florida, part II

 Like I said in my last post, the main reason for our Florida trip was to see my brother-in-law's high school graduation.  We are so proud of Reuben for reaching this milestone in his life.  His plans for the future are to join the Navy, big kudos to him for making this huge decision.  The graduation ceremony itself was quick and painless - thankfully, because we were sitting on bleachers.  For having 300+ students, they really flew through the program.  There was a chance of rain too, so we were so glad the weather held out for us.

Briana, Kelly, Emily and Reuben

 The day after graduation, we had a lunch for Reuben and three of his friends that he grew up with since they were wee little kids.  They didn't all end up going to the same high school, but they have remained close friends throughout.  I think that is so special and I hope they all stay in touch as they move onto the next chapter of their lives. 

We ate at River Rocks, which was delicious. I should have taken a photo of my food, but I was so hungry that I just scarfed it down without a second thought.  I got fish tacos and french fries - yum! They also put a congrats message on the marque, which was really cool (although they spelled Reuben wrong with Rubin).

Congrats grads! And good luck with all that you do!

florida, part I

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my PTO is spelled MIA

While Jason's family was here, we took some family photos after church.

It is always nice to have family come and visit.  Summertime is usually a booming time for guests at our house.  

After having my sister here for three weeks and Jason's family here for a week (all within 2 months), I have to admit that it is nice to have things back to normal for a little while.  Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it.  But it can also be a little exhausting, especially since I still had to work my 9-5 while everyone was here.  

I wish I would have been able to take some days off work while we had guests, but unfortunately my PTO (paid time off) always seems to burn a whole in my pocket.  (remember I went here and there, and before that here) And since I have to use my PTO for holidays, it seems to diminish twice as fast.  That's why I say my PTO is more like MIA (missing in action).  If it were up to me, I would get a week of vacation every month.  A girl can dream, right?  

{Jason says the sun was too bright, that is why he is squinting. ha!}

market time with my mother in law

Sunday morning, my mother-in-law and I headed down to the Chattanooga Market.  It's been about a month or so since I have gone, so I was happy to take her.  We got there a little early this time, but I am so glad we did because we had a chance to beat the crowd.  

I scored a fabulous pair of earrings and a leather bracelet along with some of my favorite bread (jalapeño and cheese).  My MIL got some delicious peaches and other fresh produce.  

As usual, there were gorgeous flowers and other unique, locally made treasures.

We spent about an hour and a half there and by the time we left, the crowds had managed to get quite a bit thicker.  I have made a mental note to get there about 20 minutes before the official open time in the future.

bon voyage sis-in-law

Last week my sister-in-law, Gwen, got some great news.  She got a job that she was really wanting.  It's a really great position with a wonderful company - the catch?  It's in Colorado.  Which means she will be moving tomorrow to take the road trip from Knoxville, TN to a town outside Boulder, CO.

So this past weekend we made the trip up to Knoxville to have lunch with Gwen and Erin before they left town.  We met at Mimi's Cafe' and had a great visit.

I ordered the chicken pot pie.  It had been a while since I have had chicken pot pie and it sounded delicious.  And it really was.  Although I did burn my tongue a couple times, that's never fun.

Have you ever had fried pickles?  Well this is what they look like.  Jason ordered some for an appetizer and they actually weren't bad.  Pretty tasty, really.

happy fourth of july

{2008}

I am a huge fan of three day weekends and I am especially excited that this one will involve fireworks. My favorite kind would have to be sparklers. It's always a good time when we celebrate our Independance Day and I am glad that my in-laws are here to share these memories with us. The forecast looks gorgeous and I am looking forward to having a long, fun and relaxing weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday!!

Happy Weekend :) :)

{2009}

dun dun dun . . .

. . . the in-laws are on their way (a day early I might add). Okay, that might make it sound like I am not excited, but in reality I love my in-laws to death. I've heard a lot of horror stories about horrible mother in-laws, but I feel like I am incredibly blessed to have a wonderful second mom (that is truly how I feel about her). The only bad part about them coming a day early is that I feel like I didn't have enough time to get the house ready. They haven't been here since Christmas and we have made a lot of changes since then, so I just want our home to look clean and perfect. Jason was awesome (I heart him) and helped me out a ton and I feel like we got the house looking pretty good. They are bringing their pug, Moose, and we are pretty excited for Jack to have a play buddy - oh and they have not met Jack yet either! Basically this visit is a pretty big deal and I can't wait :)

Mom and Dad Castro at a wedding in November 2009

The Castros Christmas 2009- don't I fit in just perfectly :)