Thursday: Thoughts and Thanks

It's been entirely too long since I did my Thursday letters and today feels like the day for a comeback, don't you agree? So, without further ado:

Dear Nater Gator: you spent 4 days with me at my favorite place on earth and enjoyed it as much as I did. It makes my heart happy to share every part of my life with you. Dear Cold Weather: It's so nice of you to finally show up! Don't get me wrong, I've thoroughly enjoyed sweating all the way through October (not) but the crisp air and rainy weather makes me a happy kid...so thanks! Dear Baby B: I know you aren't here yet, and your name isn't official, but I already love you so much it hurts. I can't wait to spoil you! Dear Blog Readers: my brief little bio and guiltly pleasures tab still reads "3 crazy dogs" because I can't bring myself to change it...it still feels too soon. Hope y'all don't mind. Dear Kayla & Kristen: I miss y'all so much already, and I still can't get over how much fun I had while we were there. Gaybaru over and out. Dear Kenzie: you junk punched your Uncle Nate yesterday and dropped him straight to the ground in mach speed; I probably shouldn't have laughed, but Lord was it funny to see your little 4 year old self completely immobilize your uncle. Dear Hubster: Sorry I laughed ;) Also, thanks for being my one and only; you have kept me giggling for almost ten years and sometimes I still can't believe I get to grow old with you. Yous my best friend!

Always,

L

The best birthday EVER

It's hard for me to find the words to describe how incredible the last 4 days of my life have been. My heart is so happy I can hardly stand it. Apple picking, pumpkin beer drinking, Halloween movie watching, forest exploring, lobster eating, lighthouse seeing, AMAZINGNESS...and that's just a small list of the festivities we managed to cram in. It was the perfect balance of playing and resting.

K. Stew sandwich!

 The love I have for my extended (yet indescribably close) family grew every second I was there. It amazes me how connected we really are and how easily we find it to love and enjoy each other. It's like coming home, just a thousand miles away. Y'all, I may be a Texas girl, but a huge piece of my heart is and forever will be tucked away at the farm in Maine.

My Happy Place

One of the highlights of our trip was the picture below. It's a 22 year picture remake and it is easily my most cherished possession.

He makes 90 look easy...

 One thing I know for sure is this: I am truly, TRULY blessed beyond measure. There is such a peace to be found when you realize (before it's too late), just how lucky you are to have something; how valuable some place or some one is in your life and being able to cherish it while you still have the chance. I am beyond thankful.

If the rest of my 25th year of life is anything like this past weekend, then I just might be the luckiest girl on the face of the Earth. Cheers to my next trip around the Sun.

Always,

L

Oh how Pintersting...

Time for another link up with The Vintage Apple and this week's edition of "Oh how Pinteresting" Wednesday. This one's gonna be short and sweet, so here goes nothin'...




I know I did pins that made me laugh last time, but I'm going to share a few more, because y'all, these are hysterical!

From Vault of LOL via Katherine on Pinterest

From The Meta Picture via Jordan on Pinterest

From Someecards via Katie on Pinterest

Sorry this wasn't longer. Honestly, there are about a thousand other things I should be doing but I'm the queen of procrastination and this sounded way more fun than anything on my grown up list of to-dos.

Happy Wednesday lovies!

Always,

L

Just Another Manic Monday

So, after the longest week, ever, I've made it to another Monday and I honestly feel like this new "normal" (a 2 dog...well, 1 and a half really, household) is starting to set in. It's a lot calmer. A lot more manageable. And definitely not chaotic enough for my liking...but we are making it work. I just have to say thank you again to everyone who reached out to us. It's impossible to put into words how much y'all have helped us...really.

But enough of the clouds...time for some sunshine on this bloggity of mine. This weekend was wonderful. I've mentioned before that I have the best in-laws ever, but y'all they just keep outdoing themselves. We had my birthday celebration at their house on Saturday and it was so good to see everyone. I got SO.MUCH.STUFF. Seriously, I felt like a little kid again and it was awesome. Thanks to Momma Hunke my house is now fully decked out for my favorite time of the year with owls and pumpkins. The Neighbors got me tickets to Studio Movie Grill to see Breaking Dawn...don't judge me. I'm SO excited. Nate's brother Dan and his wife (Lauren Hunke the 3rd...yes, BOTH of my sister-in-laws are named Lauren. No big deal, and definitely not confusing at all...) got me a gift card to Victoria's Secret. Riley had this thing about eating my underwear, ALL.THE.TIME.  I'm serious, she probably gobbled up over a thousand dollars in merchandise...something that, even now, is not endearing. Freak show. Anyway, I'm pumped about getting to go shopping and knowing that I'll actually get to keep the things I purchase. Silver lining?

