We did it...

And survived!!

That's right the King's made it a full 30 days without eating out! And you know what? It wasn't that bad! In fact, I kind of like the fact that I didn't waste money on something I didn't really "need".

It made me think about all the other things that I don't need...

• Another embroidered onesie for Emersyn
• Another car toy for Radley
• Another pair of flip flops
• Another random item from Target
• Another magazine subscription
  
• Another pedicure
• Another round of golf for Ryan (quit groaning, boys)
• Another....

And while this may sound drastic, it's true. What do I NEED?

• A good prayer life
• A husband that loves me
• Healthy, happy children
• Supportive family and friends
• A passion for my job
• The ability to give back to others

So often I get the "I wants." You know what I'm talking about. It doesn't have to be something major like... I want a new car, I want a new house, etc... It can be something as simple as wanting a new set of tupperwear. I am guilty of envying others for what they have and sometimes forget to think about what I have been given.

So today, friends... I am going to share the "I haves"...

• Jesus. He loves me and I am His... what a blessing!
• Ryan. He loves me and I am his!!! :)
  
• Radley. A joy! A delight! A little stinker at times but always a ray of sunshine!
• Emersyn. Our baby girl. Happy. Healthy. Content. Even when she wanted to be awake at 3am today (something she hasn't done since she was 5 weeks old) I paused to be grateful for that moment with her.
  
• Mom and Dad. They love me all the time and support me in whatever it is I choose to do! Hope I can be as good to Rad and Emmy as they were to me!
• Siblings. What fun we had growing up and still have to this day.
• Friends. The best in the world! Love each and every moment I have shared with them.
• A job that challenges me. I am sure many of you are laughing because you hear me on my "I hate work" days... but it's not the work that creates frustration. I adore the students I get to meet and interact with and watch grown and change. I have gotten to witness them accomplish their dreams and become these amazing adults! They inspire me daily!
• A home. Our home is hopefully not just a haven for us, but a welcome comfort to friends and guests that walk through our door.
  
• An ice cream addiction. It's true. Love it.
• Much more than I can possibly recognize and keep you reading!
  

I guess this 30 day challenge taught me more than I anticipated. Maybe I'll make this a frequent post... sharing what I have and what I'm thankful for. Niki does this a lot and I love reading her tidbits and she often reminds me to stop and take a look around at what I have been given.

I didn't anticipate this post heading in this direction today. It was going to be filled with funny comments about our victory but I'm glad it went this way instead. Good reminder that someone else has it all figured out for me. That more than anything I have Him to provide for me whatever it is that I NEED. Which is so much more than whatever I could possibly want...

Reunited and it feels so good...

This is a catch up post about our super fun-filled visit from Jody, Sonya and Owen! We get to see them about 1-3 times each year depending on everyone's schedules and the cost of flights. While I definitely wish the frequency of our visits was much higher, I choose to focus on the time that we DO get to spend together.

Everyone arrived early Saturday morning for Emmy's baptism celebration. Once we had all had our naps and gotten our second wind, we headed out to take family pictures with Sarah. I'm sure you've all figured out by now that I kind of like a picture. I thought that it would be awesome to have all of us together and especially get some of the cousins, grandparents and they kids great-grandma! However, the Texas weather could not have disagreed more as a torrential downpour hit just as we were supposed to shoot!

Instead we ventured to "super mega fun plex" as one of my former students has deemed "Grand Station". A bowling alley/arcade/laser tag/miniature golf extravaganza! We all put on our bowling shoes and played a few frames. Radley and Owen were just adorable to watch and really got into the game. I'm pretty sure they beat me (but in my defense, they had bumpers).

We ended the night back at the house for Radley's first ever sleep over! Owen got to sleep in Radley's trundle and Radley was so excited to have a friend spend the night. This is them before bedtime... Owen was reading Radley a book. :)

Sunday we were headed to our church's fall festival but not before MaMaw could get in some Emersyn time. She loved her in this purple and gold... wonder why!?!? Maybe Emmy will yell "Geaux Tigers" soon!


I don't know who had more fun at Aquinasfest, Radley and Owen playing on all the games or all of us watching them! They got to climb a "volcano"...

Run through a maze...


And Sheriff Woody, I mean Owen, rode a horse. Love how we already taught him how to do the "Gig'em" pose.


Emmy of course was pretty indifferent... she just wanted to get a good nap in the fresh fall air.


Both boys were eager to ride the miniature train, and Owen wanted to make sure that Radley didn't fall out...


After Aquinasfest we headed back to the house for naptime and to get ready for family pictures, take two! The weather was GORGEOUS and it worked out perfectly. We all headed up the George Bush Library to smile big for Sarah.

I love this picture of Radley and Pops... it's like Radley hadn't seen him in years when it had really been about 20 minutes. :)

Sonya got in some cuddle time while we were waiting...


And Uncle Pete was good entertainment while Sarah was taking pictures of "couples".


I can not wait to see the pictures! Sarah did a great job with our group and made sure that we were all smiling, the "Guercio" chin was in check, and that fly away hairs were at a minimal. I am trying to not pester her for a sneak peak, but we will see how long that lasts.

The weekend was just great! Oh how I wish we could spend more time all together, but we will all be together again soon! Until then... we love you "California Guercio's"! See you soon!

Small town, BIG excitement...

A lot of my friends ask why I stayed in College Station after college. I always tell them the same things:

1. Ryan and I consider this our "home"

2. It's a great place to raise a family

3. I love my job and for what I do, Texas A&M is one of the best in the "business"

4. It may be small, but we "really do have all the things that a big city can offer. And if we don't Austin, Dallas, Houston, etc... are just a short drive away."

WELL.... Tuesday night proved that College Station may be the "smallest town" in America! :) What was the big event in town that night?

Was it a speech from a well-known politician? No

Did we have a celebrity siting? No

Was their a grueling trial going on? Ha!

So what was all the fuss about....

IT WAS THE GRAND OPENING OF OUR NEW HEB!!!!

The King family did receive an exclusive invitation for the event. If by exclusive you mean 3000 of our nearest and dearest friends! I wish I would have taken a picture of the parking lot. You would have thought that Elvis himself was making an appearance! HA!

KK, Emmy and I did have a lot of fun walking up and down the aisles, tasting samples and running into a few College Station friends. Some people even got babysitters for the special occasion!!

Emmy loved all the bright lights, music and people.

Mommy and KK loved the free samples of beer and wine! :)

The band did some pretty good cover songs and some people were even dancing along.

I must admit that I am pretty pumped about this store. It is literally down the road, easy access to our house and has some great new products and amenities! My favorite thing about this week are the RIDICULOUSLY low prices on some of my favorite products....

Power Cooking may go to a whole new level now! :)

Emmy loved it! She's super excited about our future shopping trips!