FiVe

This past Saturday (September 20), Mark and I celebrated our FIFTH wedding anniversary. Hard to believe we have been married for five years already!!I know this sounds cliche and cheesy,but, these really have been the BEST five years of my life! I am one blessed lady.Tried to scan a wedding pic, but it turned out funny on my computer, oh well.

Oktoberfest and County Fair

This weekend we attended "Oktoberfest" because my brother, Read, was manning the State Farm booth. We had such a great time eating lots and lots of food and hanging out with family. It was so fun to see Sara and Jason, who came in from Waco.

On Monday night, My family and I attended a "County Fair" at my grandmother's Alzeimers facility where she lives. My grandmother and I had a very close relationship and it is so very hard to know she doesn't know me or my daughter. However, we always have fun seeing her and usually have lots of "stories" from our visits. My grandmother always dotes on my baby "boy" (she doesn't ever grasp that Ryann is a girl, even though I dress her girly every time) and tells me she loves me, which is priceless to me, even if she tells everyone she loves them.

OFF with their HeAdS!

As I was feeding Ryann her lunch today, I heard a little,"Hi, Beer"( NO, Ryann has not learned the word,"Beer"..."Beer" means Bear in Ryann speak). I turned around and saw Ryann talking to her Teddy Graham and then proceeded to bite off it's head. She then did it for all the "beers" on her tray....which is how I got this picture. A little disturbing? YES.

O Canada!

This past weekend, Annie Hunt and I went to Vancouver to visit our dear friend Liesel and her husband, Jeremy. It was such a FANTASTIC weekend, filled with sightseeing, talking, EATING wonderful food, laughing, and friendship. Thanks casa de Rios, for such a great, memorable weekend! Thank you also to Mark, Sarah, Grandma and Grandpa Lamb, and Lulu and Pappy for helping watch Ryann Cate

Upon arrival, we went on a sight-seeing drive up to Shannon Falls. It was a great start to our weekend trip!

On Saturday, we went to Granville Island, a huge food/flower market.

Liesel took us to this gorgeous flower garden. The colors were so vibrant, I could have stayed there all day!

Jeremy and Liesel live about a 1/2 mile from the beach. We had so much fun people watching!

This is Jeremy and Liesel's church. Jeremy is the pastor of this young Vietnamese congregation. He preached a great sermon on Sunday and this small congregation was so very sweet....and very cool looking!! On our final full day, we went canoeing. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. We even saw three seals!

So, everyone goes through a rebellious phase, right?! Mine just happens to be at 28. I decided to get my nose pierced in Vancouver. I actually have wanted to get one for years and Mark has wanted me to get one too, so I did it! It is teeny-tiny, but fun. The anticipation was far worse than the pain itself. Corey was the trusty piercer and he was very kind and patient with my (and Annie's) nerves.... Girls gone Wild...Vancouver edition!

LOVE You Rios Family, Thanks so very much for your time and hospitality

First Day

I started my part time job this past Thursday at Northwest Bible Learning Center. I am a co-teacher of 12 2 and a half/3 year old little boys. The first day was quite the challenge, being that I am used to high schoolers...but these little guys sure are cute! Ryann is going with me and Thursday was also her first day in her classroom.

LoVe.

Can you say, OCD?!?

It is moments like these, that I feel sorry for Mark. I am going out of town for 5 days and this is just half of Ryann's schedule. Talk about Type A!!

Big FiSh Part 2

In a previous post, I highlighted a 20lb carp my dad caught on his fly rod, where a neighbor seriously asked my dad if he could "pop" the fish for him with his gun, that he had in his pocket. It was a pretty big fish considering....but not compared to this sucker.....
My dad and his buddies caught a 301lb. Halibut in Alaska last week. If you notice the poor thing's head, it had to be "popped" too. I love my dad's face in this picture....good times,indeed.