Happy Brithday America

Well, we are off to Marfa Texas this weekend. It is about a 9 hour drive. Madison is staying with Rob's mom. Not 9 hour drive with a 2 year old, thank you very much...

As I think about the 4th of July, I start thinking about all the great memories I have as a child, participating in the neighborhood parade and the great carnival that followed it. Growing up it was probably my most favorite holiday because I got to ride my bike in the morning with all the decorations I put on it, then I got to eat hot dogs, and then we would always go to my grandma and grandpas on the lake and swim, bar-b-que (with the best turkey, brats and baked beans you can imagine!!!) and then at night we would go out on the lake and watch the fireworks. What I wouldn't give for those days again.

Now I actually cringe when I think of America... And without getting into crazy politics here, I just wish that I could experience now the joy I felt as a child, the thrill of being in the greatest country in the world, and I can't. At least not at this moment.

Maybe it was childhood memories. I am sure there were just as many issues than with America then as there are now. But now that I am an adult, I am sad because so far, my child has not been able to experience the JOY I had on the Fourth of July. Maybe one day soon she will. I hope. We can't even have fireworks because there has been a burn ban in effect because it just won't rain... Maybe some of the water in Wisconsin can come down here. :)

Well, That seems like a really depressing post. It isn't supposed to be. It was just some thoughts...

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July. And may all the Great Forces (Whatever or whoever they are) look over this wonderful country and help us get back on the right track....

See, I knew I would! (sort of!)

Pictures of the garden are from may 5th, so just imagine a lot taller plants now. :) other pictures are from our trip to Wisconsin and then from the other night. Yes she is the cutest baby in the world! :) Or should I say cutest almost big girl in the world!

I was running...

My friend Meredith & I have started running together. We ran last thursday and then yesterday. She is doing her first race, a 5k in Austin this weekend. I am really excited for her!

I need to start running farther, but I have been too lazy on Sunday mornings to get up early enough to beat the heat. Maybe this weekend.

My friend Lauren and her husband Joseph are expecting their first baby soon. Lauren is due on Friday, and I have been checking in with her every day to see if she is in labor. Nothing yet, but I am sending her a lot of Happy Baby Vibes, to try and help things along.

I seriously am going to try and post the pictures on here this weekend. So be sure and check up on me and if I don't feel free to give me a hard time.

oooh girl, i know you didn't!

i was convinced that it was a boy - i was wrong. emily taylor isaacs was born on june 1st. congratulations to my cousin and his wife (robert & kate, no kidding!) on their recent arrivial. everyone is doing great!!!

life on the farm (as i jokingly call it - mostly to myself) is good. my sister was out here this weekend and she can vouch for the 8' tomato plants... she helped us pick them on friday, saturday and sunday. we had so much fun, i can't even get into everything here!

i promise to post the pictures of my garden, my family and my life soon, just as soon as i remember to load them onto a cd and bring them with me.

Oh Baby!

NO not me, don't worry this would not have been how I would tell you all if it were me. BUT no, not me... My friend Lori (Who I work with up here at A&M) had her Beautiful baby girl Taylor Reese on Tuesday. 8lbs, 2oz. Mom and baby went home yesterday and are going great. Another woman I work with, Princess, had her son on Wednesday. Kingston was 6lbs, 13oz. He was a few weeks early but mom and baby are doing well too. They will be going home tomorrow, I think.

I have been careful not to drink the water. But I am getting the "baby itch" and I thought that seeing Taylor and holding her would take care of it. I will have to go visit Lori at home and see her exhausted to really deal with that itch I think...

Another friend of mine, Lauren, is due the end of June, and my cousin Robert and his wife Kate, well let's be serious, Kate is due the beginning of June. Sorry Robert, you don't get a whole lot of credit! :)

So there are a lot of babies this year... is it a sign? I did ask Madison last night if she wanted to be a big sister (I am certain she has NO idea what I was asking) and she said, "aaaa, NO!" So that answered that question...

Rob, Madison & I are traveling to Wisconsin soon to see the majority of my extended family and to celebrate the long and interesting life of my Grandmother. It will be nice to see everyone and to be able to introduce Madison to the relatives that she still has yet to meet!

You say Tomato

I got home (late) from work last night. About 10pm. Rob came running out to tell me that we had our first ripe tomato on one of the plants... So here is to a summer of great tomatoes!

Gotta love Texas

So a good friend of mine recently posted on her blog about country living. She had chickens on her back porch (they are not her chickens; she doesn't have any chickens!) and a trail ride that went past and a herd of wild dogs (no really, not just feral, but wild) that ran through her back yard.

This inspired me to start noticing all my lovely country surroundings. As many of you know, there is an oil derrick that greets you when you first come into my neighborhood. Which as you can imagine, is running non-stop right now!

We had a portion of our flower beds torn up this weekend by either an armadillo or a wild hog, we can’t tell, but we are leaning to the hog. It happened at night, so we didn't see the animal.

A trail ride when by our house this weekend, too. Complete with some people in true western gear (like think OLD west) and a covered wagon and everything. It was kind of cool but also really weird… Like they were out looking at the Texas country side. We do live in an actual subdivision! It’s just a country one…

We have a huge vegetable garden, (which I need to photograph and post some pictures, I will try and complete that soon) and the neighbors I believe are trying to figure out how to steal from us and we not notice! :)

We have pet rabbits, but they must be pushing their food out of the (huge) cage because now there are a lot of wild rabbits too. And no, they have not found our garden yet (knock on wood)

A deer did eat some of our garden about 6 months ago when we first planted it. We could tell from the foot prints. Rob said if he/she came back we were having venison for dinner. The deer must have heard him, because he/she has not returned.

There is an oil company drilling about a mile from our house. NON-stop. I thought last week that maybe someone was pouring concrete really early (like 5:30am) but last night we could really hear it. Plus now you can see the drill above the tree line. I think that they must be going though bed-rock, because every once and a while the drill kind of shutters and whines and then continues. I was surprised that they were drilling in a lighting storm this morning...

I can’t remember every little instance that has made me realize that we no longer live “in-town” but I do remember that when we first moved in about a year ago, there were a lot more deer around. And the first night Rob & I went outside and I said “gee the stars are a lot brighter out here!” (We only moved 4 miles away from our last house!) And I know that at night there are coyotes that come over from a neighboring 500 ac park and pace outside of our rabbit cage. And when I go running, I see more cows than houses (which is kind of nice) but I also have to run on country roads which makes Rob a little nervous (rightfully so…). Though most of the time the trucks do move out of MY way, and not the other way around.

Well, that is most everything for now. I will post pictures of my growing garden and growing child soon!