State Fair Of Texas.....

Saturday, September 30, 2006 3 comments
There is a saying
here..."Everything's bigger in Texas." This is so true when it comes to the Texas State Fair, I don't think the 'State Fair' does it justice, you just have to see it to believe it. I absolutely love the Texas State Fair.....I love the food, the sites, and the sounds. Here is an old familiar sight I've grown up looking at, you can see it outside of the fair grounds, it's HUGE....and it's worth a trip around to go on a ferris wheel this large! As you might have guessed, this is how I spent my Saturday morning :O).

Over the Hill....at high speeds...

Monday, September 25, 2006 No comments


Jason's 30th birthday was today. As I've mentioend before he was given his option of quite a few things, but what we settled on was a gift of 'driving.' October 15th we are head out to the Texas Motor Speedway (a few weeks before the race) and he's taking 'driving school' and then he gets to drive and be driven around the track at speeds up to 150 mph....should be interesting. So....the theme this year (based on the Nascar cupcake holders we found) was......Nascar. Anyone that knows Jason knows he lives
and breathes sports.....especially Nascar and Tony Stewart....

Pitiful Paw....


Lilly had her vet visit this afternoon, the vet had to snip her nail off, it was broken to the quick (he had to take her to another room b/c her being upset would have upset me...and she was), she's been limping all weekend :O(......so now....to keep it from getting dirt up into the sensitive opening he wrapped it, we've been through this before, under different circumstances. I figured this was a situation that needed a picture. What were the vets only recommendations?-That she leave it on for 48 hours.....as you can see, Lilly didn't listen. Notice
Max in the background going nuts over the 'Vet' smell, never did a dog love the vet so much, most dogs pull out the door, Max has to be dragged out pulling back towards the vets and their assistance.

Muffin's Big Day

Sunday, September 24, 2006 No comments
Today was Muffin's 15th birthday.....I let her 'escape' for a little while and sniff the grass, which is usually a big no no, she also had a few special meals, which is really what birthday are all about.....
Not to lesson the glow of that big news.....the Plano Balloon Festival is now over. The positive is it was gorgeous weather, the negative is that I don't think any balloons were able to ever go up, they are really beatiful when they launch them, but it's not the only time they do....it's just not in such mass amounts with such unique designs the rest of the year.....but....I enjoyed the wind, and the sunshine?
Lilly also had a big adventure, she got her toe nail caught in one of my wrought iron lounge chairs, she was trying to get up next to my Mom, usually that would be fine, but the cushion wasn't in the chair. She paniced and ended up ripping her toe nails, one in particular bled for a long time and is still hanging on. She's limping and not feeling good, and on her way to the vet tomorrow (I haven't told her that yesterday)....if we survive the car ride (she is a terror) all should be well.
Jason also turns thirty tomorrow.....whoa....that's so old I have to go sleep off the shock of it!

A Week in Review

Saturday, September 23, 2006 1 comment
I know, I know....the burning question in everybody's mind is WHAT has Christy been doing this week?
1. I SAID, "NO!" Yes, I, Christy, who stress about my workload, promise next time I'll say no to a project, and then say yes to three more actually said "No." to teaching Saturday school this fall (though it's required in the spring). I even had to say "No" to two different individuals and then just disregarded an email to a larger group. Hold the applause....I'm not done yet. Notice my "No." Only has a period and not an exclamation mark because I almost said "Yes." I almost slipped off the wagon.....next time it'll be "No!"....get in your request now before I get too good at this :O).
2. I'm almost, kinda, but not quite caught up with my scrapbook for the year! I have not started on my Hawaii album yet (which is going to be a MUCH bigger project, which I'll enjoy), but I'm to a point where the photos I haven't put in my book are still on my camera so I can't do anymore now and I can put it up until after Sandye's shower (in two weeks-time to clean).
3. I don't really have a three, but I didn't want the number 3 to feel excluded from my blog: So, this week I had lots of meetings, LOTS.....but nothing really life altering.....but it's only Friday :O). I do have a few other events early in the week I'll be sure to post about! Hold on to the edge of your computer chair for those little kernels and tidbits!

