Texan Travels to Texas, Part 2

Ahhhhh, what a wonderful visit I had to Texas! And, now that the surprise is no longer a surprise, I am free to elaborate and share more about my visit.

A couple of months ago I got an email from Susan, my friend, Michele's sister, informing me of Michele's upcoming 40th birthday. Jim, Michele's hubby, was planning a surprise party and wanted to include me in the festivities. Perfect timing for a 40th birthday, Michele! This email came at a point in my life were things were pretty crappy, and the anticipation of a fun getaway went a LONG way toward keeping me on the positive side of things. Emails flew back and forth from all parts of Texas to Pennsylvania and back, and the party was planned and the details ironed out! And in the process, I was able to squeeze some work into the trip, which was also a great thing.

A week or so before I was to arrive in Dallas, I emailed Michele and let her know that "work" would be taking me to Texas and did she have any time to play the weekend I'd be there (with Jim's approval, of course). I won't bore you with all the details, but let's just say that Michele unwittingly made us sweat—we thought we were done in on the surprise, because she had "plans" the evening of the party. Did she know what we were up to? What plans had she made without putting them on the calendar or telling her family? OH NO! Jim poked around and found the source of the other plans and resolved the issue.

You've already read about the fun with Michele and her family on Thursday and Friday, but Saturday was the BIG day! Brandon had his first soccer game that morning (thanks to Hurricane Ike, the one the week before had been canceled), which made for a great excuse for the in-laws to come to Dallas from Wichita Falls.

This is the soccer superstar and his adoring cheerleader!

We had planned on me taking Michele out for lunch and shopping after the game, but Michele planned on having the family over for lunch, getting the kids down for naps, and THEN we could play. (I hate it when we have to be responsible adults!!!) One by one family members bowed out of lunch, leaving just Michele, Jim, the kids, and me....we opted to drive through Dickey's BBQ and take home some of the most yummiliscious BBQ brisket, sausage, beans, and dilled potato salad ever for a "quick" lunch. Michele had to be out of the house before 2:00 when the margarita machine was to be delivered, or the goose would be cooked. Done.

The nice thing about being the one driving is that you get to "control" where you go, how long you're gone, and when you return....sort of. It seemed to take FOREVER to get from Plano to Denton, but we finally made it....so much for my #20 for lunch Saturday, but this, too, was ok. We reminisced about our Denton days, drove past places were we'd met, hung out, and empty lots where beloved establishments are no longer. (Please pardon the diversion as I take you down some of the roads we travelled that day.) The house pictured above is now a daycare, possibly connected with the church behind it, but when Michele and I met there in the mid-80's, it was the home of Phi Kappa Sigma, a fraternity on campus without a stellar reputation, but truly some of the most down-to-earth and non-pretensious frat boys around. At a time when several fraternities lost their charters at UNT, the Phi Kaps lost their national affiliation and the house was sold, to the church behind it! The musings then, and now, were, "Oh, if those walls could talk!" Thankfully, they can't, but hopefully, the house was cleaned out well prior to the church taking possession! Since then, all the frat houses have either been sold or demolished and the fraternities and sororities have been relocated to more "posh" houses in a central location, and the Phi Kaps are back on campus after meeting the national requirements. Felix Mira (from the national office), are you still out there somewhere? What about Miles Richardson, and Tom and Bradley and all you other guys who made being a Phi Kap Little Sister a blast? Where are you all?

One of the things that got us to laughing on our drive was the fact that across the street from the old Phi Kap house, a home owner had a bunch of furniture out, seemingly for the garbage truck, but similar to days long gone when the Phi Kap furniture would end up on the front lawn for parties.

Another landmark we drove by was the Beer Barn on Bonnie Brae. This has always been one of the most unusual businesses to me! In Texas you have "wet" and "dry" areas....meaning you can buy alcohol in some places and in others you can't. Beer is available in most places, but the "hard stuff" has to be purchased in "wet" areas. (I was surprised to see how the "wet" areas have expanded and multiplied over the years.) The Beer Barn was one of two unique sources of adult beverages when I lived in Denton. You actually DRIVE THOUGH the barn to purchase your beer! (I think I may have done so one time, maybe....seriously, only once, if ever!) The other place was called the Igloo (I think) and you could buy adult sno-cone type drinks, again through a drive through. We didn't venture to that side of town, but I don't think it's still there.

