London Bound!!

Tomorrow is a day that we've been waiting for. After way too much work trying to get mileage tickets on our favorite airline (ha), we finally reserved our seats on a plane bound for London, leaving tomorrow night. Before we know it, Kendyll and I will be there, getting ready to see this...

And this...

And this...

(These pictures are from our trip to London with Mark's family)

But, what we're even more excited about than the sight-seeing, is getting to do this, every night for 8 nights...

And, see these girls for 9 days...

Kendyll has missed Trinity and Ashlyn so much, and she has been counting down the days and hours until she gets to hug their necks!

And, I can't wait to HUG these two friends of mine too!!

These pictures are from their "going away" party...I'm really ready to have a "welcome home" party!!

We're looking forward to it, Steph and Amy!! See you on Monday morning!! :) WOO HOO!!!

Meanwhile, Mark will be holding down the fort, working on a "honey-do" list that might be longer than he first imagined. Thank you Grandma and Gammy (and aunts) for helping with the other two munchkins during this week!

Off to London we go!

Our Story, Part Two...

"Smookie Wookie Love Story", continued...



Part One only covered the ten month span BEFORE we began dating! Now, I'll get into the fun, mushy stuff. :)


Our first date was on Homecoming Weekend my senior year. I was on homecoming court, so the weekend was filled to the brim with activities. By the time Saturday night rolled around, I was a bit sleepy...but still excited about the date I had that night! Mark picked me up and met my WHOLE family. I mean aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, parents...the works. Of course, it's no surprise that Mark did an amazing job of winning them all over instantly. :)

We went to dinner with the roommates and wives, who I loved already. There was easy conversation and lots of laughter throughout dinner at Cypress Street. Then, it was off to the musical. It was something about businessmen. That is all I remember. I literally dozed off a few different times from pure exhaustion! I'm sure Mark saw my sleepy state...I had no way to make myself wake up though!

After the musical, he asked me to coffee, at which point, my brain was mush. I tried so hard to make good conversation. But, I have no doubt that I was lacking the ability to make true coherent statements about anything, much less the bigger "first date" kinds of topics. Oh well. I guess he still liked me anyway.

He asked me to church and lunch the next day...to which I did half. My roommates and I had already planned to go to church together and have a "cooked" lunch at our own house. So, I invited him over for the lunch part of the day. It was a fun afternoon of talking more, and lounging around before he took off for Dallas.

Now, I need to stop giving every detail...because this blog will never finish. But, I will say that he called a couple of times over the next two weeks. We talked a while the first time he called. And, after that, I wasn't the best at calling him back. I was busy...and, really, I wasn't sure about "committing" to something. I really don't know why! He has told me since then that he had already decided that this was my test: I was coming to Dallas to visit my sweet friend, Alyssa two weeks after our first date. And, he already knew I was planning that trip. Since I hadn't called him in a few days, he said "If she doesn't even call me when she comes to town, then I know this isn't going anywhere." And, believe me, I went back and forth about what to do! But, long story short, I called, with great encouragement from Alyssa. We went to dinner with Alyssa, and then went out on another date the next day.

From then on, I was completely falling for him. He came to Abilene, I came to Dallas, and we dated long distance for six months. A few things I remember from that time:

*The first time he held my hand...on Kevin and Lacy's couch during the movie "American President". :)

*Our first kiss...on my parents couch, after he had spent the whole day with my family at the Christmas Parade in Ft. Worth...carrying my baby sister on his shoulders, and truly getting to know my sisters and parents.

*My trip to meet him in California at Christmas, three months after we began dating. I got to meet his entire family. His parents, his brother Chris (I already knew his roomie/sister Jodi!), Grandmother and Grandad, his Aunt Carol, Uncle Chuck, Kristen and George, and more! I also went to Disneyland for the first time, as well as a whole lot of other California touristy sites.

*He told me he loved me on that trip. We were sitting in the floor, and he pulled out his Bible, read I Corinthians 13 out loud, and told me that he wanted to be all of those things for me, and love me that way. SO sweet...and little did I know then how really good he would be at loving me.

