Tulips and Bluebonnets

Last year KJ and I spent a wonderful day at the tulip farm cutting our own stems for a bouquet.  This year the tulips were peak during Spring Break and since I'm working and she was in San Antonio for break we kind of missed it.  However, I found out there's a bluebonnet field near my office so I might have to go check it out!  We teased KJ terribly when we were moving here that it's a right of passage to have your picture taken in a bluebonnet field.  She declined. 



Speaking of the office and work . . . holy hell!  (As my pappy used to say) "I am busier than a one-armed wallpaper hanger!"  But seriously!  The phone DOES NOT STOP.  It's wonderful to sell two gorgeous, popular properties but sometimes I just want to shut my office door and put my head on my desk for a nappy.  I love having a career vs. a job and love what I do.  And I can't wait to spend my bonus. 


Lax season is kinda sorta but not really winding down.  Both Coach and KJ still have games but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  TCU has already had their end of year banquet and KJ's is at the beginning of May.  This time of year seems to go by in a blur --- all that end of year stuff gets smushed in.  She's got prom mid-May and leaves for Costa Rica the beginning of June. 


This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous!  One of the most beautiful weekends I can remember.  Both days were sunny, warm and bright blue skies.  Coach had a game @ SMU Saturday and afterward we went downtown for a little Mexican on the patio.  Sunday he had a game @ TCU but I didn't go.  I've been having a cleaning lady come on Sunday's (since I don't know her well enough to leave a key for her I prefer to be home). 


We've got our Easter brunch reservations made.  This will be our 3rd year in a row at this restaurant.  T and her sorority little are having a girls weekend is Savannah so it's just going to be the 3 Cos's. 


We've been getting the pool and the backyard ready and Coach is thinking about buying some wave runners so we can spend some time at the lake, too.  I don't care about the wave runners, I just want a paddleboard.  I'd probably have to stick it out my sunroof since I don't think a paddleboard would fit on my car.  I love, love, love to paddleboard and really need to try paddleboard yoga, too! 

WPS

Woo Pig Sooie!  It sure has been a long, long time since I blogged! 

Fall is in full swing despite what the thermometer here in Texas reads!  We had one or two days in the low to mid-70's but mostly its been in the 80's. It's almost Halloween and the A/C is still on.
The nights have been a little cooler and Coach is enjoying his homemade, outdoor big screen for football games. He has a nice little set-up out there ... he's got a 6ft+ screen, beautiful outdoor patio furniture, the fire pit ... he has a couple of Blue Moons or I join him for some Moscow Mules ....

So our 49th birthdays came and went without a terrible amount of fanfare.  T sent me a gorgeous Kendra Scott bracelet, coach bought me a new camera lens and he and KJ made me breakfast in bed and lasagna for dinner.  KJ also bought the most delicious red velvet bundt cake from "Nothing Bundt Cakes" and a Charming Charles gift card.  Coach had practice on his b-day so KJ and I surprised him with cupcakes and balloons on the field and we celebrated with burgers at Dutch's.

Our 24th wedding anniversary was also kind of quiet.  KJ had lax practice so Coach made a delicious shrimp scampi. Love a man who cooks!

KJ's birthday is a whole 'nother story.  It's a never-ending celebration.  She had a lax game on her b-day so the weekend before some friends took her out to dinner and they all came back here for a bonfire and s'mores. One of her friend's decorated her car the morning of her birthday and they met t Starbucks for breakfast before school.

We went to the Texas State Fair this year and had so much fun!  We didn't go last year because we had either just come back from Europe or were just about to go and didn't have much time. It was a GORGEOUS day and I loved the art deco buildings that make up the fair grounds. Got to see Big Tex and even tried some fried fair foods!

And then came our weekend at the U of Arkansas. The drive up on Friday was nice, about 5 hours from our house.   KJ had the afternoon tour but we were a little early so we parked and had lunch on campus. Fall was definitely in the air, it was only about 60 degrees, and the leaves were just starting to change in the Ozarks. It was soooo nice being in the mountains!  It felt like "home" -- New York in autumn, State College, West Point, Vermont, etc.  Coach's sweet nephew had made arrangements for a goodie bag to be left in KJ's name and he had a can koozie in there for her, a pig nose, a Razorback blanket, a  Tervis Tumbler and a bunch of other stuff.  She felt so special!  Coincidentally KJ's tour guide happened to be from Texas, lives around the corner and went to Marcus HS.  Campus was beautiful, big but not too big, great little downtown area and everyone was very welcoming. I could totally see Daughter #2 there. With her grades she should qualify for in-state tuition so that's a bonus!  Of course Alabama and Ole Miss are high on her list but I'm encouraging her to branch out and make her own memories.

