Merry TexMas

We moved to Texas only 10 days before Christmas so it was our mission to get unpacked and decorated for the holidays ASAP! We unpacked boxes in record time, the kitchen was set-up before the movers even left, and surprisingly we had enough furniture and stuff to fill a 3100+ sq ft home. So next came the Christmas Tree...

Our house felt so cozy and comfortable with all the decorations but it was missing one big thing, our families!!! We knew we would be spending our first Christmas in Texas alone but it didn't really sink in until Christmas Eve. We have never spent a holiday without our families before so it was a little sad but we tried to make the most of it and started some new traditions of our own. On Christmas Eve we started the day baking Christmas cookies and watching Christmas movies but then we adopted one of my family traditions and went to mass and had a Chinese dinner, it's the only place open on Christmas Eve =) Lucky for us, we didn't have to do a repeat on Christmas Day because the Richards invited us to their home for Christmas Dinner with their family. It was great having a adoptive family for the day and we even adopted one of their Christmas traditions and headed out to the theater that night. All in all Christmas was very Merry in Texas but we did miss our family!

On the Road Again

So the adventure begins...1 Dog, 2 People, 2 Cars, 3 Days, and 1500 miles to go!

Day One - Alarm goes off at 6am but we snooze until 8am. So much for our early start! We spent out last night in Virgina at Sandra's parents house and our goal was to wake up early so we'd make it to Louisville in time for dinner with Shaun's parents. We did make it for dinner just not as early as we would have liked. Aside for our late start, we ran into a few other problems like a staled car on day one and a snow storm in Kentucky to boot.

Sandra's Driving Partner

Shaun's Driving Partner

Day Two - Alarm goes off and we get up, great start! Starbucks on our way out of town, this day is already looking substantially better! Lunch on Biele St. in Memphis, the BBQ challenge begins! Pit stop in TexArkana for night, we're almost there!

Day Three - Home Stretch! Just six hours left of our road trip and Austin here we come! We arrive in Austin and checkout our new neighborhood but will have to wait until tomorrow to get our keys. So what better way to keep us distracted, our new neighbors the Richards! We have a Texas feast for our first night in town and hit up one of the best BBQ spots in town, Salt Lick. Sorry Memphis but I think Texas has you beat!

Move In Day - Shaun finally gets to see the inside of our home since he blindly trusted me to go pick out our house by myself?!?! And the verdict, he loves it!!! And so does Cali! Home Sweet Home!

Army Navy Game

Go Navy, Beat Army!!! My dad is an Academy grad so for his birthday this year we got him tickets to the Army/Navy Game. It actually ended up being our last weekend before moving to Texas so it was the perfect timing. We got to spend some great quality time with my parents up in Philadelphia where it all began back when they were high school sweethearts.

This was Shaun's first trip to Philly so my parents took us around to see all the sights; Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's grave, Betty Ross' house, their childhood homes, etc. It was the perfect weekend topped off with Philly Cheesesteaks and a Navy victory!

Christmas in Washington

The lottery finally paid off! I didn't win millions but I did win tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting. Actually, Catherine won the lottery for tickets but was kind enough to pass them along to me. See what great friends we have here in DC, Catherine, Meredith, and the President!

Texas Farewell BBQ

I think this might have been a ploy to get us to stay in Virginia and it almost worked! We have the most amazing friends and so many of them came out to send us off in style, Texas style that is ;)

Michael Buble

Another year, another birthday, another Michale Buble concert! No year is complete without him ;) He has to be one of our favorite performers. We've seen him several times but nothing tops are intimate Valentine's concert in Vegas!

Thanksgiving

Two weeks to the Big Move and what do we decide to do, pack?!?! You would think that would be our priority but instead it was hosting our family for Thanksgiving. I can't think of any better way to spend our last days in our home here in Virginia!

My Mom arrived around 8am, we had the 19 lb bird in the oven by 9am, table set by 10am, and side dishes all ready before guests arrived. We really make a dynamic duo! However, maybe we shouldn't have set the table so early because the second the Geiger kids walked through the door it was a straight shot to play with the China and Crystal =) I'm glad to report though there were no casualties this year. I think I was more worried about Peter than his kids.

What better to do the day after Thanksgiving than get in the Christmas spirit! Last year, we went to cut down our very own Christmas tree, which is a tradition we would like to keep up, but since we were moving in about a week we opted for the Christmas Tree Lighting at Reston Town Center instead. They really went all out, you almost felt like you were in NYC at Rockefeller Center. They had the ice skating rink, a giant Christmas tree, a parade, Santa being pulled in his sleigh, a choir singing carols with all of the attendees, it really was spectacular! All the nieces and nephews seemed to have a great time, of course we started at Rio so what's not to love!

Turkey Trot

Who knew Herndon could draw such a crowd?!?! Shaun entered the annual Turkey Trot 5K race this year along with our friends Erik, Tim, Erika, Alicia, and Matt and I'm glad to report they all finished in the top 50. We had an even bigger turnout at Jimmy's to celebrate the runners success. Congrats everyone!

