FFF: Friday Fave Five

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This the first time in a lonnnnnng time I've done a link up! It sounded fun to bring back the FFF, so here are my Friday Fave Fives for this week.

::ONE:: Braids by drybar

drybar opened in Fort Worth a few weeks ago. It's super close to TCU, and right across the street from University Park Village, the best shopping center in town. (Think Kendra Scott, Anthropologie, Apple Store. You know--THAT kind of shopping.) Last week, they stopped by Pure Barre to do braids to help celebrate PB's 3rd birthday in Cowtown. (More of my PB obsession here, here, and here.) I found out that you can stop in for a braid at drybar for only $10, or add one to your blowout service. They do little girls' braids for even cheaper, I think. Since I cannot braid little girl hair for the life of me, this is an excellent development.

My drybar braid. I loved it and wore it for 2 days.
I was not driving when I snapped this pic, Mom.
::TWO:: drybar Detox Dry Shampoo

I should be embarrassed by how many days this has allowed me to go without washing my hair. Spreading the drybar love during the braid bar, they left a sample at Pure Barre for post-workout hair. This might be the best dry shampoo I've tried. Found here.

::THREE:: Old Navy Swing Dresses

If you see me this summer, I'll probably be wearing this dress somewhere. In multiple colors, but in particular navy and white is on sale now. Inexpensive and breezy. Found here.

::FOUR:: MPix economy photo books

Back in the dinosaur ages, we would print out a whole roll of film and have all those pictures to flip through. After our trip to Disney, I wanted easy access to all our pictures, but obviously I'm not going to frame all of them. I looked through multiple photo book vendors and thought MPix software was the easiest to work with and least system intensive (think amount of time it takes your webpages to load). I also wanted plain pages with no clipart or journaling, so this fit the bill. Our Disney book turned out great, and now I'm trying to decide if I want to make books of our last several years of pics.

I chose the charcoal art cloth cover--a nice darker gray that won't show dirt from the little hands that love reliving our trip. I sprung for the gold imprint on the front bottom corner. Found here.

::FIVE:: Fightin' Texas Aggie Baseball

If you need me, I'll be watching the NCAA baseball tournament this weekend.

Here's your @ncaacws College Station Regional field #12thMan

A photo posted by Aggie Athletics (@12thman) on May 30, 2016 at 8:04pm PDT

Weekending

I'm just a few days late with this one. This has been a busy week, with sick kids, meeting up with friends, and prepping for a Pinterest day at our church this Saturday where I'm leading a class. Busy!

Last weekend I dropped our babies off with my parents on Friday afternoon and headed back to Fort Worth after eating supper with them and my brother. We had gotten a call a couple of days earlier inviting us to take advantage of some Aggie football tickets our friends had been given. Everything totally aligned--childcare, tickets, and a mostly free weekend. YES!

The tickets were passed along by two gentlemen in our church who have had them for probably decades. Our parking pass was in the lot right in the shadow of Kyle Field, which really uncomplicated a lot of game day for us. So wonderful!


We caught one of our former high school students who is in the Corps during march-in, saw Luke Joeckel on his scooter with his hurt ankle, and managed to grab some Aggie stocking stuffers for the kids. After a ridiculous first quarter, the Aggies started to come alive. It was great to watch Johnny play even a little longer than we expected. We headed out in the fourth quarter since it was already late (kick-off was at 8 PM), and we all had to be back for Harvest Day, our new building dedication, and other responsibilities at church the next morning.


8 AM came pretty early the next morning, even with falling back an hour. It was Harvest Day at church, and we dedicated a new building with dining facilities, music suite, and education space for Senior Adults. It was a great day! After, we headed back to Corsicana to pick up my kids and visit with my family for a bit. It was a great weekend, and we were so grateful we got to make a trip to Aggieland this year to see our Fightin' Texas Aggies!

Weekend in Aggieland

This past Saturday, we roadtripped with friends down to College Station, home of Texas A&M University which is also known as Aggieland for those of you who may be reading this and are not from the great state of Texas. My husband and I both went to school there, and we laugh (but really, we're serious) that Jack will be class of '33.
Baby's First time to sweat and Baby's First snowcone.

(My deepest apologies to the legacy of Sul Ross for cropping his head out for the sake of a collage-style picture.)
A&M just conceded to its first sponsored stadium this year with the renovation of our baseball field. It's now known as Blue Bell Park at Olsen Field. At first, I was a bit outraged that something as sacred as Olsen Field would be sacrificed to the almighty dollar, however my first impression this weekend was that Olsen Field is just a better version of itself. And honestly, if you have to be sponsored by a corporation, what's more down home than Blue Bell ice cream? Very well done.


