Taking A Break

You know, there are so many reasons to take a break. And I'm not just talking about vacation. Taking a break can be SO healthy and so renewing. Whether it is taking a break and going on vacation, or just simply taking 15 minutes during the day to pause and re-group.

Tis the season for taking a break! Geof and I have decided to take a break from our church. I've been there since I moved to Nashville almost 6 years ago. Geof and I have decided to take a break and find a place where we can make more "young married" friends and be more involved. Everyone in the young married group either has kids or is barely out of college. We've been wrestling with leaving OC for several months for various reasons - and this past week we have decided the time is now. Please be in prayer as we shop around. God might lead us right back to OC, but we want to have the wisdom to know where to go. Taking a break is a wonderful thing!

Speaking of taking a break, we leave Saturday and head to Kansas City for Christmas!! YAY!!!

The Christmas concert was AWESOME!! So much fun!! It was great to see my family too. Here are a few pictures...

Merry Christmas!!!

....p.s. Happy Birthday AMY!!!

Weekend Here We Come!

The weekend is almost here!! I am so ready! This has been one of the hardest weeks of my life, so I'm ready to celebrate a weekend with all the girls! Everyone gets in town around 6p tomorrow night and then we'll head out to a nice dinner. Saturday I'm sure we'll have to do some shopping. I have a rehearsal for the big Christmas concert, so they can do most of their shopping without me. :) Sunday night is the big show - should be really fun! I'm ready for it and ready for it to be over with too. The time has come to moooove on.

So, an update on Geof's bad luck from last week... Geof's car was officially totalled. He bought a used 2006 Audi yesterday. It's gorgeous and he got a great deal on it. So, he's in "lala" land over it of course. I'd still take my 4runner over a car any day - but that's just me. Our insurance company is taking "action" against the lady that hit Geof. Not only did she not have car insurance, but she didn't have a license. Good times. She should go to jail. Merry Christmas.

We took our Christmas card pictures last weekend. Here is an early glimpse. I thought they turned out great.

Until next time... happy weekend!!

Bad Luck

Well, we've decided that Geof has a gray cloud hanging over his head this week. This past Saturday he had another bike wreck. It wasn't too major. His chain locked up on him again, so he flew off the bike and skid across the pavement pretty hard. He landed on his knee cap, so he busted up his knee pretty bad (nothing broken). And the road rash on his backside was really bad, but is already healing. So, he was limping around for a few days... He says he's done with cycling for a while. He is frustrated to say the least.
Tuesday evening he was driving home from work when a lady rear-ended him on I-24. She never slowed down. He was not hurt, but we think his car is totaled. Should find out Monday. We just finished paying off that car. And if that isn't enough, here's the kicker - his $4000 bike was in the trunk. Squashed. The trunk couldn't be opened. We have great car insurance - not sure yet if they'll cover the bike. Unfortunately, the stupid lady didn't have car insurance. Our insurance company is going after her for sure!! She will be in big trouble. For the love. Merry Christmas.

Mom, Aunt Sandy, Connie, Kellie, Sarah, and Mimi are all taking a girls trip to Nashville to see me sing in the Christmas concert next weekend. Should be a fun time!! I cannot wait!

I don't have any new pictures to share right now, but hope to soon. Max is doing well. He's at doggie daycamp today, which means we will have a nice and calm weekend. They wear him out so hard at daycamp! He comes home and sleeps for days. Love it.

Happy Friday!!

Okay, so it's been 4 months since my last post. Let's see... what is new with us... Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Yay!! My favorite holiday. The Fall leaves in Nashville are just now starting to change. With the awful drought we had this summer, everything was either delayed or dead from the lack of rain. Usually the Fall in Tennessee is the most beautiful around mid October. And here it is November and things are just now turning. The weather is also perfect though. High 50s. Great football weather! Speaking of football...

How about the COWBOYS!!! Woohoo!!

For Thanksgiving this year, we'll be flying into Dallas and then driving to Tyler with my brother to spend turkey day with my family. Christmas will be spent in Kansas City with Geof's family this year.

