{Adult getaway // Galveston, TX}

I mentioned yesterday in my Grateful Heart post that the hubbs and I recently went away for an adults only trip to the beach {Galveston TX}. To sum it up....

It was great!
It was needed.
It was refreshing.
It will happen again.

We went with two other couples. Both of which were friends that I met on the Internet {I know!} and their hubbies.  If you've read my blog for any length of time you will know that Amanda and I are great friends and met through our blogs 3 or 4 years ago. We've met in person several times since then and our hubbies have met a time or two. The other couple is a friend we met through Instagram. It was our first time to meet them in person. 
 
We didn't have a specific agenda other than to hang out, relax and have fun. The forecast called for downpours the whole time we were there...so we were just going to wing it. We all wanted to go on a chartered fishing trip but couldn't make any solid plans due to the rain. We got there on Thursday and it only rained until Friday afternoon and cleared out! It was fabulous!!


 We had plenty of girl time {and the boys had their time}, we walked the beach, fished, hung out, drank pina coladas out of coconuts, had delicious meals and more laughter than we can count. If it's any indication of how much fun we had we were already planning our next trip a day into this trip!  We scoped out houses that we might like to stay in and talked about other places we could visit. We also created many hilarious hashtags for our trip...but I will refrain from putting them on here since it would be like morse code to anyone that wasn't with us.

Cheers to stronger friendships and new traditions!

There's nothing in this world that I love more than being a Mama, but it was nice being a fun married couple again for a few days!! Not that Nate and I don't have fun regularly...it was just a different kind of fun to have conversations that didn't include legos, zombies, or monster trucks and to be able to actually finish a meal with no interruptions. We stayed up later than we have in years, actually go to sleep in the same bed together and had lots of adult conversations {even if we talked about our kids!!}. It was fun. Too much fun.

But come Sunday, I was so ready to get home to my sweet boy. I may have had a breakdown in the truck when we got in the road. I realized that vacation was over and 4.5 hours {with no traffic} separated us from Mason and it brought me to tears. Like crocodile tears. But I do want to say how much I appreciate my in-laws for keeping Mason. We know we don't have to worry about a thing when they have him. He enjoys going to their house and being with them. And that makes it easier for us to have dates!

Have you been on an adults only trip?

{A Grateful Heart // VOL 5}

 
Linking up with Ember Grey for A Grateful Heart. 

We just returned from the beach for a 4 day weekend trip with great friends. The sand, saltwater and sun were good for my soul. There's nothing in this world I love more than being a Mama...but this adults only trip was needed. Being a mama it's easy to lose yourself. And sometimes you need a little getaway to recharge your batteries. And that I did.

This week I am grateful for...{beach edition}

+ sand
+ sun
+ salt water
+ good friends
+ new traditions
+ making memories
+ fruity drinks in a coconut
+ laughter
+ navigation
+ sunsets 
+ inlaws that kept our sweet boy
+ girl time
+ road trips that allow ample time to talk with my love

What are you grateful for this week?

{Fall Bucketlist // 2014}

Happy First Day of Autumn!!! And boy did it feel like Fall this morning. I went to take Gunner outside and had to come back in for a sweater. It made me so darn happy!! I just love this time of year! If you had any doubts just check my Fall Pinterest board {here}

In honor of the first day of Fall I wanted to share our 2014 Fall bucketlist.

+ visit the pumpkin patch

+ go on a hayride

+ make caramel apples

+ decorate my porch {crates, hay, pumpkins, etc}

+ carve pumpkins

+ make fall crafts

+ decorate the house for fall

+ pick out halloween costumes

+ stay in a cabin somewhere

+ make a thankful tree

+ share the Thanksgiving story with Mason

+ find a corn maze

+ bake fall goodies

+ go to fall festivals

+ go to an aggie football game

+ roast marshmallows

+ lots of fires in our chiminea

+ go apple pickin'

+ have a scary {but mason friendly} movie night

+ make lots of crock pot meals

+ do my bible study on the porch

+ host a fall party/get together

+ make a pumpkin chunkin' game

+ stock up on my favorite fall scentsy bars

+ take a scenic drive {where the leaves actually turn pretty colors}

+ go to the farmers market

+ go on a nature walk

+ take fall pictures of mason

What's on your Fall Bucketlist this year?

{Life Lately}

Hi friends! Just a random, catch up post here. 

Well, I had fully intended on participating faithfully in the Blog-tember challenge...but life proved otherwise. I was inspired and ready to roll with the daily challenges, but life got so busy that I was rushing through the posts. I was writing just enough to get the post up, but didn't get to fully say what my heart wanted to say. I may pop in here and there for some of the topics, but I am not putting the pressure on myself to do every challenge.