I spent all day yesterday hanging out with the hubster, just really enjoying each other's company. We've been having a lot of fun together lately. Doing mostly immature not-grown-up-at-all activities. For instance. One day last week, we both got pretty bummed out about the whole Riley thing. And being the problem fixer that he is, he decided it was his husbandly duty to come up with a solution. He had me hang out in our room while he set up said solution (and no, it wasn't another dog...I know, I was a little disappointed too). He called me into the living room and was standing, hands on his hips with a huge (smug) smile on his face. There was a case of Miller Light on the floor, and Southpark The Movie on the TV. This is when he tells me (and I quote) "we are going to watch this movie and play a drinking game...at the same time. Every time they say f*ck, we drink. Got it?"

........

This was quite possibly the best/worst idea he has ever had...if you've seen the movie, you know why. If not, save yourself the torture and suffice it to say that we would not have passed ANY field sobriety test after about 15 minutes. I can't tell you the last time I laughed that hard, and it was exactly what I needed. Reason # 627 that boy roommates are awesome. I love you Nathan Allen.

This week is going to be filled with all the busyness you'd expect when trying to get ready for a spur of the moment 4 day weekend vacation adventure. I'm more excited/happy/ready/omg.is.this.really.happening?!?! than I can express. That being said, I might be a little absent from the bloggy, but don't fret, I'm going to make it up to you by giving you a picture montage of things that made me smile this week.

You.Are.Welcome.

This amazing text conversation with my Wifey

This incredibly thoughtful, made me cry because she is just too sweet gift from the Wifey...double bonus adventure points for making me the happiest kid ever TWICE in one week. You are the bombdiggity.

Reading to the Lights of My Life. Those kids seriously make my whole world go 'round. LOVE THEM!!!

And last, but certainly not least...this evening with the Neighbors. Well, mostly just this lovely rendition of the Carlton that Jason was so kind to do for us. Hahahahahahaha!!!

Always,

L

An Oldie but a Goodie

I absolutely love this man...



Laughter is the world's best medicine, right? Because after the week I've had, giggling feels SO much better than crying...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I suck at goodbyes

I want to start by thanking y'all so much for your encouragement/support. Each of you has blessed our hearts and we appreciate your kind thoughts and words more than we know how to say.

For those of you who don't know, our appointment for Riley Monday was not a good one. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was one of the hardest days of my life. It turns out that Riley was in the final stages of renal failure and only had about 25% of her kidney function. We were told that this was most likely a congenital problem that could have been triggered by a number of environmental factors, or could have just taken this long to present itself. To make the situation more devastating we learned that even if we had limitless funds to give her every possible treatment, this was a battle she was ultimately going to lose.

Defeated and completely lost, we took Riley home with us. We talked to our families/friends/Vets. We prayed. We cried...a lot. As the night progressed Riley took a turn for the worst. She moaned and whimpered and vomited. I just kept praying that she could drift off to sleep and not wake up, so we wouldn't have to "decide". But Riley has always been overly spirited and this was no exception. She wasn't leaving my side. But when we got ready to take her back to the vet Tuesday morning, the look in her eyes made our decision clear.

Around 8:30am Tuesday, after an extremely tearful goodbye, she "went to be with Jesus" (as my adorable niece Kenzie put it). Our hearts are absolutely broken, but we are finding peace knowing she is no longer in pain.

It's hard to describe the loss I feel. Our house feels empty. Like there is this critical piece missing. I had to talk myself up for about 20 minutes last night before I could bring myself to go inside. And even then I was bawling before I made it to the front porch. Her illness was so quick and time wasn't on our side and it's making this whole adjustment that much harder. If I'm being honest, I don't feel old enough to be doing this, or mature enough to handle it. I never imagined when I picked her up almost 5 years ago that I'd even have to think about saying goodbye this soon. And I suck at goodbyes.

Our two other dogs are mourning with us, and I just have to keep telling myself it will get easier for everyone as time goes on. Even though her time with us was short, she left an incredible legacy; she was the happiest dog I've EVER known and my own personal sunshine every single day...even now just thinking about her brings a smile to my face. She may be gone, but she'll never be forgotten.

We love you Riley May.

"If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness."
-Marjorie Garber

Always,

L

Good things come in 3's...

...and I'm a happy camper! This weekend was all kinds of awesome sauce. First, I have to tell you that I'm THE luckiest girl on the planet. Not only are my parentals the bomb diggity, but my in-laws are just as equally amazing. They have been my second parents since I was 15, and I've always felt like one of their kids. Seriously, they rock my socks. They love me so much more than I feel like I deserve and I can't imagine where Nate and I would be without their love/support/guidance over the last ten years.

Needless to say, I absolute LOVE them, and they are way too good to me (and I'm about to tell you why). If y'all have read about the Yankee under my co-stars tab, you know how much I love my sweet cousin Kayla and how unfair I feel it is that we live a world away from each other. Well, in few weeks her grandfather (Grampie-who is my great-grandmother's brother...convoluted, I know) is turning 90 and they are having a huge party for him (he's actually the one in Yankee's picture...my favorite picture on the planet). The party is the weekend before my birthday and I wanted to go so bad it was practically killing me. The only problem was that hubs and I could only (barely) afford one ticket. Here's where my in-laws outdo themselves for best parents of the century...they gave us their frequent flier miles and are sending me AND the hubster to Maine for 4 days...

