basketball season is here.

Well, I guess technically basketball season was here over a month ago. But game days have now arrived, and I am SO excited for this season.

The first game of the season (actually an exhibition) was in Houston a couple weeks ago. How perfect, right? I was not only able to be at David's first game as an assistant coach,

but I got to see my family!

My parents, sisters, brother, Mimi and Pappa, cousin, and I all headed to HBU

for McMurry's first appearance of the season.

It was a PACKED gym since it was HBU's homecoming.

And the game was awesome!!!

McMurry is a division 3 school- no scholarships- and HBU is a division 1 school- scholarships.

Well, McMurry WON!

It was so much fun!!!

McMurry had their first official game of the season this past Monday against Barclay College and won! I have lots of pictures from that game also, but blogger gave me enough trouble uploading these pictures. So you're just going to have to take my word for it- McMurry dominated! The final score was McMurry 82 Barclay 25.

The team is in North Carolina for a tournament this weekend, and I REALLY wish I was there. But I will settle for watching the games online.

Happy Thursday! (almost Friday!!!)

Chosen: (Half) Marathon for Adoption

We did it!!! Last weekend my sisters, mom, and friend (Calley) all finished the half marathon that we started training for back in August! Kimberly finished her's too- I'm super proud of her doing it all by herself all the way in Virginia! She's a rock star!

Unfortunately my mom-in-law couldn't join us, but she will be there for the next one! :)

My sisters both ran the whole thing- so proud of them! My momma walked her little tail off and finished with an awesome time! As for me, it definitely wasn't my best half marathon showing, but I crossed the finish line and it was a GREAT weekend.

The whole experience was a lot of fun to share. We are seriously discussing doing another one at the end of May. Want to join us???

Family Fun in Iowa

Last weekend David and I flew into Dallas and met my family! We all went to Iowa to celebrate Dane and Desiree's wedding. (Dane works with my dad, and Desiree is in my mom's rodeo group.) They are a sweet, sweet couple, and it was so nice of them to include us in their special weekend.

There were 8 of us, plus our luggage, so we rented a 12 passenger van to take us around for the weekend. It was quite the scene.

On Friday, we drove around the state of Iowa a bit, ate some sushi, and went to the rehearsal dinner at the bride's BEAUTIFUL home.

Saturday was the wedding, so we all piled into the van in the chilly weather.

The wedding was so sweet. Of course brought tears to my eyes! They gave every one these cool ribbon wands to wave around. At the reception, when ribbons were waved, the bride and groom had to kiss.

The gang.

Best parents EVER.

All the kiddos.

And the girls.

The reception was SO much fun! It was so great to hang out with my family and of course to dance the night away!

Our flight on Sunday wasn't until the evening so we decided to go bowling! There were lots of gutter balls, some spares, and even some strikes!

It was such a great weekend! I absolutely love my family. Doing anything with them is so much fun. Thank you Dane and Desiree for including us and giving us an excuse for an October family vacation!

Back with 100

Hello! It's been a while.. It's what happens to me when the school year starts. I become slightly MIA, but I am working on balance. I really do want to keep up with this blog- for my family and friends but also for David and I to look back at.

So here are 100 random things. I read Meredith's and thought it would be a good way to enter back into the blog world.

1. I absolutely love being married to my best friend.

2. It is so great that we live in the same city as his family.

3. I went to dinner with them last night!

4. I HATE that we live so far away from my family.

5. I am thinking about changing the name of the blog. I know I haven't been blogging very long, but I am just not feeling it any more.

