Family Time in Destin

This past week Drew and I were lucky enough to fly to Destin, Florida and vacation with his parents. We had a fabulous time relaxing, eating, beaching, swimming, and putt-putting...oh and most importantly SHOPPING at the amazing outlet mall.

Day 1

Our day started early (3:30 AM) as we made our way to George Bush Intercontinental Airport- with what we thought was plenty of time to spare. We found a great parking spot and caught the shuttle bus swiftly, then....enter the 90 year old bus driver! We climbed onto the bus and waited in the parking lot for 20 minutes making sure any and everybody caught a ride. She then proceeded to drop everyone off at the terminals. We figure because we were in terminal A we should be dropped off first. No, no, no that would make entirely way to much since for this elderly bus driver. She proceeded on terminals E, D, C, B, and then FINALLY A!!!! Now, anyone who knows me understands that I have issues with "flowing like water"....needless to say this experience nearly tipped me over the edge considering I'm very specific with my travel agenda (just ask Drew). We made it through security with enough time for Starbucks and our flight!

Our arrival was emotional and exciting considering I haven't seen Drew's parents since Thanksgiving and he hadn't seen them since early May. We exchanged hugs and headed towards Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant and Tiki Bar. We caught up on all major events and ate some delicious seafood while overlooking the beautiful clear water and crystal white sands. A great start to our trip. We rested up the rest of the afternoon, went to the pool, and then took a walk on thebeach at sunset!

Day 2

Drew and I planned on going ona run on the beach but it was raining when we woke up. The morning was salvaged byMs. Sonia delicious waffles for breakfast! We ate waffles to our hearts content and then headed to the outlet malls. We shopped till we dropped and took down the outlet malls with our debit and credit cards! Let's just say I'll be very well dressed for the start of school! We then headed to the movies to watch Captain America, I loved the movie, but we had mixed review within the group. We ate at a gourmet pizzeria for dinner, built individual gourmet pizzas to each of our own specific tastes, and we ate it alllll!!! We headed home to the condo and took a evening dip in the pool! I think one of the best parts of the trip was me watching the sunset on the balcony. I was listening the Shane and Shane, overlooking the majestic waters, and the sun was setting. God's goodness was so clear in that moment. I tend to have my major God moments while witnessing his grandness in nature. He was screaming love, mercy, and grace to my heart with the sunset over the ocean.

Day 3

We woke up and headed strait for the beach. The water was perfect and the sands were smooth. The beach rivals that of those in Mexico. We played frisbee, caught some waves, and some rays. We headed back to the condo and got cleaned up for a fancy lunch on the water at Dewey Destin's Harbor Side Restaurant. The seafood was great and the Key Lime Pie was even better. Great fellowship had by all! We went back to the condo to watch a soccer game that Drew just couldn't miss. We went back over to the outlet malls for even more damage and then caught a quick dinner at Poppy's Sports Bar. I love it when you stumble upon a great little restaurant with live music. The food had a cajun flare to it and I decided to try something new and live on the edge. I tried Alligator Wings....yes...you read right....ALLIGATOR! The guy said it would taste like chicken, but I thought it tasted like Bretton's pork ribs. Either they use the same seasoning or Bretton has been feeding me Alligator all this time. Bottom line is....it was delicious! The live music was awesome and the atmosphere was fun in the sun in Florida! We then headed over to a friendly game of putt-putt. Sonia and I tied with the most points, then Drew, then Ronnie...so Ronnie won.

Day 4

We again had a early flight and left Destin at 4:45 AM. The trip to the airport was a lot less eventful then the trip out and a lot less talkative. We were all tired from the great time and the early morning. We caught our flight and made in back to Houston safe and sound.

Blessed

We had such a wonderful time and it was a blessing of a vacation. I can't complain because I've been to both the mountains and the beach this summer- so lucky to have parents and in-laws who love us enough to want to spend time with us in amazing places. My cup runneth over with blessings!

The Crib List

My sister and I were talking last night and came up with a great idea. The Crib List- this will be a list of ten things we would like to do before we have children. Hopefully we will be able to complete this list together and with our husbands. Here it is : ) and wish us luck!

The Crib List

Go skydiving

Take a unplanned road trip to someplace new

Learn to scuba dive

Hike a 14ner

Buy a house

Go to Hawaii

Learn to surf

Run a Half Marathon

Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Ride in a hot air balloon

Santa Fe

I was able to travel home to Santa Fe last week to visit my parents.

