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

The week of Haley and Holly.....and Lacey too!

This past week I had to opportunity to stay in Lubbock with Haley for one last "sister week" before I become an old married lady. Our good friend Lacey Schneringer was one of the only people left in Lubbock for the week- so the three of us were together 24/7. Our week consisted of shopping, eating salsa, eating ice-cream, eating, eating, eating, well basically eating a lot, tanning, and the watching of Grey's Anatomy and FRIENDS. One of my favorite memories of the week was the three of us, plus Lacey's boyfriend Reece, sitting down to play a fun Trivia game of the TV show FRIENDS. After Lacey finished reading the instructions we decided that it was too difficult and we made up our own rules to the game; of course while drinking a very generous glass of wine- oh SOOO much fun!

Drew aka "The Lonely Warrior" spent the week in Glorieta, sadly by himself. He informed me that when we get married he does not want me leaving for weeks at a time. Although this is sweet because he missed me oh so much- I informed him that I will be taking short vacations with Haley, Tucky, and Mal Pal...and their is basically nothing he can do to stop this :)

Graduation!!!

It is official-four years of hard work, countless hours of studying, the ability to write a paper about anything in an hour flat, and about as many friends that one can be lucky enough to have- I am a Texas Tech UniversityAlumni!!! We had a wonderful weekend celebrating my 23rd birthday and graduation with family and friends. I do have to say it is sad coming to the end of my college career- but at the same time I am so glad that it is behind me, I have a degree, and I can hopefully get a job as an elementary school teacher starting in the Fall.

T-Minus 20 Days

As you probably know, we are coming down to the end of our engagement journey. In 20 short days, the planning and madness will give way to our life-long adventure that some like to call marriage. During the past few months, we have been consistently asked the same questions (where will you live, what will you do for work, etc) and we have had the same anwer, we don't know! With the current state of the economy, many career experts are encouraging recent graduates, like us, to take this opportunity to pursue another degree. So, like following their advice, I (Drew) made the decision to return to college in pursuit of a master's degree. The next step in my decision process was to decide on an area of study. Recreation seemed like the logical choice for someone who has spent the last year dedicated to learning the ins and outs of running an adventure recreation program. One problem: in an economic downturn recreational spending is the first spending category to be cut leading to less recreational revenue and, in turn, fewer recreational jobs. Amid this confusing decision process, Holly and I took a trip to Colorado Springs to visit with some of my family. During the visit, the topic of an MBA was put on the table leading me to some sort of epiphany. After much affirmation from family and other mentors, I decided to head in the business direction and pursue an MBA somewhere in Georgia (can't beat in-state tuition). As for Holly, she is currently applying for teaching jobs around the state and hopes to weather the economic storm in a mostly-stable educational field. So, for all of you who have had the same questions as the afore mentioned crowd, you are now as up to date on the situation as we are! Please continue your prayers for us in the waning days of our engagement and stay tuned for updates as we get them!