Family Visit!

My parents hadn't been out to Texas in a while, so they decided to come for a spring visit.  It was so nice to have them "home" with us!

Their first night in town, we had Mike and Lisa over for dinner.

It was a fun evening of story telling and laughs.

Our table all decorated with food and ready to share a meal

For the weekend we took my parents to what we consider

the most beautiful part of Texas - the "hill country" of Austin.

On the way we stopped off along highway 290 to see the

spectacular show of natural beauty that occurs in Texas for

just a few short weeks each year - the blooming of the state

flower, the Bluebonnet.

Also on the way, we surprised my parents by stopping

in Brenham, the "ice cream capital of Texas" and the home

of our very own Blue Bell ice cream factory.  Dad was

especially thrilled with this detour, as ice cream IS

a Stallcop family tradition.

Due to the crowds of spring break, we didn't get to tour the

factory like we had planned but we did get to walk the campus,

watch a video on the ice cream making process, and best

of all, sample some of their delicious product.

After arriving in Austin we headed straight to The Oasis,

a restaurant overlooking Lake Travis that is known as the

best sunset viewing spot in the area.  We got there just in time

to enjoy the view in the daylight and then watch the sun

set over the water.

About two minutes after we finally got our table, they

rang the bell for the official sunset.  We made it!

The next day we explored the area, driving through 

Lakeway and touring some of the local neighborhoods for fun.  

Here we are at the Iguana Grill, another tasty restaurant

overlooking Lake Travis.

Back in town, a view of the Colorado River running through

the heart of the city

Going right along with their slogan "Keep Austin Weird,"

Austin boasts some unique sight seeing opportunities.

One of the most popular is the exodus of bats at dusk from

underneath Congress Bridge that can be seen during the

spring, summer, and fall, where literally thousands of bats

make their way up to the sky every night for their daily

feeding.  It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience to watch.

If you click on these photos to enlarge them, you can read

all about the bat population in Austin.  They're actually

quite a misunderstood animal that benefits us more than

we might even realize.

Right on time, the bat show begins

Downtown Austin at night

On our last day we started off by visiting another popular

Austin tourist site - the Whole Foods national headquarters.

To the average person, a Whole Foods market that is double

the size of any other which includes an escalator for you and

your shopping cart to the garage below would not be a big

deal.  But to natural food enthusiasts like my parents, this

place is like Disneyland!

To finish off our Austin experience, we found some gorgeous

multi-million dollar homes along Lake Austin and toured

them for fun.  People who live in these homes have the choice

of commuting 45 minutes to work in the car, or 20 minutes

by boat just down the water from their house.  It would

be nice to say that the best part of your day is your commute

to work!  

It was such a fun weekend with my folks and definitely a struggle to return to Houston after being in hill country for a few days.  Until the next time....we'll be dreaming of lakes, hills, and lush green landscape.

Top Gun....

No, not the movie but the place we went for our first group "shooting." We figured that while we're in Texas, we may as well learn how to point and pull a trigger since carrying a handgun here is like carrying a wallet (for most people, that is). As it turned out, I was the only one of the group who had never so much as held a gun. Now, after my first experience, I can say that I gave it a fair try but don't think I'll be holding a gun again any time soon.  Admittedly, they scare the bejesus out of me, between the deafening noise, the bullet shells snapping back and popping you in the head, and  and the fact that it could potentially and literally kill the person next to you if you're not carful. Yikes!  Another reason I don't belong in Texas.  However, I'm grateful to my friends for introducing me to a new experience.   At least I can say that while I lived in Texas, I shot a gun like a true westerner.  :-)

Good shot Lis!

Me holding Lisa's little pink gun

Mike and Neal were actually very good shooters.

It's a good thing too because if it came down to me

using a gun in a real situation, I'd probably shoot

my foot off.  I'd rather play the damsel in distress

in this particular instance, and let the guys

protect me.  :-)

Valentine's Weekend

Being the jet setters that we are, we decided to get out of town for the holiday weekend since I had Monday off.  We spent a few days in Arizona, Scottsdale being our home base, and drove through much of the northern part of the state.   For Valentine's Day Neal reserved us a table at what has been named "the most romantic restaurant in Phoenix," a Tuscan villa called Sassi.  But before dinner, we decided to embark on an adventure, and an adventure it was!

