Barb's Wire

14!

2012-01-15T13:46:00.004-06:00

I may have a new favorite number... 14! As in, Alabama football just won it's 14th National Championship! Not only that, it was a rematch with #1 LSU after a disappointing loss in the so-called "game of the century" in November. Not only that, most of the country (with the possible exception of SEC fans) didn't think Alabama deserved to be in the game. Not only that, Alabama went in as a significant underdog, especially since the game was in New Orleans, practically LSU's backyard.

But we went in there, dominated, and scored 21 unanswered points for the first ever shut-out in a BCS National Championship game! It was awesome! It still wasn't a game filled with touchdowns (we only scored one, and that in the last quarter), but we made the field goals we attempted, and that made all the difference. We won the game that counted!

Brodie and I watched the game home alone together. He was wearing his Bama jersey, and I made him pose with my Bear Bryant houndstooth fedora for some absolutely adorable pics. He is so good to put up with me! :)

Ah, 14! My new favorite number... at least until the next one!

Family Photos

2012-01-13T11:00:00.000-06:00

On New Year's Eve, my last day at home, we decided to try and get a few decent family photos in front of the Christmas tree, since we didn't get any on Christmas. We had already taken down all the ornaments, but it still looked nice with the white lights, so we set up Dad's camera on the tripod and started shooting.

After that, we headed over to Starr's Mill, one of my favorite spots in Fayetteville, to try some photos there. Since the building has recently been painted, it's a great spot for colorful photos (I can imagine some fabulous senior pictures here!). Brodie went with us, and Dad took a few shots of me and my pup too. I LOVE how these pics turned out!

There's no place like home for the holidays...

2012-01-12T20:07:00.003-06:00

It was a wonderful 2-week visit home to Georgia for the holidays. I drove home so that Brodie could go with me. That 14-hour drive was LONG!!! I couldn't make it all the way in one day, so I stopped over in Birmingham to spend the night with my college roommate and her family. It was really nice to get to see them. I finished the drive the next day and spent a week with Mom, Dad, and Ben hanging out, shopping, playing, watching movies, wrapping presents, baking cookies, and enjoying the Christmas season. Brodie really enjoyed getting spoiled by his Gammie, Gandaddy, and Uncle Ben too.

Late the night before Christmas Eve (or Christmas Adam, as my friends like to call it), Aunt Kathy, Uncle David, Holley, Colton, and Layton arrived. Layton was into everything, so busy and adorable! He's 13 months, so this is the first Christmas he's been interactive. It was so much fun watching him experience all the wonder of Christmas!

Christmas Eve was an absolutely gorgeous day! We had a lovely Italian dinner and then the guys went out to the horseshoe pit to play horseshoes. And Dad started a fire in the fire pit. Those are certainly two things I've never done on Christmas Eve! Soon the entire family, including all the dogs, were gathered out there having a great time, and Holley, Kathy and I joined in on the horseshoes - it was my first time playing. Dad and I played David and Colton in a few games, and actually beat them once - and I made several ringers. We all ended up around the fire pit as the sun went down and the temps cooled off. It was so much fun!

When darkness fell, we headed back inside for finger foods, games, and fun. My uncle Rick and his wife, Cathy, and my cousin Richard came, and we had a really fun round of Christmas charades. There were some really difficult clues - like "three magi" and "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas". After putting Layton to bed, Holley, Colton, David, and Dad set about putting together his Santa gift - a cool tricycle. This is the first year we've had something to assemble in ages!

On Christmas morning we didn't wake up too early, but when we did, we had our traditional Krispy Kreme breakfast - yum! I got Brodie's stocking and took him out on the deck to see what Santa brought him. He was very pleased. :) Then he and Layton played with each other through the glass door until we finally woke up Ben and Colton and were allowed into the room where Santa left all his gifts. It was so cute to see Layton's expression when he first saw his tricycle. He couldn't get to it fast enough! After watching Layton play for a little while, we all exchanged gifts. Everyone had a wonderful Christmas. The rest of the day was pretty lazy, playing games and the Wii, visiting with Patty, Barry, and Miranda who arrived that afternoon, and going to see the Chipmunks Chipwrecked movie.

It really was a great Christmas with lots of family, gifts, food, and fun. I was only sad to see it end.

Welcome to My Festive Home

2012-01-08T20:48:00.003-06:00

Two of my favorite things to take pictures of are my sweet puppy and Christmas decorations. So open the door and come on in to my festive apartment. Sweet Brodie and I welcome you...

Joanna and Philip Mays

2012-01-08T19:11:00.004-06:00

The second weekend in December I headed down to Houston for my friend Joanna's wedding. Jo has been a close friend for about a decade, and I was honored when she asked me to sing in her wedding, She and her husband Philip are so cute together and very obviously happy together. I worried a lot the week before the wedding, because I was dealing with a lot of allergies and had very little voice. I ended up repurchasing and downloading one of the songs, "Captivate Us," in a lower key because I just couldn't sing it in the original. But my prayers were answered, and the day of the wedding my voice was clear and I could sing with ease. Joanna looked beautiful in her dress, and the wedding was a mixture of sweet and funny moments since her dad performed the ceremony.

I was very thankful that some of my other friends came down for the wedding, because it gave me people to sit and talk with during the reception. Dana and Dave brought their baby, Piper, and I really enjoyed getting to hold and play with her. They said she is not one to relax with anyone, but I held her while they ate and next thing we knew she had her head rested on my chest and was sound asleep. She stayed that way for about an hour! My arms were SORE the next morning. :)

Joanna and Philip had brought in a photo booth for the reception, and it was a hit. There were a variety of props, and the booth printed out two copies of your pictures so you could keep one and put the other in a creative guest book for the happy couple. Even Joanna got in on the silliness, taking pictures with Kristen and Suzanne as the devil and angel on her shoulders. I'm not sure about Suzanne as an angel, but Kristen's red eyes sure make her look the part, lol!

I really enjoyed getting to celebrate with Joanna and Philip, getting to see my good friend Kristen (she lives in Ft. Worth but it takes both of us traveling to Houston for us to meet up!), and share in such a special day.

Oh, and while I was in Houston, LeAnn and Hudson Hanks, good friends from my early seminary days, were kind enough to allow me to stay with them. I didn't take any photos, but I had a great time catching up with them, playing with their daughter Micayla, and attending church with them before heading home. It was a long but really enjoyable weekend.

Shrek the Halls

2012-01-08T00:30:00.000-06:00

As a way of getting into the Christmas spirit, I met my friend Alissa for a visit to the Gaylord Texan hotel and the Shrek the Halls ICE exhibit. Man, that hotel was amazing! It was decorated so beautifully with lights everywhere, a full-sized gingerbread house, and of course, Santa waiting to meet the kids.

The ICE exhibit - all I can say is WOW! When you first go in, they show a movie explaining where all the ice comes from, how the carvers go about creating the sculptures, etc. It's really neat! Then they give everybody a big blue parka (I put it on OVER my wool winter coat) and you bundle up and enter the frigidness. It is so colorful and detailed, and the whole Shrek gang was there - Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots, the dragon, the Big Bad Wolf, and even Pinocchio. They had a slide made out of ice that you could slide down - it went a lot faster than I expected - and various other places where visitors could interact with the story (like an outhouse where you could sit on a frozen toilet - brrr!). It really was incredible.

The Shrek exhibit was really cool (ha! no pun intended) and colorful, but I think my favorite part was in the last room where they had a full nativity carved out of ice. It was amazing, and a wonderful reminder of the true meaning of the season. Sure, it's fun to look at lights and decorate trees and visit Santa, but it call comes down to Jesus - without Him, there would be no Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-07T21:26:00.001-06:00

Wow, it's already a week into the new year and I haven't even blogged Thanksgiving yet! Well, there's no time like present, so here goes...

I flew home the weekend before Thanksgiving, thankful for a week off work and time to hang out with my family before all the relatives arrived. Fall is my favorite season (you know, college football, leaves changing, bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils and all that...), and the weather in Georgia was amazing! We enjoyed spending a lot of time out on the deck, relishing in the sunshine and crisp breeze.

Mom and I (well mostly Mom) did some cooking beforehand so we didn't have to do quite so much on Thanksgiving morning. We baked sugar cookies in the shape of leaves (they turned out great!), I made my favorite cranberry relish, and Mom cooked a delicious turkey. We had SO MUCH FOOD, and lots of leftovers.

It was fun to see so many of my cousins. Over the last few years, the Isbell gang has really started making Thanksgiving into a family reunion of sorts. Last year we were only missing my cousin Heath and his wife and kids. This year others were missing but Heath and his crew were there. His two little boys, Easton and Cruz, are adorable and I enjoyed loving on them.

Because the weather was so gorgeous on Thanksgiving Day, some of the gang ventured out to the horseshoe pit Dad had set up in the "back 40". Dad and Papaw played several games, and I wandered around taking pictures of them and the many colored leaves.

Oh, and we played MANY games of marbles while everyone was there. As an Isbell family tradition, it's only right that the dice were rolling constantly. Even the kids got into it.

On Friday, after a bit of Black Friday shopping in which I bought my new laptop (a necessary purchase since my old one was no longer charging), Mom and I set out to decorate the Christmas tree. Dad and I had put up the outside lights earlier in the week, and we had to fight with the lights on the tree because several bulbs were out making parts of the tree dark. We finally got it all lit and decorated - it looked beautiful! We saved the rest of the decorating for Mom to do after I left, but at least we were able to carry on tradition of putting up the tree on Thanksgiving weekend.

Of course, the other highlight of Thanksgiving weekend was the Iron Bowl game, Auburn vs. Alabama, on Saturday. Everybody, even Mamaw and Papaw, was decked out in Bama gear, so I convinced them to pose for a few pics before the game. The game came out in our favor and Bama won 42-14, ROLL TIDE!!

After a wonderful week at home, I headed back to Texas on Sunday, enjoying a beautiful reminder of God's majesty out the airplane window as we flew.

