Two Years, Spring Break, Mike OCS

 For our 2 Year Anniversary, we didn't want to spend too much money and kind of relax so we decided on small gifts and making dinner and dessert.  I went out and got all the food to make Emeril's Crawfish Etouffee from the Food Network website and cleaned the house a bit while Mike was at work.  I had time to take a quick shower and then get to cooking.  When Mike got home he had time for a quick run and shower to be ready for dinner.  I was going to make blackberry cobbler for dessert, but Mike surprised me with my gift/our dessert, an Edible Arrangement!  Altogether, dinner was great and the dessert was amazing!  It was a good 2 Year Anniversary celebration :)

 On Wednesday, we woke up early to head to the National Guard armory to pick up all of Mike's gear.  Afterwards, we went and met Lindsey for lunch and then Mike headed to Addison for work.  I tried to conserve enough energy to hang out with Taryn, but since I only had about 3 hrs of sleep, I couldn't make it.  I headed home for a quick nap and then out to get some of Mike's supplies for OCS.  When I got home, I washed what I could of his gear and then we laid everything out and labeled it so it was all ready to go Friday.  I was leaving for Kingwood Thursday morning and he was going to work so Wednesday night was our only chance to work on it.  Here is some of his gear.

 Here is some more of his gear in the guest room and the rest was laid out in the master bedroom.  It was so much stuff I had to take some pictures.

 Thursday morning I woke up with Mike, packed, loaded up the car with everything and the puppies, then headed to Kingwood.  Once I got to Kingwood, I went straight to my parent's house and my dad met me there.  We unloaded the Expedition and played with the pups for a bit.  My mom, Aunt Liz, Lauren, and her friend were in Galveston so my dad was nice enough to drive me out there to meet them and drop me off.  They were done at the beach so we met them at the Tremont Hotel on the Strand, where we were staying.  My mom, me, and Aunt Liz stayed in one room and Lauren and her friend stayed in the other.  My dad stayed for a few minutes and then headed back to Kingwood to walk Koda.  I was so grateful he drove me out there!  Love you dad!  That night, we all headed to the Kemah Boardwalk.  Lauren and her friend ate at the Lighthouse Buffet and my mom, Aunt Liz, and me ate at Landry's.  The food and company were awesome!  We had such a blast!  We then walked around the boardwalk in the little shops and discovered that Thomas Kinkaid is doing Disney paintings!  They're gorgeous!  We all loved the paintings and Aunt Liz got me the Peter Pan plate so I can hang it in the kid's room for decoration and then later put it in a China cabinet.  Yay!  We then headed back to the hotel and hit the hay.  The picture is me with an old fashioned Kemah police car.  Friday morning we got up and went back to the beach for about 2.5 hrs, went to lunch at Mario's on the Seawall, and then headed home.  Once we all got showered, my mom, Aunt Liz, Nanny, and me headed to Target to have some girl time shopping.  We then went to Culver's to get some custard ice cream, which was great!  When we all got home, Kyle had driven in so me and him headed to get some dinner and then us and our parents watched tv for a while.  Kyle and I stayed up later and were able to hang out and visit for a while.

 Saturday morning we all got up to get ready for the Crawfish Boil!  Soo much fun!  This picture is Dozer, Kyle's hedgehog, roaming around the backyard with Olivine and Bronx right there with him.

 Here's Dozer annointing himself.  It's really weird.  He licks the grass and then it creates a foaming saliva and he licks himself.  Dozer's gotten so big and way more social!  It was a blast playing with him!

 Kyle monitoring all the pets roaming and playing in the backyard.  Thank goodness no one stepped on Dozer.  Haha.

 Olivine and me all smiles in the backyard playing around :)  The dogs love running around in the backyard.

 Here's Bronx and I all smiles in the driveway getting ready to start coking the crawfish.

 And here's Koda!  He was soo happy everyone was home!  He always loves everyone getting together :)

 My parents and Kyle with Bronx sneaking his way into the picture haha.

 30 lbs of crawfish!  And we ate all of it!  Aunt Liz, Nanny, James, and Uncle Mark ate the Sobret hot dogs instead of the hot dogs so my mom, dad, Kyle, Rachel, and me ate all the crawfish.  I was the last one eating haha.  They were just soo good!!

 This is before everyone got there and we're boiling the water with the seasoning and the potatoes at the bottom of the pot.  My dad's putting in the seasoning and Kyle and my mom are sipping on their beer with the dogs running around.  Everyone showed up around 1:30ish.

 Bronx and Olivine were both able to fit their heads in the bucket and drink at the same time.  It was great since they were running around so much and getting so hot.

 Kyle, Aunt Liz, Nanny, James, and Rachel, his girlfriend, with Olivine in the middle hanging out while everything is cooking.

