4th of July Recap!

Every year for the 4th of July, we go to our friend’s Lake House in Crockett, Texas.

The lake holds a special place in our hearts because 4 years ago…..

We got engaged here!

We look forward to this weekend every year when we are all together and catch up.….and there are always new announcements.

THIS YEAR, Ashley and Dub announced they are pregnant!! We are so excited for the two of them!! So...what was the OBVIOUS next thing to do?

…..write on her belly with eye liner and set-up a photo-shoot! Dub was thrilled!

One of the highlights of the weekend was going to the new Crockett steakhouse in the town square. Yummy!

Then we headed over this not-so-classy establishment…fully equipped with a stripper poll on the stage. We were offered free shots upon arrival from the under-aged waitress/future poll dancer. We’re pretty sure they were just trying to suck up to the soon-to-be orthodontist in the group….clearly, most of the patrons in this bar/club/pool hall could benefit from a good retainer for the few teeth they had left.

I shouldn’t be so harsh, everyone was very welcoming. The Owner/DJ/Bartender/Dad even asked Taylor if she wanted to get up on stage and dance! Of course, she was flattered, but respectfully declined the invitation. We were all a little sore from hanging onto our rafts all day in the lake. Maybe next year.


"Jim" (my husband's Crockett nickname) and I were in charge of Saturday dinner.....and the Second Annual LEEBIRDS’S Burrito’s….complete with Freebird’s tortillas, sauces, and those circle metal plates to fix them on. Don’t ask me how I got those.... Just be sure to tip your burrito maker and extra dollar next time you are in a Freebird’s establishment. Slowly, but surely…we will pay them back! Maybe next year, I can get an actual steamer for the tortillas.

LEEBIRD BURRITO NIGHT!!!

Other than that, we watched the fireworks at the Country Club…

Andy and James solved the world’s problems.

Wait, let’s be honest…they were probably complaining about how their wives spend too much money and how they don't understand basic finance.

We made flag themed desserts....

Sang the National Anthem to these desserts.


Made the famous frozen drink - the “Crockettini” only to be used in the personalized “Crockettini” Styrofoam cups.

Then there was a dance party....


….where I quickly realized that I need to watch a few more YouTube instructional videos on the “stanky-leg” dance. It’s more complicated than I thought.

Note: I can’t tell if this picture is from the dance party or when Dub was trying to dry out the aloe vera on his back…….his moves are the same for both.

We took our yearly group pictures.....


Note #1: To all the single ladies out there, the two handsome gentlemen in the yellow shirt and navy shirt are single. Email me if you want their number!!

Note #2: I’m pretty sure JIMBO was perusing the plethora of gossip magazines that the girls brought up to the lake. As you can see in this picture, he has been practicing leg posses and what angles work best for his body type.

I AM pleased to report that there were NO INJURIES throughout the weekend. Some might remember Jimmy Lee’s finger incident two years ago when he was throwing an empty beer can from his float to the dock and cut his pointer finger. While I was worried whether this deep cut would need stitches and when his last tetanus shot was….JIM was more concerned that he just ruined his whole identity because he would have a scar in the middle of his fingerprint. This was not his first beer can of the day. If there is one thing you learn in Crockett, it’s to always fill up the empty beer can with lake water before throwing it back onto the dock.

There was really only one this missing from this year’s trip……

R.I.P “MEMBER’S ONLY, PRIVATE ISLAND”

We had some fun times with you last year. We tried to patch you up, but you were not salvageable. We’ll always remember the girl’s days and the high pours. You were good to us. Know that your memory was present throughout the weekend through the personalize sunglasses.

What you readers do not see…the glasses actually had “Member’s Only” written on one side and “Private Island” on the other.

A special thanks to our hosts for the weekend:

I figured this picture would be appropriate just in case they want to remain anonymous.

The countdown for next year begins!

Puerto Vallarta

James and I have been busy over the past few months. Over the next couple posts, I'm going to try and catch everyone up on our adventures this spring!

First and foremost, we took a fabulous trip to Puerto Vallarta for our friend's wedding in April.

Michael was one of James' best friends growing up and the best man in our wedding...we wouldn't have missed it for the world!

