A Solemn Day
A week and a half ago I was able to make the trip to San Antonio to for my grandfather's 90th birthday party. I think I briefly wrote about this in a previous post. He recently suffered a second heart attack and came out of surgery the day before he was to celebrate with the entourage of family members that came in for the occasion. Well to make the story short, his body deteriorated rather quickly since that Sunday and this morning at 1 am James Lowell Mason went to be with the Lord. I wasn't sure how this would make me feel but the entire day had a somber undertone to it. Death itself is such an interesting. It is hard to think my dad and my family will not see him alive again. I find myself living as though this life will go on into perpetuity but in reality it is fleeting. Today a life was lost to an ailing body but a newness of life began. I'm so thankful for the brief time I was able to spend with him and my family roughly two weeks ago. I'm also thankful that he knew the Lord and i will see him again one day. Death has been conquered.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
It's was interesting, today at church we heard a message regarding Paul's letter to the Philippians. Paul spent much time in prison and starts this letter talking about how his time in prison and everything that has happened to him had served to further his message and for it to be heard. This was interesting because Paul was essentially seeing a glimpse of the Lord's perspective which is exactly what I was writing in one of my most recent posts. In no way am I comparing myself to this amazing apostle with a similar name but rather challenged by his eternal view. For those who have been reading, thanks for listening as I have been learning and thinking about this a lot lately. Here is a great quote that I heard this morning as well:
"God plants his saints in the most useless places. We say, 'I should be here because I am so useful.' Jesus never estimated his life by the standard of greatest use. God puts his people where they will glorify him, and we are not capable of judging where that is."
-Oswald Chambers
"God plants his saints in the most useless places. We say, 'I should be here because I am so useful.' Jesus never estimated his life by the standard of greatest use. God puts his people where they will glorify him, and we are not capable of judging where that is."
-Oswald Chambers
Friday, September 17, 2010
Perspective
My day today looked something like this. I said goodnight to my beautiful wife last night which was actually this morning and hence was a wonderful start to the day. Upon waking up I slowly prepared myself for school by making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while eating a bowl of cereal. Too much information I'm sure. I proceeded to go to campus where I had my 9am seminar class. My seminar class involves a dozen PhD students discussing multiple finance papers and dissecting each model and analysis therein. This morning's topic happened to be debt structure and the relationship to credit ratings. Fun stuff I know.
After class I ventured over to my office which is a term i use rather loosely. It is a large room full of 20 cubicles, yes I'm back in a cube farm, which is where I can do most of my studying. It is nice because it is quiet and I have a computer to study with and post on my blog. As I began to study this afternoon one of my classmates and I started chatting. We spent the next hour or possibly longer learning about each others stories, cultures, food, and family. This was not the first time I had the opportunity to learn of my classmates countries and their cultures.
Since I've started my program I keep asking myself if I'm qualified to do this work. If I have the capacity to succeed in academia. I often ask myself what I should do when I fail. All valid questions but as I remember the path that the Lord took me down to get to this point I remember there is purpose for where I am yesterday, today, and going forward. I write this because as I sat listening to my classmate share of his traditions, his country's cuisine and culture I began to realize that the Lord has a different perspective than I. Although obvious in principal much different in action. From when I can remember I have had a love for food. Since college I have loved adventure. Since marrying and moving to Colorado I have loved traveling. My perspective of these things is incorporated in my longing to see the world and traveling to various places.
I was brought to UT Dallas to work on a doctorate degree but I'm beginning to see a glimpse of how the Lord's perspective is different than mine and still incorporates the things he has given me a passion for. I feel I was traveling and living an adventure by listening to my classmate share about a world I've never experienced. These relationship excite me and I thank the Lord for this as I look ahead to more adventure in the cube farm at UT Dallas.
Random thoughts so I apologize for poor sentence structure, grammatical errors, and unorganized writing.