Here are some pictures I took of Max back in October. He is such a big boy now!! And yes, still growing...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we are back in the real world. France was awesome! I'm glad to be home, but not glad to be back in the swing of work and real world "stuff". Here are a few pictures from our trip... we took over 400 pics, so this does not even do it justice. Throw me a comment or email if you want the link to all 400.

Our villa we rented out and our pool...

This is Geof when we went to the beach. Gorgeous beach!

Sunflower fields were everywhere!

Lavender fields everywhere!
Wine tour...

Okay, so it's been a while. What a summer so far! I had a wonderful trip to Tyler back in June. My parents new house is gorgeous!! Here is a picture with me and the kiddos on the back deck.

They were all up here in Nashville the weekend before July 4th. We had a GREAT time! We rented a pontoon boat and jet ski and headed out to the lake. The weather was perfect and we all had so much fun. Sarah made homemade butterfinger ice cream. Um, there are no words. WOW! Then July 4th my good friend Josh Lawrence and his wife, Amy, came to visit from Texarkana. We also had a blast! Heard some great music. I wish I could get them to move up here!!

You may be wondering about our dog, Max. He is doing much better! In fact, we sent him off to professional training for a month. He has been gone since the end of June and we'll get him back when we return from vacation at the end of July. I do miss him! Here is a pretty good picture I took of him before he headed out to school.

So now, Geof and I are preparing for FRANCE! I am so excited that I can hardly stand it. You can go here to see the pictures of our villa we are staying in with friends. Geof's friend, Stephen, and his wife Robin rented out the entire villa. Should be an amazing time. http://www.justfrance.com/properties/pvu50.html In case you can't get the website to open, here is one picture taken from the pool area. We leave before the sun comes on Friday morning. Friday, the 13th. Perfect.

Until I blog again.... Chow!

What A Weekend

Wow, what a weekend. We had a great time with my parents being here. Mom did really well with Max, the pup. Max was fairly calm around them and did great! However... Monday morning when I tried to get him out of his cage to go outside, he couldn't walk. After a couple trips that day to the ER, they decided that the big bag of fluid hanging from his belly was caused by a possible blood vessel that was bleeding. He was in so much pain and running 103 fever. I was so worried! I told Geof that I don't think I can ever have kids if I get this bent out of shape over a dog. Anyway - Tuesday morning we took Max to our normal vet where they admitted him into their hospital there. He's doing better and we should have him back on Thursday. Here is a picture I took of him with my phone on Monday night after his second trip to the ER.

Other devastating news... very close friends of my extended family were in a car wreck Monday. They were on their way to the lakehouse in Texas when the 16 year old driving ran off the road a little bit and then over corrected the wheel. The suburban flipped 3 times, killing his younger brother (13) and seriously injuring his older sister (18) that had to be life flighted and almost bled out. His parents were not injured. The grandparents and other family members were driving in the car behind them, so they witnessed the entire thing. Out of respect, I will not give any more details about the family. Please just be in serious prayer for them as they deal with the loss and with the guilt that I cannot even imagine. What a weekend.

Bring On The Weekend!

Well, today is Thursday the 24th and a lot has happened since my last post. I turned 28 years old for one thing. Wow... getting up there. ha! Actually, I love it. Had a great birthday. My department here at work usually has a little party and we get our favorite dessert, etc. Well, since I'm on a diet right now and doing well on it, I decided to opt for fruit instead of cake. Shocking, I know. Normally I'd go with the all time favorite- Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Cake. I didn't want to blow the diet though, so I went with a big tray of fruit and it was wonderful! That night I went out with some girlfriends and had dinner and drinks. Here is a picture... you might recognize the two girls beside me. The girl on the left is Lea (that dress makes her look prego, but she's not- ha!)... and Lauren is on the right. They are my two best buds here in Nash. Lea is moving the second weekend of June back to the Dallas area. I am so bummed. She's been in Nash for 11 years. Just another reason for me to visit Texas. :)

So this past weekend Geof did awesome in his bike races! He got 5th in the road race on Saturday and got 4th in the Crit on Sunday. So exciting!! He's doing so well. This coming weekend is the biggest race of them all. This year it is downtown Nashville. My parents will be here for it. A lot of people from church are coming to cheer him on as well. Over 500 cyclists have entered the race. It's going to be unreal. Say a prayer that he doesn't get hurt.

