Well...I am sad sad SAD to report that my mom's visit was canceled because of flight trouble. Grrr!! She had a very stressful day on Friday, and eventually the entire was cancelled. She will reschedule, possibly in September for her birthday. I am so bummed that she didn't get to spend a few days with us in Fred :( The weather wasn't fabulous, so it wasn't a complete loss. It rained a lot of Saturday -- we've been getting so much rain lately! Crazy enough, there was a tornado in Abilene this weekend and there was definitely some damage in specific areas of town. Luckily, the area of our townhouse was spared. Yikes!
This weekend, in Mom's absence, we made due with her. Chris did some intense workouts (he is in full Ironman training now!), I did laundry, and we ate lots of good food! We tried one of the oldest German restaurants in town, which we have never been to in all of the 16 years we've been coming here. Crazy! It was very tasty! It was authentic and quaint inside, what a fun evening! We tried a new-to-us winery too, but weren't too fond of the experience there. Overall it was a relaxing weekend. We finished it off with free wine with friends this afternoon.
The week ahead...pretty normal, overall. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and we have VIPs on Friday morning. Then, the weekend in Fred!!
Next weekend, we may visit a house that just went on the market in Fred. It's our favorite house in town, it's so cute! We aren't interested in buying it, obviously...we love our house! But, we just want to see it! It was built in the 40s but has been redone and there is a little guest house in the back. It's so adorable! The market in Fred is insane -- it is 1958 square feet, and almost $800,000!!!! Outrageous. Our friend/realtor Don is up for taking us to see it! :)
Not much else to report at the moment...more later!!
May 19, 2019
May 05, 2019
Weekend Update
The Babers enjoyed another productive and fun weekend!
:: Chris did two intensive workouts
:: I potted my two new baby succulents
:: I took Poppy on two walks
:: We worked on demo - I chipped up tile and Chris took down drywall and wall studs
:: I repotted my potato vine so I can put it in full sun; will find something else for the partial sun area
:: I did laundry
:: We met our friend, Don, for wine on Saturday
:: We enjoyed food at La Tequilla Jalisco and The Brewery
:: Chris met Don's family for wine Sunday (I had a headache, so relaxed at the house)
:: I started my next book club book
:: I talked with my Grandma
:: I gave Poppy a bath
:: I painted a second coat on the porch swing
We'll head back to Abilene here in a bit...the week ahead looks to be pretty normal, overall. I am having lunch with my bestie tomorrow, and am looking very forward to it! Then it is back to Fred for the weekend. We'll head back early on Sunday so we can have a Mother's Day lunch with Mimi. And then, the following weekend, I get to spend a belated Mother's Day with my mom!!!!! So excited for her visit. Can't wait to show her the Fred house, and relax together. Whoop!!!
Have a fantastic week!
:: Chris did two intensive workouts
:: I potted my two new baby succulents
:: I took Poppy on two walks
:: We worked on demo - I chipped up tile and Chris took down drywall and wall studs
:: I repotted my potato vine so I can put it in full sun; will find something else for the partial sun area
:: I did laundry
:: We met our friend, Don, for wine on Saturday
:: We enjoyed food at La Tequilla Jalisco and The Brewery
:: Chris met Don's family for wine Sunday (I had a headache, so relaxed at the house)
:: I started my next book club book
:: I talked with my Grandma
:: I gave Poppy a bath
:: I painted a second coat on the porch swing
We'll head back to Abilene here in a bit...the week ahead looks to be pretty normal, overall. I am having lunch with my bestie tomorrow, and am looking very forward to it! Then it is back to Fred for the weekend. We'll head back early on Sunday so we can have a Mother's Day lunch with Mimi. And then, the following weekend, I get to spend a belated Mother's Day with my mom!!!!! So excited for her visit. Can't wait to show her the Fred house, and relax together. Whoop!!!
Have a fantastic week!
April 28, 2019
Post-Vacation Update
Hello! Our vacation is coming to an end, sadly...we have thoroughly enjoyed our ten days in Fredericksburg, and are feeling sad about returning to reality tomorrow. Such is life.
Our ten days here were filled with fun and some productivity, too. We spent time with friends, took advantage of our daily free wine at the two wineries where we have memberships, ate a lot of good food, and relaxed as much as possible. In terms of productivity, I was able to get one coat painted on my porch swing (still needs a second coat); and I got some stuff planted in our front pot (jury is still out on whether those choices are going to work). Chris was able to get a wall built and installed on the other side of the house, which will separate the laundry room from the rent room. I also took two loads of cardboard to the recycling center.
Saturday, we went through orientation at the animal shelter in town so that we can begin volunteering there. It is a very nice place, and we'll be working with the dogs. They have about 25 at the moment, and we can walk them, play with them, love on them, etc. Now that orientation is over, we can show up whenever we want to volunteer. Looking forward to that.
Also Saturday, four of our crazy coworkers came to Fred for the day and we enjoyed some time with them! It was fun to hang out with them at the wineries.
Now, we are getting things packed up and will be heading to Abilene shortly...then it is the weird adjustment period of catching up after vacation. A lot happens in a week's time, so that is always daunting. I have book club Monday evening, and we have the big Shareholder's Meeting at work on Tuesday...
Hope you all have a super week ahead!
Our ten days here were filled with fun and some productivity, too. We spent time with friends, took advantage of our daily free wine at the two wineries where we have memberships, ate a lot of good food, and relaxed as much as possible. In terms of productivity, I was able to get one coat painted on my porch swing (still needs a second coat); and I got some stuff planted in our front pot (jury is still out on whether those choices are going to work). Chris was able to get a wall built and installed on the other side of the house, which will separate the laundry room from the rent room. I also took two loads of cardboard to the recycling center.
Saturday, we went through orientation at the animal shelter in town so that we can begin volunteering there. It is a very nice place, and we'll be working with the dogs. They have about 25 at the moment, and we can walk them, play with them, love on them, etc. Now that orientation is over, we can show up whenever we want to volunteer. Looking forward to that.
Also Saturday, four of our crazy coworkers came to Fred for the day and we enjoyed some time with them! It was fun to hang out with them at the wineries.
Now, we are getting things packed up and will be heading to Abilene shortly...then it is the weird adjustment period of catching up after vacation. A lot happens in a week's time, so that is always daunting. I have book club Monday evening, and we have the big Shareholder's Meeting at work on Tuesday...
Hope you all have a super week ahead!
April 21, 2019
Happy Easter!
I hope that you all had a lovely Easter! Our greatest blessing is that the tomb was empty...thank you God for Jesus!
We enjoyed the early 8:30 Easter church service this morning in Fred, and then relaxed for a bit at home (well...I did, while Chris did an hour-long run!). Then, we drove out into the country to The Preserve, for our elephant experience! It was such a fun few hours, I'm so glad we did it! There were about 30 people there with us. There were five female Asian elephants -- Tai, Dixie, Rosie, Kitty, and Becky. There were about 7 handlers, and the main woman taught us a lot about elephants in general and especially the Asian elephant. There are much fewer Asian elephants in the world than African elephants...the Asian version has much, much smaller ears, and one additional toe on each foot. They are covered in wiry hair that helps moderate their temperature.
First, they had Becky do a few tricks and then lay down on her side. Then we each got to take a turn scrubbing her with Mr. Bubble -- their skin didn't feel at all like I expected! It was also fun to play with her big ear! We were then taught about how they take care of their feet, and we were able to grind on the toes a bit if we wanted. It was interesting, they basically walk on their toes, and their heel portion is very tall and cushioned. Afterwards, we went to the main area and some of the elephants did some tricks for us, which was fun. They gathered up all 5 of them for photo ops, and then they all came under the tents to enjoy their treats -- carrots, bananas, and a full watermelon! It was fun to see how they ate it all! The carrots and bananas were eaten whole, and they did the watermelons two different ways -- a few of then stomped on it with their foot to break it, and then ate it in pieces. The rest of them scooped it up and crushed it in their trunks, and then proceeded to eat the chunks.
They seemed to have such sweet, relaxed souls...and they are so smart and well trained. Amazing creatures!!!! It was a sweet way to spend part of our Easter today.
Afterwards, we stopped for some frozen yogurt...relaxed at the house...and I made a delicious dinner of beef strogranoff and roasted asparagus. Mmmmm!
