What we've been doing...

Its been such a long time since I have posted.. so I am going to try and take a moment and catch everyone up on whats been happening around the Nelson residence!

A few weeks ago (actually the weekend before Thanksgiving) I was able to make a quick trip home... I managed to pack a TON of things into the short time. Here's the run-down:

1.) I surprised my dad by showing up at his 30th Anniversary of Schad, Lindstrand & Schuth party! It was so much fun to have him walk in and there I was!!

I am so proud of my dad and all that he has accomplished! When I look at the risk that he took, going into business with a partner he barely knew with a new baby at home-- all at the age of 24; I am shocked and amazed. He created a wonderful life for his family and a fantastic business! Wow... what a great man... and am I a lucky girl!!

2.) I met up with a wonderful friend for a day of shopping laughing talking... then crashed at their place!

3.) I went to another great friend's beautiful wedding! The date ended up being moved from next summer to that weekend so I am sooo... happy that I was able to go!! The wedding was an intimate event but it was incredibly moving and lovely. In fact, the readings that she chose may have been some of the most beautiful reading I have ever heard (way nicer than any I had at my own wedding!!)

After all that, I was still able to spend the night with my Grandma... I brought her Taco Bell and we chatted into the wee hours of morning!

Its always so nice to go home!!!

After my trip we then packed up and headed to GA to spend Thanksgiving with Kathryn and the fam! It was good that we did because Kathryn found out that she is moving back to MN (confession time: I think her move is going to make me super-duper jealous!). We had a delicious meal... ate way to much... then followed that up with some Shopping! Mom, Kathryn and I left at 11:00 PM and headed out to do some all night money spending! We made it home at 7 AM took a nap.. then headed back out to do some more shopping! It was CRAZY (and crazy fun).

Since Thanksgiving we have been prepping for Christmas! and I am going to leave you now with a pic from Thanksgiving!

Finding Whats Missing....

I grew up in the church... it felt natural to get up on Sunday mornings and head to Sunday School and then sit through church {albeit not always with the most patients and grace.. and often begging to go to the nursery (yeah, even as a teenager)} At the time, I saw this as something mom and dad made me do.. and I remember sitting in the pews trying to whisper something to someone and they telling me "shhhh... we are trying to listen" at the time I wondered what in the world could they possibly find interesting enough to actually listen.

I then grew up headed off to college and admittedly my church attendance went from every Sunday to non-existent (with the few exceptions of when I was home with mom and dad).

As I grew into adulthood I always had a longing in my heart to go back to church.. to re-discover my faith! But I always struggled with the problem of reconciling what I felt was right (regarding the many issues that we often term as political issues) and the beliefs/tenants that the church holds. To be blunt, I felt that the church and the many many people proclaiming to be Christian, while proclaiming to be "servants of God" were instead a completely discriminatory/judgemental place/group of people. I hate this, to me, to be a Christian is to welcome everyone, to love everyone, REGARDLESS of what or who they may be.

Despite all of these frustrations with the institutions and people of the Christian faith, I still felt this longing to be a part of a church, to be with people who also believe as I do. The problem was though that we (meaning T and I) COULD NOT find a church that we felt comfortable with. I mean truly comfortable with... one that I could be myself, with all my political/social leanings, and one that I felt was representative of the loving/WELCOMING congregation that I longed for.

But all that changed today! We finally found a place that we feel welcome, that we feel we can both explore and expand our faith, regardless of the questions that we still have. This new place is truly a Sanctuary. And I love it.

If you too are looking for such a place and live in the Dallas Community come join us... if you don't live here check out their sermons online (trust me, you will be inspired)!

Highland Park United Methodist Church - Cornerstone

http://www.cornerstoneworship.org/pages/cornerstone-home

Globe-Trekking!!

T and I have just recently returned from a GLORIOUS trip across the ocean! I can not describe in words how much fun it was nor can I articulate how beautiful it was!

Our itinerary brought us to Munich, Germany; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Split, Croatia; Plitvice National Park, Croatia; Motovun, Croatia-and surrounding areas; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Lake Bled, Slovenia; Innsbruck, Austria.... and then back to Munich!!

It was a whirlwind trip filled with beautiful scenery, culture, history, gorgeous art, outdoor cafes, delicious food, gracious people and so many many more experiences!!

As I am posting this blog--I can not think of what my favorite experience was... there were to many fantastic times.

