Already a Year??...No Way.

On Sunday, Brian and I celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary...what?!?!?!?! A whole year! I can't believe it. Like really...I think back to how long a year used to seem when I was in high school, and I truly can't believe it's been a year. Two semesters. And a summer. A YEAR!

On Saturday, my in-laws had us out to their house, along with my parents and my grandfather, to have a nice dinner and to watch the wedding video again. The food was great, and remembering all those times of last year was just unbelievable. My mother-in-law set out little mementos from our wedding, too. I loved reliving every moment and realized, yet again, how blessed and lucky I am to be married to my best friend. He is truly incredible...truly!

On Sunday, we revisited the church we were married in, and it was very special to think of all we've done since we last stood at that altar. Then, we went to lunch at his grandpa's house, and that afternoon we just relaxed with one another, watching golf...which is weird because I HATE golf...oh what you will do when it's your anniversary!

That night, we went to eat at Outback and went to see Captain America. It was a GREAT night! We came home to a surprise set-up from my mom. She set up the cake top from our wedding (and she made us a delicious Italian Cream Cake for us to eat after we had that tiny bite of our cake top!). She decorated it all with little aspects of our wedding a year ago...Look at what she did!



As if you couldn't tell, I love my husband. I love him so much more, though, for being my husband. He's my best friend. My caretaker. The father of my future children. My rock. My hero. My provider. He is unbelievable. I don't know how I got so lucky....thank You, God, for blessing me with this wonderful man. And thanks for making him SOOOOO easy to look at, too!

I love you, babe....to the moon and back!

From our family to yours,

New Mexico's Little Taste of Heaven...Ruidoso

Last weekend (the 5th-7th), we went to Ruidoso. Let me clarify. Mom and I went on Wednesday...the boys met us Friday because dad had work and Brian had class. Anyway, we did a bunch of shopping and relaxing and finishing my class while they were away. The real fun started when they got there, though!

We went to the races...duh!

We went dancing...surprise!

We...I mean Brian...went to the casino!

We saw old friends!

We played tennis!

We went out to eat....

It was a pretty typical trip to Ruidoso, and did I mention it was anywhere from 55-65 degrees everyday! We watched it rain every day and wished we could take it back with us (which we sort of did!). It was a great trip...

I don't know if I've told you about Brian and I's tree. I'll refresh your memory. In 2007, my family and I took Brian to Ruidoso for the first time. We stayed in a little cabin that had a big tree right in front. Brian spent a couple days carving out B ♥ M 07 into the tree. From then on, we have gone BACK to the tree every year and taken a picture with the carving. We missed out in 2008, but we have a picture from 2009, 2010, and now 2011!! In order, here are the pictures....starting from 2009 until 2011.





From our family to yours,

Rangers and Birthdays

Well, on a random Tuesday, I wake up to decide that hey! why not go to the Rangers game that night? I talk it over with Brian...he's game...call dad (who already had tickets) and we were off that afternoon!

We had a great time and figured we are at the point in our lives where we can be spontaneous like this, so why not take advantage of it! We first sat pretty high up in the stadium, but we were in the shade and had room to kick back. Then, we moved to a suite where my parents and Morgan were sitting.....

Then...

THENNNN....

We moved to the first row RIGHT BEHIND HOME PLATE!!! Yes, we were on TV...Saw Josh right up close...took pictures....made ourselves look like idiots.... It. Was. Awesome.

Here's a few pics from our time (notice how my hair changes from cute to AWFUL as the game progresses. Thanks Texas weather!)





Now onto birthdays....MY birthday, in fact! I turned 22 this year, which means I can do basically everything I've been able to do for a year now...only I'll be 22. woohoo!

I had a great day. Brian took me to eat breakfast at my favorite - Kenny Blanek's! They have an amazzzzinnngg Western Omelet. Try it! Brian had a test that day, so he was off to school and I....well IIIIIIII did a whole heck of a lot of NOTHING! It was great! I went to eat lunch with my mom, my sister-in-law, and my mother-in-law. The night before, my mother-in-law had us over, and she made me chicken strips. They were sooo yummy!

