A placed called Rainbow...

...for those of you who've been following since I made the trek to the Frozen Tundra, you know what that means...

I went grocery shopping!!

OK, y'all, I have to confess something: I way do not like grocery shopping.  Stores are never set-up in a way that is intuitive (or makes sense on any level in some cases), they are always crowded, and well...food (good food) is expensive.  That's 3 strikes...that usually means, "you're out!!!"  But, alas...we must eat.

So, I did it.  I sucked it up and finally went grocery shopping.  I hadn't been, but to get a loaf of bread and carton of milk, since my return from TX...shameful, I know...but, don't you worry, I ate...my cupboards were officially empty this morning, hence the need for a shopping trip.

But, my shopping trip did allow me to get some things for a little lemonade recipe I've been wanting to try.


Fresh lemonade.....

Fresh blueberry mint lemonade...!!!

 How pretty is that glass of drink??  B-e-a-utiful!  You know what else...?  It's deeeelish!
 And, guess what else!  It's easy peasy...lemon squeezey!  Bah-hahahaha!  I couldn't resist...and I apologize.

Here's what you'll need:
1c lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
3/4c sugar (I used white this go round, but I'll be trying it with cane sugar next - I think it will make it pop even more!)
4c water
1c blueberries (a good sized handful or two should do the trick)
1/3c mint (I just used a sprig of mint with something like 8-9 leaves on it. I didn't use the stem, but I suppose you could chop it up and throw it in the mix?)

Juice your lemons.  I used my Magic Bullet Juicer adapter and was able to get over 1c of juice from two large lemons. 
Add sugar and water to lemon juice.  Shake/mix vigorously, ensuring that the sugar is dissolved.
Add in blueberries and mint.
Chill for however long and enjoy!
recipe adapted from La Petite Coquin


The original recipe recommends letting it sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to mix and infuse more, but after letting mine sit for even just 30min it was wonderfully delicious.  I'll let you know how it tastes after sitting over night, though!




It has been a good night in the kitchen, to say the least.

It's amazing what having food on hand to cook with will allow for, eh?

My dinner consisted of this:

My variation of J Ponder's (from Ponder This) fried rice...what I wouldn't give for some of that goodness...and some Ponder company on top of that - to die for!

I've mentioned it on the blog before, but I like my picture from tonight better than the other one I snapped before.  No carrots this time, though.

It was fabulous, and the spicy went excellently with the refreshing lemonade.  Yum!!

And now, I'm going to settle down for the night with a movie, some chocolate, and another glass of that there lemonade  ;)

Nighty-night.

Shalom!
~MW

Ho-Hum...it's Monday...

Greetings, all.

So...as I am certain most of you have figured out...today is Monday.  Monday, Monday, Monday...you always come too quickly and last far too long.  Just sayin'.

Anywho, I have a ton of things I've been needing to blog about: the close of my second semester of grad school, summer, some things I've learned in the last year or so...the list goes on.  But, tonight, as it will most definitely be after 9 by the time I finish this post and I would like to get to bed a reasonable hour tonight, I think I'm just going to make this a short and sweet update.

Last week was hectic, but good.

Wrapping up the loose ends from BioBlitz, curating all of the specimens we collected in those 24hrs (with some help from the Chanimal - thanks, yo!), and undertaking the task of rearing moths after finding myself with a large amount of moth eggs on my hands kept me buuuusy! 

Aside from all of that I wrestled with Biota2 as I attempted the supposedly simple task of transferring my PC files to our lab MAC.  This used to be a simple, painless task...back in 2002...but, of course, the converter hasn't been updated since then and is no longer supported on Leopard or Snow Leopard.  Neat.  Thanks 4D for not staying on top of that...sigh.  So, after an ordeal of uninstalling and re-installing the software on my laptop (just in case something got messed up during the initial installation...it didn't), RW came to the realization that he had lost his license number for the program...awesome.  So, I called up the distributor to see if maybe, just maybe they could look it up for us - they could!  And they did!!  Whoop! 

