Happy Birthday Jason!

Well, it happened... after two months of picking on me for "robbing the cradle" and being his "older half", Jason finally turned 30! In true Baker form, his birthday celebration lasted not just one, but three full days. We started out the festivities on Thursday (his actual birthday) when I took him out to a nice dinner at Frank's Chop House. Friday, we went out to another delicious dinner at Brenner's steak house with his mom and Dana. After dinner, we met up with a big group of friends at Cedar Creek, a neat patio bar that we love to go to. Saturday afternoon, Jason played golf with his dad and many of his guy friends. After golf, all of the wives and girlfriends joined the guys at Jason's dad's house for a yummy bar-b-que catered by Rudy's. Everyone had a great time and Jason had a very happy 30th birthday!

Showers of Happiness!

This summer, I was lucky enough to have two wonderful bridal showers thrown for me. The first shower was hosted by two of my mom's best friends who live on the street in Kingwood where I was raised. It was so much fun to catch up with friends and neighbors that I don't get to see as often as I would like to. In addition, my aunt, two of my best friends, Jason's mom, stepmom and sister all came into town for the shower. The shower was beautiful and it was so nice to introduce Jason's family to many of the friends and family that I grew up with.

The second shower was thrown by several of Jason's mom's good friends, three of which are the mothers of Jason's best man and two of his groomsmen. It was wonderful to get the opportunity to meet and visit with many of the friends and family that have known Jason his whole life. I was also lucky enough to have my mom, one of my bridesmaids and my brother's fiance all come to the shower as well. It was a very special day!

Jason and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families and friends to support us as we enter this new chapter in our lives. We can't thank everyone enough for both of the beautiful showers!

Here are a few pictures from both showers.

Marilyn Deane and Janice Dassing, the hostesses of my Kingwood shower.

The beautiful table and decorations at the home of Marilyn Deane.

Jason's mom, Shauna with my Aunt Jean.

Cathe, my Matron of Honor with one of my good childhood/family friends, Carrie Nelson.

Jason's mom, Shauna and his sister, Leah.

Amy, one of my bridesmaids, me, my Aunt Jean and Carrie.

Cutting the cake!

My mom and I.

Me with the hostesses of the Katy shower, Barbara Koy, Nancy Brammer, Daphne Jones, Donna White and Kay Callender.

The lovely table and decor at the home of Barbara Koy.

My mom and I.

Anna, my future sister-in-law, Shauna, Jason's mom, me, my mom, and Debbie, one of my bridesmaids.

Me with the moms!

Bachelorette Party!

Last weekend was my bachelorette party! I know that most bachelorette parties are generally a few weeks before the wedding, but I really wanted a fun weekend getaway with the girls and since half of us are teachers, summer was the easiest time to get together. We decided to go to Lake Travis for a long weekend and Jason's dad and stepmom were nice enough to let us stay at their beautiful lakehouse.

We spent Friday wine tasting at a few of the local wineries, Flat Creek Estates, Lost Creek and Stone House. Wine tasting is one of my favorite things to do and all of the wineries were gorgeous! Friday night we cooked dinner at the house, enjoyed some of the wine that we bought and had a fun lingerie shower. Saturday we headed out to Lake Travis where the girls had rented a pontoon boat for the day. We decided to go to Devil's Cove (a fun place where tons of boats anchor or tie up to each other and everyone floats and hangs out). The weather was perfect and we all had a great time on the lake! After our long day we headed to The Pier, a restaurant on the lake for dinner.

It was a great weekend and one that I will remember forever. I am so grateful to have wonderful friends to plan such an amazing bachelorette party for me!

Having lunch at Flat Creek Estates Winery.

Cathe, Debbie and I sampling some delicious wine at Flat Creek Estates.

Wine tasting at Stone House with their "winery dog".

Enjoying a glass of champagne.

Debbie, me, Sue, Amy and Cathe in front of Stone House's beautiful vineyard.

The whole group on the pontoon boat about to go out on Lake Travis.

Cathe, Sue and I.

Cathe and I.

Debbie, Sue and I.

Kristi and I.
Floating the day away with the girls!

The Big 3-0!!!

Friday, June 12th was my 30th birthday! We started the celebration by having my family over to our new place for appetizers and champagne. From there, we went to Fleming's Steakhouse for a delicious steak dinner. After dinner, we went to The Tasting Room where Jason had reserved a private room and invited all of our friends for a party. Good friends, family, food and wine... I can't think of a better way to celebrate my 30th birthday!

Here are some pictures from the night!

Finally Moved In!

We moved into our new townhome on May 1st. Moving and combining two households was quite a task, but for the most part we are settled in and really enjoying our new place! We hope to have everyone over in the near future, but for the meantime, here are some pictures of our new home!


The entryway to our townhome on the first floor.


Our living room. Jason's leather recliner fits right in with my beige couch and chair!


Another view of the living room.


We both really enjoy cooking in our new kitchen.

The table that we refinished from Jason's townhome looks great in the dining room!

Our master bedroom... we still have a lot of decorating to do!

The second bedroom is ready for guests!

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day weekend, we went to John's beautiful lakehouse in Palestine. This is becoming an annual trip, as this is our second year in a row to go. During the day, the girls enjoyed laying out on the dock while the boys kept themselves busy playing washers and a new game they learned, "Crispy Wickets" (I am still a little unclear on all of the rules, but it involves knocking cups off of poles with a frisbee). At night, everyone had great time hanging out and playing Uno and Jinga. It was a fun and relaxing weekend and we can't wait to go again next year!



Jason and I had a blast riding around the lake and the property.



Ashley, Carol and Michelle on the four wheelers.



Jason and Cary posing in their muscle shirts.



John and Mason playing washers in their cut off shorts... I have no idea why they dress like this when they are all together at the lake!

Home Sweet Home!

This weekend Jason and I began a house hunt to look for our first home together. Even though the buyer's market is great right now, we decided to rent for a year or so in order to decide where we truly want to put down roots and to save up for a down payment on a house. After a long day of looking, we found these townhomes located in the Galleria area right down the street from where I live now. They are relatively new (built in 2000), in a nice gated community and perfect for us! The townhome has two bedrooms plus a study/den and two and a half baths. It also has a great open layout, a nice balcony in the front and a cute patio in the back perfect for grilling. Once we move in on the first of May we will have plenty of room to entertain friends and family, so feel free to stop by anytime!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yesterday, Jason and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day with Christen and Keith at Kinnealy's Irish Pub. We had a great time having a few green beers, listening to the band and enjoying the perfect spring weather on their patio. Here are a couple of pictures from our day!

Jason and I

Christen and Keith