D'Alien

On our way back from our ski trip, we passed through Roswell, New Mexico. None of us had ever been there, so we stopped for lunch and a little sightseeing.

Apparently we had a stow-away, and I'm now a mommy to a 5 foot tall Alien. Or D'Alien as Mia likes to call him. He's pretty good with the kids, knows how to clean toilets, and doesn't say much. I told him he could stay.

I am happy

Oh so, happy because Melissa and Jen (one of my awesome new Twitter friends and fellow Sister in Shrinkage) presented me with this lovely award! Thank you, hookers!!!! MWAH!

As always, there are instructions:

1. Copy the image and display it on your blog.
2. List 10 things that make you happy.
3. Try to do at least one of them today.
4. Pass on the award to 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

So here are the 10 things that make me happy!

1. My children. Each and everyday I marvel at their existence. They both have amazing personalities and are truly a miracle.
2. My husband. He spends his weeks in Houston working hard so we can have an amazing life. I don't think I tell him enough how much I appreciate him.
3. My brand new iPhone. It's amazing. I pretty much make out with it all the time.
4. The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I cannot begin to describe the fulfillment I get from that site. Not only am I improving myself on a daily basis, but I'm watching so many other women do the same. It's a haven for support and love.
5. Food. Yes, food makes me happy. Not necessarily the consumption, but the discovery of new recipes and healthier options. I love sharing my knowledge with others, especially my children.
6. Seeing my children make good choices. With food, with friends, with life. It validates me. It makes me feel like my husband and I are doing something really right. Really important.
7. Running. I love to run. I love to workout. It makes me happy because 1 year ago, I didn't have this love, and I certainly wasn't this happy.
8. My friends. I have some of the best friends in the whole wide world and web.
9. My new end tables. We just got them, and they make me SO happy.
10. Cuckoo clocks. I love them. They are complicated, and beautiful, and they have a little bird who jumps out and tweets at you. How could you not be happy with one of those hanging around? If I could only teach that little bird how to wash the dishes, we'd be golden.

And here are 10 bloggers I'd like to present with the Happy Award, because they make me happy:

1. Lisa
2. Amanda
3. April
4. Brooke
5. Nancy
6. Ann
7. Kirsten
8. Tiffany
9. Audrey
10. Karena

You totally need to visit all of them right now, because they will make you happy, too!

The skinny on April's visit

Blogging and I haven't been getting along lately. I haven't been blogging and I haven't been reading blogs. BOO. I do have an amazing excuse this week though! I had a visitor, a wonderful friend that I met in bloggyland, on Twitter if you want to get all crazy about it. Yes, I met April on Twitter (she's @aprilshowrs), and we became fast friends. I invited her over to the Sisterhood, where she was a champion supporter and she eventually became a contributor. Our first official IRL meetup was at Blogher in July, but her trip to visit me has been in the works since before that.

She arrived on Tuesday, and from that moment forward, we were on the go. I took her for her first REAL Tex-Mex, including table-side guacamole, and super-duper margaritas. Then we headed for my house where she got to witness a real life traffic jam. Then we hung our, watched the Biggest Loser, drank some beers, and chatted with each other on the 'hood. Yeah, we were sitting in the same room, but whatever!

On Wednesday we got all crazy and decided to head to Lost Maples State Natural Area. I knew the maples would be near peak, and I knew it would be an awesome hike with lots of photo ops. We were not disappointed. We ended up taking the 4.9 mile loop, with 1.5 miles being a steep and rocky climb up, and then another mile was a steep and rocky climb down. Did I mention I had Mia in a Kelty Kids backpack? Um, yeah. I had never hiked that far or that high with her, and it was challenging. Totally worth it though! I mean, look at these shots I got!

