Happy Valentine's Day Already (!?!)

The stores are already stocking pink and red hearts, so I thought I'd get ahead of myself, too! Or maybe that's just a pathetic way to usher in my Christmas and New Year's posts almost a month late.

Well, the Christmas season came in a flurry...not of snow, of course, as the weather in Texas was warm and blessedly bearable...the kind of weather I'd like to experience year-round. Instead, the whole month of December raced by and is now pretty much a blur to me, because despite my greatest efforts to get everything done early so we could relax and just enjoy the spirit of the season, there were inevitably the things that didn't get done early enough and plenty of last-minute things that I decided to tackle to make it that much more...BUSY!

"Dear Santa, I've been a very good boy this year. Please bring me a...toy." Seriously. Can you please be a little bit more specific? If only everyone were so easy to please...



I did accomplish a great deal before Dec. 1. That was a goal I had decided to set sometime back in the summer, as I was already beginning to think about my favorite time of year. I found and bought what I thought would be the "perfect" Santa gift for Zachary back in August (which, by the way, didn't turn out to be so perfect when it didn't work on Christmas morning and had to be exchanged the next day), and I guess that is when it became clear to me that I wanted to knock out my shopping *and* shipping before the real rush would begin sometime in October/November. So, for family and friends whose kids had late-November birthdays, they got their birthday gifts and Christmas gifts at the same time. If there is one thing I have learned I absolutely dread for no apparent reason, it is the post office. I don't know what it is about the post office that causes me to have such a horrible aversion to it, because there really is no reason I should hate it as much as I do. But anyway, I was proud of myself for getting so much of my shipping out of the way before December. So proud of myself that, what little was left, I completely lost all momentum and put it off until I was pushing the Christmas priority mail deadline. That part was awful. But that little side-note was not the entire Christmas season, so while I still recover from all the craziness, I have to say that we did have a nice Christmas.

While Chris was preparing for finals, the kids and I took advantage of many opportunities to look at Christmas lights. Sometime around Dec. 5, the kids and I went with Grandma to see the lights in Spicewood, a neighborhood that always had great Christmas lights when I was growing up. It is always neat to be able to take my kids to see some of the places that I enjoyed visiting when I was younger. We had such a great time. Zachary kept shouting, "I see more Christmas lights! I see more Christmas lights! I CAN'T WAIT!" And I don't even think the ones he'd seen at that point were all that spectacular, but that is what I love about 3 year-olds. They are so full of joy and enthusiasm for the little things in life. Ashley is old enough to enjoy the lights but still too young to really verbalize it, but we could tell she was feeding off of Zachary's excitement. On our way home that night, I managed to get talked into taking a detour just so we could see a few more lights in our own neighborhood. I asked Zachary, "Did you have fun tonight?" to which he replied, "Best Christmas EVER!!!"

Chris' parents came from Nebraska to spend Christmas with us at our house. I was feeling excited because this would be the first time they'd come to our house for Christmas. It was pretty low-key and Chris' mom helped out a lot with cooking. Our Christmas Day food, from the traditional breakfast crepes to the turkey dinner, was all very, very good. I'd wrapped all the gifts early in the month, so all I really had to do on Christmas Eve, after the kids were asleep, was fill the stockings. I always loved the fact that my parents made the stockings a lot of fun to open, so I tried to do the same. It was fun to watch the kids open their presents. Ashley would open one of hers and seemingly decide that one was all she needed to occupy herself for the remainder of the time, but every time Zachary opened another present, she rushed to be by his side, ready to take it from him as though it was all for her. Despite how that sounds, it was all pretty cute. I noticed that Zachary was also pretty delighted by her gifts, so it's all good. We enjoyed getting to spend the holidays at home this year.

Zachary takes a break from the holiday crepe-making festivities to sample the filling.

What a nice big brother! Zachary shares a taste of the goods with his little sister.

My, what big socks you have!

Don't we have the perfect "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree?

Not the first time a fire truck has shown up to our house...

Santa showed up the day after Christmas to swap out the "perfect" present that wouldn't work with a different one that Zachary liked even better.



After Chris' parents left, the day after Christmas, we spent the rest of the week with my family here. All of my brothers were here at one time or another, so we spent a lot of time at my parents' house or going out to eat with them. We celebrated Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa at our house also later in the week. My brother, Matt, and his girlfriend, Kathryn, joined us as well. My mom brought with her some pizzas from Double Dave's and we had a very relaxing time of it.

The excitement is building...

My daughter, uh,...Elmo. Oh, wait! My daughter is the one BEHIND Elmo...but in front of Grandma.

My brother, Matt, realizing his dream of playing plastic CDs on an Elmo CD player is finally coming true.



New Year's was also very relaxing. I hate to let it pass without any sort of celebration, so I invited my parents over once again and decided to do a lot of cooking. I had a couple new recipes that I wanted to try including a Taco Meatball Ring and these little cheesecake cups that use Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies as the crust with a cherry topping. Mom also brought some homemade macaroni and cheese, and we just had a TON of food. Isn't that, alone, worth celebrating?

So, those were our holidays. Oh yeah, and my grandma came up from Houston and we got to spend some time with her before she and my mom traveled to Boston to visit my sister and cousin. They got back on Thursday and so I took the kids over to my parents' house yesterday to see her once more before she went home today.

It's nice to be settled into the New Year and spending a little more time with Chris before he starts classes again on Monday. Truthfully, I hadn't gotten to spend as much quality time with him as I had hoped to, due to having so much company in town or things that have come up with my church calling, not to mention he received his reading assignments last week and has had to go to work on those during my last week of vacation with him. But we did take the kids out to lunch on Wednesday after Zachary's gymnastics class and then to the Austin Children's Museum, which they seemed to enjoy.

