Lifegroup Christmas Party!

Our Lifegroup had its annual Christmas party a couple of weekends ago. This year we had dinner at a fun restaurant in Frisco called Zea Woodfire Grill. It had a great atmosphere with a live band playing in the background and different but tasty food! I would highly recommend the hummus & pita bread for an appetizer! We then headed over to Courtney & Dustin's for the 2nd part of the evening. We had an ornament exchange for the girls & the guys did a white elephant gift exchange...hilarious! We enjoyed celebrating the birth of Christ together with great food, fun, & fellowship!

Decorating for Christmas

This year it has been a little more tricky trying to get the house decorated for Christmas with a puppy. I was getting out some of our boxes of decorations the other day and turned my head for a second and Lucy had decided she wanted to help. :) (see below) Once we got the tree up and decorated, Lucy found her new favorite place to go! She sneaks under the tree so she can swat & chew on the limbs. I have even found her jumping up for the ornaments, leaving the tree shaking. I'm just glad it hasn't fallen over yet! Lucy sure keeps up on our toes, but we love our sweet puppy!

The Cowboys Radio Show!

Last night we went out to the Gaylord Texan for the Tony Romo & Sam Hurd radio show. It is an event that is invitation only & one of our friends is actually in charge of putting on the show, so they invited us to come out for it. Last night, the 2 guests were wide reciever, Sam Hurd & defensive safety, Ken Hamlin. Apparently Tony Romo & Sam Hurd alternate weeks and it was Romo's night off. We were really hoping Romo would have been there, but I think we are going to get to go back on Dec 4th when he is there.

Basically, they interview each other on not just football talk, but life in general. It was neat to get to see what some players are like off the field. They were both very down to earth & funny. We got to meet Ken Hamlin & got a picture with him...it was a professional picture so our friend Tiffany is going to be
getting that to us later.

The radio show was live on 105.3 last night but will air on Foxsports on Friday night at 7:00pm, so you may see us on tv! Here are a couple of pictures of them during their show. Thanks, Tiffany & Ray for inviting us to come out!

Sam Hurd being interviewed


Sam Hurd & Ken Hamlin interviewing each other

Steve's 30th Birthday!

Steve turned the big 3-0 on November 14! It was on a weeknight, so we went out to Texas Roadhouse for his birthday dinner and he had a big prime rib steak to celebrate. The evening wasn't complete until he got the enjoyment of riding on their saddle and using a napkin as a lasso while the waiters sang him happy birthday. Unfortunately I didn't have our camera, but it was pretty funny!

On Saturday we celebrated Steve's 30th birthday with some friends. We had our lifegroup over for a little mexican fiesta. We catered Cristina's mexican food & had cheesecake for dessert...Steve's favorites! We had a great time of food, fellowship, and celebration! Lucy enjoyed all of the company and was such a good girl (we were a little worried about how she would do)!

Mike Huckabee

If you have been looking at the possible Republican presidential candidates you probably haven't found many which line up with your conservative views on social issues. There is one however which has gained in notoriety in the last several days. You may have heard of him - Mike Huckabee. He is very conservative and a former Baptist pastor. He is not afraid to talk about his faith and stand behind it. If you haven't heard of him, I would encourage you to check him out.

The Republican primaries start in January and if he doesn't have enough momentum by then, he won't win any states and people will forget about him. So he doesn't have much time.

Check out this response to whether he believes that God created life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BFEhkIujA

New Lucy Pics

I just added some new pics of her this morning. Click on the Photo Album at the top of the page!

Gig'd

This weekend a couple of buddies (Toby and Casey) and I took a road trip to Nebraska to watch the Aggies play the Cornhuskers. Toby is from Nebraska so it was really a trip home for him. He and his family are dyed in the wool Big Red fans. Casey and I were making our first trip to the great state of Nebraska. One of the things we learned along the way is that "There is no place like Nebraska." Sometimes that was good and sometimes it was bad. :)

We had planned to stop off in Edmond, OK for a round of golf at a nice course, however we spent too much time at Coaches restaurant in Norman that we missed our tee time. So we called around and got a tee time at the Cedar Valley "championship" course in Guthrie, OK. We were also able to get a picture with the largest golf ball in the world!

While in Nebraska, we stayed with Toby's aunt and uncle. We played a game called Super Pong for hours on end. It's basically ping pong but you can also score points by smacking your opponents with the ball at any point during the rally. It keeps you on your toes.

The football game itself was a very good experience. We got to meet Lil' Red who is probably one of the only opposing school mascots that I would pose with. He was pretty funny to watch run around. He never did bounce on his head. That may be something he reserves only for victories. The Huskers fell to the Aggies 36-14. It was a great trip.

