2008 in Full Swing

OK, so over the Christmas break I typed up a big blog on Word and was then going to copy and paste it into here once I had taken pictures of the Christmas gifts I got, but that never ended up happening because my grandparents got here and baby Ben was in the hospital, and it was just crazy. So here is a brief synopsis of Christmas...

My grandparents are crazy. My grandfather has been through many painful surgeries to get his physical health back in shape, which have all been successful, and yet he refuses to go get hearing aides that work. So he can get around just fine and has lots of energy, but can't hear a damn thing. I am sure this situation works out for him 85% of the time because he is all the way across the southern United States alone with my grandma most of the time, but the other times when people want to talk to him or he wants to be involved in conversations you have to yell everything and repeat it three times. Then there is my grandma, who can hardly get around anymore, but can hear EVERYTHING, and is critical of everything anyone does or says. This time they were here she also had a horrible case of constipation, which may be TMI but I don't care, because YOU aren't the one who she tried to force to drive through the HEB pharmacy drive through and make the pharmacist go to the shelf and get her two enemas. She didn't a prescription for enemas, it just would have taken three years for her to walk in, buy them, then walk back to the car, so that is apparently what she does now. I REFUSED to do it and she got all upset, so my mom had to go back to the store and buy them. So sorry, mom, but I am the one who two days earlier to her to Dillard's to shop their Christmas sale so she could buy the absolute tackiest, cheapest looking angels and Santas ever. All very frustrating. Their visit was not all bad, I do love them both very much, and otherwise Christmas was pretty good. For Christmas I got a beautiful necklace from my sister, a new pea coat, and my first ever cashmere thing -- a red scarf. David had also been taunting me because he bought me something that I didn't ask for and didn't know about, which is pretty rare with us, and I was going crazy because I couldn't seem to guess what it was. It ended up being a beautiful map of the Rhine valley of Germany made by the royal cartographer in 1736 (i think that is the right date). I mean, it is actually that old, so I was very excited. It has the large map in the middle with the detailed close-ups of the major cities all around the edge. I am afraid to touch it and am DEFINITELY not taking it to Hobby Lobby to have it framed, so for now until I can find someone who does archival quality framing it is still secure in its travel pouch. Those are the highlights of my Christmas presents and Christmas in general.


This is the necklace my sister bought me. The pics of the jacket and scarf aren't working...

So my dad did not get to come home in early December, which we were all sad about, but he is coming home for good on February 15, so we are all very excited. It will be nice to have him home so the long process of things being normal in the sense that we are all in the same country can commence. The thing that is occupying my time three out of four weekends this month is my friend Stephanie's wedding. Two weekends ago I went to her bridal shower/bachelorette party, which was a lot of fun. The shower part was at her sister-in-law's house, where we played games and had drinks and ate food. The people who were there were 90% people who I have been in school with since at least middle school, and several of them longer than that, so it was really nice to catch up and have fun with people who have known you for so long. After the shower part we went to Starlight Station in Killeen for some dancing. I was not really sure what to wear, so I dressed up, which was fine for the shower part, but I was wearing heels, so at the dance hall I couldn't really dance. The floor is like a bowling alley lane and I am 5'10" flat-footed, so 6'2" Mary was not well balanced. Being so tall intimidated all the boys there, plus I was way overdressed, so no one would dance with me. I will def have to go back when I am wearing my dancin' shoes. The reason I wouldn't just rush back is because the cigarette smoke in there triggered an allergy reaction that I have yet to get over. Yesterday was the first day I have been able to get my contacts in since that night. It was really fun, though, and yesterday was Steph's bridal brunch, which is like the old lady shower, that I went to with my mom. And next weekend is the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and wedding, so it will be a whirlwind.


So the day after the bachelorette party Jen and I drove up to Fort Worth to see Atonement!!!!! We were getting very impatient because it had not come to Waco yet, so we made the trip to a real city to make sure we didn't miss it on the big screen. SO worth it. It is an AMAZING movie. So beautiful, incredible story, incredible acting with Kiera Knightly and James McAvoy, who is mine and Jen's newest obsession. Just amazing in general. If you have appreciation for amazing movies definitely go see this one, I promise it is not at all what you are thinking. It is in Waco now, and we went to see it again last weekend. I am in love...

