Thoughts ranging from her heart....to my stomach....and life in between.

First, let me say how grateful we are for all of the prayer directed towards Debbie, and our family in general last week. Praise God, she came through successfully and we are hopeful that that was the end of a long road of struggle. We are also thankful that she did not have to end up being in ICU as suspected and was able to come home yesterday, once they were able to get the raging nausea she fought (following 8 hours under general anesthesia) under control. If you are like me and happen to be interested, here is the link to information describing the procedure they used. I know 99.9% of you couldn't care less...:) but for that other .1%, there you go. Ha! But again, thanks so much for the prayer. She is moving slowly, but we're looking forward to a full recovery soon.

Onward...
This weekend has been a really nice one. Friday, we spent time with a family that has been a part of our lives since I was 15 years old and their kiddos were 7 months (Anna) and 2 1/2 (Chase). I babysat for them in their home (which is now OUR home--we bought it from them in 2006!) and we have such an amazing and unique relationship. Once Matt came along in 2000, he came with me to babysit and was Anna's very first boyfriend...or so she would tell you back then! :) Even though the parents are about 10 years older than us, we are great friends and still love hanging out with their teenagers...those sweet babies are now 14 and 16! Ack! Here is their daughter Anna, and me, right before we all headed out to spend the evening in their new (huge!) hot tub. It was a great night to chat, catch up and relax! (Sorry for the poor pic quality!)

Last night, we went to the movies, and then to dinner with my parents. My parents and I went and saw "The King's Speech" which deserved every award it won (sorry to our group of friends who previously told us it was terrible!). It was amazing and we really enjoyed it. Matt wasn't really wanting to see that so he went and saw "I am Number Four" instead. He called it "a renter". :)

The reason I'm taking time to blog about our night out is because I officially have a new favorite restaurant in town. Oh my, it is UNBELIEVABLE! If you can prepare yourself for the drive out to Alvin (which is about 55 miles from this NW side gal...but not so much for my Sugarland friends) it is WEEEELLLL worth the drive. Its kind of tempting to keep this place a secret, but I doubt that with the rave reviews its getting from every corner of town, it will stay that way long. I told Matt last night that their truffled mac and cheese is probably one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted in my life. Seriously, top 3. I would also recommend the pan seared chicken and warm Bananas Foster Bread Pudding. Yeah.... Anyway, it is called The Barbed Rose. They probably have a total of 15 tables, and a reservation is recommended. It opened last July and has already made it onto the "Top 10 in Houston" list from the Houston Chronicle. We spent about $45 per person, which included appetizer, meal/side and dessert. Not bad for the amazing food you get. And just as a warning, don't expect to get a Texas Sized steak or feel the need to have someone "roll you out". This is not a place where you leave feeling like you'll never want to eat again. The portions are plenty to get you full...but not TOO much. If you have an open night coming up, special occasion, or just in need of a meal full of wonderful food...check them out. We're already making a list of friends and family we can't WAIT to take down there! :) Ok...I'll stop, but did I peak your interest?? :)

Also this weekend, we worked on the front flower beds. We raked, we bagged, we pulled weeds, we mulched, we power-washed and today I planted flowers. Begonias to be exact. I'm very happy with the outcome, I just hope that they last longer than most plants do around my BROWN thumb.
Jake especially enjoyed getting to lounge in the yard while we worked.
Finished product...

That's about all for today! Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!!