The family that eats together....

Last weekend we enjoyed having my cousin Clint in Austin for a job interview. We met up with my dad's cousin Scott and his family who live in Austin and had some seriously good Texas barbeque. Family + a lot of meat = a good time.
It's so nice to have Scott nearby and we're hoping to add Clint and his fam to the mix soon! After all, there is power in numbers......we will join forces and woo you all to come visit!

This post is dedicated to....

My little bug. In two days Bronwyn will celebrate her three-year anniversary of being brain tumor free! As Marie and I talked about this the other day we both remarked that as we think back on the ordeal it's hard to believe it even happened. Bronwyn still has regular MRI's and check-ups which serve as reminders, but more often we're too busy focusing on how funny and cute she is to think of anything else! How grateful I am to post these pictures of Bronwyn as a beautiful and energetic four year old. When Bronwyn was born my dad called her his "therapy" because she brought him so much joy. I'm happy to report that she continues to bring all of us a lot of joy. Our life wouldn't be the same without her!
I tried to post a video I made for Bronwyn's 1-year tumor free celebration, but alas...alak...it wouldn't work. However, here are a few pictures of the journey. We love you Bug!

Shout-out to Molls...

Knowing that Molly is an AVID reader of our blog (thanks Molls!) I feel confident in giving her a little birthday shout-out! There are few people we adore as much as we adore Molls. And can you blame us? Aside from being gorgeous outside and in she's also hilarious ( no one does a better poultry-esque rendition of "I will survive"), talented, caring, smart, a wonderful mother, friend and sister, and one of the most genuine and empathetic people I know. Molls, we love you. Have a fantastic birthday (tomorrow or today depending on when you read this.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Friday night lights and Saint Valentine....

We started out this Valentine's weekend with zero plans...but somehow the weekend took over and found us out and about with wonderful things all around.

First stop: Our favorite bookstore - where every book is $1.50.


Then we headed to support some friends in a soccer game:





And then we ate here:



Today we supported Texas State basketball (and breast cancer awareness) with our friends Jamie and Justin:



Tonight? Good food and a good movie.

My first...and possibly only....tag

I have yet to participate in the "Tagging" world of blogging and facebook. Though I enjoy reading everyone's tags and learning more about you all, and have even wanted to reach out and tag someone from time to time, I have yet to really participate. However, I recently buckled down and did this little tag on facebook so I figured I'd share it here as well. It took up FAR too much of my time so it's hard to say if I'll ever do it again...though I admit it was a little fun.:)

How I have loved reading 25 random things about ya'll. THUS here I go.....

1- I have a twin sister and she is the BEST! (Okay that's not necessarily "random", but it's one of my faves.)

2- I love family history and spend a decent amount of time doing it (even if it is such a grown-up activity Mel! haha). Genealogy, I am doing it...lalalalalalala.

3- Per number 2: My family comes from Ireland, England, Hungary, Italy, and France.

4- I've probably written 50+ original songs...the majority of which were probably penned during my Ricks College days....and some more recently. Too bad I don't remember all the lyrics!

5- As a kid I went through phases where I wanted to be a pool cleaner, a famous track star, radio personality, and third grade teacher.

6- I once won 2 free plane tickets at a drawing at Penney's. I was probably 16-ish. I took my dad to his cousin's wedding in California. So fun.

7- A little while after C and I first met I gave him my phone number without him even having to ask for it. That's right...BOLD.

8- Some of my FAVORITE music in the world was written by people I love...aka Marie and Todd, Mandy, Tyson, Clark, Ty, Amy....

9- For a self-proclaimed writer who usually has PLENTY to say...I'm having an impressively hard time with this 25 assignment.

9- What I SHOULD have put on #9- I once interviewed Woody Harrelson in the SLC airport.

10- One of my favorite childhood school stories is when I was coming back from the bathroom and had just opened the door to my 4th grade classroom only to hear the teacher yelling "HILARY, I can hear you talking!" Sigh....admittedly I talked A LOT....but I was also BLAMED a lot.

11- One of my 8th grade teachers once told a class she predicted I'd grow up to be the leader of a gang.

12- As kids Marie and I used to bet Camie and Brad about the Superbowl. This year Cams and I brought the tradition back and I LOST. Now I owe her an atomic fireball.

13- I served a mission in Brazil and LOVED it. I've been back twice since then and consider myself VERY lucky.

14- I still speak Portuguese daily...what a blessing to have a husband who also served in Brasil!

15- I'm living my career dream....working for a non-profit I feel passionate about part-time and writing part-time. I couldn't be having a better time job-wise.

16- As what can only be described as a domestic/grown-up MIRACLE...I LOVE the Food Network. Seriously.

17- I've always been blessed with amazing friends. Some of my greatest friends I have today I have had since childhood...and some I just barely met. And a good amount came from those amazing Ricks College days mentioned above.

18- I have double-jointed arms and I have to say the way they can bend is pretty awesome...you might even say...OFF THE CHAIN! (Okay...Laura...that was for you.)

19- Marie and I used to miss each other at night in our separate bedrooms and knock on the back walls of our closets (the adjoining walls between our rooms) as a signal for the other to turn on her walkie-talkie.

20- As a pre-teen posters of Zack Morris adorned my walls.

21- I got my first (and only) speeding ticket with Mel and Cassie in the car while driving Mel's MOMS car heading back from Josh and Jen's wedding. Sigh. Cass later donated plasma to help me pay for the ticket so I wouldn't have to tell my parents. That is TRUE friendship.

22- I'm a certified Red Cross instructor.

23- As kids Stacie and I had a list of things to do before we got married...some of which were: write a hit song, shave our heads, go on a safari in Africa, and find a cure to disease. I laugh just thinking about it.

24- I'm pretty addicted to email and my cell phone...both of which I love because they connect me to people I love.

25- If you've spent any serious time with me you know I wear a bandana daily....yep...every morning and night to get my hair out of my face...love it. I was recently asked by a darling 4 year old (thanks Jacob!) "what's that on your head?" I responded...."my trademark."

Sweet succulent cookies....

As I walked into Wal-Mart last night my eyes beheld a wonderful sight....girl scouts. Could it be girl scout cookie season? Samoas, thin mints, and tagalongs....my mouth salivates just thinking about them. How happy I was to support the girl scouts, buy a few boxes, and reminisce on some great childhood memories. Mom, Marie, Stacie and Camie...this video's for you.