Fill in the blank Friday

I'm going to try to be btter at this whole blogging thing. End of school, plus business with photography business has kept me from doing so. I'm still trying to decide if I'd like to merge my two blogs- but for now i will just keep them seperate. I've had a flurry of sessions so make sure to check those out here.

Now on to a hopefully reacurring tradition. Fill in the Blank Friday! Thanks Tara!

Ok so here we go....

I love summer because it's a chance to renew and relax. Especially this year I feel as though I've become someone i'm not sure I like that much.  I'm not the teacher I'd like to be, and I'm not the wife or friend I'd like to be. The summer gives me a chance to do all of the things I wish I always had time to do {like cooking, cleaning, hanging out with friends, long meaningful quiet times, working out}I'm hopeing this summer will be a renewing time..

2. A time that mama knew best was in middle and high school when she told me my skirt was too short or that I was wearing too much make up. I didn't believe her at the time, but the pictures speak for themselves! Wish I would've listened :) !

3. My first kiss went a little like this: I honestly dont remember. I THINK it was freshman year homecoming but it was so quick and awkward it may have not actually happened. Dead Serious.

4. My celebrity crush is Mr. Shuester from Glee. Only if I can call him Mr. Shuester and he will serrenade me with show choir tunes.

5. My splurge of choice is defenitly clothes. I've had to settle down since the marraige- but I still love my shopping sessions. I actually don't spend a lot of money on clothes- they are cheap and I buy a lot of them :) 

6. My biggest accomplishment is starting my own photography business.

7. My dance jam of choice is hmmmm how do I choose? I would probably say..... Miley Cirus Party in the USA? Hah...

Cooper's First Birthday

Wow. Things have been crazy. If you want to know what I've been up to- just look here. As soon as school gets out (t minus 14 days) I will have oodles of updates- but for now- here are some pictures from my nephew's first birthday!!

Catch up- A LOT of info in one post- Read Carefully!

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I'm better at expressing myself with pictures, than words.I have been C-Razy busy with my photography biz, not to mention, TAKS season at school. Sigh, its been a busy couple of weeks. Let's see- where can I begin with updates. Easter was a great time- all the kiddos in one place always equals a happy aunt Jassie. Payton and Katelyn are old enough to hunt for Easter Eggs, and the adults hunted for their baskets. I have some great pics I will have to upload when I'm at home.

FAMILY FUED update: We recieve the post card saying that we are in the "active files" for contestants for this season. Basically we may or may not be called to be on the show. They only give you two weeks notice- so it's kind of risky- but we shal see!!!

This past weekend I spent in Galvestion for my best friend Andrea's Bachelorette Party. It was so much fun!! I got to meet all her fun friends from College, and spend time with another friend from high school. It was an amazing weekend full of laughter, and silliness. Andrea played volleyball in college, so everywhere we went everyone was asking "why are your friends SO tall?"

The TAKS test is finally over- Can I get a halleluiah? Unfortunatley we still have one more week of testing. Boo. However- only 20 more days of School!! YESS!!

On that note I am SO excited to announce that next year I will be working at SECOND BAPTIST SCHOOL!! I  cannot wait!! It was really cool to see how God took care of me during this time. I wasn't even thinking about applying to Second- but a conversation with a friend at a SuperBowl party led me to do so. The next week I was turning in my application. The middle school principal wasn't even there- and it sounded like it was pretty tough to get a spot. A couple of weeks later I got a call from said principal, interview, sample teach, and viola! God provides. I feel so excited to be in a christian enviroment, working with students who have a desire to learn. I've learned a lot of good lessons at Burbank, and I do not regret my time here at all, but am very excited to move a little closer to home.

That's all I can think of for now- Again so sorry for the scattered writing- will post pictures soon!!

Whew! What a Weekend

Wow, this was a C-Razy busy weekend full of exciting activities so be prepared for an all over the place post.

Let's start with Friday. Nat and I had "date night". I was super excited, especially because it was a surprise!! After a little confusion, thinking that we were going to Cirque du Soleil, I realized we were going to the horse races!! It was really cool. I've never been before and I really enjoyed watching & betting on the horses. We didn't win anything. My best bet was when I bet on a horse that scratched so I got my money back! But- It was still way fun- and quality time with the hubs.

Saturday afternoon was awesome. We went to a crawfish broil wish some of our besties, Ben and Tindell. We ate A LOT of crawfish. The weather was beautiful, a little hot but nice and sunny. And believe me, we needed the sun! They also had free Sprinkles cupcakes. YUM. We managed to win the raffle- second year in a row!! This year we won a detailed hand carwash and 30$ to the Black Lab Pub. Bonus!!

