Looking back... 2021

2021... As I reflect on all that we went through, it seems, like all years, we saw both wonder and beauty, and experienced things we'd rather forget. Vaccines rolled out Dec 2020 and there was a definite feeling of "hope" that life might resume some sense of normalcy out of the pandemic. Then the Snowpocalypse hit us in February and Texans had to re-frame life once again. The first few days of snow was magical, because, you know, we are in Texas so what's snow!? After day 3 when people started losing power it started to lose it's appeal. We hit lows in the single digits- unheard of for our area. More and people were cold-- and then also without water. We were lucky enough to be the smaller number of households that did not suffer any heat/water losses, but people all around us were truly struggling. Amazing that something so beautiful as this snow could cause so much suffering and death.

Nathan lost water as his house, so he ended up walking in the snow to stay with us! We were lucky to enjoy a few days with our whole family together, rare these days... and Boudreaux enjoyed all the snuggles for sure.

Spring brought more camping trips... so many beautiful places!  Since we really weren't doing any other social activities, camping was our "lifeline" to sanity... with an average of 2 trips a month.

Boudreaux: Faithful hiking/camping companion! Where we go, he goes! You can't start the truck without him making a mad dash to his side where he hops in. 

April meant beach time! Our anniversary this year we took Clark all the way down to South Padre Island and enjoyed a whole week on the beach!

 Saw my mom and brother for the first time in forever, as we all started feeling a little safer gathering.

The Backyard Bastard Camping Club took tons of trips and battled a lot of rain this year. So grateful for our good friends and socially distanced/outdoor opportunities!

Enjoyed a girls weekend away to the San Antonio River Walk with my mom and Kelsey... we needed it! Finally got to visit Al! (Covid restrictions were lifted) It was great to finally see him in person.

Lots and lots of lake time! Friends, family, and our favorite pups!Beautiful views and sunsets.

Family celebrations and birthdays were small still as Delta variant still threatened us. We made the best of things, usually with inappropriate games and alcohol...

As we begin our 2022, we are in the middle of the Omicron surge. Not much has changed really from last January-- except that all our lives have slowed down, small things have become more meaningful, my circle of friends has become quaint but important. We are getting accustomed to doing a lot of things virtually, and instead of resenting it, I think many of us are appreciating it-- less time commuting and more time doing things that matter. I hope as you begin your 2022 you continue to pursue your dreams, simplify your life, and enjoy every moment.
 

2020...Whew! What a Year

Well, 2020 was quite the year. Some great stuff happened. And a pandemic happened. It certainly will be a year none of us will forget. Here are our highlights!

We took 19 camping trips which included 17 parks total and 9 new ones! (Despite a 2 months shut down)

It's official. I have obsessive camping disorder. Luckily, I have an ongoing support group.

It doesn't get much better than this! One of our favorite places-- Lake Bastrop S Shore trip in Feb. This weekend I also attended my "last" birth as a doula- I decided to retire for real this time. Until someone else important to me has a baby!

March 13, 2020 our world changed. It was announced officially- a state of emergency and a world pandemic. A virus exploded throughout the world causing some people to get very sick-- everything we took for granted was pulled out from under us. Masks became the "norm" along with lines to get into grocery stores, shortages of cleaning supplies and toilet paper. We all quarantined ourselves hoping it would go away in a couple of months. Little did we know what was ahead.

Luckily we could keep camping, it's probably the only thing that kept my sanity! In the meantime, AJ started working from home which was an easy transition. (His day is full of video calls/meetings anyway) I had to transition my classes from being in person to virtual-- I partnered with a colleague and friend and we started a new Childbirth Education business together. While it was an interesting adjustment, we figured out how to teach virtually and still provide fun and informative classes for our students! www.realdealbirth.com

When we couldn't go camping, we hosted driveway "happy hours" so we could still visit with friends and neighbors from a safe distance. We also started doing "happy hour" with friends on Zoom. Amazing how quickly this became the norm to socialize. I did start missing in person visits, hugs, live music, dancing, the piano bar...

Boudreaux traveled everywhere with us, including our beach trip in May. He's an amazing companion, loves to hike, swim, play with other dogs, and just loves life. He keeps us laughing (he's a huge dork) and keeps me walking! I'm in the best shape I've ever been in my life!

We got creative with "safe, socially distant" outdoor meetings so we could spend time with extended family outside of our household.

