Enchantment in Santa Fe Part 1

Our first stop along our Southwest vacation Aug. 2012 was Santa Fe, New Mexico, the oldest functioning capital in the USA. What an enchanting place!! The weather was gorgeous with a high of 80 and cool mountain breeze. Nothing was overly crowded and the people were extremely friendly. All of the buildings and homes in Santa Fe must be done in the Adobe style, whether it is real or fake, according to a mandate by the governor in the 1930s. The city still abides by this today, keeping with tradition while also unifying the town and offering tourists a feeling of Santa Fe from the 1200s.

Toured St. Francis of Assisi Basilica in the heart of town, enjoying Romanesque architecture and stained glass windows from the 1300s, along with a gorgeous baptismal font. The front doors reminded Dylan and I of the famous gilded doors of the Duomo in Florence. They have a statue of Virgin Mary which was supposedly carried during the First Crusade and brought over to America in 1400s. She has over 300 outfits and a crown made of gold and diamonds. Pretty crazy huh?! The stained glass windows are made of lead by the way- not too smart back in the late Middle Ages huh?! There are only 2 places in the world that will clean windows like that today and according to the Docent we talked with, it cost a truck-load of money to get this done, so it has only happened once in the Basilica's history; ironically, 2 months before we got there. :)

Next stop was the Loretto Chapel, the only Gothic cathedral west of the Mississippi, to see the miraculous staircase. (Notice the Gothic altar piece and outside spirals) According to legend, a wandering man built the 20 ft. famous staircase completely out of one piece of wood without using any supporting beams or handrails in order to reach the choir loft. Staircase contains 2 complete 360 degree turns. He left just as mysteriously as he had come. The staircase stood like that for years until in the early 1900s, the nuns and choir ladies said the staircase was unsafe and required handrails, so the church built them on.

Next came a visit to the oldest functioning house in the USA. A small, nondescript adobe building connected to a pizza parlor and gift shop. Artifacts from the 12-1300s from the Pueblo Native Americans were inside. Our favorite was an old tortilla press. These "chili tails" were everywhere so of course, I had to get some to take home. My souvenir from Santa Fe. :) The chilies actually start out green and then turn red as they dry.

Dog Days of Summer

This July marks Goober being with us for almost year and a half. He has grown, developed and shaped our lives in oh so many ways:

1. Dylan and I's world revolves around this little guy. Morning, noon and evening we are both constantly making sure he is taken care of before we do anything. Plans revolve around Goobz schedule. We are that couple who either leave early or come late because we had to walk Goobz or get him to do his "business."

2. He is spoiled. He knows it; we know it and none of us care. :)

3. Dylan aka "Dad" is good for taking naps and rough housing. Rough housing involves Goober biting and chasing Dylan's fingers/hand around for hours. After a while it becomes a slap and bite game and yes, BOTH of them participate in these actions.  

4. Goober refuses to do anything else unless I do it with/for him. He literally will not walk with Dylan unless I come too. (sits down on the floor and refuses to budge) He sleeps with me, follows me around and even gets upset when I shut a door on him. 

5. His toys take up half of our house because he sees fit to place them everywhere Mommy and Daddy have their stuff. (Loves loves to bury his rawhide bones underneath Dylan's pillow at night..makes for an uncomfortable "hello" when Dylan gets into bed) His favorite game right now though is to run all the way up the stairs and drop a squishy ball down.  Mommy picks it up and throws it back up the stairs for him to chase. This happens over and over and over again. Now, its much better than the "chase the dog around the house" game, but it still wears you out. He barks too, when you do not get the toy fast enough. 

6. He loves to be outside in our front yard because we have all of this tall, soft grass!! We think he looks like Simba as he meanders through the grass. Everything outside amuses him, but his favorites are the bugs. Preferably live ones. :) The crickets he chases and pounces on as they jump away from him. Beetles, june bugs, bugs w/ wings he knocks around until their wings are gone and then he chases them on the ground. Tries to catch butterflies and moths in the air...yet to be successful in this adventure. The Cicada bugs are the best though! They leave their shells attached to rocks, blades of grass etc. and they confuse him so bad. He cannot tell if the shells are living or dead- takes him forever to get the courage up to touch it and then they break so he gets all upset. 

7. He sleeps in the most uncomfortable positions!! And he dreams! It is hilarious! His legs look like they are running and he grunts, whimpers, whooshes air out of his nose etc. 

8. Total "Curious George". Every nook, cranny, space he can wiggle his body into he will. He also thinks he needs to be doing whatever Mommy and Daddy are doing, or at least looking at the same thing. 

