The Tarkinton's Year in Review: 2011

January 2011

Fun Things:

Brought in New Year at Benihana’s with friends

Attended the Sugar Bowl-Arkansas vs Ohio State-in New Orleans

Attended the annual Store Sista Reunion in New Orleans  (Alana)

Enjoyed a visit here in Mount Ida from Lisa, Amy and Annaston

Celebrated upcoming birth of Baby Bennett with an owl/woodland-themed baby shower

Not-So-Fun Things:

Travis came down with the flu one day before leaving for the Sugar Bowl (he went anyway)

Driving to New Orleans twice in one week

Getting stuck in snow and ice in Texarkana on the way back from the Store Sista Reunion (Thank you, Mr. Chris Daniel for rescuing us)!

Alana came down with the flu while stuck in Texarkana

February 2011

Fun Things:

Got to stay home on Travis’ birthday due to snow

Had a father/daughter date at the annual Oak Grove Valentine Banquet

First wedding shopping trip with Shonda and her bridesmaids

Celebrated Benjamin Bibles’ 2^nd birthday with cookies & milk

Hosted the first Devos:Live, my new ministry for teenage girls

Hosted my first Beauticontrol spa party-such a fun and uplifting women’s event (Thanks, Leah!)

March 2011

Fun Things:

Attended Brooke’s 80s-themed birthday party

Celebrated the birth of Evelyn June Bennett on March 15^th!!!

Attended Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival

Attended Faith’s beatnik-themed birthday party

Celebrated the upcoming wedding of Shonda & Trent with a shower full of family and friends

Not-So-Fun Things:

Alana not repeating her March Madness bracket win

Alana having her first kidney stone

April 2011

Fun Things:

Camping with friends at Lake Ouachita

For the first time ever took a week of vacation with nothing planned

Attended Beth Moore Live

Watched Travis’ sister, Shonda, get married in a beautiful ceremony on April 30^th! Thankful for our new brother-in-law, Trent Hamilton!

May 2011

Fun Things:

Celebrated Sarah’s birthday by painting pottery, dinner and games with friends

Celebrated wedding anniversary #3 on May 17^th

Won $50 in free gas from the KENA radio station in Mena

Started the summer at Camp Ozark 

 

May 2011 – August 2011

Fun Things from the summer at Camp Ozark:

1^st session girls made me watch the Justin Bieber movie and I actually liked it!

The Wop was the newest dance craze

Harry Potter night

Working with amazing people

Not-So-Fun-Things from the summer at Camp Ozark:

When the Coke delivery goes terribly awry including one pallet of 72 (2-liters) falling, rolling and spewing down the steep, Chow Hall hill.

July 2011

Fun Things:

Ended up in Hot Springs with 3 of my closest camp friends on July 4^th and ate the biggest meal ever at the Olive Garden

Attended Travis’ 10-Year high school reunion

Not-So-Fun-Things:

Realizing we were the only ones from Travis’ class that did not have children. We are so behind! 

August 2011

 Fun Things:

Celebrated our friend, Jarrett, who was started grad school in NYC later that month

Girls’ Trip to Fayetteville with Sarah

Fan Day in Fayetteville

Celebrated the engagement of Alana’s brother, Jeffrey, to Miss Faith Laska!

Alana started back with AWANA having so much fun with her Sparks every Wednesday

Not-So-Fun-Things:

Waiting in the sun for hours to get Bobby Petrino’s autograph

September 2011

Fun Things:

Attended Razorback game in Little Rock

Travis played his second-ever golf scramble and won with teammate Don Quigley

Traveled to San Antonio for a fun time with Camp Ozark and Camp War Eagle staff

Traveled to Devil’s Den State Park for a fun weekend with friends

Not-So-Fun-Things:

Finding out 30 minutes before the Arkansas vs. Alabama game that your Devil’s Den cabin tv will not be airing the game

Sitting in the back of a van on the way to San Antonio that felt like a rollercoaster ride

October 2011

Fun Things:

Attended the Bibles’ Fall Festival complete with a cakewalk, fishing game, bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving and yummy fall food

Attended Alana’s 10-Year high school reunion

Traveled to Mountain View with both of our families for a 3-day weekend in a cozy cabin

Not-So-Fun-Things:

Realizing you have been out of high school for 10 years

November 2011

Fun Things:

Adopted our first puppy, Charlie, who is now a very spoiled puppy

Attended the beautiful wedding of Will & Lauren Sisco

Traveled to California for an 8-day road trip which included visiting some of Travis’ family for 3 days

Thanksgiving with our families

Alana celebrated her 29^th birthday!

