There's more to Texas than the Panhandle

After my worst fear of my house falling apart became a reality, I had to call in pros to fix my roof that had completely collapsed from the AC leak. Unfortunately, the repairs took over three weeks. When it was completed, I was ecstatic. It looked amazing with new paint, carpet and vinyl tile. At this time, my work was putting tons of hours on me and requiring me to work weekends. 

I was missing J-Dawg something fierce, and luckily, I got a couple of days off so I could go with him to San Angelo to a friend's lake house. J-Dawg surprised me and came one day early, since I was so miserable with my job and being without him. He hung out at my house while I worked some hours on Friday so I could leave on Saturday. When I returned home from work, I found my house decorated and situated how it was prior to the repairs. Being so busy, I hadn't had time to put everything back. But J-Dawg remembered where it all went and made it look beautiful and homey again. 

We hit the road on Saturday morning and headed west to San Angelo. Some words of advice: look at a map before a road trip; and Texas is a big state. Thinking we were near El Paso, we didn't think it'd be too long of a drive. Little did we know, San Angelo was not close at all. Luckily the speed limit was 80, and we found things to keep us entertained (discussing TX water rights, eating Payday candy bars, and playing I Spy). 

When we arrived to the beautiful lake house, I immediately heard Texas country blaring. Very curious, I followed the sound to find there was a huge concert on one of the docks a couple lake houses down. This was gonna be amazing, I could feel it. We hung out with J-Dawg's siblings and a couple of friends at the house and then took the boat out. The lake was small but still very cool!

I watched as J-Dawg's brother water skied, and sat jealous of his physical abilities. (Last time I tried water skiing, I wasn't able to get up even once as the skis kept coming off my feet). I was invited to try, and said I'd rather watch the others. But just being on the boat, feeling the warm water splash my face, and seeing J-Dawg smile was just so amazing. 

We headed back to the house and cleaned up to head out for dinner with the whole gang. We ate at this awesome sushi bar and shared all the different rolls (thank goodness I was introduced to it earlier). J-Dawg's sister suggested we then head to a bar. Never would I have been able to dream up the creativity that the owner of this bar did. It was a bar at night, and an antique store during the day. But at night, while drinking, all items are for sale. For some reason, intoxication makes less attractive items seem like a great buy. Although... J-Dawg's sis actually bought some  really cool chairs and some other neat items. 


The next day we spent the day out and about on the lake and enjoyed the warm air and cool water. Because I had to go back to work the next day, we didn't get to spend much time in San Angelo. But I'm so glad we were able to go for even a short period of time, and spend some more time getting to know J-Dawg's friends and family. 

Its Been Sooooo Long...

I'm sorry its been so long since I've updated my blog. So many things have changed since July, and the best part of all they're GREAT changes! Before I fill you in on my new wonderful life, I'll recap the past five months.


With a long weekend ahead of us, J-Dawg and I were at a loss of what to do. We had been back and forth between our houses and to my folks in between for the past three months. Longing for something more exciting and out of the ordinary, I suggested we head north to Colorado. We calculated the route and things to do while there, and decided it was a go. He met me at my folks, and from there hit the road.

This was during the time of the horrible wild fires throughout New Mexico. As far as we knew, most of them were out so we figured our travel wouldn't be affected. Little did we know, all the hotels up north were sold out because it was full of firefighters. They were tending to a northern New Mexico town whose fire was still burning. Panicked, we took the last room available-- smoking. It smelled horrible, but knowing we had no other choice, we were grateful to not have to sleep in the car. The gentleman at the front desk was kind and gave us room deodorizer. Not even thinking, I sprayed the entire room, only to realize the smoke smelled better than this product. J-Dawg pulled his shirt over his nose and said, "This is bad." And he was right.