They sent us the codes late Friday so I was able to get everything rolling again this morning.  But, I still have the issue of needing to take my database files between a PC and MAC.  So, first thing (OK, maybe 2nd or 3rd thing) tomorrow I'm calling them up again to see if there is a new way around this issue, if not...SW said she'd buy "me" a new MAC for the lab!!!  Holla!  Can I just stumble upon a ridiculously large amount of discarded cash so I can buy my own MAC???  Maybe?  Not likely?  Dang...worth a shot.  So, I'll let you know what happens there, because if the company says there's no solution SW said she'll purchase the new comp before the week is up.  {I kind of really want this latter option to happen...I know...I'm a terrible person.}

The caterpillars are...well...not fairing so well  :(  I walked in this morning to find large amounts of them...shriveled up and dead, dead, dead...depressing first thing on a Monday morning.  I talked to SW about it and she exclaimed in apology for not mentioning that they should have been transferred to a tupperware container to ensure that they didn't suffer from dessication.  Even though there were moist maple leaves and a damp paper towel in the net-cage...the air inside the building was still to dry.  Blast!  Ah well, learning experience.  There are a few survivors who are now nestled safely in a tupperware container...so we'll see how they look in the morning.  Fingers crossed!


Backing up a few days now.

Friday was the day I the majority of the fighting with Biota, but I was (pleasantly and humorously) interrupted from that battle by a text from SW that read something along the lines of:

I may need some salad

and photo board help. Do

you have time today? 

Headed home with the fixings 

and will call when I get there.

Thanks life preserver!

Haha...OK, so here's some background on that text.  Her oldest graduated from high school a week or two ago (it was actually a pretty fun graduation ceremony!!).  The graduation party was scheduled for Saturday the 18th.  SW was out of town through Wednesday of that week...talk about a brave mom!  Anywho, the 3 "men" of the house neglected to get any of the to-do list she had left from them to do for the week that she was gone so that she could focus on the actual party details once she came back in town.  Panic ensued on Thursday (I got a text that day saying she would see me Friday if she weren't jailed for killing offspring first!  Ha!  Gotta love it.).  I offered to help her with anything between Thursday and Saturday...and so came the text on Friday.  

After I got home from the lab I ran Jakers around for a bit and then packed up my crafting supplies and headed out to her place.  I had hardly made it through the door when her husband exclaimed, "Oh thank goodness you're here!  You're co-advisor is about to go insane!!!!!"  Hahahahaha...yes, I laughed outloud and saw the agreement mixed with furry in SW's eyes...poor woman - she was spent and still had dinner to make...for her family and 3 guests (they had two ornithologists (her hubs is an ornithologist) staying with them that night and then there was me).  I ushered her out of the kitchen and into the dinning room where there were mounds of photographs and poster board strewn about.  I told her as long as she gave me an idea of what she was going for I would do my best to finish the photo boards and then move on to whatever other task she needed done.  I thought she was going to cry out of sheer gratitude!  She set to making dinner and I put the photo boards together.  And then...we all sat down to a lovely dinner of grilled venison steaks with grilled veggies and potatoes...complete with a glass of wine - perfection.  Once dinner was over the boys all headed to the den and SW and I hung out in the kitchen and had girl time.  It was positively delightful.

Saturday was another full day!  It started with an egg roll making party at my place (Ummm...so awesome...and no...I didn't take any pictures.  I know!  I'm sorry!!!) which took a good part of the day and then we stuffed our faces with a ton of egg rolls.  We made somewhere in the range of 70-80...there were 12 left...There were about 8 of us altogether...ha.  After that ordeal came to a close a number of us made the trek over to SW's for the graduation party, complete with much more food....and....CAKE POPS!!!!  We all slept well that night.

Sunday was another day, but a blessed one at that.  I got to visit with Skate and talk to my pops and see all of my loves at church.  Win, win, win!

There's the latest and greatest...how's that for short?  Ha...I just kept remembering more and more things that I felt were blog worthy!!  

OK, for reals, I'm closing this post with a farewell and good night.

Praying blessings upon you.

Shalm,

~MW

To my Daddy

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

What a blessing it is to know the love of a father.  This is a blessing I hope I never, ever take for granted.  My Daddy Dearest is the absolute best father a girl could ask for.  No, really...I'm not kidding.

