January

In January, Hallie and I did the JiggleButt Run 5K.  She was actually just planning to do the 1 Mile Fun Run; but everyone else wimped out me, so I made her do the 'big race' with me.  She wasn't happy about it, but we both made it to the end so we'll call it a success.

Also, all Hallie wanted for her birthday was to see her friend Brianna...which is easier said than done, since Bri lives in Mississippi now.  So we loaded up and drove and drove and drove.  It was great to see our friends and we even got to spend a little time at the beach.

And the only OTHER thing Hallie wanted for her birthday was a guinea pig.  So after three years of persuading, we agreed and welcomed Cupcake into our family.

September

In September, we went camping at Beaver's Bend with Elizabeth, Mr. Gary and Mrs. Cheryl.  Know why this picture is blurry?  Because it's so dang humid that the lens fogged up.  How's that for fall in Oklahoma?  Oh well, we had a blast anyways.

Playing Catch-up

Wow, how is it possible that an entire month has passed since I last posted?  It's not that I don't have anything to talk about...well, ok, maybe nothing interesting to talk about...but that's never stopped me before. Things are good.  Busy.  Blogging just seems to be the last thing on my mind these days.
Here are a couple of pictures to bring you up to date.

We took a road trip to Lubbock to catch up with BigJoel and the Roadshow; and also to indoctrinate, I mean introduce, the girls to Texas Tech.  We had a great time and I got to see one of my former college roommates and her family.  HannahKate is completely sold on the university--not because of its outstanding academic programs or even the charm of one of the most beautiful campuses in Texas...but because there is a Freebird's Burritios, Raising Cane's, and WhichWhich all located in about a two block span.  (She might just be her mother's daughter.)

The other exciting thing we've done:  Elizabeth had us over for Monday Night/Mardi Gras Supper Club complete with traditional cajun meal.  On the way there Hannah asked, "Will I like gumbo?"  To which I replied, "Mrs. Cheryl is making it...of course you'll like it." (And she did).    Hallie found the baby in her King's Cake, which I think means that she has to host the party next year...sure hope she knows how to make gumbo...

Snow Day

Last week, "Snowpocalypse" hit Northeast Texas.  After three days of being iced in on the verge of crazy, we finally woke to over six inches of snow.  Actual snow.

Since we're relatively ill-equipped to handle extreme cold temperatures here in Texas, we had to get creative with our winter wear. HannahKate has cute leopard print rain boots and so does Hallie.  I have...Wal-Mart sacks over my tennis shoes.

 Hallie dubbed herself a "snow ninja".  Sometimes she's a strange kid.

The girls made snow angels on the trampoline...about as close to "angelic" as they will ever be.

We had a great time, but really only lasted outside for about thirty minutes.  I know, I know...we're wintry wimps.  Don't get me wrong, I love snow...as long as I'm nice and warm inside the house looking out at it.

Photo Challenge #7

Something you ate today...

HannahKate went to Olive Garden a few weeks ago with some friends where she had Chicken & Gnocchi Soup.  She's been begging me every since to make some.  I found several versions of OG's recipe online, but I chose the one that looked like it contained the most "normal" ingredients.  I think it was written for a person who knew what they were doing.  The directions were terrible.  Fortunately, the soup was pretty good.

Photo Challenge #3

Something you bought today...

Hallie needed something "Christmas-y" for a program at church (technically we bought it yesterday, but this was the first chance she had to model for a pic).

Who's Kid Is That Anyway?

So HannahKate has started another blog.  I think she has two, or three, but she keeps forgetting the passwords so she can never update them.  This one is called Confessions of a Decidophobic.  A decidophobic is a person who has a fear of making decisions.  I thought she made that word up, but I Googled it and found that it really exists.  I guess I should know that, because I believe I might suffer from it myself.
Anyway, she's embarked on a mission to write 30 Letters in 30 Days.  Its a pretty impressive challenge, so I wish her the very best.  I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to do it also.  It seems like a fun idea, but I don't know if I can come up with enough material for 30 days.  There might not even be 30 people that I know/like well enough to write a letter to.  We'll see.  I've given myself a deadline of October 31 to make up my mind.  (It's becoming more and more obvious where HanK gets her "decidophobia", isn't it?)
While I'm still mulling over my options, you should check out Hannah's blog.  She's a pretty neat kid young lady.

Crazy Tacos

Earlier this week, our family went to a new Mexican food restaurant here in Hometown.  Honestly, the last thing Hometown needs is another Mexican food restaurant...or barbecue place.  But, we have recently acquired both.  Woo hoo.