Oh my God!!! I can't believe I haven't mentioned this yet. Over Christmas, but not really for Christmas, I got an iPhone!!!!!!! I love it love it love it. It took me not time at all to get used to it, and it so worth the money because it is almost like buying a computer...when things are updated with it or changes are made you just update your existing phone, you don't have to go out and get the newest model like every other cell phone. I have already downloaded the software update the Steve Jobs presented at MacWorld, where you can switch around your icons and it had GPS and stuff. David really wanted one too, but he is not allowed to have them at work, so he just got an LG. Not and iPhone, but a BIG improvement over the last one he had that was literally falling apart.


Voted sexiest phone ever

OK, so of course I must discuss my newest musical loves. I recently fell in love with Jason Schwartzman all over again when I found his new solo project Coconut Records, which is just fantastic. Go to www.youngbabyrecords.com and click on Coconut Records to check it out, but really you should just download it on iTunes. So then I remembered that Robert Schwartzman is Jason's little brother, and also the lead singer of a band called Rooney, which I have loved for some time. I have just never bought their albums, though, because I just don't buy music a lot. So the other day I downloaded Nighttiming by Coconut Records, Rooney's two albums, as well as the new James Blunt album, which is really good. I am officially in love with the Schwartzman brothers, even though I am pretty sure they wouldn't be as tall as I am even if one stood on the other's shoulders. But that is neither here nor there. Check out Nighttiming, it is hilarious and quirky and fun.





Well, that is about all I gots. I am about to go back to Waco and prepare for the craziness that will be Friday and Saturday. See ya!

Pie Safe!

Here are some pics of the rather large piece of furniture we bought this weekend! I love it not only because it actually is old, but because it looks like it has been beat on for 100 years.







As promised, here are some pics of the fab new purse I bought. I am not sure why red things on my camera look more orange, but rest assured that I am not walking around with a bright orange bag.



And...here are some of just the Coach glasses. I wear them almost every day!

Oh, Holidays...why do you torture me so?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Sorry it has been so long since my last blog, but things have been truly nutso here. The holidays are always a crazy time for my family, but it seems like it has been worse than normal lately. The combination of our first year of marriage, resulting in my mother-in-law losing her shit two Christmases in a row, and the fact that my dad just happened to be in Iraq those two Christmases, has made things definitely interesting. This Thanksgiving was pretty good. My mom was too intimidated to do the turkey thing by herself without my dad here to do all the dirty work afterwards, so we got a smoked turkey from Clem Mikeska's in Temple. It was an unexpected hit! We have eaten almost all of it! That probably has to do with David being at my parent's house with me again this year, which has caused the aforementioned shit-losing. *sigh* Oh well. All in all, pretty OK for my dad not being here. However, he does get to come home on December 7, 8 and 9, so we are all pretty excited about that. It is so short, but a lot more than almost everyone else who is over there gets, so we are extremely thankful.

What else has been going on? Well, let me start where I left off last time. Last week was The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, where Brad had to face Jenni and Deanna, BOTH of whom he dumped in the final episode. Even for an extremely good looking guy who can't seem to find a non-hooker in real life, I had hope for him, but when he a) didn't flat-out pick Jenni, b) he didn't even pick the one left over, and c) he ended up not wanting any type of relationship at all with either of them, I realized he was a lost cause. What the hell, Brad? For a show that is supposed to reassure me of my own superiority over people who need to go on shows like that, I was feeling WAY too many real emotions. For now it is back to movies on knitting night!

Well, last weekend Jessica came down from Oklahoma and we went to a Coheed concert in Austin! I hadn't seen Jess since she left in July, and it was so so nice to catch up. She is doing really well teaching and planning her and Jason's wedding. We had a blast going to the concert! It was at Waterloo Park, which is right off I-35, so we found the venue then went to try to get some dinner. We were determined not to just have Whataburger or something, although the Austin Whataburger did provide an extremely valuable bathroom break when we got into town! You have to be on your toes to navigate Austin traffic. We found a restaurant called Marakesh on Congress, and it was so so good! We got a Baklava to go and had it when we got home later that night, and it was heavenly. So there were two bands opening for Coheed and that started at 5:00, so after dinner we parked and strolled on into the park about 7:30. We had perfect timing, because Coheed came on at 8:00, which gave us plenty of time to claim a spot and buy some merch!!! I got an AMAZING t-shirt, which I will post later. I am not into wearing your fav band all over you, but this shirt is really nice. We also got some more of the graphic novels. So Jess and I went to Warped Tour this summer, but they only played like 6 songs, so this was her first real concert and was really small and cozy, with environmentally conscious pissed off emo people everywhere. People were recycling like mad! It was super fun. Every time I see them is reaffirms for me the reasons why I love em. Go Coheed!









