Birthday Celebration Weekend

After an exhausting weekend, I was ready to get to work so I could rest!

How crazy is that!?!?

It was my "Birthday Celebration Weekend" so it was jam-packed full of fun!
Friday night I chilled out in the LaZBoy and wrote a bunch of Thank You notes. I took this night to take it easy before the craziness started early the next morning.
The insanity began at about 5:30am Saturday morning when I crawled out of bed. Not only did I have to do the normal morning routine, but I had to spend a little extra time and effort since I was prepping for a "photo shoot." Yes, it was the day Bobby & I picked to do our "maternity photos"....I don't really know what else to call them, but they weren't really "maternity" pictures. They were really pictures of us and the belly. We had a friend take the pictures, and we used a couple of our friends houses and a nearby park. Since the pictures were all going to be outdoors...in August....in Austin, we opted for an 8am start time to avoid the worst of the heat. After 3 "costume changes" and 3 location changes, we wrapped up about 10:30am.....just as it was getting a little too hot.
We got some really great pictures, and the sunlight was just right!
(Thanks to G & T for all their help on this!)

After the photo session Bobby and I headed downtown to hit up the big sale at REI. We bought our BOB jogging stroller and a couple of extra attachments. Since we waited specifically for this Labor Day Sale, we saved about 100 bucks! We then enjoyed at nice lunch in the shade on South Congress. If you have not yet had a Mighty Cone, do yourself a favor and do it! Yummy!

We had a Dog Training appointment at 2:30, so we loaded up Bobby's truck about 2:15. Didn't get out of the driveway before we realized we had a flat tire...a really flat tire. So we loaded up Holly in the Mama car and headed for the appointment.
When we got back home I had to get ready for that night's girls slumber party...which included packing a little bag, and taking a big nap. Bobby went outside to change his tire, but couldn't find the jack. Instead he found a tool box full of oil from a busted bottle. So he completely cleaned out the tool box and back end of the pickup while he waited for AAA.

After a nice long nap, I made a stop at the grocery store to stock up on junk food for the slumber party, then headed that way. We talked and laughed from the moment we got there until 2am!! It was a great night of girl bonding, and exactly what I needed!

Sunday morning we got up had a light breakfast and headed our separate ways. G & I went to my house to get ready for an afternoon of more food and Wicked fun.
Brunch was at 11 with my family and G & J. Thankfully I had allotted 2 hours for Brunch at Chez Zee...and it pretty much took up the entire 2 hours due to slow service. Good thing the food was outstanding!!!
We then headed to UT Bass Concert Hall to see WICKED! It was so AWESOME, and I was so glad we had paid a little more for the good seats at this show. I highly recommend seeing this anytime you get a chance! I am sure it is amazing to see on Broadway in NYC!

After dinner and a few loads of laundry, Bobby & I went to bed early.....exhausted.

