I'm confused

Here's how the conversation went today when my mom called at 930am:
Mom: Hi, you're up! Have you guys seen Ocean's 13?
Me: No. We really want to. (Is she calling for my opinion on it? Are they thinking about going or something?)
Mom: Do you want to go see it tonite with us?
Me: ------? Huh? What? I'M CONFUSED!!!!
Mom: (laughs her head off and tells Dad my reaction)
Mom: Well, we wanted to drive down to see you and take you out!
Me: Seriously?! OKAY!!
Mom: See you in a couple of hours!

Brett and I cleaned house, got a haircut (just Brett), and then ran a few errands to exchange some stuff and get some new pants and a shirt for him at Macy's (thanks, Patty and Jim!). Mom and Dad got to our apartment about 2 mins before we did!

It was so much fun! We talked at the house for a while and then headed out to see said movie (very good, by the way). Afterwards, we headed to a local place for some grub. What a fun day! It's been a great weekend surprise!

Happy Birthday to Katie, Brett's cousin!

Presents!

On my birthday, I like to have dinner and save the presents for last. I knew that there was no way that Brett would be able to do that! So, after he got home from work and we piddled around a bit, he went at them! He got some great loot from family, including some shirts, ties, Seinfeld DVDs, a Yankees hat (for the game he's going to with his dad!), Casino Royale, $, a grill book, The Office DVDs, and a couple of gift certificates!!

Once he opened his presents and cards, we went to an Italian place right down the street. We hadn't been there before and decided it's about on par with this fabulous place we rave about in NYC. Pretty impressive! We had enough for leftovers....and then we just now realized we left them on the table!!!!! ARG! I'm so mad!

Normally, I would have a bunch of pictures to post for you, but it turns out that my camera truly has died. Even with new batteries, it won't work. But, lucky for us, I never developed the pictures from the throw-away cameras from our wedding! I grabbed one of those and took some from the evening. Now the only question is what they look like when they come out!

Happy Birthday again, Brett!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRETT!

Happy Birthday to my favorite man! I LOVE YOU!

Also, happy birthday to our nephew Kadin!
Here's to the terrible twos! =)

The Office Party

After tutoring and running some errands, I got to go to a party for my hubby! The secretaries are great to the other workers and give them a party on their birthday! There were two of Brett's favorite cakes: chocolate with raspberry and a cheescake. Mmm! He got the song and candles and the first piece: the whole she-bang! We hung around and talked with his co-workers and boss for a long time, and enjoyed a preview into his birthday tomorrow! I didn't get to take any pictures since my camera has either bad batteries or is dead! Bummer...

And you thought working in an office with a bunch of book-nerds was boring!

Anniversary Shout-out

Happy Anniversary to Jonathan and Kelley! It's been a great four years! In that time since their wedding, B & I got married, and J & K had a baby! And amongst us, we've lived in Greenville, SC; Banner Elk, NC; Winston Salem, NC; Arlington, VA; Richmond, VA; India; Houston, TX! It's fun that we've remained great friends through all the transitions!

I have my moments

Sometimes I get this itch. I bet you've had it, too. I don't realize it's coming, but then--bam!--it's there. Like a mosquito bite, it's practically impossible to not scratch. I can look at it, avoid it for a period, or even pretend it's not there, but then it only comes back stronger.

I went this afternoon to buy a pair of black shoes because I'm hoping I'll have an interview soon. And wearing my skirt suit with my 4" strappy heels probably won't scream "responsible, caring, and geniune teacher". So, I headed over to the great shoes source: DSW. And that's when the itch came. Have you been there lately? Oh, the shoes! The colors! The styles! The heels! I resisted my urge to buy some tall shoes and got a pair of black closed-toed ones for my suit, with only about an inch heel, so I can also teach in them. See, I'm practical! But then that itch reared it's head. I'd bought what I needed; now I should shop for what I wanted! Right?

