How to Celebrate the New Year the Type A Way

How do 2 first born, big time type A personalities ring in the New Year........

MISSION ORGANIZATION!!!!!!

Michael and I are hard at work organizing our guts out and loving it. I can barely stop long enough to type this, but I know I haven't blogged in forever and I am in between closets. So far we have tackled the pantry, linen closet, paper goods cubby and Michael is hard at work in his shed. Up next-the laundry room, the office closet and the green room closet. We are boring and we love it. Michael keeps coming in saying how much fun he is having and I am glowing with fun myself, sick I know, but I guess that's why we are a great match!

Happy New Years!

Just to clarify this IS organized, it might not look like it, but I promise it is a huge improvement. We even threw things away-I am determined to stop the pack rat genes running through Michael's veins if it KILLS me.

We had a wonderful Christmas and I will tell you all about it later.

Happy New Years Eve!

Look Mom, I can work my scanner!

I have been a little bit slow in learning how to work the scanner on our computer, but I finally did it. Here is a picture of our little prince or princess sucking a thumb! We had so much fun getting to see Wee in all his or her glory a few weeks ago, apparently the stubborn genes are strong every time Wee moved it was a matter of time before that thumb clumsily made it's way back to the mouth. I'll be interested to see if that is still a habit when we go back at 30 weeks for our next sono.
Wee also had a great weekend for his or her room, Michael and his Dad put up the last of the crown moulding which just so happened to go into Wee's future room and the guest room. That marks a final chapter in one of the many of our house renovations and I am so glad to have the CM on the walls and out of my bedroom where it has been patiently waiting for YEARS! Michael and I are constantly reminded of how much love and generosity has gone into making our house a home by our families who were so willing to help us every step of the way on a major fixer-upper.

Christmas Survey

REAL OR ARTIFICIAL TREE - FAKE! We are allergy and asthma kids, poor Wee doesn't have a prayer of breathing easy with or without a real tree
WHEN DO YOU PUT UP THE TREE - As early as I can get away with it
WHEN DO YOU TAKE IT DOWN - When Michael really starts complaining
EGG NOG - Yuck! But, Michael loves it and my Papa made a killer egg nog shake if you are into that kind of thing
FAVORITE GIFT AS A CHILD - I don't remember actually opening it, but Popples would win seeing as how he is a part of my life 22 Christmases later
DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY SCENE - I am embarrassed, nope, now I must add that to my list
HARDEST PERSON TO BUY FOR - Linde and the Wombles, they generally give NO HELP, but I will admit they were all much more helpful than usual this year
EASIEST PERSON TO BUY FOR - my Mamma, she like me knows that a good list leads to good gifts
MAIL OR E-MAIL CHRISTMAS CARDS - mail of course, once a year we can swing the 41cents
WORST GIFT EVER RECEIVED - well, it turned out to be great but when we got Winston Mom wrapped up dog bowls we thought they were really ugly plastic hats
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE - The Night They Saved Christmas or Snowman, all fabulous movies Mom taped and I still bust them out every year
WHEN DO YOU START SHOPPING - it varies, I usually do okay getting started early, but never wrap up until way too close to Christmas.
HAVE YOU EVER RECYCLED A CHRISTMAS GIFT - I plead the 5th
FAVORITE THING TO EAT AT CHRISTMAS - Breakfast at Mom's chocolate chip coffee cake and sausage balls-especially if Aunt Susan Jo makes them
COLORED OR WHITE TREE LIGHTS - white
FAVORITE SONG - I am a big fan of all Christmas music, I just don't think I can choose one
TRAVEL OR STAY HOME - we head to Tyler as we can around my work day
CAN YOU NAME ALL OF SANTA'S REINDEER - of course
STAR OR ANGEL ON TOP OF THE TREE - star
MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR - grinchy people
FAVORITE ORNAMENT OR THEME - i love my silver and gold tree, and also found a little pink tree and blue ornaments for the pink and blue bathroom, it is pretty fabulous
OPEN GIFTS CHRISTMAS EVE OR CHRISTMAS MORNING - Christmas morning i have always lobbied and lost for just one on Christmas eve, I'm going to let wee open one on Christmas eve
GIFT YOU REALLY WANT THIS YEAR - normally i have a very long list, but this year it's not too long. i really want my couch recovered and some clothes that make me look sooo cute. :) oh and a nativity scene.

Black cup disclaimer-Thank you all for your concern about it's where abouts. I think that the guilty party probably lives at my house, Michael, it was long gone before Holly Jolly. It will be missed, but one of these days I will time it right to stop at the Dishbarn and replace it.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

We had a very fun weekend with our church family. Sunday was our annual Christmas party, Holly Jolly. We had an amazing dinner cooked by some of our very talented friends Josh, Jon and Jordan! They made steaks, mashed potatoes green beans and the best salad and you would not believe the budget these guys did it on. Talk about servants of the year. I got to be a table host which means you bring your dishes and decorate for your guests. My table last year was a little but cuter and definitely more classy, but Linde helped me. This one I did all by myself so I am very proud. Well, almost all by myself. Sarah found the garland and place card holders and a lot of our church friends gave moral support as it came time to get it all set up.

