dagnabit!

Can't believe its been a month since I've blogged .... feels like just yesterday!  Soooo much has happened the last couple of weeks!

First and foremost in our minds, our hearts and our prayers is one of Coach's former lax players. Just days after the 10th anniversary game where he came by the fields to say hi to Coach (he couldn't play in the alumni game that evening because he was attending an engagement party), we found out that Coop had been in a horrific single-car accident.  His vehicle caught on fire and was helped from his car by bystanders driving by.  Since the accident, Coop has been airlifted to a burn center in Augusta, GA and has had to endure many surgeries and procedures. His mom was T's 3rd grade teacher and we absolutely adore his dad. Christian is one of those special players that Coach misses greatly .... he was in that first group of boys who played all four years of high school.  Christian was one of the first players that Coach graduated.  Please pray for Christian and his wonderful family. 

After our weekend in Hoover, Coach and I enjoyed a kid-free weekend in Austin, TX. Yup, we left KJ home alone for the first time and yes, the house was still standing when we got back!  We stayed at the Renaissance off of Congress and spent Friday and Saturday exploring.  Friday afternoon was just gorgeous and we rested at the hotel's patio with some margaritas.  Friday night we had a wonderful Italian dinner right near the hotel and then walked over to 6th to hear a band that a friend recommended.  Still so much more I want to do and see but am proud to say I ate at my very first food truck!!

The following Friday KJ and I flew to Ft. Myers for Spring break.  We arrived late Friday night but were ready for the beach bright and early Saturday morning.  We took out one of the pontoon boats and went down to a side of Lover's Key, anchored, shelled for a bit and had lunch.  When we got back to the marina we hit Bonita Bill's for happy hour and had so much fun!  Sunday we had breakfast at a cute little café and drove to Sanibel and Captive.  We had a late lunch at the Green Flash, got dessert to go from the Bubble Room and watched the sunset sitting on the beach at Captiva.  Monday we went shopping and Tuesday we met up with my sister-in-law and niece for the afternoon.  Wednesday we played mini golf in the evening and Thursday we went to the other side of Lover's Key and rented paddleboards. We had the most amazing time and saw tons of manatees. They look like huge brown rocks in the water but once they get moving, watch out!  At one point, a mama and her calf were right under my board!  It was kind of scary! 

We flew home Friday afternoon and spent the weekend planting and doing yardwork with Cosmo.  KJ had a game Tuesday night and scored 4 goals. She's playing so well!  Saturday TCU beat the pants off of Baylor and we celebrated with our traditional post game burgers at Dutch's and on the way home we did some shopping in Grapevine.  Sunday we had incredible filets on the grill and ran some errands.

Meanwhile, T and Pony Boy spent their spring break on the slopes in Breckenridge.  We have the most amazing friends who took wonderful care of those two (and the dog!) and they enjoyed the snow and being out West!

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.