We LOVED Rovijn, Croatia.... a salty fishing village along the Istirian Coast of Croatia, it is truly beautiful and it still has some remnants of its working fisheries left!

We also were very pleasantly surprised by Mostar.... even though there is so much war damage left.. it has a beautiful rustic quality! And the people there.. a mix of Jews, Muslims, and Christians- can teach the world how to get along, as they have been living together mostly peacefully for thousands of years! Wow!

We also had a unique experience in Mostar... the owner of the little B&B where we stayed invited us into their own home and delighted us with his homemade Limoncello, Grappa, and Cherry Brandy (and some good Croatian cookies)! { Oh, and did I mention this was after we finished a liter of wine with dinner!! ;) } We had a great discussion about the Independence war and the history of that beautiful country.

We also loved Ljubljana. It is a incredibly young, vibrant, boutique-filled city. It also has a very unique city that bridges the gap between East and West Europe!

What else... is there...

We did visit Munich's Oktoberfest.. it was great and one of us (not mentioning any names) had, maybe, a bit to much fun!!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip and now that we are back home we are anxious for our next adventure!!

PICTURES TO COME!!!! {I am still editing the 1,000 + that I took:) }

A trial run....

So you all probably know that we have a kitten (well he's a year!) we love him dearly, but he has given us a fantastic trial run at having kids over the past two days.

First, we came home from work yesterday - and he was completely lethargic, not at all his chipper self. He was limp and clearly sick. Not having many words to tell us what what wrong and because I am a classic worrier-we headed into the after-hours emergency vet! After many (many) late night hours there, we left without any real answers, as Dex was not cooperative with them and WOULD NOT let them take a urine and blood sample.

Which brings us to today, we were up monitoring him and then had to completely re-shuffle our schedules and play a little tag-team babysitting (which means making sure he drinks his water)!!

So while this was on a much MUCH smaller scale than bringing up a baby... it did give us a tiny peak into the hustle and scramble of parenting!!

** He did get a fancy new water bowl that runs like a faucet!!

Some Labor Day Pics (Dinosaur State Park)

Please, disregard my BRIGHT RED face... it was hot!!

Birthday fun....

It's my birthday.... I'll cry if I want to! Just Kidding, NO crying here, just fun fun fun! Today I turn 29 and I begin the last year of my twenties! And as I sit here, enjoying a nice birthday glass of wine waiting for T to get home, I am reminiscing about all that has happened over the last decade! So many good things that I am so thankful for!!

Like (in no particular order):

1. I married the love of my life and best friend- who makes every day so much better for everyone who is lucky enough to know him!

2. I met so many new and ever-so-dear friends, and I reconnected with so many old (as in years of friendship NOT age) friends

3. I explored the world and had the opportunity to spend some time studying in Northumberland.

4. I graduated from undergrad school.

5. I attended and graduated from law school.

6. We bought our first home.

7. We sold our first home.

8. We began a new adventure by moving to Texas.

9. I began my career with a firm I love and with people who will be great mentors.

10. I found a church that I feel at home at.

11. We adopted Dexter!!!

12. I went on 3 girls trips, where I was able to spend some very quality time with my mom and Kathryn!!

And these are off the top of my head, I am sure there are so many many more things that I am also thankful for but just can't think of them off the top of my head!

So as I begin this next year I am so hopeful that so many more blessings will come my way!!

Look who's 1

Because he is so spoiled he received a box and treats for the big 1-year celebration!! And before you think we are cheap and can't get him a proper birthday gift, let me tell you that those are his FAVORITE things in the whole wide world (or his whole wide world-the inside of our house!!)

Back to Work...

I did it, after many MANY months of searching... I found a job! And I started working this past Tuesday, so I have successfully completed my first week. It is so nice to be back in the working world, actually using my brain! Although, I am feeling like I have NO time to do anything else - guess that will take some time to get used to.

What am I doing, you ask. Well I am working for a small firm (only one other attorney). She does exclusively family law, but I am going to do primarily family law and some juvenile law. I feel so lucky to now be working for a women who takes pride and enjoys mentoring new attorneys!! Hopefully, all works out and I can finally say that I love what I do and love where I do it!

Relief... but will it last??

Today it is in the eighties here... which is a DRASTIC change from the 100+ days we have been having for the last, say, two months!!! And it feel glorious!!

