What a Weekend

So much fun, it's taken me a week to put in into words!

My wild weekend started off with these two beautiful ladies.  Kelley, Kristina and I began the night with dinner and drinks at Cyclone Anaya's and followed it up with Luke Bryan's "Huntin', Fishin', and Lovin' Every Day" Tour, along with Granger Smith and Brett Eldredge. What a fun night we had! 

I slept in on Saturday morning and only crawled out of bed when Bri called and invited me to join her and Kelli at Meagan's for the Southwest Classic Game -- Arkansas vs Texas A&M.  (The guys were golfing.)  I can't say many kind things about the game...but these two cuties made up for it.

Minnie Mouse, Babs Bunny and Ariel made an appearance.

During the game, the girls helped me put all of the finishing touches on the games for our Fellowship at Field Store Women's Progressive Dinner.  We had a great turnout (22!) and so much fun.  I laughed so much.  We are quite the competitive group...especially when it came time for the photo scavenger hunt!  There are photos that cannot be seen in public unless someone is there to explain what is happening. 

We are missing Nancy in this picture...but the rest of the gang is accounted for.

Sunday morning I drug my aching body out of bed and then to church.  We had a sweet time of worship and fellowship followed by the celebration of our 'Jo' birthdays...Jo, Joe and Joseph.  I came home to Jim's delicious brunch and enjoyed the quiet of our house.  The kids were all gathering at Meagan's for the Texans game, but I just couldn't.  I chose to stay home and enjoy my beautiful flowers instead.

Gerbera daisies that look like fall.

Instead, I curled up with a good book!  I curled up in bed, on the couch, on the loveseat...anywhere I could find a place of quiet and solitude.  And I had read the WHOLE THING by the time I went to bed Sunday night!

Young Jane Young: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin
(Fiction)

Un-put-down-able book of the year for me!

This was my first book from The Bookshelf Thomasville's 'Shelf Subscription, an independent book store in Georgia whose podcast ('From the Front Porch') I listen to faithfully. I did a happy dance when I opened my first package to reveal not only a book I had been wanting to read, but an autographed copy!

This is the story of a political affair between an older politician and his intern, BUT from the viewpoint of the women caught in the storm.  We hear from the mother of the intern, the intern herself, her daughter and the politician's wife. The story jumps back and forth in time (thus the daughter) revealing a little more of how each person played a part in the outcome. I found it to be well written and to bring up the conversation of how the politician moves forward with just an asterisk by his name while the women never truly recover and find themselves as either the butt of the joke or the one that bears all the blame and shame.

I would love to sit down to discuss this one with someone soon.  I thought the author did a great job of neither condoning the affair or excusing either party while still asking the questions about power, fame, responsibility and naiveté.

Aviva Grossman, an ambitious congressional intern in Florida, makes the mistake of having an affair with her boss--and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the beloved congressman doesn’t take the fall. But Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins: slut-shamed, she becomes a late-night talk show punch line, anathema to politics.

She sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. This time, she tries to be smarter about her life and strives to raise her daughter, Ruby, to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, Aviva decides to run for public office herself, that long-ago mistake trails her via the Internet and catches up--an inescapable scarlet A. In the digital age, the past is never, ever, truly past. And it’s only a matter of time until Ruby finds out who her mother was and is forced to reconcile that person with the one she knows.

Young Jane Young is a smart, funny, and moving novel about what it means to be a woman of any age, and captures not just the mood of our recent highly charged political season, but also the double standards alive and well in every aspect of life for women.

★★★★☆

An August Update

Things have been pretty quiet here on the blog lately...but only because we have been so busy that we have not had time to post about all the goings on.

On August 6th the girls and I enjoyed a Girls Night that we have put off for far too long. We had tickets to see Wicked again...and even though this was my third time, it was still great.  I had tears at times because I was so swept up in the story.  The first time we saw it here in Houston I felt that the actress playing Elphaba stole the show.  This performance it was the actress playing Glinda who had me cracking up with her great timing.  This is a show that I saw on Broadway with Rosa years ago and I have to say that the touring version is just as enchanting as the original show.  Again, I have no photo from the night...though I know that one exists on someone's phone -- probably Kelli's.  LOL!

August 9th was Ellie's FOURTH birthday!  Can you believe it?  She and Delayne are growing up so fast.  The party will be in September as the two girls and Weston are going to share a big party instead of having three small ones.  Look for pictures of a Disney Extravaganza!  Elsa, Ariel and Cars all gathered in one place.  It will be a sight, I'm sure.

