15 Years

Just finished a busy ACU Homecoming weekend ..... it was my 15 year reunion, so it was extra special.  Friday I took off work to prepare for my houseful of guests.  Enjoyed lunch at Bogie's with Mollie and Sara, then Sara and I ran a few errands. Katie met us at Rosa's for dinner before we headed to the Sullivan's house for our casual dessert reception.  The crowd was small, but it was good conversation time catching up.  Sarah met us at the Sullivan's and Dara joined us at home later.  Fun evening catching up again with my girls!

Saturday morning dawned bright and early (and cold!) for the parade.

hanging out - waiting for the parade to start

Sara, Sarah, Katie, Mollie/Mattie, Astrid/Laura, Jenni/Anna

Some of the girls went on to chapel after the parade and then we all came back to my house for lunch - with the addition of Kristen (who drove in on Saturday morning).  A yummy lunch of Hickory Street Cafe's famous chicken salad and zucchini bread, then we all split to enjoy our afternoon pursuits - some to the football game, some to visit other friends and family.

Then it was time to get ready for our reunion dinner.  It was held at the 181 Pine Event Center - songs, laughter, Sing Song memories, truths of God's faithfulness shared, and photo booth silliness rounded out the evening.  Here are a few snaps:

Such a fun idea - and so thankful Katie has a box full of props!  It was a relatively small crowd - looking forward to more of my classmates making it back for our 20 year. Then ACU had a post-reunion dessert concert and fireworks back on campus.  It was a fun way to mix and mingle with folks from other reunion years and enjoy some yummy treats.

After church this morning, everyone scattered to head back home and I've been crashed out on the couch most of the day in between transferring loads of sheets and towels -- I do LOVE having guests, but there is a bit of work to do putting the house back together when they all leave.

Ten on Ten - September 2013

Well, it's been awhile since I remembered or was inspired to do Ten on Ten....so here goes.

remnants of a niece sleepover last weekend

geese crossing on the way out of my neighborhood

two cuties keeping watch over me at work

reminders to trust.....

historic downtown on the way to lunch

Turk's cap in a downtown park

dwarf peanut m&m made it into my snack bag!

taking a moment to walk outside the office this afternoon

ACU vs Texas Tech volleyball ..... first home D1 match -- and WIN!

my new necklace.....my heartstrings are held by these girls

Linking up here

Saturday

Catching up a bit.....last weekend Heather & Emily came for a visit. It was so much fun!!


The ACU Today magazine features pictures of alumni children in their free onesie that is provided by the Alumni Association. So Friday evening we got Emily dolled up and went outside for a photo shoot.....it was so fun!











































Saturday, we boarded the DART train and went to the Dallas zoo with some free passes that I got from work and enjoyed some beautiful sunshine and cool breezes before the rainstorms blew in. I think Emily had lots of fun....course it will only get more fun as she gets older and can really talk to us about what she is seeing!






















So, to today....nothing much on the agenda, except heading over to Ft Worth in a few hours for a wedding....still not sure what I'm going to wear since it is outside and it is CHILLY today! Might have to suffer for fashion. We'll see.


But I did do some running around this morning:

• Chick-fil-a --- treat for two weeks of following WW exceptionally well, and having points to spare this week


• Wal-Mart --- normal stuff, plus a couple of surprises for Emily


• JoAnn --- more floral wire to finish a project, plus on sale plastic box to house audio cables


• Junkadoodle --- semi annual flea market -- some GREAT finds! total $30.....highlights are a glass punch bowl + 12 cups ($4); jingle bell Christmas tree ($4); and safety pin + clear bead lighted Christmas tree ($18)


• Hobby Lobby --- Sharpie paint pens

(some of my treasures......)

ACU Football, Part 2

Today was the Quarterfinals in the NCAA Division II playoffs. ACU vs Northwest Missouri State played at Shotwell Stadium (because we were #1 ranked in the super region).....unfortunately for the Wildcats, the Bearcats of NW Mo seemed to want the game more and defeated us 46-35. It wasn't a horrible game, but it was obvious that ACU just wasn't on stride today. Oh well, maybe next year!

However, I was able to spend the second half visiting with my good friend Sara whose husband is the director of Big Purple (ACU's marching band). While it was a little noisy sitting in front of the band, it was good time for us to catch up. And yes, we did actually watch the game as well!

ACU Football

Just finished listening to the Abilene Christian University - West Texas A&M NCAA Division II playoff game.....ACU won 93-68!

Next week we will play NW Missouri State in Abilene in the SuperRegional Quarterfinals! 

Ten years

I can't hardly even believe it.....10 years ago, I graduated from college!! Went back this past weekend for Homecoming.....it was fun, though exhausting.

Miss Emily before the parade - her sunglasses don't quite stay on well yet!

Here comes the band! March Grandioso anyone?

Another great thing about ACU is the fact that it pulls students from all over the world. They are doing even better at celebrating that diversity and exploring different cultures.

Little miss was so cold that she wouldn't even smile for me....but she did watch the parade! She followed most of the floats as they passed by in front of her street level view....

And there is Willy Wildcat.....

After the parade, we went home and Emily showed off her new trick to me.....she is starting to jump! Mom unearthed the Johnny Jumpup that Heather & I used. Emily is starting to get the hang of bending her knees and kicking off the floor. It is so cute!

I had also brought home some roses for mom......Emily "smelled" them with her hands and came away with a leaf! Thankfully, it wasn't a particularly thorny one.....

Weekend recap

This was another busy busy weekend.....drove to Abilene on Friday afternoon and met with a good friend from college who is now a financial planner. It's a great relationship because I trust him....and he'll do the things that I don't want to do! I do a pretty good job of managing the day-to-day, it's the long term planning and investment decisions that I don't enjoy doing. So, now I have someone to help guide me in that!



Saturday I got my hair cut again....friends here in the big city give me grief for going home to get my hair cut, but Estella has been cutting my hair for almost 20 years -- and it is really hard to give up that confidence (plus it's cheap!!).



Finally found a side table that will work next to my tall red chair....it's an antique oak plant stand that my parents found at a fun shop.




























Then went to a fancy dinner and was able to spend some sweet time visiting and catching up with my friends Mollie and Dava Lynn.




















Celebrated my birthday (two weeks early!) with my family at lunch on Sunday. Got two fun books from my parents and a handy thermometer for the kitchen that I was wanting from Heather & Phillip.

Now it is back to reality for a few more days.....then I'm off to a scrapbook retreat this weekend! Can't wait.

10 Year College Reunion

I can't hardly even believe it.....this year is my 10 year college reunion.

For our 5 year reunion, I headed up our fundraising campaign and we raised a good amount of money for our alma mater. As is often the case with 5 year reunions, participation was lighter than we would have liked because everyone was just starting out in jobs, paying back loans, etc.

We have raised a good amount in the 5 years since our last reunion and are hoping to meet a pretty lofty goal for our 10 year campaign. Those of you that were in the class of 1998 -- we need you! Please start thinking and praying about how you can support the mission of ACU through your donation and be ready when you get a call asking for your pledge.

We are the first class reunion (we think) to create a blog dedicated to our class. For the next few months, this blog will be dedicated to our upcoming reunion at Homecoming in October. Then, who knows?

So, click on over to the Class of 1998 Blog -- sign up on the right to add your link, check back often for updates on plans for the reunion and results of the campaign and enjoy reconnecting with college friends!