Spiritual Resolution Review

It's a wet, wet, wet day here. Noelle and I got out to do grocery shopping and had to come home between store #1 and store #2 just so I could change clothes - I was that wet. Now my clothes, including coat, are in the washing machine and we are biding our time until we go out to lunch w/ my Mom and sister. We may try store #2 after lunch if the rain has let up by then. I like to plan one big grocery day at the beginning of the month to get most of our grocery shopping out of the way. It has really helped our budget out by doing it this way, leaving only small grocery trips throughout the month to replenish milk and eggs and such.

In following in some great footsteps, I've been thinking about my "theme" for 2004. (A.K.A. my spiritual resolution). I also had some normal resolutions that I wrote down and may post later but those are more of a joke because I don't think I stuck with any of them! :-)

Before 2004 began, I began praying that God would give me a theme that I should focus on for 2004. Something that I could work on to bring me closer to Him and His likeness. By January, I had a strong impression that I was to work on submission. That really didn't come as a surprise to me. I had been married about 18 months, 3 months into being a stay-at-home-mom, and starting to buck the fact that we weren't bringing in as much money as we were pre-baby and not liking the way Travis wanted to handle it. (20/20 Hindsight - he was right.) So, I start praying about submitting, how to submit, what does it mean. I read books, I looked at Proverbs 31. A few months along, still not getting it and getting more and more disillusioned with where I am.

I then sense the Lord is telling me, "Let's make it a little more basic for you. Let's just work on being content where you are." I start working on my attitude - being thankful for our home, our cars, my family (immediate & extended). Still I am frustrated. My car stalls out in the driveway for no apparent reason on a day I HAVE to be somewhere, and coincidentally (and with no maliciousness at all) I get an email from a friend telling me about the new car her parents gave her. My friends have plenty, I am home wearing ugly old clothes and feeling sorry for myself. Still, not quite getting it.

Step 3 of my 2004 theme - God directs me towards this verse:

Rejoice always;
1 Thessalonians 5:16

That's it . . . just those two words. At the same time that God is showing me these verses, I'm working through a Beth Moore Bible study When Godly People Do Ungodly Things. She points out in the third lesson,

"God gives us the power to abstain from evil by being happy in our faith . . . Nothing will make you consistently happier than a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ."

That is where my year has ended up. Processing what it means to rejoice always. Not always succeeding at it, but trying to choose to rejoice sooner rather than later.

All that to say, I'm praying on what God is going to show me as my theme for 2005 . . . most likely he wants me to continue on with this since I still haven't got it all figured out yet! :-)

This stolen from Nattie's place...

You Are the Investigator

5 You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker. You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does. Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations. You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it.

What number are you?

Home Again, Home Again

We have returned. It is so good to be home again! :-)

A brief recap . . . we went to Rock Island State Park with my side of the family for a Thanksgiving get-away.



Some bullet point memories of the trip:

~ lots of UNO card games.
~ my brother-in-law is very funny when playing games
~ fabulous hike to see some waterfalls and time outdoors with Noelle.
~ making cinnamon rolls with my niece for breakfast on Saturday
~ taking a nap with Noelle
~ stopping at TWO Sonics on the way to the state park
~ the brilliantly, sunny, cold drive home

You can see more pics from our trip by clicking the picture here:



But, I was ready to be home again. Right now, laundry is drying, dinner is in the crockpot, and I'm working on getting this week organized. I also realized I didn't finish my Swonderings from last week . . . so here goes 4-7:

4) Student Teaching . . . I'm probably one of the few people in the world that will admit they loved their student teaching experience, but I did. When I was able to convey an idea or a concept to 6th graders and they understood it . . . it was a wonderful feeling.

5) Yellowstone on my Honeymoon . . . this was probably the best vacation that I have ever had. Travis and I drove to Yellowstone from TN the morning after our wedding - approximately 30 hours in the car to get there and it was so much fun. We read to each other (more like I read to him while he drove) the first three books of the Chronicles of Narnia. No phone, TV, computer for over a week - we hiked and explored and read and RELAXED.

6) Time with my niece . . . she thinks that I'm cool, and I think that that is remarkable. :-)

7) Any time that I am in the Word . . . and I understand. God is so good to me to allow me to catch glimpses of His holiness in Scripture. And there are those moments when the veil is lifted and I get a glimpse of His Glory. As Emily in Emily of New Moon might call it, the flash - just a glimpse of something so perfect you can hardly bear to look on its beauty.