Linde also came by and took our Christmas card pictures last night, so hopefully I will get those going soon. I must say that Cleo was her usual photogenic self and we got some fabulous shots, it is going to be hard to choose her best look.

Not too much else is going on. I am very sad about the writers' strike, but luckily I have FaLaLa Lifetime and the 25 days of Christmas on ABC Fam to keep me in Christmas movies until this is resolved.

Happy Monday, only 15 days until Christmas!




By the way you will notice their is no black coffee cup, if anyone knows where it is just return it and I won't say anything..... And no, it was missing before Holly Jolly, so I am thinking the guilty party probably has a present under my tree that they aren't getting unless they fess up. :)

Now it Looks Like Christmas

Okay, so I am that obnoxious person that dresses their dog. I can't help it I think it is so hilarious and Target tempted me with this Mrs. Claus dress that was very reasonably priced. So, Cleo is making her Christmas debut! She really liked the dress because I told her how beautiful she looked in it, and gave her treats. :)
She did not love the hat so much.....
Things in our world are good. I got the last of my decorations up last night and Michael and I even managed to change a fuse in the Christmas tree without killing each other or electrocuting ourselves. I am having so much fun listening to Christmas music and I inherited all my Mom's Christmas VHS movies because they no longer have a tape player. So, we have been going to sleep to my favorite childhood Christmas movies. Michael is being a very good sport.

In Wee news, we had the big 19 week sonogram Friday and everything looked GREAT!!! I was so relieved to not see signs of the litany of problems my NICU self has been worrying about. I am now going to try very hard to relax and enjoy this pregnancy since I have been worrying way too much the last few weeks. Much to the disappointment of my friend Dara, we did not find out the sex. Wee will remain neutral until the big day! I think it will be really fun and I understand that it means I won't get any cute monogrammed presents. :)

Here's a 20 week belly picture for those who have asked I waited until last night so it would be as pooched as possible. Not much belly to report, but plenty of booty. Please excuse the mess the office is the Christmas storage wasteland....

Happy Monday!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Well, we are having so much fun getting our house all ready for Christmas and I have a fabulous picture to get you in the spirit. But, blogger is not cooperated. So, stay tuned.... It's gonna be great!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving. Michael and I were talking last night about how we are so thankful for what a great year this has been and how much we will also have to be thankful for next year as well.

Some of my favorite Thanksgiving memories are from my Mom's side of the family when we would go to Wichita Falls and have dinner with my extended family Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Jimmy and their kids and grandkids, Aunt Doris, Mamma Rosa, Papa and Grandma Faye, Mimi and Aunt Susan Jo and Uncle Mark and their kids. Their were tons of people and it was great. I also think that and my Daddy is where my love for the cowboys came from, we all always watched the big game.

Papa always read this poem to us and I have always loved it, I can hear his voice reading it now. I hope you will enjoy it, too. We will miss him this year!

Drinking From the Saucer

I've never made a fortune
and it's probably too late now,
But I don't worry about that much,
I'm happy anyhow.
And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sow,
I'm drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven't got a lot of riches
and sometimes the going's tough,
But I've got loving ones around me
and that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for his blessings
and the mercies He's bestowed,
I'm drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

O, Remember times when things went wrong;
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke
and sun peeped through again.
So Lord, help me not to gripe
about the tough rows that I've hoed,
I'm drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage
When the way grows steep and rough,
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already blessed enough.
And may I never be too busy
to help others bear their loads,
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed.
-Author Unknown

Fun and Firsts

Well, we had a great day yesterday with a few firsts. Wee Womble attended his or her very first Cowboy game. Michael says it doesn't count, but I think that our little on gets at least half credit. Hopefully this child will grow to love the Cowboys as much as we do, or Michael's dad will disown them. :) It was a great game in the end, but the Boys had me very nervous about things during the first half. We have also determined that our little one must be very spiritual and that our friend John must be a great preacher, I think I felt a flutter for the first time yesterday during the invitation song. It might also have to do with the fact that I had on some tights to help me squeeze into my favorite winter pants one last time. :)
My beloved study buddy Heidi sent me this Scattergories e-mail and I LOVE it, I have always considered myself to be great at Scattergories, so I think all my blog friends should give it a go!

**Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following.
Your answers have to be real names, places, things……..nothing made up!
You can’t use your name for the boy – girl name.

You are up!!!

What’s your name? Abbe
Car: Altima, remember Al?
City: Abilene
Boy Name: Andrew
Girl name: Allison
Alcoholic drink: Amstel Light
Occupation: Anthropologist
Something you wear: ankle socks
Celebrity: Adam Sandler
Food: Amy's Ice Cream
Reason for being late: always am (double letter score!)
Cartoon character: A-team
Something you shout: AHHHHHH!
Happy Monday!

There's a Chill in the Air, OR NOT!

