All weekend people were telling me how great of a guy Jose is. How nice he is, how funny he is, anything and everything positive you could say about this guy was said. I definitely consider myself lucky to call this man my husband. I almost feel like its too good to be true. Do I really deserve him? I could drive myself crazy thinking about all the reasons he should leave me and find someone better, but instead I'll be thankful for every second I get with him. I married him a month after I turned 18, I had just graduated high school the week before. I was about to start my life with the man of my dreams and I had no idea what to expect. I never thought much of marriage. I figured if you got along fine without that piece of paper, why put so much pressure? I mean, my parents weren't married and it made separating a lot easier on them. Not that I was thinking about separating.

Anyway, Jose and I were together for about 6 months(around November) when I decided he was the one. I constantly told him I would marry him one day and that I couldn't wait to live together and anything else that might freak your boyfriend out. I never got much of a response out of him. We didn't talk about future plans, we didn't discuss where to move, I was almost worried he didn't even want to be with me hahah. Which was beyond stupid.

So, on the afternoon of March 14th we told my dad that we planned on getting married, after that we drove to his parents to tell them as well. And that's the day that I consider us getting engaged

So we fumbled around with dates for a while before choosing June 9, 2012. That means I had around 2 months to plan. Initially, we were going to go to a courthouse and do it the "easy" way. But Jose and I have such a generous family that they all pitched in and provided a very memorable wedding for us. I actually still have the box my wedding dress came in and I use it to keep gift bags and tissue paper. :')

I wouldn't change a thing about this relationship. Jose and I have a million inside jokes, and a lifetime of memories. I wouldn't change a single fight, I wouldn't take back any tears. Those moments have brought us to where we are now. They've strengthened our  relationship and have helped us to communicate better. 

I say this all the time, but I could not have chosen a better partner in life. 

You are my better half, my one and only, and my everything.

I seriously encourage everyone to take chances when it comes to a crush or partner. It took Jose and I months to finally just realize how crazy we were about each other, and I was almost sure he would never be interested in me, but something kept me hanging on.

Memorial Weekend pt.2 : Olivia's first trip to the zoo!

Sunday we went to the Dallas Zoo! This is where I took the most photos! I don't think I used my film camera once here, so all of the photos on my DSLR are the only photos I have. Man, it was the absolute best watching Olivia get so excited over the animals!

[If you don't care to see a million photos of Olivia you should find a different post]

What better way to be welcomed? I was actually scrambling around so much to take this photo from the window hahah.

Olivia actually speaks Spanish and English, so when she saw this she immediately started screaming "agua, agua, agua!"

I promise she was excited about the zoo, just not excited that mom and dad wouldn't let her jump in the agua.

What a hunk.

This would be Adrian, Gabby, Emmanuel, Jose, Livi, Jose's mom, and his dad. :)

I really loved these, they remind me of the plants out west!

We ended up getting her an umbrella of her own as soon as it stopped raining. -.-

A play area that was too wet to play on.

Olivia kept going from excited to scared when the goats would come near her hahah.

This little room was insanely cool! I'd love to hang a few of those on my wall!

I know what you're thinking at this point-no, there weren't any photos of animals. Coming to the zoo as an adult-it isn't fun. For me anyways. They all look so sad and depressed. I guess I would be too if I had to stay in a place that wasn't home. Sure, some zoo's are doing what they can to give the animals a habitat they're used to, but they can only do so much. I just didn't care to take a photo of an animal through a fence or wall of glass. That isn't how these animals should be observed! 

To end this post, I'll leave you with another photo of Olivia. This time, she's a free butterfly. I hope she never feels tied down when she doesn't want to be. Mentally, physically, financially, anything. I want my girl to only be happy. I know she won't always be happy 100% of the time, but a mom can dream. Watching this girl grow up has given me more joy than I could ever imagine. She makes every single struggle more than worth it.

I hope you enjoyed a couple photos from her first trip to the zoo with family!

Saturday in Dallas!