This being our second summer in Dallas... I thought that my body would be used to this crazy heat. However, this has not yet happened. Maybe next year!

Somebody Pinch me....

Thats right, I need someone to pinch me, because I CAN NOT believe that its August already-not to mention, its almost the end of August!! This summer has , like all summers do, flown by. And again, at the beginning of this summer I thought we were going to have a low key- no plans summer but that did not happen. We seemed to cram so much into the last couple months.

Since it has been so long since I last blogged I will attempt to give a re-cap of our hectic July and August. (That is if I can remember what we did!!) I do know that we had more visitors in late July, Travis' parents came down and we had a nice low-key visit.

Then it seemed August came and we got REALLY busy!! Travis made a trip to MN- then to Canada, where he, my dad and Erik caught ALL the fish they could eat. Meanwhile, I met my mom in Kansas City. We spent the week shopping, dining out, visiting museums and just talking and talking. I know both Travis and I had such a wonderful time- as we always do with quality family time.

I do have some pics and will post them when I get them uploaded!

Sorry about the long delay in posting... ... I will try my very hardest to be more proactive and regular on this posting thing!!

Visitors...

So its been a over a week since they have left.. and, yes, that means I am behind on the blogging, but never late than never, right?!?!

So, our visitors, they came all the way from Colorado (and brought yucky weather with them) but all in all we had a fantastic time. We were able to get out and do some fun Dallas activities... like, Ripley's Believe It Or Not-where we met celebrities (of course, they were wax, lost ourselves in a maze of mirrors and saw numerous oddities). But we mainly stayed around the house and swam (and played with Dexter). I am pretty sure it is a tie, between what they liked the most, a pool in the backyard or Dex. In fact, when asked what they were going to miss the most it was 1.) Dexter 2.) the pool and 3.) Travis.

T and I had an absolute blast, we loved playing with the boys and talking with the parents! We were, however, left totally exhausted. And anxious for our next visitors.

Phone Emergency...

My phone tragically met its maker.. and I am at a complete loss. And with it took all my numbers. As we all know, those little gadgets are our lifeline to the outside world.. so I am without any of my friends and families phone numbers. If you get a chance please send me your number. Thanks

Summer Pics

As I mentioned before, earlier this month we made a trip home. While visiting some awesome friends we went out on Lake Calhoun and did some kayaking! It was awesome fun.. here's the proof:

Summer is here... and FLYING by!

Wow... Summer is here and it is already June 19. It seems like it should still be March or maybe April..but NOT mid-June already! T and I thought that this was going to be a low-key summer but it seems to be booking up quickly. We had a EXTREMELY busy spring (with a couple trips back to MN (one being unexpected), visitors, a trip out to Georgia, and my girls trip to D.C.) so thought that a low-key summer was in order, but does not feel like it is shaping up that way! Oh well, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Since it has been awhile since my last post, I will give a quick update about what has been going on with us. We took a trip up to Minnesota to visit with friends and family. We had a lovely time and were able to see lots of people that we hadn't seen in awhile! (we even got to see my bro, Erik, play some softball- - even if he did break his hand... poor guy!)

Other than that trip, we have been around the house..being really busy but not really doing anything. I have been back to the job-search (which I am REALLY sick of.. and now considering non-legal opportunities and/or opening my own firm). Travis on the other hand is still loving his position at Clark and staying really busy there.

Finally, we are getting excited for some visitors this summer and just hanging out in our pool.

Girls Getaway....Baltimore & D.C

Just got back from Baltimore and D.C with my mom and Kathryn (the trip was our third official girls-getaway and a Christmas Present from Mom and Dad!) It was another fantastic time filled with history, museums, laughing and bonding!

We started in Baltimore, which was wonderful, before this trip Baltimore had never crossed my mind as a place to visit. So I was very pleasantly surprised how much Baltimore had to see and do. We took 2-free tours, given by the Tourist Board, which were some of the best town tours I've been on, and they were free. We then went out to Fort McHenry and of course dinned on crab and other delicacies of the sea!

Once we finished our fun on Baltimore, we headed over to D.C (might I add that I LOVE the train system that the East Coast has-its so refreshing to not have to take a car everywhere!). Once in D.C, we did our best to cram as much into our 5 days as possible. We saw all the memorials (during the day and night), went to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, the Natural History Museum, the Capital, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Portrait Gallery, the White House, the Holocaust Museum, Arlington National Cem., the Americam History Museum, and Mount Vernon. Then, when Mom and Kathryn had to catch a flight home, I added on the American Indian Museum and the National Gallery.