Not-So-Fun-Things

Potty training a puppy

Realizing your puppy really likes to eat mulch

Leaving our family in California (we loved being there)

Travis’ idol, Regis Philbin, “moving on”

Having a medical procedure on your 29^th birthday

December 2011

Fun Things:

Attended my 29^th birthday party (Lisa Frank theme) thrown by my friends

Hosted our first annual Christmas Open House

Spending Christmas with our families

We pray that God protect your coming and going during 2012 and may your families be abundantly blessed.

Love, 

Travis & Alana Tarkinton

Licks and Chews,

Charlie Regis Tarkinton

Sugar and spice, and everything nice!

Dear friends,

A momentous occasion is upon us! My fabulous friend, Jen, is about to have a baby!!!!!

Her due date is March 12. She starts maternity leave tomorrow. The next time I will get to see her, she will be a MOM!!!

Let me just take a moment to let you know why I am so excited about Baby Blank (Yes, we do not know the name, yet. It has been exhausting trying to get it out of them, but we have been patient and they have stood their ground):

1. Jen and Cody both have fantastic families. Even though I have not been around them for any lengthy period of time, I can just tell you--they are great! This baby will grow up among smart, witty and hilarious people. 

2. Jen has a blog. My blog-stalking will grow more intense as baby milestones occur! 

3. Jen and Cody have been making beautiful things for this little girl. I can't wait to see them put into action! Check out the afghan in this post or the sentimental quilt in another post! 

4. Jen likes theme parties and will raise her daughter to like theme parties. This makes me happy.

5. There was a rumor that the baby's first Halloween costume will be a polar bear! Who doesn't love baby polar bears?!?

6. Cody can make delicious pies for Jen and the baby (when the baby can eat solid food).

7. All in all, Cody and Jen are going to be wonderful parents. They are two caring people who will raise their daughter in a home filled with love. They will teach her so many things about the world. Cody will teach her about the relevance of comics and superheroes, cooking and how to dominate on the basketball court. (I've heard from credible sources that he's pretty good). Jen will teach her arts and crafts, a love of glitter and all things sparkly, how to make delicious banana bread and how to shop the library sale. There are SO many more things I could mention, but I'll just stop here for now. 

8. Who doesn't love a baby?!?!

I am excited to see each and every one of our friends meet the newest addition to our group. We are all so ready for her to get here and fill our hearts with the warmth and joy that only a new baby brings!

"For you, o Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of your hands." Psalm 92:4

Many prayers for a safe delivery and a happy & healthy baby! We Love You!

F-O-X

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite lines from my all-time favorite movie, "You've Got Mail." Enjoy!

Kathleen Kelly: I could never be with someone who has a boat.

Joe Fox: I have a boat.

Kathleen Kelly: Oh.

Joe Fox: Which clinches it; we'll never be together.

Kathleen Kelly: I love daisies.

Joe Fox: You told me.

Kathleen Kelly: They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?

Joe Fox: Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.

Kathleen Kelly: Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one! It got on at 42nd and off at 59th, where, I assume, it was going to Bloomingdale's to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are.

Sweet T turns 28!

Today is my husband's birthday! After celebrating with his parents last night, we woke up to this:

We just received word that we will not be going into the office today due to the road conditions. So,we are going to work from home (which I am obviously doing right now) and enjoy watching the snow fall. I am pretty sure the flakes keep getting bigger!

Anyhoo...back to Travis. He's older today. He's wiser today. I hate to admit this, but even though I am the older one, he is wiser than I am. Here are a few things you should know about him:

1. He works all the time (even when on vacation out of the country).

2. He loves the Arkansas Razorbacks.

3. He has been my friend for 10 years and my husband for 2.75 years.

4. He is REALLY good at directions.

5. He likes camping. 

6. He wants a Siamese cat.

7. He loves to travel.

8. He cleans up quite nicely.

9. This is his famous "picture face."

10. He loves this guy.

I hope your 28th year is a blessed one and full of fun adventures! Happy Birthday Travis!!!!

2010: Year in Review

We brought in 2010 rockin’ and rollin’ to my brother’s band, Forty-Two, who played a New Year’s Eve show in Hot Springs. This started our year out right as we were surrounded by friends and family. Then I was off to Little Rock for the annual Store Sista reunion! It was wonderful to spend a weekend catching up with some of my favorite girls!

