Favorite Moment of 2013

Looking back on the highlights from 2013, this was definitely one of my favorite moments (summer vacations were a close second). Tad was sworn in as an attorney in November and it was the best day. This was about a week after he passed the bar and we were still on cloud nine. I am so proud of this man and his accomplishments. 2014 is looking pretty bright.

How good does Tad look in a court room? I mean. What a stud. He was born for this attorney business.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours! Overflowing with joy and thankfulness this holiday season.

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." Matthew 2:10

Baylor Law Graduation

Graduation was a success. Wish I could say the same for the pictures I took. I had more pictures with family, but apparently can't work a camera in bright sunlight so they didn't turn out so well. Whoops. Really need to learn the manual setting. It was great to see family that came down for this special day. So very proud of that husband of mine. One graduation down, one bar exam to go. Now if only I could stop tempting Tad to watch Breaking Bad with me so he can get some studying done. Not out of the woods yet!

Celebrating One Year

We headed to Austin on Saturday after Tad's graduation. Woohoo! What a weekend. What better way to kick off our anniversary celebration on Sunday than with Tex-Mex at Hula Hut? There is always a long wait, but it is worth the wait every time! Please give me those shrimp enchiladas every year on our anniversary. I've also come to the realization Mexican restaurants will forever be crowded on this day. Sigh.

We wrapped it up on Sunday by eating a slice from the top tier of our wedding cake at the park. What can I say? We're superstitious. Speaking of which, "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder was actually playing at our wedding when we cut the cake. Coincidence? I think not.

The best part of the trip was the honeymoon suite. Little bit of an inside joke. If you see Tad around, just ask him to fill you in.

Mediterranean & Museums

Tad and I are hobbits and do love our quiet activities at home, but we were eager to get out of the house this weekend. We enjoyed a tasty Mediterranean lunch on Saturday at the Al Miraj. Boy was it delicious. The restaurant also serves Pakistani and Indian food. Finally, Waco! This place is the real deal down to music. "Arabian Nights" kept playing over and over in my head during our meal (Aladdin is kind of my thing). 

We weren't ready to go home after lunch quite yet so we decided to check out some local museums and libraries. By some, I mean every one. I am not lying when I say we visited every museum in Waco. We were on the hunt for a free one. No such luck there. Our next mission is to find free, fun things to do in Waco. Who doesn't love free?

Try not to let Tad's face scare you in that romantic couple shot. Still deciding if it's the sunglasses or just that smile that makes him look so sinister. That's my husband. And why I love him.

Wise Guys Date

We've only got a few months left in Waco so we're making it a point to explore new restaurants. We just got a Wise Guys in town and it is only a few minutes from our casa. It would be just plain wrong not to go. Plus Tad is on a Soprano's kick right now and he was in the mood for some Italian. You can tell by the picture he wasn't excited or anything. In case you were wondering, it was as delicious as it looks. I don't know about you, but I'll do just about anything for a fancy hot dog. I blame this on my obsession with Pink's Hot Dogs when I lived in LA. I never really looked at hot dogs the same after that. The Wise Guys Chicago Dog definitely hit the spot! Hoping we make it back to this joint a few more times before the summer.

Oh Happy Day

Don't Tad and I look ridiculously happy in these pictures? It's only because we are. We have planned on Tad graduating in May, but we didn't know it was a sure thing until he got his test scores back from last quarter. That quarter was a real doozie so we didn't know what to expect. Tad got his grades back yesterday and he did indeed pass! I mean, no real surprise there. He's kind of the smartest person I know and I couldn't be more proud. We celebrated the good news with some backyard burgers.

This means two things for us: Tad of course will graduate at the beginning of May and we will be leaving Waco at the end of May. That will be a bittersweet month. We will really miss our favorite family down the street, but we are ready for the next chapter in our lives. We have been scoping out some potential cities for the big move and we are pumped! We won't permanently relocate until August so we'll be spending the summer preparing for this exciting change. I couldn't stop smiling yesterday. God knows the desires of our heart and we are so thankful for His plan.

Still trying to scheme a way to take some of these flowers with me when we leave. Don't mind if I do.

Tad's Birthday Suit (Not That One)

No this isn't a picture from GQ magazine, just my husband looking real dapper in his new suit he got for his Birthday. Don't think his parents could have picked a better present! He is loving his suits these days. He wears them daily for his internship and I've certainly got no complaints.

I'm thankful for this Birthday boy this year more than ever. This month has had its fair shares of ups and downs, but Tad is always the bright spot in my day. Blessed beyond measure God chose us for each other. Can't wait to celebrate many more Birthdays with this man. Life is good.

