Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Festivals’ Category

I have so much to be thankful for this week!

1. I am grateful for a fun weekend with my kiddos! We spent Saturday at the Fluvanna County Fair and Rodeo. It was my kids’ first fair and rodeo and we had a blast seeing old friends and new friends, riding rides, making bird feeders, playing in a corn pit, playing on bouncy houses, learning about lady bugs, watching professional axe throwers and log rollers, playing on big construction vehicles, watching cowboys, bull riders, and mutton busting, and enjoying each other!
2. I am thankful for beautiful weather and a fun day swimming at the river with our best friends!
3. I am so very grateful it is the first day of school and we are all getting back into a routine. We had an amazing summer and now we are ready to get back into it!
4. I am thankful for my best friend Lindsey and that she always plans fun things for us including a sunrise hike last weekend and a fun family day at the river.
5. I am thankful my kiddo is feeling better after a short virus and that he was recovered in time to go to school on the first day.

Happy day friends!

Hi friends.  It’s not been a good day or a good week.  But that’s all the more reason to remember to be grateful for the good things.

1. I’m grateful no one was hurt in the car accident I had this morning.  Cars can be repaired and replaced but people cannot.
2. I’m grateful my little boys seem to be getting better.  Morgan and Carter have had bad colds and Carter has croup but they both seem to be getting better and Carter has done much better than the doctor predicted thus far.
3. I’m thankful for my husband once again.  I’ve been sick, and trying to get over my cold along with dealing with two sick toddlers and a car accident has taken its toll.  Ben has been a big help, getting up in the middle of the night for the boys, putting an inconsolable Morgan to sleep, cleaning humidifiers, making dinner, and offering to deal with the insurance companies for me.  I love that man.
4. I’m thankful for last weekend that was filled with fun and friends.  We had a play date with friends in Crozet Friday morning followed by a play date with more friends at the Discovery Museum on Friday afternoon.  We also had swimming lessons on Saturday and our good friends Robert and Crystal were so gracious to host us at the Massanutten Water Park on Sunday.  The boys had so much fun and we definitely made up for the boring snow days stuck inside.
5. I’m thankful for my husband AGAIN (he gets a double today).  He took me to the Know Good Beer Festival last Saturday (the tickets were my birthday present) where we had tons of fun together and with friends.  Then he was my designated driver, fed me dinner, and put the boys to bed because I had a little too much fun.  On top of all of that, he found my wedding ring that had fallen off my finger in our bedroom (I thought I’d lost it for good).  I do have an amazing man in my life.

Here’s hoping next week is free of illnesses and car accidents.

Oh wow!  It’s been a while since my last post!  Summer has been busy yall!  I need to remember to be grateful and keep a positive outlook on life so here’s a few nuggets of gratitude!

1. I’m thankful for the opportunity to fly to Texas with Ben and the boys back in July and introduce Carter and Morgan to so many friends and family and the place that I first (and will forever) called home!  They got to meet so many people who are some of the most important people in my life and that makes me so happy!
2. I’m thankful for an amazing summer so far!  We’ve done so much, including but not limited to, graduated from swimming lessons, tried out our first splash park, flew to Texas and back, ate authentic Tex-Mex, went to the Richmond Zoo, met and visited uncles, aunts, and cousins (in both Texas and Virginia), attended 2 beer festivals, went to King Family Polo with awesome friends, had so many awesome play dates, went swimming, visited new wineries and breweries, tried lots of new foods and restaurants, and went on lots of fun walks!  If I have time, I’ll do a detailed recap of the boys’ big summer.  What a blast it has been and I thank my boys and everyone involved for making it so much fun!
3. I’m thankful for a new restaurant in town I’ve discovered, Brazos Tacos.  It is owned and run by Texans, serves authentic Texas-style tacos and awesome salsas and guac, and is totally kid friendly!  I’m so thankful for a little taste of home here in Virginia.
4. I’m grateful for awesome coworkers and cool people I have the opportunity to work with.  I’m lucky to be surrounded by such talent and amazing personalities.
5. I’m grateful for all of the moms in my life…they make being a mom myself so much easier and so much more fun!

Love to you all!

Nap time is almost over so here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for nap time, especially when both babies nap at the same time, because I can actually get things done like laundry, eating lunch, checking email, or writing this post!
2. I’m thankful for my new little family.  I love being a parent despite the rough times that come with it!
3. I’m thankful for our Tula Baby Carriers and grateful to my sister, Sarah, and Aunt Mary for giving them to us.  They allowed us to take the babies to the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello this past weekend! 
4. I’m thankful for a great place to work that has allowed me to take such a long maternity leave so that I can be with my babies until they are developmentally 3 months old and not just chronologically 3 months old.
5. I’m thankful for baby smiles, coos, and babbles that make all of the hard stuff like crying, fussing, and screaming worthwhile!

