-the simple life in texas-

 We have lived and breathed in all of what Texas has to offer us so far...

making it our FIRST year and a day...
i remember our move like it was yesterday.

this year has flown by.

kinda like the 40 mph winds that is considered "normal" during the windy season.

Texas has shown us the coldest winter, windiest spring and hottest summer...

but we are still here with a smile.
 i should also mention the drought too.
"pray for rain"

other than that..
We are RoLLing along quite nicely...

A few things Texas has taught us...

-learning to obey the speed limit (police do not tolerate a 72 mph in a 70mph) between the two of US we have been pulled over at least 8 times.  no tickets were issued.

-i should probably mention that we still haven't been completely Texified..we still have our Arizona Driver License (i hope the sheriff a few houses down doesn't read this).

-"where you get your Jesus" translates to "where do you go to church"

-it is completely normal to wave at EVERYONE while driving

-we now shop at WAL-MART (i rather not talk about that..Target is to far away to shop at on a regular basis) actually i am OK with shopping at WAL-MART now. it makes going to Target that much sweeter.

-i have overcome my love-hate relationship with cooking..i  actually enjoy and feel the need to prepare food for Mr. Moroney.

-everyone is exceptionally nice and very welcoming
-driving is a way of life and a must needed escape to bigger town's
-i now drink Diet Dr. Pepper - life changing for me.

(i am sure i will think of more after i post this)

Yes, it is funny to think about all the little things that make this small part of the world unique to us. But really this moved has taught me the concept of letting go...

letting go of my fears of change

letting go of my fears of loneliness (not that i could ever be lonely with 2 small boys)

letting go of the unknown

letting go of the place where i was born, raised & felt comfortable

letting go of my favorite places to go out to eat or shop

letting go of of moving your children away from their grandparent's,
cousins and friends (that just killed me).

letting go of the thought of not seeing my friends and family (also hurt a lot inside)

as i let go of everything, it really meant that i carefully handed into God's hands knowing that He would take of the rest.

And God did just that.
all of the letting go was the hardest decision we had ever made in our life as couple but underneath it all we both wanted something better for us, our kids, our future.

we have been blessed with many friends and family coming to stay with us. definitely makes you want to hold on to them that much longer, look into their eyes and think to yourself how much you miss them but instead just cherish the moment even more.
we look forward to the many more to come!!

 i would sacrifice everything a million times over and even Mr. Moroney would agree with me.
the way our boys little round faces light up, squealing excitement of the word "dairy" coming out of their mouths the moment they lay on eyes on it and their fingers pointing towards it to make sure i am seeing what they are seeing while we drive down the highway makes it all worth it. and every time i just want to turn around, watch and smile. everyday when i drive up to the dairy i kinda have that same feeling. their is some hidden secret deep in my heart and growing like wild fire in theirs for a love of a dairy farm.

words do not describe their obsession with tractors.
the tractor store has surpassed any other place on earth...other than Mc. Donald's.

check out the gator with a second row, customized seats built by Papa Rocky, just for the boys.

the best view by far for cruising around the dairy.

notice the seat belts.

Papa Rocky, Mimi (you can't see her), Champ and Coco taking the boys for their first ride in their new bucket seats.


best part of the day is doing the "rounds" with daddy making sure all is good around the dairy.
the perfect ending to any workday.

We all want to drive the Gator, even me.
yes, the boys are not wearing pants.
they get dirty..clothes come off.

the simple things..

such as driving around the dairy looking at the cows and the tractors is fun everytime with the boys.

they never get tired of it.

neither do i.

what a funny cow

 a boy can never have enough boots

neither can a man.

poofy clouds are simply beautiful in my eyes.

taking pictures while driving the gator..

smile cows

my dad

all of this would not be possible without the dedication day after day from Mr. Moroney. he has sacrificed more than anyone would ever know, has gone over and beyond for the love of his family.

i am eternally grateful to MY Dairyman.

i am so proud of you!!

