Vacation Day 7 & 8: Shopping and Rangers Opening Day

Justin and I decided to go in to the Metroplex a day earlier than the Rangers game in order to shop. And shop we did! We dropped Mandi off at Doggy Day Camp and went straight to The Parks Mall in Arlington. There I bought our Rangers shirts, new shoes, and some much needed capris. (for some reason all of my capris from last summer had holes in them!) From The Parks Mall we drove to IKEA in Frisco. As usual, this was a long and painful excursion. I love IKEA, but that place just wears you down! (in retrospect, this shopping trip was way more horrible now that I've realized I bought the wrong sized kitchen shelves!)

(My first pair of Toms!)

Justin surprised me to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory after a long day of driving/shopping. I had never eaten their before and loved every bit of it! I ordered the seared salmon. Delicious! We topped dinner off with a slice of Godiva cheesecake. It was a nice end to a tiresome day.

Friday was Texas Rangers' Opening Day 2011!! We got up early and drove back to Arlington for the tailgate. There we were able to see our family and some friends from last year's Opening Day. The sun was beating down on us and made for an unseasonably hot Spring day. Justin and I ate hot dogs, chips, fruit salad, potato salad, chocolate, nachos, and popcorn! The Rangers won and all was well!

(Katie, Justin, and me at the tailgate.)

(Justin eating his hot dog!)

(Opening ceremonies at the game.)

(Larry's seat, the only one with shade!)

I enjoy spending time with Justin's family and taking part of their Opening Day traditions. We are always sad when we have to go back home.

Vacation Day 6: Blue Bell Creamery and Bluebonnets

Today Justin and I visited the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, TX. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time! We took a tour inside the creamery to discover exactly how Blue Bell ice cream is made. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed on the tour so our pictures are all outside the creamery. :(

(The two of us in the garden area outside the creamery.)

(A statue outside the creamery.)

The tour was about forty-five minutes long and included a short film, walk through the creamery, and a scoop of ice cream from the parlor. On the walk within the creamery, you get to see Blue Bell ice cream being made, packaged, and frozen. It was neat to see what flavors they were making today! (Dutch Chocolate, Banana Split, Moolinium Crunch, and Homemade Vanilla--yum!) I was a little disappointed to see that they had stopped making ice cream sandwiches for the day.

Employees at Blue Bell have the saying, "Eat what we can and sell the rest." They do just that! The break room is filled with all sorts of Blue Bell goodness that the employees can have while at work. There was a commercial being filmed today and they had all sorts of ice cream snacks for the film crew. At the end of the tour, we got to partake in some ice cream ourselves. You can choose whatever flavor you want of the ten or so they have available! Justin and I both chose Caramel Kettle Crunch which is vanilla ice cream with caramel and chunks of caramel covered kettle popcorn. Delicious! This ice cream was once sold in stores, but is no longer being made. So sad.

(Caramel Kettle Crunch)

Everywhere we go, people love Larry. Naturally, the tour guide gave Larry some Homemade Vanilla ice cream so as not to be left out! He love it!

(Larry eating Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.)

After the tour, we sought out a field of bluebonnets to take pictures in. Luckily, we found this one that was on our way back home!

(The two of us in the bluebonnets.)

Next door to the field, was Trapper's Cabin Gallery which had a really eat looking tree. We took some pictures there too!

(The two of us in the tree.)

(The two of us making silly faces in the tree.)

(Justin Romack or Edward Cullen--you decide.)

Today was fun! I love making memories.

Vacation Day 4: A Visit to East Texas

Yesterday we went to East Texas to visit with our family and friends. At first, the drive was dark and dreary, but as soon as we got into Lufkin the clouds cleared and the sun came out! The azaleas and pine trees were beautiful.

We went to Cafe Del Rio with my parents for lunch. It was nice seeing them and catching up. I will have to say, Cafe Del Rio is no longer the best in my eyes. The atmosphere is different now to me. Is it just me or is it darker in there? I could barely see my food! The waitress was excellent and the food was good. Nothing compared to Chuy's though. So that's it. I no longer miss Cafe Del Rio.