My day today looked something like this. I said goodnight to my beautiful wife last night which was actually this morning and hence was a wonderful start to the day. Upon waking up I slowly prepared myself for school by making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while eating a bowl of cereal. Too much information I'm sure. I proceeded to go to campus where I had my 9am seminar class. My seminar class involves a dozen PhD students discussing multiple finance papers and dissecting each model and analysis therein. This morning's topic happened to be debt structure and the relationship to credit ratings. Fun stuff I know.
After class I ventured over to my office which is a term i use rather loosely. It is a large room full of 20 cubicles, yes I'm back in a cube farm, which is where I can do most of my studying. It is nice because it is quiet and I have a computer to study with and post on my blog. As I began to study this afternoon one of my classmates and I started chatting. We spent the next hour or possibly longer learning about each others stories, cultures, food, and family. This was not the first time I had the opportunity to learn of my classmates countries and their cultures.
Since I've started my program I keep asking myself if I'm qualified to do this work. If I have the capacity to succeed in academia. I often ask myself what I should do when I fail. All valid questions but as I remember the path that the Lord took me down to get to this point I remember there is purpose for where I am yesterday, today, and going forward. I write this because as I sat listening to my classmate share of his traditions, his country's cuisine and culture I began to realize that the Lord has a different perspective than I. Although obvious in principal much different in action. From when I can remember I have had a love for food. Since college I have loved adventure. Since marrying and moving to Colorado I have loved traveling. My perspective of these things is incorporated in my longing to see the world and traveling to various places.
I was brought to UT Dallas to work on a doctorate degree but I'm beginning to see a glimpse of how the Lord's perspective is different than mine and still incorporates the things he has given me a passion for. I feel I was traveling and living an adventure by listening to my classmate share about a world I've never experienced. These relationship excite me and I thank the Lord for this as I look ahead to more adventure in the cube farm at UT Dallas.
Random thoughts so I apologize for poor sentence structure, grammatical errors, and unorganized writing.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Coffee Anyone?
So I have been in this bad habit of drinking coffee around 9 or 10 o'clock to give me a little boost of energy so i can study for a couple hours before I head for bed. Well tonight I found myself distracted from studying and now it is almost 1 am and you guessed it, I'm still up so i decided to write a bit.
Last weekend was a packed weekend. It was a bitter sweet time because my girls were out of town but my buddy Michael and I raced in the Dallas City Chase. It is basically a grown-up scavenger hunt. Each team of two has to decipher clues that tell them where the checkpoints are. Each team has to complete 10 of 20 possible checkpoints before returning to the finish line. You can use public transportation or your feet to get around. We chose to use our feet primarily. We ended up running roughly 8 miles across downtown Dallas. From jumping in pools to racing through an obstacle course we made it through the 10 checkpoints and back to the finish line. It felt like we were in our own little Amazing Race pushing hard to avoid elimination. I realize that I love competition and the adventure. At the same time I realize one thing......man I'm getting old!
On Sunday, my dad, Sam, his girlfriend and I drove down to San Antonio for my grandpa's 90th birthday party. Early last week he had a second heart attack so we were forced to have his party at the hospital but that didn't deter from the celebration of his 90 years. It was such a sweet time of hearing stories and memories from people that have been impacted by this man's life. It has been almost 5 years since I had last seen him and it felt like I had missed out on so much even though this is not reality. I realized a couple things as I sat listening to the stories being told. One thing was the importance of having my kids know their grandparents and family in a deep way. I'm grateful for being back in Texas for this very purpose to have help and encouragement from our family. The second is also in response to a recent book I read by Donald Miller. It speaks about living a better story and how sometimes this entails risk, fear, and pain. I listened to the stories of my grandfather and they were such good stories. Some of risk, some of fear, some of pain, and some of good times shared over ice cream. All these separate moments in aggregate have made up his story. A good story. We are writing our story now. There is fear involved, risk, love, character development and growth, and pain. I feel we as a family have been called to a good story and thankful we can rest with the author to unravel the chapters to come.