So, another New Year and another new semester come Monday. Time flies when you're having fun!

Thanksgiving Memories

For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday in Houston with all of our extended family. My earliest Thanksgiving memories, in fact, are of all of us gathering at my grandmother's house. As most of my mother's four siblings and their families lived in the general vicinity of Grandma's House when I was young, the house was always busy and filled with everything: smells of rolls baking in the oven, sounds of the Macy's Thankgiving Day Parade being televised in the living room, and visions of the dining room filled with all of the traditional Turkey Day delicacies. Grandma was always hiding in the kitchen, handling the intricate Thanksgiving details and making sure that everything was in order before the meal began. Aunts and uncles arrived, bringing with them pies and casserole dishes and cousins to play with. The card table was set up for the children in the living room. And somehow, we all managed to fit somewhere.

My favorite parts of the Thanksgiving Day meal have included Grandma's stuffing, made famous by Pepperidge Farms (thanks, guys!), mashed potatoes and gravy (is it ever possible to eat enough of those?), the turkey (dark meat, please) and, of course, my all-time favorite: PIES! And from my recollection, the pies were always plentiful. Everyone seemed to have a different favorite, so that generally meant we had to have at least a dozen (though that could possibly be an exaggeration) of the usual: chocolate, coconut cream, banana cream, apple, pumpkin, cherry, mince meat (who brought THAT?!) and duplicates to make sure that nobody got shafted after the first go-round. Pie was, is, and always will be a reason to celebrate. I am thankful for pie.

Ashley, thoroughly thankful, enjoying her coconut cream pie.


As the years passed, families moved away and so not everyone was able to make it to Thankgiving each year, but we were always able to be there. I don't remember EVER missing the traditional Thanksgiving at Grandma's until I went off to college, and those were the days I sorely missed it. But some things were always constant: sleeping at Grandma's House, watching that Thanksgiving Day parade while anticipating the Parade of Pies, and eating leftovers for days on end.

Times changed and families moved around some more, bringing some back to join us again, and we eventually grew too big for Grandma's House. I don't remember when the torch was passed (it was probably while I was in college) but the annual Thanksgiving Day celebration was hosted by my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Bruce for a number of years. As was customary, everyone contributed in some way or another, and the meals were always wonderful and the company, grand. My first Thanksgiving with Chris was spent in their home, and I, of course, have memories of what that was like at first. HA HA Chris has certainly grown to be a part of this large, wonderful extended family. The memories have only grown sweeter.

I am thankful for my Grandma and all those years that I enjoyed Thanksgiving at her house. I will always remember seeing her cook for days on end so that we could enjoy the best meal of the year. I will always feel a little ashamed that I wasn't as excited about helping with the dishes afterward, but I was young and didn't understand why the girls were always chosen to do that while the boys always got to run off and play. (I STILL have a problem with gender stereotyping, but now that I'm older, I can understand a little better. I wouldn't trust the boys to do a very good job of the dishes, either, Grandma.) I always felt sadness on the trip back home, because I knew that it was going to be awhile before I'd see her again and experience the togetherness that Thanksgiving always was in my eyes. (I think I also felt sadness because we always listened to my dad's tapes of Kenny Rogers on the way back and my memory of "Lady" is that it is just one of those sad-sounding songs.)

I am thankful for the Carlings and the Thanksgivings I have spent at their house. Now that I am an adult, I can sympathize and appreciate just how much they had to do to make their house ready for nearly 30 people. They borrowed tables and chairs from the church just so everyone had a place to sit. The food disappeared a lot faster at their house, because we were all grown up with grown-up appetites. Many of those years, Chris and I had to head home right after dinner, so there wasn't a lot of hanging around to help with the clean-up or getting to unwind after the meal was over by ringing in the Christmas season with the annual showing of Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. (I don't remember if that's the name of the show or not. I just remember the little song about razzleberry dressing.) The memories of those years were different, but one memory has and always will pass the test of time. I remember being grateful to have been there, with all of the family that could make it, and I will forever be grateful that I had a place to go, where I was surrounded by people that loved me and welcomed me into their home to share a celebration of thanks.

As we have all grown up and many have started families of their own, the sheer number of people has now made it necessary to start new traditions. This year was the first year that I can remember Thanksgiving being celebrated in the home where I grew up. Admittedly, I was skeptical that the celebration would be as enjoyable. How could it be, with so many important people missing? I figured it would be an adjustment I would have to make. "Grandma" no longer means MY grandmother, but it is Zachary and Ashley's grandma. I have gotten used to hearing her be called that over the past 3 years, but at our "first" Thanksgiving, that just seems a little strange. I couldn't help but think of MY "Grandma" sharing her first Thanksgiving dinner without us. I wondered if she was sad and missed us. Maybe she was relieved that the production had to be scaled down. I don't know, but I know that I missed those Thanksgivings from the olden days.

