Once we arrived in KY Linsey and Steven were the best hosts and friends could have asked for. They had scouted a list of fabulous restruants (Vietinemese, Japanese, Greek, and Itaian) which were all fabulous! We enjoyed the cultural meting pot of foods Louisville had to offer. According to the Schafers there are more resturants per capita in Louisville than any other city. It’s quite amazing! There is such variety and so many mom and pop stops. Our italian lunch was quite the dive but oh so yummy!

Saturday morning began with a tour of the Burbon Trail. We visited 3 distilleries (1/2 of the 6 on the trail) – Wild Turkey, Four Roses, and Woodford Reserve. The process is similar to wine tours and smells just about as bad! I’m sure any wine or bourbon connoisseur can site the vast differences between the two but to me…it’s all the same! I do have a new appreciation for Burbon but am still very much a wine drinker. Matt and Steven enjoyed savoring all of the flavors of each 0.5 oz sample we were provided.

Sunday we were able to visit Steven’s church – Ridgewood Baptist. It was nice for us to meet their congregation and to hear Steven preach. Their church is such a cozy, welcoming place. I certainly look forward to going back. After church Linsey fixed a fabulous lunch and we set out for some sight seeing. We visited Churchill Downs, The Louisville Slugger Museum, drove across the bridge to Indiana and saw the rapids of the Ohio River, along with visiting Linsey’s work and the University of Louisville. We ended our day gathered around the kitchen table playing games. It was the perfect end to our trip.

We are so thankful to Linsey and Steven for their generous hospitality and for the amazing weekend we had. We can’t wait to visit in the spring or fall when we can see the true beauty of Kentucky.

The trip to Orlando was Dean’s first plane trip. I was very proud of how well he did on the trip despite being held for hours on end. Dean entertained everyone on the plane with his touchdown routine and his endless waving. At one point all 3 flight attendants had surrounded us so they could play with Dean. On the way home Dean was maxing out on being held so, during our layover he crawled up and down the Jetway – super clean I know! I realized that while traveling you’ll let your baby do things you wouldn’t allow them to do otherwise…just for your sanity and theirs! Right before we departed on the last leg of our trip Dean was also lucky enough to sit in the cockpit and talk with the pilot. Maybe there’s a future there….

While in Orlando We enjoyed shopping in Downtown Disney, swimming, and having the opportunity to sit and visit while the kids played. Mrs. McCrary was sweet and listened for the babies Monday night so that the Mommies could enjoy a trip to Starbucks. That Pumpkins Spiced Latte tasted so good knowing that I had a few moments off duty and great company to spend the time with!

It was so nice to get to see my friend in person, to connect and touch base. I’m so thankful Dean and I could make the trip and even more thankful for a wonderful friendship that has withstood the test of time! I love you Myra Dawn and can’t wait to visit you in Montreal soon!

I Think the Boy Likes Ice Cream! from Matt Hopkins on Vimeo.

We set out for Oklahoma Saturday morning. After a stop at the WinStar casino to meet up with Robin and Stan we continued our drive up north. The casino was quite an experience for this rarely gambling family. Matt and I didn’t win big. It could be because we didn’t know how to play half of the games. We felt like you needed to be 70, or older to understand the logic behind each game. But, it was an entertaining few hours and a nice break from the car.

We were luckily enough to get our hotel room upgraded (bonus) once we arrived in OKC. After a bit of rest we picked up Robin and Stan and headed to Bricktown (the OKC riverwalk) for an evening of fun. The Harley Davidson convention was in town which provided a visual experience like no other. We enjoyed looking at the bikes and were intimidated by a few of the biker babes! We had a delicious dinner at Toby Keith’s restaurant. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting OKC. The food was wonderful, beer was cheap, and our tables was right next to the waterway – excellent opportunities for people watching (remember the bikers?). We also rode on a canal boat and enjoyed a tour of Bricktown. Did you know OKC is the headquarters of Sonic? Who knew huh?