We drove through the UNT campus and ooohed and aaaahed over the new buildings, wondering where this and that went, and trying to identify the different dorms. Then over to Fry Street we were saddened by the empty lot where the best pizza with corners ever was made, the Flying Tomato (aka The Tomato). Apparently some businessman from Houston bought the property with the idea to rennovate the area and the Tomato was left homeless. Hopefully by the next time I visit they'll have a new home and I can have a slice for old times sake. The Tomato was across the street from what was then the ITEC building, where most of my major classes were held. Jack and Dwight and I spent many hours at the Tomato as "The Tomato Design Group" working on our project for Mohammad's CAD class, eating pizza, and drinking one or two pitchers of beer.

After more driving around, we made our way over to JoAnn Fabrics, formerly Cloth World and my place of employment during college. I "had" to see if they had any pieces of the Afternoon Tea line that I'd found here in PA...which they didn't. (This store has really gone downhill....for those of you here in PA, it ranks between the Washington store and the Bridgeville store, but closer to the Washington one.....tears in my eyes at the neglect.) Then on to a quick run to Foster's Westernwear store, via Braum's ice cream (home of the 2nd best ice cream in the country). We sat in the Foster's parking lot trying to finish our ice cream, and I realized we had to get moving, fast! We didn't have time to eat, shop for boots, and stop for "surprises" for Heather and Brandon (my bribe to Heather to let her mommy come play with me by herself), and be back in time for the 4:00 party. So we skipped Foster's, headed to the mall for some power Webkinz shopping, and then sped down the highway back to Plano. This speeding trip included an unintended jaunt on the newly-constructed tollway portion of 121 (where there is no place to pay as you drive—they bill you based on your license plate number—who would'a thunk it? and how the heck do they deal with rental cars?) and a potential ticket for running a "yellow" light with a camera for monitoring speeding and light running—again, how do they deal with rentals? Guess time will tell!

These are Brandon & Heather's new Webkinz.
Brandon named his Chicken M&M and Heather named her cow Hide 'N Seek.
Click on the borrowed photos from the Ganz web site to find your very own chicken and cow online.

Trying to figure out how to let Jim know we were running late, without Michele knowing "why" we were late, I suggested that she call and ask him if he wanted us to pick up dinner. In the process, she let him know where we were (he could figure out our arrival time from there), but she didn't ask about dinner. She asked me where I wanted to stop to pick up food? Geeeze! I was stuck! How was I going to get her home—without the dinner I asked her to ask him about—to the dinner that he'd had delivered by On The Border (YUMMMY Mexican food!!!!)???? Heather had begged me earlier in the day to go to Chuck E. Cheese's—probably my least favorite place to go. So, I told Michele I wanted to take Heather to CEC, since I wouldn't be able to on Sunday (when I'd told her I might) because I'd promised Michele (and Jim) to grab sandwiches from NY Subway (now NY Sub-Hub) after church. I don't know when I've had to lie so much as I had to up until 4:30 p.m. that Saturday!

You can't really tell anything about the food from this photo, other than that there was LOT of it, but let me assure you, it was ALL WONDERFUL!!!! (Maybe I should'a gotten a pig Webkinz for Auntie 'Drae?)

We finally arrived back at their house, guests perfectly hidden from view, and were greeted outside by Jim, who informed me that Heather wanted me to go in and hide with her so her mommy could find her....nice distraction, Jim! Just as I closed the door, all the guests yelled, "Surprise!", only to find out that it was only me! We got back in position and in came the birthday girl—completely and totally shocked and surprised....and I think just a wee bit delighted to see the margarita machine....and her guests! Sharon was kind enough to be the first to pour a lovely adult limeade out of said machine and present it to Michele (see photo above)—WHOOO HOOOO! Kudos to Sharon!!!

