Project 365

So I was chatting with my friend Sarah last week about this thing that a lot of bloggers are doing, called Project 365. Project 365 is where you take a picture a day for one whole year, whether you use a point and shoot, your camera phone, or jazzy SLR. It not only gives you a unique look at your year [in photos], but it is also supposed to help us 'photogs' become more comfortable and more daring with our camera and its capabilities. It definitely sparked our interest and though I am not sure if Sarah actually gave into the temptation--experimenting with aperature and shutter speed, contrast and zoom--but I decided to give it a whirl. I have not started posting my photos via blog (yet) so until then, my daily snapshots will reside safely in my Project 365 folder on my computer. Here is a preview of some that I have taken so far:

DAY 11

DAY 9

DAY 8

DAY 7

DAY 6

**Note that today's photo - Day 11 - is of Tess 'shaking'. She learned how to shake with us this week :) So smart....

Viva la Vida!

The atomic number of manganese... The size of the full roster on a major league baseball team... A freeway that runs from New Mexico to Wyoming...The number of cents in a quarter... Quarter of a century....

That's right! As of yesterday, I have officially turned the big 2-5. I must say, it is not as bad as I thought it would be. But, for the first time in a very long time, I feel like I am taking charge and gaining some perspective on who I want to be, what I want to do, and how I want to live. About a month ago, I decided (we decided) that it was finally time to take some time and get focused. So, that is what I am doing and boy, it has already started to pay off. More details later... (if you don't know already)


So, I think that all things considered, I had the absolute best birthday. It started with a flood of messages from friends and loved ones sharing birthday wishes (thank you!) followed by a yummy lunch with Troy at one of our favorite lunch spots, Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom in the Galleria. I usually go for their killer shrimp salad but decided to forego the norm - hey, it's my birthday! So I ordered braised beef short ribs with sauteed shitake mushrooms over creamy cheddar polenta (yuuuum). Troy surprised me with a slice of paradise chocolate cake for dessert and I slipped happily into food heaven. The pictures say it all...

Since I was already at Nordstrom, well it only made sense to do a bit of shopping! I got a few great deals - a pair of jeans and a cropped sweater wrap - and headed to Toni and Guy for a birthday haircut. After my new 'do, I went home to get ready for dinner. Troy met me there with one of my favorite flowers (definitely the best smelling) - Lillies. There were 25, one for each year!

Dinner was at one of my (our) favorite places, Rioja, a Spanish restaurant near our old apartment. It reminds us of Spain and the food is the most comparable to Spanish cuisine that we have tasted in the states. Since we don't go there much now that we have moved to Katy, I felt it fitting to celebrate my birthday there with good food, sinful sangria and some great friends.

Lindsey, Taylor, Blake, Patrick, Erin, Troy, Me, Amanda, Whit, Allison, Louise, Lori, Jacob, Sarah and Matt.

Rioja

Patrick & Erin's Paella

Whitney and Me

Early birds, waiting for the guests to arrive

Happy Birthday to me! (flourless chocolate cake)

Dinner was really nice and everyone got to order some delicious food. Check out Sarah's blog for more photos from the celebration, including a great shot of everyone toasting, thanks to my amazing and thoughtful sister who (from Austin) called the restaurant and ordered a bottle of champagne for the table to toast my big day. I love her so much!

It really was a wonderful birthday and as we drove home that night I truly felt so thankful for the love that surrounds me. I have some wonderful friends, a very thoughtful and loving family that I am sure I do not deserve, a husband who spoils me beyond belief, and another great year ahead of me.

The Year of the Tiger

Hello, 2010! Well, we made it - one more year behind us and a new one underway. We kicked off the year of the Tiger with Raiders and Spartans, a friendly game of football between our Texas Tech Red Raiders and Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. We headed to San Antonio to support our Scarlet and Black and we had a blast! Tailgating with friends was so much fun - brats, dogs, beer and port-a-potty lines. We partied the night away (the game lasted past midnight!) and finished with an early (very early) breakfast at Denny's.

