The Family Gathering: 2012

So, once again it's summertime, which means it's time to hit the lake! we spend almost every weekend at the lake and almost always have others joining us! It's such great fun to get to hang out with all of our family and enjoy the water! Before John left for Phoenix we had him, Uncle Rich, and Kathy come with us which is always a hoot! John is getting so much better on the wakeboard and of course loves to show off his muscles for all the lake babes. Lol!

Last weekend we had Hannah and TJ come along with us. Hannah was such a daredevil! We got her out on the tube and had loads of fun!

Chase, TJ and I tried our hand at cliffdiving. It was TERRIFYING! The boys seemed to love it (of course) and both jumped 6 or 7 times while I was only brave enough to do it 3 times. I had to be practically pushed off, yet the boys ran off with gusto.

Chase claims he's the pro wakeboarder of the family, but I promise I'm just as good! Haha!

It's always a blast out on the lake, even through the sunburns and scorching heat, the family time is worth it. :) These are some of my favorite pictures I've managed to get so far this summer. :)

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Summer Time Blues

Well.... I can't pull myself back into accepting reality. It's too hot & I'm too lazy!
When we returned from our travels the Monday before last I accepted being a bum because I was tired & also because my mom & TJ were still here, so why not sit around & enjoy them while recuperating. Dustin & Nick went right to work on the outdoor kitchen project & kept busy for 3 days on welding & cutting to face out the exterior frame of the kitchen. Well.... 9 days later & I'm still worthless! Mom decided to stay since Roni was in town & we had a great time visiting & hanging out with her on Thursday evening. Friday morning Mom & T hit the road back to Amarillo & Dustin & I remembered we had a concert to go to that night & the next. Friday night was a nice date night, you'd think we had enough of one another after our trip but it was a great date! We had dinner at Pira in the American Airlines Center, enjoyed our concert & zipped home in time to kiss the kids goodnight. Saturday I did some yard work as my wisteria is OUT OF CONTROL as well as my butterfly bush which has rapidly outgrown my trees! ha ha! Saturday night we went to see Coldplay again with some good friends of ours & Sunday was family day.
Monday morning Dustin flew out for work & I drove home from the airport determined to make good use of my 2 weeks. As soon as I got home I began making a list of things to accomplish & then took a nap & this has become my pace. :/ I hosted a handful of girlfriends over for a mini wine & cheese part in celebration of my good friends B-day I had missed, so I DID get the house presentable & grocery shopping done. ha ha!
I think I will make a new list today & put doing a cleanse at the top of the list as I just feel sluggish & unhealthy right now and aquired quite a caffiene addiction with all those cafes over seas, so maybe that will help. Next on my list I should add signing back up for bootcamp because it will get me up early & feeling accomplished.
Hope everyone is having a much more productive summer than I so far & can't wait to read your posts! xx

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Laying around in Savanah!!

Well, here I am in Savanah, enjoying my grandkids!!! But as I read Dustin and Tina's adventure's I realize I would love to be there too... ha The boys and I have been very layed back since arriving. Not much to report. Nick and TJ went to work out yesterday and Nick is really sore today. I think he pulled a muscle when he and tj ran our block at home twice.... sigh.

Peyton is playing on his musical instruments entertaining me. we played games last night and Nick slaughtered us twice and tj won one game.

The dogs.... oops, I mean the other children are ??? not sure how to discribe my Uno experience... tried to excercise on the floor the first day here and he plopped himself down in front of my feet and stared at me, not to mention moved in close enough that my feet were flapping his lips as my legs went up and down... lol. He did not understand the "Get back Uno!" or the "Go away, can't you see I'm straining here?" So as Renee' suggested, I have shut him out of the room when I have to do my PT.... :))

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Cheers from The UK!

