Happy Birthday!

This past week I drove down to Houston to spend time with my mom to celebrate her birthday. We started out with lunch at Nordstroms with a special visit with my mom's best friend and my second mom, Cyndi. Mom is quite the "fisher woman" now, so my dad surprised her with a new rod and reel - she was so excited. Ben asked if he should get that for me for my birthday - I think not. I prefer to lay on the beach, not fish....

The next day mom's friends had a luncheon in her honor, the food was fabulous! I was able to top off the day by spending time with my best friend Jessie and her adorable son Andrew. Despite the pesky clouds, we had a great time catching up and playing with Andrew in the pool!

Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. ~Robert Henri

Some of my most favorite memories have taken place on a beach- Ben proposed to me in Destin, we honeymooned in Hawaii and I have loved all the time I have spent with my parents in Florida. Every year my family would load the car up and head to the beach for a week of relaxation. Ben started going down with my family and I during college when we were dating, and since then I have a hard time vacationing anywhere else. There is something about looking over tranquil turquoise waters that makes all your cares seem so insignificant! Here is a look at some of the most beautiful beaches I have seen.... and can't wait to see many more!

Sweet Summertime

One of the best perks about being a teacher is summer time! There is nothing like sleeping late and not having a crazy schedule to worry about. Ben lives vicariously through me during the summer, which translates to having a hard time concentrating at work when he knows I am home! We started our summer with Memorial Day weekend at the Lake and then off to Destin for two weeks. Here are some pics of summer so far!