Dear Grandpa,

Dear Grandpa,

It's been almost three months since you died. Man, time goes by fast! It's still hard for me to believe that you're gone. There have been a few times that I've wanted to ask Dad, "How's Grandpa?", and I usually catch myself right before I say it.

We all miss you a lot. I know Dad misses going to visit you in Katy. He used to plan his visits just right, so that you two could get the most out of your day. Michelle misses all the silly talks that you guys had about politics, the Longhorns, and skinny dipping. I'm not sure that either one of you ever knew what you were talking about, but ya'll sure did laugh a lot! I know Mom would love it if she could make you homemade ice cream again. You'd probably love that, too! And there's a lot that I miss...

I miss our ice cream dates at Dairy Treat after you'd pick me up from school.
I miss watching you play board games with Michelle and how you'd always let her win.
I miss listening to you tell stories about how life was "back when we were kids".
I miss your voice, your laugh, your coveralls and baseball caps.
I miss your sweet hugs and how you'd say "Now, you be a sweet girl" every time we said goodbye.

You don't have to worry, Grandpa. We'll always be your sweet girls.

Everyone down here is doing great! Mom and Dad are both very busy at work. They went to Austin last weekend to help Michelle get settled in her new house. You'd be so proud of Michelle! Today is the first day of her junior year at The University of Texas. She loves the Longhorns just like you! Brandon is working very hard at his job, and I am going to substitute again this year.

I miss you so much, Grandpa, but I know that you are dancing around heaven with Grandma.

Love,
Your sweet girl

P.S. - I planted my first garden, and after taking care of it for about a week I realized I may be more like you than I thought.  

10 Day YOU Challenge: Week 3

Happy Tuesday, Friends!



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Eight Fears

1. Drowning {in the ocean}: I think it's the whole helpless feeling that scares me.

2. Burning in a fire: Again, feeling helpless.

3. Snakes: One of my biggest fears. I think the way they slither along is so scary!

4. Loose hair {especially long, dark pieces}: I'm scared it will get in my mouth and choke me.
Weird, I know.

5. Getting lost at a crowded event or in a store: This comes from childhood experiences.
My parents are not irresponsible. I just got separated from them at the beach when I was little.
{It's a long story..maybe I'll share it one day.}

6. My teeth falling out: This one seriously gives me nightmares.

7. Losing a parent, spouse, or close friend: I can't imagine learning to live without someone I love.

8. My future children being seriously injured or sick: I'm scared of my future kids choking, drowning, getting hit by a car, having a TV fall on them, or getting diagnosed with a serious illness.
That's what working in a children's hospital does to you.


I hope you're having a great week!

"The Pivo League"

On Friday evening after PawPaw's funeral services we were sitting outside when Brandon's Uncle Marc had the best idea ever...

"Hey, you know what would be fun? We should create a family fantasy football league...It would be just family, and we could each have a team. Everyone would have to participate..."

Not only was everyone willing to participate, but we were all excited about it. We immediately started talking team names, draft dates, top picks and buy-ins.

By the end of the evening we had everything decided...

League: The Pivo League
We decided the league name should have something to do with PawPaw because of when the league was created. PawPaw spoke Czech, and he enjoyed having a pivo {beer} at the end of each each work day; hence, The Pivo League.

Buy-in: $10
At first we weren't going to have a buy-in, but we all know that when there's money on the line things get little more interesting.

Draft: Sunday, September 2 at 3:00p.m.

Top Prize: The Pivo, AND all the money
I'm not sure if The Pivo will be a homemade trophy, an actual case of pivo, or both... I forgot what we decided. If it is an actual case of pivo then B's cousin, Ryan, will be getting a case of Root Beer instead. {He's ten years old} And since I'm not a fan of pivo, or Root Beer, I will be handing off my prize to someone else {assuming I win this thing}.

After discussing the details our conversation turned into...

"You know who's going to win this, don't you?.."

"I mean really, it's just going to be a battle between three teams..."

"Ryan will probably surprise us all..."

"Ha! I know Lavonne's first two picks! Ryan Tannehill and Stephen McGee..."

"Emily is going to do one of two things. She's either going to draft all the former Texas Longhorns, or she's going to take it seriously and try to win..."

{Draft countdown is current as of yesterday. My team name and logo will be revealed at a later date.}

I guess we will find out on September 2 which strategy I choose...

Our tomatoes are in the ground!

We finally got our first garden {if you call three tomato plants a garden} planted!

I wanted to plant some vegetables in the spring, but since we were gone for three months that wasn't really possible.

What I really wanted was to plant some of my PaPaw's tomatoes.

You see, PaPaw is known for his tomatoes, his 'improved porters'. They're the best tomato you will ever eat in your whole life. They're small, like a cherry tomato, and taste the best right off the vine.

