iPhone = Amazing

Ryan and I are now officially owners of two brand new iphones! We've had our eye on them for quite some time now and decided to bite the bullet and pay full price. Unfortunately, Ryan wasn't due for an upgrade from AT&T until August and me not until 2010. We decided there was no way we could wait that long so we fought the crowds at the Galleria the day after Christmas and purchased two fabulous new phones.

If you are even considering getting one, do it! They are amazing and Ryan and I have spent way too much time playing on our new phones. We have spent more time over the last few days playing with these and trying to figure out all the bells and whistles than actually talking to each other. Well maybe not, but these have definitely been glued to our hands lately :) Stay tuned for a 2008 recap - I've been working on a post to highlight everything that went on with the Rudy's in 2008!

Passing the Torch

I want to start off this post by saying I am not a cook. I've never taken an interest in it nor am I any good. What is so odd is that my grandmother is an awesome cook as is my mother. How did this skip me?? Poor Ryan. Well, even though I may not be able to cook, I can officially make cinnamon rolls :)

Let me explain, my Grandmother has made cinnamon rolls for years, every family get together and for every holiday. These are not just any cinnamon rolls, they are fabulous homemade cinnamon rolls that melt in your mouth. My grandmother is really the only one that has ever learned or actually made them. My aunt has since started making them but somehow my mother never learned. Now someone has to take this tradition over, right? Well I expressed an interest in learning and as of yesterday, my Grandmother has resigned and handed over the torch of baking cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls. Here's a few shots of all our day baking session:

Did I mention we made 10 dozen batches!?! It was an exhausting day but I will admit, spending all day in the kitchen with your mother and grandmother while baking rolls and listening to Christmas music is a great way to get you in the spirit!
Merry Christmas!!

Benny the Brat

Ryan and I went to lunch today and decided to leave Bennett outside while we were gone. Benny normally stays inside his crate any time we are gone. He always goes right in and is fine. Now that he is almost a year and half old we have decided that we are going to start leaving him outside alone for short periods of time. Well, BAD IDEA.

We were only gone barely an hour and came home to find our backyard a mess. Bennett, the Beast, had torn up our cushions on the patio furniture, taken out the bricks from the fire pit and broken a flower pot. Cotton was everywhere, pieces of the broken pot were scattered throughout the yard and mulch from the pot was all over our patio. Oh, and Bennett was prancing around the yard practically saying, "Haha, see if you ever leave me alone again."

Back to the crate you go Bennett.

My Favorite Things

As a spin off from Oprah's favorite things, I'd like to present Lauren's favorite things from 2008! I thought this would be a fun way to share a few things that I can't seem to live without. So here goes...

Antonio Melani Shoes - I seem to own every kind of shoe from Antonio- flats, pumps, boots, wedges, you name it, I've got it.
Bare Minerals Make-Up - I just discovered mineral make-up a few months ago and I'm hooked. It is so light weight and it lasts all day!

Black Box Red Wine - My good friend Alison has gotten us hooked on this stuff. Yes, I know it's out of a box but it's delicious and cheap, a win-win in my books.

Nikon D40 Camera - Ryan gave this to me for our anniversary this year and it's amazing. It makes any amateur look like a professional photographer. I carry this everywhere!

Garmin - Ryan and I traveled to California over the summer and I must say - this was our lifesaver! The garmin kept us sane as we drove all over the state and we will never travel without it.

Banana Republic - I can't seem to pick out just one thing. My closet is filled with pants, tops, skirts, cardigans, sweaters and purses. Banana is my "go to" store for everything and always satisfies my clothing desires.

I hope you enjoyed looking at a few of "my favorite things" from 2008!

Winter Wonderland

*Update: It is now a little after 9 pm- 5 hours from my last post - and it is still snowing! This is a first (at least in my lifetime) as a Houstonian for it to snow this long. Here's a picture of our house and Bennett who is definitely enjoying the cold weather!

Happy Wednesday!

It's snowing!

It is snowing! That is definitely not a sentence I get to say very often, especially since I live in Houston. Right now I'm sitting at work and can't seem to concentrate because I am in awe looking out the window. We actually have snowflakes! Too bad I'm inside and not able to run out and play. It is definitely starting to feel like Christmas!

I also want to wish my wonderful mother a Happy Birthday! She is such a great role model to me and I don't know where I would be without her in my life. Love you Mom!

Ok, back to staring out the window :)

Time to slow down...

Wow - I feel like November has flown by and it's hard to believe it's already December 5th. Where did the time go? I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that every weekend in November was filled - let's do a little recap: First weekend in November we went to College Station to watch the two greatest college teams ever play each other (BOOMER), the weekend after that we went to Chicago, Anna and Reid came to visit from Tulsa the following weekend and then we went to Mexico over Thanksgiving! Whew - it makes me exhausted just thinking about it.

Our December agenda is busy but not quite like November. I have spent this past week recovering and relaxing while Ryan has been studying. I've mentioned before that Ryan has been studying for the GMAT test and he is actually taking it tomorrow morning. While he's off taking the test I'm hoping to get some Christmas shopping in and then tomorrow night we're planning to watch my Sooners in the Big XII Championship. Other than that, we are planning on enjoying our time at home before things start to pick back up again.

One more thing, please keep Ryan in your prayers and wish him luck on his test - I know he's going to do great!!

Cabo Pictures!

Here's a collage of a few of our pictures from our Cabo trip. Enjoy!
(click to enlarge)

We're Back!

We made it back from Cabo last night and we had a great time! My family has been going to Mexico the last couple of years and it has become somewhat of a tradition (one that we hope to continue). However, this was the first time ever we decided to go over a holiday. We celebrated this Thanksgiving without turkey but we managed to have a wonderful time and are thankful that we could spend the time together. I plan on posting pictures later this week so check back for updates!


Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to get into full swing for Christmas. I'm taking off tomorrow from work and my Mom is coming over to help decorate and then we'll hopefully get some shopping in. It's hard to believe it's already December!