A Sunday Stroll

After church and one long afternoon nap on Sunday, we went on a neighborhood stroll. We really like this neighborhood. There are a few reasons why we will surely miss it when we leave. We've been going on these strolls quite a bit lately. Our favorite thing to do is check out the beautiful homes and discuss our own dream home we plan to build one day. We're big dreamers like that. We agree on almost everything. We also like to get friendly with the street cats. I took a picture with one, but it was kind of play attacking me so it came out too blurry. Maybe next time.

10 Years Ago

10 years ago today I was getting ready for a date that I now know changed my life. It was New Year's Eve and I was ready to start 2003 with someone I was pretty crazy about in 2002. The night began in the company of some high school friends. I was trying to scheme the best way to sneak out of our friend's house when no one was looking. You see, leaving a get together with friends to hang out with a younger boy wasn't exactly the cool thing to do at that time. That night, I didn't care. Luckily my cousin was dating my date's best friend at the time so I had a partner in crime. I remember being so excited on that 15 minute drive to Salado. You know that feeling when something is so new and the possibilities are endless? That's what I was feeling. 

 

The best part of the night was when the clock struck 12. I got my New Year's kiss. Did I also mention this was our first kiss? Talk about pressure. I don't have much experience with the whole New Year's kiss at midnight thing, but I can see how it could be on the awkward side. We joke about this night all of the time. I'm sure I had caked on the bronzer and he was wearing his staple Doors T-Shirt. What a pair we were! All I know is that kiss was magic and God was doing something big things in our lives.

Tonight will be a little different. That boy from New Year's Eve 10 years ago is now my husband. He no longer weighs 100 pounds soaking wet and I'm no longer ashamed he's a wee bit younger than me. What hasn't changed is the feeling I felt on that night. Sure, it may not be new anymore, but he still gives me butterflies when he looks at me from across the room. I'm still pretty excited for midnight and to ring in the new year with my favorite boy. Here's to the best New Year's Eve date there ever was.

P.S. How about Tad's photo booth skills? I think he was confused about switching the poses up. Something we'll be sure to work on in 2013.
 

An Inside Picnic Kind of Day

We had a beautiful picnic planned outside this weekend. Fried chicken, potato salad, you name it. There were a few reasons as to why this did not happen. First of all, it was way too chilly outside to be frolicking in the grass. Also, my husband loves Taco Bell and decided he just had to have it. So we improvised a little and this is what we got. A Taco Bell picnic inside on a Mexican blanket. We know how to keep the romance alive.

P.S. Words really can't describe how much Tad loves Taco Bell. I will be out of town all week and something tells me this will be his meal of choice while I'm away.

Self-Proclaimed Homebodies

What do you get when you cross a girl with a cold, a boy with an assignment due on the weekend and rainy weather? Homebody central. When Tad wasn't at the library, we were curled up on the couch watching movies or making food. Lots of food. We made a delicious pizza on Friday night. So delicious in fact that literally after every bite I would talk about it's tastiness. Such a foodie when it comes to homemade pizza. Thought I'd share a few bits and pieces of my lazy weekend in case you don't believe me when I say I didn't leave the house until Sunday morning. To be quite honest, this is what most of our weekends look like.

Love that creepy, but cute smile Tad is sporting in the last picture. What am I going to do with him?

Getting in the Groove

With this mad man. Practice Court is in full swing and it has taken some time to adjust to Tad's new schedule. He gets home from school, studies, eats dinner, goes to sleep and then wakes up at 4 a.m. to read before class. It exhausts me just writing that. I don't know how he does it, but he still makes some time for me in the evening in the midst of his routine. The weekends seem to be the best time to relax and spend time together. Hey, I'll take what I can get! It's not easy sharing my husband with law school, but there is a light at the end of tunnel. He graduates in seven months and 14 days, but who's counting?

We've been out of town most weekends, but it looks like we'll have to stick close to Waco more in the upcoming months. After this weekend that is. We have something very fun planned with my family in Dallas. It may involve a convention and photo op with our favorite CW brothers. I'm sure this is exactly how Tad wants to spend his weekend off. That boy must really love me.

Dear Tad

Dear Tad,

I am so very proud of you for completing this summer quarter AND managing to get a clerkship before fall quarter begins. This means you graduate in May and also have some experience under your belt. Win, win for everyone. Getting pretty excited to see where we'll end up next summer.

Thanks for cooking me dinner every night even though I insist on helping. Maybe you're just afraid of my oven skills? I promise I'll get better. Keep your faith in me. But if you want to make vegetable alfredo pasta every night, that's fine too.

