Houston & Christmas Cards

We are here in Houston and the kids are having a great time playing with cousins while Dave & I are enjoying being in a real city with good food!! I bet I have already gained 10 pounds! :o) Oh well, it is the holidays, right? All the adults went out to a little French restaurant last night and it was REALLY good and then tonight we went to our favorite Mexican food place here. I am stuffed!!! We took the girlies to the Children's Museum today and of course, they LOVED it. I will have to put up pictures when we get home. Along with that, I will be sending out Christmas cards...I worked like a dog before we left so that I would have everything I needed (copies of letter, stamps, etc.) so that as soon as they were delivered to Grandma's house, I could get them in the mail. Guess what? They were shipped (b/c I paid extra $$) to Amarillo. I should have caught that on the confirmation but since I knew I had checked Grandma's address, I didn't even think about it. It was my fault, made in haste, but still VERY frustrating. I hope they are appreciated more when everyone gets them...AFTER Christmas!!

Over the river and thru the woods...

...to Grandmother's house we go! We are off this afternoon - our plane leaves at 5. I have laid our a few things, printed packing lists, and already had a bath this morning so I think I will make it. I haven't gotten a lot done as we have had a lot going on this week (we celebrated Christmas with my mom Wednesday night and had a b-day party to go to last night) but the main thing is that Addi has been sick! Poor girly! I didn't think she looked herself on Sunday - & didn't even go to a basketball clinic - but then I got a call from school Monday to come get her. She has run a fever everyday since - at least it is not as high (it was 104.5 Tuesday! - YIKES!) and we are going for longer periods of time between fevers. I hope my girly gets to feeling better soon - I feel so bad for her. Not only has she missed classwork and tests, but also her Christmas party at school and the birthday party last night! Gotta run - have SSSSSSSOOOOOOOO much to do - I'll try to post later from Houston!

Card or No Card???

Well, I messed around trying to get the "perfect" shot...OK, I would settled for a just OK one...& now who knows when I can get the cards? I finally got a good one yesterday and then worked most of the evening (around watching the Survivor finale) checking it out on different card backgrounds. When I went to order them, I found out that unless I wanted to pay for express delivery - which would cost almost as much as ALL the cards - I might not even get them until Christmas day. DILEMMA!! Shutterfly usually gets stuff out much faster than they say, but I have never run it this close to the holidays before. (Well, except the year I sent out New Year's cards!) Anyway, then I said just scrap the whole thing. However, this morning I decided I would get them & send them out and people would get them when they got them!! I'm having them sent to Houston and I will just take all the stuff so I can mail them out from there ASAP. The girlies are just too cute (my opinion) NOT to share AND I have already received one card that said they love our annual letter and can't wait to get it. I can't let them down now can I?? Here is the preview of the picture and to all my blog friends, wishes of Peace & Blessings to You & Yours!

13 Years!

Today as I was having coffee with some friends, I shared with them that 13 years ago today, I was lying on an operating table...and lying on an operating table...and lying on an operating table while my poor hubby (of just over a year) and our families had to sit in the waiting room for 14 hours! December 12, 1995 was the day I had my surgery for a "very large" acoustic neuroma. I have always said that I had the easy job - I just laid there! My friend reminded me that I would have to change the description of my blog. Even though I don't necessarily "celebrate" this day, it will be forever etched in my mind as a day to remember. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nostalgic (mainly for my smile) but I am glad of the person I have become because of it and THANKFUL that I am here today & have such wonderful family and friends! I love you all and I know that I would not have been to make it through the last 13 years like I have if it weren't for each of you and how you have helped in my life. Thanks one & all!! Of course, the biggest thanks goes to our incredible Creator who carried us along when we couldn't make on our own!

Card Attempt & Christmas Party

The 2 younger girlies were singing at the annual church Christmas party so I thought what a perfect time to get a shot for our Christmas card...but alas, I didn't get that GREAT picture (AGAIN). How come when I say, "Get together & smile" when they have on dirty clothes and wild hair, I get a GREAT picture, but when they are all dressed and pretty and I say the same thing, it turns into a NIGHTMARE and we all end up frustrated? So, who knows, you might get a New Year's card again this year...it has happened before!! Here is the best one but the quality of the picture is not as good as I would like. There are a couple of shots of the girlies on stage too.

Like the new background? It turned out better than I thought that it was going to!

Shopping & Researching...

I have been spending all my computer time at home lately either doing Internet shopping or researching about a camera that I would like for Christmas. Whether I get it or not remains to be seen because I think what I want is too much money. However, anyone that knows me well, knows that I research the heck out of major purchases because I want to find THE BEST DEAL OUT THERE (yes, Kristen - I know you are laughing to yourself right now!). The latest was a new pair of shoes to workout in - I will say that I returned the 1st pair I got because I went to "one more store" to check prices and they had them for $50 less!! That's a lot of money to save when you don't care about last year's colors - just the performance of the shoe! Anyway, that has been consuming all my time when I am not out running the girlies places.
I changed the background again because they have so many cute Christmas ones and it is so easy to change. I love the colors of this one so I will leave it for a few days, even though some of the text is kind of cut off & hard to read! :o)

Have you ever?

Have you ever...
Stole this from Jenn's blog...you copy and paste and then highlight the ones you've done...
Feel free to play along!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (as far as they will let you now...not the top :( )
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving - but I was always planning to until I had brain surgery & they told me I couldn't!! :o(
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee