Going Back to the Mothership

Today is Monday and my family is going to Alabama on Thursday.  I am deeply regretting not getting my act together and buying a really nice camera before this trip.  My grandparents' house is gorgeous, and it makes me sick to think that their house and land might not always be where we go to when we want to remember our roots.  Thus the reality of changing times and the people who I always thought of as full of vitality and life growing older.  It is wholly unfair, but I can't do anything about it except make time to go there and soak it in before it is gone.  I really want to capture it in photographs, but my camera is just not very nice.  The camera I want is almost $2,000, so I guess I better start saving.  In the mean time I will try my best with the camera I have.  I am not bringing my computer on this trip, so I will be MIA for a while after Wednesday night. 

These are some pics from our last couple of trips...

I am thinking about joining Twitter.  Not that I need another excuse to use the internet and my phone constantly, but it looks like fun.  I have been delving deeper into the world of fer-serious blogging the past few weeks, and am super jealous of the women who got to go to BlogHer a couple of weeks ago.  Here is my first twitter:

I fit into a size 8 jean, trouser, and skirt at the GAP today.  That hasn't happened in about 5 years.  Oh, and I bought all of them.

A Beautifully Crafted, Supple, Durable Dilemma

As has been established, I am now a vegetarian.  I have been a vegetarian for one month tomorrow, and it is going smashingly.  I have more energy than normal and just feel good in general.  What I have come to realize over the past month is that giving up the meat was the easy part.  The part that is going to kick me in the ass is living without wonderful, beautiful, soft, hypocritical leather.  I L-O-V-E LEATHER.  Unlike my past food intake, I have the evidence of my former lifestyle all around me in the form of wallets, car seats (It must have taken an entire cow to cover the inside of that car.  Sorry Bessie!), planners, PURSES, watches belts and most importantly, shoes.  And it is not even the having the leather that bothers me, it is the not being able to purchase leather anymore that is sad to me.  It is the best feeling in the whole wide world to go into a beautiful store and pick out a beautiful, well-made purse that you know is going to last you forever, and drop that credit card like a ton of bricks on the counter.  Is that materialistic?  Yep.  Is it only that good if the purse is Italian-tanned, tumbled leather?  Absolutely.  

OK, so where is all this pent-up leather-loving coming from, you might ask?  It has been pointed out to me on several occasions that I am being a hypocrite if I choose to continue buying leather products and wearing leather now that I am a vegetarian and claiming that part of the reason I became a vegetarian is for the animals.  Well, people, it is partly for the animals, so I am going to have to suck it up, huh?  I can't do anything about the things I have bought in the past, and I refuse to throw away literally thousands of dollars of beautiful, hand-picked things because of a lifestyle change.  I have chosen to severely limit my leather purchases in the future, with the main exception being my shoes.  I have horrific feet problems -- of course they are enormous, fallen arches, horrible cramping, etc. -- so it is really impractical to never buy a pair of Borns again, for example.  Here is the thing.  My feeling is that I do not have to have meat in my diet to be the healthiest I can be, and in fact eliminating it might make me more healthy, but in order to justify spending money on items like high-quality purses and shoes that are investments and will last a very long time, leather is the best quality material available.  Therefore, if you see me out in public with my enormous red leather purse, it is not necessary to point out to me that it was, indeed, made out of a cow.  I know.  Thanks.  I don't need to justify all of this, it is just something that I have been asked several times, especially by people who know my affinity for shopping, so I just wanted to explain where I am at.

ANYWAY, let it be known that I have discovered Death Cab for Cutie.  They are pretty amazing.  I hate their name and I feel like a total dweeb saying it, but their music is so ethereal; deep yet simple, I wish I had not resisted them for so long.  I bought Transatlanticism first, and I recently bought Plans.  My favorites so far are We Looked Like Giants, Passenger Seat, Someday You Will be Loved, and I Will Follow You into the Dark.  Granted, I have only listened to Plans once through, but those are my initial feelings.  The thing is, I ALWAYS find my self strangely attracted to weird guys in weird bands who make weird music.  I have an emo disease of some kind.  I had to say that to preface my next new music love.  PLEASE DON'T DISOWN ME AS A FRIEND!  It's.....Metro Station!  Miley Cyrus's older brother's band!! AHH!  I simply can't help myself.  It is just my thing.  The way he looks has facilitated my like for their music.  It is just a surface love, not a deep love like Coheed or anything.  Their song on the radio is Shake Shake, which you might know.  

I can't embarrass myself any further.  Ta ta for now:)

It is a Miracle of Some Kind

Well, I am actually updating in a timely manner! Like I said, it is a miracle of some kind. I just got home and dinner is in the oven. While I am waiting for the food I am flipping between Jon and Kate + 8 and That 70s Show and wishing Dave was home and we were eating dinner. I wanted to update and give the fun news that I passed my 10 lb mark in Weight Watchers this week! As of Monday I weighed 149.2 down from 160. Yay! It was really rewarding to hit that mark. As for the vegetarian change, it is going really well too! I honestly have not missed eating meat at all, but I will admit the thought of never eating El Con's soft chicken flautas and the occasional Arby's roast beef sandwich makes me a little sad. But I think it is for the best, and I just think of all the pros when I am feeling sad about foods that used to be my go-to comforts.

Something else that I wanted to share with everyone is a change that David and made a while ago -- we gave up bottled water! It was kind of hippie-ish, but Dave played along and now a lot of our friends have joined on in! Now, I think in most places, for instance, my parents' house, they don't need bottled water because the water naturally tasted great, but here in Waco it tastes horrible! It is simply called Waco Water and everyone knows that it is rank. It affects the soft drinks, the tea, the coffee, you name it, so I always used to use bottled water or the filtered water from our fridge. About three months ago I decided that we were being super wasteful with our daily bottled water consumption, so I did some research and ordered us BPA-free water bottles by CamelBak from REI. I had never heard of REI before, but apparently it is a BFD, and they had a great selection of BPA-free bottles. I admit, they kind of look like sippy cups for grown-ups, but they work really well and don't leak or anything. Dave and I were the first to get them, then my parents wanted them, and then Jessica and Jennie from work got them too! I am just glad we are reducing the water bottle waste:)



So today my music obsession might seriously surprise some of you. I LOVE the NEW New Kids on the Block!! You have to understand, I grew up at the very end of their reign and more in the Hanson, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync craze, even though I never really swooned for any of them. My sister on the other hand was obsessed with all of them plus the Spice Girls. I was into Alanis Morrisette, Savage Garden, The Wallflowers, and people like that. The point is that the NEW New Kids on the Block are SO tacky-licious, so over-the-top ridiculous, that I just have to love it. The slang! The beach! The voguing! The synchronized dancing in matching outfits!!! It is too much to handle. I absolutely can't get enough. I think I have an illness of some kind! Help!

You MUST watch if you haven't experienced it yet!

Doin' it for the Animals, and My Colon....

TMI? Then don't read on. This post is long overdue, as I don't make it a priority to update this thing. I have, however, made it a priority in my life to change some things about myself and my life in general that I have been meaning to do for a really long time. The first major thing that I have done for myself is to lose some weight. Now, every time I tell people this they look at me like I am nutso, which I do understand because I did not look overweight necessarily, but I am a firm believer in things being relative, and relative to my health and weight when I was in school I had become the most unhealthy I have been in my life. The history of my weight is that I was pretty chubbums in middle school, and the very end of my 8th grade year and the summer before my 9th grade year I lost it all. And my all I mean I had NO body fat. I was as tall as I am now, which is 5'10", and weighed about 109 lbs. I am not 100% sure how I was mobile. It was an extremely awkward skinny, not a good skinny. Then as high school and college went on I progressively gained weight and I was at a steady 135 for a really long time. I wore between a size 8 and a size 10, which seems kind of big, but I am super tall, so I need the length associated with those sizes. I never felt big at all wearing a 10. So by the time I finished college and got married I weighed about 140. I was totally happy with that, but in the time between finishing school and now I gained about 20 lbs. This was mainly due to the fact that I went from being very active with school and work to sitting at a desk in front of the computer all the time and not changing my eating habits at all. I was not really unhappy with my weight except for the fact that the clothes I was so used to wearing were not fitting me anymore, and I did not want to have to buy all new clothes in a size 12. So that is why I chose to lose some weight. I decided to do Weight Watchers. The idea of keeping lists and weekly weigh-ins was appealing to me, but going in to meetings was definitely not, so I chose to do the online program. My starting weight was 160, and my target weight is 139. I have lost almost 10 lbs since I started, and I am really happy with results, pace, etc.

The next thing I have done that I have wanted to do for forever is become a vegetarian (hence the title of the post). I know that may sound kind of funny to say I have wanted to do that for forever, but I was not in a place in my life where I had the freedom and money to make that choice until recently. I am not a PETA member or anything yet, but I do have extreme compassion towards animals and I don't think eating meat fits in with that mentality. I have officially been a vegetarian for one week now, but before that I slowly went off of red meat to make the transition easier. This switch has fit in well with Weight Watchers, and David is not yet malnourished, so things are going well. I bought some books to help me out, and I had my second veggie burger ever yesterday for the 4th of July, and it was super tasty! I am just really excited about this change, how it will impact my health, and I am glad I am doing it now because it is really important that when I do become pregnant I have healthy habits in place and I can teach my kids healthy habits and compassion towards animals. Here is where the TMI comes in: as some of you may know, I have had digestive issues for a really long time now. I think most people do, but they are too embarrassed to say anything. Well, I am not, and the #1 benefit of the Weight Watchers and the vegetarian thing is that they are highly fiber rich. Not only has this helped me lose weight, but it is totally preventive for things like colon cancer (which my family has a history of). It is super important people! Get on the fiber trian!

The third thing I have done is just get my shit together in general. I have always wanted to be one of those people that gets up really early, gets ready for work, maybe runs some errands on the way there, still gets in by 8:00, has their morning coffee, goes to the farmer's market, etc. Before about a month ago I was one of those people that couldn't get my ass out of bed before 7:30, got to work after all my part time people were already there, couldn't be bothered to set up the coffee maker the night before so it just never got done and the last filter I used would be moldy the next time I checked, NEVER made it to the farmer's market, insisted on taking a shower in the morning because I was too lazy to do it the night before, etc. etc. Today, that person pisses me off. The main part of all that that makes me upset at the way I used to be is the whole getting to work on time thing. I am amazed I wasn't reprimanded in some way. It is definitely unacceptable to get to work at 8:55 in the morning when you expect your part timers to be there by 8:30! So I made some changes. They weren't motivated by one thing in particular, but they all add up to a better me. I started taking my shower at night most of the time, and I don't bother blow drying my hair, I just let it air dry over night then flat iron it in the morning. This leaves plenty of time for me to get up about 7, put my make up on, flat iron my hair, get dressed, take DJ out, get my lunch together, and turn the coffee make on (which I now religiously set up the night before) by 7:45-7:50 ish. Sometimes it is a little later than that, I definitely still have those days that I am dragging a little, but that is the usual routine. I get to work at an appropriate time, sometimes I go to the farmer's market (it is on my way to work for cryin' out loud), sometimes I skip the homemade coffee and go visit my friends at Starbucks, it all just depends. The point is, I am excited and feel like I have entered a new phase in my life. Dave, bless his heart, is so supportive and has graciously tried, and I think genuinely liked!, my tofu salads, vegetarian lasagna, and other dishes I am experimenting with. I still encourage him to eat meat if he wants whenever we do dinner separately or when he goes to his parents' house, but my hope is that as we do this thing together his dependency on meat, especially red meat, will lessen. I don't want him dying of a heart attack when he is like 40 or something!!! Not something I want to have to worry about. Anyway, I will hopefully keep this updated on the progress I am seeing with my weight and vegetarian lifestyle. Now that I feel like I have a grip on some other stuff, maybe this blog will become a priority too. Wish me luck!

Summer is Almost Here and I Just Can't Believe It

Well, it has been absolutely forever since I have posted! I will now tell the lie I always do and promise to update more often. Since a lot has happened I will discuss each thing in its own little paragraph...

MY DAD CAME HOME FROM IRAQ
Oh yes he did! He has been home since the middle of February and I really think we have all enjoyed just being a family as opposed to having to worry about the strict division between the kids and the parents. My dad had a while off right after he got back, and for now he is working he regular job until he switches to Inspector General in a few months. He also bought the first new vehicle for himself in probably over 20 years a few weeks after he got back. He has always wanted just a basic F-150, and he negotiated the crap out of the people at the Ford dealership in Temple until they gave him the exact one he wanted for the exact price he was willing to pay. He traded in the ENORMOUS old F-150 that he bought off the lemon lot a long time ago and has never looked back. He is super fancy in his new truck and is happy not to be in the war zone for the moment.

I BOUGHT A NEW CAR
RIP Mustang. You were incapable of comfortably seating more than two people (and that may be a stretch) and you were voted most likely to overheat on the way to work and have the check engine light come on. BUT, I loved that darn Mustang as my high school/college car. It was awesome, and was not a problem until my commute to work increased by 20 minutes. Oh, and the government decided to overcharge for gas. That definitely played a role in the demise of the Mustang. So what did I buy you might ask? Well, only the cutest little red car ever! I would never even have thought about it, but I am so glad I gave Nissan a chance. I got a Sentra! I love it so much. I have all the cute little bells and whistles and it cost less than $20,000. Yay!

I WENT TO OKLAHOMA CITY
Dave and I drove up to see a magical event called Coheed (my favorite band) opening for Linkin Park (David's favorite band). We also drove up to see Jessica and her fiance Jason in their new place in Ardmore, OK. It was really fun! I had never been anywhere in Oklahoma really except for driving through when I was eight and going up briefly for David's grandfather's estate sale. The drive up was really nice (lots of rocks and strata!) and while we waited for the hotel check-in time we went to a really nice mall to pick up a few things I needed from stores we don't have here. Namely the Apple store and Franklin Covey. Loves! The concert was later that night and the next day we went to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial before driving to Jess and Jason's. I got to see where Jess works now, and we had a really nice dinner and breakfast the next morning. I can't believe their wedding is so soon! Ahhh!

I WENT TO HOUSTON
Jen, Stephanie and I went to Houston to see the Lucy exhibit. The big draw was that we actually got to see her real bones as opposed to the replica that has previously been circulated in traveling exhibits. It was really fun, and I mainly had fun hanging out with Stephanie and Jen! It has been so long since we ALL have been together, so we were super sad Liz couldn't come. The hotel was fabulous and maybe the best part was The Cheesecake Factory for breakfast the next morning! Sorry Lucy, but millions of years of evolution ain't got nothing on eggs benedict with spinach and fresh tomatoes. Joking! But it was really yummy!

I WENT TO GALVESTON
The Texas Association of Museums was in a fancy hotel in Galveston this year. The conference itself was not spectacular; the session choices were extremely limited and I didn't really feel like I learned a lot of new stuff. However, I have never been to Galveston before for an extended period of time and it was amazing! We ate a ton of great food, were right on the beach, the hotel pool was heated, and the night events were fun. Jack and I ate at this amazing restaurant called Palms M&M and later went shopping were I found beautiful handcrafted jewelry by local artists as well as a great antique. I know I am not technically supposed to have more fun than work, but sometimes that is just how it turns out. And by the way, I worked my booty off the first day because I did a half-day seminar about blogging, podcasting, etc. with a few other very talented web people from different museums. It was received very well and I really enjoyed presenting about technology. People want to know so badly but are so afraid of the money! Not at all how it has to be...

I WENT TO DENVER
OK, so this is my most recent trek and therefore freshest in my mind. Now, unlike Galveston and last year's American Association of Museum meeting in Chicago, I greatly enjoyed the actual conference. I liked Denver the city OK, but I did not like the extremely dry air and the fact that it was snowing when we got there and on the day we left, but not the days in between. Joy and I used an entire bottle of lotion between the two of us because of the dry air, and I had altitude sickness that left me with debilitating stomach cramps for days. I will just skip to the absolute BEST part of the trip, which was when I randomly decided to go to a session entitled Technology and Museums: Are the Inmates Running the Asylum? The answer is an obvious "YES!" I go in and immediately realize it is going to be a much more laid-back session, and it was just that. There were about 200 people in the room, and on the big screen was a Jeopardy-looking board with different titles in the squares, each of which had smaller squares that were the buttons to different examples of that category on the internet. The point was that the audience could just shout out a category they would like to see an example of and the presenters would click on a funny example. There was a category called Too Much Time that was picked a couple of time throughout the session, and towards the middle someone picked it and Holly Witchey (one of the kick-ass presenters) said "These girls may have too much time on their hands, but they are two of the most talented women on the internet. Mary Beth, this is for you." And then she played TWO of mine and Jessica's video blogs for everyone! I was absolutely floored. They stood up and clapped for me after they were over and made me stand up and point myself out to everyone. I went up to them afterwards and they said they all freaked when I walked in the room before the session started. It is definitely one of the most surreal moments in my life, but also the most rewarding. Nothing else even close to that amazing happened while we were there, so I will just leave it at that. Oh, Jack thought we were eating sushi next to Stephen Spielberg, but he was grossly mistaken.

Well, wrapping up a long couple of months of traveling is really nice. Work is crazy getting ready for this big event we have coming up, but hopefully it will calm down soon. Again, I will try to update more often!!!!

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!!!