Getting to know you....

Getting to know all about you....
Yes, you know that corny song.
I thought maybe it was a good idea to post a little bit more about myself here. Who I am, what I do, where I live, what I like. You know, random stuff. Just in case I one day have a few new followers from Internet land.

So, about me. I really don't know how I want to do this.
Question & answer?
A biography?
We'll do question & answer.

1. Where do you live?
Texas City, Texas AKA "Toxic City"!!! We have a lot of plants in the TC and in 1947 the entire town was blown away when a ship named the "Grandcamp" exploded. This little city has an amazing history & rebirth that is very interesting & inspiring. My boss is a survivor of the 1947 disaster. To this day, he cannot speak about it without tearing up. We are located on the mainland of Galveston County, Texas. We are gearing up for hurricane season once again, while many are still recovering from last years Hurricane Ike!!!
Please God!!! No hurricanes this year! Pretty please!

2. Where do you work?
I work for a very small commercial architectural firm. It's just the boss & I, so I get to have my hand in just about every part of the design & construction process. It sounds so prestigious & glamorous, but honestly, it's not. I have no credentials to even hold this job, but I learn quickly and know how to beg like a dog for a job! I've been working there for almost 9 years now. The only part of this job I LOVE is seeing a building finalized & being used in the community. I cry every time I go on a final inspection! My boss thinks it's quite hilarious! I get attached to these stupid buildings like they are mine!!! So far I've completed a fire station, two apartment complexes for the elderly, and outdoor stadium-style classroom, and countless office renovations. Right now I'm working on a sports complex for the city of TC & another office renovation (a BIG one) So, I'm always pretty busy. When I have nothing else to do, I work on the plans for our dream house we hope to build out in the woods one day!

3. Family
I was raised by my mother after my dad passed away when I was 18 months old. I have two sisters who are older than me. One brother who passed away at 27 years old due to a drunk driving, hit and run accident in 1989. We miss him terribly. I can't believe it's been 20 years.

On my fathers side of the family I have three half-brother who are also much older. We are not very close, but we have recently all been in touch via Facebook. I'm hoping we can all get together soon and catch up. My mother, sisters and I all live close together and within a short drive from one another. So family get-togethers are always fun.

Most recent family picture (last March)

4. Pets
Oh yeah! We always have some kind of pets running around our house. We love animals! We have two mini-dachshunds named Elka & Izzy. They will be one year old in August. They drive us crazy, but we love them to death. Ron got them for me the day after what was supposed to be my due date. I was very, very down at the time and these little boogers really cheered me up!

This is Elka

This is Izzy

We also had the greatest dog ever when we first bought the house, Gracie! She was our first fur-baby! The most beautiful chocolate lab you had ever seen and was smarter than some humans I know! We lost her last year on July 7 to pancreatic cancer. It was brutally tough to watch her get so ill and go through major surgery to find out what was wrong. We still miss her sooooo much and talk about her all of the time. She was truly one of a kind!

One of the best pictures I ever took of her.

5. Hobbies
I LOVE photography, but I'm just not that great at it... yet. I have been studying it for over a year now and it's just not that simple! But I love a challenge, so I'm making progress. My dream is to own a photography business & leave the architecture field all together. I love the idea of being there to capture the special moments in peoples lives. It's an honor. When we have children, I don't want a 9-5 job, so this path truly feels like a dream. I just have to learn to use my camera effectively!

Gardening...I love to garden. We have a small veggie garden in our backyard and a pretty cool little herb garden. I love to cook and there is nothing better than cooking something you have grown yourself. We also have a love for Plumerias. We have tons on them in our yard. Though Hurricane Ike levelled several of them last year, they are making a comeback!

Scrapbooking...I'm really getting back into scrapbooking since I quit smoking. It give me something to do with my hands and make a journal of our life. Most of all, I love to make "scrap-frames". Same as scrapbooking, but organized in a picture frame.. the bigger the frame...the better!!!

Our home has been my hobby ever since we bought it. It's an older house, but I love it!! We have been working on it for 8 years now. New tile floor, new paint, new lighting, little bit by little bit it's coming along. The comparison pictures are amazing!

6. Favorite quote
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou

Is that just perfect or what?

7. Favorite Stores to shop
Well, I don't shop all that much! But that may be changing!!! I had not been to Target in a LONG time until this last weekend! I LOVE it!!! No more Wally World for me. I was impressed with everything there (oh and they even have a maternity section - woohoo!!! I'm kinda excited about that!) I LOVE Dollar General stores! I always find some really neat things there. As well as all of the necessities for life. I hit DG up about once a week. And pregnancy test are only $1!!! ($4 for the fancy ones) SCORE!!!

8. Favorite foods & restaurants
I have gotten really into cooking lately. Trying new recipes! I guess I should post some pictures of my creations here sometime! Now that I'm a certifiable health nut, I'm all about healthy foods. Steamed veggies, raw nuts, fresh fruits and all of that fun stuff (Ron is HATING it by the way - LOL! - where are the Oreo's???). I bought the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer!!!! I know you've seen the cheesy infomercial!! I LOVE it and we are now some fruit juicing fools!!

My favorite restaurant has to be Olive Garden. Ron does not like Itallian food, so I never get to eat there. I usually only get to eat there on special occasions with my mom. Chicken Marsala is my favorite.....mmmmm!!!! But, our best friends, Jen & Stephen, invited us out to eat several weeks ago and I think I may have found my new favorite restaurant, BJ's in Clear Lake. OMG, it was amazing! There were about 10 things on that menu that I just have to try! We hardly EVER go out to eat, but I think that's going to change also!

9. Favorite vacation destination
The one and only...Rio Frio! West of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country. This place truly is heaven on earth. We were invited to go on vacation with a good friend of ours, Stephen, the first summer Ron & I were together. "Hey, do you guys want to go to Frio? We have a little cabin on the river." That was the first time I heard of Frio. We went and had the greatest time of our lives. The Frio River is crystal clear & ice cold. There really are no words the accurately describe it. The air is clean, there are deer running wild everywhere, the people who live there are wonderful!!! We went back with Stephen several times over the years and in 2005 Ron planned a surprise proposal on the river one night. My "tough, manly-man" planned and pulled off the most romantic proposal I could have ever imagined. In 2007 we went back to the Frio with all of our families and were married on the bank of the Frio River! To say the least, this place is so very special to us. We LOVE it there. I would give up everything to move & live there. It's just a magical place. I can live without ever seeing France or Italy or Australia. But I can't go a year without going to the Frio! I always feel I'm coming back a different person. That I've been shown what life is really all about. If you ever have the chance, GO!!!! It's not that expensive and you will never regret it! Just GO!! We are forever grateful to Stephen for the invitation to go that first year! I took the picture below the morning after Ron proposed. Did he pick the perfect spot or what?

So, there you have it. A little bit about me (or alot about me), other than ...well, you know. Next, I think I'll tell a little bit about Ron. I have been working on a post about him for several days now, but thought it would be better to introduce myself a little bit more before giving you all of the dirt on Ron!!! He's far more interesting than me, I promise!!!