A French Beauty

It's a shame that we learn the most from our greatest sorrows and our greatest joys. Sometimes- I wish I could learn something from an average day on an average week in an average month. But no such luck.

As I reflect on my grandmother's life- a very long and blessed life- full of many joys and of course, many sorrows- I am reminded of all the many things she taught us along the way.

Life goes fast. Too fast. Enjoy the moments.

Be kind to your parents

Grow up with your children- enjoy their childhood with them

Tithe. Always give to your church- its part of being a Christian

Take care of yourself- it's all you have.

Love, love, love!

Today I will remind myself of all of these lessons- and most importantly to slow down. I will try my hardest to stop wishing for 5:00 PM, Friday, a new month, my next vacation, a new year.

Life goes fast-I will do my best to enjoy the small, frustrating moments as much as the large, perfect ones.

I miss you already, Grandma Rita and love you, love you. Always have, always will.

A Votre Sante!

Seasons of Love

Before John, these were my seasons, Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall. The way that I knew the seasons was by the outfits that I wore and the places that I traveled. We skied in the winter, we went to the lake in the summer. Clothes were just as easy- I bought sweaters and boots in the fall and shorts and dresses in the spring. That is how the calendar year went round for me.

After marrying John, I realized our seasons would never be that simple- yes, some trips and clothes would still help determine what season was coming up- but now- we go by HIS seasons. If you haven't read any of my other posts- I have a theme I live by- "if you can't beat em, join em" and that is exactly what I have done- and I have to admit- its been pretty fun.

So as we are approaching my husband's favorite season, I am reminded of how we view the seasons of our life.

Football Season- this is the Mecca season. This is the season of all seasons. This is where there is something entertaining to watch Monday night, Thursday night, and all day Saturday and Sunday. This season encourages drinking cold beer as early as noon- or even earlier when tailgating. This season encourages "man talk and man code". Men get to have long, very long, conversations about plays and uniforms and officials calling bad calls. This season requires sitting on the couch and getting served snacks. No wonder he loves this season so much.

Holiday Season- this Season lasts from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day. This is when we spend 5 weeks decorating and enjoying traditions we have created through the years of marriage, adding one each year. We look at Christmas lights, bake Christmas cookies, watch special Christmas movies.

Bowl Season- Yes, even though this only lasts about 1 1/2 weeks- it is a season- at least in our house. We watch EVERY possible bowl game. Yep, every last one of them. By this point- I'm totally over football- but to John this is a little slice of heaven. I'm just thankful its a short season.

March Maddness Season- Next, we start to watch basketball, college basketball. We gotta scope out the teams for a favorite time of year- March Maddness. We love the betting, the brackets, the heart the boys put into the games. Basketball isn't my favorite- but the brackets I love.

Golf Season- Since my husband grew up golfing, this is totally a season. It's really a year round sport but we only participate in the viewing portion during the big 4 tournaments. Luckily for John, this occurs when there are no other overlapping seasons. Splendid. So, we watch at least 2 days of the tournaments throughout the hot summer- cheering on favorites, rooting for underdogs.

Waiting for Football Season- the last season. This one seems to take the longest because it is the dog days of summer. Those last few weeks when you are waiting for fall, there's nothing on tv, its super hot, and its just plain boring. But, this is also the season where we prepare. We watch football movie after football movie- tugging at our heart strings- preparing us for the magic.

As a young woman who despised sports, you know now that I am easily influenced by the people I love. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that cold beer goes well with all seasons.

Where are we now?

It's been a crazy few months. The last time I posted things were moving along as always and we were up for our next adventure- either a great trip, a night on the golf cart, or an update to our beloved house. But sometime in May- things shifted. Actually, the end of May.

We decided it was time to move on from our house. It was a big decision for us- we loved our home and spent 5 years making it "our" home. It was perfect for our lifestyle- a great place to cook, entertain, and relax. It also had great storage and a fabulous yard. We really and truly thought we would be there forever. When we found the house 5 years ago- we loved the street. We thought we were so lucky to be on a street with so many young families. We loved the impromtu block parties that happened on a pretty evening and loved sitting on the porch watching all the neighbors walk to the grocery store for that forgotten item. In our case- it was normally a bottle of wine or a 6 pack of beer on a gorgeous night.

