Texas State Fair 2010

We did it.

Researched the festivities (food, fun, games, events, etc)

Got the discounts ($4 off each adult and kids were FREE - thank you McDonald's tray liners)

Loaded up Bob the bus (aka the stroller).

survived the chilly morning

Took Faith in her 2nd Fun House...

her 1st Roller Coaster... the Dragon

 witnessed her begging for more

 so of course she got it

measured up to Big Texas

2010

2009 Flash Back

"Big Tex can talk, his mouth was moving like [insert childlike rendition of puppets talking]"

 had Fletcher's Corn Dogs

or just the corn part

 

decided we would try all 10 of Big Tex Bests

David post-pic comment "Don't ever make me do that again"

 Fried Beer (ahem, only those over 21)

Note: it was interesting, but not worth it, definitely needed something better than nacho cheese as a topping

 Fried Smores, Fried Lemonade, Fried Chocolate

seperatly good, Fried Chocolate could easily find a home in fine dining, but the Fried Lemonade was the tastiest

Fried Cobb Salad, Fried Margarita, Texas Caviar, Fried Frito Pie

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ya, we wanted to live long enough to actually exit the fair so we passed on the rest

then off to the Farm

Mini Tex, aka Farmer Faith, picked peaches, planted seeds,

picked produce, miked cows, fed chickens, and goats, 

to her tractor to feed the pigs

delivered her goods to the market

and of course, got paid

 but most of all, Faith rode the TEXAS STAR

 the one & only thing she really wanted to do was ride the ferris wheel

"Mommy, I'm ready to ride the ferris wheel now"

 & so she did, with Daddy 

(and 2 teenage couples who clearly were bummed some kid & her dad were cramping their style )

so here is to next time

Sisters.... and 1 month Dr.Appt

Isabelle is growing...

She has hit the 1 month mark !

she weighs 12 lbs 3 oz and is almost 23 in long

she is eating every 3-4 hours, staying awake most of the day, & last night, she slept for almost 7 hours

ps- can you notice the skin color difference in our kiddos? i say Isabelle has a bit more Italian blood in her :)

i am beginning to feel more and more normal, especially as Texas Spring is starting to arrive. This is my favorite time in TExas. The sun is warm and the breeze is just perfect. i remember when we moved here (almost 1 month ago-ps:look for that post complete with pictures soon) & David was working from home, we would take family walks in the afternoon and play at the park for hours until we had to go home because we had to eat dinner. Some times we would push it so close, Faith would fall asleep before we could get a meal in her. Though this spring will be a bit different, seeing we don't have the luxury of David working from home, I am anxious to take both girls to the park in the afternoons, and anxious to take more pictures of them both!

Updates on Life in Texas

We are getting there... here are a few answers to some of the many questions you have all had...

~How did the move go? - It went great, everything made it here in one peice, even all the stuff I had packed and shoved in storage months ago, including our fine china arrived without a ding- and yes,the movers even complimented on my packing style

~Did you unpack it all yet? -if you really know me you know I got it done in 48-72 hours, hey, having a toddler and with David working from home it wasn't exactly easy.

~So when do we get to see pictures?-probably when I get to sit down, upload and organize them, then post.... I know I know... but what good does a picture of boxes in the house look like. At least now the boxes are cleared and now the random things need to find homes.

~Any strange discoveries while unpacking?- yes, we have a lot more cabinets and drawers, this means more shelf liners and drawer organizers for the organizing queen who lives here.  I keep explaining to David how a functional house makes me happy which means we are all happy (just teasing, but seriously, if I can do laundry, cook dinner, play 'kitchen' with Faith and cut and organize coupons I am happy)

~ Have you painted or are there plans to paint?-Yes, Yes and yes... Faith's room, vanity area and bath area are painted the lovely girly colors of purple, pink and blue... wait till you see the pictures. She adores every inch of it, and as I sit here, this is officially her first night to sleep in her room, since I was particular about her not sleeping in a stinky paint-smell room). We intend to pain the kitchen, butler's pantry, nook, family area, media room, and study in the nearer future depending on budget and life's journey.

~ Are you tired? - what do you think

~ Are you happy? - um, YES!!!!

~ And what about your dog? - he is here, by my feet as I type this, curled up in complete contentment

~ And finally, where are the pictures of FAITH?! - Coming I promise!! But I would like encourage you to read my next post on Faith Phrases 

Love to all of you and if you are in the Dallas metroplex area...we better see ya'll soon !!!

Moving Truck Photos Up

FYI - I posted some fun pictures of the moving truck in the Welcome Back post

Welcome Back to Texas

We are here... phew. Let me just share a small story surrounding our last day in NC...
Wednesday morning, I am expecting a call from the truck driver around 7-7:30am for directions...
9am - driver calls, we come to the consensus he is lost and he knows nothing about getting a shuttle to the storage unit which is at another location 15 minutes away

9:15 - I call David... beg for help since I don't have a computer & I can't use my phone and talk to the driver at the same time
9:30 - David is on my mom's phone, driver's on mine - we determine he has taken the exit 174Z instead of the 174B I directed him to... he should be here in 10 min.
9:45 - locate driver wandering apartment complex... he tells me he hates apartment complexes because he can't park the truck... whatever
9:50 - someone calls to tell me to tell the driver we need to go to the storage unit and load first so we can use the free shuttle over there
9:53 - I tell the driver this, he explains we need to wait for the other guys to show
10:00 - driver tells me he doesn't know where the other 2 loaders/packers are and i should call someone
10:02 - I call my relocation coordinator and i am put on hold as they show up
10:15 - we all caravan to storage unit
10:30 - arrive at storage where the owner tells the driver he can take the shuttle or, if his truck is empty(which it is) he can try to back the truck down because after all, people have done it before
10:45 - we head down to look at the unit, driver decides it shouldn't be a problem to get the truck down...
11:05 - i sit in the car and watch as the horror show begins...

