Introduction

The idea of starting a blog appealed to me for a few reasons. One reason is the enjoyment I receive reading my sister’s blog (or her friend’s blog if she hasn’t updated hers recently). The other reason is a way to share events and pictures with our family and friends – especially when we have some pretty exciting things/trips coming up in the next few months.
Here are the main family members/key players in the Aguilar clan.

Julia – author of the blog

I am a 28 year-old Mid-Western girl living in the great state of Texas. I graduated from Purdue University and moved to Austin a few months after graduation. I started out in the mortgage business and have managed to stay in the business despite all of the ups and downs of the industry. I am currently in the midst of a job transition and will probably blog more about my job situation in future blogs! Gilbert and I were married in February 2006 – we are one of those crazy couples that got engaged after 6 weeks of dating – but hey – when you know, you know. I love to cook dinner – I think it is therapy for me. So when I find a super good recipe, I may just share it with my blog. Pictures, recipes and updates from the Aguilars. What could be better? (besides ice cream!!)

Gilbert – co-author of the blog

Gilbert will be 33 in August, but according to him, he is almost 40. Why is it that men tend to round up and women round down? For example, if a woman weighs 144, she is going to tell people that she weighs 135. If a man wins $50 in poker, he is going to tell all his buddies that he walked away with $200. How funny!! Anyway… Gilbert absolutely loves football – especially the San Francisco 49ers. He is pumped that we are going to a game this year and is also pumped about his 49ers office and his flat screen TV in the office. His other loves involve poker and playing his PSP. I tend to take control of the remote at night and instead of fighting me, he just gets out his PSP. Then everyone is happy! One of our big projects for the summer is taking control of our yard by keeping it green, weed free, landscaped and possibly build a deck. More on that later…

Our recent landscaping adventure


Nieces & Nephew – Robby, Katie & Sophia

Katie, Robby, Nikki, Brad

Gilbert is a middle child with a sister on either side. Nikki is the oldest and is married to Brad and they have 2 children – Robby and Katie. Robby is 10 and Katie is 8. We are so lucky that they live in Bastrop (only 30 minutes away) so we get to attend their sporting events and birthday parties. Kids these days are so busy!! Both are very active in sports – Robby in baseball and Katie in soccer. Gilbert’s younger sister is Nora and she lives in Rio Hondo with their parents. Gilbert can rest easy knowing that Nora is there to keep an eye on them and make sure they are okay.
I have an older sister Amy – who is married to Cory. They have a little girl Sophia Grace who turns 1 in July. It is very hard on me to be away from my family – especially now with little Sophie. I can’t believe how fast she is growing up! Luckily for me, I will get to see her in June, August and September. I am really looking forward to bonding with her!

JoJo

Gilbert and I are soon to be Godparents of Joanna Mata. Her Dad Joe and Gilbert have been friends for years and we are very honored to be asked to be her Godparents. We usually watch her a few times during the week and she is such a trip. She loves our dogs, loves Gilbert speaking to her in Spanish, and of course loves Puffs! She is a very happy baby and can cheer me up after a bad day.

Ricco and Roxie

All this talk about babies made me realize that I need to include MY babies in the blog! We have 2 dogs – Roxie and Ricco. They are the best dogs ever!! Roxie is a Pekingese and Ricco a Cocker Spaniel. They are very spoiled, very loving, very jealous and very protective. They really are the best of friends!