And today, I give you a list.

And, now, I present to you, faithful readers. A few random things to sum up life lately...

1. House Progress. Sort of. I have refinished some old things to make them new-ish to us. And....we got a new couch, chair and coffee table! Woo-hoo! Slowly but surely making the house our home. Now, to put something up on those naked walls...

2. It's SPRING in Austin! [It's 90 degrees, so basically it's summer]. I forget how much I loooove this season. The earth comes to life again and it's so fun to be a part of.  This means, weekends are spent out in the sun, on the water, etc. Thankful to live in a place that allows us to be outside most of the year.

3. I am finishing an online photography course right now. When I upload some of my pics, ya'll better hold on to your hats!! Well, not really. But I am LOVING the course and feeling totally pumped about all that I have learned and how far I've come.

4. Yard Work. We are so lucky to have a new home with landscaping mostly done!  However, I spent some time cleaning up the beds, and putting some new little plants in there. Should I take pictures? Yes?! Oh, sure. Also with the new house came a sod yard. Who knew there were so many weeds in the world? Sweet Rob spends a few hours each weekend tending the grass and waging war on those Texas weeds. Also, Rob calls me "black thumb", due to my unluckiness in keeping previous plants alive. This is very sad for me, due to the fact that my mom is an amazing gardener. So, this year, I am determined to prove myself!

5. Working Full Time. Not that this is a new thing, but I have a whole new appreciation for people who work 40 hours/5 days a week! Seriously, it's a lot! And then to have pups and a house to care for, friends to see, hubby to spend time with... phew! I can't even fathom how people do it with kiddos, too. Truly, I feel like we work hard all week, evenings fill up, its the weekend before I know it... and BAM, the weekend is over in a blink of an eye. I'm sure it's like this for everyone, but it never ceases to amaze me how life flies by. And when I want to complain [like right now], I remember how very thankful I am that we both have great jobs and a full and blessed life.

6. Jake and Ruby are loving having a yard. Now that the weather is nice, they get to spend so much time outside. They still stay in their kennels while we work, but they are obsessed with being out in the yard when we are home. Jake still likes to come in and check periodically that we are still there, and then goes back out to join Miss Ruby. They are also obsessed with the concept of "protecting" their house and home, barking at anyone and everything that comes near their territory. It is actually ridiculous:).

7. Missing family and friends. See above point about working full time. We never seem to be able to schedule enough time away to visit our sweet family and friends. We miss everyone so much! But at the same time, loving our life and our friends here. So, we are just thankful for the amazing folks in our life, here and far away.

8. Celine Dion. Oh, you heard me. I am joining 4 of my best friends since HIGH SCHOOL in Las Vegas for a long weekend. We are going to see Celine, our obsession since the tender age of 14. We were total rebels, as you can tell (sarcasm). We have big plans to talk, shop, lay by the pool, talk, laugh, catch up, and just have the best time ever. As a single girl, I totally didn't get into "girl weekends". Now, I've been counting the days! I can't wait!!

9. Loving our new neighborhood. It seems like everyone has come out of hibernation now that it is warmer. Pretty much everyone in the neighborhood has a dog, so we all hang out at the neighborhood dog park every evening. It is so nice that our neighbors love and enjoy our dogs, rather than be annoyed by them. There was a little fight at the park the other night, and Miss Ruby ended up getting pinned down by this other dog. She is totally fine, but we had FOUR people come by the house that night to check on her. Four neighbors! Isn't that just the nicest thing??

10. Marriage. This is a little bit mushy and sweet... But really. I am so thankful for my husband. He is such a perfect compliment to me, and is so strong in the areas that I am weak. We still have soooo much to learn about life and love and marriage.... but I am thankful for how far we've come together. (Cause I'll just go ahead and say that the first year was quite a challenge). I love that we are both growing as individuals and as a couple... isn't that what life is all about?

Now that I have you all teared up, I'm going to stop writing.

