The Hilarity that is My Life...

Hey there!  Long time no see.  I have been absolutely SWAMPED with work & house hunting...therefore, blogging has been put on the back burner...WAY in the back!

Gotta start of with a lil' braggin' - Justin has been PROMOTED!!  Praise GOD!  He is now head ag teacher at Somerset High School, which makes me so stinkin' proud!  This also means that he will be even busier than he was to begin with, but it will all pay off sooner or later!

In July (the 8th thru 18th) I went to Alberta Canada for a good friend's wedding.  Shout out to Kyle & Jenna French! :)  It was a busy 10 days- planning, primping, and partying!!  The French's wedding day was absolutely gorgeous and I am truly blessed and honored to have been a part of something so amazing!

August hasn't gone so smoothly...

2 Mondays ago, all of Poteet was left high and dry.  Literally.  The one water pump that the city has (for 3,000 people, mind you) went out, leaving us without the slightest drop of water.  36 hours later, when the water did finally come back on, the pressure was apparently too high and our toilet tank cracked.  All the way to the bottom.  I quickly turned off the water and called the landlord.  Keep in mind that I had never met or even spoken to this man in my life.  I finally track him down at work.  While we're talking, I mention that the back door is also rotted and needs replacing.  We agree to have someone come out the next morning to assess all of the damage/needed repairs.

Tuesday night, as I'm madly rushing around trying to "tidy things up" so they don't think a bunch of pigs live here, I walk out the [rotted] back door to the storage room.  I look to my left, only to see the huge [dead] tree in the back yard has UPROOTED itself, thus landing on and crushing the chainlink fence.  I could not make this stuff up if I tried.  I call the landlord the next day and explain everything (both of us laughing at the situation - I think he was in a little disbelief!)

Needless to say, all of week before last was spent with "handymen" - some, not so handy!  We do have a new back door and repaired fence, now though! :)

This morning, I had the plumber out to look at the "repaired" toilet that now makes a crazy squeaking sound when flushed.  He will be back FRIDAY to replace the entire toilet and bathroom faucet.  We are just glad that it's the landlord who has to pay for all of these repairs!

That being said, we are actively hunting for a new HOUSE!  We have found & fallen in love with a gorgeous 3/2 in south San Antonio...the trick is getting the seller to return our calls!  Please say a quick prayer for us!  I REALLY want to be out of this place by Christmas - or, even better - Halloween!!

One last thing I want to enlighten y'all on is the newest fitness challenge I have decided to take on!  It is the  
Dub Lane Kettlebell Fitness Challenge.  Read more about it here - Life in the Dub Lane

And just in case you're wondering, this is what a kettlebell looks like -

And this is what the DVDs look like -

I am going to be doing this along with a good friend, Miss Alayna Smith.  Check her page out at Behind These Hazel Eyes

I guess that's all for now...I will TRY to post updates as to my progress in the Kettlebell Fitness Challenge, so stay tuned!!

Until we meet again..................

From Crops to Cosmetics....

Some people drift through their entire lives. They do it one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time. It happens so gradually that they are unaware of how their lives are slipping by them until it's too late. On the other hand, with direction you feel good about yourself. People are happiest when they have goals, small and large, because they can look forward to attaining them. (Mary Kay: You Can Have It All 1997 Calendar)

That's right, folks!  I am now not only an RCIS Crop Insuranse Adjuster, I am also a bonafide Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant!!  I know, I know!  Mary Kay is only for old ladies, right?!  WRONG!!  You see, my sister, Lacy, got me hooked on Mary Kay back in December...I ordered a few things here and there from her (mainly to support her business).  Well, I just fell in love with the wonderful products that Mary Kay has to offer!

I decided that I could use a little extra cash (with buying a house and all), so what better way to earn money than to make people beautiful?!  I am currently working on becoming a Star Consultant, which I hope to accomplish pretty soon! 

Basically, my days consist of crop insurance and Mary Kay.  Even though I am just getting started in Mary Kay, my business is really taking off!  Maybe with my persuasion skills, I can even talk a few farmers into buying Mary Kay for their wives.  (haha!) 

I know I have been a horrible blogger lately, but as you can tell, I've been BUSY!!  We are finally done with stock show season (which was pretty dang successful - might I add!!) and on to livestock judging season!  I was able to go to most of San Antonio and all of the Houston Steer Show.  Somewhere in between the two, I had adjuster school in Dallas for a week, only to return home with the FLU!  Yuck!! 

Anyway, if you're in the market for a new skin care regime, new makeup, or even a new career - I'M YOUR GIRL!!  You can visit my Mary Kay website at:  http://www.marykay.com/brandi.taylor86/default.aspx

Until we meet again...........

Laundry, Livestock, and a Whole Lotta Prayin'

Hola!!  I know, once again I have slacked in the blogging department.  Here's to getting y'all up to speed on things.

