easter weekend

Even though we have loved moving around and miss our Colorado and North Dakota friends dearly, there are definitely perks to being back home in Texas. I missed the colder weather, but I was thankful for the warm weather over Easter. We spent the weekend with my grandmother and family at Lake LBJ. The weather was perfect! Though I couldn't wakeboard and ski, I truly enjoyed watching everyone else while catching up on a tan I haven't had in years. Thankfully Target had a cute maternity bathing suit top I could pair with bottoms I already owned, so no bikinis for me!! The lake is my "happy place" and it was so good to be back! Bella also enjoyed swimming all weekend and slept for days afterwards. :)

Eric and Mel came with us!! 

Exposing Norah to the lake early! 

Ready to meet our baby girl! 

Chatting with Grandma while the others were in the boat. 

A much needed nap :)

Everyone in the boat while mom, Grandma, and I stayed back.

new year, new look?

Obviously I failed at trying to blog more, so we will see if this "New Year's Resolution" starts in February :) You may also notice the changes in the blog. It is totally not finished; I've been tinkering with the html codes. I also just installed Adobe Photoshop so I hope to have a custom header and signature. (Any help on that would be fantastic!) :)

Looking back, Christmas break was fantastic! One of my absolute favorites! Caleb, Bella, and I hopped in Caleb's new truck (woohoo for a 4WD vehicle!) and conquered the 24 hour road trip to TEXAS! It was so much fun, and we only stopped for a 1-2 hr nap each way. Total Road Warriors. We listened to an 18 hr book-on-tape, The Help. It was actually a great book and helped the time pass quickly.

We spent Christmas weekend with the McElroy's. Our days were filled with great food, fellowship, shopping, riding four-wheelers, and lots of Taboo and Spades. :) Bella and I traveled to San Antonio while Caleb stayed in Aledo helping his parents around the house. Mom and I shopped-til-we-dropped for two days. It was absolutely wonderful. She is the ultimate shopping buddy, and I can't begin to explain how much I enjoy time with my mamma. I was in awe of all of the stores and clothes and shoes and people and shoes and clothes and accessories and clothes! I also had a wonderful dinner with my parents and Chris and Britteny. Thursday before New Years we drove up to Lake LBJ to spend time with my grandma. Caleb and his parents as well as my brother and Britteny came to the lake for the weekend, too. It was so perfect spending time with our families for the last few days in Texas. I miss them so much already....and the weather. :)

North Dakota life is back in full-swing. (I plan to have another post dedicated to living here since it is totally unlike anything else.) I am actually sitting in the Bismarck airport right now trying to get to Houston for work. Due to sub-zero temperatures and snow all weekend, my first flight was cancelled, and the new flight is now delayed. Woohoo. Caleb and I are getting in shape to train for the Fargo half-marathon in May. :) (I noticed I have a "half marathon" label already, but I don't remember ever running one....probably that time I trained for 2-3 days?? Let's hope this go-around has a better result!)

Anyway, we are doing good and staying warm! I am sooooooooo ready for the snow to melt. It's piled about 4 ft tall in front of our house. Fortunately, each day is longer than the previous and one step closer to warmer weather....whenever that is....March, April, May??

I'll post pictures soon. I'm on the work computer so no access to pics.

love y'all

happy holidays

The holidays are definitely upon us! I feel like I am so busy, and it's hard to believe that we will be traveling to Texas in TWO WEEKS! Somehow I managed to volunteer for both the Marathon Parade of Lights float and the Marathon Holiday Party. Only 5 floats in the Parade of Lights, and all were parked in the mall parking lot for people to drive by. Kinda pathetic but also amusing. :) Just another quirk about little ol' Dickinson. Marathon's float won, of course. The Holiday Party was another time consuming event. The flowers were gorgeous and karaoke hilarious. :) Weeknights are spent hosting Bible Study, attending Christmas parties, working out, and just relaxing. I'm trying to finish some sewing projects before the holidays, but I'm not sure how successful I'll be. I want to order Christmas cards but can't make a decision. It's cold here....-11 this morning. :) Days are super short....sun rises at 7:30 AM and sets at 4 PM...that's only 8.5 hrs of daylight. Bella loves laying by the fire and will eventually become so warm that she begins panting. :) We love our Bella. Some pics from the past couple weeks:

gorgeous floral arrangements at the Marathon party

love y'all!