Christmas 2010

This Christmas has been extra special for our family. On 12/17 we welcomed McClain Gore into the family, as Lindsey gave birth to her first child. This little girl has already brought so much love and joy to our family, and I thank God that she is happy and healthy.

Matt and I celebrated Christmas, but I was in West Columbia with my family and he went to Jasper to be with his family. It is very important to us to spend as much time with our family as possible, individually, before we commit our lives to each other. We love each other so very much, and love our families, too. Matt's family is turning into my second family, and I am so thankful that we both have families that we love and adore, and enjoy spending time with. We are so very blessed.

We had such a wonderful time on Christmas Eve, mass was absolutely beautiful, and the dinner afterwards with family was such a treat. One of my fave holiday traditions happens on Christmas Eve, when we all gather at Poppy and Yea Yea's for dinner. Poppy makes the most delicious CHILI, and we have that, and TAMALES. Yep, its quite the odd pairing, but my goodness it is divine. After dinner, we come home to another one of my most favorite traditions....the opening of ONE present each. Mom gets to choose the gift, and surprise, EACH year it is a new pair of Christmas PJs. The girls always match in their jammies, while Chad and my dad are the odd balls of the group. I love this tradition and can't wait to pass it along to my family one day. That evening Dad and I made our annual batch of peanut brittle, while Mom baked away. She made all sorts of sweet treats :) There is never a shortage of food in the Kresta house and my goodness Christmas was no exception. What an amazing feast.

That evening a few of us decided to go to church, and I am so thankful that I made this decision. This weekend was the feast of the Holy Family. The homily given by Father Tien was one for the ages. He truly struck a cord with me, reminding us to model our families (and future families) after the family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. If you build your family on love and compassion, not only for the Lord, but for each other, then you will build a strong foundation for your family. You will be making not only your life better, but you will be enriching the lives of the people around you. He said you should take stock in your stability as a family, in regard to compassion and love, and should not worry about the financial security that our society gets caught up in. I am guilty of getting caught up in this as well. Matt and I discuss all the time what the future may or may not hold for us and our family, and now I truly understand, that I need to take stock in our Lord, and take stock in our spirituality as a family, and all will be ok :) It's a new outlook for 2011, and I can't wait to see what is in store.

BTW, I can't wait for Thursday to get here...MATT will be here and we will celebrate our Christmas together, as well as the New Year. WAHOOOO sooo happy and excited to see my lovey.

One thing at a time...

This past weekend was jam packed full of major happenings for Matt and myself. Matt completed his math class, which will allow him to complete his certification as a LCDC in the coming months. I couldn't be more proud of him!! Hopefully with the new license, he will be able to follow through with his plan to move to Austin very soon. I am crossing my fingers and toes, and hoping for the best. I know God has a plan for our life, let's just hope the plan is Austin :)

On Saturday, I began to cross a major item off of one of my lists. I don't know about the rest of the world, but I have a list of things to do before "marriage." I don't mean it to sound like doomsday, that after marriage you can't do anything and everything, but there are certain things you can't do when married, and one of them happens to be living alone.

For the first time ever, I am living in a 1/1 cottage all by lonesome. This has been on my list since day one, because I want to prove to myself that I am independent, that I can take care of myself and that I am happy with it just being me in the house. Last night was my first night alone, and while it was a little odd, it was nice to know that the space was alllllllll mine, and no one else could mess it up or take it away from me. I didn't sleep very well, but I know after I get used to the feel of the place, and actually turn the house into a home, it will get easier.

On Saturday evening, Matt took me out for my birthday dinner at this wonderful downtown mexican eatery. It was DELICIOUS!! If you are ever in Austin, Corazon at Castle Hills is a must stop. We dined on fried goat cheese, guacamole, roasted chicken enchiladas in a suiza sauce, and red fish...not to mention the Tres Leches cake! All of it was wonderful, and the people were so nice. It was a wonderful evening with my lovey.

