Kemah

     Andy and I took our camper to Kemah this past weekend.  We finally had an open weekend without a cross country meet so we thought we'd take advantage of our camper.  I really do love our camper!  As I've said before, one of our best investments.

     We left Friday after school, and it was nice that it wasn't a long drive (about an hour and a half drive).  We arrived when it was dark, not completely, but close enough.  It's a little more difficult setting up the camper in the dark, but Andy and I have pretty much mastered setting it up no matter what time of day or what the weather is like.  Being a little over-confident in our ability to set up the camper...  We did make a rookie mistake though because the slide-out almost hit the water spicket.  So we had re-hook up the camper and move it.  I don't know why we didn't think to check it before we unhooked the camper the first time.  Oh well!  Live and learn!
     After the camper was set up, we went to the Super Target near by so I could get some milk and tea.  There are times it's really nice to camp near cities or in cities because of all the access to stores.  I don't have much living in the middle of nowhere in Tarkington... so yes, a Super Target is considered "access to stores."
     And OMG... side note... This campground was A-mazing!  It was what you would consider a "concrete jungle" because it was not wooded and there were not a lot of shade trees.  But the amenities were so nice.  The shower house was extremely extremely clean which is fantastic since I set my standards pretty high.  Our specific site was awesome, right next to the dog walk and water.  They had gas fire pits along the waterfront.  They had a nice swimming pool (didn't try that one in the 40 degree weather).  The parking spots and roads were all concrete which made leveling the camper very easy.  And the grass was nicely mowed and manicured.  If you don't have a camper of your own, you probably don't understand what I'm talking about.  Just trust me, this place was top-of-the-line!  Loved it!
     Saturday morning Andy went kayak fishing.  Yes, he was crazy!  It was cold, and I am quite certain the wind was blowing 100 mph.  He did catch several fish (mostly trout) but they were too small to keep.  And he hooked a sting ray!  He didn't keep the sting ray since he was more concerned with getting it cut off the line before it could "stab" him.  Little did we know, you can actually eat sting ray like fried oysters.  Maybe he'll catch another, and we can try fried sting ray.  That just sounds gross to me, but hey I'll try it.
     I did pretty much nothing on Saturday.  Maddie and I walked around a lot, and she did some retrieving with her ball.  I did grade a huge stack of Algebra papers which was nice to get done.  Andy came back in the afternoon, and we went into town for gas and a Redbox movie.  I brought some chili that I had cooked earlier in the week, and it was delicious especially with the cold weather.
     Sunday morning Andy went out fishing again while I slept in.  We left the campsite before noon and got back home pretty early which was nice because I had a TON of clothes to wash.  We didn't do much and didn't do anything exciting, but it was definitely an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.  I told Andy that our goal should be to take our camper out at least once a month for the rest of the school year.  We'll see how that goes...
     Here are a few pics that I took.  Completely didn't think about taking more! 

Entrance to the campground

View from our camper.  The picture doesn't do it justice!

This is what Maddie does when I don't
want to sit outside in the cold.

This is what Maddie does after we play outside.

Tried to get a good picture, but she wouldn't sit still.

 



Productive Weekend

     This past weekend was our District Cross Country Meet.  Usually it's during the school week so Andy and I get to miss a day of school, but due to TAKS testing it had to be moved to the weekend.  Bummer!  I like free days out of school but... I don't like planning for missing school, too much extra work.  Anyway, the boys team got 2nd and will be moving on to Regionals.  We also had one girl place in the top 10 individuals, and she will be advancing to Regionals as well.  I love it when our kids see success for all of their hard work.  Very proud of them!
     After the meet, Andy and I watched our recording of the A&M vs. LSU game.  Ugh!  I had totally expected A&M to get blown out.  Instead, we had a chance to win but made stupid mistakes and turnovers to lose the game.  Maybe next year...
     I then decided to clean out our flower beds and trim the shrubs.  Usually, I just let the flower beds go during the winter, and it ends up looking pretty trashy.  I really love our little house tucked away in our cozy little space, so I decided to keep it nice this winter.  I raked out all the pine needles (hate those suckers!) and most of the old mulch.  I also trimmed up our hedges, Texas sage bushes, the rose bush, the oleander, and our crepe myrtle.  It looks so much better!  After that Andy decided to tackle the shrub around the pine tree in our backyard.  Basically it's a huge weed bush that is just annoying and ugly.  The squirrels won't have a place to hide from Maddie anymore!
     Saturday evening Andy grilled some fish for dinner, and we decided to light the fire pit.  We had a patio poured in our backyard last spring so we could have a place for our outdoor furniture, fire pit, and grill, and it gave us a relaxing place to hang out (which is probably the real reason for having the patio).  We love the fall and early spring because it's usually the perfect weather for no mosquitoes and spending time outside.  Plus, a glass of wine tastes so much better relaxing outside in the cooler weather.  I didn't have any marshmallows or chocolate to make s'mores, but we still enjoyed each other's company and the great outdoors of our backyard.

