Girls' Weekend!

This past weekend, some of my girlfriends and I headed for the hill country for a relaxing getaway. With three bottles of wine in tow, I left straight from work on Friday for the little town of Sattler, TX. Here is the gorgeous view off of the porch of the river house, overlooking the Guadalupe River.

Friday night we just stayed up, got caught up on each other's lives and of course, had some wine :). We woke up and made a gourmet breakfast Saturday morning and laid around in our PJs until lunch time sipping coffee and enjoying each other's company. We finally decided it was probably time to get ready for the day after lunch. We headed out to go browse through some of the cute little shops in downtown New Braunfels and then went to Gruene for drinks and a snack at the Gristmill.

We went back to the river house, made some brownies, drank some more wine and then decided at around 8 that we probably shouldn't just eat brownies for dinner so we grabbed a burger at a local spot. It was a delightfully relaxing weekend and it's always such a treat to have quality time with these girls. We are all facing both challenging and exciting times in our lives, and it's such a blessing to come together even if just for a weekend to reminisce and catch up! Sometimes the best weekend is one with no plans, girlfriends, PJs and of course, some yummy vino!

2011: Year in Review

It’s hard to believe another great year is over! 2011 brought with it fun experiences and abundant blessings. We got to travel quite a bit, always a favorite of mine, to both familiar and new places! I started off the spring with an annual visit to Round Top. My mom and I hopped into Tyler’s old pick up and headed out first thing to meet up with Whit and her mom. We had a ton of success and came home with 2 new pieces for the house! I also enjoyed two great girls’ weekends in Austin and Galveston. Though when we get together, our conversations are different than they used to be, I have so enjoyed getting to see the different paths our lives have taken; new jobs, new loves, new places, and old familiar friendships. Life is so much richer with dear friends who know you better than you know yourself!

Here we are enjoying a delicious seafood dinner in Galveston.

Tyler and I also enjoyed a few weekend getaways including a weekend with Haley and Justin to Port A for Memorial Day. We had yummy pina coladas and got plenty of time in the sun. We did our annual Florida trip over the 4^th of July and had a blast being with the whole family, including our precious niece and nephew. It always feels like home being on the beach in Florida. And finally, Tyler and I went to Chicago over Labor Day to celebrate my birthday and visit some really good friends. We packed every minute and had so much fun exploring a new city, mostly on foot and then on a 4-mile bike ride (geez!) Chicago quickly became one of my favorite cities and I look forward to going back.

Haley and me soaking up the sun in Port A.

Jax Beach, Florida. Home away from home.

We rented some beach cruisers and went bar hopping.

Tyler and I with the Chicago skyline behind us.

I’m still really enjoying our cozy 50 year-old house and the process of slowly but surely making it feel more like home. Tyler and I joined a co-ed soccer team in the fall and love getting to do something competitive together. Our spring season starts again in a few weeks and we’re already looking forward to it. We still adore our home team, which has really grown this year with three little bundles of joy. Our home team is such a constant source of comfort, support, fellowship and fun, and I am forever grateful that we joined over 2 years ago. And finally, Tyler and I recently celebrated 2 wonderful years of marriage. I so enjoy getting to experience life-both the day to day and the really extraordinary with him!

Home team girls. Love them!

Us on NYE!

We have so much to be thankful for this year and always, and owe it all to Him. So, as 2011 has now passed us by, I wish you a fulfilling and adventurous 2012!

Christmas Cheer

Tis' my favorite season! After several days of decorating, the inside of the house is completely finished! I am really enjoying relaxing with some Christmas tunes and the smell of Christmas tree. Tyler and I learned how to make our own wreath this weekend and it is hanging inside of our back door.

Tyler came up with this idea to put the Christmas tree trimmings around the house.

Our real Christmas tree in the living room!

This is the tree in the front of our house, in the bay window.

Merry Christmas, friends!

