I'd say overall it's been a good thing!Both Beth and Kim have filled my life with joy, laughter and hope. They have loved me unconditionally everyday of their lives. Giving me the grace to grow. When a child is born, it's mother knows so little about mothering, I am grateful for their patience which allowed me to learn with them. They are precious! Together we have lived our lives and made memories that will last a lifetime.
Beth, my beauty! How can I explain how much I love you? 
You were my first baby. I treasured every move and sound you made.
Now that you are a mother of two little, girls you will understand. You know! What an amazing mother you have become!
I love watching you with Carter. You are so patient and calm! Fun and nuturing! As a result Carter is budding into a creative, confident and loving little girl. 
You impress me! You are so incredibly thoughtful and consistent and dependable. A friend in all weather. Loyal to the end! You are unsinkable! It's been a big year for you, Nate and Carter! It was this time last year when y'all heard you'd be moving back to Texas. Yee-hah! Your excitement was off the charts but soon it would be topped, when you discovered you were pregnant!
You were my first baby. I treasured every move and sound you made. Now that you are a mother of two little, girls you will understand. You know! What an amazing mother you have become! I love watching you with Carter. You are so patient and calm! Fun and nuturing! As a result Carter is budding into a creative, confident and loving little girl. You impress me! You are so incredibly thoughtful and consistent and dependable. A friend in all weather. Loyal to the end! You are unsinkable! It's been a big year for you, Nate and Carter! It was this time last year when y'all heard you'd be moving back to Texas. Yee-hah! Your excitement was off the charts but soon it would be topped, when you discovered you were pregnant!
Your tiny blessing began to grow.... 
and grow..........
and grow..................and grow! 
Your last tri-mester was a busy one. While your baby was resting, you were not! In November, you packed up the family, said your 'good bye's' and moved back to Texas. Hip hip hooray!!! Quickly, you and Nate, found a great house and by mid-December, the new house was unpacked, beautifully decorated and decked out for Christmas! Whew! All the while, your baby growing bigger and bigger. The week after Christmas, you looked like you were about to pop! 
Three weeks later, on January 19th, you gave birth to a beautiful 9lb. baby girl, Emerson Kate. What a cause for celebration!!! Just look at your fabulous family.....the best gift ever! God is so good, Beth!
Three weeks later, on January 19th, you gave birth to a beautiful 9lb. baby girl, Emerson Kate. What a cause for celebration!!! Just look at your fabulous family.....the best gift ever! God is so good, Beth!Happy Birthday, to you, Kimberly Brooke! You're beauty and sunny personality, can brighten the darkest of days! 
Your sensitivity, compassion, and listening ear makes you a treasured friend to many,
but it's your silly playfulness and fun personality that makes everyone adore you! 
Fearless confidence combined with an adventurous spirit makes a day spent with you more exciting (and sometimes scarey!) than an amusement park!
This past year was a busy one for you too. A move from Colorado to Texas, the addition of two Boston Terrier's, finishing up your degree. As if this wasn't enough, you and best friend Casey Harris, after research and prayerful considerstion bought a bridal boutique. On the first of September, Bella Bridesmaid opened it's doors to the 'best dressed' brides in San Antonio.
A person that looks similar, yet different.
Whether shopping or sharing matters of the heart. Have fun or fighting. 
One thing holds true. A sister is always there for you.
She knows who you are and always cares........always.
Once again, Happy Birthday, to my favorite girls! In the days to come, may God continue to weave His love and truth into the fiber of your being, that you may know Him well and trust Him completely.
Your sensitivity, compassion, and listening ear makes you a treasured friend to many, but it's your silly playfulness and fun personality that makes everyone adore you! Fearless confidence combined with an adventurous spirit makes a day spent with you more exciting (and sometimes scarey!) than an amusement park! This past year was a busy one for you too. A move from Colorado to Texas, the addition of two Boston Terrier's, finishing up your degree. As if this wasn't enough, you and best friend Casey Harris, after research and prayerful considerstion bought a bridal boutique. On the first of September, Bella Bridesmaid opened it's doors to the 'best dressed' brides in San Antonio.As the new year begins, 2010 looks promising. 
After living thousand's of miles apart for several years, we've got a lot of memories to make.
After living thousand's of miles apart for several years, we've got a lot of memories to make. Carter loves her Aunt Kimmi!
Emme is sure to agree. Surrounded by so much love, these little sisters have so much to look forward to! 
Emme is sure to agree. Surrounded by so much love, these little sisters have so much to look forward to! Sisters! There's nothing quite like them.
A person that looks similar, yet different. Whether shopping or sharing matters of the heart. Have fun or fighting. One thing holds true. A sister is always there for you. She knows who you are and always cares........always. Once again, Happy Birthday, to my favorite girls! In the days to come, may God continue to weave His love and truth into the fiber of your being, that you may know Him well and trust Him completely.I love you deeply and forever.
Mom
But her heart is still there. Sometime when she watches a movie, sometimes in the wee hours of the night, her heart begins to speak again. A thirst rises within her to find the life she was meant to live---the life she dreamed of as a little girl.
Then it was back in the truck for a short 20 minute drive to Rough Creek Lodge. As we pulled up we were greeted by Larry and the aroma of oak burning in the outdoor fireplace. By now it was dark and we couldn't see much of the property but were super impressed when we walked in the door. No expense was spared in designing, constructing and decorating this rustic resort. Our rooms were amazing and we slept like a log in the extra comfy beds!
In the morning, we had coffee in our rooms and enjoyed the beautiful view from our balcony before heading downstairs for breakfast. Served buffet style the food was delicious! There's green chili grits, omelets, fried potatoes and onions, waffles, biscuits and gravy to get you started and an array of fruits, berries, homemade granola and pastries to fill you up! Did I mention that breakfast and a 3-course dinner are included in your lodging? Trust me you won't need lunch.
