Oh, He's a Bull Rider, Too?

This weekend, McHotterson and I were blessed to be able to get away without the babies.  My parents came up for the weekend, starting Friday and late Friday afternoon we headed to Oklahoma City.  McH had a ground sprayers convention he was going to Saturday, so we got a room at the Skirvin Hilton where the convention was being held, and stayed Friday, as well.





<-------------------See this?  I promise it felt WAY COLDER than that!  Brrrrrrrrrrr...











 The hotel was phenomenal! If you're ever in OKC and are wanting to stay somewhere a little bit extra special, try it out! The rates were very reasonablefor a nice 5 star hotel. 

 

So, part of the weekend included going to a PBR event (that's Professional Bull Riders for all you non-cow people...hee hee).  In typical fashion, I didn't really have many details until we were unpacking our bags in the hotel Friday night and I get, "Oh, by the way, we have a dinner to go to Saturday night before the PBR event and you'll never guess who the guest speaker is!" 

I wasn't really enthused.  To be perfectly honest, I have no CLUE about such things as bull riding.  Not really my thing.  I love rodeo, but knew nothing about it until I met and married my cowboy.

So, when he says to me, "It's Cord McCoy!"  At first, I was caught off guard.  I had to think about how I knew that name.  And it finally hit me! 

"You mean like Cord and Jet...that Cord?"  Um, yes. 

Seriously?!

If you watch Amazing Race, you know very well who Cord and Jet are.  They were our ALL-TIME favorite team who came in 2nd place a few seasons back on the Amazing Race.  They were "the cowboys" and just good, good guys.

But then I asked, "Why would they ask him to speak at something like this?"  And then Richard informed me of his actual profession. 


"Oh, he's a bull rider, too?"  I told you...not really my thing.  But, I think now I might watch it more often, just to root on Mr. McCoy!

Now, let me say...I do not get starstruck.  If George Clooney or Cameron Diaz were sitting at the table next to me in a restaurant, I might even purposely act like I have no idea who they are!  I'm kinda evil like that.  Hee hee. 

Anywho...but, Cord McCoy?  I was over the moon excited about cocktail hour and dinner with Cord, the star (and WINNER as far as I was concerned) of The Amazing Race. 

Me with Cord before dinner.

Cord was the guest speaker at our dinner.  He was very entertaining, very humble, and an excellent speaker. 

Opening "show" for the PBR event Saturday night.

My hottie cowboy and me during the PBR.

And this is why a 3 1/2 hour drive home took us over 5 hours Sunday afternoon. 

-

Birthdays Galore!

The babies have had TWO birthdays since I last posted!  Wowzers!  November 18th, the babies turned 7 months old!  It took me until almost December to take their 7 month pictures (which I will have to share later because I don't have my camera with me at the moment). 
Then, December 18th, the babies turned 8 months old and McHotterson turned the big 4-0!  Again, no 8 month pictures because I STILL HAVEN'T TAKEN THEM!!  Agghhh...such is life right now.  However, here are a few pictures from our little get together for McH's big day!  We had just a few close couple friends over, had Mexican pile on and a cake, of course, and celebrated the baby-faced FORTY year-old man!  :) 

 I would have loved to do something really special this year for his big day, but for several reasons it just wasn't possible.  So, for his birthday gift, I had this picture of the babies blown up and put on a canvas so he could take it to his office.  I also had our music minister at church put the picture of him in his sailor outfit up on the screen at church and announce his birthday.  I'm not sure McH was super excited about that, but it was so much fun to surprise him!

It is 16x20 and he LOVED it!  I used Canvas People and the quality is phenomenal!  It was a little bit pricey, but I splurged because you only turn forty once, right?! It was worth every penny! 

Happy Birthday, to all three of my beloveds!

Ouchies are No Fun!

The last couple of weeks have turned into some kind of interesting.


When I started this post, I was sitting in a room in Baptist Saint Anthony's hospital with Richard. 
 
Here's how this all transpired. 
 
Monday night Richard starts complaining his stomach is hurting.  He says it feels like he's got to go to the bathroom...kinda crampy and icky.  But, he didn't feel so bad he wasn't able or willing to take care of one of the babies that night, so I really didn't think much of it. 
 
Tuesday morning he got up and still wasn't feeling well and I could tell it had gotten worse.  Again, he tried anything to make it better to no avail. 
 
He had to deliver some fertilizer East of town, and on his way back through and on to the office, he stopped by the house to see if he could try the bathroom one more time.  I actually teased him about not going back to work because I would have loved to have him home with us for the day! 
 
Little did I know just how much time we would be spending together.  I would rather he could have gone on to work! 
 
Tuesday he started going downhill really quickly.  He ended up spending all of the morning and most of the afternoon on the floor in the bathroom vomiting.  I still had two babies to take care of, so I would occasionally go in our bedroom/bathroom to check on him and make sure he was at least still breathing. 
 
About 2:30 the twins were down for a nap in the nursery and I heard a loud thud.  I ran to the bathroom to find McH totally out of it.  He had vomited for the umpteenth time and proceeded to pass out. 
 
That was it.  I insisted we go to the doctor right then, but apparently he had called them and was told the next walk-in time was 5:00 p.m, a whole 2 1/2 hours later.  This wouldn't work.
 
