From the backseat

Sometimes when you're on a 2,600 mile (roundtrip) road trip, the natives get restless and you do crazy things like handing over your very expensive DSLR camera. And because of those sometimes you get little surprises like these.





I'm just now getting around to going through the rest of the 600+ images from our road trip to Florida. More to come.

Happy New Year!!

It's been a wonderful holiday season. We're packing up to head home from our awesome family ski vacation in the New Mexican mountains. Dreamy, I tell you.

I don't have much time, so I'll leave you with a little picture of a new friend we made this week!

For more pictures, you can visit my Flickr account! I uploaded a bunch last night!

The game - finally!

On Friday, August 22nd, my family attended a WNBA game courtesy of One2One Network. (You may have seen some of my tweets that night!) We had never been to a WNBA game, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Oh, I knew there'd be women playing basketball. DUH! But, I had no idea what an amazing following the San Antonio Silver Stars would have.

We saw the San Antonio Silver Stars (home team) play the Los Angeles Sparks, and it was a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat game. It even went into overtime! The arena was packed, and fans were on their feet for almost the entire game.

Highlights of the game:

• We had AWESOME seats!
  
• BJ had a blast. This was his first professional sporting event, and the kid was so excited. He even got in the chanting, but mistakenly thought they were saying "The Fence" instead of DEFENSE! It was really funny and cute in a 5 year old kind of way.
• Mia really enjoyed it, too. She was mesmerized by all the flashing lights, music, and people.
  
• I really appreciated that it was dollar beer and hot dog night!! Nothing like an ice cold one after your kid drops peanut shells in it. YUM-O!
• Oh and those inflatable things you hit together? Another hit with the boy. Oh, well, he did actually hit the people in front of us a couple of times, too! They were good sports!
• Brian was awesome enough to stop on his way in and grab an SD card for my camera. Too bad it was the wrong one. FAIL. I have no photos of the event, which make me kinda sad.
• It was military appreciation night (SA is a big military town), and the program they had at half-time was amazing. Seriously. I felt SO much pride. It was also amazing to see all of the military personnel in attendance. Lots of uniforms!
• Overtime! All I can say is it was intense. San Antonio ended up losing by 1. Boo!
  
• I lost my truck in the parking lot, and then had to listen to Brian lecture me on why they put the letters and numbers on the light poles. Yeah, good times! Luckily we found it pretty quick, because I do have a good sense of direction.

The WNBA is heavily involved in raising awareness on several topics including breast health awareness, women's heart health, creating positive body images in teens, and literacy. They even partners in a program called Nothing But Nets that provides mosquito nets to families in need in Africa. One glance at their site, WNBA Cares, and you'll be overwhelmed with what an amazing job they're do at giving back.

If you have a WNBA team in your area, I think you need to get out with your family to see a game. SOON! I promise you'll have a blast. One2One Network has a special deal for bloggers right here. You're welcome!

The WNBA has teams in:
Washington
Seattle
Phoenix
San Antonio
New York
Minnesota
Los Angeles
Indiana
Detriot
Connecticut
Chicago
Atlanta

You should also follow the WNBA!

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/Wnba
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wnba

Thank you One2One Network for the amazing opportunity. My family and I had a wonderful time!

WNBA and One2One Network

Tonight my family and I will be watching the San Antonio Silver Stars take on the LA Sparks thanks to One2One Network! Be sure to follow me on Twitter because I'll be tweeting while I'm eating $1 hot dogs and drinking $1 beer at the game! WOOT!

Stop by in couple of days to read about how much fun we had at the game. I'm sure I'll have tons of great shots to share with you as well!

For more information on the WNBA, check out some of these links!
WNBA on Twitter
WNBA on Facebook
WNBA's You Tube Channel
WNBA's 2009 TV Spot

real life adventures - Atlanta, Georgia style, part 2

Remember a couple weeks ago when I was in Atlanta? Well, this post has turned into Atlanta, part 2!

Before we left for Tennessee, we still had half a day to kick around in Atlanta, so the kids and I headed downtown. We parked and walked through the Olympic park, which is so beautiful. A huge green space with playgrounds, nice cozy nooks for sitting and relaxing, and beautiful reflection pools. There was also a splash pad that was crazy-busy, and my kids were disappointed that we didn't get to try it out!