Now I just have to rest up this week before another busy weekend with my Dad in town for the Holiday weekend.
~~~

What Is Your Love Language?

In honor of Valentines Day, take this quiz to see how you like to be loved.
Get your significant other to take the quiz too!

http://www.greaterquest.com/LoveLanguages.asp


My Scores:

Score	Love Language
4	Words of Affirmation
10	Quality Time
6	Receiving of Gifts
4	Acts of Service
6	Physical Touch

Uber-Awesome Wife

Finally...... I won the UBER-AWESOME WIFE Award....at least my husband says so.

I always fret about what to do or get my hubby for birthdays and holidays because he is so hard to buy for. Seriously. If there is something that he wants, he just goes and gets it. He doesn't really have many hobbies; for the few hobbies that he does have, he already has all the gear he needs or wants.
So this year I went out on a limb and created a day for him to do something that he had mentioned on occasion that he thought would be fun, but never took the time to do anything about it.

Before we headed out for Bobby's birthday dinner on Friday night, I gave him his gift. He unwrapped the box with intense curiousity. Inside the box was a jersey, goggles, and a pair of gloves.... He looked strangly at the items and said, "this is stuff for a dirt bike right?"
I just smiled.
With a confused expression he asked, "Did you get me a motorcycle?"
I replied, "Now that would be a silly thing for me to do, wouldn't it?"
He quickly agreed.
So as I explained to him that I had rented him a dirt bike at a trail park near Marble Falls, his eyes lit up and he was smiling from ear to ear.
He exclaimed, "So that's what I'm doing all day tomorrow!!!"
I went on to tell him the best part was that a few of his friends would be going with him. Two guys who already have dirt bikes, and two more who had rented as well. He was just like a little boy on Christmas morning who had just got exactly what he wanted. He then opened up the big box that I had hidden. He pulled out the full set of dirt bike gear and could not make himself stop smiling.
That smile lasted through dinner and for the rest of the evening......

For his birthday dinner Bobby chose a French place in downtown Austin that has been around for many years, but neither of us had ever tried. Chez Nous is very cute and cozy (read small) so if you want to try it for dinner, get there by 7:00. We did and got right in, but it is known to have a wait most nights. Oddly enough, it is very popular with the grey-headed crowd. First of all, I can't believe that many older people put up with the ridiculous, non-existent parking in that area. Second, this restaurant is located next door to a sex shop, and across the street from the infamous Coyote Ugly. Just one of those factors alone would be enough to deter any grandparents I know from frequenting that restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, no matter how magnificent the food.
The food does deserve to be mentioned. For apps we had a salad and some salmon pate, both tasty. I had the delicious salmon special....I gobbled down the large serving with no problem. Bobby had a tenderloin steak, and even though he said it was a bit overcooked for his taste, he cleaned his plate. For dessert we shared a chocolate mouse....YUM!

After dinner, we stopped at the Thirsty Nickel for a drink and reminisced about his big milestone birthday party just one year before.... (good times!)
Then we headed home. Honestly, I think Bobby was just excited to get home and try on all his dirt bike gear. :-)

Saturday morning Bobby bounced out of bed and jumped in the shower. I was nearby brushing my teeth and I heard him giggle. I looked at him and asked, "Did you just giggle?"
He smiled and said, "I'm going dirt bike riding today."
I replied, "So that was a giggle."
He just kept smiling.

One of his friends came to pick him up and drive him out to meet the group. They had venison breakfast tacos and headed out for their day of adventure. About 8 hours later they made it back to our friends house where all the wives had been happily hanging out for the day.
We heard all their stories about the cold, the wrecks, the races...they laughed at each other all night. Bobby's smile had apparently been contagious because they all had grins from ear to ear all evening.
We had a feast of wild game, all kinds of dips, and birthday cake. We got competitive playing couple games and ended the night with missing drunk husband (thankfully not mine). The husband was eventually found and we all headed home to crash after a long day.

Sunday morning Bobby got up at 5:00am and headed out to go hog hunting with another group of friends. For which he caught no crap from me, because I met some friends for brunch to celebrate one of our girls completing her first 1/2 marathon. Then we spent some girl time at the mall, and somehow I managed to leave with just one item: the Twilight soundtrack :-)

When Bobby got home from his Sunday adventure he told me that I win the Uber-Awesome Wife award. I am so happy I was able to both surprise him and make him so utterly happy.

Well Crap.....now how the heck am I ever going to top that?!?!?!
~~~

Guilty Pleasures

Wikipedia defines a Guilty Pleasure as...
A guilty pleasure is known as something one considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Fashion, music and food can be examples of guilty pleasures.

A few of my Guilty Pleasures are......

• Days of our Lives
• Dixie Chicks
• White Powdered Doughnuts dunked in Chocolate Milk
• ANYTHING Chocolate....no seriously, ANYTHING

