June 1 - Last week I gave Byron Nelson tickets to several co-workers. Today I got to work and found a sweet thank you note on my desk along with a gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings. I have actually really been wanting to go to BWW, and we have a coupon at home for 6 free wings. How great is that? Hopefully we can eat there this weekend!
June 2 - Fourth exercise day in a row...hopefully we're getting back in the groove! After having delicious red beans and rice with smoked sausage for dinner, we got to watch the Mavs beat the Heat. It was a little too close for comfort, but a win is a win!
June 3 - Mavs day at work. I actually got to wear my Dirk jersey to work today!
June 4 - Productive day at the Jackson house. After a nice bike ride this morning, we both got our oil changed. Then Michael mowed the lawn, cleaned out the gutters, washed our yard tools, and fixed both of the toilets while I worked on thank you notes. It's nice not to have to worry about flushing the toilet, the yard looks great, and I got 32 thank you notes written! We also ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and used our coupon and gift certificate!
June 5 - Yummy fish fry at MaMa's house.
June 6 - Good couple time with Michael over dinner tonight. After a late run, it was good to finally sit down to dinner!
June 7 - Mavs win!!! We enjoyed a great dinner at Vapiano with great friends (Derians and Avances) and watched the first half of the game there before heading home for the second half. Matt and Elyse have been telling us about Vapiano here in Dallas for some time (they say it's very popular in D.C.), and it did not disappoint. After a wonderful dinner, we got delicious free desserts, and they have a bowl of gummy bears at the door when you leave. We will definitely be going there again!
June 8 - Good run with Michael. It seemed easier than it did on Monday.
June 9 - Mavs win Game 5!!!
June 10 - Chiropractor appointment followed by a wonderful massage! Does it get any better?
June 11 - Wonderful dinner at Courtney and John Ed's house. It was so fun to see them! Dinner was wonderful, their kids are precious, and their new house is great. Courtney also let us borrow her LOST DVD's. We were so excited to start that we had to watch the pilot at 11:30 after we got home!
June 12 - MAVS WIN!!!!!!! Congratulations to the NBA Champions!!!
June 13 - After working all day, stopping at the grocery store (for Melissa), running (for Micheal), and eating dinner, we managed to squeeze in four episodes of LOST. We finished the second disc!
June 14 - Happy birthday Dad!
June 15 - Great evening with Foundation Group.
June 16 - After having an all-day, off-site work meeting, I got home from work a little early, which was nice!
June 17 - Dinner at Mom and Dad's house with Aaron and the parents, followed by a family trip to Bahama Bucks!
June 18 - Happy birthday Mom!
June 19 - Happy Father's Day!
June 20 - After working hard to finish all the wedding thank you notes, I mailed 81 thank you notes today...only 2 more to go!
June 21 - Surprisingly cool weather when I left for work this morning was a nice surprise! (especially since our A/C decided to start giving us fits last night)
June 22 - I got cold in the living room tonight! Michael stayed home today to meet the A/C repairman. I am thankful that we had cold air blowing before we went to bed. While Michael was home today, he made a great pot of navy beans with fresh cilantro, jalapeño pepper, and Anaheim pepper all from his garden. It was delicious with some spicy Mexican cornbread! I also enjoyed some Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies tonight while watching television. I didn't buy any this year because I can't stay out of them, but I recently discovered a box in the freezer from last year. I was good. I didn't eat an entire sleeve of them by myself...instead, I pawned one off on Michael to go with his ice cream, so I wouldn't feel so guilty. :o)
June 23 - We got in five more episodes of LOST tonight!
June 24 - Date night at T.G.I.Friday's. I love coupons! With our coupon, we were able to indulge in an appetizer, two drinks, two entrées, and dessert AND still have a total bill of under $20! Not to mention, we both had about half of our main entrée left to bring home. Nice!
June 25 - I love having freshly painted toe nails! I got them done before we headed over to Brett's parents' house for a swim party with their wedding party. We had a fun afternoon/evening, and all the food was delicious!
June 26 - Great day! We slept in, got lots of productive yard work done, then had a relaxing afternoon. Then, we had a wonderful evening of worship before coming home to have dinner and watch a few episodes of LOST.
