Christmas Smores

Todd and I are both off this week for Christmas vacation, so we've been enjoying spending some time together. Yesterday, while we were at Lowe's, he had the bright idea to buy one of those small fire pits for the backyard so that we could make "Christmas Smores". I am always up for a good smore, so last night we set it up on the back deck and made ourselves some yummy treats! Here's Todd roasting some marshmallows.

We've decided to make this a new Christmas tradition -- good thing we live in a place where the weather stays pretty cooperative in December (notice Todd's shorts, tshirt, and sandals)!

Disney Trip

We just got home from our fabulous Walt Disney World trip! Here's just a taste of the pictures... more are definitely coming soon!

The Cone of Shame

I don't know if you've seen the movie "Up!", but if you haven't, it is a wonderful Pixar film (now out on DVD!). I'm not sure how entertaining it is for kids, but as a young married adult, the story of an old man trying to fulfill his late wife's life-long dream was incredibly poignant and touching. My husband and I never miss a Pixar release, and we were not disappointed when we saw this one earlier this year.

Anyway, the point of this post is about one of the sidekicks, a dog named Dug. He's got a good heart, so he's a little bit of an outcast among the villan dog pack. After yet another mess-up, they decide to put him in "The Cone of Shame".

Our dog Toby is currently in his own "cone of shame" due to an injury under his chin. It would be an understatement to say he's not happy about the situation. Everytime he looks at me with those sad eyes I hear Dug's voice... "I do not like the cone of shame!" Poor puppy!

Warp Speed Ahead...

November 11th.

What?!?! It seems like we just started school! It's amazing to me that the years seem to go faster and faster the older I get. Is that happening to anyone else?

This fall, I've been amazed at God's plan of opening and closing doors. I am (slowly) starting to understand why some things work out and why others don't -- it's simply not up to us, and I'm going to try to remember that next time a door closes. I'm glad someone else has the big picture in mind and is looking out for us!

Flu Season

Well, it's here earlier than ever, and it has hit our area hard -- flu season! Thankfully, Todd and I have managed to stay healthy when it seems like everyone around us is getting sick. Hopefully this will pass us by without giving us the germs!

Another thing that has hit our area hard -- high school football! We (and by "we", I mean the high school my junior high students will go to) are currently state-ranked, and Todd and I had fun going to the first home game a few weeks ago. This weekend is the big rivalry game, which is funny, because the "rival" is actually the high school my sister goes to. People are getting excited... it's shaping up to be a fun Friday night!

Go Highlanders!

Silly Puppy!

So I took this video of Toby recently... let's just say he was NOT happy with an apparent intruder on his turf. The offender in question is a schnauzer-shaped chalkboard, which makes it even more hillarious that he gets so upset by it! Guess it looked pretty real to him!

The 90-Day Rule

Let the official Disney countdown begin! Today marks the start of the "90-day" period, which I have learned is apparently pretty big deal in the land of Disney reservations. The 90 day rule means that you are 90 days from arriving at the resort and can start making reservations for different restaurants and shows around the WDW property.

The phones opened up at 6 AM this morning for dining reservations, so I got myself out of bed earlier than usual to call in. I swear I hit the "call" button at exactly 6, but I must have been a few seconds late, because by the time I got through on the lines I had to wait 30 MINUTES for the next available representative. Now, I completely understand Disney dining is a big deal and I was prepared for things to be a little busy, but my problem with the whole experience is that the line played "waiting music" the entire time. Thankfully, not Small World, but almost as bad because they only rotated through 3 short WDW-themed songs over and over and over! I had those silly songs in my head all day long!

I must admit this is the most trip planning we've done for anything since... well, since our wedding! It's all worth it, though... we got reservations this morning for Fantasmic and for the Candlelight Processional, not to mention tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! It's going to be an incredible trip!

P.S. - The funniest part of this story is that I went though the exact same process YESTERDAY morning... only to be told that I was a day early and that I would have to call back the next day!

Memaw's Surprise 80th Bday

This weekend, our family did something we have never done before... we threw a successful surprise birthday party for my grandmother's 80th birthday! Props definitely go to Aunt Darla, Aunt Vicki, Uncle Randall, and Stefnie for the planning and group gift ideas. With a family as large as ours (Memaw has 9 kids (including spouses), which have 17 grandkids (including spouses), which now have 4 great-grandkids), I really thought she would suspect something from someone, but she was completely surprised -- and I think after the shock wore off, she was very excited to see all of us there!

