marvelous texas

well we had a wonderful, albeit fast-paced, trip to texas last week with plenty of tex-mex, bbq, and margaritas to last us until at least next thursday. we were back in the states for two very special occasions: our good friends james & breah were getting married friday in fulshear (i was a bridesmaid) while dustin's brother, travis, was marrying his adorable fiance, zaneta, in san antonio on saturday (dustin was the best man). somehow, my mother managed to squeeze in a gathering at la hacienda in san antonio where dustin and i got to visit with our friends and family for an evening...it was wonderful to catch up with everyone and share our edinburgh adventures, as well as hear what everyone had been up to while we were gone. we got to enjoy the summer evening outdoors on the patio after the rain subsided (!) and little wesley wiped down all the wet tables. :)

the days prior to the weddings are a blur - we spent most of the time running from one store to the next, snatching up things that we either couldn't find in scotland or refused to pay higher prices for in scotland. (ie. pace bags, wool socks, electronics, umbrellas, rubber cement, slippers, taco seasoning, cornbread mix, rotel, etc.) we also had lots of quality time with rex-the-dog who will be be scotland-bound in a couple of weeks...we spend nearly 5 hours this past week on the phone setting up his flight arrangements and import paperwork. we can't wait until he is here! thursday i headed up to fulshear where we had breah's bridesmaids luncheon and rehearsal dinner later that night. (swinging door = best bbq ever...after salt lick, of course) it was great to see the girls and visit with breah's family. the wedding was stunning and the the mass - the most beautiful i'd ever attended. full choir, family priest, gorgeous bride, selections by breah's dad...a tear-jerker! my parents came to the wedding and all three of us headed back to san antonio late friday night after the reception. saturday, we were up early in preparation for travis and zaneta's afternoon wedding at la villita. the morning was relaxing - we had breakfast out on dustin's parents' porch with the family, enjoying the sunshine, until it was time to get ready. the small service at la villita was intimate and unforgettable...mostly, seeing everyone's faces as z walked down the aisle - a beautiful bride all dressed in pink! travis was gushing. :) after the service, we headed to rio rio along the river and met all of t&z's friends and most of z's family. they made the cutest cupcakes and wedding cake - the food was outstanding. dustin gave a heartfelt toast and later the two newlyweds were whisked away in a horse-drawn carriage with all of us standing on the sidewalk, waving farewell. picture perfect! sunday dustin and i were up at the crack of dawn and - poof - 24 hours later, back in edinburgh. it was a very rejuvinating trip home, despite the long journey back to scotland. now we are getting settled into our 'permanent' (thank goodness!) flat where we can finally unpack our clothes after nearly six weeks of living out of suitcases. i am sure the coming week will be an adventure - new appliances, new neighbors, new bus routes. more stories to come... :) love to you all. oh! almost forgot....i met dwight schrute (from the office) standing in line for coffee at the edinburgh airport as we were leaving for texas. what are the odds? he was on the same fligth as us to london, though he said he was continuing on to la. he shook my hand and asked why we were living in edinburgh - said he was in london for work and wanted to see scotland while he was in the area. he mentioned what a great city edinburgh was, but commented that he paid 90 bucks to fill up his rental car - said the uk was so expensive. i asked him if he had been recognized a lot and he said that not many people in the uk have seen the show so he was going pretty much under the radar. i apologized for blowing his cover, he laughed, paid for his stuff, wished us good luck, and was off to his seat. crazy. to see the pictures from our week in texas, go here.