post my final product just yet. I actually made 2 of these wreaths and one is a gift for someone and I don't want to spoil it. Plus, its not quite fall yet, and I can't put it out on my door. When its gets to be fall (which in Dallas, it could take until October) I will post a DIY fall wreath instruction blog. Then, you will see my fun wreath. Until then, you should try and make your own. This may be my new thing. Wreaths for ALL holidays, seasons, and whatever else I can think to make a wreath for.

Happy Monday!

what i'm loving wednesdays

2011-08-24T22:18:00.004-05:00

I love Mexican food. I could probably eat it every day. There are some weeks, I stop to think about what I've eaten and realize, "dang, I've had Mexican food 3 days in a row." Just a couple of weeks ago, when I was in San Antonio, I literally had Mexican food for at least one of my meals every day. So, maybe I got a little tired of it then. But, its by far my favorite cuisine!

So, what I'm loving this week, and every week for that matter is: Blue Goose Cantina.

Bill and I started going to BG (Blue Goose) when we first moved here 3 years ago. Then several months ago, Bill and I, along with several other friends started meeting every Thursday for margaritas. We don't really even have to talk about meeting up there, its just sort of a given that we'll be there. Tomorrow is a special BG Thursday. Our friend Mayra, who moved here from California after training camp last year, is moving back home this weekend. So, tomorrow is her "going away" party, and her final BG. At least until she comes back to visit!

I'm also loving FALL CLOTHES right now! This 105 degree heat has got.to.go. I bought a few cute things for fall last week during tax free weekend and it got me very excited about sweaters, boots, and football. Some of my favorite looks are on my profile for Pinterest. You can find them here: http://pinterest.com/aldavis628/feeling-fallish/

Happy Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: 2 in 1

2011-08-23T21:42:00.005-05:00

Its 2fer Tuesday! Since I missed last Tuesday, and had a couple of recipes I really wanted to share, I decided to give you 2 tasty recipes this week.

A couple of weeks ago, I was really craving one of my all time favorite salads from one of my favorite restaurants. In LR where Bill and I grew up there is a restaurant called The Faded Rose. Seriously the best food! They have a famous salad there called Rose's Creole Soaked Salad. I started searching the Internet for an imitation recipe and stumbled across a blog of a woman who shared the same sentiments about this tasty salad. So, I tried it out and boy was it pretty close to the same thing. I didn't take a picture of my salad, but found this one that looked pretty similar. It's all about the flavor though. This one, you have to try!

(my version of) Rose's Creole Soaked Salad

2 heads lettuce greens, preferably different kinds (romaine, Boston, iceberg or curly top)

2 large medium-ripe Creole tomatoes (beefsteak or Jersey)

1/2 cup chopped olives (I love olives, so I used more)

3-4 green onions, chopped

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1 /4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 /8 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley

1 /2 teaspoon dried basil

Wash and dry lettuce. Wash tomatoes, pare ends and cut into chunks. Place in a large bowl. *Seriously use a large bowl! Add olives and green onions. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice and seasonings; whisk with a wire whisk or fork or combine in an electric blender. Pour over salad and toss to mix thoroughly. It's OK to bruise the chunks of tomato a bit; their juice is an important part of the dressing. Just don't mash them. Cover salad bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. *The salad has to soak, hence the name "soaked salad. Don't skip this part! Serve in individual salad or dessert bowls and spoon about 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the bottom of the salad bowl over each portion.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

In one of my recent posts, I told yall how I was obsessed with Pinterest. Well, I found this recipe on there, and it was amazing! I wouldn't typically make a dish like this, due mostly to the fact that my hubby doesn't like seafood. I happen to love seafood, so a compromise was made. That's what marriage is all about right?

Roasted Tomatoes w/Shrimp & Feta

This dish was amazing! I was truly surprised. This was super easy to make, and super delicious. You could taste the lemon and fresh herbs. The feta made a creamy sauce. While the shrimp and tomatoes cooked, I whipped up some angel hair pasta to toss with it. It made the meal so perfect. Add some crust bread to soak up all the juices and you're good to go.

So, there ya go. You could make both of these recipes on the same night and you've got yourself a full meal. I think both of them would be ideal for last minute company.

Happy Tuesday!

bootcamp

2011-08-20T15:41:00.004-05:00

So, I've been a little MIA this week. I told yall when football started, things get crazy. I also started a new adventure this week... bootcamp. That's right, bootcamp fitness.

Another perk that comes with working for the Cowboys is, that I can go for free as long as I attend 10 out of the 20 classes offered. Jay Johnson is an ex-military guy that formed his own bootcamp workouts. He is also the official trainer for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They offer classes in the morning and after work. The workout is outside, so I've been going in the morning when its not 5 million degrees outside.

Being sore is the biggest understatement of the year when it comes to how I felt after my 1st workout. It was brutal! This workout is non-stop, hardcore, pedal to the metal workout for an entire hour. I'm really excited to see the results in 4 weeks. I just might go in for another month!

This is Jay. Doesn't he look like he could whip you into shape?

I'll be back to my normal blogging (cross your fingers) next week!

football is back

2011-08-14T21:46:00.005-05:00

Hey ya'll! As you know Cowboys had their 1st pre-season game this week. Boy, was it good to be watching football again! I was so ready. The game was Thursday night, and one of my co-workers was not using his tickets, so I invited my dad and step-mom to join us. We got to the stadium with food on our minds. Our seats are on the club level at Cowboys Stadium, and they always have "special" food in addition to the normal concessions. This week they were serving up BBQ brisket! Who can pass on brisket nachos, right? This was the only picture I took at the game...

Brisket nachos, bbq sauce, cheese, jalapenos. It doesn't get much better than that!

The Cowboys won, and it was actually an exciting pre-season game.

On Friday night I went out with the girls. We had dinner and margs at Gloria's then headed over to Blackfinn to do some dancing. It was a fun girls night out! Saturday I ran some errands and we had my dad and step-mom over for dinner. After dinner we had our "planning committee" meeting for the annual Pig and Gig tailgate for the Arkansas vs. Texas A&M game. Sunday, we cleaned up the house and Bill wasn't feeling well, so we just hung out watching tv. It was a good relaxing weekend.

I haven't given yall an update on my child, aka, my dog in a long time. So here she is in one of her favorite spots. Lying on the floor behind the couch. She usually puts her head underneath the couch like she is hiding. She's a mess, but I love her!

what i'm loving wednesdays

2011-08-10T22:31:00.003-05:00

I'm obsessed. Basically, addicted to one thing in particular lately...

Have you ever wanted a website where you can save everything into one place. This is it. You see a recipe you like, pin it. You see an outfit you like, pin it. You see ideas to improve your home, pin it. Pin anything you like. I'm not even going to explain it anymore because its so super simple to figure out. I promise you won't be disappointed if you sign up!

So, I'm also loving one other thing this week. Blue Moon.

What's better on a hot summer day?

Happy Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: strawberry pie

2011-08-09T21:53:00.002-05:00

Ok yall, lets get serious... you can ask my mom what my absolute favorite dessert is and she will, without hesitation, say strawberry pie. I've never been a big cake fan. I've always preferred fruit desserts more than anything. Peach cobbler, cherry crisp, apple pie, and of course, strawberry pie. This is no ordinary strawberry pie. It's my Gram's (mom's mom) recipe, and I'm about to let you in on the best thing you've ever eaten. Best part about it? It's super easy to make! Let's get started!

Gram's Strawberry Pie:

-1 Pillsbury Pie Crust (you could make you're own, but that little dough boy does a pretty darn good job)

-1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened

-1 1/2 quarts strawberries

-3/4 cup of sugar

-3 tbs. all-purpose flour

-1 tbs. cornstarch

-1 pint Cool Whip

Bake your pie crust according to package directions. Let cool completely before filling.

While the crust is cooking; wash, drain, and hull strawberries. Set aside. (To be honest, I never hull the strawberries)

Spread softened cream cheese on cooled pie crust. (The cream cheese has to be room temp. I always forget this part!) Layer half of the strawberries on top of the cream cheese.

Mash the other half of the strawberries. In a saucepan, over medium heat, cook sugar, flour, cornstarch, and mashed strawberries, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Mine always takes a little longer than this. Don't get impatient, the sauce pretty much has to come to a boil to thicken. If you don't let it get thick, your pie will be runny) Remove from heat and cool slightly before pouring on top of strawberries in the shell. Chill in refrigerator for about 3 hours or until firm.

Top with Cool Whip before serving. Enjoy!

I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed. Its the perfect summer dessert!

coat of many colors

2011-08-08T20:13:00.003-05:00

Ya'll know the story...

Joseph tended his father’s flocks with his half brothers. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. One day he gave Joseph a special gift -- a beautiful robe.” AKA “made him a coat of many colors.” In that time, everyone had a coat. These coats or cloaks were used to keep warm, carry belongings and even to serve as security for a loan. Most coats were plain and about knee length. However, the coat Jacob gave his son was colorful, ankle length, and probably more like what royalty wore.

Several weeks ago I get a message from Bill's cousin on facebook. She wanted to let me know that her daughter, Maggie, who was a flower girl in our wedding made me a Jacob's coat of many colors during Vacation Bible School. She brought it home and proclaimed that this was for Allison, because she is the most fashionable person in our family. How sweet is that!? I told her that it completely made my day, and was honored to be named "most fashionable." So, Bill's Aunt and Uncle came to visit a couple weeks ago, and brought the coat of many colors to me. Are you ready to see this? It is by far the most fashionable thing I own...

Love it! I will treasure my coat of many colors forever and ever. Thank you Maggie, I love you!

i'm back!

2011-08-06T21:44:00.003-05:00

Hey peeps, I'm back from San Antonio. My stay was extended a little longer than I assumed. I was supposed to come back on Monday, and we ended up staying until Friday! Boy was it a busy, hard-working, long, hot week. The first 2 days we were there, we were busy bees getting everything set up for camp to start on Thursday. I was in charge of one of our merchandise trucks that sat right outside of the Alamodome. This was not a cool job, it was flat out H-O-T-T! If brought a whole new level to sweating it out. The kids that worked on my truck were the best. We made working in the hot SA heat fun, and they surprised me at how much they enjoyed the job. By the time I left on Friday, I felt like I was saying goodbye to my own kids.

This is a picture of the truck I was on most of the time I was there.

The first night we were there, we went to a place called Mi tierra. They are open 24 hours, so it made it a good spot, since most nights we didn't get home and cleaned up until after 10pm. This is officially my new favorite spot in SA. I also learned the its Jerry Jones' favorite spot as well. We ended up eating here twice during out trip.

We did get to enjoy one day off during camp. It was definitely much needed! So, Monday night we decided to go out and have some fun. We explored the Riverwalk and had fun hanging out knowing we didn't have to be up early the next day.

My truck decided to name themselves "Trailer Trash." So, here are my trailer trash peeps! Look how cute they are!

I really never had time to watch much of practice, it was constantly go, go, go. However, on Friday we had a special lunch for all the training camp employees. It was pot luck, and we had some amazing brisket, baracho beans, rice, and desserts. So, everyone got to eat at watch the morning walk-thru before the doors opened.

While this wasn't my first training camp to work, it was my first time to work in the San Antonio part of training camp. It is always a lot of work, and you don't realize how tired you are until you finally get a chance to sit down. But, while its hot and hard-work, it's a lot of fun. And, it sure is good to be talking about football again! Can't believe our first pre-season game is this coming Thursday!

So, that was my training camp experience. I'm super glad to be home and sleep in my own bed, hang out with my hubby, cuddle with my dog, and catch up on my DVRed shows, all while sitting in the AC!!! This week will surely be busy, catching up on email and work I've missed while gone, but I'll try and get back into my blogging routine.

Have a happy weekend!

san antonio

2011-07-25T22:18:00.003-05:00

Today is a big day... the NFL lockout ended! That is obviously a big deal for me. This means its time for the players to get back to work, and start training. It's time to head down to San Antonio for training camp. I'm leaving with some of my co-workers tomorrow for a week in the hot, hot Texas heat to help sell and distribute merchandise to our loyal fans. I got to go to training camp last year, but I only made it for the second half in Oxnard, CA. I've only heard stories about SA, and the stories sound like I'm in for a real good time.

In the midst of all the hard work, and long hours I assume we'll be working, I hope I get to explore a little bit of the city. Like, maybe catch dinner somewhere on the Riverwalk.

Or maybe do a little sightseeing, and take in some history at the Alamo.

But, I'm sure most of my time will be spent right here, at the Alamodome.

Either way, I'm super happy that the lockout has ended, and we can start TALKING FOOTBALL!

So, I'll be on a little bit of a hiatus while I'm in SA. If I can figure out how to blog from my phone, I'll keep you up to speed on my trip. Have a great week, yall!

40 days...

2011-07-24T21:02:00.003-05:00

Until Razorback football! I'm starting to get really anxious and excited about the upcoming season. Since I graduated, we've been donating money to the Razorback Foundation, Arkansas' booster club. Not only is this supporting our Razorbacks, but also setting us up to get season tickets. We decided to take the plunge this year, and we are officially Big Red members and the proud owners of 2011 Razorback season tickets! Home opener is over Labor Day weekend, and I can already feel the fresh mountain air of the Ozarks, smell the grills firing up for the tailgates, picked out my outfit, and ordered my Razorback tattoos.

Tusk 'Em!

Hit that line! Hit that line! Keep on going!

Take that ball right down the field!

Give a cheer. Rah! Rah!

Never fear. Rah! Rah!

Arkansas will never yield!

On your toes, Razorbacks, to the finish,

Carry on with all your might!

For it’s A-A-A-R-K-A-N-S-A-S for Arkansas!

Fight! Fight! Fi-i-i-ight!

Woo Pig Sooie!

its what's for dinner

2011-07-22T19:13:00.002-05:00

HOT DOGS!

Who doesn't love a hot dog? A tasty treat all wrapped up in a bun. Have yall had the new hot dogs at Sonic? YUM-O. My favorite is the Chicago Dog. A hot dog with a pickle on it. Enough said.

Well, we didn't have Sonic hot dogs tonight, but we did have homemade chili dogs. Such an easy, and inexpensive way to feed a lot (or a little) crowd. Tonight it was just me, the hubs, and my dad. But, my dad can eat about 6 hot dogs himself, so I was pretty excited when I found the 2 for $6 at Kroger tonight. I prefer the Hebrew National 100% beef hot dogs.

Sonic Hot dogs

Hope everyone has a hot dog of a weekend! :)

belated what i'm loving wednesday

2011-07-21T23:02:00.003-05:00

So I'm a little behind on my Wednesday loves post. We went to dinner with some friends last night, and I did that whole I'm getting old thing again, and fell asleep on the couch at 9:30. So here's what I'm loving this week...

Taco Diner! It is actually where we met our friends last night for dinner. Its always been one of my favorite places since we moved here. Anytime we have family or friends come into town, Taco Diner is one of the first places I want to take them.

One of the main reasons I love Taco Diner is the Mambo Taxi's. This is one of their specialty drinks. Its a margarita with sangria and brandy swirled in. DEEE-LISH! Try it once and you'll be hooked!

There are 2 dishes that are my favorites at Taco Diner. One is the brisket tacos. Who can pass up tiny tacos with brisket and cheese in them? Not this girl! But when I'm feeling a little more on the "healthy" side, I get the Los Cabos Salad. It is their version of a cob salad. Basically its guacamole mixed with lettuce, bacon, and blue cheese (sounds weird, but its not), then they put grilled chicken on top. It comes nicely presented like the picture below, then you get to mash it all together. OMG best thing you've ever eaten!

Come and visit me and I'll take you to Taco Diner!