Last week Mason had a 'crazy hair day' at school. We spiked his hair like crazy and sprayed it green with one of those Halloween hair colors. It's almost a week later and I still can't get all of the green out of his hair! He was mid haircut on Saturday when I remembered his green hair and had to inform the hairdresser that his hair isn't usually green! ha. He looked cute though...

We had the best weekend this past weekend! We didn't do anything special, but it was just one of those good ones. Friday I had a hair appointment. I went to a new hairdresser and fell in love! Her shop is in downtown Waxahachie and is such a neat building. Plus, I really really liked her. She's someone that I can see myself being friends with. And, she is awesome at hair color. I went from blonde blonde, to a darker color for Fall. It's almost an ombre because she let some of my blonde come through. I love it. This is the picture she posted on Facebook.

That evening hung around Waxahachie and helped Nate's parents with a few things. Nate's dad had back surgery on Friday. Saturday we took our little Gunner boy for his shots. He didn't even flinch and did really well. After his shots we went to the RV and Camper show in Dallas. We had so much fun just strolling through and checking out all of the different layouts. And it was just one of those days that made me so thankful for my sweet little family. And every time Nathan moved or spoke I just fell more in love with him. Sunday we went to church and it was amazing. I just love the Cowboy Church and how much it feels like 'home'.

After church we went back to Nate's parents house to visit and check on his dad. That evening was spent getting ready for the next week.

It's hunting season!!!

We just started a new study in She Reads Truth called Open Your Bible. I'm so very excited for this one. Friends, if you haven't checked out She Reads Truth yet, I encourage you to do so. This particular study is free on the app and always free on the web site. 

Thursday we are leaving for the beach. Just Nathan and I. We are meeting four of our friends there for a long weekend. I am excited. Very excited. But anxious and sad too. We will be leaving Mason home with his Grandparents. It's an adult only trip this time. This will make 2 total that Nathan and I have ever gone on without Mason. And the first one was only 2 days!! 

That's pretty much what we have been up to lately. What about you? What's going on in your world lately?

{Blog-tember Challenge - Day 13 // Relationship Status}

Sept 13th: Your current relationship status. If dating/married, give us a glimpse of your story! If single, share about this special season.




I am very happily married to my best friend!! Nathan and I met when we were just teens in high school. We were best friends for a year before we actually started dating. Now we are celebrating our 18th year together this November 1st and we just had our 8th wedding anniversary on August 25th. Nathan truly is my soul-mate and completes me in every way.

{Blog-tember Challenge - Day 12 // Traditions}

Sept 12th: Tell us about a favorite tradition. It could be a family tradition or from a holiday, university, you-name-it. What makes it so special?

{Blog-tember Challenge - Day 11 // How I stay inspired}

Sept 11th: How do you stay inspired? Who inspires you the most?

My biggest and best inspiration is my boys, of course. I try to think about them in everything that I do and to always put them first. They both push me and make me want to be a better person, mother and wife. They encourage me. They give me the drive. They are my everything.

For the other things...music, Pinterest and Instagram inspire me. 

What inspires you?

{A Grateful Heart // VOL 4}

Last night I went to bed with a very, very anxious heart. I tend to let worry take over me to the point where it becomes anxiety. Worry has always been a part of my life. And it became worse after I became a Mother. I have a constant need to protect and when that is out of my control fear takes hold. All day long yesterday I heard talk about threats to our country, saw Facebook post after post about these threats and how people were preparing for 9/11. It terrified me, honestly. Also, as I was praying last night I saw my phone light up and it was one of my really good friends of 25+ years asking for prayer. I didn't sleep much to say the least. I tossed and turned. Mason also didn't sleep very well. I worried even more that maybe he felt my anxiety. It was a long night.

But...

This morning I woke up to a friend posting this scripture...

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

- John 16:33 

It was just what I needed to hear. It immediately gave me peace. Then I went to take Gunner outside and saw the most glorious sunrise...

THEN...as I am driving to take Mason to school I see a huge rainbow....THEN as I am leaving Mason's school I round the corner to see the rays in the sky making the most perfect cross.

When my anxious thoughts multiply within, Your consolations delight my soul.

-Psalm 94:19

 Thank you God. Thank you. 

Our God is so faithful and I am so grateful for the reminders he sent me this morning. This week I am also grateful for...

+ family
+ fall pretties on pinterest
+ cooler weather headed to texas
+ good eye dr reports {post here}
+ allergy medicine
+ our roots and where God has led us
+ freedom
+ prayer warriors
+ friends that are more like family
+ imaginations

What are you grateful for, friend?

{Blog-tember Challenge - Day 10 // 10 things I love about Me}

Sept 10th: List 10 things that you love about yourself! Let's kick that negative self-talk outta here!


Whew! I am posting this one so late because it's taken me forever to come up with 10 things. I always find it so hard to write about myself. Always.




