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.

Spring Break?

Busy, busy, busy. The Beck's have been going non-stop the past few weeks, but we've had a lot of fun too!

Adi passed the Canine Good Citizen test at the end of February. Her certificate arrived just the other day. We are so proud of her (and us) for how far she has come with good behavior and good manners (at least most of the time!). She has really matured in the past couple of months and we are having so much fun with her.

Adi's test was on a Saturday and the very next day we were up at 4:00 AM for Bryan to run in the Cowtown half marathon in Fort Worth. He did great, and it was a fun day even though we needed a big nap when we got home.

The next weekend (first of March) I traveled to Amarillo to see Avery and my parents. We had a really nice weekend and it was great to see Granny and PePaw too. When I arrived back home we got to have lunch with MeeMee and PaPa as they passed through town. It was fun to see all the family in one weekend!

The first weekend of Spring Break we traveled to Austin for Bryan to play in a soccer tournament. Adi got to go with us and play with Uncle Rick and his new puppy. They had a great time and we can't wait to see them again. We also got to have dinner with Mom's cousins Jim and Karen. It was a great weekend!

Mom and dad were here for a couple of days this week. We did some shopping, had a cookout including s'mores on the fire pit, played cards, and had a great visit.

This morning we were up early for a 5K race in Frisco. When we got home Bryan planted some beautiful flowers in the flower beds. The yard is looking really nice if I do say so myself. It really helps to make it feel like Spring is here!

Looooong Weekend

This has been the craziest week of weather either of us can recall in the Metroplex in a long time. We were in the 70's most of last week (the last week of Janurary). They were forcasting really cold temperatures this week, but no one thought much about the chance of freezing rain late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. We woke up Tuesday morning to every district in the area calling off school due to the inch of ice on the ground covered with about 1 inch of snow. Then, because the ice couldn't melt (due to daytime temperatures that stayed in the teens) they kept calling school off for more days. Every night we would watch the 6:00 news to see if we were out the following day. Then, Friday morning, we woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground! So, we have been out of school for 4 days (Tuesday-Friday) and are now enjoying our weekend! The roads have been terrible. We walked to a nearby shopping center a couple of times this week just to get out of the house...and we were glad we weren't driving when we saw all of the spinning cars.

Even Adi is perplexed (as you can see in her photo) as to why we have been home for so long...particularly since we have been home and she is not able to go on many walks. Bryan braved the snow on Friday and took her around the block. Today (Saturday) I took her and tried to stay in his tracks. Finally, this afternoon the temperature got to the low 40's and the big thaw was on. Adi and I walked again this afternoon and pretty much avoided snow altogether if we stayed on the sidewalk.

I love this picture for 2 reasons. 1--she looks confused which fits how she's been feeling this week. 2--this is the best photo I've ever gotten of her up-close without one of us holding her or baiting her with a treat. We've been taking another training class with her and her "sit-stay's" have gotten a lot better. Last week at class the teacher wanted to take a picture of her because of how funny she sits. She put her in a "sit-stay" to get a good picture. Bryan and I both exclaimed "Ohhh" because she was so brilliant to think of that idea to get a good picture. So, of course with all of our free time this week I had to try it myself. Great idea, Maureen! Unfortunately, even Adi had a snow day at her school today due to the bad roads.

In other news, I think the whole Metroplex has cabin fever. Today was the first day most people could get out (after 4 snow days in a row) so the movies and the mall were packed. How do I know...because we of course had to get out in it too! Unfortunately, I think the Super Bowl has really suffered. This is the first time it has ever been here in Dallas, and I'm worried that it will be the last due to the bad weather. Tons of fans have had trouble getting here due to delayed/cancelled flights. And the big parties and outdoor activities have had low attendance due to the roads being so bad and people not wanting to hang out outside in the cold. But, the weather is supposed to be good tomorrow for the actual game, so that will be good.

Sweater

My mom knitted me the most beautiful sweater for my birthday. Yes, I said KNITTED it! Isn't it gorgeous!
And, of course I had to include a close-up of me with Adi.

Let It Snow

We awoke this morning to almost an inch of rain during the night. By 11:00 the rain had turned to sleet, and by 11:45 it was snowing! We quickly had a 3-4 inch blanket covering the yard, the sidewalks, and the roads! We are keeping our fingers crossed for a snow day on Monday! But, we had a great time playing in the snow.

Adi loves the snow...running, playing, and especially eating the fluffy white stuff.

Here she is jumping up for a snowball treat!