Oh! One more fun thing! My friend, Erin, and I have decided that we want to start a blog together. We both are obsessed with reading blogs about fashion, design, DIY, families, dogs, etc. So we decided that between the 2 of us, we have lots of material to blog about and are so excited about our new little project! When we finally decide on a name, I'll let you know.

Much, much love from sunny Texas.
LB

So, Um, Happy New Year!?

Seriously, I feel like 2011 is just now starting. We took a small hiatus from real life with a move, the holidays and then a 2 week trip to South Africa. As wonderful as everything was, I have never been more grateful for normal, everyday life. Seriously, I'm just filled with gratitude for my husband, my home, my job, my crazy dogs, and some time to relax and enjoy it all. Not to mention, being content is one of my NY resolutions. That and getting shredded like Jillian Michaels via a home workout DVD. Just Kidding. Well, not really :)

Our South Africa trip was... ahhhh... amazing. Honestly, it was just so perfect. [Sidenote: I have come to a realization that America does not know how to do "holiday". My cousins were shocked to learn that Rob has never taken a vacation longer than a week... It is totally normal there to take a solid few weeks off of work. All this to say, taking 2 weeks away from life and work was exactly what I needed.] Throw in summer weather, breathtaking landscapes, the beach, and my wonderful family... you have a perfect vacation. It was so much fun for me to visit South Africa after 10 years and become re-aquainted with my amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins. And even more fun for Rob to meet them and get to know them a little bit. It's almost like a small part of me living halfway across the world that he had never met. Not only did we love the people, but the country of South Africa is just amazing.

In 2 weeks: We froliced on Atlantic and Indian Ocean Beaches as well as played in the big waves. While driving in a navy blue VW van [kombi], we saw zebra, giraffe, elephant, bison, and all kinds of other animals. We bungee jumped from the highest bridge bungee in the world. (Truth. Can you believe that?!) We hugged the necks of 35 precious family members. We went kloofing in a pristine river that we could drink out of. We ate enough South African candy and biltong to make a normal human sick for a month. We spent some good old fashioned quality family time (all 7 of us), crammed into a van with all of our belongings. Ya'll, it was just so much fun.

Like I said, I am now just thankful to be home. And I'm ready to get on the homeowning train. It's time to work in the yard, put some things on the walls, and beg and plead with my hubby to buy some new items:). I am ready for the winter weather to pass... hurry it up, spring! I have some furniture to repaint and I refuse to do it until the sun is shining.

We are now taking appointments for visitors in the spring and summer. Hurry, before the slots are taken.

xoxo,
Lara

Hello. My name is Lara and I am a bad blogger.

Friends and Family. 

I'm sorry. I'm bad at this. I know. However, we have really fun things happening in our life right now. So I felt as if I should share. 

We are buying a house in Austin! 

This city has truly become our home and its very obvious that this is where God has us right now. Our jobs are great, we love our friends, and are really enjoying our church... So, we are taking the leap, and buying a house. We have been dying to get out of the apartment and have a place with some more room and a yard. We found this adorable little neighborhood right in the heart of South/Central Austin, close to so many of the things we love already. We are getting a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home, so we have LOTS of room. Come visit! 

So, without further ado.

The outside. How cute is it?! Notice the garage. This is exciting for us... 

Coming in the front door, the kitchen/dining/living area. We love the big open room and high ceilings. It is going to be so much roomier in the kitchen now when Rob and I are both in the kitchen... and the dogs join us as they always do. 

Looking to the front of the house. Bedroom and bathroom downstairs and then 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs. 

Rob modeling the back yard. The area behind the house is "green space" that the city owns. It will never developed, and is a great place to take the dogs to play. 

My own sink! Eek! 

So there it is! We are so so so excited, and are so thankful for the way that things all worked out for us. It was the place we wanted to live since we started looking, and we thought it wasn't going to happen... But then it did! The neighborhood is full of young couples and families, and there are so many dogs, it has its own little dog park. I mean, how perfect can it be?! 

