Breanne and Eric

2012-01-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

ISAAC

Isaac has been really into wearing my shoes lately:

Today, however, he tried a new one:
Daddy's gloves!

He's such a handsome guy and growing so fast!

GIDEON

Gideon is our little cutie bug- and he's started smiling!

ISAAC AND GIDEON

What cute brothers! They are already good friends.

2011-12-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

Isaac is so good at sharing his toys with his brother!

My two cutie-boys.

I loved this one even though it didn't turn out because they're holding hands- so cute!

We made gingerbread houses which turned into a campground of gingerbread tents because we couldn't keep the walls from caving in. But hey, we like camping!

This is Christmas morning. You can see the excitement on both Isaac and Gideon's faces.

Birthday Birthday!

2011-12-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Eric and Isaac!

My Beautiful Family

2011-12-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more precious than a sleeping baby.

We think that Gideon looks a lot like Isaac. Above is Gideon and Isaac is below:

Here is Gideon with open eyes:

Our two boys are so adorable!

Okay, so here are pictures from Halloween. Isaac was a monkey! Isn't he so cute?

We took Isaac to a carnival hosted by the church of one of Eric's coworkers:

I can't get over these big brown eyes. Oh, and the chocolate face is cute too!

So Isaac LOVES cranes and all other construction trucks. He seriously can identify excavators, dump trucks, steam rollers, skid steers, concrete mixers, cranes, backhoe loaders, front loaders, etc. I had no idea about most of these until recently. You can learn a lot with a two-year-old! Anyway, Eric and Isaac made a "crane" out of the broom, some string, and a magnet. Best toy ever!

Gideon John Talbot

2011-11-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Gideon John Talbot has arrived! He was born November 20th (9 days early)and weighed in at 8 lbs 2 oz. and was 20.5 inches long.

Here's the story: I woke up at 11:52pm with a contraction and he was born four hours and thirty-eight minutes later at 4:30am.

I feel great and Gideon is doing well. He is beautiful and we are enjoying our time home together as a family. We are so happy!

Vermonters in Boston

2011-10-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is my little boy, the true Vermonter complete with boots, flannel shirt and hat with earflaps.

So this weekend we made a trip down to Boston to go to the zoo. We had planned it out for weeks and were soooo excited because Isaac had never been to the zoo before. Here is a picture of one of our "getting pumped up for the zoo" preparations:

Well, we got there around noon (it's about 150 miles away) and we see a huge crowd of people standing outside the zoo entrance. It turns out that two of the zebras had escaped their enclosure and were running around the park. They had evacuated all the people and shut down the zoo. Sad! They kept telling us that they may or may not reopen and that they had no idea how long it would take...so, we waited for 2 hours before deciding to just go home. It was very disappointing. There was one cool thing about it though. I got interviewed by a lady from the Boston Globe and ended up being quoted in the newspaper. You can check it out here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/10/16/zebras_briefly_escape_in_franklin_park_zoo/

Fall Fun

2011-10-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

We went to Riverview Farm to celebrate autumn! This place is awesome. They have fresh apple cider(and I mean fresh - they press apples there with nothing added, no pasteurization or anything and it is soooo good!) They also have fresh homemade donuts (amazing!) and a horse-drawn wagon ride.

Here we picked apples...

Isaac liked to take bites out of as many apples as possible. Good thing we're just making applesauce with them.

This is the pumpkin that Isaac chose to pick and take home with us. Aren't the bumps awesome?

We had a wagon to pull around and help us carry all of our stuff. Isaac was a good "wagon helper".

We brought a picnic and ate it there while we peacefully watched the Connecticut River flow by. What a fun fall celebration!

Camping at Osmore Pond

2011-09-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

This last week we went on an amazing four-night camping trip as a family. We camped on a pond (out west it would be called a lake) where it was so solitary and beautiful. We took our canoe out on the water and it was just us and the loons and a beaver. It was so much fun to explore the ponds and go on hikes and spend so much time together in the beautiful Vermont outdoors. Isaac had the time of his life.

Hurricane Irene!

2011-08-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last night we had officially decided that Hurricane Irene was just a big flop. All the flashlights, batteries, bread, fuel and water were gone from the stores for nothing. Just a little rain.

Well...we got up this morning, went down the hill about a block from our house and changed our minds.

These are some things that we saw: (Remember this is after the river had already gone down a lot.

Some of you may recognize the bridge by our house. Normally it is actually very high above the water. Last night the water level had been as high as where I'm standing taking the picture.

Jesse Family Reunion- do you remember flying airplanes here? The lake used to be a big grassy field.

Isaac's sad little playground! The slides and swings were completely underwater and now are filled with mud. The river is actually supposed to be on the other side of all those trees.

This poor place, The Upper Valley Zen Center, is still partially underwater. It's less than 100 yards from Eric's work. Luckily his building was completely dry.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this railroad bridge is...well, no longer usable.

There were lot's of homes that were completely flooded- there are roads that are closed and covered with river silt because they were flooded as well. Luckily they opened one of the bridges up so I can get to the store. We now feel very blessed to live on this steep hill that we had cursed so many times during the winter storms!

Canoeing in Quechee

2011-06-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

2011-06-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

We are now true Vermonters- we own a canoe! We had our maiden voyage on the Connecticut River and it was so beautiful and fun! Too bad we forgot to bring the camera. Oh well. At least here's a picture of our canoe:

We went to Mt. Ascutney where there are some beautiful views of the Connecticut River Valley. We live in such a beautiful place!

I played with my steel drum band at the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival this week. It was really fun!

past-times

2011-03-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures combining two of Isaac's favorite past-times: Reading books and sitting in boxes. Much more fun to do them together.

Isaac and Jameson- having fun!

2011-01-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

Getting Big so fast!

2010-12-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here's some pics of our little boy Isaac! He'll be one year old tomorrow!

pictures!

2010-10-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

I don't have time to write captions, so you can make up your own. A prize goes to the best one.