June 27 - After work, we got some productive things done at the house and were able to have good conversation during our weekly "couple time" as we cooked dinner together. It was a nice evening!
June 28 - Dinner with Chris and Alaina at FREEB!RDS, followed by a great evening of accountability with our Foundation Group.
June 29 - Productive day at work today! AND, we finished Season 3 of LOST...we are on a roll!
June 30 - First lesson of The Sticky Pages was great tonight! I'm excited for the next four weeks of this study.
June 30, 2011
June 28, 2011
The Gift that Keeps on Giving - June (Hot Sauce)
As one of his gifts for his 30th birthday last month, Michael received the “gift that keeps on giving the whole year!” We have been anxious to start getting shipments from the Variety Club, and the first shipment arrived today!
Michael was very unsure as to why the doorbell rang at 10:30 and why I was "hiding" with my camera!
This is the point at which Michael realized this was his monthly birthday shipment and not a package he was expecting from his mom.
Georgia Peach & Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce and Dixie Fire Habanero Pepper Sauce
First up - Dixie Fire Habanero Pepper Sauce
The point at which Michael realized this had a bit of a kick to it!
Michael was excited to try the Georgia Peach & Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce.
I was about 1/2 second too soon to catch his expression of pure happiness!
One down, eleven to go!
June – Hot Sauce ü
July – Ice Cream
August – Beer
September – Sirloin
October – Pizza
November – Peanut Butter & Jelly
December – Coffee
January – Jerky
February – Tea
March – Salsa
April – Lobster
May – BBQ Sauce
June 24, 2011
Discovery
Do you remember this video? I got a good laugh from it when I first saw it back in October. Since that time, we have started attending a different church and have joined a newly married small group there. Our group has a wonderful mentor couple, and they have five precious kids.
I revisited this video a few days ago when it was linked on Today's Letters blog. I watched it again because I thought it was so great when I first saw it. To my surprise, I found that I now recognized faces in this video! Three of our mentor couple's kids are featured in this video. Though they have grown some since this was filmed, it was easy to recognize them. Knowing some of their personalities made this short video even funnier to me!
It's funny how our "paths" crossed months before we even met. I love fun discoveries like this!
I revisited this video a few days ago when it was linked on Today's Letters blog. I watched it again because I thought it was so great when I first saw it. To my surprise, I found that I now recognized faces in this video! Three of our mentor couple's kids are featured in this video. Though they have grown some since this was filmed, it was easy to recognize them. Knowing some of their personalities made this short video even funnier to me!
It's funny how our "paths" crossed months before we even met. I love fun discoveries like this!
June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day!
I think Dad had a really good Father's Day today. He got to spend this morning driving a NASCAR race car out at the Texas Motor Speedway!
After church, we met up with him for a Father's Day lunch, and he was all smiles! We had fun seeing his pictures and hearing all about it. It sounds like he did well and really had fun out there.
Dad, I'm so glad that you got to have this awesome experience. You definitely deserve it!
We got to have lunch at Cristina's as a family in celebration of Father's Day. It was a great lunch!
The card that I got Dad talked about having lots of great childhood memories. It had pictures of Mickey Mouse (and "kids") doing all kinds of activities - camping, playing sports, fishing, etc. The inside said something to the effect of it being great that all the memories included him. It was the perfect card for him! Then at lunch, Mom asked me if I had gotten the email that Dad sent with a You Tube link. I hadn't checked my email yesterday, but when I got home, this was the video that he sent, with a sweet message that said he thought about me when he saw it. This video is the perfect illustration of the card's sentiments.
I love you Dad!
It's always hard on special days like this that Michael's parents live so far away. Mike, we hope that you had a wonderful Father's Day! I hope you have had a good weekend spending time with your family, and I hope you and Jack got to enjoy a great Father's Day together.
After church, we met up with him for a Father's Day lunch, and he was all smiles! We had fun seeing his pictures and hearing all about it. It sounds like he did well and really had fun out there.
Dad, I'm so glad that you got to have this awesome experience. You definitely deserve it!
We got to have lunch at Cristina's as a family in celebration of Father's Day. It was a great lunch!