*I remember many more dates that were romantic and planned, as well as many nights of just relaxing and talking. I loved our dating life, even though it consisted of weekends only. It made us really focus on our time when we did have it...and I actually cringe when I re-read our folder full of cheesy emails we wrote back and forth during the weeks we were apart. Oh, we were SO mushy!!

*Sometime during this span of time, we began making fun of our cute married friends Kevin and Lacy, who had MANY pet names for each other that made us all laugh. So, in their honor, we jokingly started referring to each other as Smookie Wookie...I am still not sure when that name "stuck". But, we've been each others' "smooks" ever since. I know, I know.

In May, I moved to Dallas to attend grad school. That was a rough month for us, as we transitioned into a different kind of relationship. What would I have done without Alyssa, who let me share her couchbed, set up my closet on wheels in her bedroom, and was patient enough to give me hours of her listening time, as I tried to figure out life. Alyssa, I will NEVER forget those summer months that year. That, my friends, could be its own blog entry!!

Back to Mark and me. After a rough couple of weeks, we broke up in early July for two days. Believe me, I remember every detail of those days too. But, I'll spare you the play-by-play. By the end of the two days, Mark was waiting at my house when I got home. He said the time apart was all he needed to know he would never lose me again. Very sweet and romantic. :) And, just what I needed to slip right back into my role as "smooks".

After spending practically every single day together from July to December, we were engaged in December of 1998, when Mark surprised me...there was dancing outside at the Fountain Place in downtown Dallas (my favorite business building in the area), gladiolas (my favorite flower at the time), followed by a FANCY dinner at the Fairmount Hotel. Once again, there is more to that story...which will be another time in another blog. But, it was very sweet and began our engagement months in a wonderful way.

We were married on July 24, 1999, and the rest is history! I feel like this is only the beginning of our story together---and there is never enough words to tell it all. There was so much we didn't know about each other in those early months...and yet, we knew enough to know that it was meant to be...forever. He was my smookie then, and always will be. :) I love you, Mark!! Happy Anniversary.

Our Story...

Over a month ago, my sister did an awesome post on her blog about her "love story" with her husband. I'm going to steal the quote she included, because I think it is SO good...

“Tell your story. Tell it to your kids, your friends, your brothers and sisters, but especially to each other. The more your story is implanted in your brain, the more it serves as a hedge against the myriad forces that seek to destroy your marriage. Make your story so familiar that it becomes part of the fabric of your being. It should become a legend that is shared through the generations as you grow a family tree that defies all odds and boasts marriage after marriage of stability, strength, and longevity.” (Jerry Jenkins Hedges: Loving Your Marriage Enough to Protect It".)

As soon as I read her story, I knew I wanted to do the same on my own blog. So, on our 9th anniversary, here we go:

"The Smookie Wookie Love Story" : Part One

Before I begin the story, let me just say that there are very few moments in my life where I remember every single detail of an event. Ask my sisters...I have the worst memory ever. But, I truly do feel like God has given me a precious gift in the memory of the night I met Mark, and so many other early experiences with the man who is now my husband. As cheesy as it sounds, I really do remember back to the moment we locked eyes, and it was like all else faded away, and he was all I noticed! I'm not kidding!! I can't believe I'm even typing this!! But, I really do imagine God up in heaven just smiling down as He finally brought together two people who He was preparing for each other all along. His timing was perfect, and I still stand amazed at the way He spun our story. Okay, back to the story...you can all stop gagging now. :)

In the middle of my junior year at ACU (early '97), a group of us were hanging out at Will Hair Park on a Friday night. This was one of those "Abilene" things to do when you needed random entertainment. I needed to use the bathroom rather badly, and EVERYONE knows that you don't use the bathroom at Will Hair Park...so, we were debating about which fast food or grocery store we should run to. My friend Laura Bullard said, "Hey, you can go use the bathroom at the Sig Shack, since it's right around the corner from here". My response was "There is no way someone is going to be home there on a Friday night!" To which she said "Oh, believe me, Mark will be home."