Two Years Later

Today Tyler and I have been married 2 years! It is really hard to believe. We celebrated last weekend since we knew this weekend would be busy with company and hosting Thanksgiving at our house. For our 1 year anniversary we went to Portland, Maine and absolutely fell in love with the area. We also went to 4 separate breweries including Allagash. We brought this beer home in our suitcases and said we'd drink it for a special occasion. Two years seemed like an appropriate milestone! We went to a nice dinner at Ibiza in Midtown and then grabbed some after dinner drinks at a cozy bar near Rice Village. I am so glad we still date each other. It was a special evening!

I'm not really sure I had a ton of expectations about marriage going into it. One thing is for sure, it has been such a blessing. It amazes me how I continue to grow closer to and learn new things about Tyler all the time. I also feel that we encourage and challenge each other in our own interests, friendships and hobbies which allows us to be the best versions of ourselves. We have really enjoyed all the time we've been given just to spend with each other trying new things and even finding joy and comfort in the little, routine things like cooking a meal together. Our secrets to success so far? I'd have to say it's a toss up between communication about ALL things big and small, spending a lot of quality time, and consciously looking for and dreaming about new experiences together (next year, it's Europe!). I feel so lucky to experience life with Tyler and now to have 2 wonderful years of memories together!

Dining Room Updates

The dining room has come a long way from it not even having a central light source when we first moved in! The dining room was a very creamy neutral when we moved in. We had thick baseboards and crown moulding installed, and chose to paint it with a rich, bold blue. The images above and below show how the dining room has looked for the past month or so with the new buffet from round top! I knew this room needed some warmth and fabric.

Lo and behold, this is how the dining room looks now! My mom and I picked out a rug that brings in all of the colors in the room and ties in the rest of the rooms in the house. We also picked out these two precious accent chairs from Pier One to anchor the buffet on either side. I just love how inviting and rich the room looks with just these few changes!




I am definitely looking forward to entertaining over the holidays in my cozy dining room!

Happy Halloween!

Tyler and I kicked off the Halloween holiday by carving pumpkins with our home team. This is an annual tradition and we always have a blast! Tyler and I chose a very easy design this year after learning our lesson in years past and went with this quirky little owl.

Last year on Halloween we had such a great time sitting out in the driveway with the neighbors and all of our dogs, greeting the excited kids and their precious families. I couldn't believe how popular Halloween is in our neighborhood. Last year we ran out of candy at 8:30pm so this year I wanted to come prepared for the masses! When Halloween day rolled around, I was quite torn what to do! Tyler and I play in a coed soccer league in Houston and our games are every Monday night. I realized a lot of our teammates have kids and it would only be fair for us to show up for the game. Since I was totally bummed about missing Halloween in our neighborhood, I left a big pumpkin on our front porch with candy in it and a note on the door that said 'Sorry we aren't home. Please grab some candy and have a Happy Halloween!'

We showed up for our game, outnumbered and playing the #1 team in our division. We lost 4-0, but still had fun playing. We arrived back home and all the candy was gone, which I expected. What I didn't expect was that the pumpkin and sign were both missing and someone had smashed our carved pumpkin all over our front yard! Kids these days...

So, needless to say, this Halloween wasn't one for the books! I'm hoping to pass out candy again next year, and apparently will need to guard our front porch. Happy Halloween to all! I can't begin to describe how excited I am that the holidays are now upon us :).

Caramel Apples

I have always loved this tasty treat, especially when I'm in close proximity to a ski slope! I have never made them myself, though. Tyler and I love spending time together in the kitchen and I thought this fall would be the perfect time to try. Start to finish, these took 10 minutes to make, and were easy and fun!

We made this simple recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 apples
• 1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.
2. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly.
3. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.

We decided to add mini chocolate chips. Here are the ingredients:

After the caramel was melted for about 2 minutes, the apples were ready to coat!

Here is the finished product. These went into the fridge to chill before we ate them!

Yum!