Hello family! Hope you have seen that I have a trip blog! If not I think you can find it under my profile. Dustin & I are having a great time now that I am over my food poisoning. Kinda got scary for a bit, but I am 100% again. Hope everyone is well! xx Tina

Monday, June 11, 2012

It's that time of year

Well today I take John to the airport to visit his family for a month! For some reason this always makes me sad, even though when he's home he spends his time flexing his muscles and singing crazy stuff and making me crazy lol, Really I'm thinking I wish I could spend my days by the pool in the sun! Oh well he will have a great time but I will be glad when he's home again! Next week my oldest son Daniel turns 25, How in the heck did he become this age?? So far summer is going great, had one lake trip and I hope we have more, Fun 4th of July as always here! Still working out hard to lose the rest of this flab before Randy's wedding next month!! My plan is to be 135 by then!! My lowest weight since High School and I'm almost there :) thank goodness!! Rich is still doing great of course but did have to not stop smoking completely!! The medicine did weird things to him and he was starting to get almost as crazy as me haha!! Well hope everyone is having a Great summer!! I'm just loving hearing of Tina's adventures in Ireland and wish Rich liked to do more fun things! Well it's a Great Summer in The Country!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Geek Moment

I myself am a huge space nerd. Today, the transit of Venus was visible to Earth for the last time until the year 2117! I was incredibly disappointed I wasn't able to view it firsthand, on account of cloudy rainy weather. I was able to find some great online live feeds of the event though, which made me happy that I could still view as it was happening! This is just some screenshots I got from the live feed on Nasa's website

Venus in Transit 6-5-2012

Sunday, June 3, 2012

So far behind!!

Ok, so I have too much to say & not few enough words for condensing it! "Short & sweet" has never been said of me! Ha ha! Anyways, since I will have my iPad on our trip & because Internet will be my only tie back to my people, look for me to blog about our travels! (good intentions) we actually have so much planned I am tired just thinking about it, but hopefully I find enough down time w/ my eyes open to update. Hope everyone is having a great start to summer! Love to you & your families. :)

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Summer Time in The Country

Well school is out, but it's just not the same anymore with only John home! He has his own car and really has much to do besides just hang out with us :) he did get 3 awards at the end of the year! On for outstanding Geometry student, one act play and another for reaching some college bench marks!! Anyway I uploaded the pics of the awards to my instagram! Really is awful not having a computer that works out here right now!! Well anyway I hope everyone has a Super Fantastic summer!! Only one more month and my son Randy will be a married man!! So proud of all our kids!! Only good things ahead!!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

All grown up...

Today, the little boy I used to nanny, Jayk, graduated from kindergarten. The ceremony was adorable. They sang a song about frogs on a log and instead of doing the choreographed dance Jayk waved at me the whole time. lol. I love this kid. So much. Everything about him is so adorable. From his love of Angry Birds to his obsession with dinosaurs. I'll never get enough of this kid.

Mr. Jayk Presley, Kindergarten Graduate Extraordinaire.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Happy Birthday to The Lady who brings the family together!!

Tina, I know you are having a wonderful day because you have so many people in your life who love you and make it possible! Your personality just draws the world to you:) I miss the little time we had together in Amarillo! And it wasn't much it seemed but at least it helped me get to know you better!! We have got to get together more often before you leave us again! I know John really wants to go visit so I will be planning a trip to enjoy your company, and Rich did say he would go visit so just let us know when your not out touring the world :) I'm so lucky to be a part of The Alexander family and even at my craziest insecure moments when I whine and think Nobody loves me you still put up with me!! Next year I will celebrate 10 years with your hard headed, wondeful brother and I hope when we celebrate! I'm not a good party planner but this one is most important to me! Your family is wonderful and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!! Thank you for creating this blog and being a wonderful sister in law!! Have a Very Happy Mothers day on Sunday also!! Love and miss ya Much!!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Alexander 5

Hey Guys!!

Thought it was about time I posted something (lol)!! I'm Arian married to Darin, mother of Cassidy which i've noticed has posted something twice already (Her Mama needs to catch up!! Lol). Cassidy has kind of filled in some things about our family. We call ourselves the Alexander 5 a cute little phrase Darin came up with. I love that man!!! He's My Heart!!

