The 1984 Olympics

FT. WORTH, Texas (CNN), Step aside Michael Phelps and Shawn Johnson, athletes from far and wide gathered on Saturday at the Rucker Home to commemorate the 1984 Olympic Games. Opening ceremonies began at 3pm and concluded around Midnight. With celebrities such as Nastia Lukin and Axl Rose out supporting, paparazzi went rampant at the site of such super stars. Throughout the day, activities included beer pong, flip cup, dizzy bat relay, and 4-square. The women took back to back wins in the dizzy bat relay and in flip cup; which secured them the gold. Emotions ran high as the medal ceremonies were held. The after party was held at the swanky Conlon's Pub with show stopping performances by entertainers Haddy Flynt and Vernon Green.

Four Square (Ed, Linds, Kyle and Whitney)
Athletes with Axl Rose

The boys losing at Flip Cup

Michele, Ryan & Lisa

Dizzy Bat Relay (highlight of my afternoon)

Pong

Russell & Vern

Russell, Lance and Ryan

Haddy & Ed

Haddy channeling her inner Madonna

Closing out the night with Montel Jordan

New Countertops!

When Clark and I first purchased our home one of the first things we were going to do upon moving in was to replace the countertops with granite. Well, clearly there were several things that came up and a lot of furniture to buy so we ended up moving that project to the back burner. Well I never imagined that it would remain there for 9 months but the time has flown by. Finally, yesterday, we had our countertops replaced!! The old countertops were dark and we have dark flooring and cabinets so I wanted to choose a lighter colored granite to open up and brighten the room. Here are the before pictures: Now for the after pictures, we chose Santa Cecilia as the color granite:

This is the new breakfast bar, I am going to pick up some bar stools today

Next on the list is the back splash and paint. I am hoping to get someone out this week as we are having people over on Saturday but we will see. Clark and I are still not sure exactly what we want. I am so thrilled with the way the granite turned out. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful home; It's really starting to come together!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game....

Last night was so much fun. We got a group of 12 of us together to go to the Rangers game. We went over to Ryan and Lisa's beforehand and then carpooled to the game. Wednesday's at the Ballpark are $1 hot dog nights!!! I love love love hotdogs and had 2 of them. There were several people in our group that took the low price as a personal challenge to see how many they could actually eat. I am not sure what the total number was but it was quite impressive. The game was fun, I have to admit that I didn't actually watch the game but we won so that was good. After the game we went back to Ryan and Lisa's to hang out before calling it a night. Here are some of my pics from the evening.

The best pic of the night. Brad's reaction to a home run.

Michele and Travis

Lisa and Ryan

Clark and I
Lindsay and I
The Girls (Please note Brad on the right)
The Boys

Tonight, Beth and I are heading to the FW Arts Festival. I've heard its a lot of fun and that you can find some really great pieces so I am hoping to find some stuff for our bare walls. I am also hoping to find a Turkey Leg. I heart Turkey Legs!!

Easter Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! On Friday night, we met up with Beth, Charles, Will and Vern and ate at Yucatan Taco Stand. This place has really good and innovative Mexican style food. It was still pretty difficult to make a food choice since I gave up fried food for lent and that essentially wiped out half of the menu. I ended up going with the beef fajitas at Beth's suggestion and I was not disappointed. We called it an early night and went home after that. Saturday was spent doing absolutely nothing. We went and had lunch at Mi Cocina and then sat on the couch all afternoon/evening watching DVR shows that we needed to catch up on. Our friends, Scott and Brigid were coming in town that evening to spend Easter with his Grandfather so we met up for dinner and flaming margaritas at La Familia. Afterwards, we went to Showdown to have a couple of drinks and play some Foosball.

Once we left, I realized that it was after midnight and was allowed to eat fried food again! Clark graciously took me to Jack in the Box so I could eat some egg rolls (JITB has the BEST egg rolls) and some curly fries. Amazing.

Brigid & I at Showdown

Clark & Scott

On Easter Sunday, we got up about 9 to get ready for Church. The service was really nice and it was fun to see all the little Easter dresses and spring colors. For Brunch, we met Richard and Larkin at Lambert's . I have long heard about how wonderful the brunch is and I am not sure why Clark and I have never been, but it was worth the wait! I can say with no hesitation that this was the best brunch I have ever had. We ate so much. They have a regular walk through buffet but there is also a menu of unlimited items that you can order off of. Between the 4 of us we sampled (in order of preference):

• Biscuits and Gravy (2 Orders)
• Goat Cheese and Spinach Omelet
• Brioche French Toast (2 orders)
• Prime Rib Eggs Benedict with Chipotle Hollendaise
• Regular Eggs Benedict
• Green Chile Grits

On buffet line, they had the most amazing migas and roasted potatoes as well as, smoked salmon (to die for) and prime rib and pork loin. On our table were scones, blueberry muffins and jalepeno cornbread. YUM!!

For dessert, Red Velvet Cake, Coconut Cream Pie and Chocolate Chip Pie. They were all so so good.

Larkin & I putting on good faces after finishing even though we were miserable.

The food was great and the company was even better. Unfortunately, the rest of Sunday we were absolutely worthless- sprawled out on the couch all afternoon and evening but it was definitely worth it! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Claire's Birthday!