A Month of Thanks

2011-11-30T10:45:00.000-06:00

The trend on facebook has been to share something you're thankful for each day during the month of November. Though I don't often participate in these status trends, I quickly jumped on this bandwagon. Below is a record of my month of thanksgiving.

Day 1: I'm thankful for a friend in my apartment complex. Lots of fun walking our dogs together in this beautiful weather.

Day 2: I'm thankful for a church home that I lvoe so much and don't want to leave, and for finding another church to fill the gap that leaving Wedgwood left in my life. I'm not quite ready to commit to Euless, but I'm getting there.

Day 3: Today (and every day) I am thankful for my Jesus, who paid the ultimate sacrifice to redeem me from my sins even though I am so unworthy. Want to say the same? Ask me about Him!

Day 4: I'm thankful for weekends - I really need one today!

Day 5: I'm thankful that the Alabama/LSU game is at night so that I could participate in Joanna's bridal shower. So good to see old friends, and still get to watch my Tide. ROLL TIDE!

Day 6: I'm thankful that God has provided a roof over my head in the form of my cozy apartment.

Day 7: Thankful for Discover Card cash back.

Day 8: I'm thankful for the much-needed rain we've received over the last 24 hours.

Day 9: I'm thankful for God's ever-present creativity and majesty like that seen in tonight's beautiful sunset.

Day 10: Thankful for the moms at Cambridge for all the hard work they volunteer on a regular basis to help us pull off big events and just keep the school running. We couldn't do it without you!

Day 11: I'm thankful for my favorite veteran, who just so happens to be the best daddy ever!

Day 12: Thankful that my friends won't judge me when I say I'm putting up my Christmas tree today. Want some early Christmas spirit? Come to my place!

Day 13: Thankful for my sweet puppy, who makes me smile every day.

Day 14: Thankful for the salvation of my cousin and his willingness to profess his faith publicly through baptism yesterday!

Day 15: After a rough day at work and returning home to the very strong smell of cigarette smoke in my apartment, I'm just thankful that God's mercies are new every morning. Can I go ahead and say goodnight now?

Day 16: Thankful for the Cambridge praise team and their willingness to lead their classmates boldly before the throne of God in worship. What a special group of students!

Day 17: Thankful for Christmas music on pandora keeping me company all day at work.

Day 18: Thankful for a much needed break, beginning tonight.

Day 19: Thankful for airplanes so I can make it to Georgia in 2 hours instead of 14, and for the opportunity to see my family today for the first time since July.

Day 20: Thankful for a fun day worshipping outside followed by putting up Christmas lights outside with my parents.

Day 21: Thankful for shopping/bonding time with my mom.

Day 22: Thankful for the abundant ways God had blessed us, specifically all the food we've been preparing for a Thanksgiving feast.

Day 23: Thankful that when the lady backed her truck into me today, it did not more damage than a crack in the hubcap. Sure scared me though!

Day 24: Thankful for all the extended family I got to visit with today, including a little cousin I've never met before. Isbell family Thanksgiving gathering = success!

Day 25: Thankful for another year that I get to help Mom put up the family Christmas tree.

Day 26: Thankful to be able to watch the Iron Bowl with my Mamaw for another year, and that Bama won big! Roll Tide! :)

Day 27: Thankful for the wonderful Moner family who took such good care of my Brodie while I was out of town.

Day 28: Thankful that my heater finally started working late last night so I didn't have to freeze on the coldest night of the year so far, and that I was able to find a used washer/dryer relatively easily on craigslist.

Day 29: Thankful that I get to visit with Amy one last time before she moves away.

Day 30: Thankful that after a month of giving thanks, I realize that I have much to be thankful for, and can continue to celebrate Thanksgiving every day of the year, not just in November.

Favorite Thanksgiving Dish

2011-11-22T15:18:00.005-06:00

Probably my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is my Aunt Martha's Cranberry Relish Mold. It's not just the old cranberry jelly out of the can - it's so much better! It takes a good while to make, but it's definitely worth it. Here's the recipe:

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple
2 pkgs (small) cherry jello
1.5 cups ground raw cranberries (1 lb) - wash, blend in sugar
1 small orange, ground
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) - we usually make 1/2 with nuts, 1/2 without
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups hot water
1/2 cup cold water

Drain pineapple, reserve syrup. Combine jello and sugar, dissolve in hot water. Add cold water, lemon juice, and pineapple juice. Chill til partially set. Add pineapple and remaining ingredients. Turn into 2 quart mold. Chill until firm. Makes 12 servings or 1 large plastic mold with top. Oh so yummy!

LSU vs ALABAMA Are You Ready?

2011-11-05T09:14:00.001-05:00

Today is the Game of the Century - the game all Alabama and LSU fans have been waiting for all season, and really since last season. It is #1 vs #2, rivals LSU vs. Alabama. Both unbeaten. Both vying for a chance to play in the SEC championship and ultimately the national championship game. Both hoping to eventually win the SEC's 6th consecutive national championship. It's going to be a clash of the titans, a battle of the unbeatens, a chance for Heisman hopeful Trent Richardson to come out and prove why he should win. It's in Bryant Denny stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. And it's TONIGHT! I can't wait (though I would be crazy not to be nervous about the game). I will remain a diehard Bama fan regardless of the outcome of this game, but a win would be phenomenal.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Give 'em HELL, Alabama!!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:27:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween from
a dog who's "bad to the bone"
and his mama Waiting for trick-or-treaters
"What do you mean, those treats aren't for me?"

Aunt Kathy Visits Texas

2011-10-11T20:53:00.008-05:00

At the beginning of October I had a visit from my Aunt Kathy. Well, really, she came to town from Georgia for a conference, but conveniently her hotel was only 10 minutes from my apartment, so we got to spend lots of time together. Of course, I was so excited to introduce her to my baby. And just like everyone else, she loved him. :)

On Friday evening, after they arrived (Kathy's coworker Karen came too), I took them to opening night of the Texas State Fair. I mean, what better to do in Dallas in the fall? We had a great time eating fried foods, getting airbrushed tattoos, meeting Big Tex, visiting the petting zoo, exploring the craft booths, wandering the Midway, and riding the ferris wheel (well, Karen didn't, but I was excited that Kathy actually wanted to).On Saturday we headed over to the Fort Worth Stockyards for a real taste of the West. We enjoyed a yummy barbeque lunch at Riscky's and then explored all the western stores looking for souvenirs. The only thing we missed was the cattle drive. It happened right before we got there and didn't go again until after we left. Bummer!

I was excited that my cousin Colton (Kathy's son) was able to drive in from Lubbock on Saturday afternoon to surprise his mom. He had burnt his fingers at his job, so he wasn't feeling much like doing anything active, so we just hung out at my apartment playing with Brodie, looking at scrapbooks, and watching Bama beat Florida. And then I got to see them again on Sunday for lunch before Colton left town and Kathy and Karen had to really focus on the conference.It really was a great visit. I rarely get a chance to see Kathy and Colton other than at Christmas, and if I do, it's always with lots of other family around. It was nice to spend time with them more one-on-one, though I admit it made me ready for the holidays.

Texas Rangers Clinch the A.L. West!

2011-09-25T18:03:00.009-05:00

Since the Texas Rangers are now playing in the 3rd game of the the American League Championship Series, I suppose I should finally finish post about the game in which they clinched their spot in the playoffs. So, on Friday night, Sept. 23, I met a bunch of my Cypress friends at the ballpark for what would be a great ballgame against the Seattle Mariners. Traffic was a bear, and by the time we got there all the regular parking lots were closed, so we had to park FAR away! As we walked toward the stadium we saw one of the little rickshaws and tagged him down. It was WELL worth the $5 per person for him to drive us up to the stadium, although he may disagree. Three grown women in a cart meant for two made for quite a load - he was dripping sweat by the time we got there. But thanks to him, at least we made it before the 5th inning (it was already the 3rd by the time we arrived at our seats).

(squeezing into the cart)

Since I already said the Rangers are currently playing in the ALCS (I'm actually watching game 3 right now!), you know the results of the game. But what I haven't said is how perfect the night was - the weather was so comfortably cool, we were able to wear jeans. I don't know that I've ever worn jeans to a baseball game, because it's always so hot! But not this night - it was fabulous! And the atmosphere was amazing, full of anticipation. I had lots of fun watching the game, cheering for the home team, and hanging out with friends new and old. And the fact that the Rangers won just makes it that much better.And after the game, the fans were treated to an incredible fireworks show over the stadium. At this point we didn't know whether the Rangers had clinched the West or not - we were one game away until the Oakland/LA game was completed later in that night. But everyone was in the mood to celebrate, and there's no better way to celebrate than with fireworks. (And this definitely made up for my disappointing 4th of July fireworks experience.)

I'll Fly Away

2011-09-17T11:33:00.014-05:00

Last Friday I had an amazing adventure. You see, last year I went to the Plano Balloon Festival, and my friend Dena said I should have told her I was going because her brother was there with his balloon and I might have been able to help crew. Well, this year I remembered that and told Dena I definitely wanted to help crew the balloon. So I took Friday off from work and set out for some fun. I got to Plano at 6:00 a.m. - it was still dark out! - and after the pilots' meeting we headed for the field. I got to help Rocky, Dena, and Shack unload, set up, and inflate Rocky's hot air balloon. It was really cool to be so close to all the balloons going up.And then the adventure really took off, literally! Though it was windy and Rocky had initially said he wasn't going to fly that morning, after the balloon was upright he told me to get in the basket, Dena handed me my camera, and off we went! Oh my, it was fabulous! Our takeoff was really easy, it was hard to tell when we actually left the ground. And it was amazing to look down over Plano, Allen, and Frisco, to see the other balloons being inflated below us and flying all around, to hear the burner as Rocky periodically added more heat to keep us in the air. It was just incredible! And then, it was time to land... And land we did! Rocky pointed out a field in the distance and said he was going to try to set the balloon down there. As we got closer and closer to the ground, the winds picked up speed. Rocky told me to stow my camera and hold on, and then we touched down. Actually, we hit... HARD! We bounced up and Rocky cut the burners because of all the wildfires we've been having in Texas. And Rocky said, "Ooh, I almost lost my britches!" Then we hit again, and the basket tipped on its side and the balloon pulled us across the field. We were sliding on our side, my shoulder was digging into the ground as we slid, and Rocky had landed on top of me when we landed. It seemed like we slid for minutes. When we finally stopped moving, Rocky asked if I was okay and whether I had broken anything. I told him I was fine and said "Do you still have your britches?!" We laughed, and then climbed out of the basket to wait for the chase crew to arrive. You can see our "drag" in the picture below. I stuck around in Plano for the rest of the day and we went back out to the field that night with full intentions of setting up the balloon again for the balloon glow. Unfortunately, a big storm came through and we had to leave. But I went back up on Saturday afternoon to try again. The winds were really bad and so Rocky decided not to set up his balloon, but a lot of the others did, and I thoroughly enjoyed being out there among the balloons, seeing them glow, hearing the burners, and fellowshipping with the pilots and crews.