Matt has a tendency to ask, "What do you want for your birthday/Christmas/valentines present, " and I happily oblige and make it a bit easier by giving him some suggestions or by dropping hints. But this last year, I didn't have a clue what I wanted for my birthday... I feel like I have reached an age where I don't NEED anything, nor do I wanted anything. Anything that I've wanted in the last year, I have purchased for myself since I am pretty impatient.. Matt didn't like hearing those words, that I wasn't sure what I wanted, and he seemed a bit stumped in the weeks leading up to my birthday. Last weekend he told me that he had already purchased my present and couldn't wait to give it to me. Well, now I was intrigued, and like a little kid, asked, "Can I have it now?" Of course the answer was NO, so I waited the week, very patiently I might add, and as soon as he came over on Saturday, I asked, like the same little kid as the week before, "Can I have my present now?" Am I a brat? Probably, is it ok to be a little bit of a stinker on your birthday, OF COURSE! Well Matt, you blew my socks off this birthday! He got me the most amazingly beautiful Michael Kors watch...just like the one below.

The look on my face when I opened it was pure shock! I love it, and can't wait to start building outfits around this wonderful piece. It is the perfect birthday gift from my lovey.

On Sunday, Matt helped me move a few items into storage, we purchased a christmas tree, and then he went back to SA. I was sad that he didn't get to help me with the tree, but he will have a nice surprise on Friday, when he comes back and sees our tree for the first time. I can't wait to show him. I will post pictures this week of the tree!! I love Christmas :)

Adulthood at its best

Well, so much for me whipping my late twenties into its rightful place. The day started out lovely, but then around 10:30am, I hear this loud POP. Everything was fine within the office, power was still on, so I went about my business of working fervently.

In runs DJ, "You aren't going to like what you see outside, LOOK!" And there lies my car, with a busted out back windshield.

Awesome. How in the world did this happen? We think it was a pressure change, hot sun beating down on the cold windshield. WHO KNOWS?!?! Maybe it was all those times Matt SLAMMED the back lift gate...HAHA Just Kidding, babe.

I am now sitting at Starbucks, working remotely the rest of the afternoon while the car is being repaired. Oohh the joys of adulthood....

Upper Twenties

My favorite quote from my childhood came when Chad was born in 1992. I was 8 years old and I would tell EVERYONE, " When Chad graduates from high school, I will be OLD, I will be 26, married, and at have all my children by then!"

Well my friends, the time has come and Chad is a senior in high school and I turned 26 years old yesterday, no husband and definetely, no children. BUT I do have an amazing boyfriend, whom I love dearly and I am so happy to call my person. Life is truly a blessing, and you never know where your path will lead you.

Lets just say this for good measure.... 26 is NOT old, not even close! Heck my grandparents are proving to me every day that age is just a number and old is just a frame of mind.

I had a wonderful birthday, one that will go down in the history pages as best birthday ever. Yes, this sounds a bit odd, because yes, I did work all day, and no I didn't see ANY of my family, but it was still one of the best birthdays to date.

It all started when I walked into the office, and Diana, my lovely friend and coworker had a present on my desk. She had made a homemade cherry cheesecake and there was a note on top of the container....an amazing gift card to a local spa!! I am so thankful for Diana, not only as a coworker, but also as a very dear friend. She is my spring board for ideas, my voice of reason when I get frustrated, a Godly woman who guides me and prays with me at work....YES at work! She is an amazing woman, with a heart of gold. I am truly the lucky one of this friendship, and I am so thankful that God brought us together as friends.

My day continued at work, with a visit from Maria. Her and I started working at Xtreme within a few months of each other, and have been great friends since day one. She is another treasure here at XP, and without her, I wouldn't have been able to adapt to all of the changes this place had in store for me. She is a true friend, and again, I am a lucky person to call her not only my coworker, but my friend. Matt and I love having dinner with her and her husband, and our friendship with this couple is so very cherished by myself and Matt. She makes amazing biscotti, and guess what I got...HOMEMADE BISCOTTI, and a gift card to an amazing restaurant. Jolene and Maria also gifted to me a Target gift card...WAHOO, can't wait to buy a new holiday outfit :)

