a little taste of mardi gras 2008

...and I didn't even have to take off my shirt...

Mardi Gras 2008

We went to Mardi Gras! It was crazy! We caught beads, panties, garter belts, stuffed animals and tons of mardi gras cups. We had so much fun checking out the parades and all the weirdos walking around dressed up in all kinds of things.

We went to Texas at the end of '07 with Austin's family. Here we are in Austin, TX overlooking Lake Travis. We loved it so much we started looking for houses!

entryway...austin and his dad put the railing in, something they will never do again : )

kitchen...check out that huge fridge and freezer! austin had to have it.

we put knotty alder doors, trim and cabinets in. Austin did most the work and Rachel helped out by staining. woo hoo.

guest bath

House Interior remodelled

master bath

THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!! Wow what a difference! It's beautiful, and the inside is just as beautiful. Austin gutted the entire thing and we started over practically from scratch. It is modern with rustic and elegant touches. We love it!

One of the best things we've done so far is purchase this 1970's house and remodel it. Austin did most the work himself. Here is the before picture of the outside of the house. At this point we had already replaced the windows in the front. They used to be amber yellow...ew!

Hawaiin Honeymoon

Hawaii was beautiful!! Look at that water! It was the perfect honeymoon spot. We drove around the entire island of Oahu many times making sure to stop at every beach along the way. We even stopped on the side of the road to have fresh coconut juice straight from the coconut! It was everything I've ever heard it was. We will be back again soon.

We went on a helicopter tour around the island of Oahu. It was by far the best thing we did. So worth it!

Here we are at the Poynesian Cultural Center luau. We got to the cultural center kind of late and they told us the Luau was sold out. Rachel worked her magic and ended up getting us in. Sometimes being a girl has serious benefits. Woo hoo!