We spend most of our time together when not at work or school. We love spending time together in the kitchen. Cassidy and I are both Bakers and Darin is an amazing cook also. I think we've sort of made our own traditions with time spent in the kitchen together.

          Chase is Our Middle child and only Boy entering the mid teenage years. New territory for me!!! Thank the Lord for Darins wisdom on that subject!!! He's a sweety and very creative, keeps me on my toes too! HeHe!!
           kamaryn is our youngest child and a sweet blue eyed angel,generous and giving with a quick witty nature. She's always willing to help and is all about spending time with her Daddy (He really loves that!!!).

        Our little crazy bunch is the center of Darin and I and keeps us moving forward. We're always spending time on the lake,cooking together, laughing together and hanging out with family & friends.

        That's our story, looking forward to reading and having a peek at all your lives!!

             Happy Blogging!!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Hey Hey Hey!

I have had SUCH a busy week! But, it's also been amazing fun! This week me and my friend Rachel made a super quick trip down to Dallas for a concert. We left Wednesday and got back home today. It was a little exhausting but super worth it! We went and saw Death Cab For Cutie, who is one of my favorite bands of all time! They're kind of like an indie rock/ alternative sound. The concert was a blast, plus I loved getting to get out of town with my friend. :)

We had so much fun, the band was great and they had an amazing string orchestra.

They also did an acoustic set that I loved!

My friend Rachel and I before the concert :)

Monday, April 30, 2012

Pssst... It's me... the blog hog!

I've got the daddy went back to work blues!

Well ok, I'm not blue, no time for that, but it stinks..... EVERY TIME. I am used to our life & love all of our free time together, but I dread goodbye every time & it sneaks up so fast on us! So we hit the Rangers game. Rangers are doing AMAZING this year so far & guess what..... we went to a losing game! O-well, it was still fun & gave me baseball season fever. Can't wait to get some of the Amarillo kids out here for a game. As I sat at the stadium I thought about this time when my mom came down & brought TJ (little brother) & Chase (nephew-Darin's son) & Dustin did one of his spur of the moment, "I'm taking all the boys to a game.... we leave in 10 minutes" things. And I met him in the bedroom & expressed my appreciation of alone time w/ my mom but did he REALLY want to take 4 boys to the ballpark alone?? "Of course!" he says, "I'll give em each $ to walk around & eat junk food, they will love it." Well they all came back decked out in new Rangers gear & thrilled at their experience. Dustin was glowing. He said he found out neither TJ or Chase had ever been to a major league game & were mesmerized the entire game taking it all in. :) I think that day added some magic back for Nick as well, seeing things through someone elses eyes. Anyways, I love to imagine I am seeing or experiencing things for the first time. I think life is full of privileges we take totally for granted & I gotta say.. Dustin keeps us SOO busy, I hear myself complaining about bizarre things. I think if I had someone who lived with me that could manage everyday life I would be a little less of a Debbie Downer when Dustin announces "our" latest plans. (don't get me started!) Anyways... what a rambling road I just took you down all from "we went to a Rangers game!" ha ha! So back to the game! Nick got himself into some trouble so we could not take the boys as Peyton doesn't see games as magical but more as $30 cotton candy/hot dog feasts, & Nick lost the privilege of going so we took Dustin's best friend & his wife with us. Come to find out they had not been since they were kids themselves so it was awesome.

Myself (Tina), Amy, Jon & my love Dustin (aka Big Daddy) at the Rangers Game

A Picture Dustin just got to me of Brandi & I at the finish line of our recent race! I'm tellin ya, it's ROUGH!

So Sunday we sped down to Oklahoma City. Just in time for Dustin & the boys to worm themselves into the meet & greet with Joe Bonamassa while I took a nap in the car! ha ha! They must of passed the camera off to a kid to get their picture because it did not turn out so well.

None the less, here is Nick, Joe Bonamassa, Dustin & Peyton. Joe said he remembered them from the Austin show because there are not too many kid fans Peyton's age. ha ha! Peyton thought that was pretty cool & later doubted he REALLY remembered them, but I don't doubt it. Dustin is the king of impressions when he wants to & he even worked them onto "the street team" handing out stuff for Joe Bonamassa's crew! ha ha!

