Congratulations on your Graduation!!!!

Congratulations to Janice Mireles and Nick Rose on completing your Bachelor Degrees. Your hard work and determination has paid off, now to see the fruition of your labor in your salaries (Nick) and in the knowledge that you will pass to your children (Janice).

I am very proud of you both, if not a little jealous.

Austin and Round Rock

Christmas Break got off with a rocky start and in a sense it ended rocky too. I was only home from work 3 hours when I began to vomit. Boy did I ever vomit. 13 hours and 10 pounds later, I finished and managed to make it to the doctor's office. Of course there is nothing to be done for a short term virus and I proceeded to suffer at home for the next week. It was a bleak week as Christmas passed me by. Pooh! Why couldn't I have been sick on my unwanted birthday instead of Christmas? Or any other week where I could have taken time off from work? But no, it was not meant to be. Once I began to eat again, it wasn't long before I was back in what I like to refer to as Rachael form. That is a combination of long lasting smiles and an inability to not laugh. Just in time too because Shane and I were due to check J and D's new digs in Round Rock. They even painted the place for our arrival. Well the place looked great and while I was there we bought roman blinds and they look awesome!!!! We had so much fun. The Lord blessed us with fantastic weather and we took advantage of it. We took the pugs and hiked! We saw the original Round Rock and where the Chisholm Trail crossed a certain area (wagon wheel tracks included) and crazy people swimming in the river. Stupid crazy people. Though I did stare and laugh at you and that was probably mean, but I was in two sweaters and you were topless. It seemed only right at the time. Of course I was paid back in kind when Janice and I breached our canoe on a rock in the middle of the river and a large group of people gathered round and laughed at us. Actually, to be accurate they pointed and laughed. I realized that it had to be funny to watch us break free only to swing around and catch our other end on the same rock, but come one people do you really need to point? Be more constructive with your feedback.

Moving on. We did take a little time out to stop by a cool location and indulge in a small, collective hobby of ours...photography. I loved shooting the location and the people. I posted a small sample below.

Austin and Round Rock