And I did. I got one other pair of shoes. Let me justify the purchase for you: I needed a casual, comfortable pair of black shoes to wear with shorts or pants; and the other advantage is that I could also get away with teaching in these. They are so comfortable! So, see, I'm not as frivolous as you might think; I practically needed these as well! Plus, I signed up for the rewards program, so I'm earning points to my savings by buying another pair! =)

After such a hard day of trying on hundreds of shoes and fending off great desires to buy about half of them (oh-and I did make another teensy-weensy stop to Old Navy), I was too wiped out to cook dinner, of course! I used what change I had left and treated Brett to Papa John's pizza!

Brett calls days like this my "moments": it's the occasional day when I turn into a complete "desperate housewife", shopping all day and refusing to cook dinner! Today I was definitely having a moment.

Not much

I don't have much for today, so I'll leave you with a fun picture from a wedding. Maybe tomorrow I'll be inspired! Chao!

I really love my...

People.com has a section of their site called "I really love my...". In it they show celebrities in at least 3 different photos from different days, wearing or carrying the SAME item (gasp!!!). Since I have been able to elude the paparazzi for some time now, I decided I would go ahead and provide y'all a list of those things I really love & would have been caught wearing/carrying at least 10 times in the last month, in case you want to go out and copy me so you can be cool, too. Here it goes:

I really love my...
1. "I *heart* Texas" shirt
(only wear this if you are a True Texan, please)
2. Ann Taylor Loft sunglasses
(mine are old (!), so you'll just have to get one of this season's pair)
3. Brown Old Navy flip-flops
(always in style and available)
4. Diamond studs and Brighton sparking heart drop earrings
(warning: you must have double-pierced ears for this)
5. COACH purse
(why would I need to carry any other purse? I LOVE this one!)

So what would you be caught with if the camera snapped you?

Lest you forget

Hello, Faithful Readers (and those who aren't so faithful, but just happened to stop by),

How goes it? Our Friday evening involved a nap after work, sloppy joes, a portion of season 3 of Seinfeld, and piddling around. We have to rest up because a week from now we'll be partying it up for Brett's birthday! Wohoo!

Happy Weekend to all, and to all a Good Night! ¡Hasta mañana!


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Happy Summer!

Today is the official start of summer! I can't decide if I should "yay" or "ugh"!

You know it's Summer in Texas when...
-you no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water (ironically, it's been raining lots!)
-you can make instant sun tea
-you learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron
-you get a sunburn through your tinted car windows
-no one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning
-you break a sweat the instant you step outside...at 7:30 a.m.before work
-the temperature drops below 90 & you feel a bit chilly
-you find out that it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car since the steering wheel is so hot
-sunscreen with SPF less than 50 is called "hand cream"
-you notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance
-it's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets
-you burn your hand opening the car door
-your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"

Traveling Man

After Kelley's comment earlier, I was curious about how much I have traveled this year. So I thought I'd recap how many times and miles I have flown in the past year.

September 2006: Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
September 2006 (again): Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
October 2006: Houston to DC and back - 2400 miles
November 2006: Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
December 2006: Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
December 2006: Houston to DC and back - 2400 miles
January 2007: Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
February 2007: Houston to . . . INDIA and back - 17,000
March 2007: NO TRAVEL!
April 2007: Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
April 2007: Houston to DC and back - 2400 miles (bought our house)
April 2007 (again): Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
May 2007: Houston to NOLA and back - 700 miles
May 2007: Houston to DC and back - 2400 miles
May 2007: Houston to Boston and back - 3000 miles
June 2007: Houston to DC and back - 2400 miles

Upcoming travel:
August 2007: DC to Dominican Republic - 4000 miles
August 2007: DC to New York - 1000 miles

Total roundtrip flights: 18!
Total miles: 42,600!

VACAY!

