I love Fall!! {10.30.2012}

Happy Tuesday!!!
Tomorrow is Halloween but first, I HAVE to take my yearly pictures of my babies. And of course, Chief is going to be Dracula. It just works for him and his big ol' teeth! Brooks is so beautiful so I decided to make her a Burlesque Dancer and she pulls off the look so well. Tate was really hard to find because they don't really make costumes for doggies his size. I decided to attempt to be crafty and made him a Toga outfit from a sock and a Toga leaf head band with a piece of the sock and two fake leaves, I have to admit, it turned out pretty darn good!!!
So without a second more, here are our babies and their Halloween pictures!!!

Here is our baby Tate! I just love taking pictures of all our babies! They are so stinking adorable!

Here is our beautiful Princess Brooks! She just looks so incredibly beautiful and these pictures just make me smile! She is amazing!

Here is our oldest doggie Chief! He is just so funny during pictures! He will pose, pose, pose for you and man does he know how to make photography fun! I love the bottom right picture, he is yawning but looks like his Dracula roar! Goodness he is cute!!

Before I go, I wanted to show you one other picture! Hoping it makes your day!

Don't Tate & Brooks make Fall naps look like fun!? I'm so jealous!

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

God Bless

Megan

The pain we felt today will never be forgotten! {10.29.2012}

Monday greeted us with devastation. If you have animals, then you will understand this post and why it means so much to my husband and I. We have 3 beautiful dogs and they are truly our children. We would die for our dogs if the time ever came. And because they are our children, we hurt and cry when they are hurt. Today was one of the hardest days of my life. Tate, our youngest puppy, was almost sent to puppy heaven. After a normal busy Monday morning, my day took a complete 360. I took Chief, Brooks and Tate potty outside and like normal, Chief and Brooks immediately ran up stairs after pottying. Tate on the other hand is about the size of a ruler so he doesn't walk or run nearly as fast as the other two on top of that, he just recently learned how to climb up the stairs at our apartment. There are probably about 15 stairs and was almost to stair 13 when all the sudden he slipped through stair 12 and 13. He fell about 8 feet to concrete below. I was at the top of the stairs waiting for him and cheering him on as he climbed each one. I literally turned around for two seconds to look at Chief and Brooks and by the time I turned around, he was gone. (What I heard next is something that will live in the back of my mind forever.) I heard a thump and he started to whine but it wasn't his normal squealing whine, it was low and sad. I immediately rushed down stairs, there he was just laying there, his head was touching his back and he was laying on his side. He wasn't breathing or whining or moving. I was so afraid to pick him up because I didn't want to feel him no longer with us, but I couldn't just let my baby lay there. I picked him up carefully and carried him upstairs while whispering to him, "please be alright baby", "please wake up". After getting inside, I laid him on the carpet in our living room and immediately started bawling. I called my husband and he didn't answer, so I immediately called my FIL. He answered and was having a hard time understanding me because I wouldn't stop crying. After talking to him for about 10 minutes, my husband called me on the other line and I answered. I tried my best to stay calm but I just couldn't stop crying. I told my husband that I was rushing our baby to the puppy hospital and he said he was on his way to meet me. Tatte thankfully and very slowly started to come to, he was able to open and close his eyes and slightly move his head, but his legs just wouldn't work. We arrived at the pet clinic right next to our apartment but they could do nothing for us and sent us to another pet clinic about 5 minutes away. I rushed him to the next clinic but again they could do nothing for us and sent us to the pet hospital which was another 5 minutes away. I got there and they immediately took us to a room. The nurse came in and examined him, thankfully he was at about 75% and she said she would get the vet to see him immediately. When the vet came in, Tate was about 80% and was somewhat able. He was examined and the doctor said nothing was broken but that he has mild to medium neck problems. They prescribed us medicine to give him, we paid and left. Once in the car, we gave him his first dose of medicine but about 5 minutes later, he stood up, threw up and just fell back down to sleep. We called the vet and he said that wasn't normal and to bring him back for an overnight stay or we could keep him but we would need to keep an extremely close watch on him. We decided keeping him home was best. Finally after about 4 hours of sleeping, resting and a little eating, he was at about 85%. He continued to rest until about 5 minutes ago when Erik and I saw him come waddling around the corner. I would say right now he is at about 90% but there is still a chance of brain issues. He isn't himself but he is getting better very very slowly and we are praying very hard! We know he is a strong little boy and pray he pushes to get better. We are hoping that he doesn't give up on himself because we never will!