After we walked around the park, I asked BJ was he most wanted to do, and he chose visiting Georgia's state capitol building. It's hard to miss the beautiful golden dome in the Atlanta skyline, and with his thirst for knowledge and love for history, it was sure to be an adventure!

We headed off on foot for the capitol building, and saw some sites along the way.

I loved these red doors so much. If there hadn't been construction on the sidewalk in front of them, I would have gotten closer and taken lots more shots of them.




Looking up at the inside of the dome

We learned that the dome is covered in gold leaf and it has to be replaced every 30-35 years. If you were to take all the gold off and wad it up, it would be the size of a soccer ball and weigh 900 ounces. BJ wanted to know how much it would be worth, and the guide told him about 35,000 bucks!

The architecture was amazing!


At the end of the tour, we were taken inside the General Assembly Room for some Q&A. Of course, BJ peppered our guide with questions about the architecture, the chandelier, and whether or not the legislators ate lunch at their wooden desks. Oh, and he also asked if they used the 2 fireplaces in the room (which they don't anymore).

After the tour, we grabbed lunch at Ted's (Turner) Montana Grill and it was fabulous! An awesome restaurant with a wonderful twist on Eco-Friendliness. Think drinking straws made out of recycled materials! As a matter of fact, the restaurant is 99% plastic free! All this, plus they had amazingly huge picture windows and great natural lighting.

After lunch, we walked back to our rental car and headed to the airport to pick up daddy. He was flying in to meet up with us for the Tennesee leg of our trip.

Click here to read Part 1 of our Atlanta trip!

Stay tuned for more from our trip. We did alot of really fun, family friendly things in Tennessee!

You can see the complete set of photos from the trip here!

Through the eyes of a child

This morning I was emailing back and forth with a friend about the weekend. What we're both doing, how our Valentine's turned out, what our plans are for the rest of the weekend. As I typed out a particular sentence, I laughed because I knew I'd started my next blog post.

We're in San Antonio for the weekend. BJ was off of school on Friday, so we decided to have a little getaway. Something different. It's been fun. We've walked SO much and seen some really cool things. No matter how many times you visit a city, there's always something new to discover, and it's so much fun discovering it through the eyes of your children! Wow, I may have just started my next blog post ;-)

It's true, no matter how many times you see the Alamo or a horse drawn carriage or the river walk, seeing it through the eyes of a child is so rewarding.

BJ wants to know every last detail and tidbit of information. The whys, wheres, whos, and hows. I love every question his 5 year old mind forms. He amazes me with his desire to know everything, his memory of past trips and sites seen, his love of everything, and his desire to know more, more, more!

Mia is so interested in everything. She oooohs and aaaaaahs and just kills me with her awe of simple things. The mariachi bands around every bend give her an opportunity to dance and clap all day long. A gentle breeze makes her smile and close her eyes. Birds have her craning her neck to locate the source of the delightful chirping. Oh, this age just melts my heart.

It was a great weekend. Wonderful time spent as a family with nothing to do other than enjoy our time together. The shopping didn't hurt this mama's feelings either ;)

Weightloss, trip recap, and illness

As I type this, I'm laying on the couch. Flat. It's hard to type, but I'll manage a few words :)

Today is weigh-in at the Sisterhood! I stayed the same as last week: 154. That's truly amazing to me since I was in Indiana visiting Beth and I ate and drank a few things I shouldn't have!!

Mia was struck by a nasty stomach virus on Sunday. N-A-S-T-Y! We boarded our flight home on Monday, and by the time we arrived in San Antonio 2.5 hours later, I was covered in puke. COVERED. It wasn't pretty.at.all.

I managed to wrangle both kids and our luggage into the truck and then BJ start screaming that he needs to go potty. Thank goodness is was only #1! So I totally let him pee in the parking garage. Don't worry, he was in between vehicles with the doors opened creating a privacy screen. He was very exciting though and also careful not to pee on the neighboring car or on himself. Boys can be very silly with their pee. Just sayin'.

So after a two hour drive, we arrived home at 11:30 p.m. I was still covered in puke and the smell was starting to get pretty rank. I grabbed both kids from the truck, tossed them in bed, and changed clothes. And then I went to bed.