Parents Weekend

It was a race, I was flying back from Austin and Shaun's parents were driving up from Kentucky, plane vs. car and they still won! I arrived probably only an hour after them but it made for a great return home, a house full of family. We spent the weekend spending time with my family, watching football, and celebrating an early Christmas. The time always flies by so fast but we treasure these weekends as it's rare to get our families all together. We'll definitely miss not being just a drive away in Texas! But at least now we have the Margaritaville Margarita Maker so we can bribe everyone to come visit us =)

House Hunting

So our lease ended in October and we decided to go month to month to keep our options open. We've been toying around with the idea of buying a home in Virginia or picking up and starting new somewhere else. Well the idea of a fun new adventure together won out, so if you didn't pick up on the hint in our earlier post brace yourself, we're moving to Austin! Shaun and I fell in love with the city a few years ago and it's always been in the back of our mind as an option for places to live. The stars started to align after our trip to ACL and we've decided it's the right time for us to make the big move.

Shaun was given the opportunity to transfer to Austin with work so I took advantage of the Veterans Day holiday and flew down to Austin to house hunt. And I'm so excited to introduce our new neighbors in Austin...

Yes, that's right The Richards just moved to Austin at the end of October for a short-term project with Banner. I'll keep my fingers crossed that short-term turns into long-term! So with job security and the idea of having the best neighbors in the world that really made the move that much easier to do. We're going to miss our family and friends in Virginia so much but can't wait to come back to visit and host everyone out in the great state of Texas as well!

An Aussie Affair

As many of you know I'm a sucker for accents so this wedding fell nothing short of spectacular! It wasn't just the grooms Aussie family and friends that made the night but the amazing venue, intricate details, and adorable couple we were celebrating!

Here are a few other cute couples ;)

And dance maniacs!!!

Halloween

We had a pretty low-key Halloween this year so there isn't too much to report but I couldn't go without a post as Shaun's pumpkin masterpiece is too impressive not to share!

Fourth Time is a Charm

Welcome Baby Alec and Congrats Brett, you're no longer the only boy in your family! I'm very excited to report that we now have a new generation of cousins totaling eleven. The kids almost out number the adults, kinda scary!

Peter's Family (Joe, 8, Maggie, 7, Annie, 5, Patrick, 4)

Barbara's Family (TJ, 17, Kayla, 14, Marcus, 5)

Lorrie's Family (Faye, 10, Moira, 7, Maeve, 5, Alec, 6 wks)

Austin City Limits

The three best friends headed off for another fun October getaway. Last year, we tried to hit Austin City Limits (ACL) but the tickets were sold out so we opted for Key West, not too shabby! So this year when it came time to plan our next adventure we went back to our original idea and lucked out with tickets for Sunday's show.

ACL is a three day concert event with hundreds of artists/bands performing live outside in the park. It sells out every year so maybe one time we'll be lucky enough to get the three day pass as our experience this year proved just how awesome it really is! The headliners included Muse, MIA, and the Eagles but the list of performers goes on and on.

Our weekend in Austin was a reminder of how much we love this city! We spent the first night on 6th Street reliving our college days, then opted for a more touristy day on Saturday venturing to all the neighboring areas, enjoyed the Browns Game and concert on Sunday, but topped off our vacation on Monday with the best BBQ in Texas at Smitty's in Lockhart before returning home to reality. We can't wait to return, we might just have to move here!

West Coast, East Coast

September was the month of college roomies, I headed out to San Diego for Labor Day to visit Amy and then the following week to the Big Apple to visit Muge. Both trips were such a blast, I just wish we all still lived together or at least in the same town!

San Diego was no stop, I don't know how Amy has the energy to keep up with her two little girls! I managed to survive but was ready for naptime when the kids went down, haha. We covered a lot of ground while I was there; the Wild Animal Park, Seaworld, playgrounds, and parks. Whoever said these places were safe for children should think again, we almost got attached by geese while trying to feed the ducks. I can't wait to go back and hopefully next time Shaun can join me.

The next weekend was just as tiring but for completely different reasons. Instead of trying to keep up with two toddlers I was trying to keep up with the nightlife in NYC. Needless to say I'm out of practice in both areas. However, I'm proud to report I lasted until 4am on Friday night which in turn meant we didn't make it out on Saturday night. The signs of getting old =)

Rockstars!!!

What started off as a fun and exciting getaway to the Dominican Republic with our friends Jamie and Annie turned into a dream vacation! We checked into the resort expecting to have swim out rooms however, were pleasantly surprised to have been upgraded to private villa. But with a little a disappointment of no water in our backyard we found ourselves upgraded yet again to their second largest suite on the entire property. There is no doubt about it, we lived like Rockstars while staying a Secrets Sanctuary in Punta Cana. We had a thousand nicknames for our massive suite but nothing can really do it justice unless you see it with your own eyes. I would encourage anyone to go stay here!!!

Our Villa

The top level is our RockStar Suite

In addition to our amazing accomodations, the resort had the friendliest and funniest staff we've ever met. We all had been given nicknames after our first night there and had best buddies for the rest of the vacation. We did a lot of lounging poolside, on the beach, and rafts...that conveniently floated over to the swim-up bar. So it was a very relaxing vacation but we also managed to squeeze in some water volleyball, snorkeling, and a water trampoline. And of course their was a casino on grounds so that kept Shaun happy for quite awhile! We loved every second of this vacation and even walked away with prizes for the best male and female in the beer chugging competition, something to be proud of =)