As the afternoon turned into evening, Michele started questioning things I'd told her thus far...was I really there for business? what was I working on Friday in the hotel room? [her cake] And the questions kept coming...along with answers and admissions of half-truth and flat-out-lie telling....ooops! Will she ever trust me again???? When Jim first asked me to come for Michele's party, I told him I wanted to make her a cake....and he told me she likes red velvet with white icing. As time went on, I became a bit more perplexed. I didn't want to impose on Michele's mom or sister, both of whom had assured me that I could use their kitchens, but with the recent changes with airlines charging for "extra" luggage, and increased security measures at the airport, baking the cake layers and taking homemade icing, or even a completed cake, didn't seem feasible. Luckily, I discovered that the room I'd booked was actually a suite, with a "big" refrigerator, a stove, microwave, and dishwasher (I don't even have a dishwasher at my house! I was gonna be living high on the hog!). So....the plan came together in my mind—I packed one of my 1/4 sheet cake pans and my hand mixer in my checked suitcase and bought the ingredients for the cake and icing once I got to Dallas (I think the mixer was the reason TSA did a physical search of my suitcase!). I had also been perplexed about what the cake should look like, other than a 2-layer red velvet with white icing—I was told "No black" by Jim. It just so happened that I had extra gum paste flowers from a recent wedding cake, so I borrowed that look and used some of the extra flowers....with black stems....not enough black to get me in trouble! :) I'm thinking maybe the cake got me just a wee bit out of Michele's dog house for all the lies and half-truths I'd told her, maybe! Good thing to know—GanachA'rae makes long-distance deliveries!

Michele had lots of help with opening her presents! All the kids felt they had to lend their hands and expertise. Occasionally she found herself admiring several items out of several different gifts! After all the guests were gone and the leftover food was put away, Michele sorted through her loot to try and make sure that all cards and gifts were matched to their respective partners.
Bless his heart, I think Jim was the last of the folks to get a piece of cake while it was still on the table. And to make matters worse, he still had not been able to eat it after the gifts were sorted! Here sits his lonely piece of cake, that he finally finished, after being so sweet to keep Michele and I with full margarita glasses in hand for the better part of the evening!
Needless to say, I ended up sleeping in their guest bed for the few hours we slept before it was time to get up and head to church! What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, and even better to be part of such a fun surprise for one of my dearest friends! So Michele, welcome to the "Over 40" club! I hope your "real" birthday is just as fun and special as your party day was!!! Can ya believe we've known each other for more than half our lives????? It's been great, even in the crappiest of times!!!

"Lazy Lady" Needs Accountability

So it's been a while since I last posted, and my intent was to post Part 2 of my travels to Texas first, but since this is "fresh" on my mind, it gets first billing for today!

When I moved from Utah to Pennsylvania nearly three years ago, I weighed the most I've ever weighed before, but lost a little bit after the move. Then the stress of "life" put me on an "I can't eat a bite" diet for a couple of weeks, where I ended up losing about 20 pounds. Yippee for the weight loss, stink on the "how"! I finally rejoined the gym about 15 months ago, only to be advised shortly after by my chiropractor not to go for a while due to some injuries he was trying to "fix." So, being the non-athletic person that I am by nature (I prefer exercising my eyes with the TV and computer, my ears with the radio, my mouth by talking, my hands by way of cooking, sewing, or otherwise "creating", and my elbows by lifting food or drink to my lips to anything that involvs sweating), I immediately quit going! Whoo hooo!

And then, after a few months of therapy, I was "released" to go back to the gym. Did I mention that exercise is not really my thing? Well, I didn't do a very good job following Dr.'s orders, even though I maintained my membership. (In my own defense, I was up to my eyeballs in alligators of the volunteer and volunteer and work and work and work varieties, which must mean I'm not really that lazy, after all! Not to mention it gave me a good "excuse" for not going to the gym!) I did listen to his advice on eating, for a week or so, then loosened up on his restrictions and now can honestly say that I am more cautious about what I eat now than I was a year ago—still eat stuff that's "bad" for me on occasion, but no more reckless abandon where chocolate, ice cream, and donuts are concerned.....

