GIRLIE GIRL

Another Year of 12x12- January 2012

2012-01-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

1. i planted my paperwhites ridiculously late, so they are just now peaking.

2. i drove art class today. love these girlies. although i don't love the screaming or girl drama!

3. ted insisted i put together all of his helicopters. we have had lego parts spread throughout the house all week.

4. we took adam's brother to one of the best burger joints in our town. love this place.

5. ted's hook at school.

6. ted and i stopped and picked up a little refreshment for ourselves.

7. adam's older brother was in town so we met him for dinner. i love it when family visits. ted was enamored!

8. his brother's hotel was in an area of town we never go to. we noticed these long horn statues as we were driving by and i insisted adam stop so we could get a picture.
9. getting gas. it was so cold i sat in the car and waited. brrr i forgot how cold texas can be in the winter.

10. ted and one of his little buddies from school.

11. my desk is a disaster-- as usual.

12. by ted. he did a pretty good job.

December 12x12

2011-12-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

1 shopping for Ted. i loved these bobble heads. ted is obsessed with all things dc comics these days! 2 we stayed in a hotel last night due to plumbing issues at our house. the plumber was able to get it fixed within an hour, but he didn't return our call until much later in the afternoon and by then we were panicking about not having a working bathroom. we made arrangements on priceline for a night at a local hotel and 5 minutes later the plumber called. Unfortunately we couldn't get our money back, so we just went and stayed at the hotel. the kids thought it was awesome. me.. i was just mad it was all so unnecessary, but at the same time worth every penny for how much the kids loved the adventure. the photo of all of us at the hotel. the kids were very impressed with the fancy bathroom. 3 i've saved all the Christmas cards we have received throughout the years. i love getting caught up on our friends lives, especially those that we don't keep in regular contact. a few years ago we met one of adam's medical school classmates and his family for dinner in san diego. the four of us had become good friends and it was fun catching up. while we were there we chatted about how much we all wished we stayed in better contact, but that our lives were busy and we were content with the yearly updates via Christmas cards. we got their card this week and it recounted the last year which has found him as the chief medical officer aboard a naval boat and her home caring for their 4 children the last 300+ days. reading the family Christmas card made me cry. his wife is a rockstar! it reminded me of the previous conversation and how much i adore both of them and how happy i am that i still get a quick glimpse into their lives. 4 picking Lulu up from after school care. we went Christmas shopping for her gift for Ted. she got him a cute batman stuffed animal. 5 buying the items for the Ronald McDonald House tree at Lulu's school. toiletries, movie tickets, copy paper and cascade. quite a versatile list if i do say so myself. 6 i had to serve jury duty today. i actually deferred a few months back and couldn't pass up the opportunity to have my jury duty included in my 12x12, so when i saw it was one of the rescheduling options, i took it! 7 i played angry birds while i waited my turn. thankfully i wasn't selected. 8 some of the residents of our fair city go all out with Christmas decorations. this is just one small representation of one of my favorite houses. 9 because it was so cheap we ended up staying at a 4 star hotel last night. again- not happy about wasting the money, but man was it a nice hotel! 10 our elf on the shelf- Jingle Bells. the kids anxiously get up every morning to see where he has moved to. lulu made him the crown. this baby works wonders at this time of year. 11 lulu has taken to making up crazy dances. i tried to get a snapshot of her busting a groove. 12 a girlfriend asked me to help her make gingerbread houses for her daughters class. even though i've made them a number of times, i always feel like i have a learning curve for a bit when i make these. not sure why.

I always love it when someone comments on my photo taking. We got dinner at Chipotle and someone asked me it I was a photographer. I said no and then realized she asked because of my camera. I went on to explain what I was doing and she (like so many before) commented on what a great idea it was to document a whole day every month. I quite agree.

November 12x12

2011-11-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

It just so happened that on the day of my November 12x12 I was flying home from Seattle via Salt Lake. I wish I would have taken more pictures in the airport, but I wasn't interested in an interview with Homeland Security and although I arrived in plenty of time to make my flight out of Seattle it took forever and the kids and I were running to catch our plane. Thankfully I have two well seasoned travelers. We were also running to catch our plane in Salt Lake, but that had more to do with me thinking we were leaving an hour later than we were and one too many diet cokes at Hires Big H. Luckily my brother in law has taken lessons at the speedway so we made it with plenty of time. I loved having a layover and getting a quick peek at the family. Too bad it wasn't for a longer visit.

1 the kids and i were coming home from spending a week in Seattle with my parents/attending a work conference. the clouds flying into SLC were crazy. it was a bumpy ride. 2 we had about a 3 1/2 hour layover and since it was my big sisters ..40th birthday the week before, my brother in law planned a little impromptu family gathering. it was great, because i got to see my other sister and her family and my cousins family. he happens to be married to one of my really good friends. an added bonus: i got to eat at one of my favorite places. maybe it is more of a nostalgia thing for me, but i really do love a good big H. 3 aren't these kids adorable? 4 on our way to the airport in seattle, we passed this truck on the freeway. the owner had his dog wearing a pair of googles. my mom thought it was awfully kind of the man to make sure his dog could see while in the back of the truck. i thought it would have been a bit nicer of the owner to put the dog in the cabin. especially since it was chilly. this gave my kids hours of retelling humor. 5 jenn and jake picked us up at the airport. ted kept asking jenn if she was 40. i thought it was funny. 6 we landed just in time for the snowstorm. lulu and her cousin reise went outside to catch snowflakes on their tongues. 7 saying good bye to my mom and dad and mctavish. they always take such great care of us when we come to town. 8 it was ted's turn to have the window seat. 9 my kids loved having a dog around.. me, not so much! 10 the u of u was playing ucla and hires big h was packed with bundled utah fans headed to the game. i had to show my utah pride. i wish i would have thought ahead and had ted in his utah garb. 11 my cute sister and her family. 12 as we walked off the plane we started stripping off the layers of clothing we had on. i got in the car and noticed it was 71 degrees at 9 pm. talk about going from one extreme to the next. no wonder my sinuses are driving me crazy today!

October 12x12

2011-10-24T19:24:00.001-07:00

This was one of those months I was really thankful for this 12x12 project. Honestly, if it wasn't my 12x12 day, I would have had a very different day. We were leaving for Boston early the next morning and I still had a million things to do. Work has been maddening the last couple of weeks, so knowing that I wasn't going to be at work for 4 days required me to complete everything on my to do list and leaving early just wasn't the best idea. BUT, because it was my 12x12 I threw caution to the wind, ran around like a maniac and left (albeit it late) to meet my girlfriend and head to the Texas State Fair.

1 halloween decorations adorn our front porch. i need to pick up pumpkins, but because our doorway is full sun ALL DAY LONG they usually only last a week before turning to mush. 2 fletcher corny dogs are classic state fair food. we tried fried pickles this year. they were okay. 3 the crew with the scariest clown around. 4 some friends of ours make a sizable donate to the science museum at the fairgrounds, so when the state fair rolls around they get a parking pass that could only be described as pure gold. no parking hassles. no parking or entrance fees. parking right on the grounds. seriously, PURE GOLD. 5 lulu and her friend maren made up this funny little song and dance. they decided to perform it for us. 6 my morning jolt. 7 of course we bought tickets to see the two headed creatures. we refused to let the kids go on any rides, because that would have been a nightmare, but i think seeing the smallest turtle in the world AND a two headed snake is pretty awesome. 8 adam was post call so he came home early. he was going to go with us, but instead he was a champ, he stayed home and did a couple of the things we needed to do before leaving for boston. we took a photo, because a few weeks ago we were looking through our photo gallery and realized there are a couple of years in our marriage that we didn't take one single photo of just the two of us during the year. 9 we always venture to the livestock barns. i learned a lot about show cows and whatnot. i am slowly realizing i talk to A LOT of strangers and i am completely my father. 10 the bane of my existence. i have to fax forms throughout the day and unfortunately it isn't right next to my desk, so i spend the bulk of the day walking back and forth between my desk and this albatross. 11 the kids always love the "little hands farm" at the fair. they were in the process of digging a hole to plant their seeds. 12 love the texas state ferris wheel.

although it wasn't the best idea it ended up being just what i needed. thankfully my sweet friend forgave me for being 45 minutes late. yikes! whoever said a working mom can do it all is either lying or is far better organized than i am.

September 12x12

2011-09-12T21:04:00.001-07:00

1 ted is on a soccer team and tonight was his first game. he has begged to play for the last year. every time we would drive past a park with a soccer game he would say "there is my soccer game. we need to hurry." we finally took pity on him and enrolled him for the fall season. his most favorite part- the soccer uniform. 2 homework. need i say more. 3 i swear mother nature has some kind of sense of humor. we finally dipped below 100 for a few blissful days, but now we are right back into the thick of it. i'm all for warm temperatures, but this is ridiculous. 4 this is one of the ads for children's medical center. i giggle every time i see it. i can't say why, but if you knew, you would giggle too. 5 i seem to forget to include me in most of my 12x12. i thought i'd get myself in at least one shot. i was dressed quite patriotically too. 6 hands down the best song by U2. my girlfriend can hear 2 notes and immediately identify this song. i usually play it rather loudly in the car. 7 ted started a new school. he likes it. it has been an adjustment for both of us. it's a hassle to get him out the door in the morning, which means i've been getting to work late. must improve! 8 lulu's school did an event this morning with the entire elementary on the front lawn saying the pledge of allegiance. it was a celebration of our freedom and country. it was sweet to see all the kids dressed in red, white, and blue and they had a few boys come in their scouting uniforms. the schools around here have the kids say both the pledge of allegiance and the pledge of allegiance to the texas flag each morning. this morning they finished saying the pledge and then were suppose to say the texas pledge, but they forgot and just repeated the pledge of allegiance again. it made me giggle. i get that texans love their flag, but c'mon! i snapped this photo as lulu was heading back to class. 9 stop at 7-11 for refreshments. ted and i are developing quite a routine in the morning. (are you giggling that i'm late for work in the morning, but i still must stop for a refreshment.. shh don't tell my boss). 10 adam is co-coaching ted's soccer team. i thought this photo was sweet. ted is carrying such a gigantic cooler of water, because it was 103 when we got out of the car to head to his game. 11 texans are crazy about a couple of things: texas and their patriotism! there were flags all over the city this weekend. i am bizarrely patriotic, so i loved seeing every last flag and i was happy to see a few people still had them up. we hung our flag this weekend too. we don't have a flag pole, so i had to be creative. i was able to hang it on some hooks by our front door. our flag was given to us as a wedding gift. it was one of the flags flown over the capitol on the day we were married. i need to hang it more often! 12 i have to go to seattle for work, so i'm taking the kids with me. my mom and dad are excited to spend the week wrestling them and i'm just glad i don't have to arrange childcare.

August 12x12

2011-08-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

I just about missed my 12x12 because even though I wrote myself a big note, I forgot to take my camera with me. I had my phone though, so it all worked out in the end. I used the instagram app, which was new for me. I like it, but I hate that once you pick the filter you can't change it.

1 my daily fix. 2 I got this sticker a couple of weeks ago. it makes me laugh. 3 my brother in law just got back from Ghana and brought back bracelets for us. he always brings back the coolest stuff. 4 our lawn is taking a beating with 40 days of 100 degree weather. anything that is shaded is staying green, but everything else is yellow. 5 my desk at work is always a disaster. after 3 weeks of vacation i'm VERY behind. 6 adam and the kids played catch for a few minutes before bedtime tonight. 7 i got edamame for lunch. delicious. 8 the kids were excited to see adam. he was busy at work so he finally rolled in after 7. 9 adam traded in our old pilot while i was in utah. because of all the flooding in the midwest there are no used pilots in the area. they called and wanted us to consider trading ours in for a new one. adam happily obliged. 10 putting the kids to work making dinner. 11 i had to meet one of our pharmacist to get a patient's prescription. it is a pain because the doors are all badge activated and only employees of Children's hospital have badges. you have to wait for the door to open in order to come from one hospital to the next. luckily i was on the right side of the door. 12 i checked to see what time we need to wake up in order to see the Perseid Meteor Shower. the kids wanted to see what it will look like, so we watched a little video. in a crazy twist of events it actually rained last night (it has been months since we have seen rain) and there were too many clouds to see anything.

July 12x12

2011-07-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

1 ted jumping off the diving board for the very first time. he did it about 20 times after his inaugural jump. 2 we completed a total of 19 puzzles today. 3 i have an 8:45 meeting every tuesday morning. 4 they are in the process of building a new facility for parkland hospital. this is their ad campaign. i enjoy seeing some familiar faces on my drive to work each morning. 5 it was so hot outside today that we spent the afternoon completing all the puzzles in the house. it was quite fun. 6 my schedule for today was very light. 7 i wanted at least one shot of me. i love this little number. 8 adam was home in time to go with us to the pool. i'm glad we have gotten some time together this week since the kids and i are leaving for utah next week for 3 weeks. 9 we had dinner at our favorite place- chuy's. 10 lulu has really worked on floating on her back. i'm proud of all her hard work. 11 the cat was less than helpful when we were putting our puzzles together. 12 it is averaging about 107 these days so we consume a large number of ice pops.

