So it seems the Lord has plans for us to remain in Houston for a while. We fasted all day yesterday and went to the temple. I kept asking Trevor if he had seen a light and heard a voice yet. It's really not fair how he can just receive answers so easily. I think I'm just a lost cause on that front. But after going to the temple, he indeed had received a very clear answer that we were to remain where we are. Now let me tell you what I think about all this.
In our 7 1/2 years of married life, we have moved several times. In fact this 2 1/2 years that we have been in Houston has been the longest we have been in one spot. Because of all the moving, I have become accustomed to changing my scenery every couple of years (or less). And since we have been here for practically an eternity, I am experiencing what I like to call "itchy feet". I just start getting the itch for a change. Does that make sense? Change is hard, don't get me wrong. It's just what I've gotten used to. And the possibility of Oklahoma provided that change. It also provided me with an opportunity escape this next summer in Houston! I need to clarify, though, that I love our home here in Houston. We have a great ward, and there so many great people here. I would have been sad to leave, if only for a year. But no worries about that anymore, because we're here for a while. Grace was very relieved that we are staying. She is such a social being, and loves her friends quite a lot. So, enough talk about Oklahoma. Who needs it!!! :)
So, since we're staying....you should see what Trevor got for himself for MY birthday! Yeah, ask me how I really feel about it. All I wanted was a new tv (to replace the old 20-incher)with HD capabilities for the future event of the switch-over to HD broadcasting. Oh, and I wanted a more sturdy tv console that my 11-month old can't pull over on herself--you know, because anything is an improvement on the nightstand that the tv has been sitting on. So, all in the name of the safety of our children...we now have a new flatscreen tv, with a full theater surround sound system, and of course he also needed a new blu-ray dvd player. You know, because we own so many blu-ray discs. Yes, heavy sarcasm is definitley implied. I won't tell you what the whole thing cost, because I really want to erase that knowledge from my mind. What is it about men and their desire for the best quality, most realistic home movie experience? I will never understand... Although, he's watching Pirates of the Caribbean on it right now, and it is pretty sweet. So I guess I'll stop giving him such a hard time about it.
Funny Holly story of the day...
So today I was kind of on an organization spree. I was going through the girls' room, and throwing away old junk that just seems to pile up. Well, one of the toys that I happened to put in the trash was a little happy meal toy from forever ago. I didn't think anyone would even notice that it was missing. Boy was I wrong. A little while later, I overheard some commotion from Holly telling her dad that she didn't want that toy thrown away. (I guess my children check the trash to see what is in there.) Her dad said that she needed to be okay with it going in the trash. She then comes running in the kitchen to tell me the whole drama. I couldn't keep from laughing when she ended her plea by saying, "but it is just so precious to me." (sniff sniff). Of course I let her keep the dumb toy...I mean, if it's that precious to her, who am I to be throwing it away?
Oh, and an update on my first week of dieting. I did excellent! I actually lost 4.8 pounds, which really surprised me. But, hey, I'll take it! Now I just need to stick with it...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
...where the wind comes sweeping down the plains
All right, I'm finally getting around to updating my blog. I feel like it's been centuries! Due to our trip to Utah, I've been a bit disconnected. But I'm sure once I dig myself and my family out of our suitcases, do a mountain of laundry, put away Christmas, go through the gigantic pile of mail that was delivered today (two week's worth), clean my house, teach piano students, and just do the day to day stuff, I will catch up on what everyone is up to on their blogs, too! I'm a little mixed on the emotions of being home after such a great trip to Utah. We had such a blast. And being home is nice and all (their's nothing like your own bed), and having Kate in her own bed (hallelujah!) and bedroom (can I hear an amen?), but their is a bittersweetness about coming off of such a fun trip and going back to reality. Grace went back to school today. I taught 4 kids piano. And I only got halfway through putting Christmas away. Nothing like getting back to the grind of everyday life. On the upside, I did get to go to Costco for a little "therapy".
