My 25th B-Day

Well I know this post is a little late, but here is a picture outside Texas de Brazil in downtown Fort Worth. Mike and I decided we wanted to splurge and have my bday dinner there with some friends. We invited a few more ppl, but unfortunately they couldn't come :( But the ones that did make it, we all had a blast!! I think the highlight of the night was how obsessed I was with the sausage. It was sooo freaking good!! We all started off with the salad bar and ordered some drinks and then flipped those little cards to green and were ready to go! The servers came by with chicken, lamb, bee, and of course sausage!! We all piled out plates high with delicious meats with all sorts of flavors and it tasted amazing!! After the first go around, half of us were done and the other half went back for more. In the end, I was the last one standing. No one could believe I kept going, but gosh dang it, it's expensive and I'm going to stuff myself! The waitress tried to take my plate twice so I finally told her in a stern voice I was not done and I wanted another sausage to end up the meal. A few minutes later, here comes the sausage server hauling butt across the floor to our table. He comes right around to my plate and puts the sausage on my plate. The best part was when he said, "Wow, that's a big one." I definitely couldn't stop laughing! After the food food, we then moved onto dessert. Wow! Mike and I had the cheesecake and it was pure awesomeness! I honestly can't remember what everyone else had, but our plates were clean b/c it was so delightful!! We then headed out and took this lovely picture. Amy and Reinhardt had to head into work and Meredith had to be at work early the next morning (nurse at JPS). Mike and I headed back to our house and Lindsey went to hers. All and all it was a great night!! Earlier in the day, Jim and Lexi came by and we got to hang out for a few hours before they had to head out and Mike and I had to get ready. We ate some pizza and watched a little bit of Up. It was a good time :) The next day, Jan and Rich stopped by for a quick dinner and some cake and then headed back to Whitney. Mike and I made pot roast and Rich and Jan brought chocolate confetti cake. It was nice visiting with them and hanging out for a bit. All and all it was a great birthday!! Oh and the best part of course....Mike got me an amazing Moo-Moo!!!! It's beautiful...purple and white with a super soft material, come to mid calf, and zips up in the front. I pretty much live in it now so I love it!!!!! Also, the birthday gifts from everyone else were great!! The birthday money is going towards the Expedition EL and all te other personal gifts will be put to good use!! Love you guys soo much!!

One Year!

On March 14th it was Mike and I's one year anniversary!! It was sooo much fun!! It was the week of Mike's Spring Break and I took a week for vacation from work. On the day of our actual anniversary, we hung out all day and then went to dinner at The Reata in downtown Fort Worth. We had tamales for an appetizer, buffalo steak for dinner, and pecan pie for dessert. It was sooo good!! And the atmosphere at the restaurant is great. We had awesome conversations throughout dinner, which was good b/c it took a while to get our food, but we didn't really notice. We then went home and enjoyed each others company, which we never get to do for a full day! It was all around great. On Tuesday we headed to Kingwood to see my family down there. We stayed the night in Kingwood Tuesday and then headed to Galveston on Wednesday to enjoy the beach. My Aunt Liz booked a nice hotel room at the Hampton Inn in Galveston for Wednesday and Thursday night so we could officially have a little vacation and celebrate our anniversary that way. When we got there we had a great balcony room and enjoyed the view for a little while then changed over to head to the beach. We stopped by WalMart first to pick up some bottled water and we hit a little snag. The car keys had gotten left in the cart so Mike and I went into search mode and looked for them for about an hour or so. Once we found them, we were completely relieved and decided not to head to the beach, but to go back to the hotel room and get ready for dinner. We had been trying to decide either eating in Galveston or Kemah and we decided to stick with Galveston. We ate at Gaido's, which is one of my family's favorite restaurants in Galveston. I've been going there ever since I was a kid, but it had been a few years since I had been there. It was really crowded when we went in and we waited on our table for about an hour fifteen, but the wait was nice because we were able to sit at the bar, talk, and watch one of the chef's gut all the red snapper. We were then seated and had a massive dinner! We couldn't believe how much food we got for such a good price and we were sooo full when we left!! The food was absolutely excellent!! We then walked it off a little and headed back to the hotel for some sleep. Thursday morning we got up and headed to the beach to meet up with my mom, Aunt Liz, and cousins. It was a little chilly at first, but we eventually took off our cover ups and laid out in our bathing suits. Mike and I took a long walk on the beach for a while, which was really nice and relaxing. After a few hours, we all headed back to the hotel to shower up and get ready for dinner. Mike was going to head back to Kingwood to have a guy night with my brother and dad and us girls were going to have a girl night, but Mike ended up staying so we could have one more night in the hotel...so glad he did! We went to the Kemah Boardwalk for dinner that night and it was a blast! My cousins wanted to go on the rides and Mike, my mom, Aunt Liz, and I walked along the boardwalk looking in shops and hanging out. We ended up eating at The Aquarium and it was awesome! I loved looking at all the fish in the tanks!! I got a little too hooked on watching and kept hitting Mike's arm every time the shark, eel, or huge fish came by. It was definitely a lot of fun. Once we left we headed back to the hotel and we all went to our rooms for some shut eye. Friday, Mike and I met my Aunt Liz, mom, and cousins on The Strand and walked around for a little bit before they went to the beach and Mike and I headed out. Mike and I left and went to test drive the Expedition EL at Chastang's Bayou City Ford! It was soo fun!! We're family friends with the owner so we test drove the car for a while and got the low down on all the models...needless to say we're soo psyched about getting one soon!! We then headed to my parents'. On Saturday, it was the big day. We all got up to get ready for the crawfish boil!! My Aunt Karen and Uncle Frank and cousin Josh were coming in from Plano...Brian and Christina and Dominic were coming...and of course all the local family in Kingwood were coming! My parents' had ordered 65 lbs of crawfish that was ready to be boiled...the bad thing was it was raining and cold!! Mike and my brother set up a windbreaker, helped created a mini dam to keep water out from under the carport on the driveway, and then helped cook the crawfish. We ate outside for the most part even though it was a little chilly, but it was great! We then headed inside for dessert. Nanny had gotten me a Carvel Cake for my birthday so we could do a mini celebration since I'm not going to be down there for my actual birthday on the 27th. Dominic helped me blow out the candles and cut the cake and then we all dug in. At the end, we ate way too much, caught up on everything, and had an amazing time!! It's always the best when family gets together!! There's definitely no better time!! Mike and I headed out Sunday afternoon and I went into work that night. All together, our one year/Mike's spring break/my vacation was an absolute blast!!!