Even when PaPaw was eighty-something years old he was still planting massive amounts of tomatoes. We're talkin' eighty-five tomato plants. And that's not even all he planted! He had all kinds of veggies growing in his garden.

PaPaw is now ninety years old, and I'm starting to realize that he won't always be here to plant tomatoes for me. And I feel like it's my duty, my responsibility, to carry on the tradition. I feel like while he is still here I need to show him that I can do it.

So I've been talking with him about it for a while now. We've talked about when to plant, what to plant, and how far apart the plants should be. He even gave me his "Texas Weather Almanac", something I will cherish forever.

Now back to the garden...

According to my "Texas Weather Almanac" the tomato plants needed to be in the ground by August 1st.

We were a little late.

On August 3rd I went to almost every nursery in Corpus looking for tomato plants. No one had them. A week later we were in Yoakum, and Dad and I tried to find some. They were sold out. We finally found some this weekend, and I planted them as soon as we got home.

This is just my practice garden. In the Spring I will be planting the seeds taken directly from PaPaw's 'improved porters', and hopefully I'll be adding a few other veggies to the mix. But it's good to start small, right?

P.S.-Those tomato cages...they were my PaPaw's.



10 Day YOU Challenge: Week 2

Happy Tuesday!

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Nine Loves

{not in any particular order}

Marriage
I love being married, everything about it.
I love the struggles, the triumphs, the partnership, the friendship.
I love the good days, the bad days, and all the days in between.
I love having a partner, a teammate, a #1 fan.
I love having a husband.

Family
I love my family.
I love our deep talks and our funny stories.
I love having Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill marathons.
I love sitting, talking, and laughing for hours at a time.
I love big hugs and the warm feeling I get when I go home to see them.

Yoga

I love yoga.
 I love restorative classes and power flow.
I love my yoga pants, yoga mat, and yoga studio.
I love downward dog and savasana.
I love feeling like I've had a full body massage when I'm finished with class.
Namaste.

Running
I love the open road and a cool breeze on my face.
I love working hard and accomplishing a goal.
I love Nike shorts and Asics running shoes,
Pandora radio and stretchy head bands.
I love making up my mind to do something, and doing it.

Friends
I love the friends that I don't see for months, yet they still know me better than anyone else.
I love the friends who remember my birthday,
not because they see it on facebook,
but because they have known it since we were kids.
I love the friends who are there for me, the ones who listen when I need to talk.
I love the friends who love me for who I truly am.

Blogging
I love having an outlet.
I love writing and telling my story.
I love looking back and reliving my favorite memories.
I love reading blogs and learning from other people.
I love making friends and connecting with other bloggers.

Small Towns
I love the sense of community.
I love family owned restaurants and small town cafes.
I love having one high school and all the pride that comes with it.
I love pep rallies, small town parades, and church picnics.
I love being able to drive across town in less than five minutes.

Kids
I love the way they think and how funny they are.
I love playing with them, working with them, and watching them grow.
I love the questions they ask.
I love their innocence,
and I love the look on their face when they learn to do something for the first time.

The University of Texas
I love the Forty Acres.
I love the campus, the amazing architecture, and the beautiful buildings.
I love 'the tower' and everything it stands for.
I love Bevo and burnt orange,
Vince Young and Colt McCoy.
I love Disch Falk and DKR.
But most of all, I love that "What starts here changes the world".

Brandon's PawPaw

Last Sunday Brandon and I went to Georgetown to visit his PawPaw.

PawPaw had been sick for several months, and had gotten worse over the past few weeks. We spent the day visiting with family, watching the Olympics together, and enjoying PawPaw's chocolate chip birthday cookie.

Although PawPaw was not able to interact with us on that day, I just knew he could feel us.
I knew he could feel our laughter as we sat in his room, watching Ryan's theatre performances on video.
I knew he could feel the love in our voices as we held his hands and told him goodbye.

~~~

Four days later we drove to Yoakum for PawPaw's funeral.

