Sum-Sum-Summer

For some reason, working during the summer has come as a harsh reality this year.  Perhaps it's because Claire is busy but not working a job most of the day like last summer.  Sometimes on his days off, Adam hangs out at the pool for a bit before I get off work.  Knowing that they're both off having fun without me is a bit of a bummer!!

Perhaps this reality is hitting extra hard because I'm saving most of my vacation for September to go on our Honeymoon and don't have the luxury to take a personal day just because I feel like it.  Whatever it is, I find myself racking my brain for a profession that would ideally be part-time hours for full-time pay.  (Hey, a girl can dream, ok??) 

So, in an effort to combat my summer blues, we (Claire and I) have declared all days after 4 p.m. and certainly all weekends as SUMMER.  This includes eating at fun restaurants, trying new recipes, swimming, popsicle eating, back-porch sitting, taking walks at night and getting frozen yogurt at 9 p.m.

Last week, Adam and I made breakfast for dinner and had Claire and Anna over to my parents' house while they were gone.  They have a big griddle and lots of counter space, and it was just fun to have free-reign of the house!  He makes some mean french toast, and we had fruit salad and bacon to go with it.  It was quite tasty!

We ate out on the back porch by the pool and talked and laughed to our heart's content.  It was a great evening.    So here's to lots more of those!

Dad's Day

{200 kids in NYC}

Dear Dad,

We talked on the phone last night and celebrated earlier in the week.  Although I didn't get to spend Father's Day with you, I am gladly sharing you with 200 other kids as you are with them on a mission trip to New York City this week. 

I heard all about your day, from church at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, to a concert in the park, and things in between.  I could hear in your voice and in your stories that you were really excited to be a part of this week.  I'm proud of you for going. 

In the last couple of years, you've come alongside Mom and helped in 86:12 (our church youth choir).  You jumped right in, making new freinds of all ages.  I can hear in your voice that you are excited to be there, more than willing to help navigate this city that is like your second home at times. 

You have always told me and Troy to never give up on our dreams.  I don't know all of your dreams, but I do know that you are very good at helping people and giving wise advice, and this is part of what makes you tick.  I hope that you find ways to get to do this more often, because I know it brings you great joy. 

So to you, Dad, this Father's Day week.  Here's to finding joy in doing things that you love, with people you love.  Thanks for showing us how it's done.

I Love you,

Shay

Ten Reasons.

Adam and I came up with this list last night in honor of our 100 day countdown.  

100 days to go!

Summer Weekend Two: Play Date!

This weekend was a fun one, for sure.  I was looking at my calendar, and July and August are filling up to the brim, but June was pretty quiet.  At first this really bothered me, because I like being busy.  But the last two weekends have been just what I needed--fun and restful!

Friday night Claire and I tried a new Greek chicken recipe.  You make a foil pouch and fill it with chicken, olives, olive oil, sundried tomatoes and onions.  Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, and voila!  It was yummy. We decided it needed a little more color, but we weren't sure what to add.  Maybe we'll figure that out for next time.  It's so funny to me the habits that we make.  Claire and I always sit in the same spots at the dinner table, and when Adam is there, he has a place, too.  Anna came and  ate with us a few weeks ago, and Adam told her she needed to move!  So funny. 

We're trying some new dinner recipes now that Claire is on summer break and has a bit more time on her hands.  It's been fun so far!  Smoo came over later and we hung out and talked over dessert.  You know you have good friends when you can just sit and hang.  :-)

Adam, SMoo and I are running a relay race in August, so I kind of need to get myself in gear for that.  AMP was super sweet to come up Saturday morning after work to run in the morning.  It was still nice out at 9 a.m., and it sure beats running in the afternoon heat!  Now, if I can only get up out of bed and do that myself, I'd be in business.  Adam had the whole day planned out, and I l-o-v-e-d it.   

Our first stop was the Farmers Market.  We walked around in their two fruit areas and got to sample some delicious fruit.  Adam bought some seasonings to grill with, and after a humongous sandwich for lunch, we circled back to get some fruit.  I don't have any pics of these things--it was a bit crowded.  But, we did get some in the nursery section of the Farmers Market.  I loved all the bright colors, and of course the reds and pinks!  Adam has this new thing where he likes to rescue plants sitting by his apartment dumpster and try and bring them back to life.  He's currently one for two at the moment, so he's quite into trees and plants these days! 

Next up, the Dallas Zoo!  There were two parts--the Zoo North and the African Safari section.  We spent three hours in the Zoo North and saw lots of animals.  There were several indoor (read: AC) parts, which were quite nice.  I stayed about four feet away from all the glass windows though, and Adam was right up close watching every slither of the snakes and other reptiles.  :-)  All I could think about was the scene in Harry Potter where they're at the zoo and the snake breaks out of the glass and talks to Harry!

We finished the day with burgers and a movie, and Adam decided to play charades with all the animals we saw earlier in the day.  It's no secret that we have a lot of fun together, and I'm grateful how much he makes me laugh.  Sometimes we have to talk about where to live, cell phone plans and insurance {grown up things/decisions to make}, but I'm grateful we still know how to play!

I also learned that he's a great shopping buddy.  After church on Sunday, we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to spend a gift card he had, and then make some returns to Gap, where I got some white jeans.  The quote of the day, though, was, "I didn't know you could just return so many things!"  Love it.  Yes, that's the beauty of shopping.  :-)

And GO MAVS.  That is all.

