Family, Dad's Birthday, and Friends...Oh My!

Nick & I headed to spend lots of time with my side of the family on the 16th.  We ate lunch in Annona at my Memaw's house.  My aunt, uncle, and two cousins from Mississippi were down visiting.  An aunt from Arkansas, an uncle from Texas, and two other cousins were also able to come and visit as well.  My Sister bought hardboiled eggs and egg dye with her.  The two littles, Charly and Kennedy, got to have some fun dying Easter eggs.  My sister and I then hid them, and they hunted them.  Super cute kiddos.  Mom took lots of pictures of the girls dying and hunting the eggs, but I just got a few snaps on my phone.  Kennedy kept calling Satchel "Spatula."  It was pretty funny.

Cute Miss Kennedy.

Charly & Kennedy

Miss Charly and Satchel.  She loves that dog!

After lunch, my parents, Sister, Nick & I headed to New Boston.  We lounged on the back porch and visited a while.  Followed by present opening for my Dad, then dinner to celebrate his birthday that was later in the week.  We ate at Fish Creek (formerly known as Ole Feed House) in Texarkana.  Then Nick & I headed back home.

It's a mad house with these puppies.

Dad with his present from Sister and us.  We got him money.  He used it to buy an autographed guitar.  It is signed by LOTS of southern gospel artists.  He's super excited, and I can't wait for him to get it in! :)

Casey and I helped out in the nursery for Sunday during the second service.  Those kiddos are so cute! Nick & I then went and had lunch with Joe & Melanie at Peralta's.  They had just gotten home the day before from their spring break trip to Lake Catherine.  Mitchell, Casey, and the kids came over for dinner.  Nick smoked a chicken, Casey and I made sides, and I made a dessert.  The kids played on the Kinect, drove tractors around and "mowed the grass" (with the play tractors and mowers from the Chamber banquet), threw sticks for Tex to fetch, and gave Satchel bones. :)  We had a great evening with everyone, but I didn't get any pictures. :(

This past weekend, we had a friend's 30th birthday party.  Happy birthday Curt!!  Nick played drums for the band with Cole, Adam, and another guy I don't remember.  Kathryn and I called them "The Bearded Wonders."  Seriously... look at this.

They did a great job!  We had a lot of fun visiting with everyone and watching Merrick eat 4 green cupcakes.  That kid is crazy cute!  But I only got the one picture of the event.

Nick & I got to go to a Ben Rector concert too.  We loved it!  We got to Dallas early, shopped some, then spent a good deal of time at the hotel.  We rested, ordered in pizza, and watched movies on HBO. It was GREAT!

At the concert, we felt old.  Most of the concert goers were pretty young (a lot in high school still - their parents had to drop them off), and then the older crowd was the parents of the ones too young to go to a concert by themselves, then us.  We didn't let it bother us though.  We had a great time, and I thoroughly enjoyed Ben opening with "Bennie and the Jets."  It was awesome!  I wish he'd open for NEEDTOBREATHE again, so I could get two of my favorite bands at once. :)

Nick & I spent the night in Dallas then headed home after a leisurely morning.  We shopped a bit more, ate Taco Casa for lunch, then headed east.  We had such a good day.

This weekend will consist of dinners with family and Easter lunch in New Boston.  Can't wait!