Flight stats for my first hot air balloon ride:
Pilot - Rocky Bailey
Balloon - "Fly 'N Again"
1 hour 15 minute flight
20+ mile flight (from Plano to Frisco)
1500 feet high
15-17 knot winds upon landing
50 foot drag

After the flight, Rocky read the Balloonist's Prayer, tradition for celebrating a first flight -

"May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that
God joins you in laughter.
And sets you gently back
into the loving arms of Mother Earth."

Well, all of it applies except for the part about a gentle landing! I was so grateful to Rocky and his crew for welcoming me and allowing me to join them for the weekend. I had a blast meeting everybody, and I'm already looking forward to my next flight.

A Week of Remembering

2011-09-15T19:48:00.004-05:00

For me, this week every year is a week of reflection and remembering. This year the reflection was even more profound with the tenth anniversary of September 11th being so highly publicized. It seems everyone was reflecting on where they were ten years ago when the terrorist attacks took place. I was at work at SWBTS. My boss came in shortly after 8:00 and asked if I had heard about the first plane crashing into the tower. I turned on the radio and soon heard of the second plane, so I hurried over to the student center to watch the news footage on the tv. I saw the twin towers fall and the breaking news of the other two plane crashes, one into the Pentagon (in the same vicinity where my dad's office had been a few years back) and one in the Pennsylvania field. I joined my SWBTS classmates and coworkers for prayer in the chapel. My patriotism ran strong, but my faith swelled stronger...

Today is a less-observed remembrance, but important and powerful nonetheless. One friend posted on facebook that today is "A day to remember friends gone too soon, a day to remember lives spared for God's purposes, and a day to count the blessings of friends, the goodness of our Great God, and His faithfulness to those who grieve." Twelve years ago, on Sept. 15, 1999, a gunman entered my church, Wedgwood Baptist, during a youth rally and took the lives of seven young people (injuring seven others), before shooting himself. Like other significant events (such as 9/11 and the Challenger explosion), I clearly remember where I was when I heard about the shooting - the fact that I was called into work at LifeWay that evening kept me from being at Wedgwood that night. In a day before everybody had cell phones, it was a nightmare trying to get in touch with friends to make sure they were alright. I left work as soon as I could and hurried home to watch the news coverage late into the night. When my home church heard about it, they recorded an interview with me to play on Sunday morning - I spoke about Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Wedgwood was dealt a staggering blow that September day, but the Lord has worked for good even in the pain and grief. Today we recognize the blessings even as we remember the pain.

Brodie says "Roll Tide"

2011-09-10T13:34:00.004-05:00

It's that time again, my most favorite time of the year - it's time for college football! The season started last Saturday with a resounding Bama win in their season opener. Today they're playing Penn State in what could be a difficult out-of-conference game. But I'm confident in my Bama boys. Brodie is too. He will be wearing his Bama bandana for every game this year, since last year Bama won every game that he wore it and lost every game he didn't. But he also now has an adorable little puppy jersey. He looks so cute in it! Right now his hair is so long that it sticks out from the front of the jersey like a man with too much chest hair - it's hilarious! And he's got his "roll tide" and "touchdown" tricks down pat. I can't wait to yell "touchdown!" at a Bama score and see him jump up and hold his front paws in the air. Did I mention that I love college football? ROLL TIDE! :)

Staycation - Atlanta Braves

2011-08-22T21:39:00.006-05:00

For our last big adventure on our Staycation, we headed to Turner Field to watch the Atlanta Braves take on the Pittsburg Pirates. The game didn't start til after 7:00 pm, but let me tell you, it was still hot! But we had GREAT seats, down on the lowest level out in left field - and most importantly, in the shaded section of the stadium while the sun was still high in the sky.

And then... the sky started looking funny! These odd-colored clouds moved in, a few sprinkles fell from the sky, and the bottom dropped out. Boy, did it rain! We headed into the concourse to wait out the rain delay, which lasted a good long while. But finally, the rain stopped and play resumed.

I was excited to be at the Braves game (my first in Turner Field since 2007), but I wasn't expecting to see my favorite player since he was injured. But in the 7th inning, with the Braves trailing, the entire stadium went wild to see CHIPPER JONES walking to the plate as designated hitter. Oh my! It was so cool to see him bat... even if he did swing at the first pitch and hit it straight to one of the inn-fielders. But I was really glad to see #10, Chipper Jones, at least one more time. What a great night with my family (other than the Braves getting a loss)!

Staycation - Starr's Mill

2011-08-22T20:21:00.003-05:00

Wednesday of our Staycation was Mom's birthday. It's not often I get to celebrate my family's birthdays with them in person, so I was happy to be there with Mom this year. She wanted a relatively laid-back day, so we spent the morning in the pool, then took her to Red Lobster for a late lunch. I wanted to stop by Starr's Mill and take some family pics before I left, so we decided to do that while we all looked decent. After all, much of our time was spent in swimsuits, which is not when we look our best. If you don't recognize Starr's Mill, it was one of the filming sites in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. It's less than a mile from Mom and Dad's house, and is just a really picturesque location. I try to go out there every time I'm home.

Staycation - Zipline

2011-08-20T19:43:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday of our Staycation, we drove up to Historic Banning Mills to take part in their zipline course. Even Mom was planning to participate, though we were a little concerned about how her back would handle it. We didn't need to worry, though. The harnesses we wore were almost like a chair when we rode down the ropes, so there was very little pressure on her back. The hardest part was walking up the hill to the start of the course! We met our guides, put on all our gear, and headed out across the first and only bridge on the Forest Tour (the first and basic course). That bridge almost did Ben in - none of us were really comfortable with it - but once we finished that, the ziplines were so much fun. We had a blast flying through the treetops. It was really hot and humid, but so much fun!

At the end of the Forest Tour, Dad and I decided to take on the next level, the Flight Pattern Tour. We were excited about three really long ziplines (900-1000ft long), but I don't think either of us realized it included eight more bridges. Oh my! The first of the ziplines was 1000ft long and high above the Snake River Gorge - the view was amazing, though it was hard to watch it for trying to keep from twisting and watching for the landing track. Mom took a couple of pics of us from the ground as we flew along. Then we were back in the tree tops, 80 feet high, making our way across bridges with steps so far apart that I had to really stretch, octagonal steps that spun under your feet, and final steps onto the platforms so tall that I could barely reach. Honestly, the bridges were the scariest part, but the ziplines were amazing.

We all really enjoyed our zipline adventure, and agreed we would like to try it again in the fall when the leaves are changing and it isn't quite as hot.

Castles Galore!

2011-08-20T17:06:00.005-05:00

So, I was reflecting on my vacations over the last several summers, and I realized that since 2007, I have seen at least one castle every summer. Of course, in 2007 I saw LOTS of castles because I was in Scotland. But perhaps my favorite was Eilean Donan Castle on my trip to the highlands and west coast islands with Laurie and Amie. In 2008 it's a bit of a stretch, but Tina, Carol and I built a sandcastle in Panama City. :) 2009 saw my family trying to stay dry while 8 inches of rain fell on us at Walt Disney World. In 2010 we traveled a bit farther to see Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. And this year Amie and I went to Hogwarts Castle at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I wonder what castle 2012 will bring... I hope it involves more international travel!

2007200820092010

2011

Staycation - Jetskiing at Yellowjacket Creek

2011-08-14T20:34:00.008-05:00

On Monday of our "staycation" my family took "Pablo" the jetski out to Yellowjacket Creek Recreation Center. Since it was a weekday, we had the lake almost all to ourselves, and we spent almost the whole day out there. We took turns heading out on Pablo, speeding our way around the lake and having a great time. We also attached the tube to the back of the jetski and flew across the water. Dad and Ben both rode the tube for a little while, but I was the one who tubed the most. Dad tried his hardest to make me fly off, but I held on for dear life (my fingers are still sore, I think I strained them!). Dad may not have been able to throw me from the tube, but Mom sure did from the jetski. We had stopped in the middle of the lake to switch places and let her drive. Next thing I knew, she took off and turned at the same time, and I flew off the side of the jetski and hit that water so hard it took my breath away. She didn't even realize I was gone at first, and when she came back for me she was just upset that I lost my sunglasses (no big deal). But I was a little sore the next day after that fall!

It started drizzling and thundering for a little while, so we took a break from the water, had lunch, and threw the football around for a bit until the storm passed around us. It didn't last long.

Then it was back to the water and more brilliant sunshine (Ben and I both got a little too much sun that day.)I had originally planned to take Brodie with us to the lake, but after finding out that dogs weren't allowed on the beach area and thinking about how much extra work it would be, we decided to leave him home. But he had his little life jacket with him, and I really wanted a pic of him on the jetski. So when we got home I got him outfitted and sat him on top of Pablo before Dad got it all cleaned up. I think the pics turned out pretty cute.

Staycation - Poolside

2011-08-13T18:36:00.003-05:00

During my week of "staycation" at my parents' house, we spent a LOT of time out in their pool. It was so relaxing to enjoy the refreshing water, floating, playing basketball, and laughing at Brodie as he snuck in a couple of swims. Twice a BIG frog ended up in the pool, and Brodie went crazy trying to get it from the side. He would put his nose all the way down to the edge of the water, often ending up nose to nose with the frog. It was hilarious! All in all, this week we were really thankful for mom and dad's decision to put in the swimming pool ten years ago. It was the place to be!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRODIE!!!

