Christmas Card

My parents came to visit this weekend for some Christmas shopping and hanging out. We had a great time, and they even taught us to play a domino game called 42. I am terrible, but it was fun to learn a new game. My aunt and uncle (Tonya and Rick) were also in town, so we got to have lunch with them on Saturday. It was a really great weekend! Since we had captive photographers, Bryan and Adi and I got decked out in our Christmas outfits for a possible Christmas Card picture.

They say that in the movie or television business you do not want to work with children or animals. Now I understand why. There were many, many outtakes.

She does this move a lot...usually when she wants us to scratch her neck. I promise I'm not pulling hard on her leash...she really is performing her famous neck scratch move.

Even treats proved to be of minimal assistance. Dad, had the magic touch. He proved to be able to hold treats over to the side and appear very interesting while Mom snapped the camera. I told him that since he's retired he could get a part-time job as a pet photographer.

This is our grinch and dog out in the front yard. Due to time constraints and our 4-legged baby, we did not due decorations inside this year. I guess that does make us a little bit "grinch-like".

And, here is a great photo of Mom and I.

1st Birthday

Today is Adi's first birthday. It was a very big day! It snowed this morning which caused some confusion during her morning potty time outside. Then, I took her for doggie daycare and a spa day while we were at work. She got to play with some new dog friends and then get a bath and her nails clipped! Stephanie (her favorite baby-sitter) even gave her a special bone and a bandana while she was there.
Here she is with her bone and in the next one you can see her bandana.

Here is a birthday picture with Dad and one with Mom.

So Thankful

Here are some great photos of Thanksgiving with Bryan's family. We spent the holidy in Memphis with his grandparents Dot & Walt. We ate too much food, played games including chicken feet, rummy, pool, and the Wii, and most of all, enjoyed the fellowship time together.

I thought this one of Rachel and her dad (Walt) was too cute.

That Just Happened

Last night we wrapped up our Fall Bowling League! Check out the trophies!
Ok, so we just grabbed them for a quick photo before they were actually awarded to the real winners of the league! Ha! Our team name was That Just Happened because whatever we did...That Just Happened! It was also 80's night so no, Jean doesn't always dress like that. And no, Bryan and I do not always dress alike. This shirt was actually our team uniform (or costume as some might say) because it actually says "That Just Happened" on it. We had a great time in the league and are looking forward to the next season.

"Please let it be a spare!"

Halloween 2009

We went to a Halloween party last night! It was really fun and we enjoyed making our costumes. I am a Jack-O-Lantern. Bryan is a "Cereal Killer"! Those are little cereal boxes on his shirt with knives stabbing into them! He is so funny!

Barktoberfest

Bryan's Mom and Dad are in town visiting for a few days. It was such a beautiful day today that we all piled in the car and attended Barktoberfest in Friso. Adi loved it! She wanted to play with all of the other dogs and look at all of the exhibits. Here, Bryan and Rachel are taking a little break on a bench with Adi.
But, the break didn't last long. Adi was ready to take off for a little jog through the park.

And, here is one of Bryan with both of his parent and Adi. Note Adi looking back as if to say,"Ok, now let's go again!". There is a really cool fountain in the park where a globe spins on a water fountain. You can see a girl standing on it in the background.

We've had a great visit with Tom and Rachel. Yesterday we went to Mellow Mushroom (one of our favorites) for pizza and then visited the Fort Worth Zoo. And of course, we've had a big time spoiling their GrandBassett.

U2

Last week we got to go the U2 concert at the new Cowboy Stadium! We both love U2 and we had a great time!

This is a picture of their stage I took before the concert. We thought it looked like a giant spider!

And here it is during the show. Look at all the people! The stage would look totally different for each song as they changed the lighting.

Their jumbo-tron was good too. Pictures would go all the way around. Sometimes the screens would pull apart and stretch out almost to the floor. It was a great show!

First Game at the New Stadium

It's been a really busy week, but I wanted to post pictures and thoughts after the first Cowboys game we attended at the new stadium! I love this picture of us out in front of the entrance! The had the doors open on each end as well as the roof. You can kind of see all of the people on each deck walking around. Those people had "party passes" so they didn't have seats...they just walked around on the big decks on each end.

They had a special "unveiling" of the star right before the game started. During warm-ups they had guys standing around a special carpet that was covering the star. Then, all these girls with balloons came out and made formations around the star. It was kind of cool how the pulled of the carpet in all directions to show the star.