As you can tell we did a whole lot of nothing today. sometimes it is nice to take it easy.

Weekend Peek

2011-06-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need to get in your car and drive. If you are lucky you end up at a local peach farm where they make the most delicious peach ice cream. And because it has been one of those weeks, you eat it at 9:30 in the morning. You might even be lucky to get to take along a companion who happily agrees when he hears ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST. Of course it made the others jealous they had other things to do, but you bring back a box of fresh peaches to lessen the sting.

The next day you decide life is too short to miss out on spontaneous outings, so you load everyone up and take them down to see a man walking tall, waiting for a train, and awakening from the earth. You ooh and ahh at the local creativity and admire the genius.

You even might see a dinosaur and robot on the telly.

June 12x12

2011-06-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

1 Kids being kids. 2 Adam leaving for an interview in NOLA. very exciting. 3 I took this prior to the Mavs victory against the Heat. The city has had Mavs fever for sometime now. Yeah Mavs! 4 I know it is everywhere and is almost a little too trendy to be reading, but after the month I've had I needed a good laugh and Tina Fey doesn't disappoint. 5 With Adam away I pulled out the usual suspects for movie viewing- I opted for Stranger than Fiction. man I love that movie. 6 I probably listen to Joe Purdy "The City" a couple times a day. It seems like the perfect song for driving down the highway with the wind in your hair. It is usually my go to song to help bring me out of a funk. 7 We drove to a local peach farm yesterday for fresh peaches. They are delicious. I was going to freeze some, but they are already gone. 8 Ted and Gene fight like crazy. I should probably break it up, but usually each of them gives as good as they get. Ted will miss this little guy. 9 My favorite flower is a sunflower. 10 This is what happens when kids that have parents that are doctors get together. I'm pretty proud they got it right. Not sure about the basket on Peter's head though. 11 Talk about pill burden. I'm up to 10 pills a day. Good grief. 12 I wish you could see what they are wearing on their feet- Wellies. Being a kid has its perks. You can dress anyway you want! Lulu said they were playing school and it was winter, but I don't quite understand the racket.

Celebrating your birthday in style

2011-06-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

Adam getting ready to add a batch to the pot.

Every year we, along with our friends, host a big crawfish boil. I think this is either the 5 or 6th year we have done it. We usually order around 100 lbs of crawfish and spend the day at a local park cooking it and hanging out with our friends.

waiting for another batch. It was unseasonably cold this year. I had to steal Adam's fleece.

This year the party happened to fall on our birthday. (Did you know Adam and I share the same birthday? Although he is a year older.)

Good friends. Love these ladies.

We invite around 100 or so people and we always get a great turn out. The party this year was a little smaller, but it was awesome because all of our closest friends made it. I honestly think everyone should experience a crawfish boil. I will say not everyone enjoys the crawfish, but those that don't want to eat it usually bring inferior meals like Chick-fil-A to sustain them.

The table with freshly dumped potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, sausage, crawfish and corn. Delicious!

There is nothing like standing around a table eating with your friends. I'm sure it might be a little more entertaining and the crawfish a bit hotter if alcohol was involved, but.. we usually make due. It is a lot of work. We love it, but it really is a lot of work.

The hosts.

Every year we ask one another if we are ready to talk about the boil and most years we can't even discuss it until sometime around February/March of the following year. We always need a good 8 months to forget about the annoying things. But, this year both Carrie and I looked at each other and said- "wow. we have to do this again next year." Maybe we have finally worked out all the kinks and the idea of planning it isn't painful.

This year we had a huge bag of Mardi Gras beads. Carrie's family went to Mardi Gras and they brought all the reject beads. If you have ever been to Mardi Gras you know what I'm talking about. Beads are a BIG DEAL! Fancy beads are an even BIGGER DEAL.

Girls decked out in Mardi Gras beads.

This little one loved the beads. I have a similar picture of Adam from our first year in New Orleans.

Sorting beads.

I highly recommend checking your calendar next year and coming for our annual crawfish boil. It really is a fantastic tradition.

For Bunny

2011-05-17T17:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday.

May 12x12

2011-05-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

1 I got a pool pass for my babysitter so she could take the kids to the pool this summer. 2 Lulu and her croonies running to school. We have such a great carpool. 3 Adam running out to eat dinner with us in the car while he is on call. 4 Ted's end of the year co-op party. We love his teacher and will miss seeing her everyday. 5 Holy Batman gas guzzler. 6 Lunch. 7 Lulu practicing for her upcoming recital. They will perform Alice in Wonderland. 8 The three of us enjoying the beautiful outdoors. 9 Adam's home away from home. 10 I love May because the magnolia trees are in bloom. 11 A quick photo of Ted and I- a glimpse at my most recent haircut. 12 Our annual crawfish boil is this weekend. I had to make a list of all the things we needed to purchase.

Spring in Texas

2011-04-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

I love bluebonnet time in Texas. We go every year to frolic a bit. This year we took a picnic lunch and then headed to some of our favorite spots to take pictures.

April 12x12

2011-04-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

1 i bought tickets for the play at the middle school. they put on a few of them over the course of the year. the students do a fantastic job. 2 hanging at the park with my friends. i love these girls. 3 my girlfriend just had her 4th bebe a few weeks ago and i'm helping her out by picking up her kids from school. there is a bit of a break between kindergarten and 1st/2nd grade dismissal so we are hanging out waiting for the other kids. 4 my day. 5 ted and lulu enjoying their dessert- strawberry ice cream. 6 the roses outside our door are blooming. i love the springtime. 7 i fell a couple of days ago and really did a number on my knees. both lulu and ted have similar injuries. 8 walking to pick up the kids from school. 9 playing at the park. lulu is awesome on the monkey bars. 10 ted wanted to take his trains outside to play. 11 my kids can easily identify a ferrari. i'm certain it is because we see this one almost everyday. it might also be because adam is a car guy. 12 lulu and her friend olive at the park.

These two

2011-03-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

This photo makes me smile every.single.time.

March 12x12

2011-03-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

1 spring break list. the kids are out of school and adam is off too. we opted to stay in town and do a few things we have wanted to do. 2 date night= movie. i'm shocked we haven't seen this before now, but it wasn't because we weren't trying. 3 future Texas Rangers. i'm sad to think that in a few short months ted's little buddy will be moving. 4 i'm all about breeding frogs these days. i'm certain i spend far too much time and energy on these babies. 5 spring is blooming. we have been blessed with awesome weather the last couple of weeks and the town is beaming with kisses of color. 6 stealing a kiss after our hot date. 7 shamrocks are adorning the house right now (along with Mardi Gras beads). 8 lulu taking a break from playing to read. i was happy to see this. 9 legos. we have been building up a storm. 10 flying high in our neighbors swing. 11 we took the kids to see "Rango". we loved it all and it brought out my inner cowgirl. 12 the kids like to pretend they are on a roller coaster ride when we are on the tollway. we were heading to babysitting swap.

February 12x12

2011-02-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

1 schedule. a golden weekend means adam is off the entire weekend. they are truly golden. 2 out running errands and ted wanted to take my picture. 3 we went out with friends and stopped in a delicious chocolate shop- Dude Sweet Chocolate. 4 gym for body pump. 5 bobby was in town this weekend so we did an impromptu play date. 6 meal planning. 7 cheesy self portrait. 8 browsing for books at half price books. 9 the city skyline at freeway speed. 10 lulu attended a birthday party for one of her besties from school. 11 the rest of us grocery shopped. 12 leave it to Lulu to make the storm trooper ballet dance.

Change of tune

2011-01-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lulu informed us yesterday that she is more into "ranch fashion" instead of "fancy dress up fashion."

Hilarious.

Oh the Places You'll Go

2011-01-25T10:57:00.001-08:00

via

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction." Winston Churchill

True, but how do you go about knowing which direction is the right one? For a very long time we have been told where to go. Sure, we had a bit of influence, but at the end of the day we were still handed a piece of paper that stated: "Congratulations, you are moving ______." Quite frankly, I enjoyed NOT making the decision. It allowed me to escape any kind of blame for the city we found ourselves in. Now, after 14 years (WOW) we get to pick. Obviously some places will and are off the list, because they lack a job or my total unwillingness to move anywhere that is too cold (ie Chicago). And, there is a good chance we may just stay put. We are happy here and so are the little people. But, I am curious. I could see myself setting up a house in my beloved New Orleans, or heading a little further east. The Northwest is rather lovely and is, in fact, a closer distance to family. I'd always move back to Utah, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the finality of Utah.

And then- researching schools, where to live, moving, etc.. yikes. I'm a little too lazy for all of the things this might require. Also, learning a new city, where to get the best fresh baked bread, do they have fresh mozzarella like my favorite local grocery? New church friends, new neighborhood friends, new school friends, new... I'm getting much less curious. I guess in the words of Rosanna Cash (she hasn't to say something worthwhile when she has Johnny's blood running through her):

"The key to change.. is to let go of fear."

The Big Easy

2011-01-21T14:13:00.001-08:00

One of the days we were in town we hopped on the streetcar to head downtown to the quarter. The first year we lived in New Orleans we were sans car, so part of our day was spent riding the streetcar. We rode it everywhere, including school, Banana Republic, and my weird temp jobs. Although we loved the experience- Mardi Gras parades were HIGHLY inconvenient (the streetcar stopped running at 5pm so if you missed it, you were in for a LONG walk), grocery shopping was a joke (luckily we had a small grocery near our house) and once Adam started rotations we HAD to have a car.

As we rode the streetcar down with our kids and pointed out all of our favorite haunts like our old 1, 2, and 3 apartments (we moved a lot while we lived there), Lee Circle, The D-Day Museum, the church on St. Charles, etc.. it brought back lovely memories and even though it could be a hassle, I miss those rides.

A little grouchy on the streetcar ride, but she cheered up

Ted loved the ride and so did Buzz.

Ted loves beignets.

Oh so delicious!

January 12x12

2011-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

1. Lulu had 20 punches so she got to bring bear bear with her to school 2. my bro-in-law's awesome insight into my computer's slow demise. 3. ice in the backyard 4. I heart these faces 5. Christmas snowflakes by lulu, ted, and uncle jake 6. the wintertime always makes me crave oranges 7. my cute co-worker 8. me reading and it looks like I'm getting gored by an antler at the same time 9. feeding the missionaries and hearing a message 10. I registered lulu for a little sewing class this spring 11. it is CRAZY cold here 12. Ted LOVES Ghostbusters.. this ones for you Jo (it seems a little crazy for a 3 year old.. blame my husband and my trained child life specialist sister).

12x12 2010

2011-01-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this little exercise of documenting one's daily life. I hope I'll be better this year and have every month documented. There were a couple of the months I forgot and so I documented the following day, or the following week (so I documented the correct day of the week), or just missed it all together. Sadly I didn't document any of the summer months. It was rough. Let's just leave it at that!

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

Animaltastic!

2011-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Annual Fossil Rim 2010

1. Cool trees 2. Adam and Ted driven 3. giraffes lounging 4. Jake and Jenn
5. Zebra 6. Taking a stretch 7. Love these guys 8. Ted through the looking glass
9. Up close and personal 10. Awesome swirls 11. brown on white 12. Wild turkeys

I adore my Fuji Instax Mini. I can say without a doubt that it is the best money I have ever spent. I love taking it to Fossil Rim, although I always have exposure issues because well.. I'm a little photo challenged.

On the List for 2011

2011-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Total Eclipse by Adam and Lara
Dec 20-21, 2010
2:16 am CDT
(worth the overslept alarms and groggy work day to see Lulu and her soul sister Olive basking in its glory)

-find a job. Him, not me. scratch- he does have a job just not in his field. wait. scratch that too. he does have a job in his field, but he is grossly underpaid. find a real job. too mean? too blunt? find a job as a pediatric surgical attending. better.

-less shoulda, woulda, coulda

-re commit to regular workouts.

-a little less consumption of the sweet nectar. (who am i kidding- i can't outright give it up, but i can reduce)

-skydiving

-less moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth

-more laughter (2010 really sucked). more laughter! better.

-more thoughtful spending

i always get a little carried away with this whole resolution business. at the end of the year i'm always found wanting. always. maybe this year i'll learn to "keep it simple, stupid."

these seem simple enough. right?

Here We Go Rangers, Here We Go.

2010-10-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

We went to see the Rangers play Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees. Adam and I had a great time, even though the hometown team lost, after leading by 5 runs! BOO. But, after watching several nights of baseball and even getting periodic updates during the Tate Lecture we can't believe they are going to the WORLD SERIES.

(Adam hooked up the people sitting around us with the live feed updates.. poor Michael J Fox.)

Attending a play off game is incredible. I've gone to A LOT of baseball games over the years and nothing compares. Adam is a huge baseball fan and this was on his wish list of things to do in his life.. that and attend the World Series. If only we had the absurd amount of money needed to attend a game.

