Adventures Make Great Friendships

Not many things can silence the combo of Claire and Shay, unless you're talking about severe weather. 

Typically we will talk about anything and everything from the moment we see each other until we go to bed.  We email during the day, even, and  when we're together, there's always a running commentary about life, usually with Gilmore Girls in the background.

I used to laugh at the tornado sirens going off around us.  But after the last few weeks of tornado weather hitting the U.S., that laughter came to a halt. 

After dinner at Uncle Julio's to catch up (we always have to plan a date!), we went back to our apartment and began watching Biggest Loser, only to be interrupted by countless weather reports.  I could hear the sirens going off at this point, too. 

I told Claire I thought we should go to our gym's bathrooms at the apartment complex, since we don't live on the first floor.  When the weather reports showed we should really take cover, I looked at Claire and said, "Grab anything you think is important to you,"  and we were out the door in three minutes flat. 

We each had a bag--Claire with her Bible and her school stuff, an umbrella and a snack. (Man, she was so prepared!)  Me with my Bible, computer, my wedding planning notebook and an Iowa sweatshirt I stole from Adam.  It was kind of freeing to know that we could leave most everything else and be just fine.  (And it also made me question the reason why I have so much stuff...but that's another thought all together. )

The sky wasn't too dark yet, and on our way walking to the gym, passing by our rather unfriendly/creepy neighbor, I asked Claire if she just wanted to go over to my parents' house.  We thought that might be a more cozy option than the bathroom floor of an apartment gym, and it looked as if we still had some time before the storm got really bad.

The five-minute drive was nearly silent, the sky turning greener by the second.  The rain wasn't too bad, but there was a sense of urgency.  It seemed like every car I passed was in my way.  The silence was accompanied by my own pounding heart, racing to get us to a safe place.

The only other time we've been that silent was when we drove out in the ice in February.  Now that I'm writing this, I'm sort of questioning my sanity, as I choose the oddest time to drive places. But those are what make them adventures, and it's going through instances like this that make you friends. 

Weekend Letters

Dear Royal Wedding, I enjoyed watching you on Friday night while doing my nails.  To see a common girl become royalty is pretty fascinating, and I really liked Kate's bouquet.  It did bug me, though, that they kept making references to Charles and Diana's wedding day.  Does anyone remember how that worked out??  Just sayin'.  Dear AMP, you came and found me on Saturday afternoon in the most interesting get-up, including black socks and sandals.  Thanks for going to great lengths to make me laugh.  

Dear Girls' Night Out, you were much welcomed.  I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't more than a little sad about not having girl roomies after September 24.  I mean, it's not like I can wear Adam's necklaces and heels.  I'm thankful there will be plenty of opportunities for Fireside Pies and movie nights, still.  We will have to find a way to swap wardrobes on a regular basis.  Maybe we can build an underground tunnel?  King's Speech, you are the best movie I've seen in a very long time.  I'd watch it again in a heartbeat.  (And that's saying something.)   Sunday, who knew that May 1 would bring weather cold enough to welcome chili and cornbread for dinner?  It was a great ending to the weekend.  AMP, so excited we've booked our honeymoon to Hawaii.  Can't wait for beaches and Jeep adventures on the island!

Top Ten Lately

                                                        

Recent highlights taken from my phone...

1.  The roomdog and I tried a new Chinese Takeout place near our a-p-t.  We watched Gilmore Girls and were hoping that our delivery experience would rival Lorelei and Rory's.  Unfortunately, it did not.  We'll stick to Pei Wei, but at least we tried.

2.  Dinner at Fish City Grill with SMoo on Friday night was delicious.  We ended our two hour talk-fest with a rocky road ice cream brownie.  And yes, the brownie was warm...we double checked to make sure.

3.  AMP and I play Monopoly at Albertson's.  We collect game pieces and have recently discovered that winning the $1M may be harder than we suspected.  The best is when the cashiers give you more than they're supposed to because they like us.

4.  I'm convinced I look like a camp counselor driving a fifteen passenger van with my camo hat and wind breaker.  We had our big walk for work this past Saturday {more on that later!} and part of my job was to help pick up these vans.  It was also the day of 50 mph winds {I kid you not}, so driving that big tank was quite an experience.