Since we bought a new dining room table, we had to return the other table to Justin's parents. Justin worked on their computer which is kind of a tradition of us visiting them. :)

In the evening, we drove to Nacogdoches to visit Justin Pohlmann, Shay Pohlmann, and Jeremy Petticrew. I love those guys and it was a blast hanging out with them. I miss spending more time with them. We all ate at Jimmy Johns which is a nice addition to Nacogdoches. That is the first sandwich restaurant for Justin to enjoy! We probably stayed too late visiting, doing a crossword puzzle, watching the dogs play, and looking at pictures, but we had an awesome time.

The drive back wasn't bad. We got in late, but were able to sleep in this morning. Now it's time for a super lazy day...

Vacation Day 2 & 3: Dog Park, Grilled Fish, and Sunday

We spent most of Saturday morning sleeping in and relaxing. Our main goal of the day was to take the dogs to the Dog Park. I ate my Chuy's leftover shrimp taco and we were eventually out the door to the park.

It was a beautiful warm, sunny day for the Dog Park! Of course, because of that, everyone else was at the park as well. Larry trailed the fence most of the time and attempted occasionally to be a "real dog" and run with the pack. Mandi was by our side the entire time. She was obsessed with the tennis ball and only wandered away when she wanted to intercept another owner's game of fetch with their dog. (This forced me to "fetch" the ball myself and apologize to the owner when returning it.)

After forty-five minutes of fun out in the heat, we were ready to go back home and get some water. Before this though, Mandi took it upon herself to go swimming for the first time! So, home we went with two stinky dogs. They were tired though!

(Mandi's horribly wet paw.)

(Larry in sleep mode.)

For dinner we had grilled tilapia, mashed potatoes, and broccoli! I really enjoy having a gate on our patio because the dogs can join Justin when he's grilling. I also like how the sun is out longer now, so it is easier for us to do things like grill. It was delicious and fun!

Today, we got up early and made a trip to Temple for Justin to play with Adam Fischer at Vista Community Church. I always enjoy last part of the trip when the sun is rising over the farms. The church services went well and it wasn't long before we were on our way back home.

(Justin tuning his snare.)

As soon as we got home, we ate lunch and then took a looooong nap! Not as long as we've logged in the past, but definitely longer than we have a in a while. No worries though, it's not like I have to go to bed early to go to work tomorrow! Next up, was a quick workout at the gym. NOT fun since we have been out of practice. (We hope to fix that this week.)

And now I am sitting and listening to a baby monitor for our friends Ross and Cheyanne. What a relaxing weekend! A little bad news from the weekend though: we noticed Mandi was limping and saw that she ripped her pad. We think it was from the Dog Park. So now she is wearing a makeshift bandage so she doesn't lick it.

(Justin's handiwork--and a poor pitiful dog.)

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Here's to a great week ahead!

Vacation Day 1: A Walk, Dinner, and a Movie

I could have ran to my car when I got off of work yesterday! This past week was so stressful and made me realize how much I need to develop a plan to deal with stress so it doesn't bother me for long periods of time. Plus, it's just not healthy to be stressed so many days out of the week. And over things I cannot control! So, to say the least, I was very happy for Friday.

I plan to post what we do each day of our "Spring Break". I might miss a couple days, but don't worry, chances are all we did was sit around in our underwear anyway. Can I count the weekends as part of our vacation when I normally get that off? I will. It makes me feel better.

(Mandi, our dog, in the front yard and ready for a w-a-l-k!)

After I got home and voiced my anguish from the horrible week, Justin and I decided to take the dogs on a walk. Mandi was very excited because we haven't been on regular walks since Larry's knee surgery. I brought my new camera to practice taking pictures.

(Justin's shoe and Larry's paw--they are a team.)

