25 Things

Ok, there is this thing floating around Facebook ..... 25 random things. I'm going to post here and then tag when it makes it to into Facebook.

Here we go.

1. I have an affinity for office supplies....I have a hard time not buying pens, pads, etc just to buy them.

2. I love to read....used to check out dozens of books at a time from the library - every other day - or maybe every other week.

3. I just recently joined the DVR revolution.....and I'm already so addicted.

4. I recently gave up a guilty pleasure begun in college.....watching General Hospital every day.

5. I wish that I had my mother's skill with crossword puzzles, but I don't have the patience if I can't immediately finish the puzzle.

6. I do not need the "out of the box" experience.....I was perfectly happy to have my dad unpack my new laptop and get it started.

7. I enjoy baking more than cooking.

8. I collect thimbles.

9. I abhor horror movies.

10. I do not enjoy haunted houses.

11. I skiied for the first (and only) time my freshman year of college.

12. I would much rather be in cold weather than hot.

13. I LOVE being an aunt....

14. I don't hate yardwork....I hate yardwork in the summertime.

15. I still can't quite believe that I own my home.

16. I would much rather do dishes than clean bathrooms.

17. It really annoys me when people do not drive the speed limit on the highways.

18. I have a series of books (Outlander by Diana Gabaldon) that I can read over and over and over and over again.....

19. I would rather sleep cold than warm.

20. I love to fly...even with the hassles of security in our post-911 world. I would much rather fly somewhere than drive.

21. I want to sky-dive.

22. I want to bungee jump (I think)

23. I want to fly in a hot air balloon.

24. I want to get a tattoo....problem is I don't know what!

25. I would prefer either to live in Texas or Tennessee....or maybe Colorado. Not sure I could live anywhere else.

Symphony

Many of you may not know that I played viola in the orchestra. From 6-10 grades and then again for two years in college....it was fun, though I never enjoyed practicing or rehearsals!!

Earlier this week, my good friend Sarah invited me to join her and her parents at the Dallas Symphony last night for a presentation of Dvorak's New World Symphony.

They all arrived at my office about 6:00, we dined at Paradise Bakery and then headed to the Myerson. Come to find out, they were giving free upgrades on seats! We had tickets up the top level, but ended up sitting on row P in the main center section on the floor! They were definitely an improvement!

Before intermission we heard two pieces - the overture to The Thieving Magpie (Rossini opera) and a very strange Asian piece Never Far Away that featured the harp. It was quite bizzare. Not really my thing at all.

Then after intermission, the main show. I really do love New World Symphony and the presentation last night was a treat. Most interesting to watch was how the guest conductor used no music! I don't know that I have ever seen a piece conducted by memory. Truly impressive.

If you ever get a chance, do go visit the Meyerson. It is a phenomenal venue designed specifically for symphony performances. There truly isn't a bad seat in the house. And if you go on a Friday night, you might get a complimentary seat upgrade!

Family

I had a great visit this weekend from my whole family.....they got here just before dinner on Friday - we ordered pizza from a little neighborhood pizza joint. Yummy!

Saturday morning we got up and I cooked biscuits and gravy. We headed out to run some errands.....on the hunt for new computers for my parents and me, some stuff for Emily and to take a tour of my new offices.

After stops at Babies R Us, Best Buy and Office Depot, we headed to eat lunch at Lover's Egg Roll. After that we headed to my new office. As we got out of the car, we realized that Emily had quite the enormous blowout poopy diaper. It was out her diaper and through all her clothes and required a full bath in the bathroom sink! Ick.

We headed to Office Depot after that and bought new computers! It is so fun. I have a laptop now so that I will be able to enjoy blogs and email from my couch while catching up on DVR'd shows!!

Phillip agreed to cook for us Saturday night and served a very yummy dinner - steak and boneless pork ribs!

Yesterday was church, lunch and then exploring the liquidation sale at Circuit City on the hunt for a new DVD player for me!

After a yummy breakfast at a new-to-me diner type restaurant, they all headed home and I am enjoying a day off work! Doing laundry (lots of extra sheets and towels after having a full house!) and playing with my new computer. I am so very thankful for my tech guru Daddy. He got my laptop out of the box for me, username setup and my wireless all working. Now the rest is up to me. I have loaded quite a bit of software and am running a backup on my old computer before I transfer over all my files.

Now I'm catching up on the first 4 hours of 24 and will be headed to work out at the YMCA with my friend Heather in a few hours....

YMCA

I went with some girlfriends to the YMCA last night for yoga and I am very sore today! I had been thinking about joining the Y and the metro area where I live has a membership program where you can go to any of the locations under one membership. So, I can go to yoga with my friends for the cameraderie and accountability at the branch closer to their homes and also work out closer to my home other times. So today, I officially became a member!

Birthday

Today my grandmommy would have been 94 - I miss her a lot.....check out this post for some photos of her through the years.....

happily ever after?

I try really hard not to post here when feeling overly emotional or sentimental, but I'm wondering.....when do I get to experience the happily ever after?