Mia continued to puke and whatnot yesterday and I was getting worried because she had not eaten since Sunday a.m., so I took her to the doctor. He basically told me to continue nursing her even if she promptly puked it up. She would get something from it and it would keep her hydrated. She's getting better and only puked twice today. I, on the other hand, woke up with the funny feeling in my tummy, and I'll spare you the details, but there's been lots of running today. LOTS.

Keep your fingers crossed that BJ doesn't get it. Or Brian when he's home this weekend.

So I had a wonderful trip to Indiana. The snow was amazing. Hanging out with Beth and Brian was so much fun. The kids got along great. Everyone slept when they were supposed to. I got to hang out with several of my favorite blogger friends and even meet a new friend, Erin, who is so cool with her Bobbi Brown makeup in her hot little train case. And I drank a little too much that night and made snow angels, that's a story for another time! Luckily there were no witnesses....

Snow nice

Beth and I escaped for a little photography time today. We headed to Indiana Dunes State Park. Same place we took these pictures last summer. It looks a little different in the winter, y'all.

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Back at the house, it was finally warm enough (ABOVE ZERO!) to take the kids out to play in the snow. Ariel and BJ were the only takers.

It's cold, but it's so warm

I arrived in Indiana yesterday! When we landed at the airport in Chicago, the temperature was -5. MINUS FIVE. That's damn cold, in case you're wondering. And right now, it's -19. It's so cold I can't even talk about it.


As soon as I walked in Beth's door, it was warm and cozy and smelling like brownies and lunch. But mostly brownies. DE-VINE.


The rest of this post is going to be a bulleted list because I just can't focus long enough to put together paragraphs.

• Now let me tell you about Leroy's Hot Stuff. We ate there last night after I insisted on a local eatery as opposed to a chain joint. It was interesting. And smokey. And apparently we should have ordered Mexican food. Overall not a bad experience.
• Target. With Beth. A dream come true.
• All BJ wants to do is play in the snow. But it's too damn cold.
• While Beth and I are in the same room, we're still Twittering and emailing each other. It's strange, but it just feels right.
• We're heading out to meet Sarah and Asher for lunch. I cannot wait. To pinch Asher, mostly.
• The rest of the girls are coming over tonight. Unbelievable.

More later. I promise. We're running out the door now. To freeze our butts off.

Wednesday Weigh-In

It's weigh-in Wednesday over at the Sisterhood! I'm proud to say that I'm down this week! Woohooo!

Last Wednesday: 158.4

Challenge Start (last Thurs.): 155.8

Today: 154

So I'm down 4.4 since last Wednesday and 1.8 for the Challenge! Those are good numbers for me, y'all!

I'm going to face some challenges over the next 7 days. Today I'm leaving to go out of town! We're actually flying to Chicago (hopefully! Have you seen the weather there?) tomorrow and staying in Indiana with Beth until Monday.

Well shoot. I just watched the weather channel and it's not cute at all. Phrases like, "coldest winter in 8 years for Chicago" and "40 cancelled flights in and out of O'Hare" and "4-5 hour delays" are not exactly what I want to hear.

Please bear with me while I throw a little fit here. THIS IS MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT. Going to see Beth is what I want to do and I want to do what I want to do NOW. Stupidassweather. I mean, I wanted snow, but this is a little ridiculous. Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. UGH.

Okay, I'm better now. But I'd better make it to Chicago tomorrow. Or else!

Hit the road

I've spent the better part of the evening GLADLY addressing Christmas cards for my hubby's business. My hand is very tired, but that's okay. He has lots of clients, and that's a good thing.

Earlier today he asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Yeah, we're real romantic like that. I told him I wanted to go to Indiana to see Beth. He said, "done!" I was all like, "FOR REAL?"

Of course I was already sitting on the couch with my laptop, ruby, so I jumped online and emailed Beth. I told her that all I wanted for Christmas was her. Isn't that so goofy and cheesy? But it's true! So we agreed on a weekend and I found a flight and was giddy with the price, until I got to the page where I have to pay and realized that the price I'd seen was for ONE WAY. And then my heart skipped a couple of beats. Because I'm actually buying 2 tickets, one for me and one for BJ (thank God Mia doesn't need a seat yet!) So the price I thought was so awesome, was actually only half of the actual price. No wonder it was such a good stinking deal. Sheesh.