Neal had never been to the Grand Canyon, so we decided to

try and make the 7 hour round trip drive there before our

8:30 dinner reservation.  Here we are on our way, snow-

capped mountains in the background, driving behind a fire

red Porsche.  It just doesn't get any better than this!

After stopping in Flagstaff for a leisure lunch, we made it

to our destination.  How beautiful it was!   I had only seen

the Canyon in the summertime, never with snow.  The day

was so crisp and clear - the view was amazing. 

All in all we got to spend about 10 minutes enjoying the view

before we had to head back for dinner (which was fabulous!).

Sadly, we had a little accident while we were rushing around

the look out point.  The ground was slippery with ice and I fell.

Luckily I escaped with minor injuries but I can't say the same

for my old camera.  It hit the ground with me and has now been

officially laid to rest.  All this before I had a chance to take

a picture of Neal for his first time at the Grand Canyon.  We're

just grateful that old faithful gave us a few good shots before

the accident (one of many!) that finally did him in.

On Sunday we were able to spend some time with friends

Adam and Cindy and their four beautiful children.  We had

a really fun time and as always, can't say enough about the

delicious, home-cooked Italian meals that Adam prepares!

(Photos compliments of Adam & Cindy)

Neal and his godson, Amadeo - sooo cute!!

Adam and Cindy are great about encouraging their

kids to learn new things, especially when it comes

to music.  Between the three older kids, there are

piano, guitar, violin, and cello lessons going on at

all times.  It's wonderful!  Since Neal has been known

to play a little violin, he joined in the recital the

kids put on for us.  Thanks to these guys, we realized 

how much we miss playing an instrument, and are thinking 

more seriously about getting a piano of our own

(since we both grew up playing)! 

Retreat

Today Neal and I spent the day at a retreat with Michael Brown.  A former journalist and lukewarm Catholic, he is now a devout teacher of the faith and author of 20 books.  His conversion story is a beautiful one that he describes with great passion.  You can find it on his website, spiritdaily.com.   He has become an expert in the areas of the afterlife and end time prophecy, his thoughts on which we found very interesting and insightful.  As Catholics, we don't always take the time to stop and evaluate the situation of the world - in politics, in science, in relationships, in religion, in spiritual warfare.  There is so much going on right under our noses and if today did one thing for us, it was wake us up to the importance of taking an active role in our faith.  Now, more than ever, the world needs believers, people who have the desire and the courage to help effect positive change.

Wedding Weekend!

One of the most surreal things about getting older is watching your childhood friends get married and start families of their own.  That was my experience this weekend.  Mary and I met in 7th grade at La Reina and have been friends ever since.  We've seen each other through some of our best and worst times in life, and we can definitely tell some good stories about the boys that we've seen each other date over the years.  It's been a long journey for us both to find our knight in shining armor and we have been blessed to share in that special joy together.  This was Mary's, the day the fair maiden married her prince.  And a beautiful day it was!   

SATURDAY

L to R: Sarah (Mary's younger sister), Mary, and I

After going to get pampered with manicures and

pedicures, we went out to lunch at one of our

favorite places - Baja Fresh.

Since Mary and Sarah were both in town this

weekend, they decided to throw Sarah a baby

shower so the family could be there.  This, too,

was a reminder of how quickly the time has

passed, as I've known Sarah since she was 8.

SUNDAY

The bride to be - she looked so beautiful!

Mary wanted a beach wedding in California, and boy

did she get lucky with the perfect day!  Mandalay Beach

couldn't have been more picturesque as the sun shone

down through clear blue sky.

Leading her out to meet the groom

(is it just me or do we look like Men in Black walking here?)

When Shawn saw Mary he told her she looked

like an Egyptian princess.  It was so romantic watching

him take her hand to lead her toward the water.

