Annual Fish Fry Labor Day event

Every year, the Branches and McCaulley's have a fish fry up at the ranch. People bring their best dish and we all sit around for an afternoon visiting on the front porch.


Ava is about two now. (Her Mom Ashley always tells me her age in months...which I then mentally convert into years to even make sense to me, which ends up being like 1.8 years...and then I just round up). Anyway...she is super cute now and fully animated. She LOVES her some icecream, chocolate cake, cookies....anything sweet.


She beelined for Mr. Roach when she saw that cake. After she ate Sofia's icecream.... and a cookie of her own.




"I'll take it from here"



Anyway- I thought these were cute of her.... o the things you can do when it's not your kid and you don't have to put her to bed. Extra prayers for Ashley tonight:)


We also spent the week housesitting for Warren and Melissa. It was fabulous staying in their house. They have a HUGE kitchen with all the latest and greatest gadgets. I really enjoyed cooking there (we have a teeny tiny galley kitchen where you can have two cabinets open at the same time). We could turn up the AC as much as we wanted, and watch as much bad CABLE tv as our little hearts could handle. Pure. Bliss.

They live in a cute area of San Antonio that has all kinds of little boutique shoppes. One of my fav's is a french bakery right around the corner. The owner and all the cooks are french. The food is amazing. And doesn't this store front just invite you in for breakfast?!?!

Beach weekend Part II

So...one week later Byron and I packed up the car again and headed back to Port A. This time the Brown's let us use their condo which was actually only a few doors down from where we stayed last week! It was nice to already know the route. It makes the trip go faster. Byron wanted to stop on our way into town and hit the good fishing spots for dusk. He stayed in the water for almost 3 hours.



I had a good book and a beach chairs so I was happy as a clam for most of it. . I even caught a beautiful sunset.
However, I was REALLY ready to go when Johnny called to have us pick him up. I was sooooo hungry!

Johnny was in Rockport for a business trip and was dropped off by his buddies at the ferry. Byron and I picked him up on the other side. He was waiting for us- suitcase and fishing poles in hand under a gas station sign. Funny sight. I wish this picture wasn't blurry. I'm sure he felt super cool. He said he was the only guy walking....on a ferry full of cars. Funny image.

We decided to try Trout's seafood for dinner and it was delicious! Once again- expensive- but at least this time- the service (& food) was great.


Saturday morning started off with a lazy breakfast and the sounds of excitement from Byron. Cup of coffee in hand...Byron and Johnny headed out the door with all their fishing gear... while I -book in hand- headed to the beach. Genevieve was on the road (Poor girl....had to work late Friday night). O the bliss.

Genevieve arrived around lunch time and the boys stopped in for a quick bite- on their way to the OTHER side of hte island to try the fishing there (These boys love to fish!). Genevieve and I headed back out to the beach for a few afternoon rays and some good catching up. It was heavenly. We headed to Snoopy's for dinner (A highly recommended place) and it was AWESOME. Cheap, fresh and casual. O man..it was delicious. MElt in your mouth fresh seafood. Yummo!

After adequately stuffing ourselves...we headed home for some homemade cookies and a good movie. and by good movie...I mean TWILIGHT. Yeah- that's right. Your read that correctly. I reverted back to overly dramatic high school television as my recreation of choice for just one night. Don't judge me. Byron was asleep in about 30 minutes, but the rest of us were lovin' us some teenage love drama:) O high school....how I miss thee.

Sunday morning we awoke to the smell of homemade cinnamon rolls courtesy of Genevieve. Yum. I'll say it again...That's what vacation is for right? Eating lots of yummy food you don't/ shouldn't normally eat.

We all hit the beach for a few hours before leaving and Byron and Johnny attempted to catch a few waves.




All in all it- was a GREAT weekend.

Beach weekend 1

Ooops- this has been waiting to be published for a while now.... so when I say "Last weekend"...I mean four weekends ago. Ooops




Last weekend Byron and I were able to get away to Port Aransas, TX. I must say...my expectations for the Texas beaches were limited at best...since I"ve heard countless stories about how 'unpretty' they are. And with the oil fiasco on top of it all- I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised however upon arrival. Granted the sand dunes aren't as large, and the waves weren't as 'crisp'....but overall- it was beautiful! Nothing will ever compare to Topsail... But Port A...you're holding your own!




The McCauley's let us use their beach condo for the weekend so we were right on the beach. We brought two other couples from church with us: Beth and Dustin, and Courtney and Patrick. I drove a sleeping- post call worn out Byron to the beach. He only woke up once to tell me to pay attention to the road. How sweet he is to be so concerned for me (uh hum....dripping with sarcasm:) The rest of the crew arrived later that night after the work day ended.

The next day the boys tried their hand at surfing while us girls just sat in the sun (Or under the umbrella) and soaked it all in. I LOVE the beach. I lOVE waking up there- cooking breakfast- moving at a little slower pace than normal and just soaking up the sun. Yes- it was hot- but there's always a steady breeze at the beach to make it bearable.

We ventured out on the town in search of some fresh seafood for dinner. We decided on Virginia's since we'd received many recommendations for the place. Um....sub par. Seriously. I know I'm a seafood snob (hello...Maryland roots)- but the others agreed with me. It just wasn't worth the $. O well. I mean seriously- who serves steamed shrimp... cold? I sent mine back. And when I asked for warm steamed shrimp... our waitress said "I don't think we can do that." Umm....for the 25$ you're charging me? I don't think so. The chef steamed them once- I think they can do it again. Needless to say- the chef obliged and I didn't need to storm out. I'm not a difficult customer...I promise. I've done my time waitressing to those not so pleasant customers who think they are the ONLY ones on the planet. I try to be understanding when the restaurant is abuzz with action. But for the money we were spending there, and considering it was 5 PM...PRE restaraunt rush hour...- I expect a little bit of service. This lady was just NOT cutting it. They did have good dessert though. Key lime pie. Extra sour. Yum.


We hit the ice cream shop afterwards (what is vacation for after all?!?!? gorging yourself with treats you don't normally allow right?) and then headed home. Beth, Court and I watched Juno while reading cosmo, eating more icecream and cookies while Byron took the boys on a fishing adventure on the jetty. Byron could stay out there all night- but most people (myself included) don't usually last longer than two hours. They caught a few small ones but nothing worth keeping.


Everyone crashed HARD that night. We were all a little crispy (except for Beth who sat in the shade to protect herself all day) despite numerous applications of 30+ sunblock. This is also one of my favorite things about the beach. I love getting some sun- grabbing a fresh shower and then taking a long nap /getting a good night sleep. It just feels great.

Sunday we all woke up around 9 (which is really late for most of us) and set out in search of a breakfast place. The service at the Islander was superb and the bill was much gentler than the night before:) After stuffing ourselves (yet again) we hit the beach for a few more hours before packing up and heading home. Byron was eying all the new fishing spots he wanted to try on our drive home.

We are headed back to Port A for round two next weekend with Johnny and Genevieve Collins. We are really looking forward to it! Two mini vacations in one month...I LOVE neurology. Maybe a career change is in Byron's future?! just kidding. sort of.

Walk Like an Egyptian....

The theme of VBS this year was "Joseph- from Prison to Palace". I signed up this year with my friend Jill (actually she signed me up and hoped I would agree to be her partner:) to run the jewelry booth for the kiddos. I must say- it was a lot of fun - but a lot of work! watching/entertaining kids for 3 hrs a night after working all day is a CHALLENGE. Those kids were bouncing off the walls. By the time the 5th graders got there- Jill and I agreed to just let them do whatever. They were bigger than us anyway! The little ones are always very cute though- as seen here by Bethany and Cade "walking like Egyptian's".


Jill and I went all out with our costumes- blue makeup and bad wigs and all. I lucked out (being blessed with dark hair) that I didn't actually need a wig. We ordered two- but the company only sent us one. Thank goodness. Jill drew the short straw and had to wear that BAD wig for three nights in a row. YUCK!