Happy belated Wednesday!

tasty tuesday: parmesan polenta & spicy sausage sauce

2011-07-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

Today I'm sharing a recipe I made a couple weeks ago. Parmesan Polenta & Spicy Sausage Sauce. I had never made polenta, and pretty sure I had never even tasted it. So, I thought I would give it a try. Result: super yummy! The polenta was creamy and paired well with the spicy sauce. This recipe calls for chicken sausage. I have never been a big fan of Italian sausage or bratwurst types of sausage, but I found Johnsonville chicken sausage and it is pretty delish. Plus, its like 50% less fat than regular sausage! This is a tasty, easy dish to throw together for a weeknight. Make some cornbread biscuits to go with it and you've got a meal.

Parmesan Polenta & Spicy Sausage Sauce

While I was making this dish, I realized this spicy sauce would make a really good spaghetti sauce. Yesterday I made spaghetti, and instead of using the diced tomatoes, I had a jar of regular spaghetti sauce in the pantry. You could still use the tomatoes if you just had that. I don't know about yall, but my spaghetti always comes out sorta watery, like the sauce doesn't stick to the noodles. This sauce was perfect! You could also substitute ground turkey or beef instead of the chicken sausage. I don't think I'll ever use plain spaghetti sauce anymore, that is how much I love this spicy tomato sauce.

Happy Tuesday!

weekend in rock town

2011-07-18T23:13:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I had a great time in Little Rock with my family and friends. I pulled into my house around 10pm on Thursday night. As I was unpacking my things, I realized that I had forgotten my hanging bag with ALL my clothes for the weekend! I had a tiny panic attack! The hubs seems to think I did all this on purpose, so I could go shopping. I truly didn't mean to forget them, I was actually really proud I had packed so light and was looking forward to NOT spending much money over the weekend. Oh well. I didn't let it ruin my weekend. I got up early on Friday morning and headed to Target to find some inexpensive options. On my way, I passed Kohl's, so I pulled in. I'll be completely honest, I don't think I've ever bought a single thing at Kohl's. I never go there! I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. Lauren Conrad has a clothing line there, and there are some really cute things! Here are a few of my picks...

This is a really cute ruffled blouse. It has cute cap-like sleeves and a tie waste. I found a pair of cuffed jean shorts to wear it with. I was super excited to find jean shorts that I like. I plan on wearing those a lot the rest of this long, hot summer!

I also got this really cute striped maxi dress. This might be my new favorite dress for the summer! I was super thrilled that it was long enough for me. The only bad thing is that this dress doesn't come in multiple colors!

I also got one more sun dress to wear out Saturday night. I couldn't find a picture of that one, but it was super cute! Looks like I have a new place to shop... watch out Bill!

Ok, so after my clothing fiasco my mom and I enjoyed spending the day with a friend, who is also an interior decorator in LR. She gave me some really good advice on options for our living room. She also complemented me on my bookshelf accessorizing. I haven't lost it yet! We had a nice lunch at a place called YaYa's, then we did a little shopping around for furniture ideas. I am completely ready to tackle this room now! Now, I just need to win the lottery so I can buy all the things I want.

Friday night, we had dinner at an Italian place called Bravo. This place is really good, but we did not have a good experience. My food was very tasteless, and Mom got the completely wrong meal. Luckily we had $75 worth of coupons, so it wasn't like we had to pay full price for something not good. It was a bummer.

On Saturday, Mom and I went for a walk together. It was already super humid and hot at 9am, so we didn't last long. You know, Southern ladies don't like to sweat. :) We got ready, then headed out for a day full of shopping. I needed to exchange a gift I had gotten, and then we just walked around to all the different shops. It was a fun day together. That night we grilled salmon, and had asparagus and sauteed veggies. It was super yummy! Then I met up with my BFF Lori, and her hubby to go watch her brother in-laws band at a place called Cajuns. We had a great time listening to the band and dancing!

Sunday, I woke up and watched the golf tournament with my step-dad, then got ready to go over to see my in-laws. After lunch and visiting with them, I headed out. I made it back to Big D in time for dinner with Bill, and I made him help me move around the furniture so I could see which layout I liked best.

While I was in LR, Bill stayed in Dallas with the pup. He had fun completing all the honey-do's I left him, and hanging out with my dad. They watched baseball one night. Then Saturday they picked up our new bed and put it together. It looks awesome, BTW. Sunday, Bill power washed our back patio and front sidewalk. It's the little things...

It was a great weekend for both of us. This week is already shaping up to be a busy one. Talks are very promising that the NFL will come to an agreement to end the lockout, so we are prepping for training camp. Keep your fingers crossed that we will know something in the next few days. WE. NEED. FOOTBALL.

what i'm loving wednesdays

2011-07-13T22:35:00.003-05:00

Another fun thing popping up on blogs lately is Wednesday loves. Basically how it works is, every Wednesday I let you in on what I'm loving that week. Easy peasy. (PS: not trying to copy other peoples blogs, but its just a fun idea, so I'm only doing it because I think you're awesome!)

So, here we go! What I'm loving this Wednesday is...

WATCHES: In particular, Fossil watches. It doesn't help that today at work we had a meeting with our Fossil reps, and got to see some fun, awesome new product for 4th quarter and next season. I've been looking at one particular watch for several months. I thought maybe I'd be lucky enough to get it for my birthday, but it looks like I'll have to save up my spending money for this one. This is the Fossil Riley Ceramic w/Rose Gold watch. I actually tried in on in the Fossil store several months back. I'm not really sure how I resisted the temptation to buy it right on the spot, I'm such an impulse buyer. I fell in love, been coveting ever since then.

Here is another fav. This is the Fossil woven leather watch. I spotted this one a couple weeks back when I was browsing their site at work. I was, uh, doing trend research, of course. :) Anyways, this one comes in this tan color, dark chocolate, a fun green color, classic white, and red. I love all the colors it comes in. So cute for summer, yet goes right into fall.

BIG BROTHER: I heart Big Brother! I remember watching one of the first seasons while visiting my dad and step mom. My step mom LOVES this show! I did not get truly hooked until 3 seasons ago. I know its a reality show, and full of trashy romance/bromances, drama, and craziness, but its so easy to get addicted. This season is already proving to be a good one! My favorites so far are Jeff and Jordan. Now, if you watch Big Brother you know they have been on the show before, and Jordan actually won. They brought several duos from seasons past back, and they are by far my favorite. I'm sure this won't be the last you hear about Big Brother on this blog.

LITTLE ROCK: I always love LR, but I'm really excited this week because I'm making a little visit this weekend! I'm leaving tomorrow after work. I'm not going for any particular reason really. I just wanted to make one long weekend before football season gets into high gear. I am planning on getting together with my mom's friend and decorator to get some advice on how to decorate one of the rooms in our house. Everyone that has seen this room knows its a tough one to figure out. I'm hoping she can give me some good advice. We're also going to search around for possible furniture ideas. On Saturday night, I have plans to hang out with my BFF, Lori and her husband Trevor. Her bro-in-law's band is playing at a popular bar in LR, and we're going to hang out. I'm so excited! Hopefully I'll get to eat at some of my favorite restaurants too!

That's it for this week. I'll be gone all weekend, so see ya next week!

tasty tuesday: tex-mex lasagna

2011-07-12T20:54:00.004-05:00

Alright peeps, I'm going to try something new on here. Its nothing original, really. Lot's of people do the same thing on their blogs. I tried to be creative, but this will do for now. I really do admire people, like the Pioneer Woman, who blog step-by-step instructions to recipes. I always think, "I'm going to start doing that." Then I get halfway through making dinner, or whatever, and I've got dirty dishes everywhere, and its too late. So, don't expect that from me. I just want to share meals I've made, that me and the hubs have enjoyed. You can thank me later. :)

I'll start with what I made for dinner tonight. I've had this one in the recipe file for a couple months. I'm glad I made it tonight! Lasagna seems like a hearty meal for summer time, but this lasagna doesn't have any meat and very little tomato sauce, so it's not quite so heavy. Super easy to make, and pretty quick. The recipe calls for you to cook your lasagna noodles, but I used the no boil kind and it came out just fine. The hubs, who is a meat & 3 type of guy, didn't seem to miss the ground beef in his usual lasagna. Happy Mexitalian!

Tex-Mex Lasagna

Recipe from Cooking Light

home improvements

2011-07-11T21:01:00.006-05:00

Home improvements... every married couples idea of a fantastic weekend! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. Either way, that is what Bill and I did this weekend. Let's start with the new bed.

Last fall (yep almost a year ago) my dad & step mom decided they did not want their Sleep Number bed anymore, and offered to give it to us. Bill and I had a queen bed that was mine growing up. A very nice bed, nothing wrong with it, but as yall know we are sorta big (tall) people. We just needed more space. So, saying yes to the king size Sleep Number was a no brainer. Plus, who passes up on FREE Sleep Number bed? Exactly. So, for the past 9-10 months we've been enjoying our new mattress sitting on one of those metal bed frames. We decided that our Christmas present for ourselves would be to buy a new bed. We set a budget for ourselves, but Christmas came and went, and we just couldn't find one that we both agreed on, liked, or that was in our price range. Then, there was tax season, a new roof, life that went on and the idea got pushed to the backburner. We didn't have much going on this weekend, so we decided to go "look" at the new outlet store for a really nice furniture place here in town. Immediately when we walked in, I had a good feeling. We found TWO that we both liked, and way under our budget! After talking it over, we decided that the deal was too good to pass up and we walked out new king bed owners. We were thrilled. Unfortunately, we won't actually get the bed until August, but here is a picture of it in the showroom. Home Improvement: New furniture. Check.

New bed for the tall couple. Yeah!

"Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time."-Frank from the movie Old School

Married couples-if you don't live this quote at least once a month, you are not a true married couple. :) Bill loves to throw this one around just about anytime we run an errand. So, that leads me to the next project, re-painting the front door. This is something I've been thinking about doing since we moved in, but after we got our new roof, it seemed like a must-do project. When we bought our house, it had a brown roof, brown trim, brown door, and yellow toned brick. Lots of brown. Here is a picture of our house on closing day.

A couple months ago, we had a really bad hail storm, and it cracked a hole in one of our skylights. After the roofer came out to inspect, it was determined that we needed a whole new roof. So, a couple weeks ago, that project took place. We decided to go with a grey, stone color roof, instead of brown. We knew then, that the door needed to be re-painted to go with the new roof. So, Saturday I went to Home Depot to pick up some paint samples. Then on Sunday we painted the door, and put new hardware on it to match the new light fixture. Here is a pic of the new door, roof, & light. Home Improvement: Re-Painted front door. Check.

Now all I need to do is find a cute new wreath. Where do you find those? All the ones I find are either too expensive, or too Memaw looking. I'll gladly take suggestions.

Next project: lawn and landscape. That ones all on Bill.

happy birthday me, happy birthday america

2011-07-05T12:12:00.002-05:00

I never really thought about the fact that my birthday is so close to Independence Day until this year. You know when you were little and you would have joint birthday parties? Well me and the land of the free, home of the brave had a party this weekend! Friday after work, we joined some friends at the Katy Trail Icehouse. This place is super cool! They have a huge outdoor patio with misters that is right along the Katy Trail, where people run or walk their dogs. Then we enjoyed dinner at Taco Diner in West Villiage and Lemon Bar after that.

Lori and I at Lemon Bar

The whole group at Lemon Bar.

Mark, Jose, Me, Bill, Lori

On Saturday, me, Lori, and Jose went to Nail Bar in Uptown to get pedicures. Such a fun place! We brought stuff to make mimosas and enjoyed a relaxing morning getting pedis. After that we went to Lori and Aarons apartment to grill and relax by the pool. That night we went to another favorite spot, Victor Tangos. Here you can order a bunch of small, sharing dishes, or just make it your meal. I had to order my favorite thing there, the Chicken and Waffles. YUM! We also had some amazing crab mac & cheese.

*I don't know how to rotate the picture...

Lori, Me, and Mayra at Victor Tangos. Love that big chair!

After dinner we went to a favorite dancing spot, J Blacks Feel Good Lounge. We all were pretty tired from being at the pool and in the sun all day. So, we didn't last long.

All my Dallas favs at JBlacks!

On Sunday Bill and I went to our neighbors friends pool for a going away party. Brian, our neighbor for the past 2 years, is moving tomorrow! He's moving back to his hometown of Amarillo. Bill and I are super sad he's leaving. Lucy will miss Bella dog too! I can hear him loading up the big UHAUL now. :( Anyways, we enjoyed playing water volleyball and hanging out with all of his closest friends. That night, we met back up with the gang and went to watch the fireworks at Kaboom Town in Addison.

Monday we enjoyed a lazy day at home. I did some cleaning and organizing around the house. I got some kabobs to grill, as well as some veggies and corn. I also made a strawberry pie! It was a good way to end the 4th.

I was lucky enough to be off today as well. So, I'm just being lazy and enjoying my last day off. I might get out later to go to the Post Office.... may not have time. :)

Happy 4th, yall!

open-faced blackened catfish sandwich

2011-06-29T22:26:00.003-05:00

I've been holding out on making this recipe, thinking it was going to be difficult. The picture made it look so gourmet. I finally attempted to make it tonight, and it was fabulous! Not to mention, super easy. The spices it calls for, you probably already have in your kitchen, so all you need is the catfish and stuff to make the slaw. It also calls for sourdough bread, but you could use any bread. Personally I think it might be good on a darker bread, like pumpernickel or something like that. Anyways, these open-faced blackened catfish sandwiches are delish.

Open-Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwich

I actually was out of paprika. I know, how do you run out of paprika? It's a kitchen staple! So, I substituted with ground chipotle pepper. It made it a little spicier than it probably typically is. I also got to use my Le Creuset cast-iron skillet!

chapter 26

2011-06-29T21:27:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was my 26th birthday. It was a great day! I was a little bummed that I had to work on my bday. I'm not sure I've ever had to work on my birthday. Working in retail, I was always able to schedule myself off, or ask for the day off. I guess I could have taken a vacation day, but in reality, it was sorta fun. My co-workers took me to lunch at Taco Diner, one of my favorite places. Then I got a wonderful surprise, FLOWERS! Bill sent me the most beautiful sunflowers. It's always fun to get flowers at work, you get to brag about the occasion and brag on the hubby that sent them to you. :)

My pretty sunflowers at my desk.

After work, I came home and opened my presents. I got lots of goodies, I'll talk about them in a separate post. Then, Bill and I went to eat at one of our favorite Italian places, Ruggeri's. We joke because every time we go to that place, we are literally the youngest people in there. It's just so good, and pretty reasonably priced, and Bill loves that the owner is always there greeting you at the door. I had a big plate of lasagna and Bill had the sausage and peppers. After dinner, since I didn't have a bday cake, Bill took me to Yogurtland by our house. I love that place! Who doesn't love some FroYo?

***You're getting old alert***

After yogurt, we came home to watch the end of the Rangers game/College World Series, and I fell asleep on the couch around 9:45! You know you're getting old when... ha!

I also love birthdays on Facebook. Nothing makes you feel more loved on your birthday than FB. So many posts from people you love, and people you haven't seen or spoken to in years!

This weekend is the true birthday celebration. It's a long weekend and we're looking forward to hanging out with friends, getting some sun, cooking out, and relaxing!

a wedding & fathers day

2011-06-24T17:33:00.004-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, Bill and I made the trip back to LR for Laura Miller and Scott Geurin's wedding. Laura is one of my best friends (Michelle) little sister. I have been friends with the Miller family basically my entire life. I consider them my own family. So, naturally I wasn't going to miss their wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, and I cried as soon as Mamaw (Laura & Michelle's grandmother) walked down the aisle. Their reception was at The Little Rock Club, which is where Bill and I has our reception. I was so excited to go back to the place we celebrated our marriage 3 years ago! It was, of course, lovely and super fun! Her bridal portrait was even on the same couch I took mine on! :)

The 3 best friends a girl could ask for!

