China

Daniel found out a couple weeks ago that he will be going to Shen Yang, China for work! He is going to be supervising a test that his company is contracted with there. He will leave January 2 and be gone for about 2 1/2 weeks. We are both really excited for this opportunity! (I just wish I was getting to go, too.) I am also a little nervous. For those of you who know me, I don't do well away from Daniel for very long at all, much less a couple weeks in another country but I am sure it will be fine. I plan to "house hop" to friends and families homes here in Lubbock and maybe even make a quick trip to Bowie to see my parents (keep me from sitting around and dreaming up absurd things that aren't really going to happen). I'll post pictures and updates of how the trip went when he gets back!

Merry Christmas!!

An early Christmas gift!

Daniel got his Christmas present early this year, a Giant Schnauzer puppy! Her name is Lady and she is 10 weeks old right now weighing in at 12 lbs. We are enjoying her so much, aside from the sleepless nights. (We are trying to kennel train her and she doesn't care for it much). Buster is still "dog of the house" but we're not sure how long that will last since Lady will be getting really big, reallly fast.

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year (maybe my favorite, especially since Halloween is my least favorite holiday.) Daniel and I dressed up with our good friends Bryce and Amanda for our church Halloween party. We didn't win the costume contest but we sure had a good time getting ready! We feel so lucky to be in town with family members, we got to see Kason, Jansen and Daniel's cousins Kloe and Kadence all dressed up. They were all so cute!

I am really excited that the holiday season is underway. I plan to cook, decorate and really enjoy friends and family this year. I already got Daniel his Christmas present early, so check back in a couple of weeks for pictures! (We are going to have a new little puppy! That won't be little for very long.)

Fall...

The fall season is already off to a great start! I started back to school at my new job, I love it at Lubbock High and the transition went smoother than I could have imagined. Daniel has a very light load in school since he is finishing so soon so he is getting to work more and we both have found the extra time to enjoy a few little get aways. At the end of September we got to go to the Pine Springs 50th Anniversary, it was fun to visit old friends and be back up at camp.

Early October we went on what we called a "couples retreat." We got to sneak away to Ruidoso with friends. It was so much fun just to enjoy time with friends, be outdoors, and relax in the mountains (we managed to squeeze in a little shopping and A LOT of good eating, of course). I think we would both agree that this has already been a great fall!

Enjoying fun, friends and the Fourth!

For Fourth of July weekend, we got to go to the Metroplex area with several friends. We went tubing, ate lots of good food and went our friend's wedding! After our friends left for the weekend, Daniel and I got a couple days to ourselves for a little summer vacation. We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo and Six Flags, it was super exhausting but a lot of fun. With Daniel being done with summer classes and all my free time, we have also had the chance to do a lot of cooking together. It is so much fun! We were so proud that we made homemade pasta we had to include the pictures. Who needs Red Lobster with our pasta skills?!

Celebrating summer!

Summer is officially here and we are enjoying it! The first weekend we had off Daniel spoiled me for my birthday (as he usually does) and took me out for dinner at a great steakhouse in town. I already have had a chance to babysit both nephews here in Lubbock, it is fun and helping me fill my time. I am finding it hard to transition from work and graduate school to well....absolutely nothing for my summer break. I am sure I will figure out new ways to filly my time soon, Daniel is hoping for some great cooking and I do plan to to try some new recipes!

Life in West Texas!

Daniel and I are enjoying life out here in Lubbock. I have finished school giving me a lot of new free time on my hands. (Thus the blog!) Daniel is working and going to school, we couldn't be happier. The past few months our time has been pretty occupied with nephews. We have three nephews now, Jansen, Walker and Kason. Kason came onto the scene early this spring but has been doing really well! We get to see him and Jansen pretty often as they are right here in Lubbock with us. We are looking forward to the next couple summer months, hoping to get to spend more time together. We hope to discover new hobbies, visit family and friends, and babysit our nephews (of course).