Response to Comments:

Anna: I lived in Northeast Calgary. (Can't remember the address now of course!) I went Colonel McCloud for 7th grade, Heritage Christian School for 8-9th grade, and Cresent Heights High School for 10th. After that we moved back to the US. My Dad was pastor of Northeast Bible Church while we were there.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 34:18-19

I know this is the season where we are to remind ourselves of all that we have to be thankful for. And I am thankful. Incredibly so.

But the last few weeks I have been so overwhelmed by struggles that others are working through and dealing with that I'm questioning. I'm not mad at God - I just don't get Him, if that doesn't sound too trite or simplistic.

Friends that are trying to get pregnant but can't . . . and don't know why.

Someone struggles with severe depression and anxiety and no pill will fix it.

The pain of watching your child suffer through an illness and the agony of being able to do nothing to help them.

God is soveriegn. That is so amazingly comforting in situations like these. I'm involved in the life of a child with severe problems. I know there are verses in Scripture where God speaks of healing, parables where Jesus heals with just a touch. What if the only healing this child will receive will be the ultimate healing? When she is standing before God whole and complete, in His image. This is what I'm grappling with. When God's answer is "wait," and "wait" means eternity with Him. How does one handle the in-between?

Anyway, have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING (to my US friends), and to my Canadian friends (and others) have a wonderful rest of your week!

Monday's Musings.

Recent Comments that Need Responses:

Allie: I would love to design you some cards - how fun would that be! You have to give me some ideas of what you would want them to look like, your style, etc. I can fix you up.

Dana: Your comment about how much Travis & Noelle resemble each other got me to digging. Check this out:

I think there is a slight resemblance. :-)

Swonderings from W@H:

List 7 remarkable experiences in your life. Write a paragraph about each one, or tell a little about each one everyday.

1) Noelle's birth . . . Completely. Changed. Everything. :-) I remember laying on the table in the operating room and as they pulled her out, Travis says something like, "You did it, you have a baby." I could hear her crying as they clean her up and I start crying, too. He was watching them clean Noelle up and my anesthesiologist prodded him to go over by the baby and take some pictures. Then he brought her over to let me hold her for just a second before he left with her to go get checked out at the nursery. It was amazing. She was so tiny and beautiful and to hold her there with Travis standing has got to be one of the most intimate family moments that we could ever have experienced.

2) My wedding . . . it was a blur, but I can't think of a thing that I would change about it. It was very simple. Simple bouquets, simple decorations, simple music and it was so NOT stressful for me, that I was able to truly enjoy the day. Travis and I had a few minutes alone together before the wedding. (We had limited time in the chapel we were married in and had to do pictures before the wedding). The time together before getting ready to make a lifetime commitment. I don't even really remember what was said. Just the look on his face. *heart*

3) Croatia '98 . . . my first mission trip overseas and my first crisis of belief. Having accepted Christ as Savior as a small child, this was the first time I really doubted my salvation and questioned what I believed. Panic attacks and fear consumed me for much of this trip as I grappled with why I was dumb enough to leave comfortable TN and go overseas when I was so not qualified to be on the mission team. God met me there, though.

More on these later this week . . .

In other news . . .
~ I have a cold, a headache, and a sore throat. Ick.
~ We leave town Wednesday for Thanksgiving with my family here.
~ We had someone accept Christ at our worship service on Sunday. Yeah!
~ I am trying to cut back on *gasp* Diet Coke. I need to drink less caffiene.
~ I am praying about my theme for 2005. More on this later . . .
~ We put the Christmas tree up this weekend. *sings "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . ."*
~ I think Noelle is trying to drop her morning nap. It's seems too soon to me . . .
~ I have all my Christmas cards made. I'm going to address them and work on our Christmas letter on our trip.
~ Must go rest now while Noelle is snoozing . . .

Deep Thoughts

Taken from Busy Mom's site:

You Are Pumpkin Pie

Even when people are full - they make room for you. Good or bad, your smell is most likely to arouse a man.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

Grump E. Pants

That's me today. Was it Midas who was the king where everything he touched turns to gold? I've decided that today I'm the queen where everything I touch turns to grumpiness.

I'm not fired up about my new haircut.

