The End Of The World

Well, for it being the "End of the World" on Saturday, we had a very busy weekend planned. It was only the end of the world for one person. My cousin got married! Hehe!!!

Saturday afternoon we took a 3 hour drive to Abilene to see my cousing Jeffrey Garcia marry Miranda Dick. It was a 7:30 pm outdoor wedding outside city limits. After arriving at my parents house, we had a quick bite to eat and got ready for the special event.

The wedding was held at the home of the parents of the bride. It was set up so nicely. I absolutely loved this "Family Tree". The right side had pictures of the grooms grandparents, parents, and him. The same was done for the bride on the left side. Then, in the middle was a picture of the bride and groom. So nicely done!

Here are 2 of my nephews. They are waiting for the wedding to start.

Here comes the bride!

This is my aunt and uncle with their youngest boy. Clearly he wasn't too impressed with what was going on.

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Garcia!!!

These cute custom made guitar picks were on the groom's table. My cousin loves music. It must run in the family.

This specially decorated guitar was placed between the bride and groom's tables. Their initials are on the black stripes.

Here is the groom's table. Chocolate cake with coconut, nuts, and tons of other yummy ingredients made by his mom (my aunt). The cookies had pictures of a guitar with a bird sitting on top. It was part of the wedding's theme.

Here is the wedding cake on the bride's table. The cake was also made by my aunt. One layer was lemon, another was orange, and the rest was white. Yummy!!!! She also made the flower cookies.

As if the cakes and cookies weren't enough, there was a candy buffet too! There were custom-made wooden signs everywhere. This sign said 'Love Is Sweet'.

Here is my goofy cousin and his beautiful new bride. I asked for a picture of the two of them and this is how he poses.

Here is the bride and groom with the groom's 2 brothers. Hard to believe I'm related to these giants! I didn't inherit any tall genes. They get the height from their dad.

Here is my aunt and uncle. My aunt Betty is my mom's sister. So many people say I look just like my aunt.

The bride's parents put in a giant concrete slab for a dance floor just for the wedding. Before the dancing began, the kids were allowed to draw all over it with sidewalk chalk. Smart, very smart!

Tables were placed all around the property. There was plenty of room. Here are my nieces and Kaitlyn enjoying their time together. The girl with the yellow flowers in her hair is my 1st cousin.

Here is Preston with my nephew. Willie is a year younger than Preston, but they are pretty much the same size. This is trouble!

We had a big dinner of barbecue chicken, pork steak, and sausage. There was also beans, potato salad (that my mom made), garden salad, bread, punch, tea, and various sodas and water.

Then it was time to cut the cake.

They were so nice to each other when feeding each other pieces of cake.

Then their first drink!

Meanwhile, the younger girls brought their Nintendo DS so they could chat with each other.

Finally, it was time for the First Dance. The bride changed into a more comfortable outfit and they danced to a song played and sang by the groom's brother.

Now it was time for the mother of the groom to dance with her son. They were both in tears.

Fun was had by all and we left just after 11 pm. We were all so exhausted by that time!

The next morning, my mom planned a big brunch for the family. Here's my brother making his special scrambled eggs.

Here is the spread with my sister and her girls. We had ham, hash brown casserole, eggs, yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, and angel biscuits. It was sooooo good!

That afternoon, it was time to head to my little cousin's 1st Birthday Party (I told you we had a lot planned). It was held at a park and my cousin rented the pavilion. Preston loved climbing on this train.

Here is another cake made by my aunt. The middle layer was chocolate and the other two layers are white cake. Again, it was delicious. She also made cookies that looked like longhorns, cactus, and the shape of Texas. The decorations on the bottom layer and the cowboy on top are also cookies.

This is the birthday boy, Toby. He is also the nephew of the groom.

We had grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and drinks. Next, time to hit the pinata! Toby gets to try it first.

Preston whacked it pretty hard and put a hole in part of the boot.

After some hits from the other kids, the pinata finally broke open and it was a mad scramble for the candy.

It was a fun, exhausting weekend. We're glad we were able to experience it all before the end of the world actually happened.

Friday the 13th Isn't So Bad

Friday the 13th always gets a bad rap. If something goes wrong on that day, it must be because of the number. But wouldn't those bad things happen no matter what day of the month? This time, Friday, May 13 was a busy and fun day for us.

First, Kaitlyn was invited to attend the Party for the Purple People at her school. Now before you start thinking her school was invaded by little aliens, let me explain. The school librarian has a reading program that starts in September and goes through the end of March. There are 6 different colored reading lists to complete. Each list contains subjects, authors, etc. and you must read a book according to each item. When each list is completed, you can turn it in to get a charm. After all six lists are completed (the last list is purple), you get a reading shirt and are invited to attend the special party in May.

Kaitlyn absolutely loves to read so this was so easy for her. She participated last school year and again this school year. Although they have until the end of March to complete all the lists, she completed all of them by December both years. Like I said, she LOVES to read. She was the only one in her class this year to complete all the lists. The librarian said there were over 100 books each child must read to complete them all. It is quite an accomplishment!