Day 1

After an eventful flight from Houston to Dallas to Albuquerque I finally arrived in the Land of Enchantment! My mother pick

ed me up at the airport and we resided in the Hotel Albuquerque for the nigh

t. We caught drinks with some of mom's coworkers and a swanky bar at the hotel. We talked education which w

a

s a lot of fun (those of you who aren't teachers don't understand). My mom was at the state's special ed conference and had a few meetings to attend throughout the day. We got to walk around the plaza and then found a tr

aditional New Mexican restaurant to enjoy breakfast. She then went to her meetings and I relaxed at the hotel. We went shopping at Up Town and bought mom a new wardrobe. We then headed to Santa Fe and had a wonderful dinner wi

th dad at the Coyote Cantina. We ate the worlds hott

est jalape

no poppers, guacamole, and fish tacos (YUM)!

Day 2

Destination: Beatty's Cabin (6-7 miles int

o the Pecos Wilderness)

We awoke early to pack for our adventure out into the Pecos Wilderness. We inventoried our camping gear, argued about what to take and not to take into our packs, and then weighed our backpacks. They

all weighed roughly 30 lbs (mom is still convinced we gave her the heaviest pack which was UNTRUE). We had a hardy homemade breakfast which consiste

d of breakfast sandwiches made by yours truly. Then off to the wilderness for two

days!!! Once we arrived to Iron Gate we embarked on our great adventure with much excitement! We stopped to take pictures, eat snacks, and enjoy the few. The best views were from Hamilton Mesa

(2 miles in) which is mom's favorite place. Like always once we reached to top of th

e mesa and saw the mountains she broke out into The Sound of Music songs....it never fails. Everyone

was still in good spirits and enjoying the hike. About half way across the following conversation occurred: Mom: "How much further?"

Dad: "We are about a third of the way there."

Mom: "What, I thought it was just at the top of the mesa!!!"

Dad: "Nope!"

Mom: :(

She was a good trooper and made in across the mesa (another 2 miles). Along the way we saw spectacular views of mountains, wildf

lowers, and some random wilderness cows.

We stopped fo

r lunch and had some nutritious avocado sandwiches. After lunch we started a decent downward towards the river and Beatty's Cabin. This is when things turned south. Mom is able to walk roughly 5 miles happily...the remainin

g 2...not so much. We coach

ed

her through the last few miles with words of encoura

gement and many water breaks. We finally arrived to Beatty's Cabin! We set up camp and dad star

ted fishing for dinner. We enjoyed laying in the hammock, reading, drinking

in the beautiful views that God blessed us with, and then made

dinner. We finished to night off sleeping outside und

er the stars!

Day 3

We awoke shivering but the sun rose over the mountain and warmed us quickly. Dad went fishing again, we ate breakfast, and packed up camp. We set out on the hike back and made better time then the hike in. We were half a mile from the car and mom threw her pack down and said that we would have to camp in that exact spot for the night. We c

onvinced her to continue on and she was relieved

to see our car! I'm so proud of my mom for being able to backpack into the wilderness a total of 14 miles with 30 lb backpack. She has been working so hard

doing her K

ettle Bell workouts and they have defin

itely payed off! She would not have been able to accomplish this backpacking trip a year ago. It was a very special trip to do with my mom and dad and right in time for father's day. It was incredible!

The thing I love the most about the wilderness is our ability to see and hear God so clearly. The noise and business of our world is silenced, our wor

ries and daily agendas a silenced, and their is nothing standing in the way of you and

God. Being in the wilderness it is undeniable the existence of God. The earth is too beautiful for all of this to

happen by chance. It was all innately designed by our creator. The same God that created the peaks of the mountains, the raging rivers, the wildflo

wers, the clouds, the night sky, created me. How great is our GOD!

We had dinner that night a Rio Chama with Tucky and Adam.

When we arrived to Santa Fe the Pacheco Fire had already started in the Santa Fe National Forest. It was growing rapidly and was visible from

our restaurant. This broke my heart- I pray that the fires will be put out before anymore of

nature is destroyed. I wish people would remember that we share the Earth with animals and we are visitors in their majestic world. We did a backpacking trip just in time- all the wilderness is now shut off the the public due to fire danger.

Day 4

Father's Day

Dad decided that for Father's Day he wanted to go to Buffalo Thunder Casino and Resort for their local "Pool Party!" The people watching

was ideal and we saw many funny sights. The winner of the people watching was a middle aged momma who didn't stop booty dancing around the hot tub the whole three hours we were there. We then went down to the casino and gave away our money to slot machines. We ended the night at Gabriels...yum yum!

Day 5

Holly's Day

I started to day off with at Harry's Roadhouse with dad and we both had buckwheat pancakes with wild Maine blueberries. Then I went to REI, Station Cafe and had the best latte, walked around downtown, read my bible, had lunch at F

lying Star, went to Whole Foods, then to Glorieta Conference Center. I caught up with old friends and pouted about my summer staffing days at Glorieta being over. I spent about an hour in the Prayer Garden reminiscing about old Glorieta days, our wedding two years ago, and old friends. I also spent time praying for numerous different things. It was wonderful. Tucky came over for a dinner and we hopped in the hot tub just like old times and talked into the night.

