Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Last Friday (Dec. 4th), it SNOWED in Houston. I am sure for those who deal with this all winter, it is not very exciting, but for this South Texas girl I may as well have been a kid on Christmas. I was so excited and could not stop taking pictures because every time I looked outside I convinced myself it was snowing just a little harder. Below are some pics of our house in the snow.

Trees outside our front door.....the snow is starting to stick. :)

Me...very excited to be having my picture taken in the snow

Jason...not as excited about me taking his pic in the snow....haha

Yes...I did document the date on the top of our trash can. :) (My car was parked in the garage so it didn't have snow on the windows.

Our First Christmas Tree

I was so excited for Jason and I to put up our first Christmas tree. It was a fun thing for us to do together, and we have been loving having our house all decorated for Christmas. When Jason and I were dating, we decided that we would buy a Christmas ornament from the city of each place we traveled. In the last couple of years, we have accumulated quite a few. It is so much fun to think back on those trips and talk about the memories made while decorating the tree. I included some close-ups of a couple of the ornaments we have added to our collection. Apologies for the hundred of pics in this post (these are for you mom since you won't get to see our decorations).

Just Maui'd bought on our honeymoon

Our "Aloha" Santa and Seattle Space Needle

Chicago (Mom's 50th B-day trip)

Our First Christmas (given to us as a wedding gift)

Scarlet

Jason's dad entered one of his cars (Scarlet...a '67 Chavelle) into a car show at the convention center downtown during Thanksgiving weekend. On Saturday night, we went to look at all the cars and watch the awards show. It was kinda neat to see all of the different cars. I have never been a "car person" myself, but Jason and his dad love cars. So after marrying into their family, I have alot to learn. :) I really did enjoy myself, and am so impressed at the condition that all of these old cars are in. Jason's dad won third place in his division. Congratulations Howard!

Jason and his Dad

Turkey Trot and Happy Thanksgiving

Jason's sister Jenn talked me into starting our Thanksgiving day by running in the Turkey Trot this year. We decided that it would be good to help raise money for a good cause and burn a few calories before enjoying Thanksgiving lunch. We woke up early on a cool Thanksgiving morning and headed over to Uptown Park to start the race. We ran the 10K (6.2 miles) and felt really great after. The weather was perfect, and it was a fun thing to do together. Thanks Jenn for convincing me to get up early and run! After the race, we headed home to get ready and headed over to Jason's parents house for a late lunch. We enjoyed great food, football, and fantastic time with family. It was my first major holiday not spent with my family, and although I missed them tons the Mayeaux's made me feel right at home and part of their family. One piece of advice my mom always gave me was when choosing a husband was you are not only marrying the man but you are also marrying the family. I think that it was excellent advice, and I am truly blessed to have married in to such a fantastic family who loves each other, supports each other, and sees the value in spending time together. Jason and I have so much to be thankful for. In our busy lives sometimes it is easy to forget how much we have been blessed with. It is so nice to have a day set aside to think about all the things we have to be thankful for. We hope that each of you had a Happy Thanksgiving and had time to reflect on all of the blessings in your lives!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON

Me and the Birthday Boy

Yesterday (November 19th) Jason turned 29! His parents, his sister and her boyfriend (Jenn and Neal), Jason, and I all went to Chatters for dinner to celebrate. We enjoyed good food and had a great time hanging out. I surprised Jason with a round of golf at Pebble Beach and a night at the Inn at Spanish Bay. He was so surprised. I was really excited because I get so stressed trying to think of good gifts. I thought of this one several months ago and had the hardest time keeping it a secret. The surprise was well worth it. We are going to go together to Pebble Beach sometime in the late spring or early summer. We can hardly wait! Happy Birthday Jason. I love you!

Neal, Jenn, and Howard (Jason's Dad)

Deanna (Jason's Mom), Katie (Don't mind the glasses....I had a lasik consultation and can't wear my contacts for a few weeks), Jason

My Sweet Husband

November 9th was the first day of my new job at RRI Energy. When I got home, my sweet husband had these gorgeous fall flowers waiting for me. It really means so much to me that Jason is so thoughtful. As far as work goes, I am starting to get settled in and adjusting to a new routine. It has definitely been a change, but I think I will learn alot along the way. Everyone in my group seems to be very nice and easy to work with. I look forward to the day when I have learned the company and figure out what I need to be doing.

O.A.R

A few weeks ago, Cale came up to Houston to visit and met Cody, Britt, Jason, and myself at the OAR concert. We all watched A&M beat Tech and then headed to Verizon Wireless theater to watch one of our favorite bands. Cale introduced me to this band many years ago, and I have loved them ever since. Listening to OAR was one of the first things that Jason and I discovered we have in common. We have been to see OAR every time they have come to Houston since we started dating. It is always a fantastic time, and this was no exception. The five of us are not all together very often anymore, and I truly cherish the time we get to spend together when we are. We all had such a great time hanging out together listening to wonderful music.

Two Weeks Notice

After a little over three years at Ernst & Young, I officially put in my two weeks notice today. After Jason and I weighed all the pros and cons, I decided to accept a senior financial analyst position at RRI Energy in their financial reporting group. I write this post with mixed emotions. I am super excited about this new opportunity and new chapter in my life but am also sad to leave Ernst & Young. I have been blessed over the last three years to work with incredibly wonderful people that made my job enjoyable (even during the crazy busy-season times when we were working insane hours). I feel like I have learned so much, gained many life experiences, and honed skills that will continue to help me throughout my career. I know that I will continue to learn and grow in this new position at RRI and am looking forward to the new challenges that are ahead. Please pray that I make a smooth transition (as I am not always the best with change). My first day is November 9th. I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Weekend in Weimer

Our good family friends, the Crabtrees, hosted their 2nd annual birthday bash last weekend. My parents, Cody and Britt, and Jason and I all met in Weimer on Saturday night to enjoy the festivities. The weather actually felt like fall, and we had such a great time eating, drinking, dancing, and just catching up. The Crabtrees definitely know how to throw a fun party. We had dinner complete with fried ribs (which I am sure were calorie free) and BBQ. We then enjoyed dancing to music by Steve Wariner and his band. All in all it was a fantastic weekend!.

Me, Britt, and Mom showing off our boots!!
Girl Pic

Cody and his two girls

Cute pic of mom and dad

Brittany and I had to take a pic with Steve Wariner. He stopped singing in the middle of his song to pose for this pic saying he wasn't going to miss that opportunity. HAHA

Dancin' with the Hubby

50 and Fabulous

As some of you may know, my mom turned the big 50 in July. We decided that a girls trip was the perfect way to celebrate the occasion so we planned a trip to Chicago. My mom, her best friend Patti, and my Aunt Sherry all turned 50 this year so we decided that it was the perfect 4-some for the trip. We left on the Saturday before Labor Day and came back the following Tuesday. We all LOVED Chicago. There was so much to do, and the city was beautiful. During our short time in Chicago, we shopped the magnificent mile, took a walking food tour (one of our favorite things), went to see Jersey Boys, went up in the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), took an architectural boat tour, ate at several great restaurants, visited Millennium Park, walked around Navy Pier, and strolled through the Lincoln Park Zoo. A great time was had by all and many memories were made. Happy Birthday to some of my favorite girls!

Shopping Michigan Avenue

Dinner before Jersey Boys. We had appetizers and drinks at a cute outdoor restaurant across the street from the theater.

At the spice house we visited on the food tour.

On the boat tour down the Chicago River

Beautiful skyline

Willis Tower

The famous bean at Millennium Park

Mom and I outside the zoo