As the day went on, my wonderful boss Mike, emailed Diana, DJ and I, as he wanted to take us out to lunch for my birthday and for DJ's last day (which is this coming Friday). He didn't tell us where we were going, just said we are going to Austin, and I hope you don't have plans or meeting before 2pm. Well that intrigued me. Where in the world were we going? He pulls up to Fogo De Chao, downtown Austin. My jaw drops. I have been wanted to try this resaturant for years, but Matt hasn't been as sweet to oblige my desires. Well, we all walked in, had a table waitng for us and dined on every type of meat there is to offer. AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, DELECTABLE, DELICIOUS, are just a few words I will choose to use to describe the food. Let me not forget the fellowship....what an amazing group of coworkers (and friends) I was surrounded by. Mike has been my boss for a little over a year now, and has been such a blessing in my professional life. He has taught me so much, and I continue to learn each and everyday from him, as he is such a great leader for our company. DJ, what an amazing person he is, and we are so sad he is venturing off to a new company, but I understand the opprotunity was too good to pass up. He is such a treasure, and I look forward to many more years of friendship with him. And Diana, remember what I mentioned above...well I love her, she is wonderful :) We had an amazing time, and it was such a wonderful outing for my birthday.

 Picture of the sweet (and I do mean sweet) dessert from Mike and the rest of the team. It was delicious!!

Once we got back from Fogo, I was trying really hard to get back into a work mindset, but it just wasn't happening. Upon arrival, I was greeted by amazing flowers from my sweet lovey. I am such a lucky girl, as Matt truly knows how to make me feel special each and every day, especially on my birthday. He wasn't able to come to Austin for my birthday, but I knew he was thinking of me. I can't wait to celebrate with him this weekend.

 So gorgeous and so very thoughtful.

Again, trying to get back into the mindset of work.....Cue in THE disaster of the day at our company. Let's just say the power went out, and was out the rest of the day. WAHOO, didn't have to work the rest of the afternoon. Remember that cheesecake I was talking about earlier, that Diana made, well here is a wonderful picture of it :) Of course I shared with everyone at the office (the office that had power) and man, was it delish. I was a cheesecake eating fool on my birthday!!

Once the day was over, I went to meet Jason and Laura for HH at 219West. I absolutely love this place. It is such an easy place to meet friends for amazing food and even better drinks, and talk about budget friendly. You don't have too many high end restuarants that are budget friendly that are located downtown, but this one takes the cake :) I had a wonderful time with Jason. He is moving to Indy this coming weekend, and while I'm happy for him career wise, I am quite sad to lose one of my very best friends to another city, another state! Laura was such a gem, and this girl makes me laugh so hard!! I am so thankful for our friendship and thankful that I got to spend my birthday with her.


As you can tell, it was a pretty awesome birthday. Bring it late twenties, I am ready!!

The Boys of Fall

The Fall of 2010 will go down in our family as one to remember. It all started the first weekend of September, when Chad took the field as a Senior, with the Roughnecks to kick off the 2010 Fall football season. They lost to Brazosport, and as I talked to Chad after the game, he said to me, "Cortney, we are going to state this year." I laughed, said that there is still a lot of football to play this season, so lets get through the regular season.

Well, the Roughnecks started the12 game winning streak the following week, Chad played his heart out week in and week out, and I started attending every game possible starting the first weekend of October. My weekends revolved around Roughneck football, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Matt attended some of the games with me, and he loved so much being apart of the excitement. He is so supportive of Chad and my family that it truly makes my heart melt to see him interact with them.

In my past posts, you have seen my posts, from the playoffs, and all of the wins! Last night we played Tyler Chapel Hill in the STATE SEMIFINALS!!! This was our first appearance in the semifinal playoffs in 40 years!! YES, 40 YEARS!! Our boys were ready, and they were pumped up to start the game, but the Chapel Hill team proved to be the better team and will be playing for the state championship next weekend. I am sad for our team, but I am also so very happy and PROUD of this team. I have watched these boys grow, week in and week out, into an amazing football team. Chad and his best friend Aaron, have lead their team each week, pumping them up on the field, making key plays, and have been incredible. These boys hold a very special place in my heart, and I am forever thankful to them for an amazing football season! #52 and #53 I love you boys!!

I need to say a few things about my brother, Chad... What an amazing young man he is becoming. Every time I am around him, I look at him and just smile, because he is that type of person that just lights up the room when he walks in. I love that he has a gentle spirit, a kind heart and a strong sense of integrity. He is applying to college in the next few weeks, and I am so excited for him to start the next chapter in his life. He is one of the most incredible people that I know, and I am so lucky to call him my brother. I spoke to him this morning after the tough loss, and he said it very well... I am proud of our team. I know Chad has such a bright future ahead of him, and I hope he knows that his big sister will always be here to support and love him. Again, I couldn't be more proud of him.