first - the driver starts to back down and i begin to envision the truck flipping, killing my driver and ultimately delaying our departure while we have to file police reports and wait for another truck
30 minutes later - driver gets out of truck, which is oddly positioned and begins to analyze the mess
20 minutes later - other 2 loaders begin to collect chunks of cement and carpet pieces and other trash to put near wheels (maybe to keep them from rolling)
20 minutes later - the owner of the storage unit drives his little golf cart down and begins to analyze the situation - by this time I am certain I should stay out of the mess, knowing I know absolutely nothing about this.
5 minutes later - owner drives cart up to me.. tells me "you may be here awhile" great "ya, they popped 8 wheels off the ground and can't get enough traction to straighten back out" fabulous.

40 minutes later, 7 chunks of cement, 4 wooden blocks, 3 carpet pieces and most of patience
- driver walks over to tell me he is going to call a tow truck to straighten him out so we don't waste any more time... right...as i drive him to the office he explains he has had a series of bad luck, including his most recent when he drove across a bridge he shouldn't have and was fined almost 15000 dollars but got off with a $80 warning - I try to cheer him up with a "hey maybe your bad luck stops here" (praying I am right)
40 minutes later - tow truck arrives, straightens him out, and leaves, right as my loving driver decides to try again... yet this time he is successful
time the first box was loaded on a truck 1:30 PM
time they left, with everything loaded at both locations: 8:03 PM
time we had dinner : 8:35 PM
flight the next morning: 11:40 AM
time I finally relaxed ... not until the day our stuff arrives

seriously

A bitter sweet ending....

Well, we are back in NC - we being Faith and me. David is in Texas and we will be there soon, Thursday to be precise. Faith and I had the most perfect conclusion of my time at Elon. The Southern Conference Tournament was held in Chattanooga, Tennessee and though it is not the most exciting place, we had a blast. The team was wonderful, and the basketball teams were pretty good too! I was so proud to watch them perform and just completely sell it. They did a great job and every performance was spot on .The crowd loved it, even the not-so-nice fans of UT Chattanooga who typically pull for their own home team were admitting we were a better program. I was so proud of them, their class, their maturity and their loving ability to have fun without making my job difficult.... thank you ladies, for being simply fabulous. I will forever remember this weekend, and how Faith learned all your names, yet simply had her favorties... Sadie - Jel - Ship - Mallory - Law-rin - Ise.... and thank you for helping me out, watching her so I could take a shower, carrying a bag or two, hoisting her up on my back, etc. You are all a group of exceptional young women and it is sad to have to say goodbye... but for right now, let's leave it at.... see ya later!

The next week is as follows...

Please figure us if we don't have too many new posts over the next week or so....
Faith & I leave on Thursday for Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament. Elon's men's and women's basketball teams will play until they lose and we head back... if we stay the whole time we should be back Tuesday morning at the latest... hopefully for us that isn't the case

David leaves for TEXAS Saturday when my mom arrives in NC to help us out.

Hopefully Faith and I return to NC on Saturday, Sunday at the latest.

The movers pack us up Tuesday & load the trucks Wednesday then we are in TEXAS on Thursday.... YIKES... it is so fast.

I hope to get pictures from the last week up tomorrow... Faith is continuing to amaze and intrigue us. We can't wait until you all get to see her in person... whenever that may be. She is a 'smart girl' and she knows how to sign that, too!

Much love to you all, and we hope to be back on track sometime around the 14th... internet at the house should be on the 24th! Yay

Countdown

We are in countdown for the big move...
It is hard to believe that only in a matter of days;
~ David be done with business school & back out in the real world,
~ I will be coaching my last few games at Elon, and
~ David will be driving the first car back to Texas
..and in only a matter of weeks (less than 3)
~ I will have to pack up what I can of this apartment,
~ watch the movers pack the rest
~ help the movers navigate our storage unit
~ watch it all get loaded on a truck, and
~ then head to Texas myself with Faith (& my mom who will be here to help)
..and then, 1 week after that...
WE MOVE IN!!!

I can't help but stand amazed at what we are about to do. After 9 years out here in NC we are finally headed home. Home where we knew we would be one day, but never knew how. At first we thought we were crazy to still be out here in NC, but the truth is, living here has been one of the greatest decisions of our lives. We were able to build a strong, sturdy foundation for our marriage, and establish our lives, together. We feel more and more in love and we will always keep NC in our hearts. So exciting...

Welcome Ya'll !!!

Hello Family & Friends - welcome to our updated website....

Please look around, read previous posts and get acclimated. We will be here for awhile. We just had a fabulous facelift to our website and we are so excited to share our site with you all. fabulous k did a great job & we highly recommend her!

For those who don't know... we are moving home... back to TEXAS in a few weeks. We are grateful and blessed and amazed. After 8 years in North Carolina (undergrad @ Duke & Elon, my grad school & david's grad school) we are finally going home. We never knew when or how or how soon, but we did know one day God would take us there. That day has finally come. It will be sad to leave NC... too many of our memories are here, but we are thrilled to create new family memories in Texas, surrounded by the ones we love.

Soon I will post a pictures of the Texas house on the left. For now enjoy the Martin Moments in February.

Much love to you all!