August 12th was Jim's birthday.  He only wanted a quiet (or as quiet as our family comes) dinner out.  Bri, Josh, Bailey, Meagan, Derrick, Davin, Delayne, Dayton and Will all met us at 'Waller Mexican' (actual name Ceilito Lindo) for dinner and margaritas where we celebrated with lots of laughter and conversation.

On August 13th we surprised Josh with a 30th birthday party at The Barn.  I don't have a single picture of the event but it was something else.  Meagan went out of her way to make it special with lots of black and white and a candy bar filled with all of his favorite things.  I did the cooking for the taco bar with some out of this world pork carnitas that Jim and I had for breakfast before the big party because it was so good!  It was a miserably hot day...but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we had a great time celebrating Josh with some of his closest family and friends.

And because two birthdays, two days in a row is not enough for me...on Sunday, August 14th I met up with Robin and Kelley for a Girls Night out at the Gwen Stefani concert at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.  It was raining cats and dogs, but we had covered seating and the clouds parted for our walk into and out of the venue.  We had a good time.  Gwen was a good entertainer and the show was good -- except Robin kept hoping that Blake would come out and sing a duet with her.  Unfortunately, Gwen had performed in Dallas the night before and he made his appearance there instead of Houston.

Last Saturday, August 20th, we had our annual Ladies Progressive Dinner at church.  It's been raining for weeks and it was the last weekend before school started...but we had a good turn out.  There were ten of us that visited three different homes for our Pink Flamingo themed party.  The invitations and posters read, "Let's Flamingle," which I thought was adorable.  But one of our hostesses took it even further and made us all 'to go cups' that read, "Keep Calm and Flamingle On!"  Now that is precious!  

We invited all of the kids over for Sunday dinner and a Spades tournament.  Meagan and family, Bri and Bailey, Jim and I enjoyed a traditional pot roast with one of the best corn casseroles I've ever had.  It came from the refrigerated section at Sam's and was worth every penny!  We never made it to Spades, but decided to play Farkle instead so that Davin and Delayne could join in the fun.  After Jim slaughtered us at Farkle, Delayne and I went to watch a movie so that the rest of the family could play Clue with Davin.  It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon after church.  

This weekend we will be heading down to Sargent for a few days and next weekend Jim and I will be heading to Arkansas to visit Mother and do some work at the deer lease.  Next thing you know the holidays will be upon us and the year will be over!  

Brian has been staying with us for the past week and a half.  He is in the process of moving back to the Houston area and is now working for Custom Fire Protection.  He is learning the design process of the company.  He returns to San Marcos this weekend to pick up his furniture and will be moving in with roommates just minutes from the office.  I know he will glad about that.  He is not a big fan of the hour drive he has from the house right now!  It will be good to have him around more often.  We have missed him while he has been away.  

Anyway, that's what has been going on with us this month.  September brings more birthdays, more parties and a return to Bible study for me.  What are you looking forward to in September?

Throwback Thursday #14

October 24, 2015 

Tracy Lawrence 

Redneck Country Club

Ever our event coordinator,
Robin planned a great evening for us at Redneck Country Club

Tracy Lawrence performing

Robin even arranged a Meet and Greet for us girls. Since Kelley or I neither one are real big on Meet and Greets (unless it's Brantley Gilbert for me or George Strait for her) we decided to take our picture with Tracy together.  He really seemed to be a genuine guy who enjoys what he does and appreciates his fans.
His talent is undeniable.

Throwback Thursday #12

Coastal Conservation Association Concert 

September 26, 2015

Sam Houston Racetrack

Me and My Hero - to get him to a concert is a BIG...I mean H.U.G.E. deal!

My Girlfriends - Robin, Kelley and Stacy
I'm horrible at Selfie's and this was my worst picture -- but my girls sure looked good.

Eddie Money
The Best Show of the Night!

Grand Funk Railroad
Truly, I didn't realize how much of their music I knew by heart.

And the whole reason I went:

Lynyrd Skynyrd
A dream come true for me.

A fur hat, in Houston, in September, at an outdoor theater.
I don't know how he did that!

We also saw Atlanta Rhythm Section & Folk Family Revival.

It was a great night because we were with great friends and they went just because I asked them to.

Total Randomness

I have nothing to post today. I am taking a 'mental health' day to recover from a very busy but blessed weekend. So I pulled up a random number generator and my iPhone picture album just to see what would come up. And here it is...








My buck: November 2013. Pine Lodge Inn Hunting Club, Crossett, Arkansas.