After the tour were drove around for a bit and looked at the different sorority and fraternity houses. KJ wanted to stop and take a pic in front of the AOPI to send to T when all of a sudden I hear a big scream and some crazy girl starts running towards us!  I was totally blown away!!  Coach and T had been scheming for weeks and surprised the hell out of me and KJ!  We had dinner at a neat gourmet grilled cheese place and watched the homecoming parade. We went back to the hotel but KJ dragged T to the pep rally and they walked around campus a bit more. Saturday we parked by the baseball fields and tailgated. The family next to us had one daughter who was a sophomore at Ole Miss and one was a freshman. The tailgaters on the other side of us were a combo of Pig and Rebel fans and one of the ladies was from Pony Boy's hometown and knew his family. Although the game didn't turn out the way T and Coach would have liked, KJ had a blast doing all the Woo Pig Sooie cheers!!  And, coincidentally the tour guide from the day before sat next to us with her parents. It was too funny!! 

Last weekend KJ took the ACT's Saturday morning and had a tournament in downtown Dallas immediately following. Coach had the purple vs white scrimmage game last Sunday and this weekend is going to be jammed packed, too!  Tomorrow we are going to the TCU vs Texas Tech game and tailgate with some friends and Sunday night we're going to see Stevie Nicks!!! #WPS!!!

Tacos(s) Tuesday

If we were a normal family, we'd have tacos for dinner tonight since it's Tuesday. But: a). we're not a normal family and b). lacrosse season is upon us in full force.

KJ was supposed to have a game tonight but it has poured all day and is quite windy and chilly.  Only been about 45 degrees today, which is a far cry from last Friday's high of 80.  Instead they are watching game film at the rec center. She had her first home game last Thursday and scored 3 goals. Unfortunately 1 was called back for a crease violation.  But, she did get the game ball. Her lax team is extremely sociable ... the girls have team dinners, they meet for lunch, they go out after games and they really look out for each other. What is even weirder is that the team is comprised of players from 2 rival high schools.  Huge rivals. If this was any other sport, they'd hate each other.

Coach loves being at TCU.  Great group of guys!  Two weekends ago they played at LSU and KJ (and her mechanical baby!) drove down with him on the team bus.  T and Pony Boy met them in Baton Rouge since she knew couldn't be in Hoover this past weekend for the 10th Anniversary.  He told me the other day he doesn't know if he could ever go back to coaching high school. Although he loves putting a stick in a kid's hand while they are young and making sure they learn the basics, he never enjoyed coaching the little little kids. Said it was like herding cats. And while he always loved his time at Hoover, the last couple of years were rough.  I think things changed a bit for him after T's class graduated. Those first couple teams were extra special because everything was new and they were so enthusiastic.  The kids (and parents!) got a little jaded as the years went on and suddenly everyone was an expert. People who (obviously) never even heard of lacrosse until their child picked up a stick were now suddenly questioning each call the refs made, questioning their kid's playing time, buying the most expensive equipment on the market and basically questioning why their kid wasn't getting a D1 scholarship.   In any event, the torch has been passed and the current coaches are doing a great job!  Coach loves the fact that 5 of his former Hoover kids and 1 of his BamaLax boys are coaching programs!

We had a great but very very quick weekend in Hoover. We got in late Friday night and by 10 am Saturday Coach was at the fields for a long, long day of lacrosse. KJ met up with a friend for breakfast and then joined us at the high school.  We had such a great day visiting and spent time with folks we hadn't seen since we rolled out of Hoover.  The girls made KJ feel extra special and came out of their way to see her while she was in town.  The alumni game was a ton of fun and we all went out for drinks afterward and closed down the bar. KJ spent the night with a friend and we picked her up Sunday morning and headed back home. Of course everyone asked her how she liked Texas and everyone was amazed at how well she's adjusted. Which makes my heart happy! 😏😏😏

Top 10 Reasons Why i Like Living in Texas

So we've basically been in Dallas since July (if you want to get technical Coach moved here in April, KJ and I got here mid-June but our household goods weren't delivered until June 29) and I think it is now safe to say all parties involved are pretty happy!