We ate a great lunch at the restaurant, then headed back to Memaw's house for some quality family time. Our family is spread out all across Texas, so we only really get to come together at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and any time we get to see each other is loud, fun-filled, and completely precious. It's amazing how being around family can just fill you with such a warmth and joy! Some of my very best memories growing up were at Memaw's house with our aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I've grown to appreciate my large extended family more and more as I get older. I can't wait to see them all again during the holidays!

Scrub Your Toilets and Change the Sheets... We've Got Company!

So last week was a week of visitors at the Anglin house. Our first guest was of the furry, four-legged variety -- Boomer, my parents' schanuzer. They were on vacation, and instead of leaving him out in the hot backyard, we offered to keep him over at our house for the week. We figured having two dogs in the house wouldn't be much different than the one we normally have, but it was funny to see how the two "only children" interacted the first few days!



Boomer is older than our dog Toby, and so when we have taken Toby to visit my parents' house in the past, he's usually the one running around and barking while Boomer just lays on the carpet. In fact, Boomer has always been nice and calm, very quiet, and does what he is told. When Boomer came over to our house, though, the roles completely reversed! Toby was the calmer one, while Boomer was much more active than we expected! Boomer also commandeered Toby's bed for the week, which I don't think Toby really minded too much because he's more of a floor dog. In the end, they got along well, and we were happy to keep him... although I think Toby was glad to be the "only dog" and get all of the attention again when Boomer went home!


We also hosted some human visitors last week -- members of Central Baptist Church in Jacksonville, TX. They were meeting up with our church here and two churches from La Grange for a mission trip to Germany to teach a Baseball Camp for kids. They say that the kids are fascinated to learn about "American sports", and they invite all of the families for worship services each evening in the towns. Our church has been involved with this for the last 7 or 8 years, and keeps growing each summer. Todd and I had fun chatting with our guests and getting to know more about them and their mission trip before they left. What a fun week! :)

The Wonderful World of Disney

Instead of taking a summer vacation this year, Todd and I have decided to wait and take a mini-vacation when he finishes up his travel season in December. I am super excited -- we are going to Walt Disney World in Florida!! I absolutely LOVE going to WDW, and we have never been there during the winter, so it will be something new for both of us. I'm looking forward to going in December because of smaller crowds, better weather, and best of all, we'll get to see the parks totally decked out for Christmas!

Todd and I had a lot of fun last time we visited. During our last adventure, we stayed in the Polynesian Resort and saw all 4 parks in 2.5 days. I think we were only able to see everything we wanted to see because it was just the two of us -- and even then, we were exhausted by the end of it! This time we're going to take things a little slower and really soak in all of the Disney magic, including Mickey's Holiday Party and Epcot's Candlelight Processional. I booked our trip this morning, so now all we have left to do is countdown the days until we leave! (which right now, is a whole lot... better to count months instead!).

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." ~ Walt Disney

Before and After

Toby finally got a much-needed haircut this week... here are his best before and after pictures:

Before.... kinda cute, but really shaggy!



After... much better! He actually looks like a schnauzer again!

4 Years!

Wow, I can't believe Todd and I have been married for 4 years! It's been an amazing journey together, and I can't imagine my life without him. We have seen many new places, met many new friends, and made so many new memories over the last four years. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the future!

Summer is Here!

We are so excited summer is here! Time for grilling out, lazy afternoons, and the chance to do everything I put off during the school year (reading books for fun, scrapbooking, organizing the pink room... yeah, there are still unopened boxes in there from when we moved in last year!). This summer, I'm teaching summer school in the mornings, which is nice because it makes me get up and out of the house. Plus, school ends at 11:15, so I have the whole rest of the day to do whatever I need to do!

Last month, Todd bought me a bicycle and we've started riding around our block in the evenings. I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 15, but I forgot how much fun it is! And if you pedal fast enough, you can make your own breeze and barely notice the humidity. :)

Hope you're enjoying your summer as well!

What's "Yours" is "Mine"...

So, after almost 4 years of marriage, I guess it's time to turn "my" blog into "our" blog! Todd and I did a little of this when we had our wedding website going, but since that's no longer up and running, we're starting fresh here. My other blog will no longer have new posts... end of an era, I know!

I've been anxious to get into my craft room and do some major scrapbooking this summer since everything is finally finished and unpacked. I'll post some of the better pages when I get them completed! Here's one I did a while ago...

Welcome!

Welcome to our family blog! We will be posting general updates about us here as time allows. Hope you enjoy!