Travis turned 27 in early February and finally caught up with me. It’s hard being the older and wiser one for two months! In late February, I left Travis at home and enjoyed a Girl’s Day Out with my lovely gal-pals painting pottery at Firefly Studio then to Cheeburger Cheeburger for burgers and shakes!

Landscaping projects were our focus in March. Travis did (and continues to do) a great job making the outside of our home look its best. I helped a few times using a post hole digger. Whew! If that isn’t hard work, I don’t know what is! You know your husband loves his lawn when he asks for grass seed for Christmas. So, my obsession in March was breakfast, yes breakfast. I got up early every morning and made myself a hot breakfast. I tried many different recipes, but the resounding winner was Ina Garten’s Banana Sour Cream Pancakes. Try some. Thank me later.

 We were quite the outdoorsman (woman) in April. Early in the month we joined friends and family to camp on Lake Ouachita. We had good food, good conversation and a good, long hike. Our campsite was on the water and we soaked in the perfect spring weather. At the end of the month, Travis took me on a “mystery trip.” He had been planning this trip for weeks. No clues. No hints. Not even advice on what to pack. We ended up in Sedona, Arizona. We spent two days in Sedona, then traveled north and spent two days at the Grand Canyon National Park. There are so many opportunities for you to get out and explore in Sedona. We visited Red Rock State Park and did many hikes throughout this beautiful area. One of our favorite memories was taking an off-road adventure in our rented truck on the original road to Flagstaff, Schnebly Hill Road. Bumpiest.Road.Ever. Then we were off to see the Grand Canyon. It is just as phenomenal as everyone says it is. We really enjoyed the ranger programs in the park. It was so interesting to learn the history of this natural attraction, even though there were mountain lion caution signs everywhere. Eek! I am glad we made it home alive!

May was spent getting ready for another summer at Camp Ozark! Before the craziness hit, we were able to watch my brother’s band win Battle of the Bands in Little Rock, host a Kentucky Derby party and celebrate our 2^nd wedding anniversary.

June, July and most of August were spent living, breathing and sleeping Camp Ozark. Even in the most stressful of times, we always know we are there for a reason. This summer I was blessed with an amazing store management team. Thank you Katie, Chris Ann and Joy for being so committed to making Summer 2010 the best, yet! There’s not a better place to be during the summer than Mount Ida, Arkansas!

At the end of August, we joined our boss and his wife on a trip to New York City. It was an adventure from the moment we stepped off the subway at Columbus Circle. We saw several Broadway shows (our favorite being “Memphis”), ate delicious food, saw several places from our favorite movie “You’ve Got Mail,” and just enjoyed spending time with these two lovely people. When we got home, we got a surprise phone call from Jen, one of my closest friends to let us know she was pregnant! We can’t wait for Baby Bennett to get here in March!

We traveled to Houston in September to see Katie and Patrick get married! We work with both of these wonderful people at camp and were so glad to share in their special day. Later that month, we attended the first Razorback party of the season at the Bibles’ house and went away with a victory against Georgia. Woo Pig Sooiee!

October was, by far, our busiest month this year. It started out with a bang when Shonda (Travis’s sister) got engaged! We are ready for the big day, April 30, 2011! It was then time to hit the road with two of our favorite Hog fans (Sarah and Robert) to watch the Razorbacks play Texas A&M in Cowboys Stadium. We had a wonderful time, ate good food and the boys even let us go outlet shopping the next morning. Playing 20 Questions on the way home proved to be the most entertaining and probably my favorite part of the trip. The next weekend we spent in Mountain View, Arkansas with both of our families. The guys went fishing and the girls shopped. We enjoyed being together, listening to the “pickin’ on the square,” and taking in a drive-in movie. The next weekend we reunited with our best college friends to see my college roommate get married. It was nice catching up and reminiscing about our Ozarks days.

We were troopers in November when we went camping at Petit Jean with Robert and Sarah. We woke up to 32 degree weather the second morning! Brrrr! Then, I turned 28 at the end of November. We celebrated by having dinner at Bravo and then Harry Potter on opening night with friends. My favorite gift was the Razorback win against LSU two days after Thanksgiving!

The first weekend in December we watched Jason and Mandy get married! The weather was perfect and everything was just beautiful.  We had a big lunch the next day with our families and put up the Christmas tree.

So, now here we are waiting on Christmas to get here! We hope that you get to spend time with those you love this Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas!

Travis and Alana