LIVESTOCK

A few weeks ago, we had the Atascosa County Livestock Show.  It was a blast, as usual!  One of our good friends, Joey Van Hecke (AKA Lil Joey), won Grand Champion Steer!!  Our other good friend, (and Justin's Cousin) Theo Rogers, won Reserve.  Theo also won Steer Showmanship, with Lil Joey being Reserve.  These two are seniors, so they definitely went out with a bang!  Speaking of that, we have all had an inside joke with these guys...It seems they always show up at stock shows wearing verrrrrry similar shirts.  Usually blue long sleeve button downs.  We think they secretly plan their "twinkie" days, but don't tell them I said that!  Well, this year being their last, we thought it would be hilarious if the two went into showmanship as twinkies.  We also thought they might as well "go out in style" (the words of Lil Joey).  Here's a few pictures I so gladly took of the boys..."In STYLE!"

It's a lil' blurry, but the ARE wearing matching sweater vests!

LAUNDRY

The days following any stock show, as any ag teacher's wife, county agent's wife, stock show mom, etc. knows, are filled with LAUNDRY.  And lots of it.  I was doing my daily 432857349857 loads of laundry and was SO close to being caught up when....the knob broke off of the washing machine.  I couldn't even turn what was left of the knob with a pair of pliers!  It was done-sky.  Thankfully, our friends, The Saunders, just got a new washer and dryer and so graciously DONATED their old (to them), new (to us) washer!  YAY!  The best part about it is that I can even wash things in warm and HOT water!  The old washer was bought for me by my grandmother when Cayla Millican and I moved into our apartment in junior college.  Apparently, the hot water hook up on it didn't work.  At all. :(  I am so happy that I can now wash clothes in ANY temperature that I want!  Oh, the little things in life......

LOTTA PRAYIN'

Here it goes...

WE NEED PRAYERS!!  Why, you ask??  Cause this house just ain't cuttin' it anymore!  See, we originally planned on living here for a while, and then building a home at the back of Justin's parents' place.  Then, after getting advice from pretty much everyone who has bought/built/lived with or even near their parents/inlaws, we have decided to buy a house.  This will be for the well being of all parties involved!  We have looked at several properties in and around Atascosa and Medina Counties, and found several that we like.  There is one in Jourdanton, in particular, that we definitely would like to move forward with. 

All I have to say is PLEASE PRAY!  We were thinking that at least by the holidays, we would like to be out of this lil rent house...until Friday night.  Here's why:

At about 1:30am early Saturday morning, 3 sets of sirens flew by (We live right off of one of the main streets).  Not 5 minutes later, one gunshot was fired, followed by 4 right in a row. About 45 minutes later, after I loaded my pistol and put my rifle by the bed, an ambulance drove by (lights flashing, no siren & going the speed limit).  Justin just laughed at me the whole time, calling me CSI and asking why I wasn't in my car headed to check out the crime scene.  I, personally, think I'd be an awesome detective...I mean, I've seen like all of the CSI: Miamis! 

Well, that should catch you up on the Fab Life of the Ag Teacher's Wife for a little while, at least!!

Until we meet again............

Holy Crap! Is it really 2011??

Well hello there!  It's been a while...so ya might as well get comfy!

To start off, Happy 2011!  Wow, that still sounds CrAzY!!  I hope everyone has a very very blessed 2011 and that everything goes smoothly!  The past few months have been a whirlwind for the Taylors.  From our anniversary, to a death in the family, to a wedding on New Years, we've been going NON STOP!

November 21st marked our very FIRST anniversary!  We celebrated by spending a few days at my family's cabin in Ruidoso, NM.  I just LOVE it up there!  Most people go to Ruidoso for the gambling.  Well, I could just go up there and do absolutely nothing for a whole week!  It's so peaceful and relaxing...and the scenery is pretty amazing, too!  For our anniversary, I gave Justin a set of custom seat covers for his pickup.  That doesn't sound like much to others, but trust me, they weren't cheap!  AND, he really wanted them, since his seats are pretty worn out!  Justin gave me another band to go on the other side of my engagement ring!  I must say, it's quite gorgeous!

Two days before we left for Ruidoso, my grandpa (P.J.), mom's dad, took a pretty good fall at home.  He broke 3 ribs, resulting in a punctured lung.  After P.J. being in the hospital a few days, we got a phone call on November 23.  He had passed away.  I knew he wasn't doing well, but in NO WAY was I ever prepared to hear those words from my mom.  I just know that he will forever be catching all the fish in all the lakes in heaven!  Love you, P.J. and see ya again!

December was even more busy for the Taylors!  Justin was finishing up the semester and I was busy trying to get everything done for Christmas.  Mom came down one weekend and she, Gail (my mil) and I went to Austin to see the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.  I've never seen anything like it before in my life!  Those girls can kick, dance, and stay perfectly synchronized all at the same time!  Thanks, Mom, for taking me!!

