Catching up

So I have fallen far off the blogger trail. I tell myself every so often that I have to update it and yet another day will go by. So there have been a few events in the Hough household that have happened since I have last blogged. First and foremost, Athena Marie passed away Christmas Day. She began to have seizures that we could not stop. Before I knew it, she was gone. I always said a prayer with her at night. One of the things I asked God was to let her go to him quickly and he granted that. Athena came into my life when I was making the transition from Amarillo to Lubbock. She was my friend day in and day out. I raised her puppies with her and she was my right hand man! The day I got married, I didn’t want to get ready with anyone. My bridesmaids had their own cabin and I have a separate one. The only one there was my Athena. We spent the day slowly getting ready, watching horse rides go by, the beautiful mountains and enjoying a day that was just ours. What a special dog I had, and a best friend. Although Soli and Hannah are too very special, there will never be another who holds my heart like she does. I found a poem that I want to have matted in a frame with a picture of Athena. Here it is:

I was laying on the couch early one daya dog was barking; from where I couldn't sayI got up from the couch and went outsidethen off I went out into the countrysideI took a path thru the bushes and treesbut the sound of that bark kept nagging at meI followed the path till I came to a riverI reached for a branch and caught a sliverUnder an oak tree I sat down to restI watched all the bird's fly from their nestsAfter awhile a group of ducks waddled bythen a fox gave chase so they decided to flyI walked down the river past a small ridgeand down in the meadow there was a bridgeDown by the bridge thru the fogI saw what I thought was the barking dogLike a bolt of lightning in the darkI knew right then that was my old friend's barkI looked thru the fog toward the bridge againand sure enough there was my old friendAs healthy and beautiful as the day we metI ran down thru the meadow to greet my petShe ran thru the meadow at such a fast paceit was like the old days when we used to raceI hugged and kissed her as she licked my faceall her sickness was gone there wasn't a traceWe were together again after such a long timethe sun was shining and all was fineWe walked toward the bridge together againthen we crossed it together me and my friendThis is the way I know it will bewhen we meet again my Athena and me.
-John Quealy


Slowly we have gotten back to normal. Recently, we decided to help a boxer in need. We adopted Presley (formerly Britt) from North Cal Boxer Rescue. She is a 4-5 year old brindle. She is such a little lover. She has been abused, starved and God knows what else. All she wants is love. She is very tiny for a boxer. 40 pounds. She is fitting in nicely. She also like to steal tortillas. Saturday Jarrod caught her sitting/hiding a bag of tortillas. She had gotten them out of the pantry. Ha! I just love her and she has kept me busy which I need!

Robyn gave birth to her first son Brayden right before Christmas. He is such a doll! I got to see him Sat. and took some pictures. Now to get them downloaded off my camera : )Brian's sister also had a baby girl before Christmas. Brian had a chance to visit and spend some time with her. She has the reddest hair! Brian’s nanny recently had a pacemaker put in but is feeling much better and is back home resting. My friend Ginger is going through a rough patch and I am praying that each day gets better for her. Kim and Mike I am also thinking of you! My parents are doing well and my mom is looking forward to retiring at the end of this school year.

Brian has been home more and I am very thankful for that. I love to go to the movies with him cause he has to turn off his phone: ) We have seen many good movies lately like Avatar and that was my first 3D experience! I have gone back to part time work which I LOVE! I enjoy getting up and being domestic. I like to cook breakfast for Brian and plan new meals for dinner. I have time to grocery shop, walk the dogs and sleep in later than 4am!

