Sweat Equity

Mark and I have put a bit of sweat equity into our house with the help of my parents. This past weekend we painted our bathroom cabinets. I was going to replace them but decided that it would be cheaper to paint them and add hardware. I think I can officially say that we have completed the master bathroom.

I'll put pictures up as soon as I get some new batteries for my camera.

One last question, if you were us what would be the next part of the house to see improvement? Vote to the right.

Lost: Wedding Ring

Ooops! You may remember that Mark lost his wedding ring once this summer. He found it a few days later in Katie and Chris' backyard by using a metal detector.

I am not happy to report that it has happened, again. We think it fell off when he was taking the trash out on Sunday night. We were never able to recover it. So, I guess I will be making a jewelry purchase in the next few weeks. He will probably have to settle for sterling silver this time b/c I'm not spending much money. He'll have to wait 24 more years for our 25th wedding anniversary.

Did I mention that I love my husband?!? Seriously, he was sooo cute when he realized he lost it.

Face to Face

I almost forgot. I was reading through my old blogs and noticed that I never told you what Mark got me for my birthday! Most of you probably know but here is a hint:



I'm really excited for the concert. It's the Billy Joel and Elton John Face to Face tour. We are going in March and the concert is in San Antonio. I can't wait!

Happy MLK Day!

Without getting on my soapbox, I just want to say that I cannot believe the progress that our country has made. In about 45 years, we were able to overturn the Jim Crow laws, desegregate our schools and elect a black president! I have way over-simplified the history here; but last Thursday would have been Dr. King's 80th birthday, in his lifetime he should have been able to see this. We still have a long way to go but this is a great start.

On to a lighter topic...We painted and updated the rest of our master bathroom yesterday. The paint looks purple in the picture but I swear it's more brown. The light fixture is new (I need to get two more light bulbs) and the hand-towel rack. We also added a towel rack, robe hook and paper holder. Now we just need curtains, some decorations and I have to refinish or paint the cabinets and we will be done! Yipee!!!!
On Saturday, we had some of the Tech lacrosse guys over for a cookout. We picked two recipes from the grilling cookbook that Mark got from my parents at Christmas. We chose spiced pork tenderloin and red pepper pocket potatoes. It was amazing! I even made a mango kiwi salsa that was delicious when eaten with the tenderloin. I think the guys really enjoyed it but I'm also pretty sure that they'll eat ANYTHING. You be the judge...

From left to right: Zack, Robert, Mark and Stuart

Mark and Zack playing pong.

Robert and Stuart playing pong. I think they won!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! I know we did.

Holidays in Rewind

First it was my birthday (yes, that's a holiday). I turned 2? on December 21. Stephanie surprised me by planning a little birthday get-together at the local Karaoke hot spot (ha-no I did not sing and everybody appreciates that).

Christmas was really fun this year. We left on Christmas Eve to drive to League City to visit my parents. We spent Christmas Eve with my mom, dad, brother and grandma. We opened presents and got to visit a little. The next morning we had quail, biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Mark played the guitar a little for my family and then we had to leave to get to Austin for his parents' Christmas celebration. I think this was an exciting time for my family. We are just discovering our version of our family traditions. We usually drive to Amarillo to spend Christmas with the entire family. It's always a lot of fun but our family is getting so big it's really hard to get together in one place. I guess we are just all getting at that point in our lives...

When we got back to Austin, we went to Mark's godparents house to have some wine as his parents, sister and brother finished up dinner with them. Then we went back to Mark's parents house to open our presents and have some family time. Then, as is a tradition with Anderson Alumni (Mark's high school), we went to the local pool hall to have some Christmas time with friends.

I don't have a lot of pictures of Christmas, but my mom put up some good ones.



My brother came up to Austin for the New Year! This is one of our 'after midnight' pictures. We love to goof off. Below is Mark and me. We all went to a place called Cool River. We rented out an entire room and we had private waitresses. It was nice to not be in such a crowded place. I have to admit I am a little over the going out for the New Year. I think next year we will stay home. Nevertheless, I had fun.
Here is a better picture of my brother and me.
Me, Lottie and Stephanie!!! Had fun, ladies!
I'm excited for the 2009! It's going to be a good one and Mark and I are ready for the new adventures that this year holds for us! Peace to you all and may the new year hold many blessings for you and your families.