San Antonio...a romantic getaway

I probably should have blogged a long time ago but I got lazy, imagine that! Patrick and I went to San Antonio to celebrate our first anniversary. It was romantic, relaxing and refreshing. We enjoyed walking along the riverwalk and took the boat tour, despite the hot temperatures. It was somewhat of a rude awaking since we had just been in Chicago. We had dinner at a romantic riverwalk Italian restaurant, we even survived eating outside...misters and fans help with that! There was a mariachi band that played at our table! The typical cheesy romantic dinner!

Our hotel was amazing! Thanks to Sneaky Sunday (check their link out on our blog) we found a very city chic hotel right on the river. Patrick described it as "manly", the leather chair and clean lines did it for him! I liked the marble tile in the bathroom and the amazingly huge bed! Our anniversary was complete with cake and champagne. The cake was actually good! The perfect ending to the perfect year!

We ended our getaway with a trip to the Alamo. I am starting to understand why Texans are the way they are. I mean that lovingly of course! There is a lot of history in Texas and I can understand why Texans are so proud of their state! I am not a Texan but I am learning...

happy anniversary..."I do"

One year ago today I married the man of my dreams. I remember it like it was yesterday....all the emotions come flooding back to me. 

Most little girls dream of their wedding day, standing in front of the bathroom mirror with a  towel draped over their heads practicing "I do". Then when you get older you dream of your "perfect" mate. You dream that someday you might meet someone who can be your best friend, or maybe the love of your life and if you are lucky a soul mate. I am certainly blessed because I married my soul mate, the love of my life and my best friend! I don't have to practice saying "I do" anymore but I will always strive to make those words true. The actions that come along with "I do" are far more important than the words themselves. 

I can still see you, as my dad walks me down the aisle, the glistening of a tear in the corner of your eye. It was at that moment that I felt complete. I do take you to be my husband and love you unconditionally for as long as God allows. I love you more today than I did when I first said "I do". Thank you for loving me unconditionally and teaching me what true love is. 

Back Home--what a long road it was

Sara and I are back from our Chicago vacation, which was a blast. That being said, the drive back was...well...less than fun. The first day we drove 5 hours through Illinois-flat, corn, 65 mph speed limit. We stayed at Sara's aunt's house in St. Louis and had some incredible pizza for dinner. Then we drove 5 hrs through Missouri-hilly, curvy, 70 mph speed limit.
Then came Oklahoma. I was excited b/c I knew the speed limit goes up to 75 mph on I44 in Oklahoma...little did I know that I was going to have to pay $3.50 to sit on a one lane toll road. Let's talk about the toll road. In most states you pay for the portion of the road you have driven on. Apparently, in Oklahoma, you pay for the whole road and get a refund when you get off. That doesn't register as an efficient way to run a business in my mind. So two miles after paying $3.50, we exited for highway 69 and got a $1.75 refund. Make sure you save your receipt. So...highway 69 goes through some small towns, which we knew, and we expected to have to slow down. Unfortunately, between each of the small towns, there was some sort of construction on the highway. That means every 20 min we came up to a sign saying speed zone ahead. We were in these speed zones for about 10 minutes usually, going 45 mph. The other 10 minutes were at 70 mph ish. So if your doing the math with me...for every hour that I wanted to drive 70 miles...we covered 58 miles. According to our GPS, driving through Oklahoma added 40 minutes to our trip, and we didn't even get out of the car. Oh...and the roads need more construction b/c they are very rough.
Finally we crossed in to TX and all was back to normal...or so we thought. We decided that after 10hrs in the car we would stop at a Chick-Fil-A for dinner. Apparently we missed the memo that Friday, July, 11th was dress like a cow and get a free sandwich day. Cute for kids and maybe parents...but not adults w/o kids. Use your imagination.
Anyway, it's great to be back and we cannot wait to see everybody again.

Lions, Tigers, and Giraffes! We Went to the Zoo!

You guessed it! Sara and I went to the Lincoln Park Zoo today in Chicago. This was my first, but certainly not last, visit to this particular zoo. It wasn't the best, or most amazing zoo, but it's free.

This beautiful tiger greeted us as we walked into the zoo.


I know this is a dark picture, but the male lion is just magnificent.

Then there were the tortoises playing leap frog...



...and the rhino trying to blend in with the rocks.

But perhaps the best part of all was the giraffes. They are Sara's and my favorite zoo animal.
(Probably because they are tall)

Happy 4th of July!!!

There is something about watching fireworks and listening to "Proud to be an American" that just makes everything feel...perfect. It's hard to believe that the almost every person in the greatest nation on Earth did this exact same thing tonight. I wonder what people in other countries think about our traditions of freedom?

Our day couldn't have been more wonderful. We woke up and sipped on some coffee at around 8am. Then we headed out the door for the local parade. It was more of a marching commercial than a parade, but it did have it's high points. For example, there is a group called The Lawnmower Brigade that performs with their lawnmowers every year. They have a theme (usually about current events) and dance to appropriate music. This years theme was polygamy, and the song of choice was "Who's Your Daddy" by Toby Keith. Imagine 20 grown men in dresses, with pregnant bellies, dancing.
After the parade we came home and had brats and favorite salad (macaroni, tuna, mayo, and relish) out on the patio. Then we relaxed inside and out.

That brings us to FIREWORKS! We left the house at 7:45 with chairs, blankets, and sweaters. Yes, I said blankets and sweaters. It was in the 50's. We munched on popcorn and cotton candy as we waited for two hours to watch the show. It was well worth the wait.

Porch swings and summertime...

I was sitting on my parents porch swing, enjoying the breeze and cloudless sky, reflecting on summer. It truly does not feel like summer until you are sitting on the screened in porch with the breeze blowing and doing nothing! It is so peaceful I can hear birds chirping and the creaking of the swing going back and forth. It feels like a scene from a movie. This is how I have spent the past couple of days! The fact that we can be outside without sweating is amazing! You forget how hot Texas is until you leave and head north. It has been a relaxing start to a great vacation.

My mom and I were fortunate enough to go on a garden walk on Sunday...no sweating involved! The weather was almost as beautiful as the gardens. One of the homes that we went to had a great fruit garden (I'm sure there is a more technical/botanical term but I don't know what it is). There were cherry trees, pear trees and apple trees. It was so beautiful! Some of the gardens were so hidden you had to go hunting for them...it was like the secret garden! Check out the pond behind my mom and me, that is in someone's back yard!