We woke up early the next morning (mostly because we wanted out of the room that smelled of burned and moldy strawberries- a scent created by cigar smoke and strawberry room deodorizer). We hopped back onto I-25 and headed north. We opted to stay in Colorado Springs, since we'd be going to Golden, Colorado to visit the Coors Brewery. Because of our prior dilemma with getting a hotel, we decided to book one right when we got into town. Once again, there were no rooms available anywhere in the area due to the fact that Colorado Springs was hosting the Women's PGA tour. 'You're kidding!' we thought, but not because the hotels were filled, but because people fled from all over the States to watch women play golf.

We called all around town, until we finally found one that was pretty expensive but would do. Our GPS took us to the location, where we quickly realized was the ghetto. "It's ok," I thought. "J-Dawg's with me. He'll protect us." The room we received stunk worse than the room from the previous night, so we asked for any other options. The man at the desk was hesitant to let us check the other room (they only had two left). We walked into it and it was very clean with no odor. Whoop whoop! I looked out the back window and realized we were overlooking a trailer park. "Let's just keep those closed," I heard J-Dawg mutter as he closed the curtains. We went to the front desk and swapped out the keys.

The next morning we headed to Golden for the Coors Brewery Tour. Just some advice: do not attend this tour on a weekend! The line was incredibly long and the sun was incredibly hot. Luckily, we had each other to help pass the time. We finally got on the tour bus, cruised around Golden, and then headed to the factory. We strolled through all the different levels and smelled the barley and hops. J-Dawg and I are very similar in that we don't care for crowds, and unfortunately, the entire place was packed.

We visited areas with the least amount of people and children, enjoying the 
elbow space.  I watched as J-Dawg's eyes continued to grow with astonishment as 
he watched as thousands of beer cans were boxed and moved through the all the 
processes on the conveyor belt.   

Next stop was the tasting area where each individual received three glasses of 
their choice of beer. After about 20 minutes of waiting in line for a beer, we 
received our samples and sipped on the delicious, fresh-brewed Blue Moon and 
Coors original. Unfortunately, with the stress of the amount of people, the 
waiting and the heat, we didn't enjoy this portion to the fullest. Neither of us 
finished our glasses and decided it'd be best to head to the gift shop. In there 
was all the Coors paraphernalia you could imagine. We opted for purchasing some 
pilsner glasses and a 6 pack collection of Coors specialty beers.  

After some difficulties of trying to check out, we grabbed our bags of souvenirs 
and headed back to the car. Ready for a night out on the town, we went into downtown Colorado Springs and 
checked out what it all had to offer. It began raining and we walked the 
streets, soaking up every drop. To the left was a sushi restaurant, and J-Dawg 
had asked if I was game. Just so you know, I don't believe I ever would have 
tried sushi if it weren't for him. 1) It looks funny 2) The name even sounds 
disgusting. But when I'm with him, I'm not afraid to do anything.

We walked in and even the atmosphere was cool. He suggested a couple to try, and 
being the sweetheart he is, ordered them without avocado, knowing I'm allergic 
(they still put avocado on them). I also ordered a smoked salmon and cream 
cheese one. We had wine to accompany our meal, and it was all delicious. I now 
love sushi. 

Although the sushi was delicious, we were still kinda hungry. While walking 
downtown, I spotted Melting Pot restaurant. Brother constantly raved about how 
delicious it is, so I asked J-Dawg how he felt about having some desert. Another 
thing to fill you in about J-dawg --- He LOVES chocolate! Like as much as a 
female! But if you've ever eaten Dutch or Belgian chocolate, this is 
understandable. Its absolutely delicious and like Pringles, you can't have just 
one. 

For our desert, we chose the ultimate option--- chocolate fondue with Bailey's. 
And to dip in it were marshmallows, rice crispy treats, brownies, strawberries, 
pound cake and some coconut deals. It was absolutely delicious and we enjoyed 
(ate) every single bite! Feeling fat, dumb and happy, we paid our check and 
headed back to the ghetto. 

The weather in Colorado was chilly and cloudy with drizzling rain. We grabbed a 
couple of beers, sat out on the balcony outside our room, and enjoyed the 
weather and one another's company. This was such a nice break from 110 degree 
weather. Not to mention, any time spent with J-Dawg is time well spent. 

