2015

I'm kind of terrible at blogging regularly, so I thought I would at least give y'all a year in review.

As we bid farewell to 2015 I wanted to take a moment and reflect.  This year was full events, both good and bad.

January: I started my new position at work.  I crafted like a crazy person, prepping for the wedding.  I saw my completed dress wedding dress for the first time.

February: My long time best friend Zaida and daughter Haley came to visit. We played around Dallas with them visiting all of my favorite places.

March: Cody and I attended a "Lights" concert, at the Grenada Theatre. Where we stumbled upon new musicians, XAmbassdors, that we love. We got some snow and I made a snowman.

April: It rained A LOT. Leah came to visit over Easter. Dinosaurs invaded the Dallas Zoo. 1 month until the big day!

May: Final preparations for the wedding.  Cody tried to drive through the night in a thunderstorm on our way to Utah.  We slept in the car at a rest stop somewhere in New Mexico.  We arrived in Utah unharmed.  We spent time preparing for everything wedding related. Cody and I saw our venue for the first time. Leah and Aline threw me an amazing bridal tea party. The rain finally stopped!! The Myers' threw us an amazing rehearsal dinner at our favorite pizzeria, with my favorite cupcakes. I walked down the  "aisle" with my dad.  Rod married Cody and I in front of our closest family and friends.

June: We made our trip back to Texas.  It finally stopped raining here. Unpacked and enjoyed the bliss that comes from being newlyweds. I spent every weekend by the pool.

July: We celebrated Independence day poolside and then later at the horse races.  I was treated to a massage, a mani, pedi and a Rangers game on my birthday. Legally changed my last name and got a Texas drivers license.

August: We found out we're pregnant then shortly after we find out it's ectopic.  I endure emergency surgery and an over night stay in the hospital. I also start the recovery process that comes with all of that.

September: The road to recovery continues. Leah comes to entertain me. We watch the O.C. and she teaches me how to cross stitch. We both get ridiculously hooked on watching Total Divas.  We celebrated Cody's birthday. I go back to work with restrictions from the doctor.

October:  All restrictions are lifted from surgery. Cory visits Texas for the very first time, oh and he brings Leah too.  We celebrate by going to six flags 2 days in a row.  Which included riding fantastically scary roller coasters.  Cody rode the Titan which is the 7th tallest rollercoaster in the world.

November: Cory and Leah return for round 2 of Texas.  Cory experiences real "Tex Mex" for the first time. We spend the day at the Dallas zoo and end it eating some of the best BBQ in the state.  The next day we introduce them to the holy grail of Texas food which we call "Babe's Chicken".  We bid them farewell for now.  We celebrate Thanksgiving with a full house at Cody's parents.

December: Cody and I see Star Wars the Force Awakens multiple times.We go to the George W. Bush Museum with the family.  We attend Christmas Eve service, head back to the house for good food and family fun. A "life-size" Jenga piece propels from BJ's hands into the 55" television.  (Too soon Dad Myers?)  The night is saved by Dana and a walk around the block, looking at Christmas lights.  Cody and I opened our presents to each other. We wake up, and spend Christmas with the Myers. I was also able to Skype with my family back home in Utah.

All in all, the good definitely outweighed the bad.  I don't want to ever endure 2015 again, but I'm grateful for all of the experiences.  I grew so much this year and conquered trials I didn't know I was capable of conquering.  I have so much more gratitude for modern medicine and all that entails.  I'm especially thankful for my husband.  You truly discover the type of person someone is when they have to go through something traumatic and completely out of their control. Cody never left my side and made sure I was taken care of every single day.

2015 this one's to you.

Cheers to 2016!!

The Pre-Christmas Outing

This is our third "Texas Christmas", and it seems every year we try doing an outing with the whole family somewhere before Christmas.  Sometimes we don't see each other for months at a time, so it's fun to get together and do something before the formalities of Christmas actually set it.  This year our outing was "The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum".  (A flipping long name I know)  Essentially it's all the events that happened during George W. Bush's presidency and it's Christmas time so it had a special Christmas exhibit as well.

I loved seeing the behind the scenes of the presidency that isn't always revealed.  My absolute favorite exhibit was the 9/11 exhibit.  We were in the room next to it and could hear the video,  I instantly got chills.  We turned the corner and in the center of the room is a melted steel beam.  You get to watch the news reports one by one.  On the wall is all the names of the victims.  Seeing that and watching the videos brought on a whole new meaning.  If you're in the Dallas area I highly recommend you stopping by. (Even if you didn't love President Bush)
My second favorite exhibit is an exact replica of the oval office. The worker told us that mere inches separate it from the real thing.  I loved walking around imagining all the important decisions that had taken place there. (the real thing obviously)  You could sit behind the presidents desk and take a photo.  We took a family photo with Rod in the presidential chair and us surrounding him.

Afterwards we went to Bubbas for dinner. A true Texas restaurant, chicken fried steak, potatoes, baked beans, and rolls.  We ate to our heart's content.  We drove around looking for Christmas lights and ended up at Sprinkles Cupcakes.

All in all it was the perfect pre-Christmas outing.