At the end of May, we had Jimmy & Mary Beth's 30 anniversary and vow renewal party (they are my in-laws). Aside from the rain throughout the BACKYARD party, we had a fabulous time. I'll put up pictures when we have them. I love party planning!!! I was also able to make several cakes for people to enjoy; at our house, they don't get eaten entirely. Jimmy & Mary Beth did a ton of work on the landscaping at the ranch; it looked great! Thanks to everyone who helped setup, bring food, let us borrow things, gave ideas, listened to me go on and on and on (okay, obsess) about the party (primarily my partners in crime, Cici and Andy).
My cousin, James, got married in Colorado the last weekend of May. Unfortunately, we couldn't be there for the celebration. We send our love to James and Amanda!! I can't wait to get to know Amanda even better!!
My sister's family flew in for a quick trip at the beginning of June. Greg was home (North Carolina) on leave for about two weeks. They wanted to be able to see Mother, and getting to Texas from North Carolina with three kids is no small feat. So, Meg and Greg brought William, Teresa, and Peter to Texas for three days. They stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. What a great place to stay with several kids!! There is a water park, restaurants, and other activities. Apparently, there are several of these hotels throughout the nation. I would highly recommend it to anybody traveling with kids. I would love to put a picture of us up, but the pictures are all on Meg's camera.
I immediately began organizing the tubs of stuff that we have out in our garage so that we have easy access to them when we go to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Andy was able to bring in a few tubs at a time so that I could sort through them in the living room. Thankfully, I can send pictures of some of the larger items for Meg to think about so that maybe we don't have to take everything. Once we saw how much stuff there really is, Andy said there was no way that it would all fit in our little Civic; I had hoped that we might be able to consolidate enough. Mary Beth has kindly offered to let us use her vehicle for our trip.
The second week of June brought the heat; we moved into the high 90s and low 100s. I had been managing fine with the high 80s, but that week I could feel the change in my energy level and physical capability. On the other hand, I am so thankful that I am able to do things; I remember last summer and shudder.
The last weekend in June brought a gathering out at the ranch. That Saturday several people came out to work cattle. Doug and Correy joined us out there Friday night. Because Mary Beth is working full-time at TCU and taking classes for her PhD, see wasn't going to be at the ranch on Saturday. (She is taking two or three classes this summer. It's no wonder where Andy gets it!) So, I got to plan the menu; it was a little mini party planning. MMM...I made some great dishes including Creamy Basil Pesto Party Squares (appetizer) and Vanilla-Champagne Soaked Fruit (breakfast or dessert) and Peanut Butter Brownies with Strawberries (dessert).
This past weekend was the Fourth of July. My aunt, Janice/Meme, with the help of everyone in the family threw my grandmother, Charline/Nanny, a party for her 80th birthday. There was so much wonderful food, and everything was displayed really nicely! It was a great success!! Meme had so much that was already ready so that it wasn't crazy hectic. Johnny & Teresa brought lots of fabulous food! Some cousins from Louisiana surprised Nanny by coming the day before the party. They put together a great fruit dish and did tons of behind the scenes work during the party. I can't tell you how many dishes they washed when we were running low. I ran around doing all kinds of things like replenishing food, gathering dishes, cutting cake, and taking pictures. I took some really nice pictures (I hope) of the food, decorations, and displays on Meme's camera. Is anyone seeing a theme here with me not having the pictures...haha... Then, I spent some time with family up at Nanny's lake house. It was wonderful being able to spend time with them. This is about the only time of the year that I get to see them.
Oh, yeah, the 4th was also our nephew's 1st birthday as well; this is Greg and Meg's youngest son, Peter. With everything that was going on, I forgot to wish him a happy birthday; I know I'm a bad aunt. However, in my defense, I sent all three kids' presents earlier this summer so that they could have them for the summer. Happy Birthday Peter!!
So, this week I've been in recovery mode and am trying to make some progress on the house. So far, the progress has been very little. And rather than being up doing things, here I sit updating y'all on our lives. Saturday, we are going to the ranch for our niece's 1st birthday; this is Logan and Cici's daughter, Maddy. Happy Birthday Maddy!
We also have Teresa (our niece, not my aunt), William (our nephew), and Andy's birthdays in the next few weeks. I've already given Andy his birthday presents. I was at Target the other day shopping for who knows what, when I happened to look at the men's clothing. They actually had small shirts in both athletic and fitted cuts. This is one of the few stores that we've found that carries true smalls. Knowing that we rarely find them, I grabbed everything that fit this description for Andy to be able to try. So, when he got home he was able to try all of these on and pick what he wanted. It was wonderful for him to have so many choices; this is not usually the case. He looks so cute in some of his new shirts! We also discovered this week that he might even be able to wear Target's pants. I'm hopeful!! Ohhh, and I've even found a few great pieces to add to my wardrobe that were on sale!! I can't wait to wear my new purple walking coat!!
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