Buon'anno or Happy New Year

Boom! Pop pop pop! Kapow! Yeah so my sound effects for fireworks suck I know. But imagine this. Think of the best fireworks show you have ever seen. Now multiply that times a zillion and you get what we're still witnessing here in Naples. It's 12:51 and the fireworks are still going off. It's like what Baghdad must have sounded like but with the most brilliant and beautiful fireworks you have ever seen. And stretched across the entire city! It's unbelievable. Even as I type this the neighbors are setting of some kind of bomb thing! It's the craziest thing ever! What an amazing experience to say the least!

AnnaBelle's Laugh

AnnaBelle, our little parrot

Someone is going to be a great Dad

B&B on our way to Naples

So it's Sunday the 28th and we're leaving Vanni's parents house to drive back up to Naples to where Phil and Vany live. After packing the car to the point that you could not have fit a deck of card in the truck we say our goodbyes and get on the road. We're not driving straight thru but stopping in a little town called Civita in a bed and breakfast that they stumbled upon during one of their previous trips. We drive up this winding mountain road and arrive at the B&B well after dark. The place is beautiful. All coblestone paved and stone architecture. We unpack the car and check into our rooms. They're beautifully decorated with tile floors and antique furntiure. We are then invited to dinner with the owners of the B&B, a treat that not everyone is privy to. Jean Lucca and Eva are amazing hosts. They live in a home next door to the B&B and has been in the family for a long time. She is of Polish decent and he is of Albanian descent and the town of Civita was and still is an Albanian colony of sorts. Dinner is a traditional Albanian Christmas dish that's a lasanga of sorts but its made with spinach and a wheat based crepe(not like desert crepes). It's one of the best things I've ever eaten!! We also have salad, bread, a homemade wine, and a sausage made from wild boar. Everything is delicious! We converse and eat the night away. Somewherer in the conversation over the evening we are told about a surprise waiting for us in the morning. We don't have a clue what they're talking about but they assure us its a good surprise. We call it a night and head off to bed. The next morning we wake up and having forgot about the surprise I go the the window to check out our view. Remember when we arrived it was dark and we couldn't really see where we were. I openned the window to find myself looking at one of the most spectacular view I have ever seen. The B&B is situated on the edge of a deep canyon with our window facing the opposite cliffs. Far below I can hear the rush of water below. It's breathtaking. I close the window and crawl back into bed. I don't tell Mia cuz I want her to see it for herself. Ten minutes later she goes to the window and I warn her not to look. She asks why and then opens the window. As she stares in amazement like I did I then tell her if she doesn't close the window it'll take her breathe away. And it does. I've been to alot of beautiful places and seen alot of amazing things. This definitely rivals any of them! After soaking in the view and waking up we go down for breakfast. Breakfast was great. Pastries and juice and toast and chocolate cake! After breakfast we were invited to take a hike down to the river with Jean Lucca and Eva. They take this particular hike all the time but do not normally invite their B&B guests to go along with them. We were under the impression that it would be a short hike thru town and then down to the river. Man were we wrong! Turns out what we were invited to was a 2 hour hike down to the river and thru part of the largest national (park) forest in Europe. Again I was blown away by the beauty and vastness of where we were. The pictures we took won't give justice to what we hiked thru. Deep green forests and meadows filled with olive trees. All I have to say is that I'm going back to that place again someday. It was truely a unique gift that they gave us in sharing that with us. We made it back to our rooms worn out completely but satisfied with our trek. After a hot shower and a little rest we said our farewells to our newfound friends and checked out of the B&B. We had lunch in a local restaurant and then got back on the highway for the rest of our drive to Naples. Driving thru Italy was great, so many sights to see along the way. We made it into Naples right after the sun went down. Naples sits close to Mt. Vesuvius so we got to watch the sun go down behind the mountain/volcano. We got to Phil and Vany's house, unpacked the car, and relaxed around dinner and a couple episodes of Smallville(Phil and I are both Superman fans). Then crashed with dreams of what is to come!

AnnaBelle watches herself on TV

Arrival in Sicily, Italy 23 Dec

After 27 hours, 6 movies, several naps, a hamburger in Rome (from McDonalds, classy I know) we finally made it to Sicily . . . . only to find that one out of our three bags made it with us. It's okay though because this has happened every time I have gone to Italy so I was smart this time and we both packed a few days worth of clothes, all our underclothes and the essentials in our Carry ons. The only problem was the things that we did not have were the Christmas gifts, Christmas outfit for AnnaBelle etc. So we called the next morning to find out that 6000 bags were stuck in Rome trying to get out, oh well we made it at least. We had an amazing time in Sicily with our Italian Family, AnnaBelle, Christmas, enjoying the sites etc. We had a hard time adjusting to the time difference.... not the one from USA to Italy but the one that Vanessa's family stays awake until about 2-4 am and then wakes up around noon. We will post more pictures later but I thought I would at least catch you up with the beginning of the trip. We hope that your Christmas was as amazing as ours!!! Take care!