6. I teach Kindergarten in Sweetwater, TX.

7. I LOVE my job.

8. My husband is out of town right now, but I have ESPN on because that's what we do on Saturdays.

9. I really dislike having to go to bed when David is out of town.

10. He loves his job, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

11. I have big plans to clean the house today.

12. We still cannot park in the garage. :/

13. We have two sweet pups- Mickey (chihuahua) and Nova (black lab).

14. I love them to pieces. But could really do without their constant shedding hair.

15. David and I met at UT our sophomore year. At a fraternity party.

16. It was the first time I had been to one, and he wasn't in the fraternity yet.

17. I love taking pictures.

18. But I have been terrible at taking pictures since the wedding. :(

19. When my sisters and I get together, we more often than not share teacher stories.

20. I dream of the day that all 3 of us can teach together.

21. I wish Kimberly, Kevin, and Khloe lived closer. Like in the state!

22. I love Longhorn football.

23. I was a cheerleader for 10 years.

24. We went to Iowa with my family last weekend.

25. God has blessed my life far beyond my understanding.

26. I love school supplies.

27. I miss playing volleyball.

28. I want to know the Bible better.

29. I cannot wait to be a mom.

30. When we lived in Kingsville last year, I went to my Mimi and Pappa's after school at least once a week.

31. I really miss that.

32. I want to go shopping. But really don't need to.

33. David is 11 months younger than me.

34. There is a little boy in my class that gives me several funny stories a day.

35. I really dislike folding/putting away laundry.

36. We just recently bought a new truck.

37. I spend too many hours in my classroom every day. I need to work on that.

38. I wish the Longhorns had a game today.

39. I have a HUGE sweet tooth.

40. I enjoy cooking and baking. When I make the time.

41. I broke the rear tire rod in my car yesterday morning. Not the best morning.

42. Skinny vanilla latte is my Starbucks drink of choice.

43. My little brother is a junior in high school.

44. I love going to the beach.

45. David gets to go back to the Bahamas with his basketball team, but I have to work.

46. The first game of McMurry's basketball season is in Houston!

47. I can pass many, many hours reading teaching blogs.

48. I strive to be as good as my mentor teacher.

49. David and I like to go to Chili's on Friday nights.

50. Our bedroom is gray and orange.

51. I love Apple products.

52. I am running my 3rd half marathon in a couple weeks.

53. I haven't had a voice since school started.

54. David coaches college basketball.

55. Mexican food is wonderful.

56. My ring was David's grandmother's. It is beautiful.

57. Our wedding weekend was perfect.

58. I can't wait for my husband to get home tonight.

59. I have the most wonderful parents anyone could ask for.

60. I have taught for 3 years in 3 different grades in 3 different cities.

61. Each year has honestly been wonderful.

62. I am slightly blog obsessed.

63. I have brownies in my kitchen, ready to be baked.

64. I really want to go running, but haven't been able to muster up the energy with school and this cold/sinus infection.

65. I want 2 or 3 kiddos.

66. Pedicures make me feel so pampered.

67. The fall weather here in Abilene is beautiful.

68. I miss my friends in Austin.

69. We have 3 beautiful nieces!

70. I think Modern Family is so funny.

71. I am a terrible procrastinator.

72. I am the oldest child. David is the youngest.

73. I love being organized. But am definitely not always. Working on that.

74. My Mimi is one of the best cooks I know.

75. She sends me recipes in the mail. So sweet.

76. I love fruit and vegetables. But I also love any type of bread.

77. I think it is so cool to hear my students call me Mrs. Kemp.

78. I want a new camera lens.

79. Mickey and Nova are very funny when they play together.

80. I am 5'7" and my sisters are 5'2".

81. I had 2 maids of honor and David had 2 best men.

82. It is possible I think about school too much.

83. Sometimes I have to be reminded to "turn off my teacher talk."

84. I took pictures for the McMurry basketball team for their media guide.

85. I can't wait to get the CDs of all of our wedding pictures.

86. Our wedding video should be in our mailbox this week!!!

87. I love sushi.

88. I am so grateful for the family I have and the family I married into.

89. I love chocolate chip cookies.

90. Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and Diet Dr. Pepper have all come back into my life, and I am trying to get away again.

91. I love the Target Dollar Spot.

92. I love Target. Period.

93. I love my parents so much.

94. I think my hands look prettier with acrylic nails.

95. I want to go back to the Caymans.

96. I have never been snow skiing.

97. I am not a fan of cold weather and am slightly nervous about winter in Abilene.

98. I am so excited for the holidays with David. And for decorating the house!

99. I really want to send a Christmas card this year.

100. I can't wait for all the memories David and I will make in our life together.

There ya go! I am going to try really hard to keep up with posting!

run. forrest. run.

Hello again! We shall see if this post looks any better than the last. Fingers crossed!

