xoxo,
Candice & Chris
Friday, December 31, 2010
Christmas 2010
We hope everyone had a great Christmas! We were blessed with a terrific first Christmas in our new home. Chris did a great job decorating our house while I was entrenched in training for a new job (now at Teva Pharmaceuticals in the Respiratory Division selling asthma medication). He went all over town searching for red lights for our front yard trees and we also spent a great amount of time in Garden Ridge and Pier One making decisions. We think it turned out beautiful and wanted to share a few photos with you. See you in the new year!
xoxo,
Candice & Chris
xoxo,
Candice & Chris
Monday, October 18, 2010
Autumn Activities
While the calendar states it should be Fall, it definitely doesn't feel like it here in Texas. We are still at highs of 85 and lows of 65. It actually feels more like spring instead of fall, but at least we see fall decor all around. Many of our neighbors have decorated their yards and we even got "booed" last week. If you have not heard of this, it is when someone rings your doorbell, leaves a Halloween themed gift on your doorstep and runs out of sight. There is a note with the gift that says you must return the favor to 2 fellow neighbors within 24 hours and also post a ghost on your door that says "We've been booed." Chris and I had a lot of fun with this and were seen running through our neighborhood at full speed trying to get out of sight. It was quite comical!
Other blog-worthy news...Chris was told last week that he is getting a management position and begins November 1! I am very proud of him and so happy that all his hard work is paying off. He will be moving to another department so there will be a change of scenery with his new position and could possibly be on another end f the building. He doesn't have a lot of details on it yet, but is very excited for what this new change will bring.
As you all know, the Texas Rangers are competing against the NY Yankees in the ALCS and as you can imagine, that has posed some question on who Chris would root for in this series. In celebration of his promotion, I surprised Chris with tickets to Game 1 this past Friday night. As we were getting ready for the game, he said he was going to wear his Yankess shirt and I said, HECK NO! We drove straight to the mall to get a Rangers tee for him to wear to the game! He picked out the Claw & Antlers shirt...you have to have watched the Rangers to know what it means. Even though the Rangers lost that night, they tied it up on Saturday and....it's currently 3-0 Rangers in the top of the 9th with 2 men on base. A win tonight would mean the Rangers lead the series 2-1. Go Rangers!
On Saturday we had a Farewell Party for Kelly & Cice who are moving to Shanghai next weekend. We had about 30 people go out for dinner and then to a favorite hangout spot for drinks. We had a great time and will definitely miss them. One great thing that is coming out of their move is that they are giving us their grill! Yipee we will be able to grill by the weekend!
Other blog-worthy news...Chris was told last week that he is getting a management position and begins November 1! I am very proud of him and so happy that all his hard work is paying off. He will be moving to another department so there will be a change of scenery with his new position and could possibly be on another end f the building. He doesn't have a lot of details on it yet, but is very excited for what this new change will bring.
As you all know, the Texas Rangers are competing against the NY Yankees in the ALCS and as you can imagine, that has posed some question on who Chris would root for in this series. In celebration of his promotion, I surprised Chris with tickets to Game 1 this past Friday night. As we were getting ready for the game, he said he was going to wear his Yankess shirt and I said, HECK NO! We drove straight to the mall to get a Rangers tee for him to wear to the game! He picked out the Claw & Antlers shirt...you have to have watched the Rangers to know what it means. Even though the Rangers lost that night, they tied it up on Saturday and....it's currently 3-0 Rangers in the top of the 9th with 2 men on base. A win tonight would mean the Rangers lead the series 2-1. Go Rangers!
On Saturday we had a Farewell Party for Kelly & Cice who are moving to Shanghai next weekend. We had about 30 people go out for dinner and then to a favorite hangout spot for drinks. We had a great time and will definitely miss them. One great thing that is coming out of their move is that they are giving us their grill! Yipee we will be able to grill by the weekend!
Spelling China in sign language :)
That is about all that is going on here. We have our blinds being installed on the 25th and hopefully we will finalize our living room furniture plans soon. The house is coming together, slowly but surely. We can't wait for Donna to come visit for Christmas and the Smoker family in February. When will the rest of the fam plan their visit?! :)
Love you all and we wish you a happy Halloween! Can't wait to see pics of the kids in costume!
XOXO,
C&C
C&C
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Home Sweet Home
As I am finishing up loading photos of the house, I realize now more than ever that I can't wait to get blinds. In the glare of the computer screen I see some woman looking into our window and as I turn around, she heads back to her car and drivers away. Creepy! We will be getting blinds installed in the next two weeks and they can't come soon enough!
Here are few photos of our new home. Some were taken before we moved in and some after. Enjoy!
Here are few photos of our new home. Some were taken before we moved in and some after. Enjoy!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Let's play catch up
Wow, I haven't been keeping up with this blog very well. Hopefully things will settle down soon and I can do a better job at updating.