Going back...our Saturday in Fred was quite enjoyable too! A bike ride and run for Chris; a nice long walk for me and Poppy; met our friends at Becker for wine and great conversation; went to the first anniversary celebration of Hye Cider, our favorite quirky place - had a crawfish boil and a live rock band that was so fun!
Going back more...we had Good Friday off work!! So we came down to Fred Thursday evening. Our Friday was filled with good stuff like wine and walking Main St. and etc etc.
And now...Chris and I are on VACATION!!!!!!! So very needed for both of us. We are very excited to have a stay-cation here in Fred, and spend the week doing whatever we desire. It was very nice to not have to drive back to Abilene this evening...and I am looking so forward to the rest of our week here.
Hope you all have a lovely week ahead!!
We enjoyed the early 8:30 Easter church service this morning in Fred, and then relaxed for a bit at home (well...I did, while Chris did an hour-long run!). Then, we drove out into the country to The Preserve, for our elephant experience! It was such a fun few hours, I'm so glad we did it! There were about 30 people there with us. There were five female Asian elephants -- Tai, Dixie, Rosie, Kitty, and Becky. There were about 7 handlers, and the main woman taught us a lot about elephants in general and especially the Asian elephant. There are much fewer Asian elephants in the world than African elephants...the Asian version has much, much smaller ears, and one additional toe on each foot. They are covered in wiry hair that helps moderate their temperature.
First, they had Becky do a few tricks and then lay down on her side. Then we each got to take a turn scrubbing her with Mr. Bubble -- their skin didn't feel at all like I expected! It was also fun to play with her big ear! We were then taught about how they take care of their feet, and we were able to grind on the toes a bit if we wanted. It was interesting, they basically walk on their toes, and their heel portion is very tall and cushioned. Afterwards, we went to the main area and some of the elephants did some tricks for us, which was fun. They gathered up all 5 of them for photo ops, and then they all came under the tents to enjoy their treats -- carrots, bananas, and a full watermelon! It was fun to see how they ate it all! The carrots and bananas were eaten whole, and they did the watermelons two different ways -- a few of then stomped on it with their foot to break it, and then ate it in pieces. The rest of them scooped it up and crushed it in their trunks, and then proceeded to eat the chunks.
They seemed to have such sweet, relaxed souls...and they are so smart and well trained. Amazing creatures!!!! It was a sweet way to spend part of our Easter today.
Afterwards, we stopped for some frozen yogurt...relaxed at the house...and I made a delicious dinner of beef strogranoff and roasted asparagus. Mmmmm!
Going back...our Saturday in Fred was quite enjoyable too! A bike ride and run for Chris; a nice long walk for me and Poppy; met our friends at Becker for wine and great conversation; went to the first anniversary celebration of Hye Cider, our favorite quirky place - had a crawfish boil and a live rock band that was so fun!
Going back more...we had Good Friday off work!! So we came down to Fred Thursday evening. Our Friday was filled with good stuff like wine and walking Main St. and etc etc.
And now...Chris and I are on VACATION!!!!!!! So very needed for both of us. We are very excited to have a stay-cation here in Fred, and spend the week doing whatever we desire. It was very nice to not have to drive back to Abilene this evening...and I am looking so forward to the rest of our week here.
Hope you all have a lovely week ahead!!
April 14, 2019
Overdue Update
Well! It's been a bit since I've posted, and I just now realized it today! I do apologize to my three readers, ha!!
Life has been moving along as expected...working in Abilene during the week, and spending our weekends in Fred. I will back track just a bit, to tell you about our fun weekend with Aspen and Geordon.
They came down to Fred at the end of March to spend the weekend with us...two Christmases ago, we gifted them with a weekend in Fred, but they were only just now able to cash in on it because Aspen's old work schedule had her working on the weekends. Now that she is in Arlington and working a job with normal hours, they are getting to do fun stuff on the weekends! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them...we gave them the full Fred experience and hit our favorite places. Lots of yummy food and drinks and even a very nice dinner at August E's. It was great to spend some time with them, just hanging out. They are so funny together, truly a perfect match. We love getting to see her happy.
Back to current...we've started doing demo on the other side of the house, which is the area that we will rent out on Air B&B! So exciting! It was the garage, and the previous owners had closed it in and made it into three separate areas...the laundry room, an office, and a small garage/storage room. Our plan is to keep a small area for our laundry room, and then make the rest into one big room and a bathroom for renting. We are going to try to do most of it ourselves, except for the bathroom and the replacement of the garage door with French doors (or something similar). Chris has gotten quite a bit of the demo done! I helped as much as I could, in terms of taking drywall/wood to the trash pile, etc. We are excited to get this project done and decorated and rented!
Great news is that we are about to have a ten day stay-cation in our Fred house! We will work four days this week and then we are off for Good Friday...and then our vacation begins! We are looking forward to the down time, and also to getting a lot accomplished on the demo/remodel. We will be in Fred for my birthday, which will be nice...and on Easter Sunday, we have tickets to an elephant reserve here in town! We'll get to help bathe the elephants and give them pedicures, and learn all about them in an intimate setting. Super excited about that!
So, that's where things are with us! I'll try to be more consistent with my Sunday updates!
Life has been moving along as expected...working in Abilene during the week, and spending our weekends in Fred. I will back track just a bit, to tell you about our fun weekend with Aspen and Geordon.
They came down to Fred at the end of March to spend the weekend with us...two Christmases ago, we gifted them with a weekend in Fred, but they were only just now able to cash in on it because Aspen's old work schedule had her working on the weekends. Now that she is in Arlington and working a job with normal hours, they are getting to do fun stuff on the weekends! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them...we gave them the full Fred experience and hit our favorite places. Lots of yummy food and drinks and even a very nice dinner at August E's. It was great to spend some time with them, just hanging out. They are so funny together, truly a perfect match. We love getting to see her happy.
Back to current...we've started doing demo on the other side of the house, which is the area that we will rent out on Air B&B! So exciting! It was the garage, and the previous owners had closed it in and made it into three separate areas...the laundry room, an office, and a small garage/storage room. Our plan is to keep a small area for our laundry room, and then make the rest into one big room and a bathroom for renting. We are going to try to do most of it ourselves, except for the bathroom and the replacement of the garage door with French doors (or something similar). Chris has gotten quite a bit of the demo done! I helped as much as I could, in terms of taking drywall/wood to the trash pile, etc. We are excited to get this project done and decorated and rented!
Great news is that we are about to have a ten day stay-cation in our Fred house! We will work four days this week and then we are off for Good Friday...and then our vacation begins! We are looking forward to the down time, and also to getting a lot accomplished on the demo/remodel. We will be in Fred for my birthday, which will be nice...and on Easter Sunday, we have tickets to an elephant reserve here in town! We'll get to help bathe the elephants and give them pedicures, and learn all about them in an intimate setting. Super excited about that!
So, that's where things are with us! I'll try to be more consistent with my Sunday updates!
March 24, 2019
Weekend Recap
:: Overall, it was a nice, quiet week at work since a lot of people were away on the Cabo incentive trip. It was a great opportunity to catch up on some things and reset.
:: Then, on Friday evening, we headed to Fred! We had dinner at the Brewery and then Chris put together a new piece of furniture for one of the bedrooms. A low console for a tv.
:: Saturday morning, Chris did a long bike ride and I did the menu for the week and the grocery list with Walmart. Took care of some laundry. Then, we had lunch at Mac's BBQ - it's new to town. There is one on the way down to Fred that we have stopped at a few times, and it has always been delicious. I didn't think this location was quite as good, but it is still new and working out the kinks. Then we did some walking through the shops on Main Street and enjoyed the cool, misty temperatures. Before heading home for the afternoon, we went to see Cross Mountain, which is very close to our house. It's a steep climb but there are little steps to use, and the view from the top was beautiful! There is a huge white cross at the top, with a few little benches. We enjoyed our visit there. After some time with Poppy, we headed back out for dinner at our Mexican place...then wrapped up the evening at The Stable. They weren't very crowded at all, which was soooo nice. We even had quite a nice conversation with another couple there, who was celebrating their anniversary. It was a very fun evening.
:: We enjoyed the Sunday message at church, which was on forgiveness...so much good info there. Now we are doing our Sunday things -- another workout for Chris, more laundry, picking up the groceries, etc. I'm also going to do the final touch up painting on our turquoise wall and get that finished.