On Thursday we baked all.day.long. Friday was the Wild Game Dinner at my son's school, and I had committed to making cobblers and brownies for the bake sale. I've never made a cobbler so I googled recipes and found this one. Can you say heart attack on a plate? For reals, yo. As April and I melted the stick of butter in the 9x13" we laughed and maybe gagged just a little. Then when it came time to add in the TWO cups of sugar (I know, right?!) we skimped because we felt totally guilty for the fact that someone was going to consume this sweet buttery mess of dessert. So 4 cobblers and two batches of brownies later, I'm pretty sure we were drunk, or maybe close to it. Neither one of us had any desire to eat cobbler, and we might be totally scarred for life.

On Friday we geared up for the dinner, and it didn't disappoint. Perfect weather, so much amazing food, including elk, venison, antelope, fallow, oryx, axis, and much more. About an hour and half into the dinner, with more than 450 people already served, we started running out of food. Very scary because we had 2.5 hours left and dozen of people flooding in. We managed to scrape by with limited selections available during the last part of the dinner, but not one person complained. We raised a TON of money for the PTO, which will go into the school's activity fund to support, among other things, the end of year field trip.

I know I had fun, and I'm pretty sure April did. I mean, what could be more fun than coming to Texas and going to a wild game dinner, right?

The next installment of our trip, the Sisterhood Virtual EA SPORTS Active 5K, will come tomorrow over at at my Shrinking Jeans blog!

Come back later tonight/tomorrow because I'm going to tell you all about why I'm in California RIGHT NOW for EA SPORTS Active! It's so exciting!!

Sad

My laptop was stolen. Ruby is gone.

Silly as it may sound, it feels like part of me is missing. Really, I guess it is. Not silly, but missing. I do have a rickety old desktop, that's not very reliable. The internet connection is in and out, so much so, that it drives me completely insane.

So the story.

We went to San Antonio for the weekend, and on Saturday decided to take the kids to Sea World. Never in a million years did I think someone would break into my truck in broad daylight with so many security towers, and people walking around. Never. It's not like I left my laptop on the seat with a sign saying take me, I'm yours. Nope. It was safely hidden away under my seat, along with my purse and GPS. Yep, the motherfuckers got those, too. Luckily, my purse was empty, but still. It wasn't a cheap purse. Wanna know what else they stole? A box of diapers. Yep. Diapers. And in the process, they broke the lock on the driver side door.

Stupid, stupid thieves. Pieces of shit. Scum of the earth. I pretty much hope they rot in hell.

Enough of that. I've had several days to process the theft, so I'm starting to feel less angry and sad.

The worst part of all of this is my lack of connectivity. Sure, I have a rickety old desktop, but it's not reliable. Hell, I'm sure that it will lock up at least 2 times during this post. I can only hope auto-save is working. I miss my blog. I miss my friends. I miss Shrinking Jeans. I miss my work.

I've ordered a new laptop, and it should be on it's way tomorrow. I hope it's on it's way tomorrow for God's sake.

It won't be red, which makes me a little sad, but it will be shiny and new and ready for me to fill it with myself.

It's a Mac.

Squeeeee!

It's raining men, um, I mean toys

Lisa and I shopped today. We hit Old Navy (help me please), Carters, Fuddruckers Subway (where I most certainly did NOT eat a burger slathered with fake cheese and A-1. Or steak fries) (where I had a delicious, nutritious 6 inch turkey sub), and then we headed home. While we were getting the babies down for their naps, our older 3 were up to something big. Doors were closed and closely guarded, messengers were sent out with news of a big 'show', and finally, when it seemed that Lisa and I could no longer stand the suspense (we were Twittering people!), we were asked to take our seats. At first, there didn't seem to be anything awry, that is, until we looked UP. I ran to grab my camera, and we marveled at the sheer genius of our children.

The switch was flipped and the toys, oh how they flew. No one was injured and we all had a good laugh!

Here's what they had to say in a post-show interview:

BJ: I was the master of the idea. We got on the bunkbed and put the toys on and then we tested it out to make sure the toys wouldn't go too far. And they didn't so we decided to go ahead with the party.

Sophie: I put on some of the toys. Sam was our assistant. I also invited the mommies to the party and told them when it was ready.

