Fast and the Furious

Wow- these last 2 weeks of June have just flown by! 

This past week Chad's family came to see us. It was fun to share Galveston and all it's shrimp, humidity, and mosquitoes with them. 

We ate at some great places that I have wanted to try for some time.

One in particular was this soda shop on the Strand. I have always wanted to eat there because it looks so neat and has ice cream of course.

 I got a "Ship Wreck" float! I was in heaven!

I love coke floats so I was one happy girl!

Chad's Mom and I had girl time and went looking at a cute antique shop. Oh if I had money...I would buy everything in there! 

We all became addicted to watching a show called Shark Tank on ABC. It is an interesting show where people who have invented something try to get investors to invest in their product. 

We also relaxed and just enjoyed being together:)

Chad's family stayed at a really nice resort that had mini golf, a pool, and was right across the street from the beach.

The 1st night of mini golf...I WON! I am the worst golf player ever so it was shocking that I beat all the  boys. Chad wanted a rematch which by then my luck had run out so he won :(

ME- the mini golf dominator!!

I was trying to make my "mini golf mean face" but then started laughing so I just look weird in this picture.

It was great to have family and very sad to see them go. We don't know when we will see them next :( 

It was also sad because it meant June was over and Chad's rotation will start Monday.

He leaves tomorrow for his 1st month long rotation in surgery. 

I am at a lost as to how to describe this upcoming change in our lives.

I am incredibly sad to be without Chad for a month. Luckily in our relationship, we have never had to do long distance so it scares me to have to do it now. I am worried about him. I want to be with him, taking care of all his needs. I want to see him everyday, feel his arms around me, and let him take care of me. I am also extremely proud of him and know he will do amazing! I feel honored to be his wife and very proud to say, "Yes, my husband is becoming a PA." He has worked so hard to come to this point that it feels good to be starting rotations, the beginning of the end of his schooling.

Ah, so many emotions. I know I am going to bawl like a baby tomorrow when he drives off. It's just another phase of our life. This next year will be full of joys and sorrows, adjustments and failures, hope and love. I will try to be thankful for all of the them because it's part of Chad's and I life, part of the story of how we are accomplishing our dreams, making our life worth while, becoming who we are suppose to be. So with all these emotions, I  put on my game face, knowing I can and will survive this next phase of our life.

I know I will look back at this phase to tell my kids, "You know your dad and I lived in Galveston for a while...it sure was an adventure...and yes the cockroaches were really big!"

Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day...

This video is so funny!

Book Worm

What I have been reading lately...

 "In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure."

This was a good read- some parts I thought were just a tad slow. It was a story about the life of an Indian boy and his friend, a white girl- once again I love other cultures  and feel their way of life and values have so much to offer us. I also enjoy reading about the past, thinking how times have changed so much. Good Read.

"In Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See takes us on a journey back to a captivating era of Chinese history and delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.  
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, an “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime."

I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it in a couple of days. It was so interesting! The book discusses foot binding in the Chinese culture which I found fascinating and researched more on it while reading the book. There is one scene in the book where I had to call my mother-in-law and say, "What is happening?!? Where is this going?!" but she reassured me to keep reading. The dynamics of women roles in this book was very thought provoking. Wonderful read! There is also a movie but they changed it up a lot and I didn't really like it. 

"A story rich in passion and legend, The Lady of the Rivers is the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.When Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen."


If your into reading about the past I would recommend this. It was fun to escape into this time period with Queens and Kings. I did learn things and researched more on the time period because I found I didn't know much about it. I enjoyed it but didn't love it. 

"Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.

But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs."


This book took me a while to get into but after I did I loved it! It was one of those books that I was very sad to be reading the last page because I wanted the story to continue. It is set in England, which now I want to visit badly and drink tea!  Great read if you want something different!

"Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door to door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard—their secret hiding place—and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty Years Later: Sarah’s story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own future."

First of all, I am fascinated with the Holocaust...how something so awful could happen, the devastation it did to so many people, the questions it brings up in my mind, people's ability to survive, and the many emotions that it causes. I loved this book! It was written in such a powerful, moving way. It is not a happy book by any means...but it's real- and I love that. I am still thinking about it after days of reading it. Very moving! There is also a movie based on the book and they did a wonderful job. Of course they had to make little changes but over all it was a great representation of the book. So read this book and then watch the movie!         