Some fun pics:
Elyse and her new bike
Like I mentioned earlier. It has been great getting to be around family. Elyse loved going over to Aunt Shelby's and hanging with her cousin Cohen. He is such a cool kid
A picture from our trip to St. Lucia. Amazing island.
Elyse loved putting on daddy's t-shirt. I love this little lady!
Elyse loves to color. I'm amazed because she holds the colors like she has been writing for years.
Time for bed. Thanks for reading the rambling.
So I have been in this bad habit of drinking coffee around 9 or 10 o'clock to give me a little boost of energy so i can study for a couple hours before I head for bed. Well tonight I found myself distracted from studying and now it is almost 1 am and you guessed it, I'm still up so i decided to write a bit.
Last weekend was a packed weekend. It was a bitter sweet time because my girls were out of town but my buddy Michael and I raced in the Dallas City Chase. It is basically a grown-up scavenger hunt. Each team of two has to decipher clues that tell them where the checkpoints are. Each team has to complete 10 of 20 possible checkpoints before returning to the finish line. You can use public transportation or your feet to get around. We chose to use our feet primarily. We ended up running roughly 8 miles across downtown Dallas. From jumping in pools to racing through an obstacle course we made it through the 10 checkpoints and back to the finish line. It felt like we were in our own little Amazing Race pushing hard to avoid elimination. I realize that I love competition and the adventure. At the same time I realize one thing......man I'm getting old!
On Sunday, my dad, Sam, his girlfriend and I drove down to San Antonio for my grandpa's 90th birthday party. Early last week he had a second heart attack so we were forced to have his party at the hospital but that didn't deter from the celebration of his 90 years. It was such a sweet time of hearing stories and memories from people that have been impacted by this man's life. It has been almost 5 years since I had last seen him and it felt like I had missed out on so much even though this is not reality. I realized a couple things as I sat listening to the stories being told. One thing was the importance of having my kids know their grandparents and family in a deep way. I'm grateful for being back in Texas for this very purpose to have help and encouragement from our family. The second is also in response to a recent book I read by Donald Miller. It speaks about living a better story and how sometimes this entails risk, fear, and pain. I listened to the stories of my grandfather and they were such good stories. Some of risk, some of fear, some of pain, and some of good times shared over ice cream. All these separate moments in aggregate have made up his story. A good story. We are writing our story now. There is fear involved, risk, love, character development and growth, and pain. I feel we as a family have been called to a good story and thankful we can rest with the author to unravel the chapters to come.
Some fun pics:
Elyse and her new bike
Like I mentioned earlier. It has been great getting to be around family. Elyse loved going over to Aunt Shelby's and hanging with her cousin Cohen. He is such a cool kid
A picture from our trip to St. Lucia. Amazing island.
Elyse loved putting on daddy's t-shirt. I love this little lady!
Elyse loves to color. I'm amazed because she holds the colors like she has been writing for years.
Time for bed. Thanks for reading the rambling.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Here we are two weeks later....
So we have been in Dallas now for two weeks, for some reason it feels alot longer, maybe because we didn't really have any down time we just jumped into life right away. So to recap what has been going on, we moved to Texas then went on a wonderful trip (just Paul and I) to the beautiful island of St. Lucia (thanks mom and dad for watching Elyse!). It was a great trip for us at the perfect time. It was relaxing with some adventure which was perfect. We both read a couple books and for those of you that know us that is amazing. Then once we got back from our trip, we spent a couple days in Houston and headed to Dallas our new home. Paul started school a couple days later and he has been studying and working hard since. I think we both still feel a little like "what the heck did we get ourselves into", but we find reassurance that this is what the Lord had planned for our family. It has definitely helped having family and friends around to help us feel welcomed. It has been harder than I thought though and I know Paul is already having a hard time at school and feels like he has no idea what he is learning and questioning what he is doing getting his PhD in Finance. Anyway, I have found some fun stuff for Elyse and me to do during the days so that has been good for us and we having been having alot of fun together. Oh and we got Elyse her first bike (Strider running bike, the bike without pedals) and she is really excited about it, but we are taking it slow. Hopefully she will get more comfortable with it soon and go on her own. Well I think that is all I have to update you on, hopefully we will be better about posting more often. I wanted to post some pictures from our last few weeks of life but I can't seem to find my camera cord at the moment but wanted to post at the request of some friends. So the pictures will have to wait.
So we have been in Dallas now for two weeks, for some reason it feels alot longer, maybe because we didn't really have any down time we just jumped into life right away. So to recap what has been going on, we moved to Texas then went on a wonderful trip (just Paul and I) to the beautiful island of St. Lucia (thanks mom and dad for watching Elyse!). It was a great trip for us at the perfect time. It was relaxing with some adventure which was perfect. We both read a couple books and for those of you that know us that is amazing. Then once we got back from our trip, we spent a couple days in Houston and headed to Dallas our new home. Paul started school a couple days later and he has been studying and working hard since. I think we both still feel a little like "what the heck did we get ourselves into", but we find reassurance that this is what the Lord had planned for our family. It has definitely helped having family and friends around to help us feel welcomed. It has been harder than I thought though and I know Paul is already having a hard time at school and feels like he has no idea what he is learning and questioning what he is doing getting his PhD in Finance. Anyway, I have found some fun stuff for Elyse and me to do during the days so that has been good for us and we having been having alot of fun together. Oh and we got Elyse her first bike (Strider running bike, the bike without pedals) and she is really excited about it, but we are taking it slow. Hopefully she will get more comfortable with it soon and go on her own. Well I think that is all I have to update you on, hopefully we will be better about posting more often. I wanted to post some pictures from our last few weeks of life but I can't seem to find my camera cord at the moment but wanted to post at the request of some friends. So the pictures will have to wait.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
We made it!
So yesterday afternoon we started our drive to Texas after having my Subaru worked on, finishing packing and taking Elyse to the airport for a quick ride to Houston. As we drove I'm was continually challenged on many things. As my car overheats and I'm unable to turn on the air conditioning, yes I'm driving to Texas where it was 107 degrees today let me remind you, I'm reminded that my car is a material possession that thankfully will not go with me. I felt myself getting frustrated as my cotton t-shirt seemed to fuse the leather seat to my back but I'm reminded of the things the Lord has done in our life in the past few months to lead us to this point. I'm thankful for this hope and somehow allows me to enjoy the warm air blowing across my bald head. As we crossed the state line into Oklahoma it became apparent to Kristin and I that Colorado was no longer our home for which it has been for the past 5 years. This was the first of the many times I will question what the heck we are doing. I again come back to what the Lord has put in motion and the comfort that this brings. We arrive in Wichita Falls 12 hours later, amped up on coffee and unable to sleep. We essentially used a bed for a few hours at the house of Mary Alice, Kristin's roommate from college. It was still great to see them and we are so thankful for the few hours of sleep. This morning we got on the road for the remaining 3 hours of driving. I was additionally challenged to see how long I could withstand using the men's room. Bad idea. There was no comfort in this moment. I was comforted by the fact that there is Heidi's Deli arriving down the road from our place that has its roots in Denver. I'll call that comfort food. At last we arrived at our new home around midday excited to get a few things packed away. This was the capstone to a transition that started almost 5 months ago. Now the new chapter begins. Stay tuned....
