December Thus Far

We have been bums around here, 

just lazy ole' bums! 

We haven't had any holiday parties yet, 

which is good since Blake is in the teeth of finals. 

He had his 2 hardest on Friday 

and we are thrilled to have them over with. 

He has 1 tomorrow, 1 Tuesday and his last on Wednesday...

then it is officially the Christmas holiday!!!!

and we are officially HALF WAY DONE!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been busy driving between 

Lubbock and Pecos for work.  

It's really not that bad 

since I spend a couple of nights a week down there.  

Ideally, 

I would love to be home with the boys

but somebody has to work around here!! 

We did head over to the Carol of Lights last Saturday

with the Hooks and Atropos. 

It is Techs lighting of all the lights on campus. 

There is a parade, caroling and then the lighting. 

The weather has been unseasonably warm 

so it was actually a very pleasant night to be outside; 

not very cold and NO wind! 

On Tuesday I had lunch with all the girls.  

We used to get together all the time for happy hours 

but now that 4 of the 6 are currently pregnant,

we have decided lunch is the best way for us all to get together. 

It's always so fun to get together with them. 

Last night, 

we met our friends the Sawyers for supper at Chuy's 

for Zach's birthday. 

It was so much fun to get to visit, catch up 

and celebrate Zach's birth!! 

So that's all going on over here.  

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season thus far! 

Stay safe. 

Thankful Days 26-30

Day 26: After chatting with her the other day for 1.5 hours, I am reminded how thankful I am for Nonna. The lady is incredible! She always has an answer for everything....knows how to get a stain out of anything, knows how to cook anything, knows how to deal with unreasonable people. Just a true gem!!

Day 27: thankful for my sister in law, Jill. She is a great big sister to Blake and has welcomed me into the family with open arms!

Day 28: thankful for my sister, Rebecca. Although, we don't get to see her very often we do enjoy our time when we are together.

Day 29: Thankful for the opportunity to travel that my parents gave me growing up. What amazing people they are always giving and what amazing memories I will treasure forever!

Day 30: Thankful for the holidays. I means time with family and that's my favorite!!!

Thanksgiving 2012

This year was our year to spend Thanksgiving with my family

but considering finals are in 2 weeks 

and the drive to Greenville is 16.5 hours from Lubbock, 

we voted to stay close to home. 

Our plan was to go to Angel Fire, New Mexico

and stay at Blake's friend Dave's parents place. 

We were going to ski, relax, build fires

and just relax. 

But the closer it got to Thanksgiving

with the weather still in the 70's during the day 

and no snow on the ground, 

we decided to stay put

and have a "staycation" here in Lubbock. 

I was a little sad to not be with my family;

however, now that the long weekend is over 

and we are not exhausted from being in the car, 

there's no laundry pile that needs to be washed

and we feel rested, 

I am totally okay with our decision!  

I was planning to just pick some food up on Wednesday 

since there was only 2 of us 

and cooking a turkey would yield way more than we could eat.

But again, 

the closer we got to Thanksgiving 

I decided it's not Thanksgiving with out the true Thanksgiving meal. 

So we headed to Market Street Wednesday around 4 to stock up! 

Our Thanksgiving consisted of: 

turkey 

green bean casserole

sweet potatoes

corn 

Angel biscuits 

It was delicious!! 

We napped, rested, took a walk and went to sleep. 

It was a wonderful day spent with my favorites!! 

Friday we slept in 

and then due to boredom

headed to the mall around noon to see all the crazy shoppers. 

It really wasn't all that bad 

but then again, 

it was late in the day for the nutty shoppers to still be out. 

Saturday we slept in again, 

and then headed out to the local stores for Small Business Saturday. 

We didn't buy anything either day

(weren't ever planning too)

we just needed something to get us (or rather me) out of the house 

for a little while. 

We then headed home to watch the Rebels win the Egg Bowl!! 

Hotty Toddy! 

Thanksgiving 2012 is in the books 

and will definitely be one of the most "relaxing" holidays we ever have! 

Hope you had a blessed and relaxing 

Thanksgiving with loved ones too! 

Thankful Days 24 & 25

Day 24: thankful for the cooler weather. Finally feeling like late November!

Day 25: thankful for the inlaws. Not only for raising an amazing son but for having a 2nd set of parents who love me for me! God is good.

Thankful Days 20-23

Day 20: thankful for family. Although we are not going to be with ours this Thanksgiving, I know how blessed we are to have parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who love us uncondtionally and will miss us on Thursday because we sure will miss them!

Day 21: thankful for breaks from school so I can spend some quality time with my favorite guy with no homework!!!

Day 22: thankful for the many blessings Blake and I have been given during this chapter of our lives (great internships, good grades, scholarships) But not gonna sugar coat it as it has been an extremely stressful time. But folks in 2 weeks we have HALFWAY through this school journey and for that I am SOOOO very thankful!!

