DREAM

Getting back to the real world after being on vacation isn't easy! Stephen and I both got back into the full swing of work and Stephen started summer school for his MBA program. We didn't have near as much fun this week as we had last week, but it made us realize that it's important for us to remember our dreams and desires as we are faced with the challenges and stresses of everyday life.

VACATION!

Stephen and I just got back from a wonderful 10 days off. We spent the majority of our time off in Canada with Stephen's family. Here's a quick recap of our vacation:

Last Sunday we checked in to our hotel, Marriott Fallsview in Niagara Falls Ontario. They don't call it Fallsview for nothing. The picture shown here was taken from our room. It was incredible to wake up every morning with such an amazing view!

Monday Steph, Gene, Steve and I went white water rafting in class 5 rapids on Niagara River. It was super cold, but so much fun! Unfortunately, we couldn't take our cameras on the trip, so you will just have to envision enormous waves crashing over us with complete shock on our faces due to the ice cold water! Definitely worth the memories though. After our fun excursion we all went to the butterfly conservatory and saw thousands of butterflies. They would get so close to you. Some would even land on your hand while taking pics. It was amazing and absolutely peaceful. That night these Spurs fans couldn't miss the big game, so we settled in the hotel bar to watch the Spurs win the series vs the Hornets.

Tuesday was a fun filled day as well. We started the day with a Journey Behind the Falls tour. This tour took us literally behind Niagara Falls. Just to give you an idea, the Falls drops 34 million gallons of water a minute! It was unbelievable and our pictures don't begin to do it justice. After our journey we all took an African Safari that allowed us to drive through an amazing safari and get the closest we've ever been to these amazing animals. The baboons would jump on the car and go for a ride with us while the elephants took a dive to cool off from the heat.

Wednesday we took a trip to Niagara on the Lakes which was similar to a small Napa Valley. We toured several wineries in the area and learned all about their famous Ice Wines. Delicious!

Thursday we drove to Toronto and visted Casa Loma, a castle with 100 rooms. We also visted a beautiful cathedral and CN Tower which until last year was the tallest building in the world. We happened to drive by a local park that had several people playing chess, so we had to make a stop for the guys to see these quick players in action.

Friday was a pretty relaxed day. We had time to walk around the area by our hotel, went swimming, hung in the hot tub and enjoyed a nice ride on the ferris wheel by the falls for more beautiful pictures.

Saturday we headed home and got to see our puppies that we missed so much! It was a wonderful trip, but it's always nice to come home again.

Sunday we went to a BBQ at a friends house and then went to the Chris Cagle concert in our neighborhood that ended with some fun fireworks.

Monday we got ready to head back to work. Not much fun, but like the song says, "Don't you think life would be awfully boring, if the good times were all that we had?"

Eventful Weekend!

Stephen and I headed to the lake house Friday. We always enjoy seeing the deer hanging out in the backyard, relaxing by the water and seeing family. From birthdays to Mother's Day we had quite a busy weekend at the lake this time.

First we celebrated Riley's 4th birthday. He is getting so big. Aunt Lana and Uncle Steve bought Riley his first Slip-n-Slide and it was a hit! The kids loved it and played all day.

We also celebrated Mother's Day this year with my family, so we got to spend some mommy time with my mom, my grandmother and Shelly at the lake. We surprised mom and grandma with some family pictures. It was a lot of fun. We were able to make it over to see Stephen's mom too, so we were able to celebrate all of these wonderful moms on Mother's Day!

Steve and I managed to get in a nice round of golf at the beautiful Cliffs golf course this weekend. It was a really hard course and I think I lost all of Stephen's golf balls in the cliffs, but we had a great time. We really enjoyed being out in nature and admiring the beautiful scenery.

What a blessing to be able to spend time with family and enjoy each others company!

Story of Hope

I have always looked at my mother as one of the strongest human beings on this earth! She has suffered a lot of heartache in her life, but she has proven that you can get through anything from divorce to death as long as you have the lord in your life. As many of you know, my mother has gone through a great deal this year. A minister was so moved by my moms story that he wanted to do a series on hope and feature this story in one of his services. My mom has always been one to think about others and she felt that if she did this, she might help someone else that is going through a similar situation. Click the play button below to view the video.

Whirlwind of a Week!

This has been a very busy week! Stephen had finals for his MBA program this week, then had a visit to the dentist (not so fun). Meanwhile, I had a business trip to San Diego. I went to a conference with one of my co-workers and two of my clients. We managed to mix in a little fun while we were there visiting Hotel Del Coronado, Balboa Park and viewing the Padres Stadium from the rooftop restaurant at our hotel. I'm glad to be home again and we're both glad that the week is winding down.

Weekend Fun!

We had a great weekend. Where to begin...it started Friday night with a visit with some of Stephen's family we haven't seen in a while. We went to dinner at Stephen's parents house and visited with Uncle Richard and Aunt Maria. What a treat to eat the tasty BBQ and have some fun chatting.

Saturday we relaxed and got ready for a fun night on the town. We met up with Z and Mindy for a while at the Quarter and then headed to the W for some fun times with Ashley and Kami at the Ghost Bar. It was a late night, but worth getting to spend some quality time with old college friends!

Sunday brunch was nice with the girls while Stephen studied. We got ourselves ready for another week, but not before stopping to admire the beautiful sunset from our backyard. We are truly blessed with wonderful friends and family and know how important it is to stop and thank God for these wonderful blessings!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Stephen and I had a great time Tuesday night going to the Texas Rangers baseball game with a couple of friends. Although the Rangers lost, we had fun eating hotdogs and nachos and watching Christie and Matt on the big screen when they made it on the kissing cam! Good times with good friends!