That night, my mom and dad had us over, along with Mama Pat, Uncle Tommy, and my best friend, Emily. She made BREAKFAST FOR DINNER (translation: only the most delicious thing on the planet!). We had multi-grain pancakes (I have the recipe for this one...they are FANTASTIC), the famous Charlotte Weishuhn Waffles & Syrup (yep! have that recipe, too!), sausage balls, bacon, blueberry muffins, and a HUGE platter of fruit. Huge. It was a great night!

I got wayyyyy too many presents from my family and friends, but I HAVE to show you the cake Brian had made for me. Check it out!


I am way too blessed to have the family that I do. Love you all!

From our little growing family to yours (nope, still no baby!),

Watch Out Texas!!

I guess it is about time I let you all in on my most recent news - no, not a baby...sorry for the disappointment! On June 25th, I got up bright and early to head up to ASU to take both the PPR 8-12 and the ELAR 8-12 tests (translation: the certification tests I have to pass to become a teacher...whew!). I showed up around 7:15 AM, eager to take my test at 8. Well...we waited.

And waited.

Waited a little more.

Then topped that off with a little more wait time.

Did I mention it was 7:15 AM? And did I also mention it was already well over 95 degrees outside? I guess I also forgot to mention that we waited OUTSIDE!!! Gracious...

Anyway, at 8:30, we were all a little concerned. We finally found out that the "test administrator" didn't show up (translation: they had no idea we were coming and tried to make it right in the hour and 15 minutes we were standing there and it didn't happen so they blamed it on the MIA "test administrator"...lame). Talk about frustrating! I had spent several...severalllllll weeks preparing for this test, and now I had to put it off until July 9th when they said they would let us make it up. Well, I guess I was better off than the woman on the floor wailing because she had to have her test taken by July or she lost her job. I guess I was also better off than the woman who drove over 4 hours to get to the test that morning and had rented a hotel room. I guess I was also better off than the woman who was in route of moving and had her U-Haul hooked to her Tahoe...

Anyway....I took it again on July 9th.

3 weeks later - results.

I PASSED BOTH WITH FLYING COLORS! :)

Say hello, Texas, to your newest certified secondary English teacher! I will student teach this fall at Grape Creek High School, graduate in December, and hopefully get my own classroom in January. Hey seniors of GCHS....bring it on!

From our family to yours...

Brian's Birthday...23 Makes You Feel Older Than You Think

On July 20, 1988 God blessed this earth with a handsome young boy that would one day become my husband. Whenever I try to comprehend the journeys and decisions that God makes for us when we are so young I get a little dizzy. But I know one thing - God definitely knows what He is doing.

Last Wednesday I tried to make Brian's birthday as special as possible. He was not too thrilled about the idea of turning 23. I, however, think it's a great age!! I tried to tell him that HE IS NOTTT OLD, and that he has A LOTT to look forward to, but he was a little hard headed. At first, he told me he didn't want anything for his birthday and he just wanted Little Caesar's pizza for dinner. Umm...no.

His mom came over for lunch and we enjoyed Papa John's Pizza (he was really stuck on the idea of pizza, and we were not going to allow him to eat Little Ceasar's). He wanted money for his birthday because he wants to save up to get a nice gun eventually.

That evening, I got dressed up. He got dressed up. I took him to Red Lobster because he LOVES lobster, but who eats lobster all the time? Not us. We're poor married, college kids. So...LOBSTER IT WAS! We got to Red Lobster and found out we had about a 5 minute wait. I ran to the "bathroom," and Brian had no idea what was going on...

We sat down and about 2 minutes later (right on time!) his best friends walked up to surprise him with a birthday drink! We had all planned this surprise for about a week, and Brian had absolutely no clue! He was so shocked and excited. We had dinner with our good friends Isidro, Tyler, and Richard. It was a great dinner, complete with lobster and shrimp! I gave Brian his present, which was a professional photo book that my photographer, Annette @ Great Expectations (she's the best!!), and I had been working on for about 6 months. The book pictured his track experiences all the way back from 7th grade to this year's national meet. It was a special gift, and Brian was so happy to receive it. His friends loved it, too!

