Our 15th Anniversary

I cannot believe how quickly time has passed and we have reached 15 years of marriage. I can honestly say they have been better than I could have ever imagined. That is not to say that there have not been trials and sadness but the good we have experienced thanks to our Lord has far out weighted any trials. My amazing husband is still the love of my life and I feel so blessed everyday to wake up with the life we have created each day. Our two precious daughters make life so much fun. Thank you Lord for the past 15 years. I am praying for many more to come.

 As a wonderful surprise, Cary planned a vacation for us back to the same place we were for our honeymoon 15 years ago, the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas. It was so much fun to see all the things that had changed and even those that had stayed the same.

 This view was just as beautiful as I remembered!

 The concierge sent us some chocolates and champagne shortly after we arrived in our room.

 I just could not get enough of the beautiful blue water.

 We spent most of our time working on our tan with this beautiful view. Of course, we also found time for kayaking, paddle boats, snorkeling, and Cary even did some wake boarding. I would have to say that swimming with a sea turtle was one of my favorite things. The barracuda that surprised my by the reef, not so much.

 Cary managed to surprise me with an evening sail on the Lady Lynsey to St. John. It is so calming and beautiful in the middle of the ocean. We took a similar sail on our honeymoon so it was fun to experience this again. We ate at a delicious place called Zoe's for dinner before sailing back to St. Thomas.

 One of the many things that did not change was me wanting to stay longer and trying to figure out how to get a time share there so we could go back more often.

It was such an amazing trip and I look forward to going back sooner rather than later. Thank you to my amazing husband for booking the perfect vacation for us. I left with more wonderful memories of this special place.

Summer Sports Fun

Well with summer has come some more activities for our girls. A little basketball and tennis anyone...

 Kaylee played on a select basketball team this summer to improve her skills while having fun with friends. She enjoys playing and has a lot of sweet teammates. Her coach is someone who is a friend of ours and who is competitive but in a good way. Kaylee enjoys playing for him and we enjoy the experience as well.

 A little action running shot during one of her games. The summer season is over for her team so we are on a basketball break until the fall.

 Then there is Campbell who started tennis lessons in January and has really picked up on things fairly quickly. She shares a lesson with her friend Mallory which I believe helps motivate her for the better most days.

 Here she is practicing her serve.

I love that she has decided to make tennis her sport because my Papaw use to sit and watch tennis on the television for hours. He loved it! Each time we go to lessons I cannot help but smile just thinking about him watching from heaven and getting a chuckle out of her.

I love my girls and the talents they each possess that make them who they are each day. They may decide tomorrow that these sports are not for them and if they do then that is fine. I will still have the good memories of this stage of their lives and grin fondly.

Birthday/Father's Day fun!

Well we decided to take a short trip to the Gaylord Texan on Father's Day weekend which also happened to be Campbell's Birthday weekend as well. We arrived in Grapevine on Saturday morning and the girls were so excited to be there. My parents went above and beyond and actually met us at the Rainforest Cafe for lunch to surprise the birthday girl. She was a little speechless when she saw them. After enjoying a good meal we moved the party to the Bass Pro Shops to look around and dream about some of the beautiful boats there. Once we were done my parents went back to Waco and we went back to the hotel to greet our friends the Driskills who were meeting us there for the weekend. 

 The first stop was to get a little balloon art. I had forgotten how beautiful the atrium is there. 

Our sweet girls in front of the faux Alamo in the atrium.

Then we moved on to a crazy picture with Fiona.

 Last but not least for the day we enjoyed the water park they have there. I have to say the lazy river was quite enjoyable. By the time we got there on Saturday night most people had gone to dinner and I think there were only about 20 of us left at the water park. I decided at the end of the day that the Gaylord Texan is the perfect compromise for parents and children. There is a water park for the children to enjoy and still the beauty and luxury for the adults to enjoy. Definitely a hit for every member of our family.

 On Sunday we surprised our husbands with a Rangers game for Father's Day. The things we do for our amazing husbands. It was so hot with no breeze but at least we were in the all you can eat seats with some shade. I figured since Campbell is more into the food than the game that would be a good compromise for her.

