I Love New York.
July 23, 2012 By 3 Comments
I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again…
Oh wait, it’s not a jet plane, it’s American Airlines. And I’ll be back Saturday. But in just a few hours T and I will be walking the streets of NYC!
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I’ve always said “I was meant to be a New Yorker.” I know that’s silly but that is just how much I love the city! This will be my fourth trip to NYC. I don’t have any digital pics of my previous trips because, sadly, they were all before digital cameras and cell phone cameras were around! But, here’s a quick recap for ya!
NYC Trip #1- New Years Eve 1999. Yes, I was there. In Times Square, for the Millennium. Y’all. Best New Year’s EVER. My amazing and generous sis took her little sis {a poor sophomore in college!} and my oldest sister and her husband to New York so we could ring in the new year together. This trip holds such special memories for me! I will never forget standing for ELEVEN hours WITHOUT a bathroom in the FREEZING cold just to see the ball drop. And it was worth every minute. We also took a trip to the top of the World Trade Center, and on September 11, 2001, that memory became much more meaningful. It was an awesome trip and I knew I’d be back!
NYC Trip #2- May 2002. My sister took me to New York for my college graduation present. Yes, I have the best sister and no you can’t have her! This trip is when I truly fell in love with the city. We walked in Central Park, stayed in the heart of Times Square, ate prosciutto and arugula sandwiches in SoHo, shopped in Chinatown, and went to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. We grew up watching the movie together and that made my first Broadway experience even more special! We also saw lots of famous people on this trip- we saw Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant filming Two Weeks Notice, saw Lisa Kudrow and Robert De Niro being interviewed by Ann Curry, and saw ALL of the Friends cast at an event at NBC studios. It was just a perfect week!
NYC Trip #3- July 2003. This was my first trip to NYC with Trey! His good friend from college and his wife moved to New York just after they got married, so we were able to go visit them for a week. It was fun to explore the city with great friends who lived there and knew what they were doing! We did so much that week but the highlights include seeing Phantom of the Opera, eating at Tavern on the Green, and major shopping in SoHo. Again, an amazing trip and so special because Trey loved the city, too. I knew that we’d be back but I knew it would probably be a long time from then…
and now that time has come!
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We have a relaxing and fun week planned to celebrate our TEN years of marriage in one of our favorite places ever. A concert, Broadway, Central Park, the MET, lots of shopping, and Shake Shack are a few things on the list for us to do, but I just can’t wait to get away for a whole week with my man! NYC Trip #4- July 2012. Here we come!
Oh, yes, he did it again.
February 15, 2012 By 3 Comments
You would have thought I would have learned my lesson by now but for whatever reason I haven’t. We said a few weeks ago that we weren’t getting anything for each other for Valentine’s. We had just decided that with Chloe’s birthday coming up and lots of other birthdays in January and February, our gift budget was at its max.
Since we weren’t buying gifts, I decided to do something homemade. I had seen this free printable on Pinterest and on Emily’s blog, and I knew I needed to make one for our bathroom! I thought it would be such a great way to be intentional about telling why we love each other on a daily basis.
Well, T definitely didn’t go the homemade route.
From now on, I’m not listening to him when he says we’re not doing anything for each other.
Thanks, T, for yet again out-doing me in the gift department! I heart my new flip flops {which are perfect for the beach…we leave in a little over 3 months!} Watch out, though. I am going to step up my game from now on!
Love.
February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I am so thankful that I have had a built-in Valentine for many, many years.
It’s our 11th Valentines together, and we’ve had some crazy ones, that’s for sure. On our first Valentine’s, back in 2002 {yes, we are old}, I surprised T with tickets to see his all-time, favorite person Michael Jordan play in a NBA game in Chicago. He had always wanted to see him play and I knew his NBA career was close to an end {he was already playing for the Wizards}, so I knew we had to do it! He was shocked and SO excited. Well, we found out a week before we were supposed to go that MJ got hurt. We went anyway, but he was not even at the game. We should have known then that Valentine’s might not be our best holiday. Here we are enjoying some Chicago-style pizza! We look like kids!
Then, there was Valentine’s 2009 which includes the Story of the ShamWows. That’s a good one if you haven’t read it yet.