We arrived on a Tuesday and got to relax for 4 days straight! There is nothing like reading a book all day by the ocean.

I spent MOST of the trip reading in this chair. Please note that I was very good about staying in the shade and drinking lots of water (in between the drinks!)

The resort was Playa Fiesta and it was PERFECT!!! Seriously, if you are considering a destination wedding, LOOK HERE! It's run by a cute young couple from San Francisco. There are 30 wonderful rooms with amazing views. This was the view from our room. It was the perfect place to relax and put your feet up!

Congrats to the happy couple - Michael and Jenna! We love you!


The wedding party took over the whole hotel, and by the end of the weekend..you were friends with ALL the wait staff, bartenders etc. And...you get to know the rest of the wedding party and families throughout the week. We even talked about planning a 5 year reunion there! haha.

James' new bestie, the bartender Juan Carlos! James' big grin has NOTHING to do with the tequila shots he took earlier. And just so you know..the bartenders weren't just hanging out by the pool drinking. Juan Carlos actually put down the towel he was cleaning with...and picked up the beer for the photo-op!

One of the MANY pictures we took. How is it that sunsets just get prettier and prettier by the minute? Every time we took a picture, the colors would change...and I would make James take another. It happened on our honeymoon too! This was probably our 4th take. James was thrilled! I just now noticed his shirt was untucked....he's lucky I didn't catch that earlier or we would have had to re-do the whole shoot.

Cigar Night for the boys!! James was going for the "tough" look, while the other guys posed. They must be well trained by their ladies.

We took an "excursion" one day to go zip lining! It was a blast! I LOVE heights, and James.....well, not so much. I was SO proud of him for completing the entire course. He screamed like a little girl, but he did it! Oh, the things he does for me. :)

I tried to bring my camera, but they wouldn't let me. They wanted you to buy the pictures they took at the end of the trip. James thought it was a waste, but I slipped them the money and purchased the pictures anyways. See James reaction below when I showed him my purchases!

Following the course, James had to sit down and regain his composure. I'm actually surprised this picture wasn't blurry because of how fast his hands and legs were still shaking. I must have an incredible camera.

While James was catching his breath and counting his blessings, I hit up a free tequila tasting! When in Rome, right?



Another treat we has was a couples massage. James had his doubts at first (most of you have heard the story of our first one...I MUST post that experience soon!), but as soon as we found out the price ($25/person)..we were SOLD! This was James and I in the middle of our discussion about what to take off before the massage. I think he thought I was pulling his leg about taking off the swim trunks! haha.


This was another picture during the wedding. I guess I was in the middle of a dance move towards the end of the night. There must have been a GREAT song playing....and by great, I mean it was probably gangster rap.

We had a wonderful time and hope to go back again one day!

Happy Thursday everyone!

Sundance Film Festival Recap!

I'm a week or so late, but I wanted to post a picture or two from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. When my dad moved up there a few years ago (my parents commute from Dallas to Park City every weekend...crazy, I know!)...we started going up there for Christmas to ski. It's always a blast!

This year, we decided to spend Christmas in Dallas and go to Park City during the Sundance Film Festival. We had a GREAT time and saw some really great movies. I saw 5 movies in three days. If you think that's a lot, you should hear some of the die-hard movie-goers.....they see over 20 in two weeks! To think I was almost movie'd out after 5.

They were all INCREDIBLE films, but they were all pretty "deep". They didn't necessarily have the "warm and fuzzy" endings and famous movie stars, but they all made you really think about life etc. After the movie, the cast and director would go up on stage and answer questions from the audience. It was so interesting to hear the real story and the background on how these films were made....very low budget.

You realize how many GREAT movies fall through the cracks...and never made it to the BIG SCREEN...because they can't get investors etc. It's a crazy business. You really appreciate the passion of these actors.

Movies we saw:

The Shrink - We went to the premier! Kevin Spacey was the "shrink" and he was there answering questions. I really think the movie will get picked up. We loved it!


Adventureland - This movie sparked some interest...and I think it will make it to local theatres. It kind of had a "Juno" feel to it.



ADAM - I LOVED this movie. I think it was my favorite.

