It’s the Holiday Season

Santa was very good to us this year. We awoke on Christmas to find lots of toys under the tree…a new Xbox 360 with all of the trimmings, AppleTV, an ipod touch, a GPS, a Bluetooth headset for my Blackberry, lots of spa gift certificates, etc. But the best part was being with family over the holidays. The anniversary of Grandpa’s passing is creeping up and there were a lot of little things that reminded me of him. The biggest thing was our tree, which used to be Grandpa’s Christmas tree. We put it up and decorated it with a lot of love. We also put out all of his nutcrackers and plan on collecting more from Germany in his honor. He is very missed.

Now we’re looking ahead to 2009 and saying goodbye to a wonderful year. It started out a little bumpy but got better and better. A year in which I visit Florida 5 times can’t be that bad. Robert and I both moved up in the working world to great companies and we brought home our wonderful new puppy Jack.

As his personality continues to develop, he becomes more and more a part of our family. It was hard for Molly to accept another dog in the house but now they are getting along famously. Jack is very cuddly – he melts in your arms and really shows true love for us. He has his puppy moments – like pulling out one of my pencil bushes from the garden and dragging it around the yard like a big stick – but they are all a part of learning and growing. He’s lucky I’m super patient.




Robert and I have set some big goals for 2009. By the end of the year he will be walking across that stage and will officially have his Masters on time!

So long, 2008!

Expanding the Family and other tales...

Robert and I found out that we're getting a new puppy soon. It's a "Snorkie" (Mini Schnauzer/Yorkshire Terrier for those not in the know). We've been entertaining the idea of getting another dog for a while. Robert has even visited a few shelters around town. It's not that we want to replace Molly. We really want her to have another dog to pal around with. We adore my mom's dog, Cookie, a Havanese with an incredibly loving disposition. She and Molly get along so well.

As I was looking around Petfinder a few weeks ago, I put in Yorkie just for kicks. Usually they're all older and aren't friendly to animals and small children. There were eight puppies at Fuzzy Friends, an animal shelter I volunteered at in Waco. Robert and I thought they looked adorable and we put in an application. Two weeks later, we get a call and we get second pick! It's exciting. Luckily, it'll be about a month before we actually pick up our new puppy. That will give us some time to prepare. We'll definitely be doing training classes with both dogs.

Robert and I also finished a key project in our house this weekend. It was such a small project but it has made a big difference. We have bought a lot of new furiture over the past few months and our light green wall just wasn't jiving with everything else. Now we just need curtains and a few art pieces and we'll be done for now. (Yeah right!)

Jambalaya and Jazz

Last night we spent time with the Kevin, Elisha, Cindy and Calvin. We started with going over to the Burys for homemade jambalaya (meat and vegetarian!). It was so delicious. Then we headed to the Scat Jazz Lounge for a night of jazz.

I had read about the Scat Jazz Lounge in the business press a few months ago. We went downtown and you approach a man in front of an alley. You pay him and you walk down the alley. You can't miss the sign for the lounge.

Below the sign is an elevator. We took the elevator down below street level and you push open a set of doors into an open, dimly lit lounge complete with stage, tables and bar. Adonis Rose, the New Orleans import, was on stage and the place has a real speakeasy feel. Further proof that Fort Worth is amazing place to live.

I don't drink a lot so I like to try unique things from the menu. The have some really old school drinks. They even offer bottle service.

Definitely a fun night. Now it's off to the pool to relax :)

Peachy Keen

Thursday was Night at the Ballpark at my work. Stacey, my awesome co-worker, planned the event and it went off without a hitch. One of our nurses sang the national anthem, a patient threw out the first pitch and several employees were honored on-field. After that was complete, we joined Russ and Robert at our seats and had our obligatory hot dogs. I realized that Robert and I haven't been attending Rangers games in the same frequency as last year. I think part of it is that my sister has had such a crazy schedule this summer. She's been in Florida, Oregon, etc. That needs to change.

Yesterday, we went to the Parker County Peach Festival in Weatherford. We decided that since we live in far west Fort Worth and Weatherford is a 15 minute drive west, we might as well stop by for a while. We went early and picked up some of the famous peaches, enjoyed a peach julep and browsed antique stores and craft booths. It was hot but it was fun. After that, we went to see Hancock and had dinner on University. Our original plan was to enjoy some Pho from Sonny's Diner. They've changed their hours and aren't open for dinner on the weekends anymore. I was so disappointed. We're going to plan for that another weekend.

Today we lounged by the pool. What an awesome weekend.

Some big changes are coming. I have to wait until it's official before I write about it on here - I'm excited and I know Robert is as well.

Continuum

This is it. Our first foray into blogging. I'll admit, this is mostly for me because I'm terrible at remembering things. Your birthday? Got it. The time we went to "that place" to try that "famous dish?" Forget it. It'll more than likely be me penning the posts.

So perhaps this will chronicle some of the things we're up to. A lot of changes are in the works, so stay tuned.