Weekend in Dallas

After all of our weddings were over for the month of June (we had NINE) we slowed down for July and August. Cameron and I definitely took advantage of our free weekends and did a lot of traveling to visit friends and family. We went to visit my sister and her husband the weekend of July 27th. One of our favorite places to visit while were there is Sheridan's Frozen Custard...because we're cheesy and think it's so cool that there is a restaurant named after Sheridan. ;) This time we took things a step further and took pictures in front of Sheridan's.....

I think Sheridan looks a lot like her Aunt Sarah


Sheridan definitely loves sweets like her mom and aunt!

Take me out to the ball game

We went to a Round Rock Express game on August 7th with tickets that Shaunna got for us through Dell. We sat in the grass and it worked out perfectly because the girls (Sheridan and Natalie) didn't have to be confined to a seat. For the most part Sheridan was good about staying near us on the blanket but there were a few times we had to run after her as she took off across the grass. To be honest, I didn't really watch the game very much since I was preoccupied with keeping an eye on Sheridan. But that's fine with me....I had a great evening with my friends!

Heath, Trevor, Kenny, and Cameron

Natalie, Sara, Sheridan, me and Shaunna

You can't go to a baseball game without getting cotton candy!

The best way to watch the game

Birthday Celebration: Part Two

Tara and Steve came into town for the 4th of July so we celebrated my birthday (actually on June 30th) and Mimi's birthday (actually on July 14th) on Friday. Sheridan spent the night with my parents so we were kid free and since Tara is pregnant (due in November) we had our designated driver...we were ready to celebrate! We started the evening with dinner at El Chile and the food was excellent! Except for the salsa...I was not a fan and neither was anyone else in our group. Then we headed back up north for drinks, music, and some dancing (thank you Will for finally getting out on the dance floor with me!) at Merkaba. We had the best time that night! Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the next day...it's no picnic recovering from a night out while taking care of a busy toddler!

Tara, Mimi, and me

Steve and Tara
me and Mimi

Thirty something

In years past I've been known to celebrate my birthday for weeks instead of just one day. In fact, I like to refer to the month of June as my birthday month. And even though I was less than thrilled about turning thirty-one I didn't let that limit me to just one birthday celebration. I had no problems with turning thirty and I didn't freak out last year about where I was in life, where I was going...you know, the usual things people turning thirty tend to agonize over. But there was something about turning THIRTY ONE that did me in! Now I'm actually IN my thirties and that just seems very hard for me to believe or want to accept. I think it all boils down to the fact that I've always had this "idea" of how responsible adults in their thirties are with their jobs and their families and their bills and honestly, I can't believe that's me now. I'm the adult in her thirties. When did that happen?

Dinner at the Melting Pot

with Mom and Dad

Can you say procrastinator?? I can!

Well I finally finished the entry I started after our ski trip in March (I know...that's horrible turnaround) and published it tonight. However, since I started the draft in March it published it in the order of the date it was started...not actually published...which makes sense but is highly annoying. So...to see pictures from our fun filled trip you can use this link to our ski trip. Guess this will teach me not to save my drafts for so long!

Julie 101

My friend Kelly did a list of 101 things about herself so I thought I'd try it. These are in no particular order....just a list of random things about me.....

1. My dad was in the Air Force so I've lived all over the place...like....Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Okinawa, Arizona, and Austin.

2. My anniversary is September 11th and we will have been married for 3 years!

3. I have two black labs, Harley and Brodie.

4. Harley is pure breed (AKC registered) and Brodie is a pound puppy.

5. December is a crazy month for me because along with Christmas, my daughter's birthday is the 26th and my husband's is the 18th.

6. I LOVE strawberries!

7. I work for a photographer and it's the best job in the world!

8. I've started shooting at weddings as a 2nd shooter and it rocks!

9. We are moving into our new studio right now and I'm so excited....it's VERY nice!

10. I hate to fold clothes....I think it's because of all of the years I worked in retail.

11. I've had acrylic nails since I was a junior in high school.

12. I've only taken them off twice for a few months each time. Once for softball during the summer after my senior year in high school and I can't remember why or when the 2nd time was.

13. I'm not sure if I'm going to watch Grey's Anatomy next year because I'm still annoyed with them breaking up Meredith and Derek AGAIN!

14. I love scrapbooking!

15. I'm very behind in my scrapbooking though! Currently working on the year 2006 but that's only because I skipped 2004 and 2005. :\

16. I learned to knit (scarves and hats) on our ski trip this March.

17. I am not a good skier!

18. I like Miller Lite and Dos Esquis beer.

19. I like the kitchen to be clean before I go to bed every night.

20. If Cameron is in charge of cleaning the kitchen it usually is NOT clean when I go to bed!

21. I got my first job when I was a senior in high school at Hudson's Grill (now closed) as a hostess.

22. I was a waitress at Lone Star Cafe the summers after my senior year in high school and first year after college.

23. I worked at Express for four years during college and after graduation to keep my discount.

24. I'm a shopaholic!

25. I get pedicures regularly.

26. My favorite nail polish color is "The Thrill of Brazil" by OPI.

27. I'm scared of dying.

28. I finally started a bible study with my mom and her group of friends every Monday night. One of the lady's daughters refers to the group as "God's Girls."