2010-09-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

For the first time in two years (other than our trip to New Zealand) we hiked up a mountain! This was Mount Ascutney about 20 miles from our home. It was about 3 miles to the top and 2100 feet gain in elevation. We had just bought our baby backpack and it was so much fun!

Life is Good

2010-08-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

Cutie in the park

Thumbs up!

Isaac has started pulling himself to a stand and discovering a whole new 3-D world!

I promised Mom and Dad Talbot that I would post some pictures of our apartment. Here's two for starters. One is the view from our great deck and the other is our New Zealand guest bathroom upstairs. Hooray!

2010-08-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

Here is Isaac in his new sandbox

We went to a party for Eric's work and there was a guy doing characatures (sp?) What do you think? Does it look like us?

Ever since I started reading a book called "Super Baby Food", Isaac has decided that he is now Super Baby!

All in all, we are loving the beautiful Vermont summer! We like to swim in the swimming hole in the river down the road, pick blueberries, go for bikerides, float down the river, hike in the forest, and just enjoy the wonderful weather. I can definately see why everyone comes here for vacation!

2010-06-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Some things we've been up to here in VT. Strawberry picking, camping, walking in the local town forest (which is about 1 mile from our house)It's so beautiful here, we feel like we're just always on vacation!

2010-06-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

On such a long trip, we had to get a little creative with entertaining our little man! His favorite toys are always the "non-toys" as you can see...

Hooray for Vermont!

2010-06-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry this post has taken so long! I have to go to the local library (an awesome old house with a few books and four computers- more about that later) to go online. Which by the way- it has been fabulous to not have the internet at home! Here's some quick pics from our trip: (very quick b/c Isaac is a little restless on my lap...)

Our campsite in virginia

Our trip here was Awesome! (and very looooong) We drove through the following states:
Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Viriginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, NY, and Vermont!

The Conquering Hero

2010-05-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

It takes a very special person to be able to:

Finish a Master's Thesis
Find a job
Plan to move across the country
Be a new Dad

ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

Well, what can I say? I am married to a very special person. Eric passed his master's thesis defense today at Texas A&M University.

This is right before the defense. He doesn't even look that nervous!

Right after the defense.

Isaac and I love you, Eric!

Tomorrow we load up the Uhaul, and Monday we hit the open road for Vermont! We have had such a wonderful time here in Texas. It's sad to close this chapter in our lives, yet very exciting to open the next chapter and see what great things are in store for us in Vermont!

I'm so mean

2010-05-21T18:49:00.001-07:00

I made this cute skirt for a friend's baby shower...I had to try it on somebody to make sure it fit!

You've gotta admit that he does look really cute!

2010-05-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Thinker

The Stinker

The Almost Winker

Vermont, Here We Come!

2010-05-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. Today Eric accepted the job in Vermont! We are so excited to be moving there in a few weeks- 2,000 miles away! Hooray! It's kind of weird to be almost done with school and in that "hey this could be permanent so it must be real" stage of life. Vermont. And we thought that Texas was far away...next move will probably be New Zealand.

All around the country

2010-04-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Our family recently went on a fun trip to Vermont and Utah. Eric had some job interviews and he decided we would all be too lonely if Isaac and I didn't go with him. Isaac was a fantastic traveler! He made friends with all the flight attendants and hotel receptionists. And he still slept great every night! Hooray!

This is the only picture from our trip to Vermont. We are visiting SugarBush Farm where they make maple syrup and cheese. Both the cheese and the syrup were AMAZING! It was really neat to learn about how they tap the syrup from the trees every spring.

Also in Vermont, we visited Joseph Smith's birthplace- that was a really special place to go.

Below are pictures from our time in Utah. We went hiking in AF canyon, and Isaac went for his first bikeride!

The mountains were soooo beautiful! I am amazed at how I took them for granted all growing up. When you live somewhere like Texas, you realize what a special place Utah Valley is.

Grandma Jesse loved spending time with our little man as you can see.

Isaac's baby blessing

2010-04-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for our family. Grandpa Talbot came out from San Diego and helped Eric give Isaac his blessing in church. It was a very special experience, a very beautiful blessing, and a very very cute baby.

Bluebonnets

2010-04-11T18:36:00.001-07:00

The bluebonnets are out! The Texas State Flower bursts into bloom for a short time every spring. It is a long-standing Texas tradition (since the days of the Republic) to take pictures of your kids (or dogs) in the bluebonnets. Since Isaac is a true blue born Texan, we had to follow suit:

10K Hoo-ray!

2010-04-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

Our whole family ran a 10k today! (Well, Isaac didn't actually run...) It was so much fun because we love running together!

Eric actually pushed to stroller- I was just posing for a picture around mile 4.

Isaac has been growing so fast lately. In the last 7 days he has gone from completely immobile to being able to roll over from back to front and then front to back again. He has suddenly seemed so much older. Probably because when I go to pick him up from his naps, he is no longer helplessly laying on his back like a turtle turned over, he is sprawled out on his stomach like a teenager who stayed up too late.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:08:00.001-07:00

Today was a beautiful Easter Sunday when I was again reminded of the resurrection of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ. As Eric and I were heading to a local park for our annual family Easter "morning-side", we began talking about the first Easter day. "What do you think the weather was like?" Eric asked. After thinking for a moment, I had no doubt as to the answer. Did not the earth mourn and great storms fill the world when its very maker had died? Then I am sure that the earth, the trees, the birds, flowers, and skies rejoiced at his rising again! Can you picture the beauty, the peace and joy of that wonderful day? I can, and in my heart I rejoice and am filled with gratitude for my Savior. I know that because of His sacrifice and power of death, I too can live again!

More Painting

2010-04-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished another painting! I usually only work on painting while Isaac is napping...therefore it takes me a long time to actually get one done!

This is inspired by a photograph taken in Yosemite National Park. The dimensions are 22"x28".

New Tent!

2010-03-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

We went camping again this weekend with our brand new tent! Unfortunately our camera battery died and so we were only able to take one picture:

Good thing we got at least one picture of our first camping trip with the new tent!

What's up doc?

