Viva Las Vegas

I think that my favorite thing about Vegas is the food

and the great company

and the fun

and random encounters with random famous people in their suite

The reason for the jaunt to Vegas was the annual SHOT show

GT was super busy meeting with different sponsors and various people in the hunting/outdoor industry.

and i tagged along

The Golden Moose Awards were held at the Hard Rock Cafe

It is the annual Outdoor Channel awards show

As previously posted, Duck Commander won the Overall best show award!

Korie and Willie did an awesome job on the acceptance speech

i might have cried i was so proud!

the Golden Moose

Zac Brown Band followed the awards show and they did not disappoint

the fiddle player is my fave

incredible musicians

that dude can play

last day breaking down the booth

(i helped, i promise)

isn't this place beautiful?

how did they create this perfect recreation of Venice inside? inside!

my desk for studying while GT worked

perhaps it wasn't used as much as planned. i tried. honestly. 

studying in Vegas might be one of the silliest ideas i've had. 

next time, i plan on hiking some and exploring the landscape

Vegas by Instagram

Kor and I before the GMA

the room with the view

night view

Korie and I spent Thursday afternoon shopping.

We did some damage (p.s. we didn't buy these shoes. we'd both be 6'15")

I love spending time with Korie and feel very blessed that we get to travel together!

workin'

lovely creme brulee at a burger restaurant

hello!

limo ride with the BC crew

they won 2 awards at the GMA!

business meeting? it's whatevs

i'll take the sushi

Honestly, i'm glad to be home.

It's always fun to get dressed up and eat great food in super legit restaurants.

We're incredibly blessed to do what we do. I recognize that and try not to take it for granted.

Here's to another great year at SHOT!

Kate

around the web

beautiful sunrise at mom and dads

much like Helen Keller, this young girls story about overcoming

my favorite new blog and super cute, stylist

thinking about ordering her book telling her incredible story

great graphics get great rewards, go Buck Commander!

 check out the Best Overall show on Outdoor Channel, go Duck Commander!

currently obsessed with all of the photos on this blog, they are beautiful

praying for this team(i wish i was on it) as they travel and care for the TAL kids

hope you are having a great weekend!

We just returned late last night from Vegas, baby.

i told GT that I might get very angry if he set an alarm this morning(he always wakes up early).

so, he didn't(because my threat was serious, kind of)

we woke up at 1130. 

people!

1130!

who does that? not my husband and not me.

but, hey. you gotta do what ya gotta do.

now, on to studying!

i'll give a good ole run down of our week in Vegas laters gaters

happy to be home,

Kate

NOLA bound: there's no place like Dome

A few weekends back we made a super quick trip to New Orleans.

We arrived late Thursday night and left Friday evening.

In less than 24 hours...

GT made his debut appearance in the Big Easy

Did a little sight seeing while walking through the French Quarter

buried ourselves in the powdery sugar goodness that is a beignet at Cafe Du Monde

saw weird/awesome things (referring to the car-man, not my cousin and her friend in feather boas)

had more family time at the Du Monde

walked the streets a bit more

They might look all sweet and innocent in this picture. 

But really...they were literally tripping each other. even Bella.

i think GT taught them. ain't he a good big cousin?

out of order(more Du Monde)

still more beignets.

but really...can there be too much???

made it to the Dome!!!!

watched Missy sing the Nation Anthem

she did awesome...with her boys on either side of her

and OCS won! 

(i stole this pic from someone on facebook...my b)

Our reason for the quick jaunt to NOLA was to watch my alma mater in the State Championship! 

GO EAGLES!

Yet somehow, I seemed to document eating beignets the most.

ah well...would you blame me?

We loved our short little trip to NOLA.

I haven't been in 11 years and it was GTs maiden voyage.

We would love to explore a bit more of it in the future.

Kate

it's always better when we're together

GT and I are grateful to have a good 1st year of marriage under our belts.

To celebrate our first year of wedded adjusting, forgivenss and understanding bliss, we thought that we'd do a bit of traveling.

Somewhere along the way, we got our wires crossed and neglected to plan our trips in congruence with one another. whoops.

In order to demonstrate our on-the-go, busy lives...I created a diagram of our travels.

This is just a map of GT's travels since last Thursday. He still isn't home. (yah, that's Iowa.)

Luckiliy, we were able to be together with my family at the beach for a few days.

I think i'll do a heel click when he finally gets his trottin harness on and heads towards home.

This is just a map of my international travels this summer.

Far enough away from my man.

He's going with me next time.

Brooks n' Dunn.

There have been many travels we have taken together, also. And I like those most, duh.

His new travel life with Buck Commander is pretty sweet though.

