Big Day - Celebration Required!

Today, April 22nd, is National Jelly Bean Day. And Earth Day. And the birthday of our new nephew, Ethan!!

What do you think his favorite jelly bean flavor will be?

Sorority Reunion

Last weekend, a bunch of the girls in my sorority pledge class met up in Austin for a mini-reunion. Not all of the girls could make it, of course, since we have some international members now! But it was a nice showing and good to see everyone and catch up.

On that Friday, I had to travel to Dallas for work to go to one of our customers' offices for a software training session. This was my first time to travel alone for work where I had to be the only representative for our company, although luckily I had met the key people at this company before, so it was not as intimidating as it could have been! Not only that, but since I just turned 25, this was my first time renting a car on my own! So I flew into Dallas and checked in for my rental car and was told I'd be getting a small Dodge compact car like I had reserved. But when the shuttle dropped me off at my assigned space, there was a mini van parked there! I double checked and it turned out they had run out of compact cars so they gave me the mini van. So on this day I learned once and for all that there is no way to look cool in a mini van. Luckily, the parking lot at this customer is pretty big so nobody assocaited me with the mini van.

After the training session, I had to fly into Austin instead of San Antonio since that was the weekend of the Final Four and all flights into San Antonio were full. So I got in around 6:30 and we all met up at the hotel and then went to Trudy's for dinner. Since we had a party of 9 plus a baby, we knew we would have a wait. We all headed to the bar, as you would expect from a group of young ex-sorority girls, right?! I ended up ordering a Mexican Martini. They not only give you the martini glass full but also give you the shaker so it's a pretty good deal. After they finally seated us 2 hours later, I ordered another of these drinks with dinner. I learned this night that when the menu says limit 2 Mexican Martinis, Lauren should not order and consume 2, especially if she plans to continue drinking downtown at bars later that night.

After dinner, we regrouped at the hotel and decided to go to 4th street. We were looking for a bar where we would not have to pay cover, so we decided on the new bar Qua. It is cool because the dance floor is an aquarium underneath so when you are dancing, you look down to see sharks and sting rays swimming beneath. Pretty cool concept. Might inspire one, were they inebriated, to pose for photos like they themselves were a shark...

We stayed at this bar until it closed at 2am, then headed back to the hotel. I proceeded to fall right asleep, but apparently only after blaming everyone else for getting me drunk.

The next morning I was in no shape to do anything productive, so I accompanied the girls to lunch but then headed back to the hotel for an all-afternoon nap. It was no fun and makes me realize why I drink so infrequently!

By dinner time I was feeling better and we went to Carlos N Charlies on Lake Travis. The view of the lake was pretty, especially with the sun setting in the horizon. Since I was in no shape to party again Saturday night, Phil came to pick me up that night from the hotel after dinner. We got back to SA by around 11pm so we were able to spend Sunday together and actually laid by the pool at Robin & Jack's all afternoon, and enjoyed a delicious pot roast for lunch. Yum- what a great weekend!

Happy Birthday to Me!

As I am sure you all know, Friday was my birthday! Actually, I got an early start celebrating this week. On Thursday, my salesperson Debbie came to town to celebrate with me. A big group of us all went to lunch at Chris Madrid's, which was delicious as always! Then the new Team Debbie (consisting of Katherine, Debbie, and me) spent most of the afternoon getting Deluxe pedicures (this involves getting your foot dipped in hot wax which was a new thing for me, but felt pretty good) and then going shoe shopping! Of course I had to get open-toed shoes so I could show off my newly painted toes! It was such a wonderful day, although it did involve staying a few hours late to make up for the hours I was out of the office in the middle of the afternoon...

The next morning on my actual birthday, I got to work and Amanda had cinnamon rolls cooking in the toaster oven for me. (Okay yes, everyone in my life knows the way to my heart is through my stomach... and new shoes.) So that was a delicious way to start my birthday! Then a little while later, I got a flower delivery and to my surprise it was from my parents! I got a beautiful bouquet of multi-colored roses and they smelled wonderful!

And my desk had been decorated by my wonderful co-workers in all pink!

As if that wasn't enough celebration, I got another floral delivery that morning from Debbie and Katherine! These were flowers that can later be planted in the yard too. Very pretty and of course pink!

Since my birthday fell at Easter-time this year, we had my favorite work event of the year on my birthday - the Easter Egg hunt!!! I was the reigning champ since I found the most eggs last year and I founded the Easter Egg hunt in our office my first year there, so it's a tradition that I get very excited about (this is why Debbie came to town on Thursday instead of my actual birthday, so as not to interfere.) So we also got festive this year and all wore bunny ears all day (there was also a handicap during the egg hunt that if you didn't wear your ears you had to subtract 5 eggs from the total number you found).

My original lunch buddy, Melissa, and I wear our ears proudly!

Katherine and I have lots of fun together in our shared office. Here we are with our ears on. Yes, I did hop around the office part of the day, when I remembered to.

So we all had boxed lunches brought in to fortify ourselves for the big event. Trisha hid all the eggs this year and about 10 minutes prior to starting, I started standing by the door so I could be first out the door. Competitive advantage, yes. Amanda was right behind me and then followed the rest of the girls. We got a running start and hunted for eggs outside by cars, sign crates, filing cabinets, boxes of files, and in the end as a group we found 161 out of the 162 eggs. Good thing they didn't put chocolate candy in them!! I had to turn over my champion status to Amanda who found 25 eggs, and I tied for second with 22. There was a cheater in the bunch (isn't there always?) who brought eggs from home and added them to his bag of eggs so that during the count it seemed like he had more than he really did. Too bad he brought cascarones which we knew were not included in the ones Trisha hid, so he was caught in the act and his plan back-fired when we cracked his cascarones on his own head.

Needless to say it was a wonderful way to spend my birthday at the office. Thanks to all who made it special, and also to those who left voice messages, text messages, and emails as well. I will try to find time this week to get back to everyone, but since it was Easter weekend there hasn't been a dull moment since Friday!

We Support Obama

Although we don't yet have a sign in our yard, we proudly proclaim our support for Barack Obama. We both admired that amazing speech he gave at the 2004 DNC and voiced our wish that someone that innovative would run for President. Four years later, our wish is coming true! Obama embodies the change we feel our country needs and we hope that he becomes the next President of the United States!
Earlier this year we attended a rally in support of Obama with some friends. It was exciting to hear his speech in person (although it was similar to the ones we hear highlights of on MSNBC every night) and despite the cold weather that evening, we stayed for the whole thing. We both voted in the Texas primary for him, of course. Then came that incredible speech last week about his views on race which solidified our support. Can't wait to watch his continued success, hopefully all the way to the White House!

Dog-Sitting

For 5 weeks, we are dog-sitting for Felicity & Karthik as they travel to India. We are one week in and we've learned a few things about these big (compared to Cooper) doggies. Sam is a standard Schnauzer and Henna is a beagle.

1) These puppies are not very independent. They like to always be at our heels, following us around the house, every step we take. Cooper is not this way at all, so we are not used to having to watch out for running into or stepping on doggies. So when we accidentally step on Henna or Sam because they follow us around, do we feel bad about it? We'll get back to you on that one...

2) These puppies are smelly. Granted, we haven't given them a bath yet in the week they've been here but they do have one scheduled for tomorrow. We only usually have to bathe Cooper every month, if that, because he has so little fur, and so little body mass, that he never really smells like a dog. But these doggies retain that smell. We like to spray them with Febreeze to help the situation. They don't so much like being sprayed with Febreeze.

3) Henna has a very sensitive stomach. She cannot be fed "people food" so this means Sam and especially Cooper have to suffer and eat dog food 100% of the time. When Felicity and Karthik brought the dogs, we fed Henna some sugar cookie and the next morning she got sick. So we were forewarned. But the other night while Phil was eating soup, he figured giving the puppies a few stewed carrots couldn't hurt anything (Cooper loves them and eats them all the time). Well we found out the next evening that hadn't been such a good idea when she got sick. So now we know we can't test the theory on her anymore.

4) Henna and Sam love pecans. They like to go outside, and especially Sam can stay out there for hours on end cracking the pecans in our yard and eating them. Cooper likes them too, but prefers when we crack/shell them for him.

5) The first night they were with us after F&K had left, we tried to let them sleep on their doggy bed on the floor in our bedroom. We figured they'd want a little freedom and prefer not to sleep in their crate, but knew we would not allow them to sleep in our bed. By midnight, when they had not laid down yet, after pacing back and forth in the house, with toenails clicking on our wood floors with every step they took, we got frustrated and led them into their crate. Immediately they went inside and laid down, and went right to sleep. I still think it's weird that they'd rather stay inside there than have freedom.

6) Henna loves the heating pad. We try to remind her that her mommy did not bring the heating pad for her and it belongs to Cooper, but she doesn't seem to care. Actually, she is kind of a bully and pushes Cooper off of it at every opportunity. And Cooper lets her.

7) BIG POOP! In our backyard. Cooper never poops back there. These dogs do, and very often. By the amount we picked up today, you'd think they'd been here the full 5 weeks. But nope, just one.

