Surprise!!!

Had such a wonderful Easter weekend!  All of my chicks were in the nest for the first time since Christmas!  And it was wonderful! 

T was originally supposed to be going to Savannah for Easter w/ friends but plans fell through so she hopped on a plane to Dallas instead!  Coach and I were both at work but KJ was home for the Good Friday holiday.  T called her around 9 AM and said, "come pick me up!  I'm at DFW!!"  Now, for anyone who knows KJ knows:  #1 the kid likes to sleep.  I'm shocked she even answered her phone at 9 AM on her day off from school.  #2 the kid hates to drive on the highway.  Seriously.  It scares the heck out of her and for her to drive to DFW and navigate her way around the arrivals/departures is pretty impressive.  So after KJ picked up T she called me at work and said, "Let's have lunch together."  My response was, "You know you'd have to drive on the interstate to get here, don't you???"  They had one of the girls at the Front Desk call me when they arrived and when I walked out to the Lobby, KJ was standing there and then T walked around the corner!  I was SHOCKED!!!!  Coach still didn't know at this point but KJ had asked him to meet for lunch, too.  I didn't go to lunch w/ them because I was so dang busy.  Unfortunately, she kind of spoiled the surprise for him because she texted him "we're here" at the restaurant and he knew something was up. 

The weather was gorgeous and we had such a nice weekend while T was here.  Friday Coach made a delicious shrimp scampi and we all just kind of chilled and caught up with T.  Saturday morning she & I went down to the Dallas Farmer's Market www.dallasfarmersmarket.org and sampled a bunch of goodies and bought a bunch of fun random things . . . macaroons, candles, cucumbers, hummus and pita chips, a cutting board (T is so proud of herself for "adulting"!).  We then drove over to Klyde Warren Park www.klydewarrenpark.org and had lunch from the food trucks.  T had the lobster grilled cheese and I had the most incredible shrimp tacos from Cousins Maine Lobster www.cousinsmainelobster.com (as seen on Shark Tank).  We parked at the Museum of Art www.dma.org and walked around for a bit.  We wanted to tour the Frida Kahlo exhibit but the line was super long. 

KJ had to work Saturday afternoon until closing so when she got home they all went to Top Golf and apparently T has missed her calling.  Coach said she had incredible form and was super accurate.  She said it must have been all those times she watched her friend Will practice at the range. 

 

Sunday we had Easter brunch at the Westin at the Galleria.  This is the 3rd year we've been there and we love that we have a new tradition in Dallas!  As always, we had a great time and I like that they change the menu up every year.  Except for the Peeps S'mores.  I hope they never change those!   http://www.thewestingalleriadallas.com/dallas-private-dining

 

 

After brunch we checked out our excursion choices for our cruise and booked a couple of fun trips that I think everyone will like!  In Cozumel, we're climbing some pyramids and then going swimming in an underground cenote (swimming hole).  I can't remember what the heck we're doing in the Caymans (snorkeling?  taking a catamaran?  sting rays?  dolphin encounter?  taking a catamaran to a snorkeling location where they keep the dolphins and sting rays???) but I do know in Jamaica we're going to climb Dunn's River Falls.  I wanted to just sit on the beach and drink Red Stripes but KJ didn't think that was a good idea. 

 

And then we took T to the airport and she headed back to B'ham and we all cried.  



Some Blog Lovin'

I've been AWOL for a couple of months now and today is the first day in a long time where I feel like I've had a bit of a respite.

After moving the fam out to Dallas and getting everyone settled, it was high time I got my butt back to work!  I am so excited about my new(ish) job as the Sales Manager for two hotels in the Plano area!  I started mid-December and so far so good!  OK.  I'll admit it.  There were a couple of days shortly after the training process where I thought I should just throw in the towel but I've hung in there.  I have a bit of a commute but it's not terrible (once some of the construction is finished, my drive will be fine).  I use the time in the mornings to mentally prepare for my day and in the evenings I decompress.  The best part of going back to work is KJ and Cosmo taking over the cooking! 

Lax is in full swing / full spring at the Casa de Cos.  Cosmo has had a couple of games under his belt this season and KJ's season is kind of just getting started.  She had a tournament @ A&M and a lot of practices so far.  She's also working a lot and has just completed her schedule for senior year.  She actually has enough credits to graduate in December but I don't see the need for her to graduate early. 

We've had some work done in the backyard this year and can't wait for consistent warm weather to enjoy it (today is almost 90 but tomorrow's high is supposed to be mid-60's)!  We had a new retaining wall installed, a new fence, sod laid in the little space by the pool (seriously, I could cut our backyard grass with a pair of scissors it's so small), new mulch in all the flower beds, a few trees and plants in the new retaining wall area and the trees in the front yard were cut back. 

We don't really have any spring break plans this year but we are all looking forward to our upcoming cruise to celebrate our big birthdays and our special anniversary.  We've had a lot of fun researching our trip and planning our excursions.  Oh!  And of course, KJ is incredibly excited about her trip to Costa Rica this summer!  She got a GoPro for Christmas so she could document her adventures!

