The Recycling Fashionista

I had the pleasure of spending Thanksgiving with one of my best girlfriends, Laura. We went to the TEXAS v. a&m game in Austin. Her husband, Scott sent us as a birthday gift for Laura. I was the innocent, very lucky, bystander. Thanks Scott!

Laura and I always have a great time together and this was no exception. There were laughs about all sorts of things. I'm going to share a picture that is still making me laugh. But, to truly enjoy it, you need to see Laura. She was really rockin' those awesome boots and her Longhorn belt (which can't be fully appreciated in this photo). Check out her picture, then check out the one below, with our recycled souvenirs. It seems only fitting to Go Green in Austin! Make sure to notice the tower all aglow in Burnt Orange.











Yep! Those are plastic Longhorn cups. The ones you get your Diet Coke in at the stadium. I took mine and grabbed 2 for the kids. (We did that at an Astros game one time and loved drinking out of them and remembering our time together). Laura decided that sounded like a great idea but that we needed enough to fill her newly cleaned out cabinet. So off we went, searching the seats for plastic cups that people left behind! Can you imagine? And, we were completely sober. Really! Can you imagine, seeing women searching the stands for plastic cups? Oh, and don't miss the koozie I found! It's orange, so you can't go wrong. Right? ;-)

Emma is 7! How can it be?

Emma just celebrated a birthday. How can my baby be 7 already? It seems like yesterday she was toddling around after her brother, carrying Pooh, sucking her thumb and looking at me like I had all the answers. Now she chases her brother, carries Pooh, sucks her thumb (less) and tells me what to do, because, clearly, she has all the answers!!! ;-)

Seriously though, Emma is an incredible gift, and one that we are thankful for each and every day! She celebrated with pizza, cookie cake, dog bone cookies at school, jumping on the trampoline and riding her new kick scooter. Life is good, indeed!

Happy Birthday "M" !

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Vampires and Werewolves

I found this post, saved as a draft, from weeks ago....

I never, in a million years, would have thought I'd be reading books about vampires and werewolves. I avoid scary movies, stories, music, etc. I didn't watch Scream until several years later, and then only during daylight with my hands covering most of my face. Still my heart was racing. I'm not an adrenaline junkie.

So, knowing that, I'm baffled at how much I am enjoying reading Vamp and Were stories. I guess it's pretty superficial to even say that they are "Vamp" books. One series is what I would call a romance. Top it off and it's a young adult series! Am I trying to regain my youth? Aren't I too young to need to be doing that just yet? (Please say yes!) But, I admit it. The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer is one of the best I've read in years. (Thanks Kel and Lisa for pressuring me into them). If you haven't read them yet, go buy them or check them out from the library. They are a good read!

I have a thing for books in a series. I love getting to know the characters in such detail. The second series I am reading is the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, starring Sookie Stackhouse. I've only read #8, Better Off Dead. I have it if you want to read it. (Thanks Geneva for sharing.) Loved it. Funny. Easy. Can't wait to read all of them.

PS - The Twilight movie is out, old news now. I saw it opening day, and the theatre was crowded at the 10am showing. And NO!, it wasn't only females. There were even a couple of guys there by themselves. Go figure. My review: The book is better, but the movie was good enough to enjoy and get the gist of the story. If you liked the movie, you'll love the books!

I'm back!

Okay, I keep being asked if we have returned after evacuating and if we survived Ike. And, I keep being asked by friends that I am with and have seen repeatedly since Ike. I get it, I get it! So, I finally figured out my password and will do my best to start posting again. :-)

I had a wonderful weekend with some incredible friends!! The Caretaker, The Comic Relief, The Food Enthusiast and The Financier (who are ALL so much more!) I came home midday today and had a great time with my family. It was gorgeous outside and we took advantage of it. The kids played flag football at the park with some new friends, including my new BFF's family. (inside joke) You should have seen Emma once she finally got the football. She had no idea what to do. She begged and begged for the ball, then...nothing. Poor thing! She's great at defense, though it often looked like she was playing basketball defense rather than football. What's a girl to do?

Night, night,
Ang

IKE is headed our way.

Yikes! We are headed to Austin this morning. I feel so many things. I do not have the time to put it all down this morning. I'm trying to get as much done as possible before the kids wake up. I pray you are safe and secure. Much love, Ang

YIKES!

I have no idea why part of that last post is bigger and bolder that the rest of it. Anyone else know?

The Gift from Hurricane Gustav

Like most everyone on The Gulf Coast, we spent a big part of the holiday weekend considering if we needed to evacuate. Fortunately, we did not have to. But, each time this comes up, we get a little more prepared. Thanks to Sara, we now have an overhead cargo carrier so that we can have room to take our stuff and our dog. Having Abby added a whole new dimension to the evacuation plans!! And thanks to Steph and The Jordans for a safe place to evacuate to.

Instead of evacuating, we had the opportunity to celebrate with one of our favorite 9 yr olds, Lauren. She had a fabulous birthday celebration that included a nice breeze (thanks to our friend, Gustav). Not only that, but we got an awesome gift from Hurricane Gustav - a visit from The Caldwells! They had to evacuate and we got lucky enough for them to spend one night with us. It's always a good time when we get together and this time was no exception. Beaumont was blessedly spared, so they were able to return home Tuesday.

I want to add a note about this picture. First, thanks Sara for taking it. Second, the ledge the kids were on was too small for all of them. Cody and Alex were vying for the same small spot and just before this picture Cody had been shoved out of the way. It wasn't like that sounds. It was halarious - even to Cody. I love that the kids are so comfortable with each other. I hope that's always the case.

Signing off, Angie