2010 began with a bang,

but how wonderful was 2009?

We...

Began our first full year of married bliss (wink) :) and celebrated at Texas' best wineries.

Saw Celine Dion in concert with my sis - and we sang our hearts out!

Got to visit Lubbock and test out my new skiis in Santa Fe for our Valentines Day roadtrip.

Welcomed our nephew Jackson Davis Johnston into our crazy family.

BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOME!

Visited Amy and the Windy City of Chicago for the first time - and we had a BLAST!

Got to re-live Spain when I went with my mom to Alicante - que divertido!

Celebrated a wonderful 4th of July at the coast, and Rick and Carolyn's new condo.

Expanded our family by getting Tess, our precious lab pup.

Attended the Tech vs Baylor game at the NEW Cowboys Stadium.

Got to witness our nephew being baptized.

Celebrated the engagement and marriage of some of our best friends.

Survived the Red Raider football season - some ups...and some downs...

Got to end the year on an exciting and very promising note.

Last year was full of highs and a lows, but life continues to move forward and we are facing the future with much promise, hope, and excitement. What a blessing to have the people, opportunities, and experiences that 2009 brought! 2010 brings many new challenges and many new endeavors our way, one of which includes facing the reality that turning 25 means we are one step closer to turning 26, which means it's all down hill from here...or so they say! :) We really are looking forward to the new year and all that is in store for us and have been so blessed. We can only hope that 2010 will be as kind to us as the previous years.

Happy 2010, everyone! Here's to a great year.

Christmas, Wrapped Up

Man, what a week! We had such a wonderful Christmas with both families over the course of four days, and even though I was horribly ill, it was one of the best Christmases ever; we started our happy holiday with an engagement! Blake and Amy (Troy's bff and his gal) are officially engaged! Blake's mom threw a party for them and it was very nice - catered food, a bar, live musicians - Pegs definitely knows how to host a shindig! It was great seeing our friends and celebrating such a wonderful couple as they begin a new journey together (and it also makes us happy that our engagement has come and gone and is safely in the past!). Cheers to B-oyter and Classic Amy!

We trekked to Fort Worth on Christmas eve, through snow-filled roads and winds resembling those on the West Texas plains. We made it just in time, and loaded in to my parents' lake house, all warm and cozy.

Christmas eve was perfect as mom and I baked cookies, we all sat in the kitchen decorating them, and ended the night playing Wii. Santa was very good to us this year and we are so thankful for the thoughtful gifts :) Some of my favorites were: My Uggs, Tech Snuggies, my new wallet, TWO garden gnomes, and my slippers. Troy seemed to really love his camo Crocs, new boots, wallet, and DVDs. Thanks Santa!

Later Christmas day, we headed over to my aunt and uncle's house for some more family togetherness. Tess got to meet the rest of the furry members of our family (Brinkley, Buster, Boss, Rambeaux and Molly), and I think she was overwhelmed...until Grandma gave her her first rawhide!

We headed to Tyler the day after Christmas, after a yummy Mimi's breakfast with our faves - Cliff and Rach. It was so good to catch up and they got to meet Miss Tess for the first time. Troy's mom outdid herself, as always, making delicious breakfasts and dinners for everyone and keeping our bellies full of Christmas goodness. It was a great visit, and another great celebration with family. I just loved watching Jackson open his presents - it never gets old...

Still sick, we headed back to Houston for a week of complete laziness, and it was great! We watched Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and nearly three seasons of Weeds. Time off is nice, very nice. And I am just starting to feel better (after a painful shot and many, many antibiotics later), though Troy seems to have caught the bug now :( We are desperately trying to ward off further illness and a trip to the doctor, in an attempt to have a good end to a great week and a half off (minus the Mike Leach debacle, but we aren't discussing that).


Here's to a wonderful Christmas!