Hey Ya

You know you want to watch this:

2 in 1

isn't this the most adorable picture of anson, his dad, and my baby bear? over the fourth of july, which seems like forever ago, anson's dad came to visit. we had a great time - saw fireworks in southlake and bedford (have to admit the fireworks themselves were better in bedford - they lasted 30 minutes!- but the company wasn't quite as nice/classy as southlake...if you catch my drift), ate a surprisingly delicious breakfast at our ward breakfast (usually they are so sparse from so many people - not this time), hit a couple balls at top golf and enjoyed a bbq prepared by anson (leaving me off the hook!). delightful holiday. as much fun as i had, i still miss my favorite place to celebrate 4th of july - centerville, ut. there is something so fun about going to founders park after a parade where you see everyone you know and haven't seen in ages, it's not profoundly hot outside, you can bbq all day, go to the lakes nearby and swim and see fireworks pretty much all weekend. AND best part of all - be with my family. oh how i miss them. and yes, they did come visit and yes they did leave only yesterday. but i miss them already. nevermind the fact i'll be up in ut in 3 weeks for the reunion with my SISTER who will FINALLY return from nz. beyond excited. then me and erika can get her some toms and we will have a toms party. haven't thought about this at all. ANYWAYS.

on another note, (hence the 2 in 1 title of this post), my little puppy is so adorable. seriously. today she was sitting on our lovesac chewing on one of the edges of our decorative pillows. i kept saying her name and giving her stern looks (as much as i can give - i am going to be SUCH a pushover), where she responded with contrite looks and then proceeded to lick the pillow. what mommy? i'm not doing anything bad. PLEASE. then when i looked away, she went back to biting and chewing my pillow. teething must be a pain.... i'd say her name and it was repeat all over. 5 minutes of this and i'm still laughing. clever pup. i am in love with you.

genius.

this is pure fun. not politically correct or a reflection of how i feel but definitely funny. had to share. i tried to upload the picture myself but it's not working. check-out Walmart Bingo here:

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/1024768/

paradise aka destin, fl

this is destin, florida - one of the most beautiful beaches ever. seriously LOVE. unlike my other love galveston (yes, i LOVE that place but for different reasons obviously), the sand is pristine white, the water is translucent clear and everything is hoppin - familystyle. there's good shopping, good food, loads of people (both good and bad), etc... my family used to go here all the time when we were little and fortunately anson's family goes here every year still. soo happy to continue this tradition. while we didn't do a lot in terms of attractions and events, i'd say i definitely enjoyed the nothingness done on this trip. getting up in the morning, heading to the beach, reading on the porch of the house in the afternoon, laying by the pool, then trying some amazing place for dinner with an evening walk on the sand with my babes and bear each night is not a bad way to vacation in my book. also, our nephews are the cutest and my brother-in-law, yes kind of weird since he's 2, is sooo cute. he still can't say my name so 'jacket' will have to do for now. honestly, it's adorable so i don't mind. beach, i miss you already. see you again next year.

Let's Go Mavs!

dallas has pretty much been amazing for sports as of late. with the superbowl here, the championship games for the Rangers, and now the finals for the Mavs - we have not been lacking. even though anson is strangely obsessed with lebron (i'd say if he had one, lebron would be his man crush), he still managed (after the fact) to be happy for the Mavs. i, being the true texan that i am, happily supported my home team the entire time. aside from all the screaming/cheering/nailbiting/completely frustrated moments at home watching the games, we were lucky enough to experience part of that excitement first-hand via the victory parade they held downtown. halleluia for anson's wonderful job that gives him unlimited flexibility. it was awesome. thousands of fans screaming while the players strutted their stuff on fancy and not so fancy floats. we thought it cruel not to include our little baby (Bear) on this adventure so we took her with us too. she is SUCH a good dog and we are so in love with her. she does have a phobia of people so we've been trying to socialize her as much as possible. this DEFINITELY was a start. we couldn't go anywhere without people, adults and children alike, trying to touch, pet or hold her. for the most part she was an angel and only barked at a few. we were so proud! anyways, the parade was a blast and we are so happy the Mavs FINALLY won. it's about time. let's go mavs!!!

angel puppy

as you can see, our seats were not the greatest. still fun though!

lovin some galveston - memorial day wknd

Gonna put the world away for a minute

pretend i don't live in it

sunshine gonna wash my blues away

had sweet love but i lost it

she got so close so i fought her

now i'm lost in the world trying to find me a better way

wishin i was knee deep in the water somewhere

got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair

only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair

sunrise there's a fire in the sky

never been so happy

never felt so high

and i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise

wrote a note said be back in a minute

bought a boat and i sailed off in it

don't think anybody gonna miss me anyways

mind on a permanent vacation

the ocean is my only medication

wishin my condition ain't ever gonna go away

cause now i'm knee deep in the water somewhere

got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair

only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair

sunrise there's a fire in the sky

never been so happy

never felt so high

and i think i might have find me my own kind of paradise

this champagne shore is washin over me

it's a sweet sweet life livin by the salty sea

one day you could be as lost as me

change your geography

maybe you might be

knee deep in the water somewhere

got the blue sky breeze blowin wind through my hair

only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair

sunrise there's a fire in the sky

never been so happy

never felt so high

and i think i might have found me my own kind of paradise

come on in the water it's nice

find yourself a little slice

grab a backpack of lies

you never know until you try

when you lose yourself

you find the key to paradise

(lyrics courtesy of Zac Brown Band - Knee Deep)

before summer break...

we had a crazy thunderstorm/hail storm with a tornado that struck (apparently) down the street...
there was hail the size of golf balls. here is proof.

i said goodbye to my students for the summer

and i dressed up as peter pan for CARE (student reading) days