Girls' Night In

You may have noticed the frequent mention of CHANGE in previous blog entries... a few weeks ago, my dear friend Alex and I were perusing the sale racks in the arboretum for some sweaters for all of the upcoming winter events... we drove together there in her sparkling new volvo suv. As we stood in line to check out, I suddenly floated out of my body and looked down upon myself and bf Alex chatting in the check out line... of ANNE TAYLOR. As I snapped myself back into my body, my eyebrows lifted and I interrupted Alex in mid-sentence. "Alex!" I said, "Do you realize we are shopping in a "mom-store" ANNNND we drove here in "MOM-CARS!"

We laughed and thought- we are grown ups, we are really grown ups.

Today comes another moment of notice on my little Melanie pathway... Here it is, Friday night... Neil is working on a new licence in Florida... leaving me to my devices alone in Austin... Instead of painting the town red... my girlfriends and I are painting our toes pink... at home, in comfortable outfits and shoes, sipping champagne, sharing appetizers, watching girlie movies. And after a long week at work... it's sounds divine.

A New Year

Holidays remind us of love and joy, family and celebration, God's love and the excitement of a new year. This 2008 was an eventful year...

Landmark Events of 2008

1. I finished my Master's degree.

2. I began my first house re-modeling project.

3. Neil and I began our life together- engaged to be married!

4. Alexander Brent Boecking was born.

5. Lucky Dog Boecking went to Heaven after 12 years of life.

6. Maisie Boecking was rescued and joined our family.

7. We opened the second Pro-Care Spine Center in San Antonio, Texas.

8. Holly and Mike Neumann were married in Galveston, Texas.

9. Ryan and Lori Gray were married in Puerto Moreles, Mexico.

10. Alex and Kat Olmos were married in Austin, Texas.

11. Ava Royal Gilly was born.

12. Matt and Nichole were engaged.

13. Zach landed his first job as a youth pastor in University Park, Texas.

14. Amar and Emeia were engaged.

15. Brandon and Alex Hall were married in South Padre Island, Texas.

2008 was the year to grow into change.

I grew into the change all around me and within myself.

Growing out of the old and into the new- allowing me to reach new heights- love more, celebrate more, and feel more.

Thank you, Lord for 2008- Thank you for 2009...

Smile. The best is yet to come.

Christmas 2008

Wow- this break was a much needed holiday.

Neil and I enjoyed a romantic evening at Vino Vino- our new favorite wine spot. You grab a bottle from the wall at a great price, tasting is encouraged and the staff was just fabulous as was the food. What a lovely evening. This one is a keeper! ;)

Family Christmas at Mike & Sallie's was FUN as always. We started with dinner at Mandola's Winery on Friday night. Neil and I set the record for the largest steak dinner, but my favorite part, aside from the company, was the pineapple-basil gelato dessert- let the holiday out-of-control-calories begin! The dogs had a blast together- Jackson, Ruby, Little, Maisie and Jenny and slept like rocks after playing so hard all day. The kids were cute, building gingerbread houses, riding scooters and climbing through their pop-up tunnels. B was a pro on the scooter, E and Neil bonded through gibberish language, and A is taking steps on his own! Meanwhile, the adults enjoyed the food and drinks, watching the kids play, and even a little Wii fun too.

Pro-Care Spine Center's Company Party- was hosted by yours truly this year. And I will say, the mashed potato bar was a hit, thanks Clayton & Lindsey for having this at your wedding, thanks Ryan & Sandra for reminding me! My first attempt at meatloaf and meatballs was delish too! Everyone had a great time and Steven even gave Rock Band a shot by the end of the night. Whew! Party planning is fun and tiring!

Girls' Day in Horseshoe Bay- My mom, Sallie and I set off early to take care of some wedding details in Horseshoe Bay. We tasted the wine and the food, viewed the venue again and made sure tables, chairs, and the lot was all placed accordingly. My bouquet is orchids like the one I loved in Amye's Neiman's Beauty Book. And the figuring out the cake... well, was a piece of cake. :) We ended our wedding duties with cosmos and girl talk in the restaurant. It was an awesome day- and it made me excited about our upcoming celebration.

Christmas Eve with my parents was exciting. We attended service at Grace's new sanctuary, my mom sang in the service and it was nostalgic to see some old familiar faces. Then we headed to PFChangs for one of my favorite meals. We celebrated with champagne and enjoyed the company before heading to Jeff's home for a little more Christmas cheer. We toured their masterpiece home and visited, more cosmos, and danced a little as we were pretty merry at this point. I can't wait to see what their next project will be!

Christmas brunch at my parents' house, Zach made it home late and forgot to bring his presents! Regardless, we laughed and enjoyed the morning. Mom and dad headed out to Illinois to visit family and friends- Happy 97th Birthday Grandma! Neil and I headed home to watch movies with our dogs... and ahhh... rest. Zach headed over for some Rock Band and leftovers. I hung back and tried to snuff out my vicious cough with honey syrup and elderberry, echinaecia, night-quill and everything else I could get my hands on at this point.

Christmas with Tom & Marian at Chuck & Monique's house- the kids were busy playing with animals and cardboard bricks- these were a hit and I was happy to see these classic toys are still crowd pleasers. Their new dog Buddy is absolutely precious. He took refuge from the kids' antics in my lap while everyone opened gifts. We enjoyed an awesome lunch at South Congress Cafe on Sunday.

Neil and I and the pups laid low after the dust settled- we cruised the scooter around town, catching lunches here and there, watched movies, and just RELAXED. It was joy, peace and love. The holidays.