In Recovery

I'm gonna cut right to the chase -- we had such a wonderful anniversary! On Friday, we hopped in our little rental car (by the way, Jettas can fly!) and headed out east, to the Big Easy. The drive was not too bad, surprisingly, and we kicked things off by stopping in Baton Rouge for lunch at The Chimes. In the spirit of our trip, we dug right into Cajun cuisine by ordering blackened gator, gumbo, and shrimp and corn chowder with made-from-scratch hush puppies. Delish!

Upon checking into our hotel, The International House, we were thrilled at the beautiful and modern decor, and to our surprise, an upgrade! That's right -- a suite for our anniversary :) That never happens to us (and trust me, we have tried). The room was really nice and I wish we could have stayed there longer!

We spent the weekend walking around the French Quarter, eating entirely too much (amazing) food, listening to street music and jazz bands, perusing galleries, and perhaps one of the best parts -- sleeping in! In the midst of all this, I tried to test out my camera knowledge from last weekend and snapped a bunch of pics (very few of us, needless to say).

I have to give my sweet hubby kudos too - he planned a perfectly romantic and sinfully delicious dinner at one of the oldest and most recognized restaurants, Commander's Palace. I can't believe how good the food was. Seriously. And they were so hospitable there; when we left, we got to go through the kitchen -- how cool is that?! :)

It was such a relaxing and much-needed weekend and I am looking forward to going back some time. I think we are still recovering a bit from all the fun and over-indulgence though. I really couldn't have asked for a better anniversary trip. Next year....Seattle? Maybe California!

Lucky in Love - 2 Years Together

Two years ago today, I was putting on my white dress, getting ready to walk down the aisle and marry the man I always dreamed of. My mom hoped my sisters and I would end up with great guys, ones who treated us with love and respect, who would cook for us when we were sick, who got along with the family, and who never tried to change who we were. After some questionable characters, I believe my mom and I both got our wish when I brought Troy home from college. From the get-go, he had them in the palm of his hand! You think I'm kidding? I warned Troy the entire way home (4.5 hours), "My dad doesn't like any of the guys that come around so don't be intimidated if he doesn't seem to like you, or if he doesn't even talk to you." Troy assured me that he was good with parents, but have you met my dad?! Low and behold, he had my parents (both of them) laughing and sharing embarrassing stories and all but inviting him to move in before dinner was over! I often joke that it's gross how much they adore Troy, how sweet he is to me and how nice he is to them. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" I always reply. But the truth is that I really really am lucky. I have the most wonderful guy in the world (as my parents often remind me, and I suppose rightfully so). They know what things could have been like and haven't easily forgotten the broken road that let me to Troy, though I can't seem to remember life before him.

Two years ago today, I got my wish--the guy who is perfect for me chose me to be his wife. For better or worse, good times and bad, he chose me. And I love him more every day for that gift. To the man who always makes me smile, never goes to bed without saying "I Love You", and will always be the keeper of my heart -- these two years of marriage have been wonderful and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us. I adore, admire, appreciate, and love you with all that I am. Infinity.

1 1 . 1 1

Happy birthday to our guardian angel.

Doing What We Love

Happy November! I love this month...the cool air, warm colors, our anniversary (2 years next week!), and of course--Thanksgiving! Sweet November :)

I think Troy and I kicked this great month off right -- doing what we love. This past weekend, Troy took Tess and went with a friend deer hunting. We needed to stock our fridge with that yummy venison meat for chili, steaks, and sausage this 'winter'. I am happy to report that he did in fact shoot a doe, and we do in fact have a good selection of meat that is currently at the processor's! Yay for my hubby, bringing home the bacon venison. And the best part is that he is totally like a kid waiting for Christmas morning; he can't wait to get that deer meat back!

I did the complete opposite of deer hunting...

I went to DFW for my long-awaited photography workshop! It was everything I hoped it would be -- great instructors, valuable tips and tricks, fun photo shoots, and even some Photoshop how-to's. It was really great to be surrounded by people who love photography like I do; I only wish the class lasted longer! And the highlight of the day - I won a giveaway worth almost as much as the class itself! I couldn't believe it when they called my name. Seriously, I could barely even speak up when they read it from the piece of paper. I never win anything!

 {Our Instructors}

After the 'classroom' portion of the workshop, I was itching to snap some photos. With our new knowledge in hand, the attendees and instructors headed out to shoot three different models for practice. Don't get my wrong--I love my dog, husband, and nephew, but it is really great when you get the opportunity to photograph new people, with new expressions, styles, and personalities. It was a {welcomed}challenge to photograph kids I don't know because I really had to get comfortable with them and try to make then feel comfortable so they could really shine in the photographs. I can definitely tell when people do those 'cheeeeeese' smiles, and can appreciate the difference when they warm up to you a bit so you capture a genuine grin, smile, or even a pout. Check out some of my shots:

Weren't the models just too perfect? I loved their different personalities and I hope that I captured them in the photos. Needless to say, we both had a great time doing what we love and were pooped when we got home Sunday. We are looking forward to New Orleans this weekend though, and I for one cannot wait to snap some more photos using what I learned at the I Heart Faces workshop!

Happy HOWL-o-Ween!

Last weekend, Troy participated in the Bechtel Managers Golf Tournament so I decided that (in honor of Halloween) I would take Tess out for a special treat. I went with my friend, Erin, and her black lab, Rotto, to the La Centerra HOWL-o-ween dog walk and charity event. It was so much fun, and there were a ton of cute doggies everywhere!

  

Rotto was dressed as a pumpkin and Tess went as a Red Raider - eye paint and all!

 

There were so many dogs dressed in the funniest of costumes, and some of their owners dressed up too. I think that the pups looked better though!

A schnauzer  energizer bunny:

A beagle pumpkin (1 of many): 

A lab bumble bee (Tess wore this last year!)

A dachshund fairy and another bee

A great dane Chick-fil-a Cow

 

We even saw a bed bug, a chicken, snoopy, angels, some cowboys, a hippie, a skunk, mermaid, and a few lady bugs. I think that one of the funniest costumes that day was the Chick-fil-a 'cow' though! There were lots of doggie vendors and we scored plenty of freebies, like ice cream (below). Tess loves her some Frosty Paws!

 With her treat!

Another fellow Red Raider

 Tess and her buddy (I think she has a crush on him!)

Two pooped pooches! Aren't they just adorable?

Lubbock or Leave It

I am a little behind on posts, but there has been quite a bit going on! I will let pictures speak for themselves...mostly :)

 We started our Lubbock adventure off at Chimy's for some margaritas and nachos!

 

  

Mesquites was offering .50 shots ~ so we kindly obliged :)

  

  

We did a little bit  lot of shopping before heading to the rehearsal.

 On Saturday, after a yummy lunch at Gardski's we did a bit more shopping and took photos on campus. The weather, by the way, was phenomenal!

Saturday night was the wedding -- a beautiful, fun, dance-filled night! 

Before our flight left on Sunday, we drove around a bit to see the new addition to the Jones. It looks awesome! We have decided we are going to some games next year just so we can experience the 'new' stadium in person :) 

 

Miss Tess even got a little gift while we were away - Wreck Em!