Here is to our Boy of Fall, Chad Kresta, #52!!

Of course, I couldn't complete a post without any pictures... Mom was the crafty one for this game and made Maroon Santa hats for the game. They turned out so cute!!

Mom with her sweet girlfriends, who all drove up for the game! So much fun!

And to my wonderful Matt.... Thank you for being YOU... last night one the way home from the hard loss game, you were wonderful to me, while I was completely cranky and upset about the loss. I am reminded each and every day why God choose you for me, and I am so grateful. Thank you for being my person :)

'Necks march on to VICTORY!!

Another ROUGHNECK VICTORY!! I am so excited to report that our Roughnecks did it again on the field, beating Somerset, 36-27!! What a game it was...our boys came out to play, and we are so excited to move onto the SEMI-FINALS!! This team is the first team to do so since the Roughnecks of '69, so our town is PUMPED to say the least. We packed the house on Saturday night with 5000 Roughneck fans. Considering West Columbia only has 3800 people and Brazoria has 2200 people...that is pretty impressive.

The girls and I did make our shirts, and let me just say, I am so proud of Kim and I. It was a LONG, drawn out process, but we made them, even did Kasey's for her, and they turned out perfect.

Roughneck sisters and our shirts :) :) :) LOVE IT!!

 On the back it says "Sisters love #52 and #53" 

I know it seems that my posts all revolve around football lately... well that is because that is all we are doing at the moment. I haven't had anytime to do anything in Austin, anything in SA, and I should be packing up the apt for the big move in two weeks to a my very own 1/1 apartment. This is a big move for me. I have never lived alone, nor have I wanted to live alone, but the time has come. I promised myself before I get married, I will live without a roommate for at least a year. Well in two weeks, I will move into my cousin's guest house. It is a perfect house, and I will for sure post pictures once I move in! I am so excited!!! So I apologize if all these football posts are boring....these are the adventures of Matt and Cortney. 

Thanksgiving 2010

I love the holidays, I love spending time with my family, I love cooking, and I love eating. The holidays are such a wonderful time in our family, as we come together to celebrate how God has blessed our family.

Mom and I both love to cook....and I thought a challenge was in order. I found a wonderful pecan pie recipe last year that I made for the Buckmaster's Thanksgiving and I wanted to make it for the Kresta Thanksgiving, so I challenged Mom to a Pecan Pie THROWDOWN (ala Bobby Flay). Mom wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but I was excited. I like to show Mom that her teachings took with me, that I did learn from her how to cook. She is by far the best cook of the family, and everything I've learned, I've learned from her. Her pecan pie is delicious, but I wanted to try something different. She made her pie on Wednesday, and it looked perfect, I was getting a little nervous, what did I sign up for? Why did I challenge her? She is the pro, I am CRAZY. I was second guessing myself, thinking that I shouldn't make my pecan pie. Well I mustered up the courage and started making my pie on Thanksgiving morning. My first problem...the pastry. I couldn't remember for the life of me my mother's recipe, so I had to look on up on the internet. I wasn't about to ask her for the recipe during a throwdown! The recipe I found was different, but it worked out ok. It was a battle to roll it out and get it into the pie pan, but I did it! Now, onto to the filling. Everything went smoothly and I was ready to bake! Here comes the hour and half wait.... not to mention I was getting the evil eye for taking up one of the ovens during PRIMETIME baking. I had to watch the pie like a hawk...to make sure I didn't burn it. I was at the tail end of the timing, and mom says, " Cortney, go take a shower, people will be here in a bit." I looked at her like she was crazy....like I was going to leave her with my pies, only to BURN THEM! HAHAHAHAHA so I pulled the pie, and it was beautiful :)

Now, who were the judges going to be? My Dad loves pecan pies, loves my MOM's pecan pie, and knew that being a judge might be a determent to his marriage. Because what happens when he picks my pie to win? That would be bad. So we had Brad (kim's boyfriend) judge the first round....who does he pick....MOM! He loved her's thought it was the best :) One point for Mom. Onto Dad, Poppy, Aaron and Chad..... We gave each of them a slice, didn't tell them who the slice was baked by and then they did the compairison. AND four points goes to......CORTNEY!!! I won, I won the challenge!! I was so excited, I did a little dance around the kitchen!! Mom just looked at me, but she was a good sport. She came and said since I was the winner, then I won the responsibility of making Thanksgiving dinner next year...EEEKK. Mom, you can keep the Thanksgiving dinner...I will take the pecan pie duties.