I am thankful that our Thanksgiving Day feast was celebrated with most of us in attendance. Even my Aunt Kathy joined us from Tennessee. My sister, Wendy, was the only one missing from our branch of the family tree this year. I talked with her on the phone a week or two beforehand and got my hopes up when I learned that she actually had been contemplating whether or not to fly home from Boston for the occasion. (Seeing as she is still in orientation for her new job, she had several days off in a row because the hospital where she works didn't want to pay holiday pay to someone new who had to work alongside someone else that also had to be paid for the holiday.) I wished that there was a way that she could have come. I was even willing to help pay for her ticket (a meager amount), but for some unknown reason, she didn't want to pay $500 for a ticket. I don't understand cheapskates. (JUST KIDDING!!!!) My point was that I WISHED she could have come. In my mind, I had this whole grand surprise worked out so that she could come and stay at our house and waltz in the front door of my parents' house on Thanksgiving Day and just get the party started. That really would have been something else. Sadly, it just didn't work out that way, but at least we did get to talk to her by phone while putting the last dishes in the oven.

Before the meal began, my dad decided that we'd go around and each tell something that we're thankful for. Yes, this is a tradition in most families, but I think it was the first time we'd ever done it. Don't know why that is, but we did it this time. I can remember what just about everybody said they were thankful for, but the most memorable part of the experience was when everyone would start out, "I'm thankful for..." and afterward, Zachary would end with an exuberant, "AMEN!" It was terribly cute, and I was very proud that he already recognizes the association of prayer with expressions of gratitude.

My brother, Matt, thankful he would be earning his college degree in just a few more weeks.


Having Thanksgiving at "home" (my home away from home) had a different feel to it, but it was a nice, warm and cozy feeling. We sat at our own tables, rather than those long folding ones borrowed from the church that almost make you feel like you're at a ward activity instead of a family gathering. While those were necessity in the past, it was nice to be able to sit around our family's table and enjoy a feast without the feeling of cattle prods poking you from behind. The food was all excellent, and Ashley sampled the stuffing ahead of time to let us know it was safe to eat. She really enjoyed that!


My little turkey, stuffing herself.






After a wonderful meal, Chris settled down for an afternoon snooze. My brother, Scott, always being the prankster, decided to lead his 8 year-old son, Bryon, in aiming tiny paper balls toward Chris' open mouth. I don't think any ever made it in, and I don't think that Chris would even know about it without seeing pictures. What would Thanksgiving be without family?

Bear in the Big Blue Chair

Order in the Court!

Due to our camera still undergoing repairs, which results in a total lack of evidence that tonight actually took place, this case is dismissed!

"OBJECTION!" (I can hear you saying...)

Okay, okay...here's the update some of you may have been waiting for. Tonight, Chris and I attended the Intellectual Property Law Association's annual judges dinner in the Capital Ballroom of the Stephen F. Austin International Hotel. This was a dinner attended by mostly local IP attorneys, who paid a pretty penny for their dinner, and the 4 members of UT's IP Moot Court Team and their guests (lucky us, us poor folk got to eat for free.) There were also a few judges that were there to be honored and appreciated.

I have to start out by telling you how handsome Chris looked in his "lawyer costume" tonight. (sigh) I know I am partial, but he is just so cute! I wish I could get my hair chopped at Supercuts for next-to-nothing and look so adorable. Ain't happenin'! And I lamented to him, on our drive back home, about how easy it would be to dress myself if I were a man. Men have to make nowhere near the painstaking efforts to look good as we women do, and the choices are between A and B...it's really as simple as that...for men. Not so for the ladies. Oh well.

I really like my new suit. I'm glad I don't have a picture of myself wearing it to post here, because I might change my mind after seeing myself from your point of view. It was a little awkward wearing it at first, I admit. I sort of felt like a man, but luckily, I was wearing some nice heels and accessories that helped me escape that feeling before long. It took us over an hour to drive downtown to the hotel, and by the time we arrived, I'd long forgotten that moment of awkwardness.

Because we arrived just in time to check in (we had to dodge some basketball game-goers on our way into downtown), there wasn't a lot of time for mingling, which was really a blessing since neither Chris nor I really knew anyone there at that point. He did run into a guy from a firm that interviewed him today, and we were introduced. Throughout the evening, I met 2 other men from the same firm, and they were all very nice. From what I saw, I think I would be really happy if they wanted to hire him. (I get a little protective of him, so I was pleased that these seemed like good people that he'd be happy working with.) I hope we get some good news soon.

The dinner, itself, was really nice. It was served buffet-style, though, which, in my opinion, makes things a little LESS nice usually, but it was fine. The food selections were excellent and included beef, chicken and salmon as well as 2 kinds of potatoes, a vegetable medley of carrots, squash and asparagus, green salad and a variety of bread and cheeses. For dessert, there was a beautiful array of cheesecake and pie choices. Chris had a plain cheesecake and I had some sort of lemon cream pie that was delicious.

While we were finishing up with dinner, the ILPA president made a little speech and presented each of the judges with a gift, a coffeetable book on Texas courthouses. "Gee, just...what..I, um, always...wanted.." No, I'm sure they really liked it. Then, the keynote address followed and was delivered by a cool judge guy. I don't mean to say that his address was boring in any way, because I could follow along enough to know that the guy had a pretty good sense of humor, but for someone like me who isn't in the field, the whole thing reminded me of a cartoon my mom once clipped for me about what humans say to dogs and what dogs hear:

Human: "Ginger, you naughty dog! You go outside right now, Ginger! If I have to tell you one more time, Ginger, to..."

Dog: "Ginger, blah blah blah! Blah blah blah blah blah, Ginger! Blah blah blah, Ginger, blah blah!"