Well, Valentine’s 2012 has not been kind to us either. We went out for our Valentine’s date on Friday. We had a nice dinner at a fun restaurant, but it went downhill from there. Without going into tons of detail {so I don’t bore you}, it involved driving waaay out of the way to try a dessert place that ended up being a dump {even though it was voted best dessert by D Magazine in 2010. Still trying to figure that one out.}. Then we would have tried going around the corner to Tillman’s, but on our way we realize that they don’t have Trey’s favorite dessert anymore and because I don’t like chocolate, there wasn’t anything on the menu for me. So, we finally decide on another restaurant for dessert, we turn around {for the 100th time that night}, arrive, valet park and get inside, only to realize there is a 45 minute wait and our movie starts in a little over an hour. Boo. So we leave that place, head up to the mall where the movie is, order an okay dessert and a less than perfect latte, get in line WAY to early for the movie, wait in line 10 minutes, decide that we’d rather be in bed, get a refund for our tickets, drive home and are in bed by 9:45. Ha!! On a night where our sweet friends and Noni were watching the kids overnight, we were in bed by 9:45. Hilarious? Yes, but completely frustrating at the time. The rest of the weekend was crazy too- we got stuck in traffic for an hour and then right after getting out of the traffic {and missing my sweet nephew’s birthday party}, T gets pulled over. Praise the Lord he just got a warning {he’s never had a ticket} but all we could do was laugh about the fact that nothing was going right for us!
Of course, in the end, it is the best just being together even if nothing goes as planned. But tonight, just in case, we are staying put by the fire with Papa John’s pizza and a good chick flick. I’m letting T chose between The Notebook and Pride & Prejudice! Aren’t I nice?! Good thing my Valentine likes a good chick flick. Or at least he pretends he does, and that, my friends, is true love.
And I couldn’t leave you without a picture of my other two sweeties!
Happy Valentine’s Day from us to you!
It’s Tuesday and I’m still sore.
December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Technically I’m writing this on Monday night, but I just know I won’t feel much better when I get up in six hours.
My body is asking “what in the heck did you do to me?” My legs are sooooo stinkin’ sore. I look like an old lady walking, and I can’t even describe the looks I get when I go up or down stairs. I just want to shout out, “I ran a half marathon on Sunday. In the freezing cold rain. So, if I look like I have issues, it’s because, well, I DO.”
Trey is sore too, so when we are together it’s even more pathetic! Speaking of T, I am SO proud of him too! From all of his dedication to boot camp for over a year, to losing more than 45 pounds, to training for this half, and now finishing it… I couldn’t be more proud! I am so thankful we did this race together- I can’t imagine not having him for support through the whole process. And it was THE BEST seeing his sweet smile after the finish line.
We were too miserable, wet, and sore after the race to take a picture, so here’s a pic Chloe took of us last night with our finisher shirts and medals!
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
Our Anniversary.
August 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
We’ve been married 9 years! I feel old. Did I already mention that? Here are a few highlights of our celebration(s):
Date night at Five-Sixty. Amazing view. Great sushi. Hot date ;) Thanks, Bebe, for coming in town to keep the kids!
Beautiful flowers= Happy me!
We put these two crazies to bed early so we could enjoy homemade pizza along with chips & salsa on our actual anniversary (what we ordered from room service on our wedding night). Then we watched Roman Holiday, in hopes that we may be seeing the sights {of Rome} next year.
In lieu of actual presents, we shopped the Nordstrom anniversary sale, where I bought….
new running shoes. wahoo.
Actually, I did surprise T with Aggie season football tickets {they’re for his birthday too}. Jenn and I just said adios to our husbands for SEVEN Saturdays this fall. But they have been waiting a long time for those tickets and they deserve it! According to them, this is the year we are going to win the National Championship. But they say that every year. I hope they are right this time!
That reminds me, Aggie football starts real soon. It’s my favorite time of the year. Whoop!
My huckleberry friend.
July 27, 2011 By 3 Comments
9 years ago today I made the second best decision of my life. I married my {then} best friend who is still my favorite person in the world. He makes me laugh more than anyone. He sees my yucky side {a lot} and still thinks I’m lovely. He spoils me with his sweet words and fun surprises. He leads our family by seeking the Lord first. I am one lucky girl.