:: The week ahead looks to be pretty basic, and then Aspen and Geordon are coming to spend the weekend with us in Fred! We are looking forward to our time with them, it's going to be fun!
:: Then, on Friday evening, we headed to Fred! We had dinner at the Brewery and then Chris put together a new piece of furniture for one of the bedrooms. A low console for a tv.
:: Saturday morning, Chris did a long bike ride and I did the menu for the week and the grocery list with Walmart. Took care of some laundry. Then, we had lunch at Mac's BBQ - it's new to town. There is one on the way down to Fred that we have stopped at a few times, and it has always been delicious. I didn't think this location was quite as good, but it is still new and working out the kinks. Then we did some walking through the shops on Main Street and enjoyed the cool, misty temperatures. Before heading home for the afternoon, we went to see Cross Mountain, which is very close to our house. It's a steep climb but there are little steps to use, and the view from the top was beautiful! There is a huge white cross at the top, with a few little benches. We enjoyed our visit there. After some time with Poppy, we headed back out for dinner at our Mexican place...then wrapped up the evening at The Stable. They weren't very crowded at all, which was soooo nice. We even had quite a nice conversation with another couple there, who was celebrating their anniversary. It was a very fun evening.
:: We enjoyed the Sunday message at church, which was on forgiveness...so much good info there. Now we are doing our Sunday things -- another workout for Chris, more laundry, picking up the groceries, etc. I'm also going to do the final touch up painting on our turquoise wall and get that finished.
:: The week ahead looks to be pretty basic, and then Aspen and Geordon are coming to spend the weekend with us in Fred! We are looking forward to our time with them, it's going to be fun!
March 17, 2019
Fun Weekend
:: It was a Back to Fred weekend! I haven't been in two weekends, and I greatly missed it!
:: We drove down on Friday evening, and it was so nice because the time change gave us more daylight to drive in. So we didn't have to worry quite so much about all the crazy deer. We had dinner at our Mexican place and called it a night.
:: Saturday was a very fun, relaxing day. Chris started with a bike workout and I did the grocery list and the laundry. Then we had lunch at Wildseed Farms before heading to a new-to-us winery called Narrow Path. It was out in the country and was very nice -- great views, great wine, and a very modern atmosphere. We'll definitely go back. Then we stopped at a new place called The Wine Garage. The owner has an impressive collection of classic cars displayed and it was fun to look at them all. Then we went home to get Poppy, and then headed back to Pontotoc on Main Street near our house, which is dog friendly. We want to try to socialize her a bit more, and it went well. She is very nervous and skittish, but she did ok for her first time. Later that evening, we had dinner at Sozial Haus and finished up with dessert at the Buffalo Nickel.
:: Sunday - another bike ride + a run, and more laundry for me. I need to do some reading for the final session of my book study at work. I'll pick up groceries later. We can leave a little later now, since it gets dark later...
:: The week ahead -- I am finally getting my hair done! I missed my last appointment, when Mimi was in the hospital. I have soooo much gray!!! Need to get that remedied quick! Then the rest of the week should hopefully be pretty quiet because a lot of people will be gone on the incentive trip. I'm hoping to catch up on a few things and reset. Then, Friday -- back to Fred!
Have a great week everyone!
:: We drove down on Friday evening, and it was so nice because the time change gave us more daylight to drive in. So we didn't have to worry quite so much about all the crazy deer. We had dinner at our Mexican place and called it a night.
:: Saturday was a very fun, relaxing day. Chris started with a bike workout and I did the grocery list and the laundry. Then we had lunch at Wildseed Farms before heading to a new-to-us winery called Narrow Path. It was out in the country and was very nice -- great views, great wine, and a very modern atmosphere. We'll definitely go back. Then we stopped at a new place called The Wine Garage. The owner has an impressive collection of classic cars displayed and it was fun to look at them all. Then we went home to get Poppy, and then headed back to Pontotoc on Main Street near our house, which is dog friendly. We want to try to socialize her a bit more, and it went well. She is very nervous and skittish, but she did ok for her first time. Later that evening, we had dinner at Sozial Haus and finished up with dessert at the Buffalo Nickel.
:: Sunday - another bike ride + a run, and more laundry for me. I need to do some reading for the final session of my book study at work. I'll pick up groceries later. We can leave a little later now, since it gets dark later...
:: The week ahead -- I am finally getting my hair done! I missed my last appointment, when Mimi was in the hospital. I have soooo much gray!!! Need to get that remedied quick! Then the rest of the week should hopefully be pretty quiet because a lot of people will be gone on the incentive trip. I'm hoping to catch up on a few things and reset. Then, Friday -- back to Fred!
Have a great week everyone!
March 10, 2019
Scrapbook Retreat
Oh, it has been a wonderful few days! This was the weekend of my annual scrapbook retreat in Mansfield, TX! I always look very forward to this time away each year, and we made a lot of good memories this year!
Kim and I left Abilene on Wednesday at 6:30, after both working a little late. We really enjoyed the 2.5 hour trip together, talking and laughing. We stopped at Chik-fil-A for a quick dinner and arrived at the retreat house around 9:30. After a quick unload of all of our materials, we then headed to the Super Target with our other friend, Kim, to get a few snacks.
Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday have all been filled with traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, reading, watching Netflix, chatting with friends, naps, and writing.
I had a few random traditional scrapbook pages to accomplish, and that felt a little weird and overwhelming since I haven't done much of it over the past two years since going digital. But, I was able to get about 10 pages done. Digitally, I worked on the Ironman Texas album from beginning to end - chose the photos, put them in order, copied them over to my phone, got the photos all placed into layouts, added titles and artwork to the pages, and then finished up with all of the journaling. Then I placed the order to have the book printed! Big success there, super happy!! I was able to finish up The Masterpiece book that I was reading, and it was really good. I made it through the entire season of YOU, the creepy Netflix series I've been watching. I also pulled out the book I started writing awhile back, and after reading through it, decided I want to try working on it more.
Friday evening, Kim, Kim, and I met Aspen and Geordon for dinner! They live about 30 minutes from the retreat house, so it was so fun that they were willing to meet me! So good to see them! Saturday evening, all 14 of us retreaters had dinner together at El Primo's (Mexican) and that was a lot of fun, too!
We did have a little drama...one of the water heaters at the retreat house had a huge leak, and flooded the garage where they have a lot of scrapbook supplies. Thankfully one of the retreaters heard the water and with the help of a neighbor down the street, we were able to get the water turned off. But, the damage was already done. They had to come remove everything the garage, including the carpeted flooring. It was a full day of work for them. They have quite a bit of drywall damage, and it's not going to be cheap. We had plumbers and water damage companies in and out all day.
Today we will be wrapping things up...packing and cleaning up our huge mess! We will head home around 5 or 6 and thankfully I took Monday off so I can recover a bit!! I can do laundry and grocery shop and put all of my stuff away. Looking forward to that too!
Kim and I left Abilene on Wednesday at 6:30, after both working a little late. We really enjoyed the 2.5 hour trip together, talking and laughing. We stopped at Chik-fil-A for a quick dinner and arrived at the retreat house around 9:30. After a quick unload of all of our materials, we then headed to the Super Target with our other friend, Kim, to get a few snacks.
Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday have all been filled with traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, reading, watching Netflix, chatting with friends, naps, and writing.
I had a few random traditional scrapbook pages to accomplish, and that felt a little weird and overwhelming since I haven't done much of it over the past two years since going digital. But, I was able to get about 10 pages done. Digitally, I worked on the Ironman Texas album from beginning to end - chose the photos, put them in order, copied them over to my phone, got the photos all placed into layouts, added titles and artwork to the pages, and then finished up with all of the journaling. Then I placed the order to have the book printed! Big success there, super happy!! I was able to finish up The Masterpiece book that I was reading, and it was really good. I made it through the entire season of YOU, the creepy Netflix series I've been watching. I also pulled out the book I started writing awhile back, and after reading through it, decided I want to try working on it more.
Friday evening, Kim, Kim, and I met Aspen and Geordon for dinner! They live about 30 minutes from the retreat house, so it was so fun that they were willing to meet me! So good to see them! Saturday evening, all 14 of us retreaters had dinner together at El Primo's (Mexican) and that was a lot of fun, too!