So yesterday afternoon we started our drive to Texas after having my Subaru worked on, finishing packing and taking Elyse to the airport for a quick ride to Houston. As we drove I'm was continually challenged on many things. As my car overheats and I'm unable to turn on the air conditioning, yes I'm driving to Texas where it was 107 degrees today let me remind you, I'm reminded that my car is a material possession that thankfully will not go with me. I felt myself getting frustrated as my cotton t-shirt seemed to fuse the leather seat to my back but I'm reminded of the things the Lord has done in our life in the past few months to lead us to this point. I'm thankful for this hope and somehow allows me to enjoy the warm air blowing across my bald head. As we crossed the state line into Oklahoma it became apparent to Kristin and I that Colorado was no longer our home for which it has been for the past 5 years. This was the first of the many times I will question what the heck we are doing. I again come back to what the Lord has put in motion and the comfort that this brings. We arrive in Wichita Falls 12 hours later, amped up on coffee and unable to sleep. We essentially used a bed for a few hours at the house of Mary Alice, Kristin's roommate from college. It was still great to see them and we are so thankful for the few hours of sleep. This morning we got on the road for the remaining 3 hours of driving. I was additionally challenged to see how long I could withstand using the men's room. Bad idea. There was no comfort in this moment. I was comforted by the fact that there is Heidi's Deli arriving down the road from our place that has its roots in Denver. I'll call that comfort food. At last we arrived at our new home around midday excited to get a few things packed away. This was the capstone to a transition that started almost 5 months ago. Now the new chapter begins. Stay tuned....
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Tomorrow has Come!
So tomorrow is my final day at work. Crazy! I have been working in public accounting for the last 5 years and my time has come to say goodbye. I can't say that I'm sad to leave the profession. I'm saddened to leave the people at EKSH that I have spent the majority of my last 4 years with. I have built some great friendships and have had great experiences that I will never forget. I have learned a lot and hope to carry my experiences into my next career in academia. Tomorrow is also the day that we say goodbye to some of our closest friends that we have lived life with for the last 5 years and some the last 5 months. This is the hardest part of leaving our lives here: our amazing friends. They have encouraged us, challenged us, and loved us throughout our time with them and for that Kristin and I are forever changed. This is a bittersweet post because we look ahead to an uncharted road of adventure, new careers, and being close to our families. Change brings about hard things but many new great things that the Lord wants to teach us. I look forward to this growth and look forward to tomorrow.
So tomorrow is my final day at work. Crazy! I have been working in public accounting for the last 5 years and my time has come to say goodbye. I can't say that I'm sad to leave the profession. I'm saddened to leave the people at EKSH that I have spent the majority of my last 4 years with. I have built some great friendships and have had great experiences that I will never forget. I have learned a lot and hope to carry my experiences into my next career in academia. Tomorrow is also the day that we say goodbye to some of our closest friends that we have lived life with for the last 5 years and some the last 5 months. This is the hardest part of leaving our lives here: our amazing friends. They have encouraged us, challenged us, and loved us throughout our time with them and for that Kristin and I are forever changed. This is a bittersweet post because we look ahead to an uncharted road of adventure, new careers, and being close to our families. Change brings about hard things but many new great things that the Lord wants to teach us. I look forward to this growth and look forward to tomorrow.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
One day closer....
Paul, Elyse, and I are one day closer to making the move from Denver to Dallas. We are excited about the new adventure but will mourn the loss of so many good friends in Denver. We have been truly blessed in our time here and have met some amazing people that we have shared life with. They will be life long friends and will have to settle for annual visits for at least the next 4 years. Paul is wrapping up work and trying to fit in as many activities as possible. On Tuesday he went and road biked to the top of one of Colorado's 54 14,000 foot peaks named Mount Evans. It was a long ride but he felt accomplished to have ridden it. It is supposedly the highest paved road in North America. I was proud of him.
As of June 1st I quit my job and became a full time mommy. I have loved every minute of it. Elyse and I have had a blast hanging out together and enjoying the Colorado summer. We have spent time going to parks, the zoo, swimming, and spending time at the local library.
We have been able to travel twice this summer already. We went to Salado, Texas as a whole family for the Mason family reunion. It was great to see everyone and spend time with so many cousins, aunts, and uncles. The second trip was to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Elyse and I went with my family for 5 days and Paul had to stay back and work. It is such a beautiful place and great to be around family.
