Doe a Deer

We finally spotted some wildlife in our backyard ... with a camera close at hand! Check out the deer strolling through the backyard.

And the next picture doesn't quite capture it ... but we're finally getting hummingbirds at our feeder! Kyle can tell you, but when I see a hummingbird, I turn into a giddy little kid that just got a ginormous scoop of her favorite ice cream. I'm all smiles! It's the little things in life. Literally. :)

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Kyle Conquers Loch Lomond

Kyle got the boat registered for the Bella Vista Lakes so we headed out to Loch Lomond on Friday. A large section of Bella Vista is called The Highlands, with all the streets and lakes named after places in Scotland. Thanks to my trip 2 years ago with my mom, I recognize all the names, and Kyle will be well prepared for our trip back to Scotland in the spring. (our Scottish friends invited us to their wedding next April!!)

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Here is Kyle gazing out onto Loch Lomond ... itching to test out the waters.

The lake is considerably smaller than Beaver lake, but it is the largest of the Bella Vista lakes. Beatiful houses along the shoreline ... generally more peaceful than Beaver, except for the annoying kids screaming while they splash in the water. Again, not ready for children.

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I enjoyed a good book and the nice breeze, while Kyle tested out the fishing.

He was probably fishing just over an hour, when he pulled in his first Arkansas fish! Take that, Lomond! He scored a largemouth bass ... probably less than 2 lbs ... but enough to freak me out.

Kyle was all smiles ... but seriously, you should have seen me. "Don't come any closer with that thing. Seriously." He even dug into its mouth to dislodge the hook while I scattered toward the back of the boat. I was brave enough to touch his side with one finger, but it will be quite the feat if I ever hold one myself.

Needless to say, Kyle is fishing solo this afternoon, while I blog about life and paint the bathroom. Not enough sun to add to my tan. I'm sure he won't miss my screaching whenever he gets a bite!

Nothing Like a Saturday at the Lake

It killed Kyle to fly to Minnesota the day we came home with our new boat ... so this past weekend, we headed out for our much anticipated FIRST TRIP trip to Beaver Lake! Sunny and 82 degrees with a nice breeze ... the weather certainly cooperated!

Here's Kyle behind the wheel, and me, getting a tan in between magazines.

We had a blast exploring the lake ... which is probably close to 50 miles long! We enjoyed the sun, packed a lunch and cruised around our new playland. We got the boat up to 55mph, and that's when I screamed obscenities at Kyle ... so he politely kept it between 35-40mph for the rest of our cruising. What a gentleman.

Kyle did a little bit of fishing ... the pro even hooked a tree! Gotta get used to these Arkansas lakes!

I did some swimming ... or should we say, flailing in the water. Amen for life jackets!

All smiles at the end of a long hard day on the water. Looking forward to many more weekends on the lake!

The Adoption of our Second Baby

Kyle's hopes and dreams finally came true this past weekend. (and I'll admit, I was pretty excited too!) After months of searching online for the perfect used bass boat ... Kyle stumbled upon a 2006 Stratos Pro XL with an Evinrude 200 Engine for the perfect price. After some aggressive efforts to approve the engine report, look into all the bells and whistles, secure financing and apply for insurance (all within a couple days, mind you - Kyle is apparently very efficient when there's a bass boat on the line!) ... we hit the road for Medina, TN!


That's right ... 7 hours across the map to check out the boat, take her on a test drive, write a ginormous check, hook her up to the Trailblazer, and turn around to haul her 7 hours back home. We even took the opportunity to cruise to Mississippi for lunch in order to cross another state off of our list in our quest to visit all 50 by the time we're 30. Of course, I'm winning that challenge, but for not flying until he was 20, Kyle is really not far behind!


The Irishman from Tennessee, Kelly, that sold us the boat had taken great care of it. He was meticulous about organizing his garage and keeping his truck and the boat spotless. That and the fact that he was super nice, had a great job in a nice neighborhood, and answered all of Kyle's questions ... we felt really good about the deal. After a successful test drive, the Trailblazer worked pretty hard to haul our new baby across the map and safely home to Bella Vista.

Yep, she's still there!

Don't we look good with our new boat?!?!






Like it was meant to be ... fits like a glove ...

Texas Comes to Arkansas to Celebrate the 4th of July!

We did it. We've lived in Arkansas for less than 5 months, and we were able to talk my brother Jeff and sister-in-law Kathleen into making the 8 hour road trip from Austin to come visit us! I think they only made it to Minneapolis once in the 4 years we lived there. After living in Texas for 10 years, I can see how the 6 months of winter in the frozen tundra of Minnesota would be a little daunting. :)

We started off with a little celebration for Jeff's birthday ... complete with a homemade citrus cake ... from scratch!

Then, what family doesn't love to bond with a little Rock Band?!?! I guess I should have gotten one for Jeff for his birthday too! Here's the dream team that consistently earned 5 stars on every song ...

We caught some fireworks, watched a couple movies, did a little shopping in Eureka Springs and enjoyed lots of Kyle's great cooking! We all had a nice time just enjoying each other's company and relaxing for the long weekend. Not something we get to do nearly enough.

And last, but certainly not least ... introducing ... our little niece or nephew! That's right. Jeff and Kathy will be parents in late December! That means Kyle and I will be Uncle and Aunt ... and that the pressure is off of us to have a kid anytime soon. :)

We can't tell you how glad we are that Jeff and Kath were able to visit. It's so nice to spend time with family ... especially while we are still getting familiar with our new surroundings.

Thanks, J and K, for making the drive. We can't wait to see you guys again! Remember, you have babysitters only 8 hours away!