This is the view from our seats to the open door on the end. Look at all of the party pass people! I don't think that most of them could see the field, but they could probably see the huge TV screen.

This is a picture of the big screen. They announced when the stadium was at capacity. I think there were over 101,000 people there! It was amazing how big the screen was and how good the picture was!

We had a great time at the game, but were bummed that the Cowboys lost! But, the stadium is VERY COOL!

Adi & Rick

Last weekend, Uncle Rick came to visit! Adi LOVES playing with Rick! She went on lots of walks and got very spoiled. She was so sad to see him go...as were her parents.

60th Anniversary

Happy 60th Anniversary MeeMee and PaPa! On Wednesday my grandparents celebrated 60 years together. The family got together for a dinner to honor them on Saturday night. Thank you for hosting Tonya and for cooking some delicious steaks Dustin.
Here are my grandparents with their 4 children.

And here are the kids on Tonya's beautiful patio. Dolores (my mom), Tonya, Steve, and Rick.

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family. MeeMee and PaPa, thank you for being such a wonderful example to all of us, and for all of your love and support! We are all truly blessed because of you!

Adi

In case you are wondering what Adi has been up to lately, here is an extreme close-up! Most evenings we can be found at home with Adi bringing us her favorite toy to play fetch or tug.
Look how big she is!

Of course, sometimes she will take a time out from playing for a belly rub.

In case you are wondering, yes, Bryan is grimacing as he plays tug with Adi. She is strong!

And here she is enjoying a frozen Kong treat full of peanut butter and treats! We figured out that they last a lot longer if you freeze them the night before you give them to her.

Surprise Party

On Saturday we had a surprise party for Rachel (Bryan's mom) in Nashville. She was diagnosed with colon cancer back in January and has been undergoing chemotherapy. It has been a long road, but she finished the last of the 12 chemotherapy treatments on August 7th. We are so proud of her! She has truly been an inspiration to a lot of people both in terms of her "fight" and in terms of her strong faith.
Here is a great picture of Bryan and Rachel!

We love you Rachel! We're so glad we could celebrate this milestone with you!

Cowboy Stadium

Well...you knew it was coming. As big of Cowboys fans as we are, you knew we'd find a way to check out the stadium. Today was an Open House at the new Cowboy Stadium so we went to check it out. They were sewing the yardline numbers into the turf so it was cool to see that. Man, 1 Billion dollars will build a really nice stadium.
Here is the view from where we will be sitting.

But, I think the jumbo-tron is big enough for us to see anything we missed on the field.

Jerry World is a really nice place!

First Date

Last night we had some friends over for dinner. They brought their 2 year old Corgi named Flash. He and Adi had a big time. They ran around and played and tumbled over each other all evening! They would run and play until they were absolutely exhausted and then collapse on the floor to pant. As soon as they could breathe again they were back to chasing and playing. Here they are resting. Note that they both have their tongues out panting. Also note that they both collapse on the floor with legs going any which way.
Here is a shot of them playing. Sorry it's blurry....they were never still enough to get a clear shot!

Adi slept late this morning. I know she was tired from playing all evening!

Advanced Degree

This picture is a little fuzzy, but hopefully you can tell that Adi is sound asleep between the fence and the shed in the backyard. This is her favorite sleeping spot. We planted some new grass back there recently, but we left a little patch without grass so she could sleep in the nice cool dirt. She even rests her little paws on some leftover bricks. Yesterday I went out to get her and she was sound asleep with her head under the edge of the shed. I whispered her name, but my Sleeping Beauty did not budge. I had time to go back inside, get the camera, come back out, take a quick photo, take the camera back inside, and come back out before I finally made enough noise to wake her up. Doesn't she look sweet!
After Adi graduated from puppy class in May, we decided that she (and her parents) needed a little more training. So, we have been taking intermediate class this summer and tonight was graduation! She was valedictorian! Before you get to excited maybe I should mention that she was valedictorian because she was the only puppy to attend class tonight. But hey, in the mind of the Beck's, she is valedictorian! She has really improved in her behavior lately and has learned a couple of tricks as well as most of the basic commands. She even cooperated much better for her graduation photo.

Since it was Intermediate Class instead of just Puppy Class, she got to wear a red sash along with her cap. I think we dropped a treat here.

Here she is laying spread eagle on the floor (her favorite way to lay down) and smiling up at the camera.