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A weekend away

The view from the 9th floor at the Gaylord.

MJ and Joe in the Atrium of the Gaylord.

Well, MJ and I went on a weekend away for the first time since our honeymoon. It was a great time. Thanks to a hook up from a family friend we were able to stay at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX. This place was awesome. Our room was on the 9th floor, and the view from the balcony was impressive to say the least. On Saturday we did 80% of our Christmas shopping and then went to the Cheesecake factory for dinner. MJ had the Cobb salad, which she just loves to death, and I tried the Navajo Sandwich which was awesome. For dessert we shared chocolate peanutbutter cookie dough cheesecake, and I hurt myself. Sunday morning we ran in the fitness center and went to Whole Foods in Arlington. For lunch we happened to run across a Panera Bread and just had to have it. I miss that food choices are so large in Illinois where we lived and now it is all I talk about when we leave Childress. Did I forget to mention we also found Chipolte in Southlake. Man, I love food. Anyway the time away from home with my wife was awesome. We had fun.

Mommer's and Walter's B-Day

MJ, Mommer, and Joe at Main Event 11/16/08

Walter Lambert and MJ at Main Event on 11/16/08

Sunday we celebrated a mile stone for two of my wife's favorite people. Edna Mae Lambert is my wife's mother's mother, or in short my wife's grandmother on her mom's side of the family. I guess that is not really short. She turned 90 on Saturday November 15th. Walter Lambert is my wife's mother's brother, or MJ's Uncle, and he turns 70 in just a few days. Both are special people to both of us and we were honored to celebrate with them on this special occasion. With MJ's side of the family mainly working in the farming world, at the celebrati0n I got to talking to Trey Lambert, Walter's son, about how much has changed in farming over the lifetime of Walter and Edna Mae. We talked about horse drawn plows that worked only one row at a time and all the manual labor involved that is now done with diesel powered motorized equipment, John Deere equipment. It amazes me what they have seen change and how the Lambert family has been so instrumental in the development of so much cotton farming equipment. Amazing people. I reminds me of how proud I was of my Dad when he used to tell us stories about the software he used and modified in the CPA firm where he worked. I think it was called Symphony. It was ahead of his time for the accountant world and the Lamberts were ahead of their time in farming cotton. MJ and I, as kids in two great families, have enjoyed talking about how proud we are of where we came from and we both hope we represent our families well in our daily lives.

Tell House

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Change is Good

Marijon and I have been here in Childress for a couple of months, and life could not be any busier. It seems as if we leave our house at 7:00 in the morning and return at 9:00 in the evening everyday. Hard to believe. Thank the good Lord for the "Doggie Door."

Here are just a few things that have changed in our life over the past month.

• Joe has now touched and feed cows and horses
• MJ started a new job
• Joe started a new job
• MJ learned how to make glasses
• Joe learned how to administer corporal punishment
• MJ learned how to change a flat tire
• Joe learned how to kill rattle snakes, 5 total and black widows, too many to count.
• Joe learned how to back a trailer without jacknifing it into his own car
• Zoey has developed a bad knee that seems to not be getting any better
• Joe and MJ have started to remodel a house for us to live in starting this spring
• We have learned how to blog
• Joe learned what a turn row is, what a wheat drill is, what grain sorgum is, and various other farming lingo
• Joe learned to resopnd to being refered to as Marijon's husband, and Marilyn's son-in-law
• MJ learned that a gas stove is way different than a electric stove

Overall MJ and I have learned to love each other more and more and with all that is changing, things are great. The future is exciting and we cannot wait for what is over the horizon.