(p.s. just finished a free christian romantic fiction novel that I got in the mail....that'll teach me.....)

and yes, I realize the grass is always greener.....thanks for the reminder Heather! :-) 

Yard work

I just finished vacuuming my back yard.....no, not really, but that is what it felt like!!  I used the vacuum component of my blower and sucked up two full bags of leaves....cleared off the deck and cleaned out the cabana and some out of the yard.  It was pretty windy while I was out of town, so the leaves are distributed better across the yard.  Another day when it is cooler (it is 75 degrees now....on the way to 82!!  wait, isn't it January?!?) I'll pull out the mower and mulch up all the leaves.

Christmas is all finally packed away and put up....I did a little reorganization in my garage today to get my new icicle wreath and outdoor Christmas tree a home.  For the rest of the day, I'm going to relax!  Perhaps to read a book, or watch some shows on my DVR.

Oh, before I forget....anyone have any ideas on how I could decorate the top of my TV cabinet?  I never have really figured that out.....I don't love the chest (got it for free), but could see greenery coming out possibly.....I feel like it needs some height, but am having a hard time visualizing anything......my friend Kelly is already on the case, but I figure it can't help to have more brainstorming!!

New York ... part 3

When we first started talking about going to New York, one of the things on my to-do list was ice skating.  Daddy & Phillip were not at all interested and Mom would have, but with her neck surgery this summer, we decided it probably wasn't safe for her.  So, it was just me and Heather.  We scoped out all the rink options and decided on The Pond at Bryant Park Here we are wrestling our rental skates on....

Skating was very fun.....it took us several turns to begin to feel comfortable - and of course, we did have a glorious fall that Mom managed to capture on video.  We laughed it off and kept on skating.  Once we quit trying to hold each other up, we did much better. And yes, my sister has much better balance and coordination than me!!

We spent more of Friday wandering around - seeing the historic Algonquin hotel and the antique wooden escalators in Macy's at Herald Square.  We headed back to the hotel to let Emily spread out and play for a while....she looked so cute in my hat!

We also thought it would be fun to take in a sporting event.....when we checked the schedules, the Knicks were the only team in town.  So, we got to experience the world's most famous arena (at least that is what they say): Madison Square Garden  Though the Knicks got themselves beat by one of the worst teams in the league (Minnesota Timberwolves), it was a fun outing.....made for a later night than usual, but that was okay.

On Saturday, we headed over to 5th Avenue to walk up and enjoy the window decorations.  On the way, we stopped off at the New York Public Library to visit the lions.....

Many fun windows to see up 5th led us to the Apple Store and FAO Schwarz 

We found yummy coal oven pizza at Angelo's and then headed up to Central Park.  Emily LOVED the carousel -- it was a little bit too fast for the grownups, but for only $2 it was definitely worth the ride!

We saw a playground and walked over to see if there were any baby swings.....and there were!!!  Emily laughed and giggled and loved swinging.  Guess it is time for Mommy and Papa to find a swing to hang up!!

Heather & Phillip went out on a date on Saturday night, while Mom, Daddy & I played with Miss Emily......doesn't she look so cute in Grandpa's hat?!?

Well, that is about all for our trip to New York.....it was very fun, but we were all ready to head out.  From NYC, we headed to Tennessee for a little family visiting and then on home.  Now I'm off for a few more days - of course there are lots of projects to be done around my house - the most pressing, of course, is to un-Christmas my house!

New York .... part 2

Santa found us in New York City!

Emily was pretty excited by her overstuffed and overflowing stocking....she is almost crawling. At this point in the week, she would get her knees up under her and then belly flop to move forward.

I can almost reach the fringe on the snowman's scarf....

Gotta take a thumb break!

Mommy helping Emily unload her stocking......

We decided to take in the Radio City Christmas Spectaular featuring the Rockettes for our Christmas Day event - on the way there were some really fun decorations -  oversized Christmas lights and ornaments.  What a fun backdrop!

On the way home from the Rockettes, we walked through Rockefeller Center. Big mistake.  Gorgeous tree.... but hoardes of people.....kinda made all of us crazy and made our decision as where not to ice skate!!

when we got back, everyone was pretty tired....Emily sacked out on Grandpa's chest for over two hours!!!

New York .... part 1

My family went to NYC for Christmas this year....with Emily's birth and their move this summer, we couldn't do our normal summer vacation.....so we decided to go at Christmas.  We all decided that, while it was fun, we like our Christmases at home, so we won't be doing that again.

There are LOTS of photos.....so strap yourself in.  This might take a couple of posts.

Emily's first ride on a BIG plane......she did pretty well!

First stop after checking in to the hotel and bundling up.....Gray's Papaya! Still pretty cheap, though the price for the "recession special" has gone up!  Two hot dogs plus drink for $4.75.

Look how cute Emily is in her snowbear and vintage knit cap from the mid-1970s!!  This was how she enjoyed NYC most days.  And she did great - very calm and even slept a good bit in the Baby Bjorn.

Sisters and Emily waiting for the Staten Island Ferry on Christmas Eve.....

Riding the Staten Island Ferry -- to bad it was foggy that day!  Oh well....at least it was free!

Emily is so smart, she has even learned how to read a map!!  Here she is helping Pearlie and Aunt Jenni figure out where we need to get off the subway to head for Little Italy.....too bad the restaurant to which we were headed (Lombardi's) closed early for Christmas Eve!!