I know.. I'm on a low sodium diet, but actually if you don't eat the shells peanuts are fairly low.

The whole antler/claw thing is ridiculous to me, but clearly it is a big hit with the fans.

We have had better seats over the years (thanks to all our fancy investment banker friends), but these weren't half bad and thankfully were fairly inexpensive.

The only thing that would have made it more awesome would have been to see Cliff Lee pitch and if they had won.

My hairdresser thinks I'm old

2010-10-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

okay maybe this isn't the best picture since I do look old

I swear if my hairdresser implies I'm old one more time.. I'm going to stab him with his scissors.

Here are a few examples.

when comparing our dining experience at a local restaurant:

him: "maybe it is because I was with a younger crowd, but I wasn't impressed with the music scene."

when discussing his motorcycle riding:

me: "just make sure you don't do anything stupid"
him: "yes ma'am" (which I'll admit I slightly deserved for my motherly tone, but really ma'am)

when discussing music:

him: "what do people in your age group listen to?"
me: "the same thing as your age group, you jackass."

Did I tell you that he is 29 and I'm 35?

Going Home: Day Two

2010-09-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ted had a hard time keeping his head in the street car. Clearly he couldn't read this:

These two loved the street car ride. They were impressed I rode it the entire first year we lived in NOLA, because we didn't have a car.

Our church building right on St. Charles.

"Mmmm Cafe Du Monde. More powdered sugar please!"

We went to the insectarium. It was AWESOME. I especially loved this display.

This is inside the Zen garden. They have a large number of butterflies. Lulu was v. patient waiting for a butterfly to land on her. After waiting for about 15 minutes the nice entomologist picked one up for her and put it on her arm.

"I ate a bug."

Later that night we got a sitter for the kids and headed out to another favorite restaurant with Phil and Marcelle. I was mildly horrified when I found out how much a babysitter cost in New Orleans. Yikes.

It was a great day except for the heated words exchanged at the streetcar stop when herds of people jumped in front of us and didn't recognize that it might NOT be polite to butt in front of the two woman traveling with two strollers and three small kids that waited at the stop for over 20 minutes at the front of the line. Stupid tourist.

Ted's Party: The Activities

2010-09-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had pretty grand ideas. Again, most of them came from here or here. One of them was to build a bull for the kids to rope. Adam thought I was nuts, but he still was willing to do what I asked. Thankfully a friend had a jig saw for us to use. (Although we had to buy a replacement in the end because theirs died.) I think we are going to try and stain him.

Activities:
1. Paint long horn magnet
2. Bull Ropin
3. Instruction on how to act like a cowboy.

How to dress like a cowboy (kids given hat and handkerchief)

How to talk like a cowboy (Adam scared them with his Yee Haw)

How to walk like a cowboy (this was HILARIOUS)

4. Shooting
5. Pin the tail on the donkey (couldn't find a horse)

This one is Lulu's.

Adam told the kids that once they roped the bull they had to take their had off, hit their leg and yell Yee Haw.

I love how Lulu is kicking up her leg. She was an awesome assistant.

The kids had to practice shooting, so they shot at Diet Coke cans with the Nerf gun.

Here would be the photo of "pin the tail on the donkey". Oops.

Finally everyone participated in blowing out the candles.

Family portrait

Ted's Birthday Decor

2010-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

It was Ted's birthday this past week and we threw him a cowboy themed party. Thankfully there are great websites out there for creatively challenged folks like myself, so we too can thrown a fantastic party for our littles. All ideas and genius for this party belong to this gal. Brilliant! I also stole a few ideas from this lovely lady.

My only regret- not having someone on hand to take photos. It was too nuts for either me or Adam to take thoughtful pictures of the event. BOO. Also, we both thought the other had taken a couple of shots so.. the pictures of the table are rushed and terrible and strangely there are very few pictures of our own children. Awesome!

In addition to the two creative genius mentioned above, I have another in my back pocket. Everyone should have an Emily. I called her with the most random and ridiculous questions and every time she would immediately respond with precisely whom I needed to call and what I needed to get. Not only was she my go to girl, but she designed every bit of the invitation and came up with the cute delivery for each of them. Love that girl.

I loved these little stumps of wood with horses on them. If you could have only seen the crazy looks when I made a rather impromptu visit to a friend that was in the process of cutting down her beautiful 100 year old tree (it was diseased) and asked her if I could have a one of the logs. Adam also gave me a crazy look when he saw the log too. Although he willingly used a hand saw to cut bits and pieces off in our back yard.

The photo of Ted makes me laugh every time. And daisies, aren't they just the friendliest of flowers?

The Menu:

Pulled pork sandwiches
Chips
Carrots and dip
IBC Root Beer
Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate ganache

The little gift bags contained western themed wristbands, the long horn magnet the kids each painted upon arrival to the party, a silver badge, salt water taffy, and a little horse.

The birthday cake

September 12 x 12

2010-09-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

1. Adam watching the Formula One Race 2. Rhodes rolls rising for dinner 3. It was a busy weekend and our bedroom took the brunt of it 4. Headed to Hammy's to plan swap 5. Lulu played with her matching game during quiet time 6. We only use cloth napkins 7. Remnants of Ted's birthday party cake 8. Lulu reading us a bedtime story 9. Ted telling us that the light bulb is dangerous 10. Adam has taken to wearing bow ties 11. Ted LOVES Star Wars 12. Self portrait in my church outfit

Happy Birthday Francis

2010-09-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a blistery, crazy weather day in Texas. But, it seemed rather appropriate because it was also the little man's birthday. Ted made a rather crazy entrance into the world and he is a bit of a tornado on a regular basis. It seems only fitting that three years later, on the that he was born, we had a real tornado touch down in our city.

In honor of his birthday I wanted to tell you a few of my favorite things about him.

1. Star Wars

Ted saw Star Wars a couple of months ago with Adam. He wants to watch it on a regular basis, but we always try to watch it with him. This morning when he asked to watch it and I expressed concern that I didn't have time to watch it with him, because I needed to get ready, he said "don't worry mom, I'll just sing along".. and began singing the Star Wars theme.

On our recent drive to New Orleans, Ted, Lulu and I discussed Star Wars from Lafayette to Baton Rouge. His pronunciation of obi-wan-kenobi is priceless.

2. His sister

Ted adores his sister. He loves to follow her around and do everything she is doing. But, he also likes to torment her too. Ted would be glued to Lulu's side all the time if he could. She finds it annoying at times, but it warms my heart. He likes to watch out for her and will make sure that everything is fair. If we listen to his song in the car, he will immediately say "okay, Lulu's song is next."

3. Clothing

Ted loves to pick out his clothes for the day. He is very particular about his pants and prefers to wear short pants over long pants. His favorite pair of short pants are for a 12 month old. We finally had to take them away. He also loves to wear Julius t-shirts. Thank heavens Target stocks them.

4. Pictures

He HATES getting his picture taken. He will smile for you, but only for a quick second and then he is gone. When he isn't in the mood, he makes it known.

5. Talker

Ted is unbelievably verbal for his age. It isn't always nice words, but we are working on it. He is also very polite.

This morning we asked him where he wanted to eat for his birthday and he said "Chuy's". As we were driving to the restaurant, we asked him if he was excited to eat at Chuy's he said "of course."

6. Music

On any given day Ted will ask to listen to Beyonce's Single Ladies. However, his favorite song is My Doorbell by the White Stripes. He calls it the Boom Boom Song.

Happy Birthday my little man. I'm thankful you are mine, every. single. day.

Going Home: Day One

2010-09-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Few places give me a general sense of peace like New Orleans. I'm not saying that the trip wasn't crazy, or that it wasn't hot and sticky, or that there weren't a ridiculous number of tourist, but I am saying that at the end of the day I always feel like I've come home.

I took advantage of the long weekend and made the drive to New Orleans with just little old me and my two littles. Adam was on call for the bulk of the weekend so he missed all the excitement. On the way in, we stopped in Baton Rouge to pick up this lovely lady.

Love this lady. It was nice to spend the last bit of the drive chatting with her. We had a lot to talk about. We were lucky to have her around the whole weekend, as well as her awesome British fiancee. We always stay with our friend Livy and her family.

Side note:
Years ago the three of us, along with two more, took yearly trips to reconnect and regroup. Unfortunately grad school, fellowships, lack of funds, and lots of bebes have put the kibosh on our trips. However we came to the agreement that our dream vacation would happen in 2 years. We are headed to the Bay of Fundy to see the puffins. The reasons are too long to explain, but we have been dreaming about this trip for nearly 10 years.

The next morning we opted for pastries from La Boulangerie to start the day. If you ever go to NOLA this is the best french bakery in the city. It is always on my list. After breakfast we headed to the zoo. New Orleans has an AMAZING zoo. When Adam and I lived there we had a zoo membership and went nearly every week.

When I get with my girlfriends I swear we sound like this flock of flamingos.

Ain't it the truth. It gives me an eerie feeling to read this quote.

Ted was an awesome climber. He and Lulu did it a handful of times. Each time they would walk all the way to the end of the long corridor and Ted would turn around and run full speed back. Maniac.

Whenever you go to New Orleans a good rock in a porch rocking chair is a must.

This is in the Louisiana Bayou section of the zoo. We actually attended Adam's cadaver ball at the end of his first year of medical school. The party is in honor of all the individuals that donated their bodies to the anatomy lab.

Best way to cool off on a hot day: Hansen's Sno Balls. It was a long line, but totally worth the wait. Many might argue that their sno ball shop is the best, but I stand firm in my decision!

Dinner: I was hoping for a Domilise's Po-Boy but they were closed. Frankie and Johnny Po-Boys was a happy alternative. Delicious.

Shhh!

2010-09-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Part of growing up is learning hard lessons. Sometimes those lessons come in the form of learning to deal with disappointment and other times it might be one of the dreaded "learning your lesson" kind of moments. You know the ones, they always accompany a bad decision on your part that is further accentuated by those words coming out of a parental units mouth. But, again, these moments are part of growing up.

Neither of us were ready for her to grow up quite yet.

She arrived today, all sparkly and new. The tags that made her a collectible were intact. Lulu asked for them to be removed immediately. She wanted to snuggle her.

**thankfully we were able to find her on ebay for a reasonable price. thanks to everyone for scouring the web to find her, the sympathy emails, and the offers to send others our way.

Have You Seen Me?

2010-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

Bear Bear 2004-2010

It is the end of an era. Bear bear has disappeared and after several days of searching (and I'm talking serious searching) she has been officially declared lost. I mean really. truly. not gonna find her. sweet mother where did she go. LOST. with a capital L.O.S.T. To say that my sweet Lulu is sad would be a gross misrepresentation of the level of heartache the poor bebe is feeling. The first day she was fine.. "don't worry mom, we will find her tomorrow." But, the next day she was a bit more panicked "mom, I've looked everywhere for her," and the first of many tears surfaced. Today she was inconsolable. Nothing could temper the tears and they have been flowing for most of the day. I think she assumed that since we have found her after being misplaced several times before, that this would be the same. Sadly, there is little hope of finding her.

It breaks my heart. Especially since she has faithfully carried her for years. There are only a few times during the day that she isn't without her. Last week she was asked to fill a sack with 5 things that represented her. She picked: ballet slippers, nail polish, a littlest pet shop, a picture of her family, and a picture of bear bear. We were going to actually put in bear bear, but she was uncomfortable with the possibility that she would have to leave the sack and all its contents in the classroom overnight. Instead we snapped a cute little Polaroid.

I thought I would look and maybe see if I could find a replacement, but evidently bear bear has been "retired" and is fetching quite a price on ebay. Damn.

**are you thinking "man.. didn't this exact same thing happen before?" you can read about it here. Sadly, I don't think we are going to be as lucky this time.

So long SUCKER!

2010-08-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Things I won't miss about chemo:

1. the metallic taste in my mouth

2. "pity" stares when i register for my infusions

3. queasiness that is only thwarted by round the clock doses of zofran

4. IVs

5. low blood counts that lead to self imposed isolation until they return to a safe range

Things I'll miss:

1. 5 hours of uninterrupted reading time. i made a goal of not watching any tv/movies while i was having my treatments, which meant i was either reading or sleeping most of the time. sometimes i'd play words with friends or listen to music.

2. awesome nurses that are supportive and do everything they can to make sure your experience is as pleasant as possible

3. a "get out of doing anything card" for the 48 hours afterward because of the queasiness issue

4. the time i got to myself. sure there were always other patients around, but everyone keeps to themselves and does their own thing.

at the end of it, i sit here making this silly little list, knowing that i am incredibly blessed. i know that many of the other people i saw had a much harder and longer road ahead of them. i can only hope for the best for them.

i also have hope that this really is the end of this portion of my treatment regimen and that it was effective. time will tell. regardless, i can't help but feeling awfully lucky.

Back to School

2010-08-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

Like most kids, Lulu started school this week. Ted will start within the next couple of weeks. To help start the school year on the right foot, we had our back to school dinner (ala NieNie). I love this tradition and kick myself for not thinking of it.