Best.birthday.EVER!

Y'all it feels like Christmas morning just thinking about it. I haven't been to the farm since '05 and I literally can't WAIT. There aren't even words for how excited/grateful I am..."Thank you" just seems to fall short. I can't stop smiling and now I'm actually looking forward to turning another year older.

Picture from my last trip to Maine

And as if that in itself doesn't make the greatest weekend of all time...college football did NOT disappoint (finally) with the Aggies beating the Tech Tards (WHOOP!!!) AND OU stomping Texas. Um, hi, can you say winning?!

Thanks and Gig'em

 Oh and bonus points? It rained all day Sunday and I enjoyed hours of blissful napping. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE October? I have? Well, I'm saying it again...because I do.

The only downside to this kick butt weekend was that Saturday morning my sweet Riley May woke up extremely under the weather. For a dog that goes 90-to-nothing all day every day, it breaks my heart to see her so pitiful.

So cute and so sad at the same time :(

I know I complain about her/all the chaos she creates with her fur siblings, but I love her to death and hate seeing her so sick. Hubs is taking her to the vet today, so any prayers/good thoughts/well wishes would be greatly appreciated.


Happy Monday lovelies!


Always,


L

Oh how Pintersting...

So as I mentioned back in August, my newest addiction form of entertainment is the one and only Pinterest.

I've never done any kind of blogging link up, but in honor of the hours I've spent perusing and Pinning, I thought today I would give it a shot. A special thanks to Krystina for introducing me to the "Oh how Pinteresting Wednesday" link up from The Vintage Apple.


For my first Pinteresting Wednesday, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite parts of the website, which is the countless laughs and giggles it has provided me. Seriously, some of this stuff is comedic GOLD and I'd honestly feel bad not sharing it with the rest of you :) Hope you get a kick out of a few of these. Happy Pinning!

From Some eCards via Charlotte on Pinterest

From Katherine on Pinterest

From www.1funny.com via Jennifer Lawson on Pinterest

From Ruthie Hart via AnneMarie on Pinterest

Always,

L

It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!

...at least as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I'm well aware that the above phrase is usually saved for Christmas time, but I don't care. This month, for me at least, is where it starts. Y'all, I don't really know if I can put into words how excited I get when I wake up on October 1st. Hubs says it's almost like I get a high off of it...and in a way, he's right. This time of year I feel like my brain is flooded with extra happy thoughts and I'm so giddy I can't control myself. Seriously, if they could bottle and market the euphoria in my head, everyone would thank me.

I was trying to explain to someone the other day what it is about "fall" that gets to me. I think it's mostly because SO many amazing things in my life have happened during this season. First and foremost:

Do you see any triple digits in that picture? No? EXACTLY. Y'all, that right there is picture proof that we survived yet another brutal Texas summer. At the first sign of cooler weather, I literally do a happy dance. I think I scared my neighbor the other morning as I twirled all the way to my car. Don't judge me. It's the "kick off" if you will, to what I know will be the best few months of the year.

Even my DOGS love Halloween :)

I will openly admit that my birthday is also in October, and just like every kid, I grew up believing that, well duh, my birthday "month" is obviously the best. It feels like destiny that I was born the one month of the year where you are encouraged to beg for candy from strangers and everything is "spooky". I seriously had my birthday party at a haunted house every year from 8th grade on. I spent my 17th birthday seeing Texas Chainsaw Massacre with one of my best friends from Kindergarten, Johnathan. He, myself and Michael (hubs' best friend) had "birthday bashes" every year in college because we had consecutive birthdays...which obviously just makes us awesome.

In high school, this month kicked off our much anticipated soccer season. Some of my most favorite memories from that time in my life are from the bus rides to games and on the field (aside from the one where I broke my shin/had multiple surgeries, etc...actually recovering from that injury and scoring a hat trick on the goalie who broke my leg was worth it, so never mind).  My current old people co-ed league also plays now, which I love.

And probably, the most amazing thing about this time of the year, is that it marks when I started dating the love of my life. Ten years ago I was just a fifteen year old girl who was gaga over the incredibly gorgeous "new guy" at school. I had no idea what was in store for us, but I never would have imagined we'd come this far. To say I'm the lucky one would be more than an understatement. Our love is as easy as breathing and I'm always humbled when this month rolls around and I take a look back at all we've been through. From first dates to prom, to college and tailgating, to engagement and marriage. SO much of who I am is tied to Nate and I couldn't be more blessed. Thinking about the next ten years, and the ten after that makes me feel like the luckiest girl on the planet.

Add Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years to this equation and HELLO, how could I NOT be stupid happy all the time? I wake up in a good mood, and fall asleep with a smile on my face every.single.day.

All of that to say this: You might be completely fed up with my child-like happiness by the time Spring rolls around, so I'm giving you fair warning now.
What about y'all? Any of you have a certain time of the year that makes your happier than a bird with a french fry? If so, leave a comment and tell me about it! Surely I'm not the only one who gets this excited...

Happy Tuesday loves!

Always,

L