Any books you love and would recommend?

Happy Reading!                                                                                            

The Canine Houdini

Our house has a small back room that attaches to our bedroom and the kitchen. After Chad refused to have it as his office, it became Georgia's room/storage room once we moved in. She stays in the room while we are gone and everything has been fine, minus a few chew marks on the baseboards. 

Well, lately we have come home to Georgia greeting us at our front door. We could not figure out how she was getting out of her room! So we put her in her room and called her to see what she did.

Using her nose, she sticks it in the small space you see here between the wall and door.

She nudges it and keeps nudging until the shutter door opens...

Ta-da! The Canine Houdini! 

I don't know how we are going to keep her in her room since she has learned how to escape. 

Both doors are the shutter doors.

I haven't found anything in the house that she has ruined...yet!

So, there you have it- Georgia...The Escapee

Onions

People: we have onions!

Straight from the garden! 

I used some in a pasta dish and they tasted great!

Happy Anniversary to US!

Last Tuesday, June 5th, marked the 2nd year of me being Mrs. Chad Alan Pacanowski! 

And I couldn't be happier!

While Chad and I were reflecting on our marriage, he said, "It's like our love has grown from the bubbly love to something that is so deep in the soul, like complete truth."

I love that and couldn't agree more.

I am truly blessed to have Chad as my husband. 

There are so many words and things I could say but nothing would completely express my feelings for Chad and the journey we have been on so far.

And I can't wait for the many more years of joy, happiness, and sorrow that we get to share together. 

We celebrated on Sunday by going to our favorite sushi place.

"I found the one whom my soul loves."

Song of Salomon 3:4 

All of Chad's sushi. Yes, we might of over ordered but it was delicious. 

I think I could eat sushi every day and be a very happy girl-

especially if I get to eat it with this handsome guy:)

After a lesson from Chad, google, and practice I finally mastered the chop sticks!

Muahahaha! I was quite proud of myself and felt very cool. 

Our 1 year anniversary

We celebrated while on our mission trip in Africa.

Our friends gave us a gift card to one of the resorts.

We had a wonderful meal and the Africans even danced for us! 

The cake the Africans made for us since we didn't have our frozen year old one!

(Let's just say this one was much better than the original. That tradition needs to stop.)

I love how "anniversary" is misspelled and runs off the cake.

It will always be a cherished memory of our 1st anniversary. 

2 YEARS AGO! 

Wow- where does the time go? 

I am so thankful for my amazing husband, my new family I have been blessed with, and the marriage that God has given me.

I love being Mrs. Pacanowski!

Amarillo By Mornin'

Last weekend, I flew to Amarillo to watch my baby sister graduate from high school. I don't know why but Abby graduating makes me feel really old. She has always been the baby of the family and it just hit me that we are now all grown up. A bitter sweet feeling. 

It was, of course, wonderful to see all the family.

Here are all the girls on my Mom's side! 

My family- minus Chad :( 

The five of us are hardly together at one time so it fun being back together.

I'm so proud of Abby and am excited for her to start college. I hope she will make fun memories, experience God, and meet amazing people at LCU, just like I did. I know she will do great things and has much to offer our broken world! 

I had the whole week off- woo hoo! On Tuesday, we loaded up our family pop-up and headed to Ruidoso, NM! The mountains were beautiful. I can just breath easier up there. I have always been a mountain person rather than a beach person. So, I loved getting my mountain fill. We hiked up a mountain - which my mother did an awesome job and even has battle wounds to prove it! We shopped in town, sat in lawn chairs, and just relaxed :)

Abby and me before the hike!

On top of the mountain! 

After hiking, we got pedicures and Sonic! haha

It was a great time and good to have a break from life. 

(I just realized that my dad isn't in any of these pictures, but he went with us camping too. And was a huge sport being the only male.)

Tuesday was Chad's and I

 2 year wedding anniversary. 

So we are celebrating tonight with sushi, a new dress, and hopefully I can talk him into looking through the wedding album to reminisce. I'll post pictures soon!