So after my nap & their meet & greet we made a stop we feel impressed to do every time we are in Oklahoma City, at he Oklahoma City National Memorial. It is a beautiful reminder to me of how quickly life can be snatched out from under your feet.

Nick & Peyton at the bombing memorial.

After that, we FINALLY made it to our hotel so I could shower & coffee up (ha ha). Then we went to Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner before the show.

Me & the boys before the show. I swear that is not my bra showing, it is my tank top! Wish Dustin had arranged me before taking this! ha ha!

Joe Bonamassa

Well folks, needless to say the concert was great! Peyton was given the set list again. When we saw them at Austin City Limits, he was handed it there as well. The pianist (Rick) must have a soft spot for a little kid at a blues show because he spotted him again & handed it to him.

Well, I am exhausted & counting the minutes until I can get away with throwing these boys into bed so I can throw myself into bed! ha ha! Busy week ahead. I'll save that business for my NEXT post! Ohhhh, the anticipation! ha ha!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Love Girl's Day!!

I just LOVE this family.. Had a great tiime with Arian and Cassidy today getting pedicures, shopping and lunch... Never forget I love you all... Maybe Tina one day we will get to hang out again more than a few hours.. Hopefully someday I can convince Rich to go and visit before you up and move far away on us.. MISS MISS YOU!! Rich says the Chantix is working but he is having some wierd dreams.. No killing anyone yet so stay positive on that one.. haha.. SEE YOU SOON!!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

How is everyone?

Well, I told you Dustin keeps me busy! ha ha!
So, let's see what I can catch you all up on here in Berry-ville...
Dustin got home & we have had a wonderful productive time. He is working on cleaning up our security camera wiring, which has meant a few more holes in my house (hut-hummm) & lead to 2 more projects we now have going on around here... So he pulled EVERYTHING out of our Harry Potter closet set he could get access to the space between upstairs & downstairs which meant a HUGE mess.. You wouldn't believe how much I can fit into a closet under the stairs! ;) Found my long lost case of Styrofoam heads (craft time!!) 2 huge "gift" totes (things I picked up for "a gift" & lost in totes under the stairs! ha ha) about 50 photo boxes (yes, this kept me busy for 2 days) & lots of other crap. Realized that maybe 17 coats & 13 jackets could be over the top since I DO live in Dallas Texas. lol. So that brought on a much needed purge. Now we are transforming the Harry Potter closet into an organized pantry space & storage for my china, platters, rice cooker, waffle maker, ice cream machine, bread maker, food processor, dehydrator, juicer, spare blender, crab pot & crock pots! lol. Ahh, my kitchen though a mess seems liberated to not be trying to hide all that for me! I wish I had a before pic to show you, but I will post an after once I get it all done! The other project we also began was putting in some speakers around the downstairs. We operate our outdoor kitchen system on Sonos which is awesome because you can play ANY song you can want at anytime, all operated by our iPhones. (I don't understand it, but I love it!) So now once we finish up the inside speakers, we will have that same feature inside as well! Fun! Fun! We love music! A few snags though, yesterday Dustin fell off the ladder (he is ok, just sore, bruised & ticked off), accidentally had a cable tear which meant pulling it ALL out to re-run a new cable w/ all the others (huge bummer). And then his dental surgery was this morning as they had to reschedule it from last week after realizing his wisdom teeth would be a surgical pull. So he is all goofy & sleepy from pain meds today & getting much needed rest).
Boot camp is going great. Fringe lady turned out to be not so bad (hee hee). And I love having my workout done before I even get the kids up for school! My Warrior Dash was awesome as it always is! Dustin & Peyton cheered me on & I ran with a great friend Brandi. I couldn't stand the idea of not running in costume, so I made us last minute Warrior Princess skirts that had a few flaws in design (lol) One being that I left the strips on the war skirt too long so from time to time I found it looking more like a suede diaper from riding in between by legs! lol! Somehow we managed to both finish the race with the feather in our headbands too which we were sure we would loose immediately. Attaching a link to the "battleground" if your a runner you should check it out & see if one is going to be near you, it is so much fun!!Warrior Dash Course

Brandi & I being silly after the race on the bus ride back to parking. (Dustin got pics of us before we were drug through the trenches, I'll have to steal those from him!)

