"Riley and Me”

Well, if you know Travis and I…you know Riley too. This dog is one crazy pup that we love so much. I say this about two times a day, “I love you Riley, but dang you tick me off!” Here are some stories and pictures:

There has been about 6 or 7 times when Riley has gotten out of the fence and we had to catch her. Many of our neighbors in Westbrook have helped us catch her and always end with saying “She is fast!” I’m sure that when Travis and I have tried to catch her, everyone is looking out the window saying “There she goes again…” When we take her outside she looks straight at us…and then PLOWS under the fence right in front of us!!

One time she got out at 1 in the afternoon (it was extremely hot outside) and I tried to catch her for 45 minutes. I finally had to give up and come home (crying of course). The last time I saw her was about a mile away right where the exit is on the interstate. Travis helped me and when we got back after we had zero luck…she was laying in our backyard with the gate wide open!

Once when we came back in town, Riley was not in our backyard! And then we heard a bark…Riley was in the neighbor’s fenced backyard. Came to find out a few of our neighbors had been trying to catch her over the weekend and finally just put her in their backyard!

When Janie, Kristen, Travis, and I came back to the Dawson’s house the other day it was storming and raining really hard. We couldn’t find Riley anywhere and finally Travis found her in the sheep pen with no roof!

And all those time when she was a little puppy and we traveled…we had to bring her cage and set it up just like she was a little toddler in a play pen…we hated that!! And of course all of those times when she would chew things up…like both of our eye glasses, Travis and my “undergarments,” our internet cord (our internet wasn’t working for 3 days and we had no idea why), Trav’s Texas cup, Trav’s shoes, she has thrown up shoe strings, and the list could go on… Oh, and we cant forget to say that when we take her on a walk, we think she might pass out because she is pulling on the lease so hard its chocking her!

Billy once said “When yall move to Waco you may have to put her in Kyle's backyard. But you would have to be careful because she might hear yall from your house with those BIG ears of hers!”

She was so innocent when we first got her...

And then she started to get a little crazy...

She "play bites" a lot...but it hurts!

During the winter she pulled ALL of her stuff to the middle of the yard, time after time!

This is how Riley guards our house...through the window!


We still love her : )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDI!

Happy Birthday Addi,
You are 1 year old today! We think you are beautiful and you will continue to become more beautiful everyday...inside and out! Those boys better watch out because Travis WILL help Blake come after 'em! We have been praying and will be everyday, that God will grow you in grace. We are so excited to hangout with you on Saturday! We love you.

Love,
Aunt Ali and Uncle T

P.S. HOOK 'EM (from Uncle T)

Nursing School is no more!

Nursing School is OVER! During school it felt like it would never end and now looking back it went by so fast! Thanks to Travis for the patience when the house wasn’t clean, and the many days when I said hi after an 8 hour day and then went into the other room and studied until 10. Thanks for all of the encouragement and prayer from my husband, family, and friends who truly knew how difficult it was for me during school. Above all, thank you God for who you are. You continually make me fall deeper in love with you. What blows my mind is that you are so good…but what we see in you is only the FRINGES of how good you are!

One thing I learned really fast at the beginning was that Nursing School wasn’t something I enjoyed:

1. I wanted to spend more time with Travis
2. I wanted to spend more time with my friends and family
3. I wish I could have spent more time with my Ma before she passed this year
4. My house wasn’t clean all the time
5. I wasn’t the wife I wanted to be (cleaning, cooking, and ideal time for Travis)
6. Being surrounded by “bad company”
7. 99% of clinical time was in the hospital (were I don’t want to work)
8. I could go on but pointing out why I didn’t like school isn’t the point I’m trying to make…

John Piper: “The fact is that nobody would be able to persevere in faith if we did not first have hope that God is for us and will bring us through. In fact, that is at the heart of the very faith that is being tested. What gets us through tribulation is hope. We don't first get hope by producing perseverance and proven character. We have hope first, and only then can we endure trial to the glory of God.”

CONGRATS TO STEPHANIE, KRISTEN, AND CHANDRA! WE ARE ALL DONE WITH NURSING SCHOOL! Pictures will be posted SOON!

Happy Birthday Ma!

In loving memory of Ma...we miss you and love you.