26 Reasons

Today my amazing husband turns 26! 

Celebrations started this past weekend, and continue on until next Saturday!

I'll share more about those as they come, and as I get pictures!

It is so crazy to me that he was 17 when we first met, and his youngest brother will be turning 17 this week!

I thought for his 26th birthday I would list 26 things I love about him!

1. You are the funniest person I have ever met.

2.You can cook. You just don't because you are afraid you may have to do the dishes!

3. You are stubborn

4. You put up with my craziness

5. You love our families

6. You love our friends like they are family

7. You are a major computer/video game nerd

8. You vacuum

9. You are smart. And you love learning new things

10. You are a reverend

11. You take amazing photographs

12. You love my neurotic dog

13. You are one of the most giving people I know

14. You love baseball

15. You get me to try new things/foods that I would never have imagined trying

16. You don't let me get away with stupid things

17. You are the spiritual leader of our family

18. You want to be a world traveler

19. If you don't know how to do/fix something, you figure it out

20. You support me 100% (Exception: See #16)

21. You don't conform to what others think you should be

22. You let me decorate for any holiday, even if you think it's a little over the top

23. You are pretty handsome :)

24. You are so sarcastic (And yes, I DO love you for that!)

25. You eat my food, even if it is gross, and let me know when it is really good

26. You are going to be a fantastic father someday, and you are the best husband I could have asked for!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK! I LOVE YOU!

Fall Favorites

Fall has arrived and with it has come a few of my favorite things...

Pumpkin Spice Latte's are back!

Our favorite tv shows have started back!

Year 2 of Fantasy Football...and I take it seriously.

The Ranger's have made it to the playoffs! We are a baseball family to the core, so this merits a whole post to itself....coming soon!

Birthday Months! 

We both celebrate our birthdays in the next few months (one next week actually!)

And lastly...fall weather and decor. Our candles and Scentsys are burning, the pumpkins are out and the windows are open!

What are a few of YOUR fall favorites?

Home

Life has been going great since the move. You could say we are finally settled.

Living next to sandwich places galore instead of chicken fried steak and fish has probably been good for our health. Plus, the free time that looking for a job has given me allows for a lot of exercise!

Our apartment is finally feeling like home. We never really hung anything up in the old apartment, because everything always fell off of the walls. Fortunately everything seems to be staying in place now! 

A few weeks ago, we got this new chair to help seat all of our friends

And here is the master all decorated

We have stayed busy this past month, catching up with our family and hanging out with friends!

We spent a day celebrating a R@nger's victory a few weeks ago

And I got to enjoy a girl's night in Grapevine

Rainy Day Taco Soup

With all of the rain that we have been getting, and the fact that Mark has a fantasy football draft tonight....I figured I would do some easy comfort food for dinner!

This was my first time to cook this soup, but I have had it quite a few times! It comes from one of the most generous people I know! Anytime she knew life was getting crazy, she would bring us some taco soup! 

It makes alot-enough to share! So when you make it, invite some friends over or take some to a family who may need cheering up! 

Taco Soup 

1 pound hamburger meat

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing seasoning

1 pkg. taco seasoning

3 cans stewed tomatoes 

3 cans Ranch style beans

1 can hominy

1 can whole kernel corn

 

 

In large stew pot, brown meat and add onion.  Add all other ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for three hours.  If liquid needs to be added, use one bullion cube and a cup of water.

(This makes a large amount of soup, but we like to have some to share or freeze.)

The Journey Continues!

It feels like all of my posts lately have been about such huge topics in our lives. I think that is just kind of how this summer has been for us.

Hopefully this will be the last post for a while with something "big" in it! You see- we have been quite busy in the few weeks since I last updated....

Yes, on top of all of the other crazy moments, we have packed up all of mine our belongings and relocated. Why? Well, because the husband got an AMAZING job with lots of new opportunities!

Here was the hard part: We had to leave my AMAZING job, the hundreds of kids that had stolen and forever changed my heart, some incredible friends, an awesome church, and family.

So, where does that leave us? That leaves us here- in a new home in the DFWish area. Close to new friends and new family. We can't wait to see where this journey will take us!