You get the drift. HOWEVER, I WAS doing my best to pay attention and I really was trying to get something out of this. At one point, I did get distracted and began trying, without making it obvious, of course, to check out what the other ladies were wearing so I could have a better idea for next time. Suddenly, Chris sort of spun around in his chair with this huge smile on his face. I thought the man must have commented on something we had been laughing about earlier. (On the way to the hotel, I jokingly asked Chris for some one-liners I could use in case anyone confused me for someone who had a clue. He gave me some line about tort reform that I can't even remember now, but...it was pretty funny, but I guess you'd have to have been there.) I asked Chris about that later, and he said that, no, he was just checking to make sure I wasn't asleep! (And he checked on me several times.) I thought it was cute how concerned he was about that, but I assured him that I would never do that to him and explained that even as incomprehensible as the speech was at times, I was more concerned about whether or not I seemed out-of-place. He was very confident that I did NOT seem out-of-place. What a sweet compliment? I thought so anyway.

After the keynote address, the meeting was adjourned. Before leaving, Chris introduced me to him teammates. Again, another very nice bunch of people. All in all, we had a wonderful night out together.

Business Nonsense

Today I bought myself a suit. That's right, I bought a suit...as in a PANTSUIT. For myself. And I suppose you might be wondering WHY I would do this?!? Me, too. I mean, I am wondering the same thing myself.

There's a dinner on Friday night, and Chris is taking me. A fancy dinner, honoring federal court judges, and we're invited, and I'm a little nervous. Why? The mingling part, mostly. I'm just not good at mingling. I suppose that at 31 years of age, it could still benefit me to learn. Aside from my fear of being talked to, I'm also a little nervous because the dress code is business attire. I'm afraid I will be on trial or something. "Yes, Your Honor, this is the first suit I've ever owned, and I did pick it out myself." You see, I wear my business attire 7 days a week. With the exception of Three Hour Church on Sunday, business attire for me means jeans and t-shirts. After all, mine is a dirty business. Yes, even dirtier than that of a room full of lawyers.

I didn't google "women's business attire" right away, because I do have SOME sense of what "business attire" means. And I know that I don't own anything that belongs in this category, whatsoever. But I was sure there would be some details in fine print that I'd do well to learn before a sentence is handed down to me on Friday night. Sure enough, I was unaware of the statutes of business attire. If you are interested, just google it and you will see. Needless to say, this dinner feels slightly threatening to me.

I have never had anyone or anything in my life try harder to change my own personal sense of style (or non-style, as the case may be) than the mere act of Chris going to law school. More education started out as a nice idea and very well may still be one, but somewhere, somehow, someone forgot to inform ME that I, too, would be expected to adhere, at least on occasion, to a strict dress code (even stricter than the shorts-must-come-down-to-my-kneecap ordinance at BYU) so as to avoid looking the part of the frumpy housewife-who-let-herself-go next to my husband, the million bucks. (By the way, the term "million bucks" refers to the million bucks SPENT to transform a person from one who sits comfortably to one who waits, UN-comfortably, to rush home and hang up those expensive clothes that must look brand new each time they are worn...or else.) So, in order to be seen with a million bucks, I can't look like 50 cents. But we have no more million bucks, because we spent that all on HIS suits (which, until he has officially earned his diploma, passed his multiple Bar exams--those are different exams, not the same one multiple times, just to be clear here--and is employed full-time IN THE LEGAL FIELD AS A LAWYER, I affectionately call them his "lawyer costumes.") The million bucks is spent. We haven't a penny of it left, so we had to take out loans just to pay his tuition. His parents had to cash out their retirement so he could buy his books and so that his family (peons that we are) wouldn't starve over the course of 3 years.

So, today I went to JC Penney and found me a pantsuit (a black one) on sale for $79.99 + tax. It was marked down from a million bucks, so I don't know if that'll count as perjury when I wear it in the presence of the court or not. That price didn't include a shirt, which I was almost tempted to bypass (I'm learning to be frugal, eh?), but since I've never maxed out a credit card to date, I figured it's better to be safe than sorry and just went ahead and charged me a shirt on it. Even though it wasn't explicitly stated in the hitherto unmentioned dress code for wives whose husbands will one day be forced to keep up appearances in the likes of a TRILLION bucks, shirts are probably required. Since I wasn't sure which colors are acceptable and which ones are not, I went with plain ol' vanilla--white. For fear of being mistaken for a man, I went with the dressed-up white shirt with the clear, sparkly rhinestone buttons. I may be kicked out of this dinner for being a little too flamboyant in my dress, but it was a risk I felt was worth taking. I just hope that Chris isn't charged as my accomplice.

So, I modeled my orange jumpsuit, er, I mean black pantsuit for my parents who both ruled in my favor. Then, I drove home to face the judgment seat of the man that will be putting his own neck on the line if my fashion sense is deemed a failure. His judgment is usually the harshest of all, and his verdict surprised me: Not Guilty! So at least HE is convinced that I can pass muster on Friday night. I hope nobody is fooled by the cover-up and tries to actually talk business with me, because it'll be off to the slammer I go.

Happiness is...

...discovering that your 18 month-old daughter LOVES steamed broccoli...
...so much that she would want to eat it chilled and straight out of the fridge...
...and watching her devour it by the handful, like it's candy...
...while listening to her "rave" about how good it is, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!"
...and just being thankful she didn't inherit her father's gene for broccoliphobia.

Those Moments That Take Your Breath Away

I had one of those moments just the other day. As I was getting ready to take Zachary to gymnastics, I told the kids to wait by the front door while I gathered up a few last-minute things. I heard the front door open and told the kids to shut it and just went back to what I was doing. I figured that, even if they didn't mind (why, oh, why do I use the word "if" in this sentence?!), they wouldn't get very far. After all, we have a fairly large front porch, and Zachary's NEVER in a hurry to go anywhere. Ashley is still learning to maneuver steps, blah blah blah, so I thought nothing of it.

