New Boots

Bryan got me these real nice Twisted X leather boots for my birthday. I absolutely LOVE them. I can't wait to country line/swing dance in them this weekend!

Birthday Weekend

My parents bought tickets to visit Bryan and I on my birthday weekend, Sept 18-22. Unfortunately, the weekend before Hurricane Ike completely destroyed most of the east coast of Texas. So it was definitely a memorable birthday weekend. Most of the shops were closed because of no electricity or open late/closed early, except Home Depot and Lowes; they were packed! We went shopping at Target in the dark for new clothes. The grocery store shelves were bare. Gas stations were opened during odd hours. Trees and debris were everywhere. We even went to church in the dark. The talks were very appropriate for the circumstance. The speakers talked about getting out of our comfort zone and meeting/serving our neighbors. It is sad that it takes a hurricane to get people out of their homes (away from the tv, video games, or the computer). But it is soo true.
Fortunately the inner city had electricity. We went to the Natural Science Museum. I think lots of people were sick of being at home with no AC and decided to enlighten their minds. We went to the Body Worlds part of the museum. Pretty cool. It is a traveling exhibition of preserved human bodies that are prepared using a technique called plastination to reveal inner anatomical structures. Most of the bodies are shaped as action figures: figure skating, hitting a baseball, skateboarding. If it ever travels to your city, it's a must see.

My mother and I outside the Natural Science museum in Houston, TX.

My parents bought this patio set for Bryan and Rebekah's birthday. We

are still looking for an umbrella holder.

All the flowers and plants were 70% off!

My parents are the best! They definitely came down to Houston at the wrong time, but we were so happy to see them. They helped us clean up our little patio area and bought us pots and plants and patio furniture to fill up the empty space. We love our little area now; it looks better than the inside of our townhouse.

Yup. This is what Bryan has been up to. Don't worry, it should look good by....

We Survived Hurricane IKE!

Well it was an exciting weekend for Bryan. He decided to stay in Houston to man our fortress during the storm. Some of our roofing was destroyed and we had a little water damage, but not as much as we would have if Bryan hadn't collected the leaks in pots and pans. Highway 288, which is directly across from our home, quickly filled up with 15-20 feet of water- a nice BIG river. Bryan decided to come up to Killeen LATE Saturday night, as he sat in a dark house with no air conditioning. Poor guy :( We are definitely blessed for not receiving TOO much damage! Thanks for everyone's concerns!

Holly Hall

We recently purchased a town home in downtown medical center Houston. It is a lot bigger than we're use to; since we've been moving in and out of apartments and hotels the past 6 months! 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 car garage, 2 pools, and conveniently located right bythe University of Houston. We're happy with our purchase!

So lately we have been updating the 1984 townhouse. Bryan has torn up the kitchen. He ripped out the cabinets, the wallpaper, and the tile. He is having fun destroying our brand new home! I am excited to paint, pick out new cabinets and appliances, and just remodel the outdated everything.

We have found quite a few problems with the place. Because Houston is so humid, we have found a lot of mold growing between the wall and wallpaper and where any water may have leaked (behind sinks, toilets, and washer). Although it is humid, Houston is gorgeous. I love all the trees and plush flower bushes, it is way greener than Fort Hood.

Bryan starts Optometry school tomorrow. He is really excited to start this chapter of his life. I am excited and proud of all his accomplishments. I know he will do great in school! I love you Bryan!

Stake Dance

Bryan: Hey babe! Wanna go on a date with me this Saturday night?

Rebekah: You're asking me out on a date?

Bryan: Yeah...

Rebekah: Totally! What are we doing?

Bryan: We're going to the stake dance!


I loved the stake dances when I was 14-16 years old. I always made sure I could go. I would usually buy a new outfit for the dance and spend my whole afternoon getting ready for this social event that only happened once a month. I also LOVED to dance!

The stake dance wasn't like the good old days. Bryan and I danced swing to the country music. But most of the time we spent getting the youth on the dance floor. It is funny how stake dances never change. The YMCA, dancing queen, and cotton eye joe are over played. There is always that interpretive dancer. And girl drama, enough said. The only thing that has changed is the wall flowers. The wall sitters are no longer wall sitters. The wall sitters now have cell phones and spend most of their time text messaging. I wish I took a picture of the lines of people on the walls texting their friends. I just don't think kids should own a cell phone- it only brings trouble.

We had a lot of fun and will probably be doing it more often (since we're both involved in young mens and young womens). Thanks for reading!

Texas Toughest 10K

One of my goals this year was to run a 10K. When Bryan and I finally got settled in Killeen, we looked for some races. The name of the first available 10K was called "Texas Toughest". We didn't think much of it, that is until we actually competed. The race was mostly up hill and the weather was HOT! My original goal for the race was to finish uder 50 minutes. After I realized the race was actually going to be "tough", I changed my goal to under an hour and I met that one! Bryan is a superstar. His time was 40:19. He got 3rd place in his age group and 13th in the race.

This is me dying at the very end.
Bryan and I after the race.
I thought the guys in the background were pretty funny looking.

They reminded me of Starsky and Hutch.
Bryan thought the dog looked pretty cool with an award around his neck. I think the dog won the race.

Overall we had fun and are excited for our next race. Hopefully I can meet my goal of running under 50 minutes.

Tabletop

While Bryan was living with his parents in Owasso, he got a free Ethan Allen dining room set from a little old lady his mother knew. The table was all scratched from her dogs, so Bryan decided to learn how to refinish the tabletop. It was a lot of hard work. I'm not being bias, but I think it looks really good. It has a unique finish.


Now all I have to do is reupholster the chairs. Any ideas?



I was thinking....














or this...












The chairs have the fabric below.

Give me your ideas...