Things I love about my Faja:

1) He loves me unconditionally

2) He teaches me about God, life, loving others, having wisdom, and so much more all the time

3) He lets me make mistakes but is always there to help me pick up the pieces and learn from whatever has just caused me to fall on my face and break a limb...

4) He's pretty much always a phone call away...even when he's too busy, he always makes time.

5) He's pretty darn funny...sometimes  ;)

6) I can geek-out with him about things like Star Wars, anything Tolkien/C.S. Lewis, and so much more

7) He does more than he has to/needs to if it means making something a little bit easier on my end...even when he's, you guess it, too busy...like driving across the country with me to move me into my little apartment in the Frozen Tundra.

8) He loves, loves, loves the Lord and isn't afraid to show it.

9) He's incredibly wise.

10) He loves our family in an incredible way.

11) He...is...patient.  Something I am trying to learn myself...he's an amazing model of this.

12) He enjoys the outdoors and nature like me...and I love that we can share in those things...even if at times I make him help me with trapping insects, resulting in him suffering severely from poison ivy...but, we don't talk about that...  ;)

13) He let's me cry in front of him and doesn't feel awkward or uncomfortable when I do, but, rather, extends the most wonderful comfort, care, and love in just the right way for whatever the moment calls for...whether it's simply sitting by my side and hugging me, speaking words of Truth/Wisdom, etc...

14) He never let's me do the dishes after cooking our Thanksgiving Feast...though I don't get to do this anymore, now that I've moved out of TX, he would never let me touch a dirty dish after cooking/baking all day...

15) He's my dad.

Not the best of pictures, but this is him and me after my 

graduation from A&M - it was a chilly December night, and, 

of course, I wasn't willing to sacrifice cuteness for warmth...but, 

Faja was there, wool coat and all, to keep me warm  :)

You're the best, Dad.

Love you dearly, talk to you soon!

All my love,

~Heather

I was going to blog tonight, but....

....I got lost playing on this neat little thing called...

...Pinterest...

'nuff said.

And, with that I bid you all goodnight.

Shalom!

~H.

What weekend...?

Happy Sunday, lovely readers.

Praying the Lord has blessed you on His day and that your weekend has been filled to the brim with R&R and maybe some productivity...maybe?  ;)

My weekend has been...looong...but good!

Friday
Friday got off to an early start as I finished my 3rd (and hopefully final) prelim exam for my program.  Once that bad boy was finished it was time to kick it into hyperdrive to finish getting everything ready for BioBlitz which kicked off at 5pm that night.

All of my gear, before heading up to campus to get the

nets, kill jars, etc...  {minus my magazine basket, of course...}

What on earth is BioBlitz?!  

BioBlitz is a 24hr survey of the biodiversity of a given area.  It's something I got involved with at A&M and I was very pleased to discover that SW is one of the big participants here in the Frozen Tundra - win!  Aside from trying to document all the different plants, fungi, birds, toads/lizzards/snakes, insects, mammals, etc...BioBlitz aims to involve the community in discovering and learning about the natural history of the area.  <-- This is one of my favorite parts of BioBlitz - the community outreach.  Love it!

A bunch of us packed up and headed on out to the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (try saying that one 10 times fast!) to get light traps and overnight traps set-up before taking to the woods and fields to try to collect any insects we came across while it was still daylight/dusk.  Sadly, we had a cold front blow through this weekend, and Friday night proved to be pretty poor collecting conditions...the pickins were slim, to say the least.  We DID, however, find a gorgeous mating pair of Spilosoma virginica (a tiger moth - arctiid) and closed the night around 11pm with the capture (With my bare hand! I'd already packed up my gear for the night!) of a handsome male Ctenucha virginica (another type of tiger moth) - such a gorgeous guy.  It was very exciting and made getting drenched while collecting in the rain well worth it  :)

Saturday
Started the day with another early morning and headed back out to the Ordway Area.  We had much more success collecting insects on Saturday than we did on Friday.  This was great, except that we had to spend a good portion of our day collecting so we didn't have as much time to ID and curate...made for a bit of a time crunch as 5pm approached quickly.  STRESS!  And, since I still haven't recovered from the trip to TX (no time to sleep!) my body was fading fast...and I quickly lose nearly all patience when I'm tired...no bueno, friends, no bueno.  Fortunately, Corey the Dynamo was there to help keep me sane  :)