I realize that it's the end of September, 3/4 of the way through the year. But I've finally made a couple of "resolutions" for the year—to trim the fluff and train the finances—and finally put the fluff trimming into action, which is the topic of this post. Even though my Taste-Tour of North Texas only resulted in a 2 pound gain, for which I'm very grateful, it is past time to get back on the treadmill, and eventually, return to the weights and aerobics, and maybe even find that body that I lost somewhere around the time that Ryan was born....

For months I've been looking at the class schedule at the gym, trying to engrave on my brain the times (morning and evening) for the Total Body Sculpt and Water Aerobics classes, and planning on going either before work or after, only to either a) decide I like the coziness of my bed much better than sweating, or b) discover more ways to talk myself out of sweating or swimming after work. Creativity at its finest, let me tell you!

So this weekend, after doing my best to be somewhat productive with laundry, cleaning, sewing, etc., I determined, yet again, to go to the gym....Saturday, no, maybe Sunday, ok, no, Monday (of this week), unless I change my mind, yet again. (This is the mental battle I engage in when the subject of exercise comes to mind.) I left my gym bag at home yesterday morning, intentionally, as I'd worn "nice gym clothes" to work (not really appropriate for the meeting I didn't know was taking place in the morning! OOOPS!). Regardless of the oops, I was "dressed" for the treadmill. I was thinking maybe 30-60 minutes of walking would be a great re-start of the gym routine. Mind you, I still could talk myself out of going, especially since I had several errands to run after work. Then along came my dear friend, Wendy! Wendy and I talked after a several week lapse, and we were trying to find some time to get together. She proposed last night, and I told her of my need to run errands (you know, going to the store for things you can't put off any longer) and the planned overdue trip to the gym. So, now I'd committed to the gym—I "had" to go, right?

After work I went to the bank and then stopped at JoAnn's (one of my favorite "errands" to run) for fabric for another quilt and a cheerleading outfit for Miss Heather (Did you know they don't make pink poplin? And that cheerleading patterns now only have yardage for 60" fabric and not 45"?). The fabric is purchased, now it's decision time. To gym or not to gym? It's about 6:30 p.m. by now, I've not eaten dinner, and I still need to go at least to Wal Mart, if not to Sam's, too, and it would be nice to spend 8 minutes in the tanning bed.... The mental calculator is hard at work, it will take x minutes to get there, x minutes to "work out", x minutes to get to and through Wal Mart, etc. And I remember my conversation with Wendy telling her my goal was M-W-F to the gym, and we made plans for tonight, and I was going to Wal Mart anyway (just across the street and down a bit)....and I charted my course for the gym. All the reasons why I shouldn't go kept coming to mind, but I reminded myself of all the "fluff" that needs to be trimmed, and that shopping and sewing don't really do much for that.

Do you ever wonder if there are forces beyond your control keeping you from doing something? One of my hangups about going to the gym had to do with "what to do with my keys?" while I was "exercising." I'd decided that my jacket, keys, and watch could hang out in a locker in the locker room while my feet reconnected with the belt on the treadmill—not having a gym bag to deal with, the use of a locker was difficult to grasp, but I finally did, only to encounter numerous difficulties once entering the locker room. I went to the locker I "always use" and placed my valuables inside, closed the door, and proceeded to "lock" the lock—not. For the life of me, I couldn't get it to work. Nor did the two next to it, or a couple on the other wall. After who knows how many previously un-calculated minutes and half a dozen or so lockers, I finally found one that would lock and stay locked when one pulled on the handle. (I think I should get several brownie points for perseverance in this time of trial!) Valuables safely locked away, now to battle the iPod. Another few minutes ticked away before I conquered the little-used technological gadget and headed out to the treadmill.