We did have a little drama...one of the water heaters at the retreat house had a huge leak, and flooded the garage where they have a lot of scrapbook supplies. Thankfully one of the retreaters heard the water and with the help of a neighbor down the street, we were able to get the water turned off. But, the damage was already done. They had to come remove everything the garage, including the carpeted flooring. It was a full day of work for them. They have quite a bit of drywall damage, and it's not going to be cheap. We had plumbers and water damage companies in and out all day.
Today we will be wrapping things up...packing and cleaning up our huge mess! We will head home around 5 or 6 and thankfully I took Monday off so I can recover a bit!! I can do laundry and grocery shop and put all of my stuff away. Looking forward to that too!
March 03, 2019
Weekend Recap
:: This weekend, Chris and Mimi went to the Oklahoma casino for some gambling and the Lionel Richie concert. From what I've heard so far, it seems like they are having a good time together! I'm sure they will be full of stories when they return!
:: I've had a nice weekend myself! Me and Poppy have enjoyed our time together.
:: Friday evening, I did some errands and then worked on getting the rest of our stuff unpacked and the kitchen organized.
:: Saturday, I made the grocery list and then met the couple out in Tuscola so they could pick up the RV. It was a little sad to watch it pull away...the end of a very fun chapter. But couple is very sweet and they are really going to enjoy it. It feels good to have all of that wrapped up. Then, later I met Kim for a movie date - we saw The Upside - it was a good movie and I enjoyed the bestie time! Afterwards, I did some shopping at Target, Kohl's, and Hobby Lobby. I haven't really shopped in quite a long time, and I must say I just really don't enjoy it at all. All the people! Whew. I much prefer shopping online! I also did not find very much. I was wanting to get some new clothes, but couldn't find anything. I also wanted to find some decorations for the Fred house...again, nothing :( I did find a little bedside table for Chris for the townhouse. And a cute little mint green vintage-style glass. Just because. Then, I picked up some Wing Stop for dinner and enjoyed the evening with my sweet pup.
:: Sunday, I did our laundry and will be getting the groceries soon. Chris and Mimi will be home later this afternoon.
: The first part of the week is going to be pretty hectic, and the second half of the week is going to be fun, fun, fun! We have TWO VIP trips this week - one on Monday, one on Wednesday. But, on Wednesday after work, Kim and I will be heading to Mansfield for the scrapbook retreat! We'll get set up and then wake up Thursday morning ready to go! We'll have fun and relax there through Sunday. Can't wait!! I look so forward to our retreat every year! Then, I'll be off on Monday, too, so I can get everything put away and do the laundry/grocery shopping. Whoop!
:: Hope you all have a great week!
:: I've had a nice weekend myself! Me and Poppy have enjoyed our time together.
:: Friday evening, I did some errands and then worked on getting the rest of our stuff unpacked and the kitchen organized.
:: Saturday, I made the grocery list and then met the couple out in Tuscola so they could pick up the RV. It was a little sad to watch it pull away...the end of a very fun chapter. But couple is very sweet and they are really going to enjoy it. It feels good to have all of that wrapped up. Then, later I met Kim for a movie date - we saw The Upside - it was a good movie and I enjoyed the bestie time! Afterwards, I did some shopping at Target, Kohl's, and Hobby Lobby. I haven't really shopped in quite a long time, and I must say I just really don't enjoy it at all. All the people! Whew. I much prefer shopping online! I also did not find very much. I was wanting to get some new clothes, but couldn't find anything. I also wanted to find some decorations for the Fred house...again, nothing :( I did find a little bedside table for Chris for the townhouse. And a cute little mint green vintage-style glass. Just because. Then, I picked up some Wing Stop for dinner and enjoyed the evening with my sweet pup.
:: Sunday, I did our laundry and will be getting the groceries soon. Chris and Mimi will be home later this afternoon.
: The first part of the week is going to be pretty hectic, and the second half of the week is going to be fun, fun, fun! We have TWO VIP trips this week - one on Monday, one on Wednesday. But, on Wednesday after work, Kim and I will be heading to Mansfield for the scrapbook retreat! We'll get set up and then wake up Thursday morning ready to go! We'll have fun and relax there through Sunday. Can't wait!! I look so forward to our retreat every year! Then, I'll be off on Monday, too, so I can get everything put away and do the laundry/grocery shopping. Whoop!
:: Hope you all have a great week!
February 24, 2019
Weekend Update
: We've had slightly crisp but beautiful weather here in Fred this weekend...and the Bradford Pear tree in our yard is starting to bloom! It's so pretty!
: The week was fairly stressful...the two-day workshop was really good, but it did let the work pile up while I was away. I worked late Monday and Tuesday to try and catch up. Chris had a stressful week too. We were very happy for the weekend.
: We sold our full size bed and they picked it up on Thursday. Check! We ordered the king size mattress that we'll use at the townhouse, and we will pick that up tomorrow after work (Monday). Check! Then Tuesday we plan to pack up the rest of the stuff in the RV and get it all moved over and we'll begin living there. The rest of the week, we will clean up the trailer and get it set to sell. We have a man interested in it, and he may come out to see it next weekend. His trailer was stolen, and they are waiting for the insurance claim to finalize. Please say a little prayer for that, it will be great to get it sold.
: On Friday evening, I had a Bestie date with Kim and it was so nice! We had dinner at Szechuan and had the chance to chat and catch up. Then we watched "Something Rotten!" at the Civic Center. It was a fun musical and we both really enjoyed it. What a great Christmas gift from her!
: Saturday morning, Chris and I headed to Fred...then he did a run while I did the grocery list, and then we went out for a fun, relaxing day. We had lunch at the Brewery, and then picked up our wine club wine at Grape Creek, which enjoying our free glass of wine too! Then we found a new-to-us winery that is right on Main Street -- we've somehow never even seen it before, but it was very cute and their Tempranillo sangria was so delish! Then we spent some time at home with Poppy before having dinner at a Mexican place. Our normal spot was closed for the week so they could do some renovations, so we tried a new place. It was ok, but we'll definitely be going back to our other place!
: Today, we are going to have lunch with our friend, Kiki, and his girlfriend, Ali. They went to San Antonio for the weekend, and will be coming back through Fred around lunch time. It will be great to spend some time with them! Then picking up our grocery order and heading back to Abilene.
: The week ahead will be fairly busy...moving our stuff, cleaning the RV, etc. On Friday, Chris and Mimi are heading to the casino in Oklahoma for a concert and weekend together. I plan to do some shopping in Abilene, and I'm also going to a movie with Kim on Saturday. Will be nice.
Here's to a great week ahead for us all!!
: The week was fairly stressful...the two-day workshop was really good, but it did let the work pile up while I was away. I worked late Monday and Tuesday to try and catch up. Chris had a stressful week too. We were very happy for the weekend.
: We sold our full size bed and they picked it up on Thursday. Check! We ordered the king size mattress that we'll use at the townhouse, and we will pick that up tomorrow after work (Monday). Check! Then Tuesday we plan to pack up the rest of the stuff in the RV and get it all moved over and we'll begin living there. The rest of the week, we will clean up the trailer and get it set to sell. We have a man interested in it, and he may come out to see it next weekend. His trailer was stolen, and they are waiting for the insurance claim to finalize. Please say a little prayer for that, it will be great to get it sold.
: On Friday evening, I had a Bestie date with Kim and it was so nice! We had dinner at Szechuan and had the chance to chat and catch up. Then we watched "Something Rotten!" at the Civic Center. It was a fun musical and we both really enjoyed it. What a great Christmas gift from her!
: Saturday morning, Chris and I headed to Fred...then he did a run while I did the grocery list, and then we went out for a fun, relaxing day. We had lunch at the Brewery, and then picked up our wine club wine at Grape Creek, which enjoying our free glass of wine too! Then we found a new-to-us winery that is right on Main Street -- we've somehow never even seen it before, but it was very cute and their Tempranillo sangria was so delish! Then we spent some time at home with Poppy before having dinner at a Mexican place. Our normal spot was closed for the week so they could do some renovations, so we tried a new place. It was ok, but we'll definitely be going back to our other place!
: Today, we are going to have lunch with our friend, Kiki, and his girlfriend, Ali. They went to San Antonio for the weekend, and will be coming back through Fred around lunch time. It will be great to spend some time with them! Then picking up our grocery order and heading back to Abilene.