2011-08-13T11:55:00.003-05:00

Happy birthday to my sweet Brodie! One year ago today I adopted you from the shelter in Granbury after a long search for just the right puppy. I had been so discouraged that nothing was working out, but it turns out God was just waiting until you were available. And I'm so glad He did! It's been one adventure after another since I adopted you, and there hasn't been a dull moment since. I love you, my sweet birthday boy!

No trip to Orlando is complete without doing something Disney!

2011-08-11T21:58:00.001-05:00

On my last day in Florida, Amie and I slept in a bit at the hotel, leaving right in time for 11:00 checkout, shopping at all the cheapo touristy shops before heading to Downtown Disney. I just couldn't go to Orlando without doing something Disney, but it was far to expensive and I didn't have enough time to visit one of the theme parks. But we wandered around all the shops at Downtown Disney, marveling at a store that sold only magnets, a traditional Irish pub that made Amie homesick, the lego store with some amazing Disney-themed lego sculptures outside, and of course, the Disney stores. My favorite was the Christmas store - we spent a good while in there as I checked out all the ornaments and finally found one for mom. My love for Christmas stores is one of the ways I take after her.

We both smiled when we saw these Disney Scottish shortbreads. :)

Even Mickey knows who to cheer for - ROLL TIDE! I really wanted this shirt but it was made for only really skinny people. :(

After we had enough of the muggy heat and sun, we headed for Starbucks and shared all our photos before grabbing a bite for dinner and driving to the airport. It was time to leave Florida. It really was a great few days catching up with dear friends and enjoying the sunshine and touristy adventures of Orlando. Amie, I loved finally getting to see you again! Next time, you come to Texas! There's lots of adventures here too. :)

Warning: This post contains LOTS of pictures, and if you're not a Harry Potter fan, you won't care about most of them

2011-08-07T20:30:00.018-05:00

Yes, "the adventure begins"... This was the day we had been so excited for, our visit to Universal Islands of Adventure and, more importantly, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We were SO EXCITED! We left at 7:00 a.m. to be there as close to when the gates opened as possible, and headed straight for the back of the park and Hogsmeade. We caught a glimpse of Hogwarts across the lake as we walked, and couldn't get there fast enough. The atmosphere in WWoHP was amazing - it really felt like we were in Harry Potter's world, except for the fact that I'm pretty sure Britain's never been that hot. Yes, it was sweltering. And the fact that it was insanely crowded made it feel even hotter!
So to try and beat the heat, we stepped into the Hog's Head for a frozen butterbeer - probably best described as a butterscotch-flavored slushie. I actually liked the creamy topping best, but the drink was definitely refreshing.

After cooling off we jumped into the line for Ollivander's wand shop, probably the longest line we stood in all day, with the possible exception of the line to purchase lunch. But we knew we wanted a wand to choose us so we would for sure be magical - no muggles here! Unfortunately the line was far too long unless you are the child who is chosen to be a part of the act. It was enjoyable, just not worth the wait in my opinion. After Ollivander's we decided we were hungry and headed out of WWoHP into the rest of the park for lunch (after nearly an hour-long line) and some non-Harry rides. The Hulk coaster was definitely the best ride of the day, though the Firebolt side of the Dragon Challenge was a great ride too. We really enjoyed Seuss Landing - it's so bright and colorful, just made me smile. We rode the Caroseussical just to get off our feet for a few minutes. Of course I chose to ride on an elephant. :) Eventually we made it back over to Hogsmeade where we visited some of the shops that we hadn't been able to get into earlier because of the crowds. Zonko's Joke Shop was full of fun novelties like pygmy puffs and You-No-Poo, and Honeydukes had so many tasty (and not-so-tasty) candies, including the Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans.

I haven't said much about the rides in WWoHP. There really are only 3 rides. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey takes you on a walk-through of Hogwarts before you go on a virtual coaster through the castle. It was a pretty cool ride, especially if you like virtual rides. You can also take a castle tour, which takes you through more of the castle, including Dumbledore's office, where we actually saw him! The Flight of the Hippogryph should have been labeled as a "family-style coaster". It lasted only about 20 seconds, and other than offering a quick sighting of Buckbeak and amazing views of the park, it was a dud. It probably would have been fine if we hadn't waited in the heat for over 30 minutes for a 20-second ride. The best ride in WWoHP was the Dragon Challenge - two intwined suspended coasters which "race" one-another. We rode each dragon twice. I really enjoyed the Chinese Firebolt. The Hungarian Horntail, on the other hand, had some issues. Both times we rode it, it got stuck. The second time we sat for over 20 minutes staring at the bottom of the first hill while they turned power off to the entire ride. Thankfully it was in the shade. To pass the time I pulled my camera out of my pocket and started taking random pictures. As you can see, Amie wasn't too happy about the delay. The sunset that evening was gorgeous. We tried to take a picture in front of the Hogwarts Express, but the sun was so bright the sunflare took over the picture! The view of the park, including Hogwarts, from across the lake was incredible - we stood and snapped a hundred pics (very little exaggeration there!) of the sunset from various angles. And then darkness fell. We spent our last few minutes exploring around Hogsmeade, buying a few souvenirs, and gazing awestruck at the way the castle looked against the deep purply blue of the darkening sky. It seriously reminded me of a Thomas Kinkade print, with the deep colors and light shining from the windows. It was beautiful! Unfortunately, my camera battery died about this time. I was able to coax a few pics out of it, but Amie was put in charge of taking the night pics. Luckily, she did a great job!What an amazing, hot, fabulous, fun, wizardly, hot, friend-filled day! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter didn't disappoint, even though it was hot and crowded. I would definitely go back - though not in July if I can help it. :) And to share it with the biggest Harry Potter fan I know just made it that much better. Thanks, Amie, for being willing to brave probably the most popular Florida theme park (right now anyway) with me in the middle of the hottest month of the year. In my opinion, it was well worth it!

Florida Trip, Day 1 - New Smyrna Beach

2011-08-06T20:44:00.008-05:00

When I started planning my summer vacation, I knew I wanted to try and get to Orlando as part of my travels. There were three big attractions to the Orlando area - my friend Amie from Scotland was temporarily living there, my friend Nicki from seminary had moved there a couple of years ago and had two little boys I was dying to meet, and of course, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was calling my name. Amie and I worked it out for me to stay with her at her aunt's home and made plans to go to WWoHP together, and I was very excited that all the details came together to see Nicki and her boys while I was there too.

Amie and I woke up the first morning I was there and headed off to DeLand for brunch and the beach with the Glenn's. Nicki was kind enough to fix us a great pancake breakfast, which allowed me to meet 8-month-old Micah who was not going to the beach with us. I took a small gift for Jonah, who's 5th birthday was the next week, and Nicki wanted to take a picture of us together. It was hilarious, because when she started counting, their dog Max sat down next to me and posed for the picture too!

Jonah is quite a hoot - Nicki is always posting things he says on her blog. She told him that I had been reading about him on her blog since he was a baby, and he wanted to know why I had never been to see him. When she said that I lived a long way away, he said "hasn't she ever heard of an airplane?!" Funny boy! (Later he asked me if I was "Miss Amie's mom" - I wasn't too thrilled with that one!) He warmed up pretty quickly to Amie and me, especially when we were at New Smyrna Beach and played in the waves with him. It was a beautiful day at the beach - sunny and warm but not too hot, and I was excited to be back at the ocean for the first time in 3 years. Amie was sweet and played with Jonah in the water while Nicki and I sat at the edge and caught up on all that had gone on in our lives since the last time we saw each other, 10 years ago! And later, I took Jonah on a short walk to look for shells. The boy loves everything about the beach, and you couldn't help but feed on his excitement and enjoy even the small details.

Nicki had arranged for us to park at her friend's condo, which allowed us use of their pool and the private beach. So when it was time for Nicki and Jonah to pack up and head home, we headed up to the pool to cool off and rinse of all the sand. It was very refreshing, and Jonah enjoyed showing off his swimming skills. Nicki, thanks so much for sharing your day with us. Amie and I both thoroughly enjoyed it. You are so blessed with your two precious boys. I'm already looking forward to getting back to Orlando to see you guys again! :)

Then after they left us, Amie and I changed into dry clothes and headed back down to the beach for a few pics before it was time to head back home. We needed to get into bed early, because was had an exciting day planned for tomorrow - WWoHP!

Road Trip to Mamaw and Papaw's

2011-08-02T21:02:00.007-05:00

I have so much blogging to catch up on! I have spent the last two weeks on vacation, traveling around Alabama, Georgia, and Florida and visiting family and friends. With so many fun adventures, it will take lots of posts to cover the whole trip. So, let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

Brodie and I hit the road early on Friday morning for an 11-hour drive to Alabama. Brodie is such a good traveler. He decided to start the morning by showing off - it was the first time he has ever jumped up in the car by himself. I guess he was ready to go on vacation too! For most of the day, he sat in the passenger seat snoozing or sticking his head out the window when we hit the small towns. We got into some heavy rain in Alabama and then were greeted by a beautiful rainbow - I could almost see both ends! I just wish I hadn't been driving so I could have taken a better pic.

Eleven hours later we made it to Madison, AL to visit my Mamaw and Papaw. I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, and was happy to have the opportunity for a spur-of-the-moment visit. As they said, it was like old times when I would visit them on the weekends during college. We played marbles, talked, cut grass (Papaw only), shopped for Bama stuff (had to take advantage of being in Alabama, you know...) and had a good time together. Mamaw fell in love with Brodie (not surprisingly), and he enjoyed getting to know her too. It was a really nice (though short) visit.

For this next pic, I had my big camera sitting on my knee trying not to let Papaw know I was taking his picture. Since I couldn't see what I was getting, I wasn't surprised that I cut off his head. However, I was surprised how much I liked this pic. No, you can't see his face, but for anybody who knows my Papaw, the overalls, striped shirt, and facial features leave no question who this is.