I can't get the house cool enough.

I can't get the printer to work.

I can't get Noelle to go down for a nap.

I can't find the tights I want at Target.

Ad nauseum.

Okay, I'm done. I just needed to get that out of my system. Part of my problem is I'm tired. I'm a "10 o'clock" bedtime person and last night someone *coughnoellecough* was up to 11:30 p.m. fussing and all off scheduled because of the cold that's working on her. And today has not been a day where I've had the extra space in my schedule for a nap. I have our first Christmas rehearsal tonight with the music team and I've been running trying to get ready.

Methinks I need a list of things I "heart" to change my perspective. (Idea shamefully stolen from Heather).

I heart Chex Mix (and I bought some tonight for our music rehearsal!)

I heart putting up the Christmas tree (it's happening this weekend, people!)

I heart this little man.



I heart designing cards and stationary for folks . . . my latest.

I heart new scrapbook magazines that come in the mail.

I heart White Christmas.

I heart this big man.

Noelle is sleeping . . . shhhhhh . . .

Happy Birthday to...

They started out cute . . .



This picture was the only way that I could get them to stand still together. I had to go outside the side door of the house so they would both look out the door at the same time. They made the most of their birthday. Jenny ate an entire roll of paper towels while I ran errands this afternoon . . . I'm glad we didn't spend money on a fancy bone or anything!

*Totally unrelated* Check out these purses that you can have custom made with your own photo! (Not my photo, of course, but maybe one of Noelle!) Then check out the price!! I emailed this link to my Dad and he is interested in checking them out for his photo business . . . wouldn't it be sad if I had to carry one around as advertising for him / his business. Sigh. The things one has to do for family . . . :-)

Something else I learned today . . . Noelle does not do well with too much caffiene. Chalk this one up to Mama not paying attention. We met my Mom and sister at J*ck in the B*x for lunch today. Mom ordered Noelle a kid's meal and got her her very own Diet Coke. I was holding this precious bundle and not really paying attention to Noelle - my sister was taking care of giving her some chicken strips and fries, etc. By about 5 p.m. tonight, I still couldn't get Noelle down for a nap. I had taken her temperature, checked her diaper, let her play, rocked her . . . she was like the Tazmanian Devil! Running around non-stop, crying, then laughing. It was nuts. When my Mom called as she was driving home from work, she commented on how much fun Noelle was having drinking out of the straw in her drink like a big girl when it hit me how much caffiene she had consumed. Duh!

Speaking of Noelle, she is getting so big! She now has about a 1/2 dozen words that she says consistently: "Dada", "Jeeeeeeennnnn" (Jenny), "Baaaa" (her lamb), "Saaaaahhhh" (Sam), "FruuuFruuuuFruuuu" (juice), "Bye", "Hi." Still no Mama yet. She will move her mouth with me when I am saying it, but no sound comes out. She's doing it just to annoy me I'm sure. :-) She has discovered the game of chase and giggles like crazy when we follow her around the room. She gets so tickled when the dogs chase her - of course, she has usually taken away their bone or toy and they are just trying to get it back, but bless her heart, she thinks they are playing with her. She is so much fun (not including today's caffiene induced hysteria). What a privilege it is to have her!

Tomorrow is our last women's Bible study before the holidays. The group decided not to meet between tomorrow and the first of the year. I'm kinda bummed, because it really keeps me in my Bible to have a study to keep up with. I'm thinking of going through A.W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy, which is about the attributes and nature of God. In this area I need accountability to keep going.

It's late and I need to wrap it up for the evening . . . I will close with a picture for Beth - I never did post a photo of my car as she requested in the the great photo blog of '04. So here 'tis! A '93 Honda Civic - and it actually looks deceptively clean in this photo!

Winding Down

Today has flown by. I love being at home on Monday's and having a chance to recover from the weekend. And our weekend was a busy one.

Friday . . .
~ Travis had the day off
~ He had to go to work for an hour for a conference call though
~ So Noelle and I went to the library
~ We got these four videos: Count of Monte Cristo, Seabiscuit, You've Got Mail, and Spiderman.
~ Noelle also got a Baby Einstein video.
~ Noelle went to Grandma's house for Friday night to spend the night.
~ She had a ball playing with Grandpa and Grandma.
~ Travis and I had a date night!
~ We went to dinner at Stoney River. (We had a gift certificate).
~ It was soooooo yummy.
~ Then we went to see The Incredibles!
~ It was very funny and original. (A little more adult oriented that other Pixar movies so I recommend it highly with the condition that it's really for older kids as opposed to the very young).