 Cary & Cory

 A cool thing happened while we were walking into the park...each year the girls register to be junior Rangers which means you get a free item and some coupons for different things at the ballpark during the season. Since this was our first time to the ballpark this season the girls had to register. When signing them up Cary mentioned that is was Campbell's birthday that day and the sweet lady proceeded to hook her up for her special day. While I was shopping with the girls, she arranged with Cary for Campbell to go on the field before the game, get her picture on the big screen, and have the experience of a lifetime. (of course, Kaylee would have appreciated it more since she is the Rangers fan but Campbell loved the attention.)

 Dad and Campbell on the field

 Campbell on the big screen

 Kaylee and I in the stands trying not to be too jealous;-)

 Our family after the game

Our sweet friends the Driskills

After sweating ourselves to death we decided to head back to the water park and shut it down for the evening. It was such a fun weekend filled with family, friends, and memories. I look forward to going back again soon.

Happy 8th Birthday Campbell Grace!

 I cannot believe that my baby girl is eight years old! (Well she will be officially on Sunday.) Where has the time gone? That is a question that I have been asking myself a lot lately. I suppose it is true that time flies when you are having fun. This girl is definitely fun!

On Thursday afternoon we had her birthday party at Primetime. She was so excited for her big day because this girl loves getting attention so birthdays are complete joy for her.

 Campbell decided on the party package that included 2 games of bowling, pizza, laser tag, and tokens for the arcade. A big cookie cake and presents too of course. 

I have to say Primetime did a great job of having everything set up for us when we arrived. Once the guests got there it was time to get the party started with some bowling fun!

 Campbell's friend, SJ, after getting a spare.

 Campbell bowls a little like her mother;-) Notice the great form.

 Mallory just having fun. These girls were some great bowlers. One friend even broke a 100 score.

 Here are the girls all locked and loaded for some laser tag. I could not believe how excited they al were about this. It was hilarious!

 Laser tag time.

Thank you to all of these sweet friends for taking the time to come and celebrate Campbell. You all made her day! When we got in the car to leave she said it was the perfect party and she would not have changed a thing! I am so glad. thank you Lord for good friends and great memories.

Camp Bonita 2013

Camp Bonita here she comes! Kaylee has been looking forward to this week for months. I thought she was going to have to miss the trip the day before because I feared she was going to burst with excitement! Of course, how could a week of fun with some of your best friends, going on a zip line, playing in a mud pit, learning about Jesus, and just living the camp experience in New Mexico not be something to be filled with joy about. (It helped me that two of my dear friends are her counselors for the week.) I love that Kaylee has the spirit of fun and adventure living in her. 

 They were asked to wear a red shirt on the bus. One of Kaylee's friends saw her and said with a huge smile, "Of course, I knew you would have on a Rangers shirt." her friends know her so well.

 One last sister pick before being apart for the week. Campbell had been looking forward to it until the time came for Kaylee to get on the bus. At that point she squeezed my hand and said, "I am going to miss Kaylee."It is moments like this that melt my heart, not the ones where they are arguing;-)

 Here are a few of Kaylee's dearest friends. She was so happy to find them and they immediately started talking about seating arrangements on the bus as well as all the activities for the week.

After gathering in the auditorium and praying over the bus drivers who would be carrying our precious cargo we sent them to the buses. It was at that moment that this Mom started to panic a little. Well that is not totally true, it had been building up for weeks. The feelings were not just about Kaylee going to another state on a bus that I was not on or driving but about her being old enough to be on that bus. I have realized lately that the "season of letting go" a little is upon me. How did I get here? My sweet girl will be in 6th grade next year which means more opportunities for travel for school functions. Then before I turn around she will be getting her driver's permit and that is almost too much for me to comprehend at this moment in my life. It is a good thing I have about 3 1/2 years to wrap my head around that one. Whew! Letting go even a little is hard, as a Mom I want to wrap her up and keep her close. I want to protect her heart and the spirit of joy that she so freely gives to all those she meets. I have to remind myself that God is in control and that is exactly how I want it to be. When I am not there, He is with her filling her heart with love and peace. As the busses pulled away I said a prayer for me as well as Kaylee to survive this season without me being too over protective and for the Lord to guide their way. Also for their eyes to be opened to all the gifts the Lord would be showering on them this week. I am still counting the days until she is back home but I do know this will be something she will always remember. We will both be thankful that I was able to let go a little and let her spread her wings. I love you sweet girl and hope you enjoy all the letters we sent to let you know you were in our prayers and hearts this week.