October was rather uneventful, aside from Halloween and the eagerness of cooler weather. We made it to a UT game, only to see the Horns lose to Baylor (can we say soul crushing?). We took a field trip with Z's class to a berry farm, celebrated my sister's birthday, and we made our first family trip to Wurstfest in New Braunfels. Overall, it was a fun, lazy month spent with good friends and family.
Z's pumpkin this year.
Aaron's traditional Longhorn pumpkin.
My pitiful, freehand moon & stars.
Our superhero.
Our first time making homemade caramel apples. (heaven!)
Toni's 40th birthday!
Wurstfest!
Mmmmmm.
More mmmmmm.
True.
The day after.
Sigh.
Auntie and nephew.
Two of the cutest Longhorns I know.
We were losing the will to live at this point. Such a horrible game.
Field trip!
Shuckin' some corn.
Corn maze.
November brought the end of soccer, lots of birthdays, and of course, Thanksgiving. We all know how much I look forward to the Thanksgiving meal every year, and this year did not disappoint. We also had a visit from Andrea, John, and precious Zane, which was fun (like always), but wasn't nearly long enough. We miss you three!
Mmmm, cupcakes. End of soccer season (and football) party.
Z with most of his team.
John & Zane.
Cute x 2.
He is absolutely hilarious.
Weather change!
Finally, could hang out at the park with sizzling.
When did he get this big?
Dad's birthday!
Amber's birthday!
Aaron's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, which we celebrated at my parents' house. Aaaaand, I forgot my camera. (sad face) Trust me when I say, though, it was delicious and picture-worthy! Shame on me!
December was finally *cold*, which was one of the only things I wanted for my birthday. We took a trip back out to Inks Lake one Sunday for a picnic, because it had just been entirely too long since we had been there. Two of the best babies in the world turned one, and my beautiful friend Elyssa married the man of her dreams - all on the same day. And of course, we thoroughly enjoyed Christmas, and all that comes with it, but unfortunately Z got hit with a sinus infection from hell. He had a typical cold before Christmas, then got to feeling better for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, then fell ill the day after Christmas. He didn't get back to 100% until January 5, so he even had to miss the first day back to school. Poor kid spent almost his entire Christmas break either going to the doctor, enduring a fever, throwing up, or all of the above. Hopefully, the sicky monster will leave us alone this coming Christmas!
My co-workers obliterated my office for my birthday. I love them.
This was, by far, the best decoration of all.
They also gave me oodles of yummy food. Did I mention I love them?
Birthday lunch!
My beautiful gift from my parents!
The cake Z and Aaron made. Can you guess how old I am?
Beautiful flowers from my beautiful man.
My favorite twins also had a birthday!
First cupcake ever!
Sweet Hayden.
Ashley's gorgeous little outfit!
Some of my most favorite people in the entire world.
The fabulous new couple.
True love.
Adorable decoration.
Indeed, it is.
I love her!
Inks Lake. So peaceful here.
Relaxed.
Relaxed, Jr.
Our tree this year.
A favorite, random Christmas decoration while out looking at lights.
January brought back-to-school, my Mom's birthday & my dog's birthday, strep throat for me (which made me miss my Mom's birthday - booo!), something viral for Aaron, and a string of sadness after sadness. I found out this month that our 14-year old pooch most likely has cancer and is nearing the end of his time here with us.
I also watched one friend lose her mother to psuedomonas and another friend lose her friend to cancer. There was sickness all around, and a very heavy feeling that came with January. My friends started watching their loved ones slip away within one day of each other, and the process took close to a week for each. During that week is when I also found out about my dog. Needless to say, I spent a lot of last month praying, crying, and reevaluating life.
I want to write a minute about my friend's friend who passed on. I know I have blogged about her before, when I did some past Komen Race For the Cures. I was on her team, Michelle's Angels, and though I was not close to Michelle, her life and her legacy profoundly affected me. I think it hit close to home because she was 38, married, had one son, was extremely close to her parents and her sister, and had unshakeable faith. The similarities between us were hard to ignore, because I'm 36, am married with one son, and I'm extremely close to my parents and my sister. I like to believe I have good faith, but I can't be certain I would have the kind of faith Michelle had until the very end. Despite everything she went through the last 5 1/2 years, she was determined to help other people with breast cancer, raise awareness, and make sure her cancer was not wasted. Her spirit and grace were something to be admired, and when she was finally called Home, I was devastated. I couldn't imagine having to look at my son, my husband, my parents, my sister, and my friends and say goodbye. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes, and having to muster up that kind of courage. She made me realize the things I take for granted each day, and inspired me to do better. Life is not fair, especially when it is taken away from someone so young, so full of life, who just wanted to be here to enjoy her little boy, like any Mom. It's hard to find any sense or reason in why anyone would have to face something so hard, but Michelle tried to put purpose to her journey, every step of the way, and for that I will always admire her. Here on Earth or there in Heaven, you will always be my hero, Michelle. Thank you for being so open & honest with your journey, and teaching the rest of us lessons by just being yourself. I will never forget you.
Thankfully, January is behind us, and I am feeling a little lighter each day. Our dog is still hanging on, though slowing down more each day, and the weather is warming up a little. You can tell Spring is right around the corner, and I couldn't be more ready for the feeling of a fresh start. If nothing else, I'm ready for Z to stop getting sick! He was knocked down again with something for two days this week, and about half of his school is getting hammered with some version of vomiting and/or fever. Thankfully, puke passed us over this time - a first! We have lots of things to look forward to over the coming months (soccer starting back up, Zach receiving his first Holy Sacraments, spring break camping trip, etc) but the most exciting of all? THE CRUISE! Yes, the ticker above is correct, thank God, and we only have 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days left to go! This is our boat, and we cannot get on it fast enough:
Just as Michelle said she wanted everyone to do, we're going to "eat life with a big spoon" and enjoy every moment of this vacation! Life is good, life is sweet, and I'm so glad I'm still here to live it.
Hope I haven't bored anyone too much! Next entry should be much shorter, so don't be afraid or scarred. Until next time ... love, peace, and chicken grease. Hugs to everyone!