This week has been exceptionally great for the company and i'm thrilled that GT is a part of the big deals!

He's meeting some fun people, going to new places and making incredible connections.

Hooray for working in the hunting industry and with my family, b/c then I like going with him more.

I'm proud of my hubsters. He's a hard worker.

Remember that time I decided to do a Sunday Portrait Series?

Yeah, another series I failed to follow through on. Wanna know why?

Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks, save 1, that GT and I haven't been to church together on a Sunday b/c one or both of us have been out of town/the country.

So, when we get back in the swing of things...pic taking with be cranked back up.

Luckily, we both love traveling and the reasons for which we travel. Granted, we'd rather have eachother as travel buddies. It's always better when we're together.(thanks j.johnson for the lyric)

I have few pics of us at the beach this week.

here's one with Beau!

in the closet

watching Mickey Mouse Club

and a sneaky one

Happy trails to us...until we meet again...

Kate

Jantsen's Gift

If you haven't read this yet, do it.
It is a read-in-one-day kinda book.
Pam Cope's story is quite inspirational and will leave you quite misty eyed.


Her book was just mentioned in Parade Magazine here:

http://www.parade.com/parade-picks/2011/08/14-jantsens-gift.html

JANTSEN'S GIFT

by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy, nonfiction

After her 15-year-old son, Jantsen, died unexpectedly of a heart ailment in 1999, Pam Cope channeled her grief toward a new purpose: improving the lives of children around the world who suffer from poverty and abuse. This inspiring memoir of loss and healing traces the emotional journey Cope took to rebuild her family and honor her son’s memory by making a difference
(from Parade Magazine online)

 

  She is the founder of Touch a Life.
You should be familiar with this organization, as I have mentioned it on numerous occasions.
I also just returned from my first trip with them to visit the kids in Ghana.

sweet Joel

This is my friend Rachel

I can't say enough about her and her heart. I'm sure that I've blogged about her before.

She works for TAL and organized the entire trip with 55 volunteers and 550+ kids. Crazy, huh?

She's my age. Hello. No excuses here people.

The kids were so excited to see her and her feelings were mutual, obviously.

Rach and I with TAL kids

Here is Pam with Garrett and Kelly Nichols, the in-country directors for TAL and George Achibra, a Ghanaian anti-trafficking crusader(when i saw him, i felt like i was meeting a celebrity with the kindest spirit ever).

Rach, David(my good friend from WM and a brilliant pharmacist) and I with some of the kiddos


our very intellectual medical team

with Brad Gautney(on my right), the founder of Global Health Innovations, that partnered with TAL for the health fair. He is awesome and blogged a little ditty about the trip here:http://globalhealthinnovations.org/update-on-ghana

there are millions more pics taken by myself and many others on the trip.
here are a friends on facebook
an incredible profesh photographer also tagged along. here is a bit on her blog as well: nancy borowick


As you can see, i love this organization, i love these kids and am honored to have been a part of their work.
Thanks to Pam Cope for starting TAL through her heartache.
Because of her passion through tragedy, childrens lives are forever changed. and ok, mine too.

(i think i've posted enough links in this post, ha)


p.s. good to see you again blogger.
i'm back in the game
Kate

update from the homefront

I'm home...for good.

 At least until next weekend. But, then my man gets to travel with me!

This last month has been so full of great experiences and traveling and moving and packing and unpacking and decisions and work and emotions and sweat(some serious sweat) and little sleep.

Needless to say, The last month has been FULL.

I'm thankful for all that i've been able to do and what has been done for me.

Last week recap.

we had a wonderful and rewarding trip to the Dominican Republic (more to come)

we moved into our new house

This is Dads land (that we're living on) getting completely cleared.

Seriously, you should see this machine in action. It terrifies me. It's so intense.

Woodrow loves our new house and the new land. Evidenced by a complete mud bath. How about being an outside dog there Woody? 

Our sad little house in N.LR. Will somone please buy it? It's a great home and has beautiful floors.

GT killed our first copper head on our 2nd night to stay at our new house.

Yikes.

I was pretending that there weren't any snakes on the land. Who was I kidding?

 It's full of 'em.

I guess if i'm gonna be a gardening, chicken-keeping, cow-raising and huntin' woman I gotta get use to the snakes.

Or carry a .22.

my fave pic from the DR.

little bro-in-law graduation from HU.

We got in to WM from DR at 5am Saturday morning. Garrett graduated at 10am in Searcy. And we were there.

BAM! take that, sleep! I beat you! and then i slept for a long time.

(this pic is of Gare Bear with his roomies. i'm in the background trying to keep GT from ruining their pics)

1.5 weeks til I get to see this guy.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

happy weekend eve folks,

kate