It was so much fun to visit with family and friends over Christmas. How blessed we are to be surrounded by such wonderful people all the time. Amidst all the family parties, game nights, and general merriment, Trevor and I did find a little time to escape on our own. He planned the whole thing. We stayed at a little bed and breakfast up in Midway that was just fantastic. It was so beautiful up there with all the snow. We swam in the crater, and we even got to spend a few hours in the spa at the Homestead. It was so nice just to sleep through the night, (since Kate didn't do that the entire time we were on vacation--teething!) It's been at least three years since we have "gotten away" like that. It was nice to spend time with each other without the kids and find out that we still like eachother!
And it was so fun to get together with friends a few nights before we left. We all met at Brick Oven, and it was a blast as usual. There's just never enough time to chat with everyone. I love that we have stayed in contact over the years. And I hope we continue to do so. It was so great to see you all!
So, now it's back to the grind, and onto my new year's resolutions. The main one being: DIET like CRAZY!!! I have to lose the 5 pounds that I gained over Christmas (yes, I braved the scale this morning, and it was frightening) and the other 10 that likes to hang around all the time. So, today was the first day, and I have to say I did pretty good. Although, I am starting to get that sugar-detox headache. Hopefully after this first week that will go away. So I'm joining the ranks of everyother person in the known world that has weight loss ambitions. I'm pretty determined, so I'll keep ya'll updated on my progress.
Oh, and I bet your wondering about the title of the post. Many of you already know that we may be moving to Oklahoma City for a year assignment. Well, we still haven't decided whether or not we will go, but hopefully some decisions will be made in the coming weeks. It would be a good training opportunity for Trevor. I am a little worried about the upheaval of our family, but at the same time, I feel the itch for the change. Does that make sense? We wouldn't sell our house in Houston. And if we do go, it would be this coming summer. One thing I do dread, and I know this sounds really stupid, but they don't have Costco in Oklahoma. I know, I need to get my priorities straight or get a life or something. But this is a big issue for me. Go ahead, tell me I'm ridiculous. But maybe there will be a miracle--like, Costco decides to open a warehouse right by us! That would be sweet. Everyone pray for a miracle. Otherwise, I may have to put on a brave face and get a... Sam's card (gasp!). I know. That's how I feel about it, too.
This post is just going on and on, so I will leave you with well wishes. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and is keeping their new year's resolutions! :)
It was so much fun to visit with family and friends over Christmas. How blessed we are to be surrounded by such wonderful people all the time. Amidst all the family parties, game nights, and general merriment, Trevor and I did find a little time to escape on our own. He planned the whole thing. We stayed at a little bed and breakfast up in Midway that was just fantastic. It was so beautiful up there with all the snow. We swam in the crater, and we even got to spend a few hours in the spa at the Homestead. It was so nice just to sleep through the night, (since Kate didn't do that the entire time we were on vacation--teething!) It's been at least three years since we have "gotten away" like that. It was nice to spend time with each other without the kids and find out that we still like eachother!
And it was so fun to get together with friends a few nights before we left. We all met at Brick Oven, and it was a blast as usual. There's just never enough time to chat with everyone. I love that we have stayed in contact over the years. And I hope we continue to do so. It was so great to see you all!
So, now it's back to the grind, and onto my new year's resolutions. The main one being: DIET like CRAZY!!! I have to lose the 5 pounds that I gained over Christmas (yes, I braved the scale this morning, and it was frightening) and the other 10 that likes to hang around all the time. So, today was the first day, and I have to say I did pretty good. Although, I am starting to get that sugar-detox headache. Hopefully after this first week that will go away. So I'm joining the ranks of everyother person in the known world that has weight loss ambitions. I'm pretty determined, so I'll keep ya'll updated on my progress.
Oh, and I bet your wondering about the title of the post. Many of you already know that we may be moving to Oklahoma City for a year assignment. Well, we still haven't decided whether or not we will go, but hopefully some decisions will be made in the coming weeks. It would be a good training opportunity for Trevor. I am a little worried about the upheaval of our family, but at the same time, I feel the itch for the change. Does that make sense? We wouldn't sell our house in Houston. And if we do go, it would be this coming summer. One thing I do dread, and I know this sounds really stupid, but they don't have Costco in Oklahoma. I know, I need to get my priorities straight or get a life or something. But this is a big issue for me. Go ahead, tell me I'm ridiculous. But maybe there will be a miracle--like, Costco decides to open a warehouse right by us! That would be sweet. Everyone pray for a miracle. Otherwise, I may have to put on a brave face and get a... Sam's card (gasp!). I know. That's how I feel about it, too.