It is a bittersweet summer as we are trying to see as many people as we can in the last couple weeks we have in this great place and enjoy the weather while we can.
Pics from around Town
Pics from Mason Family Reunion
Pics from Jackson Hole, WY
Paul, Elyse, and I are one day closer to making the move from Denver to Dallas. We are excited about the new adventure but will mourn the loss of so many good friends in Denver. We have been truly blessed in our time here and have met some amazing people that we have shared life with. They will be life long friends and will have to settle for annual visits for at least the next 4 years. Paul is wrapping up work and trying to fit in as many activities as possible. On Tuesday he went and road biked to the top of one of Colorado's 54 14,000 foot peaks named Mount Evans. It was a long ride but he felt accomplished to have ridden it. It is supposedly the highest paved road in North America. I was proud of him.
As of June 1st I quit my job and became a full time mommy. I have loved every minute of it. Elyse and I have had a blast hanging out together and enjoying the Colorado summer. We have spent time going to parks, the zoo, swimming, and spending time at the local library.
We have been able to travel twice this summer already. We went to Salado, Texas as a whole family for the Mason family reunion. It was great to see everyone and spend time with so many cousins, aunts, and uncles. The second trip was to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Elyse and I went with my family for 5 days and Paul had to stay back and work. It is such a beautiful place and great to be around family.
It is a bittersweet summer as we are trying to see as many people as we can in the last couple weeks we have in this great place and enjoy the weather while we can.
Pics from around Town
Pics from Mason Family Reunion
Pics from Jackson Hole, WY
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
So it has been forever since the Mason's last posted. I looked at our last post and it was showing Elyse walking. How lame are we. No wonder no one can follow us. Well a lot has happened since the last post as many of you know. I was accepted to graduate school at UT Dallas, we sold our house and decided we are moving to Texas! Oh and Kristin is pregnant with our second girl. How cool is that! As my friend Chad says, I'm started my own sorority. Well I wanted to post a cool video of Elyse. She is in the repeating mode and heard Kristin call me Pauly-Woggers. It was hilarious. I hope you laugh as well.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Elyse is Walking!
So tonight we were just hanging out around the house. After Elyse's bath she was playing with her favorite ball in her room. She stood up and tried to go chase the ball and realized she took her first step. She got so excited and began to bounce and take steps around the room. It was so cute and such a blessing we both were there to watch her. I have attached a video of a couple days of sledding, New Year's with the Mason's and of course her first steps!
So tonight we were just hanging out around the house. After Elyse's bath she was playing with her favorite ball in her room. She stood up and tried to go chase the ball and realized she took her first step. She got so excited and began to bounce and take steps around the room. It was so cute and such a blessing we both were there to watch her. I have attached a video of a couple days of sledding, New Year's with the Mason's and of course her first steps!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Clips
So I had the day off this morning before our big trip to Costa Rica. We are pretty excited about the trip but I decided to take today off even though we don't leave until 7pm tonight. Our nanny still came so I could get stuff ready for our trip since Kristin had to work but I took some time to make a fun video of some random clips of the family this morning. I hope you smile watching it as much as I do.
So I had the day off this morning before our big trip to Costa Rica. We are pretty excited about the trip but I decided to take today off even though we don't leave until 7pm tonight. Our nanny still came so I could get stuff ready for our trip since Kristin had to work but I took some time to make a fun video of some random clips of the family this morning. I hope you smile watching it as much as I do.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Ellie's Growing Up!
So Elyse has been having so much fun lately. Kristin and I (Mostly Kristin) have been taking her to the park almost everyday. She loves watching other kids. She probably inherited that from her parents who tend to people watch way to much. Ellie hasn't figured out the whole staring thing though. She has recently figured out how to climb the steps and probably would climb steps for hours if we would let her.
