Kirby Lane Cafe, our new favorite place in 2009!

As long as we have been in Austin, we still had not tried Kerby Lane Cafe. We never remembered to check it out and we would always pass by it on our way to other places. So finally a couple of weeks ago, we decided to try it out.

Not knowing anything about it we tried it out, and we were amazed at both the prices and variety of the menu. We wanted everything! They had Dinner, Breakfast, Desert, you name it is was their. We were like kids in a candy store.

Not paying attention to anyone around us, we order Dinner, lol. So as we started to look around we noted everyone had breakfast, who knew they have won Best Breakfast in Austin 4 years in a row, lol, not us! So we enjoyed our first trip, but now we have to come back and try it again!

So last night we checked it out, and it was amazing! I had the best biscuits and gravy and sausage! Adolfo ate well too, we tried the pancakes, YUM! It is making me hungry just thinking about it. So we will definitely be showing our faces again. We haven't even touched the desert menu yet!

So if you live under a rock like Adolfo and I and are in the area, give us a call and lets all go check it out together, it will soon be your favorite place too!

lol, oh yeah and this couple sitting in the booth next to us were regulars, they knew everyone, maybe that will be us one day.

Hope you all have had a great week. I am going to go now and watch the best part of the BCS game with Adolfo, the 4th quarter. Have a great Friday! love, Ces.

2009: Mission Simplicity

Welcome 2009! The holiday season has come and gone and I so thankful for the time spent with our families. This time of year is so special because it's our time to be still and appreciate all that has happened in our lives this past year.

We have a great deal to be thankful for in our lives, and are blessed beyond what we deserve.

A great deal happened in 2008. We planned a wedding, finished up our semesters for the year, got a promotion, got a new car, and that is just to name a few! My husband became quite the outdoorsmen. He is now the owner of a john boat, 3 fishing poles, a riffle and camo! It is so fun to hear his stories and see how excited he gets about his great excursions. Now that hunting season is done, he is counting down the days until he gets to go out on the water!

I am very grateful for my husband who inspires me, my family who keeps me grounded and loves me unconditionally, and my friends who encourage me. It is so important to be surrounded by people who keep you true. True to who you are and true to all that is important to life.

So what lessons from 2008 will I bring into the new year? Here they are short and sweet....

• Be thankful, everyday, for all of God's blessings.


• Take pride in all your accomplishments.


• Treasure time.


• Love unconditionally.


• Be grateful and appreciate your family.

Now for 2009, our resolution...

Each year people pack on a list of things they hope to achieve, well we are not doing that this year. We are very optimistic for 2009, we have each other and trust no matter what life brings, God is with us and will provide us with the strength needed to get through it!

Our resolution this year is to simplify, slowdown and appreciate life. 2009 is about going back to the basics and focusing on all the little things in our lives that bring us joy!

So Adolfo and I are welcoming 2009 with open arms and first thing first: We are bringing back, Domino Nights!

And just to keep the laughter in our lives, here is Tay being Tay in my parent's stockings, lol...

Until next time, Ces.

Christmas with the Castros....

Holidays have always been a little bit crazy for us, many places to go and lots of people to see. We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, Christmas Lunch and Christmas evening, so we spend a great deal of time on the road. Its just one of the great parts of being blessed with such a large family!

Adolfo does not get off for holidays, since he works at a 24-hour post so we have to lay out our game plan early to make sure we get to spend our holiday time together. We always do our Christmas with one another early, we are really bad at waiting to open presents and when they are sitting under the tree they are such a temptation. So we opened presents early last week and then Wednesday night we loaded our cars and we were on the road. Both my Grandma Marie and the Castros celebrate on Christmas Eve, so since Adolfo works during the day and on Christmas Morning he stayed in Austin and celebrated with his Family, I headed to JC and spent Christmas with the My parents and my Grandma Marie and the Heavners. It was so fun just to relax and get away. Although I missed Adolfo I know our arrangements are only temporary! Next was Christmas Morning, I always wake up at my parent's house. We celebrated Christmas together, minus Claudia, but her, Jaime and Adolfo came in later that evening and we had a small Christmas again! After that we always have Christmas Lunch with the Summy side, there are so many babies, it is so fun seeing everyone and watching the little ones attack the tree because they can't wait to open another present. This Christmas ended with the guys getting out their guitars and having a small jam session, it is so relaxing just being with family, and enjoying some great music, they are awesome.