The card that I got Dad talked about having lots of great childhood memories. It had pictures of Mickey Mouse (and "kids") doing all kinds of activities - camping, playing sports, fishing, etc. The inside said something to the effect of it being great that all the memories included him. It was the perfect card for him! Then at lunch, Mom asked me if I had gotten the email that Dad sent with a You Tube link. I hadn't checked my email yesterday, but when I got home, this was the video that he sent, with a sweet message that said he thought about me when he saw it. This video is the perfect illustration of the card's sentiments.
I love you Dad!
It's always hard on special days like this that Michael's parents live so far away. Mike, we hope that you had a wonderful Father's Day! I hope you have had a good weekend spending time with your family, and I hope you and Jack got to enjoy a great Father's Day together.
June 18, 2011
Happy Birthday Dad! Happy Birthday Mom!
My parents have birthdays within four days of each other, so most years we do a joint birthday celebration dinner. This year was no exception. Aaron was able to come in town to celebrate, and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Benihana!
After dinner, everyone came back to our house to open a few gifts and enjoy cake and ice cream. Dad got a new fishing shirt (always a good thing!) and a new watch.
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After dinner, everyone came back to our house to open a few gifts and enjoy cake and ice cream. Dad got a new fishing shirt (always a good thing!) and a new watch.
Mom had given Dad a birthday card on Tuesday for his actual birthday, but she saved his gifts for tonight. She was thrifty, and "recycled" the same birthday card from Tuesday. We all got a good laugh out of that!
Dad's favorite cake is German chocolate cake. Mom and I don't like coconut, but thankfully the base chocolate cake is Mom's favorite (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting). I was able to make one cake and ice each half with different icing so that they both got their favorite! (Please excuse the five-year-old handwriting on the cake. Apparently I need some practice!) My MIL gave me the white cake stand. Doesn't it look pretty with the chocolate cake on it?
Happy birthday Dad! Happy birthday Mom! I love you both very much, and we had a great time celebrating with you tonight!
June 15, 2011
Good Tunes and Grilled Food - The Beachfront Edition
Michael checking in...
Another night of fellowship means another chance for me to light up some coals and find the perfect playlist. This time, I was jonesing for some seafood, cooked up Caribbean style. Naturally, that led me to some chicken breasts (for the land lovers) and shrimp tossed in some Caribbean jerk seasoning, set over some hot coals, with Mr. Beachfront himself, Jimmy Buffett, singing tunes about boats and seaplanes and oceans and pirates and all things seaside.
Look folks...I like a lot of things, and a lot of places. But I really, really, really like the ocean. Think about it. When you stand at the edge of the tide and look out, you are looking into a world of adventure. You can set out on the trade winds and see where you end up. And below that salty surface is a world of unknown, leagues and leagues of creatures and life that can only be dreamed of. (Note to self: play lottery, win lottery, look into marine biology degree.)
But I digress...this night was for fellowship with our Foundation Group, with a Caribbean theme. As mentioned, we went with Caribbean jerk chicken and shrimp, a salad (courtesy of the Derians), some saphron rice, key lime pie (courtesy of the Pangburns), and some drinks provided by the Avances. It was all delicious.....
As always, I will consider any night grilling and listening to music a success. Many thanks to Foundation Group for coming over for a good night of fellowship and (unplanned) political discourse. Many thanks to Melissa for liking my cooking. Many thanks to the ocean for supplying those little cholesterol packed nuggets called shrimp. And many thanks to Mr. Margaritaville for writing tunes, daring to dream, and figuring out that Key West was going to lead him to better songs than Nashville or Austin.
BONUS: The top five Jimmy Buffett songlines (i.e. from a song by him but not necessarily written by him) that find a prominent place in my general approach to life (in no particular order)...
Another night of fellowship means another chance for me to light up some coals and find the perfect playlist. This time, I was jonesing for some seafood, cooked up Caribbean style. Naturally, that led me to some chicken breasts (for the land lovers) and shrimp tossed in some Caribbean jerk seasoning, set over some hot coals, with Mr. Beachfront himself, Jimmy Buffett, singing tunes about boats and seaplanes and oceans and pirates and all things seaside.