Caleb, Andrea, Ashling and Cade came to TX to visit some friends last week. WE met up with them at one of our fav mexican restraunts Mamacitas. Ashling may just be my favorite little girl. I love listening to her talk. She has so many stories all full of imaginative detail and events. Cade has grown so much in the last few months and has a big toothy (well, two teeth) grin. He sat on my lap and ate fresh homemade tortillas (a major plus of living in TX) till his heart's content. It was a great evening with friends and we can't wait to see them again this winter.

Two weeks ago I went out to Lake Medina with a few friends from our Young Married's class to celebrate Marshall and Erin's last weekend in town. Marshall just graduated from Dental School here and he and Erin are moving to Tyler, TX. We sure will miss them!

A few of our friends had boats and a bunch of us piled in and spent the ENTIRE day playing out on the water. It was absolutely perfect. It's very rare that all of us get together and just play for an entire day. Life usually just gets in the way. I tried my hand at water skiing (failed) and wakeboarding (also failed- but not as badly as skiing). I was SOOOOOOOO SORE the following four days! I discovered muscles that have lain dormant for the last 26 years. Ouch!

Byron also tried his hand at Wakeboarding this last weekend with a few of his friends and group of Young Life kids. two days later...he can barely move. Talk about whiplash! But- I'm excited he got out and enjoyed the sun for a few hours and tried something new. His appetite for adventure has all but left his body after one year of residency and I'm thrilled to see signs of it's return!

We headed to Cheescake Factory last friday night for a birthday dinner for Courtney. Little Ava did an amazing job of entertaining herself for the entire 3 hrs we ate and talked. You can see- only her 'Aunt Beth' will let her play like she really wants. Look at that face!

Nothing new on the house front lately. Still searching for the perfect home....

Quick updates

Hello from Blogland...it's been a LONG while since I've updated. There's nothing much to report. Things have been fairly quite in our neck of the woods. Byron and I are still on the hunt for the "perfect" house. this process is getting old. Sigh. I know things will work out in God's time- but man...I"m ready to move things along. We have found a few that we like- but each has a major negative going against it. Nice yard- but TINY kitchen. Or- nice neighborhood- but too much $. And a few we like- have gone under contract before we could even drive by to check it out! But, we did see one we liked earlier this week and we have a few more to look at on saturday that have passed the drive by test. We'll see how flexible the prices are!


Fourth of July was spent out in the Texas hill country with Johnny and Genevieve. It was a perfect day with lots of sun, kiddo's laughing and playin in the pool and good times with friends and ' adopted' family.

Last weekend Byron was on Fri-Sun call- but he did manage to wake up for some fun with Courtney, Patrick, Dustin, and Beth! Check out his mad skills! We had a great time being silly and making fools of ourselves with good friends!

I'm working VBS this year with Jill OBryant- and we spent last Wed evening raiding the church closet for supplies. Check out the royal scepter! Also- Two of the pregnant girls in our young marrieds class showing up in the same outfit. Melanie had baby Sam yesterday coming in at 9 lbs and 15 ounces! yikes! Julie (my old running buddy) is due at the end of August.

I don't know if I'm mentioned it before-but virtually everyone in our class (25 couples or so) is either pregnant or trying. There something in the water out here, and we are not drinking it!). Don't get me wrong- I'm feeling the itch- but reality kicks in just in time.

I also played in a co-ed indoor tourney on Sunday at the local college. We took 2nd place. I am still hobbling around after a day of volleyball and we were in the intermediate pool! THe advanced pool was amazing to watch! I wish I took some video. some of those players had to be pros.

1 year and counting

Byron surprised me with these anniversary flowers:) Aren't they beautiful!?!

Byron and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary a week ago! I keep teasing Byron saying " the real anniversary is actually 1 year of Residency". It's by FAR the harder of the two things. Not to say we haven't learned a few lessons about living together this year- but compared to residency- marriage has been a delight!