I miss the Land of Enchantment so much! It was wonderful going back and doing all of my favorite things. I pray one day I can live amongst the mountains again- it is where my heart resides.

End of SCHOOL!

I had the best year yet with my students. I absolutely loved being self-contained and getting to have a deeper relationship with my students- huge pay off. We tackled the TAKS test and excelled with flying colors. So proud of my babies! It was tough to see them go but I'm confident that God will bless me with an equally enjoyable/unique group of kiddos next year. Things are a chang'n at S.H.E...but I believe that they are chang'n for the better. Excited for next year already!

Drew graduated with his Masters degree in Sports Management from SHSU....I have now been referring to him as "Master Drew"! He is on full time now with Greenstar Recycling doing their game day relations and a bit of marketing with the Houston Dynamo- he's loving it!

Haley (my twin) got Rookie Teacher of the Year for HISD...woot-woot!!!! Great teaching runs through our veins! So proud of how she conquered her first year of teaching and coaching. She has a true talent and a huge heart for her high-schoolers...I'm glad someone does...hehe!

My family(Mom, Dad, Drew, Haley, and Bretton) spent the first weekend of the summer celebrating Haley's achievement of Rookie Teacher and laying by the pool.

Welcome SUMMER...we have long awaited your return!

25th Birthday= Vegas Vacation

For Haley and my birthday we decided to go big and take a trip to Vegas...thank goodness we have loving supportive husbands to grant us with this wish. We are hoping every five years we can take a big trip together for our birthday.

DAY 1 (22 hours awake)

We found an incredible deal online and booked 3 nights at the Bellagio. Friday morning we woke up at 2:45 AM to drive to Houston Hobby and catch our flight. We arrived in Vegas at 7:30 AM Las Vegas time ready to seize the day! We arrived at the Bellagio and headed straight the the Breakfast Buffet. The foo

d was amazing and so was the coffee. I had Bacon, Waffles, and French Toast.

..all of which was mouth wateringl

y excellent. Once we refueled we walked

around the Bellagio and explored the Botanical Gardens which were decorated for Spring and had a Alice in Wonderland look to it. The fragrance of the flowers followed us throughout the hot

el. The decor of the entire hotel was luxurious throughout from the 3 million dollar blown glass ceiling in the lobby to chocolate fountains. Finally we decided to venture out on

to the strip and walk from casino to casino until we reached MGM. Ther

e we watched the lion exhibit. After lots of walking we finally were able to check into our hotel room at noon and take a cat nap. When we woke we got dolled up to go have drinks with Stacy (Haley's sister-in-law who is a doctor in Vegas) at the Four Season's Charlie

Palmer Steakhouse. Stacy is a regular and had the hook up with the bartenders who she told we were coming. We got the royal treatment and

even got a drink name after us (The Twin's Revenge). Stacy then took us through Mandalay Bay Casino to the nightclub, Mix. The club was at the very top of The Hotel and you took a glass elevator to the top and could see the strip on the ride up. When we reached to top the view was breathtaking and the skyline was epic. The bar in the club was featured in Ocean's 11. We then went to take picture in front of the classic W

elcome to Las Vegas sign at the strip. The night ended with us watching the Bellagio Fountains for about 45 minutes. Good night Las Vegas 1:00 AM.

Day 2 (Birthday!!!)

"Good morning Mrs. Schulz and Mrs. Eakins we have in room dining for

you this morning compliments of John and Susan Lumley."

Mom and Dad sent us breakfast in bed at the Bellagio for our birthday and it made us feel like a million bucks. We then got ready and

headed to pick up our tickets to the Lion King. Then we rode the New York New York roller coas

ter that weaves throughout the skyscrapers...scary but so worth it. Little gambling here and there and then

back to the hotel room to get dressed up for the Lion King. We caught appetizers at the House of Blues and then went into the show. Words can't describe how amazing the Lion King was. I'm not a big crier but I had tears in my eyes throughout the musical. The set was astonishing, the singing was jaw dropping, and the costumes were magi

cal. Next we took a cab to Planet Hollywood and gambled a little more and the caught the Holly Madison Peep Show. Haley and me decided we wanted to see a classic Vegas show and oh my did we ever. Let's just say their was nothing left to the imagination.

After the show we gambled our way d

own the strip and back and went to bed at 2:30 AM.

Day 3 (Holly win's big)

We woke up and had break at the Par

is Eiffel Tower restaurant, Mon Abi Gabi. I had

chocolate bacon waffles- yummy! We left breakfast and headed straight to the Sex and the City slot machine, put in 20 bucks and then won 300 in about five minutes. I cashed out and stopped when I was ahead and Haley and me headed to the pool. We ordered Pina Colada's to celebrate our winnings by the pool....and then regretted it when the bill was bigger then our fancy breakfast! That's the Bellagio for you...ahaha. After napping by the pool we got ready for our 3rd night in Vegas and then took a cab to Fremont street to check out "Old Town Vegas". We found a $5 blackjack table and played for about three hours. At 2:30 we called it a night and headed back to the Bellagio. We were so tired we forgot to stop by the club in the Bellagio called The Bank and see 50 Cent....oh well...the bed sure felt good to lay down in and go to sleep.