5.  Last night, I got to spend some quality time with my Aunt Laura.  This must happen more often.  We browsed some wedding invitations to get ideas, ate at Mi Cocina and perused dishes at Dillard's.  Turns out, they have a better selection than Macy's.  When I shared this tidbit with AMP, he said, "Well, I guess we'll be switching our registry to Dillard's!"  What a guy.

Things not pictured, but highlights nonetheless...

6.  Adam stopped by work yesterday just to give me a hug.  I needed it.  It really made my day.

7.  Phone calls from Amanda and Mary Ellen to catch up.

8.  Finding time to read a book or two lately.

9.  Getting organized around the apartment and finding time to cook again.

10.   Lunch with Papa & Jonita on Sunday.  We had a great time catching up.  I'm so thankful to be back near my family again!

11.  And one more for good measure: tonight I get to spend some quality time with AMP.  I.  Can't. Wait.

Bishop Arts District Birthday for SMoo

We celebrated SMoo's birthday at the beginning of March, and I never posted the pictures.  Her parents & sister {in school at OBU} came in town from Fayetteville and were so sweet to take several of us out for dinner.  We went down to the Bishop Arts District in Dallas and ate at Tillman's Roadhouse.  It was SO good.

Madison, SMoo, Me and Kaitlin

The decor in the restaurant is really cool.  It's like a chic-country/lodge feel, and in the back is a room made to look like a forest, and it has peacocks on the wall.  {I love peacocks!}

Her parents ordered her triple chocolate cake from Whole Foods.  

It was even more delicious than it looks.  

Obviously I love SMoo, and her parents are pretty sweet, too.  They are so great about making you feel included and part of their family.  Mama Sally and I text occasionally, and we are even Facebook friends.  {She's hip like that...}  In college whenever any of our parents came to town, we usually got to come along for some good meals, and they'd stock our kitchen and take care of stuff we didn't have time to think about.  {Ah, college.}

I would highly recommend Tillman's Roadhouse...especially when someone else is treating you!  :-)  

Girls' Lake Weekend

Last weekend I invited my sweet friends to the lake for a little getaway.  It was so much fun.  We'd planned it about a month in advance, and Katie even got to come down from Nashville.  I mixed old and new friends that mostly live in the Dallas area or nearby.  It's so fun when your friends like your other friends!  :-) 

Molly is so on top of things and already emailed out pics from the weekend.  Since she's waiting on me to send her my pics so she can blog about it, I won't post all the same ones she has, but these are ones we both took, so I hope you don't mind, Molly! 

Friday night we met at Campisi's in Dallas before picking up Katie at the airport.  Claire, Lyndsy, SMoo, Molly and I ate, and we added Nathan (Molly's husband) and Adam to the mix, just for kicks.  It was a fun dinner, and we had Mr. Campisi's daughter as our waitress.  She was bossy and told us that we had to order their garlic bread.  I'm glad she was, because it was delicious!

SMoo and I picked up Katie in our car, and we'd forgotten how funny she is.  I mean, I know she's funny, but my gosh.  It was just like we'd lived together for the past two years and like no time had passed. 

Saturday we all hung out on the deck--it was a beautiful sunny day.  Our two teachers, Claire and Katie, both graded papers and got some help doing that, too!  We sat around and talked and snacked and hung out.  Molly, Amanda and Megan (who's moving to Dallas soon!) joined us around lunch time, and we had a great time. 

We ate at the Blue Burrito for dinner, went to Wal-Mart (because that's what you do at the lake...) and then stopped at Dairy Queen for a blizzard. 

Katie, Me, Amanda, Claire, Megan & Molly

Lyndsy & SMoo

I just love these girls, and I am blessed by their friendships, old and new!

One thing I miss about college is getting ready all together.  Claire and I have such different schedules, we rarely "primp" at the same times.  Amanda and I fixed our hair together in the big bathroom...just because we could!  People ask us all the time if we're sisters, especially now with her cute short hair.  It was fun to see my Waco friend!

Sunday we went to Canton and walked around and bought some cute stuff.  Claire and Lyndsy headed back early, so we missed them especially that day! 

I love this pic.  Just because Katie has a Nashville drivers' license doesn't mean she's not a Texan at heart!  Please note Katie's "baby."  She and Molly carried these bags of kettle corn around all afternoon.  Cracks me up.