MENU
Spaghetti
Steamed zucchini
Martinelli's Sparkling Cider
Popsicle

I thought it would be fun to spruce up the table with traditional school items. Lulu said it was the best party ever.

School is viewed, quite often, as this arduous task. It seems to me that as kids age, they are less inclined to enjoy the daily rigors of attending school, completing homework, tests, etc.. It doesn't help that it comes immediately after a long summer of play dates, pool parties, travels, and (at least for us) total time/schedule abandonment.

I like the idea of celebrating the beginning of school on such a positive note. Even though it means we aren't as free, it is so much more rewarding than sleeping a little too late or having nothing but lazy days. I often think about how summertime is this delicious treat after a long year of hard work. It has its perks, but by the end of it, I'm craving order.

TED

2010-08-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

the summer has been somewhat of a blur. between a devastating loss and monthly chemo doses i've lost track of time. at some point this little guy went from a small bebe into a terrorizing toddler. it's a good thing he is cute.

2010-06-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

For someone that really isn't a big fan of George W. Bush, he has occupied my blog waaay too long. I know. I've been away. My kidneys are sick. After a kidney biopsy and lots of doctor appointments we have a plan. We are hoping a little cytoxan will do the trick and make them happy again. Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer.

George W Bush

2010-04-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

I caught your attention, didn't I?

Last week Adam and I had tickets to hear W and Laura speak, albeit somewhat briefly, as they accepted an award at SMU for their distinguished public service. A couple of years ago Tony Blair was also given the same award and we were privileged to go to the same "award ceremony" and hear a few of his anecdotes during his years as Prime Minister. As many of you know I'm not a big Bush supporter, but I am also not one to box myself into one ideology and love the idea of having a well rounded, open view. I might not agree and may never change to the opposing way of thinking, but I'm all about taking every opportunity presented to you. So, when the opportunity came up for us to buy tickets through our regular lecture series I was all over it.

Overall I was HIGHLY disappointed. It was way too short. Laura was like a crazy cardboard version of herself, but with a moving mouth. I enjoyed her discussion about the things they had planned for the George W. Bush Library and the policies they are specifically excited about, but she wasn't engaging.

W. He was the goofy guy that he always seems to be, but it was somewhat endearing. He shared a couple of funny moments of life outside the White House (his wife believes his new Domestic Policy is washing dishes), but he spoke rather briefly and was less anecdotal than Tony Blair. I wonder if that was part of the problem, because I went in with HIGH expectations. I think the whole thing lasted just over 38 minutes AND a portion of that was introductions and whatnot for the Tower Center, which is the organization that gives out the award.

Maybe I've become too pampered because of all the other lectures we have seen over the years. I'm still glad we went.

Words with Friends

2010-04-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Listen, I love my iPhone apps. I even included my newest obsession in my 12x12 for April. However I do have a Cautionary Tale because of said app:

Don't tell your uber smart friends that you enjoy playing the game "Words with Friends."
They will sucker you into playing with them and after 5 1/2 rounds they will be TROUNCING you with a score of 88 to 149. And suddenly you will realize you aren't as good at playing it as you once thought you were.

Disneyland

2010-04-16T06:16:00.001-07:00

1. Ted and Adam on Toy Story 2. Lulu's sustenance was Churros 3. shell shocked Ted 4. a quick partial family snap while Ted was asleep 5. riding the rides 6. ANOTHER Churro 7. Stroller parking was our nemesis. 8. me and Lulu on the worlds shortest ride, but longest line 9. cab from Monsters Inc. 10. wonder how long that paint job took? 11. Ted hated 3-d glasses 12. Awesome Ferris wheel

Adam had to take his oral boards in San Diego this past February, so we decided to make it a family trip. We love heading to San Diego because we get to visit one of our favorite families and we always make a little time for Disneyland. My sister, Libby, just happened to be heading to Disneyland with her 8 year old and 2 foreign exchange students the same week, so we coordinated our schedules and got to spend a little time with them. We have lots of pictures at Disney, so I decided to take along my Fuji Mini to spice things up while we were in California Adventure.

12x12 Project: April 2010

2010-04-13T20:19:00.001-07:00

1. Our squash is desperately in need of planting

2. Lulu was in a bad mood at dinner.

3. This is a saving grace for me at work. It is the names and dosing information for all HIV medications.

4. I got home to find the kids playing outside on their scooters. Ted is rather skilled on his.

5. My daily medications.

6. Adam and I got a new app. Words with Friends. It is more or less and online scrabble game. It is AWESOME.

7. The kids chilling before the "mad dash to get Lulu to school on time" begins. 8 am school sucks!

8. Ted loves playing with my glasses. I love getting them back with his fingerprints all over the lenses.

9. TAX MAN. I really hate Uncle Sam.

10. A break from our traditional morning oatmeal with a little cheerios and strawberries.

11. Monday = Ballet Day

12. Dinner at our favorite place.

12x12 Project: March 2010

2010-03-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

I forgot it was March 12 until half way through the day, so I ended up taking pictures on the 13th. oops.

1. Morning trip to the park

2. We painted our old neighbors abandoned backyard furniture from yellow to blue to give it a little spice.

3. The swings are always a must when we go to the park.

4. I got daffodils at the grocery for $.99 a bunch. I love springtime.

5. My girlfriend and I snuck out for a minute to the Dallas Flea Market. I'll forgo telling you the details, but next time.. bring cash and I must get a better ATM map.

6. We stopped at our favorite mom and pop doughnut shop on our way to the park.

7. Lulu having a little donut snack.

8. We misjudged our spray paint needs and had to make 3 trips.

9. Adam did the furniture spray painting.

10. Even Adam likes the swing.

11. Which color to pick... the winner was blue.

12. We hada little date that night and saw "An Education." I personally think it is a must see for anyone raising a daughter.

Visit

2010-02-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

**photo from a very cool house

did i tell you? we just got back from california. or as adam calls it- the people's republic of california. he swears he will never move there unless he can be a bona fide american citizen. translation= he gets all the liberties of the constitution.. namely the "most important of all the amendments, the 2nd amendment". you know he's a gun nut, right? i was only half listening when he was explaining, but it had something to do with limitations on the kinds of guns you can own... whatever.

** she is going to be mad that I posted this one and only photo taken during the weekend.

but.. before we went to california my bestest friend came for a visit. we met on the first day of 7th grade. been friends ever since. there is nothing like a visit from a friend that knows all your stories. even your embarrassing ones.. like the time we laughed so hard outside of the AP history class during lunch time that once the bell rang the door opened and everyone gawked at the "ridiculously loud girls outside the door" or ate the same lunch with you every single day.. turkey sandwich with a diet and cookie. (how did we stay thin?) it was so comfortable. we shopped, ate, watched movies, and took adam along for a valentine's day dinner (he was a trooper).

i realized three things on this trip. 1. i am a terrible tour guide. must make better plans next time. 2. i'm scheduling a visit with a nutritionist 3. man i miss this girl...even though she thinks her grandmother was alive during the civil war.

12x12 Project: February 2010

2010-02-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

1. biggest storm Dallas has seen since 1964. 12.5 inches at the airport

2. Lulu playing in the snow.

3. candy hearts

4.Lulu busting a move

5. Breakfast

6. Puzzles

7. No power for 24 hours

8. Building a snowman with friends

9. Baking strawberry cupcakes at Hammy's house

10. Email from the school notifying us that school was closed

11. Flowers waiting to be purchased at Central Market

12. Teddy tormenting Adam during quiet time

It was a crazy day to document. We were without power for about 24 hours and our cars were stuck in the garage. We finally took refuge at Hammy's house. It was nice and warm and the kids had a great time playing.

I am disappointed that I did not take a picture of me picking up my girlfriend from the airport that night. (Thankfully the Hammys lent me a car.) She flew in for a fun long weekend. oops.

12 x 12 Project

2010-02-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

Don't forget- if you are doing the 12 x 12 project tomorrow is the day. Haven't heard about it? Go here for more information. I did it last month and LOVED it. I'm excited at the prospect of having a collection of photos documenting our days.

Happy snapping.

Cute Printable Valentine Cards

2010-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for some cute printable Valentine Day cards you are in luck. My girlfriend over at The Dotted Line has posted six darling down loadable Valentine Day cards. Ted will be using the "I Dig You" and Lulu is giving both the "You Make Me A Little Shy" and "You Are A Hoot"

Daring to define a hero.

2010-02-06T14:06:00.001-08:00

artwork

Are you looking for something amazing to read? Breathtakingly amazing? If you are, head over to read this. I think I've reread it at least 10 times over the last two days. I've cried each and every single read.

**I'm also smitten with the artwork included. I've got my eye on at least a couple of the prints for Lulu's room.

'staches

2010-01-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

Don't mind us- we are trying out our new 'staches and documenting it with my fancy new Fuji Mini.

B.I.N.G.O.

2010-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

thanks to a tip from mrs. jordan "she's more awesome than you could imagine" gooch we have a new past time. last week i spied her cool new b.i.n.g.o game gifted to her by her children. she graciously shared its origins.. anthropologie.

after calling our local stores and a couple out of state stores, i got serious. i immediately thought to myself- "where would this game be too uber cool"? southlake, tx of course. so i called and guess what- they had 3 of them. yahoo. i piled the kids in the car, along with my very skeptical husband, and we set off to pick it up. it was a drive and i was quickly reminded why we live where we live, but it was nice to see that the suburbs aren't all scary.

since we picked it up on monday we have had a great time with it. ted is a little young, but he likes spinning the cage, so that keeps him busy.

i'd tell you to pick one up yourself, but it might be tough. however, if you want a really cool retro bingo game and you are willing to make phone calls and possibly pay for shipping, it is well worth it. friend, trust me on this one.

Don't you hate

2010-01-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

**image found here

Don't you hate it when you don't get the joke? Last night Adam and I watched David Letterman. He was interviewing his heart surgeon. He's a really a nice guy. Dr. Isom is actually a friend of a friend, so when Adam interviewed at Cornell years ago he was really sweet and gave Adam an awesome special vip tour. During the interview Dr. Isom made some crack about orthopedist. Adam laughed rather heartily, to which I replied "I don't get why that is funny." His response "you would if you were a surgeon."

Don't you hate it when you find out something tragic about someone you know/knew? I came across a horrible news story the other night. One of the doctors I knew when I worked at Tulane was murdered in his house on Halloween and then his house was torched. Seriously he was the nicest guy. Although I haven't spoken to him since we left NOLA, it was still shocking and I I've been sad about it ever since.

Don't you hate it when April 15th rolls around? Well guess what, I now hate January 15, July 15, & October 15 too. We are paying quarterly taxes and I growl when I have to write those freaking checks.

Don't you hate it when people refuse to update their blogs regularly? I can say that. I'm the worst offender.

And last but not least- don't you hate it when the temperature fluctuates between freezing temperatures and 67? This is within a 2 day time period.

Yeah, me too.

12x2 Project: January 2010

2010-01-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

loved. loved. loved this project. i'm can't wait for next month.

1. Ted organizing his rhinos and hippos

2. Lulu walking home from school

3. Remnants of the kids invading my sleep

4. Gym

5. Ted napping while I ran errands

6. Dinner

7. My "To Do" list. How often is "mail gun" at the top of your list?

8. Making Rebecca's famous chocolate chip cookies

9. Lulu doodling

10. Ted and his painted toes

11. Lulu showing off her taped fingers after performing her rendition of Beyonce's Single Ladies

12. Playing at the park

I'm Mad at SIGG

2010-01-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

** If you have a chance, please pop over to my friend Jordan's blog. She turned 32 today.

Wow-I've become quite the drama queen.

Months and months ago I got an email about the SIGG recall. Haven't heard? You can go here (because interestingly enough SIGG has taken down any mention of it from their website). I, like many moms, immediately ran out and decided to find a more suitable non-toxic option when the BPA news broke. Imagine my horror when SIGG announced their old liners also contained BPA. I got a group together and we mailed back 11 SIGG bottles for exchange. There were pretty little fairies (6 of them), small animals, cute circus friends, a snazzy little pirate.. you know- CUTE kids bottles.

I waited. And waited. Nothing. I've searched high and low for a way to contact them to find out where my bottles were. Then today, as I bundled the kids up to brave our freezing cold weather to shuttle Lulu to school, I found a box on my doorstep. In it, were 11 of the UGLIEST SIGG bottles I've ever seen. Sponge Bob- do I look like the kind of mom that would buy Sponge Bob?

I pride myself on rarely buying character themed items. If they get them from someone else- fine, but I RARELY buy them.

Sorry I digress. They also included a nice little letter letting me know that because I never used the code they sent me they just picked out some for me. They also included an extra bottle to make up if "the designs(s) may not meet your exact taste." Wait- you sent me what? Since I sent them I have doubled checked my email, junk email, deleted, etc waiting for communication (another friend did it too and she told me when she got her email) and there was never a code. I see the problem. They exchanged a "t" for the "d" in my name so I'm guessing someone else got those codes.

