Meanwhile Back at Mama's

I'm a thief. 

I stole the title for this post from Tim McGraw. 

I love that song, and any song that makes you think back on your childhood home and town. Don't get me started on Miranda Lambert's song The House That Built Me. There really is nothing like venturing back home once you've been out on your own as an adult.  It's comforting to know as soon as you walk through the door you are surrounded with love, laughs, and good food!

Garrett and I traveled home a couple of weeks ago for the first time in I couldn't even tell you when.  We were back and forth between our two family's houses the entire time and it was nice.

5AM airport selfie.

Garrett's family picked us up from the airport and we had lunch at Heff's in Abilene, the first of many delicious places we ate! After spending time with them for a couple of hours, we headed to my parents house. Alyssa, Brandon, and baby Kinley had just gotten there and I was anxious as crazy to see them. I hadn't seen Kinley since she was a week old! We parked in the driveway and I barely said hi to my dad or Uncle. I rushed past them and into the house. As soon as I saw Kinley the tears came like I knew they would. She's just so pretty!

That night we had everyone over to my parents home and dad grilled burgers. He makes a mean burger.

Sunday we had family pictures.

Gill's Fried Chicken for dinner. Favorite.

Monday, Garrett's grandmother's came to visit. It was so good to see them both at the same time! They are the sweetest ladies and so very pretty! We took a trip to the good 'ol Whataburger. (Yes, I have a picture of Whataburger but not of the people there. Oops!)

Garrett, dad, and I drove out to Nolan, TX which is the tiny town that my mom was raised in and that I spent the first 10+ years of my life in. Talk about middle of no where! My Nana lived there, right down the road from my childhood home, and my dad has been busy remodeling the inside of her old house. It looks completely different than what I remember which is a little sad, but he has done such a great job with it.  I spent the majority of my childhood with Nana in her house watching Walker Texas Ranger, learning to crochet, and talking. She was my best friend back then and I have a feeling she still would be if she were here.

My Nana's old house. Not much to look at but so many memories are stored here!

When I was little I walked this road several times a week, if not every day. It was nice to walk it again.

We drove by my parent's first house, and my first childhood home.

I realize this is turning into the longest blog post ever, sorry. I'll make it quick.

We had dinner at Garrett's favorite spot in town, La Cocina.

Kinley looks like a doll.

I loved on sheep out at the Cypert's.

We played Apples to Apples and fate dealt me the perfect card. I'll let you guess which one it is.

And last, but certainly not least...we rescued a sweet kitten.

Short version: He was out in the middle of the highway. Covered in oil and had a broken leg. Scooped him up and took him to Dr. Peek. He peed all over my dress. Didn't know if he would live or not.

 A splint was put on his leg, he was bathed, and is doing great. I fell in love with him. Mom found him a good home. 

Whew! That was a short, but fun, trip. Thanks for hanging in there with the long post, if you made it this far. You are a trooper. 

I leave for France in the morning. I can't believe I am typing that. I haven't packed a single thing yet and plan on using the rest of my day to do so. I am so excited! Please keep your fingers crossed that we make it safely, traveling overseas kind of freaks me out. 

I can't believe that in the next week and a half I will see the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa, and most importantly stand on the beaches of Normandy where our troops came in during World War 2. Definitely going to be a surreal moment.

Ok. Going to stop procrastinating and do some packing!

Au revoir!

Celebrating 4 Years!

A couple of weekends ago, Garrett and I drove to Steamboat Springs to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. I had no idea we were going anywhere but Garrett surprised me with the trip! Trips, even short one nighters, are my favorite, so needless to say I was excited. 

We left Denver Saturday and after about 4 hours we were there. 4 hours seems kind of long but the trip was pretty so it wasn't so bad. That's the good thing about weekend trips in Colorado, usually, if you are headed West into a mountain town, the trip is gorgeous! We pulled into our hotel, checked in, and went to explore. We knew we wanted to do the Alpine Slide and got in line for that. I had done one before in Tennessee when I was younger, but Garrett never had. 

 

I was brave until we were next in line and then I started to get nervous. "What if I fall off?" "What if my scooter thing goes off the trail?" 

Once it was our turn I decided to just go for it, and even though we said we weren't racing, I pushed my thing that controls the speed all the way and took off. I was winning for about 1 minute and then Garrett passed me and I never saw him again until the end. He won this one.

Afterwards we had gelato. I did something weird and got mint chocolate chip, it was delicious. His is lemon.

We played putt putt and I kicked his butt butt! : ) See what I did there? 

I never win putt putt so I rode on that high for the rest of the night. 

 

 That evening we had pizza for dinner. One of my favorite things about going somewhere new is trying out the best places to eat there. This pizza place was ranked high and it did not disappoint. 

Sunday morning we woke up and had brunch at Creekside Cafe and Grill. If you are ever in Steamboat I suggest going here. The food was amazing and the view just as great. 

After brunch we headed to the river to float. It was my first time to float a river and I loved it. I have to admit (mainly because Garrett will give me a hard time if I don't) that I may have been a little grumpy when our tubes kept getting caught on the rocks. Also (even though Garrett told me not too) I took my phone with me, in the top of my swimsuit. I had to take pictures! Well, as we were trying to grab onto eachother's tubes, Garrett pulled me into a tree branch and down I went. Completely under water, phone and all. I have to brag on iPhone's, that bad boy still worked!

Floating a river is relaxing (when you aren't having to pull your tube off of rocks) and was so much fun. I was ready to go again as soon as we were done! 

Sunday afternoon we headed back to Denver. It was a short, but fun, trip! Mountain towns are so pretty and the weather is always nice. We especially liked Steamboat because it had that mountain town feel but also had alot to do! We are already wanting to go back.