Preparing for George Strait and Jason Aldean: January 2014. I sent this picture to Rosa, Dana and Kristy during our countdown to The Cowboy Rides Away concert in Bossier City.





Tuesday Night Bible Study with Beth Moore: February 2014. It was a packed house for what we soon learned would be the last study at Houston's First Baptist. When this study (Breath) releases, I highly recommend it as one of my favorites so far.





My Hero taking care of business at Hobby Airport: May 2014. Getting ready to leave for our return trip to South Africa.





The Jetties from the air: July 2014. My 50th birthday party diversion, a flight down the Texas coastline with Steve & Rosa.





Derrick, Drake and the catfish: August 2014. William and Davin were dip net fishing in the pond to see how big our catfish were getting. Drake (Derrick's nephew) loves coming to "the farm" for the adventure.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

March Recap

What I did: (Warning -- March is a CRAZY BUSY month around here!)

• 1st - Went to MainStreet America and toured houses with my honey.  We walked and talked and dreamed...and realized that we want to pursue building our dream house soon.
• 4th - Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday at the office.  We enjoyed a big lunch of red beans and rice with Haydel's Cream Cheese King Cake for dessert.  YUM!
• 4th - Also the last night of the Tuesday Night Bible Study with Beth Moore.  Powerful!  Moving! And though I am sad to see it end, I pray that the Lord does an even mightier work through her teaching in the future.  Whatever form and wherever that may be.
• 6th - Ladies Night Out at Rodeo Houston with Reba 

  

  The Ladies with our driver, David.
  Jenn, Mary, Annabel, Robin, David, Stacy, Teri and myself.
  Stacy's mom, Nancy, was taking the photo.

• 8th - Stacy's 50th Birthday Celebration  

  

  Jim, Robin and I surprised Stacy for her 50th birthday with dinner and an evening out on the town.  Oh the stories that we could tell...but won't.

• 11th - Girl's Night Out at Rodeo Houston with Jason Aldean.  

  

  Alison, Stacy, Robin, myself, Kim, Bri and Josh...the lone male to brave a limo full of ladies.

   Meet and Greet, Baby!  

  

  Me with Jason Aldean!
  He has been one of my favorites for years.
  Love his music.

• 13th - Wine Garden and Shopping Day at Rodeo Houston.  Great time with dear friends, and, oh we also saw Maroon 5.  I didn't realize how many of their songs I had heard before.  (And I got my boots shined for the first time!  They look better than new!)

  

  Robin and I at the Rodeo Houston Uncorked Wine Garden before seeing Maroon 5.  We bought some really cute dresses that I am sure you will see before this post is over.

• 16th - Family Dinner at Alicia's with most of the family because our Number One Son finally came home for a visit!  Yay!  We have missed him.
• 17th - Saint Patrick's Day at Rodeo Houston with Luke Bryan  

  

  Stacy, me, Robin and Kelley dropping green chicken feathers all over Houston!

• 20th - Night Out with My Girls at Rodeo Houston with Blake Shelton (minus Kelli who couldn't go at the last minute).

Meagan, Bri and I waiting for the Rodeo to begin. (And this is one of those really cute dresses I told you about earlier.
Not pictured is Kim, Chelsea and Dina who rounded out our group for the evening.

• 24th - Table of Grace with dear friends who give some of the greatest advice EVER!
• 29th - Luncheon at our house with the Ladies of Fellowship at Field Store. We had a great time, even though I was so behind with getting Jim out the door to his turkey hunt that the first arrivals graciously offered to help toss salads and make sandwiches.

What I learned:

1. Listening to the Holy Spirit's promptings can be scary...and oh so rewarding!
2. Sometimes your input into a situation can bring about a great collaboration.  So, humbly express your ideas and share past experiences that pertain to the situation.

What I listened to:

• Still listening to Casting Crowns "Thrive"...but now I'm partial to "This Is Now".  It is the story of Peter through his own comparison of his life before and after the denial.  Oh, how I relate!
• Luke Bryan's "Crash My Party" -- My favorite is 'Play It Again'.

What I read:

1. "The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath" by Mark Buchanan.  This book was highly recommended at the Women of Faith: Unwrap the Bible Conference I attended in February. And since I had just finished listening to 'Wonderstruck' by Margaret Feinberg where she lit a fire in my heart regarding Sabbath...I figured I had better pick it up.  And, OH MY GOODNESS, did the Lord ever have a holy laugh over me when I picked up the Sunday School book on March 30th to prepare for the next week's lesson on Sabbath!  His timing is impeccable.
2. Matthew - (most of) John for the Lent Challenge.