As time passed- things started to change on our street. Homes were being sold to parents of TCU kids and becoming rentals- one house at a time. At first- it was OK, it was only a house a year or so- but in 2014 we have 4 houses move from single, young family homes to rentals with fraternitiy boys.

When this happened- we realized 2 VERY important things. 1. We are not young anymore. Living near college kids bothers us like it didn't before. We are in our mid-30's- and even though we don't have kids yet- we think about the negative impact on a family. Drat- we are not cool anymore. 2. No matter how much we loved our home and thought it would be forever- it was time to move on. Time to find a neighborhood that was more welcoming to a young family- hmmmm, above we are old, now we are young ;)- a place where we can dream of our kids riding bikes and playing in the front yard not looking at beer cans or seeing big trucks speed down the road at 40 miles per hour- oops, I'm old again.

So, long story long- we put our house on the market- got full asking price- and moved in 6 weeks. Where did we move? An apartment!! Yep, we are apartment living- and honestly- its been a blast. We've only been in there a few weeks- but time moves soooo slow there- we have time for a workout, dinner, a glass of wine on the patio, a show or 2 and are in bed by 10.

How does that even happen? We are on the hunt for our next home- it has been an adventure and a little more difficult knowing more of what we like and don't like- knowing what we want for our future family, the area, the location- in a jest- we are a realtors WORST nightmare! But, its been a great reminder that the life is not about where you end up - its how you get there. We are on a fabulous journey and I love to do it with my partner in crime, John.

We will keep you posted- until then- you can find us on a patio having a cold beer and taking it all in.

Beauty Break

I love sharing our adventures and stories of cold beer and fun nights- but today I wanted to post about something a little different.

I am a beauty product junkie- I love all things beauty and have been working for years to find the fountain of youth. I have bought cream after cream, got a steamer for my face, scotch tape on the forehead- you name it- I've tried it. And some things I still do, others not so much.

I have been solely focusing on wrinkles- that is what ages us the most, right?

A few months ago, my husband and our friends were playing, Loaded Questions. Its a great way to get to know people- one person reads a question, the others write down the answers, and the person who read the question has to guess who said what. It's seriously funny. One question was what is the first thing you notice about a person- male and female- both of our guys answered, "hair". I was really surprised by this- that's probably the part of me I spend the least amount of time on...or so I did :)

So, that brings me to a few weeks ago and I was reading an article- things you can do to make yourself look younger- and before wrinkles were white and bright teeth and shiny hair. Well, of course! So obvious! Those both represent youth, are a little easier to control, and just as important as skin.

So, I have been off- trying some new products that have actually been around for centuries and I wanted to share. Mind you, they both stink. Seriously.

First for the teeth. Peelu. I know, Zoom whitening, strips, Colgate- there are TONS of whiteners out there- this one is legit!

http://www.peelu.com/about-us.php

Above is a little bit about it. However, in a nut shell- it has been around since the middle of the millennial, Peelu is a tree, and it still exists in the Middle East. This has no additives or abrasives.

BUYER BEWARE- its terrible. John says it tastes like dirt. Nope, dirt is better. This stuff almost makes me gag sometimes- but as a diet coke and red wine (yes, I like wine too) loving fool, I thought it was worth the pain. And believe you, me, its the real deal. Whiter, brighter teeth after a few uses. I bought mine online at amazon for $7.00

Yes, a lot for toothpaste, but not a lot for a bright, white smile.

