The Stuff Summer is Made of...

Hello all!

Well it's week 4 of summer and I seriously do not know where the time has gone! Wow, it is really flying! However, I finally felt it last week...it's the feeling all teachers dream of when we think of summer...free time to complete DIY projects, get organized, try new recipes, experiment with new furniture arrangements, become an expert at "fill in the blank," etc. Well, I definitely am no expert at anything yet, but I did experiment with a new recipe that I wanted to share. And who doesn't enjoy a good glass of sangria??

Let me first start out by saying that my preference for wines is always white. But I do enjoy a glass of sangria, as long as it is fruity. I found this recipe and was instantly attracted to it because of the mass amount of fruit that you're supposed to put in it. I was even a little concerned that Rob wouldn't like it, but he did.

So here goes...

"Summer Sangria"

- 1 bottle of red wine (preferably a fruitier one)

- 1 lemon cut in wedges

- 1 orange cut in wedges

- 1 lime cut in wedges

- 1 peach sliced

- 1 cup of sliced strawberries

- 1/2 cup of limeade

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 2 cups of a sparkling white wine (I used a Prosecco)

Pour wine into a pitcher. Squeeze lemon, orange, and lime slices and then toss in the slices. Add in peaches, strawberries, limeade and sugar. Chill overnight or for several hours. Add white wine right before serving.

It's super simple and even more delicious. There is another version that I will try next time that uses white wine as the base wine. Looking forward to more experimenting. :)

Cheers!

More soon,

What We've Been Up To...

Hello all!

I have been on summer "break" for 3 weeks now...and it feels like 3 days. This is an unfortunate feeling as I have been very ready for break, but it's great at the same time because...we're going to be HOMEOWNERS! :)

We have loved our apartment and its amenities, but after a year of being here we decided that we want to go ahead and buy a house. Our apartment has been perfect for us as we settle into Houston and decide where we want to plant ourselves. We are excited to have our own space and get our hands dirty with something that is ours :) Also, Jonah is very excited to be getting a yard!

We have been looking since about the beginning of March for a house and have gone with our realtor and looked at about 8 houses. We have changed our minds a million and a half times about location, size, priorities, style...you name it. BUT, after all of that discussion, we think we have finally found it! I think we must have had a pretty picky eye, because there was really only one other house that we were even remotely excited about. The first one that we were interested in, our realtor vetoed as soon as he got there. We are so grateful for his opinions and we trust him completely. If anyone needs a good realtor in Houston, we highly recommend Mr. Mark Brawley! Our humble abode will need lots of TLC (it's 92 years old!), but we are excited to see how it turns out!

Here it is!

Even though we still have a few more steps to go through to make it official (fingers crossed!!) and have to close before we get the keys, we can't wait. :) If all goes as planned, we will close on the 2oth of July and then be able to move in that weekend.

So even though my summer has been and will be consumed with trips to Kinkos (I went three times in one day last week...and no, I don't have a crush on the Kinko's guy :), boxes, packing tape, U-hauls, painting cans, and unpacking, it will ALL be worth it!

Can't wait to have space for visitors! :)

Love to you all!

More soon,

Hello, Summer!

Hello blogging world!

I hope you are all well and are surviving the heat!

I am thoroughly enjoying being finished with school and not having to commute. I have loved my students this year, and was truly blessed with an incredible set of parents that were supportive. Let's just say as happy as I was to see summer, there were many tears shed on the last day of school.

Even though I am enjoying getting a little bit of extra sleep, catching up on errands and doctors appointments, and crafting, I do miss those little stinkers. I find myself looking at the clock and thinking through what I should be doing (picking the kids up from lunch, etc.).

Below are a few of the fun moments from this year.

One of my favorites that I got to go see cheer.

A field trip the Museum of Natural Sciences.

One of my little Aggies and I sporting A&M gear for Jersey Day.

A visit from the reptile man...

A few of the games that I got to go see. Love my little athletes!

And the last day of school in our empty classroom.

I have been very blessed with an incredible group this year. Fingers crossed for next year!! But for now...more catching up on all of the things I have put off during the last few weeks of school!

More to come!

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends! No big post today, but I more just wanted to get down a few recent thoughts.

Sitting in church today, the pastor was talking about how different our lives are because of Christ's resurrection. Because Jesus was crucified for our sins and they were buried with him in the tomb, and because He was resurrected, we have new life. Simple enough. He talked about how we have the capability to trade our sorrows for joy, our despair for purpose, our defeat for victory, and so on. It is nothing that I haven't heard before, but it was a strong encouragement that I needed to hear. Basically anything that is a negative, we gain as a positive if we choose to do so as a child of God. The key is actually choosing to do so. In my opinion, this is the real challenge.