Let me back up a couple of steps and explain something. Mark lived with three other guys who were either seriously dating someone or already engaged. I knew all three of his roommates, AND their girlfriends. But, I didn't know Mark at all. I had heard his name, but never knew his face.

So, we jumped in Laura's truck, and headed to the Sig Shack, where I was fully expecting an empty, dark house. We knocked on the door at around 9:00 pm...and lo and behold...Mark WAS HOME...all alone!

Now, remember back to what I said---I remember this moment so clearly, it almost freaks me out. :) He was shirtless, wearing jeans. I was wearing a button down khaki checked shirt that was WAY oversized with jeans (yes, it was as cute as it sounds:). I remember us shaking hands and both of us finally realizing who the other person was, after knowing names for a while. I remember thinking he was QUITE the cutie. I also remember his NASTY bathroom with towels hanging everywhere. And, I remember saying goodbye, and thank you for the bathroom stop.

Fast forward to the following Monday. He was on my mind, although I wasn't sure why. I had not even had a conversation with the guy before! But, of course, we run into each other at chapel. (For those non-ACUers, that is the perfect place to flirt after meeting someone on campus. :) Now, out of all the things Mark could have said to me, he chose to say this: "Hey Chelsea! Good to see you again! You can come use my bathroom anytime." Hilarious. I just laughed politely and that was that. (I'm sure my roommates and I had a good time laughing at him later...)

Now, things get hazy around now...I can't remember if I ran into him much before Sing Song hit, but I remember that we did have a couple more conversations over a few weeks time. He tells me now that he would actually watch for me in chapel since he sat up high, and I sat on the floor. He would then rush down to "run into me" and casually say hello. That really cracks me up, because I was oblivious to that!

Then, he called me on the Thursday before Moody Weekend to ask me out for Friday night. Ummm...a little late notice, buddy! I had to decline (against my will) because Sara and I had 100 Eskimo costumes to make!! (Remember that, Sara?!) Anyway, he still talks about me dissing him for our first date.

His next attempt is also a funny story. The weekend of Sing Song was snowy and nasty outside. Friday night's performance was over, and Jenise and I were headed out to my car for the first time in over six hours. Of course, my car is CAKED with ice and snow, and we had no way to get it off. Literally within seconds of us arriving at my car, Mark drives by. He stops and offers to scrape my car, which I gladly let him do. He then asks where we're headed...I probably should have seen the "hints" in that, but I said we were going home. So, he says goodbye and we head home. NOW I know that the real story is this:

He looked for me after Sing Song because he wants to ask me to go get coffee. He doesn't find me, but notices my car on his way out of the parking lot. He gets the great idea that he will help me get the ice off, and then that will lead into asking me out. So, he rushes HOME to his house, grabs his ice scraper, and comes back to campus quickly to "run into me". He does just that, scrapes my car...and then gets dissed again. Poor Mark!!

After these instances, it became quite obvious to both of us that we were "interested". We would flirt when we saw each other, give long friendly hugs, and do the usual short conversations. I told him just today that I clearly remember introducing him to my sister, Cassie, when she was visiting me at the very end of school. Mark told me that he had decided not to take the ACU job that he had been offered, and that he would probably be moving to Dallas after his graduation. I was bummed and told him so. After he walked away I told my sister "I'm going to date him someday". It was literally something I knew deep inside my heart. We both knew we were interested. We both knew we would eventually do more than occasionally flirt. But, it wasn't God's timing quite yet.

The last time I saw him that year was at his graduation. He was covered in Hawaiian leis and looked quite cute in his cap and gown. :) We did yet another friendly hug, and he quickly introduces me to his family. (I don't really remember that part, but he does! I do vaguely remember meeting his mother, because of their strong resemblance to each other!)