So earlier this month Ben was baptized, and I officially became his Godmother. He was such a good boy!!! He didn't cry or fuss or anything during the service. Before he was born it was daunting to think of having responsibility for any part of his life, but I think it will be a breeze just because of the way he is. He is super cuddly, too which is always a bonus! Pics below say it all about how special the day was...







I shall end today with a moment of silence for The Office, as the last episode until the strike is over aired last week...................................................................................................................................

And also tell you about some fun stuff I have purchased. You know I gotta!!! Well, in all seriousness, I am done and done with Christmas shopping, and it is SUCH a relief! I LOVE giving gifts, and Christmas shopping is always a mixture of fun and stress because it is like everyone having the same birthday or something! I think David and I are going to buy an HD Tivo for our joint gift this year, although I feel I am more excited than David is. We also signed up for Blockbuster Total Access, which is like Netflix but better because you can return the movies to the store. We have gotten some good ones so far, and I am waiting for Hairspray and Shrek the 3rd at the moment. After much trouble with the eye doctor, I also got some new glasses. AND........They are Coach!! I am in love with them and want to wear them with everything whether they match or not. They are tortoise shell brown with etched Coach C s on the sides. Loves! I also got a new purse. It is fossil, which I haven't revisited in the purse department for a while, but I LOVE it. I was prompted to purchase it because my wonderful new franklin was getting all scratched up in the big red bag I was carrying that Laura gave me for my birthday. I love it, and I definitely need the room, but it had no dividing pockets or compartments, which drives me crazy no matter what I am talking about. The new one is super soft red leather, of course! There is one other big purchase David and I actually made today, but I will wait to post about it until I can get to it to take some good pics of it.


I will post one of just the glasses when I get a chance...

Happy Holidays to everyone, no matter what you are celebrating!

Like, OMG I Love to Shop

I don't talk like that, OK people!! However, I feel as though my recent blogs have been about my "stuff" rather than about actual things that are going on in my life or the world or whatever. While this makes me feel superficial, I am not naive enough to think that I am not superficial at all, because I certainly don't hide the fact that I love to buy stuff and online shop and own more shoes "than I can wear in one season" as David would say. To quote Darrell, I have a "sweet, nerfy life" and I know it and am thankful that I have the luxury of blogging about the little things in like that make me happy. So, sorry if I am offending you with my materialistic content, but I loves it, so back it off.

Anyway, I am HAPPY to report that my friend Jen, who I blogged about two blogs ago when she bought her Franklin, started a blog!!! Click here to check it out!!! I am going to add it to my sidebar very soon so you can visit her blog whenever you want. Yay for continuing the blogging revolution! Also, tonight was my knitting group's meeting night, and I would like to comment on our fun fun time. Knitting started as Laura and her friend Elizabeth getting together to knit and watch The Bachelor. And by watch The Bachelor I mean they made fun of it, and since they always TiVo it they would stop it when their laughter at the extreme corniness drowned out the show. Well, I joined in on this about 3 episodes out last season, and when it was over we just watched movies on knitting night. Well, the new season started last Monday, and it is so so much fun. The people on this show make any superficial rambling I do look like philosophy class. My picks for the winner already? Deanna and Jenni are the only two worth being with at this point but Stephy might prove herself. The best one is "Body Shot" as we call her now, who let Brad the "Texas Gentleman" take a body shot off of her then proceeded to tell him how she was a Christian who really believed in morals and faith and blah blah blah. What a stupid liar, mainly because she then ran topless down the beach while everyone, including Brad, looked at her like she was psycho-slut. People, don't go on TV to find "true love" OK!!! Because believe me, my crazy knitting friends and I will DEF make fun of you while we pause you on TiVo in the most unflattering positions.

Baby Fever! (Baby Ben Fever, that is)

I am not preggers, yall. I just had to put that out there before I admit that I love love love having Ben as a Godson. He is a beautiful baby, with an amazing amount of patience and is super duper cuddly. Honestly, he is everything someone could ask for when they start the pregnancy process. Last night was Jennie's sister Susannah's wedding party, and there were a TON of people there, but Ben just slept and cooed the entire time while every person there had their turn at holding him. I finally got him and held him the rest of the night until it was time for feeding and a change. I love him so much, and am so proud to be in his life. Here are some pics of us together!