The next morning we packed up and stopped for some complimentary breakfast at 
the hotel. There were some others there eating also. But this wasn't a quiet 
morning whispering over breakfast. This was a room full of women chirping 
enthusiastically about the Women's PGA tour and who was four under, and who had 
missed the easiest putt possible. J-Dawg and I had a hard time keeping a 
straight face, so we just kept eating. 

With only one day left for travel, we opted to head back to New Mexico and stop 
at the Rio Grande Gorge on the way home. This site truly proves God does exist, 
it is so beautiful. Although I'm not afraid of heights, being atop this bridge 
scared me. J-Dawg put his arms around me and squeezed tightly, warming me up and 
calming my nerves. Then and there, I looked up into New Mexico's bright blue sky 
and stared into the Heavens, thanking God for bringing us together. 

Stationery card

Days Be Merry Christmas Card

Click here to browse Shutterfly Christmas card designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

J-Dawg turns 23!

Well, I have a confession... J-Dawg is younger than me. Thank goodness for his maturity level though, because he seems much older than he actually he is. I turned 23 in September of 2010 and he turned 23 in July of 2011 (you do the math). The poor thing severely dreaded his b-day coming up and was not looking forward to aging. But I give him props for being where he is at his age- manager of the mechanical and farming portion of the dairy, owns his truck, lives in a very nice home, is situated, and knows what he wants out of life. Now, how many 23-year-old men can say the same? 

I was invited out his way for the weekend to celebrate his birthday with his family and friends. I had been racking my mind for weeks of what to buy for him, and finally came up with some fun yet pragmatic ideas. His birthday was on Sunday, and I arrived on Saturday. His gift bags full of surprises and tissue paper sat in the back of my car, driving me crazy. But at midnight, I woke him up and handed him his gifts (I know, not nice). 

He got a new diddy bag (toiletry bag) stocked full of schtuff, plaid shorts (that I knew he'd never buy himself, but they were super cute), Silly Putty (perfect for he who must be playing with something at all times) and some brain teasers that I discovered he loves. He was grateful for his gifts and took right to the brain teasers. Sad part was, he's too stinkin' smart and figured them out in minutes, even though they were rated "difficult". Afterward that morning, we headed to his parents for the ritual Sunday morning brunch. 

Let me explain something to you... the Dutch love sandwiches! While I was taking my Dutch courses, I learned a new word: uitsmijter. Directly translated, it means "bouncer". Confused as to why the lady in my textbook was eating a bouncer, I called in reinforcements for my poor translating abilities. "No silly, uitsmijter is a breakfast sandwich," J-Dawg told me. Ooohhhh... that makes more sense. In fact, according to ask.com, the story goes that "this dish used to be served to cafe patrons late at night just before they were kicked out at closing time. It is still a popular breakfast- and lunch dish in the Netherlands."

Sunday morning brunches with J-Dawg's family consist of uitsmijters ham en kaas-  toast, mustard, ham and other sandwich meats, eggs (sunny side up) and varieties of Dutch cheese (Edam or Gouda). The first time I made J-Dawg breakfast (French toast, sausage and eggs), I watched as he piled it into one big sandwich. This would be the first of many occurrences. Then after about three Sunday brunches with his folks, I discovered the connection between the Dutch and sandwiches-- and it is a strong one! 

I began to love sandwiches, and now find myself making uitsmijters with or without J-Dawg. Also at Sunday morning brunches, coffee accompanies the sandwiches. And oh what a delicious combo. I love coffee to begin with, so anytime someone says "coffee break!", I'm in. While in Europe, I discovered that the Dutch and Belgians love to have coffee breaks around 9 or 10 am. This allows you to pull away from your work for about 15 minutes, and enjoy a cup of coffee and snack with co-workers or family. Now that I am savvy in world-travel (haha, not so much), I believe the US should instate this custom also. Would anyone like to second the motion? 

