Greenbelt Lake

Tiffeni York invited the Solano's and us to Greenbelt Lake this past weekend. Greenbelt is located right outside of Clarendon and is a pretty neat little lake. We had a great time and the kids could have stayed forever.

Prayers Please

Hey guys!

A lot of uncertainity right now as I found out at 5pm today that our company was acquired by Ev3 Technologies. What does that mean for me? Not sure but trying to be positive and realistic. There are 4 reps in the West Tx area and we probably only need 2 at the most. Just my speculation, of course. The last few days have been hard for me but I know it is all in God's hands right now. I know all of you reading this will take a little time out of your day to say a little prayer for my family and me and all of the hundreds of people this will effect. I will continue to remain positive and work hard as this merger will take 4 to 6 months to finalize. Will keep you posted!! Read the link below if you are interested.


FoxHollow, Ev3 Announce $780M Merger - Forbes.com

Jazz Girl's Reunion '07

I met my girls in Lake Brownwood this last weekend and we had a lot of fun. The house we stayed in was so great and the view from the deck (which you can see in some of these shots above) was incredible. A total of 7 out of the 13 made it this year but we still had a great time. In fact, five of us invaded the small town of Brownwood's nightlife scene and we think we were the only people there with teeth...just kidding. There were some really nice people there and they had a great bar. We even got invited to some after parties but decided against it since it was going to be at some trailer home out in the middle of nowhere. We rode on the boat all day on Saturday while some of us intertubed and skied. All I know is I am way too old to be doing that crap on the water at speeds of 35mph. Crazy...I think I needed a stretcher for about two days. Love my Jazz girls so much and I am always looking forward to the next reunion.

Love you Teresa!!

We had just started the big firewords show at Arthur's when Teresa told me she hated fireworks and there she sat front and center. It wasn't 15 minutes later that Teresa and Lori Orr found themselves in what looked like and seemed like an eternity of horror. I know I sound pretty dramatic but this was a serious situation. One of the very large missles fell down and started shooting towards the crowd. Luckily Teresa's reflexes were quick and she was able to throw Jax to the side as she took a beating!! Teresa was hit in the mouth with one of the sparks and it caused her teeth to jam into the side of her cheek. She received 8 stitches at the UMC ER and also received treatment for the burns on her leg. I talked to her last night and she feels much better! Teresa didn't go through all of that in vain as we all learned some valuble lessons. If you look below, you will see how we let our young kids hold Roman Candles...that won't happen again. I am so glad you are feeling better, Tre and I am so thankful you and Jax are okay. Love you girl!

Fourth at Arthur's

As usual, Arthur and Kathy had a great party. The food was excellent and the company was even better. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took that evening. Thanks for a great time, Kathy and Arthur!!

Pool Party on the Fourth

We spent most of the late afternoon over at Jason and Lori Orr's home. They have a great pool and there were a lot of people over there. The kids had so much fun jumping off the diving board and sliding. (Shout out to Tonya...I know you are reading this!!)

Thanks Lori and Jason for having us over...we had a great time!

Fourth of July Kiddos

My favorite pictures to take on the Fourth of all the cute kids who come all dressed up in their red, white and blue. We spent the day at the Slaton park hanging out with all of our Slaton friends. Made me miss living there!

Sprinkler Fun at Grammy's

Children of the Corn

(Wow! This is blogging made easy. If you don't have a free Picasa account, you need to get one. Makes blogging so much easier and takes up way less time. )

Dougie has a pretty good garden out behind his house so the kids were busy helping him pick corn. Averi, I told you I was going to title this blog that way!! The kids always have a great time at Grammy and Dougie's because there is so much to do...not to mention the fact they get everything they want when they visit.

The Many Faces of Thatcher

These pictures were taken at Grammy's house on the eve of the Fourth celebration. I cannot believe how big he is gotten. I know I am biased but isn't he just about the cutest little thing in the world, even though he does look like a Lewis??? Just kidding, guys! The Lewis' make some beautiful kids I must say. Love you Thatcher!!

Belated Birthday Celebration

Our good friends, Macey and Steve Solano had us over for dinner a couple of weeks ago to celebrate my birthday as we were in Tahoe during my actual birthday. Macey cooked an awesome meal and after a few glasses of wine and a couple of Colorado Bulldogs, we pretty much had a dance-off. We had a great time...Thanks Solanos!!

What a Feeling!

Good news! Today was the last day of the quarter and I finally hit my quota!!! Yipppeee! It's been a long and tough battle to finally get my territory to where it needs to be but I finally did it. About a year ago, I was just weeks away from losing my job. Times were tough and the company was going through some restructuring. Several of my friends lost their jobs because they were also covering very small and difficult territories so I felt my "pink slip" was imminent. We had just moved to Amarillo only months before and I thought we were going to have to move back home...I believed we were going to have to sell our beautiful new home, uproot Kellyn and Blaze yet again and find yet another job. My big dream was coming to an end...or so I thought. I was told I needed to hit a certain number and at the time, it seemed unattainable even though it was even less than my quota but by the grace of God, I surpassed that number. Since then, I have struggled to continue the pace of sales I was at during that quarter...it was a little nerve wracking at times but I did it; I hit the number my company asked me to hit. I didn't have to beg, steal or borrow; it just happened. New docs, more patients to fix, referrals from other doctors, just growth! I love my job, I love my company and I am passionate about the device I sell...I am truly blessed. It's an exhilarating feeling to finally close the quarter having surpassed my quota...Happy Hour anyone?