Star-Spangled and Peaced-Out

2011-06-30T16:45:00.006-05:00

I'm submitting this post to this week's "Red White & Blue" non-challenge on I Heart Faces. Head over there to see other fun patriotic posts.

The other night, I used my cell phone to snap a couple of pics of my pup in these snazzy glasses. I wasn't sure how he would react to them, and he kept swatting them off, so I only got these two rather poor quality pics before I gave up for the night.But, when I saw how cute the pics were, I knew I had to come up with a way to get some better ones before the 4th of July. I tied ribbon on the end of each arm and tied them together in the back to keep them on Brodie's face, and it worked SO much better. He actually kept the glasses on for quite a while as he looked around and explored on the balcony. It was only when he went to lie down that they got in his way and he started fighting them. I love how cool he looks in these pics - my aunt called him "Mr. Hollywood." He's just chillin' on the balcony, enjoying life.

Happy Independence Day!

Swimming at Grapevine Lake

2011-06-30T10:00:00.005-05:00

The other day after work, Shawn and I decided to take the dogs to the lake for a little while to let them get some exercise. It's been too hot lately to do much walking, so this is the only way they really get to run off all that energy. Traffic was a little rough on the way there, but we eventually made it, and the dogs made the most of the time in the car, sticking their heads out the window and enjoying the wind blowing through their hair/ears.

I never know how Brodie's going to react to the water. He eventually warms up to it, but sometimes he's rather hesitant at first. Not this time. He went right in, starting playing in the bushes, pulling on the branches, and snapping at the water. Meanwhile Zoey had a blast retrieving the kong aqua. That girl can swim! And Brodie actually did some good swimming too - he went out well over his head and swam a good distance (for him). I was so happy that he was obviously enjoying himself. And I was tempted to join him, because it was so hot! We didn't stay much more than half an hour, but we all had fun and the dogs were worn out, so mission accomplished. :)

Just some cute pics of my puppy...

2011-06-18T21:17:00.009-05:00

(standing on one leg!)

(catching some rays)
(his favorite toy - an empty bottle)

(helping mama write) (bundled up after swimming)
(silly dog finds any place he can to sleep)
(all soft and fluffy)

Brodie's New Swimming Pool

2011-05-31T19:39:00.004-05:00

So I was trying to think of a way to keep Brodie cool this summer, allow him to have some fun, and still enjoy the balcony. I found this little blue swimming pool for $10 at Walmart, and so I decided to try it out. I brought it home yesterday, carried buckets of water from my bathroom to the pool, and added a few ice cubes. Brodie wasn't too sure what to think at first, but then he hopped right in and started splashing, digging, and eating the ice. He was soon soaking wet! It's handy for me too - as long as I have my feet in the water, it keeps me cool enough to sit on the balcony even in the heat. I even put on my bathing suit and shorts and sat in it with him - ah! We invited Zoey down to enjoy the pool with him, and those two dogs had a blast! I imagine we'll be spending many afternoons out on the balcony in the little bitty swimming pool this summer.

Swimming and Kayaking

2011-05-23T09:50:00.006-05:00

Back in April, my friend Shawn and I took our dogs to go swimming in the canals here in Valley Ranch. Brodie had never been swimming before, and I wasn't sure how he would do - are Westies water dogs? Of course, Zoey's a lab and LOVES the water, so she jumped right in, and Brodie followed with no hesitation. He was a bit shocked when he went under, but he actually had a great time swimming. His favorite thing to do was to run along the bank, either in the water or out, picking up the seaweed and throwing it. Silly boy! He's a video of Brodie swimming.

This past weekend, Rachel, Amanda, Danae, and I decided to go to White Rock Lake and kayak Saturday evening. Amanda and Danae had their own boats, and Rachel and I had groupons for cheap rentals. We actually weren't sure we would be able to get on the water, because there was a thunderstorm watch and the rental company decided not to rent any more boats. But we convinced them to wait and see if the storm passed over, and it actually never came near us. It was bright and sunny, so we were able to kayak after all. I took Brodie with me, and he played in the water while we waited for confirmation that we could rent. He was a little hesitant at first, but then he went all the way in and remembered that he does know how to swim.

Finally, about 6:45 we got on the water. Brodie was my co-captain, standing in the front of my boat. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but I think he eventually started to enjoy himself. Of course, the water was rather choppy due to the wind, and one particular wave hit us and sent Brodie overboard. Poor boy! I quickly scooped him right back up, he was fine, though he did shiver for a while - whether because he was cold or afraid, I'm not sure. He ended up falling in one other time, but for the most part he did great, tail wagging, ears perked and curious. It was a lovely evening on the water, topped off by a beautiful sunset and fellowship with good friends.

Brodie Videos

2011-05-19T20:37:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of new videos of Brodie - the first one is especially for mom.

Praying for Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the Southeast

2011-04-30T23:24:00.005-05:00

What a horrific week it has been for the state of Alabama (really, the whole Southeast)! When I got home from work on Wednesday afternoon I saw several friends' facebook posts about the terrible tornado that had just hit Tuscaloosa. Entire neighborhoods and a major intersection near the campus were completely wiped out! It's just heartbreaking to thing about - so many places I frequented during my time as a Bama student are gone, destroyed in an instant.

But Tuscaloosa wasn't the only victim. Tornados have wrought destruction throughout the entire state. My grandparents in Madison are still without phone lines and power - but at least they still have their home and their lives. So many others across the state and throughout the Southeast have lost everything, and the deathtoll and number of people still missing are staggering. Some little towns were completely obliterated. How terrible!

One good thing has come out of this tragedy, though. Arch rivals have drawn together to support one another in a way that is amazing to see. A group from Auburn University has been working tirelessly to help raise support and provide much needed resources and relief work for the city of Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama. The state has united in its grief and relief work in a way that I have never seen. It makes me proud to be from Alabama, and less inclined to dislike everything about Auburn. They may still be my arch rival when it comes to football, but maybe it's now limited to football.

Please pray for all those people in the state of Alabama and across the Southeast - for those who have lost loved ones or everything they owned, for those who are still without power and phone service, for those who may be looking for someone who is still missing, and for those who are giving everything they can in relief efforts. It's going to be a long cleanup and recovery effort, but the south will rise again!

I Heart Faces - Pet Week

2011-04-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

I know this picture was featured in my last two posts, but it's Pet Week on the I Heart Faces blog, and I had no better pic to enter than this one of Brodie smiling as he sits on an old John Deere tractor in a field of bluebonnets. It's one of my favorite pics of my photogenic pup.

Watermark

2011-04-20T20:06:00.005-05:00

Lots of fellow bloggers and facebook friends have been encouraging people to watermark their photos. So I thought I'd try it. I kind of like my new watermark, though I might need to make it a little bigger to serve its purpose. What do you think?

Bluebonnet Adventure 2011

2011-04-18T21:27:00.018-05:00

On Saturday, Rachel and Brodie and I drove down to Ennis for the Bluebonnet Festival. I think this year's "crop" of bluebonnets was even better than last year's. We quickly got our map to the best trails and started driving, oohing and ahhing over the amazing fields of blue along both sides of the road. Seriously, the blue seemed to go on forever (with little patches of red indian paintbrush thrown in for good measure) - it was absolutely gorgeous.

We took a picnic lunch and found the perfect spot - a field full of wildflowers that was not fenced in (and thus accessible for us without trespassing), with only a few other people, and far enough off the road for Brodie to run free. We had a great lunch and then took lots of pictures while Brodie bounced around chasing bugs and sniffing flowers. He had SUCH a good time!

Then we continued driving, looking for our favorite picturesque location from last year. And we found it! It was so beautiful! They had an old John Deere tractor out front that we couldn't resist taking pictures on - I LOVE the ones of Brodie on the tractor; I just wish that the ones of me with him had turned out better. The one of him with Rachel is adorable - I should have made her go back and take one of me with him like that! Oh well.To end the day we finished the drive back to Ennis, passing a field with several longhorns in it, so we had to stop and take a look. Then we walked around the downtown Ennis area, checking out the craft booths and snacking on a spudzilla (or twister tater) before driving back home. It was an amazing day with brilliant weather, great company, and God's beautiful creation.

Raising Bluebonnets

2011-04-13T21:17:00.003-05:00

Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas. Every spring they cover the sides of the road and fields to the point that the grass looks blue, and people stop their cars on the side of the interstate to take pictures of their kids in the little blue flowers. And like a good transplanted Texan, I try to take pictures in the bluebonnets every year as well. This year, I actually found bluebonnet plants for purchase at Home Depot, so mom and I planted them while she was here for spring break. I have really enjoyed watching them grow from a pot full of their trademark greenery to a bunch of large blue flowers and even more little buds. I know that bluebonnets usually don't last much past the beginning of May, and I will really miss seeing the blue fields along the side of the road, but I will miss the little patch of bluebonnets on my balcony even more.

All in the Name of Chasing Squirrels

2011-04-13T20:43:00.003-05:00

To say that Brodie LOVES to chase squirrels is an understatement. He is constantly watching for them on our walks, and when he sees a squirrel, you better hold on tight because he hunches down like he's stalking and then takes off - he has almost ripped my arm out of the socket a couple of times. Wow! If he trees a squirrel, he leaps in the air repeatedly and barks his extremely high pitched "critter bark." Twice now, he has actually climbed a tree in pursuit of a squirrel. And yesterday, I was excited to catch his climb on "film". He makes it look easy. I know I'd better make sure he stays on the leash, or there's no telling how far he'll go - up the tree or down the road - all in the name of chasing squirrels...

My Balcony Garden

2011-03-29T20:05:00.005-05:00

Nobody would deny that I do NOT have a green thumb. But I do enjoy having flowers on my balcony, and homegrown tomatoes are a must in the summer. So while Mom was here over spring break, we planted several plants. They make my balcony so cheerful, and since I love spending time out there this time of year, it's like my own personal sanctuary.

Like last year, I bought a tomato plant that was bigger than many and already had a number of yellow flowers and even tiny maters. Since then, I've got even more tomatoes and the others are definitely growing. My mouth waters every time I think about it!

