Spring Break 2017

Had a really nice couple of weekends in the Casa de Cos.  This past weekend was the first weekend in a couple that Coach was home.  His last couple of weekends had been with lax trips and one of the weekends KJ accompanied him to Arkansas (each time she visits she loves it more and more but on the drive home she told Coach, "you know I'm going to go to Ole Miss, don't you dad???). 

The weekend they were both gone was rainy and dreary but I had scheduled a facial and a massage on Sunday so I was pretty content.  I had my books and my comfy blanket all weekend and when I came home from the spa treatments I was a very relaxed puddle.  Although I take incredible care of my skin, I hadn't had a facial since I worked at Ross Bridge!  This weekend is a mani and pedi.  I've been doing just a regular pedi but KJ got me hooked on those gel mani's.  They last SOOO long! 

This most recent weekend was great, too!  Cosmo had been in meetings all week in Dallas and one of his vendor's paid for the hotel through the weekend so I met him at the Anatole Friday night
http://www.hiltonanatolehotel.com/ and we had one of the most incredible dining experiences I've ever had at Nick and Sam's http://www.nick-sams.com/  Apparently it is THE place to be seen and it did not disappoint.  Cosmo swears Donald Trump Jr. was there.  I personally did not see him but there were some type of bodyguards / Secret Service wandering around the whole night (earpieces and everything).  I found out yesterday morning that Junior was indeed in Dallas over the weekend so Cosmo may have been right.  The caviar was incredible, my filet was perfection, service was outstanding and the drinks were flowing.  It was a super fun night!

Saturday we got planted some flowers and did some yard work.  Before Christmas we had our railroad tie retaining wall removed and the 6ft fence taken down.  We had a new brick wall put up and an 8ft. fence installed.  The landscapers also laid sod around the pool and planted some trees and flowers in the new retaining wall area and put down mulch.  We just added some more flowers and puttered around the yard.  My roses are already blooming nicely and several plants from last year are starting to come in so everything will look great in a week or two.  I can't wait to put out my patio cushions and relax outside with a Moscow Mule in hand! 

Sunday we had a new cleaning lady come out and deep clean from top to bottom.  She was GREAT and we will definitely be getting on her regular schedule.  I actually enjoying doing laundry and having fresh linens on the bed so I never expect a cleaning lady to do that.  That just seems so personal.  She kept saying, "I shouldn't be saying this but your house is so clean and organized!  Why am I here???" 

Haven't seen daughter #1 since Christmas and I'm not sure exactly when we'll see her again.  She and Johnny Frat Boy are going to Chicago this weekend to spend St. Patrick's Day with friends and her sorority little doesn't go home to VA for Easter so they are having a girls weekend in Savannah.  I don't think we'll have any special plans as it's just the 3 of us for Easter.  The past two years we've done the Easter Brunch at the Westin http://www.thewestingalleriadallas.com/north-dallas-restaurants and I'd be happy if that became our "go-to" Easter tradition!

Tomorrow we'll have some celebrities in the house and when they make it really big, we can say "The Burning Peppermints slept here!" kind of like George Washington!  The band is on their way to South by Southwest in Austin and crashing on our couch on there way to/from Birmingham. 
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2017/events/MS40087  South by Southwest is a HUGE deal and the guys are going to do incredible!  So proud of Jake!  He is INCREDIBLY talented and I expect nothing but greatness! 

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!!!