In June, AJ had a big birthday. We had rented a lake house on LBJ and I had planned a big celebration with friends and family! Well, it turned out to be a small celebration and a surprise Zoom party with friends and family. We still had a good time enjoying the water, beautiful trees and lake house life. Kelsey and Darren joined us for the weekend.

Nathan had to work, so he and Boudreaux came out to visit just for a day.

The rest of the summer looked pretty much like this any time we could get away! Since I wasn't teaching at the hospital on the weekends, we found ourselves more available than usual. We averaged 2-3 trips a month, hitting local lakes like Georgetown, Stillhouse Hollow, and Belton.

We rarely get to enjoy both kids together anymore-- everyone has their own schedule and life. But we did get 1 camping weekend with both Kelsey and Nathan together (to celebrate her birthday) locally at McKinney Falls-- a surprisingly HOT weekend for mid October.

So here it is, Christmas Eve 2020. I'm reflecting on how crazy this year has been, feeling grateful everyone in my immediate circle is healthy. Feeling an overwhelming sadness for the grief of those families who have lost loved ones. Seeing a light ahead as vaccinations are approved and started distribution. We have a long way to go before life is "normal" again-- and even when we aren't threatened with a massive health crisis, I wonder what "normal" will be. I know many of us will have a greater appreciation for the simple things- family & friends. A safe home, food, and a job. 

Looking forward to 2021 and a year filled with Hope, Health, and Happiness!
 

 

Shadow 2006-2019

 Shadow- you came to us as a tiny puppy from the shelter in July 2006- Nathan's dog. Nathan kept his promise to train you, take you outside to potty, and clean up your accidents.

 You loved following us around everywhere- your name fit you so well! You learned to love the lake and loved swimming with us.

 You learned how to "be a dog" from your big brother Cody. You were so lucky to have a great mentor like him. As he aged, he passed off important jobs to you- like barking at the UPS man.

 Your favorite place was by Nathan's side, or in his bed... your goofiness showed in everything you did! You made us laugh all the time.

 You were an awesome family dog, making friends with Milo the kitty (on his terms) and also Honey, who became your best buddy. When she died you were so sad, missing your friend.

You loved taking trips with us, car rides, trips to the lake, camping, the park-- anywhere we went, you were happy to be.

You loved and protected us with a fierceness, especially Nathan, but you so loved every one of us, always waiting at the door for us to get home.

 

When Nathan went to college, you missed him greatly, but then became my buddy.

We will never forget you, sweet Shadow. Run and play and chase those squirrels, we'll see you again one day!!

Happy 30th Anniversary!

30 years ago we snuck away and got married in Las Vegas. We bypassed the whole long engagement, big wedding, disappointing many of our friends and family. But the bottom line was we just wanted to be married. I'm sure there were many who wondered how long this "impulsive" marriage would last, well-- it's been 30 years sofar! We celebrated with a 7 day cruise out of Galveston visiting Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica!

We can now say we've been to Hell and back! This picture taken in Hell, Grand Cayman.

We first lived in a little apartment in Fullerton, CA then we bought a small condo. We had Kelsey, then got pregnant with Nathan. We moved out of the small condo and rented a larger condo in the same complex, renting out our 1 bedroom unit. AJ was working in Real Estate, I was staying at home with Kelsey at that time and began my journey into Childbirth Education. As the real estate market plummeted, we had to make a decision- get a "real" job in California, or take the jump and move to Texas to be with our families? We decided to take the leap. Within 30 days we were in Texas! My parents allowed us to stay with them for 6 weeks while AJ job searched and we house hunted. We settled in Round Rock hoping AJ would get work at Dell. He got a temp job, we found a house. My parents helped us with a down payment and we moved in! Nathan turned 1 the very next week.
It was the best life decision we've made. We've raised our kids in a wonderful neighborhood. They went to great schools, we had access to beautiful parks, lakes, pools. We started a Camp Fire club and took our kids (and everyone else's) on adventures, day trips and weekend camping trips. We bought a boat and enjoyed 10 summers of water play. We threw parties for many occasions-- celebrating life! Our professional careers grew, our kids grew. Both have done college nearby- Kelsey at St Edwards and Nathan at UT San Antonio and ACC.
A lot has changed-- 30 years have passed. But I'm still hanging out with my best friend, learning new things, taking chances, living our life. I look forward to the next 30!