Early Birthday Gift

A few weekends ago while I was visiting my grandma she surprised me with an early birthday gift. The card had this great and beautiful prayer on the inside that just blessed me by reading it. As I opened the gift, I realized what it was an started to tear up immediately. She had given me a small old rolling pin. Let me explain . . .
When I was younger, my mom, grandma and I would make tortillas together, as well as many other cousins and children. She had this small rolling pin for us that was about 10 inches long and solid wood. Nothing fancy, no handles, just a wooden rolling pin that was just our size. I remember my mom and grandma teaching me and my other cousins how to roll out the dough just right for the tortillas. We would go back and forth in many directions to make it just right! And then the adult would put it on the skillet or on the stove top and cook it for us as we anxiously waited.
Grandma doesn't make homemade tortillas anymore, its something that I only get to have in my childhood memories, so for her to give that to me, it was like passing on a tradition to another generation. I love my family more then anything else, and I understand that I am getting older each year but I'm not ready for them to age as well.
But she gave me a wonderful gift that I hope to pass on to my children in the future and to my grandchildren as well. She has given me a wonderful gift that has many great memories attached to it. I could have asked for anything better!

Happy with a tear in my eye

107 Years, 10 month and 4 days ago, on Christmas eve 1900, a beautiful baby girl was welcomed into this world and was named Anita Gonzales. She grew up to be a strong willfull young lady and introduced women's lib before it existed (Left a note for her husband while he was at work "Dear Ben, Melba needs me" before she hoped on the train to help out her daughter with a sick child) . . . She was married to the same man (Ben) for 62 years before his death. She gave birth to 12 children, seven of which are still living, and has 43 grandchildren, 102 great-grandchildren, 86 great-great-grandchildren and 30 great-great-great-grandchildren.

I was blessed and honored to call her my great grandma

When Jonathan and I went to visit her this year, I said "Your going to be 108 this year Grandma, are you excited?" Her reply was "I'm going to be 108, what do you think?" and laughed. She was an amazing woman who did so much with her life and touched so many people. She always said that she would keep going until God wanted her back with Him.

Well this past Tuesday, I guess God decided that she had waited long enough. My grandma Dimas went to sleep for her afternoon nap and passed away peacefully in her sleep.

She was an amazing woman that has lead a full and wonderful life and we all knew that it was a matter of time before she passed on but I still don't think that ever makes us ready for when it happens! I am so blessed that she was able to meet and approve of my husband earlier in the month and that she was able to see how happy I am and continue to be! I guess all in all, I could not have asked for a better goodbye!

Last part of the Anniversary Celebration

One of Jonathan's gift was tickets to the Jeff Dunham show. So Friday night we freshed up and pick up our good friends Josh and Krystal and off to Katz 21 for dinner. After an amazing dinner and great conversation off we went to watch the Jeff Dunham show. His opening act was amazing but nothing could beat Jeff. We had an amazing time and our abs were sore from so much laughter! It was a great time and an amazing way to end our anniversary week celebration! Yippee onto Year 2!

1 Year

Yesterday we celebrated one year of marraige. I pieced together a simple dinner for two and we celebrated with a bottle of wine. I kinda got myself my gift before Mia got it for me...I got Mia tickets to Wicked when it comes to San Antonio next June. Yeah that's a long way off but you gotta get em early to get good seats. We talking over dinner about life and where we might be in a few years. Then we spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch catching up on some of the shows we're addicted to. There's not enough time or blog space to write about all that I have learned over the last year. It has gone by so fast and I have grown so much. I could go on and on about alot of things but I'll just say this. My wife is the most beautiful, intelligent, forgiving, amazing, perfect woman on earth.

