Welcome to 2011!

Wow. Another year down. I feel like as I get older time keeps going faster and faster. Today I realized that on my birthday this year, I'll be the same age my mom was when she gave birth to me. *Gasp*

2010 was a busy year for us as I'm sure it was for most people. We are finally starting to feel settled in our new house and improvement projects fill almost every weekend. Along with every other person on the planet, I set new goals for myself that will hopefully make 2011 the best year yet! I know Ricky has his own personal list of planned accomplishments but he's not sharing them with me:)

Lauren's Goals 2011

1. READ MORE. I love reading but I only read two or three novels last year. I am truly going to work hard to revive reading this year with more personal study and more secular reading. I recently completed "The Help" which was an amazing book. I'm currently working on "Eat, Pray Love" and will definitely be posting my review of that book when I complete it. It's....interesting.

2. Be more spiritually aware which involves daily Bible reading and prayer. Last year I felt like I only prayed before I ate and that's just not enough!

3. Be less stressed. I know, easier said than done. I'm just a person who needs to know what's going on at all times and that can leave you feeling a little flustered. I'm trying to be less concerned about housework not getting done, less bothered by patients who ignore my dental advice and more concerned about ME and my contentment.

4. Wardrobe update. Probably the most exciting goal. As a creep toward 30, it's time to toss some clothes that I've been hanging on to since I was in high school and add more sophisticated pieces that reflect my current style. I'm also thinking "outside of the box" and trying to buy things I wouldn't normally pick out. Everyone tells me, "Oh, you're soooo skinny! You can wear anything!" But you know what? I DON'T! I wear the same things all the time. That's about to change. (Note these cute booties I just bought!)




5. New fitness hobbies. I love working out but I need some variation in my workout routine. I have tried running and I just hate it. I love my cycling classes at the gym so I am planning on taking up cycling! I've been shopping for a bike so hopefully I'll be a full on cyclist by spring.

6. Travelling. We are getting this year filled with new trips. My goal is to visit at least three places I've never been before. We're already planning on going to Boston and Las Vegas. I am also working on a trip to a resort in Costa Rica. I'm taking suggestions for any other vacation ideas!

Kinzers Come to Texas

Ricky and I LOVE visitors so we were very excited with our pals, Richard and Alicia decided to visit us in San Antonio. Neither Richard nor Alicia had ever been to Texas so I was looking forward to showing them what San Antonio has to offer. We visited the usual hot spots: The Alamo and the Riverwalk. We also took at trip to Winery on the Gruene in Gruene, Texas. (WineryOnTheGruene) A German settlement, Gruene is known for its wine and German cuisine. They also have great tubing on the Guadalupe River in the summer. The winery features a great variety of white and red wines. I never drink sweet wine but I LOVED their Orange Chocolate Port Wine. It's the perfect taste of sweetness after a good meal; although I could never drink an entire glass. We hoped to have lunch at the Gruene Door restaurant but it closed early on Sunday:( Instead, we went to the Gristmill which sits on a picturesque hillside on the Guadalupe River. Our food was excellent and we were not disappointed. If you ever visit, I recommend their onion rings--big and tasty! Alicia and I took in an afternoon at the JW Marriott Resort Lantana Spa. The beautiful grounds and serene environment made for a lovely afternoon. We were able to take in a Spurs game on Wednesday night (Spurs vs. the Milwalkee Bucks where the Spurs won!) and a trip to the Flying Saucer. We ended their trip with an amazing breakfast at Magnolia Pancake Haus! We loved hosting the Kinzers and can't wait for them to return.

For more pictures, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31730254&l=f742990a0a&id=50401332

Cowboys Game!

I really wanted to post about our trip to the Austin City Limits Music festival but I realized I didn't take any pictures. We are definitely returning next year. The highlight of the festival for me was an excellent performance by the Eagles. They put on a great show.

So on to another exciting event: Dallas Cowboys vs. The New Orleans Saints. Thanksgiving Day. We took off for Dallas on Wednesday afternoon. Our 4 hour road trip morphed into a 6 hour trip as the highway was bombarded with holiday travelers. We arrived late Wednesday night and checked into our hotel to get a good night's rest for our big day. I highly recommend the Marriott Suites in Dallas, Market Center. The rooms were huge and the breakfast was well worth the extra 10 dollars! Thursday we started our day with a tasty room service lunch and waited anxiously for our limo transport to arrive. The stadium in Arlington is about 30 minutes from downtown. I had heard from numerous Texans that the new Cowboys stadium was amazing but I had no idea how impressive it would be in person! 90,000 fans packed the stadium for the game. Kenny Chesney did a phenomenal half time show. The Cowboys fell behind early and you could definitely feel the disappointment in the air. In the second half of the game the Cowboys surged back and took the lead. Unfortunately they couldn't pull out a win but it was still a great time.