I've put a call in. They asked for my email. I spelled it slowly for them...very slowly. Now I have to go tell my friends that there is a good possibility they will be the proud recipients of this:

bizarre strawberrycrazy goth girl- maybe if they were 10, but 5 year olds want pimk and happy

AWESOME!

I was getting rather sick of my last post.

2010-01-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

I had a dream I deleted my blog last night. I either need to come to terms with it being a mommy blog or delete it all together. I'm just not sure I want to severe my blogging ties. Although I'm a pretty reluctant blogger already.

Ted is in desperate need of a haircut. His hair has moved from the "cool" phase to the "get that kid a haircut" phase. But, doesn't he look 1970's awesome in this photo (this was about a week before he moved out of the "cool" phase).

I'm very proud of my Christmas card this year. We got lots of sweet phone calls and notes about it. Now the pressure is on for next year! Although my cousin commented "it isn't often you see a firearm incorporated into a Christmas card".

I haven't had a sip of Diet Coke in over a week. In order for me to give it up, I have to completely stop cold turkey. I've noticed that I only really crave it when I'm stressed.

Adam got me a North Face down vest for Christmas. It has come in handy these last couple of days. We have barely gotten above freezing. My blood is too thin for these kind of temps.

My hopes have been squashed. I thought I would be able to go with Adam to San Diego (he's taking his oral boards) for a couple of days to see one of our favorite families, but alas, I have no one to watch my kids. I've tried about everything but it seems like the timing stinks. Sometimes it sucks to live so far away from family.

Album of the year

2009-12-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

**did you notice her punk rock hair?

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?

nothing. how sad is that? does anyone have any suggestions? please. with a cherry on top.

Challenges this Year

2009-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

Adam's job craziness was such a huge challenge, but in the end it has been the most perfect situation for us. It also taught both of us a lot about getting a job in the "real world" and I think that will help us quite a bit in the future.

My health has been less than ideal this year. But- I really feel like it has made me grow in terms of being more aware of what I should and should not be doing for a healthier body. A few months back Kristi asked for comments regarding what you would tell your 16 year old self. She posted the comments and reading through them it became clear to me, rather quickly, that I have an incorrect perception on what it means to be healthy, healthy eating, etc... I've had to retool and rethink my thought process. Now- if I could just give up the sweet nectar.

Moment of Peace

2009-12-08T12:30:00.000-08:00

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?

there is something like that out there? i just assumed it was one of those elusive concepts.

today. this year. its a different time and season. moments of peace aren't necessarily quiet, but rather:

ted climbing into bed and saying- let me tell you something, but to him it's just a phrase, so the something never comes. he follows it with a hug or a kiss. i ask him if he wants a ___ and he says "sure. be right back."

or lulu demanding something in her 5 year old bossy voice. moments later she comes back, professes her love for me and tells me i look pretty.

or adam having a little down time and willingly spends it running menial errands or other such nonsense.

funny. i wouldn't have thought to attach the word peace to describe these moments.. but isn't it?

Blog Find of the Year

2009-12-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

I found it through another blog I equally adore-- Simple Lovely. Oh how I wish I would have found this blog earlier. Karey M is amazing. I actually stole her format a couple of posts ago. No proper punctuation. no capitalization. love it. I missed her first installment, but thankfully found her before she disappeared again. I promise she will move you.

me + mackin ink = gigantic blog crush.

Playing Catch Up #6

2009-12-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

This is a resounding no, because I did not attend any conferences or workshops. Although, while I was in Nova Scotia, I did sneak into one of Adam's lectures. It was a lunchtime session about the Halifax Explosion. They discussed it in terms of Pediatric Surgery, because one of the main physicians on hand has been credited with being the "Father of Pediatric Surgery" in the United States.

I knew a bit about it, because we walked through the Maritime Museum and given its significance for the town, they have a rather large exhibit specifically about the disaster. (interesting fact: they also have one of the Titanic deck chairs, as well as other pieces, because the Titanic sunk near enough to Halifax that several rescue boats were dispatched from the area. ) It was cool to see it in a different context though. Also, we ended up having a great conversation with the peds surgeon sitting next to me. He said to Adam "remember a lot of people want to be pediatric surgeons, but you GET to be a Pediatric Surgeon." It reminded us, once again, how truly lucky we have been in regards to Adam's career.

Playing Catch Up #5

2009-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated a girlfriend's birthday at this really fabulous little souffle house. We were a couple of weeks behind, because right after her birthday she had a baby, so we postponed the celebration until she was ready. It was such a lovely evening. We order a couple of souffles for the table and I ordered this delicious tomato based soup with tiny little goat cheese souffles. It is aptly named Marshmallow Soup, because they look like tiny floating marshmallows. There were 6 of us. We've all been friends for a long time, so it was comfortable and easy and perfect.

**My only regret: we didn't get a picture.

Playing Catch Up #4

2009-12-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

I've been in a bit of a reading funk as of late and honestly this year started with a bang in the book department, but is ending in a small almost inaudible whimper. However, of the few (read paltry) number of books I read I would have to say Anne of Green Gables was my favorite. I find this slightly hilarious, because I've packed and moved the copy I received as a child every.single.move, but had yet to read it. It was sweet to finally pick it up. And guess what, even though I knew the story, I really loved it. I'm excited to read it with Lulu.

Playing Catch Up #3

2009-12-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.

My favorite article was Atul Gawade's The Cost Conundrum. I also found this piece interesting. It isn't an article per se, but it was written by an ER physician and was printed in the Pittsburg Post Gazette. Both Adam and I work in health care. It is probably one of my more conservative issues and I think most people would be surprised at my views on whether or not health care should be considered a right. (I'm sure in all actuality, no one really cares.) If you are at all interested in something other than what the talking heads are saying, I would recommend reading both pieces. They are from two different perpsectives, but really look at some of the major issues attached to health care in its current state as well as some of the ways they are looking to "fix" it.

Playing Catch Up #2

2009-12-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

While I was in Utah for the month of July I arranged a little dinner with Amy and Christie.

It's funny, because Amy and I weren't particularly close while growing up. We lived in the same neighborhood, knew the same people, etc... but we didn't spend a lot of one on one time together.

Christie and I lived across the street from one another. I pulled the parking brake on her dad's old green station wagon and rolled it into their garage door. We spent HOURS playing together and fighting over barbie clothes. I took her to at least one questionable movie (still horrified). But, my family moved my last year of high school and we haven't kept in close contact.

However through blogging, I've been able to re-establish these friendships. That night, at a restaurant I cannot even remember the name, was not only a night that brought back such a high level of nostalgia for my childhood, years at Girl's Camp, late night games of hide and seek, Youth Conference, perils of high school, whatever happened to? etc.., but also a lovely opportunity to realize how much I adore both of them and appreciate the chance I've had to expand our relationships and reconnect.

I cannot wait to see them again next July.

Playing catch up

2009-12-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?

This was HARD. I took several amazing trips this year. I would probably say each one of them was the best trip for different reasons.

Our car ride from Texas to Utah and back was such a great bonding time for me. The drive to Utah was just me and my little family. We did what we wanted to do and had no time table. We were spontaneous and saw some amazing things.

The drive back was awesome because my bestie drove back with me. It is hard to pin that girl down and for 6 whole days she was mine. We gabbed, shopped, cared for the chillin and realized that even though I've been gone for 11 years it doesn't really matter. We've produced 6 babies, battled cancer, battled cancer again, went to Italy, fought, lived it up in NOLA, but at the end of the day we are the same crazy friends that bought diet coke and pink cookies at 7-11 every morning on the way to our first class at the U.

Seattle for my mom's 60th birthday was tense and hard, but worth it. I come from a family of girls. LOTS OF GIRLS. You know what that means? LOTS OF EMOTIONS. My parents raised strong minded girls. We are vastly different, but at the end of the day we are sisters and we love one another. I was not at my best that trip. I could provide a list of excuses, but they don't really matter. I realized on this trip that I'm very forgiving of others, but sometimes forget to apply that same rule to my family. Of all my trips this year, it is the one I would like to call DO OVER.

Nova Scotia was relaxing. I wish Adam had been more available, but I enjoyed exploring the city on my own and enjoying his company in between conference sessions. We had some awesome dinners and loved seeing the city. I realized that even though I saw a couple of things twice (because I wanted Adam to see them too) it was better when we were together and even though I'm thankful we could go, you don't need a big fancy trip to remind you how much you adore your spouse.

Oregon. I loved seeing Rebecca's Oregon. There is something about seeing friends in their environment. Seeing Rebecca's life in Oregon was soothing. I wanted to stay curled up on her sofa, looking at her beautiful fairytale backyard through her gorgeous ceiling to floor windows. This trip was such a rejuvenating, grounding and rewarding trip. These are my people (when I say my people I mean people that don't have to love you, but come to love you) and sometimes a girl needs that. I look forward to this trip every year. With the rash number of babies produced this year and next, I hope we can still pull it off for 2010. I'm crossing my fingers.

Inside my brain

2009-12-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking. about what you ask? would you like me to tell you? yes, yes you would.

Hair- I got mine cut a couple of weeks ago. I jumped on the short hair bandwagon. I've looked at myself several times and said "I love my hair." except not in this picture. I look old.

Debit Cards- you see I lost mine. not surprising. I misplace it at least once every couple of months. I will admit that by saying misplaced I'm really trying to skirt any kind of responsibility. I go through the motion. call and cancel and then wait for another to arrive. I always promise to never do it again... at least for a couple of months. of course usually between canceling and waiting for another i find it. tucked inside some pocket or nook.

so you can see why it wasn't all that shocking when I lost it last night somewhere between pumping gas and buying a diet and the grocery. I searched the car, my purse, everywhere. drat. so I called and canceled it... again. but then this morning I discovered it wasn't really lost. it was tucked in my wallet. didn't I look there last night? surely I looked in my wallet. no. I blame Obama. I was looking while listening to him speak on the radio. obviously I was too enthralled to look properly. but the best part- when I called to cancel I gave them the wrong last four digits. instead of canceling mine- they canceled Adam's.

Co-Habitation- that is a little misleading. they have their apartment and we have ours, we just live in the same "house". you see friends from church moved into the top floor of the "house" a couple of months ago. they have a daughter the same age as Lulu. a son a year little older than Ted. and a baby that makes me slightly baby hungry.. until he cries in the car all the way to the zoo. the whole situation is quite possibly perfect. last night as I was leaving a female church gathering Amy said "see you at home". it made me giggle a little. did you know we co-habitated while we lived in NOLA with another married couple? it was a big house. we were lucky it worked out perfectly and we are still the best of friends.

Snow-I know. we have snow. I cannot remember the last time it snowed here. crazy. it only lightly covered the ground and was gone within an hour or so. but... there was still snow.

Medical Insurance-the bane of my existence. don't get me wrong, I'm thankful we have insurance. the ongoing saga is just too long to discuss. so now we are in process of changing our current insurance because they are ridiculous and are blurring the lines of what medications are and are not covered under prescription benefits. sorry. I promised not to discuss. this change results in mass amounts of paperwork and the discovery that we misplaced the copy of our first borns' birth certificate. I know.

My job-I do miss being home with my kids. but this whole medical insurance issue has made me unbelievably grateful for an awesome boss that let me add one more hour a week so I could switch and get health insurance through my job instead.

is the lack of capitalization and proper punctuation annoying?

Two Truths and a Lie

2009-11-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

**photos taken at the Citadel in Nova Scotia

1. One day last week I spent a good amount of time chatting with not ONE, not TWO, but THREE long lost friends. Two moved from our fair city so long ago that it is ridiculous how much it still haunts me. While the other moved only a year or so ago, but it too feels like a lifetime. One of them indicated they might be moving back. What? Say it is so.

2. Did I tell you? I did not cooking one.blasted.thing. for Thanksgiving. Thanks to our fancy cook of a friend, Nicole, our entire dinner was catered. It was scrumptious. Although I do miss left overs and the savory smells from cooking a turkey.

3. In October Adam and I went to Nova Scotia. Adam was attending a conference, which equated to a really nice free hotel room, so I went along. My girlfriend Carrie was looking for someone to watch her two girlies while she and her husband went to London a week later, so we did a little switcharoo and while I was in Nova Scotia she watched my kids and while she was in London I watched her kids. It was great and I'm sure we will plan on doing it again.

While Adam and I were waiting in the airport for our flight to Nova Scotia we heard another gate agent announce these items over the PA system:

"Even if your bag has fit on every plane since the dawn of time, if it doesn't fit in the carry on checker we will have to check it."

"You are only allowed 2 carry on bags. If you have three we will confiscate one and sell it on ebay."

He spelled the word FIRST. Twice.

"If your expanded zipper is anything like my belt, it must fit in the carry on checker without you jumping on it."

Having worked in the airline industry I was a little shocked. However, he did it with such ease and self deprecation, it wasn't really offensive at all.

How much does it take to find 2 lost children?