A minute later, I came to my senses when I realized that I couldn't see any part of either kid. I heard a dog barking outside, and I vaguely remember hearing a mixture of giggles and chattering going on back and forth between the kids. Though dogs don't usually bother me, having one loose around my babies (who are much too dang friendly toward strangers or strange animals sometimes) makes me very nervous.

Nothing prepared me for the heart attack I almost had when I finally spotted my 3- and 1-year old ACROSS THE STREET staring right at me with looks on their faces as if to say, "Oh, HI MOM! We were just going on a little trip to the park! How nice of you to join us!"

They're always up to something these days. I turn my back for just a minute, and I never know what I'm going to find. Double trouble, I tell ya...

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Yesterday morning, our house was attacked...literally. While we were all still sound asleep and hugging our cozy little blankets, some elementary school boys decided that their early-morning wait for the school bus needed a bit more excitement. Here's how it all unfolded:

Semi-conscious around 7 a.m., I thought I heard the doorbell ring, but because it was so early in the morning and there would be no reasonable explanation, I wasn't sure if I had imagined it or not. I nudged Chris out of bed to check on things and wasn't surprised when he came back and said that nobody was there. Well, after getting all cozy again, the doorbell very audibly rang a second time a short while later. Once again, Chris got up to answer the door. I caught only bits and pieces of the conversation that ensued between Chris and a woman whose voice was unfamiliar. It had something to do with a boy, a bus stop, a rock, and our window. Someone would be contacting us about it later in the day. Fabulous.

When Chris came back, he confirmed that our window had, indeed, been broken. The kid who was responsible for breaking it lived just across the street and one house over. How lame are we? We didn't even know that a kid lived there, nor did we know this kid's parents. We live in a fairly quiet neighborhood where people apparently don't like to come out of their houses let alone talk to each other. OK, maybe that's just US, but anyway, we're getting to know these neighbors a little better now.

Last night, while Chris was putting his new license plates on his car, this boy and his dad came over. I wasn't outside at the time, so I don't know what words were exchanged, but I'm sure they were friendly ones, because we couldn't have cared less that our window was broken. I guess we just had a lot of faith that the right thing would be done. Sure enough, the kid brought with him a handwritten letter that read:

"dear house 2718,

My name is J.... T..... . I'm sorry about throwing a rock at your window. You see my old friend C... threw a rock at your house but that one did not hit your window. Then I wanted to see how far I could throw a rock. And then it hit your window but I did not mean to hit your window. So I am really sorry. So I promise if you want me to do any work for you I will do it. And again I am really really sorry for hitting your window. And I will never ever touch a rock ever again.

to house 2718
from J.... T....."

I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the kid. Just imagining the panic-stricken look on his face when he saw the window break takes me back to lessons I had to learn in my own childhood. Chris said the boy looked to be about 7 or 8 maybe. I thought it was really nice of him to offer, in his letter, to do work for us, and while I can think of plenty of work that needs done around here, I'm sure that little J.... is learning a valuable lesson from his parents right now, so, of course, I won't take him up on his offer. His parents are taking care of fixing the window and are more concerned about it than we are, really. It is nice to know that we live among respectable people who would make sure that the damage was repaired promptly and who would also expect their child to take responsibility for his actions and do whatever he could to right his wrong. I think that is really admirable of them, and I will remember this when my own kids get into mischief someday. Meanwhile, it's not so bad, because now we know who these people are, and heaven forbid their identities be cemented as "the parents of the kid that broke your window." I think I'll have to remember to take some cookies over one of these days...

Polka Party -- Polkin' Around in West, TX...

Am I really dancing out here in the middle of nowhere? No, but I am moving really, REALLY slow. This month, I walked a whopping 35 miles. This trip is going to take longer than I estimated. This brings my total mileage to 105 miles. Just 1,842 more to go. Boy, am I feeling a little out of shape!

Facts about West, TX:

Population: approx. 2,695

History: Located just north of Waco, West was founded in 1882 after the completion of the Katy Railroad and became a successful railroad town. The surrounding farms still produce an abundance of wheat, maize, corn and cotton. Along with settlers from the East came Czech and German immigrants who found the surrounding fertile land to be similar to what they were familiar with back home. The town was named after Mr. Thomas West. West served as postmaster while opening the first general store and who later became a successful businessman.

Unofficial Nicknames from the History Book:
"Czech Heritage Capital of Texas",
"Home of the Official Kolache of the Texas Legislature"
"Home of Scott Podsednik of the Chicago White Sox"
"Home of Westfest"

West Today: Downtown West is most known for its Czech bakeries, gift shops and antique stores. Some of the oldtimers still can be heard speaking Czech. There's not much more to tell you about West.

Attractions in West and the Waco Area:
Westfest Polka Festival
Baylor University
Armstrong Browning Library
Bosque River Stage
Cameron Park
Cameron Park Zoo
Dr. Pepper Museum
The Earle-Harrison House and Gardens on Fifth Street
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
Texas Sports Hall of Fame

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my virtual visit to West. See you next month in who knows where!

P.S. Happy Birthday, Kelly! I hope you had a wonderful day. :)

Lawyer Jokes

Last night, as we were about to go to sleep, Chris and I got to talking about this summer job search that is seriously stressing him out. Why must we stress out about a summer job at the beginning of November, you ask? Because we must. Until he has a summer job, Chris has apparently decided that he will stop smiling, and that's no laughing matter. I can't help but feel sad and discouraged for him, too. He's doing really well in school and has certainly put a ton of effort into this hunt so far without much luck. Honestly, I don't have any doubts that he will find something that is right for him and for our family, but in the meantime, why can't he just be my old smiley Chris? I miss him.