Upon the suggestion of my dad, we have set aside a certain amount of moo-lah to buy all those things that we are going to want once we get into the new house: guest bed, TV, rugs, couch, DVD player, etc., plus the random things we aren't thinking of. When you come visit us after August, and your guest bed isn't quite as comfortable as you thought we would get, and you see that we still have that dark, used sofa, you can blame it on the fact that we have an insatiable desire to travel together. We've taken part of the "stuff for the house" money and decided to call it "vacation" money instead! I am SO excited!

Come mid August, we'll be here for five nights: Majestic Colonial in the Dominican Republic! We get a king-sized bed, terrace, beach, pool, and all our food and drinks included! The new couch can definitely wait (but don't worry--we've got our priorities straight: we're getting the new TV!)

Hotter than Hades

Now that Kelley and Jonathan aren't suffering in the heat of East Asia, I feel that I now have somewhat of a right to complain about the heat here in Houston. People, it's hot. But it's not just hot, it's humid. You can walk the 20 feet from the front door to the car door and have that feeling that you've been at a baseball game: sticky and moist. My shoes of choice are flip-flops, and as soon as I walk out the door, my feet immediately feel wet. That's gross. But there's nothing I can do about it! It's as though you are wading through the humidity.

And I'm beginning to understand why people put those soft, fuzzy or animal print things on their steering wheel; it's much more embarrassing to say you burned your hands on the steering wheel than on say, a curling iron or oven!

In other areas across Texas, there's major flooding! Here are a few pictures my sissy sent me from Sherman, where they live. Wonder if that guy thought he'd ever use that old fanboat sitting in the garage!

Happy Father's Day! (and other stuff)

I don't want to sound snobby, but I have the best dad in the world. Really. A couple weeks ago he asked me to give him a list of ways he could have done a better job as a dad. He and my mom are doing a parenting series for the young couples in their Bible study, and the couples wanted to know what we thought of mom and dad as parents. The reason I never got back to him is because I couldn't come up with anything he should have done differently. I love the way he raised me. I know I'm the only girl in the family so that means I am automatically a "daddy's girl", but I think he struck the perfect balance between giving me that love and making me learn responsibility. I turned out pretty great, don't you think? =)

And I love that every Thursday I get to call Dad. All the nurses at his office know exactly who I am when I call and they immediately pull him out of the room with his patients because they know this is "our thing". It's been going on for about the last 8 years, and it's a highlight of every week.

So, thanks to my Dad for being the most wonderful in the world!


Since it's Father's Day, I also want to give due credit to my hubby's dad. If I didn't have my dad, he'd be my second choice. The Lord really blessed me with such great in-laws. I love that Charlie is incredibly hospitable, generous, and caring. He immediately drops anything to talk or help not only Brett, but me too! And I must give him props for raising such a great son. He doesn't like to take credit for it, but I know that Brett learned so many of his wonderful traits from his dad. I see Charlie in Brett all the time, and it's not scary; it's a compliment!


Lastly, Happy Anniversary to Charlie and Jo! They are celebrating their 29th anniversary today! We both hope it's wonderful!

What do we do?

This is the first Saturday in weeks that we haven't been out of town or had anything planned. Once 10am rolled around, we wondered what on earth we used to do with our free time, since we were already bored!

We started out this morning by running some errands, one which included a trip to Circuit City. I would really like a new camera, so I went to price them out and decide what I actually want in one. Do you have any good recommendations? I found a Sony I liked, but when I read the reviews online, I found lots of negatives on the indoor pics it takes. We also stopped by the TV section and browsed, since one of our fun purchases once we move will be a new TV!

Anyway...this afternoon we got things done around here and enjoyed the thunderstorms and a long nap! Tonight we ran to Marble Slab for milkshakes and then watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Now that we've seen all 3, we can catch references in the first that appear in the others. Good times.

So in the end, we figured out how to spend our Saturday, and it was great!