Then, we came back to our house to eat cake and celebrate his birthday with his friends. I made a lemon pound cake, Brian's favorite!, and it was a hit! I also got Brian a tennis racquet that he was hoping for, and I got him one more gift, but it isn't in yet, so I can't ruin the surprise!!

I think he had a great birthday....after all, 23 isn't so bad anyway.

Happy Birthday, Brian:) And PRAISE GOD, for blessing this world with Brian 23 years ago. You really do know what You're doing!

God Bless the USA!

Let me remind you of Brian's Physical Therapy Schedule......basically, it means he has like 0 minutes to do ANYTHING except study...awesome. Well, because 4th of July fell on a Monday (Thanks God:)), Brian got a day off from school, which made for a 3 day weekend! Woohoo!! Well, we obviously took advantage.

We headed out on Saturday to San Antonio and spent the day at Sea World with Morgan and her friend, Lenny. We got to see the great shows that Sea World has going on right now, including Azul, which has acrobats!! It was great! We stayed in San Antonio at a brand new hotel that was pretty proper:)



On Sunday, we went over to Fredericksburg to meet my parents and watch the horse races (and get those yummy peaches!). Brian and I ended up winning about $30, which isn't so bad!! That night we hung out by the pool and enjoyed being away from the study desk.



On Monday, we went to Bass Pro Shop and La Cantera to shop and we got an iPad!! Yay! We really did have a great time. We drove home to San Angelo on Monday and watched the fireworks with all of our PT friends at the ASU Lakehouse. It really was a picture perfect first 4th of July. I feel so blessed to have a husband that takes care of me and loves me unconditionally; God bless US and the USA!!!

From our family to yours,

Praise, Praise, Praise the LORD for Rain!

This is the first thing I heard from my good friend, Alex, today at work.

Alex: "Whoever said it's going to rain today is crazy! It's so hot outside!"

Unfortunately, we all agreed because we knew that rain was not even in sight. When I got home, I told Brian...

Me: "Hey, did you know there's a 40% chance of rain today?"

Brian: "Yeah, but I doubt it happens. I'll believe it when I see it."

Again, sadly, I agreed.

Then, I got to thinking (here's my attempt at being deep)...if we had to SEE everything to BELIEVE it and if we never had faith that maybe KLST and KSAN Weather-Watchers do know what they're talking about (I mean, they did go to school for a few years learning how to predict this kind of stuff....and they're only human...they make mistakes!) then maybe God wouldn't want to give us any rain at all. Maybe this whole time, we have been so skeptical of it ever raining that we haven't had FAITH that it actually would. Am I right?!

Well, I think God smiled when I thought that because I said to myself...."God, I trust You, and if You want us to have rain, You will give it. If You do not want us to have rain, then You will protect us through it." Then, I think God shed a little tear...then some more....and for a little bit, I think God bawled.

Thank you, Lord, for the sweet, precious rain. We Praise YOU for this blessing!

From our family to yours,

New Events...Old Memories

Brian had the privilege of serving as a groomsman to one of his oldest friends (and groomsman of our wedding), Jake Halfmann, this past weekend. It was definitely different being on the other side of things for a change. When sitting at the rehearsal in First Presbyterian Church, I found myself reminiscing on our special day. It was magical, no doubt, and I kept trying to re-kindle those nervous/excited feelings that I felt the night before our big day. I was shocked to find that those nervous/excited feelings quickly came over me again! What a great reminder, showing me how much in love I am with my husband. I am unbelievably blessed to have him, and though for the rest of our lives we will always be on "the other side" of the weddings we attend, I will NEVER forget our own wedding or the feelings I felt before, during, and after that glorious day. God Bless August 14, 2010!

Remi's Party in the Park

Well....guess what?! We're actually CAUGHT UP! We were thrilled to celebrate (check it!).........

REMI'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

We threw a small party for Remi in his favorite park, Unidad Park. Here are a few photos from our fun time:)








From our family to yours.