Here is a collage of pictures from the hospital:

Top left is the sign the vet-nurses put on the outside of the door, it says "Tate Trauma 1:35pm". The top right sign is our room number at the pet hospital. Bottom left is of Tate at about 80%, he was a little out of it and could hardly hold his head up but he was awake and alert. Bottom right is of Tate's hospital stage that he did not want to sit, lay or stand on so mommy and daddy had to hold him most of the time.


Thank you so much for letting me share and remember {Kiss Your Dog Daily} because something could happen to them in the blink of an eye.

God Bless & Love Your Pets

Megan

Country Music, Butterflies & Absolute Happiness! {10.28.2012}

Happy Sunday Everyone!

I hope you all had a very wonderful and blessed weekend! Today the Hubby and I decided we were going to visit Spring, TX! The weather was absolutely perfect! It was sunny with a light chill but there was no need for jackets. We met up with Erik's parents around 1pm and walked around until the shops closed at 5pm. Spring is such a wonderful place to visit. The shops are filled with things for everyone to enjoy! Erik's mom, sister and aunt all share a booth where they sell the cutest things like wreaths, baby clothes, personalized gifts and gift baskets (which are stunning!). If you are looking for great Christmas gifts that your friends and family will love and gifts that won't empty your pockets, then you NEED to check them out! Go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/2-Basket-Cases/170610402993581?fref=ts And check out all of their amazing things! Erik's aunt makes jewelry and it is totally adorable! If you are interested in buying anything, hop on over to Facebook, like the "2 Basket Cases" page and send them a message!

Here is a quick collage of our day!

Left picture is of us and you can see from the sunlight behind us that it was just beautiful! The left picture is one I took right before we bought our two new flowers. As you can see, even the butterflies couldn't resist the beauty of the day!

Here are some quick pictures of the stuff that they make. Again, if you are interested, check them out on Facebook at the link provided above.

 Look at this darling baby girl wreath! This would look amazing in a baby girls room or on the hospital door right after baby's birth.

 I LOVE this wreath and its so perfect for this time of year!

 Here is a picture of their booth!

 I don't know about you, but I LOVE these precious Redneck Wine Glasses! You have to admit that these would be awesome as a gift with a monogram of their initial or name.

 Look at this darling outfit! They can make so many colors and styles and seriously you can't deny that it's adorable! Every little Princess needs one!

 This was a gift they got me for my High School graduation about 4 years ago. It was the BEST gift EVER! It had everything I could ever need! The best part is they can make you any type of basket or trunk you need and in any way.

 This was another gift they made my husband and I when we got our first townhome last year. It was perfect and turned out to be the perfect gift for us!

 This is so adorable!! They made this for a little baby boy and let's be honest, it is so perfect! It includes everything you need for a shower or birthday! Best part is, they buy EVERYTHING, fix it up for you, and all you have to do is pay for it and give it as a gift, how easy is that???

 LOOK AT THIS CROSS!!!!! I am in LOVE with this Paris themed cross!! I don't know a single girl that would say she doesn't like it! You know you love it, so buy it!!!

 I really love this chic teachers basket! What a great way to show your appreciation for your fellow teacher or coworkers. Just head over to Facebook and let them know what you want in it and they will make it for you!

Now tell me this doesn't make you want to get up, go to your husband and tell him you better have that on your desk or counter tomorrow? This is a wonderful "thinking of you" gift and the person who ordered it, knew how to please the lady he or she was making it for.

I hope you enjoyed this post and as usual, thank you so much for letting me share with you. Be sure that you check out their Facebook page!

