Tagged!

Laura tagged me...I guess it is a good way to get me blogging! Thanks!!!

--5 Tag--

10 years Ago...
I was 13 and in the 7th grade. Still going to All Saints Episcopal School. This is when my desire to get out of private school really started. Little did I know, the next year I would get my wish and move to Marshall Middle School which I loved!!

5 Years Ago...
I was a senior in high school getting ready to graduate from WestBrook High. This was the really fun and busy time of the year with graduation, prom and Neches River Festival. This is actually right about the time of Neches River Festival which is a big thing in Beaumont. Senior girls are chosen to be princesses and there is a parade, coronation, and ball. My little sister April is actually a princess this year. We are going this weekend for the coronation and ball!!!

5 Months Ago...
Thanksgiving! Our first married Thanksgiving!! We were able to hit up most of the family. We spent Thanksgiving Day in Fair Oaks Ranch with Zach's family and then left the day after Thanksgiving to go to Beaumont. On our way to Beaumont we stopped and bought our first Christmas tree at the great day after Thanksgiving sales!! We then spent the weekend in Beaumont. It was great and I didn't even have the pressure of making a full Thanksgiving dinner!

5 Things on My To-Do List Today...
1. Figure out my summer leasing budget and make it work!
2. Get a smoothie at lunch for my super soar throat.
3. Help my indecisive sister pick a wedding dress to calm my stressed out mom down a bit! We thought we had it figured out...but I guess we don't!
4. Do laundry tonight...that has got to be one of my least favorite things to do EVER!
5. Watch American Idol knowing that Brooke...my favorite...is going home.

5 Snacks I Enjoy...
1. Cheerios...all kinds, plain, honey nut
2. Cheddar popcorn...there is this great deli brand at Kroger
3. Kiwi...I love summer fruits
4. Peanut butter sandwich...makes me feel like a kid
5. Cheese...again all kinds

5 Things I Would do if I was Suddenly a Billionaire...
1. Buy a house
2. Decorate that house however I want...I'm thinking a lot of Pottery Barn
3. Travel...pretty much everywhere!
4. Buy a boat and a house at the beach or lake to use it at
5. Give some away...with that much money I would feel bad not sharing!

5 of My Bad Habits...
1. Checking my email/facebook way too often
2. Washing clothes and not folding them till later...days later
3. Basically remaking the bed every night before I can get into it. I can't stand if the sheets are not flat and straight...Zach seems to mess them up every night!
4. I tend to get into cooking ruts every so often and we eat out too much during those times.
5. Not calling people back in a timely matter. Since being married I now hate talking on the phone more than before...I am not sure why!

5 Place I Have Lived... (this one is just sad...I technically only have 2 places)
1. Beaumont, Texas (birth-18)
2. College Station, Texas (18-current)
3. Lake Livingston, Texas (we had a lake house there...so we lived there on the weekends)
4. Crystal Beach, Texas (again only on weekends)
5. Next year someplace different depending on where Zach gets in for med. school!!! I really need to expand my horizons!

5 Things People Don't Know About Me...
1. I love Dr. Pepper and on days when I like to feel I am stressed...I get one from Sonic at happy hour. It is a bad thing!!
2. I love mascara...like literally love it. Finding a great new kind makes my month...seriously. Right now the best is from Avon.
3. I sell Avon. I really only did it to get the discounts, but they have great products for great prices. So if you are looking for new fun stuff let me know and I will send you a catalog. This is a bad thing too because I order stuff I don't really need.
4. I have a dog who is very small and cute. Most people know that, but Chico is like super small...he only weighs 3 pounds!! And yes that still qualifies him as a dog!5. This isn't really a surprise, but it has sure snuck up on me. Next month, actually in a little over 2 weeks, it will be my one year wedding anniversary! I seriously can't believe it, and all cheesiness aside it really has been the best year of my life!!

5 People I Tag...
1. Kristen GARDINER!
2. Maren Johnson
3. Caroline Shillig
4. Rachel Odom
5. Molly (about to have a baby) Metcalf

This was fun...so thanks again Laura!!!

Putting Along!

Again...I admit, I really thought I would be better this time about posting, but I am not! When nothing exciting goes on, I just don't feel the urge or need to blog. I don't mean to make my life sound dull...but on most days it is just the same old same old and I really like it that way!

Getting into the married phase of life, you find joy and fun in the simplest things. The security of always having someone to go to dinner with, or someone to drag along on shopping trips is wonderful! On those occasions when shopping trips actually occur...he is always giving good feedback on everything, which is even better! Husbands seem to find the good in every outfit and every pair of shoes, because they know it is just better to compliment than repent! Moms and sisters seem to be the brutally honest ones who are not so good to be shopping with on a "fat day" or something like it! I am grateful for a supportive, entertaining, and patient husband.

He has, throughout our almost year of marriage, been patient with my tennis swing and been more than willing to chase after the balls that I don't seem to hit right. I know this is all because he would like a tennis partner, but it has become one of those fun things we can do together.