Anniversary Recap Day 4

Our last day in New Mexico, I finally got the chance to sleep in a bit. Of course Mia was up with the kids bright and early, making waffles and cutting up fruit! Uncle Mark convinced her to let me sleep as long as I could. And off the girls went again to do a little art and craft fair stuff, grocery shopping etc. Now Isaac is in private school and they are required to keep up with physical fitness stuff so he needed to practice his mile run! So off we went to the park and did a mile run (completely different in high altitude) and tossed around the football for awhile. Came back home, showered up and off we went again to set up Grandma's house for family dinner. Once we got there I got to meet Uncle Jeff, Tia Kim, Katie and Ryan for the first time and caught up with them for awhile. Then came the most awesome dinner! Red chili casserole, corn, roast, pasta salad, tortillas, beans and then cheesecake and pear white cake. I think I ate like 5lbs of Tia Sophie's enchilladas! After dinner I caught up with grandpa again and he told me some of his military stories! Grandma then gave Mia her birthday gift which she will blog about later. I felt very blessed to be welcomed so wonderfully into Mia's extended family. They were all very excited to get to spend time with me. I especially enjoyed watching a few touching momments between Mia and her grandma. We called it a night around 6ish and headed back to Mark and Sandi's to do some laundry and pack up for the trip home. We spent some quality time with Mark and Sandi and the kids and then called it a night around 9. Not so bright and early at 530 we were up and off to the airport for the flight home. Got to see my family for breakfast at IHOP during our layover in Houston, enjoyed getting to do that. Got to the house around 3 unpacked and crashed out. What a trip, wish we coulda been there longer. Mia's family in Albuquerque is awesome and I can't wait to go see them again! A special and huge thanks goes out to Tia Sandi Uncle Mark, Robyn and Isaac who let us crash in their place, use their car and take up their family time. Also to Tia Sophie who squeezed in time with us with her busy schedule and her family. Mia's family is amazing and I am so glad we got to spend our anniversary with them!

Anniversary Recap Day 3

Day 3 started at 5am, since the balloons lift off in the cool morning air! We woke up early, got dressed and bundled up and off we went to the field again. This morning was the special shapes launch. My favorite was the Eagle and Mia's favorite were the two bubble bees that hold hands in the beginning and then once in the air turn to kiss each other! There were so many balloons that it looked like they were inflating on top of each other! Once all the balloons were in the air, the competitions begin! When they cleared the field for the competitions we were lucky enough to end up right in front of the key grab field. The balloons have to glide in at the exact right spot and try to grab an envelope off the top of a 20ft tall pole set in the ground. It was awesome to watch all these balloons try to navigate in and grab the envelope, since they can only control the balloon in the up and down motion, they have to plan their attack very far out. We even got to see a few eat it and crash a little as the came down. We saw two balloons get the envelopes, which was pretty cool becasue some years they have no one get the envelope. So once those activities were over we scanned the chainsaw carvings and the craft fair one more time and then headed home, for a little nap :) After we rested up, off we were again with Tia Sophie this time, to see her house, another craft fair, a small snack and then the Tram :) We saw the most beautiful sunset over the valley of Albq while we were waiting in line. Once we got into the tram, it was getting dark,making the cliffs and valley seem a little more dramatic from that high up. Once getting to the top it was 20 degrees cooler, making it 40 degrees, but the view was spectacular! Coming back down was an adventure again, picking up a little more speed on the way down made for an interesting ride down. Afterwards we grabbed some delicious green chili quesadillas and enjoyed some family time with Tia Sophie, Rich and Jeremy. All in all another great day!

Anniversary Recap Day 1 and 2

Wednesday afternoon we whisked away to start our anniversary weekend in New Mexico. We got picked up from the airport Wednesday evening by Uncle Mark and spent the evening catching up with family (Uncle Mark, Tia Sandi, Robyn and Isaac) and settling in. The following day we woke up and headed out to Grandma's house. Mia walked in first getting a few tears from her, and then I got to meet Grandma! With flowers in hand, for her of course, she hugged me with all the love of one of her own grandchildren. We sat down and looked at wedding pictures and relaxed. Grandpa came in and found a new person to re-tell his military career too :) After catching up, off we went to Great Grandma's house! She is a hoot, all 5 feet of her (Mia says that the Olona women shrink as they get older), she showed me all around the house, showed me all the pictures, knick knacks, furniture that was made by her husband and father, etc. It was a wealth of history and memories. After a quick visit there, off we went to lunch and the new Indian cultural center. All in all a wonderful day spent with the grandparents. Shortly after we sped back to Mark and Sandi's to ready for the evening special shapes Balloon glow, we lucked out because Tia Sandi's dad had a crew pass so we didn't have to wait in any lines, pay anything and then arrived right on the field. We quickly walked around to see as many shapes as we could and oohhhed and ahhhhed when they all lite up at the same time. Afterwards, we grabbed a few snacks (including a much deserved funnel cake) and watched the fireworks. Spectacular once again! We met up with Tia Sophie, Jeremey, Jenny and little Joshua for a quick second (enough time to engage in some lightsaber sword fighting action) and then headed home to start again the following morning!

One Year Ago Today...

.... I was waking up in my own bed all by myself

.... I had about 10 girls in one room doing hair, makeup and having fun

.... My brother made me cry as he gave me a beautiful gift

.... I put on this gorgeous dress as my mom and mother in law helped

.... I got a call from my fiance asking what I was up to and if I wanted to meet up some time that day!