Moon River is hands down my favorite song of all times. Shout out to Jami for introducing it to me when I was probably 15. I sing it to my kids almost every night, because it makes for a great lullaby. Besides being known for helping the kids fall asleep, I have always thought it was romantic. Beautiful. Makes me think of my man and the life we are living together.
“Two drifters off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end
Waitin’ round the bend
My Huckleberry friend
Moon River and me.”
Audrey Hepburn singing it in Breakfast at Tiffany’s will always be my number one, but this version almost takes the cake.
This one is for you, T. Happy Anniversary to my one and only. Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way.
P.S. I showed this to T a couple of weeks ago. The FIRST thing that pops out of his mouth as the song starts is “Hey, that microphone is made out of a Mag Lite!” So romantic. Just keepin’ it real, folks!
The Story of Us
April 27, 2011 By 5 Comments
Ten years ago today, Trey and I went on our first date. I can’t believe that we’ve been together for ten years! I don’t think I’ve shared our story, so I thought this would be perfect timing.
Trey Clemens. The very first time I met him I knew there was something great about him. We met in January of 2000 at Texas A&M (my sophomore, his junior year) at a “Superhero” skating party for a ministry we were both involved in called Impact. Impact is a 3 day camp for incoming freshmen at A&M who want to connect with other Christians and find ways to get involved in churches and ministries while in college. Trey and I were both selected to be counselors for the very first Impact ever, which would be taking place the following August. (By the way, now Impact is HUGE! I think they have 2 or 3 camps now, with tons and tons of incoming freshman. It is so exciting to know that something that was so dear to us is now dear to many, many Aggies!)
So, my roommate-to-be Amber and I (hi Amber, I miss you!!) got decked out in our superhero costumes. We walked in to the skating rink (this sounds like it was in 1985) and I sat down next to a handsome, red-headed guy to put my skates on. He was dressed in camo and informed me he was a G.I. Joe named Boots McCormick. I noticed two things about this boy right away- his amazing smile and his fun, outgoing personality. We talked off and on that night, and I saw him on campus a few days later. I only knew him as “Boots”, so I didn’t learn his real name until that day we ran into each other. Not too long after that, his roommate David and my good friend Becca started dating. So, not only did Impact have us seeing each other a lot, but because of David and Becca we were around each other all the time. Sometime that spring, Trey came over for a BBQ at the apartment I shared with Nicole, my potluck roommate from my freshman year. Here’s a pic from that night! Of course, I had no idea at the time that this was my future husband!
The spring semester came and went, and so did the summer. Then Impact 2000 was upon us! We reunited with all of the Impact crew, and had an amazing weekend. It was so great getting to minister to so many incoming freshmen, but I was exhausted by the end of the weekend! I was really looking forward to getting some sleep on the bus ride back to College Station. Not sure how this happened, but I ended up sitting next to Trey. We had a great time talking and I remember falling asleep on his shoulder. Again, I had NO CLUE at this point that he’d be my husband and the father of my kids! Crazy. Here’s us that weekend at Impact.
We continued to see each other here and there the fall and spring semesters with Impact stuff. At that point David and Becca were engaged, too, so we saw each other a lot. I think by then we had crossed over into the “good friends” category. Fast forward to April of that year… we were at BYX (Christian fraternity that Trey was in) Island Party, where Christian bands come and have a music festival type thing with food, etc. I saw Trey and somehow we started playing catch with a football. Sometime during our game of catch he said, “The next person that drops the ball has to take the other out to a movie.” Sure enough, a few throws later, I dropped the ball. And as they say, the rest is history.
We went out to dinner to settle the bet on April 27, 2001. We ate at Johnny Carino’s (he paid) and then we saw Sylvester Stallone in the movie Driven (I paid- that was the bet!). That was a jewel of a movie, I tell you. Not. But the date was wonderful and I remember having so much fun.
