Everyone has been waiting to see the unvailing of the backyard. With exception of the pergola and landscape lighting, it is finished!! We love the firepit (and so do the neighborhood kids). Chinook believes the water fountain was put their specifically for her. She loves to climb on top of it to get a drink of water.

Of course, John's pride and joy is his

outdoor kitchen. It turned out

spectacular. The grill he designed is

wonderful and we've already had some really good outdoor meals.

With the onset of fall, comes football season. Our Cowboys are ranked 9th in pre-season and we are ready for some great games.

WOW How Time Flies

Okay, so we blinked and now it is summertime. To answer everyone's question upfront--yes, we are still working on the backyard. John has given me a date of July 4th to be finished. I am keeping my fingers crossed.




This Spring we did take a trip to the Dominican Republic. It was awesome!! The beaches were the most beautiful we had ever seen. We had a fabulous time!!





We had an amazing experience a couple of weekends ago. John's Dad had won a raffle through the OKC Repertory Theatre and was unable to use the package, so he gave it to us!! We enjoyed a night at the Colcord Hotel in Dowtown OKC. We were taken to dinner at Rococo (if you haven't been, you must go--the BEST crabcakes ever!!), and then great seats to The Lion King production. All evening we were driven around in a vintage 1969 Rolls Royce. We will never forget that evening--it was great!

More Christmas Pics

Okay, so I didn't add many cute Christmas pictures (other than the dogs) on my last update. So here are some of the cutest people we know. Lisa's neice, Taylor, came over to decorate Christmas Cookies. She stays quite busy these days with school and athletic activities. Matthew, Lisa's nephew and John's lil buddy was quite proud of his creations. His imagination is on a roll these days. He likes to call John and talk about things they need to go "fix" with his tools. He turned 4 just before Christmas and of course asked for a "Lawnmower BDay Cake"--as any 4-year old would--right?

John's brother-in-law, Kary, and neice, Sarah, decorating cookies at John's dad's house shortly after Thanksgiving.

Brrrrr!

It has been so long since I have updated and since we are completely iced in today, I thought we were due for an update. The dogs had a wonderful Christmas. Santa was very generous with the toys and bones. John & I were very fortunate to spend the holidays with family and friends. Now we are just waiting for Spring to arrive so we can continue our backyard project. The weather must be good for work on the outdoor kitchen to begin.

Ready for Fall

Wow! It is already November. Halloween was great in our neighborhood this year. The weather was perfect and we had a bonfire in the backyard with some of the kids after trick-or-treating.

Of course our two favorites were Captain Jack Sparrow (aka Matthew) and Our NBA All-Star (aka Taylor).

We attended the NASCAR Race at Texas Motor Speedway on November 2. Mom, Dad, and several friends went with us. Of course John prepared the BEST food for our tailgating festivities. Dad had a really good time...

John continues to nurse a back injury--please keep him in your prayers as a great deal has been going on with many loved ones. We will be attending his Aunt Elizabeth's funeral on Thursday. He continues to stay strong--but his heart is overwhelmed. We send out love and good wishes to everyone and invite you all over for s'mores at anytime!!

The backyard continues....However, the nice weather has made it progress very well. The sprinkler system was installed this week and the flagstone continues to be installed. We love it!

John's nephew and niece in Texas have a lot going on . Ryan just got his driver's license--beware of our new hot rod on the roads! Sarah just gets prettier every time we see her. She is on the volleyball team and will be attending a choir trip to Colorado with their Church. We just wish we could see them more often--even though John & I aren't the "coolest" people in the world.

Landscaping

Okay, so it has been a very long time since I have updated. (We've been a little busy.) As you can see by the pictures we are landscaping our backyard. A project that originally began with the idea of planting three little trees has turned into a complete backyard makeover. Through its challenges, we have been very happy with it so far. We hope to have everything planted by the first week in October.

John has worked in a little time to go dove hunting and has done really well. Chinook did not fare so well though--she ate three birds. So she does not get to go back.

We got to celebrate Lisa's niece, Taylor's 13th birthday with her in August. Yes, she is as tall as me! She is a wonderful athlete, and we are so proud of her accomplishments.

Our dear friends and old neighbors, Fred & Kirsten came to visit in Mid-September. We loved seeing them and did not want to let them leave. We miss having them as neighbors and the dogs miss their best friend, Madison.

I will keep everyone updated as the backyard nears this phase of completion.