This post is just going on and on, so I will leave you with well wishes. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and is keeping their new year's resolutions! :)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Precious
(front)
(inside)
(back)
(inside)
(back)
I found this cute card in Grace's school folder. Classic! This is a keeper.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Annual Christmas Lunch
Every year since we moved to Houston, our realtor has invited us for lunch at Champions Golf Club. It's really sweet of her to keep inviting us. We just fell in love with her and her husband when they were helping us find our home, and they just feel like family. I think they like to pretend that our children are their grandchildren. So they like to invite us to their club to see the beautiful Christmas trees and decorations. It's a really beautiful display, and I'm just kicking myself that I forgot our camera. I was determined to take pictures this year, and I walked out the door without the camera! So, what you have here are some not so great pictures taken with my trusty cell phone. At least it's something, right? But I didn't get a picture of our lovely host and hostess. I guess there's always next year.
This picture really doesn't even come close to doing it justice. All around the bottoms of the trees were tons of talking/singing animals that the girls' all loved to play with, and there was an electric train that went around the trees as well. The whole back wall of the dining room is picture windows that look out onto the beautiful golf course. (Tiger Woods has even played this course!) Trevor dreams of belonging to this very exclusive club someday. I keep telling him to keep dreaming, 'cause it ain't happenin'! One, because I can think of a million other ways to spend that kind of money (hello, can we say newly remodeled kitchen?) And two, you have to be really good at golf, and have a certain handicap (sorry, that's golfing terminology) to even join. Sorry honey, but you need to keep practicing!
So, sorry for the terrible, grainy pictures. But we really did have a great time with some great people!
This picture really doesn't even come close to doing it justice. All around the bottoms of the trees were tons of talking/singing animals that the girls' all loved to play with, and there was an electric train that went around the trees as well. The whole back wall of the dining room is picture windows that look out onto the beautiful golf course. (Tiger Woods has even played this course!) Trevor dreams of belonging to this very exclusive club someday. I keep telling him to keep dreaming, 'cause it ain't happenin'! One, because I can think of a million other ways to spend that kind of money (hello, can we say newly remodeled kitchen?) And two, you have to be really good at golf, and have a certain handicap (sorry, that's golfing terminology) to even join. Sorry honey, but you need to keep practicing!
So, sorry for the terrible, grainy pictures. But we really did have a great time with some great people!Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Ward Christmas Party
In the words of Chandler Bing: Could she BE any cuter? 
Our camera has been having issues, so it didn't catch how very cute she looked in the hat, she
Our camera has been having issues, so it didn't catch how very cute she looked in the hat, shewould be posing so nice and smiling, and the camera would just take too long, and the lighting was wrong, yada yada yada...oh well, you can just imagine how very cute she looked. 
This is all taken at our ward christmas party last weekend.
You would think this was all the proof she needed....But she came up to me and said, it's not the real Santa, mom. Me: "Why do you say that?" Grace: "Because he's wearing a ring." (Santa was wearing a gold band.) Me:"Well, why can't Santa wear a ring?!" Grace: she just shrugs her shoulders. Me: "Well, Santa can wear a ring." And that's how I left it. She still looked skeptical.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Santa
Okay, I know I just posted, but I forgot one thing. Melinda mentioned in her blog about her quandary with kids and "lying" to them about Santa. Well, I have had the same issues with Grace. She is a very curious kid, and I seriously think that if I don't use different "special" wrapping paper for the presents from Santa, she would probably notice and ask why Santa's stuff is wrapped just like everything else. When I was a kid, I couldn't have cared less, and I wouldn't have noticed. But she does. So she's been asking me about whether Santa is real. I always try to deflect and ask her, "well what do you think?" And she answers, "Yes, I think he's real." But then she'll start to tell me how a friend of hers told her he wasn't real. (I really want to smack this kid for putting the idea in her head in the first place!) But, even though she says she thinks he's real, I think she still has doubts. Because she wrote her letter to Santa a few days ago, and wanted me to mail it. I, of course, told her I would, and as soon as she'd gone to bed, ripped it open to see what it said. It had her list of what she wanted for Christmas, and among the ipod, bunny slippers, roller skates, and other things, she also asked for a "picshur of you" (Santa), and a "picshur of your elves". What can I say...I guess she just wants proof!
Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and More...
Well, it sure feels like I haven't posted in FOREVER. I tell ya, heading into the holidays just makes life a little crazier. But I love it. November has just flown by. My parents came into town over Trevor's birthday, and we all spent the weekend in San Antonio. That was lots of fun to enjoy the nice weather and relax.
For Thanksgiving, we headed to Austin to spend it with our good friends, the Cluffs. They have four kids, and we have three, so it was a full house and a little crazy. But that's what makes it fun. Good friends, good food, good times. Thanks Jay and Julie for a wonderful weekend! Julie and I hit all the Black Friday (and Saturday) sales. I have two words for you, people: Potterybarn Outlet. Need I say more? What more could you want in life? Nothing, that's what. The whole entire store was 40% off except for the furniture...it was 60% off! I know, it just about made me pee my pants! I love that place. We shopped and shopped, and shopped some more over the two days. It was a lot of fun, and yes, we got up at the crack of dawn Friday morning because that's just what we do! It's fun to get up when it's still dark out, and just throw on some clothes and shop all around town with bedhead. After about noon, we felt like we needed to head back to at least shower, since most of the people we were seeing weren't the "early morning" crowd that looked like us anymore. But I got almost all my Christmas shopping done, so mission accomplished!
I have a small confession to make. My Christmas tree has been up and decorated since a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I know...it's against even my own rules. But we got a new tree this year. The $20 6-footer from WalMart that we bought 6 or 7 years ago, was screaming for a break. Or maybe it was just me screaming. Anyhow, we got a new one, and it's beautiful and the best part is it's PRE-LIT! Fantastic. So, we just couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving to put it up. And I figure, we won't be around over Christmas, so we needed to put it up early so we could enjoy it for as long as possible.
Well friends, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And I hope you all enjoy as much as I do this wonderful Christmas season. I promise to post pics next time I post.
For Thanksgiving, we headed to Austin to spend it with our good friends, the Cluffs. They have four kids, and we have three, so it was a full house and a little crazy. But that's what makes it fun. Good friends, good food, good times. Thanks Jay and Julie for a wonderful weekend! Julie and I hit all the Black Friday (and Saturday) sales. I have two words for you, people: Potterybarn Outlet. Need I say more? What more could you want in life? Nothing, that's what. The whole entire store was 40% off except for the furniture...it was 60% off! I know, it just about made me pee my pants! I love that place. We shopped and shopped, and shopped some more over the two days. It was a lot of fun, and yes, we got up at the crack of dawn Friday morning because that's just what we do! It's fun to get up when it's still dark out, and just throw on some clothes and shop all around town with bedhead. After about noon, we felt like we needed to head back to at least shower, since most of the people we were seeing weren't the "early morning" crowd that looked like us anymore. But I got almost all my Christmas shopping done, so mission accomplished!
I have a small confession to make. My Christmas tree has been up and decorated since a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I know...it's against even my own rules. But we got a new tree this year. The $20 6-footer from WalMart that we bought 6 or 7 years ago, was screaming for a break. Or maybe it was just me screaming. Anyhow, we got a new one, and it's beautiful and the best part is it's PRE-LIT! Fantastic. So, we just couldn't wait until after Thanksgiving to put it up. And I figure, we won't be around over Christmas, so we needed to put it up early so we could enjoy it for as long as possible.
Well friends, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And I hope you all enjoy as much as I do this wonderful Christmas season. I promise to post pics next time I post.
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