{No such luck on looking any better.. Instead of huge spaces, this one doesn't want to allow any spaces in between paragraphs, so it's just one long thing.. SORRY! So ready for my Mac!}

Like I said, my sisters, mom, mom-in-law, and sister-in-law are all doing something fun together! No, we unfortunately do not all live in the same place. We are spread across Texas and into Virginia! So even though we are not physically together, we have all decided to train for a half marathon together!!! I am so excited about this! I have done two half marathons and have convinced these lovely ladies in my life that they are fun! :)

We will be running the Chosen Marathon and Half Marathon for Adoption. We will be doing the half part- 13.1! Woo!

On August 1, we started our training. We are following a 12-week program and will be READY to go on October 23 in New Braunfels! (Not quite sure that Kimberly will get to actually be in New Braunfels with us, but we will all be running the 13.1 TOGETHER on the morning of Saturday, October 23!) It has been fun to check in with every one and hear about all the improvement already! And we are only 2 weeks in! I know that each of these ladies is going to continue getting stronger and faster! They are so dedicated, and they truly keep me going! (I am not so great at keeping up with the training just yet.. For example, we were supposed to run 4 miles yesterday, and I just got to it today. But I will get better because I need to be able to keep up!)

There's the fun we have planned together! Feel free to join! We are on week 3 of the program, so if you can, jump on in and run with us!

"catch up french fry."

So... I was originally writing this catch up post on August 4 but never finished. Oops.. And now, I won't be able to do a complete catch up because I don't have all my pictures. Why don't I have all my pictures you ask? Oh because David and I just sold my computer. Why did we sell my computer? Oh because my husband is AWESOME and this beauty is on its way to our front door for my birthday!!! I am SO excited!!!!

And now back to the catch up... Again I apologize for the lack of pictures!!! I DID have pictures from Rachel's bachelorette weekend because I had uploaded those on the original post date, but updating on a non-Mac computer is frustrating me and the pictures have disappeared. I think what I will do is update on everything that's been going on, and when I get all my pictures back (saved them all on an external hard drive, don't worry!) I will do a strictly photo post. :)

I think I will do a bulleted post {BULLETS AREN'T EVEN WORKING RIGHT! ANNOYING!} (with pictures of course!) to catch up. I have been a terrible blogger with all that has been going on.

The Tuesday before heading to Austin to celebrate Rachel, I was hired as a Kindergarten teacher in Sweetwater ISD! I honestly could not be MORE excited about this job!!! I have wanted to teach Kinder since I started. (Thank you Jen McDonald for showing me the amazingness of Kindergarten!) The school district seems so fun, the principal has already been wonderful, and the other teachers I will work with are so welcoming and talented! I finally have my Kindergarten classroom and am so ready!

We celebrated Rachel's last few weeks of bachelorette-ness the weekend of July 16 in Austin! It was SO much fun to hang out with all the fun girls and celebrate our precious Rachel! Here are a bunch of pictures from the weekend. We went to 6th street on Friday night (after some pretty little gifts!) and danced the night away! During the day on Saturday, we were had a boat on Lady Bird Lake (aka Town Lake). That night we had a DELICIOUS dinner at Maria, Maria and partied the night away again on 6th street. A GREAT weekend for sure!

When I got back from Rachel's weekend, David had to leave for San Diego! He really enjoyed California, and he and Coach Garnett got some really good players! No pictures from those couple days because I wasn't there.

My sweet Granny Belle and Grandpa celebrated 60 years of marriage on July 24! Unfortunately David and I couldn't make it down to Kingsville to be a part of the celebration. But just wanted to give them some love because 60 years is amazing!

One of the reasons David and I didn't make it down to Kingsville was because David's mom hosted a family reunion. David's aunts came in town along with some of his grandma, cousins, and great aunt and uncle. We had a fish fry, played washers, and just chatted! It was so nice to hang out with my new family. I had the task of banana pudding- which is a staple at these reunions, so the pressure was on! But I was told it turned out good, so hopefully that's the truth!

The next big event was Rachel and Taylor's WEDDING!!! I'm thinking that deserves a whole post of its own! It was such a great weekend, and I was/am so honored that I got to be a part of the beautiful, love-filled day!

When we got back from the wedding it was time to get busy with our jobs! August=busy time for teachers and coaches! I was able to get into my classroom the first week of August, and David has had players moving in since the first week of August. We actually got to spend a whole weekend at home together for the first time since we got married! It was wonderful!