What a wonderful thanksgiving I have had with my family....I am just missing one person....Matt. We do not spend the holidays together just yet, as its too hard to decide where we are going. We both love our families, love being with them, and I am so thankful that we have such wonderful families. I know Matt is having a wonderful time with his family, and I am thankful for them in my life as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Another Roughneck WIN

The Boys of Fall did it again!! A win over CC Miller, 56-14, puts the mighty Roughnecks into the Quarterfinals against the Somerset Bulldogs. Chad had a wonderful game, and we are all so proud of him. He keeps it all on the field and plays his heart out. I thought it was so sweet when he said on Wednesday, " I am so thankful to be practicing football during the holidays." He is loving his senior year and having such a great time with his fellow teammates. They are playing amazing, and we are so proud of them!!

For the next game, the girls and I are making shirts. I am a little nervous, as my vision may not come to fruition, but I am going to try. Supplies will be purchased on Friday morning, and I will be working ferverntly on them Friday, into Saturday. I always love a good challenge!!

I am so excited about game day. Let's hope for another ROUGHNECK VICTORY!!

Road Warriors

Traveling is apart of our every day life. Matt and I are always traveling to see each other, to see our family, to get out of town for a little weekend getaway. Our suitcases stay packed, always ready for the next adventure, but let me tell you, it gets rather exhausting. We love that we are surrounded with family and friends who we adore going to visit, but believe me, I dream of the days when the suitcase stays in the closet longer than a week. That dream will remain a dream for a while longer, because the holidays are upon us and TRAVEL is the name of the game. Off we go to Fort Worth, West Columbia, football games and everywhere in between....2011 won't slow us down....but I wouldn't have it any other way :)

This past weekend was quite the adventure.... we first went to Sinton, TX to watch our MIGHTY ROUGHNECKS take on the Sinton Pirates in the first round of 3A DI Football playoffs. Matt and I were so excited to finally spend some quiet time together in the car, and boy was it quiet. I was soooooooooooo anxious and nervous about the game, I kept quiet most of the ride. You would have thought I was about to play in the game of my life, or that my son was playing! Ok, it was my brother (who feels like my first born, little inside jokey joke for our family) and I was nervous and excited for him! Here he is making memories during his senior year of high school. This sweet boy kicked some serious BUTT in that night, and I am so thankful we are able to be there under the Friday Night Lights to cheer on our Roughneck. Let's not forget about another "brother" .... Boucher...Aaron is the Chad's best friend, his fellow lineman and my goodness, these two boys know how to play some football. They kicked that PIRATE TAIL, and took him a BIG W for the Columbia Roughnecks! Way to go boys, now its on to CC Miller on Friday night.

Kimmy is so cute....maroon mania!! 

Even Yea Yea and Mom are FOOTBALL fans...helps they love #52!!

Love these two boys, but do NOT want to be the person they are hitting on the field!! 

Onto Saturday.... if Sinton weren't enough, Matt and I then loaded up to head to Fort Worth for his brother's birthday. Guess who slept most of the way...... ehhhh let's not get into those deets!! Birthdays are a big deal in the Kresta household, and its only fitting that they are just as a big deal in the Buckmaster family. I love celebrating family birthdays, and I am so happy that we were able to help G celebrate his entrance into his last year as a 20-something. Sunday we visited with the family, had a wonderful brunch, and then came home...again, who slept most of the way....details, minor details :) I am so thankful for L&G in my life, because they are the ones who inadvertently brought Matt and I together. I am forever grateful for our friendship. Fort Worth is always so much fun when we are with L&G!!