.... I kissed my mom as she beautifully stepped out of the limo

.... My father helped me out of the limo and walked me into the church

.... I saw the love of my life about 150 feet away from me

.... I did not slowly walk down the aisle, I had to be held back from running by my dad :)

.... I was smiling from ear to ear and nothing could make me stop

.... I promised to love a man for better or for worse

.... He promised me the same!

.... I shared my first kiss with my husband!

.... I enjoyed an amazing reception with great friends and family

.... All of those great family and friends shot my husband and I with strings of paper as we ran away to our highly decorated truck!

.... I had the best day of my life.... so far!

Thank you everyone for the well wishes, cards, calls and love! We love you all!

Week Long Anniversary Celebration

Tomorrow we leave for ABQ New Mexico for a few reasons....

1. Jonathan has never seen the hot air balloon fiesta that I grew up with and I wanted to share that with him and it never gets old for me :)

2. Several of my extended family wasn't able to attend our wedding and I want Jonathan to have the chance to meet them all, especially my grandparents, my great grandma and my great aunts.

3. To celebrate our anniversary with something out of the ordinary.

4. Lastly I am very much in need of some home cooked tortillas so I am going to the place that makes the best tortillas ever... Grandma's House

We already have the week planned thanks to my amazing tia's so standby for an interesting recap of our first wedding anniversary adventure!

Nights of Rodanthe

"...there is a different kind of love one that gives you courage to be better then you are and that makes you think ANYTHING is possible. I want you to hold out for it."

If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, you will not be disappointed, of course as always the book is ten times better but the movie did not disappoint. Admist all the tears, laughter and awwwing the quote that I posted was by far my favorite. It's when the the mother is talking to her daughter about what the difference is between the love she has for her ex-husband and the love that she has found! For all you married ladies, I hope that this is the love that you have found and for all the single ladies, this is the love that you hold out for. Never settle and know that there is someone out there that will give you this kind of love!!!

Holy Cow I hit the ball :)

Laughter, encouragement and cheer is what last night was all about. We took the field as a bunch of friends getting together for the first time to play a game of softball. We took on a team who has obviously played before but we held our own. They got a strong lead but we snuck up on them quickly. The final score was 17-14 with us taking a loss, but it still was a great time, learned alot, even got to hit the ball a few times :) Jonathan did great at bat, making sure that it landed between the short stop and the outfielders, always taking a base or two. We has an absolutely great time and even got in a little workout, so stay tuned for more adventures as our next game is in two weeks :)

Tiddens vs Softball

Since Jonathan and I started dating almost three years ago I always said I wanted to be one of those active married couples. Well Jonathan has honored my requested and signed us up on a team with some friends of ours, with our first game starting on Friday. Now Jonathan has played softball with the Coast Guard and thoroughly enjoys it, but my memories of softball are a little different. I remember being in a game when I was a little girl and the coach telling me to pay attention and stop picking flowers and doing headstands. I have only played one game since and that was over a year ago, so my skills are somewhat lacking. So my overjoyed dear husband has gone out and gotten me a new glove, a new softball and new shorts. We have even gone out and tossed around the ball a bit. I am getting excited, more about playing the sport and less about the competition part but excited none the less, so expect a blog about the Tidden's first game and lets hope for no black eyes :)

Whirlwind Astros Game

A couple months ago, one of Jonathan's friends mentioned that him and his wife go to an Astros game every year but this past year have not been able to make it, with jobs, new house etc etc. Joanthan, the ever generous one, called up his dad and asked him if he could pick up some tickets for us to go to the game. Due to work schedules, we left at 8am on Saturday, drove straight through to Houston, went straight to Micah's football game, came home and changed, went to the baseball game. The game was awesome, we had a great time, the astros played great, the company was wonderful, my nachos were amazing, all in all a fabulous time. We came home pretty late, did a little hot tubbing and then crashed out. Slept in a little had some family time, followed by an amazing lunch and then we were off again. It was a whirlwind trip but fun none the less, next time we will stay longer :)

What an amazing Will to Survive and GO COAST GUARD

A father and son who tread water for more than 12 hours in the Atlantic Ocean before being rescued spent much of the time in the dark seas not knowing if the other was alive, authorities said Monday.