So then I looked over the monitor at Brian, the husband who had gladly handed me his credit card 5 minutes earlier to book the awesome deal of a flight, and said, um, honey......it's actually twice as much as I thought. (fingers crossed) He looked at me and I must have looked wildly insane completely heartbroken because he said, "if it's what you really want for Christmas, then go ahead." Wow. He's really, really good to me, don'tchathink?

Right then and there I decided that for the next year month week, I'd gladly do anything he asks. (It's a good thing he's only home on the weekends, right!) Plunge the toilet that BJ just clogged with poop and TP? No problem! Address a gagillion Christmas cards? Sure! Wipe Mia's snotty nose AGAIN? Love to! Clean the grout with a toothbrush? I'm on it!

A little bit later I was on the phone with Lisa planning and scheming our next trip to Austin, the week between Christmas and New Years. We were trying to decide if we might actually be able to sneak out of the house for a dinner sans kids for the first time in oh, forever. Seriously, I don't think Lisa and I have ever dined without kids. EVER. Okay, maybe once, but I don't really remember it because we were probably both drunk. With JOY, y'all. Drunk with joy. Gosh, get your minds out of the gutter.

Our conversation moved along to the girls trip we hope to take in 2009. The trip that hinges on both of us being done breastfeeding our kids and NOT being pregnant. My goodness. One of us has been breastfeeding or pregnant for the past 2 years and it's really cramped our ability to do anything without a kid(s) attached to us in some way. So, of course, we have no idea when this trip will take place, but girls can plan and dream right? Sometimes it just helps you get through the day when you know that the big, bright lights of Las Vegas are at the end of the tunnel. Did I say Las Vegas? Mmmmm-hmmmm. At least that's the plan for now. Moms in Vegas. Dangerous. We've already decided while we're there to pretend like no one's ever called us Mommy.

And that leads me to Blogher. Which happens to be in Chicago. Very near to Beth. So not only will I get to see Beth, and hopefully Crooked Eyebrow and Stephanie, and Sarah and Arianne in January (SQUEAL!), I'll also get to see them in July. Ohmygosh. Just pop me now. And with any luck, Lisa will join us in July, and probably even Amanda and Melissa. Seriously, in the words of Beth, I just might DIE. I'm feeling pretty McDreamy.

So, 2009 is shaping up to be the best year ever for me. I seriously don't think I need to make any resolutions except to have fun, enjoy my friends, and travel safely! Oh, and kiss my husband alot.

Changes in Latitude - A look back, part 2

If you didn't catch my first installment, go here!!

That was a long, long, long week. A week of what ifs and why nots and ohlordhavemercyareweREALLYthinkingaboutdoing this. We scoured the internet looking for more information on the area. We knew we loved it, but we wanted to make sure it was really all we thought it was. Schools - check, taxes - holy-motherofGodYES check, crime rates - check, etc. So, on paper it looked good.

We reached deep into our hearts and talked about our marriage and our family. We knew we were strong enough and our trust was great enough to handle the distance, but the thing we worried most about was BJ. He wasn't even 3. This move would benefit him so much, but would it also devastate him to not see his father during the week? That's some big stuff there folks. Believe it or not, we researched that topic as well. Whether a father's absence for work would have a lifelong affect on a child's emotions and behavior. There are always two sides, but it seemed like most of our findings indicated he would be fine. After all, children of military parents deal with much longer absences, and how many fathers work long hours and don't even see there kids before bed or in the morning? We decided as long as our family time on the weekends was quality time spent together, it would make up for the loss of time during the week.

The other issue I faced was whether I could handle parenting by myself during the week. Being the sole parent kinda scared me. Not that I thought I couldn't handle it, but it sure sounded exhausting. And then there were the nights, after BJ was in bed, with no one to hang out with. Would I be lonely? Brian would have his friends and family in Houston during the week. I would have basically no one.

With all of this on our minds, on Friday we packed up the truck again and headed out to the hill country. Saturday morning we met with a realtor who showed us a slew of properties. It seemed that once we started looking at properties all of our inhibitions flew out the window. It was exciting and beautiful and almost a dream come true.

The first set of property was part of a ranch which was being broken up. There were 6 lodges on about 3 acres each for sale. We kinda fell in love with 2 of them. One was perched on a cliff with the river flowing 30 feet below. The other was perched on a hill with the river about 150 yards away. Of course Brian fell in love with the first and I the second (being that I'm a little more practical when it comes to child safety and all ;). We looked inside and out. Upside down and right-side up. Front and back. You get the point.

