the water smells and tastes like algae! This has got to be one of the worst things about Texas so far (of course beside being away from all things familiar!). Apparently when things heat up in summer algae grows in the lake. Somehow the smell and taste of the algae is in ALL water. When you turn on the kitchen sink or the shower you can immediately smell it. I can't even use tap water to swallow a pill without gagging. It is SO nasty. The water that's purified is just fine at least. And I thought Vegas water was gross? Not anymore! To be fair, I think this wonderful phenomenon is more specific to the area we live in. I don't think it's a statewide thing.
We're hoping we will get to tag along for many more lake trips in the future!
It actually didn't freak me out at all (I can't say the same about the kids), but I was glad to be with my cousin who knew what to do. The worst part of the storm ended after about 45 minutes but the power was out for almost 4 hours. You forget how much we use power!
Savannah wanted to go shopping for her birthday - that's my kind of girl! I actually appreciated the shopping because I needed a little retail therapy. I was feeling a little blue about the whole move but after a couple of hours of shopping I felt much better!
I started cracking up. He was excited I could just feel the adrenaline rushing through his body. He had found a plastic spoon and was playing right by the sprinkler head. The water was pretty cold but it didn't seem to bother him at all.
Enough complaining - back to the wedding. Carleen looked beautiful and they couldn't have been happier. I wish I would have gotten some pictures at the reception but Vance was tired and cranky (I can't imagine why) so I had my hands full.
Trisha and I found the cutest matching shirts for Ty and Vance. They looked pretty official with their button up shirts and black slacks. So handsome! Chad's mom really wanted a picture with all of her grandkids. They are all at hard ages for pictures so this is really the best we could do.
I had lunch with all of the girls in my boss's family. I have come to love these girls. Anita, the wife, is always taking care of me. She has provided me with 72-hour kits, food storage, and lots of delicious baking. Linzie, in the pink shirt, is my comic relief. She reminds of all of the trivial things you care about in high school. I love her! Paige, the youngest girl, is always cooking for me and Vance. On track break she opens up a restaurant, brings in a menu, and you can get a gourmet lunch for $1. BreighAn, in the blue shirt, is hilarious. She always asks the most hilarious questions and gets confused with the simplest of directions.
We had a going away party of the 29th. We got to see so many of our friends. It was super mellow which is just what I wanted. I tried at the beginning to get pictures with everyone, but quickly realized that wasn't going to happen so here is a list of everyone I remembered that came (for journaling purposes): Allreds, Bagleys, Bowmans, Andersons, Wilcocks, Mathewsons, Terrys, Ogdens, Toni Ogden, Holts, Manns, Leedoms, Hinckleys, Borens, Petersens, Waldrons, Rivards, and Svedins. Thanks to everyone for coming!
Next up was dinner with my aunts, uncles, and grandparents on my dad's side. We went to PF Changs and ordered way too much food. I love spending time with my dad's family. We always spend the entire time laughing. They joked they were going to start a "return fund" so when we decide to come home they will pay for it. Thanks for the faith guys!
So when Leslie told her boys we were moving the twins had a lot of questions. They were really worried we wouldn't even be able to talk anymore. Leslie reassured them we could talk on the phone and use a webcam which calmed their fears. Leslie also gave me a really cute kit to help me keep in touch.
Man we have gone to so many games for these little guys. Vance is always fascinated with everything Mason and Zach do. I am a little worried he may end up being a little bit of a monkey but it could be worse!
The hardest goodbye of all was saying goodbye to my Mom at the airport. Literally about 3 minutes after this I looked back to see my Mom was gone and the tears started. I made it to the bathroom without looking like too much of an idiot. I took a couple minutes locked in the bathroom stall to pull myself together and prayed we were making a good decision.
We are now officially in Texas after an interesting flight with Vance! Good luck to us!
Grandma told me the first step was to gather all of the ingredients and read through the recipe.
As I added the ingredients Grandma realized I really didn't know what I was doing. She basically held my hand through the rest of it all. I finally decided I was better at supporting Grandma in her efforts than actually doing the cooking. Aren't I pretty?
Leslie stopped by to visit and Grandma put her to work because Leslie actually does bake. Once again I resorted to 
I couldn't have been more pleased with the finished outcome. We had two yummy cakes and had a great afternoon with my grandparents.
My mom and her sisters did a great job with the funeral. They put together a beautiful display of my grandma's life. The family didn't wear the traditional black funeral colors. Pink was BY FAR grandma's favorite color so everyone wore that color. Literally everything was pink. I'm sure Grandma was smiling down.
It was great to see all of my mom's family. It is a really huge family that is spread out all over the United States. We don't see each other that often but when we do we all get along great.
Love you Grandma!
Rob helped the girls with their fort and it turned way cooler than the boys. Rob must have spent all day building this thing, but the girls loved it. They had a sink, a family room, a bathroom, and bedroom. The girls in the picture are Kelsie, Briton, Aspen, and Riley.