This past Thursday was my 23rd birthday AND the premier of The Office!!! The first episode of the season was so amazing, mainly because of Jim and Pam!!! If you haven't seen it yet, go to www.nbc.com/office and watch it! It is totally free onlne now, but I think you can only watch it until the next one airs next week. I could be wrong about that, but I think that is the deal. This birthday is the first time I have actually felt like I have moved into the older bracket. 21 and 22 are still almost teenagerish, but 23 feels much more adult. I want to thank all my friends who helped me celebrate my birthday with good company and wonderful presents. I got some kick-ass gifts this year. Dave and I bought each other our nightstands for our birthdays, and my parents bought us our bed and TV armoire. Laura got me a beautiful red croc skin bag to match my planner, and I got my much-anticipated James Avery earrings from Jennie. Since my little sis is now a workin' lady, she was super generous and bought me the Coach wedges that I have been coveting to replace my nasty Target ones. They are so beautiful! I have absolutley worn out my Target ones, and noticed just recently that they kind of have a funk going since they are totally synthetic material. I also FINALLY got a pair of leather J. Crew boots. They aren't for my birthday; they are kind of for Christmas. I have wanted a pair of leather J. Crew boots for years, but I they are expensive so I wait until they go on sale, but then they never have my size. They totally did this time, and these are the boots I have wanted more than any others, so yay for the fashion universe aligning in my favor.


News flash!! When I went online to get this pic, the boots are not on sale anymore!!! Best luck ever!!!!


I have the brown ones:)







Right now I am sitting on my couch writing this blog, and watching reruns of 30 Rock, and loving just being in my house. David is at the lab attempting to finish his STUPID thesis, so things are normal. Love you all!!

I Heart FranklinCovey

I LOVE ORGANIZATION!!! That is why as an adult I have always kept a day planner, and a few weeks ago I bought the mother of all planners -- a FranklinCovey!!! The Franklin I have had for like three years now is their smallest size next to the pocket size, and was fine since I have been going to and from class for the past three years, but now that I am in an office full time it just is not enough. I also got it from Target, and while it is super cute, it is vinyl and every time I set it down on something the print lifts off onto it. As Jack said, "Your planner looks like you backed over it with your car!" It really doesn't look that bad, but I had resolved that when I got a new one it would be real leather. Everyone in the office uses Franklin's, which the office purchases because we are required to at least try to keep our shit together. I was told that if I used my small one until the end of the year (mainly because it still contains pages that work paid for and Jack thinks I should use) I would get a new one. Every since he promised me this, I have been SO looking forward to go to the store where organization is king!! I got to go there for the first time when Joy got her system back in July. SO MUCH FUN!!! Soooo.... Last Thursday Jack and I went to Dallas to have the final meeting with the people from Imaginuity about the Museum's new website, and afterwards Jack took me to the Galleria and let me choose my binder and pages! I did not think I was going to get it that soon, and I was absolutely thrilled. It is the Classic size, which means I have a whole two pages to plan each day, and believe me, I need it. I know my love affair with technology would lead you to believe that I would HAVE to have a Palm Pilot or Blackberry or something, but alas, I need the feeling of writing down my daily goals. I have to make lists and check things off to feel productive and efficient, which is why I feel blessed to be in an environment with other people who feel the same way. If you are an organization freak like myself, please do yourself a favor and visit www.fraklincovey.com.

Pics of my fun-tastic planner!




Love the business card holder!





OK, so yesterday at work something else Franklin-related happened. She doesn't have a blog to tell you about it, so I told her I would. When Jen started working at the Museum I told her she needed to get a planner, and when she asked me what I used I told her about FranklinCovey, but that she absolutely did not have to buy a Franklin, just a basic planner. So she did, and that was that. Well, then I got my new Franklin, and I could see the desire building up, as she loves organizational stuff just as much as me, if you an believe it! Well, yesterday Sammy used Jen's computer to order his pages for next year, and he walked away and left the Franklin site up on her computer. Jen and I sat back down to finish up the work day and I kept hearing oohs and ahhs coming from her direction as she looked at the site. Well, as I suspected would happen if she was ever exposed to the magic that is Franklin, she fell in love with a particularly cute binder/tote combo and decided to take the plunge! She got an amazing deal, and is SO excited! Pics of her binder and tote are below....Jealous??!?!? She will never regret it, though; it is such a professional investment.