I am sure there will be more discoveries as the weeks progress, so I'll stop here for now. Either way, we love having them here as they truly are great company and wonderful at showing their love!! They make great cuddling partners in the cold weather!!

Here are a few photos of the puppies for the enjoyment of F&K who miss them like crazy. They are doing really well and have not damaged any of our electronics yet!

Happy New Year!

We wish each of you a wonderful 2008 filled with happiness, success, love, and everything else you wish for. Good luck sticking to your resolutions for the new year!

I'm Dreaming of a PINK Christmas!

One thing that keeps me going through the 8-5 workdays during the holidays is my beautiful holiday display prominently displayed just next to my (flat screen) monitor on my desk! Last year after Christmas I got this tree on half price sale along with those big pink ball ornaments at Pier 1 Imports. This year I bought the smaller pink ornaments at Wal-Mart and the pink Christmas lights to complete the look at Walgreens. I also found that perfect pink stocking at Wal-Mart to complete the look. One of my co-workers felt that her little pink bear should reside in my area since he matches the theme, although he must be returned to his rightful place on her desk after the holidays.

Anyhow, the decor really does a great job in keeping my cheerful during the holiday season. Some of my co-workers have made mention that the tree looks like a "Charlie Brown Christmas tree" but I wholeheartedly disagree and vow that it is quite stylish and proportional. [Side note: the others who throw stones from their glass houses do not have any Christmas decorations of their own at their cubicles.]

We also put up our office tree in the front entry area today and I bought an ornament at lunch to hang on that tree. My first year there, I started a tradition of requiring that everyone bring an ornament to hang on the tree so that after a few more years we will have a beautifully decorated tree that isn't just filled with hundreds of plain ball ornaments. I made a point to keep track of who had contributed so that I could hassle those who did not participate and it really seemed to work-- last year we had 100% participation!! I have no shame in emailing the entire office in order to peer pressure the slackers, or calling their wives to get them involved, etc. This year since I'm not the office manager I have vowed not to hassle anyone so I figured I should participate quickly so I wouldn't be on the receiving end of it. So we went during lunch and I picked out an ornament. Of course, my ornament was pink this year -- as if anything else would do!

Howdy, Y'all!

Last night, Phil got all dressed up in country attire to go to the Kendall County Junior Livestock appreciation party. One of his co-workers invites us every year and usually when we show up in our flip-flops and foreign cars, we seem pretty out of place in this highly Texan environment. So this year Phil decided to join in on the fun, and borrowed some attire from his friend Floyd. Take note of the pearl snap western-style shirt (orange and pink, no less), the turquoise studded belt with true western belt buckle, and boots. Next year we plan to add a 10 gallon hat and some tight heavily starched Wrangler jeans to the attire but we just didn't get that part coordinated in time this year. Most importantly, check out the thumb in the pants like a true cowboy. You should've seen the little shuffle step dance move that accompanied it.

Eating like a king!

Since Cooper's birthday is later this week, we decided to let him have an entire turkey leg for dinner tonight!

Actually, last night my mom and I picked up some plates of BBQ from a stand on the side of the road because it smelled so good. The plates came with beans, corn on the cob, and 2 types of meat (we got ribs & turkey legs). We thought we were doing such a great thing for our husbands since dinner would be taken care of when we brought these plates home! But when we got home and started eating, we found out that the meat was not cooked all the way through and therefore was inedible. We ate what we could, but ended up having to get come ice cream for dessert to supplement our dinner.

Lucky for Cooper, though, because he got to have a dinner fit for a king tonight!

Typical Monday Evening in the Stackhousehold

Came home from work, changed into my new puppy-walking pants. Believe it or not, Cooper demands that I wear them because he feels it shows my love.

Warmed up leftovers for dinner. Phil had spaghetti and I had a hotdog and pickle.

Phil turned on the game in the living room while I checked my email, charged my iPod (a hand-me-down from Phil), and spend countless hours on Facebook.

On this particular evening, I made another black cherry cobbler (had bought 2 just in case more people came over on Friday so we had one left over), which we devoured as soon as it came out of the oven. Here's Phil showing off his heaping portion.

Coincidentally (or so he says), Jack showed up just as I sat down on the couch with my bowl on the premise that he had to pick up a letter that they had "left in my car" after the weekend. I think he just has a 6th "Dessert" sense, actually.

On Saturday we woke up early and went for a long bike ride along the Mission Trails of San Antonio with aunt Carol. We start around 8am at Blue Star and ride to Mission Espada where we take about a 10 minute water break and then head back. The whole trip takes about 2 hours and with the beautiful fall weather we've been having, is a great way to start the day. Plus we can put our pedometers on our shoes and get steps from it (we had about 9,000 by the time we were done!). Afterward we went for coffee at Olmos Perk, which is kind of a tradition now because we go there after every ride. It's a nice alternative to the national chain type of coffee shops so we like to give them our business.

