September Bliss

Me and Justin needed a weekend away so we ventured to Spicewood and enjoyed quite a relaxing weekend! Justin went dove hunting and sighted in some guns while I sipped coffee and finally watched some Big 12 football. We stayed in the house my Memaw grew up in (its been redone) and learned a lot about my heritage while visiting with my great aunt and uncle, Honey and R.E (they live in a house built in the exact spot my great great grandparents homestead was.) I learned I can apply to be a daughter of the Republic of Texas because my grandmothers grandpa died in the battle of Goliad!

We started our Saturday with a beautiful walk through the pasture and up to my Memaw and Papaw's land. Justin was kind enough to hold my coffee while I took this darling picture of him.

Then we grabbed some lunch at Opies B-B-Q. We ordered an enough meat for an army-it lasted 3 meals! Then it was off to the Exotic Zoo in Johnson City. I had already been there and have been wanting Justin to go so we took seized the opportunity.

  There was an axis deer that kept following Justin around in the petting zoo pen and a baby goat that kept headbutting Justin's fist. That was all cute but didn't compare with the brand new axis deer we saw enjoying some morning milk. It was awesome!

On Sunday we went to church in Marble Falls and ate lunch at the famous Bluebonnet Cafe. In all these years Justin had never been there!

And this is a view from the back of the house. What a way to wake up!

The arch way in the picture was built by my Papaw Despain (my grndmother's dad). It was not there when the original homestead was built but was built, we approximated, between 1920 and 1944 when they moved to Marble Falls. Inside the house are old pictures of my Memaw and her sisters standing in front of the arch. What a neat thing to see still standing. I have an incredible family and loved visiting with Grannie and Memaw and Papaw. Weekends like this leave us wanting more!

Summer fun

I haven't updated in awhile so I figured it was about time, much has happened in our little world this summer! Just to let you know now, this is a long entry, but oh so interesting so keep reading! We kicked off the summer at the annual Fry fish fry at Aunt Pat and Uncle Mike's house. We love stollin' through their property, the pictures just never do it justice. And then we were blessed to get the whole McCoy clan together (immediate fam) ,with the exception of Kylie's crew, for some quality time before everyone's schedules got nuts.

Me and Justin were blessed to get to visit with our friends Kylee, Cheyenne, and Ferron Jean when they came to town to run a 5k with me about 1 month ago. I was a bit out of shape but it was worth it for a good visit with Kylee Jean! They're going to move here someday, they just dont know it yet :)

Justin finished our media console table and despite his concerns about it not being perfect, our TV now has a home and I love it!

 We also had a an unfortunate series of events regarding our ongoing car situation, Justin was in an accident. Luckily he is alright and it only involved one other vehicle...who was at fault by the way. So, we've been carpooling to work for the last 2 weeks. Not a big deal except that I work the opposite direction from his work so he drives an extra 40 minutes everyday. But I gotta say, its been nice to ride to work together, what a great start to my day! And to top it all off, we didnt have AC for three days about 2 weeks ago! Its doesnt sound too bad but try sleeping without AC, it was rough. We decided for the 3rd night we would get a hotel. We picked up a pizza, cranked the AC, and went to bed early...it was awesome! And we even got a good breakfast and coffee for the road to work the next morning!

On a more positive note, we got to visit with the Smiths when they came up to visit a few weekends ago. We went to the Rangers game and then went to a zoo-like place called Sharkarosa. It was hot but well worth it! There were baby kangaroos, baby zebras, and we even got to pet a baby lemur.

My sister and nephews got to stop by and meet us as Bass Pro Shop by our house on their way in from visiting Texarkana. Nathan and Tate wanted to go "hunt" for Justin in the store (he was helping some buddies buy a gun) so we ventured through the whole place and when they finally found him they were so excited! I think its going to be fun having them around this year!

This summer has been fun but I am ready for some more of it! Justin and his buddies are running in a Mud Run 5k this weekend and next weekend we get to go to the lake with my fam! Crazy but its the first time to the lake this year, how sad is that!? Casey and Christie will be in town and Kylie and the boys, bring on the fun! Hope you enjoyed my update, I'm sure this is only remotely interesting to family but I just wanted to keep those I am not fortunate enough to see on a daily basis updated on our lives!

Bluebonnet season

Me and Justin have been busy busy lately it seems. Justin was blessed to be a part of a friends wedding in Corpus Cristi in March which, I wont deny, we sort of counted as a mini vacation. While I was the only girl in a carpool of 3 boys, I gotta say it was a beautiful scenic drive from Dallas to Corpus and I thoroughly enjoyed the goofy company of Justin and his buds, (one who was visiting from Indonesia). The wildflowers were out in full bloom and the hotel we stayed at had an ocean view...it was sweet! That weekend however my Dad had some more heart issues and it got scary for awhile. But his heart doctor did some minor surgery and fixed everything and he is doing great now, what a blessing!

A few weeks later we got to go to the country with my parents and enjoy the bluebonnets of the hill country in Spicewood. The boys processed some deer sausage while my mom and I visited with my cousin at her wedding shower in Marble Falls. Later that day we had dinner with the McCoy side and met the new cousin, sweet little Abigail, Carrah's new baby! I am so lucky to have such great family.

More recently I got to visit with my friend from Abilene who was in town visiting some family. We were able to sneak away and have a relaxing lunch. What a fun surprise! And we are planning on running a 5k this summer, so yay for some more friend time! My other sweet friend visited a week or so ago from Austin and we had a good visit too. Shes getting marriedin June and I'm so happy she found the love of her life!

My mom was able to come stay with us on my days off last week and it was great to just visit, relax, and get a few things done. My brother is in town for work and we all went out for BBQ one night and then were treated to Red Lobster another night! Me and mom potted one of my plants, ran errands, did some speed racer shopping, and then did a lot of nothing...it was great! Currently Justin is at the Fry men's annual fishing trip and Im cleaning house, what a joy! Ive got a brunch with my BSF group tomorrow and have a list of "to do's" so I better get  back to work!

update

Alright, so those promised photos of our house and our finished products might be a while longer. I gotta figure out how to load pictures to the computer from my new camera. SO, here's a quick update, if you care to know, of whats been going on in our lives:

1. car broke, carpooled to work for a week (2 1/2 hours of driving for Justin each day), fixed the car
2. the other car broke, rental for a week, fixed the car
3. started to finish our tv console table, circular saw broke, project postponed
4. visited new churches on and off for awhile just to conclude we might oughta stick where we were

Now on to the positive!!
 1. we finished a shelf that now has all our photos displayed across our living room wall
2. we had a Super Bowl get-together and ate lots of cheese dip, and yes, eating cheese dip was exciting enough to add to the list
3. Justin placed his first client (thats his job but its harder than it sounds- he places Accountants in careers) within the first month of starting!
4. we both felt "wooed" by God this past Sunday to finally attend a church we might call home
5. both cars are now running!! Thanks to my precious, did I mention awesome?, parents
6. I get to visit my good friends in sweet Abilene this weekend and its Sing Song, shouts to AKO and Galaxy
7. Justin got me a very unique and pretty blue topaz necklace for Valentines Day- he really is the most thoughtful husband and I'm so blessed that he chose me
8. we have broken our puppy dog of using the couch (she reverted back during the move) via the "scram mat"- it beeps when she jumps on the couch
9. we have plans of taking a little trip together here in the next couple months (any thoughts of cool places in OK or AK close to the Texas border?)
10. And lastly, Justin will be going on a canoe trip with his best friends in mid March

God has been working through the support we've received from family lately and in major ways in our search for a church home. No matter where we go or what we do, God, through so many things lately, is taking care of us and revealing his mighty power. I am so blessed! And come back to our  blog when Ive got some photos up!