Gee, in the several months since I was last treading the mill, many have left and been replaced by newer models—models that have built-in fans for user comfort and totally different controls and options. Still being a creature of habit, I went to the one in the location I "always use" and hopped on, eyes glazed over as I tried to figure out how the heck you were supposed to make this silly thing work. I pushed a number of buttons and the belt started moving, but I wasn't set up with any sort of "program" or variation like many treadmills offer, so I turned it off and tried again to set a program, rather than walking in manual mode. No dice....couldn't figure it out, and I'd fooled around there long enough—I don't like to be seen doing stupid things—back to manual mode I went, and the "exercising" began. One mile and sixteen minutes later (plus some cool down time/steps), my "workout" was nearly complete. I wiped down the treadmill, retrieved my valuables from the locker room, and headed to Wal Mart for the shopping excursion. Thankfully I kept the Wal Mart loop in mind while I was on the treadmill, as my list took me around the whole store! (Does that mean I put an extra mile on the podometer?)

Alas, the long lines have diminished and I found my favorite cashier working lane 13. It is now 8:30 ish and I still have not eaten dinner, but I DID go to the gym! :) I exercised some self-control and didn't even browse the junk food that they have next to the register to give you something to latch onto while you wait to check out. Groceries are in the car, I "avoid" the HOT LIGHT beckoning to me from Krispy Kreme (Did ya know that this is God's way of saying, "Thou shalt have Krispy Kremes"? It is, really!), and thought to grab a fish sandwich from McD's...only to find it blocked off for parking lot resurfacing...so dinner was a piece of fish, 3 shrimp, and 2 hush puppies from Long John Silver's....so much for the time on the treadmill....

Wendy, thanks for holding me accountable, even though you didn't know you were at the time! So tomorrow and Friday I'm aiming for another mile or more each evening, and hopefully, by next week, we can get to 45-60 minutes on the treadmill at a time! And, perhaps sometime in my lifetime, the secret runner hiding deep down in of me will show her face????

And for those of you who have dogs, did you know they make doggie treadmills?????

Texan Travels to Texas, part 1

I arrived in Texas Thursday, and as I drove from DFW to the hotel in Plano, my heart raced, my taste buds tingled, and my feet ached to walk the aisles of local stores not found in PA. Some of the sights that drew my attention were Cavender's Boot City, Hobby Lobby, TJ MAXX (yes, they are in PA, but I was looking for another pillow sham to match the one I got at Robinson), Taco Bueno, Taco Cabana, Jason's Deli, Braum's, Blackeyed Pea, Razzoo's, and many others. My how the area has grown since I lived in North Texas nearly 20 years ago! Did I mention the Blue Bell Ice Cream truck I passed? It took all my resolve not to stop it and demand a taste!

The first item on the agenda (after the stop at TJ MAXX) was lunch at la Madeleine's for some incredible tomato basil soup, accompanied by a half Croque Monsieur and a salad. YUMMMMMMM! (I'm ready to have one built at South Hills Village or the Galleria...anywhere close to "home"!) After checking in at the hotel, I made my way to Allen to visit Michele and her family in their "new" home (they've been there about 2 years, but my first visit since they moved). They are in Waterford Parks, a beautiful new family-friendly community, close to all sorts of shopping (and eating!), yet "away" from all the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Brandon (3 years old) took me on a tour of the house, with the help of Dakota (a.k.a. "Big D"—Michele's white Shepherd/Husky mix) and Michele. He (Brandon) was wired to have company, and ran circles around the house to demonstrate his excitement. And then it was time for Heather (5 years old) to return from school. We walked down to the corner to meet her bus, and got to meet some of the neighbors, too. It took Heather a while to adjust to my presence, but I think she finally warmed up to me a bit. After another tour of the house, Heather introduced me to her Webkinz and showed me how the whole Webkinz online world worked. Apparently Heather inherited Auntie 'Drae's love for shopping, as Mom and Dad have had to reign in her "spending" to outfit her pets, paint and repaint their rooms, and whatever other options are available for spending the Webkinz money. What a hoot! Just goes to show that you're never to old to learn something new!

