way tooooo long

It's been so long since I have been on here... I don't even know where to begin. So I'm not yet sure I will. I could do a mini recap of the last 6 months. But so much has happened that even a mini recap would be long and tedious. New job, New state, New life... hmmm yep that about sums it up. haha
I will post more. But for now I have started another blog and really like this site better. Its simple and easy for posting. So go check it out. thelifelesstraveled.tumblr.com

It's nothing to fancy but it will have new updates!!

~loves

oh April...Birthday's and Buffett

April Showers bring.... busy days? Hmm, doesn't exactly rhyme but it is most certainly the truth.

A quick run down of what our weekends looked like in April... Best Friend from Hawaii came down, trip to College Station for Chilifest, celebrated my birthday, celebrated Kevin's birthday, and went to the annual Jimmy Buffett concert. Whew, I'm worn out just thinking about all of that!

So here is the wrap.

We celebrated our birthdays with a night out in Dallas. Complete with dinner at the "ball" which I have been dying to do. Recently Reunion Tower got a new addition with the Wolf Gang Puck resturuaunt. Everything was amazing. We had a great time and topped the evening off with a romantic stay at the Fairmont. The next morning we ate breakfast in bed and headed off to tailgate. Kevin's b-day gift was tickets to the Buffett concert. My gift was lasik eye surgery! Both turned out to be great. haha

We had a great set up at the concert this year with a motor home and crawfish! I truly believe it is the best concert to be at... no where else will you find a bunch of free lovin parrot heads that are willing to share anything. You will NEVER see a fight at a Jimmy Buffett show. People there are just so much fun.

It is now the third year running that we have had a group go, and plan on continuing the tradition as long as Jimmy keeps singin! So next year any takers are welcome to come... its sure to be a great time.

What next? Chilifest '09

Although Maui was "life changing" for me, we still had to come back to Texas and try to move forward. I was hard. I left and didn't feel the same when I got back home. Suddenly the things that mattered most had shifted. Work seemed to draw on... I seemed to get more and more unhappy each day I went. At one point Kevin and I were ready to just pack up and move and leave everything behind. It seems that we are at our best when we are able to spend time with each other. Maui really brought out the best in both of us, and we both felt the pull of the islands!! But... as THE FORDS are always BUSY BUSY, we pressed on and tried to enjoy all the little blessings we have here.

In April we took a little trip to College Station for Chilifest!! Chilifest is somewhat bittersweet for me. I have yet to miss this annual event since I first went to A&M in 1999! It is the best time and is the true compliment to TEXAS. It's a weekend full of beer, pastures, friends and TEXAS COUNTRY MUSIC!

Only this trip was different for two reasons.

1.) We had our good friend Brennan in from Hawaii visiting us for the week and he wanted to see a "Country Concert". So I thought what better place than to Chilifest for him to see Pat Green, Cross Canadian, Robert Earl Keen and other legends.

2.) Afterwards, I realized I'm not in college anymore, nor can I keep pretending I am. So all though we rocked Chilifest '09 with a bang... it will probably be my last.

It's like any great sitcom, Friends, Sex and the City, Seinfield... Smart people end a show while its still great.. before it drags out and is only remembered for its last "overdone" episodes.

So, in conclusion of the last 10 years of Chilifest's, here are a few things I am going to miss.

1) Shotgunning beers

2) 24 hours of sweaty, hot, sunburning, Texas heat... along with beer

3) The venue... which has not changed in the past 10 years. Thank you Pat, Cross, and Willie for the continuous memories

4) The Port-a Pottys... which I found a way to never use!

5) The groups of friends you come with and the ones you always make while there

6) The beer... oh the beer...

Here are some pictures from the event!

All Things Maui

Goodness its been a long time... so much to catch up on that I assume it will be the first of a series. If I had to pick up from where I first left off that would be in the same place I am now... IN LOVE WITH MAUI!

Our trip was amazing, to say the least. I found a part of my soul there. It was the most beautiful, inspiring, peaceful and calm place that I have ever known. Well, maybe second to Bora Bora. But when I think of Maui, I think of a place I could easily call home. That is what separates it from any other place. A life there would be an adjustment, but by no means hard. A few things I noticed is that people are outside... daily! Here in Texas, I noticed that there are days when the only breath of fresh air I take is walking to my car to and from work :(

On our vacation we were so active, we swam, hiked, watched sunsets, took walks, went on a helicopter ride, watched the whales, saw Hawaiian shows and ate great food.


I remember one evening it was 5'0clock and we were on our way to dinner. I noticed that every place we drove past people were standing outside. Most of them in small gatherings, they were in parks, streets, apartment complexes... everywhere! I asked Kevin why all these people were outside. His response " It's time for sunset, and everyone in Maui stops to watch the sunset!"

That blew me away. In a world that is so fast pace where people seldom take time to enjoy their surroundings... this is a place that does. The culture, and lifestyle here are something that is humbling and yet inviting all at the same time.

With that being said, its inevitable that we will be living there someday. Our goal now is to position ourselves to be there in 5 years!

MAUI TIME!!!!

