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.

Hello!

This is our first attempt of using today's technology to stay in better touch with friends and family. (And yes, we realize we are behind the times.) We are planning to keep everyone up to speed on the happenings in our world. First of all, for those of you who have not had the "pleasure", I have posted pics of our three dogs. They run the house and allow us to live there. Roxy is our 15 year old Blue Heeler that has been with Lisa since she was a puppy. She is definitely the "queen of the house" and makes sure everyone knows it! Pistol Pete came to live with us almost 2 years ago. He is a 6 year old Chocolate Lab that John & Roxy rescued. He had heartworms, so he definitely knew who should rescue him! And then there is Chinook, an 18 month old Registered Yellow Lab that John purchased in Alaska. She wakes up in a whole new world every day. John has completed Obedience Training with her, so she is much more lovable.

Our summer has been very busy, although we cannot really account for why. We are doing some backyard landscaping projects. John was thrilled to use some big, heavy equipment. We have only been to Lake Hiawassee twice, but it was very enjoyable! John has been cooking a lot this summer. He loves to barbeque and I love to eat! This has you up-to-date with us for now.