An end to a pretty amazing year

With 2014 coming to a close it is hard not to think back on all the fun and memorable times we had this year. The first quarter of the year was pretty low key for us. Trying to catch up from the holidays and save money for the wedding. 

In March I went to Smithville to compete in my first ever Warrior Dash. It was loads of fun but would have been even better with friends. Dave and I also traveled to Castroville to attend the wedding of Brent and Sara....I mean Brent and Amanda! It was the first time I had ever met them and I love them! I wish we lived closer to each other but I guess a trip to Colorado City is in order. 

April was fairly uneventful other than my girls trip to Galveston to partake in the Gritty Goddess 5K Mud Run with some girls from my old CrossFit box. By far it is my favorite mud run to do and I am hoping we are all able to make it back this year. 

May was a fun way to kick off the summer. We went camping out at Garner State Park with Sara and Kai, Carly and Drew and the kids, and my parents. I had never been out to Garner so I was pretty stoked. IT was also one of the last weekends we would all be together as a family before Carly and Drew moved to California at the end of the month. I also ran in Beach to Bay for the second time. This time around I ran the beach leg which probably wasn't the best choice that day. Wind gusts were over 20 mph so afterwards I felt as though I had just come out of a sandblaster!

July was our trip to Bandera for Dave to get his wedding band from Hi O Silver. Actually getting his band took us less than two hours but we figured since we have to go we might as well make a weekend out of it. we had a ball! By far our favorite place to hang out at night is Arky Blue's and our favorite wine spot of all time is there too. We kayaked up and down the river one afternoon after shopping for a bit. I would love to go back. 

In August I had the privileged of attending Aaron and Lauren Burris' wedding in Katy. As usual, Dave was working so I had Kelly tag along with me. It was a beautiful ceremony and the food was fantastic. Dave also spent his bachelor party weekend up in Marble Falls area with only 15 of his closest friends. I heard stories and saw a few pictures so I know they had tons of fun. 

New Orleans in September isn't bad! I know....we spent a girls weekend there. I hadn't been to NOLA since before the hurricanes so I was pretty excited. We went to Bourbon more times than we should have, went out to the swamp for an air-boat tour (by far our favorite thing to do), did a little sight seeing in the garden district, picked up a few souvenirs, and just enjoyed ourselves. We did make a pit-stop by the casino and I left $20 behind at Harrah's! Our other "niece" Charlize was born in September to Sara and Kai as well! Such a tiny little bundle who made it through one month in the NICU. My cousin also had her daughter Harper Rae who is the cutest little thing. 

October brought along another little baby...Adreann and Darren welcomed our niece Ryleigh Kaye! I was able to meet Harper and Ryleigh the same day one weekend when I was up in New Braunfels for a dress fitting. It was such a sweet afternoon for me.  

11/8/2014 will be a date not to forget. One year and nine months in the making. Our wedding was fabulous. So many people, great food, awesome band, and so many memories. The pictures from our photographer Kendra will hopefully be up on here soon. Dave and I decided to post pone our honeymoon to make sure we had the money to pay for it so after the wedding it was back to work for the two of us. San Diego in march cannot come fast enough (especially after my Christmas trip)

Christmas and my birthday means Fredericksburg now! Dave surprised me in 2013 with a trip and it is now an annual thing. I absolutely love that little town during the holidays. We went the first weekend which is when they do the Christmas parade. Hitting our favorite wineries and some new ones this year was definitely on the list. We also ventured out a little bit more than last year. In 2013 we joined Becker as wine club members so while we were there, they had their member pick up party so on Sunday afternoon we were able to spend a few hours catching up with Eric Wallgren. We also joined Grape Creek and I am very much looking forward to our first pick up party February 8 which happen to be the date for both wineries! I do love the fact that Dave will drink wine....it would be a pain to have to drink it all myself! Our first Christmas as a "married" couple was spent apart. Go figure. I planned my trip to California to see my sister and her family based on Dave's FESCO schedule but when we switched jobs to Pioneer Energy Resources to do coil tubing his schedule changed. And of course he would actually come home on Christmas Eve day. Either way we still had a good time. I spent Christmas and my 31st birthday in Carlsbad and Dave was hunting in Del Rio. We shared our Christmas together last Sunday when we both came home. New Year's Eve this year he will be working so Corpus Christi with my best gal it is! Dinner at Fajitaville then back to the condo to watch the ball drop and the fireworks!

This past year is one I do not want to forget! It truly was one of my best years. Even though there were so many changes I know that it was all for the best for everyone. 2015 will bring even more changes, challenges, and surprises I am sure. But I am looking forward to it! 