A la David Lettermen, here are my Top 10 Reasons Why I Like Living in Texas (other than the fact that BK is from Texas): 

#10. The Shopping --  I have some of the best shopping I have ever had in any state I've ever lived in within a mile or two of our home.  From trendy little boutiques to specialty shops to large national chains, any store I could ever need is right nearby.

#9. The Food -- as with Shopping, the selection of restaurants is wonderful!  We have a favorite hamburger place, a favorite Sushi place, a new favorite taco place, a favorite place to grab a pizza and we even have a favorite smoothie place.  If we want Italian, Greek, Chinese, Mexican, seafood or something we didn't even know we were craving, it's all right here.

#8. Sports -- if you want to play it or watch it, Dallas is the place to be!  Hockey, Football, Baseball, college teams, high school teams, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, Top Golf, ... you name it, it's here. 

#7. Outdoor (and sometimes Indoor!) Adventures -- Six Flags is here, numerous water parks, a zoo (one here in Dallas and one in Ft. Worth),  indoor sky diving, Zip Lining, indoor rope courses and lots and lots of parks!  We have a wonderful park right outside the entrance to our subdivision and frequent regularly.  And yes, I've even started running again.  And there are lots of water sports, too!  We've already been paddle boarding and this summer I can't wait to hit the Hill Country and do some river tubing on a hot sticky weekend. Plus there are lots of cool swimming holes around. And if you feel the need to go snow tubing but don't like the cold, you can always go sledding at the Gaylord Texan like KJ and the kids did at Thanksgiving.

#6. The Weather -- so far, the weather in Texas has been very very good to us. We had an extremely pleasant first summer in Dallas. We had a handful of 100+ plus temps (maybe 5 days total?  7 at the very most) but they were not unbearable and we didn't really have any humidity. I was expecting much much worse.  We've had 1 tornado warning since we've been here (like "full-on sirens / get to your safe place NOW!" kind of deals) but having experienced that in Ohio and Alabama, it wasn't terrible.  We had a couple of "chilly" days (low 30's??) and an hour or so of snow flurries. Now, I know Texas weather can been extreme and highly unpredictable but again, so far so good. 

#5. Small Towns -- I love the quaint small towns we have nearby ... Grapevine especially!  Christmas was incredibly magical in Grapevine, there's always some kind of festival going on it and has some of the best #9 and #10 listed above!  Although they aren't considered "small" towns (because let's face it, EVERY thing is bigger in Texas), I'm looking forward to exploring San Antonio and Austin and we like wandering around Ft. Worth.  Not sure yet how I feel about Houston.

#4. Our House --  Coach and I agree this is quite possibly our favorite house we've ever lived in. This house is SO us. It's just right for our needs right now.  The layout is perfect for us, the room sizes are great and everyone has nice big closets, we love the media room and all our furniture looks great! 

#3. Our Pool -- seriously.  We love the pool.

#2. Texas Pride -- every where you look and every where you go, there's either a HUUUUUUGE Texas flag flying over head or there's Texas star somewhere.  I  actually started to take pics of the stars because they are so cool! 

Dang!  I just realized that I haven't even mentioned how much we love KJ's school, the art scene here, how pet-friendly it is here, the cool college towns or the great museums!  I probably should have made a top 15 list.

And the #1 reason why I like living in Texas:  The People!!!  Everyone here is so damn friendly and nice. No one cares where you're from or where you've been, no one cares if you're an Auburn or Alabama fan, no one minds what church you go to, no one has questioned my accent (or lack thereof) and no one has called me a (damn) Yankee or said "oh. You're from up North."  I have yet to meet a single gossipy or judgey person.  The parents don't gossip on the sidelines (they might wish their kid got a little more playing time but they don't engage in negativity towards the coach or the program). No one is pretentious or showy or fake or phony.  It's not a constant competition.  And I really really like that.

Wait!!! I'm not ready yet!!!

I am so incredibly embarrassed to admit this but I am horribly horribly behind in Christmas this year.  The Fall seemed to have it me like a ton of bricks this year and I just haven't been able to recuperate and recover!!

First and foremost, our cruise was unbelievable.  We had the most amazing, relaxing trip. Our flight to Barcelona was great, boarding the ship was stress-free, our cabin was great, food was excellent and our excursions were awesome!  Mallorca was beautiful and we had a wonderful day walking around the city.  I loved Marseille and Florence and Rome are always magical (so glad Cosmo got to see the Sistine Chapel!).  We both really enjoyed Pompeii, too!