Saturday . . .
~ Slept in until 7:45 a.m.!
~ Staff meeting at church
~ Did some Christmas shopping
~ Went to Borders and sat and looked at magazines . . . uninterrupted . . . for a long time . . . it was wonderful.
~ Went home and paced the house waiting for Noelle to get home.
~ She got home around 3 p.m. and my folks hung around and my Dad took our family Christmas picture for our Christmas cards.
~ With dogs.
~ It was an action shot.
~ I will post one when we get them.
~ Made homemade pizza for dinner.
~ Watched Count of Monte Cristo - very good movie.

Thus endeth our relaxing weekend. Sunday was it's normally busy day with church, a family lunch at my folks, and then winding down at home at the end of the day. Tomorrow we'll be out and about with errands.

PS. Thanks for the feedback on the green . . . I'm starting to get used to it!

A Bit of Fun

As you can see I changed things up around here. I needed some color and this seemed to go well with my title as Becky pointed out. (Thanks, ma'am!) I really like the looks of the headers that you can make if you use something like Typepad, but since I can't afford to pay for blogging services, I'm working with what I can figure out! :-)

Anyway, some lighter stuff for Sunday night . . .


Forests!


Where is your dream place?
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I'm sure it's no big surprise to you that your
romance is The Princess Bride. A heartwarming
tale of "Twue Wuve" that has giants,
Spainards and swashbuckling. You really do
think that love can overcome anything. You may
be a touch naive but your heart is certainly in
the right place. You've probably got one of
those relationships where proper nouns have
been replaced with "Snookums" and
"Pookie Pie". Eww. Beware a cuteness
overload.


What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
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Swonderings from W@H:
Ten years ago I . . .
~ had been out of college for one year
~ was living with my parents
~ working for an attorney at our church
~ looking for a teaching job
~ my sister had just gotten married
~ I had just gotten a perm most likely
~ trying to be independent of my family

A List-Makin' Kind of Day

List updated Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT:

I have been dreadfully whiny the past couple days. So much so that I told myself I couldn't blog until I had something nice to say. I've been trying to get back into a routine now that Travis is on the mend and we're not revolving our schedule on how he is feeling. (Note: He did talk to the Dr. yesterday, and they don't really know what he had. Just some funky virus or something). Noelle is down for her morning nap so I am trying to get my to do's organized so we can be productive after lunch.

Our list...
~ Grocery store for milk for Noelle & milk for Daddy & Diet Coke (or something similar) for Mama. (Can you believe I still don't have any DC in the house?! I stopped at Sonic yesterday for a Route 44 and that held me through). DONE!
Note to Elbie: Diet Coke rocketh. You are young and have not learned the truth yet. I will pray for your eyes to be open. *hides behind sofa so that she cannot be hit with a latte or some fancy drink from California*

Note to Aleta: Thanks for your offer of DC . . . too bad TN & Canada are not closer...

Back to the list...
~ Craft store - looking for Kermit the Frog stickers for some invitations that I've been asked to make for a birthday party. Sort-of done. Can't find Kermit anywhere so have gone on to plan B.
~ Library day - I'm picking up with new Mitford cookbook to drool over! Just picked it up today - library was closed yesterday.
~ Church printing - bulletin, prayer sheet, sermon outline, etc. DONE!
~ Comment on chp 4 of Fresh-Brewed Life with the on W@H reading group. DONE!
~ 1 Samuel study
~ Load o' laundry DONE!
~ Start making packing list for family trip for Thanksgiving
~ Chart sheet music for Christmas service at church
~ Work on my sister's baby announcements
~ Write letter to my Grandma

Travis has the day off tomorrow (planned before the sickies). Noelle is going to Grandma & Grandpa's tomorrow night to spend the night b/c Travis and I have a meeting at church early Saturday a.m. There's talk of taking our Christmas card picture but that will depend on my Dad's schedule. Travis wants to have the picture taken out front of the house (which is what we did last year), and have the dogs in the picture as well. This will be very interesting and I could imagine it will turn into quite an aerobic exercise.

