A Great Start to the Holiday Season

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and felt fortunate to have a 4-day weekend. Mike's mom came in town to visit and we did a bit of sightseeing. Below are some pictures of our adventures in Napa. It was an absolute perfect fall day in wine country....the vibrant colors of the trees and vines were stunning!

NAPA DAY

First stop of the day...Cheers at Cakebread Winery!

We stopped for lunch at V. Sattui Winery. I was in heaven because they were serving all sorts of BBQ outside on their patio. I had my first brisket sandwich in I don't know how long...tasted amazing and the smell of the BBQ was just as great. Oh, the things we miss about Texas.

Absolutely picture perfect....this is my favorite picture of the entire day. Just stunning! Looks as though we were visiting the Northeast.

The last stop of the day was at Castello di Amerosa...one of mine and Mike's favorite wineries.

THANKSGIVING DAY

We enjoyed a small Thanksgiving feast with myself, Davy, Mike and his mom. This was our first Thanksgiving to host, so I decided to make all of my mom's favorite dishes. Turkey Day isn't complete without watching the annual A&M vs tu football game. For those who don't know, this is the last year of the 103 yr old rivalry between the schools since A&M is leaving the conference. However, I believe that once the anger and stubborness settles down, the annual game will resume. If only our Aggies had pulled it together...we still love them win or lose!

The place settings at our tiny table. I'd show a picture of the entire dining room, but it's going through a bit of a re-design. More pics to follow once the dining room is complete. :)

I did it! I made my first turkey!

My lil' helpers (aka vacuum cleaners) are always in the kitchen when I'm cooiking.

LA TRIP
Since May, Mike travels to LA weekly for his current project. This means we haven't seen each other for a week straight in six months. Since my event wrapped in October and Nov/Dec are slow in the fundraising world, Mike and I decided that I should visit him in LA for a few days. So, I spent 3 days in LA a couple of weeks ago and did some sightseeing during the day and spent the evenings with Mike. This was technically my fourth time to visit the LA area and I knew exactly what I wanted to see....the beach!

View of Malibu in the distance from Santa Monica.

Baywatch!

It was a lovely 75 degrees! If only SF would get a clue and warm up too.

I can't resist a great picture of a palm tree.

I visited the Griffth Observatory which is dedicated to all things astronomy related. Outer space facsinates me, so it was interesting to view photos and hear various explanations of our universe.

View from the top of Griffith Observatory.

I took a spin through Beverly Hills and Bel-Air...such a pretty community. I love driving down the palm-tree lined streets and viewing the beautiful homes.

A Shower Fit for a Princess!

"Please join us for a magical day, a sweet baby Princess is on the way!" Myself, my grandmother and my mom (mainly my mom!) hosted a baby shower for Lauren on Saturday, October 29 at my parents' home in Weatherford. Since the shower was hosted the weekend of Halloween, we decided to go with a fairytale pumpkin theme. My mom did an amazing job with the decor!

L to R: My grandmother, Lauren, my mom, and me

A beautiful quilt my grandmother made. The picture doesn't do it justice.

A picture of all the lovely ladies (minus one) who were at the shower.

The breakfast room.

Aren't the place settings so pretty? My grandmother made the table runners!

These lil' roses were at every place setting. And I must give my dad a shout-out...he came up with the idea to place the tiny wands into the vase. :)

The candy bar!!! And the "B" stands for Briley Michelle....the name of Lauren's lil' girl.

The dining room.

A pumpkin carriage for the princess! The carriage was originally brown and my mom painted it pink and white...pretty great job!

I designed the invitations and found inspiration on google images for the pumpkin carriage. My mom framed the carriage (mius the tiny swarvoski crystals).

My mom and dad took us to dinner for some yummy tex-mex for my birthday. Oh how I miss queso...I ate tex-mex 3 times while in town....you just can't get queso in SF.

My pretty grandmother!

My sister's friend, Kelci, was in town from Washington, so we decided to show her a Texas town with a western flaire....good ole' Granbury. I just love how they decorated the place!

Happy Halloween! It's pumpkin carving time!

Lauren's pumpkin.

My pumpkin is on the left and Kelci's is on the right. Kelci definitely won the pumpkin carving award!

I just love this picture...so spooky!

We dressed Lauren's dog, Bailey, as a witch. She was such a good sport about it.

My dad and their new lil' devil, Gracie. She's a super sweet lil dog.

All the pups dressed in their Halloween costumes. Joe was dressed as a bumblebee, but his satellite is blocking you from seeing it. :)

It was so nice to be home for a week. Mike and I are looking forward to traveling home (with Toby and Bella) for Christmas and NYE in just 7 short weeks!