Tell me yours!!!
Really! Create your lazy self a free account on blogger, and add your guilty pleasure in the comment section!
Seriously....less than 5 minutes people.
~~~

Holiday Update

I FINALLY got my Christmas stuff down and cleaned up yesterday. I am glad Christmas is officially over at my house. I am already starting to look forward to springtime!!! Winter Solstice has come and gone, so slowly but surely the days are starting to get longer. Whew! Once again I made it through the hardest part of the year for me. The holidays and a few trips always serve as a good distraction.

After the Costa Rica trip I had about a week at home before our trip to Georgia. During that week I hosted my girls group Christmas party (the only reason I even decorated this year at all). We had so much fun laughing and having good girl-bonding time. I hated that the evening seemed to go by so quickly. A few of us stayed up late after the party was over...guess we weren't quite done with the girlie night....we watched the Sex And The City movie. Due to a slight hangover, work the next day was long and torturous. I warned the girls that future parties MUST be on weekend nights! I am getting too old for this.....

Bobby and I spent Christmas at his sister's house in Georgia. We flew in Christmas Eve, rented a car, and drove 2.5 hours to just outside of Evans/Augusta. His sister her best friend had recently finished painting and decorating their beautiful home. We had the perfect Christmas holiday with lots of eating, drinking, games, eating, Wii tennis/golf/bowling, movies, drinking more.....and did I mention eating? Bobby loves to remind me that his sister and I bonded over 4 bottles of Champagne we drank on Christmas Day alone....he thinks there were 7-8 empty Champagne bottles by the end of visit....but who's counting?!?!? (that isn't including the wine and misc other mixed drinks.)
I loved spending quality time with Bobby's family, but especially his sister. She, her husband, and their two girls only recently moved back to the U.S. after living overseas for about 3 years. Before this visit she and I had only hung out one other time....which was the week of our wedding. It was great to just sit and talk and find out more about each other. Of course when I've been drinking I get all kinds of chatty...so she probably learned more about me than she really cared to know.... :-)
Bobby has twin nieces....and I absolutely love them! The were little princess flower girls in our wedding and they called me the big princess. That is when they stole my heart. I was slightly concerned that I wouldn't get that same kind of admiration without the big white dress, but that wasn't the case. They warmed up to me again quickly and were soon calling me Aunt and wanting my attention as much as I wanted theirs. :-)

We stayed indoors all but one day of the visit, which we took a day trip to Stone Mountain. I can best describe it as a theme park, without the rides. Well there were two rides, one was a cable car that takes you to the top of the mountain.
The main thing about this place is the Confederate Memorial Carving int he side of the stone mountain. For all you locals...the actual Stone Mountain was like Enchanted Rock times ten thousand.
In the same concept as Mount Rushmore, there is a carving of three figures of the Confederacy on horseback.

I won't bore you with the details...however, I do want to mention the 2nd "ride"... a train that goes around the mountain. OMG! The headache we all acquired by the end of that ride was indescribable and unforgettable. The brakes on that train needed several gallons of WD-40!!! Ridiculous that people were actually standing in line to get a massive headache. The important thing was that the girls had a blast and we all got to spend the day together....and got out of the house.

Sunday we got up extra early and headed for the Atlanta airport. We were at the airport over 2 hours early and it's a really good thing that we were. We walked in the door to see the Delta check in-line was super long and full of pissed off people. So remembering that we had booked 1st-class for this flight, we found the first class check-in line. This line was not nearly as long, but it hardly moved. Evidently many others had not allowed that 2 hour cushion and missed their flights home. So now they stood at the check-in counters trying to change their flights. Unfortunately, we were unable to check-in online or use the kiosks for our check-in. Bobby had purchased the tickets using credit card rewards through Continental for this Delta flight, so long check-in line for us....at one of the busiest airports in the U.S. on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The airport was no problem at all once we finally made it through the check-in line. After about an hour flight delay we finally made it home....so happy to see our four furry kids.

We ended 2008 at a dinner with some friends, and we started 2009 at family lunch at my Mom's house. Friends and Family....the most important things in life.



~~~

Where did the Weekend go???

I had a really awesome weekend! It was over way too fast!

Friday night Bobby & I had our usual debate about dinner. We eat out often (too often - we know) and we get tired of the places around the corner from our house. If he lets me pick, 90% of the time it will be Mexican food. So Friday night we were headed to Chuy's until I mentioned Hooters shrimp....Bobby jumped on that idea since it was something besides Mexican.
Driving north on Mopac I realized just how glad I was that we had ventured outside of our little area. THE MOON WAS MAGNIFICENT! It was dark orange, low, and huge...just over the skyline of Austin. It was one of those moments you know will not happen very often. I only took my eyes off of it long enough to text a few people to tell them to check it out. It was absolutely beautiful.
Hooters was not great. I used to always love to go & get the buffalo shrimp. This time, not nearly as good as I remember. I only make it there once every few years....it will probably take a few more years until I'll try it again.

Saturday afternoon I met up with some friends at the Hill Country Galleria for lunch, girl time, and some serious shopping. We all found a few good deals and spent too much money on Christmas decor. :-) Some of the husbands met up at a bar in Austin for some live music.
While the rest of us were out shopping and listening to live music, Bobby was home slaving away in the kitchen. Don't feel too bad for him....he really enjoyed his afternoon cooking for friends. He cooked a "practice turkey" along with some sides in prep for next week when he will be cooking the turkey for my family's Thanksgiving meal. The food was all (of course) delicious.

