happy ♥ b-day

We spent the 3-day labor day weekend in Austin, celebrating my parents' birthdays. My dad's b-day is September 2nd and my mom's is the 9th, so we typically celebrate the weekend between the two. I have to point out though, that they are 1 week and 1 year apart - my always makes sure people know that. We had a wonderful dinner at Fonda San Miguel, which has now been added to "Restaurants We Love" because this place was amazing! It's interior Mexican food, so it's not your typical tex-mex - but boy is it delicious! Good margaritas, too!

We went to Lake Travis on Sunday, and walked ON the lake - literally. The lake is 50 feet below normal, so we were able to walk around on land that is typically under 50 feet of water. Pretty impressive! We found arrow heads, and other cool artifacts - no dinosaur foot prints though. :)

Today, Monday, we left our adorable dogs at my parents' house because were going to Omaha on Friday for the weekend. I already miss them SO much - the house is so quiet, and I'm almost bored! But next weekend should be fun. We're going to the Arkansas State (Josh's Alma Mater) v. Nebraska game in Lincoln, and staying with Josh's Aunt & Uncle in Ashton.

Anyways, we had a great weekend, and are happy for a 3-day work week!

Love - Kate

the cutest babies ever

my awesome parents

Our 1-year anniversary & vacation to Cabo

So I've finally found the time to blog about our absolutely wonderful vacation. The past month, work & life in general, has been so hectic! I'm so glad we were able to get away for a week of total relaxation.

Anyways - back to the vacation... The flight was great. We upgraded to first class (*ahhhh*) on the way there; which entitled us to lunch - salmon salad for me (surprisngly good) and a BBQ chicken pizza for Josh (he loved it), more leg room (which is always appreciated by us freaks), de-boarding the plane first (if you know me, you know I am impatient, so this is great) and of course, drinks! drinks! drinks! Mimosas for me, vodka/sprite for Josh...and let me tell you, this is such a blessing for me on a plane! I absolutely HATE flying, so getting a little buzzed definitely helps, especially when traveling international...it helps me get through customs when we arrive. Speaking of customs, it wasn't that bad in San Jose del Cabo - certainly better than Cancun & Montego Bay. We pre-booked a shuttle van to take us to the resort, which was really easy and totally convenient. Once arriving at the resort, we were greeted with a smiling senorita and a margarita - SALUD!

We stayed at the Riu Palace, which was absolutely amazing, in Cabo San Lucas. Everyone was so friendly, appreciative & service-oriented. I was nervous before the trip because there was a string of bad review on Trip Advisor, but everything far exceeded our expectations. The resort is all-inclusive, which means all the alcohol and food your little heart desires. If you know me, you know I practicaly starve myself before beach vacations (gotta look good in a bathin suit), so once I get out of the country...its pretty much ON! :) Needless to say, Josh & I always take full advantage of the all-inclusiveness.

Josh & I love to veg and do nothing on vacation, and this was exactly what we did - nothing (except a yummy couples massage & several strolls on the beach). Speaking of beach, the beach in Cabo is very different than any other beach we've ever been to. The beach down to the water drops off quite abruptly, almost like a cliff, allowing the HUGE waves to crash directly onto the beach. Its pretty impressive, and quite scary! Josh & I are pretty athletic, and I was afraid of drowning at one point. Anyways - I definitely do not recommend traveling to Cabo if you want to get in the ocean.

As I look at all our pictures, deciding which I want to print and display around the house - I can't help but think of how wonderful vacation is. Not only are we lucky enough to get PAID vacation time off, but we get to leave the country for an entire week. We are completely blessed.

Here are some pictures from our lovely vacation....

ENJOY! Love,

Kate

the first 30 mins we were there (still pale)

our first real day - Josh pimping the glasses I got him :)

me, in front of the gorgeous Cabo rocks!

2 photos of Josh's daily view ;)

drinks before dinner the first night

more beach pics....

beautiful Cabo rocks!

drinks on the terrace before dinner

the waves were really crazy this night. so bad they shook the sliding glass doors in our room.

our last day on the playa

last dinner in heaven

Worst TV shows

There's a list in my head of classically crappy television shows. I can't think of them all right now, but the list usually includes shows such as "I'm 16 and pregnant", "Real Housewives of Atlanta", "NYC Prep", "American Idol", anything involving Paris Hilton, etc. The show currently in my cross hairs as I hunt down the worst current TV show...."The Bachelorette".

I don't want to narrow this post down to this one show, so I'm going to include the entire Bachelor/Bachelorette series. What a load of crap. First of all, how can anyone sane go into this thing, think they're gonna meet someone within 30 days & get engaged, then get married, & have it last forever. Ain't gonna happen. Sure, some people out there really do meet someone, fall in love & get married right away, & they spend the rest of their lives together. But on these shows, the Bachelorette is also dating up to 25 or more guys at the same time, so your time with the Princess is minimal. Oh, also IT'S ON TV, so it's not gonna work. It's the biggest ridiculously produced load of crap I've ever seen, it's laughable. I can seriously see the producers whispering in the Bachelorette's earpiece, "Ok, now lean in, kiss him, smile, hug him & tell him he's great. Ok, now Randy your turn, come step in & take her out in the back garden". Not to mention you have this choade Chris hosting the whole debacle. He's so predictable in his lines & mannerisms. IS he really necessary? Is the show really necessary???