Okay, I am not a cold weather girl at all. I HATE to be cold it's not my fault I come from a long line of people who feel this way... my Mamma, my Papa, my Mamma Rosa-it's genetic.
All this to say, even I think it is ridiculous for it to be 83 in November. I am ready to wear my sweaters and not sweat or shiver, I want it to be just right. My 3-4 3/4 length t-shirts are tired. I look silly in a t-shirt and sandals in November, but what's a girl to do. I tried just wearing longsleeves and long pants to church last Sunday and regretted it as I sweat through the day, but at least for once I was "glowing." :) So this Sunday I wore short sleeves, but at least they were fall colors.
We'll see if fall makes it in time for Thanksgiving, I'm not holding my breath. It better at least be chilly by Christmas.

Prince Rog

I was interested to see what people think about Michael the other day when we did a little exercise in Bible Class. It made me think of these profiles of husbands on my friends' blogs so I thought I would give it a go. By the way he was almost named Roger-thank goodness his mom won on that one. I love tease Michael and call him Rog...

1. Who is your man? Michael Avery
2. How long have you been together? we've known each other since 9th grade
3. How long did you date? 4 1/2 years
4.How old is your man? 27
5. Who eats more? MAW
6. Who said "I love you" first? Michael called and confessed his undying devotion-great story!
7. Who is taller? M-5'8''
8. Who sings better? I am technically okay, he is terrible, but his songs are always way more fun to listen to. My personal favorite is when he sings Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You
9. Who is smarter? Michael
10. Who's temper is worse? that's a tie, we get mad about very different things in different ways, but we both have bad tempers
11. Who does the laundry? I do, except Cleo's stuff Michael takes it to the laundromat for me!
12. Who takes out the garbage? we both do
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do
14. Who pays the bills? Michael
15. Who is better with the computer? Michael is, but it also frustrates him more
16. Who mows the lawn? Michael, I did one time when he was sick, but I was asked not to do it any more
17. Who cooks dinner? Me, unless it's the grill, there he is King!
18. Who drives when you are together? Michael
19. Who pays when you go out?Michael
20. Who is the most stubborn? tie again
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? neither of us is very good at that, maybe me
22. Whose parents do you see the most? mine
23. Who kissed who first? a lady never tells....
24. Who asked who out? Michael in that undying devotion phone call :)
25. Who proposed? Michael he did so good and completely surprised me
26. Who is the most sensitive? ME
27. Who has more friends? me
28. Who has more siblings? tie-i have one sister, he has one brother
29. Who wears the pants? he lets me run my mouth a lot, but when push comes to shove he does
30. Who do I love???? MAW!!!

Have a great Monday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDE

25 years ago today my family got the best Halloween present ever, Linde!!!! We are sure glad she's a good witch. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of really incriminating Halloween pictures from when were little so this picture from Trunk or Treat Sunday will have to set the mood. :)

I think we have finally recovered from one of the craziest weekends we have had in a long, long time. Here's our weekend rewind:

Sunday: Grandma Faye and Aunt Susan Jo were here, but they left early. We saw them for coffee and then they headed out.

Church and lunch at Freebirds-got the nachos and I really like the change of pace.

Trunk or Treat-Yeah!! I think this is such a fun event at church everyone decorates their trunks and the kids go trick or treating car to car. I think the kids really like it, I help put it on as a tribute to my favorite Halloween girl mentioned above. We have so many great Halloween memories I want other kids to get to have them, too.

Linde's Party-After Trunk or Treat we raced to get to the end of Linde's surprise Birthday party. I was sad and felt a little left out that we couldn't be there for the whole thing, but most importantly Linde had a BLAST. She was so surprised and lots of her friends came from even as far away as Waco. In true Browning form, she about wore Jeff out picking the perfect pumpkin carving tools for the contest she thought she was going to.

Saturday: Birthday brunch for Linde at Cafe Brazil-yum yum, we had this because Linde didn't know she was having the party Sunday. Michael and Daddy went to the A&M game-that's all we'll say about that poor showing. I got to do a little shopping with Mom and Linde and then they had dinner with Grandma Faye and Aunt Susan Jo.

That night I got to go hear Maroon 5 with my friend Melanie from work-it was a great concert, with very interesting opening acts from The Hives and Kevin Michael....

Friday night- we celebrated a very belated birthday for our friend Dara with dinner at Gloria's and then games and pumpkin pie afterwards. We had a great night with great friends, even though not all of our supper club could make it.

Well as you can see it was a crazy fun weekend! I think I am rested up just in time to pass out candy tonight! I hope we get lots of trick or treaters tonight and that you all have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

There's a Nip in the Air

It's feeling like fall, even being the cold natured girl that I am I can appreciate it is HIGH time. We have had lots of fun things going on, but I can't get my pictures to upload.... Please see all the ACU friends blogs for fun pictures from Homecoming. We had so much fun from breakfast to Perini Ranch and quality time at the Luttrells. I loved running in to old and new friends at the parade. I hope you all had a great weekend, too.