The next thing I knew, I was on the phone asking his mom to come stay with the babies while I took him to the ER.  His dad met us there a few minutes after we arrived.
 
We finally got into a room in ER and to make a very long, and frustrating story, as short as possible, labs and an Xray were ordered.  The labs revealed an elevated white blood cell count, which obviously indicated some kind of infection.  When I asked the on-call doctor (Rich's regular doctor was on a medical missions trip to Honduras) about where the infection might be or what was causing it, I got no answer.  "Oh, it's just an infection...blah, blah, blah...etc..."  Hence the letter to the board.  During all of this wait in the ER, Rich was doubled over in pain.  I've never seen him like this in the 10 years I've known him and I have to say, it scared the bajeebies out of me!  He was nauseated and had an excruciating pain down the middle of his belly.  And all that was done was labs and an XRAY!  An X-Ray?  I'm not medically trained, but even I know he should have had a CT scan right then.  And don't even get me started on how every time I tried to give some information to the doctor, because Rich was in way too much pain to think or even speak, he would interrupt and talk right over me, like I wasn't even there.  He was making diagnoses based on a few minor details. 
 
Anywho, we were told he would have to be in the hospital for the next 23 hours on antibiotics to get rid of this "mysterious" infection. 
 
He was put into a room, and were told he would feel much better in 23 hours.  The next day, after lots of frustration and miscommunication, we were told he would be transferred to Amarillo.

His mom and I threw some things together, got the babies ready and headed that way. It was a chaotic afternoon, to say the least. But through ALL of it, God showed up in so many humbling ways.


He ended up being airlifted to BSA in Amarillo and by the time he got there, his appendix had already ruptured and stool was leaking into his abdomen.  The infection had spread and was actually pretty bad.

My mom's best friend lives in Amarillo, and she is like an aunt to me.  She called me while we were at the hospital and said she was headed out of state for a few days and offered her home to us so we didn't have to stay in a hotel.  She lives two exits from the hospital, and we were able to take care of her animals and plants so she could save money on a house sitter.  See how BIG God is?  It worked perfectly!  We left the day before she came home.  Rich's dad stayed in the hospital with him so I could stay with his mom and the babies during the night. 

When we got there, he was a very sick man.  The surgeon told us he should have been in the hospital two days earlier.  Sheesh.

Anyway, he had his appendix removed and spent 4 days in the hospital until he finally started to turn a corner and the infection was coming under control.  He was still very, very sore and tired and needed help himself, so he was obviously not going to be able to help me with the babies at all. 

I have to say, the people and facilities at Baptist Saint Anthony's hospital were phenomenal and amazing!  What a blessing they were to us!  And of course, the babies caused quite the stir when we would take them.  They couldn't see Richard, but we could stay in the waiting areas and the dining center with them as we traded off visiting with Rich. 

So, we stayed at his parents' house for a few days until he was stronger. 

We got home day before yesterday and then yesterday headed to Amarillo for his follow-up appointment, where he was released completely.  His incision was fine and all looked good.

We are so fortunate for our family and friends who, once again, showed up as the hands and feet of Jesus. 
Here are some pictures from our time at BSA. 

Reese sound asleep.  Papa was holding her like this and the sweet baby just fell sound asleep just like this.  This is the night of Richard's surgery, after we had rushed around packing the babies up and finally made our way the hour and forty five minutes to Amarillo from Childress.  This pretty much sums up the way we all felt when that day was finally over and we knew his surgery went well and he was okay.  

Every day we were there, we would call and ask Rich if he felt like meeting us in the waiting room on the floor where his room was, and he always said no.  We knew he was getting better when he requested to see the babies and could actually walk down the hall to meet us there.  Here is Nonni laughing with Reese while we were visiting with Daddy. 

Reese wore this outfit just for Daddy.  Truett had one on that said, Daddy is My Hero.  Nonni bought those for them at Target the day before. 

Here is Rich with the babies.  He was so happy to see them!!

This is my FAVORITE picture of Truett so far!  I just love how he's looking right at the camera and those huge, beautiful blue eyes are bright and alert!  I could eat him up all day!  I love that boy more than life itself! 

A New Place to Sit

Yesterday, Saturday, McHotterson and I had to make an unexpected trip to Lubbock in the early morning.  

While we were there, we decided to drop in to Bob Mills Furniture and "just look around."  

In all reality, we do need a new desk.  When we moved this summer, we chunked the old one because it was falling apart.  It was given to us when we moved by my sister-in-law's parents who had it just sitting in a storage building and were ready to get rid of it.  At the time, we welcomed it's price tag...FREE!  So, we loaded it up and brought it home.  But it had seen its day and now we are in the market for a new desk. THIS IS PRIORITY!

However, we also were interested in looking at some kitchen tables for our new kitchen.  We have a nice bay window in the kitchen, which I've started filling with pretty, colored glass and a few plants.  

McH and I have been talking about how nice it would be to have a table in front of the window and be able to drink coffee in the morning, and eat breakfast together.  Who am I kidding?  This would only happen 2 out of 7 days a week, MAYBE, but hey, I'll take what I can get! 

