UNPLUGGED

Well, officially it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I posted about our daily life. I am a bit embarrassed, perplexed, and disappointed in how much time has passed since I have recorded our crazy antics. I suppose I could say that time sure does fly when you are having fun in Texoma...

...We have been having a blast with our favorite Golden Retriever!

...The warm but very windy Texas winter has allowed for some great golf to take place on the weekends.

...I am always pleased when a cultural event happens here in The Falls, and recently I was moved to tears by the beautiful concert put on by the African Children's Choir. I was thankful for the inspirational, moving and beautiful stories and voices that I heard--so good for the soul!

...Isaac was driving from Washington to Georgia, and was able to stop and spend the night with us! It was such a wonderful evening and a true blessing to catch up with an dear friend.

...David and I are coaching a little basketball team of 5 & 6 year olds. It has been fantastic! We love having a committment to go to, other than work. We love the laughter involved with helping the kids play defense or score points on offense. These little kiddos bring us great joy three days a week and we are thankful for the opportunity to coach them.

...McCovey has been enjoying our walks even more than usual. Diving head first to roll in the clover during our afternoon trips to the park, is all it takes to bring this sweet little dog a bit of bliss.


The past few months have had their share of ups and downs, but we are happy to say that 2012 is off to a great start and we are embracing every opportunity Wichita Falls presents to us--no matter how large or small it may appear!

FALL in SEATTLE

In November David sent me to Seattle for a girls weekend. Nothing could have been better for my soul than to spend precious time with women who rejuvenate me.



While I was there David and I learned of our new assignment with the Air Force...Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, NV. Let's just say I was very saddened by this news (we really wanted to move to Europe) and thank goodness I was in the exact place I was supposed to be when I learned our fate...with my best friends!

It was an amazing weekend and I couldn't ask for better women in my life, I feel truly lucky.

Harmony took us to an amazing Italian restaurant and my meal and the conversation was memorable!

Beautiful Brie

Molly Moons ice cream

Sunday Brunch complete with mimosas of course....that's just how we role.

Ummm...coffee after a long weekend of staying up late and drinking large quantities of wine...yes, please!


A perfectly clear, cold, sunny fall afternoon in Seattle is true bliss.

Pike's Place Market



The ladies of South Hall Apartment #136 version of crack. The Cheese Counter. Careful, we can get pretty out of control.

After hearing the news of Vegas and feeling quite sad, what is better than sitting at the spa, with your best gal pal, with a cup of steaming hot tea--as she gets her hair cut by a fabulously wise young chap named Drew...let me tell you...nothing is better than that.

A true shining moment for the weekend was seeing two gals who mean the world to me. I got to see Kate (who I forgot to take a photo with) and Kim each for some amazing conversations and catch up time. Kim is pregnant and it was so fun to see her in this soon to be mother-stage and hear about her next big adventure with baby Isaac!

Friendship...one can not ask for anything better than good friendship!

WICHITA MOUNTAINS

This weekend it was beautiful and we decided we needed a bit of an adventure...so we drove to Oklahoma to the Wichita Mountains. We have been a few times before, but this time we hit up an entirely new area and went on a great hike. McCovey was able to do some swimming and we were able to enjoy each other's company and the lovely fall weather.






Wouldn't be a Texas hike without a few cactus plants!

FALL PARTY

Last weekend we hosted David's office over for a party. The weather cooperated and it was only in the 70's, yahoo, so we used our back patio and backyard to seat the 13 adults and 11 children comfortably.

We served Chilli, Potato Soup, and Chicken Noodle Soup and invited guests to bring a side of some kind. People brought yummy cornbread, homemade rolls, and a fabulous spinach salad.

I was really excited that the soups turned out to have good flavor and depth but I was even more excited with the dessert I made, it turned out pretty great!



This Caramel Apple Cake recipe is so amazing and even more the parts that go into making it are amazing on their own. I will now use the applesauce recipe for our homemade applesauce and if I need caramel, I will use the recipe from this cake.



It took a good amount of time, but I promise it is SO worth it!

TEXAS STATE FAIR

It is with true Texan pride that I write this next post.

It was an amazing 80* when we embarked upon the world's craziest fair. We paid a guy $10 to park on his lawn and joined our friends Natalie and Mark. We made our way to the coupon tent just inside the front entrance. Everything you buy at the fair has to be bought with coupons. So we got ours and headed out (with a cold Bud Light in hand) to see what we could find.

The Texas Eye

The record breaking long horn

The milking parlor



The deep fried...everything

Between the four of us we consumed:
A buffalo chicken wrapped in a flap jack, battered deep fried and served with maple syrup. A corn dog. Curly fries. Deep fried pumpkin pie. Deep fried moon pie. Deep fried Ding Dong. And a lot of cold Bud Light.




It was an amazing experience that we will NEVER forget!

FALL FUN

What a fun season this is turning out to be. We are so lucky that the fall has brought a bit of cool weather to the town of Wichita Falls and with that cool weather, some great things as well!

Halloween Cookies ready for delivery to friends, coworkers, and neighbors.


Oktoberfest put on by the German Pilots, complete with great food and lots of German beer.


A new dark hair color and a festive mantel ready for Halloween.


Happy Fall Y'all!

THE GULF COAST

This post is long over due, but better late than never, right? On our way home from Alabama we stopped on the Gulf Coast in a little resort town called Ocean Springs. We instantly fell in love with the little shops and the beautiful ocean scapes...and the homes? Well those were just gorgeous!


We got to Ocean Springs in the afternoon and after checking into our hotel, went straight to the ocean. A long walk and some football playing with the sand between our toes...perfection.


We headed to the shops to enjoy a little of the local flavor. Afterwards we began our own little pub crawl...enjoying the bars, outdoor spaces, and restaurants that this sweet little town had to offer.


The next morning we waited in line with the locals at the the corner doughnut shop and after receiving our bag of hot doughnuts we got on the road to make the 10 hour drive home in time for the Duck game. We can't wait to go back to Mississippi and enjoy even more towns along the beautiful Gulf Coast.