T and Pony Boy are having some adventures of their own.  They celebrated the new year in DC and they've gone hiking/camping/kayaking several times.  They are having so much fun in Birmingham and are constantly on the go.  She somehow won a Super Bowl party sponsored by a local radio station so they held it at Frat Boy's house.  All the drinks were handled, all the food, one of those huge inflatable screens was put up in the backyard, the station played a custom playlist on the radio for an hour before kick-off and some guy came and played the guitar!  And this week she won a sales contest at work and won an Apple Watch! 

i wish i drank coffee!!

So Cosmo has survived the great Texas floods of 2015 and our house is still standing. I thought for sure the pool would have over-flooded or one of the trees in the front of the house would have come crashing down but all is well. 

If I can get through the next couple of weeks it will be a flipping miracle. 
Coach flies in for one last weekend and KJ is having a big going-away party Saturday night.
The movers will be here to pack up on Tuesday and Wednesday and will load the truck on Thursday and we kept Friday open as an extra day if need be.  KJ's last official day of school is Monday, June 15. It's only a half day and all of her exams will have been complete by Friday, June 12 so the game plan is for us to be on the road on Sunday. I promised her we could stay the weekend so she could attend a friend's b'day party. 

Originally we were going to ship my car but because it would go on the car carrier with stops to pick up other cars on the way, there was the possibility I would be without a car for up to 3 weeks.  So, rather than try to get thru that last week car-less and fly to Dallas with the dog, KJ and I decided to take a little road trip and stop in B'ham for a few days to visit with friends. And then, the minute I arrive in Dallas, I have to drive to Vicksburg to check Miss Amory in with pageant officials because she's not 21 yet.  KJ and Coach will be in his fancy corporate apartment until the day competition starts. 

So, I'll be in Vicksburg for over a week and then drive back to Dallas on Sunday after the pageant crowning Saturday night.  We've scheduled the delivery of our household goods for Monday, June 29.  And then T-bone will arrive at the new house on Wednesday, July 1 just in time to celebrate her 21st b-day!!!  meanwhile, KJ will be somewhere out West with my parents.  we'll all be in Vicksburg together for the pageant but when it's over, my parents and KJ are going to road trip and hit San Antonio, the Grand Canyon, the Four Corners, etc and then bring her to Dallas. The day after she gets to Dallas she heads to SMU for volleyball camp for a few nights and then she'll start open gym at her new school. We've got an appointment with her guidance counselor to pick her schedule and the following week school starts. I mean, seriously!!!  Poor KJ!!  By the time she comes back from the pageant, her trip out West and volleyball camp, she will not have slept in her own bed for almost a month!!!

By the time we depart for our cruise in September, I will be exhausted and may just sleep my way through Europe!! 

Weekly Recap

Not much going on this past week. It was busy but nothing out of the ordinary. KJ had her usual vball practice and has a tournament in Northern Virginia tomorrow. I like the one-day tournaments; two-days are rough and that one we did at the Convention Center in DC over President's Weekend was mind-numbing.

Champ got to see one of his former BamaLax players this week at Georgetown. Justin plays at Furman for Coach Meade (Coach Meade was the coach from Navy who recruited Brye and is starting up the new Furman team).  Coincidentally, one of the boys from Damascus is playing with Justin on the Furman team and Champ said he was incredible.  Justin played well, just not enough (according to Champ).  In any event, I love the fact that even though we've moved on, these boys will always be a big part of Champ's life.  He will do anything for his boys and will always stay in touch with them.  And if one of them is playing within driving distance of wherever we are, Champ will be there to cheer them on.  I love when the boys text him to check-in, ask for advice, etc.  Once a Coach, always a Coach.  I know he misses the game and the kids but I always tell him he's definitely made an impact on these kid's lives (he does not miss the parent drama or the other crap that came with coaching, just the game.    He misses being on the field).  KJ is toying with the idea of picking up her stick again.  But she wants her daddy to coach.  Hmmmmmm......not sure how I feel about that.

Found out this week that Champ is flying T-bone home for an Easter surprise.  I was so happy to hear that!   I thought she would stay in MS or go to dinner with friend's but she's definitely coming to DC and I think she's bring a friend with her.  She's had a wonderful Spring Break and is heading back to Oxford today. She went with a really nice group of girls and there was zero to no drama.  She got to see some Hoover friends on the beach / Whale's Tail so she was happy.

Cosmo and KJ haven't seen T since Christmas.  If she doesn't come home for Easter, they won't see her again until May or July (she's got several commitments from now until the Miss Miss pageant and only has a week in May to possibly come home.  So as to maximize our time with her, we're in the beginning stages of planning a family vacay.  Just not sure where we want to go or what we want to do.  I think we may be taking a cruise out of Baltimore.  The only airfare we'd have would be getting T from MS to MD and we all just want to relax and spend time together.  KJ, of course, wants to go to Disney but I think we've talked her into the cruise.  We're probably going to go to the Bahamas and she's looking forward to being at Atlantis and doing the aquatics there -- big water slide, swim with the dolphins, etc.