A few weeks ago I showed in interest in golf...which just about made his year! Before I knew it we were off to Academy and I was the proud owner of a new pink putter and a not as exciting plain silver chipping wedge. I am proud that I even know the difference between those two clubs!! We also spent much of our weekend watching the Master's so I could watch the pros and learn from them, or something. Zach is even already talking about golf vacations...I am not sure if I am that ready yet! Throw in a full set of cute clubs and this great pink golf bag I found and maybe I will be game for it!
So, with my new putter in hand and a well picked out golf outfit...we headed out to "play" 18 holes. Well he played and I mostly just putted! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending the time together doing something different. Now if I can just get my not so strong arms conditioned to drive the ball like he does we will be in business. While Zach is excited to be able to play golf with me...he is probably still looking for someone else to play who can actually give him some competition, since I am no Tiger Woods! If you know of anyone, send them on over...I am just fine putting along...baby steps with me!!!

A little catch-up!

Time sure does seem to fly in between my blog postings! I really just am not very good at this! I never even got around to putting up the other great pictures from our New Year's beach trip. It was the first time we had been able to make it down to the beach since the summer and we had a great time! I will just go ahead and put a few pictures just for fun and to make this post a little less boring. I am terrible at remembering to take pictures of everyday stuff.

We enjoyed a rainy weather day just walking on the beach...I promise Crystal Beach can be pretty, but as you can see it can also look pretty brown!


This one is just so you can see my favorite jacket ever! It was my dad's in high school and everytime we are at the beach I sport it. The sleeves even zip off for summer use!
I told you it can also be very pretty...the very next day we enjoyed some actual blue water!The men showing off their golf skills at the neighborhood course!

A nice shot of us on the boat from our previously blogged dolphin boat trip! That about does it for the pictures. I know I mentioned it, but I am terrible at remembering that we have a great camera and should use it!

Life since the holidays has been back to the normal with work and school and super busy schedules!! Zachary is taking an EMT certification course. He enjoys it but it is three nights a week from 6-10. So I don't really like it too much. We meet up in the parking lot of our apartment complex on those days for about 5 minutes when I get off work before he has to leave. It sucks!!!!!! A lot of night he gets out early which is great...but I do usually end up hanging out with Ash on the nights he is gone. And she is pretty dang cool too!

Our 9 month anniversary has come and gone and so has Valentine's Day! I can't believe how fast this year is moving along. Zachary had his EMT class on Valentine's, so we didn't make any big plans not knowing how late he would be. He got off a little early and we exchanged cards (we decided to do a no gift thing and each get new swimsuits instead).

Since we knew our Valentine's wouldn't be anything too special we got a hotel room in Houston this past Friday night and went out for a nice dinner that night and then slept in the next morning and had some breakfast at the hotel. My sister was out of town as well so we didn't have a Chico babysitter. He is small and already a pro at being snuck into hotels...so we just brought him along for our nice romantic get away! We went to the temple and did a session(leaving Chico in his kennel in the car...don't worry it wasn't hot and he was fine!), which was great. It is so wonderful to have such a beautiful temple so close. After the temple we went by and visited Zach's grandpa. He loves it when we come by and he is such a fun man to talk to.

We ended our wonderful weekend today with church this morning. We were called shortly after we were married to serve in a small branch in Navasota. At first we were both unsure about the calling, but now have truly grown to love the branch and the very few people there! Being in a small branch has helped me to see that no matter where you are and how few members there may be, the church is still true and can still function...even if it is on a much smaller and more laid back scale. We have been able to find a great branch family and truly enjoy serving there!! It is a great comfort to know that no matter where you live...you can find a ward, branch, or twig (as the members sometimes fondly refer to our little branch) and still be able to grow in your testimony.

In other news...there is a new beautiful baby boy on this earth! His name is Eli Matthew Forrest...and I know for a fact that he has the bestest mom and dad ever...and a great big sister. For more info on him...check out Amy & Aaron's blog! Love you Amy!!!!

I will end this long...maybe bring post with a nice picture of me and little Chico! And, by the way, I do not force him to wear clothes against his will. While he is very stylish in this "Rebel" shirt...the main reason he wears clothes is to keep his tiny little self warm!! He is a sweet little dog and keep us entertained...pets are great!

Dolphins in the Bay!

Over the New Year's weekend we had the chance to go to the beach and have fun with my dad, sisters, and some of their friends. On New Year's Eve during the day we took the little fishing boat out to cruise around the bay with my dad, Ashley, and Jeremy. It was a beautiful day...but still a little cold. We just wanted to get out on the water and have some fun!!

After we had been cruising around for a while by Bird Island and Goat Island, we were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of playing dolphins. Luckily our new camera has a little video recorder and Zach took about 10 videos trying to catch the cute dolphins playing with each other. It was really fun and they played around us for about 15 or 20 minutes. It made being freezing out on the bay totally worth it!!

This first video is one of the better ones for actually seeing some dolphins...excuse all the moving around. The dang dolphins are very fast and hard to catch on camera...especially in the not so clear Bolivar Bay! Every time one would jump on one side of the boat Zach would quickly move the camera to catch it. They really were so cute!!