Better grab something to eat before my monkeys wake up!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Since tomorrow marks the end of the 2013 and Wednesday marks the beginning of 2014, I thought I do a special 2o13 Recap of the things I am thankful for this year!

I’m thankful for a very productive year.  At the end of 2012 and when I turned 30 a week before 2013, I made myself a promise that I’d make 2013 a very productive and memorable year.  Though it wasn’t productive in the ways that I thought it would be, I think the improvements I made were even better than the ones I imagined.  They include the following:

1. Bought my dream house with my husband!
2. Traveled alot (10 out of the 12 months):
   • DC in February with good friends
   • New Orleans for my cousin Jennifer’s bachelorette party in March
   • Padre Island in April to visit my mom and spend time with family
   • Houston and Galveston in June for my cousin Jennifer’s wedding and to spend time with family
   • Nashville in June to visit good friends
   • Baltimore for a fun girl’s weekend to celebrate Independence Day
   • Seattle and Victoria, Canada in July for my cousin Catie’s wedding and to visit family
   • Nag’s Head in August to have a girl’s weekend at the beach
   • DC in September to see the Book of Mormon with friends
   • DC in October for a great training course for work
   • Massanutten with good friends in November
   • Cape Cod in December for my husband’s cousin’s wedding and to spend time with his family
3. Did alot of work to improve my happiness and mental health (reading, learning to meditate, cognitive behavioral therapy, online learning, exercise).
4. Trained for and ran the Charlottesville 10 Miler in March with my husband!
5. Got a great review and a raise at work and also learned to be more experienced and confident in my job.
6. Spent alot of very important time with family and friends.
7. Ran 1 race in June (4 the Wounded 5K), 4 races in the month of September (Charlottesville Women’s 4 Miler, 9/11 Heroes Run, Special Olympics Pepsi 10K, and Benefit 5K for Shiloh Thompson) and 1 race in November (Shelter For Help in Emergency 5K) and greatly improved my running, pace, and personal records.
8. Lost 25 pounds (FINALLY – this had been a goal for a long time)!
9. Won tickets to the King Family Vineyards Pink Ribbon Polo Classic, Top of the Hops Beer Festival,  Virginia Chili Blues & Brews Festival, and an entry to the 4 the Wounded 5K – it was a lucky year (maybe it was that red egg we found)!
10. Helped several friends welcome sweet babies into this world!
11. Bought several pieces of furniture and large appliances for our first house (couch, book shelves, washer and dryer).
12. Bought and decorated our first Christmas tree together and celebrated our first Christmas in our new house with our families!
13. Created 2 amazing gifts that are still in the works (more on those later)!
14. Many more!

It was an amazing year and although there were ups and downs as there always will be, the wonderful things listed above will be the things I remember about 2013 and am grateful for when I look back on this year in the future!  I know 2014 is going to be one of the hardest but most rewarding and amazing years of my life thus far and I am truly looking forward to the challenge.

Happy New Year!  I’m wishing everyone a happy and amazing 2014 and please remember to try and be thankful.  I will continue to be!

Happy Thankful Monday!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a wonderful day Christmas shopping with Ben yesterday, and I’m very thankful and happy about our very first Christmas tree (pictures to come once it’s decorated).  I’m also thankful for a strong husband who is able to lift and move the tree and also knows how to take care of it (Ben wants to root the tree outside after Christmas is over).
2. I’m thankful for a wonderful weekend with family.  Friday night, Ben and I joined his parents and two nieces for our annual holiday trip to Richmond for the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens‘ Dominion GardenFest of Lights.  Then Saturday, I spent the day baking and doing Christmas crafts with my mother-in-law and nieces.  I made two terrariums that I’m very proud of!
3. I’m sooooo very thankful that I got to spend a day with my cousin Jennifer!  Her husband was in Baltimore for business so she came with him and drove down for the day on Wednesday.  We started off by catching up over lunch at Timberwood Grill, then headed to Monticello to do the tour since she had never been.  Then we went to the Downtown Mall, bought some Virginia Wine at Market Street Wine Shop, and met Ben for dinner at South Street Brewery.  We ended the evening by baking brownies at home.  Thursday morning, we had breakfast at Bodo’s before Jennifer headed back to Maryland.  I was sad to see her go but soooo happy that we got to spend precious time together.  I love my family!
   

   Jennifer & I at Monticello

4. I’m thankful for the wood stove in our house and for a husband who has been building fires to keep us warm.  Our heater broke again on Friday morning so we were forced to start using our wood stove.  Wow does that thing work great!  It heats the house almost well enough that we don’t need the heater!
   

   Eva checking out the first fire in the wood stove

5. Lastly, I’m thankful for the holidays and family to spend them with.  Last year I was somewhat of a scrooge because we couldn’t have a Christmas tree, I didn’t have much PTO saved up yet (and I work in retail), I was turning the dreaded 30, and I couldn’t go home for Christmas.  This year, we have a beautiful house to spend the holidays in, I can take a few days off of work, my family is coming to spend Christmas with us since we have plenty of room in the new house, we have our first Christmas tree together (after being together for seven and a half years), and I’m not turning 30 this year 😉 !