I was actually pretty weepy this weekend...I was really missing my dad. I've said it a million times, but he just made holidays and get-togethers so much better. I missed seeing him stuffing the Easter eggs at the kitchen table and making his deviled eggs. I think he loved watching his three grown kids hunt Easter eggs more than we enjoyed finding them. Sweet Rob was such a great husband to me...just letting me talk through things and cry on his shoulder. It was tough. But listening to the sermon today, it reminded me of the gift that I have because I have accepted Jesus. I know that in Christ, a scenario that is seemingly very tough on earth is actually a victory in the Lord's eyes. I know that I have grown much more in my faith because of my loss than I would have otherwise. I know the same is true for many, many more people that Dad came into contact with during his time at MD Anderson and at work as he shared his story. I know just how well the Lord can hold me when it seems like my world is upside down. I know and trust the Lord's timing much more than I ever have. I have come to know Him as a father in a much deeper way. The list can go on forever. And yes, it is obviously very easy to see my situation from worldly eyes...it is, after all, natural. It is easy to pull out all of the "it's not fairs." But when we choose to see things and events from God's perspective, things just seem to make more sense.

Rob and I had a good and busy weekend. We got to host my mom for a few days and also got to spend time with much of Rob's family. It is always a treat to spend holidays with family...something I often take for granted. I certainly missed the competitive rush of the annual Maxwell house Easter Egg hunt, the annual Kerrville Easter run, and the rest of my family, but I was thankful for our weekend. We are richly blessed.

Happy Easter!

SB 2011

Happy Spring!

Well, in light of all of the government cut backs the education system is receiving, I thought I would highlight one of the nice perks of being a teacher instead... It's called Spring Break :) And I loved it this year.

Rob and I decided to head over to New Orleans for Spring Break (yes, he was kind enough to not leave me at home all alone for a week) and just enjoy the week together. Neither of us had ever been before, so it was such a blast getting to explore the city with a clean slate.

We stopped at LSU's campus before we got there. Rob had played lacrosse there while he was at A&M and wanted me to see the campus.

While we were in New Orleans, we were such tourists, but we loved it. We hit all of the hot spots that a good New Orleans visitor should, ate all of the food we were supposed to eat, and made some good memories along the way :)

We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel in the French Quarter. We loved being right there in the mix of all that the FQ had to offer. Our first night there, we hit up the one and only...Pat O'Brians. We had their famous hurricanes, which was just the way to start off the vaca. Rob's face is so telling... :)

We walked around Bourbon Street that night and just experienced what NOLA had to offer.

The next day, we walked around the city and explored the beautiful streets and their vendors. We loved taking in all of the sounds and sights that we saw.

We were obsessed with the live music and jazz that seemed to envelope the French Quarter. Saxophones, singing, swing dancing, and tap. It was glorious. The talent that was displayed there was unreal.

St. Louis Cathedral downtown. Stunning.

A view of downtown New Orleans from the train tracks...

We took a break and grabbed some muffaletas at the famous French Market. Rob was really excited about them...

After lunch we took a street car tour through New Orleans' garden district, which was beautiful. Unfortunately, the only picture that I snapped was of this bead tree. We went at the end of Mardi Gras, so there were still many remnants of the week's fun.

That night we headed to such a fun restaurant called the Acme Oyster Bar. Adam Richman from Man vs. Food on the Food Network did an oyster challenge there, so we wanted to check it out. The food was delicious. Rob got to indulge in some delicious oysters, while I was sad to settle for some rice and beans. Thank you shellfish allergy...

We headed out that night to hear some good jazz music at the Preservation Hall on Bourbon Street. The pictures were odd because of the lighting, but we so enjoyed it.

The next morning we headed to Cafe du Monde to have some of their famous beignets. They were so delicious...

...and they had the line to prove it. Luckily we got there before the line exploded like it did here.

We went back to the hotel and hung out poolside until our next adventure...

...an alligator tour, which was probably Rob's favorite activity while we were there. We took an air boat through the marshy water... I cringed, he completely ate it up.

We actually got really close to many of the gators that we saw...

And we even got to hold a gator that was about 2 years old...eek!

Even though it was a little unnerving to float through gator infested water, it was a gorgeous day and we had a great time.

