It's Christmas time!

It's officially Christmas time in the Zuger household. We pulled out our decorations this weekend and put them up. It's kind of overwhelming to realize that they are going to be coming down again in less than three weeks since we'll be leaving for Virginia until after the New Year and I hate the idea of everything sitting out and getting dusty while we're gone. Regardless we're going to enjoy the decorations while they are up!!

Here is our tree

Is this not the cutest little ornament ever!?!

Christmas '09!

We got a new (to us) vehicle!

Finally!! Anyone who knows us well...wasn't that surprised when we announced that Sim's car had died. Sim had graciously been driving his 91 Accord through two Texas summers without air conditioning as well as over two years of not having a working spedometer (with no tickets....surprisingly). So when his bucket...finally kicked the bucket we were a little scared of the big decision that lay ahead. Luckily after just two weeks of searching we found our newest family member! :) Here she is!

We feel truly blessed for Sim to now be able to drive a vehicle that actually fits him! He has wanted a Tahoe since he was in high school working at Lindsay Chevrolet in Woodbridge so this is really a dream come true! :)

Zoofari with the Coast Guard Wives

Last weekend I was invited to go to the Bayou Wildlife Park with the wives from the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless. The wildlife park is literally just a few minutes down the street from our house but I had never been. It was seriously the best time ever and I can't wait to go back!

As soon as we pulled up to the gate Sabrina's car was surrounded by an ostrich and llamas hungry for food! In fact it was almost difficult to drive into the park as the animals swarmed her van.

We all gathered and had a picnic lunch while the kids ran around and eventually discovered the petting zoo. This place just kept getting better!

It wasn't long before we boarded the tram to take us through the rest of the park to see all of the animals. I could not get over how cool it was to be able to pet the animals as they came up to the tram to eat right out of the buckets with food that we had been given. There were all different kinds of animals and the tram weaved through the entire 80 acres.

As our ride was wrapping up we all heard the sound of a helicopter overhead and looked up to see the Coast Guard helicopter heading out of Ellington Air Field. Yay Coast Guard!

Honoring our Veterans

Last week we celebrated Veterans Day with a day off! Well sort of...we were both off work which was welcomed with as busy as Sim has been at work! We were blessed with a GORGEOUS day with temperatures in the 70's. We started off the afternoon by checking out a local vineyard not far from our house that we have been wanting to try. Now you have to remember that we live in TEXAS and more importantly Southeast Texas, where it is hot and humid most of the year. Not really the best grape growing weather but we were excited to check this places out and see what it was all about. Haak vineyard is a family owned and operating winery and small vineyard. We arrived on a day they were bottling wine so unfortunately we were unable to go in the back for a tour of their wine cellar but on a postive note we were able to watch the bottling process through a window in the wine shop into the bottling room. After that we did a tasting of some of the wine that they make. The only grapes they are able to grow in their vineyard are the Blanc du Bois wine grape so we decided to get the full experience we would get a bottle of the Blanc du Bois (semi-sweet) and sit outside in the vineyard that the very grapes we were drinking had grown in!

As our afternoon wrapped up we realized it was time to head up to Houston for our dinner plans with Sim's coworker and his wife. We had made reservations to take advantage of a special deal the Melting Pot was offering for military families in honor of Veterans Day. They had never been to a Melting Pot before so we had a good time watching them figure out how the whole fondue thing works and we all ate and drank entirely too much! It was a really wonderful day, celebrated in honor of all of those who have served our country in the military. I am very thankful for the sacrifices made by everyone in the service and most importantly proud of my Coastie!

April Showers bring May Flowers....and mosquitoes!

Springtime has come and passed in Galveston. It's full steam ahead to summer as evidenced by the mosquito bites covering our legs and arms!

Spring was welcomed on the island with the blooming of thousands of wild flowers. I don't know if it was quite as bountiful last year or if I just didn't notice it as well, but it sure was a welcome sight as the area still recovering from the hurricane was blanketed in an array of colors while the temperatures heated up. Below is an image from the cemetary that I just thought was so beautiful. A place that serves a symbol of death, covered in life.

In April I (Sara) was lucky enough to get to go back to Virginia to attend my college reunion. I had not been back to Farmville in years and it was so nice to get to see the campus, walk through town, and especially to catch up with old friends and sorority sisters. The last part of my weekend was spent visiting with my family, unfortunately a short visit but it was so good to see everyone!

In early May it was back to Virginia for Jacqueline's bridal shower and girls weekend. We spent most of Saturday touring different vineyards in beautiful Charlottesville, VA. Sunday was her bridal shower and Mother's Day. Thankfully Mom & Dad Bassett were able to make a trip up to Richmond from NC (along with Aunt Connie) to spend Sunday afternoon and evening with me. It was such a nice visit and much needed because it had been 5 months since I had seen them!

The end of May was wrapped up with a Memorial Day Weekend trip to Lake Travis, Texas for the two of us. It was our first time in that part of Texas and we both absolutely fell in love. It's a shame there is no Coast Guard on the Lake because I think we would move their in a heartbeat! We treated this get-a-way as an early "anniversary trip" and spent most of our time relaxing by the pool! We even rented a small speedboat one day and explored the lake!

Speaking of our Anniversary; yesterday, June 2nd, was our second wedding anniversary! We've surived another year! haha.. I told Sim that I think this past year has been our best one yet :) Cheers to many many more! We celebrated by going to dinner at the Chart House at Kemah Boardwalk. We had a declicious dinner and walked around the boardwalk afterwards. I thought it was pretty cool that I actually was able to work the shoes from our wedding into my outfit last night! I think it was the first time since our wedding night that I have actually worn them too!

All caught up!

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in San Antonio

Springtime has been VERY hectic for the Zugers! I am taking a full-time grad school courseload while working our very busiest season at the office. Sim has managed to complete 3 classes this semester, along with working fulltime as well! Not only that but he was offered an invitation to be a member in the honor society at American Military University! His 3.8 GPA has not only impressed me but the school as well! I'm so proud of him and all of his hard work!

We've started off baseball season 2009 by attending opening day at Minute Maid Park. The Astros were a bit of a disappointment but the peanuts were great! haha..

Here's our Easter table from this weekend. We had food too! It was just still being cooked when we took this picture! Then there is me with my Easter basket. We surprised each other with Easter baskets and even hid them and made each other findtheir own!

Holidays with the Zugers

The evening of December 10th we were graced with our very first Texas snowfall. It rarely snows here, I believe the last time was in 2004. It was pretty for the few hours it lasted before the sun came up and melted it all away!

Chuckie in front of our little Christmas tree!

December 19th we left for North Carolina to spend a few days with my parents before heading up to Virginia for the holidays. As always, we had a wonderful visit! We were able to tour the Tryon Palace all decorated for Christmas. It was beautiful! Even though it was December and the weather was a little bit rainy we had a great time touring the homes and gardens and of spending time together over dinner!

On our way up to VA we spent the night with our friends Jacqueline & Bruce in Charlottesville. We went wine tasting and out for dinner. They were wonderful hosts! We were so excited to get to spend some time with them and we are even more excited to celebrate with them this coming June when they get married! Below are some pictures from Charlottesville.

After Charlottesville we headed up to Woodbridge for the remainder of our trip. We spent Christmas Eve with Sara's family and Christmas Day with Sim's parents. We are so blessed to be able to travel and spend the holidays with our friends & families! We miss them so much living in Texas but we cherish every opportunity we have to be together!

Once we got back to Houston it was almost 2009! We started the year off by going to the Houston Zoo together. It was a beautiful January day and the zoo was SO nice! Plus military gets free admission! Can't beat that!

We finished off the day by going to the Waterwall. It was actually the place I wanted to bring Sim to before for our anniversary (see post- http://sszuger.blogspot.com/2008/06/celebrating.html) but it was closed then. We went on a cool Saturday and the place was VERY crowded. Lots of couples were waiting to get a picture in front of the fountain! Here are ours.....