Have a great week and enjoy the this time of year!

Good morning and welcome to my weekly Thankful Monday blog post!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful that I got to watch the Houston Texans game on TV here even if they did lose against the Baltimore Ravens.  Very rarely do they show the Texans games here but since they were playing a team that is based not too far from where I live, the game was shown on CBS.
2. I’m thankful for winning the Big Greasy Office Pool last week!  I’ve played the last two years and never won, but last week, I had the most accurate NFL picks for the week and won a $30 McGrady’s Gift Certificate, a Wild Wolf Brewery Prize Pack, a Gift Pack from Century Link, a $30 University Dive & Hobby Center Gift Card, and 4 passes to the Virginia Chili Brews n’ Brews Festival in Waynesboro!  Sarah, Ben, and I went to the Chili Cookoff/Festival on Saturday and even though it rained, we had a blast and tasted some interesting chili!
3. I’m thankful that my husband is so handy and seems to have fixed our TV!  With everything that we’ve had break in the past couple of months, it’s nice that there is something that seems to have been an easy fix (fingers crossed it is actually fixed and will stay that way)!
4. I’m thankful for the opportunity to start mentoring at Computers 4 Kids again.  I’ve mentored two students in the past and had taken a break during wedding planning and house searching but now I am ready for student number 3!
5. Lastly, I’m thankful for the cooler weather.  Although I’m not crazy about the shorter days and it getting dark earlier, I am loving the cooler weather, especially with two broken AC units!

Have a great week!

Good morning and happy Monday!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

1. I’m thankful for a healthy body and strong legs that allowed me to have a wonderful 6.2 mile run on Saturday morning in support of the Special Olympics.  Ben, Sarah, and I ran the Gene Arnold Memorial Special Olympics Pepsi 10K.  The weather was beautiful, the temperature was perfect, and the company was great!  And we got to catch up with our friend Jamie who we hadn’t see in a long time!  My time was an hour, 4 minutes, and 53 seconds which I think is pretty great!
2. I’m also thankful for free tickets to the Charlottesville Top of the Hops Beer Festival.  Ben and I went the previous 2 years and had a blast but we decided not to go this year because tickets are pretty expensive.  Well last week, I won tickets on Facebook from Champion Brewing Company, one of the newer local breweries, so we were able to go for free.  We had a great time together, tasted some amazing beers, saw a lot of friends at the festival, and even tried a new restaurant, Now & Zen, for some delicious sushi!
3. I’m grateful for my in-laws and the endless supply of fresh eggs and homegrown vegetables they give us.  This weekend, they sent us home with 3 dozen eggs laid by their chickens, basil, salad greens, and beans.
4. I’m thankful for such a hard working husband.  Ben works hard as a programmer every day and then comes home and spends hours taking care of our yard, house, plants, and cats.  And he always finds time to workout too!  He is my superman!
5. I’m grateful to get the chance to see good friends for dinner tomorrow night at the Tavern on the James!

BONUS:  I’m thankful the Texans won yesterday!  I didn’t get to watch the game because it wasn’t shown here, but I hear it was a close game ending in overtime!  Go Texans!

Have a great week!

Well Texas IS my #1 passion and the blog IS called Texas Lou!

A couple of weeks ago, Ben, my mother-in-law, and I attended the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello and I spotted these two gems:

Texas Blue Bonnet Seeds…Ben’s mom bought some

A Texas Bird Pepper plant…I wonder if any of my Texan friends and family have one of these?

Texas is everywhere I look folks!  I must have Texas On My Mind!

Saturday, Ben and I went to the Top of the Hops Beer Festival downtown.  It was a beautiful day to be outside and we enjoyed it while bumping into friends and tasting lots of new and different beers.  Some of the more unique brews we tried were Fish Paralyzer BPA of RJ Rockers Brewing Company (BPA stands for Belgian-Style Pale Ale), Chipotle Ale from Rogue Ale which had a very smokey taste to it, and Jacques Au Lantern of Evolution Craft Brewing Co. which is a seasonal pumpkin ale that Ben described as being very nutmeggy!  We also tried several ciders and cask ales.

Chris (Ben’s best bud) and Ben…check out Chris’ awesome pretzel necklace!

The ladies: Caitlin (Cara’s sister), Cara, and I

Ben and I after lots of beers!

After all that beer, we desperately needed some food, so we headed to the Whiskey Jar for some southern style cookin’!  Ben and I both had the Courthouse Sandwhich “Hicory Smoked Pork with a spicy Pepper and Onion blend topped with Housemade Cheese Sauce on a Po Boy Roll and served with Fries”.  It was delicious and we washed it down with a famous Moonshine Punch!

Afterward we spent some time sobering up while playing cornhole at Chris and Cara’s house.   It was the perfect Saturday spent with good friends!