Selfies

I am not in very many pictures because I am always behind the camera. And, I don't take many selfies because I always feel really weird about it, but every now and then I do for lots of random reasons. I keep up with this blog mostly for a record of our lives, so I thought I would have a post of my selfies. I was listening to a podcast the other day that was talking about selfies. They made a good point about having the ability to take pictures of ourselves at various moments in our lives and sharing that with future generations is pretty cool. Imagine having a selfie of your grandmother when she watched her fiance leaving for war or of your mom holding you as a baby while you slept. Interesting concept...not that I am going to start taking a selfie a day, but I might not feel so awkward about them. Here are my selfies from the past year. It's an all about me post :)

An afternoon run at one of my favorite parks - it was crazy windy and chilly! Everyone else was in wintry clothes - I was in my normal tank top and capris, freezing my booty off!

 At the Bellagio breakfast buffet in Vegas with the cutest little yogurt parfait ever.

 Muddy after the Mighty Mud Run!

 Enjoying a donut on National Donut Day.

 A contemplative selfie while relaxing on the beach in Riviera Maya, it was taken as a joke, but I kinda liked the relaxing memory!

 A quiet day at the Frio, my favorite kind!

 I cut about 6 inches off my hair, and the hairdresser made my hair look amazing! I wish I had the patience and desire to do my hair on a daily basis.

 Out at a girls' night. Not sure why I was making this face, but clearly I was uncomfortable about something!

 Yeah, I voted. And I was proud of it!

On one of my super sweaty lunch break runs! I love that I can go for a  run real quick and come back and teach my class super sweaty (and stinky). Definitely a benefit of teaching through a computer!

After a rough climb up an untraveled path at the Frio.

Winter Frio Trip

Our trip was a quick one this year, but we still had a great time. It just doesn't feel like Christmas Break without a trip to the Frio. We got the Lone Star cabin again this year, so we didn't have to camp. The girls were fighting so much at home, and I hoped a change of scenery would be what they needed. It didn't help :( They were fighting like crazy over everything there, also! It was pretty frustrating because you can't send them to their rooms for some alone time when they are all sharing a room. We stayed one night, and we decided to head on back the next night. As soon as we got there, Kacy got to work helping Cory dig and put in some new sprinkler pipe. She's always his little helper! The next day, we fit in our annual hike. It was a bit of a bummer because we had hiked Old Baldy last year at Garner, and it was so much easier and so beautiful. We drove over that way, just to learn that it was closed for 2 weeks for wildlife management. Good thing we had other options. Only problem is that our other option is straight up a mountain with no path that was already created. It's tough because you are literally bushwhacking the whole way! I decided that was our last time to do it that way! It's still always a great feeling to get to the top and check out the panoramic view. Everyone is always proud of themselves!

Christmas with the Henderson Family

The whole family (except the Troutmans) gathered together for Christmas Day lunch and present exchange. Our crew is getting older, and they do really well playing together and entertaining themselves, which mean the adults can hang out and chat (and drink). We had a delicious lunch and had fun hanging out together for the afternoon. Of course, after we opened presents, everyone had a great time getting them all out and playing with the new stuff. It was nice to be able to get together with almost the whole family!

Christmas Morning 2016

We had a wonderful Christmas morning at the house.The girls slept in forever, and we actually had to wake Brooke up at 9:15! It's always a nice present for me to get to sleep in as long as possible. Santa brought the girls everything they asked for, and he even brought me a new waffle maker! Kacy was so excited to get her "Taylor Swift" style guitar. Everyone loved all their presents, big and small. :) The girls got us all little presents at a school gift shop, and they were so proud of everything that they picked out for us. Of course, the "hunt" is always everyone's favorite part. This year Santa surprised everyone with their own Kindle Fires. That was such a big surprise, and everyone was so happy! Devices for all! It was a great morning, and although I always say that I am not going to get as many gifts, I always do. I just love seeing them open presents and see the smiles on their faces!

Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas cookies, elaborate notes to Santa and Elfina, treats for the reindeer and Santa mouse, Christmas books, and lots of smiles...that's what our Christmas Eves are made of. And I love them.

Christmas at Nammie and PawPaw's

After all the fun on the party bus, we headed over to celebrate with Mom. We went to see "Trolls", and then we headed to her house for a surprise spa day. Mom has a friend that was a professional makeup artist, so she had her come over to do the girls make up. I did their hair, and Mom did their nails. They absolutely loved every minute of it. They would have loved it regardless, but to have a "professional" there made all the difference! They looked so beautiful and old! After we got all dolled up, we had a tiny photo shoot which they also loved. Then we ate a delicious fajita dinner and opened presents. So much fun with all the people we love!