2010-03-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

I thought this picture was hilarious. Isaac is so funny! We took him to ward choir practice yesterday. He loved to sing with everybody! (Although he does need to learn about not singing fortissimo during the piano interludes...)

A couple weeks ago Isaac had his very first camping trip! He loved it! Isaac and Eric slept great all night, but mom didn't sleep so well. You see our tent is super small and there isn't really enough room for all three of us. So this weekend we're going camping again....but with a brand new awesome bigger tent. We'll let ya know how it goes.

2010-02-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

An artist in the making

2010-02-09T13:58:00.001-08:00

Today was Isaac's first art lesson. I think it turned out pretty well! He's two months, going on Picasso. ps. He really was holding the brush- I only made sure it didn't wack either of us in the face. And he made the footprints himself by pretending to march on the paper- a technique as old as the hills.

Getting ready to paint!

The master with his masterpiece

Painting

2010-02-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

I just finished another painting. It has been so much fun to do! I haven't really done any serious landscapes before and it was a real challenge. Especially on such a large canvas (it's about 2'x3') The painting is of a photo we took on our trip in New Zealand. (I posted the photo below) The original photo was taken with a disposable camera that cost probably 5 dollars and it turned out pretty dark. The digital photo you see has already been enhanced and lightened as much as possible.

The Painting is entitled:

Totaranui
The Maori name for the Queen Charlotte Sound.

Ah Goo

2010-01-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

"Ahll goo"

"What will you goo?"

"Glaackkkk"

"Oh, you'll goo some glack, huh? Why?"

"Bllllggggkkk."

"That sounds like a great reason to goo the glack. Then what?"

And so on......Such conversations have become my favorite past time!

Isaac has become such a smiley baby! I love it when he looks right at me a gives me a giant "muppet" smile.

And this is our BOB. It has been the best running stroller ever! Eric, Isaac, Bob, and I now enjoy our evening runs together. BEST STROLLER EVER!!!!

2009-12-30T16:34:00.000-08:00

This guy looks pretty tough in his monster hat.

Not so tough, but very cute and cuddly!

These cheeks are sooooo kissable!

Isaac

2009-12-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

We just love our little Isaac!

Birthday Birthday

2009-12-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

This year Eric got the best birthday present ever....a brand new perfect little son! We are so happy to have little Isaac Steven Talbot in our family! He is absolutely perfect and it was really special to have him come on his daddy's birthday.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

We continued our tradition of camping on Thanksgiving. This year,however, we started a new tradition- cooking Thanksgiving dinner over a fire pit! Wow- this was so fun! And the food was delicious! We had a roasted chicken, sweet potato, regular potato, roasted corn, stuffing, apple crisp, and rolls. This was the yummiest Thanksgiving dinner we've ever had! I must say that I love camping. (You've got to if you go when you're 37 weeks pregnant...) We enjoyed some nice hikes and Eric went on a really awesome 25 mile bike ride. (I took a really awesome nap instead of joining him.) Overall, it was a really fun Thanksgiving weekend.

35andahalfweeks

2009-11-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

I've been really bad about posting about my pregnancy. Mostly because it's been pretty uneventful (which is really good). Here's a pic of my 35andahalfweek belly:

I have really really enjoyed being pregnant! It's funny by now this belly of mine and all it entails occupies probably 95% of my working brain power 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This does make it a bit hard to concentrate on or pay attention to anything else and I've found my short term memory is getting shorter and shorter because of it. :)

I'm also getting to that point were every stranger I see has their own very strong opinion on when my baby is going to arrive. Some are sure I'm about to go into labor any minute and for heaven's sake why don't I have my bags packed and in the car, while others insist that I'd better kiss that tax break good-bye because baby is going to take his sweet time and not come until the new year... I guess only time will tell!
But I love how it makes everyone so happy when they ask me about my baby! People I don't even know get all excited and their eyes light up when they ask me about my baby and then proceed to tell me about all the babies in their lives past and present. Babies really are pretty exciting!

October Happenings

2009-11-01T11:08:00.001-08:00

Last weekend (23rd and 24th)we went to Bastrop State Park and camped. It was so nice to be there! The trees were tall pines and the air was crisp and cool- it almost felt like we were in the mountains! Saturday morning we participated in an orienteering competition which was super fun. We had our map and compass and went tramping around in the woods to find the sixteen markers so we could punch our card and prove we were there. Overall, it was a great trip!

Yesterday for Halloween we helped out at our church carnival by running the "can knock-down" booth. It was really fun to be there with all the kiddos and to do something fun and wholesome on Halloween. I had to dress up my "little pumpkin"- wasn't he cute?!

Hooray for Camping!

2009-10-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

We've spent the last five months waiting for it to cool off here. We kept saying, "We can make it until September! It's almost here!" Well, September came and went without much of a change in the weather. Then it was "Well then, how about October! We'll make it!" We scheduled a campout hoping it would cool off by then. The week came and it started off muggier than it had been all summer...but then Friday morning it finally released and the rain came down! It poured all day long and then right about when we had scheduled to leave, it stopped raining- but the mugginess was gone! It was "cold" outside! I couldn't believe it! We had a great time- I needed to wear layers and snuggle in blankets! We made a fire and it was so fun and cozy! It was a wonderful break from the heat.

Unfortunately it didn't last. It's back to the muggy heat again... maybe November will be cool!

Mighty Band from Tigerland!

2009-08-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

(Something happened so that it cut off half of the picture...oops!)

This summer I have been working at the A&M Consolidated High School instructing their front ensemble for the marching band. This has been so much fun! I guess I'll always be a band nerd at heart...

Out of the mouth of babes....

2009-08-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

"Sister Talbot, are you pregnant? - because I know you're not that fat!"

It's a Boy!

2009-07-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I have a little man in my tummy! He's so cute. I can't wait until I get to see him face to face!

Surfin' USA

2009-07-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

We recently went to San Diego for a Talbot Family Reunion. It's funny how when I was little family reunions meant gathering with great aunt so-and-so, second cousins three times removed, uncle whoever, and lot's of other people I didn't know or only vaguely recognized. Now, a family reunion consists of mine or Eric's siblings (and their spouses and children) and our parents- that's it. Does that mean I'm getting old, or have family dynamics just changed?

