Adi's Adventures

Adi is having a wonderful summer (as are her parents)! The other day we went for a walk at a local park around a lake. Bryan plays softball nearby and I always thought Adi would like walking there so we got up and at 'em the other morning before it got too hot. Adi loved it! She thought every person there needed to pet her, and she especially wanted to go play with the ducks (I didn't let her do either).

We got the house painted inside and out last week. We finally got everything put back together and the house is beautiful! But, Adi was cooped up a lot (as were we) and she didn't get all of her regular naps. The other evening she was so tired she didn't mind when Bryan laid down beside her bed.

But, after the painting, Adi found a toy she had misplaced beside the couch. She has been chewing on this bone all evening!

She even rolled around with it as if to say, "Oh hello lost friend! I am so glad you are back!"

She probably chewed on it for over an hour. Doesn't this pose look comfortable?

Summer Fun

The summer heat is definitely going to be a challenge. So, we thought we'd get a little wading pool and see if Adi wanted to use it to beat the heat. She ran right to it and did a thorough inspection. But, she didn't really want to get in. Bryan picked her up and put her in it, but she immediately jumped out.

But, when I sat down beside it and put my feet in, she eventually decided it might not be so bad. She never got in it, but she took some big drinks of water out of it! Works for me...it was nice and cool on my feet! I forsee lots of summer afternoons with Adi and I out by the wading pool...cold drink, reading a book, getting some sun! Nice!!!

Vacation!

After the birthday party in Memphis, we traveled with Bill & Lou (Bryan's aunt and uncle) on a whirlwind tour of New Orleans and south Texas. Our first stop was New Orleans. Of course we had to hit Cafe Du Monde for a snack (and breakfast the next day).

Look at those beignets and cafe au lait! Good stuff!!

The French Quarter is an amazing place. Here is a really cool statue of Joan of Arc.

There was even a jazz band playing outside Cafe du Monde.

I love this picture of a horse-drawn carriage outside St. Louis Cathedral.

And, of course I love this one of my handsome hubby beside the Mississippi River. There were riverboats and tugboats and barges.

Here we are beside the fountain in Jackson Square (just across the street from the St. Louis Cathedral).

When we left New Orleans we traveled to Houston. We took a tour of Nasa and saw an Astro's game at Minute Maid Park (only a couple of years old). Then we went on to San Antonio and the Hill Country. Every time I go to San Antonio or Gruene I remember how much I love it! The riverwalk is so much fun, as are the outlet malls and the Gristmill restaurant.

Happy Birthday!

Last weekend we traveled to Memphis to celebrate with Bryan's Grandfather. It was his 90th birthday!
We had a wonderful party with family and good friends from their Sunday school class!

Happy Birthday! We love you so much!!!

Weekend Get-Away

We just got back from a weekend in Oklahoma City! Bryan ran in their marathon this morning, so we turned it into a fun weekend. We left Friday after school, and got a call on our way out of town that some good friends from Abilene were in the Metroplex for a bike race. We got to meet them for a rushed dinner on our way out of town...what a great surprise! Saturday morning we went to the marathon Expo in downtown Oklahoma city. We got to have lunch with a friend of Bryans' who was also in town for the marathon. We took in the art festival in downtown and even caught some free high school baseball at the minor league stadium in Bricktown. It was a beautiful day capped off with a yummy steak dinner at Toby Keith's restaurant. Sunday morning the weather changed for the race! Bryan did a great job on his race despite rain, wind chills in the 30's and even pea sized hail at the finish line! It was fun to support him and cheer for him along the route...but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed hiking all over downtown in the pouring rain and hail. But, it was still a great weekend, and we needed the rain. Sorry I don't have pictures...I forgot the camera on Saturday and was limited as to how much I could tote in the rain.

Bees!

We were in the midst of a lazy Saturday when the doorbell rang. The next door neighbor had come over to tell us that there was a beehive in our tree. Sure enough, we walked outside to see this in the tree of our front yard. Let me tell you...those bees are fast builders. Bryan mowed the yard last Saturday and didn't see a thing. Even with all the storms and wind this week they built a big hive in less than a week. We called Terminex to come out and they were here within an hour. But, because they were honeybees, they couldn't kill them. So, we called a beekeeper. He was here within the next hour and put on quite the show even though he was here less than 20 minutes.

He cut off a couple of little branches and put them in a U.S. postal service box. Then, he cut off the hive and used a little broom to brush off the bees into the box. He held the box and gave the bees a few minutes to get in. He said any bees that don't leave with the hive will die within 3 days. He estimated our hive had 3,000 bees!

Then he carried the box and put it in the bed of his truck. Then he sprayed some smoke looking stuff on the branch and on the bees still hovering around. The whole thing took less than 20 minutes, and at $250 a trip, beekeeping can be serious money. But, he did tell us not to ever let a hive just hang out...he said if you see bees they are trying to get into the house. He said he was at a house this morning who had a hive a week or so ago. They let it go and this week saw another one. He told them that in all likelihood there were more hives and they had found a way into the house. Sure enough, he found more hives in their attic! Their house cost a lot more than $250. So, I'm glad we called right away!

Spring has Sprung

My favorite thing about Spring in Texas...definitely the bluebonnets! There is a little patch of them right outside the building I teach in at TWU. I was so excited to see them pop up a couple of weeks ago. It's fun to see them on the side of the roads, and I always laugh when I see tons of cars pulled off at weird places. That's a sure sign that people have their kids and dogs all decked out in their Sunday clothes to take pictures in the bluebonnets. Bryan planted a beautiful hibiscus in our yard a couple of weeks ago. I think the pink flowers are gorgeous.

Of course, even though the flowers are awesome, Spring is also a sign that wind and allergies will be bad for a few weeks too. We've had both this week at the Beck house. But that's okay...I'll take the warmer weather for sure!

Spring is also a sign that Adi's favorite are also returning. June Bugs! Hunting season for Adi is in full swing. Here is a cute shot of her staring down a June bug that she brought in the house. She is so funny to watch! She picks them up and tosses them in the air. Then, she puts her nose down right beside it to watch it wriggle around. She will let it flip over and crawl a few inches, but as soon as the bug gets a few inches away from her she will pick it up again. She doesn't eat them until they are dead...and by the look on her face I don't think they taste very good.