Shorty, it's your birthday...

I turned 25. Wow. 1/4 of my life has been spent (since I like to think that i'll live to be 100.)
Where did it go? And will the next 25 years go by just as fast?

Birthdays are a good time to reflect on time past and look forward to times to come.
As I reflect on the past I am happy to say that I am proud of the things I have accomplished, and grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me to be who I am and where I am today.
As I look forward to the future I am excited for the life my sweet husband and I are creating for ourselves, for the future family we will have together(no, I am not prego), and for the continued guidance we receive from our Father in Heaven.

I know the road ahead is just as beautiful as the road behind me.


I arrived home from work on the 29th so happy to see my husband home from work and awaiting my arrival! He gave me a big smooch and a hug, beautiful roses, a cake, and a sweet card expressing his love... sigh.


Yes, that is Cinderella on my cake. Haha... I guess that means he sees me as his princess, making him my prince charming. Either that or just a big fan of Disney Cinderella... but i'll assume it's the first reason.


We ate dinner just down the street at Lili's on Magnolia Avenue. Delicious! We ate there again less than a week later. It is a quiant little restaurant that is actually top rated in Fort Worth.
ps. order the key lime pie for dessert. You will taste heaven.


I picked out this piece of art for my birthday gift. We found it at an Antique Mall and I fell in love. It is 3 feet in diameter, metal, and just simply stunning to me. Definitely my style. Not sure that it is Bens but his bird is the Rooster painting we bought in the Dominican Republic and this will be my bird in the house. :)

Family Fun!

Laurel and I had super fun playing at the park together...









Oh, and the kids i'm sure had fun too. :)

We had a little gathering at the park to celebrate Laurels birthday! We grilled, had cupcakes, and had fun on the play ground. We love having family around, and nieces and nephews to play with!

Our First Guest

Al pal came for a visit, and was our first guest at our house here in Fort Worth. She saw first hand how we are roughing it a bit here, and how the progress on the house is coming. Ali was the "designated photographer" on all our outings so each of these pictures are ones she took, and are on her blog too.

Her visit gave us a chance to relax from work on the house and to actually get out and have some fun on the town! We went to the Fort Worth Stock Yards which was like stumbling onto a set of a western movie. I have to admit, it was a bit like what I pictured Texas to be like as a whole! We saw true cowboys, an exciting rodeo, and later ate like cowboys at H3 Restaurant.

We spent a relaxing day on the water, sailing, swimming, and getting a bit of sun. Later, we saw "Dinner for Schmucks," which was a pretty good laugh. Then sadly the visit was over before we knew it! Al pal... come back again SOON!

Make Love, Not War

The Kiss

August 14, 1945

65 years ago today, this picture of an American Sailor kissing a young nurse in white was snapped in Times Square celebrating the END of World War II.

I'd like to think the two are completely in love by the way he is charmingly dipping her and how tightly their lips are locked... BUT apparently these two are strangers! Looking closer at the picture, the kiss is a bit awkward, and maybe a bit forced?

Just goes to show how we should...

"make love, not war."

Now, go kiss your hubby, your boyfriend, your babies, your dog... even if it's random and forced, and celebrate something. :)

"I saw a sailor running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight. Whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old, didn't make a difference. I was running ahead of him with my Leicia looking back over my shoulder but none of the pictures that were possible pleased me. Then suddenly, in a flash, I saw something white being grabbed. I turned around and clicked the moment the sailor kissed the nurse."

-Eisenstaedt

The Yogi in Me

"Yoga is invigoration in relaxation.

Freedom in routine.

Confidence through self control.

Energy within and energy without."

- Ymber Delecto

"If I'm losing balance in a pose, I stretch higher and God reaches down to steady me. It works every time, and not just in yoga."

- Terri Guillemet

"For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on earth."

- Sanskrit Proverb

Portland Oregon 2009...

I stepped into a class of 30 half naked hippis, old fogies, prego women, and everyday joes, laid down my mat, looked in the wall of mirrors at my long pants and thought "hmm I'm gonna be in for it." I listened to every word the instructor said and awkwardly followed along with each asana. 110 degrees was hotter than I'd imagined. It takes more than every muscle of my body, it takes focus and strength of mind to succeed. Sweat dripped from every bit of me...and that I mean literally! Imagine the little devil on my shoulder who kept saying to me, "nope, no bueno, this is your limit, you can't reach any higher" or "Um ya it's time to lay down and guzzle water or you will die!" As hard as it was to do, I shoved those thoughts aside, convinced myself I can, and will, and pushed my body beyond its limits. As the class ended and I lay on the floor in the dimlit room... breathing... I knew why I would be back again tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that.