Fast forward through the summer, to fall of my senior year. It was Bid Night at around 11:30. I was president of Siggies, and was running around with my head cut off trying to get our precious Squigs to do what they were supposed to do with the Sibling pledges. :) Enter Mr. Handsome Hubby onto the intramural fields. And, suddenly I could care less about my squigs or anything else going on. We gave HUGE hugs to each other and tried to catch up in about 5 minutes on what life was like for each of us after three months of not seeing each other.

Again, I had the same feeling I did before. YIPPEE I saw Mark, the guy I'm eventually going to date! Weird, I know. He was no longer even at ACU! But, the feeling was just as strong.

Three weeks later, I come home from class to a blinking answering machine. It was Mark's voice, asking me to go with him to the homecoming musical. All of his roommates were coming in town and taking their wives, and he needed a date. I literally ran around the house screaming, and then promptly found my yearbook to show my roomie Angie what he looked like. Even though I had a very busy weekend already in place for homecoming, I could NOT diss him again. So, I said yes...and, that my friends, was the beginning of our story. Our first date happened in October of 1997, and that in itself is a funny story.

But, man, this is getting really long!! So, I'll be back with Part Two. I don't even care if anyone else reads all of this or not...it is still fun for me to "remember when". :)

Happy Birthdaversary!

This is a big week in our house. We celebrated Mark's birthday yesterday and our anniversary is tomorrow! So, this last weekend we did a combined birthdaversary trip to Las Vegas! Mark had a conference there (which is always so handy for tagging on personal trips to!), so I met him there on Thursday afternoon for a weekend-long date. That really is what it felt like---a relaxing date night with my hubby that lasted 72 hours!

We went to eat and visited the casino on the "Vegas strip" the first night I arrived, and then promptly headed away from the busy lights of Vegas, to the lakefront resort at the Ritz Carlton. (Let me just say that if you want good rates at a Ritz, go in the hottest season to Las Vegas...the rooms are at least half-price and the place is deserted!!) It was exactly what we were hoping for. Beautiful, quiet, relaxing...not at all what I usually think of Vegas as being.

I can't say we got good pictures of the place, but here are two that I snapped at some point. We spent all three days just being lazy...swimming and laying by the pool, eating lots of good meals (the usual theme of our vacations!), and just recharging after a busy summer. I even had an EIGHTY minute pedicure. Wow, that was nice! Mark said at one point "You haven't been this relaxed in a very long time". And, I really did agree. It's been a busy few months, and I do feel like I've been more of a stressball than a relaxed mom and wife on many days. So, it was a great getaway and a good celebration of our "birthdaversary", as we call it around here. :)

Of course, we had three different strangers take our picture together...and none of them turned out good at all. This is the best we got, and it's totally dark. It's actually beautiful behind us...but you can't tell! (Cass, can you help with your cool photoshop?!)

Yesterday, we did celebrate Mark's bday with the girls too. Breakfast in bed is the family tradition (although Kendyll informed us yesterday that we never let her stay in bed...she always has to come downstairs to eat on her birthday. She wasn't very happy about that. :) Anyway, here are the girls on top of their daddy in bed. They literally all piled on the bed to eat with him. Not exactly relaxing, but definitely what their daddy likes best. I love how "rough" this picture is of all four of them. I don't know if you can truly see the bedheads and the sleepy eyes, but this is what our family looks like for the first couple of hours of our days. And, I love it!

After Mark working all day, Abby Kate not napping well, and the girls and I needing more time to finish our birthday cake creation, we decided to take "Plan B" for his bday dinner. PF Chang's was the original plan...however, Pei Wei at home quickly became a better option. We didn't have to deal with a cranky 17 month old at a restaurant, we didn't have to tip a waiter, and we didn't have to get dressed! Plus, we took advantage of the occasion and had a family picnic in the living room, which made it much more memorable anyway! What other way to celebrate with daddy than with a Blockbuster night consisting of Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake?!

Kendyll, Carlie, and I picked out a three-layer cake to make Mark this year. This was way ambitious for me, seeing that I've never made anything with layers and I usually just turn past those pages of the cookbook pretty quickly. :) But, it actually turned out pretty edible after all...especially with the girls being the ones in charge of the icing!