After dinner we all rocked out to Guitar Hero World Tour. Most in the group were newbies, so it took us several tries to make it through a song and not get booed off stage. But once we all found our niche, we jammed through lots of songs we knew and even some we had never heard before.
Surprisingly Madison was the Rock Star of the night on the drums. She rocked those drums for over 5 hours straight! Very Impressive!
We were all wiped by 1 am...Madison and N even stayed over. I am pretty sure Madison's hubby did not believe her when she told him she was staying over due to too much GHWT.

Saturday morning we got up early and kicked the girls out about 6:30am. Bobby & I headed to San Antonio to watch my sister run a half-marathon. Not exactly something we were all fired up to do after a late night of drinkin' & rockin'.
We cheered for my sister at the 8 mile mark and again at the finish line. Then we waited for her to get through all the post-race stuff. We all had lunch on the riverwalk then split our separate ways. Sister headed home to re-coop. Bobby & I headed to the mexican market and browsed around for while before heading back home.
On the way home I thanked Bobby for pushing us to make it to the marathon. It was really cool to see my sister complete a goal she has been working toward for a while. It really made me wish I had not given up running & training with her.
This made me think back to when she and I first started running. It was about 2 years ago when I found a beginner runner training group to train for 5Ks and 10Ks. I forwarded the information to her and asked her to go with me to the information session. She was pretty hesitant, but I finally did talk her into just going and listening to the spill. While there they handed out separate sign up sheets for the 5K & 10K training groups. I told her I wanted us to sign up for the 10K...she was like NO WAY! I finally convinced her to just sign up for the 10K, with a promise that we didn't have to actually run the 10K, we could always just do the 5Ks. We training together for about 7 months and then ran the Cap10. I remember what a huge accomplishment we both felt afterwards. I am sure she felt that x 10 yesterday.

I am so proud of you sis!

~~~

Halloween Party Weekend!

--- TGIF! ---
I am so glad it's finally FRIDAY! I am especially excited because this is the weekend of our big Halloween party! This is the 3rd annual and it has really become our group's big event of the year. It's one of the few events that everyone shows up for because no one wants to miss it. Something good always happens, and someone....or several someones get completely obliterated. Last year I happened to be one of those someones...so that made for a short night for those who rode out there with me. Not This Year! I have a plan this time so I will be the one laughing at the drunk people....not one of them! ;-) oh well, it happens to all of us!
This year a few of the girls and I are dressing in Moulin Rouge costumes. A couple of weeks ago we had a little costume party of our own...we all tried on our costumes and helped each other with final touches. We all had so much fun that night...kinda felt like I was in high school again! We intrigued our men by telling them that it was the kinda party guys fantasize about: lots of wine & bubbly, sexy costumes, naked chicks, hot tub...more bubbly. We didn't even have to mention the pillow fight! ;-) Just kidding, we are saving that one for next time! And now that I've seen the other girls costumes, there is no doubt that we are all gonna be some hot-ass chicks! Or maybe we'll be the cold-ass ones since there really isn't much to our outfits. ;-)

I have been studying the Lady Marmalade video with Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim, & Mya.....for make-up tips and tricks. Doing makeup on others is one of my little-known passions. I love to play with shadow colors on eyes. Of course I don't do it daily, or even weekly....just usually for special occasions, but I do love it! In fact, my most favorite job in my life was working for Lancome as a "Beauty Advisor." I also did a stint for a while as a "Featured Make-Up Artist" at other Lancome counters in Texas. Those were my good 'ol days.

Since some of us girls decided to do our own theme, that left the guys to their own devices....I am interested to see what they come up with!

CHEERS to the Party of the Year!


Enjoy the Lady Marmalade video for yourself. It's a classic! :-)



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M&H and Chihuahuas

WOW!!! Everyone should have great friends who give you a gift certificate for your birthday for a facial at Milk & Honey!!!! It was such a wonderful experience... I'm already trying to figure out how and when I can go back for more.
I definitely recommend it....ask for Britney!

This is what I got:
m + h Facial This is our most popular facial. And it's no wonder: you'll leave milk + honey with glowing, healthy skin that will be the envy of all of your friends. Our multi step process is carefully customized to your skin type and skin care needs. Includes cleansing, masques, extractions, toning, and intense moisture.
----------------------------------------------------------------

I also went to see the Chihuahua movie this weekend. I met some friends there...1 was Madison who has a Chihuahua of her own......and 2 friends who brought their kids. I am pretty sure M & I enjoyed the movie more than anyone else in the theater....including our friend's kids. In fact, at the end of the movie one of the kid's only comment was "That was silly."
So there you have it.....you have to be a chihuahua owner to appreciate this movie full of dead-on chihuahua personalities. My friends without chihuahuas were only slightly amused....at least they didn't hate it!
I went home and told Bobby that we are sooooo buying that movie. He can hardly wait. ;-)
~~~

How did I get so LUCKY?!?!?!?!?