 Uncle Mark was able to come, which was great!  Nanny, Aunt Liz, James, Rachel, and Uncle Mark walking to go see Dozer.  And Olivine running around.

 And here's Olivine running along the back fence of the backyard.  The neighbors have a big dog so they would both run along the fence "chasing" each other and whining and barking.  It was funny.

 Here's Bronx taking off to go get the frisbee my dad is about to throw for him.  Playing frisbee is one of Bronx's favorite things to do!  And he adores my dad, his grandpa, so he was SUPER happy :)

 My mom and me with Koda making an appearance :)  My mom and Aunt Liz got great tans from the beach and me not so much.

 Since we're not all going to be together for my 26th birthday in 6 days, we celebrated my birthday.  My mom got me a Carvel cake, which was awesome!

 I'm cutting the cake with Nanny and Uncle Mark happy we're about to eat it :)-  Haha.  We had mini eclairs and the icing sugar cookies to go along with the cake.

And here is the family photo taken towards the end of the event.  My dad headed out to take Koda for a walk and I played frisbee and tennis ball with Bronx and Olivine.  James and Rachel left first at around 5:30ish and Aunt Liz and Nanny didn't leave until 7:30.  Uncle Mark stayed the latest until 11:30p.  We all headed in around 7:45 to visit some more and watch tv.  Kyle went upstairs to study for his O Chem test on Monday and my dad, mom, Uncle Mark, and me watched Taking Chance downstairs.  It's an amazing and touching movie!  Mike and I had gotten it on Netflix and decided we needed to buy it and that we needed to share it with my parents b/c we knew they would really like it.
While all this was going on, Mike was in Bastrop, TX working his butt off at his first weekend in OCS.  He had to report in at 1800 Friday night and they did in processing and PT-ing.  They woke up at 0400 Saturday morning and did some more PT-ing, classroom stuff, and Land Navigation.  Mike said they would also get "smoked" (make the recruits work their butts off on physical stuff) every once in a while.  On Sunday morning they got up at 0400 again and did more PT-ing and Land Navigation.  We couldn't talk all weekend so I wrote him emails every night telling him what we had done during the day.  I've done that every time he goes out of town for the military.  He wasn't able to read them on this trip, but it helped me b/c it was like I was talking to him and I could tell him everything we were doing, which he said makes him feel like he was there.  I left Kingwood at 5p and he got done and left Bastrop at 6p so we were able to get home around the same time, which was great!  He hopped in the shower and I washed his nasty clothes.  He was absolutely exhausted and definitely had bruises, cuts, and blisters from all of his hard work.  We made a simple dinner, watched tv, then got in bed early.  Altogether, it was a good Spring Break spending time with my amazing family, but we all missed Mike :(  He was definitely in our thoughts and prayers the whole weekend.  One weekend down at 17 more months to go!

Kate and Brody's Wedding in Whitney

Kate and Brody about to get married with Rich officiating

They're both so happy :)

Me holding Vincent during the wedding

The audience

Doing their vows...almost time to kiss the bride!

Heather, Mike, and Matt chowing down during the reception

Lexi and Jim squeezing in a quick bite while the kids are playing

Lane and Brody holding their kids with Matt kid-less :)-

Heather and me with big hugs :)

Lexi, Heather, me, and Jalei

Aly and Chris doing an amazing job playing the flute, guitar, and singing!  And then there's Matt trying to make them laugh, which I think it worked :)-

Rich and Jan visiting

Matt & Heather, Mike & me, Lane, Jalei, & Elliot, Jan, Kate, Brody with their little one, Rich, Aly & Chris, Jim, Susie, Lexi, & Vincent

Mike & me...he's so tall!

Mike and I actually had a full weekend together!  We can't even remember the last time that was possible!  I took off Saturday for the wedding and then Sunday I had off since I have a Human Trafficking class this coming Friday.  We woke up Saturday morning and got ready to head to Rich and Jan's house in Whitney for Brody and Kate's wedding.  It was a rainy cold morning so Mike and I tried to dress warm enough since the wedding was outdoors.  When we got there, things were still being set up and everyone was getting ready while people were arriving.  The sun eventually started to come out while the ceremony started and stayed out throughout the rest of the day, along with the wind.  Everyone looked great and it was great seeing and catching up with everyone.  Jalei and Lane told us the great news that they're pregnant again and Aly is showing a little bump since she's moving along in her pregnancy.  Lane is also hoping that he gets into Southwest up here in Dallas so that would mean almost everyone would be in the DFW area, which would be great for family gatherings and seeing everyone more often, if schedules work out haha.  Jim and Lexi also shared the news that their offer got accepted on a house in the Eagle Mountain Lake area, which is awesome!  That's in north Fort Worth so that's even closer to everyone!  There's definitely a lot of prayers going on that everything works out for the best for everyone.  Mike and I headed out with Heather and Matt so we could finally go see their apartment and meet Heather's parents.  We've been trying to do that so it seemed like a great time since we were so close to Waco and it wasn't too late so we could get home to the puppies soon enough.  We went and ate at Chuy's in Waco and we were able to meet Pam, Heather's mom, and Mike, Heather's step dad.  It was a great early dinner.  We were then able to head to their apartment and meet their new addition, Molly, their 7 week old Lab/Australian Shepherd mix.  Their apartment is great and super roomy!  They even have their own little outdoor area, which is great for their two puppies.  We didn't stay for too long so we could get home to our two puppies.  When we got home, we played with Bronx and Olivine a bit, watched the rest of The Social Network and Bambi, and then went to bed.  Sunday, we woke up without an alarm!  That was great!  We cleaned our bedroom, I did laundry, Mike worked out and did work and homework, and we went outside to play with the dogs for a while.  We then got ready for our date at Pappadeaux using the gift card Mike got for his birthday from Rich and Jan.  We had a great meal and headed home for some relax time.  We watched Going the Distance, which was hilarious, and then went to bed.  Today we're back to reality :(  Mike got up for work and I go to work tonight.