For dinner, we went to Jason's Deli where I indulged in a Club Sandwich with a trip to the salad bar, and a nice big refreshing glass of iced tea. Heather quickly finished her hot dog and was ready for a trip to the ice cream machine...we tested her patience by having her wait until Brandon finished his mac & cheese...and off we went! Ice cream for all! Brandon wore his well, and Heather had to switch from her cone to her mom's cup once she got to where her missing front teeth kept her from being able to eat the cone.

Once we returned to their house, it was time for a game of Hide 'N Seek! Auntie 'Drae has not played H&S since she was 10 or 12 with the neighbor's granddaughter at Mammaw's house in Tolar. It's amazing how, as we get older, we lose our ability to "fit" in the best hiding spots! The pantry was a bit of a tight squeeze...but Brandon and I were able to stay still until Heather and Michele found us. Then it was the kids looking for the adults...Michele and I made our way to their media room and squeezed in between the wall and the end seats. I haven't had so much fun in a long time! But the bewitching hour was upon us, so I made my way back to the hotel and left the kids to their baths and bedtime.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at a SUPER Target (are there any of these in PA?) and loaded up on a few items that I "needed" for my stay. Of course, I could not pass by the frozen food section without adding a half-gallon of Blue Bell Ice Cream to my cart. I was hoping to find the elusive Peanut Butter Cup flavor (very seasonal), but "settled" for the Chocolate Extreme—chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups, fudge ripple, pecans, almonds, and walnuts. They had a new flavor—Snickerdoodle, a cinnamon ice cream with snickerdoodle cookies in it—but the chocolate and peanut butter lover in me won out. With wonderful ice cream choices like these, it's no wonder the cows think Brenham is Heaven! Hands down, the BEST ice cream in the country!!!

Another item that found it's way in my cart was Texas' own ZiegenBock beer...and beautiful amber brewed right here in the heart of Texas! Every time I come to Texas, I try to bring some back with me. It's been more than a year since my last trip to Texas, and thanks to my "frugal" indulgances, I believe there is one left in the fridge in Eighty Four from the last trip!

Friday came with several work details to tend to, and some other projects to work on (which will be discussed in a later post). After a day of work and relaxation, I went for a drive around the North Dallas area and found myself at the Black-eyed Pea for dinner. They have the BEST rolls and cornbread I've ever had, not to mention the yummy fried okra! The menu still had my home-style favorites on it, but alas, a new addition—FRIED PICKLES! The only place I've ever had them was at Razzoo's in Sugar Land, and let me just tell you, I was very tempted, but decided that there was NO WAY I could eat an appetizer AND my dinner, too! Another new item on their menu—so new it is not even shown online—is their FRIED GUACAMOLE! They described it as an avocado filled with sour cream and pico de gallo, then battered and deep fried. Ok, I'm NOT a fan of avocados or guacamole, but this sounded interesting, if avocado's are on your list of favorites.

So this morning, in addition to wasting time on the computer, I'm getting ready to go watch Brandon play his first soccer game. I understand he loves to run, and he's looking forward to Auntie 'Drae cheering him on. I don't think he realizes yet what a big mouth the Lord gave his Auntie 'Drae, but hopefully it won't embarass him too terribly much! Then, off to lunch with Michele! I'm hoping we'll make it up to Denton for a trip to New York Subway. Their #20 is just heavenly! I'm tellin' ya folks, this is NOT the Subway sandwich the Jared eats....this is a sandwich all it's own! The location adjacent to UNT has a very "New York Subway" interior, with maps and sports jerseys and other memorabelia all over the walls. Their cokes are blessed with the best crushed ice possible, and Coca-Cola (the REAL thing) is proudly served! Although it's been years since I lived in Denton, and was introduced to NY Subs, I still remember the wonderful sandwiches they serve, and every time I'm anywhere near Denton, I have to stop! For a long time, I was a big fan of the #3 and #4, pretty simple sandwiches, but my all-time favorite is the #20...the ALL STOPS ON THE SUBWAY! This heavenly concoction is a sampling of all the meats offered, with cheese and veggies of your choosing...I have them top it with oil & vinegar and little mayo and oregeno....and my mouth thinks it's died and gone to heaven! K, so I couldn't find a web site to link to for New York Subway, so I'll check it out while I'm there and add it if they have one.