OK, I have one more fun thing to tell about. My mom and I painted the living room and dining room of our new house a few weeks ago, and in the process of needing a little container to hold paint as I cut in, I had to throw away like 5 Glad containers. So when we decided to paint the hallway last weekend, I knew I needed something a little more permanent. I found this little gem at Lowe's for like $15, and it was a lifesaver! The BEST part is that is has the powerful magnet on the side to hold your brush when you need to put the whole thing down! How inventive!!!

Long Time Gone

OK, so WOW!!! I haven't written in FOREVER! Sorry about that, people, but it has been crazy nutso around the Webster house. I know that no one will read this if I chronicle every little thing that happened, so let me just get you up to speed on what has been going on...

First of all, on July 27th David and I moved into our new house! Very exciting, and also the start of a lot of rewarding work that needs to be done. The move in was hectic because we had to be out of our apartment four days after closing, so the whole fam came and helped. I absolutely can't believe that all of that stuff fit into the tiny apartment at one time!!! The first thing we had to do once we got all the stuff in there was to fix the laundry area in the garage. The previous owners let it get all crapped up and I was not about to move my new washer and dryer in there (thanks Jess!) with it all dirty and everything. So David removed the sheet of peeling vinyl and scraped glue for two days so we could lay the new tile squares we bought. We also repainted the room, and I think it turned out well, no? Once we got our old furniture in the new living room it became apparent IMMEDIATELY (to me anyway, Dave had some misgivings) that we needed a new couch, loveseat, and coffee table. Now that that furniture was out in the light of day I could not with good conscience let my friends sit on it. So...the Tuesday after we moved in we went to Lacks and ordered a new couch, loveseat, coffee table, sofa table, and bedroom nightstands. The nightstands match the new bed frame that my parents bought us jointly for our birthdays that was delivered the day we moved in. The new furniture is amazing, and with the addition of the beautiful rugs that Dave picked out, it really feels like home now. After we lived in the house for a while and really got our furniture situated and had my parents bring the rest of the furniture that I have always known I wanted (it has been in storage for a while), things really came together. It didn't really feel right, however, until last weekend when mom and I painted the living room and dining room. The wall color before was a light blue/grey color that was fine, but not for me. Besides, it had been all scratched up and chipped from the previous owners living in it for so long with a bunch of kids. And they only put one coat on, so you could see the white walls behind the blue. Anyway, I am more of a warm color kind of person, and I immediately went out and chose a beautiful spicy red color to paint the living room and a leather brown color to paint the dining room. EVERYONE doubted me, but I knew it was the right choice, and I think it really makes the new furniture we have and the rugs and everything pop. What do you think? The next project is the hallway, which will be a color called Moose Mousse. Slowly but surely it is all coming together.


The REMAX office!!


Yay for the title to our house!
























The next super-exciting thing that happened is that my little godson Ben got to come home from the hospital and now he is a whopping 7lbs! Maybe he isn't quite that big, but pretty close, and just as adorable as ever!!! Momma Jennie is a full time mom right now, and enjoying her quality time with Ben. He is so cuddly and cute in all his fun outfits, and hasn't really started crying that much yet, so the perfect baby!!! We love him dearly and want him to grow big and strong like dragon!!!!!

On the work front, I am still trying to adjust to life with Jessica gone, but things are going well. I am not going to lie, it is fun being in charge, but with that comes all the responsibilities that I never really thought I would have. Every day I make decisions that effect the people who work with me and for me, and it is definitely intimidating sometimes. I miss having Jess there to ask and consult, or heck, even make the decision for me sometimes! But this is good for me, and I really am working to come into my own as a leader. I now have two people working for me, and they are both extremely professional and helpful, which is all I could ask for. Some exciting things that are happening are that the Space Saver shelving units were put in and are fabulous, and the new website is on the verge of premiering. It is FREAKIN' awesome, people!!!

Also, my dad got to come home for about 4 days last month on a training trip and he got to come see the new house and everything. It was really nice having him back, even if it was for a few days. He is back safely, and we continue to count down the months when he gets to come home for good. Speaking of coming home for good, David's dad retired from the Army last week, and he is moving back to Heights after living in San Antonio for almost the entirety of mine and Dave's relationship (7 YEARS). Dear God I hope that goes well. We shall see...

Well, that is all my life news for now. This Friday I am going to Fort Worth with Jennie and Ben for Ben's last eye exam before his due date, which is September 17. I didn't know before that you still use a premie's due date as kind of the starting point for their life, but I guess it makes sense since he is still not supposed to be born yet!! We are both so excited about the trip, mainly because after the horrible eye exam we are going shopping! Yay!

Until next time people!!!