So this Saturday we went to Dallas. Mostly cos Jose had to pick up an amp he bought a month before. We decided to make the trip worthwhile and do something fun.

We picked up my friend Carrie and stopped at sonic to get some food, we waited and waited and everyone around us was getting their food and driving off. So we eventually drove around to the drive thru and explained what happened and ended up getting our entire meal free! It was pretty nice.

I'm a creature of habit. Mainly because when I do finally try something new, its terrible. 

When I try a new dish at a restaurant it's nasty. When I take a different route, I get lost. Something always happens. So I get super nervous with trying new things. 

Well I had seen sooo many people posting photos of Pho and I had to have it. 

This was the same day we went to the Perot Museum (you can find that post here)!

Terrible photo from the car.

I got the chicken noodle, Jose got the beef noodle, and Carrie got the seafood noodle. It was ah-mazing. I can't wait to go back! Not to mention, the boba. *insert heart eyes emoji*

The photos themselves aren't beautiful, I was more worried about enjoying my food, honestly!
We went to Pho Pasteur, it was super cute and very authentic feeling. We obviously used chopsticks and the menu was in Vietnamese.

After Pho Pasteur we went to guitar center! So Jose could pick up his amp.

You can see the clouds behind the building in this photo! Luckily we just missed the rain as we were heading home.
I am personally not the first to volunteer to drive in Dallas. It scares me and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm the type of driver other people have to watch out for haha. But I sure do love staring out the window while Jose drives.

Hope you guys have a good Wednesday!

The middle of nowhere, Texas.

There are about 1,000 towns in Texas that may as well have that name.

We went to visit my Bff and Olivia's Godmother, Carrie!

She also runs Mermaid Missionary!

We went and had burgers and played outside with our girl, and came back in to play Wii.

Carrie lives outside of Tyler, but not too far. I love going and visiting her, and wouldn't mind doing it more often. I love being out in the ~country~ every once in a while.

I love her backyard.

Most of these photos are insanely blurry. We were having too much fun.

I grabbed Olivia and swung her as if she were kicking the ball.

Olivia discovered a cool new trick. 

Olivia and Carrie!

I will be the first to admit a sunset picture annoys the shit out of me. They all look the same and if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate a beautiful sunset when I see one. I just don't care to see pictures of them. Welp, here's the first sunset picture I've ever taken with this camera. And a perfect photo to end this post.

I hope everyone's week is going well. We're taking Olivia to the Perot Museum on Saturday, I can't wait!

A new friend!

These are just a few pictures from us going to the park earlier. 

Yesterday my friend Colleen and I went to Hobby Lobby, then to get sushi at Fresh. When we finished we decided to go get some boba tea from a place that just opened. But seeing as it was Good Friday, they were closed. So she took me and Olivia home and we met up later that night to have some amazing dinner at a friends house. She ended up leaving shortly after she finished eating and Jose and I stayed until 3am! It was such a great night of talking and hanging out. 

I think it's so vital to have important conversations. Conversations that have meaning. Jose and I are fortunate to have friends we're comfortable with and close to. 

Today we woke up at 11AM, that's so late for us. As soon as we woke up, we all showered and got ready. Colleen came and picked us up and off to Boba-Loompia we went! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of our drinks. I am constantly fighting between capturing memories and not being that annoying person that always takes pictures of everything.
After Boba-Loompia we went to the park! 

 OH, and I cut Olivia's hair cos it was getting in her eyes.

Okay, so Colleen and Norah are freaking matching. I know, its almost too much. ^.^

The best way to get a picture of a toddler is to run backwards in front of them. *insert emoji laughing hysterically*

I hate that Jose is blurry in this photo, but it's too cute not to post.

I had such a blast meeting Colleen this weekend. It's so refreshing meeting someone who is so genuine and down to earth. Not to mention, another friend with a baby! I can't wait for her to come back to Tyler and bring her husband!



You can follow Colleen on Instagram @cawleene