Abbe's Fall Favorites

HALLOWEEN!!! Not only are the decorations and kids in costumes sooo cute, it is Linde's Birthday!
Sweaters-who doesn't love bundling up in a warm sweater you don't have to suck in to look cute in?
Football-Luckily, I was a Cowboys fan long before I married into a die hard family of fans. I have also grown to love the Aggies and have fun cheering at high school games for just about any school. I must admit I also love to talk bad about the drill teams, etc at those HS games. No one can top the SBDT!
Fires in the fireplace- I am so thankful for gas logs, I can build my own fire in seconds and roast by it all day long.
Movies-I think it is so fun to curl up on the couch under a blanket and watch a movie, it is hard to get Michael to slow down that long, but for some reason he is a little more likely to concede in the winter.
Family-We get to see so much of our great families around the holidays and football season between going to the games, celebrating Birthdays in September and October and the official holidays are around the corner.
Soup-Even though I usually eat like a 5 year old, in the winter I grow up and LOVE all kinds of yummy soups that warm you up from the inside out.
Coats-If we were rich I would have tons of coats, I get so excited when the J. Crew comes full of fabulous coats, there is a new one I am lusting after sooo much, but I am not sure about belly clearance for later in the winter.....
Have a great Fall Day!

Haircut Day

I am so excited to get my hair cut tomorrow! Any girl with curls knows that a great haircut is both hard to come by and yet so important. I can't even tell you how many lopsided, fro-inducing hair cuts I have endured. So, I trek to Tyler to see my hair hero Krista every 4-8 weeks. She has made my hair life so much more manageable and at times even enjoyable. I actually get genuine complements on my hair from strangers sometimes, she is amazing. However, she is not going to be impressed with me. My hair is OUT OF CONTROL!!! I haven't had it cut since before the cruise, I think by a couple of weeks which means it has been literally months. It is a mess. I will be feeling leaner and meaner by 1 tomorrow, I think the reason I love Krista so much is that not only does she take the length of my hair she slims it down as well. I hope you all have a Krista in your life. If you don't let me know and I will get you her number, I promise she is worth the drive to T-town.

One More Treat from NYC

I might have left off one of my favorite souvenirs we got in New York City. I know it is a little cheesy, but I just couldn't resist getting our little one's wardrobe started in the fashion capitol of the U.S. That's right, we have a little one on the way! Our baby will make his or her debut sometime around April 20th, 2008. Michael and I and our families are so excited to be beginning the adventure of expanding our family. So far this has been a very exciting time and I am looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for us as well.

Hand Hygeine

I try to keep my posts light and about what's going on in our rather boring lives rather than philosophize, but I feel the need to jump on my soap box for minutes. I have made it a goal of mine to drink more water lately, which means I am in the bathroom more often. Yesterday we had so much fun at the A&M game, but I noticed something in my visits to the bathroom. No one washes their hands right. PEOPLE USE SOME SOAP. What is the point of washing your hands without soap? You are giving your germs a drink. There are lots of things we can't control in a public restroom such as the water temperature, if you have to touch the faucet with your hand instead of a paper towel, etc. But when there is soap use it!!!!
Thanks and have a nice night.

Do you know about The Bachelor Recaps?

If you don't and you watch The Bachelor you must check this site out, even if you don't watch they are hilarious. Half the reason I watch the show is so that I can fully appreciate how funny Lincee the author of this blog is. Check it out!

My Name is Abbe and I am a TV-aholic

I am SO excited that it is finally time for a new season of TV shows. I know that I said in a previous post I don't watch too much TV, and I maintain that since DVR I don't. But, I do watch a lot. I love to unwind with dinner and Michael and crack up at the silly girls on the Bachelor on Monday nights. Tuesday I used to enjoy Lorelai and Rory, but they're gone so now it's Denny Crane to the rescue. Wednesday we haven't really found anything yet and there is church, but I am sure I will find something soon. Surely, you are all watching Grey's Anatomy on Thursday night and I just may get back into ER if I don't like the new show after it. Tonight marks the final premiere with Brothers and Sisters and I can't wait. I thought that was an awesome show last year. My goal this year is to remember to let the DVR do it's job and only watch shows when they are on if Michael wants to and it's not getting in the way of reading, exercising or doing things around the house that need to be done...
Thank goodness I only work 3 days a week so I can sneak some in while I wake up in the mornings if need be.
Also, HOW BOUT THOSE COWBOYS?!?!?! I am so excited that they are doing good. I really like Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator and Wade Phillips for head coach. It is so much fun to see them doing well and playing as a team, even T.O., I didn't think it was possible for him.
Have a great day!

Souvie Tour of NYC

We had so much fun in NYC. Even when I thought we were taking less pictures than usual we ended up with way too many to choose from, so I thought I would take you on a souvenir tour of our trip.

Thursday we arrived, had lunch at a great deli and looked around Times Square. Michael and his dad graciously spent several hours in line at TKTS to get us tickets to Mamma Mia! I LOVED it, it was so funny and had a great cast. I highly recommend it. I think all 7 of us enjoyed it.