So, the party is a way to reward students that put in the hard work and get them out of class for an hour. Parents are invited as well. This year magician/storyteller Brian Roberts was the guest. He put on a very engaging and fun show for the kids. He showed a few magic tricks and told some fun stories using a lot of visual aids. He definitely knew how to keep the kids attention.

He even brought a friend with him.

If you look very closely, you can see Kaitlyn sitting in the third row.

The kids were mesmerized!

Kaitlyn actually had a half day of school too. So, we picked her up, had pizza for lunch, and then naps. Well, I had a nap. Then it was off to Frisco to see the Rough Riders Baseball Game!!!

Our Children's Pastor, the wonderful John Cruz, organized a group outing for our church. We got discount tickets, a parking pass, and baseball caps. It was a great deal and we had fun.

The Rough Riders are warming up.

We're waiting for the game to start.

Preston was being silly for a lot of the game.

Every time music came on the loud speakers, Preston was "shaking his booty"!

There were other dancers as well. The staff at the ballpark came on the field and danced to Thriller.

Finally, the Rough Riders beat Corpus Christi 5-2 and we had a nice fireworks show.

We don't believe in bad luck. We believe in counting your blessings no matter the situation. God definitely blessed us and gave us a great Friday the 13th.

No More Preschoolers

There are no longer preschoolers in our home. Preston had his Pre-K Graduation yesterday and it was very bittersweet. I had knots in my stomach every time I thought about it. It's so hard for me to think of my baby boy as growing up and heading off to school. Wasn't he just born?

Preston attends the preschool where I teach music. I also plan all the programs (under the guidance of my director). So, I also had to plan the graduation and I knew it would be hard for me to get through without any tears.

I actually did well. I wrote a poem last year for the graduation that will now be used in every Pre-K Graduation. I cried so much last year when I read it for the parents and I didn't even have anyone graduating then! I knew this year would really be a struggle for me to get through, but I practiced a lot ahead of time. I did shed a few tears while reading it, but overall I maintained composure. The other parents, however, completely broke down. I would've been one of them if I didn't have to be in front of everyone. I would've totally gone into the ugly cry!

See that little blur on the left side of the picture? That's Preston hurrying down the aisle to "Pomp & Circumstance".

Here is the Pre-K Graduating Class of 2011!!!

First, the kids have to recite all 9 memory verses that they learned throughout the year. I teach it to them in sign language so it's easier to remember.

Then, they sing 2 songs while wearing star-shaped sunglasses.

Preston can officially go to Kindergarten since he got his Pre-K Diploma!!! That is his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Jill.

Here is the graduate with his sister. Kaitlyn was so excited that she got to get out of school early just for this event.

Even one set of grandparents were able to come.

Here is the whole family.

Afterwards, there was a nice reception with cupcakes and punch. Craig brought Preston a graduation balloon and a corsage box full of Hot Wheels (his absolutely favorite toy!).

The tables were set up very nicely. There were also a couple of memory book projects on the table that the kids had been working on all year. Each graduate received a Graduation Dog with all their signatures on it.

Then, when we got home, Preston's big graduation gift was waiting for him-a Cars Alarm Clock. We got a Disney Princess clock for Kaitlyn when she graduated. She uses it every single morning on school days. Now Preston has one he can use when he starts school. Craig also wanted to get a special treat for Preston so he bought a cake that were in Preston's favorite colors, orange and blue.

It was a very sweet ceremony and I'm so proud of Preston as he makes a new transition in his life.

Youth Fine Arts

So, no pictures this time.

I was lucky enough to spend time at Southwestern Assemblies of God University during Youth Fine Arts. I was chosen to be a music evaluator. I was so excited for the experience.

I headed down to Waxahacie on Thursday evening with my friend (and Division Coordinator) to help get things ready. Friday, I handled room check-in during the Evaluator's Orientation. Then, I got my room. My DORM room!

I didn't do the dorm experience in college. I still lived with my parents while I went to UTEP. It was a very nice arrangement. Needless to say, I'm just not a "dorm" person. While I'm sure most college kids aren't huge fans of dorm life either, I'm just really glad I only had to be there for a few hours. I told my mom this was considered "camping out" for me.

Then, I got to be an evaluator for Female Vocal Solo, Sr. I got to listen to some great talent. I really enjoyed being able to listen to the high school girls sing and then provide some positive feedback and constructive criticism. I've been in their position and know how much it means to have someone help you through your musical journey.

Today, I got to do some odd jobs around campus. I helped in the Talley Room, I filled in for another evaluator. It was great to see all the behind-the-scenes things that go on to make such a big event happen.

And, I'm just amazed at how many people, how many positions, how many tasks it takes for Youth Fine Arts. Soooo much has to be done. There is also some great talent in our young people. God has given these kids great gifts and I truly hope they continue to serve the Lord this way.

I met some new people, got pampered as an evaluator, had some late dinners with friends, etc. I saw the Youth Group from my church off/on. My wonderful Children's Pastor and his wife kept checking on me throughout these few days and are always so supportive of everything I do.

This was also the first time to be away from kids for so long. I missed them lots and kept texting Craig over and over. But they had plenty to do to keep them busy.

So, until next year...