I can't seem to offer much more than the usual reassurance that I love him and know that he will find something. I tell him that these places that have interviewed him but not given him offers don't know what a mistake they are making. He is such a hard worker and is very dedicated. Some future employer will be very happy with Chris. Until he finds those people, though, I'm afraid I'm just losing air.

So, just before we went to sleep, in one last feeble attempt to cheer him up, I asked if I could hire him. He looked at me like I'm nuts or something. "No, seriously, I need an IP lawyer. Can I hire you?" Smiling, I expected to hear my old Chris come back with something witty. "No, because you can't pay me anything."

Anyone have some money I can borrow? I think I'm going to need to hire a lawyer.

Pond Springs Elementary Fall Festival

Today was the annual Fall Festival put on by the Pond Springs Elementary PTA. Since Grandma has been the much-loved office lady at Pond Springs for about a dozen years now, the kids and I always go to support her and her school by participating in all the fun activities they have set up. Today was no exception.

However, there was a slight glitch in the plans this time. Our family was among four that were assigned to clean our ward meetinghouse today. It turned out that Chris had to be in Tulsa for a school competition, and since re-scheduling our cleaning assignment by switching with another family was really not quite feasible (after all, next weekend is our anniversary and Chris' semester really will only be getting busier from here on out...not to mention the holiday season is fast approaching), I decided I'd better just go and represent my family this weekend. I had a feeling that I would be pretty useless if I had to drag the kids along, so Grandma graciously offered to babysit at 9 a.m. so that I could get to the church early and get the cleaning out of the way before we'd missed too much of the school carnival. Thank you, Mom, and thank you for everything else you did while I was gone. You folded my laundry, you fed the kids and got them dressed and ready to go, and you cleaned up around my kitchen. Who knows what else you did... Thank you!

The Fall Festival this year was just as great as it always has been. The big difference was that Ashley came along this time. We missed going last year because we were out of town, so this year was actually Ashley's first time to go. She must have been having a great time, because she wanted to go everywhere and she wanted to see and do everything, and she wanted to do this ALL BY HERSELF. She is Little Miss Independent, that's for sure. And that's putting it quite nicely. It was a challenge to keep her from running off. Anyway, both Ashley and Zachary loved playing the games and taking part in the fun activities.


Here is Ashley at the ever-popular Lollipop Grab. There's nothing like starting the day off by giving candy to a baby.


Way to show some school spirit, Mom! We always enjoy the fun carnival food in the school cafeteria.



I love the expression on Zachary's face in this next picture. Don't worry, Zachary, that horse is going nowhere.



Which came first: the chicken or the egg? The object of this "Egg Toss" game was to throw the stuffed chickens and try to land them back into the egg. Apparently, somebody is NOT smarter than a 5th grader!



The Duck Pond is always a favorite with the kids. But why is it that they always want to run off with the ducks?





The kids got to go up into this fire truck and take a look around. One of the firefighters let Zachary try on some protective gear and see what other equipment is transported on the truck. He then asked Zachary if he had any questions. All Zachary wanted to know was when he could have a ride. I love how little kids are never too embarrassed to come straight out and ask for what they really want.





One petting zoo plus a dozen or so kids equals CHAOS! I could have gotten some great footage of the kids holding rabbits, feeding goats, or chasing chickens, but I wanted to make sure that no animals were harmed in the process. At one point, I saw Zachary trying to lift this gigantic rabbit, practically by its neck, before the poor thing wriggled itself free and hopped away. Another adult carefully helped him hold one of the smaller bunnies.



I thought this was a sweet picture of the 3 bunnies guarding the baby chick. Either that, or they were all ganging up on it and planning to have it for lunch.



Ashley was so funny when she interacted with the animals. She'd get just BARELY close enough to touch one, but as soon as she made contact, she'd run away as fast as she could, squealing with delight. Here she is, not looking QUITE as happy. I think she had her mind set on going someplace at the time.



It doesn't look like it in the picture, but I swear this goose was almost as big as Zachary!



Isn't this baby goat just adorable?



Awwwww....



Ashley enjoyed the Moonwalk for about 5 seconds before I had to rescue her.




Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!



Our last stop of the day was at the Dino Dig, because, after all, kids love playing in the dirt, don't they?




I think the problem was that Ashley wanted to play in the REAL dirt...in the playground on the opposite side of the parking lot. This is what I believe led to Tantrum #17 (I didn't keep track. It could have been #41.) It was officially naptime at that point, so it was time to call it quits.

Thank you, Grandma, for another fun-filled Fall Festival. You are a real trooper to put yourself through all that for our benefit. You really are Super Grandma!

Halloween

We had a pretty good Halloween here at our house. I didn't get to take many pictures, because our camera INCONVENIENTLY decided to stop working, so I will just re-cap our day's events:

Zachary had his gymnastics class in the morning. All the kids were told to come in costume, but since I didn't think Zachary would be very comfortable moving around in his chef's outfit, I had to come up with a suitable alternative. Luckily, Zachary has this cute baseball shirt that, when worn with his gray sweat pants, looks like an actual baseball uniform. It worked out so perfectly that Zachary decided that he was going to wear it trick-or-treaing, too.

After class ended, we stopped by Papa Murphy's on our way home to pick up lunch. They were selling these cute take-and-bake jack-o-lantern pizzas for Halloween, and I thought the kids would get a kick out of them.