Graduation:)

Ok...let's keep it short. BRIAN GRADUATED! He graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Kinesiology with an Exercise Science option, which basically means....he has a good ride into PT school:)

He started PT school a few weeks ago, and he just finished his first test yesterday! He, of course, did AWESOME! Anyway, his graduation fell the same weekend as his Conference track meet, so he didn't get to walk the stage. In order to help him feel a little more loved (as if he doesn't feel enough love already!), I threw a surprise graduation party for him! He was surprised, don't ya think?!


From our family to yours,

Oh Yeah! TRACK!

Well, Brian ran his final season of track and field this year at ASU. Not only was this his final season at ASU, but this was his final season of track....EVER! It could NOT have gone better. I am so proud of him for everything he has accomplished so early in this life. He truly is my hero. I could sit here and list all of the awards, medals, and trophies he has gotten this year, but I know Brian, my humble husband, would rather you just SEE the highlights. I'll just quickly mention that Brian ended up with 6 Academic Athlete Awards this season, one being the NCAA Division II Elite 88 Award. Look it up: http://www.ncaa.com/elite88

Here are the highlights...I'll guide you through...

A few photos of random meets.




That about brings us to the Lone Star Conference Meet. Brian ran the 400m hurdles and the mile relay. And....drumroll!!!!!! BRIAN WON HIS FIRST CONFERENCE TITLE IN THE 400M HURDLES! He also helped his mile relay team run to the 2nd place title as well! Here's my proud moment:)


Brian was very blessed this year and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championships in both the 400m hurdles and the mile relay. He finished 10th in the nation in the 400m hurdles (a great feat!) and their mile relay finished 5th!


I was sad to watch Brian's last race, but at the same time, I am so excited to watch Brian grow in this next chapter of his life. He has so much ahead of him, and I can already tell.....he's going to be great!

From our family to yours,

MY Ring Ceremony

Wait what? Did I just type MY Ring Ceremony? That's weird...I have been so used to typing Brian's Ring Ceremony that I forgot I had one, too!

On April 28th, I was presented my ASU Senior Ring. It was a blessed evening, full of family and friends:) I was presented my ring and took pictures with my whole family and with Dominic, the ASU Ram Mascot. Here's a quick pic of Brian and Me on MY special day!

Our Newest Bundle of Joy!

Well, one afternoon Brian and I decided to look up pictures of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (the cutest puppies in the world) because Morgan mentioned that they were pretty darling. Boy! was she right or what?! Brian actually fell in love with the idea of getting a dog like this because I had wanted to add to our family and get a small puppy to keep me company when he was gone on long trips and late hours in the cadaver lab (ew!). Remi had always been my little buddy, but lately, he's gotten quite LARGE, and he doesn't really understand his strength and massiveness quite well, so he often knocks me over. No really, he knocks me to the ground. Thus, the idea of cuddling with Remi on the couch has kind of been erased due to his large frame. ANYWAY, I wanted a dachshund because they're easy to find, cheap to buy, and for the most part pretty darn cute! Brian wasn't toooooo keen on the idea, but he was willing to let me have whatever puppy I wanted (remember: I have been afraid of big dogs all of my life, and I let him have Remi, so he really didn't have a say in what I wanted to get). The only thing he kept stressing is money. Money. Money. Money. We got Remi for a ridiculous cheap price, so Brian didn't want to pay more than we paid for Remi. Impossible.

We did a little research and Cavaliers are EXPENSIVE. I mean like....outrageous. I had about given up on the idea when I came across a website of a breeder in Gainsville, Texas. Her family also owned cutting horses and lived on a big ranch, so I figured she probably knew a little about Southern Hospitality and love:) I went out on a limb and called her up:

Me: "Hi, my name is Mackenzie Holik, and I noticed your website on the internet and was wondering if you had any cavalier puppies for sale."

Lynn: [in a very Southern dialect] "Well hello, Mackenzie, yes, I do have some cavalier puppies! I actually have two males right now that I have reduced the price in half!"

Me: [chin drop] "Oh wow! That's great! Tell me about them."

Lynn: "Well, the one I'm thinking about has already been fixed...."

Me: [chin drop further down]

Lynn: "And he is just the sweetest puppy I have. We have reduced his price because he is 10 weeks old, and we usually start selling at 6."

