Fourth of July Texas Tour

We started out on a 1,000 mile tour of Texas the Monday before 4th of July.  We started out driving to Odessa to pack up the rest of Shane's things, and see his family.  It was a relaxing time, as it always is there.  Leaving Odessa we headed to Boerne, Texas to visit my Grandma, Aunt and Uncle.  We had a good visit with them, and catching up with grandma for the afternoon.  Leaving Boerne we headed to Leakey, Texas to catch up with some good family friends of mine, the Smith's.  Although as you'll see below it was very dry and dusty we had a great time hanging out.  4-wheeling and shooting seemed to be the theme of our entire trip.  In the afternoon we went to a local swimming hole to cool off.  I didn't get pictures, but all of the guys enjoyed their rope swings out over the river.  We had a blast, and I'm glad Shane finally got to meet some of my good friends.  Though we couldn't stay long because our next stop was Yorktown, Texas to meet up at Shane's uncles ranch with more family and friends.  This trip consisted of even more 4-wheeling, eating, hunting, visiting with family, and probably more eating (I'm beginning to see a trend in blog post, it's amazing we don't weigh 500 lbs after this summer).  Monday (4th of July), we headed back to good ol' College Station to end the tour with a cookout at my sister's house (yes, more food!), with the rest of my family.  Overall, we had a great week, saw so many close family and friends, it was truly a blessing to be able to see them all before we left town. 

 Do you believe me about the dust now?

 My sweet brother who was also covered in dirt.

 Can you tell which one was leading the pack of 4-wheelers?

 Yes, they hearded and caught a goat!

Alex helping his girlfriend Bekah.

 My sweet friend Laura, who also happens to be Ross's girlfriend!

 Laura has more pictures of Shane and I, and I have more of Laura and Ross.  We shot skeet one afternoon at the ranch.  It was my first time, and we all had a ton of fun!

Things we've learned...

I realize this blog is now going to be completely out of order but...well I don't really care right now. Truthfully, I've missed blogging and can't wait to catch you all (even though my faithful sister and mom are probably "all") up on what we've been doing. Although, I don't have a clue where my camera cord is (among other things), I have been documenting our lives, you'll just have to hang tight to see the pictures. We've shared a lot of laughs, tears, and lessons learned together on this new adventure, which I thought I'd share with you. Hey, maybe you'll even learn something new!

1. There's something weird about washing dishes in the same room you use the bathroom in.

2. Driving around towns you've never been to without a map is a bad idea.

3. Driving from Texas to Georgia going 62 miles an hour goes very s-l-o-w-l-y.

4. McDonalds has good (and free!) wi-fi.

5. Hampton inn hotels are pretty dependable and offer military discounts (not to mention
waffles every morning).

6. We both like to eat when we are bored (bad habit I know...)

7. Cars left in neutral require keys in the ignition, which kill the battery after an entire day.

8. Living in two different time zones is really confusing, and we're constantly asking if you mean Alabama time, or Georgia time.

9. Sam's club, bass pro, academy, target, and bed bath and beyond all provide much more comfort than you probably realize.

10. Jason's deli wedding paper plates are the bomb...and disposable!

11. Things in cardboard, and bread don't do well submerged in ice for three days.

12. Plants prefer air conditioning as opposed to air tight cars.

13. The further into the deep south you get, the more fried chicken you see.

14. As soon as you cross the Texas border it's green, luscious, and actually rains more than once a year.

15. Some motorist must be really dumb because there are actually signs that say "move over for stop emergency vehicles". As if plowing right into them was your true intention.

16. Don't take reverse for granted. You really miss it when you can't use it.

17. Having four guns, two of which are within arms reach, is quite comforting when all you see is fried chicken.

Our Honeymoon

I was trying to wait to post things in order, but I'm giving up on that for now.  Eventually you'll hear about the wedding, I promise!  For now though, sit back and enjoy some tidbits from our honeymoon to Mexico.  Since we both love the beach, we went to an all-inclusive resort near Cancun.  Neither of us had ever been to one of these resorts, and we had a blast.  It was the most amazing seven days, and very relaxing.  Between eating, laying on the beach, sleeping, drinking, kayaking, swimming, water aerobics, sand castles, and more eating, we stayed busy (hard life, right?)!  If your looking for a wonderful, relaxing vacation, and love the beach (and food) we highly recommend Catalonia Playa Maroma.

 There were 4 different restaurants you could eat at, and a buffet anytime.  This was some of the best food I've ever eaten!  We planned most of our days around which restaurants to eat at and when.

 In the courtyard near our room, the hotels grounds were beautiful, very well kept, and green.

 The view from our lounge chairs most afternoons...what a hard life.