The week before Christmas, Justin's family from Georgia came down for a visit.  We LOVE when they come to Texas!  The guys all went to Cotulla to the Taylor Ranch for almost a week, while the girls had a SPA DAY, went shopping, and did other fun things!  Justin's Aunt Robyn treated me to a massage at our Spa Day & it was WONDERFUL!  She's just too sweet! 

Christmas Eve, we headed up to Midland to my grandmother's house.  LOVE spending time there!  We ate a huge delicious turkey dinner, opened presents, and then played our family favorite, Tripoly.  Christmas morning, when everyone FINALLY woke up (the wine fairy showed up and definitely WORE OUT her welcome), we all got to see what Santa had brought us!  Sure do love Santa! :)  That evening, we stopped to visit my other grandpa and his wife.  We enjoyed seeing them, as we just don't get to see them often enough.

The day before New Year's Eve, we headed over to Houston for our friend, Lucas's wedding.  The rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and after party were all on the 30th.  The wedding was at a gorgeous venue, Agave Road, in Katy.  After the rehearsal, we headed to Los Cucos for a delicious fajita dinner and drinks.  The night was capped off at one of Lucas's favorite bars, Mo's Place.  Everyone danced, visited, and drank the night away.  On Friday, (NYE) the guys all met Lucas for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings.  I opted to do a little shopping, so I went over to Harwin Street.  If you've never been there, you just don't know what you're missing!  I bought some new beads to make necklaces, a "Louis" purse, and even found some jewelry to wear to the wedding!  LOVE Harwin Street!

The wedding was just beautiful.  It was an outdoor ceremony in front of a huge fireplace.  There were dozens of candles lit, and it was just perfect!  The reception was inside at Agave Road.  The colors were black and white, and fit the bride & groom's personalities to a T!  We had a spectacular dinner and dessert, followed by dancing into the New Year!  It was such a blast to ring in the New Year with such a beautiful couple!  We wish them the best!!

Oh!!  Speaking of weddings...guess what else I accomplished in December?!

Are you ready for this?

Here it comes.....

I ORDERED OUR WEDDING PICTURES!!!!!!

That's right, folks!  Brandi Taylor has FINALLY done it!  :)

Since most of you have probably not seen the photos of our special day, here's the link!

http://www.photoreflect.com/store/thumbpage.aspx?e=6043117

Well, I think I'll have more free time on my hands to blog in the coming months, as StOcK sHoW season is upon us!  We kick off the year with Atascosa County next week, followed by Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Houston, San Angelo, and finally Austin!  Please pray for me as I once again become a "Stock Show Widow!"

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 2011.

Until we meet again...........

Wedding Pictures....

So for the last 11 months, we have been MEANING and TRYING to decide on our wedding pictures.  Whew!  We sure didn't realize that it would be so difficult!  We have to pick bridal prints, wedding and reception prints, and 70 more photos for our "coffee table book."  I know they will be amazing, whatever we choose, but that's just the problem!  They're all amazing!  Check out our photographer's gorgeous work at http://www.photofino.net/.  You won't regret it!

Speaking of amazing, how do you like my new CUSTOM blog design?  This is thanks to Mrs. Alayna Howard of The Life of the Farmer's Wife.  Doesn't she do amazing work?!  She is very creative with everything she does...I'm so jealous!

Well, I better get back to picking wedding pictures!

Until we meet again.......

Three Years...

Tomorrow, October 21st, marks 3 years since Chase Wyatt Quine joined the good Lord upstairs.  Man, how I miss the lil' guy.  He holds such a special place in my heart.  He once told me, "If you marry that loser, I'm NOT coming to your wedding!"  Well, Chase, I didn't marry that loser...I married a wonderful loving man that you, no doubt would also love!  I honored you at our wedding (but I'm sure you already know) with the cowboy hat charm that we all got in memory of you.  It was wrapped around my bouquet and was just PERFECT!  I showed Shane right before we went into the church (I had kept it a secret until then) and he just smiled and hugged me.  We both love you so much and miss you more and more every day.

The following quote was found by Chase's dad, Eddie, shortly after he passed away.

"If I die today I want to be remembered with love.  I only hope the seeds of hatred I have sown will soon be forgotten.  I pray the same for each of you."  Well said, CWQ!

Please say an extra little prayer tonight for everyone who was close to Chase.

Until we meet again....

Turning Over a New Leaf...

Well, friends.  It's true.  In the words of Gary Allan, "I'm turning over a new leaf.  Gonna get myself in gear."  I realize that I have hurt many of my closest friends and family in the past and am in desperate need of a change.  As of today, I am going to be a new woman.  A GODLY woman.  A woman who puts others before herself.  I am going to be the best daughter anyone could ever ask for and the most loving wife in the world.  I hope you will follow me on this journey of bettering myself, as I think it will be pretty interesting.  I hope to inspire others, as well.

I cannot wait to see what God has in store for not only me, but my amazing husband.  Prayers and words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!

Love to you all and....

Until we meet again.......