BJ: I was the one to make sure that it exactly worked. Sophie was the toy-putter-on, and helped me invent the idea.

And so I give you, the Raining Toy Party.

The toys, they rained down on all over,

There are no photos because we were ducking for cover.

Our kids are wicked smaht, and oh so funny.

We need to figure a way to pimp them our for money.

Mama needs a new pair of shoes.

You Capture - You

Ohmygosh. It has been weeks upon weeks since I participated in You Capture. That makes me so sad, because I so look forward to seeing what everyone has captured and hearing what everyone has to say about my captures.

I wasn't going to participate this week, because frankly, I've been so busy. We just got home from a trip to Georgia and Tennessee, a trip that was on the coattails of my trip to Blogher. But I love this photo so much. And I love the moment it was snapped. I was with two great friends site seeing in Chicago on the Sunday after Blogher. We took a CRAZYASSTAXIRIDE down to Millennium Park so I could show my girls it's wonderous beauty. And the Bean.

So I give you, me:

And me and my hookers:

These kinda cover the weeks I've missed, right? Black and white, and friends :)

For more fantastic captures, head on over to Beth's. NOW.

Blogher 2009 - What it was for me

I've had a few days to recover from Blogher. Only, I haven't really recovered, since I'm on another trip now. Holy hell. My feet are still swollen.

Blogher was, without a doubt, amazing.

In the days leading up to my departure for Chicago, I have to admit I was a little nervous, and even more intimidated by all that Blogher promised to be. I mean, the official program was 50 pages long. I knew I would be hanging out with my girls, but would anyone else even know me or care to meet me? Would I really get anything out of the conference? Would I be able to keep up with the rigorous schedule of parties?

The answer across the board is YES! Mostly. I met so many wonderful people. I finally go to me April. Of course, it felt like I'd known her for ages, but we finally got to hug and it was great! Rooming with her and Lisa was the best experience ever. No one even snored!


I met Heather, who is so soft spoken and angelic (her halo is under that paper bag), but don't let that fool y'all. That girl can do some pretty amazing things with a cheeseburger, yo.

I met Midwest Mommy, who was not soft spoken, but had the best mid-western accent EVER. OMG, I wanted to pack her in bag and bring her home like a fine piece of swag.

Elaine, who was all that I thought she'd be and more-so warm and friendly like only a Texan could be.

Kim was so special. Just like I thought she'd be. Funny and sweet, and she had such a wonderful smile. Libby was so cute and happy.

I got to ride in the Wienermobile. Can you tell I had a hot doggin' good time?


And right up there with riding in the Wienermobile was meeting Deb and Lee. If you haven't read Lee's post about Blogher, it's a must read. I had never even heard of these ladies before Blogher, but I feel so fortunate to have met them. Even if they didn't remember who I was 30 seconds after meeting me.

To answer your question, yes, they always looked that HAWT.

Attending Bowlher was definitely a highlight as well! I got to walk the red carpet with some of my best hookers.

See Brooke White perform.

Watch Ivy and Libby dance and clap.

And holy hell, I met the Pioneer Woman. Ree was so kind and friendly. Totally what I expected. She was even nice enough to pose for a picture with Lisa, April and I. I was just about to grab her and shove her into my pocket when the Marlboro Man pulled her up on to his horse and they rode off into the sunset.

The best part of the whole trip was hanging out with old friends and new. Party hopping, bar hopping, sightseeing. It was so much fun rolled into a nice long weekend. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Well, after my feet recover.




To see the rest of my wonderful memories from Blogher, you can check out my Flickr set.

You Capture - Photographer's Choice

This week Beth let us pick our subjects for You Capture, and to be honest, I had no idea what to capture.

One afternoon, my camera and I were sitting on the front porch enjoying the view, when I realized my subject for this week, was right there. Do you remember those little baby birds living on my front porch? The swallows I posted a great shot of a few weeks back, for Family? Okay, click here to refresh your memory. I'll wait, don't worry. Okay, so those baby birds grew so fast and before I knew it, they were venturing out on their first flights. This week.