Afterward we came home and rested, did our grocery shopping and hung out until 5:00 when we went over to Jennelle & Greg's for a BBQ. Greg had built a cool grill in the back yard out of some bricks they had acquired when they bought the house and he did a really great job. [See their blog in the links section for previous post & photos of the grill and I am sure a new post to come with photos of the BBQ.] Greg made some delicious Teryaki hamburger patties so dinner was really yummy.

Since it was alumni weekend, I figured we should participate in at least one of the activities so afterward we headed to Pat O'Briens downtown. A bunch of our sorority friends from college were there including Ropes to celebrate her birthday. When we got there it was very crowded and as we tried to find the piano bar where everyone was, we headed upstairs only to find that the bartender who Jennelle asked for directions turned out to be my best friend and neighbor from when I was about 8 years old, Erica! We used to play together every single day for a few years until she moved and went to a private high school. I have not seen her for many, many years. It was so weird because as Jennelle was talking to her I was just thinking "she looks so familiar.. could it really be...?" and then she looked over at me and we both realized we knew each other! It was so great to see her and luckily Jennelle remembered to capture the moment on film. I hope that we can catch up again soon now that I know she lives in the same city as I do!


Next we headed downstairs and found our Sigma friends but it was so crowded so everyone was getting ready to leave to head to another (hopefully less crowded) bar. We decided to stay at Pat O's until we finished our drinks at least and then we headed over the few blocks to Zen Bar. We were glad to be wearing flip flops since we were comfortable on the walk. When we got outside on Houston Street, we saw very long lines at some of the other bars in the area and on the street we saw one of our Sigma friends, Jessica, who was having her Bachelorette party! I had recently seen her engagement photos through a link on Facebook and fell in love with her photographer. I even asked Phil yesterday if he thought it was too late for us to take Engagement photos since we never did before we got married! So it was good to see her in person even if it was just a short visit on the sidewalk!

So we got in line at Zen Bar to get in and hang out with everyone but we were denied entrance because the four of us were wearing flip-flops! Alas we came to the conclusion that we didn't really want to go to a bar where they did not allow flip-flops, you know, out of principle... so we decided that anyway it was past our bedtime and we might as well come home. We got home around 12:30am, had some Double Stuf Oreos and milk, and went to bed. All in all, a pretty good day.

Our tree decided to trim itself...

... and did not look out below or yell "Timber" and thereby destroyed our hammock when this huge branch came down.

So anyone who might happen to have a Mexican hammock just sitting around not being used, we're really hurting for one and would be more than happy to put it to good use for you. This is the perfect hammock season with the cool crisp fall weather, so the sooner, the better...

Renewed Blogging Enthusiasm... and Congratulations are in order!

So it seems that all the bloggers we know have taken a break from their blogs over the past few months. We hope that by playing catch-up with these posts we can motivate others to do the same, or at least start blogging more going forward.

We know some of you (ahem, Felicity & Karthik) have a whole lot to blog about, so no excuses!!

Here's to a renewed dedication to blogging. And that's not the only thing we have to celebrate these days... break out the champagne!

CONGRATULATIONS to the parents-to-be!!!! We love you and can't wait to celebrate with you in person in next weekend! (Felicity, I'll drink your share of the champagne. You can have sparkling cider.)

Spectrum

Phil and I joined Spectrum back in July, which is a local chain of gyms in San Antonio. The one closest to our house is literally so close it's within walking distance (although come to think of it, we haven't walked there once yet). Our favorite feature about it, aside from the normal gym perks like individual flat screens on the elliptical & treadmill machines, a full array of strength training equipment, multiple classes, state of the art locker rooms with showers, razors/lotion/soap provided, etc. is the POOL! They actually have 2 swimming pools-- one lap pool which is in a covered area with multiple lanes for exercise, and another outdoor pool which is just for play. One side of the pool has a children's area which is no deeper than about 2 ft, then in the center is a big water slide and on the other side is the deeper area for hanging out, and where the slide empties out (only about 4 ft deep). This pool has been great for us to lounge by on the weekends, work on our tans, etc. We love it!

