After Christmas, Before the New Year

My grandparents got here on Wednesday night and things have been crazy since then. On Thursday I got up at the crack of dawn and took my car to have my state inspection done, which my grandma thought was a crime against womanhood. "Mary Beth, don't you know that is a man thing and you should not do anything yourself that you can get a man to do for you?!?!" I promptly told her that I could do it myself thank you very much and if she could call and get David up at 7:30 in the morning then she could be my guest. I was not aware that I was living in the 1920s. After that adventure I picked up David and we went to the bank to get my birth certificate then went to his mom's law office to turn in our will information. Yes, we are very old and getting wills already. But I figure it is a good idea to take care of it while we can get it for free instead of having to pay someone $1000 at some point in the future. Then we went to the mall and Best Buy to finish up belated Christmas shopping and eat lunch, then we drove to Temple to the social security office. I am now officially Mary Elizabeth Webster with th US government, so as of now I am Mary Beth Webster to all of you. My corrected credit cards are on their way. So after that I packed for our trip to Kerrville to see David's family on his mother's side.

David and I ventured into the unknown world of privacy on road trips and took our own car down there instead of trying to ride in the car with Linda and Ryan. This time, however, Linda decided to bring her three stinky pugs with her supposedly per the request of her mother. So the pugs were in the car too, and they were in crates so there was really no room for David and me in the suburban anyway. They were supposed to be at my house on Friday morning at 8:15, and I woke up at 7:45 because the power had been off since 1:00 am and my alarm didn't go off. I was not ready to go when they got to my house, and as I was putting the gel in my hair to scrunch it since there was no way to blow dry and straighten it, the power came back on. Grr. We got to Kerrvile around 11:00 in the morning, then went to David's aunt's diner to have lunch with David's grandparents, his uncle David and his wife and three kids, his aunt Debbie's kids, and David's family. It was this tiny place and busy aside from us being there, so after buying about $200.00 worth of fireworks from the neighboring stand me, David, Linda, and Ryan went to James Avery. For those of you who don't know, James Avery is a really nice jeweler that is based out of Kerrville and has a couple of branches throughout Texas, so where we got to go is the actual factory and studio where all the jewelry is made. David got me a pair of earrings that I have wanted for a while, and Linda got a present for her mom. Afterwards we went to the hotel where we stayed to check in and rest for a while, then we went back to David's grandparents' house. We ate pizza and played cards and drank all night, and David's aunt Debbie was particularly funny as a real-life version of SNL's Drunk Girl. We left around 11:00 pm to go to the hotel and get some rest. The next day we went to their house around 10:30 and after waiting for everyone to get there the ladies went shopping and to lunch at a local tea room called Queen B's. We went shopping at Billy's Western Wear where David's grandma tried to buy me a pair of $250 boots and a $130 belt. I did not let her as I refuse to enable her impulse shopping. Then we went to the tea room and it was soo much fun! The tables were set with beautiful china and there were hats hanging on all the walls and we each got to choose a hat to wear. Then we each ordered a pot of tea and our meal. I had broccoli and cheese quiche, tomato and herb soup, salad with raspberry dressing, and a strawberry and cream buscuit for dessert. It was absolutely delish!! I also found a few very special antiques, but they shall remain nameless unless the person they are intended for reads this... After the tea room we spent the rest of the afternoon at the house and later had cake to celebrate David's grandma's 70th birthday. David and I ahd to leave around 7:00 to get home before too late, and Ryan was not far behind. I had a much better time than I thought I would, and I attribute much of it to the fact that David and I insisted on having some privacy from the craziness that is family gatherings.

Today I had lunch with my friend Tami Jo and her boyfriend Josh, and now we are just preparing for David's family to come over for New Years. Tomorrow is the last normal day I have before going back to Waco on Tuesday. I am getting all my hair cut off Tuesday afternoon, so see pictures of Kate Bosworth and Posh below for a reference of what I am going for. Happy New Year!!!



Buying fireworks...

OK, so Linda refuses to learn how to use her camera, so she told me and Ryan to take pictures for her. She did not specify what she would like the subject of the pictures to be...













The whole family!!


How I want my hair done, not my face done, just to clarify........

