And then there were four.

Take a look at the picture above. How many dogs do you see? You are correct, there are four. No, Tex has not been replicated. There's a new Boykin in town and her name is Hannah. Once, I finish this post, I'll add her name to our blog heading. We now have four! How fun!

Hannah's Story

Once upon a time there was a sweet little 5-year-old Boykin whose family had to move and could not take her with them. Kate, stumbled onto their ad and felt that she should tell Christopher about it. After talking with the owner, Kate and Christopher felt that they could give Hannah a loving place to live and that she could join in on all the fun that Tex, Jackson and Ruthie were already having!

She's doing great so far. The dogs have made her feel comfortable and helped her transition. She certainly looks like Tex, but they are quite different in size and stature. (Tex is on the right. Hannah is infront of me.) So far, she is a Mommie's girl.

Mr. and Mrs. Key.

This weekend we welcomed another wonderful couple into the married club here in Winston-Salem. We watched with many of our friends as Jonathan and Erica got married up in the mountains on the lawn in front of a darling little chapel. We are so excited for them!

Vintage at the Vineyards

This weekend was the Vintage at the Vineyards BMW Festival. Bimmer enthusiasts from around the country travel to North Carolina to celebrate all that is BMW and all that is German. Chris and I went for the first time and loved it! We drove our 1975 2002. What a great day at Shelton Vineyards.

In the morning, all of the cars lined up for a 40 mile drive through the countryside. It was really exciting!

Once at the Vineyard, they lined all of the cars up around the grounds by model. This is the view across the lake. This is just a small taste of the approximately 200 Bimmers that were there. In addition to the Munich derived vehicles, there was wine tasting, an authentic German band and little Dachund dogs everywhere.

Movie Review: Angels & Demons

After a great visit with my Mom this weekend. Thanks for driving 10 hours Mom! We decided to head to the theater to check out Tom Hank's sequel to the DaVinci Code. Truly, it was much better than its predecessor.

Tom Hank's hair was much better. The movie was edited quite well - it did not drag. The twists were well written. Traveling through Rome, Italy and the Vatican City was beautiful. The intensity of the Catholic Church was portrayed, but not obnoxious. The ending was lined with justice despite the theme of corruption throughout the film. And overall, a great thriller that entertained us. We recommend.

He graduates again!

Last weekend we watched Christopher receive his second BA (the first in '05 for Psychology from NCState) and now in Accounting from UNCG! It was very exciting. We cheered loudly and were so proud of him. Next year, we will be back at the very same graduation to watch him walk the stage one more time to receive his hood and diploma for a Masters in Accounting!

just your typical tornado test

Yesterday, a huge storm rolled in during the afternoon. I love storms because it is always so fresh afterwards. But, this time was more tornado-like than us Hensons prefer. Branches and "debris" were flying everywhere, and as I watched our back yard, praying that the trees would hold strong as they danced back and forth, suddenly there was hail! Yes, 80 degrees outside and hailing. Fortunately, the trees stayed put in our yard, but the branch (aka small log) in the picture above is an example of what was falling from the sky! Notice my grass in the back ground! Yay!

We are so thankful that nothing significant landed on our house, cars, or property. When we left the house later on, we noticed two houses down, the storm had managed to bring down half a tree! It fell right up against their house, but didn't break any windows! Wow!

Despite the numerous branches and bramble that need to be picked up on our lot, God merely rearranged a few things and completely protected us. For all of you that live in tornado or hurricane range --- better you than me.

Go Furies!

On Friday night, we headed back to campus to watch Sarah's soccer team play Providence Day School in the first round of the State Tournament. The first picture is during warm ups. Sarah was working the goalie. The second shot was towards the end of the game. We won 1-0! I love watching games at Forsyth. We always bring one of the dogs and this time it was Ruthie's turn.

Not farewell, but see you soon

We all gathered this past week to celebrate Jesse, Laura and Nolan! With law school complete and a job waiting, they are moving to Delaware! For the first time, we have a reason to love the forgotten state and hopefully visit it soon. There are tons of memories over the past three years, most of them filled with hilarious laughter! Chris and I are so thankful to become friends with such an awesome couple. We're holding out for a Jones Family appearance next 4th of July!

It was a Mexican Fiesta complete with pinatas! Laura took it to the house! We love you guys! See you soon.

Marinades & Necessities

This time of year, we start grilling as much as possible, and that means marinades! Below are some of our favorites! I would love some new suggestions, please comment below. I also included a couple items that I use constantly in my kitchen on just about everything!

Heinz 57 is a great sauce to put on steaks witha bit of A1 mixed in!

Gravy Master - one of my must-haves! Put it on a roast to increase the flavor and make the meat look wonderful!

Jane's Crazy Salt goes on everything! Chicken, beef, you name it! I use it to add flavor to just about anything!

Soda Marinades! Dr. Pepper is our favorite, but we can't seem to find it anywhere in Winton this year? Does anyone see it in their grocery store?

A classic choice - A1 Marinade. Great on any steak.

Spiedie's is an awesome Upstate New York chicken marinade! I love it. Finally, Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite BBQ sauce across the board.

I'm anxiously awaiting some of your favorite recommendations!

Here's the new girl!

Tonight, we went with Mom and Dad to get their new addition --- the sweet little girl in Joyces' arms. Winston is the proud big brother! She is a tri-color Lhasa Apso. We're still waiting on the name, but we are thrilled to add a sixth dog to the Henson pack! I cannot believe that I just wrote "six." We're crazy!

And we love all of them (from oldest to youngest): Ann, Tex, Jackson, Winston, Ruthie and the baby!

Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Evans.

Yesterday we watched as Brad and Cooper became Mr. and Mrs. Evans! It was a beautiful wedding in Greenville, NC. Chris and Brad were roommates at NC State, and have ever since declared themselves brothers. Thank goodness Brad fell in love with Cooper whom I think is fantastic! Congratulations!

Brad and Cooper will be living in Winston while Brad does his residency work at Wake Forest! Hopefully, we can steal him away from the hospital for a few backyard cook outs.

Chris was one of the groomsmen in the wedding.

It was not only their wedding day, but Brad and Chris' birthday! Clearly May 2nd is a day of amazing people and marriages to us. We love you Brad and Cooper. Happy Birthday Billy B-Rad and happy birthday Christopher!