Anyway, it was so fun to drive around College Station and stroll through the campus. I made my best friends and many wonderful memories there. God prepared me for adulthood there, with a good education, and He revealed more of how to walk with Him there. It is a place to remember His faithfulness. And it was so good to be back on those sidewalks again. The renovations we saw (and we checked in on the "new" MSC, my Aggie friends) are simply making A&M a better version of itself. Love that.

And funny enough after all that reflection, today was senior Sunday at our church. We had a breakfast, recognition ceremony, and lunch. I've mentioned a few times that I teach senior girls, so it was kind of a bittersweet day. It's exciting to see them prepare to take the next steps into life. There is a whole world at their fingertips! I also got a tiny bit emotional, which I rarely did before I had Jack. What is up, tear ducts? Only 17 years with my boy left. No doubt he'll think they are long, but I'm convinced they won't be long enough.

The Aggies are We.

We weren't the only ones who braved the rain and terrible
tackling to watch the Aggies play ball this weekend.

The Aggie faithful were out in full force.

Obviously one of the better moments of the game.

Definitely snapped before kickoff.

Apart from the game, the actual weekend was great! Mikalah and Jarrod were in, so we kicked off the weekend with dinner at Joe T. Garcia's. We joined them at Cowboy Stadium along with the Clemens, the Cooks, Deans, and McElroys.

Good company.

At Least Aggies Always Win Halftime.

{The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band @ Cowboys Stadium Oct. 3, 2009}

I'm no fair weather fan, but Saturday night was really bad.

Louisiana Saturday Night

Here are just a few pictures from Amanda's wedding. (My camera is on strike, therefore I am borrowing.) Amanda was one of my college roommates, and along with Alisia, we lived together for 4 years either in the same apartment or next door to one another in the dorms. We have had so many fun adventures together, and it was such fun and an honor to be part of her big day.

Getting our nails done, of course.


At the rehearsal dinner, on the bayou.


The beautiful bride and her girls, out in front of the reception site.


One more of many, many roommate pics!


The bride and groom, with the jazz band.

I can't wait to see the photographer's finished products!

Visit to the Motherland

Some may boast of prowess bold
of the school they think so grand.
But there's a Spirit can ne'er be told.
It's the Spirit of Aggieland!

(I think I take this exact same picture every time I go to an Aggie football game. Here is 2008's.)

Last weekend, Brad drove half the night to pick me up at Houston Hobby around 12:40 AM Saturday, then on to College Station where we got in around 2:45 AM. It was nuts. He is so awesome! We stayed with our gracious friends, the Buckners, whose hospitality is unmatched, especially since they let us have their house while they were out of town. Thank you Jen!

Our crazy Friday night/Saturday morning was made possible by our friend Hurricane Ike, whose gifts just keep coming. While our situation was not nearly so desperate as many in the Houston area, Ike put the Marriott where I had a Friday reservation out of commission until November. Too bad I didn't find that out until Wednesday, which explains our crazy nocturnal journey. Oh well!


The sun was out in full force at the top of the Zone.
My legs are still stinging today.

It was Military Appreciation Day at Kyle Field. It was only appropriate since
both Army and A&M have such deep military tradition. On the field is the flag
they displayed while the Singing Cadets sang 'God Bless America.'

And here are some of my wonderful friends where we met up after the game!
Amber, Mikalah, Rachel, and me

Tupinamba's: A New Aggie Tradition

Last week was a busy week with dinner with friends on Tuesday and our anniversary dinner on Wednesday night, among some other things we had going on.

Tuesday night I met a group of girls at Tupinamba's over in North Dallas. Tupinamba's has somehow become a tradition with a group of us over the past SIX (girls, can you believe that?) years. The location was introduced to us by the Reed's before they moved back to God's Country (Aggieland, of course). We met there as single girls, and then we met there as married girls. And Tuesday, we dwindled down one more as Mikalah and Jarrod prepare to fly south to Austin. We'll miss having them close by, but we'll be going to visit as often as they will let us!

One reason we love Tupi's (other than the delicioso Mexican food and the fantastic company of friends) is that it's an Aggie owned and operated establishment with menu items such as Shelby Metcalf cheese dip, the RC Slocum plate, and the t.u. Special (chicken tacos.) They also have other tasteful Aggie tributes in the dining room, along with other Aggie paraphernalia throughout the restaurant. Such as this:


You would think I would take some sort of group picture, but no. Instead, I have the lovely Laura pointing out the Ladies Room sign. Gig 'em!

In My Mind, I'm Going to Carolina

This past weekend my college roommate Alisia and I travelled to Boone, NC to visit with our other college roommate, Amanda. She's interning at Appalachian State University (the ones that beat Michigan last year in football) at their student counseling center and living about a mile off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the beautiful high country of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a little cabin in the woods, and it's just precious.