Friday we went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We really enjoyed hearing about both. I think it was probably Michael's grandparents' favorite thing we did. Most of our souvies are Christmas ornaments for the Michael and Abbe tree in our room!
That night we saw the Yankees! This was Michael's favorite stop. Monument Park was so cool-I rubbed Babe's hat for good luck. The Yankees were awesome scoring 4 runs to come back and tie it in the bottom of the 9th, but sadly they lost after 14 innings. Did I say sadly, I wasn't really that sad, while I had so much fun I thought I was going to lose it if the game didn't end SOON.
Saturday we took the Subway to Coney Island. It started raining so we weren't there long, but it was fun to see where Tom Hanks got Big so long ago. Also, we went to the financial district and the WTC, but we didn't bring anything home from there. Saturday night we did my tied for favorite with the play-the Empire State Building at night. It is breathtaking looking out over the city and all the lights. I could have stayed and stared for hours.
We had a great trip with all of Michael's family. Here's Michael, Blake and I in Statue of Liberty hats at the Empire State Building. They were such good sports all weekend making sure their Mom had a great trip!

NYC Here We Come!

This time tomorrow I will be doing something, anything fabulous in New York City. Michael and I are very excited that our Mom's turned the big 5-0 this year because it has meant awesome family vacations. We are leaving tomorrow at 4 am, seriously, for the airport to have a great long weekend with Michael's parents, grandparents and brother. Hopefully, we will have tons of fun pictures to share with you when we get back.
On a side note my football standing is slipping quickly. I am now in 3rd place and not feeling real confident about my picks for this week since I have to make them early. But, I really liked second place while it lasted.
Have a great weekend!

I forgot the best part!

I can't believe I almost forgot my favorite part of the game Saturday. The student section was as always awesome. They were faithfully standing in their spots ready to go at 2:30 and only sat down for the few minutes of half-time that the band wasn't playing. In the overtimes they were awesome. At one end zone it is very easy to be loud, because that's where we sit "The Zone." But, at the other end there are just some small bleachers to make room for the 12th man TV. So, when the overtime action was at that end of the field the students squeezed in as tight as they could so that they could be as loud as possible! It was so cool to watch them scoot back and forth to each end, and I can't even imagine how packed in they were! Yeah students, spirit like that is definitely one of the things that makes games so much fun! I wish I had pictures, but of course we didn't bring our camera this week.

Whoop and Gig 'Em Part 2

This is a lizard on a rock..... last Saturday that is what I felt like at the A&M game-a lizard on a rock....

Luckily, it didn't last too long the game started at 2:30 and the sun moved behind the bleachers about 4. But, it did rain on us on and off throughout the 3 OVERTIMES! Seriously, and we didn't have our ponchos. I was so sad, we ALWAYS have our ponchos. But, don't worry we did get some Aggie ponchos for next time.

I must say the game was really good in the beginning, but REALLY frustrating in the end. The game should not have been that close and it was sooo stressful to watch them go through 3 overtimes! Luckily, they pulled through and won ugly as it was.

On another football note quess who is 2nd place in her college fantasy football league....that's right ME! I am so proud, and I did it all on my own. Don't ask who is in 1st place... Michael. I don't think it will last long but I am enjoying the top while I can!

Whoop and Gig 'Em

This weekend Michael and I spent Saturday with 79,000+ of our closest friends welcoming in another season of Aggie Football! This is by far Michael's favorite time of year, he LOVES college football. We had a really good time and got to catch up with several friends as well.
I am excited about this season, but probably not as much as he is.

Here are my favorite things about Aggie football!
1-Lots of fun Saturdays with Michael, even though I sleep for most of the trip road trips are always a great time to catch up after a crazy week.
2-A new maroon out t-shirt every year! This year we ordered ours on-line so I didn't have to waste one game wearing an out of date shirt.
3-People watching! I can't even get into it all, but it is GREATNESS!
4-One of my best friends from high school lives in College Station now, so almost every game that I go to I get to see Abby.
5-The JumboTron so great for a football lover who gets a little distracted.


And, a few of my not so favorite things about Aggie Football
1-We have NO social life in the fall. All my off weekends are spent in college station, so we don't see much of our friends.
2-The school song. While, I really do think it is so fun that the people have SO much spirit, I don't enjoy hugging or being hugged my sweaty stranger neighbor for the fight song. Sorry, I don't, it's gross.
3-The car ride, I know I put it on the good things list and I meant it. However, I usually get really bored and antsy at least 1/3-1/2 of the way home when we can't agree on song choices and even I can't nap any more. Michael usually suggests Dramamine or benadryl at this point. :)
4-The Aggies! I love them and I hate them. It is a LONG car ride home when they have a bad night. I keep hoping this year is going to be the year where they only play great games and do stuff we can be excited about, but you know how unrealistic that is-no one is perfect.
5-The threat of rain. I did not marry a 2%er so come rain or shine we will be there. At every game where there may be rain, I pack my poncho and pray for the best. Seriously, who wants to sit in the rain and watch a football game.... NOT ME!
Have a great week!

Happy 1st Day of School

I have always loved the first day of school. It was a big deal at our house growing up. My Mom was not always a big picture taker, but we ALWAYS took our picture outside in the front yard on the first day of school. Even in high school she made Linde and I take each other's pictures because she was already gone teaching school. If I wasn't a nurse I think I would be a teacher so this is still kind of a special day to me. I said a special prayer for all my friends who started school as a teacher or student today. I hope it went well!