I know this is really late, but we are without Internet at home again and work has been so busy that I hadn't taken the time to update on the last few events of March.  I would love to hear what is going on in your life today.

February Recap

What I did:

• 1st -Meagan's surprise 30th birthday party with the family

  

  Derrick got her pretty good!

• 2nd - Super Bowl Party at the Lozano's new Man Cave
• 8th - Maddux's 5th birthday party  

Pappaw and I got a big thumbs up for the Lego Movie video game gift!

• 14th - Valentine's Dinner with My Hero 

  

  My gorgeous roses...and delicious Dove chocolates!
  My treat to him was a dinner out...but only ten minutes from home.
  He LOVED it!

• 15th-18th  Grandma's Gone Wild: Texas Edition 

  

  Stacy, 'Guillermo', Robin and I at Becker Farms Vineyard
  We had a great time on the wine tasting tour!

• 21st & 22nd  Women of Faith: Unwrap the Bible -- Ladies Retreat with the church (Didn't take a single picture...but it was great.  Beth Moore, Lisa Harper, Priscilla Shirer, Shelia Walsh, & Christine Caine all in less than twenty-four hours = mind blowing experience with the Lord.)
• 24th - Table of Grace: Dinner at Zoe's Kitchen

What I Learned:

1. A self-cleaning oven REALLY DOES self clean!!!  Thank you, honey, for the wonderful Christmas gift.  I like it even better now!
2. Sometimes, when one wants to go by the prime planting dates on the Farmer's Almanac, one totally misses out on cold weather planting.  There was a winter weather warning in effect on each and every one of them!
3. I like semi-sweet red wines even more than the sweet whites.  Who would have thunk it?
4. And the ports!  Oh, the ports!
5. Sometimes you just need to have dinner with your girlfriends and wait for mundane topics like bill paying to CHANGE YOUR LIFE!  Thanks, Leesa, for sharing something that is second nature for you but set me free!
6. To copy photos to a new folder: right click on photo, press copy then right click in the folder you want to copy in and press paste.  I know that sounds simple but I had to have Cristina come in and show me how because I have a newer version of windows than I am used to.

What I Listened To:

• "A Death In Vienna" (Gabriel Allon Series #4) by Daniel Silva (Audiobook) -- When a bomb explodes in Vienna at the office of Wartime Claims and Inquiries, Gabriel finds himself to face to face with a figure that seems a bit too familiar.  Secrets are exposed that date back to the death march from the Nazi prison camps...and the pieces of the puzzle fall into place as Gabriel figures out where he has seen that face before.  This one was not my favorite in the series...but it is still worth the time.
• "Prince of Fire" (Gabriel Allon Series #5) by Daniel Silva (Audiobook)  A bomb blast at the Israeli embassy in Rome leads to an encrypted file that identifies the famed art restorer Mario Delvecchio to be none other than sometime spy, Gabriel Allon. And the game is on...but exactly who is being hunted?  A wonderfully written story based upon a photo from the 70's of a young boy sitting on the lap of Yasser Arafat after the funeral of the boy's father. This story had great character development and had you sympathetic towards both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict...where terror is an everyday occurrence.  This may very well be my second favorite Gabriel Allon book in the series after "The English Girl".
• Casting Crowns "Thrive" -- The whole album is good.  But the song that is speaking to my heart these days is "All You've Ever Wanted".  With a line like "I was chasing healing when I'd been made well; I was fighting battles when You conquered hell; Living free but from a prison cell: Lord I lay it down today" in the year of Wholehearted living...well, what more can I say?  I'm still listening to it!

What I Read:

1. I finished "An Unexpected Guest: A Novel" by Anne Korkeakivi.  From the book jacket: Clare Moorhouse, the American wife of a high-ranking diplomat in Paris, is arranging an official dinner crucial to her husband's career. As she shops for fresh stalks of asparagus and works out the menu and seating arrangements, her day is complicated by the unexpected arrival of her son and a random encounter with a Turkish man, whom she discovers is a suspected terrorist. More unnerving is a recurring face in the crowd, one that belonged to another, darker era of her life. One she never expected to see again. I couldn't quite connect with Clare.  She did things that just did not make sense to me...like hiding her son from her husband when the son ran away from his boarding school.  The story takes place in a twenty-four hour period and she is super busy with all the plans for a dinner that may mean a ambassadorship for her husband.  Clare seems to think she is 'helping' by not addressing the problems, but as the day goes on things just get more and more complicated.  Still, I enjoyed the book in spurts and starts, so I'm glad I read it.  It is just that Clare mystifies me.
2. "Chasing God" by Angie Smith --This book!  Oh my goodness, this book!  You have probably read stuff like it before.  But the way she communicates her journey from 'chasing God' to 'following Him' was as if we were sitting across the table from one another over coffee or lunch.  This book spoke volumes into my quest for wholeheartedness in 2014.  I will be reading it a little slower next time...probably with pen in hand.  But this first time through, I just needed to hear more and more of it while affirming a hearty 'amen' in my soul.  (And just in case you haven't yet seen the theme in my life these days...this is the book form of the song I mentioned above.)