Sunday was a bit rough for me. I couldn't shake this terrible mood I was in from the time I woke up, from the time we got home... I didn't  get to the bottom of the feeling until LATE that evening. I was quiet most of the day, not really talking to anyone, trying to avoid any and all conversation. What it ultimately boiled down to..... I was exhausted. Sunday night ended with me in tears, and driving back to Austin, leaving Matt at home in SA. I journal this because I want to remember this feeling. I love that we are able to travel, to see our family and friends, but I am learning more and more, that I need to take care of me, take care of Matt, take care of our relationship. God brought us together to grow together, to love each other and support each other. Life without Matt would be unbearable, and I know he is my person. He is and was wonderful that evening, letting me leave, because he knew I needed a break for the evening. Matt provides such an amazing emotional support to my crazy moods. God truly knew that I needed this balance in my life. I tend to get caught up in everything else around me, and I lose focus of the true meaning. I am refocusing my life on HIM, our Savior, and I am going to focus on us and myself. I realize all of this will take time....we are traveling on Friday night for another football game, but we do this together, and we love and support each other on the road. Whether we are driving to a mini getaway, going to see family, visiting friends all across Texas....I thank God everyday that these adventures are spent with Matt.




And before I end for the night......

 GO NECKS GO, WE BELIEVE!! TWO TOWNS, ONE DREAM, STATE!

Love our Roughneck!!

Weddings...and now Babies :)

I am so blessed to have such an amazing family and a wonderful group of people I call my friends. God truly brought each and every one of these people into my life for a purpose, and I am forever grateful.

I have been in the "wedding phase" of my life for the past three years. It started in April 2007 when Megan married Colt. Then it snowballed from there, and to date, I have been in 10 weddings, have attended numerous weddings as just a guest (and I say that lovingly, because I LOVE BEING A GUEST ) and have traveled all over the state. I love weddings, and I love what they represent. Bringing two lives, together as one, two people confessing their love for each other in front of the dearest family and friends...it is all so magical to me.

This past weekend we attended my cousin's Jeff's wedding. He married a lovely girl, and I am so excited to have her as an addition to our ever growing family. The wedding ceremony was beautifully set in my aunt and uncle's backyard, and then the reception was just a few steps away. What a lovely event. I am so happy for Jeff, that he found his person to grow his life with. What a true blessing.

This weekend also brought along a new experience for me.... the Baby Shower. My beautiful cousin Lindsey is pregnant, due 1/1/11. One of her sweet friends hosted a beautiful shower in Lake Jackson, and she and BGG (Baby Girl Gore) were showered with pink, pink and more pink. This little girl has no idea what is in store for her, when we welcome her to our family in 2011. We are so excited for Patrick and Lindsey, and even more excited to meet BGG. Lindsey is absolutely glowing, and if I am half as lucky to look as beautiful and elegant as Lindsey does when I'm pregnant, then I will count my blessings.

And finally, I have to end with a picture of Matt and I. He is my partner in crime when it comes to weddings. He has been such a trooper the past two years, attending wedding, after wedding. What a blessing he is in my life. Even when I get frustrated, I am still thankful he is my person, my partner, the one God choose for me. Love him, and love the life we are growing together. 

Football, Wurstfest, and Halloween.....

Our weekend started out with quite a bang on Friday night with a ROUGHNECK WIN against the Sweeny Bulldogs. I am so proud of our Roughnecks (and especially #52) for going into Sweeny and kicking their tails, to become DISTRICT CHAMPIONS!! My voice is still hoarse from cheering so loudly :) :) :) We cannot wait for playoffs.....I have a feeling I will be running the roads of south Texas the entire month of November. Ohh the Boys of Fall......

Then on Saturday, we ventured out to New Braunfels for the 50th annual Wurstfest.... which is by far one of the best festivals in the area...where else can you have a 10 day salute to sausage and beer? We went out to get our fill of fried pickles, funnel cakes, potato cakes, fried crab balls, and pork chop on a stick... yes on a stick!! And let's not forget about the polka music..... I was raised on this music, my Daddy taught me how to dance to this music. It felt like I was at home among the tuba and accordion players. My grandpa played the accordion, and it always brings back a happy memory to hear this type of music. What great fun it was to eat, drink and polka the our Saturday away!! It was a wonderful time with great friends, and THANK YOU Martha for taking pictures.

What a great group to experience Wurstfest with....fun was most certainly had by all!! 

 FRIED PICKLES!! Seriously, this is my all time fave food, can't you tell??

 The "Wurst" Clown, I'm sure he has a name....but you know how that goes, but this was a fun picture!

 My sweet friend Martha, we are becoming regulars at festivals together!!