I spent lots of time outside capturing the 5 baby birds sitting on the power line, stretching their wings and fluttering around. Then entire time, two of the baby birds always stayed together. Always. They practically sat on top of each other on the line, and always dove and glided together. The whole time, all I could think about were James and Jake, Beth's sweet angels. It made me happy, but it also made me so sad, because I know how much my dear friend Beth aches for her boys. Every.single.day. That ache will never go away, not ever, and there's nothing I can do, but remember them and honor them as often as I can.

So today, my You Capture post is dedicated to James and Jake. I love you, Beth.

Please be sure to stop by Beth's blog and check out what everyone else captured this week. And give her a little extra love while you're there, k. I'll punch you if you don't.

A friend's birthday

Today is April's 31st birthday, and she is a very dear friend of mine. Please go over and wish her well!!!

Be sure to admire her new blog design, too!

Do it now, k?

Thanks!

Divide School Class Trip, part 1

Yesterday morning we made our way to Houston. BJ rode with our friends so I could take Mia to the doctor to make sure we were good to travel. She's been running a fever since Sunday. After getting the all clear, she and I hit the road. She fell asleep and I thought about it, but didn't think it was such a good idea since I was driving! I got a call from Lisa and talking to her always helps me pass the time. Apparently talking to her also makes me drive faster because I looked in my rear view mirror and realized I had a State Trooper on my ass with his lights on. Oops. My first thought was, "I wonder how long he's been back there!" So I pulled over, flashed him my most sheepish grin, and as he took my license and insurance, I admired hit hotness. Oh yes, he was quite a looker. And apparently quite a nice guy since he let me go with a warning. Shew! Wish I'd thought to ask him to pose for a picture next to his cruiser. Maybe next time...

So we arrived in Houston ahead of the group. Not because I was speeding, but because they stopped on the way to check out the Blue Bell Creamery. It's probably a good thing I didn't go with them, because what better way to start off a week long trip than with ice cream and 10 extra pounds, right?! As we drove through the city, I felt like I'd come home. I do miss Houston. I miss the buildings and the restaurants and the grocery store and Starbucks on every corner. The convenience and opportunity. I don't miss the traffic, the pollution, or the humidity. And by the end of the week, I'll have to come back and edit this post because I'm pretty sure I'll be hating Houston by then!

After we got checked in and everyone figured out where everyone was, we headed out on foot in search of dinner.

Now, let me give you a little background on this trip. It's completely paid for thanks to monies raised by the Wild Game Dinner the school PTO hosts in the fall. That's alot of mooolah raised, folks. There are approximately 18 school kids, 5 siblings, and 20 teachers/parents on this trip, and we are here from Monday through Friday. We're hitting multiple museums, the Johnson Space Center, and a Rice baseball game. Oh, we're going to a chicken farm on the way back home!

So we found a place that had room for all of us, and wasn't packed. It was Mexican food. It worked, we ate, and everyone was happy. Just before we were getting ready to leave, BJ frantically told me he needed to go potty. That's nothing new, because like me, my son is a master procrastinator and he puts important things, like going to the potty, off for as long as possible. We hurried, got in the stall and he told me he was going to have diarrhea. Oh, yes he did. And all I could think was that I totally jinxed myself with this post from Sunday (don't forget to enter my giveaway, k?).

On the walk back to the hotel, another kid puked right on the sidewalk at an intersection. Right in front of everyone. And luckily for that poor boy, all the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. He was so cool! I, along with several other parents, worried that we had some kind of stomach bug firing up on the school trip. What a nightmare.

Back to the hotel and time for school work? Huh? Seriously? Whatevs. Since BJ had his little episode, I whisked him away to our room, bathed him and threw him and Mia in bed. Then I sat in the dark room with my blackberry just waiting for them to fall asleep. It didn't take long, thank goodness. I hit the sack and an unprecedented 10 p.m. only because I didn't have many other options.