And that brings us to this past week! Whew.. that was a lot! This week was just a lot more working.. I had training and classroom prep; David dealt with more players and other stuff you wouldn't even realize a coach has to do. And yesterday my sweet hubby spent the day with me doing school stuff. We spent an hour at the teacher store here in town- the lamination machine messed up.. Then we spent 7+ hours in my room! We got so much done and my classroom actually looks ready for kiddos!!! Thank you dtk!!! Just some finishing touches before Meet the Teacher next Thursday. (David's birthday is also next Thursday! The big TWO FOUR!)

If you actually made it this far, thanks for reading (leave me a comment)! Stay tuned for a post about something fun I am doing with my sisters, mom, mom-in-law, and sister-in-law! (Yep, I'm gonna work on that post right after this one.. even though this post took way too long to figure out. Can't wait to have a MAC back!)

Another update... I am very sorry for the appearance of this post. It has some huge spaces in there, and I have NO clue why. This is probably the 10th time I have tried to fix it, and it just isn't working. So again, I apologize for the weirdness of this post...

bahama mama.

it's about time that i relive our BEAUTIFUL honeymoon through some of the pictures. we went to the royal bahamian sandals resort. it was absolutely amazing. they even have a separate island that we took a boat shuttle to! enjoy the picture walk. ha.

the monday after the wedding, david and i headed to dallas for our early tuesday morning flight.

after a flight to charlotte and a long customs line in nassau, we got to ride in a rolls royce to the hotel!

we had a great 6 days in the bahamas! it was SO wonderful to just relax and have nothing planned. after 13 months of planning the wedding, we loved just being married.

we ate DELICIOUS breakfasts,

laid in the sun,

enjoyed yummy pizzas (yes, daily),

laid in the sun some more,

played basketball and volleyball in the pool (david was very proud of his winnings),

went to fun dinners,

and just hung out!

the bahamas were beautiful. it was a perfect vacation! we would love to go back one day.

time to cook dinner for my favorite husband in the world! we've been up to some fun stuff lately that i will update you on soon :)

quick love post :)

one month of marriage! and it's been the best month of my life! i have been so blessed with a sweet, caring, loving, handsome hubby who i can trust with everything! i wake up every morning knowing he is going to take care of me. best feeling ever. i love you, dtk!

david was out of town for the weekend and finally made it back in town today! good timing :) there is a roast in the crockpot and this treat in the refrigerator! (david LOVES chocolate eclairs.) we are going to run around abilene a bit, meet a new player, have a yummy dinner, and maybe a movie snuggled up on the couch! couldn't ask for a more perfect night. love being married.

here's a little honeymoon sneak peek..

wedding weekend

Our wedding weekend was perfect. I planned and planned and planned, but prepared myself for something to go wrong at some point during the weekend. It's just the way it goes. But amazingly, it was absolutely perfect. I loved every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing. I really hope that everyone else involved enjoyed the weekend as much as I did. I cannot get over how.. well.. perfect it was! We don't have our pictures from the photographer yet (SOOOO anxious!), but some family and friends got some great pictures that I have *borrowed* to post. Thank you Mindy, Logan, Nicole, Rachel, Kimberly, and Aunt Kay for taking and posting pictures!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Thursday was arrival day! Both our families and all the wedding party drove to Austin and checked into the Vintage Villas.

THE weekend is finally here!

For us girls, it was just a chill night. We went to eat at one of my favorite Austin restaurants- Miltos. If you live in Austin, GO! After dinner, we just went back to the hotel and hung out and went to bed.

only picture from Thursday night.. 3 matching (almost) nieces!

For the boys, not so much a 'chill' night. David had his bachelor party. The boys had a party bus for the night and had lots of fun on 6th street! Thursday night was a great start to the weekend for everyone!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Friday morning, the boys played golf at the UT Golf Club and us girls went to have manicures and pedicures at THE cutest salon! I don't have any pictures from the boys morning of golf, but I know they all loved it! I do however have plenty of pictures from our girls' trip to Embellish. We were pampered with mimosas, scented neck warmers, magazines, and girl chat! It was GREAT to be with my bridesmaids, my momma, my momma-in-law, and my sisters-in law at such a cool, fun salon!

