SB2K10

This past week was spring break here on North Padre Island. What was in February a sleepy beach town turned into traffic-jammed party central. I loved it! The surf shops were full, the miniature golf course was packed, and the shaved ice RV was set up on the side of the road.

Even though we weren’t partaking in the all-day drinking events and beach contests, we had our own little spring break filled with family and friends. Kristen and Nick got here late last Saturday from Richmond, Virginia and were here all week! We played games, drank Coronas, grilled out, and relaxed at the pool and beach. Even though we were sad to see them go on Friday, we didn’t slow down. My cousin Jamie and her family arrived late on Friday night. Along with the Grebes, came the cold weather and rain! But we found time to paint pottery, go to the park, go to Brewster Street, grill out, spend some time on the beach, and drink Coronas (and Natty Light for Guy)!

Instead of sharing all the nitty gritty details about our spring break, I thought I would let the pictures do the talking.

Burgers and beers (and a Smurf!)

Matt and Nick grillin' out

Homemade Irish Car Bombs on St. Patty's Day

One of many game nights

Professional pottery painters (I'm making Sadie a water bowl!)

Two kids, two puppies, one dog crate

Searching for a perfect shell

Big News!

Big News Flash! Nick got a job! He's been awesome at searching for jobs and interviewing over the past 3 months. He landed a really good opportunity with a great company...I'm so excited for him! His start date is March 22nd, so in almost a week my little family will be living together in our little loft in the big city :D

Dog Crazed

Since Cole is a city pup now I thought I'd blog about this dog crazed city....

I am a dog lover....I always want to pet any dog on the sidewalk and oohh and ahhh over the really cute ones. Now I love dogs, but people around here are dog crazed! First off I've never seen more dogs...it seems like everyone has a dog! This makes a friendly Lab difficult to walk when you pass a furry friend every 5 mins, but I must admit it's nice that most people are willing to let him come near/sniff and a lot want to pet him.

Another thing I really apperciate are the large number of dog runs/parks. Cole has lots of energy and loves to run and wrestle with new friends, so the dog runs are wonderful! Central Park also has off the leash hours early in the morning and late at night so we'll be taking advantage of that when the weather gets warmer!

Now onto the dog crazed part...

People love to dress their dogs up....coats, sweaters, fancy collars, etc. I recently saw a dog with a yellow raincoat complete with a hood and a guy with two dogs dressed alike in sweatshirt hoodies under plaid wool coats (I'm not joking!) I've seen more booties on dog's paws to protect them against the cement and weather than I've seen children being accompanied by a parent while playing outside.

Dog spas and doggy gyms exist here for those who think their dogs need extra special attention or need to lose that extra pound.

Most stores let you come in with your dog. In fact recently after a snowstorm we were out and about, Nick was shopping for a coat and Cole got REALLY wet and dirty from all the snow slush and mess. Yet a Banana Republic employee said "you can bring him in, no problem!" I said "it's ok he's pretty dirty, we'll stay out here"....apparently they did not care!

Even though we've entered NYC dog world...don't worry...you won't be seeing this lab wearing anything but a lot of drool and dirt and he won't be attending any gym classes unless it's yoga to calm him down.

At the Hudson River Park in the snow....jersey city in the background.

Congrats to the Graduate!

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted! I have been busy in Corpus:)

Mom's visit was awesome! We were able to do everything that I wanted. We went to the lake house to scrapbook (can't believe how much we got done...), went to Rockport and Port Aransas (local beach towns), shopped, cooked, drank, walked, etc. It went by too fast! I am not sure how much longer we will be in Corpus, so I was so happy that Mom got to make it down here and see our life in Texas. Miss her already...

This past Saturday was another big day in the Swartz family. Miss Sadie Swartz graduated Puppy Preschool. After eight weeks, she was able to pass with flying colors. She started off with the nickname "wild child" and was definitely the most rambunctious of the group. Needless to say, it was a big feat for her (and us...)

Matt's sister, Kristen, and her boyfriend, Nick, are visiting next week for their spring break. We are so excited! This spring we have been so lucky to have lots of visitors (friends and family) and the fun just continues with their stay. Hopefully the beautiful weather (70s and sunny) will continue for their stay. Guess I will have to get back to cleaning those trash cans...but all for a great reason!

Have a great week:)



Jamie and I taking a break from scrapbooking!

Mom and me in Rockport.

It was quite a feat to get the graduation cap this close...

She did it!