Another great feature of the gym that we enjoy is the HealthMiles program. I had been a member before the wedding of this same gym and they did not have this program before but I really think it's a great incentive. They give you a pedometer to start, and for every day that you use it, you get "miles" which are basically points towards a reward system. They have levels of steps (0-7000, 7001 - 12000, 12001 - 20000, 20,000+) and you get different amounts of miles depending how many steps you take that particular day. I tend to make the 12,000 step area each day (if I work out) because by the time I leave work on any given day I typically only have about 4,000 steps. Phil has an entirely different situation. His work is considered a "campus" so even walking from meeting to meeting amounts to a great number of steps every day. So he typically hits 20,000+ every day (if he works out). Once you get to 6,000 miles you enter level 2, where you're awarded $25 to use towards prizes or your membership dues, 2 free fitness assessments, and a water bottle. Phil already hit this level, and when he hits the next level he gets $50 (on top of his $25), a t-shirt, a few personal training sessions, etc. The higher you go, the better the prizes. You can also do other things to earn miles. For example, each of us did a Fitness Assessment with a personal trainer at the gym a few weeks ago. Because Phil was considered "Ideal" overall, he earned an extra 2000 points. Because I was considered to be in the level just under ideal, I did not get these points. They recommend doing these assessments every 6 months to track change so you can bet I'll be back in February! Also, you can take "measurements" and you get points for entering them as well. Extra points if you're in the "Ideal" category. Turns out I am considered under-weight and my BMI index is below ideal, so I didn't get those points either. So, as I sit here with a 1/2 gallon of ice cream and a spoon, I know that it's in really my best interest... anything to reach the next level (I really want that water bottle). Only 4 more pounds to gain!

Kids!!

For about a week during August, Blake and Drew came to stay at our house. Robin and Jack were able to take care of them during the day while Phil and I were at work (aka break from the responsibilities of kids!) but we were able to have fun with them on the weekend. On Saturday night when they arrived, Jack grilled hot dogs and chicken for dinner. Afterwards, we all ate our weight in S'mores! Yes, we have corrupted the Nelson children. I made sure to document with photographs.

The rest of their stay was filled with Drew & Blake getting haircuts, Drew being potty-trained, the kids going down the slide at the pool again and again and again, Drew being "the cat in the hat" (he wore my circus hat around for most of his stay and meowed), and both of them staying up as late as they wanted and watching as much TV as they wanted. Yes, again with the corruption!

Another Vacation

For the 4th of July, we traveled to New Jersey for a family reunion. This is the family on my mom's mom's side, all of her brothers and sisters and their children and grandchildren. (There were no matching t-shirts for those of you who are wondering.)

Phil and I flew inexpensively on Southwest Airlines into La Guardia airport... apparently not the smartest thing to do but, hey, it was cheap. We picked up our red Mustang rental car and got to drive through the heart of NYC at about 5:00 in the afternoon. Luckily it was the day before a holiday or the already terrible traffic might have been unbearable. On the bright side, at least we got to see the city! We drove into Red Bank, NJ to the home we'd be staying at, owned by Faye, the girlfriend of my mom's cousin Dick. My parents, Aunt Carol, and Aunt Pris were already there waiting for us and we all had a lovely dinner that evening. It must be mentioned that Faye is a fantastic hostess. In each of the guest bedrooms she provided a welcome basket consisting of snacks, an eye cover mask for better sleep, water bottle, etc. Plus she had stocked the rooms with current magazines for our reading pleasure. And, when Faye says that this is the way she always keeps her home, I believe her, because she is so good at it! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the home has been featured in decorating magazines-- Faye remodeled and redecorated after moving in and did a wonderful job. She actually has the home for sale now since it's such a large home for just one person to live in.

The next day, July 4th, was the family reunion. We all went over to Dick's home and spent the afternoon in his back yard catching up (or meeting everyone, in Phil's case). These are people that we don't see very often since we all live so far apart, so it was nice to get re-acquianted. One of the best parts of the reunion was visiting with my Aunt Jeannette. For my entire life she was special to me because although we rarely saw each other, we always kept in touch. The basis of our communication stemmed from her sending me $2 in a greeting card for each holiday of the year (sometimes two one-dollar bills, and sometimes a $2 bill, always crisp from the bank). It was so fun to get mail at every single holiday (Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, etc) and I would always promptly write her a thank-you note at which time I would also update her on my life as I grew up. We got to visit in person only a few times over my life when we traveled to New Jersey but we kept in touch much more frequently via mail. I am glad that Phil finally got to meet her, because a few weeks after the reunion, Aunt Jeannette passed away. I am glad to have such great memories of her and she will always hold a special place in my heart.