Natalie, Carla, & Michelle

Mrs. Scott Geurin

Last weekend was Father's day. Bill and I treated Dad to a day in Ft. Worth (one of his favorite places on earth). It was SUPER hot, but we made the most of it. We started off early so we could get there in time to see the cattle drive. That was not very eventful, but its funny that they still do it everyday. Then we ate lunch at a place called Lonesome Dove. Bill and I had been there before a couple years ago for my birthday. Its a very unique place. Its owned by Chef Tim Love. He is a popular chef on The Food Network, known for his awesome barbecue. This restaurant serves up different dishes like, kangaroo nachos, fried quail, roasted duck, & other wild game. We had elk sliders and rabbit-rattlesnake sausage for an appetizer, and beef tenderloin enchiladas as an entree. YUM!

Then we walked around the different shops in the Stockyards. We mostly were on the hunt for some boots, but didn't find any. However, we weren't leaving without anything, so Bill and I bought cowboy hats. I'm officially a Texan, says my dad. Then we made our way over to the Amon Carter Museum to look at some art. It was a full day, but we enjoyed spending time with Dad.

Me and Dad with our hats on.

Me with the longhorn. NO I'm not a UT fan!

What's in store this weekend? Not a whole lot. I'm actually looking forward to having NO plans. BUT... next week is my birthday! Get excited!

spicy pasta salad

2011-06-20T22:14:00.003-05:00

On hot summer days, when me and the hubs have worked a long day, and gotten our workout in, its easy to give in to the convenience of fast food, take-out, or throwing a frozen pizza in the oven. I came across this recipe the other day from one of my favs, The Pioneer Woman. I've read her blog for a couple of years, and just recently got her cookbook for my birthday. This recipe is for an easy, quick, & tasty pasta salad.

Spicy Pasta Salad with Smoked Gouda, Tomatoes & Basil

Super tasty and a little bit spicy. I can always judge my recipes by my husbands reaction. He said several times how much he enjoyed this one. He's even taking left overs (the man doesn't eat leftovers) to work tomorrow! I told him to go to the deli next door to his office to get some grilled chicken to add to it for some protein.

Happy Monday!

summer vacay

2011-06-15T21:21:00.003-05:00

I decided I was going to catch you up on what we've been up to this summer, so far...

We have already been on our annual beach trip to Destin, FL with Bill's mom, dad, and sister. This is our 3rd year to make the trip. Every year we've been, we've gone at a different point in the summer. This year was by far my favorite! We went early May, and it was cooler, less crowded, and the water was perfect. This year we also decided to fly to Destin. I was a little hesitant at first about this, because part of going to the beach is the road trip. But, lets just say, I hope I get to fly from now on. Easy peasy. We rented a car once we got there, and it was an hour drive from the Panama City airport to the condo.

The first night we were by ourselves in the condo, Bill's family didn't get there until the next afternoon. We decided to drive to Grayton Beach and go to the Red Bar. I love that place! Of course, I got the famous crab cakes. You just can't go there and not get them. Best you'll ever eat! Then the next day we enjoyed a perfect day on the beach together. Bill's family got there late afternoon on Sunday and we decided to grill burgers that night.

My idea of a beach vacation is, sleep in, eat some breakfast (usually the Donut Hole), mosey out to the sand, situate myself in a comfy beach chair with a book or magazine, and just enjoy the sound of the water until its time for lunch. Eat lunch, repeat the above until late afternoon. Well, my husbands family has a completely different idea of beach activities. They are the family that can't sit still. If its not playing in the water, its throwing the Frisbee or football, boogie boarding, etc. And, as usual, its always competitive. I'll just watch from the sidelines...

This was the 1st sibling activity, paddleboarding. Requires upperbody strength and balance, all the more reason I declined. :) They were both pretty good at it, and Isabelle made friends with the beach chair guy, so he let them do it for free. Oh to be young and cute.

Bill paddleboarding (you stand on it, but he was coming in when I took this)

The second night we ate at another favorite restaurant, Louisiana Lagniappe. Cajun, southern, seafood, delicious! I had shrimp and grits and it was AMAZING!

We did take one day to hit the outlet mall. I found some cute things on sale & I was mostly happy that I found some things for work. That night we went on a dolphin cruise. This was something I've never done before. It was interesting, to say the least. We did see several dolphins, getting pictures of them was rare to impossible. After the cruise, we ate dinner at a Destin staple, The Back Porch. Wonderful, as always.

The girls waiting to get on the boat for the dolphin cruise.

Bill and I on the boat during the cruise.

One of our last nights there, we drove into Seaside for dinner. I absolutely love Seaside. I grew up going there every summer with my mom, aunt, and cousin. Back then (as if it was so long ago) it was "undiscovered", pre-The Truman Show. I still love going back, but it's not the same. Anyways, we ate at Bud & Alley's Taco Bar then walked around the shops and got some gelato at Heavenly.

Every year, we've take a family picture to use as the Christmas card pic. In the past, we've known someone there at the same time as us to help take the picture in the evening. We decided to change it up this year and took the picture in the morning. Not the best idea. The sun was super bright, so we all have our sunglasses on. Oh well, still turned out ok.

Bill and I on the beach. Christmas card pic? I'm not sure...

Beach Pic 2011

Overall, we had a great trip. I'm already ready to go back. Maybe a short trip in early fall?

back by popular demand

2011-06-13T21:42:00.004-05:00

I'm back! Looks like I had more "loyal" followers than I thought. After attending a wedding in LR this weekend, and several people telling me they missed my blog updates, I decided maybe I'll give it another go. I'm not promising I'll be diligent in keeping you up to date, but I'll certainly try. So, here goes another pass at letting friends and family in on what exactly is going on in the Davis household...

I'm not even going to try to catch you up on what's happened in the past months of our lives, so I'll just start off with what is going on right now. Let's talk about the Mavs. THE Dallas Mavericks! Last night was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and the Mavs were up 3-2. We only had to win one more game to be NBA Champs, and sure enough they did it! This team deserved this. Dirk, Chandler, Jet, Kidd... they have put in their time, and all they needed was that ring. Well, they are going to get it, and Dallas Mavs fans couldn't be more proud.

Bill and I are definitely hometown sports fans. When we moved here, coming from AR, we didn't follow any professional teams. Now we are the biggest Mavs, Rangers, and of course, Cowboys fans there are! This has been one crazy year when it comes to hometown sports. We had the World Series in our backyard with the American League Champs Texas Rangers. Then, Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium. Unfortunately, our Cowboys weren't in that one. Now, the NBA finals. Texans are proud people, and they are for darn sure proud of their sports teams.

Dirk, Kidd, Terry, & Chandler celebrating after the win!

Other than the Mavs winning... we're gearing up for a long, hot Texas summer! It's a scorcher already. I can't walk to my car without sweating. Ugh! We stay cool by enjoying a nice cold Shiner Bock, just like any natural Texan would do. :)

DCM

2010-08-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

Before the 1st pre-season Cowboys game, they did a special about our celebration of 50 seasons of football, and Dallas Cowboys Merchandising (DCM) was a big part of it. I thought I would share with everyone the video, so you can see just what a big deal DCM actually is. People are constantly amazed at what a big production we are, and how much work goes into getting those die hard fans all around the world their Dallas Cowboys merchandise.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/blogs/blue-star/Dallas_Cowboys__World_Famous_Brand_Dallas-Fort_Worth.html

Sorry this isn't a more entertaining post, but I don't know how to put the actual video on the blog. Maybe one day I'll get that figured out. Until then, enjoy!

cowboys training camp

2010-08-22T17:17:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a week in California. I was there to help work our merchandise trucks during the second half of Cowboys training camp. I never thought there would be such big Cowboys fans, and so many of them in California. On the first day of camp, we had two practices, one at 9am and one at 3pm. People started showing up to get in at 6am! We were solid busy ALL DAY! It never stopped. We worked at 6am and didn't leave until 10pm! Needless to say it was exhausting, but fun. Sunday there were two practices as well, then the next two days only one practice. Those days went by fast. The weather was amazing! 70 degrees everyday. I did get to take advantage of being staff and got to go down on the field during practice a few times. These are a few pics I got...

Jason Witten

Miles Austin

Some of the injured players (including Dez Bryant) warming up

On the third night, we drove to Ventura to have dinner. We ate at a really good italian place called Cafe Fiori. Lori and I really liked the way the streets looked in Ventura so we made Matt risk his life by taking a picture in the middle of the street.

Lori and I in Ventura

After dinner we decided to head back to Oxnard and check out their local bar. We were basically the only ones there. Not much going on on a Monday night in Oxnard, CA!

Me with the cardboard cutout of the Dos Equis man

Felix Jones! I wanted to do a Hog Call, but I refrained.

Tony Romo

One night we went to Channel Islands Harbor and had dinner at a really great seafood place. Afterwards we were determined to find a place to go on the beach. It was freezing! We were just excited to see the ocean!

Carly, Me, and Lori on the beach

Before we had to go back to the airport, we decided to hit up In-N-Out burger one more time, then we drove over to Universal Studios. We walked around in the shopping area called Citywalk. Lots of celebrities are spotted there, unfortunately it wasn't our lucky day. Its a really cool place though.

In the Raiders store at Citywalk. Had to represent my boy Darren McFadden.

Lori and I in front of the Universal Studios fountain.

All in all, Cali was fun. I wish we could of done more sightseeing, but we were there to work. The weather was amazing, the food was great, and I got to sell all our amazing Cowboys gear all week. Thanks to all our supporters in CA! We had a great week, and broke a record for the most dollar amount sold in a training camp, and we still have one more week to go.

Now its time to catch up on all my DVR'ed shows, and get back to a normal routine in our time zone!

california or bust

2010-08-11T22:41:00.002-05:00

Thats right, I'm headed to California! I leave Friday to head to Oxnard, CA for the second half of Cowboys training camp. I've posted a picture of a map of where Oxnard is located. Because if your like me, you probably had no clue where it was. Its about an hour North of LA, right on the coast!

Oxnard, CA

I'll be there until next Thursday, helping out with our merchandise trailers. Training camp is a big deal, because this is what gives us a for cast of what to expect for the rest of the season. There is a lot of hype around our team right now. We have great players, and we're coming off of a good season last year. The Super Bowl is in our town this year, so everyone would love to see the Cowboys there! Outside of Texas, California has the most season ticket holders. So, we are sure to be very busy while we're down there. I'm excited because I've never been to CA and I've never been to training camp.

Bill will be here to hold down the fort. I don't think he's too upset about bachin' it for a week.

I hope to have lots of pictures and stories to share when I return! GO COWBOYS!

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

2010-08-03T21:41:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with you what I made for dinner tonight...

Chicken Orzo Salad w/Goat Cheese...

What a lovely alternative to a heavy pasta dish. This is almost like a salad. In fact, you could add it to a salad, or leave the chicken off and serve it as a side dish with your backyard BBQ. It was super delish!

Chicken Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

(picture from myrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
3 cups chopped grilled chicken breast strips (such as Tyson)
1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup prechopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

This was a really simple meal to make. We didn't have anything else with it, but you could certainly serve it with pita chips, crackers, or some sort of bread. Plus, its pretty healthy! I'm becoming a big fan of goat cheese. I've used it in 2 dishes lately and I'm lovin' it!

Hope yall try and enjoy it!

TriWaco

2010-07-28T19:20:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, Bill and I traveled to Waco for another triathlon. This time he did what is called an Olympic distance. Its like double the distance of the sprint, I don't know the specifics other than you run a 10k. Bill did really well. His goal was to finish in 3 hours and he finished in 2:56! He was pretty tired afterwards, but I'm super proud of him. Some friends of ours that we knew from Arkansas, who now live in Austin, were also in Waco for the race. We had dinner with them Saturday night, and then I got to hang out with Jennie, while her hubby Justin ran in the race. It was so good to catch up!

Jennie and I before the race began. This is a picture that ended up on the Waco newspaper website.

The swim was in the Brazos river, which has several extension bridges over it. It was actually the longest single-span expension brindge when it was built back in the 1800's. We were able to stand on the bridge and watch as all the swimmers took off.

Bill coming in from the bike to transition to the run.

The finish was also on the bridge, which was really cool. This is Bill coming into the finish line!

Bill after the race with his medal. Way to go hubby!

As of now, we don't have any races scheduled. There might be one in Arkansas the he does. Which gives us a good excuse to go back home for a visit!

big girl job

2010-07-28T19:11:00.002-05:00

Over the past month, I have been a busy girl. Yes, busy getting a new job! Don't freak out, I still work the Dallas Cowboys. I just got a promotion. As you know, I've been a manager for the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shops for the past 2 years. First, in Garland at Firewheel Town Center. Then, in Frisco at Stonebriar Centre. A little over a month ago, I was asked to come in for an interview for the assistant buyer position. I met with our new Director of Retail Operations, and both the current buyers. I was super nervous, because it has been a while since I've had an interview and I was up against 2 other managers for the position. Both the other managers have been with the company a lot longer than I have, and are just as deserving of the position as I am. A couple weeks went by with no answer, then I was asked to come in to meet with our CEO. I figured it was another round of interviews, but when I went in, I was offered the position! Woo hoo! A week later, I'm out of the store and on my 3rd day at the office. So, I am the new assistant buyer for Dallas Cowboys Merchandising! So far its been lots and lots of info! I'm sorta on information overload, but I know it will take a few weeks to settle in and get the hang of things. I've already been given 2 pretty big projects, and it will only pick up from there. Anyways, I know this is a boring post with no pictures or anything, but I wanted to let everyone know about my new "big girl" job! :)

its miller time

2010-07-21T22:31:00.004-05:00

last weekend i drove down to Austin to meet my friends for the weekend, and to celebrate Blake and Laura's wedding. I went to high school with Blake, and was so thrilled to be a part of his wedding celebration. We stayed at the Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental, which is a super fancy and old hotel. Friday night we had dinner at Trulucks. This is a really great steak and seafood place. After stuffing ourselves silly, we met up with the wedding party at a place called The Belmont on 6th street.

all the PA kids: Blake (the groom), me, Carla, Michelle, Patrick & Spencer

"To the Blue and Gold..."

We had a fun time out on 6th street Friday night. I haven't stayed out that late in while! The next day we woke up and had lunch at a cute place on Lake Austin called the Hula Hut. It was super hot outside, so we made our way to the mall to waste time. While we were there we all got our makeup done for the wedding. That was fun!

The wedding was at a really pretty Methodist church downtown. Laura's dress was sooo beautiful, and the flowers were amazing.

Me, Carla, & Michelle outside the church

The reception was out of this world! Every little detail was thought out. My favorite part was the grooms cake! It was a replica of Razorback Stadium!

The Grooms Cake! Woo Pig Sooie!

The beautiful bride and groom

The girls with the groom

The wedding lasted late into the night, so we just crashed after that. There was A LOT of dancing! The next morning we all woke up and headed home. It was a great weekend hanging out with friends and seeing people I haven't seen in a while. I believe that caps off my wedding season!

Iron Brothers Tri

2010-07-14T16:26:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Bill competed in his second triathlon. It happened to be the exact same length and at the exact same locations as the 1st one he did a month ago. My camera battery died, so unfortunately I didn't get many pictures. And, the ones I did take came out blurry because it was so humid outside!