January Recap

What I Did:

• Spent the New Year's visiting with Memaw, Poppy, Paul, Sharon, Casey and the girls.
• Traveled to Bossier City to spend a few days with some of my favorite people: 

  

  'The Jenkins Girls': Live from Margaritaville
  (Kristy, Dana, Rosa and Me)
  All dressed up and ready to go see Jason Aldean and George Strait.

• Celebrated Will's birthday
• Attended 'Uptown Swirl' in Brenham with Brianne and Chelsea 

  

  Our favorite wine of the evening...we had to improvise a little as they were out of tickets when we arrived.  But we still had a wonderful evening.

• Started Tuesday Night Bible Study with Beth Moore (Really looking forward to this study!)
• Endured the Great Houston Ice Storm of 2014 

  

  Photo c/o Facebook

• Celebrated Robin's birthday
• Endured the Great Houston Ice Storm of 2014: Round 2 (no ice this time, thank goodness)
• Met with Tino of TG Safaris to finalize our plans for South Africa later this spring.  (So Excited!)

What I Learned:

1. When I am stressed (whether business or personal related), I forget the wonder of creating, especially here on the blog.  Great ideas come but I don't take the time to relish them...much less to record them.  NOTE TO SELF: Write on the blog at least once a week, even if you don't feel it.  The feeling will come later.
2. Sometimes You Tube is a better source of information on an artist than their own websites.
3. People are not very accommodating of the handicapped -- even in handicapped designated areas.  NOTE TO SELF: Be patient when trying to get around in a crowd...especially of those needing walkers, wheelchairs or just an extra shoulder to lean on.

What I Listened To:

• "Wonderstruck: Awaken To The Nearness of God" by Margaret Feinberg (Audiobook) -- actually, I am listening to it AGAIN.  It is that good.  Her prose wraps warm around my heart and draws me in to really listen as she uses illustrations from her own life to document her journey to being 'Wonderstruck' with God.  (Remember that quote I shared with you a couple of weeks ago?)
• "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream" by David Platt (Audiobook) -- Okay, I admit that I have been avoiding this one like the plague.  But when a trusted friend told me how much this book was affecting her life...I agreed to give it a listen.  I may have been a bit predisposed to find criticism with it as the first few discs had me mostly 'disturbed' by my perception of legalism.  However, by disc 3 I was able to agree more than disagree...and when I heard the author's heart at the very end, I could more easily swallow some of his earlier comments.  Maybe that is why my friend listened to this twice.  If I had heard his heart in the beginning, I don't think his comments would have sounded so critical or legalistic.
• "Raised On It" performed by Sam Hunt -- this song so speaks to me right now.  I turn it up LOUD when driving in the truck.  And I may or may not have been seen throwing my hands up in the air as I sang along.  This just may be my 'summertime' song for 2014.

What I Read:

1. "Whispers of Hope: 10 Weeks of Devotional Prayer" by Beth Moore -- I'm only on Day 19 and the challenge to pray according to the PRAISE format has been difficult for me.  But I will persevere!  I decided this year to purchase several shorter devotionals rather than a year-long contained in one book.  There are a lot of one-, two- and three-month plans out there.  And well, Beth?  Who could go wrong with Beth?  She is one of my favorite teachers.  I am taking her challenge to PRAISE seriously, but last Sunday I had to grab my journal and write a prayer out in longhand.  It had just been too long and my heart was too full!
2. "An Unexpected Guest: A Novel" by Anne Korkeakivi -- Technically, I'm not finished reading this one yet.  Three chapters to go.  It is an easy read and interesting enough that I can remember the characters even though I am reading it in stops and spurts due to various distractions.

So how was your January?  Anything interesting I should add to my lists.