The morning after the reunion, a bunch of us took a walk on the boardwalk of Asbury Park and got to see "tent city". We didn't know what else to do the rest of the day so we decided to drive up the coast to Sandy Hook. All 6 of us piled into my parents rented Ford Focus (that's my Dad & Phil in the front and my mom, 2 aunts, and me in the back... it was cozy!). We didn't want to go to the beach since it was drizzling out, but we thought we'd go see the lighthouse and walk around on the island. We had a really fun time at one of the stops where there was an old canon, where I proceeded to hop on in what apparently was similar to a Playboy pose. My mom and aunts proceeded to yell things like "give me Sexy" and "give me pouty"... it was then that we realized I don't know how to do pouty. Guess I will need to to hone those skills before I can become one of "The Girls Next Door".

The following day, my parents, Aunt Pris, and the two of us decided to spend the day in NYC. We took the train in early that morning and when we got to the city we decided to find a tour bus to show us around. We did a tour of lower Manhattan with stops like the Empire State Building, Chinatown, Little Italy (which is much smaller than Chinatown), the Financial district, SoHo, Macy's, etc. It was a good overview and we were able to hop on/hop off which was nice as well. We ate lunch in Little Italy at an authentic little Italian spot. In the afternoon we decided to walk over to Central Park as well. That evening, my parents and aunt headed back to NJ and we stayed in town to meet one of Phil's college friends for dinner. She is working in the city and was able to take us to a great Vietnamese restaurant nearby her job. It was great food (we both had noodle bowls) and actually pretty inexpensive, for NYC! We took the subway back to our train stop and got back to Jersey around 10:30 that evening. It was a full day of sight-seeing!

For the next half of our vacation, we drove our rental car to Washington DC to sight-see for a few days. We checked into our hotel in Silver Spring, MD which turned out to be in a really good location. Downtown Silver Spring is filled with all sorts of restaurants so after a long day in DC we were able to stick close to our hotel and still get good food for dinner, all within about 2 blocks. Plus, the Metro stop was about 2 blocks away as well. We would buy all-day unlimited Metro passes each morning so that we could visit whatever attractions we wanted to, which was great. Their public transportation system is so well organized that it just makes us wish we had something similar in Texas. Hopefully some day we get there...

Anyhow, the first day after driving into town from NJ, we decided to go into the heart of DC and walk around. And boy did we walk! I think we probably walked at least 5 miles that day-- our whole bodies were sore from all the walking, especially our feet! We saw all of the monuments (Lincoln, Vietnam War, WWII, Korean War, Jefferson, FDR.....) and we hadn't even made a dent in all that DC has to offer! Our favorite memorial by far was the FDR memorial. He seems to be a perfect example of the type of president we need right now in our country, one who realizes the values of equality and most importantly PEACE. (haha I first typed peach, which is also important, but more of a flavor than a value)

The next day we took the Metro out to Arlington National Cemetery which was a very moving sight, with the gravesites of JFK and Jackie O, plus the guarded Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Very respectful and humbling place...

The following day we went to the Spy Museum which was very cool, but almost too thorough! We got hungry so we probably didn't get to see everything we could/would have! It was really well done. My favorite exhibit (which Phil thinks is fake, of course) is of how they used to have pidgeons strap cameras to their stomachs and fly over enemy territory where otherwise planes or cameras could not go. They had a cool photo of an aerial shot and you could see the bird's wings on either side of the frame! After the spy museum (and lunch), we walked through Chinatown, to the Capitol, the Library of Congress, and past the Supreme Court building.

That afternoon we decided to take our family members who lived in the DC area up on their offer to stay with them, so we checked out of our hotel (after a big fight about it being pre-paid, which we eventually won after talking to the manager) and moved over to Patty & Bob's house. They were so welcoming and fun to hang out with, along with their two kids Haileigh and Tyler. They had visited us last year in SA so the kids knew us and since two of them had stayed with us while they were in town, they were more than happy to reciprocate and let us crash there.

That evening, Patty & Bob took us to Annapolis which is a beautiful town (home of the Naval Academy). We walked along the boardwalk at sunset and got ice cream cones while we walked through the heart of town. Very charming place.

On our last day in DC, we went to the Holocaust Museum in the morning and then met a friend of mine from college for lunch. It started pouring down rain while we were in the museum and of course there were not any restaurants anywhere near the museum, so we had to trek across the city in the pouring rain to find food. Erin was such a great sport; she had just moved to DC after graduation a few weeks earlier, so she was not very familiar with the city either. But she led us to food, which was the most important thing. That afternoon we took the Metro to Old Town Arlington, as many people had recommended it as a romantic, charming little town. We walked up and down the streets and were not all that impressed, although the dreary drizzling weather might have contributed to our feelings...

There is still so much to see that we did not have an opportunity to visit in DC. We didn't make it to the National Archives, the Federal Reserves, or take a tour of the capitol. That just means we'll have to visit again!

