Life is sweeter in AggieLand

Last weekend was our first chance to really get away this summer after starting work. Byron doesn't get many chances to get away for a whole weekend so we took advantage of the opportunity. Friday night after our parents left we jumped in the truck, picked up our friend Genevieve and headed for College Station, TX. Home of the Fightin' Texas Aggies! I was still pretty drugged up at this point, but there was no way I was going to miss out on this weekend. Byron has been looking forward to going back to Texas A & M for about 4.5 years now (since he left in the first place). I know he must love me when he offers to stay home from this long anticipated weekend and let me get better. But- we made it to College Station around 10: 30 with enough time to check into the hotel before heading to "Midnight Yell Practice". What an experience! SEe the videos below for some samples.





I didn't know any of the 'moves' or chants, but it was really inspiring to see all those students cheering for their team. Wake Forest fans just don't compare. The entire stadium (that seats 85K) pulses with energy. It was really cool- even for a non- A & M'er like myself. After yell practice- we all (Johnny, Genevieve, Byron and I) headed back to the hotel (I fell asleep on the 10 minute drive I was so exhausted) and slept until 9:30! 9:30 these days is really late for me to sleep on a Saturday but I must have really been tired! I felt 1000 times better. We headed for Mi Cocina one of Byron and Johnny's FAVORITE places to eat while in school there. They stamp your tortilla's and pancakes with the Texas A & M logo. Every person in there was in gameday spirit with some kind of A & M gear on.

Next we hit up the shops with ALL the A & M gear. Byron bought a T shirt for every person in his family practically. It was fun, and I'm always game for getting new clothes! We drove through all the old stomping grounds and checked out the new monuments etc on campus. All in all it was a relaxing afternoon. We headed back to the hotel to clean ourselves up for the game and get ready for the tailgate.

Johnny had some friends cooking up some food so we dropped by there before the game to chat and watch the cadets march into the stadium. Genevieve's brother scored us some sweet seats on the shady side of the stadium WITH seats. Apparently it's tradition for the students to stand the ENTIRE game- which I am not dedicated enough to do. So-we were about 20 rows up near the A & M endzone! We won the game...a lot to a little (really...I don't remember by how much), and it was a great experience!






We attended church the following morning where Byron went and ran into all sorts of people. It was inspiring to see so many college students on fire for Christ. No wonder he had such an amazing experience there! All in all I'd say it was a great weekend. We made it back to SA in time to have dinner with our young marrieds group.

Monday was a great day at work for me. I finally accomplished 'patching a cell' which has taken me a whole month to learn! Horray! I'm finally ready to do some actual science!

Murphy's Law

Last week was a busy, but very exciting week. We had our first house guests since getting married and moving to TX. Lesa and Charlie chose to stay with us in our ghetto fabulous Condo for a few nights while in town. I say "Ghetto fabulous" because the week they decided to come, our house seemed to fall apart at the seams. Last weekend our washing machine overflowed. Twice. Soaking the kitchen floor, walls, etc. What a mess! We took the machine apart. Twice. That's right- you read correctly. My husband completely dismantled the washing machine and put it back together again. Twice. He's amazing. I wish I had taken some pictures of the carnage in our kitchen with all the parts dismantled and sprawled out. And.....as it turns out...nothing was wrong with the machine. No clogs. No malfunctions. The problem was in the pipe in the wall. We should of tried that first. Doh. So- the maitenance people had to come out and roto-rooter (however you spell that) the drain in the wall. But...we actually had fun overcoming that challenge together. I think taking things apart and putting them back together again is very therapeutic for Byron. Go figure! But- we will look back and laugh on that day for years to come.

Then...our roof in the guest bedroom started leaking. Actually- it started about a week before hand when we had a big thunderstorm. We called maitenance and they came out and "fixed" it. But we never saw them. Ever. So- Our guest bedroom was entirely dismantled for a week waiting for them to come and fix the inside since the carpet was wet (and probably molding now), the wall was warped (and probably molding) and the ceiling was caving in (and probably molding now). But...it started to rain on Monday night and didn't stop for three days. Now...mind you- San Antonio has been in a drought with NO RAIN all summer. And now- when we have an actual need for our guest bedroom- it starts raining and leaking and SMELLING! Murphy's law. So..we call maitenance. Again. And they come look and say they fixed a different leak- (In the fireplace) and not hte one we actually complained about. Nice.