Bob Mills didn't have much in the way of desks, but they DID have a nice selection of kitchen tables/chairs.  Here's what we decided on...

Roanoke Pub

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  We went in, knowing we wanted something taller with at least 4 chairs (we got SIX).  It has a leaf in the middle, so if we want to add more surface area to it, we can!  This will be great if/when we ever are able to have holidays at our house.  I wish you could see the picture better, but the finish is EXACTLY like our hutch from World Market.  It is black, with some distressed looking places around the edges and such.  It is perfect for what we want!

As we were driving away from the store, McH turned and looked at me and said, "By the way, that is our anniversary present to each other," (our 8th anniversary is 10/12, Tuesday).  He has a way with justifying certain purchases!  HA!  In actuality, we didn't need any justification.  If you've never been to Bob Mills, I highly recommend it!  The salespeople are very friendly and helpful and not pushy at all, and we got a great deal on the table and 6 chairs! 

It wasn't in stock, so we put down a deposit and will pick it up in a few weeks when we are back in Lubbock!  

I'm so excited about putting the table in our kitchen and being able to use it! 

I Know For a Fact The Earth is Round...

...because as much as you might have thought so, I have not fallen off of it!

Wow, BLENDS, first I have to apologize for my lack of posts in the last few weeks.  Things have been, shall we say, kind of nutty in this cowgirl's household.

I am going to use this post as a quick recap of what's going on in our crazy, but very BLESSED lives.

*School was over May 28th and I have already been enjoying my summer.  I've spent the last four days in Amarillo with my mom, taking care of her bestie, Donna, who just had shoulder surgery.  We had some family and friends over last night so Dad could grill for them and he didn't disappoint.  I love it when they are here!

*McH's new business endeavor is going really well.  In fact, it's doing better than we could ever have imagined...thank you, Lord...and he is looking at hiring someone to help him out.  He is spraying fields all the time and as soon as I start to complain about not seeing him, I remind myself that this is an answered prayer and God has been faithful to us...beyond our wildest dreams.



*We have been overwhelmed with blessings this summer in the form of answered prayer.  I think I mentioned a while back about possibly selling our house.  Well, it kind of fell through then, so I was okay with knowing we had given the decision over to God and continued to pray for an opportunity to sell in the future.  The opportunity came sooner than we were expecting.  Once again, our house was not listed or officially even on the market, but a couple from a little town South of us needed to move closer to the hospital and long story short, the contract has been signed by both parties, and we close on August 3rd.  Whoa.  That's still very surreal to me.  Part of me is very sad to be moving...okay a BIG part of me.  But again I am reminded that God has given us this opportunity (albeit in a way I wasn't really expecting, and in a way we will have to sacrifice quite a bit as far as our house goes), and so I choose to be abundantly grateful for it.  HE IS SO GOOD!!!  I'll post more about the house stuff later.

 *I have accepted a position as the junior English teacher, and will be teaching all juniors and one class of Dual-Credit seniors this coming year.  It's going to be a big year of changes for me, but I'm looking forward to the new challenges that come with this next school year.







*This weekend I was in Stanton for Women's Emmaus Walk #40.  What an honor to serve these women as a team member again this year.  I was just overwhelmed with God's grace and mercy as I saw the hearts of some of these women soften and the walls come crumbling down.  The Holy Spirit was powerfully present this weekend and it was an awesome sight to see!







* Did y'all notice the ticker at the top?  I can hardly believe it, but in EIGHTEEN DAYS I am leaving for my trip to Peru.  I've been saying I don't think I will really believe it is going to happen until I'm on the plane and headed to South America.  I am SO excited I can hardly stand it, but I also know there is a lot to do before I can leave!  I've been taking a Spanish class, which has now ended.  So, I'll be continuing to brush up on it on my own and getting my things together slowly.

*We have finally started our road to in-vitro and we couldn't be more excited.  Things are going to be really busy and crazy the next couple of months, but we are ready for whatever and wherever God brings us in this journey.  I don't really feel a peace about sharing all the details about our in-vitro yet, at least not with the whole world (because you KNOW the whole world reads this blog...lol), but as I feel led, I will share more as far as specific dates and things.  We would ask for your prayers as our friends and family.

A Collection

I thought I would just write down the thoughts and things in my head right now.  Watch out.  This could be scary...

...I found a new blog I'm loving.  I think I love it for three reasons.  1.) The author is a sister in infertility and she's REAL (meaning, down-to-earth, no-holds-barred kind of real).  2.) I LOVE the title of the blog, "Busted Plumbing: When Mother Nature Kicks You Right in the Ovaries."  Isn't that hilarious?  My friend Paige says she's going to get me a t-shirt made with that on it.  and 3.) The author...she's HI-LARIOUS!!!  I'm talking ROFL, or at the very least LOL, funny. 

...We were in Dallas this weekend with my BFF, Sally and her beau, Matt.  My aunt and uncle were kind enough to let us stay at their ranch house.  It is amazing.  Go here to see pics.  We had the best time doing pretty much nothing.  We talked and relaxed, the boys watched football, the girls went grocery shopping and cooked.  We played games, had a great dinner Saturday night and sipped a bit of vino.  It was just a fantastic time with good friends and a couple of new friends, too.