It was a fun day to celebrate Mark---he's always a fun one to have a party for. He eats it up and enjoys every minute. His big present from us was a fishing trip with a guide! He will schedule it for an upcoming weekend, and I'm SURE you'll see pictures of the fish he catches when he returns!!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I want to wish the happiest of birthdays to my handsome husband!! :)

We hope it's a GREAT ONE!!! I'll be back later with pictures of how we celebrate the big 33 with him.

We love you so much, Mark Daddy Daddy, and hope your day is a wonderful one.

Rock Band

One of the most fun games ever is now owned by my sister. We got to experience "Rock Band" last weekend, and I didn't realize she got video footage of it. I pretty much stunk at playing drums and singing, although I'm sure I would be better if I had time to practice like Cortni does. :) Anyway, PLEASE click on my sister's blog and watch Mark wail on "Dead or Alive". It's hilarious!! (And, I was quite surprised at my hubby's singing abilities!!)

http://henkehappenings.blogspot.com/

Scroll down on "Mineola Fun" to Day 3. Go Marky Mark!!

A Six Flags Adventure

One of the things I love about summer is getting the chance to do fun things in our own city that we don't necessarily do during the year. We're trying to do some local things with the girls that we've never done before school begins again. This was one of those activities I got in my head that I wanted to try. (I'll blog about "my list" another day... :)

A place I remember well (although not necessarily fondly) from my adolescent years is Six Flags over Texas. I am NOT a roller-coaster rider. I am NOT a fan of intense heat. And, I really don't even like most of the junk food at amusement parks (although I've become a fan of corn dogs, hot dogs, and many things with fried dough in my adult years.)

But, there is something fun about going back somewhere you remember so well and watching your children love it. Mark has previously named himself a "Disneyland snob", since he grew up attending Disneyland just like I did Six Flags. I will admit there is really no comparison to be made between the two...but I think even Mark was pleasantly surprised at how much fun we had at our Six Flags outing this last week.

Last Wednesday, Mark took the day off, and we headed to Arlington. We had a picnic lunch and then began our fun adventure. (I took lots of pictures...so please bear with me. :)

Three adorable girls in their shades, ready for some Six Flags fun...

AK loved her sunglasses, and wore them off and on throughout the day. When she had them on, she would smile like "I know I'm cute in these!"

We started the day on some of the rides that Abby Kate could participate in. Of course, the carousel, where Abby Kate waved to all the horses...Here she is saying hello to the one next to her. We had some fun in Looney Tunes land, although there were actually a few rides we didn't get to. I guess that gives us a reason to go back again! We did take the opportunity to take pictures with---and introduce our kids to---the Looney Tunes characters. It was really funny that our kids had no idea who most of them were!

We also took the opportunity to have some cool air throughout the day and visited almost every show. However, I was not impressed with the ones that were actually just videos to watch. What happened to all the fun singing and dancing?? We did find one that was a humdinger. Mark and I tried to stifle our laughter as we saw the "saloon dancing show". Mark leaned over and said "This makes me think of Simon". If you're an American Idol watcher, what do you think Simon would say to this guy?

I guarantee we'll see him on an upcoming season...he thought he was some hot stuff in his hot pink get-up! And, I'm sure he was excited that I wanted to take his picture. :)

There were lots of rides ridden...mostly by Mark and the girls, while I waited with Abby Kate. Don't worry...that's how I like to do Six Flags. Right, family?! But, I did get to participate some. We rode the cave ride THREE times, and I was excited to see my girls love it as much as I did back in the day. They would have ridden it 20 more times if we had let them. Even Abby Kate, who would have normally climbed right out of the boat, sat like this the entire time for all three rides:

That Yosemite Sam is a show-stopper, even after all these years!