There were a few kiddos who came out and wanted to know lots of things about bugs and wanted to show us all of the insects they had collected.  So great!  There was one little boy who was probably about 4 and he kept bringing me all these little rocks and mosses along with insects...it was so fun.  Another little girl, maybe 8 or 9, brought a lady beetle (ladybug) and a mirid (plant bug) and wanted us to ID them for her.  The bug was one we hadn't collected yet so she let us keep it.  I showed her how we put the insects in our special jars (kill jars...glass jars with plaster paris in the base that is charged with ethyl acetate...basically euthanizes them) that put them to sleep and then they die so that we can put them on pins...if we put them on pins when they are still awake it doesn't feel very nice and their little legs will move all around.  So I walked her through that process and she was so excited to see the art of insect pinning and thought her little bug looked very nice on its new pin, all set to go into the collection.  Before she left she surprised me with the biggest hug...I nearly died.  It was just what I needed - I was starving at that point and wanted nothing more than to go home, eat, shower, and sleep...she granted me a pleasant distraction from ID'ing and pinning at record speeds to teach...and blessed me with a hug.  So precious!

The rest of the day was non-stop pinning and ID'ing and....databasing...my faaaaavorite thing eeeeeever....not.  But, we got it done, with about 105 morphospecies to report!  Which was good, considering the weather conditions!

After cleaning everything up and loading up the cars and trucks and things everyone cleared out and my crew and I embarked on our "roadtrip" back home (OK, so it was only a 30min drive...) so we could drop everything back off at campus and actually go home.  (We found out a little secret about our building, too!! BONUS!)

I ran by the Rainbow and grabbed some essentials...yes, cut flowers are essential from time to time  =)  Popped by RedBox, grabbed True Grit and headed home to settle in for the evening.

Dynamo and CashSmock came over and joined me for the rest of True Grit and Corey had fun riling Jakers up every time he had settled down...he thought it was fun  ;)  Then it was BED TIME.

Sunday
Woke up with quite the migraine that I've been fighting all day...I reckon that's a testament to my exhaustion and need to stop.  If you won't find the time to stop when you need to...your body will force you to stop.  OK, body, OK.  So I took today easy and didn't do much of anything - it was nice and much needed.

Finally decided I should make a real meal of sorts around dinner time...but since I only picked up the bare essentials from Rainbow I had to use my throbbing noggin to figure something out.  So, what did I come up with??

Chickpeas + diced tomatoes + onions + a bunch of spices 

+ a side of rice = quite a tasty dish 

(and pretty good for you, too!)

I tossed my onions in the pan first with some sesame oil, once they went translucent I added in my tomatoes, chickpeas, spices, and covered it in water and set it to boil.  Then I simmered it all until the liquid evaporated off some and thickened some.
For spices I used ground cumin, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, chili powder, ground red pepper, and salt and black pepper.
Spooned some of the chickpea mixture and sauce over a bowl of rice and voila! you have a cheap, easy, tasty (filling!) dinner.

I was hoping that eating something substantial would help kick the headache, but no such luck  :-/  It's starting to dull now, though.

So, my dears, with that, I am going to leave you and am calling it a night.

Blessings upon you as you tackle another Monday!!

Shalom,
~MW

P.S. - GO MAVS!!!

Need a Break from Databasing...

It's just one of those days...and I need a break from fighting with this databasing program and you all get an extra post out of it!!  Lucky, lucky duckies!  I can't in good conscience take too long of a break, so I'm stealing Katy's latest "right now."

 

watching:  Corey work on a paper (really, listening and occasionally glancing up at his comments and rants about methods and mustaches and things) as I peruse the interwebs on this little coffee break.