So after that we met Claudia & Jaime and Adolfo at the house and had a small Christmas again. But Claudia and Jaime had to be on the road because they had a Christmas Dinner they had to get to. Adolfo, Tay and I went to the final Christmas with the Ribera's. It was a great way to end the holidays, we just relaxed around a fire, sang a few tunes and played some games.

I really slacked with the camera this Christmas, I just kind of relaxed and did nothing else, lol...so here are a few traditional pics.....

Sisters on Christmas Day 2008......

Family pic 2008......


Our First Christmas as The Castros 2008.....

Christmas has come and gone and now we are home, just relaxing and spending time together. We are so grateful for family, friends and the many small treasures God has brought in our lives.

Happy Holidays from us to you! I hope everyone is still enjoying the much needed time off with all the ones nearest and dearest to your hearts.

Love, Ces.

The Lord protected my Grandparent's Today....

Adolfo and I received a call early this morning around 2AM from my Aunt Julie that there had been a terrible fire at my Grandparent's house. The house was completely destroyed, but my Grandparent's were safe and on their way to the hospital. All Adolfo and I could do was jump out of bed and get on the road to my family.

The fire started around 1AM towards the back of their house, while my Grandparent's were sound asleep. My Grandpa awoke to the smell of smoke and jumped out of bed to see what was happening; as he rounded the corner towards the kitchen he noticed flames coming into the living room from the patio sun-room. He quickly went back into the bed room and woke my Grandma. By this time, the house was full of black, dark, thick smoke, and all he could do was hold my Grandma and get her out of the house through the front door. After my Grandpa got my Grandma out safely he decided to go back into the house to try to save some additional belongings, while he had gone back in the smoke and flames became more dangerous, and his only way out was through the large glass window in their bedroom.

My Grandpa was able to get to a neighbor's home and call 911 and my family that lives near by. Adolfo and I got to their home around 4AM, it was one of the most horrifying and unbelievable sights to walk up on. It was so dark and I have never felt so helpless.

My Grandparents were taken to Seton Hospital in Burnet. My Grandpa received 2nd degree burns on his head from this 2nd attempt into the home and stitches in his arm from pushing himself through the window to escape the house. My Grandma will have to stay the night this evening in the hospital because of the amount of smoke she inhaled in her lungs, but should be out sometime tomorrow. Today Adolfo and I spent the whole day with her in the hospital and by the time we left this evening she was being really strong and able to walk without getting dizzy or winded.

My family and I would like to say thank you to the Blanco County EMS and the Johnson City and Round Mountain Volunteer Fire Department for everything they did to protect our Grandparents. Your unselfish acts helped minimize and control the damage, and kept our family safe. We appreciate all you did for us.

The Lord watched over my Grandparents today. Tonight my Grandparents are safe and being showered with love. Our family is humbled by the amount of support and love that has been shown today and will continue to be shown. Thank you for your calls, visits and prayers. They really do help lift our spirits.

Remember each day to tell the ones you love, I love you. If you are blessed to be with them everyday, give them a hug. Life is a gift so appreciate each moment because each day is not promised, it is a blessing.

Watch News 36's coverage of the story below.....

Is this nerdy?

OK, so for the last week all I have wanted to do is reconcile my checkbook and compare my Christmas Budget to what I have actually spent. Each night I tell myself, ok Celeste Get it done! and each night it doesn't get done, an hour getting it done or an hour getting forms done in caseware for work, hmmm let me see....