: The week ahead will be fairly busy...moving our stuff, cleaning the RV, etc. On Friday, Chris and Mimi are heading to the casino in Oklahoma for a concert and weekend together. I plan to do some shopping in Abilene, and I'm also going to a movie with Kim on Saturday. Will be nice.
Here's to a great week ahead for us all!!
February 17, 2019
Weekend Recap
:: The week -- whew, it was LONG. And filled with some stress. I am so thankful for Fredericksburg and being able to look forward to getting away there most weekends. It's truly a blessing.
:: We drove to Fred Friday after work, and had dinner at our Mexican place. Saturday, it was supposed to be in the 80s; however, it ended up only being in the upper 60s, but that was still pretty nice. We had a good, relaxing morning and then decided to try out some new-to-us places. We drove out to Johnson City, which is about 25 minutes from Fred.
:: We tried out Vinovium, which had a great atmosphere. They have wine and cider on tap, and a great patio area. We enjoyed some drinks and got some BBQ from the place next door. Then, we tried out Hye Cider, which was super eclectic and quirky. We had fun there! Then we stopped at a small Pop Up winery and had some good conversation with the owner and another couple. Overall, it was a very good, relaxing day and we greatly enjoyed it.
:: We decided to spend the evening at the house...we ordered some pizzas from West End, and I picked them up. Chris also painted the accent wall in the living room, and it turned out so fun! Check out Instagram and Facebook for photos! Absolutely love it!
:: Currently, Chris is out running and I am listening to Fleetwood Mac on the record player and doing some laundry. Getting the groceries here in a bit, and then it's back to our weekday life.
:: The week ahead -- I have a two-day off-site meeting with the supervisors from our company. Should be interesting. Friday evening, I am going to a show at the Civic Center with Kim. It was my Christmas gift from her...looking forward to it! Then we are coming back to Fred Saturday morning.
Hope you all have a great week!!
:: We drove to Fred Friday after work, and had dinner at our Mexican place. Saturday, it was supposed to be in the 80s; however, it ended up only being in the upper 60s, but that was still pretty nice. We had a good, relaxing morning and then decided to try out some new-to-us places. We drove out to Johnson City, which is about 25 minutes from Fred.
:: We tried out Vinovium, which had a great atmosphere. They have wine and cider on tap, and a great patio area. We enjoyed some drinks and got some BBQ from the place next door. Then, we tried out Hye Cider, which was super eclectic and quirky. We had fun there! Then we stopped at a small Pop Up winery and had some good conversation with the owner and another couple. Overall, it was a very good, relaxing day and we greatly enjoyed it.
:: We decided to spend the evening at the house...we ordered some pizzas from West End, and I picked them up. Chris also painted the accent wall in the living room, and it turned out so fun! Check out Instagram and Facebook for photos! Absolutely love it!
:: Currently, Chris is out running and I am listening to Fleetwood Mac on the record player and doing some laundry. Getting the groceries here in a bit, and then it's back to our weekday life.
:: The week ahead -- I have a two-day off-site meeting with the supervisors from our company. Should be interesting. Friday evening, I am going to a show at the Civic Center with Kim. It was my Christmas gift from her...looking forward to it! Then we are coming back to Fred Saturday morning.
Hope you all have a great week!!
February 10, 2019
Weekend Update
: Mimi came home from the rehab facility on Wednesday. She's going to still continue to build up her strength with outpatient physical therapy, and will be having some follow up appointments to get some answers on everything else. She has COPD and has been on oxygen at night while she sleeps. She is to the point now where she has to be on oxygen most of the day. She has a little travel backpack to take with her when she goes back to work, leaves the house, etc.
: We're continuing the efforts to get moved over to the townhouse. This weekend, we were able to get quite a bit accomplished. Chris finished painting the bedroom, and I got a ton of stuff packed and moved over. We need to get a mattress, and once we do that we can finalize the move. For now, I'll enjoy our last little bit in the RV...it's been quite a fun experience living in it for a year and a half!
: Chris has a second appointment with his chiropractor on Tuesday. His first adjustment helped him for about two days, but now the pain is back. They'll keep working to figure it out.
: We finally decided what to put above the couch in Fredericksburg...I've been searching for awhile and nothing felt right. My grandma actually planted an interesting seed, and she will be so happy to know that we went with it! We decided to do a map...and I found a site to do a custom one with colors, etc. Once it arrives, I'll be posting it on Instagram once we get it framed and hung!
: We also found some bedside lamps for the bedroom...those should deliver next week.
: Aspen is doing really well! She is loving her new job...if I haven't mentioned it here, she now has a job as an assistant at a law firm. Her boss seems to be very upbeat and encouraging, and she is loving the work she gets to do and is learning a lot. She really needed a normal 8-5 job with work/life balance and benefits. So happy for her. She and Geordon are doing great!
: Not much out-of-the-ordinary is on schedule for the upcoming week. We are hoping to get to Fred for the weekend, and I'm looking very forward to that! Hope you all have a great week!
: We're continuing the efforts to get moved over to the townhouse. This weekend, we were able to get quite a bit accomplished. Chris finished painting the bedroom, and I got a ton of stuff packed and moved over. We need to get a mattress, and once we do that we can finalize the move. For now, I'll enjoy our last little bit in the RV...it's been quite a fun experience living in it for a year and a half!
: Chris has a second appointment with his chiropractor on Tuesday. His first adjustment helped him for about two days, but now the pain is back. They'll keep working to figure it out.
: We finally decided what to put above the couch in Fredericksburg...I've been searching for awhile and nothing felt right. My grandma actually planted an interesting seed, and she will be so happy to know that we went with it! We decided to do a map...and I found a site to do a custom one with colors, etc. Once it arrives, I'll be posting it on Instagram once we get it framed and hung!
: We also found some bedside lamps for the bedroom...those should deliver next week.
: Aspen is doing really well! She is loving her new job...if I haven't mentioned it here, she now has a job as an assistant at a law firm. Her boss seems to be very upbeat and encouraging, and she is loving the work she gets to do and is learning a lot. She really needed a normal 8-5 job with work/life balance and benefits. So happy for her. She and Geordon are doing great!
: Not much out-of-the-ordinary is on schedule for the upcoming week. We are hoping to get to Fred for the weekend, and I'm looking very forward to that! Hope you all have a great week!
February 03, 2019
Weekly Update
It was a long week for us...we worked all day, and then made trips to the hospital each evening to visit Mimi. The hospital is a 15 minute drive from our office, and then a 30 minute drive to where we live. Most evenings, we drove separately so that I was able to leave a little earlier to get home to feed Poppy and let her outside.
Either Tuesday or Wednesday (I can't remember which), they moved Mimi to the rehab facility across the street from the hospital. Because of her falls, they want to build up her strength again and help prevent future falls. We aren't sure how long she will be there -- it's kind of a day-by-day thing. They estimated a few weeks. They have also run more tests and they are trying to see if there are any other issues going on. It's all unknown right now and that's a little stressful. Mimi has had a lot of visitors and that has helped keep her spirits up.
Since she is well taken care of at the rehab facility, we decided to take the opportunity to head to Fredericksburg for the weekend. There are a few things we needed to pick up from there, and we needed some time to rejuvenate a bit. We drove down Friday after work and had dinner at our favorite Mexican place. We also hung the painting in the bathroom.
Saturday, we had a relaxing morning and then enjoyed sushi for lunch on our way out to Hye Meadow Winery. We had some wine there and relaxed on their gorgeous patio. I also took some apple and fed the donkeys :) Then we stopped at a new winery called Ab Astris. It was a few turns off the main road, and we were able to have some good conversation with the four owners. That's always nice! We had dinner at Burger Burger and then spent a nice quiet evening at home with Poppy and watched a movie.
Sunday, we enjoyed church and then Chris did a run to test out how his back is feeling after he got adjusted at the chiropractor. I did laundry and picked up some Subway for lunch.
Back to work tomorrow. We'll see what the week holds for us.
Either Tuesday or Wednesday (I can't remember which), they moved Mimi to the rehab facility across the street from the hospital. Because of her falls, they want to build up her strength again and help prevent future falls. We aren't sure how long she will be there -- it's kind of a day-by-day thing. They estimated a few weeks. They have also run more tests and they are trying to see if there are any other issues going on. It's all unknown right now and that's a little stressful. Mimi has had a lot of visitors and that has helped keep her spirits up.