29. I'm horrible at remembering things since my daughter was born.

30. I was a Pampered Chef consultant for almost 5 years.

31. My grandmother took me to London after I graduated from college.

32. My first car (in high school) was a 1984 Mustang convertible (white).

33. My 2nd car (drove throughout college) was a 1989 Nissan 240SX (black).

34. My 3rd car (graduation present from my parents) was a 1999 Cougar (red).

35. Now I drive a Envoy (silver).

36. I miss my sports cars! :(

37. I hate having a car payment!

38. I love non-fat white chocolate mochas from Starbucks...with the whip cream of course!

39. My latest favorite ice cream is Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Blue Bell.

40. I have one younger sister, Sarah Michelle.

41. Growing up she hated to be referred to as "Julie's little sister"

42. My sister was an excellent (and by excellent I mean straight A's) student.....I'm glad I came first!

43. I was not a straight A student!

44. I got my degree in marketing.

45. I think you should be able to skip over the basics in college and go straight into classes for your major.

46. I grew up Episcopalian.

47. This spring Cameron and I joined the First United Methodist Church in Round Rock.

48. Sheridan said "mama" on Sunday and my heart melted!

49. I love being a mother!

50. I stay up late.....usually go to bed between midnight and 1am.

51. I was a bit of a wild child in college....actually....I was a bit of a wild child growing up in general....not just limited to my college years! ;)

52. I think I'm responsible for my father having a full head of gray hair pretty early in life.

53. When I was pregnant it hit me and I apologized to my parents for everything I ever did that made them worry.

54. I have a four leaf clover tattoo on my hip.

55. I don't regret getting it and I often forget I even have it.

56. I talk to my mom at least twice a day.

57. I hope Sheridan will talk to me that often when she grows up.

58. My sister lives in Dallas now with her husband.

59. I miss her terribly and I wish she lived closer.

60. My family and friends are everything to me!

61. My friend that I have known the longest is Kelly (since 6th grade).

62. Kelly lives in Arizona and I wish she lived closer too.

63. The only thing I look back on at my wedding and wish I had done differently was my hair.

64. I watch my wedding video ALL the time!

65. My boss makes fun of me because I watch my wedding video all the time...I don't care.

66. I LOVE my engagement ring!

67. Cameron is giving me my wedding band this year for our anniversary!

68. I was supposed to get it for our one year anniversary.

69. I'm learning that patience is a virtue.

70. This list is making me realize how random my mind works.

71. Cameron still hasn't completely finished our tile.

72. I'm practicing patience.

73. I'm a TV junkie!

74. I DVR Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen Degenerees Show, and the Young and the Restless everyday!

75. My other favorite tv shows are: How I met your mother, Two and a half men, What about Brian, Girls Next Door, My Name is Earl, American Idol, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and October Road....I think that's it.

76. I would have added Grey's Anatomy as one of my favorite shows but as I mentioned earlier in the list I'm a little bitter about things on that show right now.

77. I got my friend Courtney sucked into my tv world...starting with Grey's Anatomy.

78. I wonder if the spin-off Private Practice is going to be good or if it will just frustrate me as much as Grey's does.

79. I'm still on Team Aniston.

80. I'm glad Rosie is not on The View anymore!

81. I used to DVR "The View" everyday but Rosie also made me bitter.

82. I am a republican.

83. I like rock, rap, alternative, and country music.

84. I cried when Friends ended.

85. I wish I had more time to read books...it takes me about a year to read one book it seems.

86. My all time favorite movie is Grease.

87. I do NOT like scary movies.

88. I love treating myself to massages.

89. I miss my granddad Sheridan so much!

90. I feel a lot of pressure trying to think of another name for a second child since Sheridan's name has so much meaning.

91. Don't worry....we are NOT planning on having a second child anytime soon!

92. I want to take a vacation to Mexico...Cabo or Playa.

93. For our 5th anniversary I think it would be cool to go to Hawaii.

94. We went to St. Croix for our honeymoon.

95. I love mexican food.

96. My friend Amy taught me how to make the BEST tacos in the world!

97. Her mom taught me how to make the BEST mexican rice in the world!

98. I like to go out to eat on Friday nights.

99. The worst punishment my parents could have given my sister and I growing up was going to bed without dessert!

100. I rub my eye brows when I'm deep in thought or stressed.

101. I want our next house to have a pool.

And there you have it....101 completely random things about me.

Water Park Fun

I was off on Monday since we had two weddings this weekend so Sheridan and I went to the Brushy Creek water park with Sara and Natalie. Sheridan wasn't too crazy about it at first. She only wanted me to hold her and did not want down. So I stood there, holding her while Natalie played. Then Sara and I decided we would take a break and eat our picnic lunch in the shade. After lunch we tried it again and this time I sat down (with Sheridan in my lap of course) and splashed in the water which Sheridan thought was fun and just like the bath tub so she quickly warmed up to the idea and was off playing in all of the water spouts! The girls had a blast and Sara and I enjoyed getting to spend time together! It was a great afternoon!