Anyway, I'm always the last one to order because I can never make up my mind.   Hallie was sitting next to me and asked for the "Fajita Taco Loco" literally, "Crazy Fajita Taco".  Everyone else had ordered, and I was forced to make a split second decision...so I just got the same thing, even though I had no idea what it was.  That's dos Fajita Taco Locos.

In a few minutes, the waitress began bringing out our food.  She set a small plate with a taco on it in between Hallie and I, but then she said, "That's not your taco!  You have the big taco."  On her second trip to our table, she presented us with our "big tacos".  Oh my word, she wasn't kidding...

  

I put my fork on the plate to give some perspective on the gianormity of it.  

So I submit that instead of being called "Taco Loco", a more appropriate name would be "Taco Grande" or  "Taco Gigante".  Unless of course, the reason it is a "Taco Loco" refers to the fact that it is crazy big.

  

Anyway, Hallie and I enjoyed our gigantic crazy tacos; but I'm afraid the rest of the family was less than impressed with their meals.  So it appears that our regular Mexican food establishment will not have to worry about losing our patronage...even though their tacos are neither loco nor grande.  

Driver's Ed

HannahKate begins her Driver's Education class tonight.  Where in the world has the time gone?
Hopefully, they'll teach her to keep both hands on the wheel...

A Letter to HannahKate

Dear HannahKate,
I just want you to know how proud I am of you and your accomplishments.
I want you to know that your hard work and cheerful disposition do not go unnoticed.
I want you to know that your fierce loyalty to your friends is appreciated.
I want you to know that I pray you'll keep refusing to allow other people to dictate your self-worth.
I want you to know that the firm stand you take is a testimony of your faith.
And I want you to know that sometimes, even when you do everything right, life's just not fair.  But your family will always love you and be proud of you.

Like Grammy said~remember who you are and whose name you bear.

And like Bart says~

You're beautiful...

You were made for so much more than all of this.

You're beautiful...

You are treasured.  You are sacred.  You are His.

And like the Bible says~

After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose?  Romans 8:30-31 (MSG)

Remember who you are and Whose name you bear.

I love you,
Mom

First Day of School

As is the tradition in our household, we observed the Annual First Day of School ritual this morning.

First Day of School 2010

HallieBeth--5th grade; HannahKate--10th grade

HanK looks like she's delivering a dramatic monologue here, but she's really just talking with her hands...probably saying something like,  "Would you stop taking my picture?!"  Funny how speaking through clinched teeth can resemble a smile...

(We've been using the same crayon candles every year since HanK was in Kindergarten.  They used to look like crayons.)  

I love that Hallie is still eager for the first day of school...and that she will still smile for a picture without rolling her eyes. 

HanK, on the other hand...well, its just hard to believe she will only celebrate this tradition two more times.  I seriously doubt she'll allow me to show up at her dorm and sing to her on the first day of college...even if I do have muffins.

Wow, where has the time gone...?

Bienvenidos a Peru

We made it to Peru, but not without our share of drama and miracles. Our luggage has yet to arrive, but we've had an awesome day. First of all, it was wonderful to see Elizabeth and Lee! Of course I cried, even though I tried not to. She did a most impressive job of driving us home from the airport in Peruvian traffic and a standard transmission to boot.

As we arrived and toured the albergue, we were greeted with so many smiles and hugs. Joel went straight to work scraping paint off one of the casitas to prep it for painting. Hallie took off with her Spanish/English picture book and made friends with several girls close to her age. HanK and I rested up for just a minute, then we set about trying to locate our luggage with Elizabeth. So many funny details such as every time E dialed the telephone number the airline gave me to check up on the bags, she reached an elderly woman instead. We really have no idea about our luggage, but we're praying and trusting that they will arrive soon.

Today was Pablo and Pedro's fifth birthday, so Hannah, Hallie and I went with Elizabeth to take them into town and celebrate with them. We rode the "public transportation" into town. I've often joked about making a "rolling stop" to let the girls off at school or somewhere, but these guys take that phrase very literally. The bus was crowded, loud and windy; but guess who went to sleep on the way into town...yep, poor Hal. (Of course we took a picture, which I will post soon.)

We took the boys to a restuarant with a play place. Hallie and I had lomo saltado...and it was delicious! HanK had an order of french fries. HUGE papas fritas. Elizabeth showed us how to mix the mayonesa with the ahi dressing to dip the fries in. She's such a native now. She ate chicken off the bone and stuck her finger in the dressing to test it...two things I don't think she would have done six months ago.

When we returned, we were met by Joel, Lee and several of the boys riding on top of a truck full of rocks. They are still unloading them, so I don't know the whole story...but I'm sure its a good one.

The girls have both been awesome. Such a long hard trip~three flights through the night and over 15 hours of travel, yet they've not bickered or complained. Which is quite the miracle in and of itself.