Since she is well taken care of at the rehab facility, we decided to take the opportunity to head to Fredericksburg for the weekend. There are a few things we needed to pick up from there, and we needed some time to rejuvenate a bit. We drove down Friday after work and had dinner at our favorite Mexican place. We also hung the painting in the bathroom.
Saturday, we had a relaxing morning and then enjoyed sushi for lunch on our way out to Hye Meadow Winery. We had some wine there and relaxed on their gorgeous patio. I also took some apple and fed the donkeys :) Then we stopped at a new winery called Ab Astris. It was a few turns off the main road, and we were able to have some good conversation with the four owners. That's always nice! We had dinner at Burger Burger and then spent a nice quiet evening at home with Poppy and watched a movie.
Sunday, we enjoyed church and then Chris did a run to test out how his back is feeling after he got adjusted at the chiropractor. I did laundry and picked up some Subway for lunch.
Back to work tomorrow. We'll see what the week holds for us.
January 27, 2019
Weekend update
Happy Sunday to all...
You all know...sometimes life doesn't work out the way we plan. It makes us stronger, right?
Our plans for the weekend was a 4 hour drive to the North Dallas area to attend the wedding of one of the graphic designers on my team at work. We were going to leave Saturday and return Sunday. On our way home Sunday, we were going to stop and have lunch with Aspen and Geordon.
When we got to the townhouse to drop Poppy off on Saturday morning, however, our plans quickly changed. Mimi was not doing well at all.
Earlier in the week, she had slipped off her bed while on the phone with Chris...when we got there Saturday morning, we discovered she had fallen again. She was disoriented and in a pain and we determined that she needed to visit the ER to see what was going on.
They discovered a few things there, and decided that she needed to be admitted to the hospital. Her CK levels were high on her bloodwork, which indicated she had been on the floor for awhile when she fell and she possibly had some muscle damage. Then toxins leak into kidneys, so they wanted to hydrate her and flush her kidneys.
So now we wait to see what happens. It's a little unknown and a little scary. We'll gladly accept prayers if you are so inclined to lift some up!
In the meantime...we are most likely going to need to begin the process of moving into the townhouse. Even after coming home from the hospital (whenever that happens to be), she really shouldn't be on her own. With Aspen living in Arlington now, we were already contemplating this since we are no longer receiving monthly rent from Aspen. This just solidifies the decision. We've already traded in the big truck for something that will save us about $400 a month. We've got our RV up on the internet to sell. It will be a process.
So...one day at a time.
The week ahead will consist of work and trips to the hospital which is about 30 minutes from our place. One day at a time.
You all know...sometimes life doesn't work out the way we plan. It makes us stronger, right?
Our plans for the weekend was a 4 hour drive to the North Dallas area to attend the wedding of one of the graphic designers on my team at work. We were going to leave Saturday and return Sunday. On our way home Sunday, we were going to stop and have lunch with Aspen and Geordon.
When we got to the townhouse to drop Poppy off on Saturday morning, however, our plans quickly changed. Mimi was not doing well at all.
Earlier in the week, she had slipped off her bed while on the phone with Chris...when we got there Saturday morning, we discovered she had fallen again. She was disoriented and in a pain and we determined that she needed to visit the ER to see what was going on.
They discovered a few things there, and decided that she needed to be admitted to the hospital. Her CK levels were high on her bloodwork, which indicated she had been on the floor for awhile when she fell and she possibly had some muscle damage. Then toxins leak into kidneys, so they wanted to hydrate her and flush her kidneys.
So now we wait to see what happens. It's a little unknown and a little scary. We'll gladly accept prayers if you are so inclined to lift some up!
In the meantime...we are most likely going to need to begin the process of moving into the townhouse. Even after coming home from the hospital (whenever that happens to be), she really shouldn't be on her own. With Aspen living in Arlington now, we were already contemplating this since we are no longer receiving monthly rent from Aspen. This just solidifies the decision. We've already traded in the big truck for something that will save us about $400 a month. We've got our RV up on the internet to sell. It will be a process.
So...one day at a time.
The week ahead will consist of work and trips to the hospital which is about 30 minutes from our place. One day at a time.
January 20, 2019
Weekend Recap
Our weekend wasn't nearly as productive as it was last weekend, but it was great nonetheless!
: Friday after work, we did the drive to Fred and had dinner at the Brewery...then did the few things around the house that we had: put my plant in its new mid-century planter, put the new bright white lightbulbs in the new bathroom light (the yellow ones that came with the light made the bathroom look incredibly dingy!), and I unpacked wine glasses into the liquor cabinet. Chris worked on getting familiar with his new Wahoo bike trainer...it's pretty cool, it connects to an online program called Zwift that puts an avatar into different courses and he can do training rides with people from all over the world. He's pretty excited about it!
: Saturday, we had breakfast at the house, I did laundry, and then we did some errands. We had to go to the hardware store because the stopper in our toilet tank had a piece break off. We also stopped at the liquor store to stock up on a few bottles to display on the tray on top of the liquor cabinet. We had also heard about a little vintage shop inside the lobby of a small, quirky motel here in town, so we stopped there and looked through their collection of records -- we came away with a few more for the collection: Carol King, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Ritchie, and The Carrs. We had lunch at West End Pizza -- they have a gluten free crust so I was able to have a little treat (I'm currently doing no sugar and no gluten -- 5 pounds down, more to go!). We then spent a few hours at the house relaxing with Poppy. Chris swapped out a lock on the back door and I did some reading. We had Chinese for dinner and then cozied up in the bed with Poppy and our laptops and did some more online searching for more mid-century items. It was a good, relaxing day in our favorite place.
: Sunday, we enjoyed a quiet, relaxing morning...breakfast and Bible reading and a bike ride for Chris. Our friend, Alex, is flying into town for the day and we plan to meet him and his friend for lunch somewhere. Then we'll do our wrap up here and head back to Abilene.
Next weekend, we'll be heading to the Dallas area for a wedding. The week should be fairly straight-forward. Hoping to have great days!
Also very excited -- Chris finally made an appointment with a chiropractor to deal with some issues he's been having with his lower back/hip. He's meeting with a woman that I met a few years ago at a wellness series, who happens to be the one that introduce me to the Whole30 program. I'm excited to see what she can do for him. He's going there on the 28th. Prayers please!
: Friday after work, we did the drive to Fred and had dinner at the Brewery...then did the few things around the house that we had: put my plant in its new mid-century planter, put the new bright white lightbulbs in the new bathroom light (the yellow ones that came with the light made the bathroom look incredibly dingy!), and I unpacked wine glasses into the liquor cabinet. Chris worked on getting familiar with his new Wahoo bike trainer...it's pretty cool, it connects to an online program called Zwift that puts an avatar into different courses and he can do training rides with people from all over the world. He's pretty excited about it!
: Saturday, we had breakfast at the house, I did laundry, and then we did some errands. We had to go to the hardware store because the stopper in our toilet tank had a piece break off. We also stopped at the liquor store to stock up on a few bottles to display on the tray on top of the liquor cabinet. We had also heard about a little vintage shop inside the lobby of a small, quirky motel here in town, so we stopped there and looked through their collection of records -- we came away with a few more for the collection: Carol King, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Ritchie, and The Carrs. We had lunch at West End Pizza -- they have a gluten free crust so I was able to have a little treat (I'm currently doing no sugar and no gluten -- 5 pounds down, more to go!). We then spent a few hours at the house relaxing with Poppy. Chris swapped out a lock on the back door and I did some reading. We had Chinese for dinner and then cozied up in the bed with Poppy and our laptops and did some more online searching for more mid-century items. It was a good, relaxing day in our favorite place.
: Sunday, we enjoyed a quiet, relaxing morning...breakfast and Bible reading and a bike ride for Chris. Our friend, Alex, is flying into town for the day and we plan to meet him and his friend for lunch somewhere. Then we'll do our wrap up here and head back to Abilene.
Next weekend, we'll be heading to the Dallas area for a wedding. The week should be fairly straight-forward. Hoping to have great days!
Also very excited -- Chris finally made an appointment with a chiropractor to deal with some issues he's been having with his lower back/hip. He's meeting with a woman that I met a few years ago at a wellness series, who happens to be the one that introduce me to the Whole30 program. I'm excited to see what she can do for him. He's going there on the 28th. Prayers please!
