The Month of June

We are starting to get settled into our new apartment...there are still a few pictures to be hung on the walls and we are still on the hunt for an entry table that we can fix up and blend into the Smith style.

Within the last month Stu and I have celebrated our Third Wedding Anniversary. June 8th we had a great dinner at Ranch 616. It was soooo good!

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks:

Mister G. chillin' on our bed.

A box can be an entertaining toy/house for a little dog(cat).

Mister G. likes little spaces that Daisy can't fit in to...

This is where Mister and D can be found most any time... Daisy likes the sun light and Mister likes to bark at anyone that walks by.

June 8th 2009. Three Years.

Stu's gift to me.... retro velvet green chair.



And a few of my favorite pictures from June 8th 2006.

The Smiths and close friend John Weaver.

Lighting the Unity Candle

My Sweet Husband.

John Weaver and Allison Jones (now Mrs. Weaver)

The Smiths

It would not be complete without a silly face!

Married at the historical Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Miss Maddie... flower girl.

...we got to stand on the staircase...an architectural mystery...

Making it official to the State of New Mexico.


The last 3 years has been amazing and a true blessing. We are looking forward to the future. (with Daisy and Mister G.)

Blog MAKEOVER!

I was bored with the old one... and Stu has been too busy to make a new banner for the top.... So, here is the work of art that I tried to make .


IT'S BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL!

The Smiths have moved....again!

Hello!

Hope all is well with everyone! The Smiths have had a very busy and exciting couple of weeks. I finished a 5yr college career from Texas State University. My mom and a family friend came into town from Albuquerque and Gene drove up from Houston for the day. It is good, no, it's great to be done with school! And more importantly no more homework or textbooks!



Then.... we had to start packing up the apartment!

We we're technically hired as event coordinators {Me & Stu} and designer {Stu} for a new apartment located down the street. We started the move from 300 North Lamar to 300 South Lamar. While packing we discovered that we have more stuff then we really need. We moved out of one awesome apartment into an amazing apartment, Cole, a 2 bedroom 2 bath {it's the Aranzas} apartment. We are truly blessed to be living here.

We have almost finished unpacking at this point, but there is still lots to do, mainly in Stu's office. The pictures need to be added to the walls and then it will for sure feel like home. We went to a home improvement store last night and picked out a paint color for a kitchen island. I was very surprised when Stu picked a Martha Stewart color called Chardonnay Bottle. I love it and think that it has turned out very nice. It is sort of a yellowish retro green. Side note: We have furniture that is either black or chocolate brown. For the past three years we have loved a Restoration Hardware color called Silver Sage....but {I} have recently decided on the changing to green! {This started with a lime green tray that Stephen and Star, Stu's brother and sister-in-law, gave us this last Christmas} We are also going to be getting an area rug for our seating area and will be getting new covers for our throw pillows, all will be green. ....so our living room is mainly dark with accents of the green....

{Pictures to follow at a later date}

Finals are done....life is better!

Hello everyone!

Long time no post :( Sorry Mrs. Weaver! :)

As many of you may know I have been under intense stress to finish a large load of work and studying in a very short time frame. School has ended and I have finished all of my finals. I have one presentation on Monday, but this is more of a show and tell presentation to show off my portfolio to my classmates and have the chance to see what their portfolio looks like! It'll be great to see all of the different creative solutions from everyone. After this: 5 years of my college career = complete!

So as for the update of the Smith family....

*Daisy is still fat. *Mister G. is out of control, but still adorable.

We have gotten to the point where his barking is out of control and I really think that our neighbors hate running to us when we are outside. He just wants to play with the other dogs and doesn't understand the whole leash deal. So a couple of days ago I stopped to get him a bark collar. This one was the one that makes a terrible noise when he barks...didn't work, he would just bark louder over the beeping. Today Stu and I took that one back to the store and had to buy the next one up... the shock collar. Poor little Mister G. the first time he experienced it he ran away from Daisy (we think that he thought that it was Daisy that was hurting him). He'll learn and this is the only way that he will survive in the Smith family for a long period of time. He'll have to learn just like Daisy.

But he is happy right now...he and Miss Daisy are enjoying a little bone....I thought that he deserved something special after his ordeal.

*Stu is working hard and a cutie!

*I will be a Texas State Alumni on Saturday!

My mom and family friend arrive on Wednesday night and will leave on Sunday. Gene, Stu's dad will come up on Saturday.

