WPS

Matt and I went tailgating in Little Rock on Saturday to catch up with good friends. His childhood friend was in town from Texarkana, so we hung out with them most of the time.

Me and the hubs in our innocent white :)

We were going to take a pic of the boys, and they realized Mac was missing. Here's a shot of them getting his attention. I love candids!

Love this one too!

Matt and his childhood friend Taylor

Matt is coaxing him into smiling.

Chillaxin

The girls

This is a silver lab, who strolled by. I had to get a pick since I've never heard of/seen one before. 

He was precious.

At one point in the day, we ventured on over to Laura and Ryan's tailgating spot. Their spot is one of the best ones on the course in my opinion. Anyways, I was SUPER excited to visit with them because they recently got ENGAGED!! They have already set a day in June of next year, and I am honored to be a part of it all. The picture doesn't do it justice, but her ring is beautiful!

We left some time after kick off and listened to/watched the rest of the game elsewhere. Of course the game was a blowout, but it was a fun day hanging with friends we don't see very often.

9/11 Ten Years Later

I found this picture on Pinterest this morning, and my mind has been reflecting ever since. I thought back to where I was on that horrific day. I will never forget it. It was my senior year of high school, and I was in the auditorium for drama. Our teacher was always cracking jokes and was the first to tell us about the first plane crash. I was convinced it was part of an act and had difficulty soaking it all in. There was an eery silence when we all realized it was the truth, and during the rest of the day, we watched it all unfold on the news. I remember feeling terrified because there were so many unanswered questions at the time. During cheerleading, our coach was telling us to leave campus so we could fill up our cars with gas. I think it really put life into perspective for a lot of Americans and unified us as a nation.

Eight years later, I was fortunate enough to take a trip to New York City, and we made a visit to Ground Zero. As we walked the busy streets of NYC, we couldn't help but hear the hustle and bustle of the city; but when we entered the area of where the great tragedy took place, we didn't hear a thing. The only sound I remember were footsteps along the sidewalks. It reminded me of upset fans leaving the end of a Razorback football game that was lost (not near the upset of 9/11 I know, but the silence is definitely comparable).  My eyes immediately filled with tears, and my emotions were consumed with sadness as I noticed the hole in the ground. The feelings are indescribable.

I have been watching documentary after documentary on the National Geographic Channel today, and it is so difficult to grasp that it has already been 10 years. However, I get chills when I think about how far we have come and am extremely thankful to live in America. 

One Last Hurrah at the Lake!

I have to start this post off with the bad news first. Don't worry, better news comes in a second. For those of you who don't know, my dad bought a boat a few years ago, which has been his pride and joy every summer. He is constantly checking it for dents, cleaning it up, and even making us clean when we go out. Needless to say, he keeps it in great condition. 

Here comes the bad news.. Dad went to check his boat at the dock on Friday morning and noticed that someone had rammed, yes RAMMED into the back of it. There was a good chunk taken out of the back, and the motor was scraped up pretty bad. The jerks didn't have the nerve to leave a note, and unfortunately we're not sure who did it. Dad surprisingly handled it better than I thought. He had the "can't do anything about it now" attitude. 

However, good news is that it is drivable. So we were able to go out for one last hurrah on Saturday with the crew. We didn't get out on the lake as much as we have in the past, so we were eager to make one last trip out before summer officially comes to a close.

The Lovely Ladies

Waterbugs

Aunt Terri set it a goal for herself to swim across the lake, and I would say it was accomplished!

Matt and Chad playing with Drake

If you notice the yellow cup, the liquid in it was considered to be highly potent. They refer to it as *itch slap. After they downed a couple of cups, they sure were silly. One of these lovely ladies was my 5th grade teacher. Since she is still in the teaching profession . . . ??  I won't disclose her exact identity. 

:)

 Soon the Suave shampoo/conditioner was busted out, and people were swarming around them to have their hair "treated". No picture for this because I was so enthralled by the entertainment that I forgot about my camera. Funny stuff!

Uncle Larry and my dad were chowing down on some grub before hydrating themselves 

with some Miller and Coors. 

Mattison and her buddy Drake were exploring in the "jungle".

Mattison was also excited to have a "girl" to play with. She and Emma cleared out about a 100 yard path of weeds, which led to their secret hideout. If you need your garden weeded just give us a call. These girls enjoy doing this in their spare time! 

Some relaxation time after weeding the island, and Mattison getting a small rock lodged into her heel. Sweet girls! 

 We had a great time with everybody on the lake and look forward to doing it all over again next summer. I have to say I am extremely excited about fall approaching! In fact, I've already decorated the house. I started with a little bit at a time, and before I knew it, all of my things were out on display. 

Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!