After an early morning flight into Charlotte, NC, she picked us up for the 2 hour drive to Boone. We followed the winding road and marveled at the amazing vistas and furniture stores. Next time we will drive or rent a u-haul. Prepare yourself, B-Dub. And we passed a ton of Christmas tree farms.

Saturday we went to Mayberry, a fulfillment of the dreams of one. We also had a Victoria Beckham sighting. Who knew she went red?


Sunday we toured Biltmore Estate, which was awesome.

Question: What happens when a pharmacist, a psychologist, and a software engineer walk into Biltmore?

Answer: An unsuspecting tourist is stalked and asked to take a photograph of people he doesn't know.


At the Fancy McDonald's.


We had a ton of laughs on our road trips and enjoyed a custom 2 cd mix tape with diverse selections such as Kermit the Frog's 'Rainbow Connection,' Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive,' and Pink's 'Get the Party Started.' I think we had a specific memory tied to each song on the cd, which I guess makes sense when you live with the same FUN and FABULOUS people for 4 years!

After a flight home in which I think we hit every bump between Charlotte and DFW, I am hoping by today Alisia has regained full use of her right arm. I only grabbed it a couple of times and cried for my mom once.

I had so much fun, ladies, and can't wait to do it again soon!

Something that Never Ceases to Make Me Laugh

Taco meat. Haha!

Aggie update: proud for softball. Trying not to doubt that the baseball team will come back this last inning.

On the Road

Here's a pic of the Cowboys new stadium in Arlington. I pass by here twice a day on my commute, and it's interesting watching it go up. It is HUGE. I think it will be pretty much awesome when the Aggies play Arkansas in a series here as they will beginning in 2009. A great resurrection of old SWC days, (or so they say...I don't really remember those days.)

Weekend Snapshot

This weekend brought with it a baby shower for my dear friend Sherry. Pink and brown were the colors du jour to celebrate the coming of baby Chloe who will be here before we know it!

Me, Mikalah, Amber, & Sherry (Chloe's Mom)

Goin' to the Chapel

My college roommate Amanda is engaged! This hardworking girl is finishing up her PhD and will now add planning a wedding to her list of things to do, right underneath "complete dissertation." Congratulations and YAY!

My lovely Aggie roommates, Alisia and Amanda

Live Blogging from Thanksgiving Eve

We're watching the Aggies in the NIT semi-finals, and currently, they're winning!  My mother is whipping up the dish she's supposed to take to my Grannie's for lunch tomorrow.  It's a Thanksgiving/Christmas lunch staple in our family--cream cheese corn.  In honor of the high calorie holidays, here's the recipe. It's easy to make, and easy to reheat, which makes it especially perfect for potluck style gatherings.

Cream Cheese Corn

3 cans of shoe peg corn

8 oz. cream cheese

1 stick of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of milk

1 fresh jalapeno, diced

1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Over low heat, melt together the cream cheese and butter combined with the milk.  Drain the corn.  Mix with the cream cheese mixture.  Add the jalapeno, then top with the grated cheese.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Family, Food, Fellowship, & Football

And that, dear friends, was our weekend.

It seems like we had the quietest couple of days. Friday night we drove over to Southlake Town Square for a date night and some shopping. I bet you can guess who planned the date night...not Brad. But he definitely was a good sport. Is shopping a love language? It would have to be mine. I guess it's considered quality time.

Saturday, my parents brought my grandparents into town to see our house. For the most part though I think it was so the girls could go shopping. So we left Mr. G, my dad, and Pop with a freshly baked cake and lots of football and headed to the mall.

After church on Sunday, our whole SS class went to Babe's Chicken in Burleson. If it can be fried, they are frying it up at Babe's, and it is GOOD.

Brad worked all Sunday afternoon on homework. He has a midterm next weekend, and then there's the tiny matter of the master's report he has to write...only 8 more weeks! I think I will make him a countdown for the fridge.

And mark it down. This week the Aggies are leading the Big 12 South. We'll take it. Whoop!

Welcome to Aggieland

This weekend we went to the A&M - Baylor game with our good friends, the Cooks. We were pleased that the Aggies won, although the game itself wasn't that interesting until halftime, when the Baylor band played some "music to get you movin' and groovin'"--as in Michael Jackson's Thriller. The best part was when the flag corps and the woodwinds threw down their flags and instruments and did the actual dance from Thriller. I don't think Kyle Field will ever be the same again.

Pre-Game/Pre-Sunburn

Thanks for winning Aggies! Gig 'Em!

Gig 'Em Aggies

We are ready for football.