On Sunday, Matt and I had a lazy day, which was so nice, because these days are few and far between. We ventured out to the Lake for a nice lunch, and just spent the afternoon hanging out and relaxing. Sundays are usually hard for me, I hate when he has to leave to go home, I usually cry a bit, but then Matt always puts it into perspective, saying that everything will work out on God's plan, and we will be together, in the same city soon enough. He is seriously the best, and I can't wait to spend all my days with this wonderful man (in the same city)!!

Once Matt left, I went to visit my family. MPK is now 6months old, and I wasn't going to miss his first Halloween. How precious is he??

He was the little jailbird. His Daddy (my cousin) is a police officer, so this costume was quite a hit when cousin was holding him! This little man has my heart!! I love that they live so close and I am able to watch little MPK grow, laugh, and learn. I will be extra lucky in December, when I move into their little guest house. I am sure there will be much fun to be had between MPK, his parents, and his new sister!! Stay tuned for those updates this week....when introduce his older sister LK.

Gruene Wine Festival

What a treat the Gruene Music and Wine Festival turned out to be. My dear friend Martha and I ventured to Gruene, to soak up the sun, and taste test a few (or a lot) of different wines. It was a wonderful time, and I am so thankful for the sweet friend that I have in Martha. She is a true blessing, and I thank God that he brought us together as friends. 

Matt joined us a little later in the day, and the music in the sun was incredible. What a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city, with a lazy afternoon in historic Gruene. 

Family Helps the World Go Round

I was so excited about this weekend, because once again, we came together as a family to support my little brother, Chad. It is his time to shine!!! As the baby of the family, you truly have to wait your turn to take the spot light, and boy does this child love the lime light! Starting Friday, we had his HS football game. He did incredible, and it was the first time his three sisters were there to cheer him on for another Roughneck WIN!!

I tend to get myself into little projects, because I want Chad to know how much we love him, and how do I do that, I start a craft project. My first project was for his games, and I can't take credit, but I will give credit to Dom Falbo. He had these amazing hats made at Lids for my sisters and I....well I know mine is a little small, but the girls look cute in theirs :) 


At first, Chad thought they were a bit nerdy, but then the rest of his football buddies saw them, and LOVED THEM. Needless to say, they aren't nerdy anymore :)

Now for the Fair, I wanted to make a little something special to show our support, and so here is what I came up with.....

I printed a picture of Lindsey and Chad, asked Home Depot if I could have 10 paint sticks, and bought some cardstock from Hobby Lobby..... and....

VIOLA!!! Fan Fare for the fair queen competition! I like to think that our Fan Fare helped Lindsey to become the BCFA Queen, but let's be real....she won because she was perfect for the crown. Congratulations Lindsey!! 

Let's hope he doesn't disown me for this one! I am so proud of the amazing young man that he is becoming. We are eight years apart, so I have been fortunate enough to truly watch this person grow from an infant, to a toddler, to a little boy, and now into a man. What a blessing!!! He is truly an angel, and brings so much happiness to our family.

Chad, we love you and are so proud of you.

And to my wonderful Matt, thank you for being so supportive this weekend, not to mention loving. What a wonderful weekend we had as a family.

Blog Wrangling

I wrangled with the idea of starting a blog. Am I starting this for the right reasons, who is going to be interested in my blog, and how on earth am I going to find time to update this new blog (which mind you, I have NO clue how to do, it is definitely a learn as you go adventure). The main reason I struggled with the idea of a blog was because, out of all the blogs that I follow, every person is married. Matt and I are dating.

Finally I said, WHAT THE HECK, it's ok to be dating and to have a blog. Here is the catch, not only do I want to document my life, but I will document the two lives that God is bringing together, Matt and mine. We are truly destined to be together. Our adventure has been going strong since summer of 2008, and I know within my heart, God has big plans for 2011.

My(Our) life is making/taking drastic turns. God has big plans for my 2011 and it is going to be an amazing year, I can already feel it. Now don't worry, I am not wishing away the rest of 2010, because believe me, there is plenty of 2010 to be lived. I just feel starting this now is perfect timing.

So welcome to my blog.....Life as We Know it (and all the adventures as they happen)!

Love,

Cortney

Matt and me, together two years Sept 2010

Celebrating Matt's 31st birthday; So thankful for this wonderful man in my life :) 

Mardi Gras Festival in San Antonio! Always an adventure with M&C