Anyways, Bill did great! He wanted to beat his time from the 1st one, and he did! He finished in one hour, that's 3 minutes faster than last time. He's really been working hard and getting his weight down, eating healthy, and staying in shape. It payed off. He finished 4th in his age group and 49th out of 150 overall.

So proud of the hubby!

Bill crossing the finish line!

Lucy got to come this time! She loved playing with and sniffing the other doggies. And she enjoyed lots of pats on the head from people!

Coming up next... Waco Tri on July 25th. An Olympic length triathlon in Waco, TX.

halfway to 50

2010-07-07T15:34:00.004-05:00

last monday was my 25th birthday. i was lucky enough to celebrate while i was on vacation in florida. bill woke me up to be the 1st to say "happy birthday." he came in and gave me a hug, and i rolled over and said, "uhhh halfway to fifty." ha! i am one of those people that thinks their birthday is the best holiday. i'm usually bouncing around all month long excited about it. reminding people of how close it is. this year it was different. i don't know if i was wrapped up in our vacation, or if the luster of my birthday is wearing off the older i get. either way, i had a great birthday, besides the rain and oil on the beach.

this is me with my fancy birthday cake my aunt made for me

there were two things i could think of as presents i wanted for my bday. so, that is what bill got me. well... sorta. i knew we would be in destin on my bday, and they have a fabulous outlet mall there. i looked up the stores and saw they had a Perfumania and a Le Creuset outlet store there. i am down to the last drop on all of my perfumes, so that was gift number one. a gift card to the perfumania store. i wanted to find something new, but they don't have the perfumes out where you can just sample yourself. you have to get them to spray it on a card for you. so, i just stuck with my old standby, Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue. Love it!

i did not receive a cast iron skillet as a wedding gift, nor have i gone out to purchase one in the 2 years we've been married. this is something that i've been wanting. and i've been eyeing all the lovely le creuset skillets and cookware. so this is my second gift. a gift card to the le creuset outlet store. i was able to pick out a cast iron skillet, a stockpot, trivet, potholder, and basting brush with my card!

these are my stockpot and skillet. love the cherry red!

now i just have to use them! come on over and i'll make ya some cornbread! ;)

overall, i had a wonderful birthday. i'm so thankful for all my gifts and how thoughtful everyone was. now this year needs to go really slow, because saying 26 really sounds old!

destin vacation

2010-07-06T23:34:00.002-05:00

Bill and I just got back from Destin, Fl where we spent 8 glorious days of vacation with Bills mom, dad, and sister. We got up super early Saturday morning, I'm talking 4am early, to start the 12 hour treck to Destin. It went by pretty quickly. As quickly as 12 hours in a car can be at least. We woke up Sunday morning to beautiful weather. We spent the day out on the beach. There was lots of seaweed in the water which was sorta gross, but no oil! My mom and aunt were also on vacation in Destin for a few days while we were there. That night we had dinner with them at one of my favorite places, Louisiana Lagniappe. Its on the harbor and they have a pretty patio to sit on.

At Louisiana Lagniappe for dinner. Bill is talking in this pic, but I liked it.

The next day was my BIRTHDAY! The big two.five. Unfortunately we woke up to thunder and storms rolling in. And what was sitting on the counter next to my doughnuts when I walked in the kitchen? A ginormous tar ball!

This was the biggest one we saw all week. Most were about the size of a quarter.

So, we got dressed and headed to the outlet mall. We spent half the day there, then came back to the condo to celebrate my bday. I got some great things!

My aunt made me a cake from regular pound cake and mixed it with cool whip, then added peaches to the top. it was super delish!

It rained the rest of the day, so we gave up on the beach that day. We got dressed up for dinner and went to a new restaurant in Destin called Louis Louis. It is owned by the same people that opened Red Bar in Grayton Beach. If you've never been there, you are MISSING out! It has the same sort of vibe, and delicious food! The crabcakes are to die for! These are also the same people that own Cafe Prego in Little Rock. You know its good!

Before dinner, we were goofing around. This is what we got.

We woke up to more rain the next day. But whenever it looked clear for a minute we would run out to the beach. Unfortunately it wouldn't last long. We got caught up in some down pours a couple times. And since they are making everyone wash their feet off down by the beach, to prevent oil from getting on the pool deck and in the pool, it really slowed things down.

one good moment on the beach.

Isabelle and me with our matching swimsuits.

It ended up raining 4 out of the 6 we were there. We got a lot of shopping in. I went with my mom and aunt to seaside one day to do some shopping. Other days we went to the outlet mall.

Luckily we got one clear night to take some pics out on the beach.

Me, mom and Aunt Mel

Bill and I on the beach

The fam on the beach. We didn't really plan on a color coordinating them this year, but this somehow worked out. Love it.

Bills family left a day before we did. And what do ya know, Friday was the prettiest day we had. We literally went down to the beach at 8 am and I didn't come in until 5pm! I got a little sunburned, but it made up for the 4 days of rain!

On our last night there we went to Baytowne in Sandestin Resort and used a gift card we had gotten for dinner. We went to Poppy's on the bay and overlooked the marina. Then we walked around the little town, until once again it looked like it would rain.

All in all we had a wonderful trip. We almost canceled in fear of the oil ruining it, but I am so glad we didn't. The oil was present, but the beaches were still open and you could still get in the water. The rain did put a damper on the trip a little, but we made the best of it. It was relaxing and nice to have some time away from work. I can hardly wait until next year!

fried pies

2010-06-24T23:14:00.003-05:00

i've been thinking a lot lately how much i miss my grandmother Allison's fried pies. no one, and i mean NO ONE could make them like her. the apricot ones were the best. flaky crust with a hot sugary fruit center. melt. in. your. mouth. the sad part about it is, no one has the recipe. thats how it was with all the good things my grandmother made. she knew them all by heart and never used a recipe. fried pies, mini blueberry muffins, fried catfish... oh wait that was Nick's BBQ in Carlisle, AR. she took me there everyday when i was left to spend a week with her. shhh! don't tell my mom.

anyways... i can remember making them with her. she would always let me be the one to press the seams together with a fork. ugh, my mouth is watering. i think i'm going to have to go on a mission to figure out how to make them. there are tons of recipes out there, and my mother and i have tried to make them before. but, its all in the crust. no one makes crust like my g-ma did. so, i might just have to develop a little test kitchen of my own, and try to find the closest thing to it.

i know my Gram would be so proud if i made these delicious pieces of heaven in her honor. miss and love you Gram!

15th Annual Metroplex Sprint Triathlon

2010-06-14T22:27:00.002-05:00

first, i want to apologize to my wonderful, hardworking husband, because i have neglected to share with our faithful readers that Bill has been training for a triathlon! the big one he is training for is a half-ironman in October. so, this past sunday he raced in his first triathlon.

This was a sprint distance triathlon. a quick race, but a good place to start. There were 150 competitors in the race. Bill finished with a time of 1:03:00, 49th overall, and 7th in his age division. I am so proud of him!

Bill after the race.

Beginning of the race: Swimming.
Second leg: Cycling.

Third leg: Running.

Crossing the finish line!

I am SO proud of him! He has been working so hard and to finish his first race is such an accomplishment. There will be many more to come!

my thoughts on USC...

2010-06-11T10:13:00.001-05:00

Dear Mitch Mustain & Damien Williams,

You leave Arkansas full of drama and what do you get at USC? More drama. You're coaches and administration have failed you. Actually you failed yourself. Mitch, you could of had a bright career as a quarterback at Arkansas and quite possibly could have had a slim shot at going pro. At least make a practice squad. Instead you keep the bench warm and watch your dreams pass you by. Maybe the AFL needs a quarterback?

Damien, you excelled at USC and you might still have a shot at stardom, but who looks at teams that don't make a bowl game? And that's sad, considering how many bowl games there are now. Too bad. It wouldn't surprise me if your family was living rent free though.

And Pete Carroll. Pete, Pete, Pete... Way to jump ship and abandon your team just before you know it's all gonna hit the fan. Looks like you and USC are full of liers and cheaters. What a great example to set for future students. And those poor recruits, if they only knew.

Karma sucks doesn't it?

Oh, and Layne Kiffin, you should have stayed in Gods conference a little longer. The SEC will always be the best!

Best of luck at the bottom,
Allison

chicken tamale casserole

2010-06-09T23:12:00.003-05:00

tonight i made a chicken tamale casserole for dinner and boy was it T to A to the S.T.Y. now, i've never made real tamale's before, but i've heard they can be a little tricky and time consuming. this recipe puts a good spin on the original, and its super quick and easy. this recipe would be good for a potluck, or if you're trying to make dinner for a large crowd.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

i ate 2 big pieces of it! i sure hope it makes good leftovers!

coconut cream cake

2010-06-03T22:18:00.004-05:00

i'm not much of a baker. i seem to burn the slice and bake cookies every time. maybe i just don't have enough practice? none the less, i tried my hand at it this week by making a coconut cream cake. bill loves coconut cream pie, but i'm not too big on the coconut and meringue, so i thought maybe this would be a compromise. i found a recipe for coconut cream cake on foodnetwork.com from emeril lagasse. wowza, was it a hit! yes, it was a process making homemade cake batter and frosting, but sooo worth it. this cake embodies just about everything bill loves in a dessert: cake, sweets, coconut, and pecans.

i'm bad at remembering to be all "pioneer woman" when i'm cooking and taking pictures of each step. so, i don't have a picture of the finished product, but trust me when i saw its awesome!

here's the link to the recipe: Coconut Cream Cake. so, if you like coconut, but not an overwhelming amount of it, this cake is for you. the pecans add a little extra to the cake as well. it would probably be tasty to toast the coconut before putting it into the cake too. look at me getting all fancy! the only change i would make is in the icing. it calls for pecan pieces, but i would probably omit or chop them up next time.

i'm gonna go get me a slice....

state of mine

2010-06-03T21:41:00.003-05:00

Bill and I live in Texas now, but when people ask me where I'm from, I'll always say Arkansas. Being that I was born and raised, and lived my first 22 years there, I'm pretty loyal to my home state. I recently stumbled across a website that sells "state" jewelry. I particularly like the necklaces that come in your state, and you can designate your hometown, and they will put a diamond where that city/town is on the charm. Here is a picture of a Texas charm.

www.stateofmine.com

How cute is that? I would love to have an Arkansas one and a Texas one. It would be fun to wear them together, and if God ever moves us anywhere else, I could get one of that state as well. Sort of a fun way to represent where you came from and where you've been. What a good conversation starter they would be, right?

The website I found only offers 14k gold ones, and I think I would prefer a sterling silver. None the less, they are cute and sorta quirky at the same time.

lets go boot scootin'

2010-06-02T09:45:00.003-05:00

May has seriously been the busiest month! We've had something to do every weekend of this month. A trip to College Station, Bill's first bike race, Mother's Day, birthdays, weddings, and to cap it all off, Memorial Day! Our friends Lori and Trevor came to visit and stay with us this past weekend, and we had a blast! They arrived Friday evening, and we drove out to Fort Worth to eat at Joe T. Garcia's. After some yummy mexican food, we drove over to Billy Bobs. Everyone needs to go to Billy Bobs once in their life. It is the worlds largest honky tonk and I believe it. They have a casino, pool tables, two dance floors, two stages, a BBQ restaurant, AND live bull riding every Friday and Saturday night! Doesn't get better than that, huh?

Billy Bobs Texas

Sign says it all...

Saturday some other friends arrived from LR, and we had a cookout at our house that afternoon. Burgers, potato salad, baked beans, and strawberry pie of course. It was a good ole fashioned lawn party. Then we headed to superpages.com center for the Brooks & Dunn/Jason Aldean concert. The concert was so good!

Lori and I in front of the Brooks and Dunn truck

The whole gang at the concert

Sunday we all went to Six Flags. Bill and I are not really big on roller coasters, but I sucked it up and rode a few. Bill wouldn't give in. It was super hot, but we had a lot of fun. I didn't get any pics unfortunately. That night we all went to dinner, then Lori and Trevor left us for the Four Seasons Hotel. The next day was their anniversary, so they decided to spend one night there. The rest of us went to a little bar in uptown called Stonleigh P's.

We had a wonderful weekend! It was busy and non-stop, but very enjoyable. Oh, and on top of all of that, Bill sold his motorcycle! I couldn't believe he did it, but he was having to choose between the motorcycle and the bicycle, so he chose to sell it. I'm so proud of him, I know it was a hard decision.

Up next for us: my birthday and vacation!

wedding weekend

2010-05-24T22:38:00.002-05:00

this past weekend Bill and I were back in Little Rock for a wedding weekend extravaganza! well, technically, i'm the only one who attended the wedding events. Bill just enjoyed the weekend in LR.

1st up was a bridal shower for Laura Allen. She is a friend from high schools fiance. She is from Austin, so they had a bridal shower in LR for all of Blake's friends and family. It was a very nice shower, and so nice to meet the bride to be. They will be getting married in Austin in July, and we are looking forward to attending the wedding.

After lunch with mom and the BFF, I ran home to change clothes and head to the next event. This was a wedding for a friend that we used to attend church with when we lived in LR. Her daughter was getting married. It was a lovely wedding and so good to see all our old church friends. We miss them dearly.

After that, I went home to rest for a bit, and get ready for the 2nd wedding. This wedding was for one of my very dear friends, Ashley Gibbs. Ashley and I have been friends since the 4th grade. We spent a lot of time together when we were younger... carpooling, cheering, making up dances, and just being goofballs. The wedding was at Wildwood Performing Arts Center. This place is out in the country, surrounded by nature. They even have a butterfly garden there. Its a beautiful place. It was lots of fun seeing old friends, and spending time with the besties.

Here are a couple pics from the wedding...

Michelle, Carla, Ashley, & Me

Eric, Me, Meesh, Carla, Kim, & Spencer

I told Bill going into this weekend, that I didn't mind if he didn't attend the weddings with me. As much as I enjoy being with the hubby, and want him by my side at events to show him off, it was good being able to hang out with old friends and not worry about him feeling left out. I know he was disappointed he didn't go with me (sarcasm). He enjoyed his weekend by meeting and working out with his triathlon coach, playing golf, and having dinner with his best friend.

Now, I'm looking forward to next weekend so much I can hardly stand it! Lori and Trevor are coming to spend the weekend with us. Some other friends are coming as well. We're going to a concert, Six Flags, maybe Billy Bobs, and celebrating Lori and Trev's anniversary!

final review

2010-05-18T23:29:00.003-05:00

disclaimer: i am and always will be a razorback. they are my one true football love.

last weekend i joined my family in College Station, TX for my cousins final, Final Review. this was his senior year at Texas A&M, making it his last year to be a member of the Corps of Cadets. if you have never seen the cadets march, or even seen the Aggie band perform, you are truly missing out.