We also took her to get her first taste of ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. It was one of our birthday celebration outings but really it was for Ellie to enjoy her first cup of ice cream. No hands just dive right in. I can't wait to see her eat spaghetti. This reminds me of one thing I've learned about myself lately. I don't really like messy things when it comes to the kitchen or eating. Krisitn laughs at me but Ellie is breaking me of that because I think we have at least three layers of banana, cottage cheese, yogurt and who knows what else below her high chair. So much fun to see her learn and experience new things though. Enjoy the video of some of her fun times.
So Elyse has been having so much fun lately. Kristin and I (Mostly Kristin) have been taking her to the park almost everyday. She loves watching other kids. She probably inherited that from her parents who tend to people watch way to much. Ellie hasn't figured out the whole staring thing though. She has recently figured out how to climb the steps and probably would climb steps for hours if we would let her.
We also took her to get her first taste of ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. It was one of our birthday celebration outings but really it was for Ellie to enjoy her first cup of ice cream. No hands just dive right in. I can't wait to see her eat spaghetti. This reminds me of one thing I've learned about myself lately. I don't really like messy things when it comes to the kitchen or eating. Krisitn laughs at me but Ellie is breaking me of that because I think we have at least three layers of banana, cottage cheese, yogurt and who knows what else below her high chair. So much fun to see her learn and experience new things though. Enjoy the video of some of her fun times.
Birthday!
So last week was my 28th birthday and yes that feels old to me. Kristin surprised me and took me out to eat and to a concert. It was so much fun to go grab dinner and just hang out and listen to music. We saw Carolina Liar, One Republic and Rob Thomas. They were all really good but we had fun listening to One Republic the most. These guys were so talented. All that to say my wife is so thougtful so make that happen.
Then of course we had to celebrate with one of my favorites. The beautiful chocolate eclair cake. So tasty. Many of you know I love to bake to I ended up making the cake for fun so Kristin didn't feel like she needed to but of course she helped.
Birthday's are so much fun. We started a fun tradition by celebrating a birthday week. Why settle for one day? Birthday's are so important because for at least 12 hours before you are born people are getting ready and celebrating and after you are born "the baby" is all anyone can talk about for a week so we decided why not keep that thought process each year and celebrate a birthday week. Kristin and Elyse made this an extra special year, Love you ladies!
So last week was my 28th birthday and yes that feels old to me. Kristin surprised me and took me out to eat and to a concert. It was so much fun to go grab dinner and just hang out and listen to music. We saw Carolina Liar, One Republic and Rob Thomas. They were all really good but we had fun listening to One Republic the most. These guys were so talented. All that to say my wife is so thougtful so make that happen.
Then of course we had to celebrate with one of my favorites. The beautiful chocolate eclair cake. So tasty. Many of you know I love to bake to I ended up making the cake for fun so Kristin didn't feel like she needed to but of course she helped.
Birthday's are so much fun. We started a fun tradition by celebrating a birthday week. Why settle for one day? Birthday's are so important because for at least 12 hours before you are born people are getting ready and celebrating and after you are born "the baby" is all anyone can talk about for a week so we decided why not keep that thought process each year and celebrate a birthday week. Kristin and Elyse made this an extra special year, Love you ladies!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Houston Bound
Elyse and I decided to go to Houston to hang out with my family these past two weeks. It was a treat for me to get some help with Elyse and for my parents to get to spend time with Elyse and get to know her. It was such great time for me, but hard because we were away from Paul for a long time. The first weekend we were there we took a road trip with Kevin and Ginna up to Dallas to see some of my friends and family. We stayed with my friend Alissa and she was so sweet to have our friends over to her house so they could meet Elyse. Then I got to see Shelby and Cade and the Masons, and Grand Martha. I loved getting to see so many people and for them to meet Elyse. Houston was so relaxing for us and my mom throw a little sip and see so we could show Elyse off to some of her friends. I also got to see my friends Angela and Jacob & Meredith. Elyse did so great traveling around with me, I was worried it would be too much for her.
My Dad with Elyse
Alissa and Elyse
Cade is such a great cousin!