Mr. Bird

Tonight we had an unwelcome guest in our home. Steve went to open the front door for someone who was coming by & just as he opened the door, a bird flew in! It flew straight down our hallway onto our fan in the living room and just sat there! We were a little unsure of how we would get him out. Steve got a broom and basically chased him all around our house while both the front door and the back doors were wide open, so hopefully at some point or another he would make his way out. Well, after about 15 minutes of landing on our couches, kitchen counters, shutters, cabinets, light fixtures, curtains and hitting mirrors he found his way out...all with the help of a broom. What an adventure!

Well hello there...

I am now 9 weeks old...

More photos of Lucy

I added some more photos of Lucy and all of her visitors to our photo album. Click the link under the steveandhalie.com logo!

I Love Lucy!

We have a new addition to the Hodgson household...Lucy! On Saturday, we got a precious Boston Terrier puppy. She is almost 7 weeks old & only 1.5 lbs! She was the runt of her litter & was just what we were looking for. She is the most adorable little thing ever! As most of you know, I've never really been a dog person, but Lucy sure has won my heart! She has mostly been just sleeping, snuggling & eating, but we have seen her start to show a little personality as she has already found her shadow & tries to pounce on it. Come meet Lucy anytime! :)

Lucy just arriving to her new home!

Lucy's first meal

Bath time!

How do I get out?

Awww, so tiny!

Labor Day Fun!

On Monday, we went on a mountain biking adventure with Melanie & Toby. We went to a park in McKinney that was out in the middle of nowhere but it had great trails! I was the amateur biker of the group so I held up the rear. :) We spent a couple of hours out there & had a great time. It was definitely a good workout! Let's do it again, Schultes!

We're two serious bikers!

Funny guys...

A Great Birthday!

It was a great birthday weekend! Friday was my b-day, but we chose to celebrate it on Saturday due to knowing how tired I would be Friday night after a long 1st week of school. Saturday morning I started the day with an hour massage, which was incredible! Saturday afternoon I spent the day shopping with my mom, which is always a treat! Saturday night, Steve took me out to a nice italian restaurant called Nicola's in the shops at Legacy. It had a great atmosphere, was delicious & we had a wonderful time! What a great birthday!

Back to School

Well, as we all know school is back in session! I just finished my 1st week of school with my new group of 1st graders. We all have very full classes--21 kids each! (the max is 22 per class) Although they are quite the talkative bunch, they seem like they are going to be a good group of kiddos. It was a long & exhausting week but I am looking forward to a great year in 1st grade!

Ashley's shower

Yesterday I helped host a wedding shower at my house for a long time family friend, Ashley. Our families grew up together & we went on many family vacations to Disney World & Destin, Fl with them. Fun memories! There were about 50 people at my house yesterday for the shower and it all went great. Ashley is going to be a beautiful bride!

Me & the bride, Ashley

Dining room table set up


Kitchen table set up

Key West, FL

Steve & I just got back from a week in Key West! His parents own a timeshare there, so we fortunately get to enjoy it with them! We always go the first week in August because it is the opening week of lobster season in Key West. Steve and his dad always spend a day or two diving for & catching lobsters! There is quite an art to it as lobsters are very skiddish creatures. This year, Steve caught about 10, but was only able to bring back 3 due to the others being pregnant or too small. His dad was able to bring back 4 & we had a big lobster dinner one night (I ate chicken). :) They had a blast lobster diving! On the other hand, scuba diving didn't work out so well for me this year. Steve & I went on a pretty dive but I ended up getting very sea sick (even with dramamine!). They say once you get down under water you feel much better, but that wasn't the case for me. I spent most of the 1/2 day dive trip hanging over the side of the boat, if you know what I mean. It was terrible & pretty embarrassing. Luckily, I wasn't the only one sick so that made it a tad bit better. A few of the other highlights were: sunny days by the pool/beach, pool bingo(steve's mom won the jackpot!), sunset dinners on the beach, getting to be in a commericial shoot, touring Hemmingway's home, shopping, Mallory Square and much more! We absolutely loved our trip to Key West--thanks Marlene & Sheldon!

Headed to dinner with the family

Sunset dinner on the beach

Showing off their catches just before the cleaning!

We took a tour of Ernest Hemmingway's home that was very interesting. Here are a couple of pictures from that:


We went to dinner our last night with another family that we have gotten to know over the years at Key West. To our surprise, the restaurant was shooting a new commercial & just as we all sat down, they came over and offered our whole table free drinks if we would let them take pictures & film us throughout dinner! Then, he wanted Kate, Sarah & I to go and pose with our drinks in the sun for some more pictures. It was random & crazy, but fun! Too bad its just a local commerical! ;)

Curtains, Curtains, Curtains!