Although short, the walk was nice. The fresh air was what I needed after I got over the initial frustrations of figuring my camera out. (It has been so long since I took the photography class that I've forgotten everything.)

After the walk, Justin and I went to dinner at Chuy's. We were going to go to Texas Roadhouse, but that place is crazy every.single.night. Chuy's is awesome though! It is our replacement for Cafe Del Rio, a mexican food restaurant in Lufkin that we will forever miss. The employees at Chuy's always greet us when we walk in, knows Larry by name, gives us seats to wait in, offers a braille menu to Justin, and makes awesome food. You should definitely go the the College Station Chuy's when you get a chance!

We ate on the patio which is the perfect place for conversation, and we can sit closer together. Plus, the weather was great for outside eating!

Whitney and Josh Taylor, our neighbors, invited us to see Limitless with them at, get this, the 11:30 showing! I am an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl. We had a great time and I didn't fall asleep during the movie not once!

Limitless was kind of a "trippy" movie that included romance, action, disgusting bodily fluids, and suspense. Overall, it was a good movie. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind weirdness.

First day of vacation down...nine more to go!

Vacation Time...almost

As soon as I walk out the doors of the Physician's Centre tomorrow, I will be embracing something that is very foreign to me--a week of vacation! I haven't had a full week of vacation since our honeymoon and I am excited to be able to sleep in and watch daytime television.

The past several weeks have been stressful for the both of us. Now that we both have jobs, we tend to get a little carried away with the going-ons of our work life. Plus, I work at an allergy clinic and allergy season is in full swing. The weeks ahead will be busy, long, and stressful. It will be refreshing to enjoy non-stop togetherness next week in preparation for the chaos.

We aren't completely sure what every day will hold, but I plan to take pictures and update you on any fun things we do.

Before vacation, I must get through one more day at work. One.more.day.

Life in Bryan: Entertainment

The BCS area has a small town feel, but is packed with so many fun things to do! Justin and I have tried our best to experience a little bit of everything this past year. I can't wait to see what else we discover this upcoming year.

Movies

Since living here, Justin and I have watched so many more movies than we every have! Yes, Nacogdoches/Lufkin had a movie theater, but the tickets weren't $4.50 for a nighttime movie. (HELLO! What a good deal, right?) No longer will we wait for a movie we absolutely want to see to hit DVD. This, my friends, is a perk. Should I mention that we are still using our SFA student id's? Is that bad?

Broadway

That's right, BROADWAY! One day I heard an advertisement on the radio for the Beauty and the Beast broadway show in OUR town. Oh my, when I heard this I was dropping major hints for Justin to take me. He did, of course, and it was amazing! I have always been very partial to anything Disney and have loved theater most of my life. I got teary eyed just hearing the opening song which sounded IDENTICAL to what I've heard on the movie since I was little. It was beautiful. It was perfect. And it was all just three minutes from my house.

Recently, a co-worker had a spare ticket to Mama Mia, which she offered to me. I had never seen the movie and I'm very happy the live performance was my first time to see the story. I loved every bit of it even though I sat by myself. The best part is the end where the entire theater is turned into a huge disco party! I suggest that you see this show if you can.

Aggie Sports

We definitely jumped on this bandwagon too late, in my opinion. You have not experienced a sporting event until you've gone to an Aggie game. The yells, signs, and straight up Aggie spirit makes for a fun time no matter what the outcome is. (Of course, we'd ALL prefer when the Aggies win.)

I recently went to an Aggie basketball game. Justin and I took his brother, John, and sister, Katie. We bought our white Aggie shirts and enjoyed the game! I can't wait to go to a football game this fall! Justin is at the SFA vs ATM baseball game as I type. I'm most definitely jealous!

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I can't wait to see how many more new experiences I have this upcoming year!

