lake whitney and wacky waco

we took another camping trip this weekend with our "fellow outdoor enthusiasts," as i've started to call the crew. we got a great spot right on the lake, complete with a little shelter for all our gear...yes, we are so fancy. there was biking, bocce, lots of swimming in the lake (for the dogs), and jay cleaned house in our poker tourney! all good times on lake whitney.

saturday we were off to waco to celebrate one of my oldest friends, wes, on his 30th birthday and meet baby addison, his new little girl! wes and i have known each other since birth; wes's mom helped throw my baby shower and my mom helped throw his, so i wouldn't have missed this for anything!

but, before the party could start, we hit cameron park for some mountain biking. i remember this from college as a fun little bike ride - well either i don't bike enough or those trails have gotten a lot harder because we had quite the challenge on some of those blue trails. all-in-all, it was a very good time and definitely made me want to ride more.

after the big ride, we cleaned up and headed to the party. it was held at his in-laws that have a beautiful ranch right on the brazos river outside of waco. we had a great time catching up with old friends. and of course, once you are in any sort of driveable distance of george's, a trip is in order...so we made a stop for dinner after the party - nothing like a burger and a big O at george's...yum!

below, some additional camping pics...

not the best pic, but you get the idea...

the outdoorswomen
i'm telling you, they love water!!!

hammer's dealers

so we wrapped up the big flag football season last night with a bang - we were down in the semi-finals 18-0 at the half and came back and won! it was quite the second half, to say the least. so we then went immediately into the championship and played our tired little hearts out, but could not pull out the victory. we felt better knowing it was a team that has played together for ten years - that always helps soften the blow. my question is, why are they in a recreational league?!?

anyway, we had a great time and loved every minute of making new friends and enjoying a little good, healthy competition. now it's on to softball season with team logolink...starts tonight at 6:30pm!!

great season, fellow teammates of hammer's dealers. see you in the fall!!

PV ranch and austin

last weekend we took a trip down to the hill country.  we visited with jill and GP at their ranch, got some time with our good pals, mollie, lily and kevin, and had some fun times with our pups. the ranch gave us perfect weather and lots of laughs with old friends.  austin was even more perfect weather, some good shopping, hiking, eating, and pup time.  we found a great hike which i will most definitely do again with some good little swimming holes (which of course norman loved the most of all of us)!  sunday we got up early to get back and spend easter with the family - it was a great weekend.

this weather could not be better - i absolutely love the springtime in texas!  you just cannot beat this season, and combined with the longer evenings, it's perfection.  ; )

field trip to the capitol

mckenzie is proud of that seal...

shake it off, norm.

mckenzie is in the pack on jay - norm is in the distance ahead

the day of the greenville st patty's day parade is generally a good time for all - you have a race, you have a parade, you have parties -- therefore you have good times. this year we were pup-sitting, so norm and mckenz got to spend the weekend with one of their best buds, drake, and we got to see lots of ours, as well.

thanks again to all you irish folk for letting the rest of us in on your fun day.

the ladies of st pat's

the crew at barley

it was a beautiful day

me and my buddy, mike

this is what norm and drake did for four days STRAIGHT!  ; )

team aristocrats to hammer's dealers

faithful blogger readers (thanks, mom - heehee) may remember the tales of team aristocrats, our co-ed flag football team of yesteryear. well, we've evolved and the team has changed a bit, but the fighting spirit of the recreational powerhouse remains.

last night, our own hammer's dealers advanced to the final round of the playoffs with a 19-6 victory. who doesn't want to beat a team that has a team name "arrogant" and has a player thrown out of the game for attacking our QB? it's just the way things go. karma, i guess. whatever it was, (cue will ferrell voice) it was glorious.

stay tuned for more, sports fans. because next week, once victorious in the second round, we will go straight into the championship game that night. then we can join the ranks of such greats as bob stoops and barry switzer - as recreational champs of the DSS winter co-ed flag-football team. well maybe not quite the same thing. but for us, this is serious business (read: fun), so expect live action photos...i know you will be anxiously awaiting. ; )

democratic caucus in texas...

tonight jay and i attended the democratic caucus in uptown along with about 500 - 600 other folks from precinct 1202 (which i am told in 2004 had about 10 attendees).  according to stickers, t-shirts, posters and hats worn, there was a dramatic obama following in attendance.  i would guess upwards of 90%.  i felt (based on the STRONG feelings i sensed) like one of the few that attended the event that would personally be pretty happy with either candidate, but i won't get into that now (however, as of now, it looks like they will both still be in the race tomorrow morning, so this stands to be one of the closest races in recent history!  sooo exciting.).  to me it was exciting to know that my vote actually counted this year - that the democratic vote is a factor here.  it is so exciting to truly be a part of the "process."

when we got home, the kids were holding a caucus of their own - i guess we are rubbing off on them, our sweet little politicos...

"si, se puede"

yes, we can!!

i'm tired, get your votes in, harris county!

camping in glen rose

saturday night we went camping with a crew (six humans and four dogs) in glen rose.  we did the "primitive" camping, which meant we parked and hiked into our spot.  it was  only about a mile-and-a-half, but it seems like 40 when you pack all the crap we all brought!  it was fun, a great workout, and the dogs loved it.  

once we got settled in from hiking we were able to enjoy perfect weather, happy pups, and lots of games.  we started with bocce ball, moved to poker, and ended with charades that night.  it was a great time and something we all said we need to do more often.

norman LOOOOVES camping

norm and blue playing in the water

bocce ball

the crew.  forgive the shot, used a timer and balanced it on a camping chair

poker tourney

mckenzie taking a break in the murky water

dad's girl

friday night my dad and i spent some quality time with other dads and daughters. the girls were between the ages of 5-12 and we were asked to talk with them during their "date night" at church. i think my dad and i had as much fun preparing for it and going through old pictures and memories as the girls and dads did friday night. it was a fun and special deal, i'll share some pics we used in our talk and pics from the night...

me, "helping" paint

taken in tulsa - the fam looks a bit different!

friday night - that cowboy hat on the podium was my fave growing up...stylin', huh?  my mom said i cried one easter because i couldn't wear the hat and my boots with my easter dress.  ; )