God Bless

Megan

Turkey Legs, Cool Sunny Weather & Costumes with Lots of Fun!! {10.27.2012}

HAPPY SATURDAY MY LORDS & LADIES!
Oh wow, she sounded like she was in the "Renaissance"! And why do you think I did that??? Well, let me first tell you all about our crazy almost-15-hour-day which will also explain the crazy "Renaissance" dialect!!!
It all started when the alarm went off at 6am! Yes, you did read that correctly, we got up at 6am on a Saturday, not to work but to have FUN!!! We got dressed, fed our dogs, made breakfast and were out of the house by 7:30am! We drove an hour to Todd Mission, TX and arrived at our exciting destination....THE REN FEST! (REN is short for Renaissance). If you don't know, The Ren Fest is one of the MOST highly anticipated festivals in Texas!!! Everyone waits for October to come only for Ren Fest! Let me first stop there, for those of you that do not live in Texas and have never been, Ren Fest is probably the best place for everyone all ages! And let me tell you what, it is sooo worth it! Now back to my story, hehe (:. Ren Fest has been something we have been dying to do this year and so we finally went! It was so fun! This weekends theme was All Hallows Eve, and boy it was anything but scary. Basically it was a SPOOKtacular time!! (Notice how I changed the word, hehe). Oh and if you don't know, every weekend at Ren Fest is different. Back on track, we arrived at 8am and waited for the doors to open at 9am. We were able to see all the wonderful people who were amazing enough to dress up (which is my favorite part because some people go ALL OUT, especially the women......................if you know what I mean) We were able to see 7 shows and we walked around the entire festival about 4 times (FYI its not small festival). Throughout all the fun, we took tons of pictures which I will provide for you below (:   After all the wonderful and spooktacular fun, we left the party at about 7pm only to wait in a line of traffic for 45minutes (which was just to get out of the park). We arrived home at about 8:30pm and were finally able to sit on something other than concrete or wood...our couch. After all is said and done, Ren Fest was absolutely incredible and I would absolutely suggest that every family experience it at least once! If you have kids, bring them because there are so many kid friendly things to do! And for those of you that do not have kids, believe me, there are TONS of non-kid friendly, dirty, tasteless, trashy and hilariously inappropriate things. In all honesty, whether you bring the kids or have none, everyone all ages can find something about Ren Fest to fall in love with. Whether it be the incredibly delicious and HUGE turkey legs, the fun and outrageous costumes or just the actors doing their job, Ren Fest is definitely fun for all!! So let me share with you all the wonderfully colorful and fun pictures (And yes, the festival was just as fun as the pictures look but the pictures DO NOT do the festival any justice!!)

 Top left picture is of the Ren Fest King and some of the Transylvanian Court. The middle left picture is a gypsy belly dancer. The bottom left picture is a gypsy fire dancer. The top right picture is me and my all time favorite character Jack Sparrow!! The bottom right picture is of Erik and his totally awesome pirate captain hat!

 Left picture is of a totally gorgeous costume. Middle picture is of one of the Hacienda San Jose Brazilian Dancers. Top right is Erik and his yummy turkey leg! Top middle is of me and the Ren Fest king! Bottom right is of a scary guy and his totally awesome costume (*larger picture below)

 This collage is of some of the different shows we saw. The top left is of the peasant girls. The bottom left is of the wildly inappropriate but so funny mud show. The top right is again a wildly inappropriate show called "Christoph the Insulter" and man he was so mean but so funny!!! The bottom right is of amazing singing pirates!

 This collage is completely dedicated to the gypsy belly dancer because it was amazing and totally beautiful as you can see from the pictures(:

 This collage is dedicated to the amazing, gorgeous and talented Hacienda San Jose Brazilian Dancers who were stunning and could shake their money makers!! The left middle picture is of a volunteer who wanted to go on stage and dance with the girls. She did a really great job and was so funny to watch!

 This collage is all about the gypsy fire dancer! She did great and was an absolute thrill to watch!

 Top picture is from part of the gypsy dancers show. *The bottom picture is a larger view from the picture above.

 This collage is dedicated to the totally awesome singing pirates who were a real joy to watch while eating!

 This collage is just a mix of things you see wile walking through the festival.

 Both pictures are of the parade. The top picture is part of the Transylvanian Court. The bottom picture is of the King and Queen of the whole Festival!

These are pictures of us just around Ren Fest.

These pictures are from a part of the Royal Celebration where guests could be introduced into all the different Courts from all the different countries.

Thank you so very much for letting me share my pictures with you. I hope you enjoyed the pictures just as much as I enjoyed taking them. With blessings and love!