Let's see, a lot has happened since April when I last blogged. Chris turned 32 in June, we went to DC for the 4th of July, Chris has finally finished with school, we took a trip to the Virgin Islands with the Smokers and Liles families, and...what elese? Oh, yea, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! Thats the summary, here are some details...
For our 2 year anniversary and 4th of July weekend, Chris and I decided to take a last minute trip to Washington DC for a long weekend. It has always been on my To Visit list so we decided to cross one off! While it was very hot, we enjoyed all the sight seeing and 4th of July festivities in the capitol of our nation.
As a great ending to the summer we also just took a trip to the Virgin Islands. It was fabulous! We arrived the first day, got situated in our room at the Marriot Frenchmans Cove in St. Thomas, and didn't waste a minute as we immediately headed to happy hour (2 for 1 drinks). Our entertainment the first evening consisted of a live band that Ella and Henry loved as they danced the night away. We also met a family from Boston that quickly became good friends. The second day, Cami, Jen and myself had quite an adventure grocery shopping with Anne Marie from Boston. The next day we decided to take a boat tour to the British Virgin Islands where we visited the baths at Virgin Gorda, ate lunch/snorkeled at Scrub Island and then finished the day at Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. It was a phenomenal trip, that unfortunately for me ended with a skinned knee and was followed by a full day of illness for Cami, Chip and Chris. After the Smokers left on Friday morning, we took the ferry over over to St. John for the day where we snorkeled at Trunk Bay for the day. We left the following day to go back to Dallas.
After returning to Dallas we closed on our house 5 days later and moved in Labor Day weekend! We are very excited about our new home and are in the process of getting unpacked. Within the first few weeks, we have purchased a refrigerator, lawnmower, a large mirror and some media equipment. With it being a new house, we also have no window coverings so we are working on ordering some blinds for the many windows in our house. Speaking of windows, the guest room in the front of the house has a beautiful view of the lake so start planning your trip to visit! We can't wait to share our new home with you! Photos of the house to come soon.
Let's see, a lot has happened since April when I last blogged. Chris turned 32 in June, we went to DC for the 4th of July, Chris has finally finished with school, we took a trip to the Virgin Islands with the Smokers and Liles families, and...what elese? Oh, yea, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! Thats the summary, here are some details...
For our 2 year anniversary and 4th of July weekend, Chris and I decided to take a last minute trip to Washington DC for a long weekend. It has always been on my To Visit list so we decided to cross one off! While it was very hot, we enjoyed all the sight seeing and 4th of July festivities in the capitol of our nation.
As a great ending to the summer we also just took a trip to the Virgin Islands. It was fabulous! We arrived the first day, got situated in our room at the Marriot Frenchmans Cove in St. Thomas, and didn't waste a minute as we immediately headed to happy hour (2 for 1 drinks). Our entertainment the first evening consisted of a live band that Ella and Henry loved as they danced the night away. We also met a family from Boston that quickly became good friends. The second day, Cami, Jen and myself had quite an adventure grocery shopping with Anne Marie from Boston. The next day we decided to take a boat tour to the British Virgin Islands where we visited the baths at Virgin Gorda, ate lunch/snorkeled at Scrub Island and then finished the day at Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. It was a phenomenal trip, that unfortunately for me ended with a skinned knee and was followed by a full day of illness for Cami, Chip and Chris. After the Smokers left on Friday morning, we took the ferry over over to St. John for the day where we snorkeled at Trunk Bay for the day. We left the following day to go back to Dallas.
After returning to Dallas we closed on our house 5 days later and moved in Labor Day weekend! We are very excited about our new home and are in the process of getting unpacked. Within the first few weeks, we have purchased a refrigerator, lawnmower, a large mirror and some media equipment. With it being a new house, we also have no window coverings so we are working on ordering some blinds for the many windows in our house. Speaking of windows, the guest room in the front of the house has a beautiful view of the lake so start planning your trip to visit! We can't wait to share our new home with you! Photos of the house to come soon.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Spring time is here!
Wow, the last 3 months have flown by! Work and school have kept us very busy. There has been some turnover on my team at work and Chris has had some good feedback recently at JCP. He has also been very busy with school but only has a few more months left until he gets his life back!
Now that spring is here, we have been trying to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. We were able to enjoy St. Patrick's Day at our friend, Kelly's house. The boys played cornhole while the girls talked and watched the kiddos.
Now that spring is here, we have been trying to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. We were able to enjoy St. Patrick's Day at our friend, Kelly's house. The boys played cornhole while the girls talked and watched the kiddos.
This is Matt & Brittany's son, Ryan. He is such a boy. Running and jumping and playing in the dirt. He will make such a great big brother this fall when his baby sister arrives!
This is Sofi, Kirk and Megan's Labradoodle. Megan and Kirk will also be welcoming a baby this fall as Megan is just one week behind Brittany.
This is the newest addition, Rebeca Arianna Orensten, Josh & Shereen's little girl. She is absolutely adorable in every way.
The rest are from a couple Sundays ago when my mom, dad and I went to the Dallas Arboretum after church. There were so many beautiful sights, these are just a few of my favorites.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Back from China!
Happy New Year everyone! We had a very busy holiday season in 2009 and are excited about what 2010 will bring us. We have lots of photos to share from our trip to China over the holidays and hope that you have some time to view them. Our trip was amazing! We were not only able to visit some of the most intriguing world heritage sites, but also experience the culture of the Chinese people.
Our first stop was Hong Kong where Chris studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for a week as we explored the sights of Hong Kong. We visited the Giant Buddha and Victoria Peak the weekend we arrived and then Chris started class on Monday. On Wednesday, we headed to Shenzen with the university where we visited a label printing company and then scoped out the local Wal-mart - that was a sight to see. The other days Chris was in school I explored the city with other the spouses on the trip, Meredith and Dee. We wandered through markets, went to the Chinese Heritage Museum, walked through the Chi Lin Nunnery, got foot reflexology massages (highly recommended), and had Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula Hotel. After class, the guys would meet us out for dinner at a place we had scoped out that day, always in different parts of the city. One of the nights, we had a very nice dinner with Steve & Meredith at Aqua Tokyo overlooking Hong Kong Island - great photos!
Once Chris was finished with class in Hong Kong, we hopped on a flight to Shanghai and met our friend, Cice for dinner at a great Sichuan restaurant, South Beauty. After dinner, we went down to The Bund for drinks at Glamour Bar and Bar Rouge where we had a lot of fun people watching. During out stay in Shanghai, we went to the Shanghai World Financial Center (a supertall skyscraper housing the tallest observation deck - looks like a bottle opener), the Yuyuan Gardens - part of the old city, XinTianDi shopping and restaurant district, and Nanjing Rd - #1 Commercial pedestrian street. Shanghai has some crazy drivers and we are happy we got out alive!
The last stop on our China tour was Beijing, where we met up with Steve & Meredith at the end of their trip. We had a great dinner at Da Dong where we ate Peking Duck, a true Beijing fare that was traditionally prepared for the emperor. We hiked one of the 7 Wonders of the World, The Great Wall at Mutianyu. After our 4 hour hike, we visited the ancient sacrificial buildings at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Another day was filled walking many, many miles through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City where we saw some of the most beautiful Chinese architecture from the 1400s.
Christmas Day, literally the longest day ever lived, we left China to travel home leaving with some great memories and tons of photos! We hope you enjoy all the photos (accessible by the links below) and feel free to send any comments you have!
Our first stop was Hong Kong where Chris studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for a week as we explored the sights of Hong Kong. We visited the Giant Buddha and Victoria Peak the weekend we arrived and then Chris started class on Monday. On Wednesday, we headed to Shenzen with the university where we visited a label printing company and then scoped out the local Wal-mart - that was a sight to see. The other days Chris was in school I explored the city with other the spouses on the trip, Meredith and Dee. We wandered through markets, went to the Chinese Heritage Museum, walked through the Chi Lin Nunnery, got foot reflexology massages (highly recommended), and had Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula Hotel. After class, the guys would meet us out for dinner at a place we had scoped out that day, always in different parts of the city. One of the nights, we had a very nice dinner with Steve & Meredith at Aqua Tokyo overlooking Hong Kong Island - great photos!
Once Chris was finished with class in Hong Kong, we hopped on a flight to Shanghai and met our friend, Cice for dinner at a great Sichuan restaurant, South Beauty. After dinner, we went down to The Bund for drinks at Glamour Bar and Bar Rouge where we had a lot of fun people watching. During out stay in Shanghai, we went to the Shanghai World Financial Center (a supertall skyscraper housing the tallest observation deck - looks like a bottle opener), the Yuyuan Gardens - part of the old city, XinTianDi shopping and restaurant district, and Nanjing Rd - #1 Commercial pedestrian street. Shanghai has some crazy drivers and we are happy we got out alive!
The last stop on our China tour was Beijing, where we met up with Steve & Meredith at the end of their trip. We had a great dinner at Da Dong where we ate Peking Duck, a true Beijing fare that was traditionally prepared for the emperor. We hiked one of the 7 Wonders of the World, The Great Wall at Mutianyu. After our 4 hour hike, we visited the ancient sacrificial buildings at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Another day was filled walking many, many miles through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City where we saw some of the most beautiful Chinese architecture from the 1400s.
Christmas Day, literally the longest day ever lived, we left China to travel home leaving with some great memories and tons of photos! We hope you enjoy all the photos (accessible by the links below) and feel free to send any comments you have!
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| Hong Kong |
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| Shanghai |
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| Beijing |
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