Spring Break!

One of the best things about being a teacher is the time off. I had a wonderful Spring Break, although I can't say I'm ready to go back.

On Wednesday night my friend Samantha kindly invited me to join her for a "Rascal Flatts" concert at the Rodeo of Houston. We were on our way when they announced that the group cancelled the performance because he was ill. We went and enjoyed ourselves anyway. The performers we did get to hear were country singers Joe Nichols, Jack Ingram and Clay Walker.

Here are a few shots of this last weekend. It was a three girl get-away/bachelorette party for Sarah! We'll be traveling for the wedding next weekend. Meanwhile, here we are in San Antonio. We visited the River Walk and Fiesta Texas among a few others. We also had some business we had to take care of on one of the days and there are a few pictures while we waited for a fax. I can proudly say that I have now driven all by my "little" self to the Valley (7 hours) and to San Antonio (3.5) hours. I don't think I could have ever done this without Phillip's reassurance and confidence. Thanks Babe for believing in me. This is huge for a Valley girl like me people! If you've ever driven in these two cities you know how crazy that can be. I thank God for watching over me.

As Promised - Weekend Pics.

Singing in the Spanish Venue of Fellowship of the Woodlands.

Bible Study Small Group at Carlie & Eric's

Only got a few photos since I remembered to take them when most of the group was gone.

Boys being silly while cleaning up.

Quick Update . . . More coming soon!

Hello Friends. Sorry about the delay in posts. I know a lot of you visit even though you don't leave comments, so I should keep this up to date. Life around here has been absolutely crazy. These last few weeks have been so busy and exhausting.

School has been hectic as always. Kids are being a handful. Sometimes I think I would be a great mother of a teenager. (Not that I would want one right now!) I have so much experience dealing with them - I know all their tricks. Pray that I would have patience and that I would know how to react to the crazy things put before me.

Church is also keeping us busy these days. The Lord has answered our prayers and longings for fellowship with other "young" married couples. We are part of a small group that we are so thankful for. We have about 4-6 couples meet every Wednesday night . It seems like we are all in the same place in our spiritual walk and marriage. We are very excited about the realtionships and connections we are making. I am also still singing with the Spanish Venue. So, do you remember I mentioned something previously about our music director? Well, it turns out that he is the Juan Salinas I thought. He is a Grammy winning producer which I think is very interesting. He is a member of our church and volunteers with the music ministry at the Spanish Venue. For more info on him go to http://juansalinasrecords.com/html/___juan_salinas____.html. Please pray for this ministry. We are experiencing growing pains, but I am glad that I can be a part of it. I'll try to get some pics this weekend.

Last weekend I went home for Sarah Burnette's bridal shower. I got to spend some time with family and friends. I'll post some pictures of that.

The Holidays

Hello everyone! It seems that so much has been happening in our lives in these last few months that we've neglected to blog. My laptop crashed shortly after we got home from our Christmas mini-vacation and I lost all my documents and pics from the last 3 years. My hubby kept reminding me to save them on our server but I was very lazy and never "got around to it." He's trying to recuperate them while "sharing" his computer with me.

Our Christmas celebrations began in The Woodlands at my friend Shara's home. Here I stand next to two pregnant women. Hopefully it's contagious ;)

We went to the Valley a week before Christmas for my hubby to do some work and so I could get some family time in. Here we are at Milton and Wendi's where we took this great Salinas family picture.
You have probably noticed that there are no little ones running around. We were all aware of the fact that maybe by next Christmas the Salinas clan could have an addition. No, nobody is pregnant yet but everyone is very hopeful.

Our first Christmas in San Antonio was very nice. We got to spend some quality time with Phillip's mother, sisters and extended family. The big announcement there was given by Phillip's sister Jessica. After having graduated from college a few years ago she is ready for a change and has enlisted in the military. She hopes to become an officer and do something in intelligence. We were all shocked at the news but very glad that we could spend this Christmas with her. Notice her teary eyes.

Finally, on January 5th we celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary! Yes, five wonderful years people. We were appropriately seated in the wine room - that is how you get through five years . . . NOT!!! It's all about chocolate. We're still trying to finish that 1o inch chocolate cake.

Our little Thanksgiving

For years we have traveled to be with family for Thanksgiving. This year we stayed home and a certain family was supposed to visit . . . Things didn't work out so we ended up having a very pleasant dinner followed by a viewing of "Grey's Anatomy" with our newly married friends Sylvia and Gilbert. I made a 24lb turkey complete with stuffing. I also baked a few pies. Our guests brought the really wonderful sides.

Those Crazy 80's

My friend Becky had a really cool birthday party recently. The theme was the 80's. Becky's husband planned the entire thing from buying band posters on eBay to coordinating the Karaoke singing. It was way cool, man!

A Young 29

Well, I celebrated another Birthday on November 1st. We did a lot of eating and celebrating. I had been eating healthily for about 5 weeks and lost about 6-7 lbs. The diet went down quickly once my b-day celebrations started. (I haven't gained any weight thankfully and I want to lose 4-5 more lbs.)

The first was at school.

When moving the cake from one place to another someone dropped the cake on its top layer. We were able to eat the bottom layer and still had a good time.

The party continued on the day of my B-day. We went to one of my favorite Hibachi Grills here in town. My buds provided the scrumptious Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake.

Finally, mi esposo planned a romantic dinner at our favorite restaurant in Houston "Taste of Texas." Since we started our total money makeover we had not been able to visit the fine steakhouse. It was wonderful! Yummm. I can still taste the awesome center cut fillet cooked in garlic butter . . .

Next Wedding Please!

Wow! It's the year of engagements and weddings! I just recently had the honor of accepting another wedding party invitation. Yes, the same day Sylvia and Gilbert got married I went to look at dresses for yet another wedding . . . .

I remember many years ago when little Albert Rodriguez was the biting terror of Iglesia Biblica. We were all afraid of the innocent looking child. Albert has grown up to be a hard-working and God- seeking man. The Lord has recently blessed him with Sarah Burnette, his future wife. They will marry in the Spring of '07. Congratulations Guys!

Blast from the Past!

Here are more pics from Sylvia & Gilbert's wedding! I included more pics of our mini middle & high school reunion.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Rehearsal

At Last

"At Last" was the song the bride and groom chose for their first official dance as husband and wife. After more than ten years of friendship and then love Sylvia and Gilbert tied the knot. The wedding was a success to say the least. Saw old friends, ate good food, cried a little . .

The weather threatened to make our day of prepartions difficult but by the time the wedding rolled around we had clear skies. Everything just came together for one of the nicest weddings I've ever been a part of.

Here are some pictures of the wedding night. Enjoy!

Girls Having Fun

Well, yesterday we took a little trip to the mall to get some last minute things for the wedding. We got some cool makeovers at Sephora. Check us out!

Here's the blushing bride!

The faithful bridesmaids! (Please excuse my cleavage.)

The makeup artist was awesome. She used this great illuminating cream and a contour brush! Yes, my eyebrows were filled in. At first I thought they were too dark but then I got used to them. Also, check out my spray tan.