...While we were in Dallas, my mom was at Mo Ranch in Kerrville, Texas.  She was taking a group of youth to Mid-Winter conference.  I have to admit, I was jealous.  I have such fond memories of Mo-Ranch.  I was a counselor there my junior and senior years in high school and church camp, including Mo-Ranch, had a large part in forming who I am today.  I just wish I could go back to those days and be totally confident at the camp dances.  Remember those?  True love at church camp.  It's a rite of passage, don't you think? 

...On our way home yesterday, after the Vikings/Saints game was over of course, we found a station that played Golden Country.  It was fabulous!  We sang the whole way home (well, as far as the station lasted, at least, and then we found another one).  I have a very eclectic taste in music.  I pretty much listen to it all, but country music is my roots.  When I was little, it was all I listened to, and because my family is musically inclined and it was always on, country music is at my core.  McH and I did our best rendition of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' famous, "Islands in the Stream."  I think I might have heard the dogs howling at one point.  ;)

...Before we left town, we went to the movies (something we try to do every time we're in the city where there is a theater).  We saw The Book of Eli, mainly because it was either that or Alvin and The Chipmunks 2 and if I'm going to pay $9.50/person for a movie, it will NOT have animated rodents in it.  I'm just sayin'.  Anyway, The Book of Eli was interesting and strange.  I can't really describe it.  I would say definitely a renter more than a theater movie.  It has an apocalyptic edge to it.  Again, though provoking, but weird. 

...EMOTIONAL STORY ALERT...stop now if you know what's good for you...

...We also stopped at Pei Wei after the movie and had dinner.  This is one of our favorite spots and McH always gets the same thing!  A few minutes after we sat down, I noticed the table behind us.  It was a small family; mother, father (look to be in their mid to late 30's), and three small children, probably 6, 3, and a newborn.  The newborn was strapped into the Baby Bjorn so mom could hold him right up next to her chest.  I looked at her, and noticed she couldn't take her eyes off her baby.  It was a look only a mother could give a child.  They got up to leave, and she was so gentle and tender with him.  He never woke up and was happy as a lark, as they say.  They were just so happy and seemed to be so complete.  As I watched them and that thought hit me, it made me a little sad.  I was sitting with McH at one of our favorite spots, after having gone to a movie and had a nice weekend together with the dogs and friends.  But pretty much, we just took care of ourselves.  And as I watched that mother so full of love and tenderness and protective instincts, I longed for a baby more than I ever have.  I know all of the parents reading this would be so grateful for the opportunity to be out and about sans baby every once in a while.  But at that moment, as I looked at McH across the tiny table, only meant to seat two people, I felt very incomplete.  I felt like I was that person that I would see when I was a teen or a young adult and think, "Hmm, I wonder why she/they doesn't have kids?  Maybe they don't want them?"  But last night, I wanted nothing more than to be a mother and make McH a father...to feel complete. 

2 News in 1 Day

I had a kind of boring day at school.  TAKS prep is nothing short of the most boring thing I've ever done in my entire life and to do it 6 times per day is just exhausting.

But, this evening I was treated to 2 NEWS!

First, after only 2 days notice or so, we got a new DOG!  Her name is Sadie and she is a Blue Heeler/Border Collie mix.  She is really the McHotterson's dog.  He will take her with him to the country and eventually she will be a great cow dog.  But, it's been a little nerve wracking the last 12 hours knowing she would be joining our family and not really prepared.  She is an outside dog, something I'm not used to, but McH fixed up the dog house complete with brand new pillows (which he said was cheaper than buying an actual dog bed, and I have to admit I was impressed by both his thriftiness and ingenuity, not to mention the fact that her bed is so nice and fluffy.  The pillows are covered with an oversized towel.  It will work for now, until we can make it better.  But Sadie seems to like it just fine.  She immediately got in and laid her sweet little head down.

She is approximately 10 months old, had all of her shots including a rattlesnake vaccine (didn't even know they did that), and has been spayed.  She's a SWEET pup and so smart, that's obvious.  She has some bad habits that need to be broken, but nothing too serious.

My second NEW, was a belt McH has been planning on making me for the last year or so now.  He's had all the things he's wanted to make it, but just hadn't done it until now.  It is GORGEOUS...just as pretty as any of the blingy, Western belts you see in stores, but that handsome, cowboy-of-a-man, multi-talented husband of mine finished it just a smidge after Christmas and gave it to me tonight.  I have to give credit to Jay T. who helped McH out quite a bit with the leather working.

Isn't it gorgeous?  The brown is darker than it looks in the pic and really looks good with my funky boots!

 Above is the buckle area...he has one more piece to add to the end.  

And here it is on me!  Please ignore the black velour...I was in comfy mode when he wanted me to try on the belt, so I just slipped my jeans on. 

 

Just one of the MANY reasons I'm so blessed by my man!

I'm about to post pics of Sadie and my belt on FB, so go there if you are my friend.  If you aren't, then add me! 

I copied this from a blog I read and enjoy! Thanks, Kristen!

♥ What are your middle names? Zeldon and Kathleen

♥How long have you been together? Married for 7 years on 10/12 and we've known one another for 8 1/2 years.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? We didn't really. We pretty much started dating the day after we met.

