A Lonely Week Ahead.

Well, Alec and I had a pretty good weekend. It went by too fast as usual. Friday night we went to Gloria's with Molly and Andy and played catch up with them. They had been gone for what felt like forever, but it was really just 3 weeks. (I think.) They told us about their trip and it was sooo good to finally hang out with them. They live pretty close to us, so we are used to seeing them at least once a week.

We evidently had A LOT of fun, because I felt awful all day Saturday and spent the majority of the day on the couch while Alec studied. I finally decided I would get up and workout and I felt much better. We went out to Las Colinas to hang out with Chris and Ashley at Cafe Italia (I think that is what it is called). Chris described it as a Cheers bar and it definitely is. Everyone knows everyone and you just walk across the street to get to it, does it get any better than that? We had a good time and Chris and Ashley decided they wanted to head to Dallas to go out, so we went home and got some good sleep. Alec had to study all day Sunday, so I cleaned and did laundry and we just tried to spend as much time together as we could.

As we speak he is downstairs taking the second part of the CPA exam. I hope that he is doing great and I know he is going to be so happy once it is over. After his test he is taking me to lunch and then leaving for New Mexico. Alec's parents just bought a house out there and his Dad is driving out there to close on the house and get things situated. Alec starts work in a little over a month, so this is a great time for him to get away before he won't be able to. I'm sad because he is going to be gone for a week, and because I want to go too. I know he will have fun. This is actually the longest we have been away from each other in a lonnngg time. I've haven't stayed at our place by myself before and if it wasn't for my ridiculous imagination, I would be fine. ha. I'll be fine anyway, his mom is less than an hour away and Molly and Andy are less than 20 min. Either way, if everyone will please keep Alec and his dad in your prayers as they drive 12 hours to Angel Fire. And, if anyone is in the Dallas area and is bored, give me a call, I would love to see you!!

Hope everyone had a WONDERFUL weekend! I can only hope this weekend can fly by!

We've been busy!

Our past few weeks have been packed full of fun things! We've gone to several Ranger baseball games, concerts, graduations, and had a great time with our friends and family!

Alec and I are big Ranger fans, always have been. So this season is especially fun for us. We are used to going to the games to watch them lose yet again, this season is different. This team is different and the games have been a lot of fun. We've gotten to use Ken and Deb's season tickets, met my Dad in the suite and Ken and Deb in the suite also. There is nothing better on a summer night than going out to Arlington to watch them play. Alec is a lucky guy when it comes to sports because going to all these games are not torture for me, I LOVE sports and love going to games with him!

We also went to a Fair to Midland concert at the House of Blues. If you've never gone to The House of Blues you need to go. It is a really cool venue and the bands they have playing there are always good. Alec's parents got us the tickets and Chris and Ashley met us up there after dinner. We had so much fun! The band was awesome, they were clearly on something, but still very entertaining and talented! After that, they decided we should go to the Ghost Bar. I have to preface this story a little bit. Chris and Ashley ate at The Nine and by eating there got a "free pass" type thing so that we wouldn't have to wait in line. They were dressed for a nice dinner, Alec and I were dressed to go to a concert.... jeans, nice shirt.. not really going out clothes. Well, I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to go, I mean I want to go to the Ghost Bar, but I HATE feeling underdressed. We walked up and there was a LINE a long one. Full of girls dressed to empress and we walk up to the front of the line like we can because we have a free pass.... you can probably guess how this ends. The bouncer looks at us and says, "NO FLIP FLOPS". For starters, it was Alec and they weren't like rubber flip flops, they were leather flip flops... he is a guy, who cares! Either way, we didn't get in. It did make me think though, Do these people waiting in line get all dressed up to simply wait and HOPE that they might get in?? It just seems sad to me. Dallas is huge and there are plenty of places that don't stand some retarded bouncer at the door regulating who can and cannot get in. We are going to go back, but only because we have a free pass and I'd like to see what all the fuss is about.