Texas A&M is known for their traditions, and the Corps is considered the Keepers of the Spirit. Spirit meaning traditions. I am truly proud of my cousin for committing himself the last 4 years to this organization. One tradition they have is Final Review. In my best explanation, it is where the Corps marches their final time for the year. This is actually something they do before every football game. they gather in "the quad" (dorms) where friends and family can mill around and talk to everyone. then a LOUD cannon goes off, and that signals the cadets to get in formation. then the ceremonies begin.

lets start from the beginning... me and my mom in one car. my dad and step mom in another. we head out of dallas at 7am. 3 hours and one coffee spill later we're in rainy college station. we meet up with my aunt and uncle at their hotel. we sit and chat about life, recent happenings, floods...ya know? then we head over to meet my cousin at the Corps Museum. he gives us the grand tour then we head over to the book store. it was rainy and humid, and that equals a bad hair day for allison. so in total support of my cousin, i buy a A&M hat to wear. walking back to the car we ran into the famed mascot of the Fightin' Texas Aggies, Reveille. cutest little collie you've ever seen. she goes to class everyday with one of the cadets! how fun is that?

we headed to a place called J.Cody's for lunch. good BBQ people. highly recommend. Jordan (the cuz) showed us around campus, and where he was going to be living next semester. then we dropped him off so he could get ready for the big event. after a huge parking fiasco, we finally made it to see him. i felt like i was in a movie. its hard to explain the magnitude of what goes on on this campus day in and day out. young men in uniforms, with sabers, flags, and regalia. its so surreal. doesn't my cousin look so handsome? he is the commander for his unit, so he gets to carry around a sword! its a huge honor.

these are little our of order. this is actually after the 1st march at the senior reception. man, i love those boots. i really want some. the seniors are the only ones who get to wear the boots. they order then their 1st day as a cadet, and get them when they're seniors. its a major commitment.

again, out of order. before lunch we went to see the Bonfire memorial. A&M had a tradition that they burned a huge bonfire before the texas vs. texas a&m game every year. in 1999 the bonfire collapsed during the building of it, and killed 12 people. they built this memorial in their honor. it is a moving place. another thing everyone needs to see.

the seniors of my cousins unit.

we staked out our spot by the arches to watch the ceremonies begin. after the canon went off, everyone forms together, and then all of a sudden you faintly hear the sound of drums. the Aggie band starts playing the fight song, and they get louder and louder as they approach you. it gave me chills.

here comes the cuz! he's the one on the left.

they march from the quad to the stadium. the whole time the band plays to keep them in unison.

tried to capture the entire corps. there are tons of them.

after the first march, all of the cadets, with exception of the seniors, go and change into their new ranking uniform. this is where the freshman become juniors, sophomores to juniors, juniors to seniors... you get the point. then it starts all over again. the seniors get to line the field for one more yell practice, and cheer on the cadets at they march back in as their new classification. this is the first time the juniors get to wear their boots. how exciting! so the ceremony gets repeated. then its all over. it really was amazing.

after that we went and had dinner with everyone and started our trek back home. we left really late, so we didn't get back until 2am! i was struggling to keep my eyes open on the drive back home. it was a long day, but totally worth it. i hate that i only got to see it one time!

we're so proud of you Jordan, and we're so excited to see what "power school" has in store for you!

happy birthday bill

2010-05-18T22:10:00.003-05:00

last week Bill celebrated his 27th birthday! let me back up to the week before though...

i decided waaaay back before Christmas that I wanted to get Bill a new leather chair for his birthday. the one we had was getting a little too worn in. bill loves that chair, so i had to be careful not to change something he wasn't ready for. i tip-toed around the subject a couple of times, just to feel out the possibility of getting a new chair. he seemed alright with it, as long as it met a few of his requirements. so, i started saving up my money (that was tough).

bill went home to Little Rock the weekend before his b-day, so i took that as my opportunity to search for the perfect chair. Dad and I decided to go to The Dump. Such a fun place, and no, not a literal dump. They sell brand name furniture 30-70% off. So off we go. The very first one we found, ended up being the one we chose. I liked it for a few reasons. 1)It was a lighter leather than our previous one. The room was getting a little weighed down by the dark furniture. 2)Our previous chair had an ottoman, and it really took up a lot of room. This chair is a recliner, but its NO Lay-Z-Boy! You can't even tell it reclines just looking at it. 3)It was contemporary looking, but still traditional. Wrap it up, we'll take it! So we moved the old out, and the new in. I stuck a big bow on it, and surprised Bill when he walked in the door from his long drive. He was completely shocked. Brownie points to Allison!

The New Chair!

Bill decided that he would like to go to the Texas Rangers game on his birthday. So, we bought the $12 tickets and made our way to The Ballpark. It also just happened to be $1 hot dog night! Score! It was a great night too. Double back to back home runs, a win against the A's, and it puts the Rangers 1st place in the ALWest.

View from our seats

Birthday boy

i think Bill had a wonderful birthday. i didn't make a cake for him, and i sorta felt bad. but he assured me the cake his momma made him the weekend before would suffice.

love you bill! happy birthday! you're getting old...

happy momma's day

2010-05-09T18:19:00.003-05:00

happy mother's day to the best mom in the whole world!

i love you!

nashville flood

2010-05-03T22:47:00.004-05:00

sunday morning we got a call telling us that my aunt and uncle, who live in nashville, tn, were having to evacuate their home due to flooding. they have lived in the same town home since i have been alive. its a cute little place outside nashville, actually in a town called bellevue. there are several rivers that run through the town of nashville, the biggest being the Cumberland. but there is also a river called the Harpeth River that runs behind the development that my aunt and uncle live in. on a normal day, it sits 60 feet below their home.

so, sunday morning the fire department and police station set out to warn residents in the area that they should prepare to evacuate. this was just a warning, but they took the proper precautions and gathered some things, and moved valuables, pictures and the like to the second floor. well, things got bad, and it got bad really fast. all in all, i believe the greater nashville area got around 15-20 inches of rain in 2 days. more than the little harpeth river could handle.

word got out soon that they were evacuating people in their development in boats, and that the water was waist high. so, stranded at a starbucks, they tried to find a place to stay. luckily, they have a great church and work family, who extended open arms to them. it has to be a scary feeling not knowing whats happening at your own house, but knowing it can't be good. everyone was expecting the worst, after watching the weather channel and news stations all day. seeing footage of the damage, and how the bigger cumberland river was nearing its breaking point. it runs through downtown and the tourist area. opryland hotel, country music hall of fame, LP Field, opryland hotel, and much more.

today we got news of the outcome. they were able to get back in their house to see the damage, and it wasn't pretty. the water level had gotten up to my aunts shoulders, so a little over 5 feet or so. a gross, slimy, muddy sludge all over everything. the fridge tipped over and floated thru the kitchen. all the furniture was strewn about. the water had gotten up to the 7th step of the stairwell. thats probably about halfway up. they're so lucky it didn't get to the second floor. now, here's the even worse news. they had their house up for sale. they had literally just finished a big renovation to update and clean it up for the sale. they will have to completely start over. that is, if they are able to. since they were in a flood plain, they are still unsure if they will be able to rebuild. they are also unsure of the coverage they have for flood insurance. it is going to be a long road to normalcy for them. i can't even imagine. we are happy for their safety though, and in the end that is all that matters.

searching through photos of damage, i found this group of photos that actually shows their development.

its just unbelievable. we're praying for a somewhat hassle free transition into filling claims, talking with insurance adjusters, getting the help they need from insurance companies and FEMA, and rebuilding. keep them in your prayers, if you think about it.

sunday funday

2010-04-27T22:36:00.004-05:00

i heart sundays.

that is typically my consistent day off from work, and nothing gives me more joy. i know its a day i get to spend with the hubby going to church, running errands, doing something fun and adventurous, or just lay around the house.

this past sunday we met my friend, and manager of the Galleria Cowboys store, and her boyfriend who is on leave from Iraq, for brunch. we went to Nick & Sam's grill in Uptown. I love uptown. lots of cute shops and fun restaurants. its very hip dog (as my father in law would say). bill and I don't get over there much, its sorta out of the way for us. but on the occasion we venture over there when we want to explore something new. anyways, we went there for brunch. it was super yummy, not to mention on Sundays they have $6 bottomless mimosas. oooooweee! another couple, that are friends with Lori came as well. good times were had and i think brunch might be my favorite meal.

the patio at Nick & Sams

that took up most of the morning and afternoon. its a popular place, and i'm lucky that i got bill to wait that long. waiting at restaurants does NOT run in the family. :) after brunch we came home to do some household chores. bill decided he wanted to get started on restoring my grandparents patio furniture. its super cute and retro looking. it just needs a new coat of paint. but in order to do that, we have to strip off the layers and layers of old paint. my g-pa painted it every summer a new color. so its been fun seeing all the old colors underneath. like lime green and bright yellow! meanwhile, i washed both cars. adios pollen!

later that night, we met back up with the crew we had been with to watch the Mavericks vs. Spurs game. we went over to Lori's friends apartment. they live at Cirque loft apartments in uptown. its right next to the American Airlines Center. these apartments are so swanky. it felt more like a hotel. they have an A-Mazing view of the Dallas skyline! i was blown away. it was fun for a night, but i'll stick to suburbia.

this is sorta what their view looks like. its beautiful at night.

unfortunately the Mavs lost. and we were in company with all Spurs fans. boo! its the playoffs, so no elimination yet. they've got to win tonight, and it looks like thats gonna happen. lets go mavs!

managers meetings at the new corporate offices Wednesday and Thursday. spending the night at the Gaylor Texan. should be fun.

april 19

2010-04-20T21:36:00.003-05:00

2 years ago we walked down the aisle and got hitched!

the past two years have really flown by. bill took me to a fancy steakhouse for dinner called

III Forks. it did not disappoint. the steak was melt.in.your.mouth. yummy.

at dinner we went through our two year "milestones" together.

we became homeowners. we adopted and raised a puppy. we went to lots of cowboy games. we had a fun family vacation. we made it through our first year of filling joint taxes. and most importantly we still love each other. :)

this is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding. i think michelle miller took it. my friends were having a contest to see who could get the best pic of us leaving, and i believe she won!

here's to many more happy years together!

hill country vacation

2010-04-18T22:15:00.003-05:00

this weekend Bill and I took an extended weekend vacay to the Texas Hill Country. we were celebrating our 2nd anniversary which is tomorrow!

1st stop: Austin, TX

Let me first preface this blog by saying that the entire weekend was a monsoon. it rained 95% of the time. and by rain i mean, nasty misty, constant drizzle, to full out downpour. it was gross, and honestly, made me a little angry. grrr rain. therefore, i did not get a lot of good pictures. i'm pretty disappointed by this, because i love taking lots of pics. so, i'll try my best to paint the picture of our vacation.

moving on... we made it into austin around 11am and decided to grab some lunch before heading out on our adventures. me found a little mexican restaurant in, what i think was called, the arts district. austin is known for its wierdness. they like to be different, and let me tell ya, this different was good. i loved all the little unique shops, and fun restaurants. there was a western store called Allen Boots. two words. BOOT. HEAVEN.

i could have spent all day in here trying on boots. they had SO many. and lots of them were vintage style. oh they were beautiful. if the boot gods are listening, i would like a camel colored vintage pair with turquoise details and roses. thank you.

next we went to mellow johnnys bike shop. bill wanted to check it out because, well he's mr. cyclist now, and this is lance armstrongs bike shop. it was a cool place. i think we spent the most money there. ha!
bill was embarrassed at me taking his picture like this. ohhh, life as a husband.

we went to check out the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. we had to get a little culture on the trip. this place was very nice. it was good to learn a little about this wonderful state we live in.
this was in front of the museum. gotta love the lone star.

by the time we left the museum the skies let loose and it really began to rain. we wanted to go walk around the university of texas campus, as much as it pains me to do so. i mostly wanted to get a pic of me doing the horns down thing in front of some longhorn fans. we did drive around the campus the next morning. it really made me miss being in fayetteville. seeing all the students scattering to class, driving around the football field, and seeing all the school pride and spirit. *tear.

so, that night we decided to drive out to Driftwood, TX to go to a place called The Salt Lick, a well known BBQ joint. it was about an hour drive outside of town, just really in the middle of nowhere. well worth the drive, and getting drenched. good stuff, i tell ya.

we were going to check out 6th street after we got back from dinner. buuuuttt, you guessed it, still pouring. so we skipped out on it, and watched a movie at the hotel.

Friday morning we grabbed some breakfast and headed out towards Fredericksburg. we stopped in Johnson City to see the LBJ State Park. It is where Lyndon B. Johnsons boyhood home is. we got there around noon and they close the exhibits for lunch and we didn't feel like waiting around, so missed out on that. as you head out further towards Fredericksburg, you go by the LBJ ranch. so we drove thru it as much as we could. we couldn't get close to "The Texas White House" because the river you have to cross to get to it, had washed out the road. boo rain, again. oh well, onto the main event.

we arrived in fredericksburg and walked around main street, where all the shops, antique stores, and restaurants are. we had lunch at a local brewery. for those that may not know, fredericksburg is a little german town. so all the store fronts look like a little german main street. and a lot of the restaurants are german, biergartens and all.

we stayed in a little cottage, that is a guesthouse behind someones real house. this place was so adorable. the lady that owns it is an interior designer, and has been recognized for her designs. most recently this cottage was written up in the latest Cottage Style magazine.

this was the bathroom. it had a cute antique sink, and lots of antique mirrors.

this was the dining area. she used all black and white decorating. so many little details too. the pics don't do it justice.

view from the front door. it was so quaint and peace full. we loved it, and i highly recommend it.

these are a little out of order... this is the front of the cottage. not too much to look at from the outside. but we learned that before she renovated it, it was a laundry building because the front house were apartments. the front house was built in 1907.

my best attempt at being artistic. :) this is what the guesthouse was named.

on our second day in fredericksburg, we got breakfast at a little bakery. which i bought a cookbook from. sooo delish. we did more walking around main street. bill actually enjoyed looking in the antique and furniture stores best. i was surprised. there were cute clothing stores as well. there, he was not so interested.

we decided we wanted to do a little exploring, so we did a little hill country driving. we found a spot in the middle of nowhere to have lunch. it was called the Hill Top Cafe. such a cute spot, and amazing cajun food.

this, sadly, is the only pic i have of both of us... this is in front of the hill top cafe. my favorite place we ate.

after lunch, it had actually gotten sunny out so bill decided he wanted to take his bike out for a spin. and i went and did some more shopping. much easier to take my time and look when the hubby isn't waiting outside the store for you. ha. i found a few souvenirs, and gifts for other people.

that night we ate dinner at a german restaurant called, Auslander. i had wiener schnitzel. well actually it was called texasschnitzel. regular schnitzel with a texas twist. it was tasty!

after dinner we decided to drive out to Luckenbach, TX. they were having their first annual hat festival. oh my. so fun. luckenbach is all of like half a mile long. there is what used to be the post office, now a general store and souvenir shop and a dance hall. ha! this was pure country folks. the bands were really good, and lots of two-steppin' going on. of course, we joined in.

famous luckenbach dance hall.

"...out in luckenbach texas, aint no body feelin' no pain."

famous, and some not so famous, peoples signatures are scribbled all over the store.

to get home today, we decided to take all back roads so we could see the country and the wildflowers. it was such a pretty drive. i've never seen so many bluebonnets. of course, i didn't get a pic because well, you know.... trust me it was pretty.

all in all, bill and i had a wonderful weekend. it was relaxing. there was no schedule or agenda. just enjoying our time together celebrating 2 years of married life.

final farewell

2010-04-11T16:17:00.003-05:00

today we said a final farewell to Texas Stadium. for 37 years the Dallas Cowboys called it home, and this morning, in less than 1 minute, it was gone. i admit, i shed a little tear watching the stadium come down. i know i am not a long time, die hard fan, like many others. but, working for the team the past 2 years, i've become a loyal fan, and watching a place that once was so magnificent come down like dominoes, got me a little misty eyed.

in the one season i got to enjoy attending games there, lots of memories were made. my first ever NFL game, my first Cowboy's game, final season at texas stadium, final game at texas stadium, getting to go in the locker room and stand on the famous star at the company christmas party.

if you haven't seen video of the implosions check out wfaa.com.

there was only one glitch during the implosion. 3 of the largest pillars leaned, but did not fall completely. maybe it was texas stadium's way of holding on to a few of the biggest memories it holds. 3 Super Bowls won while the team was playing under its roof.

texas stadium was such a huge icon in dallas. it sure will be weird to drive down the interstate and not see that big dome with the hole in the roof...

