Catch up September

I haven't been very diligent keeping up with my blog lately. Between school and family and home obligations I just haven't made the time.
Let me catch you up on whats been going on around here:

1. School is back in session. I am taking 18 credit hours this semester which means I drive the 50 miles each way to campus Monday through Friday. That is almost 2 hours per day in the car. Not my idea of a good time but it will be worth it in the end :)

2. My sister is staying with us! I love having my baby sister home! We lay in bed and watch tv together and I have someone to cook for when Jason is on the road working. It is such a blessing to have her here with us and I secretly hope she never leaves.  :)

3. Jason and I are planning our One Year Anniversary trip. Fall Break from school is the same week as our wedding anniversary so how could we not go away for a few days??? We are thinking Gatlinburg, Tennessee but are kicking around a few other ideas as well.

4. Harley dog is loving having Cuddy dog here. Cuddy is my sisters big ole baby pitbull. Harley taught Cuddy to bark and play in the yard. Gracie Marie is not fond of having Cuddy around, however, and makes sure to bark and snarl at her anytime Cuddy gets close. Poor Cuddy!

5. FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!!!!!!  Enuf said :)

Our Christmas Story

We had a nice Christmas. Jason and I hosted my family here at our house. My brother in law had to work the day before and after so he wasn't able to be here and he was missed. So we ended up with 6 adults.  For our family it was all about the dinner! LOL
For breakfast I made a strawberry and cream cheese braided bread, blueberry muffins, and fruit. Jason made an awesome quiche loraine. It was so the big breakfast hit. I personally think that dish should be a Saturday morning tradition from now on...
Jason also helped make a few dishes for dinner. It was really odd and really nice to have some help with dinner! Jason roasted a beautiful bone in roast beef in his dutch oven under the carport.


After dinner we exchanged gifts and spent some time hanging out. My family had to leave early because the weather was about to turn messy. It was raining most of the day and then.....

We had a white Christmas!!! That NEVER happens in Arkansas! It started snowing Christmas evening and kept snowing all night. In all we had 9 8 inches of snow!

 

 

 The only problem was that snow was followed by 5 days without power. We roughed it out for the first two days and then I took the furr kids and we to Jason's parent's house while he went out on the road. We finally got power back on Sunday night and I headed home. I had to throw out all the food in the refrigerator and inside freezer but I was able to save some of the stuff in the garage freezer since it had been soooo cold outside. I was really worried because it took a lot of hard work to put up all that corn! Read about my corn experience here.

I celebrated with Jason's family on Thursday evening. He had already left for a trip to Canada but we had fun without him. I really love my new family :)

I hope you all had a safe and wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, and Christ.

My Aunt Kathy is still missing. Please help.

This is my Aunt Kathy. She is my mother's sister.  She hasn't been seen or heard from since February. She went missing from the home she shared with her boyfriend in Houston. She is orginally from Clovis, New Mexico. Houston Police Department Homicide Division is actively investigating her disappearance but haven't yet made any arrest. Please help us spread the word by sharing this poster or a link to this webpage. My grandparents, Buddy and Joyce Wasson, live in New Mexico. My grandpa is in ill health and I know this stress is making his condition worse. Mamaw Joyce is very worried and upset about her daughter. Kathy's 7 brothers and sisters, her children, and many many friends are praying for her return. Please Please take a look carefully at her picture and see if anything looks familar to you. Perhaps someone saw something and didn't realize the significance at the time. 
There is a YouTube video with more pictures of Aunt Kathy. Please view and share it as well. Kathy Lawson Arrendondo Video

Thank for you taking the time to read this. All prayers are welcome on behalf of Kathy and the family.

Busy, busy October

I can't believe that it has been a month since I updated! It has been super busy around here.

On October 27, 2012 I married my best friend. This is an event that deserves its own post, so I am only mentioning it here. I will post details and pictures once we get the photos back from the photographer.

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. I didn't get to decorate the yard and porch as much as I usually do due to the wedding preperations, but I was able to get a few things set out.  Jason was able to be home that night, but wasn't feeling that well. He observed from the couch. I love handing out candy to all the trick or treaters! We usually get a lot of kids in our neighborhood.  I wish I had a picture of Jason's face when I came in from the store and started preparing the buckets of candy. He thought I was nuts to have that much candy ready. But when the night was over we only had part of one bucket left.

 

 

I am getting really excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will be going to the Bradley's for Thanksgiving and then we are hosting Christmas Day at our house. My sister and brother in law should be in town for Christmas and I am so happy! Now to get the deocrations out of the attic and the lights onto the house.....    :)



He asked! I said yes!

Monday, July 9th was a very memorable day. It started off as just another Monday. Jason had to leave out headed to Indiana so I was going to carry him to the truck yard. I love getting to drop him off at work, although I hate to see him go. We decided to meet his mom and sister for lunch before he had to leave. I called my mom to see if she wanted to eat also. We made plans to meet at Chiles at noon. On the drive to Pine Bluff he was so cheerful and funny. We were singing and dancing to the 90s on 9 XM radio station. (some one remind me when the suspension goes out on the Pretty Prius that we shouldn't dance in the car). He didn't seem nervous or anything.

When we arrived his mom, sister, and niece were already seated on one side of the table. I took the seat nearest the wall, trying to be courteous to my mom and Jason. Jason likes to sit on the outside, so Mom took the middle seat. We ordered and got our drinks. Jason stood up and asked my mom to switch seats so I could sit by him. I thought it was kind of weird, but switched with her.
Then when he kept standing and looked nervous, I knew something was up. He pulled a ring box from his pocket, knelt on one knee, and melted my heart with the sweetest proposal. Of course I said YES! Then Taylor, who is 4, came around the table with a dozen long stem pink roses and asked if I would  be her aunt. I nearly started crying. Even if I could have said no to Jason, there was no way to say no to Taylor! :)

I was so happy that our moms and his sister got to see him propose! My mom was crying! And his mom and sister took pictures. A waiter came by and gave me a high five and people were awwing and smiling at us. A few clapped. It was fun :)

And then I dropped him off to go on a 3 day run to Indiana. The people in his office were laughing that we got engaged and then he left. But it didn't seem strange to me. He works hard for our little family of doggie kids and for our future big family. I feel so blessed to be marrying the sweetest, most thoughtful, doting, loving man in the world.



I was shocked!

The beautiful ring!



The beautiful roses that Taylor picked out



I gave Momma Debbie (Jason's mom), Ashley (Jason's sister), my Momma, and Taylor (Jason's niece) each a flower from my bouqet. Taylor loved playing with hers and used the long stem to pretend it was a magic wand. She is so cute!