Alright, I dont have a lot of time to write.. why so busy you ask. Well we are leaving for Maui in a week! I cant wait. Words cant describe how excited I am. I know, I know...we recently went to Bora Bora which was an amazing paradise. But we like to travel and Kevin instist that it has been way too long since he visited his "so called home" Maui, Hawaii. So we are leaving next week for a whole 8 days!!!! I already have the week mapped out including time to snorkel, attempt to surf, ride a helicopter, see a Luau, whale watch, and take at least one nap on the beach! Ok ok, sound rough right?! So I might not come back if it is at all like Kevin says.. but I figure we will live there soon enough so I better scope out my futuere home land.
I promise to post picts when we get back. In the mean time I have tons of work, packing and things to do before we go....

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Well although last year was our first Christmas together this year is different for so many reasons. Besides being married now, last year we didn't have to many decorations but we did have a live tree. Live trees are great, but if you know me then you know I kill practically any plant that makes it into my house, including all trees. Needless to say our tree lasted about a week last year before I forgot to give it water and killed it. HA. I managed to keep it standing until the 25th but it was all brown and had very few needles on it. Now that's what I should have posted a picture of!! Oh well.

This year when Kevin and I decided to decorate the house we decided a fake tree would be best for the Ford residence. This way I was safe from killing, burning, or drying out any holiday decor. While we were shopping for decorations we came across a huge selection of tropical ornaments. It is definitely out of the ordinary but they tree actually turned out very cute. If you notice it fits right in with the sailors wheel on the wall!

So any Jimmy Buffett fan knows that you cant be a fan with out being a parrot head. That's why our tree has fish, boats, parrots, and even surf boards. It honestly fits in perfectly with our home decor. I should be wrapping presents to put under this dang tree right now instead of blogging... but what are you gonna do.

Kevin also wanted a 50 ft. Santa on a surf board to blow up in the front yard.. after some major convincing and pleading we settled for a large surfin' Santa on the mantel!! HAHA.

Oh on a side note, its been almost two months now that I have been without my car and its still not fixed! UGH. They are hoping it will be done by Christmas, I know I've been good this year so hopefully Santa will bring it back to me... along with a few other presents under the tree :)

It can't all be roses

Well I was thinking in all the mix of things that have been going on I should also include all the stressful stuff. The last two months have gone by in such a blur. The weeks seem to be filled with chaos and stress which trickle into busy weekends that never end.

It all started when my dad found out that he had prostate cancer. Just the word really shook me up. I have to say it wasn't unexpected. Both my grandfather and uncle passed away from the C-word. My dad had not been feeling well for some time so when the doctor came back with the news I knew what we were facing. Either way, the thought of anything even happening to my dad was un-thinkable. We have not been on the best of terms in the past, but this year had been such a turning point. For the first time in a while I knew my dad was happy for me. It was clearly evident at our wedding. My dad is really fond of Kevin so since our engagement we had been talking more and more. Its funny though, in times like this you really realize how much someone means to you and how easily you take them for granted. I know I know... everyone says that when something tragic happens. But maybe that is part of the reason why God puts events like that in our lives. I truly believe that God had a plan for this whole thing long before it was revealed.

Anyway, after lots of doctors visits and praying about what would be best my dad decided on surgery. It was scheduled for this last week. Up until the day before the surgery I had not thought much about it. I think I tried to keep it on the back burner and stay distracted. But the day before I was a mess! It was more the thought of all the things I couldn't control and "might" go wrong that scared me. But the surgery went very well!!! Praise God! Our family is so thankful to have it behind us, now we are just focusing on moving forward.

But... as if that wasn't enough on my plate to think about this month. I managed to also have my first car accident!!! And let me tell you it was crazy. I was coming home from work (it was actually mine and Kevin's engagement anniversary, October 28th) minding my own business when out of no where I was hit unbelievably hard on my passenger side. Before I knew it I was flying across 3 lanes of traffic to hit directly on a cement median on the driver side. It happened in a blink, all airbags deployed and shook me up pretty good. It took me a few minutes to process what had just happened. The car in the far right lane had come into my lane and sent me flying. My NEW car was crushed! I can say though amazingly no one was hurt! Again, I believe it was a God thing. There is no other way to describe what happened. I was traveling home at 5:30 on a busy interstate and traveled across 4 lanes of traffic without hitting anyone else and with out anyone else being injured. I truly believe that if I would have had time to think or react the damage would have been much worse.

As lucky as we were, I have to say it has been a pain in the butt every since. Dealing with insurance, no car, and my achy neck has made for one cranky wife. I was so proud to have a nice new car, and in an instant it was ruined. Either way you look at it now we are out a large chunk of cash. My car is worth nothing now and yet we cant afford another one. YUCK! And even though it wasn't my fault the other driver did not have enough insurance to cover the damage on my car. Just thinking about the whole ordeal makes my neck tense.

So... in a nutshell, I have been stressed. I guess you could say with everything on our plate I could really use some sense of normality in my life. I am really looking forward to a lazy weekend or some structure to our days.

I put up a picture, its hard to see but basically all of my front was crushed up like an accordion. It also blew out both tires and completely broke off my wheel axle and steering column!

I can say though, in the mix of all the chaos and hard times. I am reminded daily that I have a wonderful husband. He lets me vent on my bad days, cry on my sad ones, and even take it out on him when no one else is around. All in all, even the worst days are better having him to come home to!