Vacation in Nebraska

Ok, it wasn't just a vacation. It was celebrating Thanksgiving with Nick's family and his sister, Amber's, wedding! It worked out perfectly for us to be able to come back in one trip and have both big occasions.

We had fun on the road - we had to, it's 11-12 hours... but we had podcasts with us and enjoyed many sing-alongs with songs on the radio to keep ourselves entertained.

The beautiful landscape of fall colors kept us entertained too!

We stopped in Norman, Oklahoma for a break from the interstate and rode down Main Street and saw the Sooner Theatre. It was a cute and quaint main street although I hope the Oklahoma Sooners LOSE to Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game this weekend! ;)

A rural scene in Norman, OK.

The Bride and Groom to-be lookin' sharp at their rehearsal dinner

The proud big brother and his sister :)

Amber getting her hair done for the wedding - she's always beautiful and looked extra stunning on her wedding day.

ALL dressed up! I love the flower girl in this one, admiring and imitating Amber :) Isn't she the cutest in her little dress matching Amber's?! She absolutely loves Amber and will miss her when they move to the St. Louis area this week.

Catching a breather between the ceremony and reception. We didn't get any ceremony photos since we were in the wedding but it was a beautiful ceremony. Amber and Zach didn't see each other before she walked down the aisle and it was a priceless moment to witness them gaze at each other for the first time on their wedding day.

Father-Daughter dance

The parents of the bride and groom had a special dance. They've been long time friends and I love this one of them laughing together on the dance floor.

The cakes! Cupcakes (amazing flavors!), Norwegian Wedding Cakes (which Diane also made for my wedding, SO good!), and the raspberry swirl groom's cake.

We also got to catch up with great friends, Bart and Maria.

Dollar dance with the beautiful mother of the bride (Diane)

Well done, Charlie and Diane :)

I got a dip at the end of my dance :) love that girl!

It was a beautiful day (although a bit chillier than our 70 degree Texas weather right now... :)) full of love and laughter. The dance floor was the place to be all night and it was a great ending to a wonderful weekend of celebrations. Congrats to Amber and Zach and on a wonderfully planned wedding!

We made the trek back yesterday and now we prepare for our work week tomorrow (a 3 day work week for me... yes!) and laugh looking back at fun/funny memories from the week we enjoyed with friends and family in Nebraska.

Here and There

A few weeks ago, my mom and dad came for a visit! It was so great to see them and introduce my mom to our new stomping grounds :)

We checked out the Gaylord Texan (like last time my dad visited with family) - we love that place. This photo is without flash to see the features of the facility - the backdrop is made to resemble The Alamo.

I jumped in with them on this one; the flash makes the background disappear though. Still a good family photo!

And we checked out downtown Dallas! My dad liked this angle of the buildings and suggested I take this photo - good call, dad :)

These next 3 are basically the same but I couldn't choose just one! We made the trip to see the Rangers ballpark the day after they clenched the American League Championship Series. They were AMAZING - we Texans ;) are very proud of them!

At the Forth Worth Stockyards! You can't see them well in the background, but those are real cowboys practicing riding horses for the competition that night.

Eating dinner at Risky's BBQ at the Stockyards. Main reason for this photo: check out my mom's sweet light-up glasses!! Haha they were great! I used them reading directions in the car that night - they were perfect! Had to get a picture though, would've been funny to see what people around us thought!

Risky's 10 Commandments

Fresh preserves bought at a local farmer's market this morning! This huge container for $6, I'm excited to try it out, we were told this particular flavor was the best.

And some seriously amazing (maybe the best I've EVER had?!) homemade chips. Check out the ingredients list - doesn't get much better than that! We may have to splurge for her homemade salsa we sampled sometime soon too. It tasted garden fresh and made me want more after I left the market.



http://www.drkracker.com/
I just had to post about these because I haven't had them in MONTHS and found them at our grocery store today. These are SO good and if they're at a grocery store near you, you've got to try them! Ours were on sale for $3.50 and I was so excited! It's the simple things in life ;)


I'll leave you with a photo of my wonderful husband glued to the TV with his "stats" sheet on election night this week - gotta love him :)

By the way, we're one week into "No Poo" and so far so good... Enjoy your weekend!