Our actual anniversary was on July 31st. We said no gifts since we had gone on the little trip, but when I came home from work that evening, there on the table was a beautiful Orchid that looked exactly like the one's that were at our wedding! The sweet note and box of my favorite Voodoo Doughnut doughnuts didn't hurt either! ; )

 

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Babe,

 I feel so lucky to call you my husband! Thank you so much for not only planning this little getaway, the flowers, and sweet note, but more importantly being just as good to me every single day! You are the best person I know and I'm so thankful you love me back! : ) 

 

Mom & Dad Do Denver 2014

Hey there! 

Just doing a little family visit to Denver recap. However, first things first, this sweet little kitty turns 8 today! Happy birthday Harley cat! ; )

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Two Sunday's ago my parents flew into Denver for a visit. Mom had a District Attorney's conference right in the heart of downtown, so it was a perfect excuse for them to come hang out with us! It was a short, but eventful, several days. Garrett and I both had to work during the week, but we squeezed in as much family time as possible. 

While they were here we went to Jazz in the Park, the Denver Aquarium, a Rockies baseball game, and the Denver Botanic Gardens. We also ate at several delicious restaurants and mom and I went to the outlets to do a little Paris shopping.

Jazz in the Park at City Park is something Garrett and I have talked about doing since we moved here but just haven't. It was nice to finally go and to share that little piece of Denver with my family. I couldn't believe how many people were there! 

This is a high school that we passed on our way to City Park. It looks like it belongs in a movie.

Monday, G headed to work and we went to the aquarium. 

My faaaavorite! Why can't I pet him?

 

Rockies game. Way too hot.

Tuesday morning mom and I headed to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Botanic Gardens. Dad said he "wasn't paying money to see flowers" so he did his own thing. Men.

Dale Chihuly is a glass artist and the Denver Botanic Gardens are hosting several of his pieces. All of these pieces, big and small, were designed by him! Amazing.

Garrett left work early, and the people at my work were nice enough to let me not go in that day, so we all were able to have lunch and head to the outlets together. Mom and I shopped for Paris (it was a must that I find comfortable shoes). I may or may not be freaking out inside a little bit about what I am going to wear while there. I am. 

It was a nice time with mom and dad, we are so thankful they were able to be here! Garrett and I will be going to Texas soon and will get in so much family time, we can't wait! 

Sweet Summertime

Hi guys!

I had the urge to write today, not that I have anything too incredibly important to talk about. Does that ever happen to you? You have the urge to write but feel like you have nothing in particular to write about? It happens over here allllll the time! 

Either that, or what I want to write about is something that has been bothering me, making me sad, or stressing me out. I typically have the urge to write when I am feeling down because, for me, writing is a coping skill. I like to use it as a medium for my personal thoughts, and not-so-happy feelings. With that being said, I don't want it to become a negative space. Where's the fun in that? Plus, today what I am feeling is EXCITEMENT! : )

I have a really exciting summer coming up! Here's the low down...in case you care.

JULY

1. My parents are coming to visit! I haven't seen them since March, and Garrett and I are really excited that they will be here soon! We are going to a Rockies baseball game while they are here and will probably do some shopping. Yessssss! 

2. Mine and Garrett's 4 year anniversary is the 31st! Garrett planned a trip to Steamboat Springs for us and I can't wait! A nice little getaway in a small mountain town? YES please!

Throwback to our wedding. 

Mexico, July 2010

AUGUST

1. Garrett and I are going home to Texas! It has been way too long since we have both been able to go home together. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even tell you the last time. I haven't seen Kinley since she was a week old, and Garrett has never met her so, needless to say, we are both dying to see that sweet baby! I have a feeling I'm not going to want to leave her side.

Kinley perfectly modeling a dress we got her from H&M.

2. PARIS! Mom and I leave for France mid August and it still hasn't fully hit me. I have been dying to go back to Europe since my last trip in 2007 and it is finally almost here! We will be in Paris for a couple of days and then will board a river cruise from Paris to the Beaches of Normandy. I am SO very thankful that my mom invited me along on this trip and can't wait to make some great memories together. 

I love having things to look forward to. Those little, or big, things are the meaning of life! 

What fun things do you have planned this summer?

Renaissance Festival

HI! : )

I hope you guys are doing great and that your weeks are all off to a great start. Can you believe it's already July!? Half of 2014 is already over, which seems crazy. 

Garrett and I have been busy with work, but we have also been trying to plan fun weekend adventures. Living in Colorado has many upsides, one of them being the amount of things to do and see here. While we love our lazy weekends, and get plenty of those in, we have been trying to seek out things to go do and explore on the weekends.

This past weekend, we went to the Renaissance Festival (as you probably already know if you follow me on Instagram). It. was. Awesome. I love being somewhere that seems to take you to another place and time, and this was just that. The shop owners were in costume and spoke with an accent, there was a jousting tournament, and the buildings were designed to look like they were from that time period. It was like an entire theme park dedicated to the Renaissance. The people watching was pretty spectacular too.

I have been wanting a flower crown/headband/whatever you call it for awhile and I found several here. I wish it were normal to wear flowers in your hair everyday. 

My friend Julie went with us and she and I spent the majority of our time trying on hats. 

I shared my first ever turkey leg. It was delicious, albeit also a little disgusting. Something about biting meat off the bone, seeing blood veins, and tendons thoroughly grosses me out. 

It was a fun weekend and Garrett is already planning his outfit for next year. Yes, I'm serious. 

We both work Fourth of July evening and are not too excited about it. I just want to go watch fireworks! What are your plans for the 4th?

Hope you have a safe and fun weekend!