Nothing really too new with updates.  Mike starts OCS on March 19th and then it's 18 months of it!  Work is going well for him and the new person he just hired started today.  School is going well for him also, but he has a lot on his plate, so I'm really proud of him!  He's doing such a great job working so hard!  With me, work is going well, I'm sure it's going to be picking up soon enough with warmer weather coming.  I am officially off the pill, so that's been interesting since I've been on it for almost 10 years.  I get horrible headaches and some mood swings, but all together it's okay.  We're going to try for a kiddo later this year so we'll see what happens.  It's all up to the big guy upstairs.  Subbing is going really well.  I'm having a blast!  I know the job area doesn't look very good for teaching, but that's another decision for the big man upstairs so we're leaving it up to him.  Wherever he wants to take us, we trust in him.  Other than that, I'm heading to Kingwood when Mike goes to OCS for the family crawfish boil.  I so wish Mike could come, but he has to prepare for OCS the weekend before and then he has OCS the weekend after Spring Break so we're all sad :(  Oh and Bronx turns 4 and Olivine turns 2 on March 9th, along with Mike and I being together for 4 years.  On the 14th, Mike and I will be married for 2 years and on the 27th, I'll be 26!  It's a big month!

Mike's 29th Birthday

 Mike and I made a French Silk Pie together Thursday night...I couldn't find chocolate curls so I bought mini chocolate chips and put them on the pie :)

 Mike blew the candles out on the French Silk Pie and....

 Wes blew the candles out on the Charlotte Russe....he closed on his new house that same day...a birthday and house closing...oh my!

 Mike chose to cut the Charlotte Russe since he wanted a piece of that first...We definitely had leftovers of each though haha.

 Kristin and Wes....such a great couple!  They've been together for a while and we're all hoping a proposal will be coming soon :)

 Mike opening up his presents....we said no gifts, but no one followed that rule haha.  He was very grateful :)

 We set the timer on the camera to take this picture.  Starting from left to right: Wes, Kristin, Mike, me, Dani, Joe, Heather, and Matt

 Mike and I stuffed to the brim and super happy :)

 Kristin and I....this was the fourth picture we took since we were laughing so hard we couldn't get a good one and Wes was having fun taking pictures of us cracking up :)-

 Big hugs for Dani and I!  She looked so gorgeous with her outfit and lovely makeup! 

 Matt holding Izzy with Heather on the couch....such a cute little family :)

 The Charlotte Russe...we found out after I had already made everything from Joe that we're supposed to use powdered sugar instead of regular sugar....but that is not the recipe we were given....hmmmm....it still came out just as good though...everyone chowed down on it :)