♥ Who asked who out? He asked me to a Charlie Robison concert the night after we met.

♥ How old are each of you? I'm 30, he's 37.

♥ Did you go to the same school? High school, no. College, yes.

♥ Are you from the same home town? no.

♥ Who is the smartest? We both have our strengths, although I must say I think he's smarter because he knows more about math and fixing things than I ever will!!

♥ Who majored in what? I majored in Psychology and then got a Masters in Education. He majored in Management and got a degree in that and then came back a few years later (when I met him) and got an Engineering degree all at Texas A&M.

♥ Who is the most sensitive? Well, I'd have to say me, which is what you would expect, but McH definitely has a sensitive side to him. There is something about watching a grown man cry (not like a baby, just being sentimental) that will make your heart melt! Right, girls?

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Anything Asian.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hmm...I guess Colorado or the Gila National Forest in New Mexico? I love to travel, but McH can take it or leave it...:(

♥ Who has the worst temper? ME!

♥ How many children do you want? If you had asked me that three years ago, I would have told you an exact amount. But I can honestly say, we will take as many children as God can give us at this point. We are praying for two or three. I want more, he wants less.

♥ Who does the cooking? That would be me. The man will never be a kitchen dweller, ALTHOUGH he cleans the kitchen after I cook, so that's a deal I will make any day!

♥ Who is more social? Me, definitely. But I will say that even though McH is pretty quiet in a large group or when you first meet him, he's the kind of person people listen to when he speaks because he doesn't do it often. I should take a lesson from him, in all honesty.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? He is...but I'm an organizer.

♥ Who is the most stubborn? We both have our moments.

♥ Who wakes up earlier? I do, most of the time.

♥ Where was your first date? We went to a Charlie Robison concert at The Texas Hall of Fame in College Station.

♥ Who has the bigger family? I DO, DEFINITELY!!! My dad is one of 9, so we have TONS of cousins. McH's parents each have one sibling, and one of them has no children.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Um, no. 'Nuff said. ;)

♥ How do you spend the holidays? Together, with our families. We switch off on where we are on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

♥ Who is more jealous? I don't think either of us are really jealous people...

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Not long! We knew after about a month we wanted to get married but knew our parents would FREAK because we both had just gotten out of long-term serious relationships.

♥ Who eats more? definitely him.

♥ What do you do for a living? I am a high school English teacher and he is an engineer with TXDOT (and does some cowboying on the side).

♥ Who does the laundry? Again, ME! He does iron his clothes most of the time.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Definitely ME! Until he started doing Fantasty Football a few months ago, he NEVER got on the computer. I even checked his email for him and told him if there was anything he needed to see.

♥ Who drives when you are together? We take turns. Most of the time probably him, but I like to drive and he likes to sleep, so it works out both ways.

♥ What is "your" song? Well, when we first started dating Martina McBride had just released a new CD, and I got it around Thanksgiving. One of the songs is called, "Baby I Love You." The first lines say, "The sun is shining everyday, The clouds never get in the way for you and me. I've known you just a week or two, But baby I'm so into you I can hardly breathe..." and that was exactly right! We had known each other since November 17th and it was Thanksgiving. So, when I talked to him, I told him about the song and wanted him to listen to it and listen to the lyrics. He went to Wal-Mart and bought it and that became "our song." Funny thing, when we were planning our wedding, neither of us thought of it as our first dance song. I was so mad at myself afterwards!

Aggieland, Amarillo, and Anniversary

This post could be called Triple A, I suppose. We have had a whirlwind of an extended weekend and didn't even have Columbus Day off. I mean, I would at least like to be able to thank the guy for discovering my home country.

Anyway, we have had a weekend to College Station planned for a year now. We go down for a game once a year, usually in October. The funny thing is, we rarely actually go the games anymore, mainly because it's just so dang expensive these days, but also because we like to be able to spend the time with friends and family we are there with. This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the game (half-time and on) with my college roommate, Laura, and her husband and dad. We had SUCH a good time catching up and laughing about old times. She has a 3 1/2 month old baby boy, Porter and you KNOW who had their hands all over him as often as she could! He's a popular little dude, so I had to fight pretty hard!

Let me back up a little.

McH and I left C-town Friday night LATE! Such is life for us. It is truly par for our course. We didn't get to College Station until 2 a.m. Saturday morning. Ouch.

8:30 and the continental breakfast came very early, but I was anxious to see my friends and my parents. I hadn't actually seen my dad since his surgery last month, so I was ready to hug his neck.

Saturday morning was filled with tent sales to get some cute Aggie t-shirts and paraphernalia, as well as a light lunch and then off to the game for me!

If you've never experienced an Aggie football game and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band at half-time, you have really missed out. Even if you aren't a fan, I would encourage you to attend a game once in your life. It is truly an experience you will never forget. I still get goose bumps and a lump in my throat EVERY TIME the band gets on the field, and Lt. Col Jay Brewer begins, "Now forming at the North End of Kyle Field, the nationally famous, fightin' Texas Aggie Band," over the loud speaker. And the fans go CRAZY! See, I'm getting all verclempt just writing about it.