Put me down...I must go play!

Sara and Natalie (who was being shy in front of the camera)
Natalie waits for the water to turn on again

Cute as a button

After working all weekend with weddings on Friday and Saturday, I was so excited about spending all day Sunday with Sheridan and Cameron! Our morning consisted of our usual weekend routine...lounging around in our pj's, watching cartoons, reading the paper, and eating a yummy breakfast. Of course I took out the camera and snapped away while Sheridan did her thing. As you can see she doesn't sit still for very long and her new "trick" is climbing up on the furniture.

Since it was Father's Day, we went to Temple to have dinner with Cameron's family and my parents came with us. We had a great time and Cameron and I got to enjoy a dinner without cutting up someone else's food or picking stuff up off the floor that was purposely dropped because Sheridan sat between Cameron's parents!

If only we could all be this flexible!

Sheridan loves her teddy!Giving LuLu (the lamb) hugs

My Tool Time Tim

My handy husband has proven himself once more with his latest project...tiling our bathroom. I admit, I had my doubts when he first started talking about all of these projects he was going to do himself. I'm not from that school of thought so this is all new to me.....my dad operates under the theory of paying people to do big projects like this (well, any project big or small for that matter) and that's what I'm used to. However, Cameron did a fantastic job and I love my new bathroom!! We are also going to use the same tile throughout the rest of the house. Stay tuned for that end result....

Our new countertops

We (and by we I mean Cameron) have started all of the remodeling projects we've been wanting to do for quite some time. First order of business was getting new stainless steel appliances for our kitchen which included a dishwasher, oven and microwave. Then we had new countertops put in! I was so excited that Cameron was actually going to pay someone to install the countertops since he insists on doing all of the home improvement projects himself! He did do the demo work himself but the installation he avoided! I absolutely love the new countertops!!! I can't believe we waited so long to get rid of those yucky white ones! Eventually we will redo the backsplash and in the next couple of weeks Cameron is going to paint the cabinets an off-white color and install tile!!!

Let the demo work begin.....

Before..
After...

Fun Day Mondays!

One of the things I love about my job is being able to have Mondays off after working a wedding on the weekend! For one day I get to pretend I'm a stay-at-home mom and it's always my favorite day of week! I cherish these days with Sheridan! Typically, we have a very relaxed morning and will either run errands during the afternoon or get together with friends (both mine and Sheridan's friends, of course!) or my mom. I even enjoy going to the grocery store on Mondays! Last week on our fun day Monday, we had lunch at TGIFriday's with my friend, Amy and her daughter, Taryn. Amy is a teacher so she is off for her much deserved summer vacation. Taryn has always been great with baby Sheridan (as she calls her) and Sheridan always laughs and loves being entertained by Taryn! They just love each other and you can see it in this picture!

It's about time!!!

Well, I certainly don't pretend that I can do everything because that would be false advertising and I was a marketing major afterall so I know that would be BAD! I've learned that with all of the roles I try to fulfill that I can successfully be good at two of them at one time and the others take the backburner. I can be a good mom/wife and a good employee but then I'm a bad housewife. Which would explain why the laundry is on the brink of overflowing out of the hamper, the laundry that has been done over the last month is piled high on the bed in the extra bedroom waiting to be folded, and all of Sheridan's clothes that are too small are also in several piles in the extra bedroom. And when I try to catch up on those chores in my spare time, that takes away from my scrapbooking and blogging time! :( But atlas, here is a new post for all of my blogging buddies. This is a picture from Sheridan's last portrait session. I tried really hard to stay on track for having her pictures done at the typical 3, 6, 9 and 12 month stages and you would think since I work for a photographer that wouldn't have been a problem. Turns out that we are just too busy taking everyone else's pictures that we fall behind on our own! Here is a picture from Sheridan's 16 month photo session...I was only 4 months behind on her 12 month pictures!

And her first word is......Uh-oh

The moment we have all been waiting for.....Sheridan's first word.....came on Sunday night. We were eating dinner at my parent's house and Sheridan was playing in the kitchen next to the table where we were eating. She picked up a toy, purposely threw it and said "uh-oh" and she continued doing this several times! It was so cute!! I always wondered what her first word would be and I really thought it would be "dog" since she absolutely loves our dogs and is so inthralled with them.

As of last night, she's turned her sweet little first word into a game with mom and dad. We are just trying to encourage her to keep talking so when she picks up a toy (mind you, it's not a BIG toy by any means....just a little link that connects into another link) and throws it, Cameron and I say "uh-oh." Well this just CRACKS her up and she thinks it is hysterical and starts laughing. I cannot tell you how many times in a row this sequence took place but she thought it was great! Cameron and I were dying laughing because Sheridan's laugh is the cutest thing ever and is definitely contagious! I'll try to figure out how I can video this little game and post it on the blog so you all can enjoy it too.....