Grandma came over after work and helped entertain the kids while I picked up around the house. (Thanks, Grandma!) Then, we got the kids ready for trick-or-treating and headed out to hit the neighbors up for some candy.

Halfway down the street from our house, Ashley, whose nap was interrupted earlier in the day and was already getting sleepy, spotted a red, two-seater wagon identical to the one we have. She persisted in trying to get into that wagon, so I went home and got ours and we took the kids around in it. The kids loved it, and they loved trick-or-treating. It was fun to watch their reactions to every little thing. Zachary proudly went around telling everyone, "Hey! I'm a baseball shirt!" I thought it was funny the way he identified himself like that. Ashley, dressed up as Tigger, got a lot of attention, too. Everyone thought she looked adorable. She was definitely on a mission, though. Even though she might have been tired, she marched right up to each house (with me by the hand, of course) and went through the motions as best she could, taking her cues from Zachary before leaving quite satisfied with her pumpkin bucket just a little fuller.

I think Zachary and Ashley both enjoyed seeing the other children dressed up, but they were especially fond of the little dog that was dressed up as a devil. A little while later, Grandma spotted Grandpa's car pulling up to our house, so we took him with us on one last street which ended up being the home stretch. Chris was home when we arrived, and he and Zachary enjoyed passing out candy to the other trick-or-treaters while Grandma and I tried out a new recipe for some apple turnovers that we all later enjoyed with vanilla ice cream. It was a fun night, even though it was also very tiring.

Speechless

If a picture is really worth a thousand words, right now I am speechless. I just got my camera back from Best Buy on Monday after it underwent repairs due to an unfortunate accident that was my fault. I actually rejoiced the day I got the news that it was fixed and ready to be picked up, and I vowed to myself that I would be more careful from now on. Well, it worked long enough to take a few practice pictures, but then, just as I wanted to take some shots of the kids heading out the door for trick-or-treating on Halloween night, it began acting possessed. I turned on the camera, and the lens zoomed in and out a couple of times before, ultimately, the thing shut itself off. Needless to say, I was not amused with this "trick". So, back to Best Buy we went yesterday. I sure hope it can be fixed for real this time...

I just love free stuff!

As soon as I quit working to be a stay-at-home mom, I began signing up to do online surveys. I really don't remember what was going through my mind at the time. Boredom? Probably not. I probably just got an invitation sent to me by email and decided to go ahead and sign up. Perhaps my interest was sparked by the few times in the past where I have been rewarded for sharing my opinions. For example, once my sister and I both got invited to be in a focus group to help a local radio station decide what kinds of music the public wanted to hear. We spent an evening at a downtown hotel listening to bits and pieces of popular songs and were each given $50 cash for our time. I know those opportunities are few and far between, but I honestly do enjoy taking surveys (as long as they're not too long and I don't have to listen to someone asking me the questions in monotone.) And I ESPECIALLY like taking part if there is something in it for me.

And lo and behold, the free stuff has come! Today it was free diapers for me to try out on one of my kids. Not just one or two diapers, but *34* free diapers! Woooohooooo! Too bad I just ran out yesterday to stock up on those, but those can surely wait. I'll gladly test out this product, answer a little questionnaire, and sit back and smile because I just saved us $15!

Yes, a lot of the surveys I have taken over the past few years have had to do with infant hygiene, but I have also been the proud recipient of other fun things. Let's see... There was a free box of cereal not too long ago. Before that, 3 free jars of pasta sauce, free baby wipes, free shampoo, and free ice cream. That ice cream survey was probably the most exciting. The package showed up unexpectedly on my front porch one day with directions on the box to "Keep Frozen." I had no idea what I was opening up at the time, so as you can imagine, I was a little bit nervous. To my great surprise, inside was a pint of ice cream packed on dry ice with a plastic pouch containing instructions and a $10 bill. "Eat this ice cream and take our survey and have fun spending this money"...is pretty much what it said. That one was a lot of fun. And there are other free things that I know I'm forgetting, not to mention all the survey points I've redeemed for cash and gift cards.

Don't you just love getting free stuff? I would love to hear about the free stuff that you have received.

Reflections

The other day, as I was browsing through my picture files, I came across some photos of Zachary as an infant. Enter Zachary:

Me: "Look, Zachary! That's you when you were a little baby!"
Zachary: (sadly) "Oh, I miss him!"

Cookin' Up Some Fun!

Our ward "Trunk or Treat" was held tonight up at the church building. Zachary really enjoyed the activity last year, so we'd been planning to dress the kids up for a preview of the Halloween fun that's yet to come. Check them out in their sweet costumes!



I was inspired to turn Zachary into a darling little chef for Halloween only about 24 hours prior to this event, after he insisted on wearing his chef's hat on our shopping trip with Grandma. Since he had been non-committal (as far as Halloween costumes go) up to that point, I thought, "Why not?" After driving all around town last night and today to find a child's apron, we finally found one at Hobby Lobby and completed his costume just minutes before the Trunk or Treat started. I thought he turned out so cute, and (even better!) we already had the rest of his costume hanging in his closet. Chef's apron: $2.99 (+ tax). Halloween memories: Priceless.



Ashley, of course, wore the adorable Tigger suit that was lovingly worn and passed down by Zachary. She fit into it nicely, and I'm sure it kept her nice and cozy in somewhat of an autumn chill. She was the soft and cuddly creature that Chris and I got to carry around all night long.

