Wave on Wave :)

I LOVE Pat Green. Some of my fondest Texas Country music memories are with a group of friends jammin' out to our favorite songs at his street concerts. Unfortunately, he made it big (I know, so sad :() and rarely ever comes to Lubbock these days.

He DID come this past weekend though so we went on a double date with the Alley's to Triple J's Chophouse for dinner and then to the concert. We were showing our age a bit by being some of the first in the door, and the saddest part of the night was probably that it didn't sell out by 10, which it would have a couple of years ago. I guess the college students these days just aren't old enough to remember how AWESOME he is!

We had a fantastic time and found chairs up on the balcony looking over the stage. We stayed there all night singing and hanging out. Here are some of the pictures :)

Concrete Pouring Day!

Yippie! Let the Backyard Reno begin!

Mentors

I have been very blessed through the years to have many wonderful mentors in my life. These people have helped guide me in all kinds of areas such as school, work, relationships and riding. Without these people, there is no doubt in my mind that I would not be who I am today.

I think whether we are directly concious of it or not, we all have mentors in each of the different areas of our life -- people we aspire to be like, who we look up to and admire. These people can be parents, teachers, friends or even people we have never met.

I am very thankful for each and every one of my mentors -- particularly those who take the time out of their life to help me become the best person I can be. They have been enormous influences in my life, and I only hope that I can one day impact someone's life in the same way they have impacted mine.

No Hour Wasted...

As Winston Churchill said, "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle."
And after getting back on Ken today for the first time after 2 1/2 months of being stuck on the ground I can honestly say I couldn't agree more!

It wasn't quite an hour, and all we did was walk, but it felt fantastic to be doing something besides just leading him around like a dog.

He was such a good boy today and I can't wait to see how we progress as a pair over the course of the next few months!

West Texas Oasis

Since making the decision many months ago to take the bulk of our landscaping budget during our home construction and apply it strictly to the front yard, we have been talking about all the big plans we have for the back.

We envisioned a very "resort" feel -- complete with pergolas, an outdoor fireplace and a jacuzzi. A few other extras such as an outdoor tv and (of course) a grill were included in our vision too.

We began really laying it all out a couple of weeks ago and finally got our entire design on paper yesterday morning. A quick trip to Lowes for some wooden stakes and string to map it out in the actual backyard was next on the agenda, and a "quick trip" to the local hot tob store pretty much sealed the fate of our backyard renovation budget over the next few months.

A trip to the store led to a trip to the Home Show down at the Civic Center (who knew?) which, in turn, led to the purchase of a shiny new Jacuzzi J-345 Hot Tub with a roasted chestnut shell and opal interior. It hold 5-6 adults and comes complete with its own waterfall and light show.
(Mountains Not Included)

To say we are excited about our fun (albeit impulsive) new purchase would be an understatement. And I argue that it wasn't TRULY impulsive, as we already had a hot tub worked into our design plan and had plans to purchase one within the next few months anyway.

At any rate, the purchase of the hot tub did nothing if not expediate the design process and move us quickly along from "planning" to "implementing" and by noon today Rob has already secured an electrical contractor to handle the installation of all the necessary hot tob electrical wiring and we have a pergola contractor coming to the house this evening to give us an estimate on turning our plan on paper into a reality.

I have to say the only downfall of living in a new home is the lack of fun projects to do. Everything is already done! But I have a feeling this backyard renovation is going to cure our DIY itch for, at least, the remainder of this year.

Here are a few of the ideas we plan to implement:

It's hard to believe that by the middle of May our backyard will no longer be just a blank slate. We are SO looking forward to entertaining out in the yard many, many times over the warm summer and fall months!