Celebrating Z's B-Day

Louise flew in from Raleigh for a long weekend. Since her birthday fell on a school day, we did the next best thing, we celebrated early. On Friday, she and I hit the Galleria to do some shopping for a suitable suit to wear for some presentations coming up and happened to find a couple of other cute things. We had our good friends , the Parkers, over for dinner that evening. Saturday was such a beautiful day, so we hung out by the pool and that evening we went to our first Ranger's game. What a great ball park. Can't wait to go back there again. We put Louise on a plane to head back to NC on Sunday afternoon. The weekends always go too fast!

Exploring Texas

There is just sooooo much to see in Texas, and we are once again trekking around a new area. This weekend we are checking out Nacogdoches where Davey Crockett spent some time before he went to fight at the Alamo. We will see a few of his haunts and look for a good spot to go for a hike.
This part of TX is full of oak and pine trees. Really beautiful this time of year with all the wild flowers in bloom.
We are staying in an old Victorian B and B that is lovely. We have a 3 room suite here that is bigger than our first apartment. The antique furnishings are beautiful and it is so peaceful.
We had a lovely dinner at Auntie Pastas last night and a fun tex-mex breakfast at the hotel across the street. They have an arrangement with our B and B. Yum!
Off we go!

Feels like home.

Every time I drive across the bridge to Emerald Isle, I feel like I am coming home. We have had this cottage for 18 years and it holds such great memories. The smell of the ocean air, the breeze blowing, and today some HUGE waves. Spectacular.

The simplicity of life at the beach is such a good feeling. It's a place where a weber grill, some paper plates, and plastic wine glasses work. It's a place where an outdoor shower is a luxury, and riding my bike and walking on the beach is not about exercise.

Looking forward to seeing family and friends while we are here and eating as much fish and seafood as we can. Making my grocery list tonight and washing windows tomorrow... with a smile on my face.

Barcelona

We just had a wonderful time in Barcelona. It is one of the most extraordinary cities. (I say that because I believe it to be true even though I haven't traveled extensively...yet.)
The streets are wide in the part of the city where buildings were built in the 1800's and beyond; and the old part of the city built over the Roman ruins reminded me of the tight streets in Italy. Gorgeous.
The architecture is what is special in Barcelona. There aren't words to describe, but if you google Antoni Gaudi, you will get a picture of the city. He was such a visionary. We were awed by what we saw.
The work that was done in the city to prepare for the 92' Olympics is stunning. (Remember the Dream Team?) Catalans ( the region around Barcelona ) take great pride in their city and love to tell you about it. It is clean, easy to get around in, with all the special touches of an old city that has incorporated modern comforts in a seamless way.
And now I am off to Whole Foods, because tonight we are having tapas. The Spaniards know how to eat and we have bought in to their philosophy. They serve a large variety of small dishes at almost every restaurant. Bowls of seasoned nuts, delicious small olives, unbelievable bread with fresh tomatoes spread on top, deep fried artichokes, the most extraordinary hams, white anchovies, shrimp, etc. etc. (Can you tell I am hungry?)
And the wines, well, I will just tell you they are some of the best. We loved the Riojas, and sampled their Cava. We will begin our search for some of them here.
I will attempt to post some photos in my next post, but first I need to figure out how! : )

Studying Esther

Right after Christmas a group of women from our church (Bent Tree Bible Fellowship) began the study of Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman. The study was written by Beth Moore. What an incredible experience it is sharing life with other women; sharing the joys, the complexities, the challenges, and the sorrows. Life is hard sometimes and God knows it is and intends for us to fully rely on Him, but He wants us to rely on one another as well. What a reassuring thing it is to realize that we all were called to live at this very time and in this very place to have an impact in our families, friendships,and communities.

Waiting on Spring

By the time March 1st rolls around, I am ready for some warm and sunny days. Our tulips are up and while they aren't ready to bloom, they are giving me hope that spring is just around the corner. We had no idea when we moved to Texas that we would have some real wintry weather.

We had a great time being back in North Carolina last week. As we landed at the airport I was reminded of how pretty NC is with all the trees. We tend to take for granted all the things that are around us every day.

It was such a treat to spend time with Z, and see some friends. The time flew by. The next time we will be able to see "the fam" will probably be Easter. And by then, spring WILL have arrived.

I'm back.....

It is just so easy to drift away from this blogging thing. I so appreciate all those people I follow who are so prolific and dependable. I am not. But I am well intentioned, just distracted.

There is no great way to play catch up on this thing, but I will just begin where I am.
We have just finished a wonderful long weekend with Christine in Montana. We rented a ski in/ ski out cabin at Moonlight Basin and skied there and at Big Sky. Great timing as they had 8 to 10 inches of snow the night we arrived. Great powder (for those experts), but truth be told, I struggled. Then the groomers went to work, and oh my! Everyone teases me about how I love the groomers, but they change my life! I feel like a pro when I get on those groomed trails. We had so much fun that we are going to attempt to get all 4 "kids" together for some spring skiing in CO. We'll see...

So, here I sit in Salt Lake waiting to head home and realizing that our lives are about to get really busy. A quick trip to NC in about a week to see Z, and then off to Spain in early March followed immediately by a long weekend in New Orleans. Then, hopefully we will be moving to downtown Dallas. We hope to find a great "lock and leave" condo/townhouse close to "the action" in Dallas with proximity to the Katy Trail. It's time to experience the city up close and personal. We will keep you posted.