~~~

The past week was a very sad one for all of us. But on Friday evening I couldn't help but think about how happy PawPaw must have been. I knew he was sitting in heaven with MeMaw, watching over us as we laughed and planned our family fantasy football league. I knew that we were doing exactly what he would have wanted us to be doing, making memories.

~~~

We will miss you, PawPaw!

10 Day YOU Challenge: Week 1

I was so excited when Tiffany announced this link-up!

I can't wait to get to know other bloggers and meet new blog friends :)
Come back for the next 10 Tuesdays to learn more about me!

Ten Secrets
Shhh...Don't tell!

1. I am not-so-secretly obsessed with Scotty McCreery.

I get full body chills every time he sings.
I guess you never forget your first American Idol love.

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2. I want to have kids, but I'm also scared to be a mom.

3. I still sleep with my 'little pillow' that I've had ever since I can remember.

I like to have something to hold when I sleep, and it's the perfect size.

No judging! 

4. I feel really self-conscious when I dance in public.

I probably won't unless I've had a drink or two.

5. Last summer I killed our entire backyard with weed killer.

Turns out you're not suppsed to use weed killer when it's 100+ degrees outside.

6. I want to find a new hair stylist who isn't two hours away,

but when I think about going to someone new I get very nervous.

7.  I shave my legs every night, and I can't sleep until I do.

I've tried to go to sleep without shaving,

but I end up getting in the tub at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning because I can't stand it.

8. I will always have a special place in my heart for Vince Young.

But I never want to meet him, because I'm scared he won't be nice and I'll be disappointed.

And yes, I love Colt McCoy, too.

But the night VY won the national championship was a very special night for my family.

My dad had been very sick and in ICU for several days.

And call me crazy but when VY made that final touchdown,

I somehow knew that everything {my dad} was going to be okay.

1 // 2 // 3

 9. I wish I kept in better touch with my friends.

This is probably what I dislike most about myself.

I hate that I don't stay in touch with people like I should.

10. I am guilty of watching every episode of 'The Bold and the Beautiful'

and every one of the Kardashians' shows. 

What are your secrets?

In case we have to run from a hurricane...

Driving down the highway yesterday I saw this:

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And it made me think.

We do live pretty close to the water.

And our house came with hurricane boards for all the windows.

What if there was a hurricane?

What if we had to leave our house, not knowing what the damage would be when we returned?

What would I take?

I made a list...

Besides B and Princess {duh} I would hopefully have time to grab...

- Our wedding rings

- Our college rings

- Our wedding album, video, and photo discs

- My MaMaw's mothers ring

- The hand carved University of Texas tower my dad made me for graduation

- Our college diplomas

- My camera {only to have the pictures on it that were already taken}

- The file box with all our important papers {a responsible choice}

- Our pillows {The child life specialist in me knows we should each have a 'comfort item', ha!}

Now if we are ever placed in this situation,

I do know that the people in our lives mean so much more than these things.

After all, most of these things can be replaced.  

I also know that my dad has worked during a few hurricane evacuations,

and that he might even tell us to stay put,

because the traffic can be more dangerous than the storm.

But if we do ever find ourselves packing and running from a storm,

I will know exactly what to grab on our way out the door.

What I'm Loving

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Here's "what I'm loving" this week...

I'm loving Nutella.

With strawberries.

Seriously, I have given myself several stomach aches.

I feel like I need my mom here to stop me. 

I'm loving the plant sale I found on Friday.

Does that mean I'm officially a grown up? If I get excited about plants?

A nursery was going out of business and everything was 50% off!

It was overwhelming, and very hard not to buy more than I could keep alive.

I'm loving gettting back into my cooking groove.

When B was in Dallas I was either eating out with him or getting spoiled by my mom.

After we got back home I had zero motivation to cook.

But I'm slowly making my way back into the kitchen.



1. Chicken, red potato, and red pepper kabobs with corn on the cob
2. Red peppers with tomato and egg inside
3. Grilled shrimp...Yum!



I'm loving our first garden!

It is small, and we will probably only plant a few tomatos, but it's a start.

I will be sharing more on the garden soon!



{This was after day one. There are no plants in the ground yet.}

I'm loving our ice cream and movie date.
If you haven't seen this movie, go now!

It was so good.



Hope you're loving your Wednesday!





Absolutely PERFECT

On Saturday Shell and I were texting back and forth...

And she was right.

It was absolutely perfect .

Sometimes I just need to be reminded how truly blessed I am.

Thanks, Shell :)

Blogger Dilemma

I've been thinking a lot about what kind of blogger I want to be.
It's been almost a year since I created this little site, and I feel like it's time to reevaluate.

I am amazed at how many options and choices there are in the blog world.
I am also surprised that I can actually connect with other people.
There are even blogs out there with hundreds of thousands of followers.
Crazy, right?

There are guest posts and giveaways,
blog hops and link-ups.
There's photos, vlogs, comments, emails, friends, followers...

It can get overwhelming.

So I feel like I need to make a choice.
What kind of blogger do I want to be?
What do I want my blog to become?

Do I want to continue to blog for me, and only me?
Do I want to branch out and become bigger part of the blog community?
Should I link-up every now and then?
Do I care that I only have eleven followers?

Right now,
I don't know.

What I do know is that I love to write. 

I love having an outlet, both for my creativity and my emotions.

I love telling stories,

and I love being able to look back on those stories to relive days, moments in our lives.

Maybe one day I'll have one of those big-time blogs.
You know, the ones with awesome blog designs and professional looking photos.
But for right now,
maybe this is enough.