Experience Life Groundbreaking

Zach and I have found an awesome new church here called Experience Life. It is by far the best church experience I have ever had. Their mission is to help people experience all God has for them in this life. We have joined a life house group with some nice young couples (though we are the only ones without kids). It's a wonderful time to share our faith with our peers.

I am pretty content with everything these days. All things seen to be going well for us. We are definitely looking forward to our European vacation though! Zach faithfully read the Paris for Dummies book and planned some great activities for us!

Day 2 of Insanity was just as bad as day 1. I can barely move today, but I made a commitment, so I'm sticking to it!

BBQ with the Beans

We've had a busy weekend keeping up with cleaning... I've been bad about keeping it nice lately. If you come by today it will be spotless with organized closets and everything in its place. We'll see how long it lasts...probably a week, maybe two...sigh. How did my mom always do it??

Clayton and Jill had their first experience life experience with us on Saturday. I think they enjoyed it, but it's hard to read excitement on the Beans, so I've become pretty adept at reading their context clues-haha. We then cooked out in our driveway with Zach's new grill, and had a great time catching up. Jill got me some more of my Vera Bradley pattern, so I think I'm set!!

Zach's new mission in life is perfecting the hamburger! I am so glad he found something that brings him such joy. Everyone loved his first take on the perfect patty (my city girl taste thought it was a tad spicy), and it had great flavor!

In other news, I have started doing the Insanity workout. Today was day 1, and I about died. It was only the fit test, and I almost passed out and tossed my cookies about 5 minutes into the 20 minute exercise. I don't know how this is going to go, but I feel great this afternoon. You all need to hold me accountable!! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Zach and I just hung out at Barnes and Noble this afternoon and relaxed. It was the perfect weekend!!

Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter holiday! I left work a little early on Friday, and we hit the road for Amarillo. On the way, we stopped at Ede's meats and got some fantastic jerky and some bacon for my Mac and cheese.

We then did a little shopping and had dinner with our good friends Brad and Stephanie and their two sons. We went to an old diner-type restaurant and had some good American food. The service was less than stellar, but oh well! It was worth it to see our friends. We then went over to their house, and James showed us his new decked out Cars bike. Zach better watch out...I have two young admirers who were vying for my attention. I love those kiddos!

On Saturday, I spent the morning shopping with Zach's mom, and I got some more Vera Bradley stuff- I'm obsessed! We also spent time making dishes for Easter lunch and enjoyed a yummy homemade dinner of salad, grilled chicken, and my mac and cheese. After dinner, we went to a play at the Amarillo little theatre and enjoyed some time at Starbucks.

We spent Easter Sunday with Zach's Dad's family in Silverton. It was really nice to meet everyone and spend time with his Grandma. I'm still hoping she'll teach me how to quilt. We went out to the farm and got some really cool antiques that we put in our kitchen. I love having things that are meaningful and of significance!

I had a great package from Ulta waiting for me today, so it has been a great weekend/few days! I'll keep you all posted of future goings on!

Rodeo and Other Ramblings

Last weekend Zach and I went to the Lubbock rodeo. I was really surprised by the event. Zach and I both thought it was going to have a lot more pomp and circumstance, and at the end of the evening, we both agreed that the Waco rodeo was better.

The highlight of the rodeo for me is the kid activities. In one, the kids had to chase calves around the arena to grab a ribbon off their backs to win a prize. It was utter mayhem! I can't believe they let kids do that! My absolute favorite though is the mutton bustin'. For those of you unlucky enough to have never seen this, they put little kids in helmets and stick them on the back of a sheep to hold on for dear life as the sheep races around the arena. Now usually within about 5 seconds, the kid loses their balance, slips to the side of the sheep, and falls off. Well, this time one kid stayed on for over 30 seconds, and a cowboy had to pull him off the sheep! It was the coolest thing! Zach posted a video to fb if you're interested- it was so crazy!!'

This weekend we are spending Easter with Zach's family. I can't wait for all the good food that's to come. It's making me hungry just thinking about it!!

I recently read "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" out of curiosity. Everyone was talking about it after the movie came out, so I had to check it out for myself. I have to honestly say I didn't like it. The writing style and incorporation of graphics and other types of media made reading it very interactive, but I just couldn't get into it. I usually read to escape and put myself in an interesting new situation. This book kind of made me depressed and sad that humanity has lost its hope and faith. I think in the future I will stick to more lighthearted reads.

I do, however, have a positive review of the show Touch. It is incredible and highly recommended. It's about a young boy who finds patterns in life through numbers. He can see how people are connected and who needs to "touch". His dad, Kiefer Sutherland, helps his son in these missions. I loved him in 24, but I think this show is even more captivating.

I guess I've given enough of my opinions for now. Stay tuned for an Easter weekend update! Happy Good Friday everyone!

Gardening 101

My parents have true green thumbs. I, on the other hand, was given a gift of a brown thumb. Every plant I've had has died- I forget to water them, I ignore them, I put plants in the sun that should be in the shade, etc.

I remember as a kid, we always had the best yard on the block. Colorful flowers, perfectly pruned bushes, and flower beds of perfectly spaced plants. I remember thinking my parents were crazy for spending their weekends with the plants. Who cares?- I thought as a kid. I just wanted someone to take me shopping for some cool Abercrombie tees, not spend the day with plants- snoozefest.

Well, I admit I was wrong. I have recently realized the joys of gardening. I have made more trips to Lowe's and Home Depot in the last week than I have in my life. I've bought flowers, herbs, and some tomatoes. I even tried growing some flowers from seeds. Much to Zach's and my surprise, we now have seedlings.

I can't guarantee these plants will be alive a year from now, but I owe it to my mom and dad to at least give them a fighting chance. :)