Anyway, we had a fabulous time seeing Scott (Eric's younger brother) who has recently returned from his mission in Tennessee. The only thing I took pictures of was Eric taking surfing lessons with his four brothers. That was so fun to watch! And I must say that Eric was by far the best. :)

What's a waterloupe?

2009-07-09T11:07:00.001-07:00

I went to the regular old grocery store and bought a regular old watermelon out of a regular old bin of other regular watermelons in the regular old produce section. Imagine my surprise when I cut the melon open to find it bright orange! Last time I ate watermelon it was pink inside... This melon looked just like a cantaloupe with black seeds! It was really weird because it still tasted just like watermelon. (A really good one too!) Hmmm....Texas is a very interesting place.

The Big ShaBang!

2009-07-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

This was the fourth "Fourth" Eric and I have celebrated together- and the BEST yet! First, we went canoeing at 5:30 in the morning. (An attempt to beat the heat...)What a blast! We saw a great white egret and a great blue heron on the lake along with a lot of other birds. We saw the sun rise and enjoyed a few hours of peaceful paddling on the lake along with exploring a "treasure island". I didn't really explore, just laid down and ate a banana.

Then we returned home, took naps, and spent the afternoon lazily hanging out, reading books, and enjoying a nice air-conditioned "BBQ" at home. (There was no way I was having a barbecue outside in 104 degrees).

Then we made a beautiful southern 4th of July picnic consisting of: homemade fried chicken and potato salad. And a patriotic dessert!

We packed up this delicious picnic and headed to the George Bush Presidential Library where there were concerts and patriotic stuff all to end with a fireworks show! It was fantastic! It was the first time I had ever seen fireworks accompanied by a live orchestra! The Brazos Valley Symphony performed lot's of great pieces including Aaron Copland, John P. Sousa, the great "Armed Forces Salute", 1812 Overture (Which had the boom of fireworks rather than canons- sweet!), and more! It was so much fun!

Happy Fourth of July!

There and back again ...

2009-06-28T14:11:00.001-07:00

Getting There

College Station to Houston: 2 hour drive. High Spirits, anticipation, constantly fighting the fear that "I've forgotten something", juice boxes, parking garage.

Houston to L.A.: 3 hour flight. Time in the airport, turkey and avacado pitas, organic animal cookies, still high energy.

L.A. to Auckland: 12.5 hour flight. Time in the airport, Lord of the Rings, brushing teeth in unknown bathrooms, gigantic plane, four seats for just us, Eric's first encounter with the Kiwi accent- "Was that English?", fancy plane meals, headphones, Yo Yo Ma, trying to sleep...

We are in Auckland! Very tired, still excited. Waiting for baggage. Dog sniffs Breanne's bag. Security lady. Questions. Rumaging through all belongings. Food discovered. Confiscated. Security man. More questions. Rumaging through belongings. Tent discovered. Confiscated for inspection. Security x-ray. More questions. Secret door. Return of the tent. Missed flight. Head for next flight. Discovering New Zealand through its airport.

Auckland to Wellington: 1 hour flight. Waiting in airport. Search of drinking fountain. Tired. Sandwiches and chocolate cake. Yum. Still waiting. Taxi man from random European country no one has ever heard of. Beautiful interesting city. Houses line the green hillside. Left side of the road. Waiting for the ferry. Sprite cost 4 dollars.

Wellington to Picton: 3 hour ferry. High high spirits! Best seats in the house! Top of the ferry. Beautiful exciting view. Strong wind. Big waves. Too cold. Inside. Exploring the big ferry. Open ocean. Big big waves. Breanne puts her head down. Sleeps. Ready to be there.

We are in Picton! Rain. Dark. Abandoned ferry terminal. Rent a car. DRIVE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD! Hostel welcoming. Own room. Own bed. Indian food. Hot chocolate pudding....nope, too sleepy.

Going Home

What!?? The ferry is cancelled? What gigantic storm? What are we going to do? Take the later ferry? No- we'd miss our flight. Leave in a few days? No- way way way too expensive. Take the earlier ferry? No- it's cancelled too. Leave from Christchurch? That might work, but how do we get there? Take a bus? No bus. Take a train? Too late. Take a naked bus? No- no naked bus. Take a plane? Way too expensive, and probably too late. Rent a car?

Change of plans: we're going to Christchurch.

Picton to Christchurch: 4 hour drive. Rental Car (Toyota RAV 4 with hatchback). Talking direction lady. Big mountains. Green farms. Tall thick hedges. Beautiful rocky coast. Big big big waves. Keep driving. Hokey Pokey. We made it! Eric is the best driver in the world.

Christchurch to Auckland: 1.5 hour flight. Time in the airport. Peanut butter sandwiches. Greenhouse guy from Europe who works a lot.

Auckland to L.A.: 12 hour flight. Fancy food. Cool silverware to add to Eric's collection. Not as much space as last time. Sleep! Please Sleep! Trying to sleep...Yo Yo Ma. Long long long flight.

L.A. to Houston: 3 hour flight. Customs! 1 can of chicken. Will we ever learn? Calling parents. Waiting for plane. Changing clothes and brushing teeth. Beautiful sunshine outside. Ready to be home. Flight attendant gets us hooked on animal cookies.

Houston to College Station: 2 hour drive. Parking garage. Very humid! Driving home...almost there! Please can we stop at Wendy's? Cheeseburgers and frenchfries hit the spot. Climb the stairs. Open the door. Tears spring up. It's so good to be home!

Billion Degrees

2009-06-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

I used to think it got hot in Utah during the summer. Then I moved to Southeast Texas. I had no idea what it felt like to have a heat index of 109 degrees outside. Now I know- and it is unbelievably hot!

But hey, I am soooooooooooo glad that I'm only four months pregnant and not eight or nine!

Miracles Do Happen

2009-06-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

After nine very long months of infertility treatments, the Lord has decided that it's our turn! I'm 13 weeks pregnant- due in December! I want everyone who reads this blog (if anybody does) to know that I know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers and that He is very aware of our individual needs and circumstances. My doctor cannot explain how it happened- but I can because I know that miracles do happen!