And here is the picture I took of the group...the light isn't in the way of Dani in this one :)
Well Mike turned 29 on February 18th.  One more year to 30!  Next year we'll definitely have a big celebration either at the house or maybe renting out a little part of a restaurant or something.  Either way it's going to be a blast with everyone!  Now back to this year, it was such a great time with everyone :)  Mike and I decided to make a chuck roast in the crock pot for dinner with crescent rolls.  I made a veggie dip with wheat thins for an appetizer, which ended up not being an appetizer since it was late when everyone got there so it was an added side haha.  Mike and I made the French Silk Pie Thursday night and I made the Charlotte Russe that morning.  Needless to say, we had a lot of our plate to prepare.  Mike had his National Guard PFT that afternoon and wrote his autobiography that morning.  After I got everything fixed and ready to go, I headed to downtown Fort Worth to pick up Joe from the bus stop.  We then headed back to the house and Joe jumped on the trampoline for a while and played with Bronx and Olivine.  Mike got home, took a shower, and was ready to be the birthday boy and start celebrating.  Everyone started to show up around 7:30p, which was a good time to eat and relax.  We ate dinner, then dessert, opened presents, then just enjoyed everyone's company in the living room.  While all that was going on, the alcohol was flowing :)-  Kristin and Wes left at around 11 and then Dani left around midnight.  We all ended up going to bed around 3ish.  Saturday morning we all woke up around 9:45 and Mike made us a big breakfast.  Heather and Matt headed out so they could make it back this way for a concert later that night.  I started the laundry and Mike and Joe had a fun time hanging out until we had to drop Joe off at the bus stop.  That night I headed to work and Mike was able to relax.  All together, Mike had a great 29th birthday celebration and we're so grateful for all the birthday wishes from everyone! :)  I almost forgot, Mike got a Target gift card, Smirnoff Party Pack, Salt DVD (we're going to exchange that one), Olive Juice for Martinis, and I got him a Citizen watch and made him a desk calendar from Shutterfly for work.  He's also gotten several birthday cards with some dinero.  Thanks soo much to everyone!!

Snow, Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day

 Bronx and Olivine on their new dog beds.  They curl up into such small balls, we figured these little mini couches would be great for them.

 Mike and I at the Amplifi Commerce launch party in Dallas.  It was the official big switch from Razor 360 to Amplifi Launch.

 The night all the sleet, ice, and snow started coming down!  I was at lovely work when it all started of course.  This was our sector parking lot when we were about to get off work.

 Here are the pups playing in the backyard with the snow.  They absolutely love it when it snows!  They run around and play and of course eat it haha.

 Saturday night before the Super Bowl, my team was on foot patrol all night downtown.  Thank goodness for all that bad weather the whole week b/c people weren't too crazy.  We hosted the Steelers, but there were still a few Green Bay fans walking around...Go Green Bay!! 

 Mike and I in the front yard on one of the snow nights letting the dogs run around.  It was hilarious b/c there was still ice under the snow, so Bronx and Olivine definitely took a few spills or would slide across the street or driveway.

 View of some of the front yard covered in snow with it still coming down.  Last year definitely takes the cake for more snow, but there wasn't the ice.

 A view of the backyard with snow coming down.

 This is a little pond over by one of our friend's houses.  The whole pond froze over so we had to take a picture.

 Here's the road covered in ice entering into our neighborhood...someone took out the rocks earlier or maybe the night before.

 Cool picture b/c there is frozen water on top and then running water further down.

 Olivine and Bronx running around playing.

My beautiful Valentine present from Mike.  We've never really done anything big on Valentine's Day since neither of us are really big fans of it.  He left work earlier to surprise me before I went to work that night, but it took him over two hours to get home, so we did a quick exchanging of gifts, Happy Valentine Day hug and kiss, and I headed to work.
Nothing really too exciting has been going on lately.  I started subbing last month and I've had one job so far.  It was for a 3rd grade class in Joshua.  I earned the name Mrs. Bossy because the kids wouldn't listen so the not so nice cop side had to come out, which ended up straightening most of them up and letting them realize I'm not the typical push over sub.  Two of them earned detention since they decided to bully two other kids and that doesn't fly with me.  So all and all, I earned a name for myself on the first day haha.  I've gotten other calls, but it's so hard when they call the morning of to get up and go sub that whole day....especially if I don't hear my phone ring or if I went to bed late.  I check the website everyday, but the postings are usually last minute so it can make things a little difficult.  Other than that, I've applied to Burleson ISD, Joshua ISD, and Northwest ISD.  I'm also trying to start subbing in Burleson so I can gain some more opportunities.
With police work, things are going well.  I'm still on patrol midnights and it's still a good time.  I'm starting to study for the Corporal's test coming up sometime later this year.  I figure if I can't find a teaching job, I might as well promote.  If I do well on the Corporal test and make it high enough on the list and then a position opens up in either a detective's office or on patrol, then I can promote.  If that doesn't happen, then the list can expire and I won't promote.  That's happened to a few of my officer buddies, so I know it's definitely possible, which would suck.  Then again, there are some other officer buddies who did promote so yay!  Pretty much the main exciting thing that has happened at work in the past couple months is we caught some burglars breaking into a middle school.  Other than that, same ole same ole.
Mike went to a National Guard Symposium in Austin over the weekend and it got him totally ready for OCS.  He did great on his physical and is all healthy, thank goodness!  And his packet is pretty much complete.  He has his PFT this coming Friday (which is also his 29th birthday!) and then he'll be good to go.  We're also hoping he'll find out what weekends he's going to have OCS training this Friday so we can plan accordingly for some events coming up.  He's still working hard in Grad school and soo can't wait for it to be over, which I don't blame him haha.  Work is also going well for him, but the drive is still a big pain.
We hope all is going well for everyone!  We miss and love you guys!