9. He talks. Really and truly! Walk in the door after being gone a while, ask Goobz how his day was and he will start moaning, groaning, whinning, whimpering etc. The more you ask, the more pitiful the noises become. He does this with both Dylan and I and we think it is hilarious. :)

10. He is finally healthy!! After our awful GI problems in April, we switched his food, treats and bones and have not had any more problems. Went for his yearly check up and everything was how it should be. And yes, he still weighs a whopping 10 pounds. 

11. Goobz is way smarter than he looks. He knows the sounds of all kinds of words; some words we wish he did not know. :) Now, whether he chooses to obey and listen to all of these words is up to him and some days, he has very selective hearing. :) Typical male... *wink wink*

12. If you let him, he could become the Energizer Bunny. Sometimes I will walk him at least 3 miles and none of it will phase him. I'm tired and want to go home while he wants to go another round. (Our neighborhood is all hills btw)

13. He is still not super friendly, but is getting better. Goobz does pretty well with females, but still very skittish around males. We cannot tell if this is something that lingers from his days before we rescued him or if it is because I coddle him too much or a combination of both. 

14. We spend more on preparations for Goobz when we go out of town than on ourselves. I also call and check up on him while we are gone too. It's bad... I know! 

15. There are many, many more things but at the end of the day, Goobz makes Dylan and I laugh so much. He causes us to smile all the time, and most importantly, he continually teaches Dylan and I about love and forgiveness. No matter the tone of your voice, no matter how long you are gone during the day, no matter if you forget to give him a walk or treats, he loves you. This little guy has love for both of us that just spills over 24/7; so in turn, we take his love, give it back to him and remember to show it as much as possible to each other. 

Keep on tryin' till I reach my highest ground

"God is gonna show you higher ground" -Stevie Wonder

About a year ago, Dylan discovered a new hobby very popular in South Texas area: Climbing. As usual, he spends countless hours researching techniques, watching videos on-line and practicing roping techniques at the house. We were fortunate enough to have him win a random outdoor contest in December, giving him oodles of  free climbing gear which is a good thing because this stuff is expensive!

So many people climb down here that he could basically go anytime he wanted but for the past few months a solid group of guys from dental school have been climbing on Sundays. I went once or twice, and I can climb. I just don't enjoy it. It really tears up your fingers, but more importantly, I think it's more of a guy thing. Begs the question of "am I enough of a man to get all the way up that wall just by my sheer brute strength?" Little too Neanderthal for me- hehe! It is also very technical and requires you to visualize the route you want to climb. Good spatial skills are a must and well, I lack those in large quantities! Dylan loves it though and that is all that matters! 

Here are some pictures of Dylan and his periodontist friend Greg climbing at Medicine Wall off east 1604 and Stone Oak area. (Greg's brother John took the pictures)

Drs. Greg and Dylan

Why so serious?! 

I don't think Dylan has enough gear on... :)

4 Beautiful Years Together!

July 12th, 2012 marked Dylan and I's 4 year wedding anniversary- amazing how time flies!! Truly incredible when I think of all the many accomplishments and challenges we have weathered these past years- and we are only 26 too!! Amazing what all you can do when you put your mind to it and have the best help-meet in the whole wide world!

Looking back.... we met first day of college, Aug 2004, at Abilene Christian University (Go Wildcats!) and have been together since. Courtship took place solely at school since we did not live in the same state. Pretty sure Dylan met my parents for the first time AND had to ask my dad if could marry me- darn brave if you ask me!

Proposal was a magical December day in Fredericksburg. Engagement pics in Austin were crazy! Multiple outfit changes, multiple locations and of course, it was hot that day! But, they all turned out great and I was beyond pleased with all of the shots the lady took! The wedding occurred in Abilene at Willow Creek Wedding Chapel. (Literally an oasis in Abilene because this place is pretty! Trees, grass, water- who knew right?!) Our pastor from ACU, Kevin O-Banion, officiated. We both had absolute love and support from our families and so many, many friends. It truly was the best feeling in the world for both of us to turn around after the ceremony and see that wedding chapel literally PACKED with people- standing room only!! My mother-in-law and her family catered our wedding with yummy food, and my parents sent us on a truly, truly fabulous honeymoon to Maui and Oahu, Hawaii.

Fredericksburg Proposal Day

House Pictures: July 5th-July 12th

1st move in day

Entry way as seen from 2nd floor

Yay Texas!!