2009-11-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

Monster #1 and #2

1 calm mother 1 frantic mother (guess which one was me) 1 random jogger 1 family of three 3 garbage men 3 police officers in 3 separate cars (although they assured us there were MANY more on the way) 1 neighbor that assured us she would tell the police officers that we were "good moms" 2 laps around the neighborhood (thankfully the jogging mom is in great shape) 2 calls to 911 (one to call for help, the other to cancel help)

Mind you it took less than 5 minutes for those little buggers to slink like snakes under the fence, run down the alley, hide in a house currently under construction and completely ignore the fact that someone was frantically calling their names.

In Summary:

Total people involved in the escapade: 15 (including the rascals, but not including a worried husband at work)

Total time lost: approximately 10 minutes

Total number of times the little darlings have played in the backyard unsupervised without a problem: At least 100 times

Total number of years I lost: About 75.. at least.

Total time for the adults to recover: 5 days and counting

I know, I joke, but really it wasn't all that funny. Thankfully, at least my little conspirator, knows he scared me. He repeatedly has said over the past couple of days..."crying", ''scared" , "big truck" with at least a slight look of concern.

**post edit** I should clarify that the police didn't actually help us look for the kids. We found them before they got to the house. But when we called the 911 operator back to say we found them, she said they were already enroute so she couldn't call them off. She said they would have to see the kids to verify they were okay. However, the garbage men were in fact the ones that found the monsters.

Our own little Knufflebunny

2009-11-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Lulu had a scare.

We went with friends to the arboretum last week and she took her bear bear along. We laughed, we played, we ran, we jumped, and we even threw a few pumpkins.

We left a little early to get her ready for the first of her two Halloween parties.

It wasn't until hours later that we realized- where was bear?

We looked in the car, the bag, the stroller, everywhere it might have been.

She SWORE she gave it to someone, but couldn't recall exactly which someone.

A frantic phone call to friends generated this response:
"No she didn't give it to me. But, when we were walking in Hayden (her daughter) said 'mom look, Lulu has a bear just like that one.'" I got the exact location and prayed it would be there the next day.

Lulu cried herself to sleep. Snuggling a paper cut out of the bear bear she made me days before.

We arose early the next day- armed with donuts, a promise we would "look everywhere we went yesterday" and a heartfelt prayer.

"No we haven't had anything turned in." said the lady at the information booth.

So we started to walk to the exact location bear was spotted the day before. I watched as she ran with high expectations, only to see her shoulders slump in defeat. Bear wasn't perched atop the pumpkin. It broke my heart to see her deflated with sadness.

But.. wait what was that? A small something sitting behind the pumpkins on the ground. Could it be? Could we be so lucky? Why yes, yes we could. Kissed with morning dew sat a much beloved bear.

Note to self- keep better track of bear.

Note to other parents- sure it is darling when your kid gets attached to some special little something and because it warms your heart so, you cultivate the love of this little object. But remember there might come a day when that little something gets lost and unless you had the foresight to purchase the EXACT SAME something you will have many lonely and sad moments. It's cute and all, but could, quite possibly, be the death of you.

Halloween

2009-11-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty uneventful Halloween. Of all of us, Lulu had the most festive holiday season.

Halloween Parties
Lulu 2
The rest of us a big fat ZERO
(I guess we at least had the ward Trunk or Treat)

We put her dance recital outfit to good use and dressed her up as a fairy. This is her and her friend Olive dressed for one of their many Halloween Parties.

Ted doing the cowboy thing. He wore his costume for about a second. Although he did keep his awesome plaid pearl button and cowboy boots on.

Adam in his awesome Dickies. People would ask Adam what he was dressed up as and he would say "well what do you think?" They would then respond "I think you are a ..." and Adam would say- you're right. By the end of the night he was a sewer worker (he was wearing his wellies), a garbage man, and a ton of other things.

Shocker- I went as a witch, but I have no pictures.

The Dotted Line Designs

2009-10-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Dotted Line Designs

I just added a link to my sidebar for a little company my girlfriend started. They are the cutest Christmas card designs. She gives you a ton of different options and you can either print them at home or she will print them for you.

I promise it is worth a look so check it out.

Ted

2009-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

While I was in Seattle my fabulous bil came to babysit my kids. Seriously- everyone should have an Uncle Jake... I mean SERIOUSLY.

While I was away I got an email containing this video. (Sorry I cannot post it directly to this site. I don't have the actual file so I can only direct you to the website he uploaded the video on)

DO look at it. I promise it is worth a gander. You can see Ted in all his glory walking his sister to school.

DON'T assume it is similar to the same video you have seen a million times by other bloggers.

A Giant Surprise

2009-09-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

My dad called me several months ago. He was waiting in line to buy tickets for the play Wicked for my mother's birthday. He had a little proposition. He would buy me a ticket to see the play, along with my mother and three sisters, if I would fly in and surprise her for her 60th birthday. Of course I agreed. After all, it is her 60th birthday. All five daughters were on board, now we just had to keep it quiet. As amazing as this sounds, albeit with a few near misses, we were able to keep it under wraps. On Wednesday night we all flew in about the same time and surprised her.

My parents showed us around their town. We went to the beach, did a little shopping, ate lots of seafood, perused the wares at Pike's Market and went to see Wicked. It was a nice weekend and I'm so glad we were able to surprise my mom.

Beach

Wicked

All dressed up for the play

Driving onto the ferry (my dad is a bit of a crazy driver so I commandeered the car. It was better for everyone involved. Especially the sisters that experience motion sickness.)

Deception Pass

Collecting rocks

Deception Pass- where the rivers and the ocean meet**correction

Did you Hear?

2009-09-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

** pillows available at Little Bean Shop

even President Obama thinks Kayne West is a big giant jerk.

Diego Rivera

2009-09-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

I know this really amazing woman. She works as a docent at one of the local museums. She is extremely generous with her time and usually offers to give the ladies from church a tour when a really great exhibit comes through the museum (which is basically all the time). The museum is currently featuring Diego Rivera. I missed the original organized tour, so I plead my case and she graciously gave up her Saturday morning to walk me through. I thought I was joining one of her scheduled tours, so you can imagine how delighted I was to find out that it was just going to be the two of us.

Barbara lives and breathes art. She makes it exciting and absolutely fascinating. She spends hours and hours getting ready for the exhibits. Because of her prep time, you always walk away with interesting tidbits of information about the artist, time period, relationship to other artist, etc.. She has changed the way I go to museums and quite frankly whenever possible I will always try to have a docent lead tour.

Interesting facts:

He claimed that he practiced cannibalism. He, along with some friends, would purchase an un-diseased cadaver. Barbara thought that knowing this could influence how you looked at his paintings. (Because he viewed a body as food, maybe he painted them the way he saw them.) She thought the woman's hands in this painting looked like artichokes and in another painting I swore the subject had a t-bone steak for a face.

This is probably my favorite piece of the display. Although he acted horribly to woman, especially his wife (in the white), he knows how to paint them. Don't you just want to jump into this moment?

He got in a huge fight with Picasso and ended their friendship over this painting.

This painting was found on the back of the painting pictured just above. They found it sometime later when they were performing some restoration work on the other piece. I really loved this one too.
He finally left cubism when he got in an argument with another painter.

It was a great exhibit and I really enjoyed it. I felt very fortunate Barbara was so willing to take me on a tour.

A few notes from my head

2009-09-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

1. This past week Adam and I were chatting and he commented that we no longer do a lot of the things we once did. I asked him to explain and he said:

"Well, we no longer take pictures. I no longer blog. You blog, but very infrequently. We no longer ask people over for Sunday dinner."

I was shocked. He was completely right.

Note to self: take more pictures, more Sunday dinners, and more blogging.

2. Adam tried to surprise me with a fancy "Holy crap we are finally done" gift, but I'm too impatient and nosy. He knew I was obsessed with this amazing Utah artist, Melissa Peck. She actually lives in my in-laws neighborhood so I invited myself over to meet her and see the pieces she was working on for her solo show. After much discussion and a whole lot of back and forth, this beauty arrived on our doorstep. I'm a HUGE believer in original art and this piece was just IT for me.

3. We are preparing to celebrate this little guy's birthday this week. He has grown leaps and bounds in the last 6 weeks or so. The other day he was trying to recapture his balloon in the car and I overheard him say "c'mon balloon" whilst trying to coax it back within his reach. A few minutes I heard "got it" and I looked back to see him smiling like he was the king of the world. Which, if you are wondering, he is in our little world.

4. Can someone please give me some pointers on surviving school?

a) The paper- my word the paper is just about doing me in. I swear I have two folders filled with paper and I don't feel like I can throw any of it away.

b) The meetings, coffee's (evidently a VERY popular thing in Texas), volunteer opportunities, Sally Foster (do y'all have wrapping paper you have to sell?), and schedules is enough for me to throw up my hands and give in. It is freaking Kindergarten people!

5. We had our pictures taken while we were in Utah by the very talented Ashley Thalman. I've posted a couple of them, but if you want to take a look you can go here. I wanted a Southern feel to it, with a little bit of Texas thrown in (hence the seer sucker jacket on Ted and a firearm for me and Adam).

And yes, that is me protecting the family. It was such a fun shoot. I can hardly wait for next year.

The World Needs:

2009-09-02T10:04:00.001-07:00

Less of the Gosselin's airing it out in People Magazine & more of Ted independently helping me feed the cat. (sorry about the blurry photo)

Genius

2009-09-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Did I tell you that this guy is a genius? He PASSED his written surgery boards. We are all breathing a sigh of relief. One down, one to go.

Oh and he's also pretty cute.

Pictures via Ashley Thalman photography (more to come)

Luluisms

2009-08-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

She LOVED her first day of school, but refused to tell us anything.

In honor of her first week as a BIG Kindergartner, I thought I'd list some of my most recent favorite things about her.

1. She sings Don't Stop Believing at the TOP OF HER LUNGS. She prefers the Glee version.

2. She is trying to use "big" words. We have recently heard her say appropriate, interrupting, and awesome.

3. Here is an example of her using her "big words" . "Mom, please stop erupting me." Adam and I laughed.

4. She refuses to wear pants, so we had to get crafty. Wednesday is heretofore declared as "pant day". On said day she is required to wear pants. She tried to change it this week, especially when she realized it was the next day.

5. She has asked for the same lunch for the past 4 days: tuna fish sandwich, 3 oreo cookies, Horizon chocolate milk, carrot sticks, and raisins.

6. She looks adorable in her giant backpack.

7. She recently learned to do the monkey bars all by herself.

New Kid At School

2009-08-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Did I tell you?

This one is starting kindergarten tomorrow!

Driving to Utah: A Photo Essay

2009-08-18T19:20:00.001-07:00

The drive from our home to Utah is long. 19 hrs and 46 minutes to be precise. We saw some awesome things along the way.

Just outside Amarillo is the "Stone Hedge of America" (I'm not sure which moron coined the phrase. It seems a little ridiculous to equate stone hedge with this baby, but to each his own.) It is a line of Cadillac cars sticking end up. We didn't have spray paint, but luckily I had a package of window markers in the car so we used those to leave our mark.

We stopped in Albuquerque for the night. The next day we headed over to the Natural History Museum.

Ted thought the dinosaurs were awesome but refused to get in the picture.

He loved the fish tanks too.

Lulu is like her dad she loved the microscope.

On our way to Moab we passed by Shipprock, NM.

I took a lot of pictures from the car.

We weren't going to go to the Four Corners because it added about 1 hour to our time, but decided that was crazy.

We have been frequently reminded that the actual monument for the Four Corners is in the wrong place, but according to Adam, it isn't because the government of the United States of America says so.

We arrived in Moab. The following day we thought a hike in Arches National Monument would be fun.

We hiked to Delicate Arch. We couldn't borrow a backpack for Ted, because all our friends were using theirs, so Adam elected to put him on his shoulders. Luckily we packed enough water because in the end it was a bit further than we had anticipated. Lulu was a trooper and hiked the WHOLE THING on her own. She even helped with the rock stacks at a few spots.

We realized we forgot to get a picture with her bear, so Lulu and I hiked back a bit to capture these babies:

It wasn't until we got in the car and Lulu fell asleep in the first few minutes that we realized our error. We took her on the STRENUOUS 3 mile hike instead of the 1 mile hike we intended. No wonder she had a melt down the last 1/4 mile.

Luckily we saw some awesome lizards and a really cute couple chatted with her for a bit. Adam quickly got back to the car, because Ted fell asleep on top of his shoulders so he was carrying him the last 1/2 mile or so and the sun was beating down on him.

We loved our trip and will most likely drive to Utah next July too.

For my family

2009-08-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

It has been confirmed.

Teddy is Grandpa Bud.

He has recently started requesting ICE in his sippy cup.

Coming out of the Water

2009-08-13T17:36:00.001-07:00

I've been gone a VERY long time.

It was somewhat of a self imposed exile, but also a bit out of necessity. Too little time, too many commitments, too little to say, blah, blah, blah.

But, I think I'm ready to come back. I'm not even sure anyone will care, but I'm happy to be back at a place that I actually WANT to blog.