My friend Candace & I after the run!

Big Daddy Cheering us on Warrior Style! ha ha!

Our friends wedding was gorgeous!

Dustin jumped in & played wedding coordinator, ha ha! He is so helpful! People didn't know who he was but they kept putting him in family pictures because he was so sweet! I love this guy!
Going away party we were supposed to host fell through, they ended up needing to move the majority of their stuff this weekend & Dustin leaves on Monday, so "O-well!" ha ha! We have tickets to go to Rangers game tomorrow night, guess we will just have to see how Dustin's mouth is feeling.
We will be in Oklahoma City Sunday night for the Joe Bonomassa concert with the boys & then back to work on Monday for Big Daddy. Boooo. Hope everyone is doing great! I get excited every time I get on here & see new posts & comments! xx Tina

Monday, April 23, 2012

A little update!!

Rich got his Chantix today!! Everyone keep your fingers crossed that this works because his health really depends on it!! Have a fantastic week everyone!! Can't wait to see everyone!!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Hola from the Valley of the Sun...

Well Hello,

It's Megan, the oldest of Richards crew. I have 2 younger brothers, John(16) & Kris(20).

I work in a level one trauma hospital in Phoenix in the General OR as the Surgical coordinator. My job is intense, tough & stressful at times....other times it's a piece of cake & I LOVE what I do. I book all the cases that take place Sat, Sun & Monday, set up anesthesia, call for & prepare the patient for surgery...(I'm the traffic control officer that makes sure the walls of the OR stay up for the 12 hours that I'm the right hand man) I try my hardest to keep everyone Happy, Healthy & ALIVE!

I see small 5 minute hand cases all the way up to the worst of the worst Trauma you have ever seen, as in they come through the doors & straight to the OR. I learn new things everyday I'm at work but the number one lesson is to LIVE LIFE & Be Happy, you never know when your life will be effected in result of a mistake made by you or another human. PS, Never Drink & Drive, there are plenty of other ways to get to your destination without it being your Final destination...Now Moving on! :)

I'm 26, my journey in life has placed me in Phx & I wouldn't change it. I live with my boyfriend Nicholas, we have been dating for 8 years. He is my great friend, knows my good side, crazy side & fun side. He brings out the best in me & loves me like crazy, nothing better I could ask for.

He just graduated the Art Institute of Phoenix with his Bach in Digital Media & Video production.

I love dogs & hold a deep passion in my heart for the Pitbull breed. I think they are so misunderstood & have such a ugly & negative book cover. Nick & I have 3 of our own: Smokey, Marley & Hazy.

I LOVE being with friends & family, laughing, crafting, doing new things & meeting new people.

Listening to music is a MUST, I love all kinds of music & have a wide collection that I admire.

We all dance to our own drum beat, make sure you know the lyrics & can shake a boogie!!

Up coming is my trip to TEXAS, in 2 Weeks...Ohhh Baaaaaby it's very Soon!! (Suppper excited to see everyone) :) My Brother Kris' *21* birthday...Maaaan I feel old & our Summer time with John.

Hope to stay connected with everyone & more family joins, this will be very Fun!

Wishing everyone a GREAT week, Good heath & God Bless!