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T20:40:00.005-05:00

Easter is probably my favorite holiday. It means spring time, warm weather, pretty colors, and new life. Bill and I got to spend Easter in Little Rock this year. As usual, we had a "busy" weekend, trying to fit all we could into 3 days. Taking a trip to LR is no vacation, there is usually a schedule, agenda, or tasks to be done. But, its always fun things, so no complaining here.

This particular trip I got to attend a wedding shower for my long time friend Ashley Gibbs. She is getting married this May at Wildwood Performing Arts Center. I am so excited for her and for her wedding. I haven't been to a wedding shower in SO long. They are usually during football season, and I can't ever get away from work. So, I was super excited about going to this one. It was so good to see a lot of friends that I haven't seen in a while. Here are some pics from the shower...

Me and the Bride, Ashley, at her shower.

Most of the girls with the bride to be.

Libby Feller, Alison Almefty, Michelle Miller, Ashley Gibbs,

Me, Carla Sawatski, & Ashley Kella.

On Easter Sunday, Bill and I went to church with my mom and step dad at Fellowship Bible Church. Bill and I joked that we felt like politicians when we left, because it was like every where we turned we ran into people we knew that we wanted to talk with. Service was a little over an hour, but we were there for about 2! It was fun getting to see people we haven't connected with in a while. After church, we went to my in-laws for a BIG brunch. Easter Sunday also happened to be my sister, mother, and uncle-in-laws birthdays! The biggest milestone being my sister in laws, because it was her 21st! So, lots of family, presents, Easter egg hunts, and food to be had! It was a great time. Here are some pics from Easter Sunday...

Me with my mom and Bill's mom

Me and Mom

Bill's cousins little girls. They were flower girls in my wedding.

Adorable, sweet, yet full of trouble. :)

In addition to a great Easter Sunday and fun wedding shower, mom and I got pedicures, did some shopping, and spent the day together on Friday. Then Friday night we all attended the big Easter production at our best friend Lori & Trevors church. It was sooo good. Its called The Kingdom, and they only have it every other year. They played several rolls, including Adam & Eve. hehe. Saturday night we spent some time with one of Bills long time friends, Cory Scott, ate dinner for Isabelles birthday at Cantina Laredo, and hung out with Lori and Trevor after their second night of the show.

All in all, we had a great weekend. Wish we could do it more often. I'll leave you with my favorite verse this Easter. He is risen, indeed!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."

-1 Peter 1:3

ZARA

2010-03-30T23:01:00.004-05:00

just wanted to let everyone know i have a new favorite store to add to my list:

zara.com

you should check it out. oh, and i accept donations and gift cards.

under the weather

2010-03-25T19:42:00.004-05:00

the allergy/cold bug has hit the Davis household. Bill got it last week, and now I've got it. they have been saying the pollen counts, and all other counts that cause people with allergies, and even people without allergies, to go completely haywire. Bill is feeling all better, and I'm getting there, thanks to staying home from work today. got to cuddle with my puppy and just lay around the house. it was nice. haven't done that in a long time. too bad i was sick...

well, Bill and I had a nice weekend. We got to spend it with his mom and sister. it was his sister, Isabelle's spring break. they wanted to come see us and more importantly, go shopping. luckily, i could take a couple days off work to go with them. it was fun to just go shopping with no agenda. haven't done that in a long time either. too bad i didn't have more money to spend, but it was still fun to look at all the cute things. and there were a lot of cute things! of course, we didn't even scratch the surface of what DFDub has to offer, as far as shopping goes. but, there will be other times. i did come away with a cute new ruffled top, a Polo t-shirt, and some work out pants. exciting, i know.

i also received a special pizey* from the fam upon arrival! (*pizey is a word used in my husbands family for the word "gift", they have lots of special words that i've had to learn over the years. i also use them in normal day-to-day conversation now too.) anyways... they got me a Fossil watch i've been wanting.

isn't it cute? bills mom and sis have one just like it. ha! so were all twinkies. i love it!

this week has gone by fast, can't believe tomorrow is friday already. i hope everyone has a great weekend, looks like we will have beautiful weather. maybe i can convince bill to go to the arboretum. keep your fingers crossed.

fight night

2010-03-18T20:56:00.004-05:00

once again, working for the Cowboys has its perks. we were offered up to 4 free tickets to the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight at the stadium. I really had no interest in the fight, but you can't pass up free, right? so, i went ahead and reserved 4. i didn't realize how big of a fight this was, and to be honest, i still don't. but, apparently it was a big deal. i always know when they start offering free tickets, the seats will be pretty decent, because those are the expensive ones they can't sell. jerry doesn't want his stadium looking empty on national tv. but honestly, we didn't know where are seats would be until we picked them up at will call. well, i was right. we weren't ringside, but pretty darn close. they had floor seats, then they built bleachers behind those before you got to the real seats on the 1st level.

i had to do some research on what you are supposed to wear to a professional fight. i mean, you see movies where people are wearing cocktail dresses and mink coats. i learned that you dress up more, the closer you are to the ring. so, i figured i could get a way with "club wear." it was fun getting all dressed up. of course, i carried my flip flops in my purse so i didn't have to walk a mile in my heals. its tough being a girl...

we, meaning me, the hubs, my dad and step-mom, had a great time. the under card fights started at 5pm. we got there around 6:30 and were able to see 5 under card fights. the main event started at 10:30. late!!! we didn't get out of there until after midnight. of course that meant a late night Dennys stop. here are some pics from Fight Night...

this is michael buffer, aka the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble!" guy.

might have been my favorite part. ha!

Pacquiao vs. Clottey

you can see Jerry Jones, his wife, Jimmy Johnson and his wife,

& Berry Switzer in the background.

waiting to see who won

Pacquiao wins!

all gussied up for the fight.

i love my necklace, even if it did weigh like 10 pounds.

I wonder what kinda free tickets we can get next?

peanut swirl brownies

2010-03-15T22:08:00.003-05:00

wowza! if you love a peanut butter/chocolate mix the way i do, then this is your recipe! i made these a few weeks ago and it made a lot, so i stuck some in the freezer and we are still enjoying them today. try them, i promise you won't be disappointed.

Peanut Swirl Brownies

Click here for the recipe. Courtesy of foodnetwork.com and Ina Garten.

while i'm on the chocolate/peanut butter topic... i want to talk about one of my favorite things.

thats right. reeses peanut butter eggs. my all-time favorite candy EVER is a reeses cup. a hard chocolate coating and a soft peanut butter inside. YUMM.O. Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays, and you add a Reeses Egg to it, can you say Perfection? why is the egg so much better than a normal reeses cup, you ask? you get more peanut butter in the egg, and that is my favorite part. plus they are bigger. lots of calories. i will accept all donations and gifts of a reeses eggs anytime. thank you in advance. Side note: they also make reeses trees at christmas time. those are also good. :)

happy (almost) easter!

re: and the oscar goes to

2010-03-08T18:07:00.005-06:00

i'd like to give myself a good ole pat on the back, and here is why...

in my last post, and the oscar goes to, i discussed the fashions of the 82nd Academy Awards. i think i have a pretty good eye for fashion, and boy was i almost spot on! check this link out for Yahoo's Oscar report card: 2010 Red Carpet: Fashion Report Card.

like, OMG, are yall ready for Molly and Jason's wedding tonight? NOT! i'm totally not drinking this kool-aid, at all! Jason was the most hated bachelor in bachelor history. buuuuut... being the girl that i am, will probably watch it. i digress...

and the oscar goes to...

2010-03-07T23:40:00.003-06:00

tonight was the 82nd annual Academy Awards, and I have to be honest, i'm not the biggest fan of awards shows. they are usually pretty uneventful and so drawn out that by the 3rd hour i'm so past bored its not even funny. but do i watch anyways? of course. i'm like any other girl. i want to see what the stars are wearing, and you just have to be in the know... ya know?

before i get to my take on the the fashions of the Oscars there are a couple of things about this night that stood out to me. first, the hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, were actually pretty entertaining. Did anyone watch the Barbara Walters Oscar special? Get past the fact that Barbara is possibly the most awkward person ever, and lets talk about the Mo'Nique interview. She's strange. Any woman that hasn't shaved their legs in 40 years, and has an "open relationship" with their husband, is strange and wont be on the Christmas card list. She DID, however, win and award. Good for her. A big accomplishment tonight, a woman won best director for the first time ever. I can't believe that! W2G Kathryn Bigelow. Girl power! Lastly, I am so happy Sandra Bullock won best actress. She totally deserved it! If you havn't seen The Blind Side, you're missing out. If she didn't win, I was pulling for Gabourey Sidibe.

alright on to the fashion... lets start with the best.

Sandra Bullock looked stunning in this gown. I loved all the sparklyness but the lace at the top balanced it out and added a very feminine touch. Good job Sandy!

I really liked Rachel McAdams dress tonight. Nothing too over the top, but it looked great on her. I like the flowy and tie-dyed kinda look.

This is not a good pic of the dress, but I think Elizabeth Banks had the best use of ruffles tonight. There were lots of them on the red carpet, but I enjoyed the mermaid style and the color.

Salma Hayek is always beautiful. But, I really liked her red number tonight. Although, i do have to say it was a little fallish, but i'll still give it up to Salma for looking classy.

and for the Best Dressed of the night. drum roll please... Cameron Diaz! Loved this little sparkly number. She always looks adorable in anything she wears. Good job to Rachel Zoe, her stylist, for finding yet another great gown for Miss Size Zero.

and now the unfortunate task of deciding the worst dressed of the night...

oh SJP. i know your "niche" is being different and wearing things us normal people wouldn't dream of putting on. but this is not working. not to mention your hair. did you oversleep and not have time to get your hair did? Fail.

holy ruffles! Vera Farmiga is not rockin' it tonight. this is like a mix of 80's prom and my 9th grade cotillion dress. i do, however, like the color. but, the ruffles look like they're about to eat her. watch out!

there are no words. what happened, zoe saldana? did you fall in a pool of ink? those ruffle-like thingys at the bottom look like a spanish meringue dancers outfit. the only thing good about this is the waist up.

aaaaaaaaand worst dressed is... Charlize Theron. this is a beautiful lady, and i typically like what she wears, but this is all wrong. i like the color, but what are those rose-like applique things accentuating her breasts? like, hello here are my boobs. don't get me started on that train. double fail.

another Oscar night in the books. i'd like to thank the Academy for taking 3 1/2 hours of my life that i will never get back. goodnight.

swimsuit season is upon us

2010-03-02T22:15:00.004-06:00

are you ready? i sure as heck know i'm not! well, i take that back. i'm ready for it in mind and spirit, but definitely not body. bill and i have a wonderful beach trip planned mid-summer and i need to start preparing now. i've been searching around my favorite stores and several websites to see what the trends are for this summer, here's what i've gathered... BRIGHT colors, ruffles, and glamour.

here are a few of my favorites i found when searching the web...

SPANX, (a womans best friend! if its not, then you need to make it!), has come out with a swimwear line and i LOVE it! who wouldn't want tummy controlling swimwear? these were some of my favs from their website:

beautiful bright pink, and a cute little ruffle trip

love the colorblocking on this one. makes it look sorta retro.

something about this one just screams, "i'm so sweet!" love the B&W too!

spanx.com

i'm always a fan of jcrew's swim collection. they're simple, classic, and flattering (most of the time). this was my favorite this year...

the ruffles will conceal and imperfections your wanting to hide in the tummy. it has a tie around the waist to create a figure. its strapless, so you still get that perfect tanline-less tan. love it!

jcrew.com

lets not forget you need the perfect cover-up too. this is especially true when you're at the beach. i found this one on Anthropologie's website.

such a pretty pink, and love that shimmery gold detail. this would be perfect to hit the beach in, but can wear to a beach party that night.

anthropologie.com

i also found a great website that has great tips on how to find the best fit for your body when it comes to swimwear. they have TONS of swimsuits to choose from, you are bound to find something you like here.

swimwearboutique.com

happy swimsuit shopping, and good luck!

valentines day

2010-02-22T21:08:00.005-06:00

a few pics to brag on my husband for giving me such a special valentines day this year...

i woke up to a cute balloon and 12 beautiful red roses.

only my husband would get a balloon that says, "you got me roped valentine!"

it was NBA All-Star weekend in Dallas, so instead of fighting crowds at fancy restaurants, even if we were lucky enough to get a reservation, Bill decided to cook me dinner. he didn't let me help at all, other than the occasional, "where is this ingredient?" and "what does it mean when the recipe says...?" i'll admit i was a little skeptical but....

this is how it turned out! wonderful! he made meatballs with a sweet and sour type sauce over a bed of rice and onion rolls. something i would probably never think about making, and he did great!

overall, we had a great valentines weekend. i'm so thankful for such a wonderful, loving husband!

snow day

2010-02-22T19:57:00.005-06:00

its taken me so long to post our snow day pics, that we're already supposed to have another one tomorrow! what is up with this weather? anyways... a couple weeks ago Dallas experienced its biggest snow storm in history! some areas got around a foot of snow, we got about 8 inches here at our house. it was amazing. it literally snowed ALL day long! it was so neat to see the city covered in snow. Bill and I did get out and play in it before it all melted away. here are some pics from our snow day:

Our house. The front yard didn't get much because of our huge trees.

still pretty though.

the back yard. the trees in the front and back were almost touching the ground.

i was so nervous that they would snap!

bill making snowballs. i warned him if he hit me with one
then he wasn't getting dinner. hehe.

happy snow day!

i do have to say, i've enjoyed the amount of snow we've gotten here in Big D. it comes as quite a surprise since its not typical of the region. i mean this is texas, right? buuuuuuuuut... i'm ready for spring!!! i'm blaming this weather on Punxsutawney Phil, ya know, the groundhog? he saw his dang shadow, and poof! 6 more weeks of winter. Dallas is forcasted to get a couple inches of snow tomorrow. if we get 2.9 more inches it will be the snowiest winter on record.

(sigh) if you need me i'll be in the bahamas....

jacket

2010-02-12T14:46:00.003-06:00

i think everyone knows by now that jcrew is one of my favorite stores to shop in. you will not find a lot of jcrew clothing in my closet, however, because its a tad on the expensive side. since i don't dress up for work everyday, i just cant justify purchasing a lot from there, because i would really hardly wear it. there's nothing wrong with lookin' though, right?

i have had my eye on this jacket since about the beginning of December. i think it is just adorable. i think this would be the perfect jacket for someone like me. since i'm tall, i can get away with the length of the jacket. and i love the belted tie, that creates separation and gives you more of a figure. this way you don't look like a long tootsie roll/marshmallow. its cute, its comfortable, its functional. now, we live in texas which, again, doesn't really justify the need to have a warm, heavy, jacket. so, here are my top 3 reasons for wanting or wishing for it...

1) we do a lot of tailgating, whether it be Cowboys games or Arkansas games. We enjoy a fun tailgate, and sometimes those tailgates can get pretty chilly. So, it would be really nice to have a warm, yet flattering jacket.
2)Since the whole global warming thing has gone to crap, and we've had one of the coldest winters in a long time (hence the biggest snow storm in Dallas history this week) i believe you can never be too prepared. Therefor, you need a warm coat.
3)Finally, you never know when you might get invited on a ski trip, make a trip to Chicago or NYC, or ya know, go to New Zealand or something.

Unfortunately these still aren't enough to actually convince myself to pay full price for it. So, I will keep checking jcrew.com everyday until it finally goes on sale, then just maybe i'll make the purchase. until then...

