One down, two more to go!

My brother Ron got home from Peru yesterday (He was on a two year mission for our church)! One of the disadvantages of living so far away is that we were not able to be there to greet him at the airport. Nor will we be able to be there anytime soon to see him. But through the wonderful world of Skype, we were able to chat with him and use web cams to see him! He is thinner, and balder and looks older but he's still Ron! (As a side note he said I looked skinner than I did two years ago! Woo-hoo! He is now my favourite brother! Sorry to my 3 other brothers!) We are so excited to have him home and are now counting down until my sister gets home from her mission to Arizona (on June 23!!). Another brother, Jon, is on a mission in Houston and won't be home for another year, so we won't start that countdown yet.

This is Ron the day he left for his mission.

This is after about 20 months in Peru

Forget Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or even exercise! I'm moving to Peru to lose some weight!

Out and about

Summers here in Central Texas are hot! Husband and I learned our lesson last year and are spending as much time as we can outside before the heat hits. (Just so you know, spring is pretty hot too. What is considered summer weather in normal land is a typical spring day here). Today we decided to hike to the top of a hill situated in the heart of downtown. It offered us beautiful views of the Colorado River, the city skyline and very, very expensive houses.

The Colorado River and the very, very expensive houses!

Up close and personal with aphids.

These flowers were everywhere on our hike! I think they look like irises so that is what I am calling them. If anyone knows what they are, let me know!

One of the paths we took. Doesn't it look idyllic?

Us!

The city skyline. It looks crooked because I was standing on a very unstable rock when I took this.

If at first you don't succeed...pull out the frozen pizza

This lovely picture is our Easter dinner. Pizza was not the planned entree. Here's the story: In an attempt to cut our grocery bill, we sometimes participate in a program called Angel Food Ministries . Our participation depends on the food offered in a given month and how much of that food we would actually eat. We had a pre-seasoned roast from a recent order and I thought that would make a nice Easter dinner. I would make some mashed potatoes, throw together a salad, maybe make a vegetable of some sort, and we would sit down to a meal on our China dishes (with silver chargers underneath for that added touch of elegance). Fortunately, when it comes to making food, I can be a pessimist, and I was worried about whether or not we would like the roast (I am usually wary of things that come pre-seasoned because they never seem to taste right to me). So just in case, I had a frozen pizza as back-up. A few hours later, when the roast was finished, but before I made anything else, I cut into it and tasted it. I did not like it. I gave a bite to Husband and he didn't like it either. It didn't taste horrible, or even kind of horrible. It just wasn't to our liking. The pizza went into the oven and 25 minutes later, we were eating our Easter pizza on our China dishes. Because it was a special occasion, we ate with knives and forks. Holidays call for elegance, even when eating pizza.

Texas Bluebonnets

Within weeks of moving to Texas last year, we kept seeing these blue flowers everywhere! In ditches; in vacant lots; along the highway; on front lawns. We had no idea what they were. Now that we are a year smarter we know that this little blue flower is a bluebonnet, the official flower of Texas and the first real sign that spring is here. Today we went for a hike and found bluebonnets all along the way. They are beautiful, and I am in love with them.

Try this at home!

Just in case we aren't friends on facebook, or you didn't see my status today (and if you didn't see it why? You should be face-stalking me because I am cool!), here it is:


Random fact of the day: It is impossible to hum with your nose plugged (I bet everyone reading this just tried to do it. I tried it this morning when I heard it!)

Maybe he should get more sleep...

I don't think Husband was fully awake when he dressed for work this morning. Those pants don't look like Army issue to me...

Woo-hoo!

Okay, so that's not the most original post title, but it sums up how I feel. As of today, Husband has completed his Masters of Arts degree! He has been taking part-time classes for a couple of years now, and 10 months ago we decided that he should take classes full-time. Even though it meant putting our plans on hold, we don't regret the decision. It would have taken him years to finish if he had continued as a part-time student. To celebrate, I bought him balloons and a 32 pack of Coke (Husband drinks so much Coke, I am surprised his teeth aren't rotting out of his mouth!). Way to go Husband! I am proud of you!

Husband was trying to look smart and educated in the next two pictures...not sure it worked!