Last night we went to Fred's to celebrate Claire's 26th Birthday. Here are a few pics from the evening.

With the Birthday Girl at Freds

Lindsay & I

Fellow Bloggers Larkin & Haddy

I am excited about Easter weekend! It seems like most of our friends are going out of town but it will be nice to have a relaxing and low key weekend at home, especially since we have been gone so much recently. I have big plans for a productive Saturday to include doing some more yard work and getting the house in order. Sunday, Richard, Larkin, Clark and I are going to Lambert's for brunch after church. I have been looking forward to it all week!

Next week we are undergoing a minor kitchen remodel. I am going to pick out granite slabs to redo our countertops and add a backsplash! This was a project that we were planning to do as soon as we moved in but clearly went straight to the back burner. We are also adding a little breakfast bar which will give us additional counter space and a place to eat besides our dining room table or in front of the TV. I will post some before and after pictures to see the difference.

I think that's about all that's going on. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!!

A Weekend of Cherry Blossoms...

This weekend was fantastic. On Thursday morning, I headed to DC to meet up with Clark's parents to show them my 2nd favorite city in the US. Clark's mom has been to DC before when she was six and his Dad had never been so it was a lot of fun putting together an itinerary for them during their stay. I got in about noon and headed to the office to get some work done before they came. Once they arrived, around 6:30, we headed to the Capitol Hilton and got checked in for our eventful weekend.

We ate at Grillfish in Dupont Circle and then went to bed early because we had a White House tour first thing Friday morning. Clark's flight ended up being delayed and by the time he got to the hotel, it was 3am. He was such a good sport though and didn't complain once on Friday. I know I would have been the exact opposite. If I don't get my sleep, I can be a very unpleasant person the next day.

The White House tour was great, it was crazy to see how many pictures of the Obama's were already in place, they turned it around quickly! After the White House, we went to the Supreme Court to do the tour and hear the lecture about the history. Clark's Dad is a Texas Judge so this was particularly interesting to him. Next came lunch. Matchbox is probably my favorite lunch place in DC. They have these incredible sliders that will change your life (see photo). The afternoon was comprised of the Air and Space Museum. I guess I underestimated the madness that is the Cherry Blossom Festival. There were school groups everywhere you turned. So many people were crowded in the mall area and it was a bit overwhelming.

Outside of the Supreme Court

At the Air & Space Museum

Friday night, we had arranged a car to take us around DC for a night tour of the monuments. This is something that I have always wanted to do. We picked up some Yuengling beer and a bottle of wine to share as we had a crystal clear night sky to deliver a serene backdrop for Iwo Jima, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, WWII, FDR, the Capitol, Washington Monument and of course, the White House. For dinner, we headed to Capitol City Brewing Company for a light meal before heading to bed.

Iwo Jima at Sunset

Cherry Blossoms at Night

Outside the Lincoln Memorial

Saturday morning we had a Capitol Tour at 10:30 am. I used to intern for Sen. Hutchison and part of my job was to conduct Capitol Tours. It is so strange to go now. People don't get to see half the stuff you used to be able to see. There are so many cool areas in the Capitol and it's sad that they are no longer open to the public. Nevertheless, our tour was great and it was fun to see it again. Next on the agenda was the American History Museum however, upon arriving to the Smithsonian area, we were bombarded with the madness that is the Cherry Blossom festival and opted to head to Arlington Cemetery for the afternoon instead. That evening, we walked around Georgetown and ate at Clyde's for dinner.

After the Tour of the Capitol

At Clydes

Sunday we went to the Holocaust Museum. I found it insanely frustrating that there were so many people that were talking throughout the exhibit. I appreciate that schools want to take their students to see such an extraordinary and reverent exhibit and while some kids are mature enough, it was very distracting for me. After the museum, we walked along the Tidal Basin for some prime time Cherry Blossom picture taking. They were really a site to see. It was such a beautiful day and while it was crowded, it was nice to be there. That afternoon, we grabbed a hot dog and headed in to the History museum. For dinner, we were all able to meet up Mike and Joanie for dinner at Old Ebbitt. Mike is one of Clark's good friends from TCU and he is about to finish up law school at George Mason this May. We are all hoping that they get to come back to Texas.

At the Tidal Basin, can you tell he is sick of pictures... The Ruckers at the Tidal Basin with Jefferson in the Background

It was such a wonderful trip and we were so thrilled to be able to spend that time with Clark's family.

Something everyone cares about...

Wait for it...wait for it...
We got new towels!!!!! Please try and contain your excitement. Since our family is comprised of us and our dogs, there really isn't much to write about during the week. I know I should probably just not write if there is not much to say BUT I am pretty excited about our towels. Clark and I have been searching for the right color combo to complement the color of our bathroom walls (which he painted and repainted 3 times). After a long search and encouragement from a one Ali Crocker, we made the push and purchased the new set for our master bathroom.

Piper posing with the new towels

In other news, the Ruckers are departing tomorrow for a trip to Washington DC to see the Cherry Blossoms. We are going with Clark's parents, Dean & Karen, for a long weekend of site seeing and history. I know I am in DC quite a bit for business but rarely do I get to enjoy the surroundings of one of my favorite cities in the US. We have quite the assortment of activities planned and I am sure we will have a wonderful time while there.

I guess that sums up things right now. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!!