For more pictures from our trip, click here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2070141&id=50401332&l=e6c0125cb1

House Updates

The Williams Family has been hard at work on our new home. When my parents came over the summer, they helped greatly with the major painting. We have slowly been buying furniture, decorating and doing mini construction projects. Next summer I am going to make a keep sake photo album with "before" pictures and all of our renovation pictures. Until then, here are a few "after" shots....

Guest Room:

Master Bathroom:





Master Bedroom:




Living Room:








Back Patio:


Sorry, I couldn't rotate this one for some reason:



Kitchen:

Summer Vacation 2010

The Williams Family had a BUSY summer! We did the family vacation in May, purchased our home in June, moved into the house in July, had our summer convention in August and took a ten day vacation to the Midwest in September. Not to mention working on the house, dinner parties, my sister's recent visit....no wonder I am so exhausted! Here are some highlights from our September vacation. We began our voyage flying out of San Antonio for Chicago on September 4. Our good friends from UK Dental/Medical schools, Chrissy and Dave had a fabulous wedding in Chicago Labor Day weekend. They fully represented Dave's Scottish heritage with kilts and bagpipers. Chrissy celebrated being Egyptian with an amazing belly dancer performance. The wedding was a great representation of Chrissy's generally glamorous appearance. We loved the dental school reunion and can't wait to see everyone again!

Our dear friends, Matt and Laurie, graciously drove us from Chicago to Lexington to continue our vacation. We split our time between Georgetown, Lexington and Richmond. We spent several nights with our friends, catching up and sharing in good food. Emily and Nathan had a wonderful party for us during which she showcased her awesome hosting and cooking skills. We also took at trip to the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Distillery (Note: Buy their cream bourbon due to hit shelves April 2011. It is AMAZING.) and to the Berea Artisan Center where we bought authentic Kentucky BBQ sauces. We finished up our trip with Morgan and Seth's wedding in Lexington at Fasig Tipton--the same location of our wedding! It was great being back there and Morgan was a beautiful bride.



More blog updates to come: House Updates and Austin City Limits!

Key Lime Cake

I love cake. It's my favorite dessert, besides ice cream, so I'm always looking for new tasty cake recipes. My mom and grandmother are FAR better than I am and can create amazing cakes without recipes. I'm trying to get up to their level:) If you're looking for a moist, light cake with yummy tangy flavors, this is it! I made a Key Lime Cake this weekend for a barbecue and it was a huge hit. Despite some crazy mishap that resulted in my layers sticking to the pan, it was a great success. If you want to try it yourself, the recipe is below.

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix--(If you have a recipe for a homemade lemon cake, you can use it instead. Just prepare it as normal and add the orange juice and lime jello mix)
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
3/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh KEY lime juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.

Combine cake mix, gelatin mix, oil, eggs and orange juice. Pour into three 8 inch cake pans--be sure to grease and flour the cake pans well. Bake according to instructions on box. Allow to cool. To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat the heavy whipping cream until peaks form. Add fresh squeezed key lime juice and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Place the whipped cream mixture between the layers. Take the remaining whipped cream and fold it into the butter and cream cheese. Frost the outside of the cake with the mixture. Top with crushed graham cracker crumbs and sliced key limes.

Houston Date Weekend and the Arrival of Mitchell Perry

After weeks of moving and home improvements, the Williams Family needed a break. Ricky and I decided to take a quick weekend trip to Houston for some relaxation time and to meet our newest pseudo-nephew, Mitchell.

We decided to stay at the Intercontinental Houston near the Galleria and the Museum District. Other than the horrific traffic in Houston, it was a great weekend. Little Mitchell slept through our visit but I know he was glad to see us:) We had a great dinner at the Red Lion (I highly recommend the Punjabi Eggrolls) and an even better breakfast at Cocos Crepes and Coffee. Before heading home on Sunday we visited the Houston Museum of Natural History. I was VERY excited to see real-life dinosaur skeletons! There is also an excellent children's chemistry/energy display at the museum that Ricky and I enjoyed more than the kids!

Such a cool periodic table. It had examples of all the elements in those little boxes!

I was in dinosaur heaven. The second picture is me next to a raptor skeleton.

Such a beautiful baby. Mitchell Perry Atkinson. July 31, 2010. 9 lbs 1 ounce.