HESA Cohort

I can't believe I'm about to finish my first year of grad school.  The time has gone by so fast and it's only going to get faster!  Only 3 more papers and I can officially say goodbye to reading and writing for 3 whole weeks!  And shoutout to my cohort!  There's no way I could have made it through these past two semesters without them...LOVE THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE!

Cohort Love!

Meet Maddox

So Tyler and I...if you haven't heard, or figured out yet...decided that our laundry room was missing something (not to mention our lives...okay, that was a bit dramatic).  And we decided (a little earlier than we thought) that we needed to fill that void with a water/food bowl and a stuffed bear...all of those things, of course, are for our sweet new puppy, MADDOX!!!

 Let me tell you a little about her/our story...

Tyler and I had started seriously talking/thinking about getting a puppy during spring break.  And when I say "seriously talking" I mean that I started tell him I wanted a puppy...a lot!  We actually went to a pet store over the break and looked at a couple of labradoodles and a golden retriever.  But, we had both really loved the idea of having an Australian Shepherd.  Not exactly sure why, but we think they are absolutely beautiful...so after a little (or a lot) of research we decided that if we got a dog it would probably be an Aussie. 

We Tyler was still on the fence about getting a puppy, but thanks to the babysitting skills of Aaron Mize and the babysat, Wrigley, Tyler fell in love with the idea of a dog.  So we officially decided that we would get a dog whenever the first weekend of May rolled around.  I know what you're thinking...it's not the first of May.  Here's what happened!

We had decided that we would start our search for an Aussie at the beginning of May because we would be done with our classes for the semester, and would basically have the month of May off to give all of our attention to the puppy.  So that was the plan...well, 2 weeks ago, I decided (not sure why) to check Craig's List to see what kinds of puppies were out there.  I came across an add for Aussie puppies here in Waco, and decided to check it out.  After I got a picture of the sweet little girl, I asked what the price was.  It was like everything was falling into place because she ended up being much cheaper than we were expecting to pay!  I sent her picture to Tyler and we decided to meet her...with cash in hand, we met our sweet girl less than 24 hours later. 

Once we saw her that was it...we were in love!  The owner actually agreed to hold onto her for a couple of weeks until we were done with class, but encouraged us to take her and play with her as much as we wanted before then.  We decided to have her all day after we purchased her, and the rest is history!  There was no way we could give her back.  So...we wanted everyone to know that we have a new family member..Maddox!  Want to know the story behind her name?  Let me tell you about it...

 Here she is on her first car ride with Aaron!

 She is one of the sweetest dogs we have every met!

 One of her favorite spots is underneath our chair...she's so cute when she peeks her little head out from underneath the chair!

 So, we decided to name our sweet girl Maddox because that was the name of our first home.  When Tyler and I got married we became the Hall Directors of an upper classman woman's residence hall.  That residence hall was called Maddox Hall.  It wasn't only our first home as husband and wife, it was where we spent the first 3 years of our marriage, and it's where our first community as husband and wife existed.  It's also the place that first introduced me to a career in higher education.  Maddox Hall is, and will always be, near and dear to our hearts.  We are so happy to have named our sweet puppy girl Maddox.  Her name holds a lot of weight and a lot of memories with it!

 Helping Tyler with his homework!

 Come on!

I'm sure there are more pictures of sweet Maddox to come...we love our little girl (and are definitely ready for her to stop having accidents in the house!)!

Bachelorette Party in the Big D

So...another post about sissy Kayla!  Last weekend we met up in the Big D to celebrate Kayla and Aaron (mostly Kayla though) at her Bachelorette Party!  We had so much fun and it was yet another reminder about how close it is to the wedding day!  HOORAY!!!

We stayed at a really fun place called the NYLO Southside (just south of downtown).  It had an incredible view of downtown Dallas...check it out:

We had so much fun hanging out, snacking, scavenger hunting, opening presents, and Chicken Scratching!  Here's the group before we set out in Dallas for our scavenger hunt.

 

And here are the Sissies!

We did this really cool thing called Urban Adventure.  It's a scavenger hunt around Dallas that you follow on your phone and it takes you to all sorts of really neat places in Dallas (some places I had no idea existed)!  After the scavenger hunt we ate lunch at a place in Deep Ellum called Uncle Uber's...YUM-O...then it was back to the hotel for snacks and showers before dinner!

Here's the group after we all cleaned up...not that you can tell a difference ;)

 

We ate at this great restaurant called Chicken Scratch!  It was a (mostly) outdoor restaurant that serves some of the best fried chicken!  It was such a beautiful night (little chilly) but the place was so much fun...definitely taking Tyler back sometime!

 After dinner it was back to the hotel for presents, cupcakes, and games!  Such a good weekend with some wonderful girls!  Can't wait to officially celebrate in 37 days!

View from the rooftop of the NYLO...one of the best rooftop views in Dallas!

I cannot tell you how much I love these women!  My sisters, the women I strive to be like!  So glad we get to spend weekends like this together...love you both!

Kayla's Wedding Shower

Only 46 days until Kayla and Aaron get married!

I am so excited for them, and I can't believe it's almost here.  A couple of weekends ago, we went to a shower for their wedding.  It was beautiful and so fun to catch up with friends and family.  The hostesses (all 9 of them!) did an incredible job of making this one of the best showers ever. 

Peanut butter and jelly tea sandwiches, baked Cheetos, Chick-Fil-A nuggets, red velvet cupcakes, and Kayla's favorite...Magic Juice (*recipe below*)!  While Kayla isn't very big on being the center of attention, she handled the spotlight well.

  The happy couple left with so many great things, and they are almost set for married life (you definitely need a bundt pan when you're married...if anyone would like to purchase me one, I didn't get that memo four years ago).  Here are some more pictures from the shower. 

 *Please excuse my red, puffy face and watery eyes...cat = I fall apart!

 All the Mize/Carpenter women

 Carpenter Seesters

 Carpenter and Mize Seesters

Congratulations Kayla and Aaron...I can't wait to play with all your new things when you live next door to us in LESS THAN A MONTH!!!  

* Magic Juice Recipe: Also, known as Apple Ginger Lemon Juice

2 Cups Sugar
3 Cups Water
1 Quart Apple Juice
3 Cups Lemon Juice
1 (6 oz.) can Cranberry Juice
3 Tablespoons fresh chopped ginger

In a saucepan, heat 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar and chopped ginger until the sugar has dissolved to make a simple syrup. While that is cooling, place the rest of the ingredients in a pitcher.  Once the simple syrup has cooled slightly strain the ginger while you add it to the pitcher and stir. Refrigerate and serve! Makes 3 quarts.

This stuff is the perfect summer beverage, and it's nice to have an alternative to regular lemonade!