I asked Hallie this afternoon if the experience was anything like she expected so far. Her reply was, "Our rooms are much nicer than I thought they would be." I guess if you prepare someone for the worst, they'll be pleasantly surprised.

There are so many things I'd like to write about in so much more detail, but 1.) it would probably bore my "readers" to death; and 2.) I know if I don't do it while its fresh on my mind, I'll overthink things and never get around to writing anything. So I hope you'll please excuse me if my posts are not so well thought out or have mistakes over the next month...and if you think of it, I hope you'll pray for our family from time to time during the next few weeks. I can already tell that God is teaching us things and revealing Himself in ways that we would have been too busy and distracted to see back in the States.

Tomorrow is our first "real" day of work. It should interesting. I'll write and post pics when I can!

Photo Safari 2~Artsy-Fartsy

For our second photo safari, we decided on the theme "Artsy-Fartsy". We planned a quick overnight trip to Big D which included a trip to the Museum of Art (hence the politically incorrect title of our safari).

We left after I got off work, drove to Big D, ate at the Spaghetti Warehouse, walked around a bit, and then went to our hotel for a late night swim in the roof-top pool overlooking the city. It was a wonderful evening.

Here are a few of my photos...

Shooting Fountains

Waterfall Fountains~ I thought the cool "artsy" thing about this pic was the way HanK and Hallie are "ghosting" into the scene. Of course it was an unplanned accident, but I'm pretty sure that's how we get some of our greatest works of art. Right?

HannahKate goes to great lengths to get the shot.

The next morning, we went to brunch at a quirky coffee shop that Joel knew of from a MM photo shoot. The atmosphere was fun and the food was great. Our waiter had a tattoo of "The Giving Tree" on his arm and fueled the girls with double shots of Mountain Dew by duct taping two to-go cups together before sending us off. (That's two cups for each girl...who had already had MD during our meal...they were definitely "all hopped up on Mountain Dew" a la Ricky Bobby.)

While we were enjoying our meal, two men and a lady walked past us on their way out of the restaurant. I noticed one of the men was carrying a book. I said to Joel, "Did you see that guy? He was reading Same Kind of Different as Me which is one of my all time favorite books!" Then Joel said, "Denyse, did you see WHO that guy was?" Turns out, I was too busy looking at his book to even notice that it was Mike Modano, the legendary hockey player. Such a shame, because he is one hunky man...and I missed him! Oh well, its nice to know he has good taste in books...

The Quirky Coffee Shop Where I Missed Seeing a Famous Person

Next, we pressed on to the Museum of Art. My pics from there aren't all that great, because I used my phone's camera. Honestly, I was much busier enjoying the art than trying to take artsy photos.

I have to admit. This is actually BigJoel's picture. His was better than mine, so I borrowed it. I'm fascinated by these huge glass flowers. They remind me of the ceiling/light fixtures in the Bellagio hotel in Vegas.

HannahKate and Hallie enjoyed the interactive "Textures" exhibit.

My abstract "artsy-fartsy" shot of the day~a metal mesh-like bench in the Museum garden.

I don't know the name of this sculpture, but it sorta reminded me of a giant fortune cookie...

So, our second photo safari was just as successful as the first. We had an amazing time together as a family and even got a little "culture" in the process.

Photo Safari~First/Beginnings

This summer, in an attempt to keep the girls from getting bored with their new found freedom from school, BigJoel came up with the brilliant idea of a "Photo Safari". (Hallie actually coined the name.) The premise is that we decide on a theme and then drive around town taking pictures that depict our own interpretations of the theme. We will choose the best ones and compile a scrapbook at the end of the summer. Since this was our inaugural "safari", we chose the theme of "First/Beginnings". Here are some of my shots...since its my blog.

The corner of "First" and Park

The sign at "First" Baptist Church

This used to be a minor league baseball stadium. Joel suggested it because there were lots of "Big Innings" there...its a stretch, I know...

HannahKate~our "First" daughter

This one isn't really that artistic, but it is Joel and I standing in front of the restaurant where we went on our "first" date 25 years ago. That was the "beginning" of an era. Its actually not a restaurant anymore, but at least the building is still standing...

Front doors are the "first" thing you see when you enter a building.

So our "first" Photo Safari was a success. We managed to get out of the house and have a great day just being together...and it was free! I think this might be the "beginning" of a really fun summer.

More or Less

I haven't done an official installment of "Ticked Off Topics" in a while, but yesterday we went shopping and this post began forming in my head.

Since Hometown's mall is somewhat lacking in the latest fashions, we ventured "across the bridges" to the Big City to see if we could find HannahKate some spring/summer clothes. I seriously worry about the child because when she's not wearing standardized dress for school, she is wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt of some sort. Always. Its one thing for her dad to dress that way~he works for a band. But its another thing for her to look like a roadie-in-training. But I digress...