After the cruise we had our anniversary, Cosmo's b-day and KJ's 16th birthday in that order.  KJ actually had a volleyball game on her birthday but she celebrated a few nights earlier with some friends at a Mexican restaurant.  After her volleyball game, several of the girls on her team took her to Whataburger (she had never been and apparently it's a Texas thing).  She finally got her permit and had 3 straight weeks of drivers Ed classes and has also been doing her drive times with her instructor.  Little Miss Jet-setter flew to Baltimore in November and spent a couple of days with her friends from Damascus.  Volleyball season is officially over and we had a great end-of-year banquet at one of the local country clubs.  This weekend she's down in Fredericksburg celebrating a friend's birthday at their family cabin.  They drove down after school on Friday, went zip-lining Saturday and today they are shopping.  She'll come home Monday.

For Cosmo's b-day we somehow ended up at a Rangers play-off game vs. The Blue Jays. It was hot as hell that day and we tried to keep cool by using the rally towels as hats.  We looked like idiots.

Early November we met the Martin's outside of Memphis and went to the Ole Miss vs. Arkansas game. The weather was cold and dreary but we still managed to have a good time!  AG and KJ spent Friday night with T so they thought they were cool and Pony Boy and Z put up our tailgating tent in the pouring rain while the 4 of us hit Oxford.  The highlight of the weekend, according to KJ, was her selfie with Tim Tebow. 

Right before Thanksgiving, Coach had his first collegiate game of his coaching career.  I love the campus at TCU and the guys were really great.  The team has a lot of potential. 

We had a fun Thanksgiving with Cosmo's nephew and his family. Eva and Eli are incredibly well-behaved children and it is a joy to be with them.  Friday we took them to the Gaylord to see the ice sculptures and go sledding. KJ was a trooper and was the "DS" (designated sledder). 

T and Pony Boy got to our house late last Sunday night after dealing with a flat tire in Arkansas and brought their puppy Maria with them.  Other than farting really bad, she's a great dog and liked jumping in the pool.

Tuesday night Cosmo took them to a Dallas Stars hockey game (Dew's first NHL game) and they met up with friends after the game.  Friday Cosmo's buddy from college (also KJ's Godfather) flew in for the weekend. We had a great dinner and walked around the town of Grapevine (voted one of America's Top 10 Christmas towns). It was so beautiful!  The town itself is super cute anyway but at Christmas they go all out!  Every shop, every restaurant, every building has some type of display or lights.  The gazebo was all decked out, there was a life-size Nativity set, a light tunnel, an inflatable igloo, Mistletoe every where, etc.  Saturday the guys went to the Cowboys vs. Jets game (Go Jets!!!) and Bob flew out early this morning.  Pony Boy and Maria left Saturday morning and T and I did some Christmas shopping while the guys were at the game.

So, this is why I'm so behind this year!  Nothing is wrapped and I haven't sent out a single Christmas card.  I guess there's always next year!

I'm Still Here!!!

So it's been several weeks (months??) since I've blogged but I'm still alive and kicking!!  I don't think I've sat down since mid-June!!

The big move from Maryland to Texas went great!  Very smooth process overall (still can't find the damn toaster though!!) and I have to say everyone, particularly Trixie and Kendall, have transitioned incredibly well!

The months of June and July were basically a blur between having the house packed up, mine and KJ's road trip to Texas with a wonderful stop in Birmingham, the pageant, having aforementioned household goods delivered, T's 21st birthday, my parents and KJ returning from their big southwest road trip to volleyball camps, high school registration,  (successful) volleyball try-outs and the summer culminated with the big boss man, the Legend, the Guru getting inducted into the US Lacrosse Alabama/Mississippi chapter hall of fame.  Whew!!!

It's been hot here in Dallas but it really hasn't been awful. We've had a couple of 100+ degree days but the humidity is very low. Having the pool is great and I can't imagine living in Texas without a backyard pool!  We've done a couple of quick day trips since we've been here (visiting the TCU campus to see where Cosmo will be coaching and a fun day at the Ft. Worth stockyards) but honestly, we just have been super duper busy.

We luv, luv, luv being closer to T and she has come home twice and we also got to see her this past weekend in Birmingham.  Pony boy came with her to the HOF induction and if he can put up with our crazy Cos life, that boy can put up with anything!!  He's a trooper for sure!!