My life in a nutshell.

My favorite picture. It is quintessential Rebecca to me.

1. Portland, Oregon May 2009

I love my NOLA ya-yas. You can see all of Jordan's beautiful pictures here.

2. Adam's graduation from his residency program June 2009

7 years. 7 long, arduous, exhausting, frustrating, amazing, life saving years. It was amazing to see all the years come to fruition with Adam's graduation. It was bittersweet. Because of crazy events it was a little more bitter than it was sweet, but everything worked out in the end and it was nice to celebrate with his graduating class and the faculty that have had such an impact on our lives.

We were also lucky that not only did Adam's mom and my parents attend, but his brother Dan came too. Adam and Dan are ridiculously similar. They are actually the same age for about a month, so I always refer to them as Irish twins. (I think that might be offensive, but I'm not entirely sure?) Dan is in the army so he isn't always able to make it to everything he wants. We felt very fortunate he was able to make it. We took him to the stockyards and ate a ridiculous amount of meat.

3. Work, work, and more work. June 2009
Because I was going to be gone the entire month of July I had to make up all my time. I felt like I was working ALL THE TIME, but it was nice to get a paycheck in July/August without stepping foot in my office.

4.Lulu's summer activities and Ted channeling his inner dancer. June 2009

Art day at the museum

Practice before dance class

Teddy getting down. Please note he begged and pleaded to wear the leotard.

Annual blueberry picking trip

5. Driving to Utah as seen through Lulu's eyes

Nothing too exciting.

The Party Goers

2009-04-28T11:02:00.001-07:00

The kids each decorated their own apple to pin on the tree.

While we were busy pinning our apples, these two decided to "sample" the apples we were going to use for the apple bobbing game.

A couple of the kids were willing to put their heads in the water. Can you see the sampling Ted and his little friend did pre-bobbing?

This little girl was a die hard. She did it about 5 times. She insisted on plugging her nose each time.

When the kids saw you had to put your head in the water, only a few were interested. Everyone loved this approach.

One of the little boys won for the kids and our friend Nicole won for the adults. Blast you Nicole.

It turned out to be quite the balancing act. Some of the kids thought that the apple bites (courtesy of Teddy) were hampering their abilities.

Freezing.

FIVE

2009-04-28T10:31:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Lulu's birthday last week. I saw a darling party idea on this great website and decided that we were going to forgo a princess party and instead do something a little different. Although I paired it down a little, I really didn't change much. I owe this girl a huge thank you. She deserves all the credit. I just followed her lead and figured out how to do it on my budget. Everyone loved it and Lulu thought it was the coolest party ever. We played games in our tiny backyard to keep the kids entertained. We flew planes, bobbed for apples, played "pin the apple on the tree" and balanced apples on our heads. We kind of flew through the games, so the kids played a rousing game of duck, duck, goose and freeze tag to end the party. It was pretty awesome.

The bags contained caramel popcorn. We made apple lemonade and had "5" cookies. (The "5" hanging from the chandelier were actually from her actual birthday, but she insisted I leave them up for the party.) We also had a ridiculous number of green apples for all the kids to munch on. I was surprised, but they enjoyed the apples a lot more than the caramel popcorn- go figure?

Isn't this cake amazing? Everyone should have a Central Market in their town. I took a photo of what I wanted the cake to look like, and this is what they did. I was going to make it, but it was a huge relief when I discovered how cheap it was to just buy it instead.

These were the little take home gifts.

Inside each box was a package of apple jelly bellies, a caramel apple sucker (all the way from Boise, ID. Kaycee rocks!!), apple laffy taffy's, an apple air head, and a little wooden apple. Inside the apple we added a little note saying "thank you for coming. love. lulu" We also gave the kids an airplane to take home.

Five for Friday

2009-04-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

According to some friends (you know who you are), my posts are a little long winded. I really tried to keep it short, but I have failed. So, for those of you with a short attention span here are the cliff notes.

1. BLATANT plagiarism
2. Catcher in the Rye
3. Tate lecture
4. Lulu's birthday
5. We have lost our prized stuffed animal.

If you are interested in any of the topics, please continue below.

1. You HAVE to read this. Its almost too shocking to even mention, but I have been laughing about it quite a bit today. I would be soo embarrassed.

2. Catcher in the Rye.. CHECK. I'll admit, after posting about my utter disdain for the book, I actually quite enjoyed the last 50 pages. I still think it speaks more to teenagers or people working with teenagers, but in the end I can see it has some redeeming qualities. (I was shocked by how it ended.)

3. We attended our last Tate Lecture Series. After seeing Azar Nafisi and Tony Blair last year, and the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art this year, I didn't think it could get any better. Enter: Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the President of Liberia. Not only is she the President of Liberia, but she is the first female Head of State in Africa. Prior to the lecture we were able to view a documentary made during her first year in office (it was made by a Liberian journalist). It was nice to have a little background going into the lecture. Our seats were immediately next to the section coordined off for the "Members of Liberian Community". This made for an interesting viewing experience, because they were very vocal about certain areas in the movie and weren't afraid to express their opinion. It was rather refreshing. The lecture was AMAZING. I would highly recommend reading about her. She truly is an inspiration.

4. We are getting ready for Lulu's birthday celebration. I cannot believe my baby is going to be 5. I'm completely stealing THIS party idea. My amazing girlfriend made invitation for the party and I found little wooden apples for the kids to take home. (They are actually hollow so you can put trinkets inside the apple.) We are just going to play low key games and maybe do a little apple bobbing. We will see how it all pans out.

5. Lulu has misplaced her bear. It has been missing since Easter Sunday. She took it to our Easter dinner at Ms. Carrie's house, but we haven't seen it since. The other day she said

Lulu: "Mom I've got the best idea. Why don't we go back to Ms. Carrie's house and have another Easter dinner and then I will remember exactly where bear-bear."
Me: "Wait, so what you are saying is we should do the whole thing all over again and you think it will help you remember where you put him?"
Lulu: "Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying" (while she gives me the thumbs up sign).

She cracks me up.

Killing Me Slowly

2009-04-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

In my quest to complete the Big Read List, I'm reading Catcher in the Rye. Maybe it is a book you should read as a teenager, because it is killing. me. slowly. Seriously. In the last few months I have been a book junkie, but after picking up this little baby, it has completely killed every single ounce of joy I have recently experienced while reading.

I'm in a bit of a quandary over the whole issue. I could put it down and move on to a book I'm actually interested in reading, but my bookshelf is filled with half read books. Also, I've made a goal and I'd like to stick to it. Even if it means finding out why Salinger insists on writing such an unlikeable character that RAMBLES on, and on, and on. On the other hand, why am I so fixated on reading a book that is painful for me to read? Doesn't that completely defeat the purpose? I'm certain my life will be just as fulfilled if I move on. I also have 20 books sitting on my nightstand screaming "pick me, pick me" every night when I climb into bed.

Any suggestions?

Deep in the Heart of Texas

2009-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing against Laura Bush, but I just could not look at her one more day.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. Life. Work. Kids.

On Friday we went for a little tip toeing through the bluebonnets. I LOVE Texas in April. Whenever I think of life after residency/fellowship etc.. my mind always wanders to the possibility of living in a new place. It makes me a little sad. Oh, we still have plenty of time here (and who knows- maybe forever), but regardless of where we end up, part of me will always belong to Texas.

Today

2009-03-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Guess who I saw at the arboretum today-

Can you tell?

She was really gracious and posed for my sister. The funny thing- in less than a week, this is the SECOND time we have seen her out and about (the other time she was crossing the street). Hello- secret service, shouldn't you try and be inconspicuous while you are protecting Mrs. Bush? Why are you wearing suits in 80 degree weather- walking around a garden? You stick out like a sour thumb. We were actually laughing when we first got there about the freaks in the suits. It wasn't until later that we realized they were secret service.

My Life in a Nutshell

2009-03-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Teddy has decided that if I'm not going to post on my blog, he will do it for me. Isn't his nose disgusting?

Although I've been completely neglecting my blog, I haven't been neglecting myself.

I signed up for an online photography class w/ Candice Stringham through Jessica Sprague.com. I had no idea I could change my shutter speed. I'm seriously pathetic. It has only been a week, but I've enjoyed playing with my camera and learning about what it can really do. My pictures aren't great, but at least I got the shutter speed correct.

I'm terribly embarrassed at the number of books I've read on the Big Read List. I mean REALLY embarrassed. I'm trying to correct the matter and read the bulk of the books recommended. I just finished Anne of Green Gables and A Town Like Alice. OHHH A Town Like Alice- I can't say enough about this book. I'm sure y'all have already read it, but if you haven't I would HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy. It reminded me of my other favorite book Mrs. Mike. I also finished Hunger Games (fantastic) and Girl with A Pearl Earring (for bookclub). I just picked up The Five People You Meet in Heaven and I need to finish Palace Walk. I'm really enjoying this little reading kick I'm on.

arboretum

We have had ridiculously nice weather for the last week or so, so we have been enjoying the outdoors.

Teddy ate his lunch in the go bug because he wouldn't stop running off.

A bike ride and lunch in the park

My mom and sister are coming for a visit tomorrow. We have several fun things planned around town (Fossil Rim, the Tut Exhibit at the DMA, the arboretum). Hopefully the weather will hold out.

5 Random Things Since I Last Blogged in NO Particular Order

2009-02-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

1. I thought it would be impossible for Mitt Romney to make me dislike him even more than I already do, but against all odds, he has done it. While driving home today I heard about this on NPR. Congratulations for not only effectively buying votes (or what we in the research community call coercion) but continuing your role as "part of the problem" rather than a "solution to the problem". I'm sure you will continue to wear that badge of honor with pride. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you were riddled with contradictions and therefore never made it out of the primaries.

2. The State of Texas spent $2 MILLION dollars installing cameras on the border so that viewers at home could watch and report any suspicious movement to the border patrol. So far it has netted a whole 3 arrests in a little over 6 months. And guess what, even Australians are getting in on the action. I just love seeing my tax dollars at work. FYI it was your tax dollars at work too. The whole program was paid for by a federal grant.

3. We had Dave and Tasha in town this past weekend. Dave was busy with his test, so I took it upon myself to show Tasha around town. We did a little shopping (blast you for ruining my 6 week run at not purchasing any unnecessary items), ate a ridiculous amount of food, froze at the arboretum on the one and only cold day they were here, and did a little crafting. Okay, to be honest, Tasha did a little crafting and I tried to clean up my messy desk space. When Dave finished with his test we took them out to see the sites. We also took them to all of our favorite restaurants and even had a rousing evening playing Rock Band. However, we did not take a single picture. What is wrong with me?

My favorite moment was while we were getting pedicures and Lulu demonstrated what she would do when she got older and brought her own daughter to the salon for a "girl date".

Promise y'all will come back.

4. Teddy fell on his face. He tries to run all the time and his little legs can't quite keep up with the rest of him. He falls quite frequently, but this is the first time he used his face to stop the rest of him.

5. Not only is he a bit of a klutz, but he is a ridiculously messy eater. This is what he looked like after his first day in nursery. I'll admit I was a little unhappy about the whole situation, especially given the fact that he has 1 church outfit. But, I'm willing to take some of the blame- we did not tell the nursery leaders that we have to strip him down to his diaper when we feed him. Luckily after 3 washing cycles, 1 soak cycle and an entire bottle of Shout it looks good as new.

Do you post even though you don't have pictures to prove it?

2009-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

You know it is a sad state of affairs when your husband comments
"Wow- it's been a long time since you posted on your blog."

I wish I could say it was because my internet is still down, but that would be a lie.

Thankfully we were restored last week after several phone calls. It feels good to be among the living again. Although yesterday I just discovered I am only receiving email, but not sending. Luckily my genius bil (with the help of my equally genius husband) took control of my computer from freaking Utah and solved the problem. So, if you receive some random email that seems to be days late- mystery solved.

Possibly because I've been reading a book. But, that would be a lie too.

I've been staring at Glass House, Goose Girl, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Hunger Games and Palace Walk for a bit. Some longer than others. I'll get to them. Instead I've been reading blogs I missed during my internet mishap and catching up with long lost friends on Facebook.

How about taking pictures? Nope.

I haven't picked up my camera in weeks. Wait- I did for a short time last Friday at Lulu's Valentine's Day Party, but lost interest and STOPPED. I'm lazy. I'm also disenchanted. I take really bad pictures and until I make it a priority to learn how to properly use my camera.. I'll probably continue to be disenchanted. I know- poor logic.

Need something interesting to post about? Possibly.

I haven't had any really big blog worthy events. I use blog worthy events loosely. I'm all about documenting, but do I need another photo or us going to the arboretum? And, if I didn't take any photos, is it still worth writing about?

My life has been remarkably boring. This was evident last week when I went to dinner with a group of friends and when asked "what have you been up to," my response was "nothing." Of course this was followed with "how are things going?" To which I replied "fine." I certainly wasn't trying to give short one word replies, nor was I trying to hide anything. I've just recently realized my life is sometimes one word responses.