SUNDAY we auditioned for the FAMILY FEUD!! It was hilarously fun. We basically played the game for about two rounds to show our enthusiasm, then the casting director gave us a card and asked us if we would film a promotion. So, we go back to the room where we are supposed to film "said promotion"- and there is the executive producer!! She said we were there because she wanted us on the show!! So we filmed an audition tape (basically just introductions and cheering) and we were on our way!! We should hear back in a couple of weeks. They have to take the audition tape back to LA to be reviewed. Who knows if we made it- but if not It was still crazy fun!!

Cross your fingers for the Heston Family!!

Gator Farm

Pretty much anything I say here is not going to do this trip justice. Saturday Nat and Jeff had a "Man Date" to the gator farm in Beaumont. Apparently, there was absolutley NOTHING that could have been a better way to start the weekend! Nat LOVES reptiles of all sorts, and is a loyal watcher of shows like "Swamp People", so, this was pretty much a dream come true. Since his gator farm experience- I have personally learned A LOT about gators. Our conversations have been going something like this:

Nat: "Did you know a Gator can travel up to 30 mph on land?"
Nat: "Did you know a Gator has 3 eyelids?"
Nat: "Do you know the difference in a crocodile and a gator?"
Nat: "Do you know the ratio of boy eggs to girl eggs when a gator has babies?"
Me: Oh. Wow.

Weekend Visitor

This weekend our friend's dog Aiden came to stay with us. I was SO EXCITED. It took Nat a little convincing, but he was on board too. We had SO much fun with Aiden. He is hilarous!! We took him on a run in Memorial Park on Friday- where he thought he had to "mark" EVERY tree. (made for an interesting run) I took him on a walk on Saturday- which mostly consisted of him chasing after various animals, he took a nap with me, and we played a lot around the house. I basically had a shadow all weekend which I LOVED. It was so fun! Aiden- you are welcome anytime!! Here are some pics of our furry friend

Who are these people?

I'm Cute

How he spent most of the weekend.

Getting a little more comfortable

He has the look-away down



I totally dominated that running trail.

 

Andrea's Shower

This weekend, I helped throw my best friend Andrea's wedding shower! It was a lot of fun. I got to stay with Andrea and her parents (my second parents). It's so funny we feel just like we did in highschool- two goofy girls who laugh a lot together. And now we are both married (or soon to be!) The shower was wonderful- There was yummy food, old friends, and presents galoure!! Enjoy the pictures!

Kansas City

Over Spring Break- Nat and I got to go to KANSAS CITY to see my parents! Were really excited because we hadn't seen them since December. We flew out early Thursday morning, and after a stop in Dallas- arrived in KC around noon. It was a beautiful day, mid seventies and dry so we spent some time outside, and I took some pics of my precious dogsss. Thursday night we went to this amazing tapas place with Nat's aunt and uncle Clif and Lisa. WE hadn't seen them since the wedding either- so it was good to catch up. Friday we ventured to Oklahoma Joe's, a famous BBQ place. The line was out the door!! About 45 minutes later we finally received our plates. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! And definitely worth the wait. I had brisket, sausage and potato salad. YUM. We also shared the best onion rings I've EVER had. After lunch we went to union station in KCMO. It was really cool, got some really pretty pictures. Friday night mi padre grilled out the best fajitas ever! And we watched more. basketball. Saturday we took a walk with the dogs at the park. It was a really nice, semi cool day. I always enjoy a good walk with the dogs- you never know what kind of adventures we will find!! That evening we headed to The Plaza, did some window shopping and went to dinner at M & S Grill. They have the BEST calamari and I had a HUGE shrimp pasta dish.. yum!! Sunday we walked again, this time plus dad, momsie and I spend some QT lounging, we ate some yummy cupcakes and Nat and I trekked back to Houston.

It. was. wonderful. I love you parents! Here are some pictures (more to come when I upload from my "real" camera)

This is Ginger aka "Pinge" Shes the sweetest dog you'll ever meet, also the most obsessed with food.

Pinge and Soph- best friends.

This is Sophi aka "Soph a Loaf" she is the most chill dog you will ever meet.

This is my amazing plate at M & S Grill

Our yum yum cupcakes!

Nat's Fish and Chips at M & S Grill

My platre at OK Joes.


Why are all of our pictures of food? Lol.

Fried WHAT?

On Wednesday, My cousin Christie, Christy, Georgia and I headed to the Houston Livestock show and rodeo. I am always AMAZED by the rodeo. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE THERE. You would think no ONE else was left in houston. The lines were pretty INSANE because of spring break, but we had a good time. We def had our fill of fried goodness, and misc on a stick. Yum!! Next year I'm not going during spring break though.

i would NOT reccommend this place. The sign is funny- but the people are rude and it takes FOREVER. we ended up going to another stand and had our fried snickers in a matter of minutes!

"Cowgirls" at the rodeo

Pre- Concert Rodeo Festivities

Miranda Lambert- Fun times!