Hope this very condensed version of my life for the past few months catches you up. I swear to be better and write more often. XOXOXO Jenny

Happy Thanksgiving

What a nice relaxing Thanksgiving Brian and I had. Although I had a really terrible sinus infection and had to bail out early Weds, the rest of the weekend and weekend we pleasant. Brian ordered us a Cajun fried turkey. I made broccoli cheese casserole ( His favorite) and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. We also had some delightful rolls! We did a movie marathon, napped and just enjoyed being alone and home together. We went shopping all day Friday. Although the crowds we bad we still had a good time. Saturday we went to the gym big time and worked off our turkey! Then it was off to Studio Movie Grill to watch Twlight. Now some of you might kill me for saying this but Edward is just toooooo much for me! He and Bella are too dramatic! Now on the other hand I like the wearwolves. She was stupid for not choosing to go with them….and you know it breaks my heart to go against the vampires. He He. Sunday Funday was tame by our standards but we again had a good time together. Now Brian is gone to California and I am all alone. I will miss him this week.

So am done shopping for the in-laws, my parents and Kim. So there is only Brian to go and that is the easy part. I know what I am going to get him and I will go Thursday to complete my shopping. The weather is cold now and that means I will retire by the fire this evening with kids. They are great snuggle bunnies. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Monday update

Another weekend come and gone. This has been a tough week for our family. A very very dear friend of our family, Larry Seals, passed away from Cancer. He and his wife Karen have probably been the most caring, thoughtful friends my parents have ever had. They have been a support system for our family when we have needed them most. Larry was diagnosed in August ( or towards the end of the summer) and since then has been bravely battling this terrible disease. My dad and mom were able to talk to him the night before he passed….Larry listened but was unable to talk. He went to God with his whole family around him and Karen laying next to him. So please pray for the Seals family and my mom and dad. My dad as especially taken this hard but always is trying to put on the brave face.

I have posted a few pictures from this weekend. We have some friend over to watch Texas Tech play and to watch the UFC fights. Had a great time. Helped Skyler move the couches she bought from us on Sunday. Brian and I ordered a pizza and watched Ice Age 3. Cute! Soli has been sick again. Throwing up and acting sad. He has been sleeping between us…the only blessing is that he isn’t waking us up at the crack of dawn to eat. He is very content snuggled up with us instead.

Have a good week!

The Blog is Back!

Well I know it has been too long since my last blog. Yes, facebook keeps me away and I promise to not let It anymore. Brian and I are doing great. I posted some pictures of Halloween for all to see. We had a terrific time! We went to Susan and Steven’s for a party and also met a customer of Brian’s out and hit a few other places around town to people watch. I am sure you will think we are crazy but we decorated for Christmas this weekend. Jarrod was available and Brian needs help getting the Christmas trees down from the attic as well as putting up the big one in the living room. Skyler also came over to help out. We worked hard but had fun and now we are ready for the holidays. Hey what can I say? I like to maximaize my X-mas decoration time! Jon joined us in the evening for the UFC fights. Yesterday we bought 2 new couches for the living room. We went for comfort this time and let me tell you I have never sat on a better couch. Each couch has a recliner on each end for a total of 4. Now when company comes we will all be so relaxed when watching tv. I am looking forward to Adrian and Lenny coming in 2 weeks. We are going to stay in and catch up. I will whip up something good for dinner and enjoy my time with Adrian. She is so far away now in Minnesota but it will be nice to see her pretty face again! We are staying home for Thanksgiving and hopefully going to the TT vs. Baylor game the day after at the new Cowboy’s Stadium. Should be fun! Brian has been traveling a lot recently but I think he is home at least for a couple of weeks. I love it! Last night we watching two good movies and ate Whataburger. I know I know but we have to live a little sometimes! Hope all is well with you and yours.

Another Weekend, Come and Gone:(

Brian and I are defiantly enjoying the cooler weather. I can now resume my regular dog walking schedule which is lunch time. It is quite in the summer hard to get up, go to the gym, walk the dogs and get the lashes on for work!:) But I don’t have a choice when it is 100 degrees before 10am. Brian and I went to see Paranormal Activity which only aired at the Northpark Downtown AMC this weekend. It showed at midnight . The hype behind it was, that it was so scary some cities had banned it. We were joined by Jarrod and Emily as well as Shonda and Tori. Before the showing we had dinner and drinks at PF Chang’s. The movie was intense, scary and downright disturbing. The scariest ever? My vote is no but it takes a lot to scare ol’ Jenny these days. I had a great evening and I think it was a perfect way to start my favorite month of the year!