Julie and Elyse
Friends in Dallas
Elyse and I decided to go to Houston to hang out with my family these past two weeks. It was a treat for me to get some help with Elyse and for my parents to get to spend time with Elyse and get to know her. It was such great time for me, but hard because we were away from Paul for a long time. The first weekend we were there we took a road trip with Kevin and Ginna up to Dallas to see some of my friends and family. We stayed with my friend Alissa and she was so sweet to have our friends over to her house so they could meet Elyse. Then I got to see Shelby and Cade and the Masons, and Grand Martha. I loved getting to see so many people and for them to meet Elyse. Houston was so relaxing for us and my mom throw a little sip and see so we could show Elyse off to some of her friends. I also got to see my friends Angela and Jacob & Meredith. Elyse did so great traveling around with me, I was worried it would be too much for her.
My Dad with Elyse
Alissa and Elyse
Cade is such a great cousin!
Julie and Elyse
Friends in Dallas
Uncle Sam came to town
Well the past three weeks have been so much fun with a lot going on. A few weeks ago Sam came in town. It was so much fun to have him here and for him to meet Elyse. When he first got in town we went up to Red Rock Theater which is where bands come to play, amazing place. Then over the weekend we all went up to the mountains to go snowboarding (well not Elyse or myself) and to hang out. It was Elyse's first overnight adventure. The first night was really rough with the sleeping, but other than that she did great and we got to hang out with our friends Andy, Jillian, and baby Pheobe. Paul got to enjoy snowboarding with the guys. The next week Sam, Elyse, and I went up to Boulder and hung out with Ray and Shauna. It was great to see them and to show Sam around Boulder. I have put some pictures below from this week.
Elyse with her friend Pheobe
Red Rocks Theater
Well the past three weeks have been so much fun with a lot going on. A few weeks ago Sam came in town. It was so much fun to have him here and for him to meet Elyse. When he first got in town we went up to Red Rock Theater which is where bands come to play, amazing place. Then over the weekend we all went up to the mountains to go snowboarding (well not Elyse or myself) and to hang out. It was Elyse's first overnight adventure. The first night was really rough with the sleeping, but other than that she did great and we got to hang out with our friends Andy, Jillian, and baby Pheobe. Paul got to enjoy snowboarding with the guys. The next week Sam, Elyse, and I went up to Boulder and hung out with Ray and Shauna. It was great to see them and to show Sam around Boulder. I have put some pictures below from this week.
Elyse with her friend Pheobe
Red Rocks Theater
Monday, February 09, 2009
...And then came the swing
So we hung out with our friends Becca and Justin Rounds a few weeks ago and they brought over this travel swing. Paul and I have tried to keep it simple with things we have for Elyse around the house, so we didn't get a swing. However, when they put Elyse in it she was out! It was amazing! Elyse is a great sleeper at night, but doesn't like to take long naps during the day which makes it hard for me to get things done or even take a nap. So we decided we should look into one. We got on craigslist and bought one the next day. Definitely worth the money. We love the idea of keeping it simple, but when it comes to making our lives a little easier we have decided it would be worth it! See the picture below of Elyse in her new swing and I have put some other fun ones from the past couple weeks. Oh and Elyse's neck is getting stronger so I have put a video of her lifting up her head, how exciting!
So we hung out with our friends Becca and Justin Rounds a few weeks ago and they brought over this travel swing. Paul and I have tried to keep it simple with things we have for Elyse around the house, so we didn't get a swing. However, when they put Elyse in it she was out! It was amazing! Elyse is a great sleeper at night, but doesn't like to take long naps during the day which makes it hard for me to get things done or even take a nap. So we decided we should look into one. We got on craigslist and bought one the next day. Definitely worth the money. We love the idea of keeping it simple, but when it comes to making our lives a little easier we have decided it would be worth it! See the picture below of Elyse in her new swing and I have put some other fun ones from the past couple weeks. Oh and Elyse's neck is getting stronger so I have put a video of her lifting up her head, how exciting!
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