Smiles,

MEG

Me, John & Kris

This would be ME :)

Nick & I

John Rex

Kristopher

Summa Summa Fuuuun

Monday, April 16, 2012

Howdy Howdy

Hey y'all! Cassidy here, I'm Darin's oldest (and bestest!) daughter. My mom is Arian, she's pretty amazing. I have a 13 year old brother, Chase, and a 9 year old sister, Kamaryn. I'm 19 (and three quarters!), and a sophomore in college (community college for now, Go Badgers!). I'm pretty all over the place. I love to bake, cook, read, play scrabble,learn, and tend to buy way too many lotto scratch offs (fyi, I NEVER win). I currently don't have a college major, on account of the fact I'm so darn indecisive, and am interested in way too many different things. Library science, History, or maybe...Quantum Mechanics? Haha. I love being spontaneous, my hair color and style changes constantly. I'm not very good at keeping up with people, so hopefully this will help me keep in touch better. :)

Props on the Posting & More Rambles by Tina

Oh the joys it brought me to get 2 of you posting today! Yahooo!
For those of you who do not know Starla, she is my niece. Carol's grand daughter. Her dad is Danny's son Kenny. This is why this is so fun. Such a big extended family. I hope everyone invites their family members to join as well!
Kathy, I am so proud of your hard work in losing weight! Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to see you both in May at Christina's wedding!
So I said I would fill you in on how boot camp went this morning. ;) (I know it's been a nail biting experience waiting to hear.. ha ha) Had to arrive at 5am, thank God that it's literally a block from my house! Let me just say I am active. So you would THINK a 60 minute boot camp would be doable for me. You would THINK I would break a sweat & not break into a cold trembly I might puke sweat! I was told by my overly bubbly trainer that it doesn't matter your fitness level, the program is designed to shock your body so you can get past your plateau. Well... my body was SHOCKED! Then there was a die hard who APPARENTLY is not a newbie who got all kinds of manly laughs at my moaning & screams to the heavens. I found myself shocked at the things I wanted to spit back at her as she ran in front of me with her fringed shirt flapping in the winds as she kept looking back yelling, "You got this! Come on!" I was all like, "LADY! I didn't write YOU a check this morning to tournament me w/ your motivational chants. Bubbly Kristi is all I can bear at 5am!" (not really, it was just one of my mind screams) Oh! That swingy fringed shirt was just ticking me off! It's making me mad all over & she better just find someone new to focus on Wednesday morning because Dustin flies in at midnight tomorrow night. Do you know what that means? All joking aside about fringe lady, that means by the time I get home & into bed it will at best be 12:45-1am.... then I gotta get up & do boot camp at 5? Oye!
I have a mud run this weekend though, super excited about that! This one is called The Warrior Dash & I was exhausted with my life when I signed up so I kinda screwed myself on inviting my crew of friends to run with me as this race fills up quick. O-well, I have been too busy to make costumes & such and at some point in life I have to figure out doing things because I chose to & not because I've cornered or over committed myself into them, right? ha ha! Well if your tired of my rambles, have no fear... I fall off the planet usually when Dustin gets home! We have his wisdom teeth thing, my race, then a wedding. We are supposed to host a friends going away party as they have bought a home in Austin & will be leaving our neighborhood family. Throw in a Rangers vs Yankees game, a Joe Bonomassa concert in OK City, 6 more sessions of boot camp, a day in court, a friends B-day party & it brings you right up to when Big Daddy loads up on a plane & heads off to Alaska again. Crazy, right? It makes me tired to just tell ya! ;) Goodnight all! xx

mystery language

i made up a language chica means=hi blah blah=your the best grandma what do you think i am going to use it.

The Country Alexander's :)

For those of you who don't know me, I'm married to Richard! This year will be our 9th wedding anniversary! The road hasn't been easy being Step parents but we did a dang good job!! I brag all the time on what a great guy he Is and what great kids we have! Now about me of course lol, In The past year I've been working myself to death and lost 40 pounds I'm happy and ashamed to say I had so much to lose!! Oh well I feel absolutely wonderful! We have 4 kids, 3 of mine are over 20 and Rich's son Is 16!! They were both welcome additions to our family and I'm very proud Rich picked me to help raise him!! Its a Crazy life but we are happy and wouldn't want to be anywhere else!! Thank you Tina for inviting us to The Family Gathering!! I Love your family!! And I'm glad to be a part of it!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Friday, October 19, 2012

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Friday, June 29, 2012

Thursday, June 28, 2012