Tuesday, October 27, 2015

{Road Trippin'}

 
I look forward to our annual football road trip all.year.long.  These ladies are the best to travel with...we have so much fun & I laugh for 4 days straight.  It was just what I needed after all the craziness this year has brought.

Our away game schedule wasn't the best this year, so we decided to head back to Ole Miss.  It was actually the first SEC school we visited back in 2012, but unfortunately Lynn didn't get to go with us that year& it rained the entire weekend so we didn't get to experience everything like we had hoped.  
{we tried to pack lighter this time. ha! that didn't work out so well.}
We left a little after lunch on Thursday & headed to Shreveport.  Driving 10+ hours all in one day is way too much...we are all getting too old for that. =)  So now we divide up the travel into 2 days. We arrived at the Horseshoe around 6:00 & had supper at THE BEST Asian restaurant...Four Winds.  It's in the hotel & if you are ever there - I highly recommend you go {the lettuce wraps are to die for}.  We had enough food to feed a small country, but it was oh so good!  
 
 
Unfortunately I don't have any extra money to lose gambling so after my $10 was gone, I just watched them for a while & then we headed to a little bar in the hotel to watch a local band play & people watch {which was the most fun}.  We were in bed relatively early & on our way to Memphis by 10am the next morning.
Somehow, all 5 of us missed that the largest hurricane ever to form in the western hemisphere was brewing off the coast of Mexico.  Well of course it was...we were going on a road trip & it rains every.single.time.  It made landfall Friday night & that combined with several weather systems colliding resulted in rain starting Friday morning.  It rained the entire way from Shreveport to Memphis, but thankfully stopped early that evening.  
{lunch break picnic at a car wash...hey!  it was raining so we thought this was a pretty genius idea.}
   
  

After checking in & a few drinks at the hotel bar {and one to-go}, we headed down to Beale Street.  If you have never been, it's like a {very} mini version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  There are restaurants & bars with live music along the street.  The local A&M club was hosting a happy hour at Silky O'Sullivans so that's where we went for the evening.
 
 
When we first got to the bar, there was a lady {or a man dressed as a woman...we weren't sure} singing & then later on that night it was dueling pianos.  We lucked out & got a table right by the stage so we sat there for over 4 hours & enjoyed the music, supper, & lots of drinks {including maroon beer!}.
A little before midnight, everyone headed across the street for Midnight Yell.  The wind had really picked up at that point & it was starting to drizzle.  Thankfully Midnight Yell only lasted about 15 minutes & then we headed back to our hotel.
We got up Saturday morning, packed, had breakfast at the hotel & then headed to Oxford around 10am.  Of course it was raining once again.  Thankfully by the time we reached Oxford it had stopped & it actually turned out to be a really nice day.  We parked near downtown & spent the next few hours shopping & having lunch at a pizza/sports bar while watching football.

I LOVE the town of Oxford.  The houses near campus are beautiful.  I could spend all day walking the streets just looking at them...brick, wrought iron, gas lanterns...LOVE!!!
A few hours before the game, we headed to campus to check out The Grove.  Ole Miss is known for their tailgating in The Grove.  Unfortunately because of the rain, we didn't get to experience much of it last time, but it was in full force on Saturday.  And it was C-R-A-Z-Y!  It is definitely something everyone should do at least once if given the chance.  It was a little too much for us, but the people were so welcoming & friendly.  Multiple people stopped us to ask us if we needed anything or if they could help us find something {I guess maybe we looked a little overwhelmed?!}.  They told us how gracious our fans were last year when they came to College Station & said they were so glad A&M joined the SEC.
The game was at 6:00 & by about 6:30, we knew it was going to be a VERY long night.  It was terrible.  Horrible.  Humiliating.  The only positive thing I can say about it is that it never rained.  We ended up losing 23-3.  Yes, all we were able to do was score one lousy field goal.  Thankfully our defense played well because the score probably should have been 59-3!  But, we stuck it out til the end & then drove the 3 hours back to Jackson that night.
We arrived in Jackson around 2am & set the alarm for 5:45am.  We had to get Gail to the airport by 7am, but it worked out for the best because we got an early start home.  Of course it was raining & it rained the entire 8 hour drive back to Brenham.  

