Sweet, sweet girls

This morning I decided it was time to give my sweet girl, Zeta, a really good comb through. Her last grooming appointment was right before we left for Colorado so it's been almost a month. She's been shedding her winter coat and it's all over the floor. Every time we brush her it looks like there is another small dog on the floor. No small dog...just Zeta's hair.





After Nathan woke up we ran some errands and then met up with Daniel and Sylvia for lunch. We ate at Taco Cabana and opted to eat outside on the patio. It was so sunny outside and we were craving a little sunshine. We ate quickly....still cold outside! At least for me, Daniel and Sylvia, it was cold.

We came home and started to dig our first hole in the backyard for our palm trees that Nathan recently uprooted. We really hope they take to their new home in the backyard.


Tonight I went to mom's so she could help me make some potato salad for Ava's baptism lunch tomorrow, which brings me to my other 2 sweet girls. Kelly came over with the Lacey and Ashley. They wanted to help. Well, Lacey wanted to help and Ashley wanted to eat.













Lacey, Mom and Ash


It's funny to see the differences in their personalities. Lacey is like Kelly. Everything in order, calm, a little shy, careful in all she does. Ashley is like I was...carefree, wild, silly, and always wiggling!








Ashley does this thing where she flares her nostrils. I don't know why she does it but I love it. Nathan and I always laugh about it. She frequently says, "Aunt Nickie, show me your big nostrils!" She cracks me up.

8th Grade vs Faculty

Just got back from the 8th grade vs Faculty basketball game. It was a great game! The Faculty won by one at the buzzer! They had a raffle and I won the lamest prize. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I won something but COME ON! 3 autographed items from the Texas Open (they're for you, Dad) and 3- thirty minute sessions with a LIFE COACH??? Who uses a life coach? Anybody want it?

Sorry the pictures are so bad!

This week has been very hard. Filled with struggles and despair. Prayer has been huge this week. God has listened and answered our prayers. I'm thankful to God for fully restoring the sight of Cody Gerling, the husband of my good friend, Shawna. Cody was involved in a BB Gun accident and initially, things were looking very grim. He had no vision in his injured eye right after the accident on Sunday afternoon but Thursday he left the doctor with 20/20 vision. Truly a miracle.

Tonight I got a call from Amy's husband Mike. He had some bad news. Amy's cancer seems to have returned. What a blow. My sweet, beautiful friend who is 31 years young has to face this disease all over again. First time around Amy was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma in lungs, kidneys and liver. We asked for God to heal her and he did. The cancer was all gone. When we were in Colorado she starting feeling very sick so she and Mike came home early. Amy had a full body scan and the test came back clean. This was Feb 19th. Over the past few weeks she has still experienced pain in her neck and back. Once she noticed she couldn't write normal or hold her toothbrush normal she knew something was wrong. She went back for more tests and they found something in her spine and in her brain. The plan is to start chemo and radiation on Monday. This is devastating but Amy's faith is strong and her family is amazing. Please, please pray for her.
God's Word has the power to bring total healing and complete restoration.
Jeremiah 30: 17 "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal the of thy wounds, says the Lord..."

Mathew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened unto you"

Heave Ho!

Growing outside our house is a palm tree. It's tucked up right under the roof and has really grown over the past 2 1/2 years since we moved in. I've been asking Nathan to dig it up for quite sometime not because I don't like it but because it's taking over the front of our house. The front porch was starting to look like a jungle. I came home from work yesterday and saw that something was different so I asked him, "Did you cut the grass?" He said no through a giggle and then I saw the big open space where the palm tree had been!!


I was so happy to see it gone. Nathan worked on digging around the base and then our neighbor Ken came over with his big truck and helped him pull it out of the ground. Our plan is to plant it in the backyard. Here it is lying on the side of our house in the back.






Here's a picture of our big oak tree. I wish I had a picture of it from our first year here. I think it's grown a lot...









This plant we brought home from the Home and Garden show two weeks ago. It's pretty but I don't know what the name is.

Here's Zeta in action right after a good squirrel chase...


Here she is right before going in for the kill. She wants those squirrels so bad! I wonder what she'd do if she caught one.

Sunday Evening in Pipe Creek

Nathan and I went to Amy and Tim's Sunday afternoon. They live in Pipe Creek which is about an hour away (Bandera and hwy 46). They have a beautiful house that sits on a hill. High up on a hill. They have about 14 acres and the view is breathtaking!

It's not just Amy and Tim that live on "Angel Hill" they have lots of animals. 2 cute dogs...Daisy and Dingo; 3 cats...Smudge, Jeepers and I can't remember the 3rd cats name but I do know that she doesn't like to go outside.

In addition to the dogs and cats they have...
LLAMAS! Two to be exact. Angela and Pepper. I think those are their names. Nathan and I got to feed them a snack.

















After our private and exclusive petting zoo session it was time for the Wii games to begin. Nathan and i brought our Mii's.

A Visit with Ali

Ali came into town this past weekend. Her brother Jason just had a baby so she came down with her family for a visit. We met for lunch on Saturday. Yvette came with her new baby, Devaraux. Becky brought Kate. Ali's friend from high school joined us and Bill evenutally showed up with Corbin.




Bill, Ali and Corbin. (Tristan was with grandma).



Becky and Kate (6 mos)


















Here's Yvette's new little guy, Devareaux.
(Not sure if I'm spelling his name correctly)

Friday shopping frenzy

Concordia's annual Easter Egg Hunt is March 22 and the time has come to head over to Walmart and buy the candy used to stuff over 14,000 Easter Eggs. It's quite a job.

















Here I am at Walmart with Mary and Gaye. It took 3 overflowing carts and a checker at the register with a sense of humor. Thing is...the checker did NOT have a sense of humor. We carefully counted out bags in groups of 10's and 20's but she didn't trust us. She had to count everything herself. What a dud.















After work I went to a little get together with friends from work. Here's me, Joy and Kristy...
We were at Monica's house. Here she is with her hubby...