God Bless

Megan

Last Name Change {10.26.2012}

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!
I don't know how many of you know, but Erik and I said "I Do" about 5 months ago in beautiful Huntsville, TX. I was working full time right before my wedding and I was only able to take off 2 weeks, the week-of and the week after for our Honeymoon trip. Immediately after our Honeymoon, I returned to work so I was never really able to change my last name on anything, not my drivers license, bank card, or social security card. Finally, after a move back to Houston, TX in July, starting school in August, starting a part-time job in September, and being directionally challenged, I found time in my schedule to go with my mother-in-law to get my last name changed on my drivers license. We headed to Hempstead, TX (which is about 20mins from Houston, TX) at about 11am. When we got to the DPS there was a line of about 15 people. We got in line and literally waited for 2 hours in the sun (not inside of an A/C building). We finally got into the building at about 1:55pm, it took all of about 5mins to do the thumb print, electronic signature and have my picture taken. But I am proud to announce that after 5 months of marriage (hehe)....

I am officially Mrs. Megan Renee Richards!!!

I would show you my temporary license with my new last name but it is an absolutely terrible picture! Its like impossible for me to look good when the DPS takes my picture. I don't know why, but their camera is just horrible!! Either way I am so blessed to finally have Erik's last name on something other than my marriage certificate!! (:

Oh and here are some of my wedding pictures...enjoy!

 Our first dance to "Big Green Tractor" by Jason Aldean which happened to be the first song we danced to at prom, the day Erik and I started dating.

 Our first kiss and let me tell you, it was absolutely and completely perfect! So much better than a dream!

 This is my totally darling Father-in-law! My father passed away 4 years ago on my 16th birthday so I asked my FIL to walk me down to his son! It was symbolic of him allowing me to have his son and for his son to have me. I am so blessed he could do it!

 Another view of our first kiss. We were married at the Huntsville State Park Lodge which was right next to the gorgeous lake you see in the picture. We had tons of viewers in canoes watching our ceremony. They were so respectful and quiet, I didn't even hear them or know they were there until I saw the pictures.

Here is a make-shift ring photo. The photographer forgot to take one, so before we left Huntsville, Erik and I snap this picture with our iPhones. I have to admit, it turned out pretty great!

I hope everyone has a wonderful pre-Halloween weekend! Be safe!

God Bless

Megan

Run, Jump, Quick Feet, Go!!!

Tuesday night Erik had his first Pro Football Training practice. The practice was supposed to start at 7pm but we were almost an hour late...why?! Well, we left our house at about 6pm, training was only a 35 minute drive from our house but Houston traffic caused us to be late, that and we were completely lost!! The first time we drove to the wrong place because the address on the website was wrong. The second time, the address the owner gave us didn't take you to the facility but to the office building. Finally after turning around 3 times, we made it at about 7:40pm. Luckily, the trainers were super understanding and they started as soon as Erik arrived. He did a really great job! He busted his butt too! The owner and trainer even commented on the fact that he was one out of the few people to actually complete their first full hour training. Here are some pictures from Erik's training.

 This is the field that he will start training on. You can barely see him in the black shirt since the field is so big! This was right after he finished ladder drills.

 Here is he taking a "cool-down" second in between working on directional drills. This particular drill looked super hard, I can't even imagine how difficult it was actually doing it! hehe (:

Here he is just after finishing all the drills. He did a really great job and I am so proud of him for working so hard! 

 Look at this gorgeous weight room! It was absolutely stunning! This facility is the absolute best and I can't wait to go back to watch more of Erik's training!

I love this picture!! He looks so accomplished! And he should absolutely feel that way! Looking forward to posting more pictures as he excels!

God Bless

Megan

Oh man....

Sick, sick, sick! I wrote earlier about my soap opera sickness but man is it kicking my butt!! Temperature went to 99 which isnt too bad, throat is still sore but whats worst is that my chest and throat are filled with mucus (TMI-sorry) and so when I cough, the sore part hurts. My nose is still stuffy but I was able to get most of the stuffiness down and I'm somewhat able to breathe through my nose but not for long, or it comes and goes. I am praying that I get better before work on Thursday. I am really praying I feel 100% before Saturday, we are taking our fur-babies Trick or Treating...that's right, about 5 mins from our apartment is a neighborhood that has a yearly Howl-O-Ween just for doggies! And I havent really had a chance to boast about my fur-babies yet, but just wait. They are seriously my children. Since Erik and I dont have babies yet, we spoil them with love and affection just as if they were real babies. Let me take a second to introduce you to our fur-babies....
Name: Chief Crunchy Richards
Date of birth: December 14 2010
Inspiration of Name: Chief was Eriks nickname given by his dad & Crunchy was my nickname from my dad
Favorite Toy: A plush rabbit that squeaks
Howl-o-ween costume: Bark Dracula

