Hearne Family

For Easter and my Papa's 86th birthday, all 28 members of the Hearne family were able to celebrate together! My dad has two older brothers. The three of them and Papa (seated in front) still spend a lot of time together. There are now 10 great-grandkids! Since my dad doesn't have any grandkids, he had to borrow one for the picture! Scott left before the big picture, but here is a great picture of us with Papa.
I am blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Birthdays

Dave and I enjoyed a weekend full of birthdays! Friday night we celebrated our niece Brynn's 5th birthday! Saturday, we celebrated Cameron's (my good friend Sarah's son) 2nd birthday!

Saturday night, we stayed with our friends Mandy and Randy who are expecting their first baby in August. We are so excited for them.

Quilting

I wanted to share with you my new hobby...quilting!! My mom got me started back in the fall and I am addicted. I go to Charisse's (picture below) house every Thursday with my good friend Karissa. Charisse is an excellent teacher! This weekend, my mom and I went on a quilting retreat in Brownwood. I had a great time being with my mom and I met some wonderful women. I was able to finish 3 quilt tops while at the retreat.

my mom and I out on the deck over looking the Brownwood Lake

Charisse and IJohn Deere quilt...I made two of these for my friend's two boys. baby girl quilt

Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico

For Thanksgiving, Dave and I made a quick trip to Puerto Rico.  We arrived late Wednesday night.  Thursday, we spent most of the day at our hotel.  We layed at the beach and played in the pool.

Even though we were on vacation for Thanksgiving I still wanted a traditional dinner.   We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, because we knew they were serving a turkey dinner.  I had turkey, dressing, and sweet potato casserole, but Dave couldn't pass up their rib eye steak.  Everything was delicious and we even had pecan pie!  After dinner we were happy to watch the second half of the Cowboy's game and the entire Aggie game back in our hotel room.

Friday, we woke up early to walk around Old San Juan.  We took a tour of Castillo San Felipe del Morro which is a fort that was built in the 1500s after Columbus discovered the island.  We also went into a church were Ponce de Leon is buried.  

Friday night we went on a night kayaking tour.  We kayaked 30 minutes through a spooky canal of mangrove trees and arrived at a lagoon.  In this lagoon are dinoflagellates - bioluminescent plankton.  When you swirl your hand in the water these organisms glow!  We weren't able to take pictures, but this was a once in a lifetime experience.  If you travel to Puerto Rico you must check them out!  We kayaked 30 minutes in the dark back to the shore.  

Saturday, we went on a catamaran ride.  We first stopped at an uninhabited island where I played in the water and Dave snorkeled.  The second stop was in the ocean.  Once again I played in the water and Dave snorkeled.  Lunch, snacks, and drinks were included in the tour.  Riding on the boat was very relaxing and beautiful!

Saturday night, we ate at a delicious seafood buffet at our hotel.

McKittrick Canyon

Today, Dave and I enjoyed a beautiful hike through McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  The trail was 6.8 miles round trip and the weather was PERFECT!


Along the trail we stopped to see a cabin built in the 1930s.  







A mule deer is the only animal we saw while hiking, but driving to the park we saw a coyote and roadrunner.



We enjoyed a picnic lunch before turning back down the trail.


As you can see, the fall leaves were GORGEOUS!!

Guadalupe Peak

Over Labor Day weekend, Dave and I climbed to the top of Guadalupe Peak...the tallest peak in Texas! Friday night we drove to Carlsbad, NM. We stayed at the Stephens Inn which is the same hotel that Dave's parents stayed at for their honeymoon. This was just a random coincidence. Saturday we got up early for our 8.5 mile round trip hike. Within the first twenty minutes of our hike, I saw a LONG black-tailed rattlesnake crossing the trail. I was walking in front and stayed calm long enough to move behind Dave. I actually stayed pretty calm until I heard the rattle. Dave, of course, wasn't scared and was able to get some great photos. We think it was a little longer than three feet and from zooming in on pictures we counted eleven rattles.

Beautiful sites along the hike

Here you can see the backside of El Capitan in the background.

We made it!!! 8,750 feet

The views along the trail and at the top were absolutely beautiful. I recommend that all Texans hike this rewarding trail!