My absolute favorite meal came that night, which happened to be on our two year anniversary of being together. We ate at one of Emeril's restaurants, called Nola. It was, by far, one of the most incredible meals I have ever eaten in my life. Everything was wonderful from the duck confit and arugula pizza to the incredible homemade ice cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it right now. If I could have a last supper...

What a fun way to celebrate with my love. What an incredible two years :)

The next morning, we hit up the famous Cafe Fleur-de-lis per my hairdresser's request. We absolutely stuffed ourselves to the brim. So worth it :)

We left the next afternoon to head home to pick up our 75 pound baby. Big thanks to Adam and Kara for watching our little man. I know he had a blast with his girlfriend, Myla.

We definitely loved going and we will for sure be going back. Who's with us next time??

More later,

Living the Houston Life

Happy Spring!

We have had a great past few weeks. It has flown by, and I can't believe that it is almost April! It is crazy to me to think that last year at this time I had just started wedding planning and was about to dive into one of the biggest years of my life. In so many ways, I feel like I have grown...in my relationship with Rob, in my journey as a teacher, and in my walk with the Lord. I was so excited to begin that journey, and it has been so wonderful.

I can honestly say that one thing that I was not looking forward to a year ago was leaving Austin and moving to Houston. I was so excited to be with Rob, but I was definitely not looking forward to living here. I loved being in the same town as my brother, Price, loved the active lifestyle that Austin lent itself to so easily, loved the hills, loved the small town feel that Austin had, and loved being less than 2 hours from my mom. Luckily, the transition to Houston was way easier than I expected. I told Rob the other day that I am completely sold as a "Houston girl" and would be very sad to leave here. I've had a wonderful "tour guide" to showcase all of the great attributes and attractions of Houston, and doing it with him has made it that much better.

One thing that has made Houston enjoyable has been doing things like Valentine's Day and other important days together. All of our other Valentine's Days have been spent apart or with lots of other people. Here was our first Valentine's Day together...Rob came to see me run the Austin half :) Good memories.

This year, we had a nice, romantic dinner at Sorrento's, and even though it wasn't as action packed as those in the past, it was perfect. :)

Another thing we have gotten to celebrate together was our 6th month anniversary as husband and wife. Love celebrating with this guy :) Life is one big celebration with him. He planned a progressive dinner for two of us at some of Houston's best hot spots. He is so good :)

Another fun thing we have gotten to do here has been taking a few leisure learning classes like these: http://www.llu.com/. We attended a Chinese New Years cooking class in February and that was a lot of fun. We learned a lot about the Chinese culture, and met some neat people :) This was us with the head chef.

We also went to a Dim Sum showcase and a tour through the Chinese Market we have in Houston. It was such a fun experience and was a chance to eat some new food and learn about another culture's cooking.

We've got some more classes one the docket, a wine tasting coming up soon and another cooking class at Central Market in the next few weeks. I'm so thankful I have a fun-loving husband that is willing to sacrifice and do things that I enjoy!

On another topic, one thing that I was excited about when moving here was the opportunity to be closer to one of my good friends from A&M, Annie Lukefahr. We lived across the street from each other my sophomore year of college, lived together for a summer on Fairview in College Station, and it was so fun to live down the street from her again. We would walk and meet each other to go for walks every now and again, and I loved it :) Annie is such a fun-loving, upbeat, and positive person to be around. I always love time spent with her. A few weeks ago, Annie had a wonderful opportunity to move to San Diego to be closer to her boyfriend, Jeff, so she went! I was sad to see her go, but I am SO excited for her and this next phase of her life. This was taken at Annie's going away party. I'll miss you Ann!

And you can't live in Houston and not participate in the Houston Rodeo. We LOVE the Rodeo! We have gone each year that we have been together, but this year was just a little bit better since we were married :) We got to see two of our favorites, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts, and they were both awesome. Such fun...

Even though there have been some definite sacrifices in moving here, I am so glad the Lord has us here. We love so many things about our life here in Houston, and I can't wait to see what else He has in store for us here.

More soon!

200

Well, today marks the 200th day that I have been married to my Rob Williams. That sounds like a ton, but it has flown by. What a ride it has been. I have never laughed so much, cried so many times...or loved anyone so much. It's really crazy to me that after knowing each other since 2003 and being together for a year and a half, I thought I loved him so much as I walked down the aisle. It is crazy how much my love has grown for him just in a little over 6 months... I love it.

So here's to 200 more, boo. Ok... lots more than that. :)

P.S. Does this not seem like forever ago??

http://www.mywedding.com/robandmallory/index.html