Although we didn't pull out a win, the game was an exciting one and less of a loss than most were assuming the Ags would end up with.

That's one thing about Aggie fans you can count on...when the Ags are down and are losing a game or are in a series of losses, true Aggies don't give up on their team. They cheer them on, believing all the while there's always a chance their Ags will pull out a win!

Friday morning a dear friend of our family's, Trent Phipps, passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was a high school and college football player (lineman) and took many blows to the head. They believe the multiple concussions he received had everything to do with the dementia that eventually took his life at 61 years of age...so young! Click here to read more about this terrifying epidemic in the football world.

So, Sunday we packed up and headed North from College Station so we could get to C-town, get a good night's sleep and get up in the morning to head to Amarillo for Trent's funeral and services. McH stayed in College Station for the annual short-course for TXDOT, but believe me, he's playing as much as he is working! And I'm jealous!

I rode with my parents and spent the day in Amarillo. I was able to see my friend, Sharon, while I was there, and she's doing so much better. It was a relief to have her talk to me and know she is "here." Keep praying for her and her family, as she still has a long road to full recovery!

Last night we got in about 10:30, and headed pretty much straight to bed.

If you're still reading this, then bless you, my friend. You are true and loyal! :)

Yesterday was also our 7th anniversary, but as you read above, McH and I were not even in the same town. So, needless to say, our 7th isn't one for the record books. But that's okay. I'm just glad we're still together and that we can be assured there will be plenty more anniversaries to make up for this one!

The End.

Saturday's Sweet Surprise

Last week, McH asked if I would be interested in going to Crowell to a little steakhouse that is well known in our area. Of course, I jumped at the chance because you just can't get a good steak in C-town and I'm spoiled when it comes to a good sirloin or filet (hands down, the best steak I've ever had is my dad's). We were invited to go with the Eddins' a few weekends ago, but we had other things going on, so I was happy to have a chance to go again. We went with another couple and had a nice visit there and a DELICIOUS dinner, including mouth-watering bread pudding for dessert! Oh. My.

Inside the Longhorn Steakhouse

But afterwards, the boys had a little surprise for us. After dinner they joked that we were going

camping and asked if we had brought our overnight bags. I was all for it. My friend, TF, not so much.

Instead, we headed to 3 Rivers Foundation Astronomy Campus. They have what are called Star Walks or Star Parties all year long. It was beautiful and so interesting. Apparently, they have the 5th largest telescope in the nation at their site, which is pretty impressive for this little area. We were able to see Jupiter, a globular star mass, a nebula and then were told many stories of the myths concerning the constellations and how they came about and got their names. We had such a good time walking around, visiting, learning, and just being together. Oh, and also importantly they have the NICEST porta potties I've ever been in in my LIFE!

Wells Cargo Porta Potties (yes, that is their name)...I just had to show you what I meant!

I wouldn't mind going camping there some time, actually.

Afterwards, we called ahead and had some chocolate malts ready and waiting as we drove through a nearby town on our way home.

What a great evening with friends and my McHotterson. And I was so proud of him for putting all of it together and surprising me like he did. I love that man. Soon, I will posting about our 7th wedding anniversary (10/12)!

McHotterson-My One and Only Steady

My friend, Lisa, tagged me on this one and I couldn't resist. Even more lately have I been reminded of the reasons McH is my main man and the kindest person I know.


Everything you might want to know about my husband:

1. Where did you meet? I was finishing undergrad and he was back at A&M for his second degree. We met at a club **gasp** when I was getting over a really bad breakup. My roommate literally dragged me out of bed, dressed me and made me go to The Texas Hall of Fame that night because she was "tired of me moping around feeling sorry for myself." Thank goodness she was so smart because that was the night I met Rich!

2. How long did you date? Before we got engaged (April 13, 2002) a year and a half. We were engaged for 6 months before we got married (October 12, 2002).

3. How long have you been married? 6 years

4. What does he say that surprises you? He has this funny little habit of repeating what he has just said, only under his breath really low. It's like he's repeating himself to make sure what he said makes sense. It is so funny and I tease him about it a lot!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His hands and his height (6'4").

6. What is your favorite quality of his? He is the most loyal person I've ever known. If he says he will do something, he will do it no matter what. He is a GREAT friend because he is loyal until the end.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? I love this...instead of calling me baby or honey or whatever, he calls me DARLIN'. It made my heart flutter a little even when I typed it!

8. What is his favorite color? green

9. What is his favorite food? He's definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He loves to go home to my parents because my mom makes him garlic mashed potatoes. I don't like potatoes and so I never think to make them so this is a real treat for him.

10. What is his favorite sport? Hands down, golf! He loves to watch it, play it, study it, etc...I would say it borders on obsession. He also loves to watch rodeo.

11. When and where did you first kiss? On the front porch of my apartment at Madison Pointe in College Station. I hadn't kissed many people before him, maybe 3 others, and I remember thinking, "My gosh, that was the best kiss I've ever had! I wish I hadn't spent 6 years kissing the same boy when I could have been kissing him!" It was great!

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We love camping, watching movies, and especially riding horses. He would like me to play golf with him more often, so I'm working on that.