Look folks...I like a lot of things, and a lot of places. But I really, really, really like the ocean. Think about it. When you stand at the edge of the tide and look out, you are looking into a world of adventure. You can set out on the trade winds and see where you end up. And below that salty surface is a world of unknown, leagues and leagues of creatures and life that can only be dreamed of. (Note to self: play lottery, win lottery, look into marine biology degree.)
But I digress...this night was for fellowship with our Foundation Group, with a Caribbean theme. As mentioned, we went with Caribbean jerk chicken and shrimp, a salad (courtesy of the Derians), some saphron rice, key lime pie (courtesy of the Pangburns), and some drinks provided by the Avances. It was all delicious.....
As always, I will consider any night grilling and listening to music a success. Many thanks to Foundation Group for coming over for a good night of fellowship and (unplanned) political discourse. Many thanks to Melissa for liking my cooking. Many thanks to the ocean for supplying those little cholesterol packed nuggets called shrimp. And many thanks to Mr. Margaritaville for writing tunes, daring to dream, and figuring out that Key West was going to lead him to better songs than Nashville or Austin.
BONUS: The top five Jimmy Buffett songlines (i.e. from a song by him but not necessarily written by him) that find a prominent place in my general approach to life (in no particular order)...
- "Going where the weather suits my clothes..." (from "Everybody's Talkin'")
- "Tonight I just need my guitar..." (from "Tonight I Just Need My Guitar")
- "I like the smell of fresh snapper fried light..." (from "Landfall")
- "If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane..." (from "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes")
- "Someday I will." (from "Someday I Will")
June 12, 2011
THE TIME IS NOW
Since Thursday night's win, we have been excited and looking forward to Game 6 tonight. It felt like it would never get here! However, it was finally time to go.
The game started at 7:00, and the doors to the arena opened at 5:30. We had gotten tickets with several friends and had planned to meet to get in line at 5:00. I figured there would be some people in line earlier than that, but we thought that would be a good plan. At 4:30, as Brett and Kristen were getting into our car, Tyler called. He and Ashley had just arrived, and they said that the line was already wrapping around the arena. Boo!
We got there as fast as we could, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that Tyler and Ashley were in line only about 30 feet from the doors that we wanted to go in! Apparently they had first walked up on the north side, which was in the shade, and found the really long line. However, when they walked around to the other side, which was in the sun, not many people were in line yet. I guess people didn't mind spending the time in line. They just didn't want to do it in the hot sun! I can't blame them, but I'm very thankful that was the case.
The guys were nice enough to stand in line in the sun and let the girls wait in the shade just across the way. (Michael was very excited to be standing in line!)
As soon as the doors opened, we headed in to make a beeline for the coveted seats on the third level. However, Michael ran to look inside and realized that they had lowered the screen. We quickly abandoned our previous plan and got great seats on the second level...perfect for watching the game!
When we first sat down, they were reshowing the end of Game 5. It was fun to rewatch it. There was a buzz of excitement all throughout the arena. After a great stadium-food dinner, it was finally time for Game 6 to start!!!
As they announced the Mavs starting line-up, the Mavs ManiAACs were sitting on the bench and acting out the players' roles, running as "their" name was announced and high-fiving the rest of the "team." Greatness!
When the game got started, the crowd was amazing! I am so glad that we decided to go and watch it with 18,000 fans. It was so much fun! It was great to see everyone on the edge of their seats as Brian Cardinal set up for a three, and then for everyone to jump to their feet as it went in.
Half time group pictures - I took the first one, and then the guy next to us offered to take one with me in it. Apparently he was confused about who our group was. Nice effort Ben!
At one point, Michael said that he felt silly jumping up and yelling and cheering in the arena when we were just watching the game on TV. I told him that I didn't understand why that would matter since he does that at home when it's just the two of us!
The start of the 4th quarter...only 12 minutes to go!
With seconds left on the clock, a "Beat the Heat" chant started during a time out. All the music was shut off, and we got a nice graphic to go with the chant. It was a great feeling!!!
Michael is about ready to explode waiting for the final seconds to pass.
Throughout the game, Michael became buddies with the guys next to him, so it was only fitting to get a picture of them hugging as the victory streamers and confetti rained down!
