Cruising the Caribbean

We had a wonderful vacation with Ronnie's side of the family at the end of May.  We cruised to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel.  It was amazing and the weather was perfect!  We enjoyed the down time on the ship while hanging out at the pool, watching the boys play sports, and eating until we could not possibly eat anymore!  At each destination, we took an excursion:  A park where we could hold monkeys in Roatan, cave tubing in Belize, and a day of adventure on a private beach in Cozumel!  I'm still working on my shutterfly photo book, so more to come later....

Little Lady Turns One!

We made a quick trip to Oklahoma for our sweet little niece's first birthday. It was so fun to hang out with our little lady and the rest of Ronnie's family. Ronnie was able to visit his sister and brother at their jobs and we got to spend time with all his grandparents (Keep his papa in your prayers as he is having a dificult time recovering from heart surgery). Little miss Brooke had a lot of fun with her birthday cake and really seemed to like the play food we got for. A girl after my own heart. ;) We miss them all so much already and cant wait until the next visit. 

December Disney

I think my sister would kill me if didnt dedicate a post to our spontaneous trip to Disney World.  Cori came to Ronnie and me in late November and bluntly stated, "You guys should take me to Disney World."  I laughed and asked her when.  She simply said, "Before the end of the year."  And that is how it started.  I knew that school would not afford me the time to plan such a trip so it was up to Ronnie and Cori to plan the trip details and keep the price down.  But they did it... every last detail.  Cori even looked up Disney "secrets."  We found little hidden treasures, events, and tricks all along the way.  We were in Disney for 4 days over New Years Eve.  For those who have never ventured to Disney over New Years, I will tell you that what they say is true.  It is the single busiest day of the year as everyone crowds in to see the spectacular castle and firework show at midnight.  Magic Kingdom was at capacity by 9am, so we got there for Magic hours at 6am and stayed until midnight.  It was an incredible show, well worth the wait.  But I dont know that I will dare fight the crowds again.

There are so many cool pictures of the trip and I wish I could elaborate more.  But for the sake of time, I will just leave you with a glance at the Shutterfly book I just put together of the trip.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Spontaneous Vacation

Ronnie and I decided quite last minute that we needed a get-a-way. Our Easter travel plans had fallen through and life has been quite hectic, so we decided to hit the beach for an early weekend/Easter trip. Of course, Ronnie HAD to take his new Suzuki Samurai down. The ride down was quite warm and bumpy and I decided right away that I don't care too much for the little car, but Ronnie seems overly excited about it, so I just go with it. I'm pretty sure Mia agrees with me.

Anyways, we stayed for 2 nights and enjoyed taking Mia for walks on the beach. The weather was perfect and the water was nice and warm. Mia seemed to get over her fear of the water just enough to chase the waves up and down the beach every now and then.

We also took a nice little picnic out to Padre Island and did a little bit of 4-wheeling with the little sammi. It was a lot of fun and again PERFECT weather. Ronnie then took me to tour the USS Lexington. I will admit that the ship was larger than life, but I learned right away that Navy life is not for me... I had more than a few near claustrophobic moments while touring the inside.

All-in-all, the spontaneous trip proved to be just what we needed to rest and distress. Plus, we managed to get our fist tans of the season!

The travel bug

Ronnie and I caught the travel bug last week after Ronnie got out of the hospital so we decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to see his family. After a late night at the rodeo on Friday, we woke up early on Saturday and drove to Dallas. We had a great day with Ronnie's Uncle Ken, Aunt Tracy, and cousins Samantha and Zane. It is hard to believe almost exactly a year ago, we were in Dallas picking up our little Mia bug! Mia had a great time playing with all their little Chihuahuas, too. It is always so great to spend time with Uncle Ken and Fam.

The morning came too early on Sunday as we headed toward Tulsa at about 4:30am. We made it into town before church and even had enough time to have breakfast with our great friends Logan and Haylee. What an unexpected surprise! We stayed in Tulsa from Sunday until Wednesday morning.