Love our patio!

     I really love my new vehicle.  Well, I say "new," but it is officially a year old now.  It still seems new to me though.  Sunday I gave my Equinox a bath.  :)  And, I vaccuumed the inside and cleaned it with Armor All.  It's totally mental, but I think it drives better when it's cleaned.
     This weekend Andy and I have a "free" weekend with no cross country meet.  We are taking a short trip to Kemah so Andy can do a little kayak fishing and I get to go camping.  I, actually we, love our camper!  Probably one of the best investments we've made.  Friday cannot get here fast enough, but I do have a lot to do before then.

Christmas Cards

     I know it seems early to be thinking about Christmas cards, but it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.  For as long as I can remember, my mom has mailed out Christmas cards to anyone -  friends, family, co-workers, etc.  So, it is something I enjoy doing as well.  Since I've discovered a love for scrapbooking cards, I decided that I should make our Christmas cards this year.  I probably won't make all of them, but I just might.  Here's a little preview of what they'll look like.  They are definitely not finished!

 

 

Sawdust, Aggie Football & the Mini Masseuse

     Wednesday evening Andy and I had to dog-sit Sawdust for Andy's parents.  His dad had a business meeting out of town, and Sawdust is pretty picky about who he stays with.  I remember the first time we kept him was pretty tough because no one slept, but he's much better now.  It's still a madhouse with Sawdust, Maddie and Lonestar all under the same roof!

Exhausted after playing all evening

     Last night was yet again another Aggie football game - A&M 59, LA Tech 57.  I can't handle these stressful games.  We kick butt in the first half and then make it a close game in the second half.  I would just rather win by a lot of points the entire game!  Andy and I kept up with our tradition of making some "football" food.  This time I added a cheeseball on another Aggie dish.

 

     So, most of you probably know, I get migraines.  A couple of years ago I actually went to the doctor to try get some relief from them.  He prescribed me this huge pink pill for tension headaches, but I am not a huge fan of taking medicine so I haven't used them much.  Do they work?  Oh yes, they do and I should probably take one more often!  The longest I've had a migraine is three days.  Usually they last about 24 hours.  I haven't ever thrown up, but I do get that sick feeling in my stomach like I'm going to.  Typically if I can get home and take a nap for an hour and then take some Advil, I can make it through.  Of course I still feel the remnants of it the next day, but my head doesn't feel like I need to rip it off.  Long story short, Andy's mom gets migraines as well.  She will try any and everything to get rid of hers because hers can last for a week.  She discovered this machine called the Mini Masseuse.  It has these little pads that you put on your shoulders, back, etc. and it sends a shock through your muscles to "massage" it.  It's actually pretty cool, and for me, it works about 80% of the time.  So, if you get migraines and need some relief, try it out.

 

P.S.  Having an iPhone makes it so much easier to take and post pictures! :)  And, my OtterBox came in the mail - love it!!

Pinterest & Golf

     That's an interesting title if I've ever seen one.  Lol.  Easy explanation - Pinterest for me and Golf for Andy.  I joined the Pinterest community sometime over the summer, and I LOVE it.  My favorite pins are all of the recipes.  I rarely used the internet for recipes and would usually try to find something out of a cookbook.  Well, the recipes on Pinterest have given me several more options for dinner for Andy and I which has been awesome!  Thanks to Pinterest, I have learned that I actually enjoy cooking and baking and especially trying new recipes.  Recently, I found this recipe for Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies, and they are delicious!!!  Super sweet but super yummy!  Who would have thought that a cake mix could make cookies!?!

