Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from the beach! What a year 2008 has been! we were blessed with Mike's deacon ordination the first half of the year, and then a new adventure to the beach began!! we have certainly enjoyed the last 5 months here in Rockport...life is great, and much slower paced! A very welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the big city! We are supposed to head back when the job is done, but i may drag my feet on that! Life here is free of the craziness you have to worry about-like military style security in the elementary schools...my jaw literally dropped when i found out they didn't care about my drivers licence when i went to visit Blake for lunch! They said "hello Ms. Brown-here's your sticky tag, we'll see you when you're done eating!!" i about passed out! We love it! We also LOVE visitors, so next time you are thinking you need a break from that big city of yours, give us a call! We wish you a VERY Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year!

Livin' on Island Time

I LOVE that phrase! and let me tell you, people here do just that! we are absolutely loving life here in Rockport, things are slower, people are SO nice, i have a farmers market less than a mile from my door, and a beach 2 minutes away! life couldn't be more fun right now! well, in the last 2 weeks Little Brown Crane has kept our family VERY busy! I have had to recruit Mike onto box detail(for shipping) and i have threatened Blake on numerous occasions that if he doesn't stop annoying Colby for fun, he would attend sewing camp next summer instead of summer camp!! now that would be some cheap labor!! Well, i am off to sew more SnuglyMats, and enjoy my last 2 days of summer with the boys. Colby starts school Thursday, and Blake on Monday! We will have to upload some pics of Colby in his uniform-he's not too excited, but we think it's cute! He would much rather wear his favorite "guitar" shirt he likes to wear DAILY! he actually gets mad if it's still in the wash when he wakes up! I never thought I'd have such a particular kid. On a different note, the MDA telethon is coming up labor day weekend, and as some of you know my uncle Tommy has Duschene Muscular Dystrophy. It's a great opportunity for us to give to an awesome cause! Please help MDA continue it's work to cure muscular dystrophy and encourage others to help too. They are getting closer every year thanks to the generosity of you and others. My uncle breaks records every year for the amount he brings in, and his goal this year is even higher! Here's the link to his page, where you can not only learn more but donate as well!! http://www.mecke.info/mda/ Thanks!!

We're Here!!

Whoo Hoo!! we're here and we LOVE it!! i can't believe the day finally came, it seemed like we would never move! anyway, we are here, and loving every aspect of living at the beach! We play all day in the sand, and then when i don't feel like cooking we head to one of the many restaurants on the water and eat while watching the boats come in! Ok-seriously you have to come visit, this place is great, it is officially our new family vacation spot...when we move back to real life!! Well, i'm off to cook dinner so we can head outside when it cools off, to watch the boys ride their bikes and chat with our new friends! There is another couple here from Mustang and they have 2 kids also! Their son is 4, so colby loves that! have an awesome evening, and plan your vacations, we look forward to seeing you down here! love ya!

'reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic...

Wow, we're leaving in 5 days...geez that one came fast! anyway, we got our new address and land line, so here's the reading...get ready for the writing and yes, it's a lot of numbers... our address is: The Browns 1702 Fm 3036 #6201 Rockport, Texas 78382 our new Land line phone # is 361-729-5077 Well, in the midst of all the packing and craziness i am frantically trying to keep up with my Little Brown Crane orders!! (a blessing...i know...) it seems as though all of the moms of little ones forgot until this past weekend to order their kids a nap mat!! SO-between SnuglyMats, my suburban being in the body shop(thanks mike...yep, he's in trouble...) and my kids thinking an empty house should be used as a playground for tag and hide and seek, it's a wonder i am still sane! (i think mike would say that the jury is still out on that...) anyway, we are super excited about all of the responses from friends who are going to visit us!! yea!! it is quite possible for us to have more friends and family visit us in Rockport in the next year than have visited Katy in the last 5!! crazy! well, we love you all and can't wait to lay out on the beaches of Rockport with you! see you soon! love, Traci

3 Weeks and counting!

Well, we are down to about 3 weeks here in Katy...Wow, that came quick! We are so surprised and excited to see that MANY of our friends either vacation in Rockport or have lived there! Yea!! It sounds like thanks to Travis and Jeanae, mike can fish with friends who know how!! I was of no use...i thought a hardhead trout(?) was a baby shark...oops! Mike is headed back down there today, and it is super hard for me to stay home!(especially since he "accidently" got the King suite ON the bay, at my new favorite hotel...) However, Little Brown Crane has picked up since i packed up, and now i have to get those orders out!! On our last trip, we got Colby all set for school, he is going to do the pre-k 4 program at Coastal Oaks Christian School! They are a really neat church, and their director(who is also the pre-k 4 teacher) is SO sweet!! I think he will love it, I however was not prepared to send him away FULL time!! He will go 8-3:15 M-F...Mike's response- "oh cool, so where are you going to work??" WHAT!?!?!?!? again, like i said, i wasn't ready for that!! but in all reality i may go work in one of those awesome shops down on the water, it's like downtown Boerne, which i love! I think you are all caught up!! We found out yesterday that they are giving us a fully furnished place, so we are having a giant garage sale(well, mike is having a giant garage sale...it was his idea...)-see, this is when i need my SIL Liz here, she has mastered the art of having a garage sale! I, thanks to my friend Michelle's nails, will be inside NOT sweating!! anyway, thanks SO much for all of your awesome emails, we love that they have ALL been so encouraging!! We know that God has an awesome plan, and are very excited to see just how He uses us down there! Have a blessed day! Traci

Well, here we go!!

Well, as some of you know we get a little antsy after 5 years in one spot, SO we are off for a year long(work related) adventure to the coast! We are going to live in Rockport, Tx. while Mike oversees the completion of Exmar's oil platform "Opti-Ex". Whew, finally a paid move!! Mike still works for Mustang Engineering and is loving every minute of it. Mike will be working in the shipyard down in Ingleside (about a 20min. drive), and the boys and I will be hanging out in beautiful Rockport! Blake will attend Fulton Learning Center, Rockport's Intermediate school, (just 4th and 5th grade)-which we are very excited about. Colby hopefully will go to a little private school for a preK-4 program that is just 50yds from where we will be living! I no doubt will fill my days with walks on the beach, shopping in the boutiques and sewing of course!! Little Brown Crane is doing well, and will be relocating to the beach too! We hope you like seagulls and sand, (and maybe a shrimp boat or two!)because if you check this blog often you will see plenty of 'em!! We will update our blog as much as we can, and hope you enjoy our adventure right along with us!! PS-our place is small, but we would LOVE for you to come visit us!! Come hang out on Texas' only official "Blue Wave" beach!