Anyway, on to our shopping trip. Let me first say, that as the older I get, the less I like people, er, I mean crowds. The first store we went to was so crowded that the sales attendants had to carry around a sign on a stick that said, "I work here. Ask me for help." Needless to say, claustrophobia and the fact that they had already sold out of $1 flip-flops made that foray unprofitable.

The next store we went to had adorable outfits in the windows. We'd been there once before and I wasn't impressed, but not being one to hold a grudge, I wanted to give them a second chance. Oh. my. word. As we rifled through the articles of clothing, I was amazed at how small the sizes seemed to run. HannahKate has an atheletic build. She is just the right size for her height and bone structure. She is not, however, an XS, S or M...especially when the clothing manufacturer must have used malnourished pygmies as their guide to sizing. Sheesh! So~fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me and now we know to never waste our time at that store again.

Next we ventured to a Name-Brand Teenage-y Store (but not the one with all the naked boys in their advertising). Here, we were awarded a small victory~one pair of capris and a cute top. Thank you, Lord. This was also the time when I was reminded of how thankful I am that not only is HanK relatively unconcerned with the variety of her wardrobe, she is also extremely modest.

And that brings me around to my Ticked Off Topic (finally, you say). It should not be so difficult for a teenage girl to find clothing that is not too short, too tight, too low-cut or too see-thru. According to my observation, the smaller the amount of fabric used in an item, the higher the price. Why are we paying more money to get less clothing?

And to think, we were only shopping for shorts. I dread what it will be like when we have to find a bathing suit! When that time comes, dark jeans and a black shirt might not be such a bad thing after all...

There Goes My MOTY Award--Glee

This morning, while cleaning up the kitchen with BigJoel after making me a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and cheese toast, I overheard Hallie telling him about the story line of Glee-Season 1. I was convicted about what a slacker mom I am as I heard her recanting about Mrs. Schuster's "hysterical pregnancy" and how Quinn told Finn that she got pregnant because they were in the hot tub together. Seriously, what kind of mother lets her 10 year old watch this stuff?

Then she says, "The cool thing is all the relationship hook-ups in the group. Rachel is in love with Finn. Finn is in love with Quinn. Quinn is in love with Puck, but Puck isn't in love with anyone because he's a heartless jerk." (Remember, this is Season 1 and remember those were her words, not mine.) So I had to laugh out loud when, after all this endless chattering to her daddy, I heard Joel say, "I thought the cool thing was the singing. Aren't they supposed to sing on that show?"

Oh. I think Hallie missed that part.

There goes my Mother of the Year Award.

Weekly Pic--You Are My Sunshine

I was looking through old pictures tonight and I found this one of Hallie on her 5th birthday. When she was little-bitty, one of the nicknames Poppy gave her was "Sunshine". Wasn't she cute? I just love that kid.

I Get No Respect

A few days ago, I opened the cabinet under my bathroom sink and was greeted by this guy.

"Somebody" thought it would be funny to scare their mother silly.

Nice try, but you don't frighten me. First of all, cobras are not typically found in Hometown, Texas. And second, raising kids is much more dangerous than poisonous snakes hiding under cabinets!

Its Official

...Well, at least about as "official" as anything gets with the life we lead around here...

The girls and I have been planning to spend a month in Peru this summer working at the children's home with Elizabeth. But as of this past week, Joel will be joining us for part of that time! Can I just say how excited I am?! Actually, I can NOT~because words are totally inadequate to express my feelings. So instead, my heart is doing a little Happy Dance. (Fortunately for you, that is not nearly as frightening as if I myself were doing the Happy Dance.)

Spring Breakthrough

I love these girls. (This pic was taken in Arkansas at Thanksgiving.)

This past week was Spring Break and I must admit I was not looking forward to it. BigJoel left on Monday for a ridiculously long run of shows and Elizabeth, well, she's still off in Peru doing God's will. So honestly, I was afraid that this equation would add up to a week of whining, pouting and arguing (and that was just my part~I had no idea how the girls would act).

But I was pleasantly surprised. HanK worked with the youth group doing some local mission projects. Hallie spent one day with her Grammy. Both girls had friends over numerous times. We had breakfast for dinner at Monday Night Supper Club on Wednesday. We saw some movies, went shopping for Easter dresses and they helped me with a jewelry order.

So our break was nothing fancy or elaborate, just the girls enjoying a break from school and me enjoying the girls. I'm reminded that sometimes its the little things in life that make the best memories. And I'm also reminded how blessed I am to have two pretty awesome girls. (They definitely take after their daddy.)