Life In Bryan: Our Living Quarters

When we were looking to move to Bryan, we had a difficult time finding a place to live. We couldn't decide if a house would be the best thing for us, but we would have loved to move in one! Unfortunately, most of the houses in Bryan that were in our price range, were not in a decent location. Justin and I had fallen in love with the neighborhood another band member was in, so we rented the two bedroom/one bath town home next door to him.

The two of us are notorious for living in a place and not making it "our own". In Nacogdoches, it was a year before we hung up any pictures! I'm just always so scared I'll mess something up, that I don't do anything at all. Now that we have been here for almost a year, we have decided to make this place feel like home. In the past two weeks we have managed to:

1) Fix the front door from leaking air (by hanging our renewal notice over their heads)

2) Attach a gate to our back patio (again with the renewal notice...)

3) Replace broken blinds (yes, the leasing agency did this too)

4) Hang vertical blinds on the sliding door (that's all us...no more hot/cold living room!)

5) Buy a new dining room table (the other was a hand-me-down that was on it's last leg)

6) Tear down the TACKY wallpaper in the bathroom and paint it to match everything else in the house (special thanks to my brother-in-law, Nick)

I see picture hanging, curtains, and plants in our future! All this to say, I really like where we are right now. Although I never imagined us to be in a place without a backyard so long, I really like our home. I like to continue to make this place our home too.

We've decided to stay here for at least one more year (most likely more) to take advantage of the cheap rent and to save as much as we can. And I'm okay with that.

Bridging the Gap

Over the last two weeks I've been thinking that I would really like to dust off this blog of mine. So many changes have happened over the last year. It would have been nice to journal each and every direction our lives have turned.

Here's the overview:

The Move

In April of 2010, we moved to Bryan, TX. We live in a town home that is tucked away in a quiet neighborhood that is, at the same time, surrounded by all sorts of fun things to do. I love it here. A park is just a walk away and our gym is just a walk away in the other direction. There is also a dog park right down the road where Mandi and Larry can run free!

Do you remember this post where I said there were some major changes coming up? Probably not. Well, go read it if you can't remember. The big change was moving here. Since Justin was so involved in Clairmont, we decided moving to Clairmont's home was the best decision. Plus, driving back and forth from East Texas was killer!

Since we've moved here, Justin has left Clairmont. You'll have to read all about that on his blog though. No matter why we originally moved here, I love that we are here now!

Work

Obviously, along with the location change came a new job for me. I got a job at a local allergy and asthma clinic as a front-end receptionist. It was tough at first because my trainer didn't really want to train me, there was a lot of employee drama, and I was just the new girl. Luckily, the office made several changes. The drama-ridden employees left, and we hired several positive people!

The most recent change was my promotion to Assistant Manager! I'm excited about this opportunity because I think I have mastered the receptionist role by now (5 years in the making) and look forward to learning something different.

Teaching

When we moved to Bryan I applied for the teaching program at Blinn College. (it is an awesome program!) I filled out the application, sent my records, collected references, and went through the interview process. I was excited about the opportunity to reach my goal of becoming a teacher despite the move away from SFA.

Unfortunately, the interviewing faculty members decided that I needed more professional experience in the public school system. I didn't make it and was crushed. This was now the third time this door was shut for me. There is no way I'd be able to make a living as a substitute teacher or teacher's aid in order to gain the needed experience. So for now, that door is shut.

A week or two after I received the letter of rejection, my office manager offered me the position of Assistant Manager. Today, schools here, and in the surrounding areas, are on hiring freezes, salary freezes, and giving bonuses to teachers who resign. I firmly believe that door was shut for a reason, and am okay with that now.

Justin

Shortly after Justin left Clairmont, he got a job as a social media marketer with our friend Ross who moved in to the town home behind us. This job has been a huge blessing for us, and is something Justin enjoys doing.

Justin has also played with various people, promoted different artists, and has made many friends in our community. He's been busy! To get more details, you must go visit Justin's blog, and read it for yourself!

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And that catches you up to where we are now. Let's see where this goes...