13. Do you have any children? Not yet, but we're waiting on God and we KNOW He has great plans for that part of our life! So, keep praying for us!

14. Does he have a hidden talent? He has MANY, actually. He can fix pretty much anything (the engineer in him) and is really handy as far as coming up with very unique ways to make something work. He also cooks some MEAN ribs, but I think something that might be surprising to some is he is a really talented guitar player and has a beautiful voice. He also speaks Spanish really well and is really good at golf. He's one of those people that is good at most things the first time he does them. Very irritating! :)

15. How old is he? Will be 37 December 18th! He is 7 1/2 years older than I.

16. Who said "I love you" first? Well, I remember exactly when it was, December 27th, 2000 in my apartment in College Station. We both started talking around the idea and insinuating our love for one another. I think I said it first, but I can't remember exactly. This was only a few weeks into our relationship but we knew there was something really special there.

17. What is his favorite type of music? Rich has a very eclectic taste in music. He LOVES Stevie Ray Vaughn...that's probably his favorite, but he also LOVES Buddy Holly and lots of music from that era, the 50's and 60's. Then, I will come in one day and he's got his electric guitar out and he's playing Eric Clapton or ACDC. The next night he's strumming some Garth Brooks or Cross Canadian Ragweed. He absolutely hates Hip Hop and Rap, and doesn't really like Classical, either.

18. What do you most admire about him? His faith. When I was going through a really hard breakup right when I met Richard one of the things that really attracted me to him was when I was having a hard day, he would pull out his Bible and find scripture that we could talk about and apply to the situation. He prays for our family and reassures me when my faith is faltering, that God is good and wants good for us. He is one amazing man, I tell you!

19. Do you think he will read this? Not a chance. The only time he reads my blog is when I say, "Hey, read my blog. I wrote something on it I want you to read." So, maybe he WILL read it when I ask him to!

20. Where did you go on your first date? The night after we met there was a Charlie Robison concert at The Texas Hall of Fame (where we met) so he picked me up (along with my roommate and our neighbor) and we went to the concert. We had the best time! I made my roomie and neighbor come along because I wanted to make sure he wasn't some kind of freak! LOL!

Now it is my turn to tag some friends so...I pick Mom, Janera, and Corrie S.

AKC in OKC and so much more...

**The pictures here are from my cell phone camera so please excuse the poor quality**

I'll get to the title in a minute...

You know when you have SO much to blog about that you almost don't want to start? Well, hang on to your seats people, because this may be a mini-novel!

It all starts Friday morning. It was Rough, yes that's with a capital "R", for personal reasons that I will not share at this point, but just know it was frustrating, disappointing, sad, and just overall not a good time for Richard and me. So, he leaves for work and I am left alone in a quiet house with only my thoughts; not my favorite choice.

I have been telling Richard I really wanted to go on vacation for a while now, probably the last six months, but I meant I really wanted to vacation; i.e. Hawaii like my fellow blogger Kelly and her husband, or somewhere equally tropical would suffice. He kept putting it off, saying he couldn't take time off of work, we weren't going to be able to do it this summer, etc...

Well, Friday morning I said it again, and he said we could go camping over the extended 4th of July weekend. I couldn't wait that long (yes a week was too long at this point).

So, secretly, in an effort to surprise him, and because I knew we needed a getaway of some sort, be it short or long, I started planning. I didn't want the typical Lubbock or Amarillo trip so I started first looking at lodges and things that were more remote. That didn't pan out, so I landed on Oklahoma City. I have heard many of my friends talking about how great Bricktown is and how they all wanted to go. So, after much investigation, talking to my SIL Amy and getting some advice, and a little bit of prayer, I dove in head first and booked us a room for two nights at the Sheraton downtown OKC, a block from Bricktown.

I went to Wal-Mart to get the oil changed for the trip, picked up a card for Rich as my means of telling him about the surprise trip, and headed home. I cleaned the house and got everything packed except for some of his clothes I knew he would want to do himself. He was in Amarillo all day with a friend, picking up a horse, and I kept calling and asking when he would be home.

He finally got home, found his card, opened it, got a little misty-eyed (but don't tell anyone I said that), and said he was going to pack.

We left C-town about 8:00 Friday night so we didn't get to OKC until after 11:00 but it didn't matter. We checked in, settled in, and woke up the next morning already more relaxed and ready to see downtown OKC.

Well, here's the AKC part. AKC is American Kennel Club, as in the prestigious dog membership club you see on Animal Planet, ESPN sometimes. When I was in elementary/jr. high school I was in dog obedience in 4-H and showed a miniature schnauzer named Pepe. So, I've always loved dog shows! The OKC Summer AKC show just happened to be at the Cox Convention Center which was literally a walk across the street from our hotel! Woo hoo (I know, I'm SO dorky but I love it)! Richard, bless his sweet manly heart, indulged me and paid the $7 TWICE, so I could see the schnauzers and experience a real dog show...this is the big leagues, people! ;)

And, although he might deny it, he actually did like it once he was there. And the mini-schnauzers were the CUTEST little shotzies you've ever seen! I wanted to take them home with me! If you were watching it on ESPN, I was the crazy girl in the turquoise skirt taking pictures with my cell phone camera!