Picture perfect

Old friends   :-)

The reception was at Macaroni Grill, where Shawn and

Mary had their first date.  It was a good way to end a great day.

Flannels

Today I had the day off of work so I decided to take care of a chore we had been putting off for far too long - getting rid of some old clothes.  We had bags and bags of them and as I went through some of the stuff, I couldn't help but get a little sentimental.  After all, these clothes had been with us through a lot in our lives and letting them go, in some ways, was like letting go of a part of our past.  At least that's how it felt to a sentimental sap like myself.  :-)

As I was going through Neal's bags, I was reminded of a part of our love story in which God, once again, had been there to guide us to one another.  Several years before I met Neal, I was already praying fervently for my future husband, asking God that we would meet sooner rather than later.  As is sometimes the case with single people, I often worried that if I wasn't keeping my mind, heart, and eyes open enough, he would pass through my life without me knowing it.  Yet, it was hard to keep my eyes open when I didn't really know what I was looking for, what he would look like.

This one particular day I was driving home and was sitting at a stoplight.  It was a dreary day and I remember staring through the rain at the light, daydreaming about the future.  Unexpectedly, I had what I can only describe as a vision, as the image of a man flashed before me in my mind.  It was brief and I couldn't make out the features of the face but there were some very distinctive things that I remembered.  He was tall, thin, fair-skinned, had sandy blonde hair with some sort of sideways bang in front, and wore a flannel, khakis, and brown shoes.  At the time, I had never met someone that looked like this and didn't know what it meant that I saw a stranger in my mind.  Yet, I held onto the image, especially, for some reason, the flannel shirt.  Somehow I interpreted this vision to mean that my future husband would love flannel shirts.

Fast forward to December 2004.  Neal and I met in person on the 17th and the following week I flew Omaha to meet his mom and sister.  His physical features were already the exact image of the man from my vision, and you can imagine my surprise when, during my visit, he came out in the outfit below.

Coincidentally, this flannel shirt was similar in color to the one in my vision.  Without wanting to read too much into it initially, I joked with him about how not many people wore flannels anymore and asked if he really liked them.  Enthusiastically, he responded that he loved flannels and had a huge collection of them.  If I wasn't convinced already that he was the one I was meant to be with, then this definitely sealed the deal.  :-) 

So, although Neal still only wears a couple of his flannels on a regular basis, this is one reason it was difficult for me to put the rest into a bag and send them off with Purple Heart.  All together, I gave away 23 of his old flannels.  Yet, even though they're gone they'll forever be for us a symbol of the mysterious ways God can work and how much He was there in our relationship even before it officially began. 

Baby Shower!

".....I have called you, and you are mine."

- Isaiah 43:1

Today was a heartwarming day.  Reva and Dave are expecting a child in February and friends and family came together to celebrate with Reva.  It's difficult to describe in words how special this day was but in summary, Reva is one of the kindest, most spiritually mature people I know.  The life that she lives in so many ways inspires those around her and challenges them to be better themselves.  She is a absolute light of God and everyone who attended this shower is blessed to know her.  

This was probably the most beautiful baby shower I've ever been to - there was such a presence of God there.  We had prayers, games, and a sharing of how we each know Reva and how she has touched our lives.  It's enough that one person can touch your life so much but to hear from three dozen others how much she has impacted their lives as well really made me feel like I was in the presence of holiness.  She and Dave are going to be such great parents and we couldn't be more happy for them!

My mom was my date to Reva's wedding and today was

my date to her baby shower.  She, too, adores Reva and

it was good to have her there to share in this special day.

Every time I'm in California I can't help but visit the beach.

It was my favorite part of living there and I deeply miss

the California coastline.  After the shower ended I made

a quick run to the Ventura Pier and the beach lovingly

known as "Surfer's Point."  I visited this beach countless

times growing up and still never get tired of going there.

New Year's Eve 2008

Party at Mike & Lisa's! Our old neighbors, Sarah and Gi, were in town as well so the gang was back together again.