Happy Birthday, Mom :O)

Saturday, September 16, 2006 1 comment

Today was the '23rd anniversary of my Mom's 29th birthday' (I figured I'd help you out before you attempted to count the number of candles on her cake). I'm so full right now I can barely type over my big belly. Jason and Tonya started out the day by coming over to eat breakfast (with a side of laundry and Nascar, what every Mom dreams of...), but they did spend several hours over visiting and eating. Next, Mom and I stopped at a few shops, grabbed a bite to eat (Do you see the trend here?) and then met Holly and Lois for a swim....everyone in the family is a little addicted to water. I swim so much, usually on MY birthday, the gift I ask for is not to have to swim ;o). Then.....old people need a lot of sleep, so Mom and Max laid down (I am, of course, only referring to Max, who is 35 in dog years now, and has 11 white hairs in the middle of his chest) and watched some recorded court TV (their favorite, according to Mom, Max likes the shows, but she watches them with him to keep him company). We spent the evening at Lois'.....shocking as it may seem, everybody is required to have a 'theme' for their birthday. Another mind blowing fact is that my Mom wanted something pink....Pink Superwoman plates and decorations was right up her alley. There was more eating, a 'sheath' cake....another family tradition, mostly the tradition there is it's a great cake as long as Lois or Holly make it. There are two reasons it's good 1) The rest of us couldn't make it if we tried (and we've tried) and 2) Yum, chocolate cake, from scratch, covered with homemade icing. We also played the traditional basketball game (Brian won, per usual.....until further notice, or Jimmy and Lydia visit.....that's pretty much the outcome of every game so I won't bother mentioning the outcome, I just 'play for fun'....unless I win....and then....of course it was skill)....Lastly, we took a walk.....note-two exercises in one day....and still....I think I'll be spending the rest of fall working off all these sweets.....but it's worth it to celebrate a birthday with my very favorite Mom :O)

A few fun facts for Monday....

Monday, September 11, 2006 1 comment

There are a few interesting facts I didn't know until I started teaching, some of them, some....not so good. Did you know that in Texas all students say the Texas State Pledge right after they say the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning? I didn't even know there WAS a Texas State Pledge! I remember it shocked me when I started student teaching b/c we never did that when "I" was in school, I wonder if all states do, or it's one of those 'Texas' things...it's so true, if you ask someone while traveling abroad where from Texans will say "Texas" before they will say the United States. We also have a moment of silence each morning, which I really appreciate. There are also a lot of legal things we have to do as schools, one of them is celebrating Constitution Day (did you know there was such a day? I didn't until now....). So...this year, your's truly was selected to get this going (nobody else would do it I would imagine)......I have a couple little announcments my kids are making and then I've created our 'school' constitution, based on our mission statement. We have those little feather pens for the kids to then sign their names to the bottom, first names only b/c it is illegal to post a first and LAST name of a student ANYWHERE in the building (things have definitely changed). Law suits have been won over students passing out other student's papers (and seeing the grades) via the right to privacy etc etc etc....I think it's silly when I hear other teachers say it's almost impossible to get fired....ha, I could have thought of 15 different ways today to have put my job in jeopardy. Not that the reasons aren't a little silly, but it's all to easy. Remember how they used to put your name on the board with a check for each additional 'offense' you committed? I think that would make the news.....I was listening to this really big 'debate' the other day on the news station about a girl that got sent home b/c they actually 'measured' her skirt in school and made her go change it b/c it was too short....and.....? I always heard education was a cycle and things come in and go out and then you see them again 20 years later.....in some cases....I certainly hope so!

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar....

Saturday, September 09, 2006 2 comments
This is my theme song for the day, I didn't select it, my memory did as I was 'slaving away' at a very Home Depotish project. Oh the horror.....I do so hate home repairs, but I hate paying 10 plus times the cost for someone else to do something I can do.....So....a few months ago my tiles started popping off, to give you the short version of the story, I'll skip past the whys and go to the solution. I had called to see how much it would cost to have someone else do this little home improvement for me because I realized the dry wall was going to have to be replaced as well (absolute TORTURE). The guy quoted me for four rows of tile at 600+ dollars (I want to say it was more like 8, but I'm trying not to exagerate this, so I'm low balling my memory). He went into this long explanation about how he would be using this really great material called Du Rock....if you really want to know what that is, I can tell you in person, I'm skipping that too, but just let me say I was able to buy the same 'special' board for 8 bucks and I have over half of it left! In the end I would say the projects ended up costing me a whole day (sorry for all the missed calls) and about 50 bucks. So last night I gutted the area that was falling apart, sawed away at the old sheet rock. Then this morning I started cutting this DuRock (total pain the butt) and hammered it up (I hate hammering).....then came the 'stuff' that sticks the tiles up, tiles, grout, caulk....wa la, it's almost finished. All I have to do now is go and clean up the old tiles blah blah blah......and I have to repaint some areas that were ruined by a bathroom fiasco awhile back....but the bulk of the hard stuff is done.....BUT as I was nailing that Du Rock up, that old 70's song "I Am Woman" started going through my head. I'm pretty proud of myself, if I do say so myself. My Mom kept saying, "Ask Jason to help....I'm going to see if Jason will come over and.....Why don't you get Jason to....." I appreciate Jason's help, but I also think we are all more capable of doing things than we realize, I wanted to know I could do it. Ha, but I might ask him to help with the next project, especially if it involves wood.....I don't like saws and he keeps collecting them in my garage. Oh, or anything dead.....that's a Jason job. So, the bottom line is, did I do a 'great' job? Not so much. Could I go into business? Not unless I want to get sued. Will it hold? As long as nobody takes a bath in it...but really, who's counting, the point is, I did it alllll by myself! ;o)....I'm hoping to someday replace the tub, but I put something in I hope will hold for another five years until I can pay cash to do that, I have other more 'pressing' things to take care of now! Tomorrow I don't have anything quite as dramatic planned, but a lot of cleaning I had on my to do list three months ago......