Christmas Presents!! Yay!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!! We did here at the Tait/Webster house. I got everything I asked for plus more, it was a beautiful day, and there were no fights to speak of. David was very allergenic, though, which will have to be fixed before next Christmas. The only downer thing was my dad not being here, but we got to talk to him for a while, even though he sounded pretty sad. But to lighten the mood, here are some of the things I asked for and recieved!

First, here is kind of a representative spread of what I got, and now that I am older there is pretty much an explanation for everything. Except for DJ. She was a Christmas present three years ago, but is not included in the spread this year.



First, I got some very comfy pj's/clothes from Victoria's Secret's PINK line, which I like. My mom also got me the Natalie Dee Cupcake + Multivitamin = Super Breakfast t-shirt, which I love.



Next are my Born shoes that I have been wanting for a while. Let me explain that now that I am an old workin' woman I have to have comfortable shoes to wear all day. While I find these attractive as well as comfy, they do not compare in cuteness to my high heels or knee-high boots. But I definitely tried to wear my 5" Mizrahi heels that I mentioned in a previous post last week to work and before Jess and I could go on a shopping trip for exhibit supplies we had to drop by my apartment so I could change shoes. I attribute the fact that I am horrible at walking in high heels to my already extreme height issues, so it is not really all my fault.



My mom also got me The Complete Works of Jane Austen, which I am excited to read. I love all the movies based on her books and Pride and Prejudice is my fav movie of all time, but I have never read the book. This is disappointing to many of you I know, but because I have to read so much for school I don't have a lot of interest in reading for pleasure. I hope to change this now that I have graduated. Although, this blogging thing is what I seem to be doing so far...



David and I jointly got The Office Seasons 1 and 2, and I got underwear and a martini shaker and various other things from Santa. I don't even want to know how he knows my undie size! For shame, Santa! I also got two different Victoria's Secret bags.



Things that are not shown are a laptop glove for my new mac, a keyboard protector for my new mac (which I am typing on right now), two board games, a bunch of DVDs, and the new translation of The Aeneid (which I translated myself over the course of 2 semesters of Latin). Nice.

And now, in a completely seperate act of revenge, are pictures of my sister being extremely unattractive, followed by pictures of both of us being just plain ugly. You likey?!?!

Merry Christmas!!!

Hello everyone out in blogger land!! I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday break with their families and friends. Today at my house has been spent knitting, cooking, and preparing for the big luminary/light show tonight. In our new neighborhood putting out luminaries and Christmas lights is a big freakin deal, so we have been opening the bags and getting them ready for the past hour or so. However, it has been raining pretty steadily for the past few days and is really wet outside, so we are not really sure if we will be able to put them out. Even if the luminaries are a bust, there will be a ton of people driving by to look at Christmas lights, so it's all good. Tis also the season for every fattening treat imaginable, which my mom has been slaving away in the kitchen making today. There is fudge and chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread cookies and pecan sandies and sherry tea cake cherry coconut bars, not to mention all of the regular food for dinner tonight. Today is probably my favorite day of the year because we get to have a ham. We do not do both at Thanksgiving, and I look forward to the Christmas ham every year. I know I could go get a ham any time I wanted to, but then it wouldn't be special, now would it?!? I have spent the past few day wrapping presents, which I consider my specialty, and it is nice as my sister and I have gotten older that we now have smaller, more expensive things instead of lots of large cheap toys and such.

Sooo, this is my mom's new dog Duncan's first Christmas, and he and DJ were very festive this year. See pics below for the Santa-type fun!! The only bad thing about this Christmas is the fact that my dad is in Iraq. We are very lucky because he has been able to call about three times since I have been home, and we all got to talk to him for a really long time today. He is really sad he has to be over there, but he told me they all finished their work today and will get to rest and eat all day tomorrow, barring a huge disaster. He said there will be a huge amount of food all day, and then tomorrow night his boss Gen. Odierno is throwing all of his senior officers a private dinner that he gets to go to, which will be really nice for him. Below are some pics he sent me from their Christmas celebration in the palace he works in...




My dad and General Odierno

And I forgot I don't have the pics of the dogs being festive, so they will come later. Sorry!!