The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit word meaning "union."

For me it is about uniting my body, mind, and soul. I know, cheesy. But maybe you understand since everyone can have a hobby, a love, that brings them peace and a sense of wholeness. Yoga, just happens to be mine.

Ben and I were planning on a backpacking trip to India this fall, where we would stay in an ashram for a week or two and do yoga all day...sigh...what a dream! However that dream will be put on the backburner for now since we've purchased a house that we are restoring. As for now I'll stick to doing bikram yoga at the place just up the street from me, imaging i'm doing it on a hilltop or by the beach at sunrise. Or maybe I'll even try it in the yard since it is seriously hot here and let the neighbors think i'm cooky.

Namaste.

Yum.

How adorably edible are these cupcakes!
I'm anxiously/pathetically looking for the right occassion to bake 'em.

Thank you Martha Stewart...you are my hero. :)

Visit our new additional blog:

http://www.ourhouseonhurleyave.blogspot.com/

This is how you do it.

We celebrated the Fourth in a good ol' American way....Baseball! July 2nd we went to a Rangers game with Ben's partners from work. But this time we watched it from box seats...how will I ever go back to spitting peanut shells in the stadium seating!?


The box seats had a balcony to sit and watch the game from high up, or comfy seating inside to watch it on the big screen. Oh and all you can eat hot dogs and nachos are such a nice perk! Then after the game there was one of the longests and most exciting fireworks display i've seen.

Thank you Steve and family!

He is the man with the connections who got us these great seats.

"Don't squat with yer spurs on..."

Life is always so full of surprises...especially, it seems, for Ben and I. Our circumstances have made it hard to plan too far ahead, so we've had to live in the moment and I must say we have enjoyed it thoroughly! For the past year and a half we have moved around and seen so many parts of this beautiful country. We have made wonderful friends, seen so many sites, and made amazing memories.

Life has once again surprised us and we are finally settling down and ready to call Fort Worth, Texas "home." TEXAS? Of all the places in the whole wide world I would have never ever guessed I'd call Texas "home." Seriously!?

I must admit I did not always have the greatest impression of Texas. I had never been here, so I didn't have much evidence to back me up and yet I still felt it was a hick place to live, with too much pride, and not my kind of style. Since moving here and living in 3 of the biggest cities in Texas I can honestly say it is not like I imagined. I have come to love Texas, the people are friendly, not everyone is a cowboy, there is more style than just wranglers and cabins, the weather is hot (I love the heat), and there are trees and hills.

Since I have moved so much i've learned that as long as I have Ben, the church, and friends I can call any place home. The best part about settling in Fort Worth, Texas is that we already have friends here...John Stacey and his family, and we already have family here...my sister Laurel and her family. We feel the decision to make this place our home was directed by God and that there are only wonderful things to come. It was a leap of faith to take on this new venture but "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" is true.

We've discovered a love for sailing.

Our friends, the Stacy family took us on their sail boat for the 2nd time.

Moving to the Dallas area means we get to see these cool 'lil kiddos much more often!

We stopped in Austin, Texas and snuck out on the empty baseball field. Cartwheels and handstands through the field...exhilerating!

happy.


happy then and still happy now.

silly.

silly then and still silly now.

passionate.

passionate then and still passionate now.

Celebrating everyday of our marriage but especially today...

Happy 1.5 years of marital bliss with my baby hunny!

So long San Antonio

7. San Antonio, Texas Temple

So long, farewell San Antonio. In the short time we lived there we grew to love this city. The sites, the symphony, the Riverwalk, the yoga studio, my job at the Alamo Cafe, the gorgeous Temple sitting on top of the hill, our ward, and more.

Our last day in San Antonio was our friend Jimmy's birthday, so we celebrated with him and his date, Steph! We ate on the riverwalk at a fancy restaurant, Pesca, and had dessert first at a little gelato shop. :) It was a sweet evening with friends and a nice way to say, "see ya later." We will certainly be back for a visit!

(Coming soon...an update on our move to Dallas, Texas!)