Birthdays :O)

Wednesday, September 06, 2006 No comments
Today is Lilly's birthday, she's still waiting for a few gifts, but so far, so good, she got to run around in the sunshine for the first time in a long time.....and a big ole stick fell in her yard at some point this afternoon, I can only IMAGINE the excitement....
AND in other, equally as important news, it's a month full of some of my favorite people's birthdays: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERRI G (September 7th!). Make this day one of 365 fun-filled, joy-packed, life-changing days! Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend so great.....lucky me, lucky Houston, lucky world because of friends like you! :O)

The Cliff Notes of Lilly's Big Adventure.....

Monday, September 04, 2006 1 comment
This morning I heard this racket, imagine thousands of marbles, boxes being moved and a clackety clack.....being a pet owner, I instantly knew.....one of the animals did something. I got up and watched a yellow butt wearing a plastic litter box lid in lu of the front of it's body run past my room. Lilly in her BAD GIRL attempt to get kitty crunchies (Kelly lingo) somehow walked her head and her two from paws.....and shoulders into the litter box. The litter box barely allows her head in, I don't know HOW she got the rest in. She was running around with half of her body under the hood she must have ripped off the bottom of the box trying to get out of it. She was a good girl for me while I tried to figure that physics problem out, it was squished around her upper torso with little room for my fingers, much less pushing her legs out. After a lot of squeezing, and strange angling I was able to BEND her legs back one at a time. I thought for awhile it was going to be a really interesting emegency vet visit b/c there was no way to cut through the THICK plastic. The scary thing is to wonder what she would have done had I not been home. There is no way she'd be getting out of it....and she couldn't have sat down unless she was to sit on a thick rim. ARGH! Max would have been too busy eating a shoe or sprinkles to help her.....NO, there are no pictures, I wasn't cruel enough to ask her to pose.....I was as frantic as she was trying to figure out how to get it off.....

Henry Ray

Sunday, September 03, 2006 No comments

This cute little baby belongs to Carrilee (a fellow Baylor grad), who now lives a in Washington most of the time, but came to the metroplex to visit grandparents and friends. Getting to meet Henry in person was definitely one of the highlights of an already great weekend :O). I watched cute Henry wiggle, wiggle, wiggle and taste every toy and body part in sight and caught up with Carrilee on the last five months of being a Mom. I know by the time he comes back this next winter he'll probably be showing off his running skills....he has a very busy agenda, no doubt he's got a lot of talent to put to use inherited from Mom and Dad. He is such a happy, sweet baby, he must know what an amazing Mom he's got :O).

Celebrating Mom....

Friday, September 01, 2006 No comments

A year ago today was a much different experience.....but.....a year has past, and a lot of things have changed, for the better. This day, this year, this month is all about celebrating life! My Mom and I went out to dinner somewhere we've never eaten DINNER at before (though I've eaten lunch there quite a few times, including my Sweet 16 with a bunch of friends, three or four that might be reading this) ....Antares in Reunion Tower. I've mentioned it in past blogs (I think) for those of the non-local people-it's the big 'ball' in the skyline of Dallas. Dinner was good, and then we headed up to the Observation Deck (though dinner is just one big rotating observation deck anyway). It was a windy/nice night. I had to use my night flash, and with the wind etc, the skyline is a little blurry in the background, and the flash was bright...but you get the idea...this year is about smiles :O) OK....on a side note with smiling in mind, there was a Japanese Anime festival with literally HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of people attending in their Anime costumes at the same hotel.....I really don't think I could do it justice....but you can be sure I'd be more than HAPPY to describe this episode in person, I was out of place without my mouse ears, tail and leather outfit....if it's not Kappa Weekend (only Marie will get this one), or National Rodeo Finals on vacation (you should have seen the airport metal detector with those belt buckles), or the Miss Texas contest (we order a pizza and the security escorted the delivery man up to make sure it wasn't one of the contestants staying at the hotel getting it).....it's Japanese Anime....I CERTAINLY know how to keep a smile on my face through some pretty impressive timing...I've got a million of them. Stick with me if you want to vacation/experience some of the more bizarre things in life :O).