+ the way I love
+ the mother i have become
+ the wife i have become
+ my thoughtfulness
+ my walk with Christ
+ my compassion
+ that i can find the good in almost every situation
+ my organization skills
+ my hair
+ my dedication

What do you love about yourself?

{Intermittent Exotropia Check-up}

I wrote here about Mason's ophthalmology appointment and how it was everything but pleasant. Mason was diagnosed with Intermittent Exotropia at that appointment and we also learned that he was near sided and needed glasses.  After being there for 4 hours the dr. gave us his glasses prescription and told us to put a patch on Mason's strong eye for an hour a day. We left there with not such a good feeling about the whole appointment. We felt defeated.

We were so grateful when our eye doctor agreed to see Mason for this 2 month follow up. Today was that day. And it was wonderful. Mason did great with his exam and we got a good report from Dr. Grace. Mason no longer has to wear the eye patch and said that honestly he never really needed to. Mason's condition is very minimal and Dr Grace said he'd bet his last dollar that Mason will outgrow it. Praise Jesus! 

The only bad news was that since Mason is only 4 and already near-sided it will probably only worsen as he gets older. So glasses and eventually contacts and maybe even lasik it is for this boy.

{Blog-tember Challenge - Day 8 // Music that moves me}

Sept 8th - Music that moves you. Are you a Spotify addict or a Pandora guru? Tell us your favorite artists/stations!

Oh music! Even though I don't have an ounce of musical talent in any shape, form or fashion, I love me some music. Seriously...what is more therapeutic to the soul than driving the backroads with the windows down and your music blaring? My music on my phone is growing by the minute. 

My favorite genre? Christian/Gospel. My car stays on 94.9 KLTY (safe for the whole family) unless the hubster gets in my car. Then it's mostly likely on a game or country. If I'm not listening to the Christian station then it's either my playlist (mostly Christian) or Texas/Red Dirt Country. I'm not much of a Nashville/Mainstream country music fan. It's all starting to sound too much like Pop.

Favorite songs/artists? Whatever You're Doing - Sanctus Real, Oceans - Hillsong, 10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman and absolutely anything by Chris Tomlin or Kari Jobe. 

Favorite Texas/Red Dirt artist? Aaron Watson is my all time favorite. I love that even though he's an artist and has played in his fair share of bars he keeps his values and still lets his light for Jesus shine. I love following his family via Instagram! 

As far as Pandora or Spotify goes...I am a fan of both! I have both apps on my phone and we stream via bluetooth in the car. I mostly listen to Spotify when working because I like being able to to choose specific songs & artists.

What's your favorite genre of music? Anything I must add to my list? I love finding new music!!

{Blog-tember - Day 7 // Books}

Sunday Sept 7th - What's on your current reading list? Or what have you read that you'd recommend?

CURRENTLY READING:
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

RECENTLY READ:
The Husbands Secret by Liana Moriarty
If I stay by Gale Forman
Where She Went by Gale Forman
The Fault in our Stars by John Green

FAVORITES/FOREVER RECOMMENDING:   
Can you keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella  
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

{Blog-tember - Day 6 // Currently}

Saturday Sept 6th - A "currently" post. Tell us what you're loving, hating, eating, reading, etc.

Loving // My sweet little family. That Fall is on the horizon. And the blogging community! 

Making // Memories. Lists. Blog graphics.

Building // Legos with my little guy. Relationships.

Reading // The bible/she reads truth // The Good Girl by Mary Kubica & Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Looking forward to // Our adults only trip to the beach with this gem and another one of our friends. All relationships formed from the internet! 

Wishing // For Fall. my favorite.

Enjoying // Every single second I get to spend with my boys. 

Wondering // What Masons future wife will be like and if I will be as graceful as this mama

Hoping // My boys know how much I love them.

Marveling // at my sweet little Mason Lane and his precious soul.

Smelling // Pumpkin Marshmallow in the scentsy

Following // This Blog-tember challenge

Noticing // That our beach trip is like 2 weeks away and I need to drop some pounds!

Thinking // You name it.

Feeling // So thankful. so blessed.


Praying// That Mason's eye patch therapy is working so that he doesn't need surgery.

{Blog-tember Challenge - Day 5 // I am passionate about...}

Sept 5th: "I am passionate about ______________. "

+ my husband
+ my son
+ being the best mother I can be
+ being intentional in relationships
+ Jesus
+ teaching Mason about Jesus
+ taking pictures
+ holidays
+ family
+ life & love

What are you passionate about?

{A Grateful Heart // VOL 3}

Linking up with Ember Grey for a Grateful Heart

I am grateful for...

+ long weekends

+ camping with family

+ the hill country

+ iced coffee

+ internet friends that have become IRL friends

+ the blogging community

+ a little boy that asks to snuggle and play Lego Batman together

+ grace

+ worship music

What are you grateful for?