Yesterday we drove to College Station to see my baby sister GRADUATE from A&M. I am so proud of her. Allie has worked so hard while she was in college and all her hard work paid off. She's moving to Dallas and Alec and I are soo excited!!! Congrats Allie, We love you so much!

Here are some pics from the past couple of weeks:

Alec and I on the way to the Ranger game :)

The Fam at the Ranger game

(See story below)

Allie walking across the stage!

She's officially a graduate!!!

So, on a final note I am going to be a little cheesy and brag on my husband. (Still feels weird saying that, haha). He starts his job at PWC on Sept. 22. So for the time being he has to study for the CPA. I can't imagine how hard it would be to make myself study all day, but somehow he does it and I'm so thankful for him and appreciate him more than he knows. I came home from work Wednesday and he had bought me those flowers, they are California Sunflowers and I love them! Our Kroger has really good flowers and I always walk by them and say, "I'm just going to get them", but I never do. Well, he went and got them for me and they MADE MY DAY! I know he is so ready to start working, but I am loving every day that he is there when I get home because that will not be the case once he starts. God blessed me with an amazing husband and I thank Him every day that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. 

He has class all day today, so I'm home alone left to workout, clean, and get ready for a wedding we have tonight. I hope everyone is having a WONDERFUL weekend. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm looking forward to the fall... cool Texas off please!!!!

SuRpRiSe DaTe SuNdAy

Ok, its been a while since my last post, but things have been pretty uneventful around the Sowards' house.

We had a great weekend however. We got to see Alec's parents Friday night. We went to Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth. If you have never gone, definitely go, was it the best mexican food in the world.... not really. However, the atmosphere was awesome and they had great margaritas:) Saturday my wonderful layout partner Molly came over while Alec was in class. The great thing about living in an apartment is having the pool. This has come to be a normal Saturday activity for us, we get out there around 11:30, convince one of the guys to bring us Sonic drinks and that holds us over till about 3:30. I love summer! We had a dinner party to go to Saturday night at Russell's house. His parents were out of town so he and his girlfriend made dinner, it was delicious! We haven't seen Russell and Jordan in a while, so it was nice to get so spend some time with them... we live too far away I guess and miss out on a lot!

Now for the title of the post: Surprise Date Sunday. One day this week one of my co-workers told me about one of her friends and her boyfriend that have Wine Wednesdays... something special that they do every week together. Alec hates wine, so that really would never work for us. So... I started thinking of something fun for Alec and I to do once a week and ended up with Suprise Date Sunday's. Basically, I just planned a date day for the two of us and he didn't get to know what we were doing till we got there. I hate surprises, so I'm not real sure what I was thinking, but oh well, I think it will be fun. Either way, this Sunday was our first ever Surprise Date Sunday. I was in charge and I think Alec really liked it.

Our first stop was at Pappasito's. It is one of Alec's favorite places to eat and we haven't been since we've been living in Dallas. He loved it, I was happy. After that we went to see "Dark Knight". I will be honest, I knew Alec would be surprised by me taking him to see this because I told him I would not see it. I really had no interest in seeing it and I'm not real sure why? Knowing that, I LOVED IT! haha. (that is usually what happens). It was just a good movie, worth buying the tickets and waiting an hour in line. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone so I won't say much, this is just for all of you (women most likely) that don't want to see it, it is good. Heath Ledger was awesome and not because he is dead... I heard so many say that everyone was saying how good he is in the movie just because he isn't alive... not true. He played the Joker great, I laughed, I cried.... it was great! Alec is in charge next Sunday....stay tuned :)

I have no pictures to post because my camera battery was dead, bummer. I need this week to fly by, not because I have anything great to do this coming up weekend, just because I don't enjoy Monday-Thursday.

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend and makes the most out of the work week!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I want to start by saying that this was by far the best 4th of July I have ever had. There is nothing like spending the long weekend with my family and friends. Alec and I are so blessed and I couldn't be more thankful for times like this past weekend.