The Best Day

2009-06-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Day four of our tramp was incredible. It took us to the highest peaks of the whole trip, but it was also the shortest day distance-wise, so we enjoyed sleeping a little longer than normal, then got started after a slow breakfast. Walking back up the road, we turned onto the track and immediately began a long, steep climb through high brush. The sky was absolutely beautiful and clear. It was the only day of the trip that it did not rain once the whole day. After about two hours, we came to a clearing in the brush very near to the highest point of the track. On the side of the clearing was a large water barrel. We scrambled on top, and the view was amazing. To the north, the our eyes skimmed over the various inlets, coves, and islands of Queen Charlotte Sound until they rested on the dim outline of the North Island on the horizon. To the south we saw giant, jagged peaks covered with snow. Looking down to the east, we saw almost the entire length Queen Charlotte sound spread out before us, with its stunning blue water. To the west, we could see Kenepuru sound, where each little valley held green farm fields running right down to the water's edge. We also looked and couldn't believe how far we had come since our tramp began. We stood there for a while, taking in the sheer heavenly beauty of it. The only un-perfect part about it was that our eyes could just see half of it at once. We turned round and round trying to piece together the whole world in our minds, and understand its magnificence. It was an experience we will not soon forget.

Sequoia Lodge

2009-06-03T14:11:00.001-07:00

Sequoia Lodge is one of my favorite things about our New Zealand adventure. Its what Kiwis call a "backpackers". Europeans might call it a hostel. Americans would call it "you stayed where?!" But actually we loved it. You have the option of getting a bunk in a dorm-like room (a great way to save money - it costs only 8 or 9 dollars a night), or getting a private room with a slightly bigger bed (more expensive, but great for those who value privacy), which is the option Breanne and I went with. Either way, you share the toilet and shower with your fellow travelers. Ours was actually across a little courtyard, which made for some exciting mid-night bathroom trips on the wildly stormy first night we were there.

Everybody also shared one kitchen. It had four sinks, four stoves, two refrigerators, three dining tables, and each person got a little cubby hole to store food. When you get hungry, you just grab whatever dishes you need, cook something up, and in the process, you might meet some interesting people at the next stove over. We met a couple from England who had been traveling around Australia and New Zealand for 15 months, just working on different farms for two or three weeks at a time, in exchange for a place to sleep and a meal. The best part about the kitchen however, was the nightly free hot chocolate pudding and ice cream cooked and served by the manager. It was so yummy that all the over-night guests would stand in line just to get a bowl.

By the way, if you're wondering why it was called Sequoia Lodge, there was a giant Sequoia tree just across the street. Sequoias do not belong in New Zealand, but some how this one was.

The Smarty-pants Man

2009-05-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

I just like to brag about how incredibly smart and hard-working my husband is. He just got his grades: STRAIGHT A'S! That makes a 4.0 for his entire first year of graduate school! Go Eric!

New Zealand Adventure (pronounced: adveencha): Part One

2009-05-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

BAH-DOOSH! Our boat slams back onto the water after sailing off the top of a 5-meter swell. Breanne lays on the floor, face covered with her sweater, in a effort to not barf. Eric, grinning wildly, watches the waves fully engulf the 10-meter water taxi. BAH-DOOSH! "New Zealand broke from the mainland 90 million years ago, before the evolution of mammals . . . " Seemingly unware of the raging torrents, our fearless captain continues to enlighten us about the origin of species on the surrounding islands, as he sips his cup of coffee and munches his sandwich.

Thus began our epic 5-day, 71-km tramp on the Queen Charlotte track on New Zealand's wild and rugged south island. As we watched the boat speed away, we looked around us and realized that we were entirely, completely (and utterly) alone. The rain stiffened, and we quickly took cover in the nearest (and only) shelter: the girl's bathroom. In our refuge, we took stock of our resources, gathered our courage, and tried to stop shivering. Before venturing into the wild unknown, we paused to snap a picture in front of the Captain Cook monument hoping that this homage would lend us good luck to our expedition.

The trail: Thick green jungle ferns. Exotic bird calls from all directions. Misty. Tarzan vines. The expectation that you might see a gorilla or tiger jumping out at you any minute. The wonderful sounds of nothing.

The views: AMAZING. Lush green mountainsides dropping suddenly into perfectly clear turquoise-blue water.

15 km later, we arrived at our first destination: Miner's Camp. This was a quaint little homestead on the shores of Endeavour Inlet. Bev, our hostess, greeted us at her backdoor with a piece of homemade cake and told us that we could set up camp anywhere down in her orchard. We camped in a grove of fruit trees: kiwi, persimmon, and fejioa. There were rabbit hutches and roaming chickens and the most beautiful display of stars you could ever imagine. Exhausted, we snarfed down some dinner and climbed into our sleeping bags.

Wind Chimes

2009-04-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

Eric and I made some wind chimes out of copper pipe, wire, a chunk of wood, and a lid. We found a website that explained an accurate way to tune wind chimes with a formula using the Hertz frequency and the lengths relative to each other. It was really pretty awesome how it's just a mathematical formula on paper and then voila! the lengths you come up with are actually the notes you wanted them to be! We tuned them to my absolutely favorite chord: Major-Major Seventh (MM7). Beautiful!

When it's really windy I'll take a video and post it so ya'll can hear them.

The Chili-nator

2009-04-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last week our ward had a "Chili Cook-off". It was a pretty big deal- they had several judges including the lady who wrote the food column in the local newspaper and the pastor of the really big Baptist church nearby. So many people turned out to show their "chili-cookin' stuff". There were four of those really long tables lined with crockpots of good southern homemade chili. At the end they announced the winners- and guess what!? I, the little non-southern Utah gal won a prize for my chili! I was so excited! Actually, during the whole thing, I kept going back to the table and peeking at my chili and it was gone first! Yeah. I think that definitely earns a few bragging rights. :)

General Conference!