*snow pics are coming soon!

enchiladas

2010-02-07T22:40:00.005-06:00

i love me some mexican food! and when i found this recipe a friend posted on her blog from The Pioneer Woman, i had to try it out. she added that the people she made these enchiladas for, commented that they were possibly the best enchiladas they had ever eaten. so, i made them friday night for me and the hubs. whoa! they were amazing. very authentic tasting. i can't keep something like this to myself so here is the link to the recipe:

Simple. Perfect. Enchiladas!

i do have to warn you though, the recipe is called "simple" but those would not be my thoughts about it. while they are great enchiladas, the recipe is quite a process not to mention messy. you will dirty up a lot of dishes making these, but totally worth it. this one will definitely go in the recipe box, but this is probably more of a every-now-and-then recipe.

this is a picture of my enchiladas. looks pretty tasty, right?

makes my mouth water just lookin' at them!

alrighty, on another note... today was Superbowl Sunday! The Saints played the Colts. I was begrudgingly for the Saints just because I think they deserved it. Not because of the whole Katrina thing either. I just think they were a good team, and had a great season, and it was their time. anyways, they won! we watched the game over at my dads. i made some really yummy sliders w/chipoltle mayonnaise, brisket quesadillas, and spinach dip. yum! i feel like i gained about 10 pounds from snacking all day! all in the name of football, right?

we played a fun little betting game with quarters during the game. a good way to to have fun, if you really aren't the gambling kind. everyone had to bring a hand full of quarters with them, around $5. we had to answer some questions like, "who will win the coin toss?", "who will be ahead at halftime?", and "who is the winner, and what is the total combined score?" that sort of thing, before the game got started. then if you lost the answer to the question, you had to put a quarter in the pot. if you won the question, then you got to keep your quarter. at the end of the game it all came down to who picked the winner. if you didn't pick the winner then you automatically lose. then if there were more than one winners it came down to the combined overall score, closest without going over. well... winner, winner, chicken dinner! i am the only one who picked the Saints, so i won! $6.50 in quarters! woo hoo! :)

have a good week everyone! its almost valentines day, so don't forget!

4 day weekend

2010-01-31T16:43:00.004-06:00

what a wonderful weekend we had here. i have been off the past 4 days from work, finally taking my Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday. originally the plan was to visit my friends in Fayetteville. well, that all went down the drain when some wintry weather moved in. it really put a damper on my spirits, because i was so looking forward to this trip for several reasons... i was going to get to spend time with my 3 best friends all at once. i was going to get to go to Fayetteville (where University of Arkansas is, and where I went to college for those that may not know). i have only been to visit Fay. one time since i've graduated. that is SO sad! so, its been over 2 years since i've been. lastly, i was looking forward to seeing my name on the sidewalk. everyone that graduates gets their name on the sidewalk on campus, and i have not seen mine yet! HUGE bummer. i wasn't about to risk my life on the roads though, and the weatherman didn't disappoint this time. basically all of arkansas got it bad. snow and ice. on to plan B.

So, i just stayed in Dallas and got to spend some quality time with the husband. we had a good weekend. Friday night we had our usual tradition of Fat Clothes Friday over at my dads. we enjoyed a big pancake breakfast and watched the 20/20 story on John Edwards. i know this sounds super boring, but actually it wasn't. i had no idea this man was such a whore! excuse my language. but really. did anyone else watch this? crazy! if you didn't see the story, or if you have no idea what i'm talking about, i recommend you do yourself a favor and brush up on your politics. praise the lord he didn't become the leader of our country! i digress...

SATURDAY! my first saturday off since august! woo hoo! i slept in, of course, then bill and i decided we didn't want to just sit around all day, even though it was super cold outside. there was a place i had been wanting to try so we got dressed and headed out for an adventure.

the place we went to is called Bread Winners Bakery. there are actually 4 different locations across the metroplex. we went to the one in Inwood Village, a cute little shopping center at Lover's Lane and Inwood Road. one word for this place... aaahhh-mazing! we did have to wait a little bit, for the obvious reason that we were not the 1st to realize its greatness. bill had chicken fried steak and eggs, and i had Monterrey enchiladas. i really wanted to splurge and get a mimosa, because you got your own little bottle of champagne, but it was $10 and i just didn't see any good in a $10 mimosa. but, it was sooo cute! i was really tempted by the bakery too. lots of goodlooking cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. this is definitely a place i will frequent.

next, bill decided he wanted to use up a few gift cards he had. so we went to Jos.A.Banks and he got a new pair of dress shoes. Then, we headed over to The Shops at Willow Bend so check out the Brooks Brothers store. There he got a new belt to match the new shoes. Willow Bend mall is also where Anthropologie is, so of course, we had to stop by there. I couldn't hold bills attention very long in there, so i just breezed through and we were outta there. soooo many cute things though. i'll be going back.

after a little rest at home, and a quick workout for bill, we decided it would be a good night to catch a movie. i had been wanting to see Up In The Air, so we decided to go to Studio Movie Grill. we love this place because you can get dinner there too. we split a pizza, had a couple beers, and shared some popcorn. they have the best popcorn, and its only $3! you get way more than at a regular movie theater, and you get a cup of warm butter to pour on it! yummm!

this morning, bill was still not feeling well. he's got a cold, and it just wont go away. so i decided to make some breakfast. i saw a recipe on a friends blog for this blueberry bread thingy, and thought it looked pretty tasty. http://kendallandkeith.blogspot.com/2010/01/blueberry-breakfast.html. there is the link to the recipe. mine did not turn out at pretty as hers, but definitely (i'm assuming) just as tasty. Bill at about half of it! we've really just been pretty lazy. i worked on my photo albums, picked up the house, did some laundry, and now i'm working on planning our anniversary trip. we are taking a trip through the Texas Hill Country. I'm working on all our little stops and where to stay, shop, and eat! hopefully we'll be bringing home lots of pictures like this one, of pretty bluebonnets. they are the native wildflower to texas, and very predominant in the hill country.

ok, well this post got sorta long... its back to work for me tomorrow. boo! hope everyone has a wonderful week, and a happy grammy/pro bowl watching night!

signature

2010-01-30T17:44:00.002-06:00

i just wanted to try this out. its my new signature for the blog...

happy birthday cowboys

2010-01-28T16:34:00.003-06:00

50 years ago today, the Dallas Cowboys joined the NFL family. i have been so lucky to be a part of this team and this company. who wouldn't want to work for "America's team?" i don't care how many people say they hate the Cowboys, i am not buying it. you, my friend, are just jealous that you aren't one! everyone loves the Cowboys. everyone wants to be a Cowboy. even when they're loosing. that's right, you heard me. if you're truly a fan, you love 'em even when they're loosing.

i have been especially lucky to be a part of the team during the last 2 years. lots of special, history making events have happened during my time here. Farewell to Texas Stadium. For 37 years, Texas Stadium is where the Dallas Cowboys called home. Built in 1971, this stadium was state-of-the-art! The stadium with the whole in the roof, ya know, so God can watch His team play. While it was well overdue for a new stadium, because this one had seen its day, lots of great memories happened there. To read more about this legendary stadium check out this site:
http://www.farewelltotexasstadium.com/home.cfm

Inaugural Season at Cowboys Stadium. Let me just tell you, this place is no stadium. It is a work of art. It's like nothing you've ever seen. Often referred to as "Jerryworld," and "The Jerry Dome." It is the largest domed structure in the world. It is the largest column free interior building. It has the largest high definition video board in the world, stretching from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. It has the largest sliding glass doors in the world. A retractable roof modeled after Texas Stadium, again, so God can watch His team play. It seats 80,000 people, with availability to seat 100,000. At a cost of $1.2 billion, it is one of the most expensive sports venues ever built. In 2011 it will host Super Bowl XLV. Which, of course, the Cowboys will be playing in. Duh! Check out more on Cowboys Stadium at: http://stadium.dallascowboys.com/.

Now today. Dallas Cowboys 50th Birthday. It was this day back in 1960 that the league voted to expand, and as they say, the rest is history. Read this article from the Dallas Cowboys website, to see the whole story of how the team was formed. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=7608C500-E2F5-D429-44C274C9BE99675C.

So, as you can see I've gotten to experience some history since I began working for the Cowboys. I am excited to see what happens next. Super Bowl win in our own home town next season? I'm just sayin'...

Code 58

2010-01-26T21:04:00.004-06:00

bill and i have decided that to make a little extra money we would like to pick up some of the special cleaning jobs through his company. so, last week bill got a call from a tv production company based out of dallas. they are shooting a new tv show for fox right here in dallas! they needed someone to come out asap to clean their floors and lay a coat of wax. TEAM BILL & AL TO THE RESCUE!

the set is at the fairgrounds. its actually really cool. i've never been on a tv set before. its set up like a police station. here are some pics i took...

there were jail cells and everything!

so we got started at 8pm. the place was pretty dirty. they built this entire set in 2 weeks. there were cameras, tons of cable, lights, and any type of film equipment you could think of. we were there by ourselves, other than larry the security guy. so we got to sweepin', moppin', vacuuming, scrubbing, buffing, waxing. it was some hard work, let me tell ya. i was worn out! we both were. we left at 3am!!! shew! bill and i were both pooped. it didn't take us long to fall asleep at all.

all the tiredness aside, we had a fun time (well i can't speak for bill). but it was something we did together, and we worked as a team. i enjoyed it, but i wouldn't/couldn't do it everyday.

so, everybody be looking for a new show on fox this fall (i think) called Code 58!

while we're on the tv subject... there is another show being taped here right now called The Deep End. Its a new show on ABC, comes on before Greys Anatomy. Its set in LA, but filmed in Las Colinas (Irving). On the first episode they were at the bar in the W hotel. so exciting and fun that these things go on in your own home town. i'm setting out to be an extra, anyone want to join me?

lucy

2010-01-24T13:19:00.003-06:00

lucy got this crazy idea that she is allowed to sit on the couch with us now. her momma may or may not have let her do this when you know who wasn't around...

she likes to cuddle. i like to cuddle. we're a match made in heaven.

how can you resist those sweet puppy dog eyes? i love my lucy dog.

little bill

2010-01-23T21:41:00.003-06:00

check out this picture i found of bill and his cousins.

if my kids end up half as cute as he was as a little tyke, then i'm a lucky girl.

one-and-done

2010-01-17T19:47:00.003-06:00

the Dallas Cowboys 2009 season is officially over. an unfortunate loss today to the Minnesota Vikings pushed us out of the playoff run. i'm super bummed about this, because we had really good chances of making it to the superbowl. but, its like they say, "any given sunday." today was our sunday to lose. so, we're done. it was a good season though, and i'm proud of the boys for getting us this far. i am NOT looking forward to those fair-weather fans that are gonna knock the cowboys this week. if you're a fan, you're ALWAYS a fan! anyways, the good news is, i get to take some vacation now. :)

well, thats kinda all i have to say right now, i'm sorta in a bad mood. hope everyone has a good week. peace.

Playoffs

2010-01-10T22:14:00.004-06:00

you only thought football season was over. well, not for the Dallas Cowboys! Last Sunday the 'Boys shutout the Philadelphia Eagles to clench the NFC East Division Championship! Not to mention a home wildcard game for the 1st round of the playoffs. Bill and I were lucky enough to be at the game. This was the only pic I took...

We received NFC East Championship merchandise in the store Monday morning! They started printing t-shirts and hats as soon as the game ended and printed throughout the night. They began delivering at 4am! I had people calling me before the store was open, wanting the new hat! The 1st playoff game was set for the following Saturday, once again, against the Eagles. Now, many people believe that it is impossible to beat the same team 3 times in one season. We beat them at home early in the season, and then again for the last game. Huge game on the line, i tell ya! If we lose we're 1-and-done. If we win, we end a 12 season playoff drought, and move on to play the Vikings in round 2.

I had to work all day Saturday. So, when I got off work i rushed home, changed, and we raced to the stadium. Once we parked, we literally ran to get inside. One, because it was freezing. Two, because we didn't want to miss one second of the game! We made it right before the National Anthem! :)

We were in such a hurry to leave that Bill forgot to put his jersey on over his tshirt! Oops!

PLAYOFFS!

Felix Jones had an amazing game. He had his 1st 100+ yard rushing game. He was also the MVP!

Guess what? We won! It was an amazing game. Some would call it a 3-peat! We dominated the Eagles this season. Our defense was lights out amazing. So now we're headed to Minnesota to play Brett Favre and the Vikings. It will be tough, but I have no doubt that we can win. Nothing is gonna stop this team! If superstisions have anything to do with it... The Cowboys won their 1st superbowl when they mvoed to their new stadium, Texas Stadium. Now its the 1st year at our new stadium, Cowboys stadium. SUPERBOWL HERE WE COME! I can just feel it!

In other news... Mom and Mark were here this weekend. We finally got to celebrate Christmas! Bill and I both got some good things. Bill got a Arkansas Razorback grill cover. I got a cookbook and this really cool Razorback silicone baking dish! It was fun to have family here again.

Today we spent the day cleaning up, taking down Christmas decorations (finally), and just getting rest before a big week. I'm sure we'll be really busy at the store!

taste of the mediterranean

2010-01-04T23:07:00.004-06:00

i have to share a meal i made this evening with all of you. i happen to love Greek and Mediterranean flavors. salty and full of flavor. i also happen to love Italian food, so tonight i made a recipe from myrecipes.com. You can sign up to get daily recipes in your email. I highly recommend it, especially if you're in a cooking slump.

Antipasto-Style Penne

Click here for the recipe!

Looks tasty right? I substituted chicken for the prosciutto. One, because I can never find the stuff, and two, I have a husband who doesn't eat "strange" food, or wants to try new things... He did enjoy the meal though, after picking thru anything red for fear it was a tomato. :)

This is a super easy recipe to make, and pretty quick. I just served some bread with it, but those broccoli spears look pretty tasty, or even a side salad would be nice with it.

Fact: This was my 1st time to make my own roasted red peppers. Very simple, and very delish! Might just start doing that from now on. Plus its kinda fun to peel off the "roasted" part.

Enjoy!

a year in review

2009-12-30T21:32:00.003-06:00

I decided to take a look through our photo album to reminisce about the past year. you see, i like to take lots of pictures. i feel that pictures are the best way to document memories. when i am old and grey i want to a bookshelf full of photo albums with nothing but all the sweet memories i made in my life.

so here we go...

New Years Eve- Bill and I didn't make any plans. We just finished our 1st Christmas as a married couple, and it was a busy one. Working in retail, that is our busiest time of year, not to mention that football season is still going. Also, we had family in town visiting, so NYE was really just a time to relax and enjoy each others company. We went to a restaurant near our apartment called Maguires. We didn't have reservations so we sat in the bar. It was fun. Then we just watched the countdown in our pj's. I don't think we stayed awake much longer...

Valentines Day- Another 1st in our marriage. Our 1st married V-Day. I bough Bill tickets to go see the Dallas Stars play. The NHL hockey team for Dallas. It was WAY more fun than i had imagined. I would never sit and watch hockey at home on tv, but being at the game was pretty intense. They play at the American Airlines Center which is in Victory Square downtown. This is also where one of the local news stations has their studios. So after the game we went and stood by the windows, like many do after hockey and basketball games. We waved at the camera and had our 3 seconds of local fame. :)

Deer Accident- On a trip to LR to visit friends and family we were driving home one night after being out with friends and we were hit by a deer. I know this sounds opposite of what you would imagine, but i'm being serious. For those of you that know Rahling Road in LR, AR, you know what I'm talking about. We were in my car, Lil Red. It all happened so fast, that it was sorta a blur. All I know is I saw the deer out of the corner of my eye, I ducked my head, and BOOOM! Ran straight into the back passenger side of my car. Thank goodness Bill was driving, because I was freaked out after all of it. So... $1000 deductible later, my car is shiny and new.