It started out Thursday afternoon. I got off at 1:45 and Molly and Andy (and Boots and Baily) came and picked Alec and I up and we hit the road. I love road trips and this one was no different. We had SEVERAL hours to spend in the big burb and it was a lot of fun. Brandi, Andrew, and Allie were not too far behind us, and Ross was headed to Ballinger also. My parents had a house full. The "married couples" stayed out in the old house so it all worked out really well. 

Friday, my mom made everyone breakfast and the boys helped my dad plant some things around the house...I'm not sure if he planned on doing it while he had so many helping hands around, but I'm thankful that they were there to help. The guys then loaded up and went to San Angelo to play golf. I can't even begin to explain how excited my dad was. I think he has dreamed of the day that he could take his son-in-law (and soon to be) golfing. They had a lot of fun and I'm glad they went. My mom made her famous BBQ and homemade peach cobbler for dinner before the fireworks. It was sooo delicious and I think we all ate entirely too much. We had bought a lot of fireworks and Allie, Alec, Ross, Andew, and Andy put on a little show for everyone. It was actually really good. My favorite goes to Ross, he brought something called the "Screaming Coyote" It sounded like a dying animal.. horrible noise. Saturday we all just hung out. Some of us went to the pool and Alec and Andy went fishing. It was really relaxing and fun just spending time with everyone. My mom cooked again for dinner and made homemade icecream for dessert.... it was really good and everyone once again, ate entirely too much. We went to church in Winter's with the parents and then we headed back to Dallas. I was really sad to leave. I miss my family so much and it was really nice to have EVERYONE there at the same time. Saturday night everyone was just sitting outside, either playing with the dogs, or watching the sunset, and I looked around and thought to myself... God is amazing. I am so blessed with a wonderful family and wonderful friends and I can't believe this is my life. I have just imagined for so long what it would be like to have our family grow and I looked around and realized that it has happened, the Becker family is growing and I couldn't be happier. Time just flies by and you really have to take in every single minuet you get with the people you love.

We drove back to Dallas and Alec and I couldn't spend the holiday without seeing Chris and Ashley. I had heard a lot about a place called "Sherlocks". I pass it on the way to Dallas and one of my co-workers talks about it, so we tried it out. We had so much fun! It was karaoke Sunday. At first there was nobody there and I thought, who would come out for karaoke on a Sunday?? Wrong. There were a lot of people and Ashley and I were DANCING QUEENS! I know you are thinking to yourself... they have a dance floor? No... they don't, but there was dancing and we loved it! I was glad that we got to see them before the holiday weekend was over.

Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend:

My hubby and I at Sherlocks :)

Me and Ashley!

All the guys before they left to play golf

Me and my beautiful sisters, I LOVE THEM!

My mom with her new son-in-law and soon to be son-in-law

My precious parents

Best friends! I am so glad they came to Ballinger with us!

I hope that everyone had a WONDERFUL 4th of July! Now I have to get back into the swing of things at work... no more holidays for a while. 

One more thing, Alec takes the first part of the CPA exam on Monday!!! He has been studying so hard and I am so proud of him. Honestly, there is no way I could have sat at home all summer and studied, but he has done it. If everyone could just remember him in your prayers! He is so smart and has worked so hard, I know he'll do great!!! I love you babe! Just stay positive!!

Have a great week everyone... the weekend will be here before we know it!

Time Flies

Carrie requested an update a week ago... sorry it took so long. I've been busy and for some reason I can't remember what the heck I have been up to. 

This past weekend I was in a wedding of one of my friends from high school. She and her now husband have been together since we were all in high school, I think it has actually been 7 years, so I am extremely happy for both of them. I saw sooo many people that I seriously haven't seen or talked to since I graduated from high school. Its pretty cool that they all stayed such good friends, but I just can't imagine going back and living there now. I had a great time in high school and it was fun to retell stories from then (and we DID have some stories, haha) but I was ready to come home by the end of the weekend. I was a LOT out of the loop of things, so I spent a lot of time alone. Either way, I am so happy for Mr. and Mrs. Corey Pierce! Congrats guys!