{Corn Dog #1}

I also had a corn dog for the first time on Sunday.  It was delicious.  So much so, that I got another one that afternoon.  I may have over done it, because I saw it again later.  Lovely.  I was on my way out the door to church and called Adam and told him I wouldn't be making it.  He came over and took care of me, and we sat and watched the Women's Final Four tournament.  He was so sweet.  :-)

This weekend was wonderful with some much-needed girl time, and I can't wait to have another one again soon!

Today's Letters

via

Dear AMP, yesterday you helped Papa put in his new front door.  It makes me so happy that y'all are buddies.  SMoo, hanging out with you on Saturday was so much fun.  I'm grateful for your friendship and that we can relate about new church friends who don't know us quite as well...yet.  Dear Molly, so glad we can work together and make quick trips to HomeGoods during lunch!  Dear Girls' Weekend, you cannot come soon enough.  Adam, lately, I've realized you really listen to the words in songs, just like me.  We've learned so much about each other (here's to more of that)...which includes your newfound education on hair teasing, eyelash curlers and bronzer.  I'm glad you find my beauty regimen so fascinating. 

Saturday Stir-fry

Last Saturday, Roomdog and I got to hang out.  As crazy as it seems, our schedules are so different that we have to plan time to see each other these days! We went to Whole Foods and got the stuff to make stir-fry.  Going to the grocery store is quite an experience with Claire, because she likes to go down every single aisle.   {Life is a party with her.  She makes me slow down and appreciate life!}

We put on some Dave Barnes music and danced around the kitchen while she made dinner.  It was delicious!!

She is working extra hard this semester teaching Saturday school to kids that are having trouble in school and will have a more challenging time passing the TAKS text.  She gets up early on Saturday mornings with a smile on her face and heads back up to school.  What a teacher!  Roomie...I'm SO proud of you!!

Help a Sister

I realized that all my fun facts have to do with a Tri Delta "sister."  So today, I bring you
The Sister Edition.

Last Friday, Amanda came into town, and we got to sit face-to-face for an hour and a half dinner & catch up.  It was there we realized that we hadn't actually hung out since July.  We talk all the time at work, so it doesn't feel that long, but we just couldn't believe it!  We spent Saturday at Home Goods and eating at Cafe Express...two things she can't do in Waco!  It was such a treat having her here and catching up.

Molly and I get to work together these days, and it's so much fun.  She insisted that I have a photo of me working at my desk, because one day I'm going to wish I had it.  Without further adieu, here I am, Sonic drink and all...

And are a few other posts that made me smile recently...

Molly wrote about "living with a boy" (that would be her husband...).  It's hilarious.

Elizabeth posted a video from four years ago when she got engaged and "passed candle" at the end of our Tri Delt meeting.  Everyone loves Staples (that was her maiden name & what we all called her), so the "oohs" and "ahhs" were from genuine excitement for her and Mark and just simply because we're girls!  This made me giggle.

And Anna tells us why she loves Twitter now.  Oh my gosh.  I was dying laughing.  Please read.  {And please pray for her as she spends her Spring Break week in Honduras on a mission trip!}

I also blame Anna for introducing me to Anthropologie.  It provides lots of inspiration and could be detrimental to my wallet if I went into the store.  I think I'll just stick to the catalogue that came in the mail today...

"Nimbus" Bedding                                                               "Rivulets" Bedding

Tonight, I'm heading to dinner with SMoo to celebrate her birthday!  Her fam is in town from Fayetteville, and it will be so much fun to catch up with all of them.

And that's the latest on The Sister Edition.  Happy Weekend!

Week in Review

Hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was quite relaxing, and I loved it. Just a few pics from this week. We celebrated Claire's birthday last Saturday night down in Deep Ellum at Twisted Root Burger Co. It was a lot of fun, and she was quite thrilled to have so many of her favorite people in one place. We sang and she blew out a candle that turned out to be a sparkler, so it re-lit three times. Kind of like a trick candle, I guess!

Her actual b-day was on Friday, and I woke up with her at 5:45 a.m. to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Did you know it's still dark then? Who knew. And she gets up that early every.single.morning. Makes me tired just thinking about it. We celebrated over breakfast with presents, and then I sent her off to school. I felt like such a mom! It was a fun morning.