This is my best 5 year old friend Katie all ready for her first day of Kindergarten, I LOVE that she is so excited. Her face sums up how I remember feeling.

Thanks for all you teachers do to make my little friends like Katie have great days at school! I don't know how you do it, but I am so glad that you do.

Old Friends and New Friends

I love it when God says YES! Amie and Bradley have been patiently, seriously, way more patiently than I would have been waiting for little Charlie for over 2 years.

He was worth the wait, he is so cute and every time I am around him is sweet, cuddly and sleeping just like in this picture.

This is Charlie with Heidi. I am so glad that I got to meet him with her. Amie, Heidi and Christi are my best friends from nursing school and I could not have made it through without them. We miss Heidi in Minnesota, but she is so good to always see us when she comes to Texas.

The study buddies - Christi + Charlie!

I love that we are all laughing in this picture, we have laughed and cried together so many times, it was too perfect.

Everyone Should Go on a Cruise

Michael and I had so much fun on our cruise. It has definitely been one of my most favorite vacations and was well worth getting excited about way back in the winter when we planned it! I think it is a great mix of relaxing and having exciting things to do. Here are 10 reasons I think everyone should go on a cruise!

#1 Swimming with Sting Rays!

What else needs to be said, this was probably one of the most amazing things I have ever done!

#2 Getting dressed for dinner every night!

I am nurse, I wear pajamas to work, it was so fun to get dressed and have a date 7 nights in a row.

3. Having so much fun with great friends!

This was my favorite picture because all my trip buddies are smiling brightly, we had so much fun together, I can't wait until our next adventure.

#4 BINGO!

Please excuse the day 3 fingers. I had forgotten, but I love BINGO. I am going to work extra before my next cruise so I can play BINGO everyday. All the different on ship activities meant never a dull moment on Rhapsody of the Seas.

#5 Mid afternoon Margaritas!

As I said in my California post, I think all great vacations should involve Mid afternoon Margaritas and where better to enjoy one than Margaritaville?

#6! Bing!

This was our waiter Bing, actually he had a really hard name we couldn't say so he let us call him Bing. He was AWESOME! We loved seeing Bing and Jin at dinner every night and talking with them. Bing always gave us a riddle and usually taught Annalee and I a new napkin folding technique each night.

#7 Towel Animals!

This was our favorite the sting ray. You can also see our Cruise Compass which I love reading and marking all the things we might enjoy doing, I know so OCD. Otto our room steward was great. Every time we left our room we returned to a beautifully cleaned and picked up room, as I said before I am OCD so I loved it! Thanks Otto!

#8 Quality time with Michael!
The cruise provided us with great quality time together! I had so much fun being with Michael all day everyday. Love ya!

#9 The Perfect Sun Hat!

I have been on a search for the perfect sun hat for literally years. In Cozumel I FOUND IT! I love it. It is so cute and it is huge so it covers lots of my lilly white skin. I feel sooo movie star in it. :)

#10 Reading!

I also love to read! I have my whole life. The cruise provided lots of great reading time by the pool with the ocean breeze blowing in your hair. I am so glad that my fellow travelers love to read also. I think we all read several books, and 3 of us had to great Harry Potter discussion. Book 7 was great, I am so sad HP is over.

Missing My Baby

We had a wonderful trip that I can't wait to tell you all about, but first I have to weed through the 9 million pictures we took to find the ones where I look the cutest, skinniest and most adventurous. In the meantime here is a picture of my baby. My parents are so nice to pug sit for us, but I can't go and pick her up until Thursday. I was so sad when we walked around the house to go inside and I remember she wasn't in the yard waiting for us to let her in. Good thing she has her Aunt Mary Lou, the second cutest pug in the family to keep her company.

13th Tale

For Book Club this month we read the 13th tale. It was a great book that I highly recommend. I love book club and it has been so much fun to read things I might not normally read. I can't say much because what happens at book club stays at book club, but if you at all like to read I think you should join a book club.
Here's a list of my favorite things about book club, in no particular order...
1)It almost always involves wine and cheese-yum!
2) We read all kinds of books from Freakanomics, to The Devil Wears Prada, to The Tenth Circle
3)Everyone in the group is a different age, I like hearing different perspectives from different places in life
4)It is in my hometown not where I live now. Even though I am glad we don't live there and I am so happy here. I love to go back and see my family and have fun with the club, book club time always comes us just when I need some T-town.
5)I love that the thing we have in common is our faith. Even though we don't read religious books everything always relates back to faith, and it is so fun to hear what that means to each woman.
What great books have you read? I am always looking for a good book when it is my turn to choose!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

These are some really great friends who agreed to celebrate a very belated Birthday with me at a FABULOUS restaurant, Abacus. We had so much fun and literally the best salmon I have ever eaten. I am officially too snobby for my own good, I LOVE fine dining. We had so much fun taking our time eating a leisurely 5 star meal.

This was my Birthday dessert with sparklers--you know how I love fireworks. I highly recommend the 3 C's if you ever find yourself needing dessert at Abacus.

And best of all guess who came to celebrate with us?