We really do look forward to being able to have more visitors... we mean it. Come! 

So, our holiday season is going to be a little more hectic than normal, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am actually taking a quick packing break to update this... We close on December 16th and move the following weekend. My mom and dad are coming for Christmas and will hopefully arrive on the 22nd. I am actually on call for Christmas, which is so sad. But I am also excited at the thought of Christmas here in our new home! 

Then, in January... AFRICA. Phew, what an amazing few months. 

So, that's the skinny. Love you all. 

Oh, and Thanksgiving in Nashville was amazing. Fun, fun family time. I got an amazing camera for my birthday from my sweet, sweet husband and have been working at taking lots of pictures. I am also taking a photography workshop in the new year, so get excited to witness my improving skills! At photography and blogging... 

xoxo. 

Lara

Getting the Ark Ready...

Ya'll. It has been raining for the last 24 hours in Austin and I swear we are all about to float away. This city is not used to this much water falling from the sky! I woke up really early this morning to go to a class at the YMCA. On the way there, I passed this huge turtle that must have crawled out of Town Lake and was just creeping on down the street towards the highway. Apparently, he's had enough of the rain and was getting on out of town. And, of course, the first time I drag my butt out of bed for an early workout class, the YMCA flooded last night and wasn't going to open. I went home and back to bed... Enough with the rain!

We just got back from a fantastic Labor Day weekend with the Bauchiero clan. We flew in Thursday night, and headed straight out to the lake house with Jim and Nanci. The rest of the clan joined us on Friday, and we had a grand total of SIXTEEN people there for the whole weekend. We had amazing weather, amazing food, amazing rest, and, of course, amazing company. It was just so fun for us. We loved every second of getting to spend time with those kiddos... they are growing up so fast and are so much fun. My parents and Mitchell came down for the day on Saturday to hang out. We are so lucky that our families enjoy one another and we can all spend time together.

So, we arrived back in Austin on Monday night, tanned, well rested, with our "family-time-bank" all filled up.

We're looking forward to getting to be here in Austin for a while, with no more trips planned until Thanksgiving. This place truly feels more and more like home and I am looking forward to actually being here since I haven't spent more than 5 days at a time here for the past 4 weeks!

xoxo
Lara

My Summer Vacation

By: Lara Bauchiero

Somehow, the summer has completely flown by. Throughout some of our visits with friends and family, I have been gently reminded at my utter neglect of the blog. It's true. Blogging is clearly not my spiritual gift. But I'm working on it, okay?

Although an essay about my summer seems appropriate, I feel like bullet points are the only way I can get through this. A small part of me wants to just forget trying to play catch-up since last time... But I know that all you faithful readers are just dying to know what the Bauchiero's have been up to this summer, and I truly hate to disappoint.

- We'll start with the topic you're all dying to hear about... The Pups. Ruby is doing fantastic. She is doing the same obedience training as Jake, and continues to amaze us at how smart she is. She just had her first birthday and she just love-love-loves Jake and wants to be wherever he is. Homegirl basically sleeps on top of him. Jake is just as sweet and happy as ever. We've boarded them several times this summer, and he is apparently so well behaved, he earned the nickname "The Dreamboat". Needless to say, Rob was proud and never ceases to remind Ruby (and me) who the #1 dog is around our house.

- There is no big summer vacation this year because I am saving every bit of my vacation time for our SOUTH AFRICA trip! (I traditionally don't like to internet-yell, but all caps were totally appropriate there). We have bought our plane tickets, and it's really going to happen. Me and Rob, Mom and Dad, Jaime and Eric, and Mitchell are all going to South Africa for two weeks next January. To say that we are excited would be an understatement... Stay tuned on that one.