January 13, 2019
Update
WHEW!! If you want to see what we did this weekend, go check out my Instagram page! Lots of pics there. We had a super productive weekend and got so many things done at the Fred house. Things are falling into place there! It's been very fun!
The week ahead should be fairly normal. We will have VIPs in the building Wednesday and I'll have to be part of the presentation. Poppy is having a "spa" day at the vet on Thursday...which means she will have to be sedated (she's mean). She's getting her nails drummeled and getting her annual shots. Beyond that, business as usual.
Not sure if I mentioned...last week, we traded in Chris' Ford 250 King Ranch truck. We just don't need that massive monster, since we don't have any plans to move the trailer...in hindsight, we could have just had someone move the trailer to the RV park for us back in 2017 and saved ourselves some money. At any rate, we traded it in last week and got a Ford Fusion. We liked the last one we had, before the huge deer totaled it. It gets great gas mileage and is saving us over $400 each month now. It was time.
Next weekend, we are back to Fred...it's a possibility that Aspen and Geordon may join us. Their 2017 Christmas gift from us was a weekend in Fred, and they could just never make it happen with Aspen's crazy work schedule. We shall see. Either way, we will be there! The weekend after that, we have a wedding to attend in the Dallas area, so that should be fun! And then we're into February...whew!
Have a great week all!
The week ahead should be fairly normal. We will have VIPs in the building Wednesday and I'll have to be part of the presentation. Poppy is having a "spa" day at the vet on Thursday...which means she will have to be sedated (she's mean). She's getting her nails drummeled and getting her annual shots. Beyond that, business as usual.
Not sure if I mentioned...last week, we traded in Chris' Ford 250 King Ranch truck. We just don't need that massive monster, since we don't have any plans to move the trailer...in hindsight, we could have just had someone move the trailer to the RV park for us back in 2017 and saved ourselves some money. At any rate, we traded it in last week and got a Ford Fusion. We liked the last one we had, before the huge deer totaled it. It gets great gas mileage and is saving us over $400 each month now. It was time.
Next weekend, we are back to Fred...it's a possibility that Aspen and Geordon may join us. Their 2017 Christmas gift from us was a weekend in Fred, and they could just never make it happen with Aspen's crazy work schedule. We shall see. Either way, we will be there! The weekend after that, we have a wedding to attend in the Dallas area, so that should be fun! And then we're into February...whew!
Have a great week all!
January 06, 2019
Weekend Recap
Currently we are watching the Golden Globe awards and just finished up with supper...hamburgers, mashed potatoes, and tomatoes/cucumbers. We returned from a nice weekend in Fred around 6:30...
: Friday evening, after arriving in town, we unpacked quickly and headed to the Brewery for a quick, healthy dinner (Cobb salads!). Then we settled in.
: Saturday, Chris did a long bike ride on the trainer and I did some Zumba...then we decided to try a new-to-us winery called 1850. It was a nice place with a good patio, and since it was about 73 degrees, we sat out there and chatted for quite awhile. Then we stopped at Grape Creek to enjoy our free glasses of wine and were blessed by our friends showing up at the same time...so we were able to chat and laugh with them for a bit too! After spending some quality time with Poppy, we then had dinner at Asian Garden -- yummy sushi!
: Sunday, we went to church and then did some chores after another bike ride and more Zumba...and here we are...
The week ahead seems to be pretty normal, so we will move forward into the next five days and see what comes!
: Friday evening, after arriving in town, we unpacked quickly and headed to the Brewery for a quick, healthy dinner (Cobb salads!). Then we settled in.
: Saturday, Chris did a long bike ride on the trainer and I did some Zumba...then we decided to try a new-to-us winery called 1850. It was a nice place with a good patio, and since it was about 73 degrees, we sat out there and chatted for quite awhile. Then we stopped at Grape Creek to enjoy our free glasses of wine and were blessed by our friends showing up at the same time...so we were able to chat and laugh with them for a bit too! After spending some quality time with Poppy, we then had dinner at Asian Garden -- yummy sushi!
: Sunday, we went to church and then did some chores after another bike ride and more Zumba...and here we are...
The week ahead seems to be pretty normal, so we will move forward into the next five days and see what comes!
December 30, 2018
Our Weekend and 2018 Wrap Up
Well...here I sit, Sunday evening...still in Fred. We are enjoying a lovely long weekend here, and won't be heading back to Abilene until Tuesday. It's been lots of fun and lots of relaxing so far. You know we love it here.
Friday evening, we took Aspen and her boyfriend, Geordon, to a celebratory dinner at Copper Creek - she moved this weekend to Arlington to move in with him and start a new chapter. His friend, Justin, came along too and he was a hoot! He was the muscle to help them move Aspen's stuff, and we enjoyed our time with the three of them. We are very happy for them and are excited to see what the future holds for them. It was an emotional evening, but happy.
We left Saturday morning for Fred...and we were able to stop in the town of Coleman to shop at a store called Bonneville. It's a mid-century store and we've been wanting to stop here for awhile. But we usually go to Fred Friday evening and they are already closed. We spent a good amount of time there, going through everything. It was like a mid-century Disney Land!!! We bought a few small goodies (vintage mirror, silver tray, orange pillow) and then when the guy there mentioned he was moving a coworker down to Kerrville on Sunday (which is about 20 minutes past Fred) and that he'd be willing to deliver anything for us, well that changed everything! So we decided to buy the dresser we had our eye on, for the master bedroom. It's perfect! It's a Stanley and very well made, and in very good condition. Success! We will be stopping again for sure.
The rest of Saturday was spent in Fred relaxing. Sunday, we went to church and then our dresser was delivered. After some laundry, we met our friends Don and Pam for free wine. Another great day!
I did do a little online shopping -- I spent the Christmas money from my grandma :) I decided to get a record player! It's a whiteVictrola - new but looks vintage. It also has bluetooth capabilities, so I can connect it to my phone and play music from there as well. And for my first record, I got one of Fleetwood Mac. Can't wait to get it! I also really needed a new winter coat, because the little jacket I wear isn't cutting it! So I found a black North Face puffer coat as well.
For New Year's Eve tomorrow, we are going to get some sushi for dinner and then we have tickets to a party with a live country band and we plan to do some dancing! Then there is a champagne toast at midnight and then they serve breakfast! Looking forward to putting a bow on 2018 and moving forward into the new year.
Speaking of 2018 -- this will be a pretty short wrap up. In general, for me, it was a year that felt pretty unsettled and I had a lot of anxiety -- both things I plan to focus on in 2019. With that being said, the goals I set for 2018 weren't really very fruitful. None of them. And that's ok. But I don't need to break them down because there's not much to say. I've learned that I am an anxious eater...and the more anxiety I felt, the more I ate. So 2019 needs to have a focus on health. Because I am a long way from that. Chris and I have also decided to pick One Word to focus on in 2019, and my word is going to be TRUST. Trusting in God to teach me to lessen my anxiety and grow my peace. Trusting in God to settle us in the things he is working out for us. Trusting in God to walk with me in my journey to health. The word can cover so many different things, and instead of trying to control everything I want to work on trusting.
Are you ready for the new year????
Friday evening, we took Aspen and her boyfriend, Geordon, to a celebratory dinner at Copper Creek - she moved this weekend to Arlington to move in with him and start a new chapter. His friend, Justin, came along too and he was a hoot! He was the muscle to help them move Aspen's stuff, and we enjoyed our time with the three of them. We are very happy for them and are excited to see what the future holds for them. It was an emotional evening, but happy.
We left Saturday morning for Fred...and we were able to stop in the town of Coleman to shop at a store called Bonneville. It's a mid-century store and we've been wanting to stop here for awhile. But we usually go to Fred Friday evening and they are already closed. We spent a good amount of time there, going through everything. It was like a mid-century Disney Land!!! We bought a few small goodies (vintage mirror, silver tray, orange pillow) and then when the guy there mentioned he was moving a coworker down to Kerrville on Sunday (which is about 20 minutes past Fred) and that he'd be willing to deliver anything for us, well that changed everything! So we decided to buy the dresser we had our eye on, for the master bedroom. It's perfect! It's a Stanley and very well made, and in very good condition. Success! We will be stopping again for sure.
