Ace is ready for the World Cup match today...USA vs Algeria

Go U.S.A!!!

Our Master Bath is FINALLY DONE!

If you've tuned in from time to time here, you'll know that we've been slowly working on our master bathroom for a while. It all started simple enough...take out our aging shower stall & update it with something modern & new, maybe some tile? (That was the end of last summer) Well, as long as the shower is out, why not paint the rest of the bathroom...but, that's getting pretty dated itself, so let's update the fixtures. By the time we knew it, we were doing a makeover! So, here are a couple of pictures of the bare bathroom.
Time to get busy on plumbing, electrical, ventilation & A/C...
[Click on any of the pictures for a larger view]

I had to move the shower head & valve to the opposite wall

This was how it was during the winter months. You did NOT want to come in here to potty when we got a cold front. That was one COLD seat!

We had to figure out a way to put in plumbing for 2 vanities

Christina's brother, Rene, started working on the tile once Christina decided what she wanted. He did an awesome job on the tile & if you need any tile work done, I'd recommend him in a heartbeat.

we're now into mid-March (Spring Break time)

Finally, we start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We decided on double vanities. It's hard to shave while Christina is doing her hair & make-up. No more waiting for me! Christina's dad helped out quite a bit getting stuff in & done right.

fairly inexpensive vanities from Lowe's

the fixtures start going in

Here is the finished product!
We decided on brushed nickel fixtures. They were the most abundant & therefore easiest to mix & match.

The last thing to go in was this huge piece of glass. It was all worth it though. It would be a shame to hide the tile work with a sliding door or shower curtain!

Price Pfister shower fixtures

Delta faucets

a few accents to tie things in

the finished product...you MUST click on this picture to appreciate the bathroom

I put 4 vertical pictures together to come with this one panoramic. Please ignore the crummy job I did of stitching these pictures together, especially the sink & mirror. You still get a good feel of the room.

Well, there it is! Not bad at all for a couple of amateurs. After months of scrounging up money & Christina's prodding me along, it's finally done. It was so well worth it. I now feel like I'm at a fancy hotel every time I step into my bathroom. Would I do it again...well, Christina already has plans for our other bathroom, so, it seems I will be doing this again. I'll let you know how that one turns out...in maybe a year or two!

Happy Birthday Ace!

Ten years ago today Christina and I walked into Spohn-South Hospital, went up to the 3rd floor, & welcomed our first child, Aciel. It took us a while to find a name for him, but, a couple of weeks before he was here, I came across this old Hebrew name...it means "gift from God". This is truly what he's been and we che...rish every day with him & all our children.
I hope everyone picks up their kid today & gives them a big hug...preferably accompanied with a fat wet kiss! Cherish every day you have with them, not just on their birthday!

The USS Lexington

On Tuesday (the 8th), the weather turned a bit wet so we decided to do an indoor attraction. Well, we've never been on the Lex before, so we gave that a try. To learn a lot more about this historic carrier, click on this link: http://www.usslexington.com/
Unfortunately, they were having power issues in the area and we didn't get to do all the tours...just the Flight Deck. We'll be back again this summer & go down into the deep areas of the Lex.

Sorry, I forgot to let you know that you can click on any picture to see a larger version of it.

To the brig with those two!

There are several tours you can do. We decided to do the "Upper Decks". Here Christian enjoys the view from the flight deck.

Here's a Cobra helicopter

The motor & propeller of a T-28B Trojan (a trainer plane)

Christina's mom & dad came with us & had a good time

Here's one of my favorites

The F-14A Tomcat...I swear you can hear the theme from Top Gun when you get near this one. "I feel the need...the need for speed!" -Maverick & Goose

The flight deck is huge. You can fit 3 football fields on it (or 14 basketball courts if that's your game)!

Another trainer.

Cambria getting up close to this one

Escalators were installed later in the life of the Lex during the Vietnam War to get pilots up to the flight deck quickly.

We're in the control room ready to bark out orders!

Christian in one of the chairs...maybe the captain's?

Aye aye...10 degrees east, Captain!

Some of the anti-aircraft weapons

A trip to the Botanical Gardens...

Monday (the 7th) got us started with a trip to the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens. It had been years since I'd been out there & they have changed up the place quite a bit. There are several trails out there to walk through and the plants were in full bloom. The color out there was quite inspiring (photographically) and this is just a few of the many pictures we captured that day.

Ace relaxing on the concrete sofa!

hangin' around...

a spot to cool off & rest

overlooking a wetland area from a tower

Cambria's favorite...the butterfly garden

Cambria wants a seat like this

another cool spot

the colors on these orchids were amazing

Christina took this picture...she's getting the hang of this!

My favorites were the Plumeria's. I'd never seen them in all kinds of colors.

My Girls...