2009-04-06T07:00:00.001-07:00

When I was doing a study abroad in New Zealand a few years ago I had an experience that changed my view of and appreciation for General Conference. It was a few weeks before Conference and I started to get excited- however I learned that because of the time difference, they don't broadcast it until the following week. No big deal, right? Well... it just so happened that I was flying home the following week! There was no internet fast enough to watch it on and no satellite t.v. I was so upset! I complained to everyone for a week or so about how sad I was that I wouldn't be able to watch conference. On the next Sunday (which was actually the Saturday that conference was happening)I realized something. I was overwhelmed with incredible gratitude for the fact that God loves us so much that He speaks to a prophet and that prophet then speaks to us. It doesn't matter when or how you get those words- they are still words from God! I was humbled by my ingratitude and realized that having a prophet on this earth (and having the testimony and knowledge of this prophet) was one of the greatest blessings I could ever hope for.
Having said all that I must say that I am still grateful for our prophet. I am also grateful for all of the talks and music at general conference. A few of my favorites:

-The beautiful arrangement of "We Thank Thee, O God for a Prophet" sung by the tabernacle choir was amazing.

-Elder Holland's touching address about our Savior's atonement and that because of it, we are never alone- this gave me great comfort and increased my faith in Jesus Christ.

-Elder Bednar gave a very insightful talk about the temple and our temple covenants. I was inspired to increase my understanding of the covenants and improve the quality of my temple worship.

-Overall, I felt like one of the themes of this conference could be that through our temple covenants and obedience to the commandments, we have power and protection. With that power and protection, we have no reason to fear or despair!

Singin' in the Rain

2009-03-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

I just got some new awesome rain gear for our New Zealand trip and was really excited to try it out. A couple of days ago I was being kind of mopey and not wanting to go out on our daily walk. We looked outside and saw that it was beginning to rain- and this is no Utah rain. This is like a torrential tropical Texas downpour! With the help of Eric I decided to not be mopey anymore, but to be excited to try out my new gear. So we headed out in the downpour and I had the time of my life! We were tromping around in calf-deep gutter-rivers and our neighbors thought we were insane! And my gear worked great! It just felt really good to turn a mopey rainy day to a super fun adventure!

Spring Break Camping!

2009-03-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

We had a super-fun three day camping trip over Spring Break this week! We went to Lake Somerville which is about 45 minutes west of here. On the lake, we went canoeing and I caught a white bass (using my most excellent fishing skills- actually I don't really know how to fish) and we ate it! Yum! We also went on a 20-mile mountain bike ride which was really fun!

Time Flies!

2009-03-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! What happened to February? I can't believe it's already the 13th of March! I'm still writing 2008 on stuff and it's three months into the year!

So, what has happened during all this time? Let's see...I decided that substitute teaching wasn't really at all like regular teaching, mostly like baby-sitting. So, I got a job at a shoe store that's really close to our house. Much more fun- and much less waking up early in the morning. I love it because I work part-time during the day (really awesome hours like 10-4 during the week, and I don't work nights or weekends). The best part is that I get to try on shoes and help people try on shoes all day! They're really nice shoes too- we sell flip-flops for $80. I'm not sure how financially productive this job will be...I've only worked there for a week and a half and I've already bought two pairs of shoes...

Let's see, what else has happened? We've been planning our trip to New Zealand, and we're going camping next week for spring break, and Eric has been working super hard at school, and I'm still doing scouts, and we teaching primary, and I've been working on my book. And I've been having fun with shoes. That's about it.

Going to the land down under....

2009-02-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

Eric and I have decided to go on an adventurous backpacking excursion to NEW ZEALAND!
We are so excited! Here's some pictures from my last trip to the beautiful land of the long white cloud. (The pictures aren't from the same place where we're going, but everywhere in New Zealand is beautiful, so you get the right idea.) More details on the trip later.

Hooooooo Are You?

2009-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

This little guy lives somewhere nearby. We've seen him right outside our apartment several times. He's an Eastern Screech Owl as far as we can tell. (Recently we've taken up bird-watching.)

Twenty-Four Random Things

2009-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm only going to do 24 random things because that's how old I am:

1. I am 24 years old.
2. I have a bread maker and I love using it for the sheer enjoyment knowing that I can make delicious homemade bread with less than 5 minutes of work.
3. I have a really hard time getting up in the morning- it's like my cozy bed tries to eat me and won't let me go until it is light outside.
4. I have the complete irrational fear that my pants are going to be too short. So I always by pants that are several inches too long. (I don't even know if I could find pants that would be too short and that I could still fit into...)
5. I lived in New Zealand for four months.
6. I have eaten something that was alive when I ate it.
7. I like to spy on my neighbors. (Admit it! You do too!)
8. The word "ya'll" is slowly creeping into my regular vocabulary.
9. I eat half a grapefruit for breakfast about five times a week. (That's not all I eat for breakfast by the way.)
10. I don't eat candy and haven't eaten it for over a year.
11. Eric and I walk 16 miles every week together.
12. I have been to places where they filmed Lord of the Rings and yet I have never seen any of the movies.
13. I am a cub scout leader- we took the scouts to the police station last week and I think the sergeant convinced the kids that they never want to go to jail.
14. I love to cook food! We got this great cookbook for Christmas (How to Cook Everything) and it has definitely taken my cooking skills to the next level.
15. I am accompanying 13 high school kids for solo and ensemble night at the local high school next week.
16. My car squeaks like it is 100 years old.
17. I think I have sneezed about 650 times today. Something is pollinating here.
18. I brush my teeth for 6 minutes everyday. (Really. I use a timer. And I know that's kind of weird.)
19. My favorite movies are: Anne of Green Gables, Planet Earth, It's a Wonderful Life, and here's the really big confession: Baptists at Our BBQ (It's one of those super cheesy made in Utah movies- but...I can't help it! It's so funny!)
side note: I really want to watch it now that I actually know a lot of Baptists.
20. I started wearing eye liner and eye shadow since I've been married. I used to never wear anything but mascara! Weird- I guess I must be old or something.
21. I haven't cut my hair besides a trim in over 3 and a half years.
22. Do you know anything about louvered lights, queues, leading and lagging lefts, and uninterrupted flow? I do.
23. Eric and I have matching pajama pants with trains and railroad crossing signs all over them.
24. You know how sometimes you just sort of stare off into space and get stuck there for a minute? We call that getting "zoned" at our house.