This second video has a little bit of dolphin shots...but the sound is the best part. One jumped like right next to us and really scared the crap out of me...which you can hear me saying. We all got a good laugh out of it!!



I will post some more pictures from our lovely long weekend at the beach soon!!!

Christmas Fun...Just a Little Late!

Before all of the traveling to be with our families for Christmas we enjoyed our First Married Christmas at our place. Zachary got me some great stuff including a facial...which was great!! It was really fun to have our little tree and everything with just us!!


Our holidays were great and life since then has been crazy busy. We spent Christmas in Houston with Zachary's family and then Beaumont with my family. We didn't get our new camera until Christmas in Beaumont...so I don't have many pictures of Houston Christmas or actual Christmas festivities. But now I have no more excuses to not have lots of wonderful pictures!! By the way, it is a super cute red camera!

It is always great to spend time with family and enjoy time off from school and work. We enjoy road tripping it and find it as the opportunity to talk about all kinds of off the wall things...like baby names. Don't worry we are no where near that point!! I think that is a good thing for more than one reason...apparently Zach has always wanted a son named Bucky and coincidentally, I never have. Oh, the things you learn about your husband after 8 months of marriage!!

This is a nice picture of the whole Stevenson clan at the Christmas Eve gathering with all of the extended family. It was great to be with such a big family group...some of whom I hadn't even met yet! As always Brett and Melody were super fun and cute to play with! Even Chico got to go to the party...he got passed around and made some new friends!

In Beaumont we got to have fun with my mom, Nana & Papa, and sisters. We had a blast opening gifts and then April, Zach and I decided we wanted to get out of the house for a while and enjoy the beautiful weather. We went to be little kids and play at the park and had a wonderful time!!

Ashley and Jeremy out by the pool on Christmas Day!

Playgrounds have really come up in the world since I was a little one. There was even a rock wall!!! Hope everyone had a great holiday as well and has now fully recovered from all the running around!!

Christmas is Coming...

This weekend we went to a great Christmas party with my dad, stepmom, April, and two of her friends, Amanda and Dean. It was so much fun and an example of how some people just have entirely too much money! Every year this party sends out incredible invitaitons...this year it was a snow globe showing the party scene, they have a big time performer...this year it was Brooks and Dunn, this performers have a stage set up in a tent big enough to hold over a thousand people, and there are two types of catered food along with free rides, games, cotton candy, funnel cakes, soda, and popcorn. It is all held on a big chunk of land in a neighborhood off 1960 and 249. Needless to say we had a great time and really enjoyed the day despite the fact that it was in the upper 70's and we were sweating!! Doesn't really feel like Christmas when there are record breaking highs!!

The only picture I have is from April's facebook. Our camera is broken and our new one will be a Christmas gift from my grandparents. Once I get it there will be more pictures to share of future fun!!

Zachary is done with his finals and just working like crazy...we both are. We are ready for Christmas and some time with family. We are planning to spend New Year's at the beach and I can't wait!

On another note today is our 7 month anniversary...I still can't believe it has been that long since our wonderful wedding day!! Happy Anniversary Baby!!!! It is still as wonderful as ever!

This weekend will be one year since our engagement...that will give me something fun to blog about!! It is also the 2nd birthday of the most beautiful little girl ever...Kaitlyn Forrest! I can't believe it has been 2 years since I saw her being born. I love you Amy and Kaitlyn!!!!

Much younger here and MUCH shorter hair...but still so adorable!!! Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!!!

Aggie Ring!

Clearly I am a bit behind...but Zachary got his Aggie Ring on November 16th. He counted down for months and totally loves it. I took the afternoon off work and his parents and sister came in to town. The whole Aggie Ring Day experience was good for Zach's Longhorn Parents. His dad had plenty of Aggie jokes to tell while we were in line...but it was so much fun!!
Right after putting his ring on for the first time!!! You can tell he wanted it to be seen!

The double bling. The entire inspiration for Zachary's choice of wedding band was his future Aggie Ring. He wanted the two to compliment each other...I think it looks great!

Ashley was there too...but she got stuck taking the pictures!!

So proud of my wonderful husband!


The weekend was also when we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Holland and it was excellent. His talk at the adult session was probably the best talk I have ever heard. The power in his voice was incredible! It was truly a very humbling experience to hear from such an amazing man.

Our Thanksgiving was lots of fun...but lots of driving. Since it is our first year as a married couple, we decided to split our time with everybody. We drove a grand total of something close to 800 miles...which is quite a bit if you ask me. Zach sold his ticket to the football game and that just about covered our gas costs! Speaking of the game...what a great win!!

The time with family was good and we even managed to pick up a kind of cheesy pre-lit Christmas tree. We found a good deal and when putting it up realized why it was such a good deal. With our limited space it works fine. I will have to post some pictures of our little First Christmas set up!!

The semester will be over next week and we are looking forward to having more time to spend together. We are thinking about doing a little road trip just for the heck of it the weekend before Christmas...any ideas for somewhere not too far to go? My Christmas bonus is burning a little hole in our pockets and we deserve a nice break!