We also planted a pot of two different colors/types of daisies. I have no idea what kind they are, but they're so pretty and colorful and happy and photogenic.

In another pot I did my usual big assortment of flowers. I really enjoyed the lemon zest petunias last year so I planted them again, surrounded with red verbena and white alyssum and a big spike in the middle. Right now it's not very full, but I'm sure when those petunias get going, it'll be fabulous.

The most exciting part for me was finding bluebonnet plants at Home Depot. So I have my own little bluebonnet patch on my balcony! But that will be another post in itself. So for now, enjoy these last pics of my balcony garden. I'm sure I will be enjoying it a lot this spring/summer.

You have the Easter Bunny... I have the Easter Brodie!

2011-03-27T17:17:00.008-05:00

I found this little Easter bunny headband in Target's dollar spot and couldn't resist trying to get a few fun pics of Brodie. Usually when I put it on him he immediately shakes his head or raises his paw and knocks it off his head. Today I decided to try again, and he was surprisingly cooperative. I had a little squeaker in my hand that I took out of one of the stuffed animals he destroyed, so I would squeak that and he'd look up at me with the cutest expressions. I was pleased with the results of our impromptu photo shoot. If they had Cadbury bunny tryouts, I'd definitely enter him! Enjoy a few pics of my Easter Brodie...

Barking Bluebonnets!

2011-03-27T13:31:00.003-05:00

Saturday's weather was just too nice to stay inside. After going to the park and sitting outside for quite a while reading while Brodie had plenty of freedom on his 15-foot lead, Shawn called and asked if I wanted to go take pics of our dogs in the bluebonnets which are literally covering the sides of the interstates. So I gathered up my little guy and we took off to a small patch of bluebonnets by Home Depot, which was far enough off the interstate that we felt comfortable taking the dogs out. I took pics of Shawn and her Zoey first. Zoey was hilarious - she didn't want to pose and kept trying to dig up or eat the bluebonnets. She actually got one in her mouth and Shawn struggled to get her to let it go. in spite of all that, we still got some really cute pics of the two of them. Then Shawn took the camera and tried to get a few pics of me and my boy. But we got distracted by Zoey sneezing literally 30 times in a row, huge, constant sneezes. Apparently she's allergic to bluebonnets. It was so funny! She did get a few decent pics though. We weren't out there very long, and I didn't get any of just Brodie. I look forward to taking him to the bluebonnet festival in a few weeks. Hopefully we'll get some more good ones then.

Dallas Arboretum Spring Blooms

2011-03-23T19:52:00.006-05:00

While Mom and Ben were here, we spent an afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum where their Spring Blooms event was going on. It was a beautiful afternoon, made even more amazing by the brilliant flowers blooming everywhere across the park. There were tulips of every size, shape, and color. There were lovely daisies, happy daffodils, incredible cherry blossom trees, and pretty azalea bushes. Of course, I was in heaven trying to get the perfect photo of so many of the blooms. Here are just a few of the MANY shots I took. I may have a few new perfect flower pics in this bunch. Enjoy!

Luck of the Non-Irish

2011-03-22T20:44:00.005-05:00

St. Patrick's Day fell during Spring Break this year, while Mom and Ben were visiting. Since I don't like getting pinched, I made sure to wear green. Mom and Brodie both got their green on too, and we decided to take a few pics before heading out for the day. Ben didn't want to wear green, so we pinched him and didn't let him in the photo shoot. ;) We actually got some really cute pics!

I had also planned a trip to Sprinkles cupcakes during their visit, and decided to go on St. Patrick's Day since they turned their famous red velvet recipe green for the day. So we had yummy green velvet cupcakes for dessert that night - and they were delish!

Mom and Ben Come to Texas

2011-03-21T19:24:00.013-05:00

For Spring Break this year, Mom and Ben came to visit me. This is the first time Mom has been to visit since my graduation in 2004, so it was very exciting. I had all sorts of fun adventures in mind, and we were just hoping that Mom's back would cooperate and allow her to be out and about. Thankfully, her back held up really well, and it was only on her last morning here that she had much trouble.

One of our adventures was a visit to Cowboys' Stadium. Ben is a big Cowboys fan, so I knew this was a must-see for him. He actually came out to visit back in 2002 (0r 2003?) and we went to a Cowboys game in the old stadium. This time Ben and I took a self-guided tour while Mom hung out in the pro shop and waited for us. We had a lot of fun hanging out on the field (it doesn't look as big when you're actually walking on it) and taking silly pictures. We didn't think we were going to be able to get our picture taken on the center-field star, which was a must for me, but at the last minute they opened it up for about 5 minutes, so we hurried out there and got the pic. Of course, Ben's favorite part of the tour was the Cheerleaders' locker room. They had full-sized photos of the girls above their lockers, so Ben spent a lot of time looking up at them.

The next day we ventured out to the Dallas Arboretum. With their "Spring Blooms" display currently taking place, it was CROWDED - and no wonder! Everybody wanted to take advantage of the absolutely gorgeous weather and all the beautiful tulips, daffodils, azaleas, and other flowers that were literally everywhere you turned. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed sitting out in the breeze and walking around the park, taking pics and marveling at God's creativity. It was a great day.
On their last night in town, we (along with most everyone else in the metroplex, it seems!) decided to go play Putt-Putt. I wasn't sure Mom's back would handle it, but she seemed to enjoy herself during our 18 holes. I scored 5 holes-in-one, which is completely NOT normal and took me quite by surprise. Again, the weather was amazing and we loved being outside and enjoying one another's company.What else did we do while they were here? Well, like always, Mom and I did some shopping - Kohls, Ross, TJ Maxx, Home Depot, and all the Sam Moon stores. Mom looked at most of my scrapbooks that I've completed since the last time she visited - that was fun! We planted my flowers and tomato plant, talked a lot, and of course, played with Brodie. Mom was so excited to see her "grand-dog" again, and he quickly wrapped his Gammie around his little finger. She even made him gravy to put on his food - the dog is now so spoiled I don't know what to do with him! :)

It was a really great visit, and I'm so glad Mom and Ben came out to Texas, finally!

Just a little cuteness

2011-02-19T21:44:00.003-06:00

Just a few cute pics of my little boy...
he has "westie-tude"!

My Furry Valentine

2011-02-13T19:37:00.002-06:00

Who wouldn't want this little guy as their valentine? He loves unconditionally, always wants to be with me, gives lots of slobbery kisses, and loves to cuddle. And he really enjoyed his valentine cookie, but he obliged me with a couple of pictures before chomping down.

I'm so thankful for my furry valentine!

7th Annual Scrap the Super Bowl Party

2011-02-09T19:48:00.002-06:00

Genny and I have a tradition. Because neither of us cares anything about watching the Super Bowl, even the commercials, we SCRAP the Super Bowl. (The last one I actually watched was when Janet Jackson had her wardrobe malfunction!) In the 7 years we've been doing this, it has varied from just the two of us at Genny's house to a large group in the craft room at the church, and the year I was in Scotland it was just Genny. I was SO glad we were able to work it out the scrap this year's Super Bowl. I headed over to her house Saturday evening, and we worked for a couple of hours before getting ready for bed. Then, after church the next morning, lunch with the family, and Brodie jumping in the frozen pool and being exiled to Amy and Amanda's back yard, we got back to scrapping around 2:00. Melissa came over and joined us, and we had a fabulous time scrapping until the mid-4th quarter when I left to make sure I missed any traffic that the Super Bowl might generate. It was so much fun, and I got 10 pages at least most of the way finished (only journaling still needed on most of them).

(one of the pages I was working on - from 2007!)

Super Bowl Fun in Cowtown

2011-02-09T13:38:00.006-06:00

In case you weren't aware, this year the Super Bowl was played in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX, which is right in the middle of Dallas and Fort Worth. The Packers used the city of Dallas as their homebase - the Steelers were based in Fort Worth, and cowtown did them proud by setting up super bowl central, complete with ESPN's broadcasting center, in the middle of Sundance Square. I'm sure they didn't have nearly as many visitors as they were expecting during the week, because of the winter storm that hit and paralyzed the metroplex. But on Saturday the sun came out, the temps finally rose above freezing, and EVERYONE in the metroplex hit downtown to get rid of their cabin fever. Rachel, Amy, Amanda and I were right there with them. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and even though downtown was crazy, we enjoyed the opportunity to be tourists in our own town.

Those Steeler fans were crazy!

And here are a couple of pics of Super Bowl stadium just for fun - "borrowed" from a friend on facebook. :)

Snow Day part 2

2011-02-07T21:04:00.010-06:00

So yeah... the snow/ice/sleet day I blogged about in the last post ended up being FOUR DAYS long! Four days out of school. Four days stuck at home. It was a LONG week! Actually we were supposed to go back to school on Friday (the 4th day), but on top of the couple of inches of ice and dusting of snow we already had, it started snowing on Thursday night and by the next morning we had nearly 6 inches of snow. Putting that on top of the ice layer made it really dangerous and slick. So we were out again...

Here's a progression , from the ice layer before the snow, to the snow when it first started falling, to the winter wonderland I woke up to.

Finally, there was real snow to play in! It's hard to be stuck home on a snow day if you can't even go out and play. Up til Friday it had been bitterly cold with a crazy low windchill too, so I could barely stand to be out in it long enough to take Brodie out for a short walk. But after the snow, it wasn't quite as cold or windy so we went out to play in the snow with four of his doggie friends. We were out there for nearly two hours, and he played his heart out.

Brodie had so much fun, but when we got back to the house he had clumps of snow the size of golfballs hanging from his fur. Poor baby! I had to put him in the bathtub and put the blowdryer on him in order to melt the clumps off. I put a towel by the fire and let him rest there to dry the rest of the way. At first he wasn't too sure about being that close to the fire, but it didn't take him long to settle down and fall fast asleep in front of the fire. That afternoon the sun finally came out and rapidly melted the snow and ice on the roads. I took the opportunity before things froze again that night to drive down to Fort Worth. I had had ENOUGH isolation and really needed to be with friends. I met a group of the girls outside the dorm at SWBTS for an impromptu snowball fight.

