Meet Baxter the Westie

Well, as many of you know we got a dog! I have search and searched on Craigslist and several other pet websites to find a "reasonably priced" Westie. After much begging, I finally wore my sweet husband down. On Tuesday, I got online and found Baxter. I called the lady and she told me a sad story about how she had saved him from a bad owner. He was flea infested and very ratty looking. It seems James and I have a knack for seeing the potential of places and apparently animals.

As responsible dog parents, we took him to the vet. He needed special shampoo and several shots, plus flea pills. Needless to say, it was a very expensive visit. We also had to stop at Petsmart for some entertainment. When James got home from work, he helped me bathe Baxter, which neither were the most excited about. IF only James and known the adventure was only beginning.....

We were woken up to the sound of Baxter having a tummyache. We were up half the night with him being sick. I have cleaned more floors in the past five days than the whole year I was here. Kaopectate, along with Baxter, have become our new best friends. We have really enjoyed having him. He loves his rawhide bone. He also loves his tennis ball. His favorite game is for us to throw the tennis ball down the stairs. He won James's heart when Baxter game to lick his face while James was doing his stretches. Below is a picture before the much needed grooming.


He loves eating straws. This is a city dog's stick! We will have to teach him how to chew a real stick once we move to the country. :-)

Date Night!

After work on Monday, James took me out on a date to the movies. My dear friend, Kim, gave me a gift card to Studio Movie Grill for two tickets and two meals. James decided we should go see Shrek.

James on the escalator up.

We enjoyed the movie and yummy meal! It was a very neat gift. Only make sure you order in pieces other wise you get dessert with your dinner!!! The evening ended with the beloved pager letting us know it was time to go home! :-) But not before we took a quick picture outside the City Center.

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Ireton

This weekend two of our dear friends were united as one! The wedding was absolutely breathtaking, complete with a wedding choir. James had the honor of being in the choir. While James and I were in The Foundry, Chad was one who suggested to James that he help me with Outreach... which is where our love blossomed. Needless to say, Chad has a special place in our hearts. :-)


The reception was held at the Houston Junior League. It was a beautiful room and very tasty food!

We were able to see several of our friends from The Foundry, our old Bible Study class. This is a picture of me and Kim. Gosh, I miss seeing her regularly!

Us with the newlyweds! Jess was a gorgeous bride.

The getaway car! We had a great night of dancing. It had been a very long time since James and I danced. We are definitely going to have to start taking a lessons again once we get settled in Tyler. What a great evening with great food, great dancing, and great friends!

New Home

Finally after several negotiations we have a contract on the house. We are very excited about owning a home and are looking forward to living close to family! (less than 5 minutes) This is the first weekend we have had in a LONG time where we didn't have anything to do. So... we took advantage and lounged around the house all day. It was wonderful! In the evening we ventured out to take get the no tax deal on appliances since we need a fridge. After lots and lots of stores, we found one we liked at Best Buy in town. We had already been to the one in Katy. It is a Samsung model with French Doors. The part I like best is that it has LED lights. :-)

Little House on the Prairie

No, we aren't talking about the house we found. James and I enjoyed an evening at the Hobby Center seeing Little House on the Prairie. This year we had a season tickets to all TUTS productions. My favorite was Meet Me in St. Louis. James enjoyed South Pacific best. Yesterday was the last one. We had a great time and enjoyed the company, even if the musical wasn't the best. We will miss our tickets next year!

We're Going on a Home Hunt.... See What We Find!

The front of the home we like.



The kitchen. I will be able to cook without running into James.
We love all the windows.

The windows with a great view of the backyard.

Master bedroom with a window seat.

Master bathroom with a HUGE TUB!

The UGLY front room... We will be taking this down. I keep telling James that we should keep it then we can have both sets of parents here. They can bunk together!
There is quite a bit of wallpaper that must come down. Anyone interested in helping??? All the carpet needs to be removed and everything needs a fresh coat of paint.

We are planning on making an offer (it is a foreclosure) as soon as we can get a pre-approval letter. The house is in a great neighborhood and only 5 minutes from Wes and Shelly. They might be sick of us soon!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Wow! A lot has happened since I last blogged. James got a job!!! He will be working at Mother Francis Hospital.... but in Tyler. We are excited to begin this new phase of our life, but our sad to leave our friends and family. We truly believe we are following God's plan for our life and hope He will use us to glorify Him and His kingdom. So now the house hunt begins...

No more homework... No more books... No more teachers dirty looks! I am finished with my Masters! This is a very uplifting feeling since this semester has been truly overwhelming. I am glad I made it through, and James was so helpful being my editor for all the papers.

Lastly, this past weekend, Hannah turned 1! Gosh... she is growing up too quickly! She had an adorable party, and we had so much fun hanging out with all our family. Hannah is definitely a girly girl. From James's parents, she received Wes's rocking horse. It was a very special gift. Below are some pictures from the party. After the party we went to get in my car... and the air conditioning was no longer working. Thankfully, James's dad is very handy and it was simply a fuse. We were able to drive back to Houston without our windows down. What a wonderful weekend!