Other than that I have basically just been going to work and spending time with Alec. And that is where the whole topic of work comes in. I will just be honest.. I am not happy with it right now. I don't know. First jobs are always a learning experience and I know this one is trying to teach me something.... I will just have to sit back and have faith that I am in the right place right now. We'll see how it goes. 

I got to see my mom and dad this weekend. That was GREAT! I haven't seen my dad since the wedding and that is about a month longer than I like to go without seeing either one of them. He is a happy man right now. He decided to get a Harley this weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about that. He is a grown man so it doesn't really matter how I feel, but they just scare me. You don't talk to many people that have a bike that don't have some sort of horror story. Oh well, it is an awesome bike, so I'm happy if he is happy :)

I'm pumped because I have a 4 day work week, so I don't even mind going to work tomorrow, lets just get to Thursday and I'll be fine. We are going out to my parents house in Ballinger and I can't wait. Brandi, Andrew, Allie, Ross, Alec, Molly, and Andy are all going to be out there. Family functions are always fun especially now that our family is growing. 

Anyway, this is short, but there isn't much going on. Hope everyone has a WONDERFUL week and I will be sure to post pictures from the 4th weekend!

"Remember When..."

I would like to start off by saying one thing, I LOVE BEING MARRIED and I absolutely love my life... ( I know you are waiting for the but part to come in) but, I have to tell you what was running through my mind this morning.

My alarm went off at its usual 5:30am and for some reason this morning these were my thoughts, "College was awesome, if I were in college right now, I could a. skip class b. go to class and take a nap afterwards or c. well really, there is no way I would have ever been awake by 5:30 during school." Since Alec gets to sleep in, I don't have any music or televisions on while I get ready for work and I'm not kidding you, I starting think of all of the things I loved about ACU and all of the memories I have from Abilene. I will share them with you now... please enjoy the trip down memory lane with me!

1. My first date with Alec. We went to Lytle Land and Cattle... he picked me up and he was wearing jeans, boots, and a brown jacket... I ate chicken strips and mashed potatos and was wearing a kahki skirt with this orange shirt. (Is it sad I remember that?)

2. Hanging out at Jeff Thigpens house Freshmen year after curfew. How did we get there... thats where #3 comes in.

3. Sneaking out of Nelson Dorm. haha. (Sorry Mom) Oh my gosh, running across the yard had to have been priceless to see.

4. Dollar Burrito days! My mouth just watered and my stomach growled, a bean and cheese burrito sounds sooo good, even at 9:30 in the morning.

5. Friday chapel! There is nothing better than getting hundreds of Christians into a single place and praising God. Never thought I would miss chapel but I do!

6. Class w/ Carrie. We seriously wrote notes every.single.day. Like we didn't talk enough? I actually remember when Carrie wrote me a note that she and Brian had booked their wedding venue and this was before they were engaged. I was shocked, I had no idea they were thinking about getting married.

7. Baseball Games! I could cry thinking about it. There is nothing better than watching the love of your life do something they love. Other girlfriends might have dreaded baseball season, not me, that was my favorite part of the year. I loved spending my Fridays and Saturdays watching ACU baseball.

8. The bean freshmen year. I seriously looked forward to seeing everyone in the bean. I hated the food but that always seemed to be a place we had so much fun doing ridiculous immature things.

9. NAPS! That was the great part about college, go to class and take naps so you could do stuff at night and start all over again the next day :)

10. Curfew freshmen year. Being forced to be in the dorms at a certain time led to some pretty interesting activities. Usually we would just find ways to entertain ourselves, cups, tv, movies, talking, talking, and more talking.

11. Meeting Molly and Andy. I remember the first time we ever hung out. It was the night I found out that I didn't get a bid from the Siggies (I'm not real sure what I was thinking anyway).

12. Molly and I cooking dinner for Alec and Andy when they lived together. That was the best set up ever because the boys would come home from baseball and Molly and I would cook dinner and we'd all get to hang out.

