Youth and Government State Conference

We just returned from Austin where M&M participated in the State Conference for Y&G.  It was a good time as usual.

 The bills to be presented in the Senate at the Capitol are determined by the order that they are passed out of committee.  Both M&M used some tricky rules to get their bills passed without debate (in order to save time) so they could be on the docket for the Capitol.  There are 62 Senators and they can usually only do 7 or 8 bills at the Capitol.  Mason was #4 and Mallory was #6.

 We found it so precious that M&M sat by each other on the Senate floor.  

 The theme Friday night was Comic Con.  And….Phil (the polar bear) just always goes to state for some reason.

 It is a bit of a long story, but Mason ended up chairing some bills in the Senate on Saturday.  It was really special to watch.  

 This is while Mason was presenting his bill.  Mallory had written a speech to speak pro on it.

 It was so fun that Mason was the chair while Mal presented her bill.

 Mason was awarded Outstanding Statesman for the Senate.  It was quite an honor.  We were also thrilled that his bill passed the Senate and House and was signed into law.  He had a good final year of Y&G!

So happy he can play again!

A beautiful day to play! Won two matches, lost third in a grueling tie-breaker, but he kept his cool.

Midland High, where this USTA Tournament was held, is in the middle of downtown Midland! First Permian UIL Tournament is next weekend in Lubbock.

20th Anniversary Cruise

We had a great time!

We had a balcony off our room.

Relaxing, reading a book as we enjoy the view.

Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico- Mayan ruins.

We docked in Cozumel. A very windy, cool day.

This was as close to the sand I got- a place by the side of the road:)It was all good, we relaxed a lot, played a lot of cards, ate, and enjoyed ourselves!

Last day at sea- chilly!

We loved our dinnertime together!

No More Braces...Headed to Ranch

Before and after! (You can see Patches' bad right eye in this pic.)

Headed to ranch in Coleman County. They've nabbed 15 ducks so far!

Fort Worth Weekend

THANK YOU to the Crowells for lodging such a big crew, to the Crowells and Niendstadts for the great food, and to everyone for making the trip so we could all be together during the holiday season!

We enjoyed spending time together playing games, working a puzzle, taking walks, working out, opening gifts, eating and visiting.  Here are just a few photos: