The Bachelorette

So, I have REALLY gotten in to this season of The Bachelorette. Last nights episode was sooo good-i cannot wait until next week. I really wasn't expecting her to cut Graham, but at the same time I could tell she was frustrated that he wasn't opening up to her. What do y'all think?

Especially when she was saying goodbye to Graham, you could tell she was really torn and she even said she wondered if she could see herself falling in love with anybody else.

I really like her and Jason and I could tell she really enjoyed his family, but I'm not sure she wants to deal with a kid right now....

I can tell she is intrigued by Jesse, but I don't think she's really falling for him. I can see them being friends more than romantically involved--i love his personality...so precious!



I'd love to hear what y'all think! Let me know your opinions...

Hot Hot Hot

This past Saturday we held our first "party" at our house. I went all out and even had invitations made. We had a washers and bbq gathering. For those of you not familiar with washers it's a game Travis' fraternity played in college. Those silly boys were notorious for playing for hours upon hours until there was a winner. It's a game that consists of actual washers (the metal pieces) and you toss them about 25-30 ft. in front of you and try and get it in the bucket or the area around it...sort of like horseshoes...

My brother and Kyle Borrello came out victorious in the tournament and each took home a little bit of cash money. While the guys played in the hot sun, the ladies stayed in the air conditioning gabbing and eating. Why is it that the gals always stay surrounded by the food? I'm not complaining, but why do we always stay around the food.

The party was a success, the food was great! We supplied burgers, fixings, a fantastic corn dip, and brownies and the rest of the gang brought other delicious side dishes and desserts. We had about 20 folks show up.

We did learn something though: the 2nd annual washers and bbq will not begin until 5 or 6pm. 1pm is simply too early during the hot hot summer! The boys were so hot and sweaty, some were out there playing shirtless and they kept coming indoors for breaks.

In all it was a really fun time and we can't wait for next year!

Daddy

First and foremost, Happy Belated Father's Day to all of the wonderful fathers out there. I have been blessed with a wonderful kind and caring daddy who has always been there for me. He never missed any of our sporting events, drove us to school every morning, and is always there to give a big hug. I will always call him my Daddy. I love you, daddy. YTB!

Also, happy father's day to all of the other wonderful dads out there. May God bless your lives with your children and enjoy every minute you have with them.

Secondly, on Saturday Travis and I volunteered our services to my brother, Trent, and his wife Kourtny. We helped them install wood floors in their living room and dining room. It was a long day of 12 hours of work, but it looks great! It was fun getting to spend time with them. In 5 weeks we get to join them at the beach in Gulf Shores for a week of pure relaxation.

Next weekend I get to spend in Waco with my 2 of my old roommates for a roomie reunion. I am so lucky to have these gals as such close friends. Erin was my maid of honor in our wedding and Abbie was a bridesmaid. These girls mean the world to me. I am blessed to call them my friend and so thankful to be able to get a weekend together with them.

I hope everybody has a wonderful week!

One Year

Happy Anniversary to Jaran and Michael Walz!!! I can't believe it has almost been one year since the wedding (June 16, 2007).

Jaran and Michael are two very wonderful friends. I met Jaran during my extra semester at Baylor (Fall 2004). We had a class together and lived across the street from each other. Jaran and I sat two seats away from each other during class (only separated by the lovely Alli Aman and Sara Dunne) and usually found ourselves texting each other during class...We learned a lot in that class.

After graduating Jaran headed off to Washington, D.C. to work for a congressman from Texas. In May of 2005 Jaran attended a high society event called GoldCup (horse races). She had the perfect dress and matching hat picked out and it was that day she met her future husband. I'll never forget all the times on phone "helping" her pick out what outfit to wear on her dates with him, what he was really thinking about her. We talked on the phone almost every morning when I was leaving the gym and she was going to the gym. It was about that time I started dating Travis.

Fast forward to August of 2006-Jaran and Michael went to visit a good friend in Charleston and Michael proposed while walking on the beach at sunset. What a perfect proposal. They do make one perfect and beautiful couple.