 

eating: PopChips, salt & pepper - I think I have a new addiction.  Soooo tasty!

drinking: coffee - yuuuummy!

wearing: Union Bay bermuda shorts and a BYX winter formal 2007 t-shirt.

doing: nothing...resting my brain for a spell.

feeling: sleeepy, ADD (like way badly today), like I'm wasting this beautiful 76 degree weather (it was 104 yesterday!!!) by sitting inside  :-/

missing: Texas, family, friends - Christmas break will be hear before we know it, loves!

thinking:  I am incredibly, incredibly blessed to be where I am, doing what I am doing, and to have the friends and family I have been granted...I'm in awe...all the time.

weather: gorgeous

praying: for restful sleep.

wanting: to visit the Big Bro and Big Sis post ESA in November!!  {Maybe?!?!}

thankful: i am Supremely loved.  <-- Katy hit it on the nose, her response stays  =)

dreaming: of "my" undergrad coming back to help me this summer SO I DON'T HAVE TO DO THE DATABSING ANYMORE!!!!  Haha...yes, you may call me spoiled...but, really, "my" undergrad is awesomely legit and gets to partake in lots of awesome opportunities this summer, so I reckon I can grant him his leave  :)

loving: the beautiful world around me (seriously...it is SO green here!), this experience that is grad school, the people who grant me their friendship and love, God's gracious love and provision...life.

 

 

Ok...chips are gone, coffee mug is nearly depleted...coffee break is coming to a close... 

 

Lots of love, readers.  Happy Hump Day!

 

Shalom,

~MW

 

P.S. - if you want to get your hands on some pretties for cheap...check out Yellow Songbird's Blog Sale!!!

Thoughts on Memorial Day {late}

Happy Sunday, all.

As I mentioned in my post recounting my adventures in Texas I wanted to share some thoughts on Memorial Day with you...even if it is a bit late.

Days like Memorial Day are always important to me for a number of reasons:

1) Whether I agree with a given war or US presence in other countries or not, the men and women who leave their families, homes, and the safety of our borders are making incredible sacrifices not only for their own families, but for yours and mine...even though they may never know us face to face.

2) I truly love our country.  While our nation is far from perfect, I think we often forget how good we have it here in the States.  We are truly blessed with the freedoms and privileges generation after generation of our fellow Americans have so valiantly fought to preserve.

3) I know soldiers.  I know families of soldiers.  I know friends of soldiers.  While I will never ask those who have served what they have experienced during their time of service (but will always listen if they want/need to share), it is often written on their faces: the trouble they have seen and the heartache they have experienced...whether it be locked away in memories or visible to everyone in wounds they suffered.  But no matter what it is they have gone through, I always see humility, courage, and pride in our country and what they have/are fighting for.

On my flight leaving Austin this Tuesday, I had the honor and privilege of sitting next to a tall, quiet soldier. 

This man had been home on leave for 15 days to spend time with his family before returning to his tour.  The pain he was experiencing in leaving his family, yet again, was clear as he sat with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, or resting his head on the back of his seat, eyes closed, hands clasped together with thumbs rolling.  It was evident to me that he believes in what he does for our country, but that doesn't wash away the fact that he was again leaving his family and that the possibility of not returning was again very real.

We didn't talk much...  I would have loved to have had more conversation with him, but with his mind so obviously processing what was happening, I kept my silence for the short flight to DFW and allowed him his solitude.  Once we landed we had to sit on the landing strip for a bit before we could proceed to the gate - this afforded me the opportunity to thank him for his sacrifice and service.

When I looked into this soldier's eyes as I thanked him, I saw incredible gratitude mixed with the sadness of leaving.  DFW is where they ship out from, he told me.  In that moment I saw a hint of tears welling in his eyes.  I wanted to ask him about his family, if he and his wife had children, and so much more.  But decided to spare him.  This leg of his tour will be for 6 months, he told me.  6 months is a long time to be away from the comforts of home and the love of family, but he was grateful for the shortness of this time away from home.

As we parted ways in the terminal I thanked him again, told him to be safe, and sent him with the Lord's blessing.  The awe in his face was heart-wrenching and I had to work hard to hold my own tears back.  He thanked me and told me to be sure to take care of myself.  I spent the remainder of my day and much of this week praying for this man and his fellow soldiers. 

How easy it is to go-on with our day-to-day life and not think twice about the men and women who make this life possible.

How easy it is for us to forget the ones who leave home so that we don't have to. 
...So that we don't have to live in fear. 
...So that we can freely worship our God.