PS. Pattie, thanks for your sweet words . . . this book has been good for me to go through with others! Thanks for your hard work on leading us!

Refocusing

I had such high hopes of this morning. Up early (and even earlier than I planned because Noelle woke @ 5:45 a.m.), showered, breakfasted, etc., etc., ready for a productive start to my day. Add to that plan several minor frustrations - each in and of themselves nothing major - but combined had me tearing up by 8:20. And to top it off, there is no Diet Coke in the house!

See, I read in a post at Mrs. Darling's site how she asked her husband what he prefered to see when he got home from work - a clean house or a hot meal. So, I asked Travis. He answered "clean house." I was afraid of that. I love cooking - I'm not the world's best, but I love experimenting and trying new recipes and stuff. Travis loves it when our home is decluttered and organized. If I'm really going to minister to my husband, I need to do a better job with the house which is totally my weakness. This all leads up to the early morning I had today, the cleaning projects I was ready to tackle and then my total frustration when several things did not go as planned, one of which being the wrestling of a new mattress pad and mattress into Noelle's crib, one of my least favorite projects ever.

Anyway, I decided to take a small break and sat at my computer to read email and there was one from FlyLady. The tag at the bottom of the email reads:

"You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?"

The LOAD flew off my back. I don't have to have a FlyLady house by today, I just need to start applying the principles where I'm at and move forward with her. Like going in and setting my timer in the kitchen and cleaning the kitchen for 15 minutes straight. And I did it! And then I cleaned for another 10 minutes because I wanted to finish. I can also apply this to my time with the Lord (which is even more important than a clean house!) I need to not be focusing on the fact that I'm behind in my 1 Samuel Bible study, but start on the days I need to have done for this week's lesson and move on. Anytime in the Word is better than none, and if I sit and bemoan about how I'm not going to get caught up, then I fall further and further behind. My little pep-talk for myself for the day.

A few fun things...

~ Discovered this coffee last week - especially Cinnamon Hazelnut & Holiday Peppermint
~ Would like to have a purse like this or like this. Not sure on the color though.
~ I am thankful that Travis is feeling better. Still not sure what he has, but he's on the upswing!
~ Would like to the get this scrapbooking book.
~ And this one - all about organzing!

A Little of This and That...

You are Scooter.
You are a loyal, hardworking person, better known
as a doormat.

SPECIAL TALENTS:
Going for stuff.
LEAST FAVORITE MOVIE:
"Go For Broke!"

QUOTE:
"15 seconds to showtime."

LAST BOOK READ:
"300 New Ways to Get Your Uncle to Get You a
Better Job "

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
Coffee, clipboard, and Very Special Guest Stars.


What Muppet are you?
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From Under the Maple Tree:

1. What time do you get up? Around 7 a.m. (Usually wake between 5:30 - 6 a.m. when the dogs have to go out. Would like to get up then, but my will power stinks!)
2. If you could eat lunch with one person, who would it be? My friend Gina, without kids (although we love hanging out together with our kids) for uninterrupted adult conversation!
3. Gold or silver? Silver.
4. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Princess Diaries 2
6. What did you have for breakfast? Freezer breakfast burritos - eggs mixed with sausage, topped with a little cheese and salsa and wrapped in a tortilla.
7. Who would you hate to be stuck in a room with? Someone that smells really bad!
8. Beach, City or Country? Country/City hybrid. :-)
9. Favorite ice cream? Fudge ripple.
11. Butter, plain or salted popcorn? Movie theatre popcorn - yum!
12. What kind of car do you drive? 93 Honda Civic.
13. Favorite sandwich? I'm partial to BLTs.
14. What characteristic do you despise? Criticizing one's spouse.
15. Favorite flower? Daisy. "Aren't daisies the friendliest flower?" Meg Ryan, You've Got Mail
16. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Israel, Grand Canyon, Alaska - I'm not picky as long as I'm with family.
17. Favorite brand of clothing? I love Land's End, but can rarely afford them! Maybe for Christmas?? :-)
18. Where would you retire to? Somewhere northern with snow.
19. Favorite day of the week? Monday. I usually try and make it my "day off" if there is such a thing.
20. What did you do for your last birthday? Went to a New Year's Eve party at a friend's home (My bday is NYEve).
21. Where were you born? Oklahoma.
22. Favorite sport to watch? Professional Bull Riding or Football.
23. What fabric detergent do you use? Arm & Hammer - cheap!
24. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke.
25. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Neither - I'm a plain ole daytime person.
26. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2 - 8 (was 7-71/2 before Noelle)
27. Do you have any pets? 2 dogs who need dinner - see ya!