The wedding took place in June of 2007 in Dallas. It was a wonderful event. Every time you see the two it is clear they are very much in love, their eyes light up and big smile is on each of their faces. It was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to. I was so honored to be a bridesmaid and be a part of that special day.

Happy anniversary to the Walz's!

Also, say a prayer for Jaran and her family. They are about to head out on a family trip to China. Pray for their safety while they are in this foreign country.

The best place on earth

This past weekend Travis and I had the pleasure of visiting the best place on earth. Well, at least in our opinion it's the best place on earth. This place I speak of is Llano, Texas. It's a small town of just over 2,500 residents, but is home to the best bbq joint, is the place Travis asked me to be his wife, and also the home of the Riley Family Ranch.



In November of 2006 Travis' parents bought some land with a house in Llano to offer another place to get away. Travis likes it for it's deer hunting (llano is known as the deer capital of Texas); meanwhile others like it for its simple beauty. The back of their house and porch over look some beautiful granite outcroppings. You can see for at least 30 miles and see the tip of Enchanted Rock. Just a mile down the road is the Llano River...wonderful for an afternoon float with a cold drink in hand.



As previously mentioned Llano is home to some great bbq joints. The greatest of these joints is: Cooper's BBQ. People drive from near and far to experience this wonderful goodness. The meat is tender, the ribs are HUGE, the cobbler is amazing...i could go on and on. If you are ever out in the hill country- marble falls, fredricksburg, etc...take the 30 minute trip over to Llano and experience some Cooper's...you'll be glad you did.

Below is a picture of the line you go through and select what meat you want.

Over the weekend we got to spend some quality time with Travis' folks. It was our first time to see them since the wedding, but it was a great weekend. Judi fixed some wonderful meals for us, they took us out to eat at Cooper's, took us to the Llano Rodeo, and relaxed in the Llano River.



The rodeo was great. The clowns were actually pretty entertaining and the stands were packed. I love going to small town rodeos. Everybody gets dressed in their best western attire and cheers on the participants. One of the participants happened to be one of my friends at Baylor, Luke Groth. He was competing in the Team Roping event (which is what Travis does) and he won!



In all we had a great weekend in Llano and cannot wait to go back. If you ever want to come with us, just let us know!

Weekend "wrap"-up

Greetings friends-

Pardon me for our blogging absence, but there has not been much going on at the Riley house. It has been very nice to have a few weekends in town with no big plans. However, it looks like after a month break our busy weekends are back, and we are excited.

Here's a little re-cap of our weekend:

Friday: I went to see one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year: Sex and They City with 7 other girls. It was a FABULOUS movie and well worth the $8.50 movie ticket price. To complete my SATC DVD collection, I'll even buy the movie when it comes out. This was quite possibly one of the greatest chick-flicks of all time (in my opinion).

Saturday: We had the privilege of going to the Ranger's game with James and Tara (the newly engaged couple I previously blogged about). We had such a fun time. Tara and I talked about weddings meanwhile James and Travis were in to the game, which the Rangers won! There was even a fireworks show after the game. Once the game was over, we ate dinner with the engaged couple at Joe's Crab Shack and continued our fun evening. It was sad to say goodbye since they live 3 hours away, but it was fun getting to see them. By the way, Tara's engagement ring is beautiful. I wish i had a picture, but James did an incredible job. We cannot wait for their big day!!!

Sunday: My parents joined us along with Trent and Kourtny for church and lunch to celebrate Kourtny's 27th birthday! After lunch we headed over to Top Golf to hit some golf balls at the amazing driving range. I hit a ball 191 yards!!! It's fun golfing with my brother (who is a high school golf coach), he gives great pointers. After the driving range, we wanted to have some more fun so Travis and I played 2 rounds of putt-putt with Trent and Kourt. It was a long day, that we topped off with snow cones and watching National Treasure 2, but a great day with the family.

That's about it for the Riley household...We are going to Llano this coming weekend and cannot wait to go back to the ranch! I can't believe it's already been a year since we got engaged there...

At the end of June we are having a BBQ and washers tournament at our house, so if you are in the area and want to see our place...mark your calendar for June 21st