Dallas Vacation - June 2015

The first week of Summer vacation usually takes Chad out of town for a full 6 or 7 days, as he chaperones qualifying students to the annual National Forensic League (NFL) tournament.  While the destinations aren't always exotic, this year we got lucky -- "Nationals" was in Dallas!  It was a perfect opportunity to visit our dear friends The Sullivans for an extended vacation (well, for me and the girls, anyway!).  The four of us flew out to DFW together, along with the students Chad had qualified.  While he spent a week up to his neck in the tournament, the girls and I hung out with Randy, Lindsey, Brynlee and Degan at their new home in Prosper.  Chad joined us at the conclusion of the tournament and we spent another week there together, this time with our favorite foursome (US) in tact.  

Highlights of the trip: seeing all of Randy and Lindsey's family, Chad and Randy playing at "Top Golf," the Dallas "indoor" zoo, whiskey tasting, experiencing major Summer storms/flooding, and watching our four kids play together.

We continue to be SO BLESSED by our 11-year friendship with The Sullivans.  There is never a dull moment together, and it always feels like our hearts are home.

Dallas & PAC

Last month I had the opportunity to visit Dallas, Texas for the PrideStaff Annual Conference.  It was also a great opportunity to spend an extra day in "The Big D" and visit our Texas family, the Sullivans.  I feel so fortunate that much of my work travel (as rare as it is) takes me through the American Airlines hub in Dallas -- I've been blessed with lots of extra time with Lindsey as a result!  

We had a great time.  Lindsey picked me up when I arrived in town on Wednesday and we had a few hours to spend lunching and shopping.  We also decided to visit "Reunion Tower" downtown and get a view of Dallas from the air.  On Sunday when my conference was over, we enjoyed a leisurely brunch at one of their favorite places, then they took me to see their brand new house that is almost move-in ready.  We spent the afternoon out at Lindsey's parents' house, hanging out with her whole family.  It was a rainy and lovely day with some of my most favorite people.  I didn't have to fly home until 8:00pm so I really felt like I got the entire day with them -- just wonderful!

Walking In Memphis

Right after Tess's birthday, PrideStaff asked me to make a somewhat last-minute trip to visit our Memphis office.  Our office there just landed a huge, new account and the team was in need of some special training.  I got to travel with my dear friend Danielle and we had a great time helping the office and soaking up Southern culture.  Highlights were visiting Beale Street, driving past Graceland, and eating at the world-famous Gus's Fried Chicken.  The song "Walking in Memphis" makes so much more sense now!

As a fantastic added bonus, I got to see my dear friend Lindsey during my Dallas layover on the way there.  Then, on the way home, both Danielle and I got to have an extended layover in Dallas and have brunch with the whole Sullivan family -- Randy, Lindsey, Brynlee, and Degan.  What an unexpected blessing!

Below are some fun pics from the trip.

Frequent Flyer Baby!

That's right, little Miss Tess is definitely racking up the skymiles! (Well, not technically, since she has yet to have a real ticket!)  This past weekend we traveled to Phoenix together, and I was just amazed at how cooperative she is on the plane (so far) and how familiar it feels (already) to do our "airport routine" (getting checked in, going through security, boarding, etc.).  Thankfully we have yet to have any airplane disasters, although I am not naive enough to think that flying with her will ALWAYS be this easy.  Right now her extremely high cute factor really works in her favor; people don't have time to get irritated about the noises she makes because they all think she's so adorable.  Here's a summary of her travel so far this year....



Horizon Airlines ~ with "Auntie" Danielle, headed to Seattle....

Virgin America Airlines ~ checking out the in-flight entertainment on the way to Dallas...



US Airways ~ getting comfy in her very own seat!

Tess's First Trip To The Lonestar State!

Almost a year after our last visit to "The Big D," we returned to Dallas the week before Easter to show off our precious little Tess to our best friends Randy and Lindsey.  We had a wonderful time, as usual, and lots of adventure, too.

We arrived on Palm Sunday and immediately hit up Steak 'N' Shake (this is a must for me -- I absolutely love their banana milkshakes!), and were joined by Lindsey's sister Chrissy, who was excited to meet Tess.  After that, our next priority was a Costco trip to make sure we had plenty of good wine to enjoy during the week.  Our first night in town, we attended a traditional Passover Seder meal at their church (and saw lots of now-familiar faces!).  It was a fun experience and the rabbi who "presided" over the dinner was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining.  I felt a little weird eating the dinner roll that came with my bacon-wrapped filet (the dinner was catered, and not a traditional Jewish meal except for the Passover "elements" at the center of the table) but since I am not Jewish I quickly came to terms with it. 

On Monday we had a thoroughly enjoyable visit to the Dallas Arboretum.  I had been looking forward to doing this for such a long time!  We picnicked, drank wine, walked through beautiful gardens, took pictures, played and napped on the grass, and shopped the gift shop.  It was just wonderful.  On the way home we stopped for dinner at Torchy's Tacos (their only Dallas location) for AMAZING queso, tacos, and their famous dessert called "nookies."

Tuesday was our adventure day.  Lindsey and I made a trip to Addison (a few towns over) to visit the PrideStaff office and suddenly found ourselves in the path of an oncoming tornado.  What was supposed to be a 30-minute visit turned into a couple hours, as we waited for the tornado to move out of the surrounding areas so that it was safe to drive back to their house.  At one point the office's property management called and had all of us "evacuate" into the women's restroom in the building's interior.  Fun times!  Lots of family and friends called and sent text messages to see if we were okay, since the severe weather made national news.  Thankfully, although we got lots of rain and hail, we never saw a tornado or any of the tornado damage that was done in the area. 

