Pre-Holiday Catch-up

Since our engagement, it seems life has picked up its pace on zooming by!! LOL We began wedding preparations almost immediately because we want to enjoy our engagement with as little stress as possible!! We have selected our venue, DJ, photographer, and most importantly, have secured THE DRESS!!! Wish I could post a sneak peak but can't risk the soon-to-be hubby snagging a peak!! 

Venue Shopping

We have also taken our engagement pictures as well and could not be happier with the results!! Jackie Ray did our friend's wedding back in April and I was so in love with her work!! She captured every moment so exquisitely and even if one did not attend the wedding, one could feel the emotion in each snapshot as if present. We met with Jackie and when we discovered, she was available for our big day, we were beyond stoked!!

Since we are having a fall wedding, we fell in love with the idea of having fall engagement pictures as well (we are funny that way lol). Initially,we had wanted our engagement shoot at Dewberry Farm however, Mother Nature had different plans for that day. Rain and an overcast sky was in store for us instead. We, of course, rescheduled for another day. On October 24, 2012, we ventured towards a park out in The Woodlands. Jackie knew this little secret area for us to shoot in Cattail Park. We found a perfect little clearing and had one of the most fun experiences ever!! It was a little nerve wrecking initially for neither Artie and I had done this before but Jackie eased us into it and made it so memorable. Here is a sneak peak of some of our favorites:

Isn't my handsome gorgeous?! ;-)

Ok Ok!! Enough wedding jibber jabber for the moment :-)

On the weekend of October 27th, Artie's sister and hubby threw a Halloween bash at their house. She went above and beyond decorating for this party!! It was so creepy and spooky!! Absolutely perfect for the event. Artie came up with the idea of us being Wall-e and Eve for Halloween. Now let me preface this project by stating that my creativity level, when it comes to this sort of stuff, is close to nonexistent. I can follow a pattern or do something if told, but for my brain to conjure this up alone...well, not going to happen. Never fear, Artie to the rescue!! When I say he did an amazing job, well, see for yourself!!

Isn't he awesome?! <3

Wall-e and his Eve

Another awesome event that occurred in October, was that we scratched something off of Artie's bucket list. We went and saw The Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert!!! Easily, the most amazing concert attended to date EVER!!! Those guys still have so much energy that frankly, I think, it puts me to shame!! I can barely keep up with 80/90 minutes of soccer!! LOL

RHCP at the Toyota Center 10-20-12

For those wanting a food update: I am a HUGE fan of Chinese take out!! I mean, who isn't?! However, sometimes health wise, it probably, isn't the best choice to eat out period. I always say cooking at home, beats any kind of cooking because you know EXACTLY what is going into your body. You can cut down on sodium content and tweak it to fit your lifestyle. With that being said, beef and broccoli, is my all time favorite. So when I stumbled upon this recipe on Rainy Day Gal's website, you can only imagine my happy dance!! Here is my picture of the finished product that I served with steamed rice. You can click on her website and she has phenomenal step by step photos with the recipe to follow!! It is super easy so novice chefs, like myself, have no fear!! 

For the last few years, the Rojas Family has gotten together in Galveston the first weekend of November for the Lone Star Rally. This year marked my second year in attendance. Artie and I are both very family oriented and any chance to see our family is a blessing for us. I keep telling Artie, how did I get so lucky!! Not only did I snag the best man ever, but I am blessed to be joining such a great family. I guess I lied about wedding jabber huh?! lol During the rally, Artie asked his brother to be his best man and he said YES!! Mikey, you better take care of him for me during the bachelor party!! LOL 

Last but not least, the Dynamo are going after another MLS cup this Saturday!! This was us at their game a couple weeks ago. Ever since we started playing with some dear friends in a co-ed league, soccer has become so exciting to me. I enjoyed it before just during FIFA time but I can now appreciate the games a lot more. Wishing some of those skillful moves would transfer on to myself when I take the field but hey, one step at a time ;-)

FOREVER ORANGE!!

My Texans will also battle against the Titans this Sunday to become 11-1!! With a win, we secure our playoff spot!!  This is going to be one hell of a sports weekend!! I can not wait!! :-) And with that, I bid everyone a good night <3

We're Engaged!!!

One month ago today, my handsome did the unexpected!!! But first, the events leading up to the BIG EVENT!!!

Artie was working Saturday night, August 11th, 2012. I stayed up with the boys and watched P.S I Love You. By the way, this is an amazing movie for those that have not seen it. The movie ended about 3am and I finally drifted off to sleep. At about 7am Sunday morning, I get a call from work. They were short that morning and needed help. I agreed (I think I was still asleep when I answered which is how I was conned lol) and called Artie to tell him I was heading into work. Normally, I work a twelve hour shift. Upon agreeing to that morning, I let them know we had a soccer game that night which we were already committed to and would have to leave early. My job said it would be fine.

Yes, Artie and I are in a co-ed soccer league with some of the most amazing individuals. We play to win but at the same time, have a blast nonetheless. 

We are Dolls and Balls III. <3

We were slammed that day and didn't have much downtime at work. I left at 5pm and hauled butt home to change and get our stuff ready for the game. We made it to the game and went head to head with our opponents, Growling Trout. Twenty five minutes into the game, I began to feel light headed and my team mates were starting to sound like Charlie Brown!! Uh-oh!! I knew where this was going so I stumbled off to the sidelines and sat out. I was determined to come back after halftime but Artie insisted I take it easy and rest up. It would not be good if we both had to leave to the hospital he stated. True fact. Fine, I sat out and cheered instead. After the game, he asked "Do you just want to go home?" 

Oh, I might have prefaced that we had plans to go and watch the Perseid Meteor Shower that night after the game. I told him I was fine and we could go. We had brought our lawn chairs and firewood to make a bonfire, so that would be relaxing and a wonderful date night. 

We headed out to Surfside Beach in Galveston and set up our equipment. Artie got the bonfire going and within twenty minutes....zzzzzzzzz!!!

Yup!!! I fell asleep!!! I was so exhausted!! I woke up periodically and caught sight of the beautiful sky with shooting stars. It was breath taking especially since I had never witnessed such an event. I was so excited when I caught sight of my first one!! I ended up taking a power nap of about 2 hours with small breaks in between. Finally, I woke up and began to truly enjoy this amazing night. Artie and I had coffee and snacks. I should have known something was up his sleeve however, because he was soooooo nervous and yet I had no clue!!! At about 4am, he threw more firewood onto the fire and sat on the edge of his chair. He turned towards me and began his flawless speech. He got down on one knee and says "Claudia, will you marry me?" This is why some times it is good that a woman knows this is going to happen because what comes out of my mouth instinctively instead of some sweet speech is "Are you shitting me?!" "You don't have a ring?!" ::high pitch squeal "OMG YOU HAVE A RING?!?!?" and the waterworks began!!!!

I actually said a something else initially LOL

Our ultimate pinky promise being made <3

After a fresh manicure :-)

Co workers threw a surprise engagement party <3

I could not be happier to be marrying this man!! Not only is he my best friend, he is truly my soul mate!! Life gave us the toughest challenge yet these past two years and I'd like to think, we passed with flying colors. He never left my side at a time where many could have easily turned a cheek and left. He makes me a better person and loves me unconditionally.  He brings a smile to my face unlike anyone else. 

I feel blessed to also be joining such an amazing family. I can not wait to be a Rojas!!! :-) 

4th of July 2012

In light of us finishing our kitchen, we decided to host a small get together for the 4th of July this year. We invited a small group of friends to come and hang out for burgers and fireworks. It was nice getting together and welcoming everyone to our home. It was the first time we were able to introduce everyone to our little place since we moved in. 

Some decor :-)

Cupcakes, Flag Brie, and delicious cookies

Artie's sister and her husband joined us along with some of Artie's co-workers and mutual friends of ours. Here we are mingling :-)

The boys were exceptionally excited about having company over. Both of them are the sweetest dogs ever and are ever so willing to share their love with anyone and everyone!! Luckily for the boys, everyone is a dog lover as much as we are so they were in heaven!! 

Aren't my boys handsome?!?! <3

Being the game lovers we all are as well, a game of Taboo was soon underway!! Can you tell how serious this game gets?! lol I was not doing so hot on this round but managed to get great shots lol ;-)

Soon, one of my best friends, Grace arrived with her family. She has always been like a sister to me and I love her as one. She has always been there for me unconditionally and I am blessed to call her my  friend. These are her kids which I consider my niece and nephews <3 

JoJo (in white), Jr (in red), and last but not least Celi (in green) <3

The guys went off to the fireworks stand and brought back sparklers with tons of fireworks!! Sparklers are my favorite!!

Everyone of all ages enjoying the sparklers lol

Natalie, her husband, John, along with Artie and myself are all a part of a soccer league. We started kicking the ball around for fun while the others mingled and enjoyed the good food and drinks.

Some more pics of our guests and the fireworks that closed our night :-) 

Thanks to everyone that came out and spent the holiday with us. It is so wonderful to be surrounded by so many amazing individuals whom we call friends <3 

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." -C.S. Lewis

Kitchen Update

Our home needs a little renovating...well, to say a little would be an understatement. The home is an older home that was built in 1982. Mom bought the house in 2001 and from the looks of it, has not had much work done on it since. Mom never got a chance to do the things she wanted with it so we are now renovating it slowly. We decided to start with the kitchen because that wall paper was so awful!! 

Is that not the loveliest wallpaper you have ever seen? lol

Artie turned out to be quite the handyman!! We began with tearing down this wallpaper which turned out to be an adventure in itself. I peeled the wallpaper off, thinking what was the big deal?! It peeled off rather easily and I was thinking I was making good time when Artie comes in and looks around. 

Artie: "Babe, you have gone with me to Lowe's right?"

Me: "Yes, why?"

Artie: "What color is sheetrock?"

Me: "Grayish white"

Artie: "So, you still think you've hit sheetrock?"

Me: "Damnit!! lol"

Sure enough, not one, not two, but THREE wallpaper layers awaited me!! It was not fun at all and a lot of work but in the end, we did it!! 

During the process...Isn't my honey handsome?! :-)

We were torn on selecting a good color because the cabinets and the countertops are not being done just yet, so we needed to find a color that would match our blue-ish gray countertops and our current cabinets. We went with a gray color with some blue undertones. Initially, I thought perhaps the blue "theme" was being overdone but it ended looking very nice. Artie and I were both pleased with our choice. 

We also love the bead board look so we added that to the bottom half of the kitchen to add a little extra to it. There is a wooden table in one of the pictures that technically is not in the kitchen but we had a little get-together at the house so disregard that table at the moment lol. This is what our finished product, for now, looks like <3 Hats off to my amazing boyfriend and brother for their help and dedication on this project. 

I also did some work and this is my evidence shot ;-) 

Eventually, the cabinets will be redone by either being replaced or refinishing them. We shall see where the wind blows me on that one. :-) Good night world!!

Be blessed!! 

The Boys are Back!!!

So after much debate and discussion, Artie and I decided to board and train the boys. We chose a two week program over a four week program, mostly because we could not imagine four long weeks without the kiddos!! In honesty, it had a great deal to do with us having a great feeling after visiting the location and meeting the people. We went with Prestonwood Kennels and we could not have been more pleased. Not only were the trainers awesome but everyone who worked there, seemed to have a genuine interest in all the pets being boarded. Upon pickup, we were handed about 20 sheets of "progress notes" about their daily playtime, interactions, and behaviors which we thought was so neat...scrapbook material!!! We were not allowed to visit them during their two week stay but we called a few times and received thorough reports. It really put our minds at ease. 

So excited to be heading home finally!! 

My sweet spoiled baby!! 

I think Chauncy was most excited for his welcome home bone than us lol

Sweet Milton definitely has stolen our hearts <3

Having a serious talk lol

The bond between these two is incredible <3

Our boys are back!!! 

Training continues every day with them. Soon, we will be having breakfast in bed made by them lol jkjk :-) Notice Chauncy is still occupied with this bone lol :-) Until next time world!! <3 Be blessed!!

Annual 2012 River Floating Trip

For the second year in a row, a group of us have gotten together for a float down the Guadalupe River. Marie, Artie's sister, goes through all the hard work of putting this together and ends up creating one amazing trip with awesome memories. The lake house that we scored this year was phenomenal!! It was on Lake Dunlap which allowed us for plenty of sun and water time in the privacy of our own deck/pier. A few pics of the house...

Our awesome lakehouse

to the right :-)

to the left :-)

from our pier

our little pond 

We were able to score these awesome floats off of E-bay that sat approximately six people or 1300 lbs. It also had two built in coolers!!! It was pretty sweet!! :-)

Needless to say, it was one relaxing and enjoyable weekend!!

delicious brisket being prepared a la Nick :-)

Marie and myself

Lauren paddling away

loading up the coolers!! 

Nick

Lauren and Sherrill

my handsome being shy!! lol

"I'll jump if you jump!!"

Goofballs lol

Oh, the peer pressure ;-)

Waaaahoooooooo!!!!

Gorgeous

So relaxing...

<3

Calling it a night lol

Thanks again to Artie's sister, Marie, for one amazing weekend! Til next year!! :-)