Nostalgia

It shocks me to say this, but it's been 20 years since I was a Zeta at TCU.  Actually, more than 20 years.  But, hey... we still have fun.  Just like we did in the 90s! Ha.

Our most recent get together... a Dixie Chicks concert!  Their first album was a huge part of our college soundtrack.  We all went to see them several times and they always put on a great show.  The best part of their comeback... a show in The Woodlands!  Which meant the girls came to Conroe!

We had some fun in the pool....

And, then went to dinner and the show!

We always have a ball together.  Especially with our fun "old" music at the heart of our weekend!

Another bonus of our weekend.....

Clark got to go fishing with his best buds!  I LOVE that we had a great weekend... reliving memories, telling stories and being with our amazing friends!

A Wicked Treat

Readers of WoodWords know I love a little girls' getaway.  Fun times with best girlfriends is always fabulous!!!  Tracy and I decided to surprise Maren with a night on the town.  We got tickets to Wicked and a hotel room in downtown Dallas.  We cleared everything with Charlie and showed up at her house!  It was awesome!!!

We had a fun dinner....

And, we really enjoyed the show!  Although, times have definitely changed.  We were back in the room watching Saturday Night Live before it was over.  HA!

It was a super quick trip, but really, really fun.  That Sunday was Mother's Day, so I came home to these cuties....

How sweet are they?!?!?  It was a fantastic Mother's Day weekend.

Fear the Frog

WoodWords readers know how much we love football.  Especially college football.  And, most especially the Horned Frogs and Longhorns.  So, when TCU landed in the Alamo Bowl, we made plans to be there!  The best part?  Being back with my ZTA girls!

Such a fun time catching up…. as always, it's like no time passed.  Then it was time for the BIG game. Not sure if you've heard, but it didn't start very well.   Oregon was beating us 31-0 at halftime.  This is what we looked like:

But, things changed in the second half….

Our awesome Frogs fought back.  Tied it up and took into TRIPLE overtime!  And WON!!!!  Wow, it was A.MAZ.ING!

Seriously, the most exciting game I've ever been to.  So. Fun! Horned Frogs NEVER QUIT!

We got to go celebrate when it was over.

Such a fabulously fun time to start 2016!

Farm Trip

I love getting together with my best pals, Maren and Tracy.  So, they came to town and Clark took the kids to the farm!  Here's what's hilarious, the girls and I didn't take any pictures, but I got some great ones texted to me of the fun they were having at the farm!

It's so great that Clark didn't mind taking them to the farm and giving me some time with Maren and Tracy.  And, of course, the kids were over the moon….. the farm is their happy place!!!!!

Maren, Trace and I had a blast… talking about old times, looking at old pictures, taking a nap while watching Moulin Rouge and playing  a little blackjack! ha.  This fall marks the 20 year anniversary of us pledging Zeta together.  I love that we have 20 years of memories, and continue to have the best time together!

Hello Fort Worth!

I have been looking forward to being in Fort Worth and going to see my Frogs play all fall!  And, it wasn't just about the Frogs.  I was excited to see good friends and eat at Joe Ts!!!  I'm pretty sure I drank many a margarita at Joe Ts on a few Friday nights in college.  It was great fun to be back there and introduce my kids to the fun restaurant.  It did not disappoint.  Food tasted exactly the same, and so did the margaritas.

There was one thing that changed…..

Okay, first off, I love this picture.  ALL of the kids are smiling at the camera!!!  But, this picture also cracks me up.  Instead of 15 girls starting their night out at eight so they can go out after, here we are at six, with a bunch of little people.  Had to eat early in order to get babes to bed.  Ha.

But, something else that hasn't changed…..

GREAT friends!!!  It was the perfect start to the weekend.

Raise a Glass to ZTA

To my dear, loyal readers of WoodWords, you've heard this story before.  Every year I get together with my sweet Zeta sisters.  I always come back home and blog about how special our group is and say things like, "when we're together, it's like no time has passed" and "we laughed a LOT" and "nobody has as good of friends as me". Well, it's all still true!!!!

But, this trip was different.  There were TWELVE of us!  Usually we manage to get six or seven.  Something was special about this weekend, because the whole crowd came.  And, it was fun!  It's amazing what we've all been through.  This trip, we got celebrate a new baby boy who will arrive in May.  We heard not fun details about a divorce.  We talked about lost family members.  We talked about all of our sweet kids. We celebrated an upcoming marriage, which is amazingly special considering the divorce she went through.    See, we've been through a lot.  But, we're always together.  No matter time or distance.  That's special.

There was a lot of disbelief that we've all known each other for 19 years.  Amazing.  We all showed up to TCU and decided to go through rush and ended up pledging together.  Obviously, we all made the right choice!

I love this group shot!

Celebrating Baby Smith!

Love this pic of me and Maren!

My parents introduced the art of toasting to our group long ago, so I was the toast nazi all weekend.  And, let me tell you… there were some special ones! (I know I wear everyone out on this, but I do love the toasts.  It's part of what makes us #reallycool!)

We also got a good ego boost…. we were able to make quite a scene when walking into a bar.  WAAM in full effect!

I love all of these girls so much and I'm so thankful that they are in my life.  I LOVE that we all make it a priority to spend time together, and that we get to say, "it's like no time has passed!"

And, just because I want to remember it, Sara, I am publishing your toast:

A toast:
To Deana's radiant smile
To Julie's thoughtfulness
To Amy's gentleness
To Erin's joie de vivre
To Tracy's loyal honesty
To Rachel's gritty strength
To Tinsley's cool factor
To Maren's effervescent laugh
To Ashley's wide-eyed innocence
To Tiffany's positive light
To Kate's quiet grace

To each lovely, amazing sister's steadfast friendship these 19 years.

I love you all.
"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's something unpredictable but in the end that's right"
Girls, I hope we always have the time of our lives. Xoxo

Maren's response to this toast was, "To Sara - who makes us all go back to toast writing school! "

Sara, Ray says he's still waiting on that great American novel!

See what I mean about my friends?  They really are the best!  Can't wait for next year.