On Tuesday night we also had a much-anticipated double-date night (no kids!) to go see The Hunger Games at the local AMC dine-in theater.  What an awesome experience! It's not cheap, but if you love going to the movies, you should try this at least once (assuming you have one in your area).  This particular dine-in theater has leather rockers, a full-service bar, and delicious menu -- and even a 21-and-over theater if you don't want to risk having your movie ruined by snickering teenagers.  It was SO fun to order drinks, appetizers, and dinner and have it all served to us while watching the movie. 

On Wednesday, Lindsey and I were able to have "girls' day out" while the guys watched all three kids (Brynlee, Degan, and Tess). We shopped, ate, talked, shopped, talked, and ate and it was fantastic.  We capped off our afternoon by taking some gorgeous pics of the kiddos in a field of Texas bluebonnets.  

For our "farewell" dinner on Wednesday night, we grilled up some delicious steaks, had truffle-oil potatoes and salad, and two really great bottles of wine.  After dinner we made "wedding cake martinis" (YUM) and Lindsey and I attempted to make a Reese's peanut butter cup pie...it didn't turn out exactly as we'd hope, but it was chocolate and it was dessert, so it was well-received.

Thursday morning we had some "sisterly" time while both of Lindsey's sisters (Missy and Chrissy) came by to visit and play with Tess.  It was a slow and easy, relaxed kind of morning with a yummy breakfast and lots of good coffee and conversation.  By 12:30 it was time to load up for the airport and head home...and make our tentative plans for our next rendezvous with the Sullivans!

By the way, Tess did so great on the plane, both directions.  We flew Virgin America and had a really great travel experience with them -- and got a super deal flying out of LAX.  We will definitely fly with them again if we can!

See below for our pictures from the trip.

PS...It was in Dallas that Tess figured out the "army crawl"!

Visit From The Bestie

Have I mentioned how blessed I am?  In mid-July my best friend Lindsey came from Dallas to visit me, come to my baby shower, help me in the baby's room, and be her wonderful, beautiful self in my everyday life for 4 days.  It was heavenly!  I know I gush about "The Sullivans" a lot, and I was absolutely THRILLED for so many people in my life to finally meet Linds and know why I love her so.  We had such a great time visiting with Chad's parents, my parents, my girlfriends, my extended family, and each other.  We shopped, we ate, we had tea, we watched movies, and we talked talked talked.  And sometimes we didn't talk, we just spent time together.  The best gift Lindsey gave me, in addition to all the beautiful homemade gifts she gave me for the baby, was helping me put the nursery together.  We spent almost 2 full days, it seemed, unpackaging baby stuff and trying to find places for it, sorting thru boxes of baby hand-me-downs, washing and folding/hanging baby clothes, and dreaming about final decor for the nursery.  It's because of her that I did not collapse from the overwhelming task of getting that room ready. 

And I'm sure somewhere in this blog I have mentioned how talented and crafted she is.  She's got one of those really cool sewing machines that will custom embroider stuff, and so she showered me with a boatload of personalized burp cloths, onesies, and a gorgeous blanket for the baby.  As if her visit and help wasn't enough!

It was great to see her so soon after our last visit in April for Easter....and, AND she is planning to visit AGAIN as soon as possible after the baby arrives!

At the Victoria Rose Cottage Restaurant in Old Town Clovis.

Clovis North "Showcase of Talent"

Last night Chad and his Forensics team hosted their first annual "Showcase of Talent." The purpose of the event, a dinner fundraiser, was to feature the students who were the top speakers in the Valley and raise some much-needed funds for their trip to the National Forensic League tournament in Dallas this June. Guests enjoyed the meal catered by Luna's Italian Restaurant and served by the kids. While eating and enjoying dessert and coffee, the 6 students going to Nationals performed their award-winning pieces. The night was a big success for the team (they raised more than $2,000.00!) and a great opportunity for parents and family to hear the pieces that the kids have worked so hard on all year. Chad is looking forward to making the event even better next year -- hopefully it will become a fun tradition! Below are pics of Chad introducing the students going to Nationals and the trophies the team has collected over the year.

Easter In Dallas

This year for Spring Break and Easter we ventured to Dallas, TX -- which really feels like our second home after visiting the Sullivans there for 7 years! We were glad to be back in "The Colony" after their year in Austin, and it meant we got to spend lots of time with the kids and the family. We had a great time visiting the zoo, exploring downtown, coloring Easter eggs, and enjoying the holiday with the family. As usual, it was wonderful to spend time with our dearest friends Randy and Lindsey.

Texas Here We Come! Visiting The Sullivans...

For the long Labor Day weekend we headed to Texas, home state of our beautiful and very dear friends Randy & Lindsey Sullivan (and Brynlee & Degan, too!). This time, instead of hanging out in Dallas, we took a road trip to San Antonio. Lindsey booked us a room at the beautiful Hotel Contessa, right on the River Walk. We spent 2 days eating GREAT Mexican food, shopping, drinking margaritas and wine, and catching up. All while trying not to melt from the heat! On Sunday we headed back to Dallas to spend the evening and following day with the kids and also caught up with Lindsey's sisters. Being with the Sullivans truly feels like HOME to us -- we can't imagine the possibilities if we lived in the same state or even the same town! Check out pics from our weekend below. The Sullivans are busy busy right now, prepping their house for sale so they can move to Austin, where Randy landed a new job. On our next trip to TX we will be Austin-bound!