So things here are great! Max is undergoing surgery right this very moment. He's getting the "snip snip" as well as getting micro-chipped and having his tail corrected. The vet that docked his tail when he was born did a horrible job, so we are having to correct that. Anyway - he'll be home tomorrow afternoon. Say a prayer for my mother. She's going to have an all out psychotic breakdown when she sees how big and hyper this dog is. Bring on the weekend!

Like Father, Like Son

Had to share this hilarious picture with you! The other day Geof and I were having breakfast on the deck. Geof walked over to look out at the construction going on below us, and Max walked right behind him and imitated him. This was not staged. It was an absolute perfect picture moment!!

He won!

Geof had a race this past Sunday in McMinnville, TN. After the first few laps, he turned a sharp corner and clipped his pedal. This caused him to of course skid across the pavement. Yes, again. Luckily, he only had road rash on his leg, hip and arm - so no broken bones. And he sure did jump back up and keep racing too! Long story short, he won the race!!! It was so exciting! Of all the races I have been to, I have never seen him win - so it was really neat Here is a picture that one of the photographers took. They are going MUCH faster than they look!

We are really looking forward to seeing Geof's parents. They will be here Friday afternoon. His mom is going to stay until the following Friday. They lived here for several years, so it will be great for her to see all her friends and get away from the yucky weather in Kansas right now. Although... it's supposed to storm here all next week. Yuck. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share after the week is over.

Until next time...

Vacation Anyone?

Is it just me, or could we all use a vacation?! Good grief. I am having some serious Spring Fever or something. When the weather is sunny and gorgeous outside, it is so difficult for me to go to work and sit inside all day long. Ugh. Someone fly me somewhere!

On Saturdays, we have enjoyed taking Max to the dog park. Here are some fairly recent pictures of him. I love that everyone puts pics of their kids on their blog, but I have a pic of my dog. Hilarious. We like to call him our "kid in training". And let me tell you, he is getting HUGE. Over 40 lbs now and almost 5 months old. And strong and smart as ever! Notice his new collar. I love it!!

Dove Awards

So... not a lot to report - that is why I rarely post by the way. A couple fun things....

The trip to Destin was fabulous! It was so beautiful down there. I'm ready to go back!! I'm just ready for summer really. Especially because it is freezing in my office right now and I want to be outside in the sun. Anyway...

Tuesday night I sang at the Dove Awards. Or danced around... or whatever you want to call it. My friend Lea and I were asked to be in the big gospel choir that backed up TobyMac, Kirk Franklin and Mandisa's performance. They opened the show with their performance of "Lose My Soul". We grooved down the aisle about mid way thru the song and stood in the aisles and sang and danced and it was so much fun! Green choir robes and everything people!!! At first I thought, gosh this is going to be embarrassing b/c I know so many of the artists and industry people there. But, then I figured ' who cares ' I'm having a blast! And it was really fun for that short minute and a half. :) Wish I had a picture of it. It's a good song too. You can hear it on Mandisa's myspace page.

Have a great weekend!

BEACH TIME!

Well, Geof and I are headed to the beach tomorrow morning! His firm is having their retreat in Destin, FL this year and they are paying for everyone and their spouse to come down. I am so excited! All expenses paid - even deep sea fishing! I know, I know... take some dramamine. I will!

Other news... found out yesterday that I've been promoted to MANAGER! That brings a really big raise along with it, so I'm super excited about that!!

Our weimaraner puppy, Max, is doing great. He's going to be boarded this weekend while we are in Destin. Sort of worried about it b/c he's never really been around other dogs or people very much yet. He's 4 months. And getting HUGE by the way. I'll try to post some pictures that I took last month. Imagine him even bigger now though. He has grown so much more since I took these pictures.

Okay, so only one picture turned out. He really is much bigger now. Anyway...

Here is a picture of Katie and David at Easter. So precious!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend!! I'm off to Destin!