While enjoying our sandwiches and coffee, J-Dawg's family began to hand him his gifts. To explain what fun people his folks are, they told him he must FIND his gift from them. It was somewhere in the closed-off pool area where Sunday brunches occur. He looked everywhere possible and then eyed an air compressor box that looked out of place. Once he lifted it, he found a beautiful wooden carved eagle that stood about three feet tall. J-Dawg loves eagles, and was thoroughly impressed with his mom's purchase. He has the perfect place for it, but this will be mentioned in a blog to come later. : ) 

Prior to J-Dawg's birthday, his younger brother and I discussed what to get him. As I've mentioned before, J-Dawg is so incredibly pragmatic that whatever anyone purchased him, it would have to have a very good use. When his brother asked what I thought would be a good gift, socks immediately came to mind. What's more practical than socks? J-Dawg opened his gift to find thick, white, Hanes socks. For the boy who's always griping about having ones with holes, he got six brand new pairs. Everyone laughed, and he looked at me with a grim smile, knowing darn well it was my idea. He also received also received a pair of fluffy, soft, baby blue socks, from his sister along with a gift certificate to travel to Fredericksburg, TX for a weekend of wine tasting.

Birthday boy with his cake and fluffy socks

His mom then brought out his cake, and it looked delicious. We all enjoyed one an others company, slices of cake and coffee. It was then time for a dip in the family pool where pool badminton would take place. Do you have any idea how far birdies fly? Maybe that's why they're called birdies... J-Dawg, his sister, two brothers and I spent most of the time hopping in and out of the pool to get them, but we still had a blast! 


After his birthday party and hours of swimming, it was time for dinner. Afterward, clouds began rolling in. J-Dawg's dad talked about the chance of rain. If you've ever heard about farmers discussing rain, and think its cliche, you may be right. But owning a farm in eastern New Mexico and west Texas is probably on the Top 10 list of difficult jobs. These individuals go through months of drought and are still expected to produce not one, but numerous crops. So when rain finally hits, its a big deal!

They spoke in Frisian how they hadn't seen a good rain since October of 2010, bear in mind this was July of 2011. Just then, thunder began grumbling all around us and lightning flashes lit up the whole farm. The excitement could be seen in everyone's eyes as it began to pour. Being a desert rat, I ran out from under the garage and spun in circles in the torrential downpour. J-Dawg smiled warmly at me and joined. Just then the lightning hit very close to where we were standing, so we decided we could see the rain just fine from the garage. J-Dawg hugged me tightly and said it was the best birthday he had ever had.

You don't have to be a kid to act like one...

Reason #476 why I love J-Dawg: 
As you know, J-Dawg is just simply a blast. Everything done with him instantaneously becomes fun. I've had boyfriends in the past that would be fun for a minute, then would either become irritating or just flat out boring shortly after. I have not experienced this with J-Dawg, and don't believe I ever will. So... what do you do with the most fun kid ever?! Take him to 3-D movies and go-cart racing, DUH! 

After the Alan Jackson concert, we returned back to my folks house. Then J-Dawg, my mom and I purchased tickets to watch Cars 2 in 3-D. J-Dawg loves animated films, and I love watching them with him. They are also my favorite, but I never thought I'd meet someone who enjoys them as much as I do (except my niece).  J-Dawg just cracks up throughout kids movies, and then remembers the best quotes from them. He is such a pure and sweet individual (just like a child), and I love that about him. 


We arrived to theater, and for the big premier there was Cars stuff everywhere, including a car show out front. We found posters of Cars characters that kids had drawn, and J-Dawg helped me to see, my name was on it! 

We then went into the theater and were excited to watch the previews for upcoming films. Cars 2 ended up being a very cute movie and I love that Mater saved the day! I'm just sad that most Disney movies now have social, economic, or environmental message directed to children, when they are just supposed to be fun (with maybe a subtle moral message in it like Aesop's Fables). 
But we watched the movie and enjoyed our 3-D glasses. 

J-Dawg had been talking about this indoor race track for awhile, and he finally talked me into going. Although I love to speed, I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of teenagers on the same track as me, playing bumper cars. But I thought why not, and tried it anyways. 

