Our life... new, exciting, adventureous!

Awhile back we had an idea for a girl's day with the kids! The destination was to be the Blue Bell Creamery and Plant, but they unfortunately were still closed down for who knows how long. So we decided to make our trip to Waco, on June 10th, with hotspot stops along the way! It was 4 of us adult women and 8 kiddos from ages 4 to 18! We were outnumbered 2:1! But what a day we had! It was a ton of fun! In one car it was me and Tyranie with the younger girls Emery, Meagan and Hannah. In car #2, it was Kathy and Julie with the older kids Lucas, Zach, Elisabeth, Josh and Madeline.

It was time to party on the road!!!!

First stop was The Old Czech Stop for yummy sweet kolaches and savory kolaches. Delicious!!!! I got to introduce this to everyone since Sean and I went there last year on our way to San Antonio. Our first stop once we got to Waco was the well known bridge and life-size Longhorns!

It was pretty cool.

These two just crack me up!! Sistas from different Mothas! haha

"The Bridge"

Josh freaked us all out by climbing up there!

All the kids..... love every single one of them like they're my own!

Despite being only a week after my initial injury where I tore my ACL (unbeknownst to me at this point), I was able to get around quite well with my knee wrapped in an ACE bandage. And did it keep me from climbing 5 feet up the underside of this part of the bridge?? Nooooooooo!!!! Of course not! Though fear of falling on that leg did keep me from challenging myself to go higher! lol

The kids climbed up on this 6 foot high LongHorn!

Meagan, Elisabeth, Emery, Madeline (and Zach) :)

Best friends/sisters/cousins

Over 20 years of friendship that started in Fresno at Valley Christian Center and lasted

all these years and now God has brought each of our families to Texas and we get to live close

to each other! It is crazy awesome! (Julie, Tyranie, Amy, Kathy)

Our next stop was the Mammoth Site. This is a real live Mammoth dig site!

It was so cool!! Even for us adults!

My most favorite part of the trip??? Visiting Magnolia Market!!!! Sean and I are HUGE fans of the show Fixer Upper! We love the show, but we love Chip and Joanna and their talent and love for Jesus even more! They have put Waco on the map for sure!! It was so fun seeing their store and I cannot wait for the new store to open very soon... Magnolia Market at the Silos! The store will be 4x bigger! I was like a kid in a candy store! Also... just driving through Waco you see all the sites from the show's intro. Definitely makes Waco more exciting than it probably really is. hehe ;)

Emery was feeling a bit shy (and tired I'm sure)

this is what my home in heaven will look like!

Emery enjoyed shopping too!

and I found the Silos!! So cool!

This is their new store!!! Coming Soon! I see another drive in the near future!

From here we went on a search for an ice cream sandwich food truck that someone recommended. We finally found it downtown and sat on the street in the heat of the day, ice cream melting down our hands, but very much enjoying this super yummy treat!! You pick your cookies and then your ice cream and VOILA!! Pure deliciousness!!!!

And before heading home, I had to stop at Common Grounds, also highlighted on the show when they did a Fixer Upper for the young couple that owns this place. It was right next to Baylor University so it felt very much like the ultimate college hangout! Tons of space inside and out!

Even a stage in back where they local bands perform. And yummy coffee too! Super fun!

It was such a wonderful day filled with great conversations, some learning, and a whole lot of laughter!!! I am beyond blessed to have been placed here in Texas with these beautiful, Godly friends who I'm lucky enough to do life with and also call sisters!!!

And a whole bunch of amazing kids to adopt as my own!

April through June

Sean and I finally got out on a date night back in April. While Sean was working at REI, he was pulling 10+ hours days 5 days a week with commuting time. Our only day off together was Wednesday and even then he was usually too exhausted to do much. So on the rare occasion we got out on a date night, it was awesome!! This night we headed to the West 7th district in Fort Worth. We had such a great time!!!

And we're off...!!!

I found Thirteen Pies... kind of an upscale pizza place. Not your average pizza, that's for sure!! It was sooooo ridiculously yummy!!