One Year Anniversary- We celebrated our 1st anniversary on April 19th. We had just purchased our 1st home (i'll get to that in a sec.) so we didn't really want to make a huge deal and purchase each other big gifts. But, Bill surprised me and decided to get granite countertops installed in our new kitchen! Happy Anniversary to me! We celebrated by eating at one of our favs, Cantina Laredo, then attempted to eat some of our wedding cake. Not so good, but loved seeing our cake and remembering our wedding day. I got Bill a framed copy of my bridal portrait. I think it might have been a little more for me, than him, but whatev.

New House- Thats right, Bill and I are homeowners! After a long search we finally found the house we loved. We closed on the house one month before we had to be out of our apartment. This gave us plenty of time to get whatever painting and other work done at the house before we had to move in. Boy it was a lot of work! We spent every night after work, every day off, basically every waking minute that we weren't at our day jobs, working on the house. We mostly did a lot of painting. And the big project, the kitchen! So to save money on the counter tops we did all the demo of the old ones ourselves. And, if you're gonna have shiny new counter tops you can't have Formica back splashes and dinosaur age appliances. In goes a new back splash and thanks fam for helping out on the new stove top! We are really enjoying our new home, and loving fixing it up.

Girls visit- My BFF's finally came to visit me in Big D. They all made the trip because we were going to a friends wedding. Its always fun when we all get together. Bill says I get about 50 decibels louder when we're all together. That just means we are having a good time. The wedding was fun too. Its time to come back friends!

Lucy- We have a new member in the family. Lucy Dog! We adopted her from the humane society. We're not totally sure what breed she is, but its definitely some sort of Australian Shepard mix. She is our child. She needs lots of attention and she gets it. She will be 1 in February. We love having her around!

Cowboys- wow, i've gotten to do a lot of amazing things this year with the cowboys. I was able to take many tours of the construction of the new stadium. I was invited to the years of service luncheon and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new stadium. We got season tickets again this year. This has been too fun. Getting to be a part of history is amazing. Working for the Cowboys has provided many perks, and Bill and I both are so grateful for all of it. I also moved to a new store. At the end of August I moved from Firewheel in Garland to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco. This is good for many reasons. Its a bigger store with more inventory. Its a higher traffic mall, not to mention nicer. And, its closer to home. Its been a lot of fun working at the new store.

Destin Vacation- Bill and I took a trip to Destin, FL in July with his family. It was so nice to get away and relax. The beach is my favorite place. We had great weather throughout the entire trip, enjoyed some shopping, and of course, the great company.

Southwest Classic- I am a sucker for traditions, and here a new one starts. The Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks are playing in a 10 year match up called the Southwest Classic. It is played at Cowboys Stadium every year. This year was the 1st match up. This tradition is especially meaningful because my cousin is an Aggie, and my family are Hogs. Such a fun family rivalry. We hosted a tailgate this year, and for the next 9 years too. Tons of food, fun, and friends. The only downfall this year was the rain. But that didn't stop us. We hope that it gets bigger and better every year. I can't wait. Oh yeah, and the Razorbacks stomped the Aggies. Sorry cuz!

Halloween- This year Bill dressed up as Billy Ray Cyrus and I was Miley Cyrus. This was totally last minute, so our costumes weren't quite the effort as last year, but still fun. We went out with a couple we met at one of the Razorback watch parties. Lots of fun!

Thanksgiving- Holidays seem to come and go a lot quicker these days. This one is no different. I am so concentrated on the day after Thanksgiving that it is hard to enjoy the holiday itself. I planned the managers tailgate again for the Thanksgiving day game for the Cowboys. It wasn't quite the effort as last year either, but still a fun time. Cowboys won, so all is good. We had thanksgiving dinner the night before with my dad, step mom, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Black Friday was a success as well. We opened at 6am and it was steady all day long.

Christmas- We just enjoyed a lovely Christmas with family. I won't go into much detail because I just wrote about it in the previous post. I can't believe this was our 2nd Christmas as married couple. Soon enough it will be 20 and we wont know where all the time went.

Shew... what a year! 2009 was a good one, but I am looking forward to all that Twenty-Ten has to offer. Thanks to all that made 2009 great, and here's to a happy 2010 to you all!

a very merry christmas

2009-12-27T17:26:00.006-06:00

This was me and Bill's second Christmas as a married couple, and it was nothing short of wonderful. We enjoyed spending time with my Dad, step-mom, and her family on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Then, Bills family on Christmas day. They made the trip from Little Rock and spent a couple days with us.

Believe it or not, we actually had a white Christmas here. They said on the news that Dallas has not had a white Christmas since 1926! It was amazing. It was no blizzard or anything, just an inch or so. But, definitely enough to make everything look pretty, and of course, the roads dicey.

Bill and I are so blessed. We got WAY more than we could have ever asked for or wanted. If you will remember a previous post of mine on October 12, I made my Christmas list. I was lucky enough to receive a lot of those things. One of those things, which I think is my favorite gift this year, is a gift certificate to the Viking Cooking School. Bill got this for me. I can't wait to pick out my class and for us to go together! Bill also did a little clothes shopping for me, and got me 2 things from Anthropologie. I was amazed at what he picked! One thing was too small, but hey, that gave me an excuse to go to Anthro! Which we did Saturday night, and of course, I found more things that I wanted, and went ahead cashed out the gift card I got there as well. :)

I also got my Reebok Easy Tone shoes. Boy am I pumped about these. I sure hope they work, because any excuse to not have to work out is an A+ in my book! I also got a really good start to my Christmas dish collection. My dad and step mom got me the Pottery Barn 12 Days of Christmas Dishes. They are SOOOO beautiful! And, Bills family got me some of the plates and mugs from the Pottery Barn Reindeer collection. I LOVE them!

We still haven't had Christmas with my mom and step-dad! I love dragging out the holiday as long as possible. hehe! They will be coming to visit in a couple weeks and we will celebrate Christmas AND the New Year. Can you believe its almost 2010? Where does the time go?

Anyways, thanks to everyone that made this Christmas special. I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, and I hope 2010 brings you lots of blessings!

Me, Bill, and Lucy dog on Christmas

Lucy in the snow on Christmas morning

our house Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

a cowboys christmas: 2

2009-12-27T17:11:00.007-06:00

Bill and I got to enjoy our second Dallas Cowboys Christmas party last week. This event is could possibly be what a majority of the Cowboys employees look forward to most. Yeah, getting season tickets is major privilege, and super fun, but its not like I'm down on the field chatting it up and shootin' the bull with the players and personnel during the game. This is an intimate event, well as intimate as it can get with around 500 people. Its not out of the ordinary to bump shoulders with Tony Romo, or do a conga line with Wade Phillips here. Actually its probably going to happen, as you will see from some of my pictures below. This year was no different than the last, Jerry sure knows how to throw a party. Of course, this year we had it at the brand new, amazing, beautiful stadium. Tons of food, sushi bar, dessert bar including mini gingerbread ice cream cones, and or course, open bar. Nothing short of GRAND!

Me and Lori (manager @ Galleria) with head coach Wade Phillips

Me and Lori again

Me and Bill with Jerry Jones

Lori, Bill, and Me with Terrance Newman & Demarcus Ware

Tons of fun, as usual! Can't wait for next year!

collections

2009-12-23T23:33:00.003-06:00

usually around Christmas time, birthdays, or any time you need to purchase a gift for someone, you try to come up with a gift that they will truly like. something meaningful. something maybe that they collect or that is a hobby of theirs. so, i always start to wonder... what do people think of when they want to purchase me gifts?

thinking.... thinking... uhhhh... oh yea! no.... hmmm... thats right nothing comes to mind.

i've decided that i need a collection. everyone needs something they collect for Christmas time, right? well, i really love unique ornaments. i've tried (and haven't been too successful) at purchasing ornaments when bill and i go places together. it does help if you actually go places. we'll work on that later. i want to collect ornaments for different phases of our lives together. ya know, to tell our story. right there on our Christmas tree. good idea! if you need ideas, i really like the Merck Family's Old World ornaments. Beautiful.

ok, here's another idea... Salt and Pepper shakers. i actually have a pretty good collection going already. i think they are so fun! you don't even have to use them, just set em out on different occasions to look cute. i always though it would be cool to have one of those hutches with the glass doors with a collection of something in. another good idea. check out the Salt and Pepper Shaker museum.

one more. pigs. i think they are so cute. maybe it has something to do with my obsession with my razorbacks? now, i don't necessarily want pig or pig-like things all around my house, but ya know some unique thing that makes you think, "allison would love this," that would be nice.

now, if you really want to go all out, i would love a true collection of cowboy boots. everyone needs at least one good, nice, true pair of cboots in their closet. but in my case, i mean you could have a pair for every day of the week. LOVE these Arkansas boots.

so now you know what to get me, if your every in a bind and you know i will love it! gosh, i feel like i'm always telling people what gifts then need to get me... i promise i'm not greedy.

tomorrow is Christmas eve, yall! can you believe it? i made it through the holiday season, with only a few minor breakdowns, and hardly any angry customers. yeah! here's to a very Merry Christmas to you all!

Love you mean it!

tis the season

2009-12-09T21:23:00.003-06:00

i want to apologize to all my blog followers, all 7 of you, for the lack of posts lately. just haven't been in the blogging mood much. to tell the truth, i've been pretty busy. busy at work, busy christmas shopping, busy trying to rest/take a breath when possible. i am very thankful, though, that i have felt more of the christmas spirit this season, than last. thank goodness, because it gets really tough the closer we get to the big day. i solely blame this on the fact that i work in retail. i digress...

what is it about christmas decorations that make your home feel so cozy? all the little twinkly lights, and shiny ornaments. bill also surprised me last saturday by hanging lights on our trees outside while i was at work. its so happy! i'm pretty satisfied with our tree this year, other than the fact that we now have 10 foot ceilings in our home and our 6 1/2 foot christmas tree looks a little dwarf-like. still love it though. here is a pic of our little tree.

don't worry... there are plenty of presents under there now. none with my name on it yet. (bill you better get on that)

we've got a lot to look forward to in the next couple weeks. the boys are back in town this sunday. they play the chargers. we've got a tough december ahead of us, and our track record has never been the best for december. right now we're tied for first in the NFC east with Philly. we (i say "we" like I'm on the team or something) have to win this one if we want a sure shot at the playoffs. on the 21st we'll be attending our second Cowboys Christmas party. this is the event that everyone waits for. can't wait! hopefully i can get some great pics to share with everyone. then its christmas! we'll spend christmas eve and christmas morning with my dad and step mom. then, bills family will be coming in christmas day afternoon and we'll have christmas dinner with them at our house.

i hope everyone enjoys this Christmas season. Don't get wrapped up in the shopping and stress, and remember, as cliche as it sounds, the reason for the season. Happy Holidays Yall!

where i left off...

2009-12-02T21:52:00.004-06:00

i survived! i made it through another Black Friday, or as I like to call it, "DoomsDay." i wont lie, my week was pretty crazy, like i told ya it would be. but, the actual black friday, wasn't as bad as i expected. we were very busy, which was good, but i was never overwhelmed. i guess i'm just adjusting to it. i'm glad its in the past though...

i was a little dissapointed in our thanksgiving tailgate. it seemed unorganized and like no one was really into it. i always have such high expectations, especially when i go out of my way to plan it. i guess i just need to relax a little. it was fun, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't what i had hoped for.

the group at our thanksgiving tailgate (i look goofball)

what else is going on?

-this morning it snowed in dallas. thats right, SNOWED! it was crazy. it wasn't just flurries either, it was straight snow! that was a fun surprise to wake up to.

-i got to open my first christmas present yesterday. this is the one that has been sitting so pretty in my house for about a month now. it was from my inlaws, aka Santa. its something i've been wanting, and am so excited about using this holiday. the reindeer plates and napkins from Pottery Barn. See this post for more details and a picture!

-Tiger Woods is not as clean cut as we all thought. I, personally, am secretly happy about this. I'm not really a Tiger fan, and I knew there had to be some skeletons hiding in his closet. Boy were they! 3 affairs at once...DANG! Boy's been B-U-S-Y! I hate if for his wife and children, and that cute little labradoodle, but i could have called this one.

-Whats with these people that were/were not invited to the State Dinner at the White House? Why are they getting so much publicity? Why is this "ruining their lives?" Is there not more important news in the world? Someone didn't do their job correctly, fire them, and lets get over it! :)

-tomorrow is my first "real" day off in about 10 days. i am super excited! although, i have a list of things to do, it will be nice to be away for a minute. probably gonna pull out some of the christmas stuff, and thats happy! plus i'm gonna try and finish my christmas shopping!

see ya soon!

thanksgiving is really this week?

2009-11-22T21:11:00.003-06:00

hi all. well, i wanted to go ahead and get my blog post in for the week, because its gonna be a crazy one! Black Friday is looming over our heads. It really stinks, because I want to enjoy the holidays, but its so hard because all I can think about is the chaos and stress that comes with working in retail. But, I keep a smile on my face and push through it, and try to enjoy it as much as I can. I know... sounds so depressing.

here's what this week is shaping up to... work (consisting of making schedules, payroll, making "gift item" sections, replenishing everything, making up contests, going to the bank, so on) meeting with my employees to get them mentally prepared for whats to come. i've committed myself to making the cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie for our family get together wednesday night. not sure why i do this, maybe because i really do enjoy cooking, and i want to help out, but pumpkin pie? really? i'm not even sure i can make pumpkin pie. i'm not much of a baker. so then, i've also committed myself to being the organizer for the tailgate on thanksgiving day for the cowboys game. i'm not getting my feedback from people that are wanting to attend, or not able to attend, so i really have no clue how that will turn out. but bill and i will be there, so hopefully we'll have company. then its doomsday. thats right, Black Friday. Lord. Have. Mercy. we open at 6am. so, bright and early, i'll be there ready for those crazy shoppers who think they can get an amazing deal because they've been waiting in line since midnight. i never in my life have been shopping on the day after thanksgiving. this is a day i spent with family, isn't that the whole reason for the holiday? people need to get their priorities straight...but by all means, bring it on! then its work all weekend.

so, there ya have my week ahead. i am not asking for pity, mostly just a prayer. i've had one minor breakdown already, and i can pretty much foresee another one come thursday around noon. ha! i've also been feeling a little homesick lately. it just kills me that we can't spend more time with family around the holidays. plus, the BFF was in Dallas this weekend with her hubby b/c they got last minute tickets to the Cowboys game today. when we left the parking lot, i had a sobfest because I really, really miss them. Its hard to spend time with friends and family, and get used to the feeling of being around them like old times, and how it would be if we were all in the same town, and then, poof, there gone again. ugh. maybe i'm just a little emotional this week. i should probably get over myself. :)

well, this was kind of a boring post, but wanted to keep everyone (as in all 5 people that read this blog) updated. I feel sorta bad, because this blog a lot of times turns into whats happening with Allison. maybe i should fill you in on the hubby. Bill is busy with work, as always. However, he has gotten to go on several hunting trips lately. Most recently he went to Kansas for the annual family and friends pheasant (or was it quail?) hunt. they had a good ole time. its mostly my dads cousins, and some of their friends and kids. i think it might have been a little cold for them this year. it actually snowed one night, which made for a quite miserable hunt the next day. He also has made the trip back to LR to help get the farm ready for pecan harvesting. the pecans are a big deal, and the job starts this week. i think this is one of bills favorite things to do. he loves spending time with his dad working out at the farm. i wish there were more days for things like that. he will be going home the Friday after thanksgiving to work and do some duck hunting. well, theres a little update on my good man for ya. :)

hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving! love.