 Our honeymoon package came with breakfast in bed one morning.

 These guys lived right outside our room, we caught them sunning a few afternoons.

 Although I could never get the best pictures, these are Coati.  They ran all around our resort, and were interesting little animals.

 This is my favorite picture, and shows how pretty everything was at the resort.  It was taken one night on the way to dinner.

 We loved being near the water, everything was so pretty!

 Shane was the best guide on our kayaking adventures (I tanned, he paddled!).

 Enjoying a Mojito, and a good book on the beach!

 Occasionally we traded in our swim suits, and cover-ups for real clothes, and fancy dinners at the rooftop restaurant

 The staff all over the resort were some of the nicest people we'd ever met.  You couldn't walk anywhere without getting several "holas" from the staff.  Every drink served, and napkin placed in the lap was followed by "Oh, my pleasure!".  One night we even saw the workers inspecting every lounge chair for mold with blacklights.

 We had decorations on our bed most nights when we got back from dinner.  They also turned down our beds, put our slippers and robes beside the bed each night, and cleaned for the second time each day.  Fresh towels TWICE a day?  Yes, please.

 One afternoon we enjoyed a guided tour on a hobie cat, it didn't take long for us to decide one day we've love to own a sail boat.

One of our favorite afternoon snacks (besides the most gourmet chicken nuggets, and homemade lime sherbet you've ever tasted) was crepes from the crepe bar.  So delicious, and the perfect way to end our beach afternoon, of course it wouldn't be a complete snack without a banana mama for me, and a mojito for Shane.  Yes, Eduardo we miss you dearly...

Goodbye West Point!

Due to the some recent (major) activities in our lives I am definitely behind on blogging.  Bear with me as I catch up, I feel like life is finally slowing down for a bit!  I posted about Shane's Graduation and Commissioning a while back, but wanted to catch up on the broader scope of what all went on.  My parents flew up to NY with me for his 5 day graduation shenanigans, and then Shane and I stayed 2 more days for a good friend's wedding.  We saw many different sights in and around West Point.  The views, scenery, and landscaping were beautiful, and we all enjoyed it!  It was my dad's first trip to West Point, and he enjoyed a lot of the historic cannons, and plaques around West Point.  Thanks Mom and Dad Boyd for coming up for Shane's graduation, and helping celebrate with all the activities!

 This pictures was taken on my birthday May 19, 2011 our first day at West Point.

Dad enjoyed a lot of the more historic sites at West Point.

 Shane showing us around West Point.

 Shane graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering, and this was his awards ceremony.

 This is the Baja that Shane spent so much time working on and making for his capstone project.  It looks pretty neat, yet really complex.  You can also watch a more in depth video.

 My dad and I up at the chapel overlooking West Point.

 Shane, Ross and I after the graduation parade on Friday morning.

 My proud parents and Shane after the graduation parade on Friday.  The weather turned out beautiful.

 Checking out the helicopter pad down near the Hudson river at West Point.

 We had to take my dad to Bear Mountain (mom and I originally found this spot when we went to wp several years ago) to show him the pretty views, so we took our lunch and had a picnic overlooking the Hudson Valley. 

 Such pretty views, even on a cloudy day.

 

They were looking for NYC, being too cute.

My amazing parents on Bear Mountain.

 Friday night there was a graduation banquet, where Michelle Obama spoke (which we were actually all very surprised at how well she did).  Ross decided to try to fit in a little more with the other cadets.

 All dressed up, overlooking the Hudson river.

Ross and Shane.

 Shane was the Best Man in our good friends Kevin (his roommate) and Jeanine's wedding on Monday after graduation.

 The view of West Point on a boat ride up the Hudson river.

 It turned out to be freezing in the middle of May, but we had fun on the river.

Even though it rained most of the day on Monday we had fun with our good friends Joe & Jess.

So long West Point, I have waited 3 1/2 years to say goodbye!  Your days are over!

Shane's Graduation and Commissioning

Last week was filled with a lot of activities and fun at West Point for Shane's Graduation.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (with honors).  Then had his official commissioning overlooking the Hudson River.  I couldn't be more proud to be marrying Second Lieutenant Shane Darville ten days from now.  We are so excited to be done with West Point, though I know we will miss it soon.  I guess its onto the real Army now!

MAJ White, Shane's mentor throughout the past 3 years was able to give him his commission.  It was very neat to be a part of.

Bonnie and I pinning his new rank on.

Whitney's Graduation

I graduated with my Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction last week.  Shane was able to fly down for the last time to visit and attend my graduation.  Although I am semi-sad that I am done forever with Texas A&M, I will not miss the papers, exams, and endless readings.  Gig'em Aggies!