Our formal living and dining room has been without curtains since we've lived here which is over 3 years. I've just never really found anything I loved or that were reasonably priced enough for all the windows. Well, this summer, my mom & I decided to make some! We went on an extensive fabric hunt at all the fabric stores in the area & ended up finding a fabric I love at Cutting Corners. My mom has been so patient with me as she taught me along the way how to make them. Making curtains really aren't that hard, it is just very time consuming. I did all the cutting & ironing & she did all the sewing & hand stitching. Well, a month later, all 7 panels are now complete and hanging! Thanks, Mom, for all your help! :) Below are a few pictures--I only have a before pic of 1 set of windows.

Before

After

Let the weddings begin...

On Saturday, Abby & Rudy got married. They are good family friends of ours & my youngest sister, Kendall, was a bridesmaid. It was a beautiful wedding & Abby was a beautiful bride! I can't believe my little sister's friends are now getting married! This was the first of our marathon weddings for the rest of the year. We have at least one or more every month thru December--we are happy to go to them though! :) Below are a couple of pictures of family at the wedding but somehow I don't have any of the bride & groom on my camera!

My parents

My sisters (me, Kendall, Summer)

The crazy one! :)

Craft Day

Last week, I got together with a couple of my college roomies, Sarah & Katie, for craft day! Sarah had discovered an awesome craft, figured out how to make it & had us over to do it. So fun! The letters come in different sizes & you can either hang them on the wall or lay them on a shelf against the wall, which is what I did with it. It was actually really easy & inexpensive & I could totally see myself making them for wedding or baby gifts! Below are a couple of pictures of us & the final products! Thanks, Sarah, for a fun day!

The lake...

This weekend we went down to Lake Conroe to visit Steve's parents. His brother Clay & our nephew Clayton came to visit, as well, which was a treat because we don't get to see them very often! The weather held out for us in the afternoon on Saturday & we were able to spend some time on the lake jet skiing and also got some good sun at the pool. Clayton is the most adorable 3 year old & we had such a great time playing with him & getting to know his fun personality. He is so funny! On Sunday, we battled some rain, but still managed to find some time for boating. We always enjoy our visits in Conroe!

One of my best friends from college, Laura, came in town from Conneticut with her little girl, Lily, while her husband is deployed for 6 months with the Navy. Getting to play with sweet Lily was so much fun. Lily had trouble saying "Halie" so she would just call me "Ya,ya" -- too funny! We ate some good mexican food & had to go to Laura's favorite--Benningan's, since both of those don't exist in CT! Laura is currently pregnant with her 2nd baby & we're anxious to find out if its a boy or girl! Below are a couple of pictures with them. Lily would look at the camera and say "cheese!" So cute!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July with our lifegroup & the weather ended up being perfect! The Webbs had us all over to their new house for a cookout. The guys spent most of the time out in the backyard in a tight competition of washers while us gals hung out inside so our very pregnant friend Courtney didn’t get too hot! :) Later that night, we all played a few rounds of the game “the king & the slime sucking pig” which is a fun card game for a lot of people and ended the evening with sparklers in the backyard! Thanks for hosting a wonderful 4th of July, Casey & Trichelle!

Quack, Quack

Yesterday I pulled into our driveway & noticed 2 ducks walking towards me in our alley--no pond near! I got really excited & ran & got our camera. By the time I got back, the ducks were headed up our driveway rather quickly. I snapped a couple of pictures and then I freaked out because they were waddling so fast towards me & about to come into our garage. So I hit the buttone to shut our garage and they went the other way. Whew! I didn't realize ducks would freak me out--I guess its rare they are coming towards you! :) hehe

Playa Del Carmen

A couple of weeks ago Steve & I took a vacation to Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar all-inclusive resort in Playa Del Carmen and had an wonderful time together! We did a lot of hanging out at their HUGE pool and the beach. This beach had fairly large waves that Steve spent hours body surfing on. :) In between the pool & beach time we managed to eat our little hearts out! The food was wonderful--I think our favorite was the Japanese Hibachi Restaurant but we couldn't pass up the amazing guacamole that we ate everyday! They also had a lot of activities such as bocce ball, ping pong tournaments, wind surfing, sailing, etc. We had such a fun & relaxing time together & would recommend this resort to anyone! (Unfortunately we lost our digital camera on day 2 of our trip, so we had to buy a Kodak disposable camera. Once I get the pictures put on CD or scanned, I will post them!)

New Teammates

My new 1st grade team for next year got together to go bowling & get to know each other last week. After bowling, we headed to TGI Fridays for an afternoon snack! We lost 2 teammates & are gaining 3 for next year. While we are sad to see Rhonda & Kristy go, we are really excited about Amanda, Courtney & Lanette joining us!

Field Day

Today was field day for 1st grade and it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day for it! The kids spent about 3 hours running around to different games & competing against one another. The teachers decided we would have some fun too and the kids enjoyed cheering us on! Below are a few pictures of our fun afternoon!