Here are the highlights:
*Sunday morning breakfast with our amazing friend's Logan and Haylee-- couldnot have asked for a better start to the trip
*Seeing Jake sing at church on Sunday
*Lunch with Grandma and Papa McCulley followed by a visit with Great Grandma Owens in the nursing home
*Watching Lauren ride her horse, Patriot, and then getting a chance to ride ourselves!
*Having dinner with Aunt Jan and listening to all of her funny stories from China
*Stopping by Tulsa Bible Church to say thank you to all the wonderful staff there for their prayers and support
*Taco Bueno lunch with family (this was a high point for Ronnie)
*Pizza dinner at Jessica and Ryan's house filled with wrestling, funny stories, ferrite fun, and family time with the McCulley's and Nana and Grandpa
*Late night movie's (for us girls) and whatever-it-was that the boys did during that time...
*Watching Mia and Boomer fight over the multitude of chew-sticks around the house
*Dressing Mia and Boomer in their clothes


All and all, it was a very fast but fun trip.

Delightful Distractions

Distractions are a great way to keep your mind occupied from worry and boredom. The last week has been a great distraction for Ronnie. He has been home in between surgeries for the past week and a half and has had quite a few visitors. Ronnie's parents and two younger siblings came for a quick visit. We girls enjoyed shopping at a few of our favorite stores while the boys held a semi-friendly competition in racquet ball. We had a really relaxing and fun time.

Less than 24 hours later, Ronnie's Nana and Grandpa came for a visit and brought with them a collection of old movies. Gotta love Alfred Hitchcock! Were were also able to visit the Buckhorn and Texas Ranger Museum which was a fun collection of western game, guns, and replicas. I feel so Texan!

It was so great to see so many relatives and it certainly kept Ronnie's attention off his upcoming surgery.

Friendship is good for the soul

We brought in the new year with an extra dose of friendship. I think it was just what the doctor ordered. Our dear friends, Logan and Haylee spent a few days with us relaxing and enjoying the sites of San Antonio. We drove out to Corpus Cristi for a picnic, walked around the river walk, played bingo at the WFSC, visited the hospital, took pictures in the sunken garden, baked new treats, and played lots of games. But That is really just a taste of it all. They certainly were good medicine to our souls.

Logan grew a bit attached to our little Mia.

Fun with Shadows

Feeding the gulls. Too fun.

Enjoying the River Walk with all its lights.

La Mansion Hotel on the River Walk.

Family Visit

Ronnie and I were so thankful to have my family come down to San Antonio for a few days between Christmas and New Years. The trip had been planned for my family for several weeks, but we were glad that Grandma decided to join in.

Day 1: River Walk & Alamo

Day 2: Shopping

Day 3: History- Guenther House and Missions
Day 4: Family Time & New Years Eve

Coney Island

This is a famous little place in Ft. Wayne. Grandma talks about it a lot so it was fun to take the whole family over there to have the Coney Island experience. And, trust me, it was an experience.

Wisdom

Ronnie and I stopped in to visit a friend of my Grandma Meyers today. Her name is Helen and she is a wonderfully sweet 93 year old woman. She has been a prayer warrior for us over the past year and was so excited for us to drop by. Though we stayed for only a short while, I learned so much from her. Helen's late husband was a veteran of World War II. She proudly showed us the pictures of him in uniform. She pulled out an oversize binder filled to the brim with "His Story."

"Do you keep a journal?" she asked me.
"Not really, but I suppose I should." I replied.
"Oh, you must keep a journal." she insisted as she proudly flipped through the pages of "His Story."
You see, Helen is preserving history... for her, her family, and for future generations. She is creating books filled with stories, memories, pictures, and history. How precious is the gift of memories? She did not just stop there though. Helen has made a book of her daughter's story and is also working hard to create her own story. She inspired me today. She inspired me to dig into my family's story and to preserve it, and also to preserve the story Ronnie and I are just beginning to create.

Honeymoon

We honeymooned in beautiful, serene Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The views were simply breathtaking. We enjoyed shopping in the quaint town, seeing the shows in Pigeon Forge each evening, driving out to historic Cades Cove, and relaxing in our lovely Eight Gables Bed & Breakfast suite. There was so much to see and do!

To see our pictures, please follow the link here.

Thanksgiving

Today I am reminded, as I should be every day, to be thankful for everything that I have. I have been so blessed this November to be able to see so many of my extended family and friends. It is certainly not taken for granted. Our wedding was a wonderful time of worship and fellowship with so many who have prayed for us from afar. What a blessing to be able to see so many wonderful people. We are truly blessed.

