The Rundown

Here is what we've been up to the last 2 1/2 weeks (for anyone that cares to read it...)

May 10 - I had a birthday. I got to visit my grandparents in Amarillo and was surprised with homemade creampuffs. My Memaw used to read a story called "The Creampuff Village" to me when I spent the night at her house when I was little, then we would make some in the morning. I was thrilled that our kids got to try them - so yummy! I also got to eat out twice (Olive Garden and Tulia's famous El Camino).

Two creampuffs sans powdered sugar.

May 11 - Mother's Day. I was lucky enough to receive some really cool homemade gifts and thanks to my sweet husband, I didn't set foot in the kitchen - except to get water/tea/etc.


May 12 - I had to remember where to find dishes!! Back into the real world....

May 13 - start obsessing over houses close to school - we may move this summer

May 16 - Look at houses. Clean like crazy before the babysitter comes. Attend the school's 8th grade banquet with Brad (he's a teacher, not an 8th grader!)

May 17 - Look at another house. Lose my cell phone.


May 18 - Clean like crazy...company for dinner. No cell phone.

May 19 - jog for the first time in a long time! I finished a half-marathon in another life (7 1/2 years ago). Now I can barely make it 9 houses down the street. The good news...Pippin is very easy to handle on a leash - he is focused and doesn't zig-zag or stop in front of me, like our previous dog.

May 20 - fun day at school. I worked the "sponge races" station. Cell phone probably ran out of juice on this day.



May 21 - Kindergarten certification and last day of school for our kids. Let kids play on a big blow-up waterslide at a friend's house.


May 22/23 - Keep one of Lucy's friends during the day. Watch "Enchanted" for the first time. Jog.

May 24 - get my first pedicure (ever) by redeeming the gift certificate I received from my birthday 1 year and 2 weeks ago. I enjoyed it immensely, until I got into my hot car at 4 pm and wondered what was causing a terrible smell. Get home, clean out the car, find a 1 lb. package of turkey sausage that must have rolled out of the bag (on my May 21 shopping trip). Talk about foul.

May 25 - Try to act a little sympathetic when Kilian says "summer isn't as fun as he thought it would be". Look for cell phone. Meet a bloggy friend and her sweet family in person for the first time.

May 26/27 - I have no idea...is it really the 28th already??

Meme

Colleen tagged me for a meme (several weeks ago, I'm slow.) This is my first one, but it looks like fun!

Rules of the meme:
1. Post these rules of the game first.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names. Then the tagger goes to the blogs of those who have been tagged & leaves a comment letting new players know they’ve been tagged. The tagger asks them to find the meme and instructions back at his/her blog.

What I was doing 10 years ago:
May of 1998 I had just finished my junior at Texas A&M. I was working on my degree in accounting and Brad and I were engaged. I was about to switch from working in the accounting office of the Texas A&M Bookstore (in the basement of the MSC) to working at the Benjamin Knox Gallery as a sales associate. I loved that job.

Five things on my To Do List today:
1. Post on blogger for the first time in 12 days.
2. Laundry, laundry, laundry!
3. Jog
4. Pick up puppy poop in the back yard.
5. Try to find my cell phone

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Take our kids to museums/historical landmarks all over the world
2. Give money to charitable organizations supporting women facing unexpected pregnancies
3. Build a big cabin the mountains and meet lots of family and friends there a few times a year.
4. Adopt kids in addition to having more
5. Enroll kids in some super fancy music and/or dance lessons.

Three of my bad habits:
1. Losing my cell phone
2. Procrastinating doing the dishes
3. Following celebrity gossip

Five places I have lived:
Tulia, College Station, Lewisville, Wylie, Brownfield, (and #6 - Lubbock) - All in Texas.

Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Babysitter
2. Insurance Agency receptionist
3. Bank Teller
4. Bookstore cashier
5. Software developer

I tag Angela, Melissa, Erin, Mandy and Jody (Mandy and Jody both need to create blogs first, maybe this can be their first posts??)

Can creativity build strong bones?

Per Lucy, during a "finish your glass of milk" stand-off at the dinner table tonight: If mermaids drink milk, then they die. I am a mermaid, so I can't finish this. Do you want me to die?

Mushy alert!

Lucy, to Kilian after he thanked her for bringing him a bedtime glass of water by hugging her and saying she is a great sister: "oooh, my heart is feeling like love!"

A taste of our travels

Last weekend Kilian, Lucy and I had a wonderful, but quick trip to the Dallas area. We went to a very special friend's 1st communion Saturday morning and also got to catch up with my sister. Brad and Camille stayed behind and had some special time together. (She is NOT a happy

traveler).

I am the sentimental type that loves to drive by our old houses, churches, jobs, parks, restaurants, banks, etc. when we are in the area. I took advantage of having only the kids that are easy travelers (actually, the ones oblivious to the rest of the world while watching DVD's in the car) and I went down memory lane.

Here is our first house, a tiny little 2 bedroom. Perfect as a starter house. Kilian came home to this house as a newborn. I was happy to see it looking so cheery.







This is our second house. This is the house where Kilian and Pandora (our dog at the time) welcomed Lucy and then Camille. We moved out of it almost 2 years ago. The next door neighbor said she hadn't seen anyone there in over two months and it seems it has been foreclosed. I was surprised how sad it made me feel to see it in such bad shape.



After eating Sunday brunch at my favorite restaurant, and a bit of reminiscing, we hit the highway. Here are some highlights of the 6 hour drive. No worries...I didn't ever look at the camera while taking pictures - eyes only on the road. If you hold the camera out and click enough, you eventually get some decent ones (if you don't mind reflections, bug juice and the radio antenna).

As I drove, I was listening a radio conversation about a book called "Fatal Misconception". It tackles the subject of world population trends, the myth that we are overpopulated, and the issues that China and other countries that limit the number of children are facing. I intend to check it out at the library.

Some people calling in were talking about feeling smothered, there are just too many Americans and not enough space or resources.

I kinda think I should invite them to drive from Dallas to Lubbock.

Nope, not smothered here at all.

Below is a wind turbine (Yay, alternate energy sources). For anyone that hasn't seen these in person, they are GIGANTIC.

This is how I stayed awake. Yum. This is the fudge our Friday night hostess, Juanelle, sent with us on the road. The kids and I made a nice dent in it on the road home.

I also had a backup plan. If the fudge didn't keep me awake, this would.

Hard Headed

boy thinks a hard hat (made by Tonka) will protect him from hard hail. I made him stay under the patio cover anyway.

At least he asked permission

Kilian's classmate yesterday as he looked at Camille: Kilian, can I pet your sister?