Walter Marino, 46, and his son Chris Marino, who has autism, were swimming in the Ponce Inlet, south of Daytona Beach, Florida, on Saturday when currents pulled the 12-year-old boy out to sea.
His father jumped in to try to save Chris but was also pulled out to sea.
Family members called 911, but by the time rescue units arrived, the father and son could no longer be seen, officials said.
The U.S. Coast Guard, the Volusia County Beach Patrol and the sheriff's office immediately launched a search-and-rescue mission using helicopters, boats and personal watercraft to try to find the Winter Park, Florida, father and son.
"[We were] floating," Walter Marino told CNN affiliate WKMG-TV after the rescue. "We were floating and just waiting for help to come." Watch the father thank rescuers »
Hoping to find the pair alive, the Coast Guard searched from Saturday night until early Sunday morning before suspending the search because of darkness, Coast Guard officials told CNN.
Coast Guard officials told Lt. j.g. David Birky that he would be part of a backup crew to relieve the team from the night before. Birky told CNN the crew was set to do a search when the sun came up, but received a call while they were en route that a good Samaritan boat found Walter Marino about 7:30 a.m.
Birky, the co-pilot of the crew, told CNN that after the father was found, they began searching that area for his son. Chris Marino was found two hours later, three miles from where his father was rescued.
The Coast Guard lifted the boy into a helicopter, and both father and son were taken to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where they were in good condition. Both were treated for dehydration, according to WKMG-TV.
"The Coast Guard rocks," Walter Marino said as he was being transported to the hospital, according to WKMG-TV. "God bless the Coast Guard."
While Walter Marino praised the Coast Guard for its rescue efforts, Birky said the true praise goes to the father and his young son.
"That kid is an amazing kid," Birky said. "To tread water for almost 14 hours, I don't know about you, but I don't think I could do that. They have amazing willpower to be able to do it."

Hurricane Ike Recap

Wow that hurricane sure did play around with us, but Corpus Christi really did get luckily that the cold front blew through and turned the hurricane away from us. We did board up the houses, make hotel reservations, make puppy care reservations, packed bags, food, water, gas and memories in the car just in case! Luckily we didn't have to go anywhere but we had planned on going to some good friends wedding up in Salado Texas, so it was a great little get away :) We went with some amazing couples from our hometeam and had a group getaway. The wedding was simply gorgeous and the bride got her wish for an outdoor wedding of her dreams. The reception was perfect and we had a great time overall, I even got spun around the floor a couple of times wahhoo! So the weekend was great, followed up by a little outlet shopping didn't hurt, too bad we had to get back to the real world on Sunday evening, oh well at least it was a weekend to remember!

Oh and thank you to all those that called and offered places for us to evac to. We were torn between Dallas, South Carolina, DC, Alaska (don't worry we are saving that one for next summer) and California thank goodness we didn't have to choose :)

Pictures

Okay Okay, so you have been asking for a few photos so here are a few :)

Us on a jetski at a staff retreat with the church :) Wheeee

Us playing around after the Geis wedding, isn't he a cutie!

And that's it because our camera hates me and didn't copy the photos from JT's bday and other events, so all we have are our memories, sorry all!!!

Sunshine in Sept

What a great day, started off with a slow start, I got to sleep in for awhile and then woke up and did a little community work :) Yes I was crocheting this morning but I was making Stoma covers for little children at the hospital. They are the cutest colors and I love to make them so it made me feel really good today! Then I took some time for myself... me and my best guy :) Sebastian got in the car and took off to the beach with Amy. We enjoyed running in the ocean, jumping over waves, playing with the water frisbie and just spending time with a great friend :) Later on my real best guy, got back from a guys fishing morning, wahoo for guy time, and changed into some swim shorts and joined us in the water. Unfortunetly the Texas heat got a little too warm so we decided to head home. Tonight I am working at the church and he went to a concert at the park with some friends, followed up with dinner with some more friends and then watching the fight somewhere :) What a great day, when you can take the time to do some things for others, take some time for yourself and then end the day by spending it with people you love and then going home with the one you love. What a day :)

Wedding Bliss

On August 23rd, Jonathan and I got the honor to stand by two of our great friends as they joined their lives together as one. As Jonathan was the best man, he was with Eddie most of the day, even through the flat tire, errands, whataburger etc. As a bridesmaid I met up with Barbie at lunch and then hung out with her for the rest of the day until the wedding. She looked amazing and the look on Eddie's face when he saw her was priceless. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was amazing. We had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and hanging out with new ones. We wish them the best as they join their hearts together and start off on an amazing adventure. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Geis

So I just turned 26 and here's how it went...