I am also incredibly blessed to spend this thanksgiving with my husband. Last year on thanksgiving, I was by myself in San Antonio, visiting Ronnie in the hospital. At the time, we still did not know to what extent he would recover. Today, he stands as a living testimony of God's amazing healing power and grace. I am so blessed to live day in and day out with him and learn more about him through good times and trials.

Wedding Prep

Everyone pitching in to stuff cake pops. :)

Bleed Blue

Wounded Warrior Project graciously gave Ronnie 10 tickets to the Colts vs. Jaguars game on Sunday, November 13th. It was an experience that even us Hoosiers had never had. We invited the McCullough family to come along too. We arrived early Sunday morning at Lucas Oil Stadium and were escorted down to the field for a photo op. We were all given souvenir backpacks and meal vouchers. After the photo op, we walked down the road to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast before the game. It was an amazing experience despite the inevitable loss of the game. One more thing to cross off my bucket list!

23rd Birthday

23. It doesnt feel much different than 22 yet. Maybe it is because I have had very little time to process it yet, being so busy and all. My birthday was a lot of fun though. We spent the morning sleeping in and recouping from our late night in the ER then headed out to a local craft show with renewed energy. Later on, we went out to dinner, ate the wonderful Boston Cream Tort my mommy baked, and opened presents. What a wonderful day. So thankful I could spend it with my family. :)

ER Trip

Coming from warm Texas to frigid Indy seemed to shock my body. After only a day, I was developing a sore throat and within two days I could no longer talk. Knowing that my birthday and weekend were going to be busy and that I had less than a week until the wedding, Ronnie and I decided to go ahead and get me checked out at about midnight on my birthday, November 12th. I was kind of bummed to spend the night in the ER waiting room but in the end I was glad I did. The Doctor assured me that I was not contagious (a huge relief) and that instead I had something bacterial developing. Normally they would wait until something actually formed, but given our time crunch, they went ahead and treated me. Four shots later, 2 Penicillin, a steroid, and an anti-inflammatory pain med, I was discharged and already feeling better. My voice stayed week for the next week and a half, mostly just raspy in the evenings. Thankful everything could be taken care of early.

Visitors!

Ronnie's Nana and Grandpa Willson came for a long weekend visit a couple weeks ago. We had a great time showing them around out San Antonio home including our apartment, BAMC, and Fort Sam. We also did lots of new and interesting touristy things like the River Walk and some museums.

Ronnie and Grandpa have always bonded over a love of flying. Now that Ronnie is pursuing a pilot's license, we decided to take Nana and Grandpa to Stinson Air Field, the oldest air field in the united states. They had so much fun looking at all the models and real working planes.

We also went to the San Antonio Transportation Museum. The old cars and model trains were really neat. We especially loved riding the old train and a 1920's firetruck!

We were so glad Nana and Grandpa could come for a visit. We loved showing them our world and spending time with them. We had so many laughs and memories that I know we will cherish forever.

Ronnie Turns 22

A few months ago, we all wondered if this day would come. Life seems so much more precious now. We spent Ronnie's birthday in downtown San Antonio. We had a two night hotel pass to use, so we did some site-seeing. We were able to walk along the river, visit the Alamo, shop at the mall, see a movie, take a river boat tour, and go through Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. It was an action packed early weekend. Happy Birthday, Ronnie!!

The Wax Museum at Ripley's

The Alamo

River Tour

Opie's Revenge

Though Mia had a great week with Ms. Terri while were were gone, she was quite happy when we came home. She always looked for a lap to sit on.

When she wasn't sitting on someone's lap, she was wreaking havoc for poor Opie. After chasing him through the house a hundred times, Opie finally stood his ground and fought back. He cornered Mia in a bedroom, hissing and batting at her. Then he chased her through the house. Panicked, Mia sought out anyone that could protect her from the little monster. But Opie wouldn't give up. He continued to pursue her and chase her whenever she was alone. Mia learned a valuable lesson and now has a healthy fear of the cat.

Grandma and Pig Tails

I am so blessed to have two amazing sets of grandparents, one set that lives just a couple hours from our home in Indy and another set that lives way down in Panama, Central America. My Grandma Olga made the trip up to the U.S. from Panama for several weeks so we couldn't miss an opportunity to see her. Whenever Grandma Olga is in town, we have to make my FAVORITE food; Almojabanos.... or Pig Tails as we like to call them. They are a delicious mix of corn and cheese that only Grandma can make. :)