Don't forget them. 
Don't forget the ones who have served before we were even a thought in our mothers' minds. 
Don't forget the ones who have served while we have grown up in comfort and safety. 
Don't forget the ones who are serving now to preserve that comfort and safety we have grown so accustomed to. 
Don't forget the ones who have given their lives for ours. 
Don't forget the families who sacrifice their sons and daughters so that we don't have to.

Remember how and why our country exists and persists.

I am certain that I will never forget this soldier.  The short time I spent sitting next to him has impacted me in a way I will never forget. 

I have sometimes forgotten what it was like to have my cousin serving so far away and in harms way, now that he is home and safe, though still serving our country...though still in harms way.  Somehow it is less frightening knowing that he is in America where we have excellent doctors and facilities that could help save him, should the unthinkable happen.  But, he is still serving and putting his life on the line for the safety of others.

It's easy to forget.  This is one of the reasons days like Memorial Day are so important - they force us to remember and recognize what we have and why we have it.

I cannot fully express the gratitude I have for the sacrifice of those serving in our armed forces, but I do thank you and your friends and families for their sacrifice.

Remember.

Shalom,
~MW

Texas Time!

{{Interwebs broke last night, so this post had to wait until today.  Oh, and the comments have moved to the top of the blog posts...weird, I know...but, I kinda like it...}}

OK, readers!

So, I promised you more updates this week and here is the first installment: Texas!

{I'm going to do my catch-up updates in reverse order, so that I don't leave any of the awesome that was this precious time in the land I have come to love so, so dearly.}

TEXAS!!!!

TU

Let me start....at the beginning!

Saturday, May 21
Let's just say that the trip got off to a weeeeee bit of a rocky start...This gal slept through her alarm, only to be awakened by the highly offensive **buzz** that is the door buzzer of my building.  And, let me tell you, I am so thankful that the **buzz** is indeed highly offensive...otherwise I might not have made it!  My sweet friend Christine had graciously agreed not only to pick me up at the ungodly hour of 5am to take me to the airport, but also to be the live-in "mom" to my critters while I was away...she's the best, y'all.  Anyways, back to getting to the airport...  Christine had called me when she left her place to come pick me up...but, of course, I didn't hear the call, nor did I wake up to any of my 5 alarms...neeeeat.  So, I woke up when I was supposed to be leaving.  Yep, talk about freak-out.  I wasn't entirely packed as I had a few things I was still debating on taking, so the decision was made by shoving everything without a thought into my trusty, rolly, red duffel bag.  I then splashed some water on my face, threw the hair in a pony tail, kissed the critter goodbye, and flew out the door with Christine's **chuckling** help.  We made it to the airport with plenty of time for me to check my bag, make it through the one open check-point, and spend a little time in the bathroom making myself look a little more presentable.  I got to chat with another lady doing the same thing - this gal was impressively curling her hair!  Props to her!  Then I got to chat with my pops as I waited...yay, weather delays...silly tornadoes...  Sadly, the delay stole a chunk of time that I was going to spend with the fam at DFW, but we were still able to get in an hour and a half or so (complete with a dead battery in the 'rent's car at the airport...there's a free service for that at DFW, though!!), and it was wonderful - they brought me Taco Bueno (judge me all you want, it still screams Texas!)!  It was great to be able to see my Momma on her bday - love you so much!  From DFW I caught my next flight down to ATX where I was very pleasantly greeted by two of my absolute best friends, the Ponders.  Man, I miss them!!  I was able to spend the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday with them, and Josh even serenaded me and Elaine with some guitar playing and singing - thanks for sacrificing your fingertips for us, JP! (*snap! snap! snap! snap! snappity! snap! snap!*)

Monday, May 23
My sweet Tara friend came and snatched me from the Ponder house Monday morning and we went to Kerbey Lane where we had one of the most excellent breakfasts ever...deeeelish!  We spent the day running around, catching up, and hanging out - it was wonderful.  Later that evening our wonderful Kristen friend came to join the party and we got ready for a superb Mexican feast, I am Number 4 showing, and slumber party with a couple of Tara's friends from grad school (thanks so much for all of your hard work and letting us crash in your living room, Noel!!).  It was awesome.