Both of the girls actually rode some pretty fast, fun rides, which I was glad to see. I really don't want them to inherit my woosiness for all rides. Here are a few of them :

One of my favorite pictures is actually taken from a LONG way away. I zoomed and cropped it on the computer enough to see their expressions as they went soaring down the hill of the Log Ride. I'm so glad that I could get in close, even without a long lens (even if it's the worst picture quality ever). Here's the far away version:And, here it is cropped. I love their faces, and I love that Kendyll's legs are stiff as can be, as she grips the sides of the boat. Pretty funny.

Meanwhile, Abby Kate was a trooper!! She drank some Gatorade, lounged in the stroller, ate alot, lost BOTH of her paci's, and had the occasional temper-tantrum. :) I would love to blame the heat and exhaustion for this, but let's be honest...this is something we see every day more than once. I still think it's cute and picture-worthy!

Mark attempted to win a prize doing a "survivor-type" balancing game. Hysterical to watch. Kendyll tried too, and actually got as far as Mark did. But, no such luck. We were not the lucky new owners of a giant frog or tiger, much to our daughters' disappointment. Their disappointment continued when we informed them that we would not be playing any of the other games that cost at least $8.00 to play...once.

Another thing that will not surprise my family is that I had forgotten where most of the rides were located. We probably spent half our day circling around trying to figure out where to go next. Luckily, I had my trusty map-reading assistant. Kendyll was TOO cute reading the map, and making plans for what to do next. Makes her mommy proud! :)

(And, by the way, something needs to be done about Six Flags' confusing locations for half of their rides. It really wore me out to go the complete opposite way from where we were supposed to be, only to be told that the entrance was actually 1/2 a mile from where we just were. Anyway, sorry for the tangent.)

Back to the rest of the day! We did the face painting, the ice cream shop, a couple more shows, Johnny Rockets hamburgers, and the parade. This is the point when Mark started showing his Disneyland snobbiness. He started laughing out loud at the parade. But, I have to say that I agreed. It didn't exactly equal the "big main street" parade that the map and multiple signs said it would be, although it did have some floats! Even Kendyll said "Was that it?" Not a good sign. :)

The last event of the day was their cirque du soleil type show called "Coobrila". It was actually REALLY good, and the girls loved it! Lots of acrobatics, trapeze artists, guys balancing on small chairs and rolling cans while juggling, and lots of elaborate costumes and colors. The catch was that it started at 9:30 pm. Abby Kate actually made it through it, with some help of a popcorn snack. (Which a mom two rows in front of us questioned us about. All I said was "She's a third child and it's 10:00. She gets to have popcorn!" ) But, she actually loved the show and never once got fussy. Now, when we got to the car and she had no paci...well, that's a different story. :) Let's just say we had a late night run to CVS that night!

All in all, a VERY fun day at Six Flags. All three girls had some fun, and we enjoyed a day off . Of course, that was a very sweaty day and a very late night, and took a whole day of recovery...but it really was worth it. :)

The 4th of July

The annual tradition of celebrating the Fourth at the Ranch continued on this year. (How many years is it now, Mom?)

This year involved some Canton shopping and antique store browsing for the women, fishing for the guys, and unending playtime for the kiddos. There was lots of eating. sweating, swimming, lounging, and the BEST Papa Ron fireworks show we've had yet!

We got to try out the new AWESOME swingset/fort/treehouse masterpiece that Uncle Adam designed and built! It was so fun! (Mark and I even tried the swirly tunnel slide!)

The girls rode horses...and Braden almost did too. :)

I guess he meant it when he told me "I no rie horse. I no yike it." :)

The cousins had fun together the whole weekend, and were pretty pooped by the end of each fun day. Here they are after PJ's were put on. Look at those faces!Believe it or not, there were quite a few more people there too than what my pictures show. I will admit...I was a LAZY camera woman this weekend, and most of these pictures weren't even taken by me either! I mean, we didn't even get one sister picture of the four C's...so you KNOW we were lazy if that didn't happen! I'm sure my sisters have many more cute pictures of the whole gang (including baby Caleb & baby Avery), but here are a few I have of at least our three little firecrackers. :)

So, Happy Fourth of July everyone!! (10 days later...)