Helen - I love Ashley Judd. This was a sad movie about depression.

Push - Sundance Award Winner! (it. was. intense.)

We went out one night, but didn't see any celebrities. The only celebrities we saw were the ones in the "cast" in the films we saw. Everyone was at the Inauguration! haha. It was the second week at Sundance...and apparently, the first week is when the movie stars all go. We saw a ton of paparazzi waiting on main street. It was crazy. We did sit next to one of the writers for the Saprano's in one movie. I'm sure there were a ton of famous "industry" people around that we didn't recognize.

The best part about skiing during Sundance is that NO ONE is on the slopes. Unfortunately, it rained/sleeted most of the time we were there....so it was miserable skiing conditions. It was also super foggy. You couldn't see two fee in front of you...which is just scary on the slopes. You can see how miserable I was below....

Not our best ski picture.....this was right before I dropped my camera in the snow. Nice.

T Minus 1 DAY until wood floors!!!!!

I have no shame....

Well, folks....I had another celebrity sighting today! I'm in Atlanta for work and was at the CNN Center downtown waiting for a meeting...and who walks up to the security desk, you ask?

Mr. RUBEN STUDDARD

American Idol - Season 2 Winner!

He was making an "appearance" on CNN to promote his new Broadway show in Atlanta. Luckily, I saw a commercial for the show earlier at the hotel, so I had something to talk about before I asked for his picture. I wasn't the only one who noticed him either, BUT I was the ONLY one who got a picture with him. His physco PR lady stopped all that none sense quick. She wasn't too happy when I had to ask him to wait ...because the memory on my blackberry was full...and I had to delete some pictures! ha ha.

Our Napa and San Francisco Trip!

I've been meaning to blog about our Napa trip for over a month now! For all you bloggers out there, you know how frustrating it is to format a ton of pictures in one post. There are always a few curse words said. However...it's Halloween and time for a little treat!

James and I had a blast on this trip! It was such a beautiful part of the country. We can understand why people who love Napa go all the time. We are ready to go back! Maybe when we all have kids old enough to go to summer camp, we can ship them off and do a group trip! We can have their "grandparents" send all the care packages and letters.

NAPA

We drove straight to Napa when we landed and headed to Bouchon's Restaurant. It's was the cutest french bistro with the same owner as the famous French Laundry Restaurant. It was a late dinner (1AM our time) and my mystic tan was still fresh...as you can tell!

One of the many gorgeous views of the winery. A possible Christmas card pic! And NO..we did not mean to match outfits that day.

Another Christmas card option! This was one of James' favorite wineries...and not just because we had a coupon for a free tasting.

The countryside. One of the 1239023 countryside pictures we took.

Our favorite winery - Nickel & Nickel. It was so educational and the wine was fabulous.

In the cellar. It was freezing.


After several tastings, James was CRAVING a beer.


The infamous Ahi Tuna burger with garlic fries. It was James favorite meal! Taylor's Refresher is a MUST for anyone who goes to Napa. It's been featured on Rachel Ray AND Diner, Dives, and Drive-In's - My favorite shows.

After several wineries, they all start to taste the same!

Our teeth became purple.

And we were taking crazy pictures in the vineyard. Don't worry, it was our last stop....and our camera was sitting on the fence on a timer. We did NOT make a stranger take this picture.

SAN FRANCISCO

The Powell-Hyde trolley outside our hotel. This is something everyone needs to experience. It was actually kind of scary. Christmas card picture (option 3).

BIKING the BRIDGE. It was not much of a leisurely ride, but quite challenging. I did walk my bike up the hill twice...AND was in pain for SEVERAL days after. When I say "bike the bridge", I mean bike the 5 mile park before the bridge, down fisherman's wharf, and all the way into Saulsalito (another town!). We definitely burned off some of those garlic fries from the day before. It was a fun experience and worth every penny! It also became a funny story.

Golden Gate Bridge! YAY!

Pier 39. With all the sea lions. It's smelly and gross, but tourist attraction none the less!



Lombardi Street. This was after our "bike ride" and after we walked up a HUGE hill. My forehead was quite shiny.

All in all, it was a great trip!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN