CC loves her Uncle Nate

She'll be 5 in June. Time flies!Compare to just a year and a half ago:

The most beautiful time of year

If you're going to be driving in Texas, now is the time of year to be doing it. The highways and by-ways and parks and fields are dappled with an assortment of Texas wildflowers. And it's marvelous. These pictures don't do it justice- you just need to see it for yourself.

Recent Travels

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel. Early in March, Nate and I journeyed to the Grand Canyon, hiking down and back up in one day. It was an incredible experience. If you've never been to the Grand Canyon in the winter (or if you've never been... gasp!), you should definitely go.
The weekend immediately following that, we ran in the Dallas Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Nate signed me up for this race in December for my birthday, and so I was coerced (oops, I mean, given the opportunity) to train for and run in this race.

I then left the following weekend for a work-related trip to D.C. then to L.A. I have to say that this business trip was the most stressful by far in terms of travel. Almost all of my flights experienced delays, forcing tight connections in the connecting city. Furthermore, I learned how horrendous traveling out of LAX is. It is absolutely ridiculous. No one warned me about the 2-hour line to get to the security checkpoint. The line begins outside on the sidewalk, snakes around, then up the escalators inside, then another snake once you get upstairs, before you actually even make it to the security belts. Thankfully I was surrounded by assertive people which helped me to force my way ahead of others in order to catch my flight. I vow never to travel out of LAX ever again unless I have absolutely no other choice.

The plus side from my work trips was that I was able to see family in both destinations, which was a definite bonus. But I have to admit that looking down on Houston from my plane today never felt so good. The sun was bursting forth in full cheer, and I could see the lush greens and bodies of water, and even the downtown skyline. Oh Houston, how I've grown to adore thee!

And now, although it's not even 8pm in L.A., it's almost 11 in D.C., and I'm off to peaceful slumbers with Nate by my side.

Awesome

As Nate just brought to my attention:

Houston is hosting the 2012 marathon trials!

Would be amazing to see this live...

The Rodeo is almost here!

I said enough about this last year.

Tomorrow is Go Texan Day.

I can't wait to smell the cows.

Yeehaw!

Olympics!

I'm a huge fan of the Olympic Games. I've always been biased towards the summer Olympics (partly because of my enthusiasm for USA Gymnastics; partly because I think the summer season is superior to the winter in general) but the games are amazing regardless. The most talented athletes in the world- all in one place at one time. Incredible.

Admittedly I haven't watched much of the Winter games this year but I am looking forward to tonight's women's figure skating program. It should be a great show and I'm predicting some tears.

Photo Post

As promised (better late than never, right?), here are a few photos from our Jan. excursion to San Antonio.

Cecelia- 4.5 years

And just for fun- here she is at 1 year, at Nate's and my wedding:

Leyla- 2yrs, 10 months


Maggi- 14 monthsDoesn't she look sweet?

The ducks thought she was a little terror.