All week Mia had been hinting at something big for my birthday. I finally get it out of her that we're going somewhere for the weekend. Then I finally get it out of her that we'll be spending the weekend in Fredericksburg. I had to work the actual day of my birthday but manage to sneak out that night cuz my boss loves me. So I get home, we pack the car, and off we go to drive up to Fredericksburg. I slept in the car most of the way. After about three and a half hours of driving we make it to the hotel and crash for the night. The next morning we get up in time to catch the end of the hotel's continental breakfast. I get my food and sit down and start eating. As I'm eating I look up to see my parents and my little brothers walking towards me. I say hey, and then go right back to my breakfast. Whoa wait a sec...I didn't know they were coming! Mia surprised we with getting my family to meet us for the weekend and come to find out my sister and her boyfriend are coming up later in the day too! So I'm excited! I love Fredericksburg and I love my family and I really love my wife for all she did to put the weekend together for me. So we spend the weekend running around town and hanging out with the family. We did a lot so I'll just give you the highlights. Friday we had lunch at a cool little old school diner at the airport. Mia and I spent the better part of the afternoon with my sister and her man. We checked out several Wineries and experienced wine tasting Texas style. It was a great experience and I learned a lot. We went out for Mexican food for dinner that night and then we went to this place called the Rockbox Theatre. They stared with stuff from the 50's and just worked their way up. It was a really cool and really funny show. If you're ever up that way it's definitely a place to check out. Saturday we grabbed breakfast and then headed out to Enchanted Rock State Park to hike to the top of the second largest granite monadnock in the United States. Translation-it's a giant pink rock. So my whole family heads up the rock and about half way up my sister's boyfriend gets sick cuz he decided to race my little brother up a steep part of the climb. He blamed it on one to many pancakes at breakfast. My dad, who was two bad knees, makes it to the top. I'm sure he will be hatin life later for doing it but I was proud of him for makin it to the top. The top of Enchanted Rock has one of the most beautiful views of the Texas hill country and when the sun sets on the rock it seems to glow (that's how it got its name). We hiked back down the rock and then took a detour on our way back to the hotel and checked Wildseed Farms. Wildseed Farms is the largest working wildflower farm in the U.S. They have somewhere in the neighborhood of over 200 acres of wildflowers. It was awesome. I'm not normally in to that kinda thing but you got to admire anyone who plants 200 acres of flowers. We slept in on Sunday and did a little more shopping in town. There's a place there that sells old baseball cards from like the late 80's and my little brother just loves baseball cards. So we go in to look around and my brother buys a couple packs. The guy who owns the place tell him to wait there a sec and he runs out to his car. He comes back and hands my brother a pack of cards with a Nolan Ryan card from the last year he played with the Astros. Let me just tell you, it's a cool card and a collector's item. I tried everything in the book to get him to give me that card but he wouldn't budge. I loved Nolan Ryan as a kid. He was the guy who could throw 100 M.P.H. pitches.......Anyways. We grabbed some Dairy Queen for lunch and then all parted ways. I had an awesome weekend. Somewhere in all that Mia gave me an IPhone and some awesome sunglasses! Can't wait to start playing with that! My wife is awesome and I had a great weekend with my family. Life just doesn't get better than that!

Rusty - a New Dog

No don't worry he isn't ours, he belongs to the church. He showed up last week with a collar and so skinny you could see every single rib in his body. We called all the humane societies to see if anyone was looking for him and I contacted the lost pet hotline, no one was looking for him. So he became "our" dog. We took him to get cleaned up and "fixed", well he got his bath but he was too skinny for the second half. We have a sign sheet for who fed him and who gave him his heart worm medicine. He has learned to sit already and loves all kinds of food (AKA he is spoiled by everyone with their leftovers) just until we can get some weight on him. He is so sweet and loving but we have definitely created a creature of comfort. He even tried to steal my money bag from this weeks offering because he thought it was a food bag!

The Sun Shines Again!!!

Well Hurricane Dolly and Tropical Storm Dolly has passed and Corpus Christi is clear once again. It is beautiful outside and I couldn't wait to be outside and enjoy it! Unfortunetly today was another work day for me, but as soon as I got home I collared up the puppies and took them out one by one for a "lesson"/walk, they did fantastic with me. Sasha is a little slow on her mile and a half but she shuffled along! Now I am off to relax and scrape popcorn ceiling off the ceiling of Regina's brand new house! I'm excited to do some fixing up and do a little handy man stuff! Heidi isn't going to have anything on us tonight!

Hurricane Dolly

Just in case anyone was worried. We got a bag packed up and the puppies stuff all packed up just in case we have to head out of town. Looks like JT will stay behind and I most likely won't have to go anywhere but it doesn't hurt to be prepared right :)

Parenting Test 1 :)

