What I Did In October

Grandmas Gone Wild 2016

I visited South Padre Island for five days and four nights of making memories with two of my longest and dearest friends.  Not our usual trip but one of us had never visited South Padre before, so it counts!

View from our balcony

At the pool

This is where we spent most of our time!

The Sapphire from the pool

The best place for a morning cuppa is looking out over the water.

CCA Awards

Attended the CCA Awards where one of Jim's fishing buddies won a new boat and trailer for the largest recorded Speckled Trout during the 2016 STAR Tournament.

CCA = Coastal Conservation Association; STAR Tournament =State of Texas Angler's Rodeo

Thad with his plaque.  The boat and trailer were in the parking lot.

Sargent Weekend

Pappaw and Sweet Bailey Rae

Blanket time in the front yard with Bailey and Carter (and Jennifer, too)

This should just say:

"My Happy Place"

Added a little décor to the porch to make it ours.

"The Strategy of Pairing" (as Gretchen Rubin would say)

Took care of my annual check-up and rewarded myself with dinner and a movie (Storks) with the Ham & Rodgers families.  I did not take a single picture, but we had a blast hanging out at the arcade and then we had the WHOLE THEATRE to ourselves.  We could pick out seats and run around during the movie without bothering a soul.  A good thing since this was Dayton's first trip to a movie theater. 

Abundance: Frisco

This year was Conference Year for our ladies retreat and we decided on a trip to Lifeway's Abundance with speakers like: Angela Thomas-Pharr, Curtis Jones, Lisa Harper, and Lysa Terkeurst.  It is a rather new addition to their conferences and was given a thumbs up by all ten of us!  There was a long road trip, shared cheesecake, honest conversations and ice cream surprises to mix with all the laughter.

Fellowship at Field Store Ladies Retreat 2016

My girl and I

Loved our t-shirts this year!

Thanks for the great design, Peyton!

Teaching a much younger woman (and friend) the glories of Snapchat!

I felt so hip!

Vintage Market

Met up with Robin and Stacy for a fun day at the Market. This was my first visit to the one at the Waller County Fairgrounds.  I feel like Goldilocks in that it wasn't too big or too small, it was just right!  Got some great finds but didn't take pics our adventure. We shopped and shopped, then we drove in to Chappell Hill for lunch at Bevers Kitchen. Yum!

My Vintage Market find of the day:

A box springs tree for the seasons

Brooke's 9th Birthday Brunch: Unicorns

A donut cake for our 9 year old granddaughter

Bailey's 1st Birthday Party: Boho

Bailey and her smash cake

Halloween After Party

They all gathered to go trick or treating about 20 minutes from the house.  Afterwards they came out for dinner, a hay ride through the woods, Halloween Bingo, Pumpkin decorating and Hocus Pocus.

From the back: Kelli (Scarecrow), Bri and Bailey (Twin Pin Up Girls), Meagan (Sugar Skull), Dayton (Half Beard Pirate)

Middle Row: Maddux (Storm Trooper), Brooke (Cleopatra), Davin (Storm Trooper)

Front Row: Ellie (Spider Girl), Delayne (Mermaid) and Weston (Captain America)

AND Lots of Razorback Football: For Better or Worse!

Alcorn State - W

Alabama - L

Ole Miss - W

Auburn - L --- with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an L on her forehead!

The older grands built a fort during one of our football gatherings...complete with fire pit!

Throwback Thursday #11

Family Vacation Pictorial From August 2015

Last year the kids went together and gave Jim and I our favorite kind of gift -- 

time together with the family.  

Here are our memories in pictures.

There was a giant moon while we were staying at the Sargent house and the way it's light pierced through the clouds onto the water and cast the silhouette of the palm trees on our first night there was eerily beautiful.

I just love this picture of Brian in his pink flamingo shirt.
Such a contrast to that bearded face!

The grands enjoyed long days in the kiddy pool that we set up on the deck.

The house the kids rented was named Pelican Point and the pelicans did not disappoint.
They flew by in groups of three to nearly twenty all day long.

Will and Derrick were Davin's net men for crabbing.
He had two to three crab strings baited with chicken thighs out most of the weekend.
He would run from one to the other yelling, 'net, net, net!'

The sunset over Caney Creek

Brian and Deborah trying a little fishing.

The house had a telescope and this was the best picture that Deborah and I could snap of the moon through it's lens.

Will caught an eel!

Auntie and Dayton enjoying the water

Diva fishing -- and she must be working hard at it.
Look at that tongue.

Maddux, Brooke and Davin as we celebrated Davin's 8th birthday with cake and ice cream.

Our Family

My Hero spent the majority of the trip sitting in this chair with his fishing pole at hand.

The Gang's all here!

Kelli, Matt and the family were only able to make it out for one afternoon and we got family pics while we could!

Throwback Thursday #8

In honor of last week's post from Naiz's wedding, this week's Throwback Thursday celebrates the one year anniversary of another of our beautiful nieces.

Jana and Shelby Williams

May 23, 2015

And we are off!  Heading out to Blue Mountain, Mississippi.

Okay, I had just finished my one and only workout when the this pic was snapped but darn it, Blake was so cute posing for our selfie that I just had to post it!

The rehearsal dinner in the old polo barn was gorgeous!

My handsome date and I.  He looks just as good in a cowboy hat as he does in a tuxedo.  I'm such a lucky girl!

Mr. & Mrs. Shelby Williams

These two were just as cute and in love at the one year anniversary as they were in these photos.  Here's to many, many, many more anniversaries and to a lifetime of love and happiness.

Signed, Sealed, McNeilled

Our beautiful niece, Naiz, married the love of her life exactly one week ago in a gorgeous Amelia Island wedding.  Here are a few of the pictures from the weekend.

Mr. & Mrs. Brett McNeill

The view from our room at the Omni Resort

This is how The Goode's spent the day leading up to the wedding.
Don't say that we don't know how to have a good time.
 We even order in room service for lunch.  LOL!

My sexy wedding date. He's still got it!

Naiz and Brett's reception venue had an amazing view of the salt water marsh.

 Monday evening, after all the other guests had left, Jim and I were able to spend a little time with Rosa and Steve catching up.

Rosa and I riding down A1A in the back seat with the top down
and sunshine on our faces.

Sometimes you have to be careful where you take a Camero.  LOL!

Best wishes to Naiz and Brett for a long and happy life together.  You two were picture perfect on your special day. But it is the beauty in your hearts and the love in your eyes for each other that will carry you through the next 50+ years.

Mexico: Part 5 (The Finale)

Today's post is just a few of my favorite pictures taken over the week. No real theme other than 

These Are My People...And I Love Them!

Jim and I at dinner our last night in Mexico...it was the only night we left the house for food!  We were so spoiled by Mairea.

Oh, how I miss this view in the mornings.

Jim and I chilling by the pool.

Me with my Girls!  Love these two so much.

And here we are all together

Robin, Fonda, Stacy and Lonnie at Alux

And I mentioned that Robin and I decided to overcome our fear of heights to para-sail because Stacy and Jim were going to skydive.  Well, here are the pics of their adventure.

Posing at Senor Frog's before heading out to board the plane

Three hours later and they still hadn't taken off due to low cloud cover.
They finally called it just before the four hour mark.
Due to the weather, no more skydivers floated over the pool during our visit.
I guess they will have to save that adventure for next year.

We had so much fun on our Tax Day Escape Adventure that we are already talking about next year's trip.  I, for one, can hardly wait!