After a great night of rest Matt and I visited a few more OKC hot spots before heading to the wedding. One of our stops was the OKC bombing memorial. Oh, what an experience! I recommend it to anyone who is in the OKC area. Words can not express the overwhelming emotion that was felt when touring the site. The memorial is a beautiful tribute to the lives that were lost.

Leslie Cowan and Wayne Walden were united in marriage at 3:00 PM on Sunday, June 28th. Their ceremony was a beautiful tribute to the Lord and a testimony of their love for each other. I am so happy for Leslie and Wayne and can’t wait to see how amazingly blessed their lives together will be. Leslie and Wayne have a dating history similar to Matt and me. Their days of long distance dating are now over and I know exactly how happy they are to kiss that phase goodbye! Matt and I enjoyed visiting with the CHHS counseling staff at the wedding and even managed to get our pictures taken with Roy Williams, the head coach of the North Carolina basketball team.

Our trip to OKC was just what we needed. We look forward to venturing away for another weekend soon! Until then!

On Memorial Day Dean and I were able to visit with one of my best friends and her daughter. Myra and her family moved to Canada about 9 months ago and were in Texas for a visit. We met in Waco, Tx (half way mark) and enjoyed a chick-fil-a lunch followed by fun at the Cameron Park Zoo. It was so nice to get to spend a few hours with my dear friend of 19 years. I was so thankful she could work me into her busy travel schedule. Morgandy has grown so much in the past year and is a beautiful, active little girl. She loved Dean and enjoyed helping us take care of him. I think I need a little helper in my life. Morgs wanna come stay for awhile? The zoo was surprisingly big and awesome. I had never seen the animals so close before. The cheeta was so close, right next to the glass, I could really see all it’s beautiful markings. So fun!

Our trip to the zoo was Dean’s first adventure in the wild world of animals. He enjoyed kicking back in his stroller, watching all the people, and sitting in the air conditioned fish house! The boy isn’t stupid he knows a good AC when he feels it. Overall though he did a great job and LOVED being out and about with the Morans.

We are looking forward to visiting them in Montreal.

It’s so neat to watch his growth through such simple tasks. My appreciate for the “little things” in life has grown enormously since Dean entered our lives.

Pacifier Puzzle from Matt Hopkins on Vimeo.

Logan tries his hand at taking care of Dean.

Sure, I can do three.

We’ve moved! Ok, well maybe Matt did the moving this time. We are officially both Texas residents once again…and better than that we are living under the same roof! On Wednesday, October 24th my parents and I set out of Cali to move my man home! We arrived at 8:30, at dinner, worked on finishing up loose ends, and then got a little sleep. The driving began on Thursday morning and lasted for the next 3 days! We had a great time seeing the sites of the west coast and southern US once again but were very happy to pull up at our new home on Saturday afternoon.

When we got to our new apartment we were greeted by a welcoming committee of Granny, Pop, Ronny, Carla, Adam, Genie, and Layne all there to help unload the truck. It was the fastest unpacking ever! Thanks for helping us out guys, we really appreciate it. After unpacking we celebrated Matt’s return to the Lone Star State with a Pappasitos dinner @ the Hopkins. Yum-O!

Adam, Genie, Lesley, Travis, Emma and our Mama’s came over on Sunday to help us break the apartment in and get organized. Our moms unpacked while the “kids” played in the yard. It was such a nice relaxing Sunday with family. We are so glad to be back together and so happy to be near our family for now. We’ll see where the Lord leads us but for today we are here!

You can view smaller versions of the photos below, or go to the set on flickr here:
http://flickr.com/photos/mathagat/sets/72157603296187173/

Texas Counseling Association Conference

In early November I went with one of my coworkers, Jana, and several other counselors from Humble to the Texas Counseling Association conference in Corpus Christi, TX. It was a blast! We learned tons about counseling and strategies for helping people during the days, and had a great time getting to know one another at night. We even managed to pick up one crazy man while at the concert our last night in town. He had no idea who he was up against!!!