Graduation Lunch

Friday for lunch we celebrated a friend's High School graduation.  The "Birthday Group" is a bunch of my mom's friends that are all like second moms to me.  They celebrate anything and everything, and it's especially fun to be on the receiving end of the celebrating!  

We had a moms-and-daughters lunch at Rise, a souffle place in Inwood Village.  The desserts are absolutely delicious.  I came from work, and the girls said, "Shay you can sit with the moms or the kids--whichever you want."  I decided they'd appreciate it if I sat with the "kids."  :-)  {I'm the oldest of all the girls by about five years, but I've known them all forever.  They really don't feel young, even though I babysat almost all of them!}

The girls were about to start her senior year, a new high school graduate, and one who just finished her freshman year in college.   We talked about boys, bedding, summer plans and college.  If you'd been on our end, some of the conversation might have sounded like this...

• "Shay, are you SO ready to be married?"  When I answered, "Yes, only 106 days to go!" They said, "Oh my gosh, I love that you know the exact numbers!"  {Well of course I do...ha!} 
• In talking about dorm room bedding, I mentioned that it's a bit trickier when you have to pick bedding that a boy can live with.  They all started to giggle and then said, "Oh my gosh.  You're going to live with a boy! Giggle, giggle, giggle."  This probably cracked me up the most.
• And I think we were finishing up the bedding conversation and one of them said wistfully, "Oh, I just can't wait to be married!"   

It was so fun to sit and catch up with them and hear about life from their worlds.  Crazy to think that I was in their shoes not too long ago.  We had a great time, and I would highly recommend the bread pudding souffle!  

Summer Weekend One

Summer weekends are for...

two-step lessons and a Cowboys Red River date,

Lunch with Dad on Uncle Julio's porch,

Catching up with my neighbor/maid of honor/dear friend who I hadn't seen in two whole weeks,

A roomie night of dinner at Coldvines for pizza and pasta and Paciugo's gelato,watching Father of the Bride, celebrating a second year of teachign under her belt

and for Sunday morning church, an afternoon nap,

and hanging poolside with Adam, where we finished it off grilling out for my parents.

Suffice it to say, it was  great weekend.  So great, I only have one photo.

Summer is here.  And I love it.

Save the Dates & A Few More Details

We just sent out Save the Date cards via email!  I designed them in PhotoShop and had so much fun.

We emailed it out of convenience, but an added bonus is some of the emails I've gotten back.  I think the best part of all this wedding planning is seeing how excited our friends and family are for us.  It's really sweet. 

While there are still several details to figure out, we do a few things each week, and it hasn't been too overwhelming yet.  I'm trying to enjoy the process as much as possible.  :-) 

Despite my typical two-hour attention span, deciding on music for the ceremony has been the exception.  I suppose this makes sense, since I do love music and all, but this week my mom and I met with our family friends who will be singing at the ceremony.  Sitting for two hours and getting song ideas felt like a blink of an eye.  Then, Mom and I sat on the couch for another two hours later that night and listened to all the songs on our list to try and narrow it down.  It was so much fun.

Last week, Adam and I Skyped with his college pastor, Nate, who will be marrying us.  It was my first time meeting him, but it didn't feel like it.  Nate and his wife Amanda were on staff with my favorite teacher and mentor, Emily and her husband Josh in Iowa at one point, and so we became fast friends after making that connection! 

Having both of those things set just makes me especially excited for September 24.  That, and knowing at the end of the day, I'll get to marry this guy...

{114 days and counting...}

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was another glorious one because of my half-day Friday, followed by a weekend full of friends and hanging out.  When I came back to the office Tuesday morning, it felt like I'd been gone a good long while--which was a nice feeling, indeed. 

Friday was hangin' with Claire, followed by Saturday at my parent's pool.  We totally house-crashed while they were gone.  Adam, Claire, her sister Grace, Joey & Amanda and our new friends Rich and Megan came over in the afternoon to hang out.  I have no photos of this fun day, because my camera was acting all ridiculous.  Bummer. 

The guys played catch in the pool while the girls sat around the edge witht their feet in.  Typical girls.  Typical boys.  We cooked out burgers with Amanda and Joey that night. 

{Amanda, Me & Megan}

Sunday, I went to church at Valley Ranch, which was quite a treat to sit with Amanda and Megan (and their hubbies, of course.)  Amanda and Megan became friends in Waco, and now Rich and Megan are in Dallas because he's the new youth pastor at Valley Ranch.  This is fun for two reasons: 1) new friends and 2) another reason for Amanda to come to Dallas!

{Joy, Me & Katelyn}

Sunday night, I got to catch up with more church friends.  Katelyn and I became friends my senior year of high school when she moved here as a freshman.  I feel like I'm just part of their family.  They are always sweet to include me and invite me over when all the kids are home. 

Since Adam and I both had Monday off, we were originally going to fix up my bike that Troy brought home from the lake & go for a ride, but after Adam cleaned it up and WD-40'd it, we realized that it was a bit small.  I guess when you ride a bike from Middle School, it's safe to assume that you've grown out of it as a 24-year-old. 

After a Chinese food dinner, we headed over to a nearby park, where the Dallas Symphony Orchestra was playing a Memorial Day outdoor concert.  It was really fun to see all the families and dogs out on the lawn.  It made me feel quite patriotic and cultured, all at the same time.  It also made me so grateful for our freedom--something I often take for granted.  They finished off the concert with a fireworks show.  I'd say it was a great weekend!