We suited up and got into our cars. I was very cautious, slowing down at all the curves (I didn't wanna get flipped around and hit head on), whereas J-Dawg was just haulin! I lost count of the amount of times he passed me. I just waved and blew him a kiss, but I think he was going too fast to even see. 

Well, it goes without saying, J-Dawg kicked my butt. He decided to go a second time and I chose to sit on the sidelines and be his cheerleader. Teenagers bother me for the most part, and he had the same problem on his second go-round. They were acting ridiculous, using them as bumper carts, and didn't slow down when the caution flag was up. Although J-Dawg was leading, one of the rotten adolescents got their car stuck and hung out in front of him to let the others pass. Boo on teenagers. 

But we still had fun. He finished in the top both races. That's the great thing about J-Dawg-- no matter how many people try to ruin his fun, it just doesn't happen. It takes a lot to get him down, he's just a happy laid-back fella. We left holding hands and smiling.

Mother knows best...

My mom is such a sweetheart and really wanted to give J-Dawg and I a special and fun weekend. She was completely fine with me taking him to the Alan Jackson concert instead of her. Because the concert was very far away, she purchased us a hotel room so that we could use the hotel shuttle. Her best laid plans didn't quite turn out as we hoped, and trying to situate everything was becoming quite frustrating. This was the first time J-Dawg saw me mad, and although he was getting frustrated also, he tried keeping his cool for my sake. 

After hours of driving through 5 o'clock traffic with construction, we reached what we thought was the hotel, only to find it was in a complete other location. Once we arrived to the actual hotel, we realized how far away from the concert it was. We then learned there was no shuttle to and from the concert. The hotel room was incredibly elegant (and very expensive). Although I was grateful that my mom had done this for us, we felt horrible about the cost, and even worse that our "get-away" was making us want to go back home. 

We drove for miles out to the concert that was being held at the Santa Ana Star Center. After a long and frustrating night, we both took deep breaths and realized we needed to stop and enjoy the night. Some guy opened for Alan Jackson and neither of us were very impressed. Then we waited for the headliner... and waited... and waited... and waited some more. It was about an hour between the opening act and when Alan Jackson actually came on. People were getting up and leaving. 

But once he arrived, he put on a wonderful show. He wasn't promoting a new album, so he sang tons of his classics. Being in love with AJ since elementary school, I knew all of his songs and it brought back lots of memories. J-Dawg was really enjoying himself also. Country isn't big in Europe, but since he moved to the States, he had definitely come to love it. All our worries were forgotten that night, as his arm was wrapped around me and we sang along to "Tall, Tall Trees". 

We enjoyed the rest of the concert and then went back to the hotel. We stepped outside and realized how beautiful the view from the balcony was. J-Dawg had packed a bottle of wine (we both love wine and that has become our thing is to go shopping for a bottle of wine together, and then on our date nights, open it and share a glass) and we drank it sitting outside on the balcony, looking at the stars. "Okay mom," I thought, "you did good." 


We then wandered around the ginormous hotel, and checked out all the amenities. Three pools, what?! Unfortunately, it was too late and all were closed. The scenery was beautiful, and because the hotel was on tribal land, everything was very Native American (including this ginormous pottery waterfall). 

The next morning before leaving, we decided to soak up the landscape, and enjoy some time on the balcony before check out. The hotel truly was amazing, and J-Dawg and I felt as if we got the Honeymoon treatment as guests. 


What do you know, mom was right...

Family Pow Wow in the Panhandle

My elderly grandmother had one request of her family--- that we take a family photo for her to hang on her wall. Bro and Fiance, being the wonderful people they are, arranged a time and place for all the Tuttles to meet. Reeder (my other brother), his wife K, and their two beautiful children, already had plans to visit Bro and Fiance, so we all decided to go to Texas to meet them there. It'd be a great time to get the whole crew together... and a camera. 