Day 23: thankful for days off of work. Lying in bed watching Good Morning America!! Happy Friday.

Thankful Days 16 - 19

Day 16: Thankful for the weekend. Goodness I'm tired!

Day 17: thankful for college football. How exciting and unpredictible these guys are to watch! So much fun.

Day 18: thankful for God's grace!

Day 19: thankful for Emmit. Not only can the man move but he is such a great reminder to enjoy life!!

Thankful Day 15

Day 15: Thankful to be a KKG!! I met some of my bestfriends in college through Kappa and some of my best girlfriends in Lubbock through the Kappa almun group. What a special group of women. #gokappa

Thankful Day 14

Day 14: So thankful for my mom. What on earth does a girl do without a mom like Valerie Bray Murphy?! She will go to the end of the earth to help anyone, she always has lots to say, she is full of energy and is the most wonderful person I know. So so thankful for Milly.

Thankful Day 13

Day 13: Thankful for my wonderful dad. It always brings a smile to my face thinking about all the fun we've had during my 28 years! A great man, a great dad, a great friend.

Thankful Day 12

Day 12: thankful for the most precious nephew! He is the cutest, funniest, sweetest little guy ever and we wish we got to see him more often. Aunt Kitty and "Ake" love you Murphy!

Thankful Day 11

Day 11: thankful for the men and women who served and are currently serving this great nation. Although I'm sure you sometimes don't feel it, you are appreciated and loved. Thank you for your sacrifice.

Thankful Day 10

Day 10: thankful for old friends. The kind that you can pick up right where you left off months or years before and it's like you never missed a beat. 

Thankful Day 9

Day 9, thankful for a wonderful church here in Lubbock. It took us awhile to find a place to call "home" but we have finally found a place for us!

Thankful Day 8

On day 8, I am so thankful for Crockett (I promise we are out of animals after this one!) He is the most kind hearted animal I have ever had. He always shares his toys, food and bed with his brothers even though they NEVER share with him.

 He is the biggest sweetheart; whenever we come home he follows us around telling us all about his day! He always tries to sleep in bed with us (which is a big no no) and 

loves to be loved on! Can't magine life without him.

 

Thankful Day 7

Day 7, I am thankful for Boone! He is the craziest creature living at our house and certainly keeps us on our toes but we couldn't imagine life without him. He is the instigator, bully and pain in rear with endless amounts of energy but at the sametime the best listener, a huge sweethear who always wants to please. I'm having a hard time remembering what our quite life was like before him!

Thankful Day 6

Day 6: Thankful for this unseasonably warm and beautiful fall weather! #lovin'it

Thankful Day 5

On day 5 I'm so thankful for the wonderful girlfriends I've made in Lubbock. I was so worried about moving to a town where I literally knew absolutely no one but the Lord placed some wonderful ladies in my path and for that I will always be eternally grateful!

Thankful Day 4

Day 4 I am thankful for sweet george henry. he is the most precious, moodiest, loveable when he wants to be, chatty, looses tons of hair by breathing therefore leaving my house filthy kitty cat ever!! But it is all totally worth it because he makes all of our hearts so full! He might be the tinyest guy at our house but he definitely has the biggest personality.

Thankful Day 3

On day 3, I am thankful for OleMiss. Although we don't win every game (but hopefully we will win today), I met some of my best friends during my time there. I can say with certainty those were the best 4.5 years of my life to date. Oxford and the OleMiss will always hold a special place in my heart. Hotty Toddy Rebels!!

Thankful Day 2

On day 2, I'm thankful for RHETT. He brings so much joy to our lives, loves us unconditionally, protects us, is the best traveling buddy and has been such a good sport when we continue to bring more animals home! He is undoubtedly the best furry friend there is!!

Thankful Day 1

I am SO far behind on the blog, yikes! 

Here is my attempt to catch up the blog world 

with what I've been thankful for via facebook....

Day 1: 

Although I'm thankful for him on a daily basis, today I'll tell you why. He is the most kind hearted, hardest working, full of love, the spiritual leader of our home, on fire for The Lord, most handsome fella I know. And today I am most grateful to call him my partner in crime....FOREVER!! #luckiestgirlalive

Still Here

We are still here folks......

just haven't been doing anything blog worthy.

We did head down to Abilene last weekend 

so Blake could work at the deer plant for opening weekend

and to celebrate Papa's 84th birthday 

but other than that, 

we've been at home in Lubbock.  

Ole Miss - Auburn Weekend

I flew out of Lubbock last Wednesday 

headed to Shreveport for the night for the Revel 

and to ride with Dad on Thursday to Oxford

since mom had stayed in Tupelo for the week. 

Can't stop in Shreveport 

and not get a Humphrey, 

yummy!! 

And of course a delicious Gyro at the Revel

Dad and I left Thursday am 

and drove straight to Tupelo to get Mom. 