So last weekend we were blessed with the opportunity to spend time with Jonathan's brothers for four days while his parents enjoyed a little vacation without any kids around.
Day 1: They got dropped off on Thursday early evening, had a little La Playa and then there were mine :) So whats the best thing for two boys??? Two dogs!!!! Each of us picked up a leash and went on an hour and a half walk with the puppies after coming home I'm not sure who was more tired. I did have to ask their mom when bedtime was because when I asked the boys the answer was midnight, one or two. I wasn't sure that was correct :)
Day 2: JT came home from work, got the boys all riled up and off we went to the aquarium. We looked, we touched and we saw about everything there was possible to see there. It was pretty amazing and the boys loved it! Came home for a kid friendly late lunch and off we were (Opening night of Dark Knight) to go see SPACE CHIMPS, yes I said Space Chimps, my inlaws owed me for that one :) Came back home and went for another walk, this time with a tennis ball in hand. Took the pups down to the creek and watched them over and over again find the tennis ball. Soon a small crowd of children were there all wanting to throw the ball. We had to stop once Shadows doggy paddle started slowing down but we all got a little bit of exercise in.
Day 3: Slept in a litte, woke up to find the boys outside in the back with the dogs again (I swear my dogs are like little babysitters). Didn't want to sunburn too bad so off we went to the beach, for an afternoon of sun, water, sunscreen, lunch, Sebastian and fun. Several hours later we came home to rest up for the nights event. Before getting ready for my first Arena Football game, I saw my husband with a shirt, he was bright red all over. I guess the mud that the boys were flinging on him took off his sunscreen, ouch. So off to the game we went with Dan, Sarah, Krystal, Josh, Owen, Regina and Katie. The boys loved it and were absolutely fantastic. They both got shirts, and a game football. Afterwards Josh tooks them down to the field to get autographs for Micah's football and Tylar's shirt. Of course how do you follow up something like that? B&J's Pizza. So we finally arrived home around midnight, put the boys in bed (had to pry the football out of Micah's hands) and ended a long day.
Day 4: I had to go to work, so I left Jonathan with the boys with Oragami, Baseball cards and US Coast Guard aircraft models, so there was plenty to do. Came home from work and spent a little more time with the family, went to go eat La Playa again (yum) and off they went. It was a great experience and one that we hope to repeat yearly with a little more time next time!

What an amazing Weekend

Last weekend a good friend of mine, Christina, came in from Alaska for the weekend. She got in Friday evening and we went to a friends birthday party. She had no probably fitting in and making friends along the way. We got a little hungry for some grub, so we headed over to Montana Mike's grabbed a drink while waiting for the take out to arrive. Grabbed the food and chatted up at home for a few hours. Crashed out and then awoke early to try my first Body Pump class. I have been wanting to check it out, but haven't been able to convince JT to do it yet, so Christina, Josh, JT and I went to the class where Christina was the only one who knew what to expect :) We got our butts kicked but it was a great feeling, I loved it! So after that we had a pancake brunch (made by my amazing husband) and then packed up with Sebastian and headed out to the beach. The beach was perfect, we had an umbrella for a little bit of shade, Sarah and Dan joined us for some hot dog cookout and the wind was just enough to keep the heat off of us. The boys all headed out into the surf as the girls caught up on the sand and just enjoyed the laziness of the day. Came up after a few hours, showeredup and caught a quick cat nap and then headed out to the Hooks baseball game. It was packed, or so they said when we went to buy tickets, we got to sit in the field but it was still a great time with amazing company. After the game we went to check out the new movie Wanted which was amazing and then finally came home to crash. The next morning we packed up Christina with snacks and let her head back to the airport :( After she left, JT and I went to church and then came home and crashed for another few hours, woke up to do some of the house chores that still needed to be done! Then realized that it was our 9 month anniversary, grabbed an amazing dinner and went to see Hancock. It was a great weekend but one of the most tiring that we have done in a long long time :)

Happy Fourth of July

As it seems to be a bit of tradition. We went to the Bowen Ranch for the fourth of July without any parents. It was already off to a rocky start, due to a pet injury and the trip was in the air. Barbie's mom's dog pulled through surgery perfectly and we were off to the Ranch. On arriving at the ranch, everyone has their own set of duties. Eddie goes to turn on the water, feed the deer, etc and JT goes with him. Leaving Barbie Therasa and I to unload the car. As we arrive in we find that the house is rather warm, later to find out that it was because the electricity went out. Not horrible, we just need to fix it else it will be rather warm out there. Well as we continue to unload the car, someone took the groceries and opened the fridge. OMG yup with the power out that means that the fridge was out too, while it was full of groceries. So onward to the task of throwing out rotten food and attempting the clean the fridge. As each of us took turns cleaning and also took turns to step outside and gag. We got the job done. We even got an electricion to come out on the 4th of July and fix the electricity. So we are all sitting outside with a nice breeze and we are waiting for the house to cool off and the smell to go away. Barbie steps inside for something and comes back out with a frown. Turns out something was wrong with the air conditioning so the house isn't cooling off. With all of this happening, I was so glad that I was with the people that I was with. No one complained, no one got fussy, no one got upset. We went out riding around the ranch. The house wasn't getting any cooler, we couldn't get much dirtier might as well have some fun with it. It was a fantastic weekend overall, we even got to go to the Horse Pasture and hear Corey Morrow play live. I had a great time with some amazing Friends!
(Waiting for photos from Barbie :) because she isn't busy or anything!)