More updates from Texas as the trip continues....stay tuned for lots of fun and surprises (and pictures, too!)!

Precious Memories

I was recently digging in a box that moved here from Utah nearly three years ago—a box that is still waiting to have a "permanent" home so that it might be unpacked and put away. In the process of finding what I was looking for, I found a packet of photos of my sweet little guy, Ryan, when he was 2, 7, 10 and 11.

In this first photo, Ryan is 10 years old and holding the first four of the six kittens we had that spring—Astro, Mittens, Tigger, and Rocky. A friend of ours had a bunch of wild cats outside her house, and that spring, she also had a bunch of kittens. We already had two dogs—what did we need with kittens? But we fell in love with a beautiful orange kitty, and Rocky (the black and white one), and agreed to open our home to them. The only problem was that there were a LOT of orange kittens, and when it came time to take "our" orange kitten, we couldn't find him. So we took another (Tigger, I believe), thinking it was him. I later told our friend we had the wrong one, and she had a "no return" policy—so we went in search for the "one". And came home, again, with the wrong one (this time Mittens, I think). The third time was the charm, as we finally found that sweet faced Astro and brought him home to our family.

In the meantime, Ryan's best friend's grandmother also had some kittens....and, again, we could not resist. We brought home Sugar (an adorable white spotted female) and Precious (a beautiful silky slate colored female). Unfortunately, when you have kittens born to "wild" cats, they often have birth defects or diseases. That spring, we quickly lost Tigger and Precious to disease, and then Rocky started deteriorating. We ended up having to put Rocky down—a horrible loss for Ryan and I both, as it was Ry's first "loss", and Rocky had been my crochet buddy, snuggling up in whatever afghan I was working on and then readjusting his position as I completed a row.

In this picture of Ryan and the kittens, you can also see a bit of my first quilt (on the right side of the sofa).

My friend, Michele (Auntie 'Chele to Ryan) always came down from Dallas for Ryan's birthdays while we lived in Houston. When Ryan turned two, we had just moved into a small apartment. He is seen here on his birthday party weekend mounting the wild horse in the sandbox.

In this photos, Ryan is demonstrating his new love for "creating" things. I'm not sure what he's creating here, but he's proven over the years to have a knack for craftsmanship.

I'm not really sure what Ryan was supposed to be doing here...perhaps it was time to be brushing his teeth?...but Auntie 'Chele caught this precious moment in the mirror...along with the next two...Ryan showing his stretching ability, and perhaps saying "Who, me?" to being caught trying to escape through the sliding glass door...



While working in Utah, I had the pleasure of coordinating the logistics for the conferences our office held each year. For our summer conferences, we would take the participants up to a 10,000'+ elevation to the High Uintah Mountains, with stops at Provo Falls and the final destination of Mirror Lake. The first summer I worked in this office my dad came up to help with Ryan during that week. The following two photos are of Ryan and his Poppy at the falls, and Ryan enjoying God's handiwork at Mirror Lake.



We moved from Texas to Utah when Ryan was 7, in the middle of his first grade year. That fall, my parents came out for a visit, and we had the opportunity to drive out to Lake Tahoe and spend a few days with them. This photo is Ryan with his Poppy while we were out on a boat tour of the lake.



When Ryan was 11, we spent the day at the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas. This is Ryan at the base of the Monument. Somewhere I have a photo of him "doing battle with the enemy" in one of the gun stations aboard the Battleship Texas....

Another Project Nearing Completion...

...sort of!