We saw and learned so much, I don't think it would have been possible to get in one more thing!

Girls Get Away!!!!!

I can not wait... tomorrow I am leaving for a MUCH-ANTICIPATED girls getaway with mom and Kathryn. We are first headed to Baltimore and then to Washington D.C! I am so so excited, it has been 2-whole long years since we have done a girls trip!

I really feel like these trips are so important for us girls to stay close.. and even more so since we now live in three different states! So anyways I can not wait.. and in honor I have included some pics from our last getaway to New York!

Mother's Day!!

To my mom...

Thank you for all that you do for me, for all the advice, encouragement, support, and especially the friendship that you have given me! Its not everyone who has a mom that they consider to be a best friend, but I do, and I am ever so thankful. I love you so much!!

Snowbirds Flying North!

Our family snowbirds, Travis' mom and step-dad, are finally heading north from their first full winter in Arizona and on their way they made a pit-stop in Texas. We had a fantastic weekend.

On Saturday, we went to First Monday Fair Trade Days in Canton, TX- which for those of you who love markets and flea markets, this is THE one to hit up!! Its a mixture of new "botique-y" stuff and flea market treasures! We all loved it (well maybe not Eldon-but he tolerated it) and I found some fantastic vintage cameras and jewelry.

Then on Sunday, Carol and Eldon, wanted to stay around home and help us with some yard projects that we had been putting off. And who are we to argue with help with boring yard projects, so we did some major work. T and E edged off our patio, put in a small patio for our garbage can to sit on, and took out two trees (I know taking out trees on the day after Earth Day is sort of anti-Earth day.. but we are going to plant two more and they were dying!) In the meantime, C helped me plant my flower container gardens (which was so fantastic because she introduced me to some really beautiful new flowers that I had never used before).

All in all, it was a pretty fun and productive weekend. Thanks for the pit-stop!

Going Home...

Wow.... What a week. In case, some do not know, my grandfather passed away last Wednesday. Therefore, T and I made a quick trip home. The memorial was very nice (or at least as nice as it could be under the circumstances). And it was great to see all my family and friends- again, not under the circumstances. While, I know he is in peace, it is still very hard to not have him around and I will certainly miss him. I am just so happy that I was given so many years to have my grandpa Johnson in my life.

A little bit about me.... thus far!

I guess I was feeling a bit introspective this evening and I stumbled upon this quiz.. while I usually never take these or fill these out, I thought I would tonight!

A quiz for all of you if you feel like posting it…

Family members you can't live without?
Travis, Mom, Dad, Kathryn and Erik

Girlfriends you can't live without?
Jamie, Erin, My law school gals,

5 foods you can’t live without?
Raspberry's, Peanut Butter, Cheese (any kind but more pungent the better), A good crusty french bread, and wine (is that a food group?) Oh yeah... and any type of Mexican

5 favorite movies?
Pride & Prejudice, P.S. I Love You, Emma,

5 favorite TV shows?
Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, 16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom, Golden Girls, Murder She Wrote

5 biggest pet peeves?
-Ignorance and Prejudice
-Cockiness
-Kids/Toddlers not wearing covering on their feet
-Whining

-

5 places you have visited and loved?
-Edinburgh

-Stockholm

-Portugal

-Lima

-Kyoto

-Sydney

-London

-New York

-Chicago

(this one was tough because I have not met a new city that I have not wanted to move to.. except Gary, Indiana!)

5 places you want to visit?
In the U.S

-Maine

-Oregon

-Santa Fe, NM

Outside the U.S

-EVERYWHERE!! But especially, Delhi, Hong Kong, Brazil....

5 memories that you will never forget:
My wedding day, all my family vacations (like Kentucky, Colorado, Sweden....)

5 things you love about your house/location?
-The POOL!! (We CANNOT live without it in Texas!)

-Our patio

-Having an attached garage

-Having 4 bedrooms

-our new white kitchen

5 things you wish you could change about your house/location?
-MORE STORAGE!! (wow.. do I accumulate....although I do try to be mindful of this and have a continuing effort to downsize.. I just have such a hard time!)
-I wish we were in different neighborhood... although we love the physical location( i.e the closeness to everything) we wish we had more young people/families and could be even closer (like walking distance) to bars and restaurants.;
-I wish we had a bigger garage,
-I wish we had a basement... although this wish will remain nothing but a dream while we are here in Dallas!

