Happy Thanksgiving

I hope each of you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving. This is my favorite holiday, and this year (like every year) I have so much to be thankful for. It's been a long, tough year, but we persevered, and made it through, and I am so thankful for that. I have the best family and friends in the world - I don't know what I would do without y'all. Everyday I get to wake up and go to sleep next to a man I adore and respect and love with all my heart. And we are so fortunate to live in a city that we love, in a house that we (literally) built, and we couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Most of all I am thankful for the men and women who are serving our great country overseas. The sacrifices they and their families make each and every day let us have the freedoms that we do, and for me, simply saying thank you doesn't seem like enough.

May you all eat lots of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings, and fall into a tryptophan coma later this afternoon. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

San Jac volleyball at NJCAA national tournament

I've been in Council Bluffs, Iowa this week for the NJCAA volleyball national tournament. It was San Jac's fifth-straight trip to the tournament, and we finished 10th. Here are a few pics from the action. I have to say I'm either actually getting the hang of shooting volleyball, or it's just luck. Either way, congrats to the girls on another great season!

Hunting

Because it's hunting season, I had to share this "story." Happy hunting and camping!

Sleeping with Bob...

The guys were all at a deer camp No one wanted to room with Bob, because he snored so badly. They decided it wasn't fair to make one of them stay with him the whole time, so they voted to take turns.

The first guy slept with Bob and comes to breakfast the next morning with his hair a mess and his eyes all bloodshot. They said, "Man, what happened to you?" He said, "Bob snored so loudly, I just sat up and watched him all night."

The next night it was a different guy's turn. In the morning, same thing--hair all standing up, eyes all bloodshot. They said, "Man, what happened to you? You look awful!" He said, 'Man, that Bob shakes the roof with his snoring. I watched him all night."

The third night was Fred's turn. Fred was a tanned, older cowboy; a man’s man. The next morning he came to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "Good morning!" he said. They couldn't believe it. They said, "Man, what happened?" He said, "Well, we got ready for bed. I went and tucked Bob into bed, patted him on the butt, and kissed him good night... Bob sat up and watched me all night."

More wedding pictures

So here's a snippet of some photos from the wedding weekend in Ohio. My aunt and uncle held a pizza party at their house on Thursday night so we could meet Kyle and celebrate Lindsey's birthday. So much fun!

Thank you Veterans

I'm reminded today, on Veterans Day, of many Veterans in my life, and many men and women who are currently serving this great country. My grandfathers were Veterans. Jay's grandfather and father were Veterans. And we have many friends and family members who are currently serving our country. I thank them all for fighting for our freedoms so that we can have the things we have and live the lives we do. They are all heroes in my eyes. I respect and honor you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With the recent tragedy at Fort Hood, it reminds me of how precious life is, and at the same time it brings out a hatred in me for people who commit these types of crimes. I find it so appalling and so unbelievable, yet I know, as a country, we'll pull through this, just like we've pulled through other tragedies. My thoughts and prayers are with the Fort Hood community, with all the Veterans out there who have served, and for the men and women who continue to serve this great country.

Jay and I have decided (OK, mostly me, but when I mentioned it to him, he didn't really oppose) that we want to do something for our troops this holiday season and send them care packages. I have a friend from high school who is currently overseas in Iraq. I've contacted him on Facebook (what a great invention!) to see what they want / need, and we're going to send a bunch of boxes of just stuff (candy, body wash, etc.) to him. Last year at this time of the year, I was pouty and down and mopey because of the situation we were in and had gone through with Ike. This year, for me, it's about our troops. I feel a strong urge and need to support them however I can, and I thought I'd start by doing something so simple as sending a care package with little reminders of home.

Happy Veterans Day to all of the Veterans out there. Thank you for your service. You are not forgotten!

Lindsey & Kyle's wedding

My "little" cousin Lindsey got married today. I am so happy for her. She married a great guy, who is also doing a great service in serving our country in the Air Force. Lindsey looked gorgeous (as usual), but she could wear a potato sack and look gorgeous. Here are just a few photos from my grandma's camera. I'll post lots more (I promise!) when I get home.

Congrats Lindsey and Kyle!

Ceremony

Flower girls

Happy couple

Me and my cousins Grace Anne, Vivian and Gabby

Ft. Hood shooting

Just a quick note to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of those affected by the Ft. Hood shooting that happened today. My heart is truly aching for them. It's hard to imagine that one of our own - one of our soldiers - could turn a gun on his own. I truly cannot fathom that. There are so many reports coming out about who he is, why he did it, and whether or not he's even dead. If he's not, he better watch out, because it might not be long before he is. People don't take this lightly, and we shouldn't. I have the utmost respect for our armed forces and everyone who fights, or has fought, for everything that we have today. You all are in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for all you do!

Texans contest

So, one of my colleagues in the office is a WAY big time Texans fan. I mean, she has Houston Texans shoes (personalized with her name) and at least one piece of every type of clothing that has a Texans logo on it. So naturally, she wanted to enter the office in a contest at the beginning of the season to see which office in Houston is the most spirited. Here's the photo we submitted:



In no way, shape or form did I think we'd win. I mean, we've got spirit, but surely we're not THE most spirited office in Houston. Think about it, people. How many offices are there in Houston? That's what I thought. A lot. And I wouldn't be surprised if they have more spirit than we do.

NOT SO FAST my friend. Yep, wouldn't you know it. WE WON THE CONTEST! Our prize? An autograph session with running back Ryan Moats.



It's pretty crazy that we won. I honestly thought that there was a fat chance in you-know-what that we would win. But, we won. And it was fun. I don't get geeked out about meeting sports stars (although, put me in front of Joe Montana or Tiger Woods, and I might be speechless), so this wasn't a big deal for me, but the office had a great time. And, I had to get my picture with Ryan for proof that I was there.



Thanks, HF, for putting this together. You rock! And for those of you that want to see more of her crazy antics (and yes, they are crazy, but that's why we love her!), go to:

www.youtube.com/hollieamymelissa
www.facebook.com/hpinkf
www.facebook.com/melab427

Or check out their Facebook fan page H.A.M.M.

Go Texans!!!

Air Show

As has become tradition the last couple of years, Jay and I headed out today to the Wings Over Houston Air Show. It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day. Not a cloud in the sky. Temps in the low 70s. A nice breeze. Beautiful for an air show. The Blue Angels were the feature, and they didn't disappoint. They were really cool! I love the air show because I always wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Navy (thanks in part to my favorite movie of all time, Top Gun). And Jay loves the air show because it reminds him of his dad and all of the good times they spent together in the air (his dad was an Air Force pilot, and Jay got to go to a lot of different places with him). Maybe one day, before I die, I'll get to fly in a fighter plane. How cool would that be?!?!

Click on the collage for a better view of the pictures. Enjoy!