Dave Here!

So on Thursday Dave came into town. Dave is one of Mike's really good marine buddies who is stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC and can retire in 19 months!! He has never been to Texas so we wanted to show him a good time. On Thursday night, we all went to a Hibachi grill and then came back to be bums on the couch with the dogs. On Friday, we went to see the Parks Mall, eat at Kinkaid's Hamburgers, and explore Texas Stadium (Mike and I's picture). Friday night, I went into work and the guys went out downtown. They started at Flying Saucer, then Fox and the Hound, and ended at Pete's Piano Bar. They definitely had a great time!! On Saturday, we all got up at a decent hour and chilled at the house for a bit. We then went to walk the dogs around the neighborhood and play frisbee. We were going to head to the Botanic Gardens, but they closed earlier than we thought. Saturday night, it was Dave's birthday so we had big plans. Jenni (a girl I work with) came over and we went to Olive Garden to eat. We then went to the Pour House (a bar) and Lindsey (another girl I work with) met up with us. We then headed to Pete's Piano Bar again. We took some crazy pictures and we all went hoarse from screaming and yelling the songs so much. It was a great time!! Today, Sunday, we had a nice BBQ at the house. It was our first official gathering at the house. We had the Rogers (Josh, MaryPat, and Juliana), Reinhardt (a guy I work with), Jenni, Lindsey, Dani (another girl I work with), and Dave is still here. Mike and Dave roamed around downtown in the morning and then went shopping to get the food and drinks. Mike cooked hamburgers on the grill and I boiled hot dogs. We had corn and chips and dip for the sides. Jenni brought some good desserts and we were set. It was an absolute blast!! I'm soo glad I was able to take off work Saturday and Sunday so I could spend time with everyone!! Sooo blessed to have friends who are just like family!!