-

5 projects you are working on or want to accomplish this year?
-Finish staining the fence

-

5 material possessions you can’t live without? .
Camera, Computer, Vehicle, Coffee Maker,

5 reasons you blog?
-For memories... to remember all the small things I'd easily forget
-To create a place that all my family and friends can visit and keep updated with us

-For fun

Sporty T!

Travis had quite the week... filled with sporting events! First, he had "play-offs" for his Flag-Football League! They played a tough few games and walked away the 2nd-place champions, which unfortunately did not get them a t-shirt but they did, however, beat the only undefeated team in the league!! Yeah team!! :)

But the big deal of the week was the annual DFW Mud Run!

An exciting 6.2ish mile race filled with all sorts of obstacles (like rolling through mud, going up over walls, climbing ropes, and wading through rivers). Travis and some buddies did the race for the second time! Again, it was a success and they even cut some time!! CONGRATS!!

Clean Before the Race!

The last obstacle- a roll through the mud!

All the muddy post-race glory!

Georgia on my Mind..

For Easter my wonderful husband and my equally wonderful sister, Kathryn, planned a little surprise (which Travis ended up telling me about any-how) vacation mini-trip to Georgia over the Easter weekend. So Travis and I packed up the car and headed out Thursday. We arrived later that Thurs.. making great time!

So on Friday we went hiking on a beautiful trail (Kathryn's fav!). It was a great workout (7.5 miles of hills-to be exact!) and a wonderful time.. and absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Here's proof:

Then we visited UGA.. in Athens! We hit up some Georgian Antebellum Mansions (and pretended to be Southern Belles). And we browsed through the downtown!

Finally, we helped Kathryn throw a wonderful Easter Dinner and just spent some quality time with her! (I am soooo... lucky to have such a wonderful sister!)

The ONLY bad thing about the trip was leaving her when it ended! I love you, sis!

Doing up a weekend!

We had great plans for this past weekend! We were going to try out Travis' Christmas present.. which was a new tent! (one without holes.. which I was super happy about ;)) But somehow, our grand camping/hiking plans turned into housework! We decided to stain our fence. What a fun trade-off.

Bon Voyage Mom....

I was so lucky to have mom come and visit for a week! Since I am still not working, we were able to explore a bit of Texas! We headed down to Fredericksburg (I believe that is the correct spelling) for a few days. The area is filled with wineries, cute shops and a brewery! What a fun time we had. We also did some outlet shopping! AND I couldn't resist putting her to work we re-arranged my entire house and put away all my winter clothes and put out the summery items (yay! so excited to have a clean closet filled with color and springy items!!)

While I love having visitors here the ONLY downfall is they have to leave... which always leaves me feeling lonely!!

Anyways, Thanks MOM for everything! I LOVED having you here!

St. Paddy's Day Shenanigans!

What a fantastic weekend. We had some fun on Sat. at the Greenville St. Paddy's Day celebration (we made it to the parade but couldn't really see it from our location in the crowd!)

Then today we did yard work and went for a walk! Spring has definitely spring here! Yippie!

In a rut..

Sometimes I feel as though I am in a rut. I seem to do the same things and don't challenge myself enough to get out and try new things... so as I was browsing through some blogs, watching t.v, and reading in magazines I noticed that many people were or had created lists of things they wanted to do before they die. (Sorta the bucket-list idea) I do not want to be that extreme I wanted to keep it simpler and not extend it over the course of my life. So I created a 100 in 1,000 list.

It is a very random list of things that I want to do/accomplish/find/acquire/or not do over the next 1,000 days! I believe that gives me 2.7 years to accomplish all these things!