House warming party

Our Friday evening for drinks and snacks turned into a whole nite! Eric and Trisha are a couple who both work with Brett. They are really wonderful people; the more time I spend with Trisha, I realize that we should have been hanging out a lot this year since we get along so well and are interested in the same things! Anyway, they just moved into a new house! It was finally finished at the end of May and tonight they hosted a quick drink party! We were all having such a great time that Brett and I were one of the first couples to leave at 1000pm! I'm mad that I forgot my camera, since I have NO pictures of all our work friends. So, use your imagination!

Help me decide

Should I buy this?

It's a duvet, in case you didn't know. Before you give your answer, let me make you aware of several facts.

Number 1: I don't need it. I just want it. I have a red one.
Number 2: I've wanted it for a long time, but never bought it, even though my perfect husband said I could if I wanted. Now it's on sale.
Number 3: It's been discontinued and I won't be able to get it after several weeks.
Number 4: I'm moving into a great new house in a few weeks. So, do I allow myself this great buy for our bedroom, or do I save the moo-lah and use it toward something else?

I'm terrible with decisions, so I'll probably take on my mother's motto, "When in doubt, don't buy."

Friends moving

Tonight we spent the evening with Erin and Evan at the Houston Astros baseball game. They are leaving on Friday to move to Austin, so it was great to get to do one last activity with the two of them. We are sad to see them go, since they have become our "couple" friends here, but we're leaving, too, eventually, so one of us had to go first!

I also just got off the phone with Kelley. When I wake up in the morning, she will be en route to the USA for good! It's not that I'll actually see her when she arrives on Friday morning, but there's something about knowing that she's Stateside that is so exciting! Please pray for their safe journey, but especially for Kiran to cope and adjust well to all the flights and time changes.

DC Bar Trip Recap

It's a great day because it feels like Monday, but it's actually already Tuesday!

Our time up in NOVA was a great success! We canceled all meetings with friends and decided to take it easy, seeing no one but Charlie and Jo. The weather was absolutely beautiful, which meant we spent hours and hours on the porch. Brett's folks have one of the prettiest back yards on the earth; it's so relaxing and inviting!

We did take time on Sunday to run down to see our house. We drove by and then headed to the restaurant/theatre/library strip about 2 miles away. I hadn't been down there, so we walked along, enjoying some Caribou Coffee (though not as much as Starbucks) and reading the menus of the Thai, Indian, American, Chinese, and European restaurants that line the street. We can't wait to try them out! After that quick trip, the two of us headed to church. Once we got home we threw the baseball and had shish-ka-bobs out on the patio! Delicious!

Monday morning is when we attended ceremony. Charlie drove us the hour (because of traffic!) to the metro and then we traveled the 40 mins to the DC Courts. Once there, the judges commended the group on being the most distinguished list of candidates (but of course!) to enter the DC Bar, had them swear, spoke for 5 mins, and let us go! We were done within 15 mins! The VA ceremony had been much different: every student's name had been called out, so it lasted FOR-EV-ER. This was super short and sweet! Instead of waiting around to have lunch like we had planned, we headed back home. We spent the afternoon enjoying the weather and even fell asleep on the bench outside! It was lovely!

Our trip home was uneventful, and we've charged into the week! I think our traveling is mostly done for the summer until our big move. My brother comes home from Asia in July, so we'll have to go see him, but don't have any other travel on the schedule. There's always the possibility, though!

Perfect Vacation

I wasn't going to post tonite since we are swamped and ready for bed, but I had to. I've just found the perfect vacation! We've been pondering going on a cruise in August, and this is similar. Our newspaper is giving some great ideas in their articles. Please go here to read it and let me know what you think!

Jesus Christ, Superstar

This production ranks as one of the best selling and most popular. And last nite, Brett and I went with Charlie and Jo to see it at an outdoor theatre. If you aren't familiar with it, this "rock opera" depicts that last 6 days of Jesus' life, focusing mainly on the relationship between Judas and Jesus.