13. Baseball roadtrips with Kara. We went all over the place to see those boys play.

14. Living with Chris and Ashley! That was seriously the hardest thing about leaving Abilene. They are pretty special to Alec and I and I am not real sure what I would do without them. We had many many nights of Rock Band, Buffalo Wild Wings, llaattee nights :), and movies.

15. Living w/ Splitty and Mini.

16. My surprise Birthday party that Chris and Ashley threw for me. I was seriously surprised and that very rarely happens. Seriously. They thought I was mad but really I was just shocked.

17. Living close to my parents. They moved to Ballinger and I LOVED that I could go see them whenever I wanted. They would come over and watch Alec play baseball and we'd get dinner and it was really nice. I miss them a lot!

18. My workout partner! That would be carrie. It always seemed to workout so nicely because when she wouldn't want to work out, I would and vice versa. I need my workout partner to live a little closer.

19. On that note, I miss little ole Gold's Gym. I felt so comfortable there and I liked the people that worked there.

20. Alec coming over after baseball. I seriously looked forward to this everyday. He would always be so dirty but sooo happy to see me. I think of living in Morris and I would hear his truck pull up and run downstairs and get the biggest hug.

21. 2107 Ave. F. I LOVED LIVING THERE!

22. Running around school.

23. Hanging out w/ the baseball guys. All I have to say is there is NEVER a dull moment. NEVER.

Ok, that is all for now. Sorry that was long and I doubt anyone read all of the, but I enjoyed thinking back to all of that. As much as I said I would NEVER go to ACU, God works in amazing ways. I met my husband, my best friends, and got to make some wonderful memories. (cheesy I know) Maybe not everyone leaves feeling that way, but I did.

Alright, it is Thursday (thank goodness), the weekend is soooo close :) Alec and I are going to take Sowards' family portrait tonight in Highland Park with the rest of the family and then we are going to dinner. We are also going to try out the Glass Cactus. Everyone keeps talking about it so I am giving in a going on a work night. This might just be a bad idea. If anyone wants to come, call me.

Have a great Thursday!

Wanted: A new addition to the Sowards Family

When Alec and I first met over 4 years ago one thing I noticed right away was that he LOVED dogs. We got my Dad a black lab not long after Alec and I started dating and Alec couldn't get enough of Harley. The thing that blew my mind was the he has NEVER HAD A DOG! Sad.

For a long time we said that as soon as we got old enough we were going to get a lab. When I think about getting a lab now, I think it would be punishment because they could run for hours and we live in an apartment and don't have a yard. I know how miserable Harley and Maggie would be and I just couldn't do that. So we decided we would wait until we had a house and a yard and then we would get one. However that was before we met Splitty and Mini. They are English Bulldogs and are seriously the coolest dogs I have ever been around. They are the best indoor dog for a couple of reasons: they don't like to be hot or cold, they aren't much for exercise, and did I mention they hate being outside? I bet you are thinking they are probably pretty boring then. So wrong. When I lived with Chris and Ashley that was one of my favorite things about coming home from work. They are so happy to see you (that is any dog) but I don't know, they just have awesome personalities. Not to mention, I love watching Alec play with them. Anyone that spent any time with us in Abilene knows that he LOVED Splitty.

So, the search is on. I am going to find my wonderful husband an English Bulldog. We went and looked last night in Hurst and saw some, but none that we just could not live without. I am so excited. Right now is just a really good time because Alec doesn't start work until September 22, and he is home alone all day. It would be great for him to have some company and also a great time for him to train her.

One more thing, I need some help. We are getting a female and I need some ideas for cute girl names. I told Alec that he gets to pick her out but I want to name her. I like the idea of having a tough looking bulldog with a sweet name. I thought of Ella, he hates it. So, I need some suggestions. He wants something like: Meatie, Jax...I can't think of the other ones he said. So, HELP.

I wanted to show some pictures of what our possible new baby is going to look like:

HOW CUTE ARE THEY! Definitely brings a smile to my face!

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!