- Despite the lack of a summer vacation, we have had some amazing weekend trips this summer. We spent a long, fantastic weekend in Northern California with Rob's family. We joined Rob's parents and all of his siblings in Walnut Creek, CA for his cousin John's wedding. It was so fun to get to hang out and get to know them all, and not be the bride! Don't get my wrong, I looooved my wedding. But this was just so fun and relaxing and I really felt like I was able to get to know people. After the wedding weekend, Gina, Stephen, Rob and I headed to San Francisco. We hung out in the city on Sunday night and headed out to Sonoma on Monday morning for a day of touring and wine tasting. Sighhhhh. It was SO wonderful. It was the perfect mini-vacay, made better by sweet time with family.

- Nashville has been the other destination of our summer weekend trips. We've been there a couple of times, very briefly, for whirlwind tours to see our favorite people. We never get enough time it seems to see everyone we'd like to see... But what a great problem to have. As much as we love Nashville and our people there, we always love flying back into Austin. It truly feels like home, and it has been such a great thing for us to be here...

- Speaking of Austin... This place is H-O-T, folks. No lie. And even though they say that this summer is mild compared to last summer, I still think its quite toasty. I have learned to do my running in the early mornings, and to spend my afternoons by the pool or lake. Our Austin weekends always involve doing something outside since it's pretty much sunny every day. We have tubed the river, and done some stand up paddleboarding as well. It truly is such a fun, outdoorsy city with so much to do. We are so thankful to have a fun, great crew of friends that we hang out with often. We have had guy/girl nights, movie nights, cook outs, camping trips, picnics, doggie play-dates, concerts,  pool days and lake days with these people. We are so lucky to have them, and they truly help this to feel like home.

- Our first anniversary is coming up! Can you believe that?? It's crazy that it has almost been a year... It's been a crazy, fun, fast, challenging, wonderful, adventurous year. And its just the beginning... I feel like I am always learning something new about myself, about Rob, about what it really looks like to love someone...

Alright, I think that's all for now, friends. I don't want to totally wear you out... This weekend we are going to the lake house for a 4 day weekend with the Bauchiero clan. SO fun! And, my parents get to come join the madness, which will make it a close to perfect weekend. Perfection would be my sibs (and Eric) being there, too.

As always, I promise to try to update more regularly with more pictures.

Hugs,
Lara

Foursome

So. We made a big deciscion. We adopted a sweet four-legged lady named Ruby. We have been thinking for a while about the possibility of a second dog, and everyone we talked to told us how great it was for dog #1 to have a playmate and that it actually made your life a little bit easier. And of course when you're thinking about getting a dog, and then you decide to just look at a puppy or two... Well, you get one. 

Since being in Texas, we have sort of fallen in love with these brown and white spotty dogs called German Shorthaired Pointers. We have been so glad that we rescued/adopted the Jakester, so we decided to look at dogs with the Texas GSP Rescue. And that's where we found... Miss Ruby.

She is a 10 month old little girl who was recently given to a foster home since her original family just didn't have the time and energy to take good care of her. We went to see her and immediately fell in love with her... She is just so little and petite and just the sweetest thing you'll ever meet. And she has just fit in perfectly with our little family! She and Jake love each other and play constantly. She is housebroken and crate trained. We honestly feel like she was handpicked for us!

(It looks like she has a crooked nose in these pictures. But she really doesn't.)

PS- Don't judge us if she has a different name next time we talk about her:)

PPS- Next time I have nothing to write about, I will tell the story about the other dog we went to meet. And how we lost him. Yup. (I mean, they found him 7 hours later).

Memorial Day Magic

Such a fun weekend, and so sad that it's over! I did want to be sure to share the biggest event of our weekend... The Doggie Du-Dash. It is a race that involves a 375 meter swim and a 1 mile run that you do with your dog. Of course, when Rob heard about it, he immediately signed himself and Jake up. And I am SO glad that they did, cause it was about the most entertaining thing we did all weekend. Just see the pictures for pure hilariousness. 

Oh. Minor Point. They got THIRD place! How great is that? Not to mention, they are the two cutest ones out there.