Blake's folks drove to Lubbock Wednesday night 

and caught a flight to Memphis Thursday morning. 

Once we all arrived in Oxford 

we headed to the Snackbar for supper. 

mike, mary lou, blake, me, val and gil 

 We woke up Friday morning and hit the Square. 

We wandered around until 11:30 when Ajax opened 

and we ate some delicious lunch!! 

That afternoon we decided to do the 

Double Decker

bus tour of Oxford. 

It was really informative 

and a fun thing to do, 

plus we got to sit the whole time!!! 

On the double decker....

The game was at 11am Saturday morning; 

early but so worth it....

We finally WON a game!!

Hotty Toddy!

Murphy loved eating Ice's popcorn; almost ate the whole box!

The Garrett's 

After the game and a couple of hours of Grovin' 

we headed back to the hotel breakfast room. 

Murphy and Blake played, 

we all visited and 

ordered Abner's for supper. 

Murphy giving "ake" a hug

Sunday am we woke up early 

and were on the road to the airport by 8:15. 

Long story short, 

American cancelled my flight so I was stranded in Memphis. 

I was told I could get a ticket for $800. 

Considering I bought a ticket for $500 back in July, 

I kindly declined 

and called the parents. 

Waiting for my ride....

all I need is a cardboard sign that says "Lubbock" 

They came and picked me up, 

completely the wrong direction they were going, 

and drove me to Little Rock 

where I caught a $300 

Southwest flight that night back home. 

American will be receiving a letter from me next week! 

 Cutest little faces in the world greeting me at the airport 

when I finally arrived home 13 hours later.....

Boone, RHETT, Crockett and Blake 

 And this little cutie...

george henry

 We had a wonderful weekend 

that American tried to ruin on Sunday! 

I wished we lived closer to Oxford 

as I always LOVE going back. 

I'm so glad the in-laws got to go experience 

"God's Country". 

Until next year....

Growin' Up

My sweet little guys are growing up so fast. 

Here they are just 5 short months ago...

Boone (left) & Crockett (right)

And here they are now...

Boone

Crockett

 And just because they were so gosh darn cute (and tiny).....

Dog Sitting Bernie

Blake's buddy Paul got a new puppy a few weeks ago

and needed us to dog sit while he was in San Antonio for ATCE. 

 Meet Bernie...

Bernie is a french bulldog, boston terrier mix. 

He is so ugly he's almost cute. 

We enjoyed his compnay 

but were not sad to see him go; 

3 dogs and a cat is enough!!! 

Here he is chewing on RHETT's tail...

This is what everyone in our house felt like Wednesday 

when Bernie left......

Fun Football Saturdays

It's fun living in a college town with a decent football team. 

We've lucked out this season 

and been offered tickets to 2 of the home games. 

Our first game of the season to attend was against.....

I can not remember, ha! 

But here we are at the SPE tailgate...

SPE moved their tailgate this year to the new Business school parking lot 

and as fate would have it, 

our other friends tailgate is right beside theirs!!

It's so nice we get to hangout with all of friends 

without having to walk around campus!! 

Blake and the boys...

Joesph, Matthew, Blake and Jake

The Red Raiders played Iowa State in Iowa this year. 

Tiny and Fat Daddy were going to Nick's to watch the game 

and invited us to go with them. 

We had so much fun with them

plus the Red Raiders won! 

Our second game of the season was the Oklahoma game. 

Lubbock had a random cold snap that weekend 

and the temps dropped into the low to mid 30's. 

We were freezing at the tailgate 

and throughout the entire game.  

At halftime, 

the Red Raiders were down big so we decided to head home, 

warm up and get ready for the Rebels to play!

Brittney, Holli and I 

 There's not another home game for a few weeks 

so we will rest up and get ready for UT 

the first weekend of November.  

Happy Fall Y'all

Ortloff's Farewell

Wednesday night Andrea and Chris 

hosted a wonderful gathering to bid Clayton & Leslie farewell

at the Texas Tech Club. 

It was so much fun getting together with everyone

but we are so sad to see the Ortloff's go.  

(backrow) Andrea, Vicki, Leslie, me, (front row) Emily and Lindsey

Lunch/Happy Hour ladies
Andrea, Vicki, Leslie, Lindsey, Emily and me

Emily, Leslie and I

the husbands
Joey, Clayton, Chris, Blake and Zach 

All the ladies 

the whole gang

Best wishes friends as you start this new chapter of your lives. 

You will be missed!! 

Just bummin' around

Blake's been studying for 2 big test all week 

and I've been busy working.  

The animals on the other hand

have done nothing but be extremely lazy.....

hanging out with our big brother

sleepy heads

in their new dogloo we got off of Craigslist to help keep them warm...
little precious faces poking out! 

all 4 of them

george was determined to get a dog treat....

he eventually knocked the box over and got one!!! 

Hope you're as well rested as our animals are......