Name: Brooks Harlow Richards
Date of birth: June 1 2011
Inspiration of Name: Brooks after Eriks favorite country singer Garth Brooks & Harlow after my favorite type of dancer A Harlequin
Favorite Toy: A round ball that has fabric on the outside, when she bites on it, it squeaks really loud
Howl-o-ween costume: Burlesque Dancer

Name: Tate Cushing Richards
Date of birth: August 13th 2012
Inspiration of Name: After Eriks favortie Texans player Ben Tate & My favorite Texans player Brian Cushing
Favorite Toy: Everything, he loves to chew right now
Howl-o-ween costume: Undecided...

I cant wait to post pictures from the Howl-o-ween festival. Thank you so much for letting me share!!

God Bless,

Megan

Oh Boy He's Legal Now!

Good Morning World!!!

Today is not exactly Terrific Tuesday....although the weather here in Houston is gorgeous, I am stuck inside with a cold...booooo!!! Stuffy nose, sore throat and ear ache...sounds like a soap opera huh?? Well I have to admit, I feel like one. I feel like my body is the sexy Hispanic girl with long brown hair and tight mini-skirt and the cold is the man that is cheating on me...oh boy here she goes, rattling about something else. hehe! I know, I know I don't make any sense but either way it was kinda funny right???

So as most of you read, yesterday was my wonderful husbands birthday and boy did he have fun!!! We started our night at 8pm at the most wonderfully delicious place EVER, Texas Roadhouse. Erik ordered his first alcoholic beverage and I have to admit it was the most amazing frozen house margarita with a shot of patron I've ever tasted!!

I mean, just LOOK at that Bad Boy! You can't honestly tell me that doesn't make your mouth water? hehe

Ok so after we ate, the wonderful hostess and some of the waitresses came screaming "yeehaw" to our table carrying a saddle strapped to some wooden legs. Erik was shaking his head and saying "I'm not doing it, I'm not doing it.." He did it.....

Now doesn't that just look like a good time?? I'm jealous! (:

After all the partying a Texas Roadhouse, we made our way over to Studio Movie Grill to see the 9:50pm showing of Paranormal Activity 4! I know right, who goes to the movies on a Monday night at 10pm?? We do apparently but trust me this was a one time thing, normally we are in bed by 9pm for work and school, so it was nice to get a night of fun but it is definitely starting to sneak up and the tiredness is rolling in....

After everything ended, Erik said he had a really great birthday which is the way it should be! The weekend before, October 13th, I threw him a surprise Vegas party and he thoroughly enjoyed it! (I'll post those pictures below..)

Here are the 21st surprise party pictures:

 I just love his smile! It says, "I don't really want to take this picture by what they hey I will anyway." hehe

 These were two of Erik's really good friends. The guy on the left has known Erik since High School when they played football together, the guy on the right has known Erik & I since fourth grade and played football with Erik as well! It was really great to see them after so many years!

 The theme was Vegas Casino with Red, Black and White as the theme colors, so instead of buying a cake, I went with cupcakes decorated with white and red icing, black sprinkles and playing cards. Turned out rather cute I think...

 After playing a few drinking games, the boys decided they would much rather go outside and play football.

 I really wanted there to be a prize at the end but didn't know how to pick a winner, so everyone was given money and had to bet on the drinking games they wanted to play. Everyone loved the idea and had a blast playing the games, especially when they won because they got more money!

 There were red, black and white balloons all over the house, there was also cut-outs of the ace, spade, club and diamond as well as cut-outs of casino stuff like dice and a slot machine. I even bought a felt blackjack table cover to make it more legitimate. Everyone loved the games I came up with and since none of them had ever heard of them or played them before, it was even more fun!

 Here we are about half way through the night. I was so tired from running around all day and getting ready but I had such a great time and I know Erik did too!!

And to end it, we had to have one picture of a Birthday Kiss!! Oh, I made Erik wear a bow-tie that lit up. It turned out to be really cute and everyone was trying to wear it.

God Bless

Megan