We had our next date a few weeks later, and then another not long after that. The summer was upon us and I was working at Cho-Yeh youth camp and he was going to be in College Station for the summer. We got to meet up a few times here or there, and had our “DTR” (remember that term?) and our first kiss sometime early that summer. The “I love yous” came soon after that, and by the end of the summer, I knew I was going to marry my best friend, Trey. It was a fast dating period, but I had known him for over a year and just knew it was meant to be! We got engaged in November 2001 (that deserves a post of its own) and were married July 27, 2002. Here’s a pic of us when we got engaged. It was at the skating rink where we met, and he was dressed just like the night I met him. I’m also wearing the t-shirt I wore the night we met. The boy had it hanging on the door for me to put on before I walked in. He’s pretty great.
I am so thankful that I met Boots McCormick at that skate party that night! Trey is such a fun, loving, and outgoing person. Anyone who knows him knows his personality is contagious! His smile still makes me melt and I love him more today than ever. Our marriage is not perfect and we have definitely had our ups and downs. But, it is Christ-centered and that has made all the difference in the world. I am married to my very best friend. I never get tired of being around him, and I can’t wait until he walks in the door every evening! We have fun dreaming about the future but also making memories in the present. I am blessed beyond measure to have a Godly husband who always strives to make wise decisions and puts his faith and family first.
I love you Trey! Thanks for making that bet with me 10 years ago! I can’t wait to see what the next 50 have in store…
On a recent trip to Toys R Us
October 27, 2010 By 1 Comment
We went in for this.
And came home with this, too.
Don’t you just love my new family room decor? In case you’re not aware, it’s a mini George St. Pierre, a UFC fighter. Am I the only one who has a husband totally into this sport? He’s met both BJ Penn and Dan Henderson and been to two UFC Championship fights. I think it’s a little barbaric, but I know most of their names and try to ask who won last night’s fight to show an interest in something my man loves. I don’t stay up for the fights and I don’t spend hours watching SPIKE or reading mmajunkie.com, but I do show some interest for Trey’s sake. I am thankful his extracurricular activities include his UFC obsession and his Playstation gaming, both of which take place at home for the most part. He’s not the husband that will “go out with the guys”, and you won’t spot him at a happy hour, so if he wants to spend guy time watching fights or playing PS3 late at night, I’m all for it! Plus, it gives me the opportunity to do my thing too. Right now it’s reading. I’m halfway through The Hunger Games and I think I might DIE if I don’t finish it tonight. It’s gonna be a late one!
It also gives me time to dig deep into Isaiah, the book we’re studying at BSF. GOD is changing my LIFE through this book. Oh my word. I love Isaiah. I love the promise of Christ that he foretells. One of this week’s passages was Isaiah 9- hello verse 6- “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I’ve read that verse a million times but this time I was asked to write what each of those names mean to me. Holy cow, aren’t we blessed that in Jesus we have all of these things? A Wonderful Counselor to help us when we need direction, a Mighty God who conquers all, an Everlasting Father who will be around when all else fades, and a Prince of Peace to take away all of our fears and sadness. Can I get an AMEN? Our teaching leader is amazing too and I look so forward to each Tuesday morning when I get to hear what God has to say through her.
So, back to our trip to the toy store. We also went to walk the aisles and get an idea of what we wanted to get the kids for Christmas. Chloe has seen lots of stuff on tv or at previous trips to the store, so her list is long. When I ask her what she wants from Santa, the list usually goes something like this: a princess house (for her little princesses), a princess cupcake maker (praise the Lord they are fake cupcakes), a Jessie doll (from Toy Story), a Barbie car, a pink kitchen, and the list goes on… seriously?? She is 2 1/2! We are definitely narrowing it down to 2-3 items and can use the rest for ideas from family or for her birthday (3 is just around the corner!).
I’d say it was a productive trip, even with the new decor purchased for my family room. I taught Chloe to call him Jorge (pronounced hor-hay) which is hilarious. And Jorge loves to play Barbies. I’m not sure that’s what Trey intended when he purchased him, but Chloe is loving her new friend!
best. birthday. ever.
August 16, 2010 By 2 Comments
I had the most amazing weekend celebrating my 30th birthday. My husband is most definitely to blame for all of the fun! The theme was “Sherry in the City”. The invitations, cake, and weekend all revolved around a fun weekend in Dallas filled with all of my favorites! I was kept in the dark until each part unfolded, which made everything exciting!