After the show, we all decided that we didn't really like it. Brett and I didn't think the music was fabulous, for one, especially since sometimes it was hard to understand the words at times. I also thought that it didn't flow or agree like I expected. Overall, it was very serious, but then there is a scene in which Herod comes out and is comedic and sings a number with his can-can girls. Also, throughout the show, the characters are dressed in attire appropriate for the day; yet toward the end, Judas comes out wearing sunglasses and a sparkly robe. And then, of course, there is the whole issue of Mary Magdalene being more than just a follower of Christ.

We were glad to have seen it, since we've always heard about it. And I really do love going to see plays, so that part was fun. Beforehand, we had a great dinner out on a patio, overlooking perfectly green fields. And the family time was fun! But, our review is that it's not really something we'd go to again or recommend to others.

If you've seen it, I'd love to hear your opinions!

Today's schedule

1030am - wake up
1100am - brunch
1230pm - shower
130pm - sit on porch, read, talk
215pm - small lunch
300pm - sit on porch, read, talk
445pm - check email, get snack
500pm - sit on porch, read, talk
530pm - leave for evening activity

It's been so relaxing!

Jet Setters

Once again, we are off! This is the 4th of 5 weekends!

On Monday AM, my fab hub will be sworn into the DC Circuit, so we are making an entire weekend of it by heading up to stay with his folks! They treat us like King and Queen, so I have no doubt we will enjoy this weekend! We have a number of activities planned, but intend to spend some quality time relaxing and sleeping in tomorrow morning! It's been a long time since we've been able to do that! Have a great weekend! Maybe we'll talk to you from the East; otherwise, catch you back here next week!

Yo, Ho! Yo, Ho!

Last night I took my hubby out on a date! He came home from work and I fixed him some delicious grub, and then we headed off to the movies. The last time we went to the movies was December; before that, July 2006. It's a rare occasion that we find a movie we are actually willing to pay $10 to see! Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End earned that right.

I'm a very big Pirates fan. I know that the 2nd and 3rd ones aren't as good as the first, but I can't help but love Jack Sparrow and the intrigue of living on the sea, hunting treasure, and avoiding capture! I wish that we had rented the 2nd one prior to seeing the one last night, since we had forgotten some of the important characters and pieces, which made it a bit confusing. Still, I enjoyed the film, and I loved being out on a date in the middle of the week! What fun!

[If you go see it, sit through the credits to see a last scene. They are very long (you'll have time to go to the bathroom and back!) but there is one last scene]

The tradition continues

Josh married Vanessa in 2003.
Brett married me in 2004.
Kyle married Amanda in 2005.
Coogie married Caitlin in 2006.
Richie married Liz in 2007.

Richie is the 2nd to last guy in Brett's group to get hitched, and Tyler has been looming out there. I told Tyler over the weekend that it was his duty to keep up the tradition of a wedding amongst the guy group every year since graduation. As of tonite, Tyler is on that road!! We are thrilled to hear that Lindsi, who was his girlfriend all weekend long, is now his fiance! It's so fun to hear because Lindsi talked with Amanda and me about how she had been so ready for Tyler to propose! And tonite he completely surprised her! Brett got to walk Lindsi down the aisle before Tyler did (at Amanda and Kyle's wedding!) so we are glad Tyler is finally going to get to do the same!

I don't know if they'll actually wait until 2008 for the wedding, but we are very happy with his lady choice! Lindsi has one of the biggest hearts! Plus, I am thrilled to see each of these great single guys end up with a woman who is even better!

Congratulations, Lindsi and Tyler!

Birthday month

June 1 officially began Brett's birthday month! I'm not exactly sure how a whole month was instituted into the birthday celebration, but it is. It stems partially from the fact that my birthday is on the 1st day of the month. My birthday cards and presents always dragged in because people would finally turn their calendar from February to March on about the 6th of March and then realize that my birthday had been a week earlier! Oops! So, a whole month it is! And lucky for Brett, his birthday month leads up to the final celebration on the 29th! He will receive little presents and dates and fun little reminders of his upcoming day!