West 7th

I look so drunk here but I'm really not! He caught me mid-blink! LOL

We went to the Coyote Drive-in in Fort Worth!!!! I haven't been to a drive-in since we first dated! That was centuries ago! The Caughran's planned it all. I met them out there after work. We saw Home and then Cinderella, which Emery and I had already seen so I wasn't planning to stay. But then we did! And she slept on my lap. It was glorious!

An awesome view of downtown as the sun was setting

Emery started out here next to me but it didn't last long....

.... she quickly ended up here with the young girls and my friend's teen who snuggled with them all in the back of the truck. It looked so comfy... I wanted to jump in! ha!

Within 5 min of Cinderella, she was out! Nothin' better than

your daughter sleeping on you for hours!

PINK IMPACT 2015
Another year at our Women's Conference! Again, I attended with my beautiful friend Karah, 2nd from the left, and her amazing mom (whom I've adopted), Cindy. During lunch the first day we invited Kat, far left, to eat with us and she spent the rest of the conference with us. We all had such a great time! And a very deep, awesome time growing in and worshipping Jesus! It was my best conference yet!

Random pics...

these pretty girls jumped in my car after church one day for the drive home!

This rock wall is about 5-6 feet tall... Emery does not shy away from it! Nope, she climbed it all by herself in dress and dress shoes. (except for taking this very quick pic I was under her, with my hand ready to catch her... in case you were worried ;)

Chilling at Starbucks with mommy and Kat (my new friend from the Pink Conference)

Girl's day!
It was Sean's last week at REI and our last chance to go visit him at work. We don't get out there often because we really have to make a day of it. We started out at the Keller library for story time.

First, story time!

And then a little bit of 'reading'

We headed into Dallas only for her to fall asleep in the car. I heard about Ascension Coffee, so that was my first stop. It was a fabulous coffee/wine/tapas place in the Design District. I got my lavendar latte and sat on the patio, reading my ebook, with Emery sleeping on my lap. Three of my favorite things and I got them all at once! I've been on a hunt for the best lavendar latte and this one is the best so far!

Then we headed to REI and visited daddy. Purchased a few last things with his discount and then headed home.

Once we were back in Keller, we stopped for cupcakes! It was a perfect mommy/daughter day!

Mother's Day
I got to pick wherever I wanted to go for brunch.... so Brewed it was!!! I don't know why... but this place continually makes my heart happy! So we went to church and afterward headed out for the 25 min drive to downtown Fort Worth Magnolia St. But just as we headed out, a torrential downpour began! We could hardly see the street as we drove south on the freeway. It was insane! I waited anxiously for Sean to suggest we turn around and go somewhere closer to home. But he never did. We arrived safely and parked only to have to trudge through deep waters to cross the street (I in my open toed wedges!). We put our name in for an expected 45 minute wait but there was no room inside. So we returned outside to huddle with others under an extremely small overhang! Again.... I waited for Sean to suggest another restaurant, but he didn't. Well the wait went from 45 minutes to an hour and a half!!! We were all starving. Emery especially! By the time we were seated, I thanked him for not suggesting a change in brunch and also for not complaining (as another man was jokingly doing to his family). He smiled and said "what would that do? It's not going make it go faster." And THAT was the biggest gift he could have ever given me!!! To let me have my Brewed brunch (my first chicken and waffles that were amazing!!!!) on MY day!!!! I felt so loved! Thanks babe!!!

And of course a cappuccino after breakfast!!! It was a PERFECT Mother's Day with my two loves!

My two loves!!!!!

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SOME RANDOM HAPPENINGS....

Emery here showing ME how to do my workout! Love her!

Muscles! haha

(don't mind my hair...I was in the middle of doing it! haha)

Sean came across his father's trumpet and started playing it. It was pretty cool! But then he showed Emery how and she did it better than me!!!!

Gavin came over, and though we did not plan their outfits, they were so adorable that I had to find the biggest fork I had and take some "farm kids" pics!!!

Not my best picture, but she makes me feel (and look) like a princess!!!

I got called into work late one night during a huge storm! I got to work just in time before the torrential downpour, but got an awesome light show during my drive!! I was glad to have been called in and not stuck inside the house. I would have missed this!!