I love watching you get ready for work. You know the song "A Well Respected Man" by The Kinks? That's basically your daily morning soundtrack. You know why.

Can we eat at that Tex-Mex restaurant I've been begging asking to go to soon? You know how I feel about Tex-Mex. Give me some salsa and sour cream chicken enchiladas and see me next Tuesday.

Oh, just one more thing. I'm very much in love with you. Hope that's alright.

Hello, Finals

So nice to see you again. This is Tad's least favorite time of each quarter (see above). And mine. Finals means I probably won't see him much all week. Maybe a quick hello here and there. He spends most of these days camped out in the library. Meanwhile I'm at home catching up on Law & Order: SVU. He doesn't understand why I like it so much. I always fall hook, line and sinker for criminal and forensic investigation shows. I'm convinced it'll pay off one day when I'm vicariously living through a lawyer.

Fireworks on the Fourth

We wrapped up the July 4th festivities with a fireworks date on the law school lawn. OK so it wasn't exactly a date. Tad's friend Tim met up with us at the show. Who says three is a crowd? We also had a little picnic with burgers and fries. A perfect way to end a great holiday. What's not love about fireworks and fries? God bless America.

P.S. Came home yesterday to a clean-shaven man. Tad said, "Happy Two Month Anniversary." Always keeping me on my toes.

Reason #85: Why I Love My Husband

I left good ol' Waco for Austin this week for work. Before I left, Tad did something very special for me. Per usual. I came home and there were empanadas and shrimp quesadillas waiting for me, compliments of my husband the chef. Every meal that man makes is a true labor of love. I just hope he knows how much I appreciate it and love him dearly for it. He's also been spoiling me with surprises as of late. His new thing is hiding a movie he rents for me and then giving hints to find it. He's pretty selfless when it comes to our movie rentals. He always picks a movie he knows I'd like. Just ask him the last 10 movies he has seen. Can't help but wonder if he ever gets tired of being the most thoughtful husband? So lucky he's all mine.

I love Austin, but I'm ready to be home. This is the longest we've been apart in our little married lives. I never thought I'd miss his beard, but I do. Well off to a restaurant romp and then back to the hotel for my last night. Room service and HBO are no fun alone. OK, who am I kidding? It's a little fun.

PIZZA DATE AT POPPA ROLLO'S

The mister and I have been looking forward to date night all week. The last few days have been a wee bit busy. I've had way too many meetings and Tad had the opportunity to work on his first case. We were pretty thrilled about that, but let's return to the subject at hand. Pizza. I could eat it every day. In fact, there were many weeks in college I did. It's just so delicious. Tad took me to Poppa Rollo's for the first time when we first began dating. The ingredients are so fresh and it's such a fun, laid-back atmosphere. The best part you ask? They give you ranch dressing with everything you order. It's almost like they're mind-readers. That pizza joint knows how to win us over.

We usually rent a few movies to end date night, but we were just way too exhausted. I'd say the date was still successful any way you slice it. Pun intended.

IT'S FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE

photo by Joielala Photographie

There's something to be said about being in love with love. There are just so many things I'm loving this week. Green Wedding Shoes featured our wedding on Wednesday! Check it out here. GWS is hands down my most favorite wedding blog so I was just tickled they featured our wedding.  I will share more pictures of the big day soon. I know I know. No one else cares about our wedding as much as I do, but the pictures are just too beautiful not to be shared.

On Wednesday I also had the opportunity to do a Tribal Glam photo shoot with Sweet Sunday Events. Those ladies are so stinkin' creative and talented. I had such a blast. I am no model by any means, but it was fun pretending to be. That's why I enjoy acting so much. What's not to love about playing make believe? We shot in Austin and I didn't get back home until 11 p.m. Of course the husband was waiting for me. He even had a little surprise. Homemade zucchini bread. It's one of my most favorite things. I've been eyeing it at the grocery store, but never want to pay $4 for it. I'm funny about food. So what does Tad do in this dilemma? Bakes it for me, of course. That man.

This week also marked our one month anniversary. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. It was such an amazing week and I don't want it to end. Although I am pretty excited about a pizza date in the near future. Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful sunshine this weekend!

A SATURDAY IN AUSTIN

Klifford is reason alone to watch this video. We took him to Austin on Saturday and he just couldn't handle the heat. He can be such a princess when it comes to the outdoors. Don't worry, he was very well hydrated despite what it may look like. On a brighter note, he made many new friends. We visited our favorite thrift stores and ate lunch at the most delicious food trucks. So glad Kandee joined us!

You can check out our last Austin outing with Klifford here. Note to self: Don't take him back again until fall. Better yet, winter.

*music by Vampire Weekend