Two Birthdays on January 14th

January 14th was a special day. We celebrated this little one. . .

. . .who turned 2 years old!!

And we celebrated my Granny's first day in heaven.

I left for Colorado on Monday to spend some time before the funeral on Thursday.  I had the privilege of making the coffin flower arrangement (praying all the while that I would be given the talent from my mom, who did it for both of her parents!!!)  We went to the flower shop for some supplies, and asked the lady if she had any wire we could purchase.  She looked around a little, and then remembered something she had thrown away the day before, and dug through the garbage can to find THIS wire.  Well, if you know anything about my Granny, you know how very appropriate digging through the garbage is in memory of her!

 We personalized it with little animals. . .she loved her chickens and cows.

 There was a great sunset that night. . .

 . . .enjoyed by the three of us.

 I even got to help out on the ranch a little bit. . .driving truck so my cousin could feed the cows.

 Aren't these guys cute??!!

 A selfie of my aunt & cousin and I scrunched up in the back seat.

 Family gathered at the ranch after the ceremonies.

 This little girl is Anne Marie.  She is the pastor's daughter and is a HOOT!  I got to interact with her a couple times over the week!

 Judith always looks good in a cowboy hat.

 Blurry, but fun none-the-less.

The Frank family represented.

Texas "Winter"

I don't really understand the aspect of winter down here in Texas.  In fact, I would doubt the season even exists according to how I have experienced winter in the past (i.e. Montana, Alberta, etc.)  But, I did promise Tabatha (my VERY Texan housemate) that if the temperature got to the 30's, we'd try out the fireplace.  NOT before.  My air conditioner was running last week because it was that warm outside.  I have worn shorts and flip-flops this past month.

Well, tonight it's supposed to go down to 35 degrees F, so we built a fire.  

I must say, it does add a nice glow to the room!  Even if it wasn't necessary to warm things up.

Rosebush Pruning???

It seems like I have been fighting with this rosebush ever since I moved in here last may.  It got one bloom over the summer, and then that was it.  Until now.  It just happens to be LOADED with these huge yellow roses.  Go figure.  I had asked dad to prune it while he was here.  Good thing he didn't get to it!

Does anyone know when the best time to prune a rosebush is here in Texas?

Happy New Year!!

I got a  last minute New Year's Eve trip to Cancun, Mexico.  I got there after the sun set, and left before the sun rose, so I didn't see much.  But we still celebrated, anyway!

 We were commenting on how amazing it was that perfect strangers who are flight attendants can have a great party together when we're at work, just because that's who we are and what we do.  

 The view was beautiful, but you can't see it very well.  The best part was hearing the ocean waves crash against the beach right under my balcony.

Christmas Catch Up

It is so much fun when special people come to visit, even when it's NOT a holiday.  My cousin, Tyler, and his wife, Jennifer, came to visit me here because Jennifer's family lives about 1/2 hour from here and they were around for the week before Christmas.  

 Mom and dad came, too, just for a quick visit, but the two were able to overlap and everyone was able to see each other.

 This is blurry, but this one has the best smiles.

Emily came through IAH for a quick transfer, and I met her there  to chat for about an hour.

 On Christmas Eve, I went to my church's candlelight service, then joined this goofy family (who wore their PJ'S for the occasion) to open some Christmas presents.

 This little puppy was one of the presents for Christa.

 I, too, was very blessed with some fun gifts!

Then Tab, Len & I had a Christmas celebration (after Christmas because I had to work).

  I made her this hat and scarf

 And she gave me a Raclette set!!!!