6 pack not a keg!

My husband gave me the best gift I have ever received from him the other day, and I don't think that he even knew it. During our entire dating experience I told him that I wanted to be an active couple doing outdoor stuf together and working out together. We go to the gym together often but have never done a class together. So on Monday we went to an abs core class together that is an intense 25 minutes long. He was only one of the two guys in the entire class. It was so great to be able to share that with him, as we walked out of the class red faced and stomach aching together knowing that we did something hard and intense together. Crazy I know, but I really am easy to please. So we are on our way to the 6 pack abs, well keep you updated :) ha!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

So this past weekend my little sister came into town. She rolled in on the bus on a Friday around 11 , was promptly picked up by her bro and I, ate lunch, did some shopping, took in a movie and then finally laid our heads down to rest. And that was the slow day :) The following day we woke up early and started to get ready for the lake. A friend of ours has a family house on the lake and invited us to spend the day on the lake, so we made a spur of the moment decision to go for a few hours and then come back to go to church. So the day was fantastic, I still have images of 4 girls on a tube holding on for dear life and laughing hysterically! It was absolutely a great day. So we went to church that night, went home and made a fast dinner, I mean we were eating in the car, just to make sure that we could make it to the Beer Garden to watch the UFC fight. The fight was great, the location was quaint and the company was wonderful. The next day, I went to work, the sibling Tiddens slept in, picked me up from work at 3 and off we went to another family gathering, this time with the Hilton Family. Together we all made a healthy dinner of shrimp scampi and enjoying the time together. The time with my sister was too short but all together it was a fantastic whirlwind of a weekend.

Coastie Girls Unite

So at my wedding my great friends Christina, Regan, Kristie and I mentioned that we needed to plan a girls trip since we keep meeting up at weddings (Hawaii, Texas, etc) and now we are all married so there isn't anything to meet up for anymore. So Christina, our personal planner, started the reservations and we found ourselves in a cute little cabin in the Edisto Beach, SC for a few days and then spent a day and a half in Charleston, SC taking in the town and visiting Roxy for awhile. It was fantastic, yes I missed my husband, but getting together for the girls, doing outdoor stuff, sitting on a tin roof porch reading and just spending time talking was absolutely fantastic. We all got caught up with each other lives and only once turned on the TV to find out if we won the lottery (we all pitched in and bought a ticket) The trip was perfect, the company was excellent and the timing was excellent, I couldn't have asked for more and I am so blessed to have these girls in my life.

Next trip: Kodiak Alaska and we will bring our husbands with this time!

The Aramburu's Arrive in Texas

My brother lucks out by having his Navy Training in San Antonio so in April we got to see little Annabelle for the first time. Let me tell you she is gorgeous, nothing short of perfect. Of course she cries, spits up and have explosive poo but she is still the cutest little angel anyway. We lucked out double, because my In-laws were able to come over to San Antonio and spend some time with all of us as well. Micah and Tylar doted on Annabelle and JT and I couldn't keep our eyes off of her either. We were so blessed to be able to see all of them and so excited! Just thought we would share a little!

Cirque Du Soleil - SALTIMBANCO

This weekend, my amazing husband took me to Cirque Du Soleil (yes their was much begging involved to get him to go) but he got us tickets for my Easter gift and it was amazing. I thought I was doing really well with my ab workout but seeing some of these acrobats that support themselves with only their arms and lift up their entire body parrallel to the floor, is just amazing! The colors, the sounds, the dancing, the skills, the excitement, the laughter and the enchantment was more then I could take in at one moment, it was just fantastic. Check out this clip to understand what I mean! Oh and of course Kuddos to the hubby!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et3KhyZSAMk

At least watch minute 6 it is amazing!

Corpus Christi: Windy City of the South

So last Thursday was one of the windiest days I have ever experienced in Corpus Christi. I think they said the wind was around 30 mph. So we could hear the wind rattle the windows throughout our office and we also saw the front door almost take off a few hands. So Amy and I thought we would give you guys a few examples of how windy it was down here! Enjoy!

Fixing up the Bedroom

Well as we said earlier in a post, we had to get a new bed and the timing kinda worked out nicely. We got a great bedroom set at a killer deal! Therasa helped me out tons putting it all together while Jonathan was at work as a bit of a surprise. So tell me what you think!!! :)

BEFORE

AFTER

What he does

JT got called into work early this morning for a case they were working! As soon as first light hit and they began the search again out came the reporters. It's pretty hard to think on your feet without giving away too much personal information to the reporters and when your working with tides and currents there are alot of unknown factors but he held his own and did a great job.
http://www.kiiitv.com/home/15748562.html?video=pop&t=a