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.......

It's Been a While

Hello there!  I haven't gotten to blog in a while because my computer cord has been in the shop...and I've been busy with work/getting this house in order!  Nothing outrageously exciting has happened since we last met.  I went shopping and to the movies with my long lost friend, Anna on Saturday.  It was pretty much a blast!  We started off the day taking a tour of Tilson Homes (one of which will hopefully be mine & Justin's soon!)  Then, we drove into Boerne, where we had lunch at Boerne Vistro.  AMAZING!!  After lunch, we went downtown to do a little (unsuccessful) shopping.  That night, we went to HuHot (Anna's first HuHot experience) and then the Palladium to see "Life as We Know It."  Definitely going to be buying that one! 

This weekend is the ACLS Hundred Dollar Dinner Dance in Pleasanton.  Should be a good time!  There's food, open bar, a silent auction, and a raffle...all followed by dancing the night away.  Pretty excited!  Well, I guess that just about catches you up on the Fabulous Life of the Ag Teacher's Wife!

p.s.  If you're wondering how my joining The Gym is going...it's AWESOME!  I do Zumba, BodyCombat, and sometimes BodyPump!  (sorry-kinda threw that in there!)

Until we meet again...

Locked Out...

Oh man, I FINALLY got back into my blog after being locked out for almost a week!  I don't know what happened, but I couldn't remember any of the passwords to any of my email accounts so that I could reset this one!  Anyway...This past week has been a busy one!  I decided to join The Gym in Jourdanton and am so excited!  It's only about 15 minutes away from our house as opposed to the hour away that my previous gym was.  Such a nice change!  I've been doing really good with working out...Ran Monday, did BodyCombat AND BodyFlow Tuesday, did Zumba last night, and BodyPump tonight!  Maybe I'll become a "gym rat" and get a rockin' body someday!! 

Oh, last Friday, Justin and I traveled to Houston (The Woodlands to be exact) to see Tom Petty & ZZ Top in concert!  My mom bought our tickets and backstage passes & my Dad paid for our HUGE hotel room!  We met up with our family friends, Steve, Michelle, and Jordan Anderson, and her friend, Megan.  We were all so excited about this backstage pass business and couldn't hardly wait to get in the doors and see what it was all about.  Well, it was awesome.  At first.  Since we got there at 5:30 (concert was at 7:30) to get backstage, we were some of the first ones through the doors.  We found the area that we were TOLD we needed to go to and went in.  It was a covered patio with picnic tables.  There were fruit & veggie trays, sandwiches, and chicken strips.  There was also a full open bar.  We had enjoyed this for about an hour when a man came up and told us that we were in the wrong area.  Okay.  Maybe we're going to an even more awesome area.  NOT SO MUCH.  He took us to another patio (uncovered) with one picnic table.  No food, no drinks.  Not even water.  Needless to say, we said forget it & went to our seats.  What a let down!  We did see Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) before we were "escorted to the correct area," so that was pretty cool.  Anyway, enough about the backstage bummer...the concert was AWESOME!!  We all had a blast & loved rockin' out with some of the coolest old guys in the industry! 

On Saturday, after my parents left for Belize, we went to Harwin Street for some shopping.  Loved it!  (Well, I did...not too sure about Justin!)  We later met up with our friend, Lucas and his fiance, Jennifer.  Just love them!  They took us down to the Kemah Boardwalk, where we ate, rode a ferris wheel, and had ice cream.  It was such a fun, laid back night & that place is so cool!  Maybe next time we can stay longer...

On Sunday, before heading back, we went to my grandmother's cousin, Frank and his wife, Sandy's house for a visit. They took us to Pappadeaux, which I had never been to for lunch...LOVE IT and LOVE THEM!

Justin took Theo, one of his steer showing kids (and cousin) to Dallas yesterday for the State Fair.  Theo got 10th place w/ his steer!  Go Theo!!  Justin got back about 9:30 tonight and was so glad to be out of that dumb ole ag truck!!  I missed him...

Well, that kinda catches y'all up on the past week of my life!  I'll try to be better about this whole blogging thing so that Alayna Gayle Howard doesn't yell at me anymore!  hehe :)