Brian took a trip to Denver last week and was able to spend the night with my parents. Brian told me he was stuffed for two days after leaving! My dad grilled steaks, potatoes and asparagus and mom made a pumpkin pie with whipped cream. He loved meeting Gracie a.k.a Tripod and Kasey. He also was able to visit Granny and boy was she surprised. Brian got an opportunity to see my dad’s new chapel and office and was amazed at the beauty of it all. Before he left back for Denver, Brian and Daddy had breakfast at Elkhorn lodge. He truly did wish his trip could have been longer. Thank you Mom and Daddy for all you did. Now if I had told you 20 years ago you would be throwing out the red carpet for BRIAN HOUGH would you have believed me? NO WAY! :)

Several prayer concerns right now. First my best friend Ginger is going through some terrible times with her pregnancy. Although no words can ease her pain, prayers certainly can. Also a very dear family friend Larry Seals has either throat, or lung cancer. The results are still being looked over but the doctor’s know either way that it is advanced and chemotherapy must begin immediately. He is in a coma right now. He and his wife about the nicest, fun, most undeserving people this could happen to. Their faith is strong and so is Larry. Please pray for both these people who are so close to my heart.

XOXO Jenny

Weekend Update

As Amber nicely reminded me, I can’t forget to blog and so I will while I have a few extra minutes. I am thankful that the weather is finally cooling off a little bit. My season is fall, and although we are far from that, I look forward to more time on the back patio and longer walks with the dogs. The weekend came and went too fast. I guess the only bad part of Sat. was when Tech lost by 1! Damnit!! Brian and I watched Observe and Report yesterday. I was not excited but it turned out to be a hilarious movie. We are also stoked that Dexter is back on. Our favorite serial killer! My sister made her famous once a year call from the Great American Beer Fest. It is by far the funniest call she makes to me. I think she was getting a massage and drinking beer at the same time if I recall correctly. She said they had made friends from all over the world that come for this event. Pretty cool. Brian leaves tomorrow for Denver and I will be sad. I am going to have to find a project around the house to keep me busy until he returns. Maybe I didn’t mention this before, but last time he was gone I thought I heard someone by the back door. I was frightened because we have a lock on the gate for one and I have never heard or thought I have heard anything before. So called the police. That was a first for me. They were not thrilled but later I concluded that it had to be the 50 pound raccoon I have seen around the neighborhood. HA HA. Mondays are so hard…hope everyone has a good week!

Update

It has been too long since I blogged. I guess my only reason is that I have recently joined Facebook. It is something that I thought I would never do but I am glad I did. Although I am not dying to be friends with friends of friends, it has been nice to reconnect with some people. For example, my oldest friend in the world DeAun Blair-Emmons and I reconnected. I met her when I was 3 I think. I also can keep in touch with my friend Krista who now lives in London or Jerry, John and Aaron whom I did theater with growing up. Also it’s a cool way to be updated on my friends like Ginger, Robyn and Amber! So I might be a little addictedJ

All is well here with the Hough’s. We have been gearing up for Texas Tech football and Halloween! This year we are going to be boxers and not the animal kindJ I have pink gloves and Brian has red. It will be comfortable and cute. Brian is going to Denver next week and will have the chance to spend the night and have dinner with my parents before heading back to Dallas. He is looking forward to relaxing in the mountains.

Sometimes it’s a little sad when I try to sum up my goings on since the last blog. Not much changes from day to day here in Houghland but I certainly can’t complain! I hope everyone is doing well and Robyn I always look forward to your baby bump pictures!

GO TECH!!!!