By this point in time Lesa and Charlie are at the airport being picked up and I'm frantically cleaning and washing everything in our bedroom so they can stay in there. I was just not comfortable with the possibility of the ceiling collapsing on my new in-laws in the middle ofthe night.

I was also starting to get very sick at this point in the week with a cold/flu and just couldn't stop coughing. But- I was not going to miss out on all the family fun. So my doctor (Dr. Byron) fixed me up with all sorts of cold medicines to help me muddle through. THank goodness for modern medicine! It was wonderful to just visit with everyone. We really miss seeing them every week, and hanging out at the farm. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving break and being back in Good Ol' Winston-salem!

And...to top it all off, one of our microscopes flooded at the very END of the day on Thursday when we were supposed to be going out to a fancy dinner with the whole family. Awesome. Again- Murphy's law. But...my boss let me go a little early on Friday to give me a few hours to visit with the family before heading up to college station for the weekend.

On the brightside though, we have a great home, wonderful family and friends, and jobs that support our lifestyle. So...God has blessed us beyond measure and I need to remember that no matter what.

Sorry no pictures on this post:( Next one I promise!

Volleyball, labor day, and life in general

I've GOT to get better at this regular posting thing. I'm sorry to all those who are curious and are being left in the dark by my laziness. I'll try to post at least once a week.

Life has been busy as usual lately, and I'm feeling a little older than I should. Let me explain. Byron and I get up around the same time now around 6:30 which is not all THAT early. But it's nice to be able to see him before the day has gotten ahold of him. (Have I mentioned how studying is his favorite thing to do?!?! NOT!) But...we go to bed around 9:30. How sad is that!?! Seriously- around 9 pm I can barely keep my eyes open. I get in bed, read for about 20-30 minutes and I'm out like a light. Both of us are.

Then...last weekend I played in a volleyball tournament with some girls I met at the open gym I go to on Thursday nights. It was an indoor 6's tourney, and the teams/level of play was amazing (Not including myself in that list...I was REALLY rusty!). We played 14 games in a period of 8-9 hrs. There was waayyyyyy too much waiting going on in this tournament (they usually run smoothly and teams aren't sitting and waiting for hours on end), but I'm hoping it was just this one that was organized poorly. I felt fine playing all day, and I had a ton of fun getting back into the competitive play.

Everything was fine until about 7 AM the next morning. The alarm went off and I couldn't move. Every muscle in my body hurt. Every joint was screaming at me. I felt a good 30 years older that morning. Byron finally woke up too and pushed me out of bed and into a hot shower since I was whinning already. It helped, but only enough to make me forget not to move slowly. I got out of the shower, got dressed, and started down the stairs to start brewing our morning cup of joe. AHHHHHHHHHHH....I almost fell down the stairs, my legs just wouldn't move like they were supposed to. Trying to sit/stand at regular intervals at church that morning was no fun either. Needless to say- I was REALLY out of shape (which is weird since I excercise regularly). But...I'm torturing myself again in about a month for another tourney. I refuse to let feeling old take away my fun!

Monday was labor day and also the 26th annual fish fry at the Branch Ranch. Byron studied all morning and I went on a quick run to try and loosen up my muscles a little (Not without a good dose of IB profin first). We headed out to the ranch and arrived just in time for lunch (don't you love it when that happens!) the food was AWESOME: all the ladies that go out there cook up their finest, butter laden, scrumptious treats for all to enjoy. It was heavenly. We stuffed ourselves silly and sat around listening to Uncle Warren stories and Aunt Cynthia's Dating extravaganza. After lunch they usually have a skeet tournament, but due to the heat- rallying the enthusiasm was just not going to happen.

I did get a few pointers with Ashley's gun and managed to hit a few! I couldn't let the little Sarah show me up! She's like 10 and about 70 lbs and the kick of the gun nearly knocked her over. But she did it. So I had to. But- the 100+ degree heat was just draining us- so we headed back to the breezy porch and skipped the dove hunt.

This weekend was great with a little time for some much needed cleaning, straitening up, and rest. Its just another sign I'm getting older when I actually enjoy cleaning up my house! Ahhhh- We're turning into our parents! We're headed to dinner with Uncle Warren and Melissa tonight for a young life fundraiser something or other.