Thursday after work, I stopped by the station to see Adam. It's always fun to step into his world and just hang out with him. He rode the engine that day, which means that the chance of him getting called out is slim, versus riding the ambulance. {Sometimes when I drop by, it's only about 5 minutes before he has to head out! But that's the name of the game.} We played ping-pong out where the Engine and Rescue hang out in the big garage. I got to show off my mad skillz, and it was quite fun. {Shockingly, I can actually play ping-pong. We had a table growing up, so I guess that's where I learned it...}

I took this iPhone pic of Adam in the Engine and edited it using my new App, ColorSplash. It's $.99 and you can make a photo black and white and then pick the parts that you want to have in color. I thought it was kinda fun.

Well, it looks like this week will be snow-free and warmer, which will be much enjoyed! Hope your weekend was good, too!

Inspiration Folder Peek 2

A few Saturdays ago, SMoo and I ventured out for lunch and some consignment store browsing.  I bought my purple couch there when Claire and I moved to our a-p-t a while ago, and I like to frequent it every so often.  We stayed in there for a good hour and a half, just looking around.  It was lovely.  I bought a few little things and so did SMoo.  Then, we headed over to HomeGoods {Like TJMaxx & Ross, except for, well...home goods.} Not to worry, I did not purchase all (or any) of these things, but this is just stuff that caught my eye.  Enjoy!

{one} I still have half a mind to call up the shop and ask them if this chair is still there.  By now, it would have gone down in price big time.  The fabric and nail-head details had me at hello.  Mom pointed out that it doesn't really go with the purple couch.  (But who says I can't recover that, right?) 

{two} Noritaki china.  They had several complete (or almost complete) sets of dishes.  This reminded me of my grandmother's that my mom has now.  It's simple and silver, and I like it.  

{three} This cute little bench has a lid that lifts up for storage.  I could see it in an entryway or a mud room.  

{four} At this point, I began to notice that painted furniture was all over the place.  This buffet table was really cool looking.  

{five} Now we're headed to HomeGoods.  I love that these pillows look like they stepped right out of a Pottery Barn catalogue.  I went back to check on them yesterday, and I have no bright ideas on how to use them yet.  But I'm still thinking.  

{six} More painted furniture.  I thought this was a sweet little side table.  It would totally go with the bedding I have right now.

{seven} Doesn't this buffet table look similar to the one above it?  Not quite as ornate, but I did like the painted doors and drawers. 

{eight}  See?  I told you painted furniture was in. 

{nine} This piece had crackled paint and looked very Pottery Barn to me, too. 

This made for a fun Saturday, and it let my mind be creative.  Here's to more of that!   

Whoopie Pies and Other Snow Day Entertainment

Snow Day 2 was even better than the first one.  Claire made Whoopie Pies from a mix a student gave her for Christmas.  {To.Die.For.Delicious.}  We ventured out down the road for a trip to Sonic Happy Hour and then stopped by my aunt & uncles's house for a bit.  I didn't mind driving around, but it's just slow goin' around here, and you never know what other people are going to do out on the road.

We had some rice milk in our fridge from a gluten-free friend that came over earlier this week.  Claire thought she'd give it a try.  For a girl who doesn't like milk to begin with, we're not sure why she tried it in the first place.  Silly girl.

Adam pulled up right as we got back from our Sonic/Aunt Laura excursion and became our chauffeur for the rest of the evening and proceeded to entertain us. We ate dinner at a little local restaurant, thankfully still open!  Then we went to the grocery store for cinnamon rolls and a bottle of wine--two good things to have for another snow day, and finished up by playing a game of Bananagrams all together.   We've become the three musketeers lately!

Nothing's melting, the (non-rice) milk has gone sour and the store was out last night, too, but we're still smiling and working from home all bundled up and thankful for heaters and no power outages.  Here's to Day Three!

Ice, Fire & Dynamite

We've had the TV on a lot around here the last 48 hours, glued to the weather station and then moving on to other shows.  Parenthood still is at the top of my list of favorite shows, and it's really the only thing I've liked so far.  However, Biggest Loser is pretty cool, if you think about how people are really making a lifestyle change in the way they lose all that weight.  Kinda neat to watch.  