California Dreaming In Pictures

Layover in Vegas....and yes I stayed away from the slot machines

Balboa Park in San Diego

The Whoville Christmas Tree in Balboa Park

Josie

I thought it would be a brilliant idea to decorate cookies with the kids.
Well, they decorated one cookie then promptly ate it.
And they were CrAzY afterwards!

One of her Christmas presents from us.
Got my little California girl in a Matilda Jane dress!

Walking down the side of the cliff on Christmas Day to watch Drew surf at Beacons

Selfie

Surfer kids

Toes in the sand on Christmas
2014

Got in a trail run after the beach

Carly and I celebrated my birthday Friday night....started it off with sister tats then dinner!

Managed to get in a workout before the Safari Park

On the tram

Yes they serve beer there....and it was needed!
We apparently picked the busiest day of the year to go. 

Headed home....for now!

31 Marriage Tips

One of the blogs that I follow is Time Warp Wife by Darlene Schacht. I really enjoy her posts because she ministers to women about how to be a better wife, mother, and how to be a more Christ-like woman. The post for today is one I wanted to be able to reference back to so I am copying and posting the list here. 

31 Marriage Tips:

1. Keep God at the center of your marriage
2. Fight with your husband, not against him
3. Forgive each other quickly
4. Carve time out of busy schedules to spend together
5. Put each other before your pride
6. Communicate with loving respect
7. Don’t say things you’ll regret. Ever.
8. Don’t give up on your marriage
9. Pray for each other often
10. Pray together
11. Don’t measure your spouse by a list of expectations
12. Give more than you’re given
13. Trust God for your reward when you endure trials
14. Cultivate your friendship
15. Encourage more than you nag
16. Speak highly of each other
17. Speak highly to each other
18. Let go of the past and look forward together
19. Offer grace to each other
20. Do little things that say, “I love you.”
21. Kiss each other often
22. Don’t ignore your spouses need for physical intimacy
23. Address problems before they become a serious issue
24. Stop keeping score of everything, like “who forgave who last…”
25. Keep unity in mind – put we before me
26. Let go of your anger and communicate with a cool head
27. Speak life to each other with words of encouragement
28. Respect each other with both your words and your actions
29. Live with an attitude of gratitude
30. Smile more – stress less
31. Always say “I love you,” even–and especially if–you’ve had a bad day

Annual Fredericksburg Trip!

This year our trip was a little bit earlier than expected but I think we may keep that up. I didn't know that the first weekend in December is what they have the Christmas parade. Dave said the town feels more alive that later in the month. Plus the weather was much better. 

Fat Ass Winery. Great marketing...we didn't buy ANY wine!

Hondo's on Main. We always stop in here. 

This just made my day

Pedernales Electric Co-Op. My first time to see the lights!

Dave says it looks like the trees are on fire. 

We visited at least 6 or 7 wineries. We ended up leaving with mostly red wines this trip and joined a second vineyard as cub members. I am looking forward to seeing what we get from Grape Creek over the next year. A few perks about being members with Grape Creek is you get discounts if you stay at their Bed and Breakfast and they have a tasting room in Georgetown...where my parents just happen to be moving! In addition to the wineries we went to Circle E and loaded up on candles, I got my Christmas/Birthday present early from Texas Silver Rush, and we spent a great Saturday evening at the Auslander.

Becker Vineyards

Sunday was the pick up party for Becker Vineyard Wine Club members and it was the first time we were in town for one so of course we went. Eric and Jenny Wallgren live close and they are members too so we spent a few hours catching up with Eric over a bottle of wine. 

All in all, I love our Fredericksburg weekends and cannot wait until next year! 

Rehearsal Dinner Highlights

The Holmgreen men

Dave, Ryleigh, and Tristan

The Bridesmaids

Our fantastic photographer Kendra Squeo

Carly and I

Sarah and I

Marcy, Lindsey and I

Cheers!

Dave and Kruck

For all the photos you can check out Kendra's website!

Turkey Day

So it seems as though I am becoming famous for "cooking" my Thanksgiving meals from Bill Miller BBQ! I have done it, if I can count correctly, every year except one over the last 6 years or so. I usually don't cook for tons of people, five at the most, and they seem to have just enough food, the turkey is always good (smoked) and I like their stuffing. 

I spent the morning running the CCRR Turkey Chase which is a 4 mile run. This is the first time I have run it. I did fairly well. I had an average mile time of 10:08 so I was pleased.

Tried to take a selfie with Papa but he didn't get it!

We had such a great day. So much food and just relaxed. Unfortunately Dave was still working so he wasn't able to join us this year but the crane company on his location did cater a turkey dinner for everyone so that was much appreciated by all.

I ended my Turkey Day weekend with Kelly at Tipsy Canvas. I just love going there and being artsy since I am not good it. You cannot tell if you suck! Its great!

My elf feet!