Are any of these blog worthy sans photos?

Creating fancy Valentine sweets for Lulu's friends and classmates. Okay- I agree, this one is probably blog worthy regardless of photo.

Experiencing a gloriously sunny day at the Arboretum with a handful of friends and leaving with a refilled spirit and a sunburn. Although enjoyable- I have about 1,000 photos of me and the kids at the arboretum.

Enjoying a delicious dinner and a completely bizarre play about the Book of Genesis with some girlfriends. I'm still traumatized by the loin cloth Adam wore. Now wait- before someone makes some "CLEVER" remark .. I mean the Adam in the play. No pictures allowed. I'm trying to get it out of my head.

Spending Valentine's Day with a post call Adam and my littles. We made heart shaped pink pancakes, vacuumed the car in anticipation of Dave and Tasha's visit and took afternoon naps. The heart shaped pancakes were a little scary. Does anyone really want a photo of us vacuuming our car?

Delivering Valentine's Day Cards and laughing hilariously while Lulu unsuccessfully doorbell ditched each and every one. I was just laughing too hard to catch a photo.

Having a date with Adam on Valentine's Day. We saw Coraline (love it) and went to Target. (We had a fancy dinner a month or so back and decided after we spent a little too much that we should count this as our Valentine's Day dinner and call it even.) Regardless of how lovely it was, I just wasn't going to take photos.

So there you go. They are all important and fun, but are they all blog worthy without a photo? Evidently yes, since I just blogged about it.

**Wait- I did alienate a few friends this week AND posted a crazy comment on a friend's blog. Is that blog worthy? Remember- it doesn't require photos.

It's My Life and I Can Cry If I Want To, Cry If I Want To..

2009-02-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

We made it home.

I'm currently blogging from work (don't tell my boss)- which is why the post is sans pictures. Why am I blogging from work?

Because we are STILL without internet at home (since January 26th). Long story short- we tried to switch carriers, which required us to cancel service. Unfortunately the new company is "claiming" we aren't close enough to the telephone box (ours isn't by our house, but a couple of blocks away) to receive a decent signal. Nice. I just wish they would have told us this LAST WEEK when Adam spent 9 hours at home with the ATT guy. We are now waiting for our DSL to get reconnected. Hopefully by tomorrow, otherwise our DVR will also stop working.

**sigh**

Chillin' in Warm Utah

2009-02-01T17:13:00.000-08:00

We got to Utah on Saturday morning. I spent a great day with one of my best girlfriends. We have known each other since we were in 7th grade. I LOVE catching up with her.

I was surprised at how warm it is here. It cracks me up that it is 45 degrees, but I was dying of heat. I have yet to wear a coat. Go figure.

On Saturday night we caught up with one of Adam's brother's family and had a fun dinner. Lulu LOVED playing dress up with her cousin. While we missed my BIL because he is in Ghana, it was great to chat with my SIL. (Although as usual, I did most of the chatting.) I'm so lucky to have a SIL that I just ADORE.

On Sunday my little sister and her family came over for dinner.

Teddy is a little nervous with his Aunt Meggan.

Slaving away at making a birthday cake.

Jake test tasting. How's dinner Jake?

The finished cake. It has some issues, but I'll get there one of these times.

My baby sister will turn 30 this year. We celebrated a little early. Happy Birthday Meggan.
(of course they took a picture of the side that had the problem- nice.)

FROZEN

2009-01-28T14:15:00.000-08:00

There are many things I like that are frozen. Whenever I'm in NYC I always get a Froozzen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity (not a great restaurant, but a great dessert). I quite enjoy ice cream and other frozen delights. However, I do not enjoy frozen weather. Currently we are experiencing RIDICULOUSLY cold weather. Today it got just above freezing. And when I say just above, I mean just. Per weather.com it is now 37 degrees. I realize those of you in chillier states are scoffing at my plight. But, in my defense- 5 days ago it was 78. AND not only do we have freezing conditions, but the cold weather was accompanied with rain. Rain + 25 (temp last night) = ice storm.

The ice storm did not come as a surprise. The weathermen had been threatening it all day. So, last night I lay snuggled in my bed playing solitaire on my iPod and watching mindless dribble. My girlfriend called to tempt me out of my comfort and attend book club.

"No thank you."
"But I'll drive" (earlier in the day, while exercising at the gym, we discussed whether or not book club should be canceled. I thought it should, but she thought the weathermen were being dramatic.. where is Mark Eubank and his white coat when you need him?)
"I'm already in my pjs."
"I'll come and pick you up."
"No thank you."

I refused because of the brewing weather, but also because I'm currently boycotting everything. I'm stewing. Nothing big, but better to be unseen than remembered for a verbal outburst.

1 hour later the rain started. Hard rain and lots of it. I was happy I wasn't coaxed out of my warm bed. Obviously they were not being dramatic.

This morning EVERYTHING was canceled. Adam, the littles and I stayed cozy in bed until just after 9 am. We watched as the local news tried to fill THREE hours worth of airtime (they pre-empted the Today Show) with a compilation of the "Hazards of driving", "Why SUV drivers are dumb when it comes to icy conditions", and "What not to do with ice on the road." We laughed hysterically at the commentary and prayed for it to end. Lulu finally fled, but not because of the TERRIBLE news coverage, rather "hurt feelings" which were a direct result of Adam not letting her sit on him. She was easily coaxed back with the promise of a secret whispered in her ear. (I would have taken a photo, but my toes were cozy.)

Luckily it will only last for a day. Tomorrow it will be 60.

Five Questions for Friday

2009-01-23T11:20:00.001-08:00

1. Should I be embarrassed that two days ago I used my iTunes giftcard to purchase several songs on Jordan's "Nineteen for Nie" (the girl has mad mixed tape skills), but I also purchased the new Taylor Swift song Love Story? (Obviously she has seen Pride and Prejudice one too many times.)

2. Is it okay to take my kids to my girlfriend's house (we do a swap every friday with two friends), even though she called this morning and said her baby has a temperature? Sure we are going to drop off late, so the febrile baby will already be asleep, but I feel a little guilty letting her babysit all 7 (my two + her 3 + other friend's 2) when she has been caring for a sick baby.

3. Even though I'm on a spending hiatus, does it count that I purchased a plate yesterday, when said plate was a special ordered from 2 months ago?

4. Why do they make a Y incision when performing an autopsy?

5. Does anyone understand how they are going to explain why Izzie is no longer seeing Denny on Grey's Anatomy even though her "visions" are directly related to her supposed aneurysm? So is the aneurysm no longer "flaring", since he is gone? How does that make any sense?

and just for kicks

6. Can someone explain to me why I'm even trying to make sense of Grey's Anatomy in the first place? Furthermore, why I'm even WATCHING it? (Adam just sits and screams at the TV and usually moves to another room because it is SOOO ridiculous.) I mean really. Two weeks ago they had a plastic surgeon and an orthopedist performing a surgery (I think they were removing a gallbladder or something). I know, I know.. it isn't real, but if you are going to use real professions try to at least make it look credible. It is like saying a plastic surgeon is performing a heart transplant. Okay, maybe not that ridiculous, but it is close.

and just because I spent 10 minutes at the Coke machine

7. Why haven't they calibrated the Coke machines to accept the new quarters? Seriously- I just put $4.00 worth of quarters in the machine (and watched them return to the change cup) in order for $1.00 to be accepted.

A Conversation with my Husband

2009-01-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

**this in no way is meant to degrade or provide commentary on my husband and his listening skills.

Husband: "I need to find some medical students that would be interested in working with me on a project."
Wife: "What would they need to do?"
Husband: "review 500 medical charts for various things relating to an appendectomy."
Wife: "why don't I just do it?"
Husband: "review medical chart?" "have you ever done it before?"
Wife: "you are kidding me?"
Husband: "No."
Wife: "what do you think I do at work?" "do you actually listen to me when I talk about work?"
Husband: " YES!" "You look at research charts." "You review medical charts too?" "I just assumed when you said charts you meant research, not medical (for all those non-medical people.. there is a very big difference. About a gazillion pages worth.)
Wife: "for at least the last 8 years."
Husband: "oh.. I didn't know that."
Wife: "seriously?"

Obviously the conversation continued, but I did learn two important facts.

Point of the story: Clearly my husband has NO IDEA what I do for a living.

Moral of the story: Just because you have been married for nearly 11 years, doesn't mean you know EVERYTHING about your spouse (although I'm still a little shocked by this one.)

Weekend Report

2009-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Recovering From:
-Adam working for a friend from Friday 6pm-Sunday 6am (mind you this is after already working at his real job).
-Terrible Colds. Me and the littles. We used AT LEAST 1 box of kleenex this weekend.
-The threat of a 1 hour and 30 minute wait (at NTB) for a new car battery with my littles sans husband.
-$174.99 price tag for said battery
-me +babysitting +movie -movie, Last Chance Harvey, being sold out = wasted babysitting

Thankful for:
-Lori at NTB. She put me on the waiting list, but let me run home to drop off groceries. Total wait.. time it took for me to walk with littles to the nearest Jumba Juice and back (less than 30 minutes).
-Nice man that put my grocery cart away at Sam's Club, because "you have little ones in the car"-- bless you kind man, bless you.
-Weekend kid swap. I got 4 hours to myself to sort through bills (see above) and an unexpected quick snack (me lemon tarte, her grand marnier souffle) with a friend (delightful).
-Adam climbing into bed with me Sunday at 6:14 am after a long weekend away.

and finally..

**sorry for the terrible photo

-Lulu in Cowboy boots with a fluffy skirt. She picked out the outfit with no input from me. That's my girl.

Homeward Bound

2009-01-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

I just bought my ticket. After a little prompting from a friend I'm headed to the great state of Utah for a short trip. Very excited. I'll be bringing the kids with me (the horror of two kids on a plane, one of which is completely crazy didn't deter me). I'm anxious to see family that I haven't seen since July and a hear a little music. It will be awfully short, but just enough to quench my thirst until I return for an extended stay in July.

Friday Literature

2009-01-09T11:30:00.001-08:00

What does it mean to be green? A few days ago, over on Simple Lovely, Jocelyn blogged about her New Year's Resolutions. One of her resolutions is to go 3 months without spending money. Today she elaborated on what drove her to this resolution. I was intrigued, because like so many others, Adam and I have decided to "go without" for the next 6 months. I know.. crazy. We made some guidelines (yes to movies, but no to the new cute sweater). Our decision was partly driven by finances, but moreso about not buying things we just don't NEED. (Sure I'm a slave to Anthro, but do I really NEED the adorable new bowls when I already have 20 perfectly good bowls? I find it ridiculous that I even have 20 when we are a family of 4!)

Her thought process was along the same lines, but also about being more mindful of consumption. She referenced this great article from the Washington Post. I found it spot on. I'm what you would call a lazy environmentalist. I'm a big talker, but not a big doer. Sure, I carry my enviro friendly bags religiously, but I've never thought twice about filling them up multiple times with things I JUST DON'T NEED.

"Keep those plastic bags away from me! I ONLY use my cloth bags."
"I'm so happy Lulu has 20 summer dresses to choose from each day. She really NEEDS them."

It reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend about recycling. I was going on and on about how great we are at recycling. As I was doing this I was pulling out individual bottles of water for a little gathering of 20 or so. He commended me on my recycling, but also pointedly asked why then am I not getting water from the tap, instead of using individual bottles of water? Sure I recycle, but wasn't I missing the point. I was taken aback. How daft could I be? I was a complete contradiction.

I've been thinking about my wasteful ways. Buying another bottle of water instead of filling up a cup I already have. Freshening up my wardrobe when really I just need to be more creative with what I have. I'm turning over a new leaf. Good bye consumerism. Hello to A NEW WOMAN.

5 because it is my blog

2009-01-07T22:30:00.001-08:00

1.We have been weathering the craziness that is Texas weather. Two days ago we had ICE on the trees and today- it was a pleasant mid-60's. We took a lovely little stroll after I got home from work. It was nice. However, I'm desperate for some consistency. It wreaks havoc on my joints.

2. I actually went to my rheumatologist the other day and competed with my little ones for his attention. Before we even got to his office I tried to get Lulu to understand that it was very important for me to talk to my doctor and she would have to be patient and wait her turn to talk to him (he always makes her balloon people). She did well for the first 5 minutes, but all my pleading and instructions obviously fell on deaf ears, because within 10 minutes she commandeered the conversation and all the attention. I promise next time I am getting a sitter and going ALONE.

3. We have been cooking out of Everyday Food this week. So far we have had:

Cayenne Rubbed Chicken

Mediterranean Salad

Rice Bowl with Shrimp, Snow Peas, and Avocado

I loved the first dish. The second was good. Not a huge fan of the last dish. Too much ginger.

4. I've actually made it to the gym everyday this week. Yippee for me.

5. After sitting down and looking through iPhoto, I realized I have not ONE photo since Auntie and Uncle Jake left. Sad, sad news. I'm making a concerted effort to pick up my camera after this ridiculous and unexplained hiatus. shesh!