I've found a new group that I really like, thanks to Annie's blog.  Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors' new album comes out next week, and I can't wait.  I'd never heard of them until last night, but they are touring with Marc Broussard and Ben Rector.  This video of their song "Fire and Dynamite" makes me happy.  Check 'em out on iTunes.

We're on Day 2 of being snowed  iced in, and it's just peachy.  I'm thankful I went to the grocery store on Monday after work, because otherwise who knows what we would've scrounged up to eat around here.  Claire is well-stocked on Lean Cuisines, but I'm not so sure about those frozen lunchables.  :-)  I'm working from home and spend the majority of yesterday in my jammers, but after a workout today at our apartment gym, Claire and I decided to at least look presentable.  It's a nice feeling, even when you're not really seeing much of anyone! 

SMoo ended up driving over for our Turkey Chili dinner last night, and once she arrived (quite frazzled), she announced, "That was probably the stupidest thing I've done in a long time."  She lives just about a mile from us, but the road between us was basically a sheet of ice.  She ended up staying the night, and we stayed up 'til midnight and had a little slumber party.  She stayed well into the morning, and we all had breakfast and hung out together.  It was like we all lived together!  So fun.

Who knows what the roads will look like tomorrow--it's not getting any warmer here, so I'm not sure about the ice.  I think it's fine on all the major roadways (from what I can tell on the news), but it's the little side streets that are still sheets of ice.  We shall see...

Hope you're staying warm and have power on this chilly day!

Just Call me Betty Crocker

This weekend, I think I'm getting things back in order from the holidays, and it feels really good.  Granted, it's the end of January, but that's ok.

This morning, I made room in our kitchen for this:

I made a chocolate-chocolate-chip cake this morning with my new mixer.  

Let me just tell you it smells divine.  

I have a few "go to" meals that I cook, and I get tired of the same old stuff.  But desserts?  I can do that.  I'm so excited about this mixer!  The book has several recipes in it, and you can make pizza dough with it, which I've made before, but not with a stand-up mixer.  I loved how effortless it was to use.  (I guess that's the point, right?)  So yes, you can just call me Betty.

Now, moving on to another domestic item...

Socks.

Terribly exciting, right?  

Last night, SMoo and I went to dinner at Pei Wei and had every intention of coming back and watching Gilmore Girls.  We got as far as the couches, and proceeded to talk until 1:30 a.m.  Claire came in around 10:30 and joined in the fun.  We covered an incredibly wide-array of topics, per usual.  It was fabulous.

If I invite you over some time, I promise I won't start folding my laundry in front of you.  But I had a basket full of clean clothes and good friends to talk to, so I made a chore into less of one, and started in on the mound of clothes.  {Clearly I'm quite comfortable around this girls.}

As I got to my socks, Claire observed that I "folded" my socks funny.  Now, I've lived with Claire and Smoo at one point or another for two years, and we've never discussed the art of sock folding.  What ensued was a sock-folding demonstration.

In the above photo, the purple socks are mine--I fold them over each other.  I threw SMoo a pair to see what she'd do, and she did this tuck-one-sock-into-another business.  That's her mom does it.  Claire does some sort of roll-then-tuck action, which is...you guessed it...how her mom does the laundry.  Oh, the things you learn! 

Hope your weekend has been one of laughter, fun and friends.  It definitely made mine sweet.

Marathon Man: Disney Style

Last Sunday, Dad finished 26.2 miles, and we couldn't be more proud!

Finished!!

There's another photo of me, SMoo and Dad running when we met up with him at mile 23 (our 6 mile plan was thwarted by the super-controlled Disney race map), but it's not loading at the moment.  We ran with him to the end and got to be there as he crossed the finish line.

He pushed through and made it, despite the unexpected knee and hip pain that began on mile 12.  We got text updates at miles 5, 10, 13.2 and 20, so we kind of knew where he was.  Isn't modern technology grand?! 

We caught him coming out of MGM/Hollywood Studios, and I swear I looked like a complete idiot jumping up and down, yelling, "Go Dad!  Woohoo!  Come on Gary!"  It was really exciting, and I didn't care.  Everyone around us started cheering, too.  SMoo and I jumped in (which is technically banditing a run!) and got to run behind Disney and through Epcot.  We tried to come up with anything and everything imaginable to talk about and try and keep Dad's mind occupied.  I'm pretty sure I even said, "Look!  There's England!  Hey, We're in France!" as we were running through all the countries.  At least we tried.