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.

Logan Pearsall Smith

Austin Girl's Trip

I sat off a week ago today to embark on yet another girl's trip. My mom said, "Your damned near 40 and still going on girl's trips?" My answer to her was, "So? Who said there was a cut-off and I AM FOUR LONG YEARS FROM FORTY AND DON'T LET ME HEAR THOSE WORDS OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AGAIN!" Well, I didn't use those exact words but she did and that's all that matters. I am hell bent on proving that girl's trips aren't for the 20's, the 30's or even the 40's. (Sorry Mom but you will never win on this one...just look at these pictures and tell me one or two weekends a year is too many.) Anyway, six of us flew to Austin and met up with another 10 to 15 girls for a very, very fun weekend. I have no regrets, it was one of my most fun trips ever and I can't wait to meet my other group of girls at Lake Brownwood two weeks from today.

Still Contemplating

What to do, what to do!! I so want to get online tonight at 8pm and order the highly anticipated iPhone. Ya'll know me, Ms. Gadget Guru herself!! How can I pass this up? Analysts (yes, I have been thoroughly researching this new phenomenon) are saying the iPhone will not live up to its hype. So, the real question is...get it now and satisfy my craving or wait until the next generation in October after they have ironed out all the glitches??? Help someone!

Lake Tahoe

Hays and I went to Tahoe for our ten year anniversary and my birthday. We had a great time and it was an incredibly beautiful place. I think it would be fun to take a few couples and go up during ski season or when it's really hot. Great nightlife there plus its beautiful and there is gambling so why not?

This was the view from a very hip bar on the top floor of our hotel. We had just arrived and we both couldn't believe our eyes...or the total on the bar ticket! ha!

We took a wine tasting cruise the first night we got there...so fun! So beautiful and great food and wine. That was definitely the highlight of our trip.
Finally, Hays smiles! Look behind us...how could you not smile, right?

Sweet Brynlee

I had the pleasure of taking Brynlee's pictures a week and a half ago. I will only share one and let Amy and Adam share the rest. She is so precious. Congrats to the Smith family. What a miracle!!

Austin Weekend Weather Forecast - weather.com

So we were a little nervous about the weather this weekend in Austin but it looks like it's going to be sunny, hot and very little chance of rain. Yippppeee!


Austin Weekend Weather Forecast - weather.com

It's About Time

Okay, it's been two and a half months since I have posted so here are a few recent pics of the kids. I will blog more soon. Hang tight as I have pics from Lake Tahoe, Kellyn's soccer, Crockett's wedding, Amy and Adam's baby, Brynlee etc. Sorry it's been so long!!

My Adorable Little Guinea Pig

I got a new lens so while Kellyn and Hays were practicing soccer last night I took my cute little subject out into the front yard to play around with my new toy. I am so happy with how this turned out. Let me know what you think!

Favorite Places in Vegas!

I love this topic because I absolutely LOVE Vegas!!

Favorite Bar - Harrah's Carnival Court Bar - oh my gosh, we spent hours and hours at this bar the last time we were in Vegas. I think the bartenders and the bands knew us by name. We were there three days in a row. We would say, "Let's not hang out there again tonight!" And then we would be walking by and then go, "oh okay, just one drink!" and then we would proceed to close the bar down, again!! It's so fun because the bartenders use flair techniques and the cover bands are awesome. Great, fun place and it would be so fun this time of year because it isn't so hot!!

Favorite Restaurant - Nobu - The sushi at Nobu at the Hard Rock is incredible!! Seriously, it's the best food I have ever had. Great place to spot celebrities, too!!

Favorite Spa - Rock Spa in Hard Rock. What a great place to relax!! Great service and awesome whirlpool area! I went here and spent an entire morning with MaryBeth Murphy...we had some good conversations in that great whirlpool. One of my favorite relaxing memories of Vegas because there aren't usually any of those. LOL

Favorite Drinks - Eiffel Tower Restaurant - the Cosmos were awesome here and so was the lunch but the view made the drinks even that much better!! If you have time to go have a drink up here, do it!! I have only been up there during the day and our ticket was outrageous but it was sooooo worth it. The view of the strip and the awesome Bellagio fountains coupled with the great martini was quite an experience!

Favorite Touristy Restaurant/Favorite Burger/Favorite Margarita - Okay, I know it's way cheesy but Jimmy Buffett's bar is fun times. Great food and great music. Why not go have a margarita in Margaritaville?