Sun, surf, and sand...

Kinda sad that my first post of 2006 comes in mid-February, but what can you do? Life's been moving in fast-forward lately so I've gotten a bit behind here. Pictures have been posted through the beginning of January but I have a lot more that will hopefully be up in the next week or so! So keep checking back!

We survived (and even enjoyed!!) our annual Christmas Tour of Texas this year with stops in Katy, Port Lavaca, and Port O'Connor. It was really good to see everyone! We toasted the arrival of 2006 with a casual dinner at our house with old friends, followed by attending Doug and Mary's New Year's Eve party (with newer friends). The holiday madness did not stop there, however! There was still a "re-gifting" party at Patrick and Lisa's at the beginning of January and a holiday celebration with Dad and Brigid here in Austin the last weekend of January.

I can't leave January without mentioning birthdays and new arrivals! So, Happy Birthday to Dad B, Grannie Mae and Aunt Tessie. And a big welcome to Zane Elliott (Karmen and Tim's son) and Isabel Maureen (Ted and Jill's daughter).

As usual, extracurriculars are taking up a lot of our time. The second session of Richie's indoor volleyball league is in full swing and weekend tournaments are picking up as well. Unfortunately, the first weekend tourney of 2006 was not a very strong showing. The guys hope to get back in the swing of things in plenty of time for Nationals in May.

Natalie's stint as a Toros Dancer is going well - the season is flying by! Only nine home games (including two weekends) are left so let Natalie know if you'd like to come see a game! Click here for schedule. You may even get to see a good basketball game - since my last post the Toros have improved to 17-12 and are only two games out of the lead!

Finally, on to February. Our big news this month was our long-weekend ski trip to Keystone, CO with college buddy Scott. We got in about 3.5 days of skiing and had a wonderful time. It had been 5 years since the last time we hit the slopes, but apparently skiing is like riding a bicycle! :) I think Richie was jealous of the air Scott was getting on his snowboard because he swears next trip he's trading in his skis for a board!

And lastly but not leastly, a late Happy Valentine's Day to you! We love you guys!