In-Laws

While many people would rather jump in front of a moving train than have their in-laws stay with them for weeks at a time, I really must say we're in the minority. In mid-June, Phil's parents sold their house and moved down to San Antonio. Well, actually the sale didn't close until mid-July but the tenants moved into the house in June so that's just a technicality... although an expensive one since they had to wait until they closed to get their money! Anyway, at the risk of sounding like I'm sucking up, I can honestly say that it was not a negative experience at all. In addition to being good company, they were very helpful around the house with cooking, taking care of Cooper, etc. I think they could/would have stayed longer if only we didn't just have those minor annoyances in our small house, i.e. no storage space, only one bathroom, etc. But all in all we lived together really well! They recently moved into an apartment complex just down the street, so we still get to see them frequently, not to mention that we work out at the same gym, shop at the same grocery store, eat at the same restaurants, etc.

Belize Vacation

For multiple reasons, we're really glad we chose to visit Belize when we did.

1) The resort we stayed at consisted of a few condo buildings (with more being built while we were there) plus a few individual cabana-style rooms called "casitas". Jennelle & Greg and Phil & I stayed in these casitas, which were thatch-roofed, with hardwood floors and very cool decor. They had a/c, a small refrigerator, coffee pot, small sitting area, king bed, and bathroom. Most importantly, they were right on the beach! We had a good sized front porch with 2 chairs, which overlooked about 100 yards of beach with only palm trees, hammocks and some beach chairs between us and the ocean. These casitas were the main reason we chose Captain Morgan's Resort. But sadly, during our stay we learned that these casitas are soon to be torn down to make room for more condo buildings. The resort is big on time shares, which must be big business for them, but for us the draw was the privacy of not having neighbors on either side of your walls, being right on the beach, etc. It will be sad to see them go...

2) Hurricane season! What a year Belize has had. I hope that they have survived these storms but who knows what kind of damage they are facing with the high winds and heavy rains they've experienced.

3) Construction -- the island was filled with it. We feel that if we were to visit again in 15 years, every spare inch of the island of San Pedro would be covered with resorts and tourism. For now, we were able to experience a more true sense of what the Belizean culture, food, and ecosystem is... before tourism takes over completely.

During our stay, we rented a golf cart, because the streets of Belize are not (yet) paved. They claim that they will never pave them (to save the island from being taken over by tourism), but we doubt that is true because we could see the roads deteriorate day by day as the construction trucks and tractors drove back and forth over them, causing bigger and bigger pot holes. And the dust! A normal ride home from dinner in the golf cart (which lasted about 30 minutes) would require a shower if you were the 2 lucky passengers sitting in the back, due to a thick layer of dust that would gather on your entire body. But on the bright side, it was certainly an adventure navigating around the island on that little cart.

The scuba diving in Belize was good; we were able to swim amongst 6 ft sharks, 5 ft wingspan sting rays, and many other large fish, not to mention the beautiful colorful smaller fish, conch shells, and coral that can be found underwater. We dove on two different days. On the first day, the water was so rough most of the passengers were getting sea-sick. But we all stuck it out and did our 2 dives. On the second day we dove, the water was much calmer and made for much more fun dives. Another day we took a snorkel trip during which we got to hold sharks, and pet the sting rays if we chose (much more interactive than during the diving). Our guide also dove down to the bottom of the ocean floor to retreive conch shells as souveniers for all the females on board. Pretty smart of him, as the shells were abundant and it certainly increased his tip!

We also took a trip inland one day for zip line/cave tubing. Our group took about a 45 minute boat ride over to Belize City where a van was waiting for us to take us to the zip line area. It was kind of like an amuzement park. We got all suited up and waited in line to go up to the top of a hill where the first station began. We then got to zip from one tree to another across the rainforest, well at least where they had the zip lines set up. But it wasn't like you could see wild animals or anything; this spot was very commercialized so there were not wild monkeys hanging from the trees like I'd hoped. I had been soooo excited about the zip-lining; I had convinced our whole group to pay $210 per person for the day trip to do it, and it really was lots of fun and (I think) worth the money. When in Belize...

The cave tubing was pretty funny, in that it made me realize how many people don't have the luxury that we Texans do to go tubing frequently. Most of the tourists had not ever been tubing before and as we went into the set-up area, they told stories of how we must wear shoes or our feet would get all cut up, and how we should not wear our flip flops or we'd certainly lose them, etc. The little store was renting water shoes and against the recommendations of everyone around us, we decided to take our chances and wear our flip-flops. Come to find out, we simply had to walk on a dirt path for about 15 minutes, then hop in the river which had no rapids and simply flowed slowly (needed to paddle to move at a good pace). Plus, we got to tell everyone about how tubing in Texas is all about bringing an extra tube for your ice chest. Our tour guides really liked that idea. We did get to wear "cool" headlamps around our foreheads to see up in the caves where it was very dark. We got to see some cool cave formations and bats, but other than that it was pretty much any other tubing trip, minus the beer.