Melanie, Nicole, Jessie, and Rachel

Mindy, Jessie, Rachel, and Nicole

Averi and Ashlyn couldn't have loved Embellish more!

Friday evening was rehearsal and rehearsal dinner time! And let the tears begin! It started with the lining up of everyone and hooking arms with my daddy to practice walking down the aisle. I couldn't hold my tears any more, but my sweet daddy talked golf with me to take my mind to a different place. The rehearsal was quick and easy, and we were ready for the big day!!! (Our wedding specialist from Vintage Villas, Lauren Allen, was AWESOME!)

getting everyone in place

made it down the aisle to my handsome groom!

After the rehearsal, we were off to The Oasis for the rehearsal dinner. We had a delicious dinner with family and friends! David and his dad both gave beautiful speeches that of course brought on more tears! The boys were a little worn out from their Thursday night and went home a little early. My bridesmaids and I hung out at Oasis with my parents a little later. :)

beautiful Oasis, beautiful fiance (almost husband!)

and beautiful maids!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

THE DAY!!! I woke up super early, like I had been for weeks (between 4am and 5am early!), but was actually able to fall back asleep for a little bit. Melanie and Mindy were on David patrol for the day to make sure he and I didn't happen to cross paths before the wedding. I'm not sure what the boys filled their day with except that I know they went to eat at Rudy's BBQ. By 11:00, the girls and I were getting started with hair and make up! It was so nice! Since we had the whole East Texas Villa reserved for our wedding guests, we just had hair and make up set up in the lobby of the villa. We listened to music, snacked, and got more pampering!

thank you to Little Wex!

definitely not my most attractive picture of the weekend, but does show my procrastination. hair setting and still some last minute wedding details to work on.

At 3:00, the photographers arrived! Photography was so important to both David and I for our wedding day. We wanted to make sure we had great pictures to document the whole day! We don't have the pictures yet, but I know Jona and Jerry did a FABULOUS job! Jona was at the East Texas Villa with us girls, and Jerry was at the Central Texas Villa with the boys. After outside pictures, David and his guys and me and my girls went into our respective rooms to hang out and wait... And wait we did. The whole weekend went SO fast, but the last hour before the wedding was for.ev.er!

putting on the dress!

so ready and excited to be Mrs. Kemp

And then it was time... The weather was beautiful (God is so good), our family and friends were seated, and David was waiting at the front for me.

precious Mimi and Pappa. adore them.

sweet, sweet Granny and Grandpa

John, looking so big! and beautiful momma

Kevin and Mindy-best man and maid of honor

Mr. Kemp and Melanie-best man and maid of honor

marrying my best friend.

After the BEAUTIFUL ceremony (Thank you, Steve!!!), it was time to celebrate! The reception area was exactly how I had envisioned! The flowers were beautiful, the food was delicious, and most importantly, the rooms were filled with family and friends! My dad, David's dad, David's brother, and my sisters all gave amazing speeches. Cried during each one. Each one of them is so special to David and me. Time FLEW. There were so many people we were so excited to see and talk with. Before we knew it, our first dance, father/mother dances, cake cutting, bouquet throw, and garter toss were all over! Even though it flew by, it was perfect. It was so fun to talk to and dance with and be around our family and friends. So fun.

only you can love me this way. kieth urban.

fly me to the moon. frank sinatra.

my wish. rascal flatts.

hook 'em!!!

delicious cake

I absolutely LOVED our wedding!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Sunday morning, we got everything packed up and had breakfast with family and friends who stayed around. It was bittersweet for the weekend to be over. For one, I was now Mrs. Megan KEMP and was heading to Abilene to start my new life with my HUSBAND!!! On the other hand, I was having to say bye to my family, and I am never good at that. But I knew I would be seeing them soon!

Mr. and Mrs. Kemp (David's parents) decorated our car for us. :)

When we made it home to our new house (eek!), we hung out with family and opened gifts. We were BEYOND blessed by our family and friends. All of y'all are ah.may.zing!

our new home!

such a cool gift!

mr. and mrs. :)

When we get the professional pictures, I will definitely share. But hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into the best weekend of my life! Stay tuned for a honeymoon post soon.