Day 4 (Home to the MEN)

Haley and me decided to end the trip the way we started in with the Breakfast Buffet at the Bellagio. It was just as good round two and it was round one. Then we packed up, checked out, bought souvenirs for the men, caught a shuttle to the airport, eat lunch and gambled a bit at the airport to buy time and then headed back home to Houston!

We had a trip of a lifetime and made memories we will both cherish for forever. The bond between sisters is so strong, but the bond between twins is something only twins can understand. I love you Haley Lumley Schulz! Thank you Drew and Bretton for being such supportive husbands and allowing us to spend our 25th Birthday in Vegas...it was the best present ever!!!!

So I Forgot!

I totally forgot I started this blog until I was updating my facebook page and clicked on the link. Oops, it's been a busy two years since Drew and I embarked on the journey of marriage.

Let's start from the beginning!

After Drew and I got married we drove cross country- starting in New Mexico and stopped at the bottom of Florida to jump on a cruise ship to take us to three wonderful destinations (Panama, Belize, and Costa Rica). Our honeymoon was lovely and just what we needed to relax and wind down from the wedding.

Once we returned from the honeymoon the real world was waiting for us. No home and no jobs....yowzaas!

We spent the summer living with Drew's amazing family who so graciously took us in under their wing. It was a great opportunity for me to get to know them. Drew and I applied for jobs every minute of everyday and our faith was tested. After two months of applying for teaching positions I had two phone interviews- one in Huntsville, TX (the small town I grew up in) and the other in Anchorage, AK. Two interviews, two worlds apart! I got a call back from Stacy Bennett and Samuel W. Houston Elementary School in Huntsville, TX and she informed me she was willing to take a chance and give me a job- hallelujah!

We packed up our car full of belongings and drove to our future- good ol Huntsvegas! We found an apartment in Conroe, TX 30 minutes south of Huntsville to call home. Drew started working at Academy Sports and Outdoors and started his Master's degree and Sam Houston State University and studied Sports Management.

Drew took the bull by the horns and was busy as a bee. While working at Academy he somehow found time to volunteer with the athletic department at SHSU, took on a ticketing internship, and became the President of the Sports Management club. All his hard work paid off when he earned a internship with the NFL team the Houston Texans! All his hard work paid off and I couldn't be more proud of him. He graduates with his Masters this upcoming May and has accepted a job with Greenstar Recycling who is the jersey sponsor of the MLS team the Houston Dynamo. Yes, he will have to go to all the home games and no he is NOT upset about that...haha!

I started my first year of teaching and realized how little you learn in college about how to manage a classroom. Teaching the kiddos is easy- getting them to sit down and be quiet is the real trick. I taught 3rd grade Math and had a team teacher who taught ELA.

I learned all the lessons their are to be learned from my first year and was glad to put the chapter behind me. I decided to teach summer school which turned out to be a fabulous idea. I was able to gain my confidence back as a teacher and apply what I learned from the previous year. I drew up a game plan for my 2nd year teaching and it has been a huge success! This year I am teaching all subjects to my 3rd grade class and I love it- it allows you to build the essential relationships with the students. I have truly fallen in love with the class I have this year and it brings tears to my eyes to have to say bye to them at the end of the year. I have 92% of my students passing the district testing and I'm hoping for 100% for the state standardized testing that will be given in a few short weeks. Wish me luck!

We both survived our first year in the married and in the real world- lots of lessons learned and glad to put it behind us. Our second year has gone smoothly and we are continuing to learn many lessons.

If we have learned anything the past two years it has been this:

1. Patients

2. God has a plan

3. God's plan might not match up to my plans

4. I shouldn't make plans

We are continuing to trust in God and that he has a plan for us. He has provided us with everything that we need and we are so thankful.

We are so blessed!

The Wedding

Well, its official, We are Mr. and Mrs. Drew Eakins. We had a wonderful wedding weekend and it was so great getting to see all the family and friends who attended. It was so special getting to share our day with so many people. The whole weekend came together thanks to everyone who gave a helping hand- which seemed like everyone- so thanks to all.

The beautiful day was captured by Sarah Ainsworth Photography. They captured the day in a beautifully artistic way. Go check out her blog at www.sarahainsworth.squarespace.com and if you want any of the images order some from her and give her some business- she deserves it! Also if you have a wedding coming up I highly recommend her.



The picture above is from Rob Eakins