After you cross the finish line, they give you a space blanket to stay warm, then your medal, and then you stop at the medical tent. They have people ready to help you with ice packs.  We determined that saran-wrap is only good for attaching ice packs to knees, nothing else!  Dad said if he could've run with those, that would've been perfect!

The whole experience was really inspiring.  Mom was saying that as an adult, you don't have many opportunities to hear people cheering you on like it was happening on race day.  People were lining the route, and everyone had names on their bibs, so you could cheer for them by name, even if you didn't know them.  Mom, SMoo and I nearly froze as we waited, but we kept warm by jumping up and down and walking along the route waiting for Dad and cheering others on.  We even got a few Delta should outs, since SMoo was wearing a DDD fleece.  Fun stuff.   

SMoo is ready to run the half marathon there, but I haven't quite caught the bug yet.  I'm just going to stick to my 5k for now and hopefully add a 10k this year. 

Dad, we are so proud of you!  Thanks for letting us tag along and visit Disney World with you.  Love you bunches.

A December to Remember

As if posting eight times in seven days isn't a dead giveaway, I've had all but one day off from work, which I worked in my jammies.  This time has been amazing.  {And if I could blog for a living, I totally would.}  I've spent lots of time sleeping, some of it running, a lot with the roomdog, and hanging out with friends I don't get to see all the time, catching Adam when he's not working, and cleaning out and organizing a lot.

Can you say g-l-o-r-i-o-u-s?!  

Besides hanging out with Claire, recently I've celebrated Mom's Birthday, Cheered on the Hogs & the Bears with Smoo, Recapped our Family Trip to Mexico, said goodbye to the most loved dog--Skip, Covered Christmas Eve with the whole fam, then Christmas Day, and relived our date to hear Mannheim Steamroller at the Meyerson Symphony Hall.  

I spent some of my Christmas money on Blog-it Boards from MCP Actions, which is why a lot of my posts now have photos that look like this...

And this...

{These were pics I found on my phone from our first few hours in Iowa.  How much fun can YOU have in an airport in Iowa?  The camo is from when we stopped at The Great Outdoors with Adam's brother to get some shotgun shells for hunting the next day.}

I also found a new FREE app for my iPhone called Instagram that has several different filters and borders that can give you the look of the photos above.

The MCP Actions let you choose several different layouts depending on the number of openings and the arrangement of them.  You can add color boxes and text as well.  I'm loving it!  If you have Photoshop, you can try a sample blog-it board for free.  It's just one, and it got me hooked.

It's been a full two weeks away from work in real life and on this blog, and I am so thankful for every minute.  Hope you've had a wonderful break as well, and Happy Monday, my friends!

THREE Trees

I got into the holiday spirit very quickly last weekend and put up three trees in about 36 hours.  Crazy, right?

I started Friday morning after Thanksgiving with my mom.  (And by morning, I totally mean around noon...)  I walked downstairs, and my parents had already pulled all the Christmas stuff down from the attic and the big tree was in place in the den.

The past few years, we've done two 3-foot trees, which are just smaller and more manageable, so imagine my surprise to see the big tree ready and waiting for decorations!  Mom and I had a great time listening to Christmas music and decorating the tree.

We have this fun tradition of getting an ornament anytime we travel, so it was fun to remember the trips we've been on.  The oldest ornament might be the "ALOHA" one cross-stitched from when my parents went to Hawaii when they were first married.  Pretty cute!

Friday afternoon, I headed to Adam's.  We ran, and the weather was beautiful!  We were passing this one spot on the lake about sunset, and tons of ducks and geese were gathered at the edge.  We went over to look, and a van pulled up soon after.  Apparently Charles works for the city, and he comes every day to feed them, and these birds know it.  (So smart.)  We learned all about the African geese, the Chinese geese and the newest additions, the two Canadian geese that had just arrived (My personal faves).  They ate bread out of our hands.  It was kind of surreal, and definitely one of my favorite memories.  

After dinner at Chili's, a Starbucks stop and putting the Christmas music on, we got out the tree!  It was so fun.  I loved this day.

