Thanksgiving

Mat and I had a very busy, very happy Thanksgiving! We spent the first part of our break in College Station with my family. I wish I had a picture of this Thanksgiving. There were about 30 of us at my aunt's house- including 5 small children! It was crazy and tons of fun. We had fun as always playing lots of games, eating lots of food and enjoying catching up. It is hard to get us all together, and I am thankful that we are able to do it as often as we do! Here is a picture of most of us last April:

Last year Mat's family rented a beach house in Galveston, and we had so much fun they decided to do it again! On Friday, Mat and I left College Station to meet up with them in Galveston. We had more great food, played with our precious niece Kadence and had a few more games to enjoy- including a family game of Risk. (I watched but did NOT play!) Grammer, Mat's grandmother, took him out of the game first!

Mat and I had a chance to drive around and check out how Galveston is beginning to recover from Ike. Some parts of the island are recovering and rebuilding, but the devastation of the hurricane is still very evident. Last year we spent an afternoon shopping on the Strand in downtown Galveston. It is a street lined with historic buildings and neat shops- including Mat's favorite, La King- the old fashion soda fountain and candy store. This year, the shops were still there, but they were completely empty. Many of the stores had signs saying things about rebuilding and coming back. We're excited to see the Strand back to what it used to be!

We had a great time with our family and were reminded of all of the things we have to be thankful for!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom! Thank you for being such a supportive mother and friend! I love being able to talk "teacher" with you and share our experiences. I don't know how I would have made it through these first few years of teaching without your support and guidance! I love the time that we get to spend together and the conversations we have. I love the example you have set for me in my marriage and in my relationships with others. Most of all, I love the example you have set for me in my Christian walk. Thank you for all that you do for me and for our family. I love you! Happy Birthday!

Weekend Visitors

Mat's parents came to Austin to visit this weekend, and we had a great time with them! Saturday morning we got up and took them to Fredericksburg. We had a great hamburger and enjoyed lots of shopping! Sue had a great time in the quilt shop and even found a quilt for "Gran's Nursery", and I found something to add to my Christmas decorations. After our shopping excursion, I helped Sue set up a blog so that she could keep her friends and family updated on her grandchildren. Check it out for some cute Halloween pictures of Kadence (our niece)! We ate lots of good food at some of our favorite Austin restaurants and enjoyed some family time.