Post Weekend Blues

Well, my sister and brother came in town Friday! We had a WONDERFUL time!! Went out for Mexican food with friends Friday night, went shopping on Saturday, movie on Sunday, etc. We saw "The Last King of Scotland". I highly recommend this movie! It was unbelievable! Forest Whitaker is phenomenal!! Way to represent East Texas!! woohoo!!
Anyway, so now I have the post weekend blues. I took Sarah and JD to the airport this morning and have been moping around ever since. Work is fairly slow today, so that makes things even more blah.
On a more upbeat note... I got a laptop this weekend! I bought a new white Macbook and I love it! It has a camera built in, so I can now talk to my niece and nephew online via camera phone. It is so much fun!! I will say that it will take me a while to get used to the Mac since things are set up very differently. But overall, it is much faster and much more up-to-date than anything else. Love it!

School Out for Tornado Warning?

What on earth? On my lunch break, I headed over to the vet to buy Max some shampoo. While I was there, I overheard a lady say that they let out schools due to a tornado warning. What in the world? The state of Tennessee never ceases to amaze me. I guess living in Texas for so long, I got used to the tornado sirens going off all the time - and we'd all just cover our heads and wait it out. I cannot imagine sending a bunch of kids on a school bus with a possible tornado out there somewhere! I swear, this state lets kids out of school if it rains hard! Oh well.. lucky kids!

Tomorrow is the day!! My sister and brother are coming to visit! Lots of fun!! YAY!! Gosh, I hope the "tornado" is gone by then. ha!

Hurry Up Friday!

Geof got word late yesterday that the dog that attacked him has been brought into animal control for 10 days of quarantine. Animal Control has decided to press charges against the owner. YAY!! I'm tempted to post pictures of Geof's bite, but don't want to gross you out. Instead, I'll post a recent picture of me with Max! And another picture from this past weekend of Max sitting on his spot in the living room. He is really growing fast! His training is really going great! The biting has still not stopped, but the vet told us we need to keep being patient with that. Sheesh. I'm ready for this stage to pass!

I am so excited about the weekend!!! My sister and brother are coming to town! Not sure yet what the big plan is, but we are going to go out with our friends Jeremiah and maybe Kyle. Probably hit up Casa Fiesta and maybe a trendy bar after that. I can't wait for them to see Max too! Friday needs to hurry up and get here!

Foaming At The Mouth

Geof was doing his regular Saturday morning ride with his teammates this weekend when he was attacked by a dog. Yes. Attacked by a dog - cross between a bull mastiff and a big boxer. Huge dog. He got a big chunk of his upper thigh as Geof was riding down the road. He and his buddies went to the owner's house (aka white trash redneck) after calling the sheriff and animal control. The lady apologized, etc. and as Geof is standing there talking to her, the dog runs up and bites him AGAIN! So, she got the dog inside and just before the sheriffs arrive, the lady flees the scene. Go figure. She left the dog inside with her kids (yes, with her kids) and drove off. Because of some ridiculous law, the sheriff could not enter the house if the owner was not home. The kids would not answer the door of course and animal control had no way of getting the dog if it was inside the house. SOOOO................ Animal control is still in the process of going back to the house to get the dog. The neighbors doubt that it has had it's shots. Geof is going to continue bugging them b/c that dog needs to be put down. If not, then my dad and brother have both decided to come up and "shoot the dog between the eyes." Ha! So, either way the dog will pay. Geof's buddies are trying to get him to press charges. We'll see...

He has three puncture wounds. Two to his upper thigh where the dog had his mouth around him, and one to his lower leg where the dog bit him again as he was standing at the door with the owner. We have taken lots of pictures and it looks horrible. Just like something off of ER. He feels okay and is on a lot of medicine and had to get a painful shot and painful treatment to the wounds. But he was back on his bike the next day. So, he's doing okay. Right now I'm just sleeping with one eye open in case he starts foaming at the mouth. :-)

So Geof and I bought a puppy about three weeks ago. He is absolutely precious. A silver Weimaraner. GREAT dogs! Very, very smart. Easy to train. However, they tend to be super hyper if not exercised enough. I am determined to have a wonderful dog. You know, "that" dog. We all have friends who have "that" dog - the dog where all the owner has to do is look at him and he knows exactly where his place is and what to do. I want "that" dog. Good luck, right? Anyway, he is 7 weeks old in this picture. He is already getting big. He'll get to be about 75-80 lbs. Whew! Good times in the Vickers house!