Yummy!

     This past Saturday was the Aggie football game.  Whew, it was a close one!  I was just thankful that they finally pulled out a win in the second half instead of blowing it.  I had seen several friends post about the yummy "football" food they made for their families.  So, Andy thought it would be a good idea for us to try it.  I am pretty sure this will become our new Saturday football tradition.

Aggie platter thanks to Andy's mom's winnings at Bunko!

Gameday food - pizza rolls and pig-in-the-blankets!

Waching Aggie football!
Gig 'em!

     Yesterday, Andy took his PAT (players ability test) at Walden on Lake Conroe.  The weather started out pretty nasty - cold and wet.  Thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful day in the afternoon.  I thought I was going to have to walk the entire 36-holes of golf, but the course marshall said I could ride with Andy in his golf cart.  (yay!)  Andy played really well, and I was very proud of him.  He said it was probably the best golf he has played since high school especially when you consider the weather and the beast of a course it was.

Looking good!

Getting ready to practice on the putting green.
He was tired of me taking pictures!

Happy couple!

Action shot!



It's Been A While

     My days are going by too quickly and are too jammed packed with other things that I didn't realize it's been two weeks since I last posted.  Eek!  Someone needs to remind me... Err, maybe not.  I have too many people "reminding" of things that I need to get done and mostly on short notice which causes me to stress and have migraines.  Speaking of that... There is one thing that I have learned about myself this school year already, and I don't think it's a good thing either.  I do not do last minute and unprepared well.  I do not like a change in my schedule at the last minute.  I do not like being interrupted from my routine or my plans.  I do not like ten people trying to talk to me and ask me questions at one time.  I do not like people to enter my personal space.  As a teacher, these things happen ALL the time unfortunately.  I have done less school work at home this year, yet I feel more stressed than ever.  I keep wondering, have I chosen the right profession?  I don't know.  I keep praying that God will reveal His plans for me because right now I am not sure where He wants me... or us for that matter.
     Whoa... That was little deeper than I wanted for a blog entry... Anyway...  What have we been up to for the last two weeks?  Is it sad that I really don't remember?  Yes, it is.  Let's see... Andy took Maddie Mae down to his dad's property to do some dove hunting.  They had a few unsuccessful trips, but finally one trip proved to be the winner.  Andy shot only two dove, but Maddie was still as excited as ever to retrieve them.  I took a few good pictures of them while they were out roaming the field.

Andy's Dad's property.  It's beautiful!

Thought the sun ray was cool.

 

A man and his hunting buddy

Good "action" shot

Our happy Maddie Mae

She wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a good picture.
She loves birds!

 

      I finally read all three books of Fifty Shades of Grey.  Yes, I know... I feel a little ashamed, but I must admit that I actually enjoyed them.  But as I've gotten older, I've become a sucker for "love stories" even if they are a little different.  I read the first book over the summer and had decided that I was not going to read the rest of them.  There were just too many f-bombs and kinky/harsh sex scenes for me.  Actually, it was a culture shock for me.  I have never read a romance novel before, and boy did I pick a good one to start on.  So then several of my friends starting posting on Facebook about how great the whole triology was, and that's how I suckered myself into reading the other two books.  Like I said, I actually enjoyed the story which is still shocking to me.
     Last night I got an iPhone!  It was time for my upgrade on my phone, and we weren't sure if I should get a regular phone or upgrade to a smartphone.  I have been wanting an iPhone, but I wanted it to do what my iPod does except add the calling and texting.  Basically, I didn't want to pay this ridiculous amount of money for a data package when all I plan on doing is using the WiFi at home to surf the web.  Well, we figured out that we could afford the added monthly expense - woohoo!, and plus we get a 25% discount on the data package since we're state employees (yay for the small perks of being a teacher!) so that helps.  I did not get the new iPhone 5 (since it would have been $200+), but I got the white iPhone 4s.  Now I can't wait to get my OtterBox case in the mail!  I am excited to finally be like all the "cool" kids!

My iPhone case :)