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And speaking of birthdays, I'd like to wish Holly a fabulous one today! Happy Birthday, Holly!

Northern Exposure

Our weekend was jam-packed full of fun! In case you hadn't noticed (but, of course you did, didn't you?), we were a bit MIA over the last few days. The major reason for our absence was to attend Richie's wedding up in Newport, Rhode Island. (Liz went to Salve Regina University there, which explains why they chose to wed there rather than in NOVA where they are both from.) We left our computers at home and enjoyed 4 days free of internet access and full of cool weather and new sites!

Here's a breakdown of our trip:
Our trip didn't exactly start so well. First of all, I had to wake at 415. That's rough. Then, on the way to the airport, I threw up. Really rough. Thankfully, I slept the entire 4 hours to Boston, and once we got our rental car and were on our way, we didn't run into any more hiccups!

Newport is about 70 miles south of Boston, making it a very easy drive. We arrived and immediately saw a bunch of "the guys"--Brett's former roomies and their wives/girlfriend. It's such fun to catch up! That evening, Brett went off to the rehearsal while I got to shower and rest a bit before heading to the dinner. We dined under a tent set right on the dock, and ate our fill of lobster! It was delicious! I'd never had lobster before and I'm not a huge seafood person, but it was actually quite tasty! The bride and groom played a slideshow and introduced the wedding party, and then the guests got to tell their stories about the couple. Great fun!

On Friday, the day of the wedding, Brett had a bunch of groomsman activities to do, but I had time to do a little exploring of the island and town. I had lunch with two friends, Amanda and Lindsi, and then shopped in the quaint town with those two and Kyle and Tyler.

I became hero of the day when Richie's parents called me as I was drying my hair that afternoon, asking how soon I could be ready!
ME: "How soon? How soon do you need me to be ready?"
SUE: "Oh...I don't know....5, 10 minutes?"
ME: WHAT?! "Oh, sure! I can just finish getting ready at the site, right?"
SUE: "Yeah, that's fine!"
I scrambled to put on clothes and get my stuff together so I could get the groom's parents to the site for pictures, since they were doing those ahead of time. Somehow, they got left without a car, and I got to save the day!

The wedding was outside at the Ocean Cliff Hotel. And it's just what it sounds like. It was on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, though the wind was quite wretched. Even Richie and Liz told the pastor he could shorten his homily! They said "I do", kissed, and it was off to party for the rest of the nite!

Saturday morning, Brett and I woke fairly early to go visit some of Newport, since he hadn't had the opportunity. We headed to the Cliff Walk. It's a beautiful walkway that lines the shore of the island and takes you through the backyards of some of the most beautiful mansions! It's amazing! The Breakers is a famous Vanderbilt home along the walk that we saw. There are 11 mansions nearby that people can tour, but we were satisfied just seeing the outside.

We left Newport and drove back up to Boston. After dropping off our car, we figured out the T and made our way to downtown, where we stayed in a swanky hotel using points! That afternoon we met up with our friends Steve and Sarah. Steve and Brett became really good friends during law school.

They took us all around Boston, along the Freedom Trail. It's literally a red line throughout Bahstun that takes you by famous landmarks such as Paul Revere's gravesite, the Old State House, the King's Church, and the North Church, which is famous for the lanterns put in the tower at the start of the Revolutionary War. It was a great tour that gave us a glimpse into our amazing history. The Red Sox and Yankees were playing that afternoon, so we stopped in a pub to partake of beer and baseball! Such a perfect afternoon!

That nite we dined, said goodbye, and quickly fell asleep. During the middle of the nite, an alarm went off in the hotel, but we didn't get out of bed. We made it to the airport this morning, and now we are looking forward to sleeping in our own comfy bed! And for those keeping count, we knocked off 2 more of our 1000 places!