There really are ornaments on the tree, but they're just a bit hard to see in this pic...

 

Saturday, Claire and I came back to our apartment after spending the weekend with our families.  It was so fun to catch up and hear what went on.  I was reminded again how much I love living with her!  

We pulled out our tree, and this year, Claire was able to add LOTS of ornaments!  Last year, she started out with six, and by the end of the holidays, she'd been given lots more by her adoring students.  It was so fun to pull them all out and remember how we got them.

My mom's mom, "Nanny," used to give us an ornament each year, so that when we grew up and had a tree of our own, we'd have lots to hang up.  Well, her plan worked, because I have 24 year's worth of ornaments now!  I also started collecting them when I travel, and I have one from almost every country I visited in Europe.  It was really funny to try and find ornaments in some places, but always and adventure! 

Surprisingly, I'm not tired of trees or Christmas music yet!  Good thing, since it's the beginning of December.  This truly is one of my favorite times of the year.  I'm loving it!

Homecoming 2010

The feeling of anticipation of seeing friends on stage during Pigskin.

The smell of the bonfire smoke.

The sight of familiar faces.

The feeling of Baylor Pride.

The embrace of college friends.

The sound of laughter and squeals of delight at the Parade.

The view of clouds rolling in before the game.

The feeling of a downpour on your back & a two-hour rain delay at the football game

The celebration of finally going to a Bowl game.

This is Baylor Homecoming.

Sweet BSB Friend, Liz, in town from UT--she couldn't stay away!

Delta Love.  Bonfire Style.

BSB friends: Drew and my cousin Austin at the Parade

Smoo came in town!

Football game

{We sang "Texas, Our Texas."  I don't remember ever doing this before...}

Sic'em

We're going to a Bowl Game!  

We might've been a tad excited...

This is the Day

While I love looking back at Baylor, I couldn't help but be reminded that I'm not there anymore.  I'm here.  And here is really great, too.  So this is what I'm doing right here, right now.  And I'm grateful.

This is my friend Taylor.  We get together every so often and chat about life.  She's an incredible dancer and is looking to go to college to do what she loves.  It's pretty awesome.  I saw her Sunday, when I got to go back to the church I grew up in and sing.  It's so nice to come back every once in a while and see people I've known forever.  And I always love singing.  Always.  

Apparently booties are in style this season!!

Sunday night, Adam and I carved a watermelon and a pumpkin, respectively.  Adam decided that a watermelon would be much better smelling.  I must agree, it wasn't nearly as goopy as my pumpkin!  I haven't carved a pumpkin in so long.  And I've certainly never carved a watermelon!  It was so fun.

And tonight I came in from a day-trip to San Antonio, and Claire was making dinner.  It was SO worth documenting!  She made stir fry, and it was really yummy.  What a treat to walk in the door to a fabulous dinner!  We ate in front of the TV and watched Gilmore Girls, and now we've switched to the Ranger game.  {Pretty awesome that we're in the playoffs!}  Life is good.

This is the day that the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 118:24

A Cooking Kick

Every once in a while, I get on a cooking kick.  Today was it.  And in other exciting news, I've never chopped up an onion, until today.  Guess there's a first for everything.

Sunday dinner, I had Smoo over, and we ate this:

 Corn Chowder Recipe

I made it without the chilies.  I'm not one for a lot of spiciness, and it was really good.  So good, in fact, I'm having it for lunch at work, too.

Then we got really excited to make these cupcakes and frosting.  Oh my heavens.  The frosting is. to. die.  for.  We would've been eating them a whole lot quicker, too, if I'd remembered to actually turn the oven on before putting them in.  Sometimes I wonder if my head is attached to the rest of my body.

Cupcake and Frosting Recipe

And for dinner tonight, Beef Short Ribs.  I've been wanting to make this recipe for a couple of weeks.  Tonight is the night.  Claire has parent/teacher conferences all day long, and I thought the last thing she'd want to do is think about where and what to eat when she was finished.  Last year, she said she didn't have any words left when she got home.  I guess I'll find out!

Beef Short Ribs Recipe

The Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite blogs.  She has recipes that'll make your mouth water.  (All these recipes and photos are from her.)  So far, everything's been quite tasty.  I'll keep you posted on the ribs!