Like I said - this was a REALLY long week, but the FOURTH snow day was so much fun!

Snow/Ice/Sleet Day 2011

2011-02-01T17:46:00.005-06:00

Nobody can say that Texas weather is boring, that's for sure! On Saturday I was out at the dog park in short sleeves and perfectly comfortable in the 70 degree sunshine. When I went to bed last night it was 50 degrees out with no precipitation. The rain hit in the middle of the night, followed closely by an arctic cold front, and the metroplex woke this morning to a couple of inches of sleet and ice topped off with snow. The nighttime hours were crazy, with 30-40 mph wind gusts throwing the ice against my bedroom windows, and "thundersleet" (thunder and lightening during the sleet). Not to mention a 4:30 a.m. text from Dr. Wolfe telling me "no school tomorrow" and asking me to post it to the school website! And if you think the snow/ice is bad, you should feel the cold/wind! The high today was at midnight - the temp's been falling all day; right now (6 pm) it's 19 degrees with a windchill of 1 degree! BRRR!!! And it's not supposed to get above freezing until Friday afternoon! Let me tell you, I feel every bit of that cold each time I have to take Brodie out. Not to mention the fact that my apartment complex doesn't sand/salt our stairs, so I'm always nervous I'm going to slip on the ice and fall down the steps. But I've not been neglecting my boy. I took him on two walks around the apartment complex in the ice. He did great - he loves to run, roll, play, and dig in the snow. He did slip once though - he was running on the grass and jumped down into the road, and all four legs flew out from under him and he kept sliding. It was hilarious, but it didn't stop him. He just kept going. Crazy boy! Here are a few pics of our winter weather adventures.

(He blends in!)

My slippery stairs - treacherous!

Home from our walk, and he wants to hang out on the balcony!

Can you see the ice crystals on his beard?It was a perfect day for a fire.

Brodie enjoyed the warmth of the fire too.

Snug as a bug in a rug on a cold, cold day.

"I'm Not Having a Birthday!"

2011-02-01T17:36:00.003-06:00

"I'm not having a birthday" was my mantra for the couple of weeks leading up to my birthday. I really just was not in the mood to celebrate my birthday. It didn't have anything to do with being another year older, because age isn't really that big of a deal to me. Rather, it was that I just didn't want to be the center of attention. So I told my friends we were NOT celebrating...

Yeah, right. They don't listen very well. :) But I appreciated their efforts to make this a happy birthday even though I wasn't very joyful. Rachel, Bethany and I enjoyed dinner at Red Lobster (yummy cheddar biscuits!) on my birthday eve, I went to church at Wedgwood and got to see a lot of friends on my birthday, and that evening Amy and Amanda surprised me with a tasty carrot cake (my favorite). They said "We know you said we're not celebrating your birthday, so we told them not to write 'happy birthday' on it." Instead, it read "Love you" - I have great friends! We finished the evening by folding out the sofa couch and piling all three of us PLUS all three of our dogs on it to watch Prince of Persia. It turned out to be a good non-birthday after all.

Thanksgiving Square

2011-01-28T15:06:00.005-06:00

To celebrate our birthdays together, Rachel and I decided to hang out on the in-between weekend, which happens to fall on MLK Day. Since we both had the day off work, we ventured down to Thanksgiving Square in Dallas. Thanksgiving Square (actually a triangular area of land on the edge of the arts district) features an interfaith chapel, a bell tower, a Golden Rule mosaic, and the golden Ring of Thanksgiving. The best part was the spiral chapel, which is topped off by an amazing spiral stained glass window on the ceiling. We explored the grounds and the chapel, enjoying the relatively mild weather (compared to recent days) and each other's company.

(church building reflected in the glass windows)

(part of FBC Dallas)

(the chapel - see how it's spirally?) This is the stained-glass window, looking straight up at the ceiling

The bell tower, golden ring, and mosaic - check out that sky!

More pics of the sky, downtown buildings, and cool reflections

Lights of the South

2011-01-01T21:03:00.007-06:00

The first night we were in Augusta, we drove out to Lights of the South, a huge light display that you can walk through or view on a hayride. Our original plans were to do the hayride, but that line was LONG, so we decided to walk it instead. It was a long but nice walk, other than Kathy knocking out the lights demarking the walkway and the path being a little rocky.

The walk ended at this beautiful castle of lights - it was huge and amazing! We took the opportunity to take a few family photos before heading over to the fire pit to roast marshmallows. Altogether, it was a very cool night (pun intended - it was quite chilly out there!)

A White (Day After) Christmas

2011-01-01T21:02:00.005-06:00

On Christmas day, we kept hearing from friends and family all over the south who were having a white Christmas. My grandparents in Alabama got 3 inches on Christmas day! Even the Atlanta area got snow. Not us in Augusta. :( We had not a single flake. Now the day after Christmas was a different story. We woke up to a steady flurry, and it continued off and on through lunch time, sometimes with just dandruf-type flakes, other times with huge fluffy white flakes. We left Augusta to drive home around 3:00, and it was still snowing on us. Some places along I-20 (like the first picture below) had a lot of snow accumulated. Others had almost none. When we got home, we found a nice light dusting all over the ground. The house looked so pretty with the Christmas lights and snow. It was dark by the time we got the dogs, so the next morning I took Brodie and Harley out to play in the snow. It was Brodie's first time to see snow! He loved rolling in it, eating it, and running around in the crisp COLD air. And he looked so cute in his little sweater. I sure hope we get some snow in Dallas this year so he can play in it some more.

Isbell Family Pups

2011-01-01T20:54:00.007-06:00

I was so excited to take Brodie home to meet my family at Christmas. I just knew he would get along great with Harley and Roscoe. And they did well. Harley got a little possessive of his blanket, and the stairs, and the laundry room, but other than a few growls and one snap (no damage done), he and Brodie were friends. Roscoe pretty much stayed away from Brodie as Brodie's playful puppy nature is a bit too much for the scaredy cat. Mom loved Brodie - she said I could leave him there, but of course, that wasn't an option. I love my baby! But Brodie seemed pretty fond of his "Gammy" too.

Brodie had to stay in the laundry room a lot of the time - he wasn't allowed to have free roam of the house like he does at my apartment. He looked so cute peeking over the gate, but he did let his Houdini-ness get the better of him a few times and he climbed over and escaped. One time he made it all the way upstairs to the back bedroom and climbed in bed with Ben! Crazy dog! Another time he hung out in the formal living room chewing on a rawhide, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a few pics of him in front of the Christmas decorations.

All the dogs were so cute. Brodie loved sleeping in Roscoe's bed. I thought he looked adorable with his head rested on his paw.

Here are a few pics of Brodie and Harley playing. They especially had fun playing tug-of-war with Harley's rope. Watch the video below to see who won. :)

New Years Eve in Big D

2011-01-01T20:36:00.020-06:00

New Years Eve 2011 - what a day! I spent most of the day unloading my car from my cross-country trek that ended around 9:00 the night before, setting up my new tv, and rearranging the furniture in my scrapbook room to accommodate the new desk dad made for me. By the time it was time to celebrate, I was worn out! But that didn't stop me from meeting up with friends in the Big D for a night on the town. We met at the hotel they were staying in (pretending they were on vacation from Ft. Worth), got all dressed up, and headed out to Palomino's for a nice fancy dinner. Most of us ordered the "chicken under a brick," which was so tender and really tasty. We snapped a few group pics outside the restaurant and then headed back to the hotel to take pics in front of the Christmas tree and change clothes for the chilly weather outside.

(sunset on the way to Dallas)

outside Palomino's

cool light fixture over our table

keeping warm while waiting for the valets to bring our cars around "all the single ladies"After we changed, we caught the hotel shuttle down to Victory Park where the "Big D NYE" festivities were going on. They had several bands playing and a HUGE crowd. We worked our way in so we were right in the center of the plaza area and listened/danced to the music as the countdown ticked closer to midnight. When the clock struck 12, everyone yelled "Happy New Year" and the fireworks started - a variety of different types of fireworks cued to the music. It was really cool. We hung around enjoying the festivities until about 12:30 when we started the long walk back to the hotel. By the time I got back to my apartment it was after 1:30 a.m. and I was exhausted. But it was a fun time of ringing in the New Year with good friends and in a way that I haven't done since New York City in 2004/5 (though honestly, this didn't quite compare).

the view of the stage from "our spot"

yep, there was a crowd alright!

the whole group - Denae, Amanda, Shelley, Amy, Steve, and me

I was laughing hard at this point because the first attempt at this pic ended up being a close-up of Amanda's nose - I forgot the camera was way zoomed in!

Dancing in the New Year

Happy New Year!

And, for your viewing pleasure, a snapshot of the fireworks show and a video of my crazy friends. Enjoy!

Cross-Country Road Trips

2011-01-01T20:35:00.020-06:00

Journey #1 - Irving, TX to Fayetteville, GA
Saturday before Christmas
Travel companions - my cousin, Colton, and Brodie
Distance - 803 miles
Departure - 7:00 a.m. Central
Arrival - 8:45 p.m. Eastern (nearly 13 hours)
Stops - only 4!
Music - mostly country; I snuck in a Christmas cd when Colton was asleep :)

The trip didn't feel nearly as long as I thought it would. It was great to have Colton along to help drive and to keep me company. I enjoyed getting to spend some time with him.

(Can you tell Brodie is standing on the middle console? Funny dog!)
Crossing the Mississippi River!

Our first roadtrip together

Sunset in the rearview mirror

Journey #2 - Fayetteville, GA to Irving, TX
New Years Eve Eve

Travel companions - just Brodie
Distance - 803 miles
Departure - 7:45 a.m. Eastern
Arrival - 9:00 p.m. Central (over 14 hours)
Stops - 6, including two sight-seeing stops in Tuscaloosa and at the Mississippi River
Music - tons of Christmas music, though I did switch to Les Mis to get me through the last couple of hours.