So today when I got home I did it! The books are reconciled, and I am under budget for Christmas Shopping at the moment, and I have got some amazing things already! Even all my wrapping supplies!! Each year it is a special little game for me to see if I can actually get everything on my list that I want and stay within my budget. Ok, it is getting to sound more nerdy, but it is a great feeling to know where all our money is going, and for Adolfo and I to really sit back and see what our habits are and where we can tighten our belts for future enjoyments.

Maybe it is the accountant in me, lol, but if I am stressed all I have to do is get my calculator out, reconcile something and the weight of the world is off my shoulders and I can move on knowing that everything flows, lol.....NERDY!

I remember when Claudia and I were still at home, and I had my license and we could drive into Marble Falls and run errands for my Mom. It was always fun for us to take my mom's Shopping list, and she would give us a budget, and tell us "Girls, Take this money and see if you can get me everything on this list, and bring me change." We always did, it was such a challenge to find the best deals for my parents and come home and show them how we did. Keep in mind we are the same girls who hit our allowance in folder cans in the back yard, ha!

So as we are grown up, the lessons have stayed with us. Claudia and I are both Budget queens, I like the numbers but I have never seen anyone research and find the deals like she does, lol, memories.

Well thanks for letting me share my little nothings with you, I hope everyone has a great Friday and beautiful weekend! I am going to enjoy the moment, Love Ces.

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas....

As I stated in the previous blog, this past Sunday Adolfo and I put up our Christmas tree and a few Christmas decorations to get into the holiday spirit and enjoy them all month long. Since things around here don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon, I didn't want to miss out this year. So we unpacked all our Christmas decorations, put in our new Christmas CD that I have listened to a million times, lit my DIVA candle which I love and just enjoyed our Sunday evening together.

Our Snowman's 1st Christmas, lol, we saw this at Target last year after the holidays and he was on sale. We loved him so much Adolfo got him for me, and since then I have been waiting to take him out, lol, he glows...

I found this cute pillow with our initial, and it also could stand for Christmas so I got it, I love pillows.....


So I needed a little red on Adolfo's chair, and this cute pillow worked perfectly, its one of those great under your neck nap pillows, lol (note to JJ: remember our first sewing project together,lol, I think that is why I love them!)

It is important to me that our tree reflect our journey with one another. Adolfo bought me this little Christmas tree on our first Christmas together for our house in Abilene, memories....So each year we go together and pic one ornament that we love, well now that we are married we will start getting one ornament a year that represents special things for that year....well Adolfo has become an avid hunter and fisherman in 2008, so I wanted so badly to find a cute fishing ornament. It is not as easy as it sounds, but on Black Friday as my mother and I were in Michaels, look what I found! Isn't it so cute? And yes, that is Adolfo's Christmas gift under the tree, we are really bad at surprises, looks like I loss this discussion, lol...

So I said just one ornament a year, but this year is special, so we got another one. This year we were married and Suzy Q's was such a big part of our special day, so it only seemed right that our first ornament as a married couple was from no place other than Suzy Q's! It is a little of both of us, the classic little snow flake (Adolfo) with a little lace and sparkles (me), lol there is a rhinestone in the middle, I love it! It is so sweet to me that one day our family will be putting up our tree together and we will be able to share stories over and over again about each special ornament, lol, I will sound just like my mom....

Our stocking are up, lol, and with the new addition to our family, lol, TAYLOR, we thought it only right to give her her own little stocking too....She wanted to make her own but we nixed that idea because, well, we all know how creative Tay is, lol.

Our Tree

One of the most cozy feelings this time of year, is coming home and turning all the lights off and just being wrapped in a blanket on the couch by the glow of our Christmas tree, my sisters and I could stay up for hours in the living room in the dark just looking at our Christmas tree, we always had the best conversations, and now it is time to carry that over to my home. So, sometimes the conversations are a little one sided, lol, but God has blessed me with an amazing husband, who is extremely patient with me and loves being with me and letting me talk!

Well I hope everyone is enjoying getting in the Christmas spirit, we watched our last Christmas movie tonight, so we need to stock up on some more, let me know if you have any suggestions. Well off to bed, and I hope everyone has a great rest of the week. Love, Ces.