In other news Jennie came to visit us yesterday and we had a blast!! we went out to lunch with David and Ryan then came back and goofed around for a while before everyone had to go home Oh! I have a movie recommendation. Mom and I inadvertantly watched "Just Friends" with Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart last night, and it was hilarious!! I highly recommend it. Well, mom is making the sweet potato cassarole right now which I am very excited about. We are about to deliver tins full of homemade goodies to our neighbors, so they will be excited about that!! I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas, and I wil be sure to update you with the haul I get tomorrow morning!! ~MB

And for your viewing pleasure, pics of me an my sis earlier today being REALLY ugly! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

FREE AT LAST!!!

First, let me say that the pictures from the pevious post are my sister Carol, not me, even though she is wearing a t-shirt that says my name on it. That is an old-school airbrushed shirt with a ying-yang on it from Gulf Shores, AL. There has been some confusion, so I thought I would clear that up.

SOOOO, I am coming to you now as an official COLLEGE GRADUATE!!! I graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor's Degree in Museum Studies and History on Saturday, December 16 at 10:00 am. That is when it started, but I really graduated around 11:40 am. I am soo excited to be done. I just found out that I will be the Collections Manager for the Dr Pepper Museum starting January 8, which is also the day David starts his job at L3. Here is some of the stuff that has happened since Thanksgiving break...

As some of you know, my dad is in the Army, and the Tuesday after Thanksgiving I drove back home to see him off to Iraq. This is his second tour, and he was not too excited about going again, as you can imagine. So Monday and Tuesday were spent eating at all the places he wanted to before he left, so we went to Olive Garden Monday night, this little cafe for breakfast Tuesday morning, and the Texas Roadhouse for dinner Tuesday night after we dropped off his things on post. It was sad, but we didn't do the whole sit-in-the-gym thing, which made it a little easier to bear. So after we dropped him off I had to drive back to Waco for class the next day. :(

So on my way home to see dad before he left I got to pick up my brand new Mac computer from the FedEx store in Temple!! David and I decided to go ahead and get it, and I am LOVING it so far!! My old computer is not talking to me anymore, so I am sure it would appreciate being bought by someone who will love it forever! I understand my computer is not like a stray I am trying to find a good home for, but I get attached to my computers and make them personal, so I do feel like I have abandoned it in a way. It is a great computer, so if you are interested let me know! I am also thinking about listing it on Craig's List Waco, so check that too. The Mac is amazing and I love all the cool features it has. I am also very lucky because for my graduation my parents got me the Adobe Creative Suite which has Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and a bunch of other applications to help me with my web design ambitions. LOVE IT!!!



Next on the list is my growing obsession with two particular things: Natalie Dee and THE OFFICE!!! I love both!! Natalie Dee is so freakin hilarious that I can hardly stand it, and she is totally mine and Jennie's kindred spirit. I bought my self a Dinosaur Vice Principal shirt (see pics), and Jennie got me the You Will Blog About This shirt plus a Will Knit for Tattoos bag for Christmas. I LOOOVE Dinosaur Vice Principal, and the blog shirt is double great because it combines my love of blogging and Chinese food! YUM!!!! So, The Office is the best show ever. EVER!! I love it so much. I am dying because the new episodes don't come out until January, and then we get to find out who Michael took to Sandals Jamaica with him!!! Ahhhh the suspense is killing me!! The most entertaining character is Dwight K. Schrute, who has his own bobblehead doll, which Jennie gave me for graduation. LOVE IT TOO!!!! He is the guardian of mine and David's new TV, which we purchased as our Christmas present to ourselves. It is sexxxy!!!




Dinosaur Vice Principal says: "Do your homeowrk and quit being a dick!"






Dwight guards the TV!!






So enough about new purchases, I was totally sick all last week. I think everyone I know has been sick this winter. Maybe because it is 75 degrees outside when it should be 30!!!! It is colder today though. I had a sore throat which turned into a sinus thing, so I was not feeling too wonderful during graduation. However, I did suck it up to go to a Shake N' Bake party. We ate Shake N' Bake and macaroni and cheese and drank beer at Jessica's house, then moved on the Jennie's house where we ate Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes and watched Talladega Nights. It was a lot of fun, but I felt so bad:( I am still not totally over it, but I am getting there. Just when I thought things might settle down, my dog DJ is sick today and I have to take her to the vet. What is wrong with her is kinda gross, so I will spare the details, but I will say it is a backdoor issue. Fun fun.

Well, I know there was more I wanted to update about, so I am sure I will think of it later. Just know I am free, and now will have much more time for this kind of thing!! YAY!!

~MB