Next, hair. A few years ago, John asked to see my "natural" hair color. So, I dyed it brown, and spent a year growing it out so we could see it. After that long of a commitment- I decided to donate it and grew it long enough for locks for love. It was a L-O-N-G road, but in the end- worthwhile. So, during that process- I learned a lot about hair and how to keep it shiny and healthy. The first thing was not to wash it every day. It was tough to convert to every other day- but giving my natural oils a day to rejuvenate my scalp made it worth it. So, every other day I wash it, the other day I douse it in baby powder. (I've tried soooo many leave-in conditioners and none them work as well as the baby powder)

Then I learned about not conditioning all of the hair. Its important to ONLY condition the ends of the hair- the part that is the most damaged. The rest of the hair is healthy and conditioning it will strip it. This is really worked wonders. Try it, you will love what you see after a few weeks.

However, my most recent discovery has been an oil. Amla oil. This beauty secret has been used by Indian women for more than two thousand years.  ( And they have gorgeous, shiny hair that I am super jealous of!)

So, you put a little bit in your hands and rub it into your scalp a few times a week. Get a good, expensive brush and brush it all over the scalp and then sleep with the oil on. Brushing the oil stimulates the scalp- which increases blood flow and encourages your hair to grow thick, full, and healthy. Who knew your scalp had blood flow- I mean it makes sense- just never thought of it.

Again, BUYER BEWARE. Stinky.

Trust me, as a person who possibly has 10 different scents on a day from soaps, to perfume, moisturizer, lotions, - its hard for me to put something stinky on. But, for the good of the cause, the fountain of youth, and luscious locks- I did it. And my hair shines bright like a diamond. And I love diamonds.

Again, I got this at Amazon, maybe 30 dollars?

OK, enough beauty for today, I think its time for a cold beer.

Good Lovin

There's a point in one's marriage that you realize how you really do- become one.

John's been traveling a lot the past few weeks and I've taken these days to do what girls love to do when they have some alone time. I watched romantic comedies, painted my nails, went shopping, worked out, obsessed over facebook sale sites, bought a few things on those sites, sold a few things on those sites, took about 10 baths, did a mask, ate standing up over the sink- tortillas, ate no complete meals, cleaned out a closet, did some laundry, made bread.

All that maybe lasted up to 5 hours.... HOW did that used to last ALL of my free time??!?!!?!?

The rest of the time, I have been texting John, reading the sports page, watching basketball, looking for golf wreaths, clipping recipes to make together, and saving all the fun things that I want to do until he gets home....

Yep, I've got some good lovin! And luckily we both like cold beer! :)

Sleepless nights

Sometimes I wonder how I sleep at night....

I know, I know. This blog is supposed to be about happy, fun trips and experiences drinking cold beer- but once again, I use it as a place to share life.

Many moons ago one of my lifelong friends invited me to a girls night in. I, a wine loving and friendship loving fool, checked "yes" and joined this great group of girls. We laughed. We loved. We shared.

One of the girls shared news of her little cousins cancer and asked us to help. She was only 2 years old and needed toys, warmth, and love- however we could give it.

I remember feeling empty with my heart on the floor as I headed to Target to pick out presents for her. Every gift I picked lifted my spirits as I imagined her snuggling under her purple blanket and playing with her favorite toys. I prayed and prayed for this little girl. I was invested- emotionally.

And then the NEWS came!!! It was literally like the motion pictures for me! Hooray! Cheers! People in the streets celebrating!!! Cancer FREE!!!!


I questioned after the announcement whether or not I should still follow the little girl on Facebook. She was, after all, cured. But, I really enjoyed seeing her first ponytail after her hair grew, and watching her play in the snow. I loved seeing her being a normal kid, having a normal life.

https://www.facebook.com/AngelsforLilaMay?ref=br_tf


 The words I read today, driving, yes driving....sorry....left me dead in my tracks. I actually pulled over. This little love who has fought a battle against cancer, come free, and back to being a toddler, is once again infected with it. It's back...in her brain, and in her blood.

My mom says, "Where there is life, there is Hope"

I hope, I pray, I beg the Lord to save this little girl- and I ask you to read her story, and hope, pray and beg-

Miracles happen every day-

Yours truly,

An open heart and a cold beer

Happiness.....

Why, yes...yes it is.