Mike's Birthday

Well on February 18th, Mike and I celebrated his 28th birthday! He was in class earlier in the day and I was out making the final preparations for his birthday. I went to pick up his cookie cake from Great American Cookie Company and then came home to wrap his gifts. While I was at home, his big time surprise gift arrived and I rushed to wrap it in my christmas wrapping paper since I didn't have any birthday wrapping paper. I then went to hide it. Mike's dad then came over to drop off Mike's Mamma's infamous Charlotte Russe cake for Mike's birthday so we had two terrific desserts. Later, Mike came home from class and wasn't in the best mood b/c traffic was pretty bad coming home, but it turned out to be great :) We loaded up the car with our cracked lazy susan and two wobbley chairs from our new dining room table and headed to Lewisville to get our new ones. As soon as we arrived, the new lazy susan and two chairs were ready to go and they loaded it up in Mike's truck quickly and safely. We then headed to The Porch, which is one of Mike's favorite restaurants and had a delicious meal. When we got home, there was plenty to eat for dessert so we chowed down. Of course, Mike got the first piece and made his wish when he cut into both cakes :) Over the weekend, my parents and brother and his girlfriend, Kaci, all came up to celebrate. They all got in Friday evening and we had a great dinner on the brand new dining room table, which was awesome! I then got ready for work and everyone else stayed at home watching movies and visiting. On Saturday morning, we all woke up for a great day. My mom, Kaci, and I headed to Dallas to get our haircut by fabulous Kelli because she always does an amazing job! My mom got her Mrs. Kardashian cut and I went with the Rihanna look and chopped mine short again, thank goodnes! We both left loving our haircuts and Kaci was impressed by what a great job Kelli did/does. We then headed for Kohl's. While we were out enjoying ourselves, the men were at Costco getting the essentials. When we all got home, we then got ready to go to dinner at The Melting Pot. Wow it was awesome!! We all had such a great time and it was sooo much fun!!! We laughed, ate, and just had an all around fantabulous time together! When we got home, Kyle and Mike played Wii Resort while the rest of us just hung out. On Sunday, we shopped at Target, grabbed lunch, and then they all headed home and I went to work. It was an absolutely great weekend :) Oh and Mike got work out clothes and his big surprise was a Marine Corps NCO Sword :) He loved it!

Snow Day 2010 Dos

Yay for Snow Day Number 2!! It definitely wasn't as intense or fun as the first Snow Day, but it was a good time. The puppies still had a blast playing in it and Mike and I had a great day together. He got out of class at around 2:30p and then came home and we were able to eat lunch together and On the Border and then run some errands. We had such a great day together!! It was seriously awesome. I actually drove in the snow today, which is the first time I've ever driven in snow! So while I was driving around our lovely little town, I took some pictures of the minor snow day. Here is the link so enjoy: http://s576.photobucket.com/albums/ss204/emsmith10/Snow%20Day%202010%20Dos/

Snow Day 2010

Here's the link to Mike and I's Snow Day Pics!! We hope you enjoy them!!
http://s576.photobucket.com/albums/ss204/emsmith10/Snow%20Day%202010/

Haven't Posted in a While

Well the picture down below is of Mike and I's new sofa and loveseat that we got from Rooms to Go!! Soo exciting!! They're nice and deep and super comfy and much bigger than our other couch and loveseat!! They're a great addition to the living room!! The living room is officially done now!! So now we're working on the dining room table and our bedroom set. That will all come in time. We have found a 72" round dining room table with 8 chairs and a lazy susan that we really like, but we haven't found time to head out to the store in Lewisville just yet. Hopefully sometime this week we'll head that way. The picture to the right is of Mike and I at Fox and the Hound celebrating one of my academy mate's birthdays! We went on a double date with a good friend of mine earlier that night at Pappasito's (soo good), met up with my academy classmates at a frozen yogurt shop for dessert, and then we all headed to the bar for a round of birthday drinks. It was such a fun night!! It had been forever since Mike and I had gone out out with a bunch of friends so it was awesome! Other than that, things are going well. Bronx and Olivine are loving the cold weather and I'm hating it at work. Too many accidents because of the icy roads and well it's just too cold to stand out in on calls haha. Mike's in his last semester of undergrad! He's been taking GMAT Prep courses every Monday and Tuesday night and taking day classes this semester, which is different for both of us. He's also working on getting ready for OCS for the Marines, so all together he's been working pretty hard on things. Oh and lastly, we can't wait to go get our taxes done for the $8,000 tax credit!!

Snow!!

It's snowing!! Mike and I missed the first snow up here on Christmas Eve, but we were here for the second one! Every Christmas my family celebrates Christmas down in Kingwood and then heads up to Plano to see the family up here :) This year, instead of spending both nights hanging out in Plano, Mike and I had everyone over to see our house one of the nights. It was such a great time!! We had burgers and hot dogs, beans, queso, cream puffs, eclairs, yummmmm!! It was so much fun! Mike's parents were able to make it out for a little while as well, which was nice that all of us could hang out together. Bronx, Olivine, and Koda also had a great time being outside in the snow and running around the backyard. Bronx and Olivine got to the point where they were shivering so we made them go inside even though they didn't want to haha. Koda on the other hand was a super happy dog laying in the snow in the shade and it not affecting him at all with all his fur! Crazy! All together, the holidays were absolutely awesome! Mike and I had a great first Christmas as a married couple along with a great New Year's. :)