Tuesday, May 24
FUN IN THE SUN!  SUN! SUN! SUN!  Y'all...my skin hasn't seen sun since I moved up here...it was awesome to get to lounge out by the pool...even if I did get some funny streaky lines...no worries, everything evened out before the wedding  :)  It's still a bit too chilly up here to go swimming, too, so splashing around in the pool was delightful.  Later on we went to Gloria's (the BEST tamales I have ever had state side...I'd venture to say they were as good as the Panamanian tamales, family...seriously...I thought I had died and gone to heaven) for happy hour, where I got to see my lovely Alyssa K!!  It was awesome to catch up with her and have good old fashioned girl time.

Wednesday, May 25
Kerbey Lane, round 2!  Kristen and Tara and I decided we needed to go get breakfast there again...just because we could, and we all wanted to dig-in to some lemon poppy-seed pancakes (to die for!).  It was fantastic.  After breakfast the girls dropped me off at the casa de Reed where I got to spend some wodnerfully precious time with my cousins and the little Z-Man...I can't believe he's going to be 4 soon!  So hard to believe.  But we had a ton of fun - oh how I miss them!!

Thursday, May 26
The after getting some Whataburger for lunch, the cousin drove me to meet up with Mak and her other gals so that we could get to work on bachelorette/pre-wedding fun.  While P and I waited for Mak we ran around with Z-Man at a little playground and had a ton of fun with him there...don't worry, he survived the face-plant following his trip down the big-kid slide just fine  ;)  Once Mak arrived I transferred all of my junk into her car and we headed for Buda-land to get to prepping.  We had a fun night out strolling around 6th street and got so not enough sleep...but it was still a blast, and Mak was an absolute trooper at the piano bar  :)

Friday, May 27
THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING!!!!  Us bridesmaids got to work finishing the guest favors and helping to make sure Mak had everything she needed for the wedding and honeymoon.  We all made it to the rehearsal where Butch did an excellent job of making sure we didn't forget to take care of our sweet bride during the ceremony the next day - what a blessing to have such an amazing man of God join you in marriage.  After the seamless rehearsal was complete we headed to Lake Travis for the rehearsal dinner - awesome Mexican food and fun with friends.  We finally had our fill of food and people and made our way back to the hotel where we got to hang out with Mak's extended family for a bit before calling it a night.  Man, they are a fun bunch of people.

Saturday, May 28
WEDDING DAY!!!  We got the day off to an early 7am start to make sure that Mak had plenty of time to get prepped and not suffer too much stress in the way of time crunching.  Her mom treated us to a lovely breakfast at the house and we all set to work prepping for the 2pm ceremony.  We made it to the church around 11:30/12 and did our final preps before it was time for the pre-ceremony pictures.  Once those were done it was a short wait and then it was show time!  The wedding itself was beautiful, intimate, and God-centered...perfection.  I'm pretty sure we all let a few tears fall as we watched Wes as he saw his bride walking down that aisle toward a lifetime with him.  She was stunning and he was so obviously in awe of her beauty, inside and out, that tears were inevitable.  The reception was a fun time with friends and family and I was so happy I got to see the Ponders one last time.  It was incredibly difficult for me to say goodbye to Mak and Wes as we ushered them off to Jamaica...I miss them!!!  And, saying goodbye to my sweet Josh and Elaine was equally difficult.  But, saying goodbye to those sweet people transitioned me into the next leg of my trip.  My dear Bolwerk was gracious enough to come pick me up from Buda, even though he was too sick to attend the wedding with me - what a champ, eh?  He drove his sick self 2hrs just to pick me up so that I could spend some time in College Station.

{Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely love my friends??  Mmk, well, I adore them...there are simply no words to express how much I love them and how much they have absolutely become my family.}

B and I made a little stop back at Tara's for dinner and some general hangout-age...such a blessing.  After that he and I made a stop at the convenience store for some Blue Bell (Texas, I love you!), Sour S'ghetti, Vanilla Coke, and Cherry Dr. Pepper.  That my friends, is a recipe for success!  We had a really great drive to CS, brimming with sugar-highs, laughter, good tunes, and excellent conversation.  He granted me the pleasure of driving me through campus and stopping at the giant Aggie Ring so that I could actually see and touch it, as I hadn't been able to see it since it was placed.  I love Texas A&M...there is simply no place like it.

