Beach weekend with the Hoods

My sister & her family came to the island for a beach weekend at the end of May. Good times were enjoyed by all! Little Logan made his beach debut, ate some healthy fists-full of sand, & enjoyed sitting in the water. All the while, big brother Ben finally got over his fear of waves & discovered how much fun they actually are!

Flexing it up for the camera...

He's a strong one, ladies.

This is how Logan rolls.

Cutest lawn ornament ever!

Inspired by the rain: Bike + Umbrella

Sure, I could have opted for a much drier form of transportation today. But instead of being defeated by the rain, I was inspired. Heading out to the Strand for some errands and an eye appointment, I had all I really needed (or wanted): Bike + Umbrella. Satisfied & happy with my rainy day endeavors, & only enduring a few odd looks from 4-wheeled travelers along the way-- I'd say it's been a good day here on the island. In the future I'll be real careful not to become this guy:

Ouch.

Time to get "lei'ed"!

Plumeria is the latest thing blooming in our yard & all over the island. The smell of these beautiful bouquets of flowers are so intensely intoxicating, especially in the evenings. They're used to make leis in Hawaii & other Pacific islands, and come in several different colors. They grow effortlessly here on the island-- which is a wonderful thing! Paul & I were given several cuttings from a local friend, stuck them in pots, & the result has been deliciously gratifying.

Happiness is....

...a great vacation! From camping in Tyler State Park, to cabins on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas, to Ft. Worth-- we had a great time with friends & celebrating our anniversary. Here are some highlights of why we had so much fun...

1. This guy:

in all of his glory, crazy as can be-- Paul always makes me laugh. Here he's ready to conquer the great outdoors.

2. A good bargain in Tyler meant no more wet camp tables after the rain.

3. Getting sandwiched by the boys

4. Hot tub happy hours

5. Pedicures & Sunshine beer

6. Picnic-ing on the lawn of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

7. Celebrating our 5th anniversary of wedded bliss! Time goes by so fast!! After the Kimbell we headed over to Etta's Place, the B&B in downtown FW that we stayed at our 1st night 5 yrs ago.

8. A good cocktail to go with a great meal made by Paul on Mother's Day.

Vacation therapy

After surviving 5 brutal days in a row at work, it's finally time for some vacation! No more babies falling out in triage, running to the OR multiple times in an hour, or pregnant Swine flu hysteria. I'm finished with all of that.... at least for 11 glorious days. Paul & I are headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas with our best friends--

Casey & Krista.

The boys will be mountain biking.....
....while Krista & I enjoy a little spa rejuvenation.


It should be a therapeutic vacation for all!

Birthday weiner

Our little weiner is 5 years old today! --and still remains a constant source of good times & cheap entertainment for us! Stretch is the best little lap-snuggler, chair-stealer, trail-running, beer-loving little weiner dog you could ever hope for! He celebrated his b-day with his dad today since I had to work, then enjoyed a family happy hour-- complete with beer-dipped chewie & a thorough beer bottle licking. Happy Birthday, Stretcher!

Good times in April!

April has been a great month so far! We started off the month celebrating Randy's 30th birthday-bash-weekend at Falcon Point Lodge in Seadrift. It was a fabulous weekend of family bonding/drinking/lounging/fishing/drinking/lounging....you get the picture. Lots of fun! This last weekend I had a blast at my "11 year" high school class reunion in Austin.... (we just couldn't get our act together to actually have a 10 year reunion;) Paul couldn't make it to the festivities so I loaded Stretch up and we headed towards Austin, where we finally floated into Oma's house much later than anticipated (thanks to the monsoon that blew through on Friday). It was great seeing all of my old friends and catching up with everyone!

Happy hour in the hot tub at Falcon Point

Ben loving his Aunt Kara

Chillin' with little Logan

Dad & Paul with their impressively big Reds.

Randy's even more impressive catch: a 28 inch Red on Ben's 30 inch Zebco fishing pole!


Paul & I sporting a new kind of tandem....without wheels.

And here's some of my high school peeps that I loved getting to see again (& then realized just how much I missed them!)
Eric, Aaron, me, Christina, & Derrick
The last time we were all together was our unforgetable Cape Cod vacation the summer of '98!