The rest of Saturday was spent in Fred relaxing. Sunday, we went to church and then our dresser was delivered. After some laundry, we met our friends Don and Pam for free wine. Another great day!
I did do a little online shopping -- I spent the Christmas money from my grandma :) I decided to get a record player! It's a whiteVictrola - new but looks vintage. It also has bluetooth capabilities, so I can connect it to my phone and play music from there as well. And for my first record, I got one of Fleetwood Mac. Can't wait to get it! I also really needed a new winter coat, because the little jacket I wear isn't cutting it! So I found a black North Face puffer coat as well.
For New Year's Eve tomorrow, we are going to get some sushi for dinner and then we have tickets to a party with a live country band and we plan to do some dancing! Then there is a champagne toast at midnight and then they serve breakfast! Looking forward to putting a bow on 2018 and moving forward into the new year.
Speaking of 2018 -- this will be a pretty short wrap up. In general, for me, it was a year that felt pretty unsettled and I had a lot of anxiety -- both things I plan to focus on in 2019. With that being said, the goals I set for 2018 weren't really very fruitful. None of them. And that's ok. But I don't need to break them down because there's not much to say. I've learned that I am an anxious eater...and the more anxiety I felt, the more I ate. So 2019 needs to have a focus on health. Because I am a long way from that. Chris and I have also decided to pick One Word to focus on in 2019, and my word is going to be TRUST. Trusting in God to teach me to lessen my anxiety and grow my peace. Trusting in God to settle us in the things he is working out for us. Trusting in God to walk with me in my journey to health. The word can cover so many different things, and instead of trying to control everything I want to work on trusting.
Are you ready for the new year????
December 16, 2018
Weekly Recap
Whew...one of our craziest weeks of the year is officially over...and the week ahead looks to be a lot more low-key thankfully!
: Wednesday evening was our end-of-year party -- the theme was Tacky Tourists Take Vegas. We had gambling (with fake money) and then at the end we traded in our chips for tickets -- and then those tickets could be entered to win prizes like gift cards to Amazon, etc. I gambled with Kim and Gary all evening, and it was lots of fun! Chris chatted with people because he doesn't enjoy games :) I had quite a few tickets to enter, but sadly didn't win anything :( Still a fun evening though. For the "tacky tourist" outfit, I decided to wear my Fat Ass Winery t-shirt, along with my grandma's light up necklace that she got at a casino on her birthday...we should hopefully get the professional photos this coming week, which will be good because I didn't take many pics at all. I'll post those when we get them!
: Thursday was our Company-wide end-of-year meeting, and it was good. We did our group workout, and then had a session on Happiness. We also had RT Kendal speak again, on the concept of Pure Joy. It was a good day.
: We stayed in town this weekend...I attended the Christmas crop at Kim's house all day Saturday and that was fun! I was able to get the journalling done on my South Africa and my Championship race albums...so now I can get those ordered yay!!
: Mimi had a pain shot procedure done on Friday, so Chris took her to that and stayed with her for a bit afterwards. He spent some time with her on Saturday too. Hopefully these shots help her, otherwise they want to do a day surgery to install a pain device similar to a tens machine.
: This week, I'm doing an ornament exchange with a few girlfriends on Friday at lunch...and for the weekend, we are going to head to Fred for a few relaxing days. Getting close to Christmas now! I have to work Christmas Eve, but will be off New Year's Eve.
: My car is making an odd noise, so we are going to take it in this week to have it checked out. We shall see what's going on there.
Here's to a slower week!!
: Wednesday evening was our end-of-year party -- the theme was Tacky Tourists Take Vegas. We had gambling (with fake money) and then at the end we traded in our chips for tickets -- and then those tickets could be entered to win prizes like gift cards to Amazon, etc. I gambled with Kim and Gary all evening, and it was lots of fun! Chris chatted with people because he doesn't enjoy games :) I had quite a few tickets to enter, but sadly didn't win anything :( Still a fun evening though. For the "tacky tourist" outfit, I decided to wear my Fat Ass Winery t-shirt, along with my grandma's light up necklace that she got at a casino on her birthday...we should hopefully get the professional photos this coming week, which will be good because I didn't take many pics at all. I'll post those when we get them!
: Thursday was our Company-wide end-of-year meeting, and it was good. We did our group workout, and then had a session on Happiness. We also had RT Kendal speak again, on the concept of Pure Joy. It was a good day.
: We stayed in town this weekend...I attended the Christmas crop at Kim's house all day Saturday and that was fun! I was able to get the journalling done on my South Africa and my Championship race albums...so now I can get those ordered yay!!
: Mimi had a pain shot procedure done on Friday, so Chris took her to that and stayed with her for a bit afterwards. He spent some time with her on Saturday too. Hopefully these shots help her, otherwise they want to do a day surgery to install a pain device similar to a tens machine.
: This week, I'm doing an ornament exchange with a few girlfriends on Friday at lunch...and for the weekend, we are going to head to Fred for a few relaxing days. Getting close to Christmas now! I have to work Christmas Eve, but will be off New Year's Eve.
: My car is making an odd noise, so we are going to take it in this week to have it checked out. We shall see what's going on there.
Here's to a slower week!!
December 09, 2018
4 Days in Fred
Let me tell you...a 4-day weekend is WONDERFUL!!!
Chris and I headed to Fredericksburg Wednesday evening...I took off work Thursday and Friday, and Chris worked remotely both days. We were able to spend Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday in Fred and it was so relaxing and nice!
: Thursday: I did a little Christmas shopping (in pouring rain), I grocery shopped, and I cooked our first meal in the house!
: Friday: we got out of the house (still raining) around 5:00 and had some free wine, some dinner, and some drinks. Very relaxing day!
: Saturday: our washer/dryer were delivered!! We got a great deal with Black Friday sales, and they delivered it and set it up for us! Whoop! Now I can do laundry when we are there, instead of having to rush back to Abilene in time for me to do it. I did about 8 loads Saturday/Sunday and it made me so so happy!! We also had dinner out and did a little shopping.
: Sunday: we attended church services and then Chris raked leaves for awhile. We have lots of old trees in our yard, and that equals lots of leaves. He was able to rake them to the street and then a truck comes and vaccuums them up. He'll be sore tomorrow!
: Apparently it snowed here in Abilene while we were gone! We just had rain.
: The week ahead is our second CRAZY week of the year...all of our sales managers will be in town for a week-long meeting, so things will be a bit insane. Our big company party is Wednesday evening and our company-wide meeting is Thursday. Lots and lots of things going on this week.
: Saturday is the Christmas crop at Kim's house! I haven't been to a crop in awhile and I am looking forward to it! I have a lot of journaling to do in my South Africa album and my 70.3 Championship album, then I can get those ordered!!
I'm signing off now to rest up for our crazy week ahead!
Chris and I headed to Fredericksburg Wednesday evening...I took off work Thursday and Friday, and Chris worked remotely both days. We were able to spend Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday in Fred and it was so relaxing and nice!
: Thursday: I did a little Christmas shopping (in pouring rain), I grocery shopped, and I cooked our first meal in the house!
: Friday: we got out of the house (still raining) around 5:00 and had some free wine, some dinner, and some drinks. Very relaxing day!
: Saturday: our washer/dryer were delivered!! We got a great deal with Black Friday sales, and they delivered it and set it up for us! Whoop! Now I can do laundry when we are there, instead of having to rush back to Abilene in time for me to do it. I did about 8 loads Saturday/Sunday and it made me so so happy!! We also had dinner out and did a little shopping.
: Sunday: we attended church services and then Chris raked leaves for awhile. We have lots of old trees in our yard, and that equals lots of leaves. He was able to rake them to the street and then a truck comes and vaccuums them up. He'll be sore tomorrow!
: Apparently it snowed here in Abilene while we were gone! We just had rain.
: The week ahead is our second CRAZY week of the year...all of our sales managers will be in town for a week-long meeting, so things will be a bit insane. Our big company party is Wednesday evening and our company-wide meeting is Thursday. Lots and lots of things going on this week.
: Saturday is the Christmas crop at Kim's house! I haven't been to a crop in awhile and I am looking forward to it! I have a lot of journaling to do in my South Africa album and my 70.3 Championship album, then I can get those ordered!!
I'm signing off now to rest up for our crazy week ahead!