Why Hello Mrs. Webster!: 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...