That's right TROY AIKMAN!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I am usually not a boy crazy, giddy girl but I have had a crush on him for as long as I can remember. Many people think I married into being a cowboy fan, but I was already a true blue fan. My daddy and I have been watching the Cowboys together forever. So, I just about died when Troy hopped out of the Range Rover in front of us at the valet stand. Be still my beating heart!!!!! And, my friend Sarah graciously spotted him for us on her way to the ladies room so that I could spy on him some more. Talk about a fabulous night. I highly recommend stretching out your Birthday fun as long as I did this year, who knows maybe Troy will join you too!

PS. A big thanks to everyone who will be eating beanie weenies because I was a demanding Birthday girl-I promise I'll never ask you to do that again but it was AWESOME. We love you guys!

PPS I think Tre Wilcox is in the finals for Top Chef season 3. They said he had been back for several weeks, but was on vacation last week.....interesting!

CONGRATULATIONS AMIE!!!

I am SO excited for my friend Amie, after more than 2 years of patiently waiting she FINALLY gets to be a Mom. Please pray for Amie, Bradley and the birth parents as they all have a lot to deal with in the next few weeks. Check out Amie's blog for more fun info.

Not So Fabulous Weekend

I knew it was coming after the best weekend ever, but this weekend was NO fun. I LOVE my job, I HATE working the weekends. This was not a bad weekend, nothing to terrible happened, but working 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday is not fun. We were supposed to go to the Rodeo on Saturday, but I had to bail because I was too tired. I also missed my BFF from college Maddie, I have been hoping she would come visit our church and she did and I wasn't there. And, I missed out on a whole bunch of our friends having lunch at Luby's after church. I don't even like Luby's very much, but I HATE missing out.
Have no fear! Next weekend I am not working. Friday we are going to have dinner at a new restaurant I have been waiting to try since May, so that will be so fun.
We leave for our cruise in 2 weeks! I can't wait. I am getting so excited, we have never been on a cruise before. Does anyone have any tips? I am already starting to think about what to pack and I want to be sure to make the most of my experience!

8 Things

Tiffany tagged me to tell 8 things about myself....

1) I am very cautious and do not take many risks. As a result I have never broken a bone, had stitches, been stung by a bee or wasp, or had any other emergency type accident.

2) I still sleep with a stuffed animal...Popples. Whoever made that bad boy deserves a medal, after 22 years he is still serving me well to prop up my left shoulder while I sleep. Who needs cuddling when you've got Popples.

3) I eat weird. I am very picky, I try to act like my sister is the picky one but truth be told we both are. Also, I eat one food group at a time, in a specific order with a very few exceptions like beans and rice (Mexican food kind only).

4) I have naturally curly hair which has and will always drive me crazy. I like that I can do curly or straight, but it NEVER fully cooperates either way. I have learned to like it, but definitely not love it-all the people that say they love it can have it!

5) I am not a very good driver. I have come a long way from when Mamma called me bumper cars Browning in the family Christmas letter, great for the self-esteem don't ya think. But I still feel like I make people who ride with me a little nervous sometimes, I'm working on it.

6)I dream a lot, always in color. I almost always remember at least 1 per night and a lot of times 2 or 3. I feel sad for people who don't remember their dreams, but I guess they probably don't have spider dreams... so I guess it's not all bad either way.

7)It makes me nervous when it is quiet. I almost always have some kind of background noise. I LOVE to watch TV, but I don't watch it as much as some people think. I use the TV as a babysitter so I am not lonely. My i-pod dock and DVR has helped me cut down on my TV time considerably!!!

8)I pretty much love any holiday. People will say what's your favorite and I usually choose which one is closesst, but I really can't choose. Christmas is great because you get to see so much family and my decorations are GREAT because I had a Christmas shower. Halloween is really special because it's Linde's birthday and my Aunt Susan Jo gave me fabulous Halloween decorations. Valentines is fun because you get sweet notes and such, and who doesn't love a chance to pink out your house. You already know how I feel about 4th of July... St. Patrick's Day is great because you pinch people. I mean I can't choose! Easter was always so much fun at Aunt Susan and Uncle Mark's house celebrating with whatever church he preached for at the time. I could go on and on.

Well, that was fun! I tag Amie, Tobin and Sarah Brooke!