Here is my list-- (in no particular order)

Start our Family

Read Anna Karinina

Join a basketball League

Try Sushi Again

Have a sit-down dinner party with friends

Visit Brazil

Fit into my “skinny” jeans

Take a girlfriends vacation

Make my bed for one month straight

Stop eating out for one month

Refinish a piece of furniture

Take a photography class

Serve at a soup-kitchen

Learn how to knit

Attend church regularly for a month

Buy a new camera (Canon d50)

Master Photoshop

Go camping

Attend an Opera

Plant a vegetable garden

Learn to lift weights

Call a friend a day for a week

Take a ballroom dance class

Pay for a Stranger’s meal at a restaurant

Avoid purchasing books from the bookstore for three months

Travel to Europe

Go on a hike

See a rodeo

Visit my Grandparents

Get Travis a car

Run a 5K

Send out family birthday cards on-time for 1 year

Go fishing

Weed out the shoes I do not wear

Bake a pie (from scratch)

Go to the beach

Wash my car-by hand

Go golfing

Read a book of poetry

Take a road trip

Finish my grandma book

Go to a minor league baseball game

Read one book in the Bible

Make my family their Christmas gifts

Visit a winery

Go to Vegas

Get a job

Paint/or take a picture for our bedroom

Go skiing

Go without t.v for 2-weeks

Get an iphone

Have a garage sale

Donate Blood

Meet a new friend

Clean out my jewelry

Visit a museum

Take my parents to dinner

Finish my baby-book

Watch the Godfather

Tile our bathroom

Host a Murder-Mystery Dinner

Clean out our garage

Visit a spa

Go bowling

Work with a Charity

Attend a political rally

Cook a meal from each of my cookbooks

Start a compost pile/bucket

Learn and make candied jalapenos

Go on a bike ride

Visit a new city

Take a spin class

Start the process to Adopt

Put our house on the market (then get a new one)

Make my own raspberry vodka

Grow my hair long

Write a “snail-mail” letter

Drink 5 glasses of water a day for 2-weeks

Read a book that I would normally never read

Turn my loose recipes into a cookbook

Join a volleyball league

Go dancing

Get Dexter to stay off the counter (and tables!)

Re-Learn to play 500 (the card game)

Visit a new area of Texas

Send a friend flowers (for no reason)

Attend an art fair

Try a new type of exercise

Have a family portrait taken

Get Travis a puppy

Stop buying shoes for 3-months

Meet a “old” friend for coffee

Start a journel

Go to a movie with my husband-and let him pick

See the Nutcracker Ballet

Take a ride in a hot air balloon

Learn to Scuba dive

Buy a new dining room set

Go on a Picnic

Plan a surprise get-away for Travis

Spring!

I smell spring in the air.... and I can NOT wait!! I am ready to plant flowers, go for long walks, and just be outside soaking up the gorgeous weather before the oppression of summer falls upon us!

One of my favorite things about Dallas is that spring comes in March and not May, like back in Minnesota!

Its Happening...

I have never really been a animal person.. I mean I do not dislike animals I just didn't grow up having many pets (except a few fish--that I flushed living down the toilet after I threw a tantrum because mom made me clean the bowl and I hamster that some friends gave me for a birthday present one year!!).

Because of this, I never thought I would gush and spoil any four-legged creature.. well, much has changed. Since September when Travis gave me my Dexter... I have done nothing but gush, feed treats and become a terrible disciplinarian to this new love. I truely have come to know the love of a pet and the feeling of love for a pet.

Random Acts of Kindness!!

Sometimes, I am casually reminded of the good in humanity and that sometimes little things are so powerful.... today such a lesson was learned. Travis and I went to Granbury, TX for a 1-day mini get-away. We arrived a bit before everything opened so decided to grab some breakfast. We went to a VERY little hole in the wall... it was comprised of a row of plywood booths and a few tables (not much in the way of atmosphere). We ordered and began to talk-- we discussed how we havn't done much in the way of random acts of kindness lately and how we need to start that up again because it feels good. (I am talking about those little random things... like buy someone their coffee or paying for the person behind you in the line to get out of the parking garage.. all those unexpected things that are fun to do and hopefully make the other perosn feel good!)

We went on the finish our meal and headed up to pay. Then our bubbly waitress ran up and told us that someone (she wouldn't tell who) had paid for our meal already!! WOW.. we were shocked by both this stangers kindness and how we had just mentioned how we wanted to do this for someone else. It was a great feeling and really made our day. We didn't ask for this, didn't plan for this, and will never know who paid for us this morning. But it did give us a big smile and a little spring in our step.... so I am sending this little post out as a big thank you to whoever it was and as a reminder to myself that those random acts of kindness really do make a difference!

Arizona!!

We finally made it to Arizona to visit Carol and Eldon (Travis' mom and step-dad!) We ran them ragged with trips to Sedona and Scottsdale. Lots of looking at native jewelry and beautiful moutain vistas!! All in all it was a great time and they have a very nice new place!!