We were slightly hurt though because my sister, Yo-Yo, and her husband, Marshdal (a name given to my sister's husband by a family friend's daughter), wouldn't be able to fly out there in such short notice from Georgia. Bro and Reeder gave Yo-Yo a hard time for missing out on "family time". All the while though, Yo-Yo had a trick up her sleeve--- she was planning on surprising everyone. My mom knew Yo-Yo and Marshdal would be coming, so they made the airport arrangements. After my mom picked them up, Yo-Yo and Marshdal surprised my dad, and they all loaded up and headed to Texas. 

In a Suburban full of Tuttles, they all arrived at Bro's house. Yo-Yo and Marshdal surprised Bro and Reeder, and the family reunion was nearly complete. J-Dawg and I weren't there yet because I had the interview with the company in Eastern New Mexico (who interviewed me with zero intentions of hiring me prior to even meeting me. Grrr). Grandad and Mo-Mo (as my parents have now become known as by the grandkids) were able to spend time with the little ones. This was also an exciting weekend, as this was the first time most of us met the newest addition to the Tuttle family, Reeder and K's son, Pate. He's so stinkin' cute! 


J-Dawg and I arrived and the festivities began. Bro was barbequing, mom and Yo-Yo were makin' drinks, and we were all just wandering around enjoying one an others company. The best part of the afternoon was when K came in the kitchen and said, "Hey Traci, he's cute! And don't listen to what your brothers say, his accent is awesome!" Receiving K's approval for J-Dawg  meant a lot to me! We roamed around Bro's house, which is out in the middle of nowhere (no, serious). Everyone was outside near the pens where the horse and calf were, and instantly I saw Bailey dart under the fence to chase the calf! Next thing, I hear Bro screaming, "Traci, get your dog!" Just what I needed was for my Llasa Apso to kill Bro's calf. Luckily, J-Dawg sprung in and grabbed her. She knew she was in trouble.


We spent the rest of the afternoon, just socializing with one another and playing with the little ones and the pups.  It was so nice to have everyone together, and I was excited for J-Dawg to meet everyone. The boys were very kind to him, but did give him the "if you hurt my sister" lecture.

Then we went back to the hotel and realized there was a lot of goofing off to be had! There were these ginormous horse statues out front, just calling mine and J-Dawg's names. AND a huge heated swimming pool that we had to jump into!

The next day we went to Amarillo and hit up all the sporting goods stores. In two separate vehicles, we were split up, but met at Gander Mountain. Suburban 1 had Bro, Fiance, Reeder, K and the kids while Suburban 2 had Mom, Dad, Yo-Yo, Marshdal, J-Dawg and myself (who would have ever thought our family would be this big!?) J-Dawg and Dad were having a blast looking at all the ammunition, while Mom and Yo-Yo were looking at camping cookware. Bro, Fiance, Reeder and K were all wondering around checking out everything. I felt like a 5-year-old who had lost their parents in Wal-Mart, I wasn't sure where to go. 


Suburban 1 had already eaten, so they went shopping some more while Suburban 2 went to grab some grub. There's a place in Amarillo that my dad loves because of their calf fries (if you're unsure what these are, you may know them better as Rocky Mountain Oysters), so we opted to eat there. J-Dawg had never eaten them before, so he was pretty excited to try them. And I think Yo-Yo and Marshdal were just excited to eat at a delicious steakhouse. The waiter came by and took our orders- Dad got an entire plate of calf fries, haha. And J-Dawg and I ordered steaks and milk, the best meal ever.

Then we went to yet another sporting goods store, and J-Dawg and I goofed off some more. He is just so much fun and there is never a dull moment when he's around. We walked down the dog aisle to see if I could find anything fun for my pups. He stared at the shelves lined entirely with dog beds and wondered why dogs like them so much. Then, he found out. They're super comfy!  

The next day, the photographer came and took pictures. Photographing this many people must be difficult, so I give the young aspiring photographer who took our pictures props. And J-Dawg was even in the total family photo, hmmmmm.... (*cough* foreshadowing *cough*) 

The Tuttle Girls- (From left to right) K, me, my niece, Mom, Fiance, and YoYo

My Handsome J-Dawg and Me

The Tuttle Men- (left to right) Reeder, my nephew, Grandad, and Bro

We're goin' out with our boots on!