Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Thankful Monday blog post!

I’m thankful for the following (and lots of other things not listed here as well):

1. I’m thankful for modern medicine, especially allergy medicine.  It’s spring time and with that time of year comes seasonal allergies.  Mine are as bad as ever so I’m very happy to have some Allegra, Zyrtec, Flonase, Nasonex, etc. for some sweet relief.
2. I’m thankful for my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law  Virginia Mom, who helped us celebrate a lovely Easter Sunday with a delicious lunch, great company, and Easter egg dying!
3. I’m thankful that we were officially approved for our mortgage loan on the house we have under contract.  I’m also very thankful for the wonderful inspection and appraisal that it received, the great deal we are getting on it, and the nice and friendly couple who are selling it to us and have taken such great care of the house.
4. I’m sad that one of my favorite shows, The Walking Dead, is over until October, but very happy and grateful that its Sunday night spot will be replaced with another one of my favorite shows, Game of Thrones.
5. I’m thankful for another Monday and a new month to start fresh!

Happy April, happy week, happy everything!

Happy Thankful Monday!

Today, I am thankful for the following:

1. I am thankful I was able to finish the Charlottesville Ten Miler on Saturday despite the rain and the difficult hills.  I can honestly say that I think this was the hardest race I’ve ever run.  I’m not sure if it was the rain, the hills, my mindset, or being exhausted from the time change and traveling the previous weekend, but I doubted my will to finish it several times during the second half of the race.  I was so glad when I crossed the finish line and I am grateful that my body and mind were able to get me that far.
2. I am thankful for a nice relaxing weekend with my family.  Saturday, we made dinner, bloody marys,  and Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes with Ian, Sarah, Collin, and Ben and then Sunday we had a nice dinner with Ian, Sarah, Brandon, Peter, and Phyllis.  I’m thankful for wonderful loving people in my life.
3. I am thankful to hear some good news from a friend last week.  It’s  not my place to say what their news is, but I know they have had a couple of years of trouble and they now seem to be past the end of that tunnel.  Many people’s prayers have been answered!
4. I’m thankful that I have a close family.  My 2 aunts, 2 uncles, cousin, and great aunt visited my mom this past week at the beach for Spring Break and I’m so happy that all of my family makes the effort to spend time with one another.  I’m also thankful I got to spend some virtual time with them via Skype!
5. I’m thankful for a new week and a fresh start.  Last week was a little rough at work, but I’m hoping my anxiety will subside and I will be able to kick ass and take names again in the office this week!

Have a wonderful week!

Good morning and welcome to this week’s thankful post!

I was in New Orleans this weekend for my cousin Jennifer’s bachelorette party and I didn’t get back home until yesterday evening so this week’s post is on Tuesday.

Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:

1. I am beyond grateful that I was able to spend the weekend in New Orleans with so many amazing and fun ladies!  We had such a blast and I made so many great memories on the trip, caught up with family, and even made some new friends!
2. I am so thankful that I got to catch up with my aunt and cousins.  I’ve missed them so much and being around them was as if no time had passed at all.  My aunt was my second mom growing up and my cousins were more like sisters so getting to see them and spend the weekend with them was very special.
3. I am very thankful for an understanding husband who was not only totally cool with me going to New Orleans for a girls weekend and spending the money on the trip while we are trying to by a house, but he also genuinely missed me and wanted to spend all evening with me when I got back yesterday.  I even got an “I love you” text from him while I was gone and he NEVER texts!
4. I am thankful that I will get to see my family all over again in June for my cousin Jennifer’s wedding reception.  It made it less sad for the trip to be over knowing that we have plans for the future.
5. I’m thankful for a wonderful boss and flexible work environment that allowed me to take the day off yesterday so I could enjoy a longer weekend with my family.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people and have such a nice life.

Have a great week!

Good morning and welcome to the first Thankful Monday post of March!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful that the inspection on the house we are trying to buy went very well.  The inspector was quite impressed with the quality of building and the upkeep and maintenance done by the current owners.
2. Again I am thankful for a weekend full of family, friends and fun times.  Friday night, Ben and I had dinner at Panera Bread with Ian, Sarah, and Meghan and then we all went to Four County Players to see their production of Into The Woods.  Then Saturday, after the house inspection, we spent the day with Ben’s parents.  Sunday morning, we had a great seven mile run with Deb and Becky and then that night, Sarah and Ian came over for dinner and Walking Dead.  I am blessed to have so many wonderful people brighten my life!
3. I am thankful that I will be going to New Orleans this weekend to celebrate my cousin Jennifer’s bachelorette party!  It’s going to be so fun to go to New Orleans again and I’m really excited about seeing some friends and family there that I haven’t seen in way too long!
4. I am thankful for the opportunity to sleep in a warm and comfortable bed every night.  My days would be difficult without that good night of sleep and I am very lucky to have a safe environment to rest.
5. I am thankful for the wellness program at work.  We are learning to meditate and it has been very eye-opening so far.  I really think that meditation will help with some of my stress and anxiety.

Have a great week!

P.S.  Happy belated Texas Independence Day (March 2nd)!

Good morning and happy February!   Can you believe we are already in the second month of 2013?!?!  It seems like January flew by!

Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:

1. I’m thankful for an invitation to a Super Bowl party last night that gave me the opportunity to spend time with new and old friends!
2. I’m thankful for a mother-in-law Virginia Mom who is so crafty and planned a day with family to make Valentine’s Day Houses!  It was tasty, fun, and best of all, I got to be crafty with my family!
3. I’m thankful for a husband that enjoys running with me (and motivates me to keep from quitting).  Yesterday morning we ran 9 miles in preparation for the Charlottesville Ten Miler in March!
4. I’m thankful for the opportunity to get to spend time with so many good friends and family last week (running with Becky and Ben on Sunday, restaurant week  with Kristen, Tim, and Ben on Wednesday, dinner with Ashley and Dana on Thursday, Shopping with Sarah on Saturday, making Valentine’s Day houses with Peter, Phyllis, Ben, Robin, Sarah, Abby, and Elise on Sunday, and James’ Super Bowl party last night with lots of new friends and Kelly and Marian who I miss so much).  My life is certainly rich because of the wonderful people who are in it!
5. I’m thankful that for the past couple of weeks, I’ve finally started to feel like my happy self again with less anxiety and worry and more happiness and joy.  Maybe these posts are helping!  🙂

Good morning and welcome to this week’s Thankful Monday post!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for good friends and their creativity.  I had a wonderful time crafting and spending time with girlfriends on Saturday and even made a lovely bracelet!
2. I’m thankful for cool in-laws.  I’ve always said that I’m very lucky to love and get along well with my mother and father-in-law especially when I hear other people complain about theirs.  My in-laws let me watch the Texans game at their place last night at the last minute and even made an event out of it complete with dinner and beer!
3. Again I am thankful for today’s technology.  This past week, it allowed me to chat with my brother, talk to my sister, Skype with my mom, and text with my dad.  I’m so thankful to be able to stay close with them even when we are far away from each other.
4. I’m thankful for my cats.  My husband went camping Saturday night and they cuddled with me and kept me warm all night while he was gone.
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for God who watched over and protected a friend who was in a car accident this weekend and turned out to be just fine.

Have a wonderful week!

Good morning and welcome to week 2 of 2013 and today’s Thankful Monday post!

Today I am thankful for the following:

1. I am thankful for a job where I can work from home on occasion.  I was sick with a cold most of last week and luckily I was able to work from home in my pajamas on the couch rather than come to work and infect others while an endless stream of mucous flowed from my nose or waste my precious PTO!
2. I am thankful that for now, my body seems to be getting over this cold quite quickly.  It’s been less than a week since I started feeling badly and with the exception of some leftover congestion, I’m already feeling pretty much back to my old self.
3. I am thankful for a husband that went to the grocery store Friday after work and bought me the ingredients to make my mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup that always makes me feel better when I’m sick.
4. I am thankful my brother made it home safely from South Africa and had a good trip.
5. I am thankful my sister has found a job at Starbucks and seems to be excelling at it.

And as a bonus,

I am thankful that the Texans beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday in the first round of the NFL playoffs!  Go Texans!

Have a great week!

Good morning and welcome to the last day of 2012 and today’s Thankful Monday post.  Here’s what I’m thankful for:

1. I’m thankful for a fresh start with a new year starting tomorrow.  I’m ready to do right by 2013!
2. I’m thankful that my brother comes home from South Africa tomorrow.  Even though we live 6 hours apart, we’ve been talking alot and I miss our little chats.  Plus I’m really excited to hear about his adventures!
3. I’m thankful for the ability to work from home on occasion.  It made me feel alot safer to work from home rather than drive to work last week when we had a snowy and icy day and there were lots of car accidents being reported.
4. I’m thankful for my wonderful mom and her amazing talent for gift giving.  We are loving our new AeroGarden and Soda Stream, both of which will save us some money and help us to live healthier lives.
5. I’m thankful for my mother-in-law Virginia mom and her craftiness and creativity.  She helped me make an amazing New Years wreath yesterday and has really introduced me to some great projects lately that have allowed me to healthily distract myself from my anxieties.

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2013 be your best year yet!

Welcome to today’s Thankful Monday Wednesday post!  Monday was my birthday and yesterday was Christmas and my mom was in town so there was little time for blog posting.  Here’s what I’m thankful for this week:

1. I’m thankful for the BEST most wonderful mom who loves me so much.  She knew I was down in the dumps about not being able to fly to Texas for my birthday and Christmas this year (the first time ever) so she flew to Virginia and surprised me!  I love her so much it makes my heart hurt!
2. I’m thankful for my wonderful husband and friends who helped facilitate my mom’s trip by picking her up from the airport and delivering her to me at the ugly Christmas sweater party I was attending.
3. I’m thankful for my Virginia family who not only helped my mom plan the surprise but were generous hosts while she was here, making us dinner and desserts on several occasions.  I’m also thankful for them welcoming us into their home on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
4. I’m thankful for airports, pilots, airplanes, and everything else that allows us to travel far and wide these days.  Mom was able to travel to Virginia Friday night and then back to Houston on Christmas morning in order to spend time with my sister on Christmas after she got off work.
5. I’m thankful for my husband for being caring, considerate, and understanding, and giving me a shoulder to cry on when it was finally time for my mom to leave.  I miss her so much, but I’m so thankful for the people who I love who live close by to get me through the times when I find myself missing my family unbearably!

Merry belated Christmas to everyone and mom, if you are reading, I love you so much and am grateful for you everyday!

This is a cool photo of a photo that my sister sent me showing my parents together in the 1970’s.  My brother looks just like my dad in this picture.

Mom and Dad

I’m thinking about submitting it to My Parents Were Awesome.