The best part about this is that when I was showing this picture to Michael and Brett afterwards, Brett laughed and shared that Michael had specifically said he wanted to sit next to Brett so that he didn't end up hugging some random stranger. Oh well, I guess by the time the game was over, he wasn't a random stranger any more!
We had fun celebrating the win and soaking it all in.
Go Mavs! We are so excited and so proud of you!
Within seconds of the final buzzer, before they could even get to the trophy presentation, they had all the merchandise on sale.
Trophy Presentation....so exciting!
"My owner is now available for interviews!"
It was great to see Dirk named the MVP of the finals. Way to go Dirk!
A while after the game, Michael still couldn't "wrap his mind around what just happened!"
All in all, it was a very fun experience, and I'm glad that we got to share it with a group of great friends.
Once we got home, Michael was still on a major high. He decided that he just wasn't ready to take his jersey off, so he got one night to sleep in it to celebrate. :o)
The game started at 7:00, and the doors to the arena opened at 5:30. We had gotten tickets with several friends and had planned to meet to get in line at 5:00. I figured there would be some people in line earlier than that, but we thought that would be a good plan. At 4:30, as Brett and Kristen were getting into our car, Tyler called. He and Ashley had just arrived, and they said that the line was already wrapping around the arena. Boo!
We got there as fast as we could, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that Tyler and Ashley were in line only about 30 feet from the doors that we wanted to go in! Apparently they had first walked up on the north side, which was in the shade, and found the really long line. However, when they walked around to the other side, which was in the sun, not many people were in line yet. I guess people didn't mind spending the time in line. They just didn't want to do it in the hot sun! I can't blame them, but I'm very thankful that was the case.
The guys were nice enough to stand in line in the sun and let the girls wait in the shade just across the way. (Michael was very excited to be standing in line!)
As soon as the doors opened, we headed in to make a beeline for the coveted seats on the third level. However, Michael ran to look inside and realized that they had lowered the screen. We quickly abandoned our previous plan and got great seats on the second level...perfect for watching the game!
When we first sat down, they were reshowing the end of Game 5. It was fun to rewatch it. There was a buzz of excitement all throughout the arena. After a great stadium-food dinner, it was finally time for Game 6 to start!!!
As they announced the Mavs starting line-up, the Mavs ManiAACs were sitting on the bench and acting out the players' roles, running as "their" name was announced and high-fiving the rest of the "team." Greatness!
When the game got started, the crowd was amazing! I am so glad that we decided to go and watch it with 18,000 fans. It was so much fun! It was great to see everyone on the edge of their seats as Brian Cardinal set up for a three, and then for everyone to jump to their feet as it went in.
Half time group pictures - I took the first one, and then the guy next to us offered to take one with me in it. Apparently he was confused about who our group was. Nice effort Ben!
At one point, Michael said that he felt silly jumping up and yelling and cheering in the arena when we were just watching the game on TV. I told him that I didn't understand why that would matter since he does that at home when it's just the two of us!
The start of the 4th quarter...only 12 minutes to go!
With seconds left on the clock, a "Beat the Heat" chant started during a time out. All the music was shut off, and we got a nice graphic to go with the chant. It was a great feeling!!!
Michael is about ready to explode waiting for the final seconds to pass.
Throughout the game, Michael became buddies with the guys next to him, so it was only fitting to get a picture of them hugging as the victory streamers and confetti rained down!
The best part about this is that when I was showing this picture to Michael and Brett afterwards, Brett laughed and shared that Michael had specifically said he wanted to sit next to Brett so that he didn't end up hugging some random stranger. Oh well, I guess by the time the game was over, he wasn't a random stranger any more!
We had fun celebrating the win and soaking it all in.
Go Mavs! We are so excited and so proud of you!
Within seconds of the final buzzer, before they could even get to the trophy presentation, they had all the merchandise on sale.
Trophy Presentation....so exciting!
"My owner is now available for interviews!"
It was great to see Dirk named the MVP of the finals. Way to go Dirk!
A while after the game, Michael still couldn't "wrap his mind around what just happened!"
All in all, it was a very fun experience, and I'm glad that we got to share it with a group of great friends.
Once we got home, Michael was still on a major high. He decided that he just wasn't ready to take his jersey off, so he got one night to sleep in it to celebrate. :o)
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