I woke up Friday morning to my iPhone alarm at 5:30 so Trey could go to boot camp. I thought he was headed to work after that, but he informed me he’d be staying home for the day & we were going to breakfast- my choice. To a girl who loves breakfast and loves to spend time with her family, this was a perfect start to a birthday! After Trey got back, we headed to Breadwinners. I ordered one of their new breakfast casseroles and was not disappointed.
After breakfast we drove back to the house. I knew my bestie was picking me up at 11:30, but all I knew was I needed to “look cute”. When Jenn arrived she let me know we were headed to Northpark for some spa time and lunch! Her theory was we couldn’t have my 30th birthday go by without some Northpark, and I totally agreed. We browsed the sale racks at Nordstrom, got a Sonic drink (because that’s the way we always roll), and headed to the Spa at Nordstrom for fabulous pedicures. I totally needed the girl time, and little did I know that really I was being distracted from lots of other things that needed to be done for that night. We enjoyed lunch at Bistro N where I fell in love with their fries. YUM. Our fun outing ended with a trip to Sprinkles for a birthday cupcake! Thanks Jenn for such a fun birthday present!
Jenn dropped me off at home and I was able to spend a little time with the kids, which was perfect. Chloe was so excited it was my birthday. When I went to get her out of bed that morning, she saw me and immediately started saying “we have a surprise for you, Mommy!” She pulled a card out of her nightstand that she and Trey had prepared. She was so proud of herself!
A week ago, Trey and I headed to the mall- my instructions were to find a dress, shoes, and jewelry to wear on my birthday. He would be wearing a suit, so I needed something dressy and fabulous. I had so much fun shopping for the dress and finally decided on a fun version of a LBD that I knew I’d be wearing sometime this weekend. Well, after playing with the kids for a while, Trey said we needed to leave the house at 7:30, so I knew I needed to start getting ready. With rollers in my hair, I answered the doorbell to find my parents standing on the porch! I didn’t think I’d be seeing them on my birthday- my mom is a principal’s secretary, so she is swamped at work. So, needless to say I was so happy that they came in town! They had presents in hand- my favorite was a beautifully framed picture of my childhood home. It brought back so many of my childhood memories. I will cherish that picture forever.
Trey got my parents all set for keeping the kids, and we were off to the next part of my fun day. We headed downtown and I still had no clue where we’d end up. We pulled up at Reunion Tower, and then I knew we’d be eating at Wolfgang Puck’s 560 restaurant at the top! I had never been inside Reunion Tower, and we love Puck’s restaurants in Vegas, so I was thrilled to be eating at such a fun place. Here’s me walking in! I was so excited.
Dinner was filled with some of the best food of my life, and my closest friends at my side. The Greens, Thomases, and Krista joined us for dinner, and the night couldn’t have been any better. The food was incredible and the conversation was filled with stories and laughter. Many things went down at dinner: I tried sushi for the first time and loved it. Richard ordered a whole fish (head and eyeball included). I had a quail dish that made my heart happy. Trey had them bring out my cake from Society Bakery and it happened to be the most amazing cake I’d ever seen- I think you’ll agree. I was blessed to be surrounded by such dear friends that love me despite my old age!
Dinner came to an end, and I thought we were headed home. Deep in conversation about how exciting the whole day had been, I didn’t realize that instead of going home, we were pulling up to the Ritz Carlton! Trey had already packed a bag for me and checked in when I was at the mall with Jenn. I walked into our SUITE to find a beautiful arrangement of white hydrangeas and roses {pictured below with the invite T sent to everyone!}. What a perfect ending to a perfect day! The room was amazing and we had the best time just relaxing. Trey even remembered to bring two forks from home so we could have a little midnight snack of birthday cake. We were SO excited to be in a hotel room and have a whole night’s sleep sans children.
We slept in until 9am & then headed to the Ritz’s restaurant Fearings for their yummy breakfast buffet. It was outstanding- the french toast, the migas, the muffins, the coffee. Then, we packed up and headed home to see the fam. The birthday festivities ended with the last of my favorites- Chuy’s for lunch with family.
I am so thankful for everyone for making this weekend so special. If I knew turning the big 3-0 would be this fun, I’d have wanted it a long time ago. I am looking forward to my thirties- they’re gonna be great!
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