There were so many wonderful things and so many not-so-wonderful things. They were vacation lodges, meaning they were small and very bare bones. Bare bones isn't bad when you have a redecorating budget, but we were about to drop it all on buying the house and land. Two bedrooms, two baths, no garage, no pantry, no closet space (well a little), no laundry room all wrapped up in a 1000 square foot package. Sheesh. The house we were living in wasn't much bigger, but we had 3 bedrooms and a garage.

After we looked at several more properties, we called it a day. We had lots to think about, and there were a few really good options. After weighing our choices over dinner and after we got BJ down for bed, we had pretty much made up our minds. We could do this and we found the house we would do this in. Just to make sure, Sunday morning, before we hit the road for Houston, we drove back out to the house to look one more time. We walked the entire property, walked along the banks of the river, and enjoyed the peace and beauty and the view. OMG, the view!!! And then we went home.

That week, we called our realtor and made an offer on Cabin #6 of Deer Rock Lodges.

More tomorrow!! This story is turning out to be much longer than I thought. I know I'll be so glad to have it written out though, so bear with me ;)

Changes in Latitude - A look back, part 1

When we moved out to the middle of nowhere, our lives changed dramatically. That's what we wanted. We were so tired of the hustle and bustle of the city. The traffic, the crime, the smog, the rude people. All of it. When we found Leakey, we felt like we'd found a slice of heaven.

We'd been vacationing in Leakey for several years. Every long weekend, every holiday, we were here. It was our utopia. So quiet, peaceful, scenic, friendly, safe. Everything we were looking for. What cemented it for us was the prospect of raising our children in a place where they would have the opportunity to just be kids; to roam, have freedom, be one with nature without the big, bad world breathing down their innocent necks.

We planned and schemed for years. Would be able to do it? How would we make a living? Where would we live? How would we live? And then slowly but surely all the pieces started falling into place. Brian was laid off from his job and started his own company. I was laid off from my job and decided to become a stay at home mom. Our finances looked more and more promising as we paid off debt and built up a nest egg. And then it happened.

We had plans to spend Brian's birthday weekend in Leakey in a little rented cabin on the river. We had an amazing weekend. Relaxing and recharging in the peaceful Frio Canyon. Only this time we carved out a little time to drive around and look at property. We'd seen a few listings online that looked promising, so we sought them out and were pleased with what we found. On our way home we decided to start looking in earnest.

Upon arriving home, we were both glued to real estate sites, and there isn't a shortage of them out here, trust me! We found some more homes and property that looked really good and the prices, on some, were even better. We also discovered that there weren't many actual homes (and the homes that were available were homes I wouldn't let my dog live in, or they were so outrageously priced Warren Buffet couldn't afford them), mostly land. Raw land with no services like water and electricity and phones. We researched and realized that getting connected to all those necessities would probably cost more than the land. And then there was the whole house thing. We certainly couldn't afford to buy land, set up the utilities AND build a house. We spoke with an agent and made plans to come out the next weekend to view properties with existing homes and some land that had services already installed. Well, we fell in love.

On the drive home we were so giddy and nervous and crazy. Could we do it? I mean really do it? Could we move 5 hours away from where Brian had grown up, and where I'd lived for almost 13 years? From our friends and families? From Super Target and Starbucks? There were so many things to think about. What about Brian's company? As it turned out, that was the real clincher in our decision. Brian couldn't afford to move his company. It's roots were too deep in Houston's oil and gas industry. It was far too much of a risk. And since he was a one man operation, there was no way he could be away from the office all the time. So we were left with some tough decisions. Decisions that would change everything.

To be continued tomorrow (because I'm too tired to type out anymore coherent thoughts!)

Take a hike

Today we ventured to Lost Maples State Natural Area, a park about 1 hour from our house in the hill country. Last weekend was peak for leaf color, but apparently no one told the other 1,349 people there hiking and taking pictures. It was still breathtaking, even if the trees were mostly bare. Oh yeah, I took a few pictures of the family too! Take a look for yourself!

All packed up in the backpack carrier.

Don't you just love that bluebird hat on my Lovey Bluebird? I got it here.

There were a few trees with some leaves!

These were taken on our front porch last weekend. The view is fabulous!
Check out that tongue action!
Love this profile shot