Another cool thing about Belize was that the people really seemed to appreciate the tourists. After visiting other places, we know this is not always the case (sometimes you get the "this is my island and if you don't like the way we do things you can leave" attitude). But the Belizeans came up to us multiple times during our stay to thank us for visiting and to let us know that they appreciate the tourism, and ask that we return to visit again. It was nice to feel welcome!

And finally, the BEST part of our stay: the taco stands! On one of our first days, we found a taco stand that made pupusas right on the street, whose smell drew us right in. These were stuffed with pork, beans, and cheese, and you could have 2 of them with a Belikin (Belize's local bottled beer - very good according to the guys) and make a meal for about $4. They also served great tacos! Another day we tried out a different taco stand located a few blocks away on another street, where a woman had a large circular griddle with meat and onions cooking all the way around it. When we ordered she would bring out small corn tortillas and throw them on the griddle to warm them up, then add the meat/onion mixture and a little hot sauce (for those who wanted it). Each order was for a batch of 3 tacos, and they were to die for. I told Jennelle, Greg & Phil that if I was rich I would fly this woman (and her family if necessary) to San Antonio to live with me and cook these tacos for me all the time. They were DELICIOUS. And they went great with bottled Coca-Cola, another one of my favorite Central American delicacies.

Would we go back? Maybe, but there are so many other places in the world we want to see and to compare Belize to St. John, the beaches in St. John were far superior (although they did lack the taco stands).

Our House's Transformation!

BEFORE

AFTER

What an Enchanting Weekend!

On Friday afternoon my Mom came to town to visit us and will stay through my birthday this week. On Friday evening, we decided to have Thai for dinner at Mon's Thai Bistro. While Phil and Mom were adventurous with their meal choices (curry & spicy dishes), I stuck with old faithful, Pad Thai. Everything was really wonderful! After dinner we headed to Central Market so that everyone could pick out an ice cream flavor for dessert. We quickly learned that they do not carry as extensive selection of the Hill Country Fare brand of ice cream as the other HEB stores, but it didn't stop us from picking out a 1/2 gallon each!

On Saturday morning we got up early and my Aunt Carol met us at the house so that we could embark on the 1-1/2 hour journey to Enchanted Rock. Just outside of Fredericksburg, TX the 425 ft tall rock stands tall in the horizon. We hiked all the way to the top and even those in the group who excercise often were huffing and puffing a bit before getting to the top. The climb is kind of steep in some areas, needless to say. The weather that morning had been pretty dreary in the 50s but we certainly warmed up during the hike! By the time we got to the top, we were ready for a short break and took a few moments to take photos and chat before climbing back down.
On the trek down the hill, we decided to pass the time by playing the reciting game "I went to my Grandmother's house and in my Enchanted bag I packed..." where each person picks an item in alphabetical order and the next person has to list everything everyone else has packed and add something on that begins with the next letter. Phil was a good sport and played along, and when he got to "L" he packed Lauren in his bag! What a sweetie. :) Needless to say, we got to "Z" just as we arrived back at the car. We had a little picnic in the back of Phil's vehicle, consisting of the turkey sandwiches I'd made earlier that morning, pretzels, pickles, and drinks. We started heading back to the city and made it back around 2ish. Mom and Carol had to run an errand so we laid in the sun to work on our tans for a while and then started doing some yard work. We pulled 2 trash bags full of weeds before we all needed to take a shower, Cooper included. He had been such a great helper digging in the yard... at one point he had so much mud on his paws it looked like he was wearing shoes! But I don't think he liked it much because he started gnawing at the mud to get it off his foot.

Today we went to my Uncle Jerry & Aunt Patricia's house for lunch to celebrate my birthday early. Patricia had made a lovely lunch with a spread of appetizers, pasta for lunch, and then we had layered chocolate birthday cake for dessert. Everything was delicious and we had a wonderful time. We were able to get them set up on their computer with e-mail, something they had been wanting to do for a long time, so it was beneficial for them as well! Jerry also sent us home with a beautiful Bird of Paradise plant and Ginger plant for our yard, so we are on to a good start for our Spring garden. Now we look forward to Robin's visit in a few weeks so she can help us move forward with actually planting them in our garden!!