A Fabulous Weekend

Okay, so I know it's Wednesday and I should be over it by now but I am not we had a GREAT weekend!
1st of all-we never start our weekends on Thursday. When I work I leave at 6 am, Michael sometimes leaves before me, so we are usually tucked in our beds by 11 at the latest on "school nights" as I like to call them. But, as you already know we were having the time of our lives at The Fray on Thursday.
So, I was all mentally prepared for a school night Friday night, because I figured we would be tired from our Thursday fun and work for both on Friday. BUT NO! Mom and Dad called. Mom and Dad were in town for some meetings and said they wanted to stay and have dinner with us YEAH! I am so blessed, because we have so much fun with my parents. We really like hanging out with them and always have a great time. So, they let themselves in the house, waited for us to get home and then we all went and had a yummy dinner at Mi Cocina. Then they spent the night and went back to T-Town Saturday morning.
So, now I was mentally prepared for a boring Saturday and yet again I was wrong. As we are turning the corner back on to our street here come our friends T&K who have run over to see us from their house literally! It was so fun to see them and give them a bottle of water before they ran home. I LOVE that we finally have some friends that close, and that they were running home not me! But, the Saturday fun was still not over. Saturday night we went to the Studio Movie Grill. It is the greatest. You get to watch a movie, eat pizza and drink margaritas-toss in a few friends and it doesn't get any better than that. A big thanks to Michael's Aunt and Uncle who gave us gift cards so that this was our low-budget fun!
Sunday was great, I got to go to church 2 Sundays in a row. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened a lot this summer. Then we had Freebirds for lunch with some friends, which was great and MUCH better than Luby's-y'all have fun next Sunday. Then as I was wishing I could go swimming while Michael did some work I got a message from Linde inviting me to do just that! So, Linde and I had a blast swimming all afternoon. Sunday night we went to Central Market which is a fabulous place. I like it because of all the obvious reasons, and Michael loves to go there, too so I don't have to grocery shop alone.
See what I mean, it was a fabulous weekend!

THE FRAY!!!!!!!

I am still working on my photography, but this is The Fray from our great seats on the lawn!

Michael and I with our friends "T&K" :) who were so fun to come hang out and enjoy the concert with us!

Clearly I was the most excited to be here, but I think "T" was a close second.

Linde and Jeff stopped by to say hello on their way to sit with their friends.

These are our friends Red and Green-please note the green converse sneakers. They were super excited about Gomez the opener. So excited in fact, that they packed up and left when they were through. While Gomez was GREAT, Red and Green missed the best part of the night.

If you ever have a chance to go see The Fray....GO! We had SO MUCH FUN!!!! I don't go to many concerts, but I had a blast. We really enjoyed Eisley and Gomez before them, and the actual concert was so fun. I know it's not super cool and I was there with tons of teenagers, but I am still singing all the songs in my head and reliving every moment. Make time to enjoy your favorite bands, this something we don't do often and will be making a priority in the future.

Also, Smirnoff is a great venue. Our lawn seats were awesome and cheap. We couldn't see great, but we could definitely see well enough and were very comfortable and relaxed. Can you tell I had fun??? I can't wait for my next concert now, Jimmy Eat World is coming soon!

Have a great day!

Small Group

Sunday night we had our small group from church over for dinner, it was so fun. One consequence of the job I love is working on Sundays. I always say the babies don't get well just because it is a weekend or a holiday. Unfortunately, I have worked a TON of Sundays lately, and I have been missing church and my friends. We had a great time with everyone on Sunday night. They were all great cooks bringing wonderful things to eat. We had fried okra, bean stew, a great potato salad and green salad, yummy strawberry lemonade and pies and cheesecake. It was a fabulous feast. I am so thankful that we have such a fun group of families at our church. It was not always this way, but boy was it worth the wait. God faithfully answered our prayers for friends.

Here are a few pictures of the kids hard at work with sidewalk chalk and sidewalk paint. The sidewalk paint was sooo cool! I highly recommend it to all kids. If you don't have kids yet just do like I did and pretend it's for the kids.

Caleb, our most serious artist hard at work!

Zane-trying so hard to keep up with the big boys

Emma-the only artist not to busy to give a smile

Bradley-Working hard on his own masterpiece!

Happy 3rd and 4th of July

Mom and Dad at Kaboom

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY
We had a wonderful 3rd and 4th of July!

I should probably start by explaining that I am psycho about the 4th of July! It all started with my Papa. He absolutely spoiled me rotten and even more so on the 4th. We would go to his house the week before and would begin daily trips to the firework stand, to add to the firework stash he already had waiting when we got there. Then we would make homemade ice cream every night and eat it multiple times a day. When the 4th arrived we would spend all day swimming our guts out, playing on the boat, and of course we got to make at least 2 freezers of ice cream. Once it got dark we shot fireworks, sparklers and anything else we could get our hands on until we couldn't do it any more. So, I have great 4th memories and I am eager to create more.

On Tuesday we went to Kaboom in Addison. It is an awesome fireworks show. They had the best finale ever. My Papa would have absolutely loved it. My Mom and I were definately missing him as we were enjoying the fireworks. After the fireworks are over you get to stay and hang out in your lawn chair and watch a movie-I love it! We didn't stay for the whole thing, but enjoyed what we saw of October Sky.

Michael and I with our friends Tobin and Krister who were nice enough to brave my family 2 days in a row!

We got up bright and early on the 4th to get ready to go watch our neighborhood 4th of July parade. It is so cute. I love that anyone that wants to can be in it, you can tell the kids feel so special. Our neighbors won this year, with their "Save the Neighborhood BagWorms" float. It was pretty funny, we do have a horrible problem with those this year.

Parade pictures! Maybe by next year I will be a better photographer.

Then everyone came back to the house for a cookout. I have the best husband in the whole world, who stood grilling in the rain to make my day great. My sweet Daddy helped and held an umbrella for him. I have some great men in my life.

I ended my fabulous 4th watching the fireworks at the closest Country Club, I just walked down to the corner of our street and enjoyed the show.

I think Papa would be proud, it was a great celebration.