Another gator in the house? Gimme that shovel!

2009-02-07T15:38:00.001-08:00

We went to Huntsville State Park this weekend to camp. It's a beautiful place with really tall piney trees. (It almost felt like we were in the mountains...but alas, we were only at an elevation of 400 feet). Apparently there are 'gators at this park and we were eagerly looking to spot one, but all we saw were a bunch of birds and an armadillo.
We went hiking on Saturday morning and shared the trail with the "Rocky Raccoon 50 mile and 100 mile trail run". And I thought 26.2 was far! There were about 500 people in the race (crazy that there are actually that many people who can run that far!) and it was so fun to watch them run! It reminded me how much fun our races were and how I can't wait until my ITBS gets better so we can run again.
We had a great time and have so far really enjoyed our goal to go camping once a month.

You can see that I am now a true Texan- sporting my oh-so-fashionable camouflage baseball cap.

This is where we went gator hunting.

A very rare sight in Texas! (It's a fellow Utah license plate)

Mr. Smarty-pants Husband

2009-01-25T16:29:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago there was a national conference in Washington D.C. for the Transportation Research Board (TRB). At this conference engineers from all over come to watch presentations on transportation research. Through Eric's scholarship program, the university paid for him to attend this conference. But the really neat thing was that a paper that Eric co-authored with a professor at BYU was being presented at this super prestigious big-time conference! Neat-o! (I really like to brag about my super smart husband!)

Here he is with his old professor from BYU who presented their paper.

He also got to do a little sight-seeing while he was there!

It was a really great opportunity for Eric to go, but I was very VERY happy when he came back home to me!

Christmas Break!

2009-01-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

Eric and I went to San Diego for two weeks over Christmas and then headed to Utah for one week over New Years. We were able to see everyone on both sides of the family. (Except Scotty-pants our missionary of course. But we did get to talk to him on Christmas.) It was so much fun to see everyone and enjoy the beauties of both home-towns.

San Diego: Beach, sunshine, beach, mountains (granted, they are small, but they are definitely bigger than anything Texas has to offer), orange trees, and did I mention the beach?

Utah: Snow! Mountains (these are no sissy-mountains), snow, and more snow.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip! But after three-weeks of suitcase living and airports it was nice to get back home. (The snow was fun too, but I can't complain about coming home to 76 degree sunshine...)

Snow-shoe-ing (how do you spell that?) in Utah

Watching the sunset and having fun at La Jolla with Eric, Bryce, and Mom and Dad Talbot. (One of the several beach excursions of this trip)

My two-and-a-half year old elf nephew.

A pelican (did you ever realize how big they are?) at Oceanside. We also got to eat at Ruby's which is on the pier. While we were eating we saw a bunch of dolphins swimming by. AMAZING! I love California!

I am eagerly opening my mystery birthday present- A bread maker! Hooray for homemade bread that takes almost no work to make!

I love the Internet!

2008-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I accidentally spilled bright green melted candle wax on our beige carpet. Oops. I let it harden and this morning I tried to picked it off each individual strand of carpet- not fun. Not easy. Not working. Then I remembered this awesome thing called "google" which was so adorably referred to as "gobblety-goop" by a really funny elderly lady I was visiting once. Anyway, I simply typed in "how to get candle wax out of carpet" and instantly I had all the information I needed! Who knew that all you need is an iron on the lowest setting and a brown paper bag? You put the bag on the carpet and place the warm iron on top. It melts the wax and the paper absorbs it! Voila! I had so much fun ironing my carpet, I almost spilled more wax on purpose. Just kidding.

What!? Snow in College Station?

2008-12-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

Apparently it hasn't snowed like this in twenty years. The people here are going crazy! Some of them have never seen snow before. It feels like home to me!
The weirdest thing is that yesterday it was so hot I had the AC on! Crazy!

This is my favorite little guy having a blast discovering snow. He is our neighbor's 15 month old son.

Backpacking, Coyotes, and King of the Mountain

2008-12-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

We decided to do something completely un-traditional and fun for Thanksgiving this year. We went backpacking!
There's funny thing about Texas. One has to go a loooooooooong way to find anything that even remotely resembles a mountain. We drove for 4 1/2 hours to a place called Enchanted Rock State Park. Basically there's a bunch of rocks that glow in the dark and make your wishes come true.
Ha ha. Just kidding. I think it's a site of an ancient volcano or something. There are about five "peaks" of smooth rock among very nice desertous terrain. (cactus and dirt and stuff)
There's a pretty cool thing about these "peaks": when you get to the top, you get the same feeling after at least five hours of hiking in the Rockies- you are the KING OF THE MOUNTAIN! You are the highest thing for miles around and you have basically conquered the world. And the best part is that it only takes about 10 minutes (max) to get to the top! All the glory for a fraction of the work! Wow! Now that's pretty awesome.
Another neat thing about the desertous terrain is the coyotes. We were awakened several times both nights there by the yipping, yapping, barking, and howling of several coyotes. There must have been a bunch of them because it was loud- they were having a pretty wild coyote party!
One last amazing part of backpacking is: the stars at night are BIG and bright deep in the heart of Texas! We climbed to the highest peak after dark and looked at the stars. Wow. It was by far the biggest sky blasting the brightest stars I have ever seen. Seriously, everyone needs a chance to experience that.

Attitude of Gratitude

2008-11-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

I really believe that a huge key to being happy is to have an attitude of gratitude. (I know I don't always actually have this attitude, but I try!)A lady in my ward said that every morning for her personal prayers, she just expresses gratitude- doesn't ask for anything. So, I tried it and it is amazing! When I remember to do it (probably 80% of the time) these are by far my most heartfelt prayers and they make my day so much happier! Thank you Sister Cutler!