2018 The Year in Review

It's always fun to me to look back at our year and see the changes we've all made, the adventures we've taken, and the memories we've made. Here's 2018 at a glance:

Our biggest "lifestyle change" was our Clark purchase! We took 14 trips total in Clark in our first 9 months! In addition to the trips listed in a previous post, we visited Lake Bastrop South Shore and Lake Belton in October, Pedernales State Park for Thanksgiving in November, a Camp Fire Reunion weekend at Cedar Breaks early December, Pace Bend Park mid December, and finally Huntsville State Park for New Years.

A chilly New Years Eve in Huntsville State Park

AJ cooking bacon 

Camp Fire Reunion weekend

Pedernales State Park with Madlers

Lake Belton

AJ still works for Mitel and was promoted to a Security Manager position at the end of the year. He's excited to have 2 employees on his team and they fight the "Hacker Bad Guys".

Shelley still teaching Childbirth Classes and helping families survive postpartum! I decided to retire from attending births about 18 months ago, which has freed up our lives dramatically.

Kelsey moved out with her special guy Darren this year and they are creating their own memories in South Austin for now.... who knows where the wind will take them!

Nathan is back in school full time at ACC and has decided to work on his Game Design certification. I expect him to be in school another year or so while he completes that. He's still at home and we are enjoying our "roommate" time with him while we can.

Shadow is hanging in there- he's 12 1/2 years old now! He had a 16 lb lipoma removed from his abdomen in June and he's like a brand new dog now! Chasing squirrels, de-squeaking toys, sunbathing, and enjoying his naps and walks.

Seeing White Christmas at the Palace in Georgetown

My mom had a hip replacement surgery in Sept so I spent a few days there taking care of her- it was some much needed quality time with she and Al. November we celebrated my grandmother's (GG) 97th birthday! And the holidays were full of fun family time at my parents, seeing White Christmas with Kelsey and Darren, and enjoying gifts and delicious food together.

 Feeling grateful for every moment I've had with family, friends, and even my special moments with clients. For 2019 we hope to continue our travel adventures (I'm super excited about Galveston State Park for my birthday!) keep working on being physically and emotionally healthy, growing, learning and expanding. Wishing the same for all of you reading this!

Introducing Clark

Maiden Voyage in Clark! Lake Georgetown

We just returned from our 7th trip in our travel trailer Clark! We bought him in March - a little bit of a "surprise" purchase at the RV Show. We already had a planned trip to Palo Duro for May and originally thought  we'd rent an RV for the trip- but the more we started thinking, the more we realized we were ready to take the leap and buy one! Clark is a 25 foot Aspen Trail made by Dutchman. He's perfect for the two of us. So after watching a ton of Youtube videos and multiple purchases from Walmart and Amazon, we took our maiden voyage all the way to Jim Hogg Park in Georgetown mid March. So much fun. We did another weekend trip to Cedar Breaks, and then to Stillhouse Hollow Lake- 3 whole trips before the BIG trip to Palo Duro. Kids decided to stay home so it was just Tones and me! We had a blast!

Stillhouse Hollow Lake

Palo Duro was beautiful, and it was so fun to have the comforts of home after a long day hiking or biking (we covered a lot of trails in that park in our 5 days there). We stopped at Abilene State Park on the way back and veered over to Wylie Tx to visit the Madlers before heading back home. It was a week in Clark and a lot of miles but so much fun.

Biking in Palo Duro Canyon

Atop the Canyon in Palo Duro

Abilene State Park

This summer Tones figured out how to connect the waverunner (Redbeard the Pirate, we just call him Red) to the back of Clark, and we can double tow! So June, July and August trips were back to Lake Georgetown for some summer fun in the sun and water. There's no way I'd normally do summer "camping" but with the A/C running, and the lake a short distance away, it was awesome!

AJ's birthday with friends on the lake!

Loving the Lake House Life

We are loving the "lake house life"...waking up in the morning to a sun coming up over the lake. Breezy, cool mornings. Tones can take Red for a morning run before breakfast! Days on the beach, evenings on our "porch" overlooking the lake with a glass of wine. Sleeping in a comfy bed, and waking up to do the same thing the next day. Better than a lake house- we can move it wherever we want to go!

We already have our fall trips planned through the end of the year. I've enjoyed our summer trip but look forward to cooler weather and some new places. On our "to do list"- Bastrop, Pedernales Falls, Huntsville, and Galveston Island State Parks!