Me: [after 3 minutes of discussing] "Ok- I'll take him! See you Tuesday"

So from Sunday to Tuesday, Brian and I had researched the IDEA of a Cavalier, thought it might be a good idea to give Remi a brother, found AMAZING Lynn, drove to Ranger, Texas, and picked up our newest bundle of joy!

Meet......Riley:)


He is just a blessing. Remi and him get along so well:) We are just a happy little family of four!

From our family to yours,

Brian's Ring Ceremony

Brian got to add to his collection of enormous, flashy rings when he received his 2nd (count it, second)National All-American Track and Field Ring.
Here's the coolest picture from that night:

Can We Just Skip to Spring Break, Already? (Or Go Back, Rather)

Brian and I enjoyed our break away from school because we had just received some great news!!

BRIAN GOT ACCEPTED INTO ASU'S PHYSICAL THERAPY DOCTORATE PROGRAM, STARTING ON MAY 23RD!!!

Though this was FANTASTIC news, we also knew that we were going to NOT be able to enjoy vacations the way we used to for the next three years. Thus, we took a GRAND vacation during our spring break.

In comes our two best friends - Zach and Makensie:)
We took a truck, two kayaks, a huge charcoal grill, two boxes of food, four coolers of drinks, 4 duffel bags, 2 pistols, and about 158239487234 fishing poles to Lo Meta, Texas to have a very fun-filed camping expidition (and when I say camping, I mean we slept in a cabin).

Our cabin didn't have any water because a pipe busted, so Kens and I were a little distraught, given that we were not big on camping. Yet, we had a great time! I caught my first fish....check it!

It was huge, and I was afraid to hold it (enter strong Brian).


We did a lot of cooking, fishing, and pistol shooting (yes, I shot it!). Kens and I did a lot of posing and cute sitting


One night, we went to 6th St. in Austin and hung out at the bars down town



And that about covers it...most of it anyway.
We had a great time with grand friends!

From our family to yours

Sometime Last Winter...

Ok - so I suck at blogging, so I'm not sure when these two things happened, but I figured I should fill you in....


SOMETIME last winter....this happened:)


SOMETIME last winter...this happened:)


Oh and This.....this is a tree in Ruidoso outside of this little cabin in the Upper Canyon. In 2007, Brian went with my family and I to Ruidoso for the summer. He carved our initials in the tree and wrote '07 under it. Every year since, Brian and I have gone and taken a picture by that tree (yes, we always find it). Here's our picture from 2011


And that's that.

From Our Family to Yours

Christmas, Shall We?...

We had a FANTASTIC Christmas this year. We had a lot of changes that took place that we were not particularly "used to," but we made them work, and we made new traditions that I think will last a lifetime!!

Let's just do a little recap, shall we?

1. We made Christmas cookies together (yes, Brian actually helped). Check them out!


2. We decorated our cute little tree and finally got to hang our precious ornament that Marilyn bought us right after we got engaged on our trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico. How cute is this?!?!


And here begins the longest 3 days of our lives:)

3. Friday, December 24th --> Christmas Eve
Here's What We Both "Used" To Do:

Mackenzie
Wake up whenever I want to on Christmas Eve morning, but early enough to call "Christmas Eve Gift" to every member of my family before they had a chance to call it to me:)
Around 5:00, Morgan and I would open one gift (usually a pretty outfit) from Mom and Dad that we would usually wear to the Christmas Eve Service.
Around 7:00, my entire family would head to the Christmas Eve Service at First United Methodist Church; Morgan and I would sing; we would all take pictures and head back for Santa.
Then, Morgan and I would set out cookies and milk (yes, we did this at 20 and 23 years old) for Santa. Morgan would read Christmas books to me until I fell asleep, and we would sleep in my room until Mom and Dad woke us up (usually around 5:30 am) to open Santa's presents.