I was excited to stop in Tuscaloosa and see my beloved University of Alabama. Driving onto the campus was like coming home. I drove over to Bryant-Denny Stadium and Brodie and I walked all the way around it. I was shocked to find that I had never seen the front entrance to the stadium (I always went to the student entrance). It's pretty cool! I took lots of pics, and then we hit the road again. We also stopped at the rest stop at the Mississippi River, which is really nice, with a great view of both bridges and some canons and plaques commemmorating the Battle of Vicksburg. After that, I was just ready to be home! My knees were tired and stiff, and Brodie and I both just wanted to be out of the car. We finally made it at 9:00 p.m., and were both exhausted but thankful to be home.

My travel buddy

The University of Alabama!

Brodie celebrating the 2009 National Champions - ROLL TIDE!

Trying to take a picture with the Bear Bryant statue -

I cut out The Bear but thought it was cute of Brodie and me

Ah, there's the Bear!

Bryant-Denny Stadium - I can't wait to go to another game there

Denny Chimes - one of the symbols of the University

The BCM, my home-away-from-home during my college days

He likes to ride in my lap - I try not to let him do that very often.

The Mississippi River

Oops, I cut off Brodie's nose!

A beautiful sunset encouraging me to make it through the last couple of hours

My New Scrapbooking Table

2011-01-01T20:35:00.013-06:00

Before I got Brodie, I had asked my dad to build me a cube-style bookshelf for my scrapbooking room that had the right dimensions to hold my scrapbook paper (which is 12x12, and the cubes you find in the stores are usually 11.5x11.5). However, when I got Brodie, his crate took the space where I was going to put the cubes. So Dad and I designed a set of cubes that would go on either side of his crate with a table on top. Then we thought, why not make it functional as a desk if I ever decide to take down his crate or if I have a friend come over to scrapbook. Since I drove home for Christmas, it was the perfect opportunity to spend a little time in dad's "workshop" (otherwise known as the garage) and build the desk. Dad spent two full days working on it - I helped when he needed my assistance - and then we worked together for two evenings sanding the whole thing. He also built a stand-alone piece to set my Cricut on. Let me tell you, my car was LOADED DOWN when I returned home.

(This next picture cracks me up - nice angle, mom!) Here's Dad with the finished product!

The biggest challenge in this project for ME was getting the desk up the stairs into my apartment, even though it was in 3 pieces (plus the stand-alone). Thanks to a dolly at Home Depot, I finally got it into the apartment and moved the furniture around in my scrapbook room so that it all fit and was functional. Here it is, complete with scrapbooks, paper, Brodie's crate, and of course, Brodie. I love it! Thanks, Dad!

Christmas in Augusta

2011-01-01T20:35:00.008-06:00

Just like most years, my family spent Christmas in Augusta this year, though we were at my Aunt Kathy's house rather than Papa's, since Papa passed away in June. It was a hard Christmas in that respect - everyone was missing Papa, especially because Christmas was his favorite time of year. But everyone did really well at not letting their grief spoil the holiday. It was a really nice chance to spend time with extended family, marvel at my cousin Holley's new baby (more on him in another post), and enjoy the magic of the season.

Ever since I can remember, my family has had its own personal Santa Claus - my Papa's friend "Tommy Claus". I honestly wouldn't recognize Tommy without his Santa suit, but he is an important part of our Christmas eve celebration every year. I remember sitting on his knee as a little girl, telling him what I wanted for Christmas and fully believing that he would be back that evening to deliver the requested gifts. I remember the year Ben picked his nose and said "Here, Santa, want a booger?" This year, even without Papa there, we enjoyed spending time with Tommy Claus and passing on the tradition to little Layton.

And of course, on Christmas morning, we woke to find out that Santa really did come overnight!We all had a very nice Christmas. And even though we didn't have any little kids to wake us up early (it was probably nearly 11:00 before we started opening presents), we certainly enjoyed the craziness of Christmas morning, complete with lots of laughs, wrapping paper all over the room, and some great gifts.

All in all, our Christmas in August was a success, and although Papa wasn't there in person, I think we all felt him there in spirit in a variety of ways.

Layton Asher Rhodes

2011-01-01T20:34:00.006-06:00

There's no question who the star of our Christmas was - his name is Layton Asher Rhodes and he is all of one month old. He is absolutely precious, and I don't think he was put down the entire time we were at Kathy's house. Mom and I fought constantly over who got to hold him, and when Aunt Patty came over, she fought for him as well. Holley was very sweet to share him with us - she's still giddy over him, and rightly so. We did a little photo shoot one afternoon. Layton wasn't exactly excited about having his picture taken - he cried, wanted to eat in the middle of taking pictures, and was definitely not a fan of having his clothes changed. But we got some really cute pics of this adorable baby boy, so it was worth it. I think I took over 300, but here are my favorites.

Christmas Cookies

2011-01-01T20:31:00.004-06:00

For the second year in a row, Mom, Ben, and I spent one afternoon before Christmas baking and decorating Christmas sugar cookies. This year we had a much bigger variety of shapes, thanks to a gift of a cookie-cutter set I received last year from Amy. So we mixed, cut, baked, and then prepared to beautify our tasty cookies. And boy were they tasty! We had four different colors of icing, tons of different shapes and colors of sprinkles, as well as M&Ms and red hots to use. I piped on white icing, Mom was in charge of spreading on the other icing, and Ben loaded up the cookies with tons of candy. We each created our own "special" cookie which was exactly how we wanted it (mine had tons of red hots, mom's was covered in M&Ms). The cookies turned out so well - very yummy and pretty!

The Promise of Christmas

2010-12-21T20:30:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday night, Rachel, Stephen and I drove down to Glen Rose to see The Promise of Christmas, a special presentation by the people who do The Promise each year. It was a free presentation in the outdoor ampitheater - and boy, was it cold! We all bundled up with longjohns, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, anything that would keep us warm, and braved the cold to see the show. Driving down, the sunset was incredible and I couldn't resist snapping a few pics through the windows. The show itself was really good, but it wasn't quite long enough. It took us an hour to get there, and the show itself was only 45 minutes long. I really wish it had been longer, but then again, it was COLD out there! Anyway, the show tells the Christmas story - here are a few of the photos from the evening.

Little Miss Morgan

2010-12-17T13:55:00.007-06:00

Last Saturday my friend Alissa and her husband had to go to a wedding in Plano, so they asked if I would be willing to babysit their two-month-old baby, Morgan - oh, and also to take some Christmas pictures of her. Well, who could turn down an offer like that?! I got a few pictures of their family all dressed up, as well as several individual shots of Morgan in various Christmas outfits. I was really pleased with how they turned out. Morgan was a great baby to keep - she only cried when she was hungry, which was most of the time she was awake. :) Brodie was REALLY curious about her - he climbed up and put his head on my shoulder while I was feeding her, and when she cried he wanted to be right there next to her. He was also rather jealous, but did fairly well except when he barked and woke her up.

Christmas in Fort Worth

2010-12-17T13:12:00.006-06:00

Last Saturday after babysitting Morgan (another post on that is coming), I drove down to Fort Worth to celebrate Christmas with my Fort Worth family - the Cypress singles of Wedgwood. We had a progressive dinner (I missed the first house but made it in time for the main course) and did a variation on the white elephant gift. Instead of doing gag gifts or random $5 items that people will never use, we did acts of service. Each person gave a card which was a coupon of sorts for whatever service they were offering. For example, the one I gave was a mini-photo shoot and a cd of all the pics. Others were an hour of IT support, a home-cooked meal, and a mani-pedi. The gift I received (and fought hard for!) was help taking down my Christmas tree. I hate taking down a Christmas tree - it's depressing - so that was perfect for me. The whole party was a lot of fun, and tons of people were there.

After the party several of us decided to drive downtown to look at Christmas lights. We didn't make it to the actual square where the big tree is, but instead ended up at this building that is surrounded in very colorful trees - it's so cool! We got out, even though it was windy and really cold, and took a few pictures with the lights before heading back to Amy and Amanda's to relax after a very full night.

A Very Brodie Christmas

2010-12-16T21:58:00.005-06:00

I am LOVING having a dog! I know, you already know that, but I just have to say it again. Brodie is so great. Yes, we have certain issues, like his sock fetish and his tendency to climb baby gates if I don't double them. But for the most part, he's wonderful. I've really enjoyed him during the Christmas season. I was a bit worried about how he would do with the Christmas tree, ornaments, and presents, but he really hasn't messed with them. I did walk into the living room the morning after I put up the tree to find him lying in front of the tree, chewing on his rawhide and staring at the tree. It was so cute, like he was mesmerized by the lights! I have taken a ton of Christmasy pictures of Brodie, so here are a few of my favorites. The one with Santa was taken by a professional photographer at PetSmart on Saturday. It's actually a photo of a photo, so the quality's not so great, but I love it! Enjoy the pics, and I hope you have a very Brodie Christmas this year.

Thanksgiving Week in Georgia

2010-12-10T15:46:00.008-06:00

Here are a few more pictures from my week and a half in Georgia for Thanksgiving. The weather was really nice for most of my time there, and the fall colors were so beautiful. They have a much better autumn than we do in Texas, so I couldn't resist taking a few pics.

Of course, the day after Thanksgiving we had to watch the Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn). Unfortunately, it was really disappointing. Alabama started off so well, with a 21-0 lead, but they fell apart in the second half and lost the game by one point. :( We still worked hard at cheering on our team, shakers, houndstooth, and all.

I took a ton of photos of the dogs while I was there. Harley and Rosco are both quite photogenic. I love the last pic of Harley. He has glaucoma and his eye was quite inflamed after our trip to Alabama, so mom and I took him to the vet to have his pressure checked. I put my sunglasses on him to keep his eye from being bothered by the brilliant sunshine. :)

And ouf course, I spent time with my family. I don't have any pics of mom here, but we did a lot of shopping, decorating, and just hanging out. Dad and I hung the outside lights, and Ben and I went to see Harry Potter 7. In the evenings we'd all just gather in the living room and watch tv (until Dad fell asleep). It really was a great visit home in many ways, other than the fact that I was sick for most of it.