Happy Halloween

Bauer and Wyatt humored us by wearing their Halloween hats for about 30 seconds. I know it's a bit hard to tell, but Wyatt is wearing devil horns; I think he was least impressed by this dress up time.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Denver to Houston in a Flash

While I was at work last Thursday, I received a text from Mom that said, "Can we stay with your tonight?" As most of y'all know, my parents live in Colorado, so this unexpected text took me by surprise! My parents said they decided that morning that they needed a weekend to see us kids and their sweet grandbaby.

Chris and I picked them up at the airport that evening and luckily (once again, the perks of working at a small hospital), I took Friday off and got to spend the day with my parents! Such fun!! Friday night, we had a Bickley dinner in Houston. It is very rare that we can all get together, so when we can organize a day/time/place to gather everyone...it seems like a small miracle. Unfortunately, Chris couldn't make the 6:00 dinner, but I took him home a Churrasco steak, yum! Thanks for the great visit M&D!


Don't you love how Seby is feeding his Mommy cheerios?! Too cute!

Cool and Hot....spots

It has finally cooled down in Houston; it is 45 degrees right now. What can I say? I'm loving the cool mornings, deciding which jacket to wear, and using my booty warmer in the car. The only bad thing about all this weather change is the fact that our sweet Bauer has seasonal allergies (according to our vet). I have taken B to the vet 2 times this week for skin reactions called hot spots. Prior to owning a sweet (but high maintenance) pup, I had never heard of these hot spots. However, we know them all too well now. Bauer had to have his entire back left rear shaved, because he developed these. They are not pretty and I know that they must itch badly. Every time Chris and I walk by B and pet him, we pout our lips at him and say, "Poor baby." If you've ever seen the movie, The Great Outdoors, with John Candy, you'll understand what I mean when I say that Bauer kind of looks like the bear at the end of the movie. It is sad, but a bit comical in the end (no pun intended).

Upon picking up B from the vet for the 2nd time this week, he was wearing an E-collar. We are supposed to keep it on him when we are not home, so that we can keep him from chewing his back side. As you can tell, Bauer was not excited about his new neckware.

Big D

Last weekend, I made a little jaunt up to Dallas to visit with my OT/grad school pals. Kyndra, a dear friend who is now living in Nevada, was in town. So I thought it would be a perfect excuse to plan a get together with everyone! We met up at Blue Mesa and had a blast catching up; what can I say? I miss these girls!!! It was so wonderful to see everyone...so thank you all for such a great time!
Another fabulous friend, Christina, let me crash at her beautiful home on Friday night; then we took the morning to drink Dunkin-Donuts coffee (YUM!) and hit the mall. She even talked me into buying these ridiculously high heels (but in red)...aren't they adorable?! Not sure where I'm wearing 'em, but I'll find a place!
Saturday afternoon was filled with meeting friends for lunch, then coffee, a pedicure, and then dinner with Chris and more friends. Sunday morning started with a Bubbas hit (if you are in Dallas and have not been, I recommend you check it out pronto), drove by our old house, and then met up with Christina and her hubby, Jeremy, at the Cowboys stadium for a tour. I must say that the stadium is truly something to see! Wasn't a big fan of how they ran the tours, but in the end, it was worth it!

In the locker room...if you touched anything, I think they would kick ya out!

I have to admit, I even bought a Barber jersey to wear this season. I never thought I would love football so much! Let's just say Chris has made me a football lovin' gal!

Random football decorations

Christina and I enjoying the club seats minus a real game.


Super blurry, but cute!

So you have a feel for how big the screen is...that yellow truck is a fork lift!A lounge in the stadium...crazy!

This is where the players are before they run out on the field.

It doesn't look comfy to us, but this is how Bauer rode all the way back home.

U2

On Wednesday morning, I received an impromptu call from my sis-in-law, Jenn, informing me that they had found tickets to the U2 concert that night. U2 is one of the bands that I have always wanted to see and I thought to myself, "Who would pass up the opportunity to experience U2 live?!?!" Needless to say, it was an experience of a lifetime and they were absolutely amazing!

Don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't take my camera; however found some cools pics online of the concert venue. Their stage was incredible; the screen pulled apart into a long rectangle towards the end of the show. My brother, Ryan, and I decided that U2 is The Beatles of our generation, so Chris and I can brag to our kids someday that we've seen them!

My recommendation? If you get the chance to see them...do it!!

A case of the Mondays on Sunday...

You know that feeling on Sunday evening, when you are wrapping up the weekend and trying to push yourself to get ready for Monday? That's me right now... as I type. Rather than dwell on the fact that I have to be at work in 12.5 hours, I thought I would recap this weekend and remind myself of how much I have to be thankful for.

Chris had Saturday off, so it made this weekend extra wonderful, which makes it that much harder for me to anticipate the kick-off of Monday. Saturday started off after we woke up at 8:30 (don't remember the last time I slept that late), a walk to Starbucks with Bauer in tow, brunch with friends, a long nap, and a relaxing drive to East Texas, which ended in eating with family and enjoying a home cooked meal. On Sunday morning, Chris and I drank coffee with his parents and enjoyed the picturesque view of the pasture out their living room window, watched the Cowboys beat KC (thank goodness for Miles Austin), and enjoyed a family dinner together.

So, imagine that? I still don't feel like letting Monday get here yet. However, when I come across a grumpy patient or co-worker tomorrow, at least I can close my eyes for a split second and think of this weekend, which will definitely make me very happy. Happy Sunday evening!

Small Town Perks

Do you remember the book about the country mouse and city mouse? Sometimes I feel like the city mouse who is just visiting the country when I go to work. Not in a bad way of course, things are just much different than big Parkland; in the small town setting, the pace is a bit slower at times, I recognize patients at the grocery store, and know most of the nurses on every floor.

The best part though? I mentioned that my mom was flying into town to babysit my nephew and I hadn't seen her in 3 months, as she lives out of town. So, on Wednesday morning when I arrived at work, the other OTR (yes, there is just one other besides me for the entire hospital) and our receptionist surprised me by telling me that they had found an OT to cover my Thursday and Friday patients, so I could spend it with my mom. How sweet are they? As much as I love the big city, I am very thankful for this time God has given me to to work in a smaller setting and truly be able to enjoy my family.

I drove out to visit with Mom and Seby on Thursday morning and spent the night. My mom and I played with Seby and then enjoyed a homemade dinner of sweet potato pancakes, bacon, and....wine! Despite the odd combination of food and drink, we thought it was perfect!

On Friday night, we drove up to our neck of the woods, so that Chris and Ryan could also hang out. Don't know where my camera was for that, but all in all, we had a great time catching up.

Bauer joined in on the fun this weekend; he seemed a bit perplexed as to why we had his "cousin" staying all weekend, but he was sure happy to have someone just his height to play with. Before Mom and Seby took off on Sunday afternoon, Chris enjoyed an hour or so of football watching with Seby. I think he was glad to have another man to talk football with! Please note Seby's football food of choice...so healthy!