As soon as we got home, I headed out to get Nola from where I was boarding her.  Four days was apparently too long for her because she was not herself when I picked her up.  She didn't feel good & it took until Monday night for her to get back to her old self.  It made this doggy mommy sad to see her like that. =( 
{I brought her a treat back...she's spoiled- what can I say!}
Other than the game, we had a FABULOUS time!!  The first 2 road trips we went on resulted in a win...the last 3 we have lost.  So, we were told my more than one Aggie fan NOT to go on another road trip next year...as we might be the problem.  Ha!  Already in the works?  2016 road trip to Auburn!! =)  





Monday, October 19, 2015

{Football, Showers & Get Well Wishes}

Y'all - there are only 66 days until Christmas.  66!!  How did that happen?!?  But I have to admit - I'm kinda excited.  Although I love all my pumpkins, I am so ready for Christmas trees & Santa.  I saw last night where the Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel start on October 31st....you can bet my TV will be on channel 1365 for the next 2 months. =)

It was once again another busy weekend, but I got to check off a few more things on my "to do" list.  Here's a quick {extended} weekend recap.

At lunch on Thursday, our local clinic hosted a Breast Cancer Pink Out Rally on the courthouse square.  A group of ladies from work & I went to show support for our friend & coworker who recently finished her treatments.  Thankfully her year long journey is over & she is cancer free!
My nephew plays flag football for our church football team and so Nola & I went to watch him Thursday evening.  Nola has been a little wild child lately {the cooler weather maybe?!?}, but she was so well behaved down there.  She sat so still and watched the game & LOVED it would the little kids would come over & pet her.
Friday evening my mom & I headed down to Texas Children's in Katy to visit my niece.  She has been in the hospital since last Saturday with what was eventually diagnosed as a staph infection in the bone of her heel.  They still have no idea where she got it from, but she was a sick little girl. Thankfully she is on the mend & got to come home today!
I spent all day Saturday mowing & cleaning house because I hosted a shower at my house on Sunday.  In between it all, I watched the Aggies lose to Alabama.  At first it looked like it might be replay of last year's 59-0 stomping, but then they gave us hope...only to turn around & give up 3 pick 6's.  That pretty much sealed the deal. 

Sunday was the shower & it turned out really nice if I do say so myself.  It was for one of my best friends from elementary school {so we've been friends for 25+ years...how is that even possible?!}.  My house isn't big so I was a little worried about how everyone would fit, but we ended up having the perfect amount of people.  It was just enough to be nice but not crowded & I think everyone had a great time.  Carol & Rob are getting married on New Year's Eve {how fun is that?!?} & I can't wait!
 
{She gave us each a Bath & Body Works candle for hosting...LOVE! My absolute favorite candles.}

And by this morning - this is how Nola & I both felt.  We were both exhausted & neither one of us wanted to get out of bed.  She laid in bed SNORING until I woke her up at 7:30 to put her outside.  This week is pretty low key until Thursday & then we leave for our A&M/Ole Miss road trip.  I'll let you take one guess as to what the weather is supposed to be like there this weekend.  Rain, rain, & more rain.  Seriously - I don't know how we get so unlucky.  But, I am so looking forward to getting away from all the stress here so if it rains the entire weekend - so be it.  But, if I do drive 11 hours & sit in the pouring rain - then we better win!! Just sayin'.  =)


Thursday, October 15, 2015

{Scarf Swap Reveal}

Hi.  My name is Casey & I have a scarf addiction.

Yes, I admit it...I am obsessed with scarves.  And I'm really not sure why considering it never gets cold here.  Yes, it's the middle of October & in the mid-90's.  I am so over it.