And the graduation gift from the Smith's to me........ A NEW MAC BOOK!! (THANKS TO STU MARSHA AND GENE!!) yeah! I was feeling like my other computer was a dinosaur for the last couple of months, it was bogged down with 3+ years of files, music, and photos. Stu is transferring files from it to a hard drive, clearing it off, cleaning it up...which is what it needed about a year ago, to help it run faster...there was simply way too much saved in its little computer brain. We are going to sell it and use the money on an upcoming vacation!! (MUCH NEEDED FOR BOTH OF US!)

*The Smith family is moving!

But not really. Let me explain... we currently live at 300 North Lamar and we are moving to 300 South Lamar. We can look out our windows and actually see the new apartment...it's odd, but awesome!! We are not looking forward to packing and moving but know that it will be amazing when we are all settled. Our apartment is on the ground floor, has a walk up back patio and is across the street from out favorite burger stand, P Terry's! The ceilings are 14 ft high, almost floor to ceiling windows, very open. 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, one of course will be Stu's office. and the guest bathroom with also double as the dogs' room, or "house" as we Smiths refer to it.

*Stu and I have finished our work with CARES.

We have decided that it is time to move on. We are grateful for CARES and what is had allowed us to do with schooling and business choices. We have created such wonderful friendships and have been blessed beyond what we could have ever imaged because of our involvement.


So that's a super summed up version of the last month...more to come soon!

~n

Below are pictures that broken-in the new computer's photo booth....Stu and mister g.

2009: The year of the taco.

So, Nicole and I have a problem. It's quite terrible (yet delightful) and we feel like we must confess... After living in Austin for 3 years now, our diet consists of mainly Tacos. In Fact...If our weekly life is a sentence, all the words would be tacos and the punctuation would simply be P. Terry's.. In fact, this sentence would read something like this: Taco P Terrys taco taco taco pterrys

So, the obvious thing that comes with the territory of any good obsession is a creepy level of expertise. While I don't propose to be the end all, know all taco king...I can comfortably declare this year (thus far) as the YEAR OF THE TACO or the Smith Family. Such declaration merits a top five list of Austin Tacos (feel free to judge or comment).

1. Cowboy Taco - Taco Deli
Cowboy-rubbed Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onions, Grilled Corn, Roasted Peppers topped with Guacamole & Queso Fresco

2. The Democrat - Torchy's Tacos
shredded beef barbacoa and onions topped Off with fresh avocado, queso fresco, cilantro and a wedge of lime served on a corn tortilla with our green sauce.

3. Picadillo Taco - El Chilito
Simmered ground beef and potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce.

4. Ranch Hand - Torchy's Tacos
Tender strips of beef fajita over scrambled eggs And topped off with cheese. Served on a flour Tortilla with our spicy Diablo sauce

5. Migas - Enchiladas y Mas
Not technically a taco till you put in the effort. But, the best version of migas in the city. Don't believe me? They won best migas in the Austin Chronicle pole in 94' and 03. Talk about longevity.

This always makes my day a little more awesome!

I love the Wizard of Oz ... so this is awesome... it comes on every night while we are watching Jay Leno... and I see along with it. (I own the Wizard of Oz soundtrack and often sing the songs to Stu... I am sure he really enjoys that!)

~n

Happy April!

Last year on Easter morning our friends Chris and Erin Hecker had their little girl Eloise.... and Miss Eloise is now one. Last Saturday Stu and I attended her first birthday. 

Have you ever been to a one year old's birthday party and had a cocktail? I hadn't either...that is until now. Cake and cocktails....yum! 

Me and Erin

The sweet(and tasty) little cake that Erin made for her little birthday girl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELOISE!

In other news...

 

Stu and I were happy to see the Weavers on Saturday after the b-day party in Austin! 

Allison was running the Capitol 10k on Sunday and they made a weekend of the event. We had some yummy food and were able to catch up... we love the Weavers and are happy when we get the chance to visit with them...it's always few and far between.

Stu's mom is about to get on a plane on the other side of the world... she's coming home to see the newest addition to the Smith family... Mister G.! 

No not really for Mister G. but Avonlea Jane.... and Mister G. ha! 

We are looking forward to her visit to Austin on Sunday though Tuesday, then she'll head back to Houston and then back to her school.

AND....

46 Days until Gradation!

and only 41 days till freedom from exams, projects and textbooks!!

Oh it'll be a beautiful thing.... but until then crazy, crazy, crazy!

~n