God has guided us, given us the strength and courage to find a new way of life for our family.
it is the simple life of raising a family on a farm.

birthday weekend in Austin

Austin City Limits

a rOck'N time with Nathan celebrating the BIG 3-0!!

we had so much fun we have our tickets for the 2012 show already!!

check it out

we drove from Friona, with  just a few stops (antique stores of course..i can't keep Nathan away..OK maybe it is me) it took us about 10 hours. plus we took the "scenic" route in the hill country but due to severe drought it was dry.

pray for rain.

the entrance to the festival taken place at a HUGE park, Zilker Park.

sitting in the grass, having a beer and great live music.

we were lucky with sprinkles of rain drops, overcast weather and a new hat to control my frizzy hair due to humidity.

3 day music festival= lots of people watching

personally i am out of touch with any "cool" music. my play list, scratch that idea, i ONLY listen to kid music (usually the same song on repeat) or whatever comes through on my radio..lots of country or the occasional Bob Marley. 

THANKFULLY Nathan has not lost touch with the music scene, has our i-pod fully loaded and i feel a little more assured or "cooler" with my new found love of music that is from this decade.

some of my favs that stirred up my musical soul...

-cults

-cold war kids 

-sanitgold

-foster the people

this was just ONE of the many stages at the festival.

happy birthday to you!!

we munched on good eats.

 almost found on every corner.

celebrated at a fancy-schmancy restaurant.

peaches with basil and ice cream.

sounds crazy but the taste buds likey.

the other place we drove to..i wasn't about to bike in heels.

we even took a field trip to the Capital.

we had to..

we are Texans.

we had such a great time spending time together..

and i wore my new hat everyday!

best way to get around this city..biking. we only drove our car twice the 4 days we were in Austin, THIS GIRL needed to get her Nordstrom and Anthropologie fix. plus great exercise going up those hills and even better going down those hills. i have had my cruiser since college..o the memories!

we just strapped my bike to the top of the car and away we went.

until next time,

Austin.

xoxo

like all good things they come to an end..

but we did find this delish BBQ place in Brady, Texas on our drive back up the Pan Handle.

i have never seen so many windmills in my life.

just outside of Sweetwater, Texas.

o Texas you are a BIG state.

daddy turns 30

The day has come, the day Nathaniel Patrick Moroney entered his thirties. I met Nathan when he was 15 going on 16 (sound of music song..anyone...) therefore i have been his one and only girl for half of his life. lucky him i know or lucky me? either way we are both lucky to have each other and even more lucky to have such a MAGNIFICENT family..you will see why in just a moment.

let's pretend that this picture is rotated correctly...sometimes the computer works against me. just lean your head a little to the right..thank you for understanding.

...THE  COW PATTY CAKE...

The cow patty cake has a memorable meaning in our family and the women behind it holds a very special place in our hearts. Nathan's Grandma Vena, has been making her famous "Cow Patty Cake" for years. It is only baked with love for all those birthdays that have a big fat zero at the end to celebrate the next decade of life. It is sure impressive to see this cake in person let me tell ya. Even the boys called it "poopy cake".  Grandma Vena knows her cow patty's!! 

Jan (Nathan's mama) and Grandma Vena drove out to stay with us for a week to help watch the boys while Nathan and I went to Austin and to celebrate Nathan's 30th birthday!! Amazing how both Jan and Grandma Vena wouldn't miss out on Nathan's special day and prepared our entire family a exceptional birthday dinner. We will never forget our fun party for Nathan and turning 30 isn't too bad when you have Mom and Grandma there with you!!!

This was truly a blessed night, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU Jan and Grandma Vena for all your hard work watching the boys and giving Nathan one heck of a party!!

i never had a chance to take a picture of Grandma Vena's famous Chicken & Noodles. Soooooo good even my mom is writing down the recipe in the picture above. Once you have had Grandma Vena's Chicken & Noddles..life is never the same, it is that good!

After the cake things got a bit crazy.

max before cake........................max after cake
my brother justin made max into a cake frosting warrior.

max was definelty the life of the party!!

Nathan is my home brewer. he keeps us well stocked with his kegs of beer.

chalkboard taps for the birthday boy!!

a trip wouldn't be complete without some junking. Jan and i hit up a place just down the road and let's just say she will be back with her truck next time!!