Last night I finished piecing the Double Wedding Ring tablerunner I started this weekend. This was the first time I'd made this pattern, and I must confess, I was a bit nervous as I started "trimming" the blocks as directed...and fearful that they would not come together smoothly and evenly. But the fear was for naught...as it worked well and I'm very pleased with it! I believe that I will machine quilt this one, as time does not allow for me to try my hand at hand quilting, but I hope to hand quilt the other one...someday!

The photos above show the finished tablerunner "top" (on a background of similar color, so you can't really see where the tablerunner ends and the quilt it's on begins), as well as a close up shot that better shows the fabrics used.

This has been a fun project to work on! I love the look of it so much that I'm considering making this pattern in the form of a king-size quilt with intricate hand-work (and possibly beading?) on the rings.

My Beautiful Aunt

Aunt Linda is my mother's only sibling—and she's always rated the title of "My Favorite Aunt" in my book!

Aunt Linda is the oldest of my Pappa and Nannie's two children. From the stories I've heard of her youth, and from personally knowing her these 41 years, I'd venture to guess she was quite the spitfire growing up! She and my mother were raised on a tobacco farm in rural North Carolina. Aunt Linda raised her five children, and often included me in the count, claiming to have six kids, and calling me "Pete"! Being an only child, my cousins were the closest things I had to my own siblings as a child. I remember her always being my champion, always standing up for me whenever the need arose. She always lived in the north east, while I grew up in Texas. That meant that she always had snow in the winter, while I often ran around outside barefoot and in shorts at Christmas—Aunt Linda would send me "snow" wrapped in a paper towel inside of foil and plastic wrap in order that I might not feel so left out. Of course, by the time I received it, the only thing inside the plastic wrap and foil was a soggy paper towel. Certainly, her thoughtfulness went a LONG way!

I have fond memories of the knowledge that Aunt Linda's favorite color is yellow—the only color she can "see" as she's color-blind, of her love for flowers, and racing down I-77 and eluding Trooper Vance (or not). Aunt Linda was a very hard worker and truly loves her family, although often her family made life for her more than challenging. During one of these times, my family had the honor of having her live with us for several months. She helped my mom with her plant business, spending many hours out in the greenhouse. Dad renamed the pecan tree in the back yard "Aunt Linda's Pee-can" tree in honor of her many "pit stops" made there, as she'd waited too long to make it into the house! After she returned to NC, my dad would send her the "pee-cans" that had fallen from her tree for Christmas each year. I believe that the love shared between my dad and my aunt was as much like that of brother and sister as possible. You see, Dad was also the youngest of two siblings to Mammaw and Pop, both children boys. So as he never had a sister, neither did my aunt have a brother, and through my parents union, they each had new siblings!

About four years ago Aunt Linda suffered a brain aneurism. Fortnuately, she survived this traumatic event, but has remained in a nursing home since leaving the hospital. Prior to her illness, I had started a quilt-block-of-the-month quilt that is primarily yellow, with some purple and navy and other blues in it. (Interestingly, purple and navy are two colors that Aunt Linda "sees" as the same, and one year she gave a gift that included a top of one and bottoms of the other.) About three years ago I finally got the top of the quilt set, but kept going back and forth over whether or not I would add additional borders. The uncertainty of Aunt Linda's condition made it difficult to wrap my mind around working on it. So this year I determined to finish her quilt and give it to her on my trip to see her in July. I didn't get very far on the quilt by the time I left for NC, so I took it and my portable machine with me and spent many hours in the hotel room machine quilting it. The straight stiches look ok, if you can get past the fact that I did a horrible job sandwiching the top, batting, and back together, but the free-motion quilting looks absolutely terrible! Not only are my lines jagged, but the tension on the just-serviced machine were so loose, I'll be surprised if it doesn't fall apart the first time the nursing home washes it! However, I "needed" to give it to her this trip, so I did.

In the photo above we placed the quilt over Aunt Linda's lap and asked her to smile—to which she told me (several times!), "NO!" So, alas, no smile in this photo, but I'm just happy she's still got her spunk! That is a good thing! She will always be my favorite aunt!