blogaversary

It was a year ago, the night before Thanksgiving, that I decided to start a blog. Aside from starting grad school and gaining one niece and one nephew, not much has changed, so I'm wondering what in the world I wrote about for a whole year? Oh yeah, my bunion surgery.

Here's hoping that I have no surgeries to post about this year.

And here's hoping that this year is just as blessed. If you're reading this, you're most likely a person that I thank God for every day. (I say "most likely" because I really have no idea who reads this thing.)

Remember to be thankful for your blessings EVERY day, not just Thanksgiving. Cheers!

hurry up Aidan!

I'm in my hometown visiting and hoping that my sister has the baby (Aidan) soon. (due date is today...) A snapshot of what I've done so far:

Mopped a kitchen floor and realized I might need to start doing housework more often, as I got a blister.

Practiced lamaze breathing with my sister. (don't forget the "cleansing" breath!)

Went to see New Moon - much better than the first movie. While there, I saw the best Twilight t-shirt for a woman over the age of 30.... "The wolf in Jacob brings out the cougar in me"

Had a slumber party with 3 girls under five. Dipped marshmallows and strawberries in white chocolate, frosted sugar cookies, painted toe nails, danced and watch Barbie in Swan Lake.

Had a bean (b-e-a-n) burrito from Taco Villa.

Spent several hours in almost every store in town shopping for my mom's birthday present.

Currently, I'm doing homework and needed a break, but will get back to the grind as soon as I click "Publish Post."

last Thursday

Sarah did a blog where you take one picture every hour and then post it on your blog. In true single white female style, I decided to steal this idea and do it too. I chose to do it last Thursday - while I was in Dallas baby-sitting my niece. (Because if I would have done a normal day, it would just be 9 pictures of my cubicle at work, 1 at happy hour, and 3 sitting on the couch...) So, without any further adieu:

7am: Molly wakes up

8am: We are dancing with the bunny that sings

9am: Changing out of pajamas

10am: Reading a book

11am: On the road, headed up to Denton to meet Molly's new little sister, Ellie - and we passed by Texas Motor Speedway on a race weekend

12pm: Meet Elisabeth Rose

1pm: Drive by a big flock of birds


2pm: Larry gets to stop at George's in Waco


3pm: We pass by the Fort Hood exit only an hour after the horrible shooting tragedy occurred (PLEASE PAUSE AND SAY A PRAYER FOR ALL AFFECTED)

4pm: Make it home and see that my flowers survived my absence

5pm: Get started on homework

6pm: Tijuana Thursday at Pluckers with Dale

7pm: (7:55pm to be exact... I almost forgot to take a picture during the 7pm hour.) Shots for Larry's upcoming birthday weekend

8pm: Back to homework for the rest of the night

And that pretty much tells you how exciting my life is on a daily basis.

I don't care what you say

It is NEVER a good day when you wake up and realize that you've gotten the Texas Flag tattooed on your neck.
It is ALWAYS a good deal to get 22 diapers and 20 tampex for $3.50. (So if your child weighs more than 27 pounds, I have diapers for when you visit.)

I have the CUTEST boy in the world, and Red Robin may serve previously frozen, yucky meat, but they offer you a free burger on your birthday and they sure do dress it up nice. We called this the "pac-man" burger.

That will be all. Good day.

magnetic belly

I got to babysit my precious niece, Molly, while my brother and his wife were having their second child. Molly and I did all sorts of fun things - play-doh, drawing, dancing, reading, and playing with the pregnant barbie.
She handed it to me and I was all - how cute! A pregnant barbie so that Molly will understand that her mommy is pregnant and that a new baby will be coming home!
Out of curiosity, I wanted to see how Mattel made the big plastic belly...
Upon closer look, I noticed that the pregnant belly is magnetic and REMOVABLE! Complete with the baby inside! (You could even position it to be breech if you wanted to.)
Once the baby is "born," you can just remove the pregnant belly and you have a regular sized barbie.
I'm not sure if I love this barbie or if I'm disturbed by it. Either way, I'm excited for Miss Molly to have her little sister.

Congrats to Joe and Mel!



UPDATED: In the words of Alan Jackson..."I'm not a real political man," but I will address the "victory" in the health care reform bill that happened tonight:

The House version of the health care reform legislation narrowly passed with the vote of 220-215 late Saturday evening, but it was done without provisions for the funding of abortions.

I don't know about y'all, but looking at those two babies posted above is enough to convince me. But just in case you need more to chew on... http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-228.shtml

Health care reform isn't just about abortion, it is also about those families you "sponsor" at Christmas, your Grandma on Medicaid and the guys you pick up at Home Depot to build your fence.

"Universal coverage should be truly universal, not denying health care to those in need because of their condition, age, where they come from or when they arrive here." Just sayin'.

100K

I think I’ve mentioned before that I did NOT want to learn how to drive. Why drive myself when somebody else can drive for me? (To this day, if I could have one perk of the wealthy, I would choose a personal driver. No question. Well, the unlimited shoe budget is a close second, but I’d still go with a driver.)

Needless to say, not only could my parents not afford to get me a car when I was 16, I had no desire for one. I was happy satisfied to be driven around in the family yellow station wagon or conversion van. When I was a senior in high school, I got my first job. I waited tables at Chelsea Street Pub and Grill in the mall on the weekends. So, I had to take one of the family cars. Well, that got old and it became apparent that I was going to have to have my own vehicle. So, after I graduated, I took my fist full of $2500 and went searching. There aren’t many cars that an 18 year old girl wants that are automatic and cost less than $3000. Nevertheless, I think the car salesman LOST money on me, but I was the proud owner of a 1993 white Eagle Summit.

That car was the best. The speedometer didn’t work, so I never had any idea how fast I was going. (But never got a speeding ticket!) This is the car that I never changed the oil in, so it only lasted me a few years. (Remember - engines break when you don’t change the oil.)

I went back to borrowing cars for a couple months until I graduated college and accepted my first teaching job. At that point, I knew that I needed an actual new car. I had signed on the dotted line that I would be getting a salary, so I felt confident in adding a car note to my plate. Fortunately, I dated the roommate of the Finance Director at the local Ford house, so I got a pretty sweet deal on a 2000 Mustang.

I had the car for about 3 days before I went driving around town, saying goodbye to all my friends before moving to Austin. I was all teary-eyed and sad as I drove down the country road back to my parent’s house. AND HIT A DOG. It was a dalmation and I killed it. So, I was sobbing by the time I got home, because who really wants to kill a dog? Besides that, the front bumper of my brand new car was all broken. (Never got it fixed either)

After getting a dog and transporting her in their crate in the back seat back and forth to Lubbock, I realized I needed a 4-door vehicle. So, as sad as it was, I traded in the Mustang for my 2003 Altima.

I had just gone in “to look” but apparently was a pretty easy target for the salesman. I don’t mind. I love my Altima. Love it so much that I managed to put 100,000 miles on it. It happened last Sunday on the way to church. I took a picture as it happened. The song on the radio was “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” by George Strait.

Now I just have to decide if I want to drive it until the wheels fall off since it is almost paid for, or if it is time to open the next chapter of my car history. (Not like I have any say…. SOMEBODY probably won’t let me get a new one until I pay off my student loans.)