Today started off great. All the kids were feeling great and no stomach bug in sight! We had a great breakfast in the hotel and headed out to the Museum of Natural Science. There we saw the Cockrell Butterfly Center and walked around the main exhibit halls checking out the dinosaurs, geodes, and many other cool things. We also visited the Burke Baker Planetarium and saw a quick movie about planets geared towards kids. Me and most of the adults were completely lost, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. After that we ate lunch at McDonald's (barf) in the museum. It was quite a feat getting that order all together and distributed!!

Now Mia and I are hanging out in our quiet hotel. She's napping and I'm blogging. Did I mention it's quiet? Ahhh. I'm not used to all this city noise anymore! I just got done uploading my shots from this morning to my Flickr account. Wanna see some of them?

Tonight Brian's going to join us and we're off to see the Rice Owls play the Louisiana Rajin' Cajuns. Should be interesting to say the least ;)

Tomorrow we're off to the Johnson Space Center. I'll try to update tomorrow night after the kiddos are in bed. It might be late, because I'm making Brian take me out to one of my favorite restaurants in Houston for dinner - Houston's. On second thought, maybe we'll go to my other favorite restaurant in Houston - Lupe Tortilla's. Yeah, that sounds right.

The Pendulum


The Cockrell Butterfly Center


BJ

You Capture - Joy

I'm becoming that kid in high school who always turns in her assignment a day late. Yep, that's me. But I don't have to worry about points being deducted at this stage in my life!

This week's Joy Capture jumped out at me as I was scanning through Picassa looking for a contender. Nothing says Joy like the face of a sweet dog getting a nice, thorough massage from her biggest fan, Amanda! Do you see all that dog hair? Yeah, I pretty much had enough dog hair on the floor and couch to weave a couple of baskets!

This is my dog Molly. She's an American Dingo, or Carolina Dog, and is 10 years old. She's the best dog EVER. Promise.




To see more Joyful captures, head on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry and take a look around!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I appreciate each and every one of y'all!

real life adventures catches up

I don't know if you've noticed, but the only time I blog lately is to weigh-in on Wednesdays with the Sisterhood, or to post my fabulous You Capture pictures on Thursdays. I've scrolled down and that's pretty much all I see. Trust me, this blog's intention isn't to be a weight loss/photography blog, although I would love to lose the rest of this stubborn weight and take pictures pretty much ALL DAY LONG.

But I digress. This blog is a record for me, a record of my family and our real life adventures, and there are so many. So many that I haven't blogged about, and that kinda makes me a little sad. One day when I'm old and senile, I won't remember all those adventures unless they're documented here and in photos. I don't have a problem with the photos, but I do need to story to go along with them.

So bear with me while I scroll back through Picassa and relive a few of our recent adventures.

First up is a fabulous shot I took of the full moon back on April 8th. I've been hoping Beth would pick a night shot for You Capture (hint hint):

And here we have some fun Easter egg dying and hunting shots. This year the Easter bunny took mercy on mommy and her diet and didn't bring much candy. The kids didn't seem to notice!
The weekend after Easter, BJ had an out of town t-ball game, so we decided to make a fun weekend of it! We stayed in Bandera, Texas and did lots of good eating and sight seeing!

And to top this post off, I'll leave you with some great shots I took when my friend Amanda visited last week. Her and the boys came down for a couple of days that ended up being a whole 5 days (due to car troubles). Our boys had a rough go of it, but she and I had the best time ever! We're already planning our next photography road trip sans kids! Did I mention she's a photographer with mad skillz? FOR REAL! I had my very own personal photography trainer at my disposal for a week. She's the best ever!





This tree? I could make out with it for hours and hours and hours. I photographed it for the very first You Capture. Remember? It was magnificent! Now it's budding out and I'm still in love.
And another tree with a very cool perspective. I love the colors, straight out of camera, as all of my shots are since I don't have Photoshop installed right now!

Amanda and her boys!

Okay, it's obvious I love trees, so I'll leave you with a picture of Lovey Bluebird!