After breakfast we walked around the property. First, the guys checked out the hunting excursions which include deer, hog, pheasant, duck, quail and varmit and made arrangements for that afternoon. Then we peeked into the spa and glanced over the full service brochure. Next we walked down to the boat house, grabbed a reel. With live bait on the hook we caught quite a few large crappie. The water was super clear and we could see tons of fish. While Coach was reeling in a small perch, he watched a big bass try to swallow his fish! 
By now, Leslie and I have had enough of the great outdoors mainly because it was freezing!
...and decide to try our hand at a more familiar sport.............. 
(shopping!) and headed into Hico to check things out. Hico is well known for several things. The Koffee Kup is right up there at the top of the list! We secured it's location first, just in case we needed a piece of 'pie'!
Slowly we began to cruise through the historic downtown. I had been told, several years ago, that Carol Bolton and her husband, owners of the once famous Homestead in Fredericksberg, had bought several buildings in Hico. In fact, they moved Homestead to Hico! 
We would quickly discover that bit of gossip was absolutely true. All but one small detail. A few years back, the Bolton's sold Homestead and it's H2O annex to Dallas couple. For the first 8 months, they worked side by side with the Bolton's learning from the best and I must say the current store looks wonderful! I took a few pictures with my iPhone so I could show you. These pretty yellow roses, painted on moire taffeta were lovely. I love the lettering. I have no idea what this is but hey, it's pretty! 
This alter (1 of 2) must have been 12 feet tall and had been rescued from an old church somewhere in Europe. It was pretty fabulous.
Will you look at these beds? Aren't they beautiful? ...and there are two of them! They are very old, made out of metal and expensive, but beautiful and unique, you must admit that!
Lot's of pretty of dishes, platters, bowls and pitchers. 
What is it about European things?
Aren't these hanging lights precious? Assorted lace and ribbons are attached to a simple wire basket. I think I'm going to have to make one of these soon. Where did I put those crocheted doilies? 
There was so much more to see but we were anxious to see the Homestead Annex, H2O. 
This smaller but lovely store everything is white! Well, not everything! Let's say, whitish. 
Okay, okay! Alot of white!
I really liked this table. I never tire of old chippy paint. It helps if you don't think about the lead.
The next store to catch our eye was, Bliss! This boutique was a breath of fresh air with it's spacious, simple decor and displays. At the back of the store we were surprised to find a charming 'chocolate' kitchen, where they make the famous Wiseman Chocolates, which peaked our interest and added another stop to our list.
The historic Victorian, Wiseman House. This old home, next to the Koffee Kup, was not a disappointment. Home decor, gifts, coffee and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate abound, along with numerous framed magazine articles about the Wiseman's. After one taste, you'll know why!
There were many more stores, 6-8, that enjoyed shopping. We we're really impressed!
Isn't this table the coolest? It was old tin (nail gunned) to a wooden pedestal table...if I only had a ranch! Speaking of ranch, by the time we grabbed a couple of slices of coconut meringue pie to go, from the (Koffee Kup), we had just enough time to get back to the Rough Creek Lodge for dinner. 
The dining room is spacious with 50 foot ceilings and a wall of glass which provides a great view of the ranch. In the center of the room, is a gigantic fireplace, open on both sides. Dinner was excellent! Selection, preparation and service was outstanding. There is nothing quite like a delicious meal, in the company of dear friends. 
The next day the guys thought it would be fun for Leslie and I to shoot skeet, and it might have been fun if I had known how to shoot a rifle. However, they were not deterred and took us over 
to the skeet range. I was not very excited about this activity, but I was willing, after all it could have been much worse (like bungee jumping!) 
Upon arrival, I felt a little out of place and sort of under dressed. What does one wear to shoot skeet? Special eyewear -check! 
Boots -check!
Whoa! These are serious hunting boots. I couldn't help but smile when I looked down at the boots I was wearing.....
birdie rainboots!...and it wasn't raining.
Oh well, on with the lesson. Leslie was kind of excited, so I let her go first. Dawn, who works at RCL is a modern day Annie Oakley who had six brothers and knows how to do all kinds of cool things! Leslie, caught on quickly and did a great job without one complaint. I however, who had been listening and watching carefully and was now 'siked up' for my turn. Carefully I did everything Dawn had instucted and when I was ready said,"Pull'! Looking down the barrel with both eyes open, I took aim, pulled the trigger and turned around and said, "Damn! I'm done"! Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you shot a 28 gauge rifle? Wowser! Did that hurt! I did try it again, after Leslie's turn, inspired by her grit and determination, but things went south quickly and I wound up crying. Behind the privacy of my Kate Spade sunglasses, mind you! Later, I would feel much better.
Dawn, aka Annie Oakley, invited Leslie and I to ride horses that afternoon. It was such a gorgeous day and we thought that sounded perfect! So at 4:00 we drove over to the Equestrian Barn......
and Dawn gave us a horse to ride. This is Dawn's horse. I'm sorry that I didn't catch his name.
Dawn, is confident and comfortable around horses and guns and children....she has five! Quickly we were clopping along behind her, chatting and laughing with ease. 
Leslie and I had such a great time.
Leslie's hair was the same color as her horse's ears and tail. They made an attractive pair.
Dawn showed us around the ranch for an hour and a half. We really enjoyed getting to know her. She is an amazing woman.
We even rode through a herd of black Angus cattle.
Which are raised for the RCL guests consumption. Shhhhh, they're in the dark, just happily munching on dry brown grass.....
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