Zoo

Spring break.. ahh what a tease. A peak into the life of those unemployed (by choice) I loved it as always and got to do many fun things! Starting with Monday.. The Heston/Anderson Ladies and I (and cooper) went to the Zoo. It was a great day spent with my little loves. Here are some fun pics

Payton Riding the Carousel with Me!

Payton in her sweet Shades

This is what happens when you let your 3 year old niece play with your phone.

the girls after the rain storm! You can't tell but they are soked! Everybody stayed happy though!

Super cooper. Muscle Man. Watch out ladies

Katelyn, Payton and Me at the Giraffes!

busy, busy!

Nat and I had another amazing weekend. It went by SO fast, I'm not even sure it actually happened, but I have pictures to prove it. Friday night we went to one of our favorites, Candalaris with the Baldwins, and Lims. We love them :) And we devoured this:

Plus 2 more pizzas. After that I fell into a pizza induced coma and was asleep by 10. Saturday morning we got up early to babysit our sweet nieces Katelyn and Elizabeth. They were hilarious as ever. Elizabeth looks about 10 times bigger than the last time I saw her, and she's just as smiley as ever. She really enjoyed looking at herself on the camera in my phone.

Katelyn and I played puzzles, had a sweet dance party, and watched mickey mouse! While Elizabeth was napping, I set out to spray paint some chairs to be used for props for my photography! Here the rocking chair is as a work in progress.

It turned out really cute! I also spray painted the brown chair in the background yellow. We used the rocker in one of my photo shoots yesterday and they loved it!!! Ok so Saturday afternoon after we were done babysitting, we headed to Nat's co-workers for a wedding shower. Once we got home from that- I hung a shelf I had been asking Nat to do for weeks :) And did it right the first time I might add :) lol, then we had dinner with our sweet friends Kyle and Caroline Reynolds who were in town from Waco! It was great to see them- we've missed them! After dinner we headed out to Derrick's Tavern to play a couple rounds of darts (well the boys did) The Baldwins and the Ryngala's met us there. I love having a "group"! It was a great time. I did a terrible job of taking pictures this weekend, sorry, none of us!

Sunday we went to church, loved it as always. Sunday afternoon I had two family photo sessions lined up. You can see a preview of those pictures here. (pictures will be up tonight) It was a blast, I am loving this photography thing more and more! My sweet husband accompanied me the whole time, his support means so much to me! AND he was a HUGE help.

In other exciting news, I got my brand new Canon 60d camera this past week and am LOVING it. It's been so fun playing around with it, and I can't wait to learn more about all of its features and settings!

That's all for now, stay tuned for SPRING BREAK!!! Halleluiah! Countdown: 4 Days.

Jokes on HIM!!

Disclaimer: If you are reading this post because of the light hearted title, and you think you need a good laugh, I might go ahead and advise you to stop now. This will acutally be one of my few "trying to be deep" posts.

Usually I use this blog to post pictures and write silly things about Nat and my first experiences as a married couple. But I also think its a cool way to share what God's been doing in my life. So here we go.. A couple of weeks ago, for a reason unknown to me, I was hit with the idea that I wanted to begin to pick back up my long lost hobby of photography. I hadn't really done much with photography since my time in Italy, but for some reason I decided I wanted to start back up. Apparently, it was God putting this desire in my heart because as soon as I acknowledged it, things began to fall into place. An opportunity at the park to take pictures of little ones, a friend allowing me to borrow their camera for the time being, friends who jumped at the opportunity of practice sessions, money coming in for us to be able to afford a professional camera, and a WONDERFUL husband who has been nothing but supportive. The pieces were just falling into place.

I know that it is God who has set this fire of passion with in me, and I am SO thankful, because I have not been this passionate about something, or felt so called to do something in a long time. I believe that the Lord will be glorified through my pictures, and that is an awesome thing to know.

So the other night after I put up pictures from my first session in a LONG time, I was instantly hit with thoughts of doubt and insecurity. I literally woke up in the middle of the night with thoughts of "This is so silly, you can't do this. You're not good enough, no one will want your pictures." I honestly believe that this is the devil trying to get into my path and tell me that I can't do it. The devil will do ANYTHING he can to keep God from being glorified. He is trying to stop me.

But JOKES ON HIM! Because now, more than ever I know that God WILL be glorified through my pictures. HOW? I dont know, but I do know that if satan is trying to get into my head, and tell me not to do it, then I'm doing the right thing. I am even more determined to continue on the path that the Lord is leading me to.

Can't wait to see where it takes me!

BTW if you are interested in checking out my new and improved photography blog its HERE

Rodeo Cook-Off

It's that time of year again people! The best time in Houston- the Rodeo!! This weekend, Nat and I were invited to go to the Rodeo Cook-Off. This was my first cook off experience so I had no idea what to expect- but it was a blast!! There was BBQ, Boots, and Dancing galoure! We had a fabulous time.. Here are some pics from the evening...