…..to have the best group of friends anyone could ever hope for!?!?!?

I do not even know how to express my gratitude for the amazing time I shared with my friends on Saturday night. It was hands-down the BEST birthday party I have ever had!
The great thing was that is was simple, yet an amazingly fun night.
Sushi, Karaoke, and my Best Friends = a Perfect Mix!
EVERYONE showed up! (Probably because private karaoke seemed too amusing to miss.) Honestly it was awesome to have the entire girls group there partying together.

Seriously…..I woke up with a sore, scratchy throat Sunday morning. Totally Worth It!
We sang crazy-fun songs all night and closed the place down! I had a total blast…I just hope everyone else had as much fun as I did! Since everyone seemed to be smiling all night long, I am pretty sure that they did.

Whenever I hear these songs I will have some great memories to associate with them:
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! ~ Dancing Queen ~ Lady Marmalade
Summer Nights ~ Walk Like An Egyptian
These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ ~ Ice Ice Baby

Thanks to all my friends who made the night perfectly unforgettable!

Karaoke Anyone?

I am really looking forward to the Karaoke Party tomorrow night! Apparently I am not alone in my excitement since all of you people reading this replied YES on the Evite!!! And don’t even pretend that you are just going for the show….you KNOW you wanna get up and belt out your favorite song from the 60s, 70s, or 80s. (Sorry, no current fav songs….the song choices are not that up to date.)

Well, Madison & I MIGHT share the microphones with you if we think you have picked a song that meets our “standards” ;-) j/k
Actually, my awesome husband tested microphones Wed night and he got the system working perfectly….with THREE Microphones. YES – I said 3!!! So even if Madison & I do hog 2 of the microphones, there will still be one extra. ;-)

I know a few of you have this thing called “stage fright”….completely foreign concept to me. So I will not force anyone to sing, or even make you feel guilty if you don’t. Hell, the fewer of you that sing, the more me & my karaoke bud get to pick the songs and sing! And you all can just sit and enjoy the show! I am certain there will be plenty of girls group songs, and after a few drinks you “stage fright” people will probably be the ones hogging the mics!

Here are a few potential Group Songs (so you can start practicing)…
Lady Marmalade, Dancing Queen, Material Girl, Ooops I Did It Again, Walk Like An Egyptian
How about WannaBe by the Spice Girls???

Honestly, it promises to be an outrageous night and I am so glad each and every one of you will be there to share in the fun and craziness! I plan to wear my waterproof mascara because I’ll probably be laughing myself to tears…I am advising all of you to do the same!
It's all about having FUN and getting some good LAUGHS.....as well as a few memories to take with you.

I just hope we aren’t as bad as these people…….
http://www.bofunk.com/video/6638/white_people_doing__bad_karaoke.html

(Should we bring a video camera?)

Awesome Husband!

I have such an awesome husband! He had my entire BirthDay planned out.

We got up yesterday morning and he told me to dress for kayaking after breakfast. Original plan was breakfast at Kirby lane, but an hour wait was not cool, so we improvised....7-11 for some powdered doughnuts and chocolate milk – my favorite BAD breakfast! YUM! YUM!
At Town Lake we ate our sugary breakfast then rented a 2 person kayak. We tooled around for awhile talking and looking at all the Turtles. It was nice and relaxing.

After a stop at home to shower and change we went to lunch at Eastside Cafe on Manor Road. I had never been before…I had heard the cafe has great food, and I was not disappointed.
My husband gave me a beautiful watch for my b/d so we went to the mall to have the size adjusted. We shopped around the mall for awhile (Plan C) since it was too freakin’ HOT outside for Plan A or Plan B. I guess he thought it would be a little cooler yesterday than it was.
Then we went to SoCo...walked down the street for a bit, but not many stores open since it was Labor Day, so we headed home. After a few minutes to relax we changed for dinner.
Dinner was at Green Pastures – WOW - SO AMAZINGLY GOOD!!!!
We were exhausted and stuffed after dinner so we went home and crashed!

The day was incredible…mostly because we just took the day to hang out together. :-)

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