Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Happy Easter!


Eric and I had a wonderful Easter this year. It was our first Easter in our new home! We were at the grocery store on the night before Easter and I saw egg dying kits... so I decided that I wanted to revisit my childhood by dying some eggs! Eric said he doesn't even remember the last time he dyed an egg... so that made it all the more necessary!

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On the day of Easter we went to the 10:00am service at Prestonwood Baptist Church with my mom and brother. They have an INCREDIBLE choir-- they gave me goose bumps! It was a really nice service and reminded us all to focus on what's most important in life.

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After church, we visited my step dad, Michael, at the care facility where he lives.

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{{For those of you who may be unaware, my step dad was involved in a very serious motorcycle accident in August of 2009. He suffered major injuries-- most notably were a lacerated liver, 8 broken ribs, 3rd degree burns to his face, shoulder, and right hand (his gas tank exploded and caused a brush fire where he was laying), and brain damage due to an injury called Diffuse Axonal Injury (D.A.I.). Because of the severe burns, his right hand was amputated, and because of the brain injury, he is the equivalent of an Alzheimer’s patient in their 8th year. He doesn't know who anyone is, he can't carry on a conversation, and his motor skills are almost non-existent.}}


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I don't share that information for sympathy or to make anyone feel sad... it's just the truth and sometimes the truth is not rainbows and butterflies. Life is short and you can lose a loved one in an instant (even if they are still alive physically). So please make sure you tell your family how much you love them, and count your blessings daily. I know I do.

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After visiting Michael we went to a restaurant called Nicola's in the Shops at Legacy. It was wonderful! My favorite part was my picture perfect Creme Brulee that I ordered for dessert! YUM!!


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I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter!! :)
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So fresh and so clean, clean!

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Eric made a TCU egg :)
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My egg for Eric :)
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The egg Eric made for me :) aww.
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Proud of my Easter egg dying skillzzzzzz :)

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Family with Michael

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Us with Michael

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The super cute booth I sat in at Nicola's made a really fun back ground for a self portrait!
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My YUMMY dessert at Nicola's

I'm Officially a Home Owner!

Eric and I closed on our first house together on March 31, 2011! We are absolutely in love with our new home. Although we cannot fill it full of furniture yet because it's almost 4,000 square feet and we only have enough furniture for a house about half that size, we are so excited about our future in this home.

We will experience a LOT of firsts in this home-- first time hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas for our families, first POOL (yes, we're going to get a pool!), first child (not any time soon... but it will eventually happen and we'll be living in this house), first time paying Home Owner's Association dues, first time having a media room for hosting game watching parties, ...etc.

I will say that closing on a house is a horribly painstaking process, but having a beautiful new home to call your own is totally worth it!

Here are some photos from the day that we closed on our house!

Thank you, Jesus, for continuing to bless us! God is SO good.



















31st Annual FIJI Casino Night


One of the things I look forward to each year is FIJI Casino Night! Eric's fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta (aka: FIJI), hosts this event every year to raise money for a charitable organization. We get to dress up and attend this event, which is set up like a real casino with tables, dealers, live music, raffle prizes, multiple bars, and even show girls. Active members of FIJI, as well as alumni from countless different pledge classes, come together for this event each year. It's the perfect time to reconnect with friends that have been out of touch. It's not limited to just FIJI's and their dates, however; anyone who purchases a ticket is allowed to attend. I invited my brother and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, who will be attending TCU in the fall... they had SO much fun!
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In 2010, FIJI Casino Night raised over $14,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, an organization chosen because of a young TCU FIJI alum that has been diagnosed with MS.
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This year the fraternity chose to donate to The United Services Organization (aka: USO). This organization is dedicated to helping men and women of the United States military and their families. What a fantastic cause!
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Here are some pictures of Eric and I at FIJI Casino Night over the years... and then some pictures from this year's FIJI Casino Night!

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{Brianna & Eric at FIJI Casino Night Over the Years}



2007 FIJI Casino Night

2008 FIJI Casino Night
2009 FIJI Casino Night
2010 FIJI Casino Night
2011 FIJI Casino Night
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{More from FIJI Casino Night 2011}
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Brother, Trevor, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, having a great time at FIJI Casino Night 2011

Elizabeth loved the tables!
Elizabeth putting all her chips on 5!