Settling in

So we moved to our new rental house in September and I am just now feeling like things are finding their proper place and it half way looks finished. I spent the better part of today finally pulling out the few holiday decorations I have and have been enjoying the corny Christmas movies on tv while sipping on my coffee ALL day. Justin is out of town on yet another hunting excursion so, obviously, Ive been in my pajamas all weekend (except Saturday because I worked) doing nothing, and its been splendid.

As for updating yall on life, me and my friend Becca just joined BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and have our first real meeting tomorrow night. For those of you unfamiliar, its a Bible study for all denominations under the Christian faith and is focused on learning to read and understand the Word. There are 8 years worth of lessons and this year we are studying Acts and the Apostles. We are in Hebrews and I gotta say my first lesson is intense, however its exciting to be challenged.

Me and Justin were blessed to be able to attend our families Thanksgivings this past month and got good visits in. Sadly enough I did have to miss the McCoy Thanksgiving and am hoping to be able to see them for Christmas. I had myself a pity party when I learned everyone was there but us, however, I was able to have an entertaining time with Justin's family in Ballinger which lifted my spirits.We are excited for a jam-packed Christmas weekend. Here is a picture of my family (of course missing Kylie,Eric, and the boys) at the Fry Thanksgiving. Arent we just beautiful?

On other note, Ive got lots up plans for our house and am eager to finish my projects so I can finally give a glance of our new place! We are building an apothecary media console, a decorative ledge for picture frames in the living room, a headboard, and later on a coffee table and side table. We will be busy these coming weeks, wish us luck!

Mesquite, Sweet, Mesquite

As you already know about 3 weeks ago me and Justin moved out of our apartment and into a very cute rent house. Its in Mesquite, TX which is about 20-25 minutes East of Dallas and we are LOVING it! My parents helped us move by bringing a trailor full of our stuff that was being stored at their house in Austin. One of the most welcomed things they brought was our wonderful grill which we have so dearly missed. While they were here we made sure to put it to good use so we grilled up some hotdogs and pigged out on some awesome watermelon. We havent unpacked everything yet but are slowly starting to put the house together. And this past weekend the Smith's came in town and got to sleep on our new guest bedroom bed! We felt like such adults purchasing a bed. We celebrated both me and Justin's upcoming birthdays, enjoying some wonderful desserts that Rachael and Judy made.

This past month has been full of some great family visiting and I am SO ready for Thanksgiving when I can get together with the whole fam. On a side note, if you could keep my Memaw in your prayers, she fell this week and broke her leg right above her knee. She is 84 years old and this is her first broken bone, which is incredible, however it makes this one seem like an even bigger deal. So please keep her in your prayers as well as my aunts and uncles, mom and dad, who are trying to be with her through the healing process.

I will return with photos of the new casa as soon as we get our internet up and running again! - Ive been doing my online oogling at work during lunch. But soon I shall return to the facebook and blogging world.

We're moving!

Good news everyone, we're moving out of our apartment and into a rental house! Praise the LORD! After almost 7 months in an apartment we have learned we are not apartment people. Although there are many people who enjoy the comforts of an apartment such as no yard work, oh wait, that's the only benefit I can think of. But anyway, Id much rather mow my own grass, sweep my own porch, always have a parking spot right in front of my home, and have neighbors I cant hear through the walls.

Its a 2 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage house that fits us to a T. We were hoping to have a slightly larger place, maybe 3 bedrooms, but everything was renting so fast we could barely see them before they were off the market. Then we stumbled onto this little gem. We are the first tenants, the landlord lived there before, and they are very nice and have taken such good care of the house. Dixie has a yard again and best of all, we can be proud of this little place like we were of our place in Abilene. It was so rough on us to move out of that house so its nice to be moving into a place we think we could love as much. (Well, maybe not as much, theres nothing like the first place you called home as newlyweds). Yay for movin' on up!

My job is going good, Im almost done with training and will soon be on my own in the office! I will officially be large and in charge. Justin just got a little promotion and I am so proud! He's only been there 6 months and they seem to really love him, I mean, who wouldnt love this stud?

Last year in Abilene