Brian
Wake up fairly early, in order to get to Papa's house around noon for lunch.
For the remainder of the day, Brian and his ENTIRE family would hang out at Papa's, playing games, watching movies, etc.
Around 6:00 pm, they would all eat dinner.
Following dinner, the entire family exchanged gifts through a Chinese Gift Exchange. Once it was all over, Brian's immediate family would head back home and wait to open all their gifts the following morning (usually a LOT later than 5:30 am haha)

Here's What We Did THIS Year:
5:30 am (Christmas Eve, remind you) we woke up and exchanged stockings. Here's a few photos of our favorite stocking suffers:
Remi loved his giraffe (and still does)

I obviously loved my movie (maybe a little too much)

Brian thoroughly enjoyed his camo face cover (??)


Then, we got ready for the day (that would be a REALLY REALLY REALLY long day) and headed to my Mom and Dad's house for our new tradition: CHRISTMAS EVE BREAKFAST!
We had homemade waffles (SHOUTOUT TO CHARLOTTE WEISHUHN FOR THE MOST FANTASTIC HOMEMADE WAFFLE AND SYRUP RECIPE EVER!!), pigs in a blanket, fruit, and bacon. It was the yummiest breakfast we had had in a while:) And we really enjoyed our newest tradition.

Then, we both loaded BACK up (we left Remi and Mom and Dad's, aka P-Patti and Pops, for the day) and headed to Papa's house. We ate lunch and spent time with Brian's family until Christmas Eve Service rolled around.

Then, we headed BACK into town (count it....three trips now) to FUMC for the service. Morgan and I sang, and we all enjoyed the candle light service as a family.

Then, we HIGHTAILED it BACK to Papa's (yep, that's 4) for the gift exchange. Brian got a handy dandy tool (that I tried to make him get rid of...you'll see why in a minute), and I got my own gift...because I really wanted it to begin with hehe:)

Finally....Finally....we went home. Finally. It was past 10:00 pm, and we were miserable.

And that was just day 1....

4. Saturday, December 25th --> Jesus's Birthday
Here's What We Both "Used" To Do:

Mackenzie
Wake up super early on Christmas morning and open Santa gifts.
Then....well then, I usually went back to sleep.
Occassionally, we would travel to either side of my parents' family, but usually, we just chilled and enjoyed each other's company on Christmas. Plain and simple:)

Brian
Wake up somewhat early (9ish) and open presents with his parents and Sarah, which usually takes approximately 2 hours because they each take turns opening gifts, which is kinda cool!
Then, Papa and Aunt Dorothy (Marilyn's aunt) would come over, and they would all eat lunch at Brian's house. They have this really cool tradition where they all have an apple, an orange, an almond, and a walnut on their plate for good luck. Neato!
Then, once everyone left, Brian and his family would usually take pictures and enjoy the day together.

Here's What We Did THIS Year:
Early Early Early in the morning (again) around 6ish, we headed over to my parent's house in our PJs to open Santa presents with Morgan and my mom and dad. Here's a few pictures of our favorite gifts:

I obviously wanted the Nook like a crazy person

Brian got a new golf bag, which I think he's used....once? (He's been kinda busy...more on that later)


Once we kissed and hugged goodbye, and once I cried my eyes out like a little baby because I knew I wouldn't see my family the rest of Christmas Day (my family was headed to Dallas to spend Christmas with my grandfather, both aunts, and my uncle on my dad's side. Since Brian's immediate family held Christmas on Christmas Day, we felt it was more important to stay with immediate family than extended, so we stayed in town. It was heartbreaking knowing we had to miss our family get-together, and we hated saying goodbye to our family on Christmas morning).

We headed to Marilyn's house for lunch. We had a really fun time with his family, and after everyone went home, we all opened presents. It was a great day! Here's a family pic


I'm pretty sure we watched a new movie or something (mind you, it's June), and we both headed home for our OWN Christmas.

I got Brian a new tool kit (hence why I was begging him to trade his tool he got at Papa's)

He got me new Victoria's Secret pajamas (my favorite!)

Then, I'm pretty sure we crashed....in our clothes.

And that was day 2....one more to go!

5. Sunday, December 26th --> The Other Christmas
We went to Mama Pat's house for Christmas, and I'm just going to keep it short. Enjoy the pics



6. Monday, December 27th
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

Later that week, we had a nice dinner together at our home and enjoyed having a successful Christmas



FINALLYYYYYYYYY, it's over (arent' you glad)! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you (6 months ago).

From our family to Yours,