In the last year we've:

* Driven across the country dragging a trailer behind us
* Celebrated our first Christmas together
* endured a few family losses together (:()
* Given each other 100's of pep talks to "Stick it out". Oh wait- that's mainly me...not a "We" item
* Started house hunting
*Took a financial planning course at church
*Found an amazing church family
* adopted our first pet:)
* attended an Aggie Game
and much much more.


I'm so thankful for Byron. He is an amazing man. He is the most honest, hardworking man I know, and he inspires me to be better. He is my best friend and I'm excited to see what life has in store for us!

Byron was post call on our anniversary and needed some peace and quiet to catch some zzzz's. I went to my friend Wenrui's house (she's the new PhD student in our lab) to learn to make chinese dumplings. I took her to the store to buy all our ingredients (mentally- this was a must for me. I've been surprised too many times by the contents of dumplings:)

Like most things worth eating- they take a long time to make, but are delicious afterwards! Byron however voted for Cheeseburgers for our anniversary dinner instead of my precious dumplings.









Yesterday- Byron was on call (are you getting the theme here?) for my birthday but the night before he set up my present. He bought a new blue ray streaming device that can stream netflix stuff strait onto the tv from the internet. I'm not sure how it works- or how he set it up- but I"m sure glad I have such a handy- electronically savvy man around! Something about wire splitters, what?

Anyway- I've been begging for better cable ever since we moved here. But- we've been trying to save all our extra pennies for a new house. Seriously- we have the 8 dollar cable with 10 channels. 7 of which are in spanish. Yuck. But with NETFLIX...I can watch shows, movies etc etc at the press of a button. It'll come in handy on those long nights when Byron is Q2 call for weeks in a row.

Honestly - his schedule doesn't bother me in the spring or summer because I have lots of stuff going on in the evenings (softball, volleyball, church, etc etc). But in the winter....I get bored at night. Nothing is going on and it gets dark early. I read a lot- but even that gets a little hum drum after a few hours. I'm looking forward to catching up on some LOST and other choice selections! Thanks for my present B! I have a feeling you're gonna enjoy it's benefits as much as me!

NCAA Division Three World Series

This weekend I attended my little brother's baseball tournament. It's the last hurrah for the Yocum family's baseball streak. I don't know what Dad is going to do with himself next year!?! Baseball/softball/t-ball/ coach pitch you name it... flowed through the Yocum family veins for the last 20 years. It's the end of an era. Sigh.

Anyway- Jake's team (Shennandoah University Hornets) won the regional tournament last weekend and we quickly found out they'd be traveling to Appleton for the 2nd consecutive year to the World Series. Now...last year- Jake graciously (uh hem) missed out on his first game to attend his big sister's wedding. But- I figured...since this is his senior year and he missed such a big event for me...I owed it to him to show up. Dad and I flew into Greenbay, WI for the tournament and had a blast hanging out and shootin' the breeze until the games all started.

The first night- they lost to Illinois Weslyn 7-5 and the 2nd day they lost to John's Hopkin's. Jake pitched the second game for the first 5 innings and didn't give up a single run! He did an amazing job pitching and I'll admit I was beaming with pride for my little bro! It's been a LONG time since I've seen him play baseball- and I'll admit- it's much more interesting to watch now than it used to be! He's so tall (I'm not really sure where that comes from ...we're all chinese), but he's a great athlete. It was a serious bummer they lost the 2nd game. But- I'm glad he played his absolute best, and went out with a bang!


Dad took me to a steak dinner for my birthday and we grilled our own steaks over an open fire and visited the whole time. We had a great time together watching Jake play and catching up. I don't get to see my family that often- but I love the little snipits of family time when I get the chance.

Our hotel was amazing as well- you can sort of see the pool in this photo. Seriously awesome water slide. Everything is indoor since I'm sure it's miserable here in the winter. Our weekend was perfect weather however- and a welcome change from the San Antonio Heat.