Things I am grateful for:

*My husband who does the dishes, tells me he loves me, and has never criticized me- ever. Not even once since I've known him.

*We're going to San Diego and Utah in about four weeks! Hooray!

*My parents who bought the plane ticket to make the extra trip to see them!

*Cold, snuggly weather (okay, so here in Texas 60 degrees feels cold. I think I've been climatized or something)

*"Modern Medicine" (the things they can do!) and really nice doctors who actually know who you are and care about helping you out

*Christmas Music- especially this CD of guitars playing Christmas songs and my Celtic Christmas CD with the Kee-ari song on it (thanks Mom)! All I need is the Roger Whitaker CD and I'll be set.

*Wal-mart being less than 2000 feet away :)

*Our car, the "Squeak-anator" that is still running great!

*The many sisters in our ward who are willing and eager to help out when I need them to make food for stuff

*Financial stability- being able to stay in budget and not having to work!

*Being able to substitute when and wherever I want to

*My testimony of Jesus Christ

1.99/ gallon

2008-11-11T06:51:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to make the announcement that gas is selling for 1.99/gal in College Station, TX.

Herb Gardens and Handsome Hubbies

2008-11-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

What a Handsome Hubby I have!

This is my herb garden. I am growing rosemary, oregano, chives, and two types of thyme. I love cooking with fresh herbs- they make everything taste super yummy! The garden is on our patio/deck thing of our apartment.

Socks and Sweaters

2008-10-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Every year I look forward to what I call the "Crispy Day". It's that first day of the year when it actually feels like fall. The air has a sort of "crispiness" to it and everything seems to be happier because of it. It feels like the burden of summer heat has been lifted off your shoulders and you want to jump in a big pile of crunchy leaves. Well, it has been magnificently cool here in College Station for the past two weeks after our "crispy day" and I'm lovin' it! I dug out a few sweaters (my favorite!) and went to Wal-Mart to buy some real socks. Until this point, I had only worn flip-flops, dress socks (to work), or my favorite Smart-Wool running socks for the past two years. The only other normal socks I own are too-small ankle socks that stretch out so much you can almost see through them! So, I bought a whole pack of those thick, soft, white sporty socks- ya know with the gray toe that just make your feet feel snuggly. I was so happy I skipped home from Wal-Mart!
Hooray for fall!

Hatchet

2008-10-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture from our camping trip last week. Breanne and I had just finished reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, so I was inspired to pose this awe-inspiring picture.

Big hands, cavities, and small mouths do not mix!

2008-10-24T08:11:00.001-07:00

Everytime I go to the dentist, it's always, "Open wider! Please! Just a little bit wider! As big as you can!" At first the dentist is all nice and friendly about it, but after a while, his exasperation of not being able to reach my back teeth inevitably shows through.
This is what happened yesterday. Three cavities. Three! My whole face was numbed, but the worst part was the feeling that my jaw had been snapped in two after the numbness wore off. I guess that's what I get for having what the dentist called "a very small mouth". But....it's over with and my hunny gave me flowers for being so brave.

Hooray for wonderful husbands!

In-laws

2008-10-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I LOVE MY IN-LAWS! They are coming to visit next week and I can't wait to have them over and show them all of the two things there are to do here in College Station (frisbee golf, and...well, I can't remember the other thing. oh well.) Here's some pics of our family reunion last August.

More Random Happenings

2008-10-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

That is my darling husband, "The Packinator"! He successfully packed everything we owned in that tiny uhaul trailer. And then, we successfully pulled that thing all the way to Texas. Yes, it was a miracle.

This was right before we moved when all of our kitchen stuff was already packed....so I'm eating instant oatmeal with a plastic fork. YUM!

This was when we went to San Diego last April...it was really fun.

Just a few random happenings

2008-10-24T07:15:00.001-07:00

These are just a couple art projects I've been working on

Yeah, we don't look to great, but hey! we just finished running the Deseret News Marathon. Crazy as it sounds, running 26.2 miles with your favorite person in the whole world is actually pretty fun!

That's me next to a big tree that blew over during Hurricane Ike.

Secret Confessions of Breanne Talbot

2008-10-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

I confess...

...I spray our kitchen garbage can with lysol almost everytime I throw something away.

...I think armadillos are cute. We saw some waddling around on the grass when we went camping. (I know they look like giant potato bugs with noses, but I still think they're really cute!)

...I often feel bad for other women that I meet because their husband isn't as smart or handsome or kind as mine.

...I wore a camouflage baseball cap to the gym. I guess I'm about one step away from keeping a broken down car in our front yard.

...I didn't want to go to stake choir practice, but after being dragged (literally) in I actually had a great time.

...I want to be a ballerina.

Texas loves Texas

2008-10-24T07:02:00.001-07:00

I have lived here one month and I have three pieces of solid proof that Texans are ridiculously in love with their home state.

Proof number 1: Every morning at school the children say the pledge of allegiance. (Just like any other kid in any other state) But then the children turn to the Texas flag and say the pledge of allegiance to Texas. They used to extend their arm, palm up, and point it at the flag and say the pledge, but after WW2 people thought it was a little bit too much like the Nazis. Now they just put their hand over their heart. (Although, there were several third graders in the class I substituted for that still did it the old way. It was kind of weird.)

Proof number 2: At the grocery store yesterday I saw some bags of tortilla chips made in Texas. Big deal, you say. Oh yeah? Well it could be a big deal if these chips were in the shape of Texas! A bag full of mini crunchy Lone Star States! Amazing! Seriously, when was the last time you ate a hot-dog or doughnut shaped like Utah?

Proof number 3: There is a house about two blocks away from us that has a giant gorilla statue in their front yard. It's at least 6 feet tall and surprisingly lifelike. We were just walking to church in a nice neighborhood lined with ramblers and grassy front yards with big trees when BAM! all of a sudden you see a gorilla staring at you from across the street. Kind of spooky. Okay, so this doesn't really have to do with Texas state pride, but I thought it was pretty hilarious.

What else can I say- "I LOVE TEXAS!"