Thanksgiving in Delaware

I met Mike's parents and family for the first time over Thanksgiving. I flew out early Wednesday morning and finally made it to Philadelphia around 12:30pm after a short layover in Washington DC. Mike and his dad picked me up at the airport and we drove to their home in Newark, Delaware. Because the highways were busy with so many travelers, Mike's dad drove back to the house using a very scenic drive. It took us about an hour and a half to get back to their house but I didn't mind. Everything was so beautiful. All the leaves had fallen off the trees and it was so calm and serene. The weather, however, was not so much fun. It was 41 degrees when the plane landed in Philadelphia. Having lived in Texas most of my life, I am not use to cold weather. I brought my red parka and Mike kept making fun of it. It sure did come in handy because the next several days stayed in the 40s.

Mike's parents house in Newark, Delaware. They had some very cute yard decorations and candles in each window.

Thanksgiving table setting. Mike's dad always uses his Christmas plates for Thanksgiving meals.

The indians that were part of the centerpiece at the table.

Mike and I in front of their fireplace...which ran 24-7 while I was there. Mike's dad had a huge pile of logs piled up high on their back porch waiting for my arrival. Mike told his parents how big of a wimp I was when it came to cold weather.

The Slater family. From left, Greg (Mike's younger brother), Mrs. and Mr. Slater, and of course, Mike. He has a hard time smiling!

We went to the Schmidt's tree farm in Landenberg, PA on Black Friday. We didn't feel like messing with crazy crowds shopping so we decided to do something else. I have never been to a tree farm before so it was quite a treat for me. We took a wagon ride and then started going through rows and rows of Christmas trees. Mike and his brother Greg both worked at this farm for quite some time. Mike's dad would find a tree and announce, "this is it," but then his mom would take a look at the tree and say, "nope, let's find another one." It was really funny.

Mike and I stopped for a pose in front of some Christmas trees.

Since I had never cut down my own Christmas tree before, they "allowed" me to cut down their Christmas tree after they found it. Greg just handed me the saw and said, "Come on Texas Girl, get to work!" It was quite an experience I'll never forget.

This was sooo cool! They actually had reindeer on the farm. Mike said this is either Fraser or Douglas. One of them died so Mike didn't know which one this was.

Palo Duro Canyon

I took a halfday Friday so Mike and I could drive to Canyon, Texas to visit Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It only took us about 6 hours. I didn't think the drive was too bad but then again, I wasn't the one driving.

Not only was the place beautiful but the weather couldn't have been nicer! It was in the mid 70s during the day and the low to mid 40s at night. It was Mike and my's first camping trip and we had a blast. Even Freeway accompanied us on the trip.

We hiked 6 miles (roundtrip) to see Lighthouse Rock. It was absolutely beautiful. We ran into lots of bikers and hikers who were all out to see the awesome rock. I would definitely recommened this place to anyone who likes state parks and camping! The only bad part about the trip were the enourmous amounts of flies...it was hard to get rid of them but it wasn't bad enough to ruin the trip.

Folly Beach, South Carolina

We had a great trip to South Carolina...it's been such a long time since I've gone on a nice vacation like this one. Here are some pictures of the beach house we rented right on the beach.

End of the 2009-2010 school year

My 2009-2010 4th Graders

I can't believe that the last time I posted something was in March...crazy! My summer has officially started and I have been keeping myself pretty busy. Right now, I am in San Antonio helping my little sister while her husband is away at a commander's conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I will be here until the middle of next week. I am really glad that I am able to help out all my sisters in any capacity I can.

Highlights of my summer...so far...

* Completed a 65 page digital scrapbook/yearbook for the 2009-2010 school year

* Our school received an "EXEMPLARY" rating for our TAKS results

* I got the Droid Incredible phone for my birthday!

* Had the girls of MP over for Keeno Night...fun times!

and last but not least... I was on Fox 4 live at the Rangers game last Thursday...details, pictures, and link to youtube to follow.

Practice with Photoshop!

Learning how to do the neat tricks of Photoshop Elements!


In this picture, I tried using the cloning tool to brush away the hair in Grace's hair...I also took the "wet" drool out of Alex's bib! Very fun!


I tried using the black & white and something colorful in this picture. Bryce is hugging his favorite stuffed animal, "Chippy!"


I colored just the blocks inside Alex's play bucket.


In this picture, I only colored the creatures on Alex's bib, the soccer ball and the chicken hat!

A Visit to the San Antonio Zoo!

We visited the San Antonio zoo this past Sunday, it was baby Madison's first big outing. She did rather well. We took a train ride and then toured the rest of the zoo. It was great fun with my little sister's family! Even baby Alex had a good time.

Wuf Pet Resort and Spa

Well, this was the first time that we have ever had to board the dogs. Wendy, Alex and I were going to San Antonio to help out my little sister who just had a baby. Her husband, who was promoted to Squadron Commander on an Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas had to work one week out of the month of March so he planned the trip over my spring break (so glad it worked out this way). Mark was called out of town on a last minute business trip so we had to find a place for the kiddos.

The first place we visited was a bit "scary" and I just wasn't going to be able to sleep at night knowing that I was going to leave Freeway in such a place. It was all metal fences and cold, drury concrete. We then visited Elite Suites in Southlake but they were completely booked for spring break. Our next choice was Wuf Pet Resort and Spa in Irving. I checked the place out and the people were very friendly. We immediately booked the Premium Suite for Freeway and Lucey. We also felt better that we would be able to keep them together since they were best buds. The kids were in doggie daycare all day long and we were even able to log onto webcams to watch them play!

All in all, they had a blast! When Mark picked them up, the workers said that they were the "Rock Stars!" They even said that Lucey had a boyfriend! Wow!

I'm so glad that they were in a good place. I would definitely recommened Wuf Resort and Spa for all your future K9 boarding needs!

Snow Day at School

Well, we took advantage of our planning time today to go outside and play in the snow. We had lots of fun...of course we didn't bring the kids outside because that would just get way too crazy! We are actually off tomorrow because of the weather and I'm not too happy because our make-up day will be the Saturday of our April Scrapbook Retreat in Weatherford. I am definitely NOT a happy camper!