Sunday, May 29
Church!  B and I went to Grace Southwood for service Sunday morning and then met up with Poarchy-Poarch and Powell at Fuego for lunch - oooohm gahhhhh how I have missed Texas food!  We had an excellent lunch and then made our way over to the 'doons for some coffee and face time with Cam - man I love that kid...he's so freaking tall!  While there I got to have some sweet time with Poarchy as well as my sweet Powell girl.  I've missed those kiddos so much!  There was another lovely, lovely surprise I got at Muldoons: Katy!!  I'm sure most of you are familiar with my sweet sister in the Lord, Katy, who has been in Africa with her husband Kahler this last year.  Well, she and I finally go to make our friendship "real-life" official!  She was so sweet to make time to come visit with me for a little bit and it was such a blessing to finally meet her face to face and give her a real hug.  But...as she and I were discussing earlier today...we both failed to document our meeting with a picture.  And we call ourselves bloggers...shame on us.  BUT!  We'll remedy that come the Christmas holidays, don't you worry your pretty little heads  :)  After coffee time B, Poarch, Powell, and I made our way back to B's house to watch a movie while I waited for for my sweet Kacy and Justin friends to pick me up for dinner.  Once they arrived we made our way to Blue Baker for some pizza...ah, it brought back memories.  We had such a sweet time together - I was so happy they were able to make the trek up from Houston.  From there we went over to the Humphrey's House for dessert, where Miss Powell joined us as well.  After sending Kacy and Justin off...and ushering in the tears that would not completely stop flowing for the next two days, the Humphrey House settled down for some Kung Fu Panda before calling it a night.

Monday, May 30
Happy Memorial Day!!

{I'll have another post to share some things about Memorial Day a little later on this week or next}

A bunch of us started the day off with some precious time out at the Freeman House...it will always feel like home  :) and then made our way to Layne's (oh how I wish I could have brought you with me!!) where we met up with Pauler and my sweet Metz bug dorks!!  It was sooo, so wonderful to see Pauler and visit with him about his upcoming move for seminary and to see his excitement about what the Lord is doing as he prepares for this new stage in his life.  And, seeing the Metzs was super great on so many levels: they're awesome, they're like my big brother and sister, THEY'RE PREGGERS!!!!  I was so excited to find out that they are expecting this fall - I'll get to see the baby at Christmas!  WHOOP!  After some good time at Layne's I said my goodbyes and ran to the car before I had time to start crying...I could have hugged Bolwerk, Poarch, Powell, Pauler, and the Metz crew forever, I think...but, I knew that if I stayed much longer and continued to hold on to them I would never leave and I would just cry and cry...so, I hopped in Powell's car and she took me back to the Humphrey's so they could cart me back to Austin.  I loved the time I got to spend with the Humphreys on our trip to Austin...I. MISS. THEM!  Once in Austin I met back up with Tara and she and I completely vegged the afternoon/evening away...and, I cried some more.

Tuesday, May 31
I so didn't want to leave Texas, but that flight was calling my name, and it was time to go.  Tara took me to the airport and once I got all checked in and made my way over to the checkpoint line I told her that she was going to have to leave otherwise I was going to bawl my eyes out...and she was gracious enough to spare my eyes and head that sufferance.  Once I was comfortable in the line I called my Pops and chatted with him about the trip and not wanting to leave Texas and I was hardly able to keep my tears from falling.  But, I got on that plane, thanked a precious soldier, caught my connecting flight in DFW, and arrived safely back here in the Melted Tundra.

The trip was incredible and I wish I hadn't left, but leaving means there's another trip to be had with more memories and more time with my Texas loves later on down the road.

For now, all is well up in the Tundra and I am happy to be back in my own little home with my critters.

Research is getting back underway and the summer will be a buzzy one full of research and sunshine.  Y'all, it is so lush here right now, I can hardly believe it.  I'll try to snag some pictures before it all fades back to white!

Well, that's all for now, my dears.  I'm off to bed.

Love y'all dearly.
Shalom!
~MW