Flashback Friday: Rodeo 2013 Girl's Night - Take Two

Rodeo Houston, now know as the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is a chance to get together with friends and family for a fun night out on the town...and usually includes a good concert to end the evening.

I normally make five to six visits a year, but this past year was so busy that I made it to the show only three times.  I shared the first back in March when we had Girl's Night with Bruno Mars.  The last visit I shared on a Flashback Friday when the girls and I went to see George Strait on Saint Patrick's Day.  Here are pictures from my only other visit, when Robin and I went to see one of our favorite 'Rednecks'.

Fonda & Robin, ready to roll!

With a slight detour slowing us down, we made it to Reliant Stadium after the rodeo had begun...but with a little time to visit the Wine Garden and enjoy the beautiful evening before concert time.

Our favorite 'redneck'...and Jim's too.  Can you guess who it is?

Mr. Blake Shelton, live and in person.

Robin got to enjoy a little face-time with him before the show.

Yes, she was one happy girl!  And we had a great time, singing along to all the songs.  I didn't realize how many of his songs I knew by heart.

PS...I stole that last picture off of her Facebook page.  Shhh!  Don't tell!

It Was One Of Those Nights

Last Thursday night, I took a road trip with three friends to Beaumont, Texas.


Robin, Kelley, Stacy and I had VIP tickets to see Tim McGraw in concert. These tickets included an acoustical per-show performance.


We were standing just a few steps away with nothing but the speakers between the crowd and Tim.


Unfortunately, there were technical difficulties that delayed the acoustical per-show. This left us with just enough time for three songs and a quick 'thank you for coming'.

Love and Theft opened the show, but it took us that long to get our drinks and popcorn and to find our seats. Second row...just in time for the man I had come to see.


Brantley Gilbert! Brianne introduced me to his music long before his first single made it into XM radio. I love his music. Danielle teases me for having the music in my truck very mellow and relaxing as I listen to my Christian radio...but put me in the Thunderbird and in goes Brantley's CD with volume turned up as loud as my ears can stand it. Especially when I'm listening to 'Take It Outside' or 'Kickin' It In The Sticks'....my favorites.


Then it was time for Tim, again! He puts on a good show with a great mix of his hits.

After the show we did a 'meet and greet' with Brantley. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. He thanked us for coming and invited us to join him again in the future. He also signed my telephone case...which Bri has threatened to steal.


It was a good night with great friends and really did turn out to be 'One Of Those Nights'.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Flashback Friday: An Evening With The King

I really don't know how I managed to get so far behind in my blog posting for 2013...but I sure have. So, I have set a goal for the summer to post a 'Flashback Friday' each week. "Flashback Friday" will contain photos and content that I never got around to posting at the time it happened but that I do not want to forget. Some weeks you may get little to no witty commentary...but I will try to at least get the photos up with a caption or two.

 My first "Flashback" is to March 17,2013. Saint Patrick's Day!

The girls and I, all festive in our St. Patty's green, met at Robin's house for a pre-party.

(Aren't they pretty, y'all?)

From Robin's we all headed out to Reliant Stadium...

...Where we were blessed with amazing seats!

13th row on the floor!  Aisle Seats!

That is the stage behind the girls in this picture and they were standing at the end of our row.

Our season tickets were won in a drawing by one of our employees.  If you can spot the guy on the aisle in a white shirt, that is them...taken with a the lens turned all the way up from our seats.

As season ticket holders, we were allowed to go online and buy that many extra seats the day before the tickets went on sale to the public.  While most of my friends were also online and getting tickets in the rafters the Lord blessed the girls and I with these seats.  I never want to forget that.

I know in the grand scheme of life and problems it seems like God wouldn't care about where we sat at a concert.  But I truly believe that these seats were a miracle and a special blessing from Him.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had officially closed the night before.  But on Sunday night there was a special 'Concert Only' performance  featuring Martina McBride and....

'The King of Country Music', George Strait.

My girls were over the moon excited to be seeing George Strait on his final 'The Cowboy Rides Away' tour.

George and the HLSR have a long history together.  I saw him close out the last Rodeo in the Astrodome and kick off the first Rodeo in Reliant Stadium.  Mom and I went to see his summer music festival several times at Rice Stadium and Minute Maid Park.  (Way back when Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney were opening acts!)

But seeing his last tour with my girls?

That was priceless!

(Oh, yeah.  And it was Brianne's first FULL concert in her LIFE! What a way to experience your first concert!)

PS...we have decided that this performance was our Girl's Night Out at the Theater for 2013, because, really, what can top this?