Zachary enjoyed playing a few games that had been set up in the Primary room. There was the Cupcake Walk that he went to right away. After about 3 rounds, Zachary's number was called, so he got to choose from a large assortment of yummy-looking cupcakes. He picked a pretty orange one with a pumpkin candy on top. Later, he went back to play the Ring Toss game, landing metal rings around the stems of pumpkins for spider rings and other creepy little prizes. Last of all, there was the Bean Bag Toss, where the kids threw ghost-shaped bean bags through the cut-out windows of a painted wooden haunted house. Zachary thought it was fun to run around to the back side of the house and throw the bean bags BACK to the kids on the other side.











In the kitchen, we dished up some tasty dinner. Several people submitted entries into this year's chili cook-off, and topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo and a cornbread muffin, the one I sampled was a winner in my book. For the less adventurous, hot dogs were also being served.

Following dinner, we all went out to the parking lot for some trunk-or-treating. Chris and I took Zachary and Ashley around to see the decorated trunks and collect treats in their little pumpkin pails. After about the third trunk, Ashley couldn't resist the temptation, and so I unwrapped a lollipop for her just to keep her quiet. She lost all interest after that, but we made the rounds while she dribbled sticky redness down the front of her costume. I'm not sure what lucky treat was Zachary's first choice, but both kids had plenty of candy to eat last night and a warm bath to come home to.

False Alarm

This morning, I was in the bathroom curling my hair when, all of a sudden, I heard the ear-splitting smoke detector go off. Then, I realized it was just my daughter, "Screech".

Being Prepared

I am so proud of myself! Just the other day, a little bird told me that our storage closet at home could be turned into a really great place for our food storage and emergency-preparedness supplies, which had been cluttering up a section of our bedroom floor. That closet, to make the plan even more ingenius, had been a haven for unnecessary items such as mismatched bed linens, old magazines, etc., that I really needed to set aside for Goodwill or the garbage. Yesterday, I put my little plan into action and now I'm feeling so motivated to build on what I've started and keep rolling on this preparedness issue like I never have before. I'm pumped!

Sorry, I can't share pictures at this time, because I broke my digital camera about a week ago, but as soon as I can, I'll get a photo in.

Tribute to Bob Barker

Yesterday, CBS aired its final episode of The Price Is Right starring Bob Barker. Indeed, it is hard for me to imagine how my life will go on without Bob. I have been a faithful and devoted fan of his show from the time I was just a kid. I never minded being sick, because I knew that staying home from school meant getting to watch game shows all day long, The Price Is Right always being one of my favorites. During the summers, I'd watch it just about everyday. Of course, as I grew older, I had to say goodbye temporarily as I went off to college and, later, worked full-time. However, when my little Zachary was born, he was immediately introduced to The Price Is Right and we have been watching together ever since. When Ashley came along, she, too, joined our little cheering section as I spent many a morning walking off baby weight while we got our fix of games like Let 'em Roll, Spelling Bee, Now and Then, Pick a Pair, The Clock Game, Half Off, Cliffhanger, and many, many, many others. I don't think there's a game on the show that I don't know like the back of my hand.

It has been fun to watch both of my kids clap and cheer right along with the audience and those on Contestant Row and get SO excited over a "neeeeeeeeeeeew caaaaar!" I'll never forget when Zachary was 2 and I found him "playing Plinko" by dropping his puzzle pieces and watching them slide down the slanted edge of a broken down computer monitor. (From then on, anything flat became a "Plinko chip.") And, in my mind, I will forever hear Zachary yelling, "Spin da wheel!!!" Though I never got my chance to "come on down" or step up to the big wheel in the Showcase Showdown, these precious moments I will cherish forever.

Bob, you are a legend, and I will never forget the fun times we have shared for most of my 31 years. The Price Is Right will never be the same without you, but you will always have a place in my heart. Goodbye, my friend, goodbye.

The Long Haul -- Truckin' Through Temple, TX!

I loved this snapshot of my first pit stop along my route from Austin to Boston. How much more Texas can you get than a Ford Truck, a barn painted with the likeness of the Lone Star flag, and a pasture full of bluebonnets?! The only thing I can think of is that the photographer forgot to include a half-gallon of Blue Bell ice cream in the picture. It would have looked rather nice sitting right there on the hood of that truck, and only then would it have been a more accurate representation of Texas pride at its best. At least I can enjoy a big bowl full of Blue Bell ice cream while I'm sitting here typing about it. My flavors of the day are Chocolate Brownie Overload and Banana Pudding. Yummy!



Facts about Temple, TX:

Population: approx. 120,000

History: Began as a railroad town. Temple Junction was created on 6/29/1881. Temple was named after Bernard Moore Temple, the chief engineer of the Santa Fe Railway, who never actually lived in the town that bore his name.

Nicknames from the History Book: Mudville, Tanglefoot, Ratsville (ewwww!), Progressive Temple, Prairie Queen, City of Trees

Temple Today: Temple is one of the leading medical centers in the Southwest. The city has grown steadily because of its diverse economy--agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, and medicine. The historic downtown neighborhood is a collection of fine mansions and middle-class bungalows.

Attractions:

Railroad & Heritage Museum
Czech Heritage Museum
Miller Springs Nature Center
Mother Neff State Park

Temple, on the shores of Lake Belton, is home to many city parks that would be great for picnicking, camping, and water recreation.

If I'm not mistaken, Temple, TX is also the birthplace of my very own dad. Yay, Dad!

This month I walked a total of 70 miles, so I am actually halfway between Temple and Waco, TX. By this time next month, I'll be well beyond Waco, so stay tuned to see where I end up next. It will be as much a surprise to me as it will be to you!

Only 1,877 more miles to go...