The finale last night was all just so nuts. The happy couple got engaged,as scripted. Now guess what! Time to go back to the semi-real world & when life starts happening it's "Oh, you're really like this when I thought you were like that?" "Oh, you were just acting for the cameras & saying lines the producers fed you?" "I feel like I hardly know you." Duh! It's only a matter of time before Jillian (questionable from the start) & Ed call it off. Bet.

--Josh

One year

Just a quick little blog to mention that today marks one year of wedded bliss for me & Kate. We were talking about it the other day, how the year has flown by & we have done so much. i can remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. Happy Anniversary, babe! I love you so much!

This afternoon we fly to Cabo for a week of celebration & relaxation. I'm sure there will be a full report at some point after the trip. We can't wait to get there, settle in, & lay in the sun with drink in hand.

Adios, amigos!!

--Josh

T minus 7 days......

I look up & find myself one week away from marking our first year of marriage. It's gone by quickly. I wouldn't say it's flown by but it's been a quick year. A week from today is the day, & to mark the occasion (& to just get the heck away from here & onto a beach) we'll be on our way to Cabo for a week. Just give me a 6-day sleeping pill & wake me up to pack the day before. Ok?

Kate turned 25 on July 10. Happy B-day hun! We celebrated the day with flowers, new jeans, chocolate cheesecake, & possibly the best dinner, steak or otherwise, either one of us have ever had. And lots of wine. Kate chose the Dallas Ruth's Chris steakhouse for herB-day dinner, which proved to be a most excellent selection. We skipped getting an appetizer in an effort to remain hungry when the steak & sides arrived, so we ordered 3 sides & each got a filet. The bring it out still sizzling, as advertised, & the taste doesn't disappoint. The accompanying sides were onion rings, mashed potatoes, & cream spinach. And a bottle of Shiraz. We finished full but not too full, trying to wrap our minds around how great everything was. Do yourself a favor & go there. ASAP.

We took the dogs to the vet on Saturday for Mav's annual shots & Schatzi's 4-month shots. Mav weighs 7.6 lbs & Schatzi 4.8 lbs. Both higher than what we thought. We filled the rest of the day with afternoon naps, a trip to Home Depot., & yard work later in the evening. Kate has been dying to take up the mulch in the front flower beds, & when I came back from my run she had started. It's safe to say I was less than thrilled to get started on this in 100+ degree heat, but marriage means that often its good to suck it up & do what the other wants to do over what you want to do, so I happily joined my lovely, profusely sweating wife in the task.

So hopefully we can get through this last pre-vacation work week without too much anxiety. Can't wait to get to Cabo, smell the ocean, feel the sun, have a margarita, & relax for a whole week.

--Josh

Rough Creek Lodge

My company celebrated our 10-year anniversary this past week. The actual anniversary is 9-9-09, but we celebrated early at Rough Creek Lodge. This place is amazing. If any of you want to get away for a weekend, you should really try this place. They have tons of outdoor activities (i.e. zip line, bungee jump, paddle boats, ATVing, skeet shooting, target shooting, fossil hunting, etc, etc...)

Working at an office with 22 women is a roller coaster ride, but we truly get along so well. This was such an awesome way to celebrate the anniversary. I just hope our boss celebrates our 11-year anniversary in such style! :)

The first day we did a GPS navigated scavenger hunt. We were split into 4 teams and were forced to answer Asher-specific questions and do different activities, once we found the "check points". It was cool because we got to try 10 of the activities offered at the lodge, without spending 3 full hours on 1 activity.

The second day we woke up really early (8am on vacation is no fun for Kate!)ache I, and we zip-lining and bungee jumping. This was alot of fun, except for the killer hangover headache I was sporting. After the aerobic activities, we went to the spaaaaahhh... The owner of our company gave us a $125 gift card to spend however we pleased (some women went skeet shooting or ATVing...I went to the spa). I got a Lomi Lomi massage, which was amazing. I definitely recommend that everyone try this style. Its representative of the Hawaiian waves, moving all over your body. Nice!

Both nights we had awesome cocktail hours and delicious dinners. I definitely recommend that EVERYONE goes out there. Josh & I will be going out there for a weekend getaway soon.

Coming up on the big time

I find myself sitting here at home tonight, with my 2 dogs napping, the lawn freshly mowed, a home-made burger for diner, & reflecting on how good everything is. The only downer is that Kate is currently on a company retreat & won't be home until Saturday afternoon. But, things are good. Tomorrow is our 11-month mark in our marriage......one month from our 1-year & our celebratory trip to Cabo.

I've got to say I'm quite happy with my little family. Schatzi is blending in surprisingly well with Maverick. It's great for them to have a friend to hang out with & play with. Kate & I continue to grow together. It's crazy to think that we're already coming up on a year. I remember this time last year, how it was all so exciting & moving so quickly. Then we went to Jamaica, & this year it will be Cabo. I think traveling is going to continue to be a big thing for us; one of our priorities. I'm really excited to take a vacation, but I really can't wait for that feeling I get when I'm far away from everything else except Kate, & we're n a new place together.

So hurry back, hun! Me & the dogs are doing good, but we can't wait to see you again!

Love you!

--Josh