The Tidwells: From A (merica) to Z (ambia)...and Back

Saturday, January 8, 2022

21st Anniversary!

On January 6th, we celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary! For our 20th, we went skiing in Vail, CO, but we usually don't take the time to celebrate. This year, however, we had to make a delivery up north of Amarillo, so we decided to spend the night in Lubbock in our wedding night hotel, Barcelona Courts! (Now Embassy Suites...because it's been 21 years.. ;) It was so nice to get away just the two of us - we even dressed up fancy and had the NICEST (ahem, most expensive!) meal ever at a country club steakhouse! (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

It doesn't matter if I'm on a diet, if I'm sick, if I'm whatever....I will NEVER turn down creme brûlée - it's my most favorite dessert!

I had filet mignon with lobster tail, roasted asparagus, and truffle mashed potatoes! Blu opted for the prime NY strip steak!

The lobby of our hotel

It was SOOOO cold!

The courtyard - the breakfast down there was just as good as we remembered!

Happy New Year 2022!

We had a SUPER low-key New Year's Eve at our house! Caedmon was out with friends but the other two stayed home and we hung out, watched a movie, did a few fireworks and then headed to bed! Here's to 2022!

Ringing in the New Year with sparkling pink lemonade!

Blu & Cason shooting off fireworks!

A quick pre-party trip to Starbucks!

This guy....

It was festive, even if it was just the 4 of us!

Approximately 7 seconds before a flame landed in my sock and burned a tiny hole in my ankle - it STILL hurts!!

Cason had a fun day with his best friend Abby in Abilene - zoo, Spiderman movie, and Prime Time Entertainment!

Cloud snuck into town for his 42nd birthday and had lunch with the original Tidwells at the Runaway Train!

We've been doing this a lot lately! Cam has gotten great at the guitar, Cason is learning the bass, and Caedmon jumped in on the drums (though he prefers just to sing!)

Speaking of handsome Caedmon... ;)

Cason & Abby

Basketball pictures for Cambree!

Wisdom teeth out + Six Flags 2 days later = pain!

Silliness at Six Flags

Cason & Damian

Caedmon working with Paw on his days off from school

Caed & Matthew

Cason made a delivery to DFW with Blu!

Cason & Jensine at Six Flags

We're styling! ;)

Cambree had laughing gas and iv anesthesia...I have an 8 min video that's pure gold!

Six Flags sponsors...:)

Random hugs as we waited in line FOREVER to ride 3 rides the whole day we were there!

Our "Family Christmas Pic" :)

You can see we were doing a great job chaperoning the youth... ;)

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

2021 Books of the Year

It's one of my favorite times of the year - my picks for 2021 Books of the Year! With my grad classes, I didn't have near as much time for pleasure reading as usual, but that also means I read a WIDE variety of subjects, from good fiction, to good non-fiction, to thought-provoking academic and Christian literature. Here's a look at my must-reads from this past year!

It's basketball, it's Africa, and it's John Grisham. How could this not be my fiction book of the year?! Disclaimer: the ending surprised me and I didn't love it, but STILL. Book of the year, easily.

Blu and I started reading this book out loud back in January as we drove all over Colorado for our 20th anniversary trip. It's a real-life story of a woman who escaped from North Korea and what her life was like growing up there. I hadn't read much about North Korea before, and it was gripping. We both loved it!

I guess I would call this my "Graduate Degree Book of the Year." Out of all of the books I read for my classes (16+), this is the one that has stayed with me. I love a good, easy Dr. Dobson read, and this one did not disappoint.

I finish grad school on March 4th, so I'm hoping for plenty of time for "fun" reading in 2022! Happy Reading!

Christmas 2021

We had a low-key Christmas in Brownwood - 80 degree weather and not much going on...it was nice!

Christmas vacation = wisdom teeth extraction for Caedmon & Cambree! Cambree got laughing gas AND an iv anesthesia....I have an 8 minute video that is pure GOLD ;)

Cambree is getting good at the guitar, and Blu has taught Cason the bass, so with Blu on keyboard and me on vocals, we have quite the band! (Caedmon would rather hang out with his crew... ;)