Anyhoo, back to scarves!  I recently participated in my first scarf swap & it was so much fun!  Chelsea from The Perfect Catch Blog hosted & I was linked up with Ashley from Everything's Hunky Dorey.  Ashley lives in Arkansas & has 2 precious kiddos.  We connected via our blogs & Instagram and emailed a few times so that we could get to know each other.  Ashley's request was a grey-toned scarf in a lightweight material since she too has mild winters in Arkansas.  I also included a little treat for Wyatt & Stella. =)  You can take a look at Ashley's blog to see the goodies I sent her.
I anxiously awaited the arrival of my scarf & I LOVE it!!  It's maroon & black with a super cute pattern.  Thank you VERY much Ashley!!  It's perfect!! We are headed to the A&M/Ole Miss game next week & it will definitely be going with me {I'm praying for cooler weather}.  
Thank you Chelsea for hosting and thank you Ashley for my scarf!!  I can't wait for scarf swap 2016!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

{Is it Naptime Yet?}

Whew.  The past few days have been ex-haust-ing.  My October calendar is almost completely full, but I was able to check off a lot this weekend.  Added bonus?  A four day weekend with absolutely gorgeous weather.  I loved every second of it!  
I'm sure I have a few more creepy, crawly little creatures in my house now, but the back door stayed open all day, every day from Friday til Monday.  Low humidity, north breeze, & cool temps?  Yes, please!!
Friday we had our annual garage sale at my house {I completely forgot to take pics!}.  Garage sales are a LOT of work, but we do really well.  We sold out of almost all the good stuff my noon & were done by 3:00.  I made nearly $200 bucks & only had one small box of stuff left...not bad if I do say so myself.
Nola and I both slept in on Saturday {as in til 7:30...ever since I got her - anything past 6am is "sleeping in"} & then I headed out to take a few pictures at a wedding. Back home, changed into my maroon & then Amy, Carol, Kelly & I headed to watch the Aggies BTHO mississippi state!  I was fortunate enough to get tickets again & it was the perfect day for football.  The weather was beautiful & the new stadium is even more impressive at night.
{what do you when you are with 104,455 of your closest friends waiting to get down the stairs?  Take a selfie of course.}
Sunday was my church's 125th Anniversary celebration & I had the honor of being on the planning committee.  The service was held at Fireman's Park, followed by a fried chicken lunch.  Again, we couldn't have asked for better weather. There were over 500 people in attendance!
When you have been going for 3 days straight - just keep going!  So that's what I did...Sunday evening, I went out to a friend's house to watch the Cowboys lose.  But, the s'mores were great & the company was even better!
 
Best way to get my butt motivated to do a deep cleaning?  Volunteer to host something at my house!  Cleaning, mowing and more cleaning were on the agenda for Monday.  I took a break in the evening & kept the kiddos for a few hours & the 4 of us went on a walk.  Nola's absolute, most favorite thing to do in the whole world is go for a walk.  You will quickly become her favorite person if you take her on one.
Around 9 o'clock Monday night, I couldn't find her so I went to my room & found this.  Poor thing was exhausted.  When I finally crawled in bed around 11:00, she was snoring.  She didn't move until I woke her up at 6:00 Tuesday morning.
And finally - Tuesday was National Night Out!  This was my 2nd year to host & I absolutely love having everyone over.  We had a great turnout...around 50+ adults & kids I believe.  Last year, there were only a few of us living there, but now that the neighborhood is full - it was nice to finally get to meet everyone.  It was potluck so everyone brought their favorite dish & we had LOTS of yummy food.  The fire department & police department stopped by so the kids had a blast with that.  I am so fortunate to have such awesome neighbors.  Our cul-de-sac is pretty kick-ass!! =)
 
Now I'm kinda tired all over again!  =) Thankfully this weekend is an "off" weekend...not much on the schedule, no Aggie football, the house is clean & the yard is mowed...here's to sleeping late & maybe spending all day in my pj's!