{Blog-tember challenge - days 2 & 3}

Switching it up a bit and following the prompts for day 2 and 3 from Bailey Jean @ BRAVE LOVE!

Sept 2nd's prompt: Write about what makes you happy, from the little joys to the huge game-changers.

What makes me happy? This list could go on and on.

Family. Hugs from my boys. Worship music. Bible Studies. Jesus. Fall. Brisk breezes. The Peony Project Community. Friends. My son's Pre-K school and teacher. Pumpkin Marshmallow Scentsy. Iced Coffee. New planners & new pens. New pajamas. College Football. Pumpkin patches. Reading books with Mason. Hummingbirds. Puppies. The Mountains. Traveling. When Mason talks about Jesus. Camping. Photographs. Books. Blogging. Snail mail. Walks with the family. Christmas. Christmas tree farms. Traditions. Planning trips. The things children say. Especially Mason. Love and Laughter. Diet Dr Pepper.

Sept 3rd's prompt: "When I grow up I want to be..." Answer as your 5-year-old self or as you are now.

For as long as I can remember I wanted to be three things; a teacher, an astronaut and a mother. Well, I'm not a teacher and I am clearly not an astronaut. I am the best of the three. A mother. It's everything I have ever dreamed of times a gazillion. It's the biggest blessing {along with being a wife} in the world. I love being a Mommy. I love the little I love You's. I love the learning and growing and teaching. I love all of the big milestones and the little in betweens. I love the bond I've developed with my little love. I love everything about it.

What makes you happy? And what do you want to be when you grow up?

{Blog every day in September // Introduce yourself}

Howdy! I missed posting this yesterday because we were traveling back for our Labor Day weekend getaway. So, I'm playing catchup! I'm so excited to join this Blog every day in September challenge. Not sure if I will post every day, but I will try!

Monday, Sept. 1: Reintroduce yourself to your readers.

I'm Crystal. I'm 33. I married my high school sweetheart, Nathan in 2006. We dated for 10 years before we said I do. {yep, that's 18 years total} Nine short months later we traded the city life for the country life and moved to a rural area about 40 miles South of Dallas in the Lone Star State! And...we haven't looked back. Our hometown was quickly {and sadly} becoming not such a great place to live anymore and we knew that we didn't want to raise our children there. And we were ready for babies!

I am a Senior Account Manager for a List Marketing/Advertising firm. As of last October I work from home full time. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. It has given me back so much more time with my boys. I am also thankful I don't have to drive to/from Dallas every day! I enjoy reading, taking pictures, going to baseball games, spending as much time as possible with my boys, blogging and crafting. I use purple shampoo to keep the yellow out of my hair and yellow concealer to cover the purple under my eyes. A walking contradiction, I suppose. Fall is my most absolute favorite time of the year and I am so ready for it. Pumpkin patches, pumpkin candles, pumpkin spice everything...YES please!! I love Jesus, reading the bible and doing bible studies. Right now I am digging into Hosea with the She Reads Truth gals.

Nathan works for Lockheed Martin, Fire and Missiles Control. He loves hunting, fishing, camping, baseball and anything else outdoors. He also loves Mason and I something fierce. He also loves {and is very good at} dog training! He's been working with Gunner in the evenings and of course the weekends and Gunner knew all of the basic commands plus some the first few days we had him. Nathan is also very competitive at everything he does...always making tings interesting!

In May of 2010 we welcomed our sweet little guy, Mason Lane. He has kept us on our toes since. He's witty, hilarious and so very sweet. He's my little best friend. Mason just started Pre-K a couple of weeks ago and is growing entirely too fast. He loves Legos, games on his iPad, reading books, hearing stories {both fiction and non fiction}, playing outside, driving his Jeep Power Wheels, and pretty much any kind of playing. He hates nap time and bed time and has been known to pray to Jesus to 'please not make night time anymore'.

We added on to our little family in June by way of a Yellow Lab named Gunner Gage. He's a pain in the rear most days, but aren't all puppies? I forgot how hard the puppy training stage was. But, we love him dearly and can't wait for he and Mason to grow up together. They will be best buds!

We also have a kitten named Gabby, but she lives outside. And we also have a miniature Donkey {who also lives outside!}. I'm trying to talk Nathan into getting a couple of floppy eared goats...but it's not working! I can't wait for Mason to get into 4H or FFA so that we can have other farm animals.  

As a family we love spending time together...just going to Cabelas {or any outdoors store}, to a boat or rv show, going out to eat, or traveling. We especially love to travel and do new things. Nathan prefers the beach...give me the mountains. We do a fair share of both.

And for the number 1 question we get asked every other minute...."Are you going to have more kids?" We are undecided. We are very content right now and just enjoying our time as a family of 3. God may have other plans for us and that's okay.

That's pretty much us in a nutshell.  I know that the prompt was to introduce myself, but there is no me without my boys!