I got a little ahead of myself there.

Before we left for OKC, I made Richard check our fence twice because I was so paranoid to leave the dogs in the backyard. Remember, two weeks ago we had a tornado here and it blew down our fence. While we wait for it to be rebuilt, it is just propped up with posts and holes are plugged with bricks and pieces of wood so the girls can't get out. Well, I was so worried and the whole way up to OKC, I kept saying to Rich, "Please just tell me they're going to be okay. Please tell me they aren't going to get out and the fence won't blow down. I just need you to tell me that." Of course he did, and it would make me feel better briefly, but I couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something wasn't right. One of my BFF's, Donna, was coming over twice a day to check on them and I wasn't worried about that part...just the fence issues.

Fast forward to 6:30 Saturday morning. My cell phone starts ringing and I KNEW it wasn't good. I answer a strange number, and the man on the other end says, "Uh, yes maam, I have Maggie and Marlee here with me," and my heart just sank. Turns out he was the foreman on a construction project with TXDOT and Rich knew him. But what freaked me out was the girls had run ACROSS Hwy 287 to get there! Oh.My.Goodness. I about died.


So, I had to call my MIL at 6:30 a.m. and have her go into town and get the girls and bring them home. She just left them inside. Meanwhile, poor Donna had come to the house after her early morning run to find the dogs gone and she started looking for 45 minutes not knowing that my MIL was taking care of it. Poor thing. I know she almost had a heart attack because she told me so! Turns out a small piece of the fence had blown down sometime in the night or early that morning...we had gone over a week with no problems and the DAY we leave, it falls down...figures!

So, puppy fiasco averted, we start our day with breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then decide to do some shopping. We hit Target and Mardel and then found some other places to peruse, as well. We had lunch at Cici's (which we love and miss from College Station), spent a lot of time that day looking for flip flops for Rich. We did go to the dog show, and were able to watch the group judging in the big ring. It was so cool! After a rest back in the room, we headed to Bricktown and the movies to see Love Guru. Don't do it. So dumb. Funny at times, but so dumb. What did I expect you are asking? I know. But now I can warn you. Maybe a renter, but not a theater movie.

After the movies, we walked over to get some dinner. Have you ever heard of The Way of the Master? I stumbled upon it a couple of years ago while perusing the web. It is a ministry started by Kirk Cameron. Anyway, part of the ministry involves them going into the streets and asking people questions about sin and salvation. It is really interesting and you can go here to see some of the videos. Anyway, on our way to dinner, we saw something across the river that was attracting a crowd and as I strained to listen I recognized the questions the guy was asking as those from The Way of the Master website. You can't see it very well, but the guy in orange is asking questions and the lady he's asking is standing in front of him. The recording equipment is to the side of him. Check it out if you have a chance. So, Bricktown is the sweetest little area. It is literally a miniature version of the San Antonio Riverwalk, from the canal, to the restaurants/bars along the canal, to the river barges/booze cruise/dinner cruises, to the bridges to walk from side to side. We found a restaurant with live music (a great 3-man cover band that sang only mid-80's to mid-90's alternative rock...awesome), called Jazmoz Bourbon St. Cafe.



It was a Creole style place and we had alligator bites for appetizers and stuffed shrimp for dinner...and we sat outside on the canal so we could see the boats passing and watch the people. It was amazing! Afterwards we hit Starbucks, walked to the end of the riverwalk where we saw this beautiful fountain and mosaic-tiled wall, and then back to the hotel.


I highly recommend Bricktown if you need a little getaway for some R&R! It was perfect! We laughed more this weekend than I have in a long time!

Sunday, we checked out and headed back to the dog show because we had missed the schnauzers the day before.


Then, we started out of town, but stopped at Circuit City to look around. Friday on our way to OKC I had, in frustration, mentioned to Rich that I forgot my camera. He said, "You know, we've talked for the last year about getting a new one, let's go look." I was so excited, I just grinned. So, Sunday, we look and because this could turn into a VERY long story, we end up finding a GREAT deal on a Sony Cybershot, exactly the kind of camera I wanted. After some negotiating on my hubby's part (I'm so proud he is able to do that, because he can find or make a deal on anything; sometimes I'm thinking, 'hello, this is America, you don't barter at Hobby Lobby!' But he seems to get us good deals on things all the time from trucks, to lawn mowers, to crafts at Hobby Lobby and now on a camera. Let's just say we ended up getting this camera about 50% off (it was already on clearance then we got another $30 off).

So, that's how we drove home...Rich driving, me with my new camera in my lap practicing, reading and playing. Oh, and we just HAD to stop at Carl's Jr. for a burger on our way out of town. I don't really get the appeal, but I was happy to oblige R because he was excited about it!

Whew...I told you it would be long!

But, I do want to end by bringing this all back to the One who deserves the credit for a great weekend. The Lord knew my needs, and knew our needs as a couple, and He allowed us to connect in ways we haven't EVER, and in other ways we haven't in a long time. We laughed, and laughed and laughed and were really like newlyweds again; we were able to focus on one another without the distractions of computers, cell phones, home repairs, horses/cattle, work, etc...

So, I pray that you will find YOUR Bricktown and reconnect.