Today's Swonderings

From W@H:

Did you have a best friend in school? Do you have a best friend now? How have your thoughts and perceptions about friendship changed over the years?

I didn't have a best friend growing up. My family moved quite a bit (or I changed schools) and it was hard to make a real "best friend." I remember being in about 10th grade and starting to pray for a best friend. I went through high school and when I reached college, during my sophmore year, I found a group of girls that I really connected with - there were 5 of us.



Four out of the 5 of us were either music majors or minors and the other eventually went into a nursing program. I am still close with all except one who I have lost touch with. (Two are actually the friends that I went a spent several days with last week in Houston).

Even though we were extremely close in college, because I was a year older, my senior year, I felt myself being separated from them because of my student teaching and change of focus to post-college. I would now say that I have two extremely close/best friend. One is my friends Gina. She and I are polar opposites, but through times of enmity and struggle in our friendship, we have grown very close because of our differences, if that makes sense. Where I am weak, she is strong, and vice-versa. Our relationship is a continual reminder to me of God's hand in my life and how he works through hard, painful, icky situations for His glory. My other close friend is Nat. She is one of the most Godly young women that I know and a role model for me in her walk with the Lord. She is constantly seeking Him and leaning on Him as she walks as a single woman (who would love to be married) with integrity and humility.

Even though a best friend for me has been a long time coming, it has almost been bittersweet. As I'm learning in a book-study group of Fresh Brewed Life, no human can fill up my longings. Even if I have the perfect girlfriend to hang out with, talk with, and minister with, it will never take the place that the longs for in my life. And I have to guard myself from jealousy all the time. Maybe it's just me, but even though I mightily rejoice when my friends have triumphs or good news, I struggle with discontent that it's happening to them and not to me. I don't have as much money as them, I don't have as good a marriage, etc. Even though I treasure these relationship, still they cause me to rely even more on the Lord and remind me that He is really the only one that can be my true best friend as well as the Awesome, Holy Father that I adore.

1000 Words

I am feeling swamped so I'm resorting to pictures. :-)

We had a family photo shoot a few weeks ago (when we took Noelle's 1-year picture). I thought I would share a shot of my side of the family...





More pics by clicking here.

Slightly Medical Post...

Travis went to the Dr. yesterday afternoon. The Dr's best guess is that he has a bacterial infection - like ecoli or samonella - and it's just working his system over. He's on some pretty strong medication to kill the bacteria, but is battling a fever and in and out of the bathroom. He's home from work today which has been a nice treat in spite of the sickness. Noelle woke up all stopped up, too, so I've been going back and forth between the two. (At the moment, N. is napping, or headed in that direction, and T. is watching Return of the King - now that the election stuff is nearing the end!)

I need to play catch-up on the house and my church work today, but I'm tired. I haven't slept the whole night straight in over a week what with sharing a hotel bed with Noelle and Travis getting up in the night b/c of sickies. Off to try and get a few things done . . .


I'm the Most Interesting Person in the World!
Take Just How Interesting Are You? today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Personality Test Generator.

I gotta hand it to you, buddy, you are probably more interesting than I am. Go write your own quiz!

Recap...

Here's a run-down of our Houston week . . .

~ Flew out Sunday evening. Noelle did great on take off, but cried for 20-30 minutes while we were landing. Her ears were killing her, poor baby. Right before we touched down, she fell asleep in my lap and slept until we got to the hotel.
~ Hotel was going to charge us $20 a day to have a crib/play pen in the room, so we all slept in the king size bed together which worked great!
~ Except for nap times which just didn't happen in the hotel room. I had to load Noelle in the car and drive around so that she would get at least some kind of nap a day - then I would park the car somewhere and read or snooze myself.
~ I had some GREAT time with two college friends that both live in Houston. We have all had our first child within 6 months of each other so it was a lot of fun to hang out with each other and our babies.
~ Travis got sick the Monday we were in Houston and felt horrible all week . . . he's still sick and is finally going to the doctor today. :-(
~ Noelle and I walked the Gallaria Mall in Houston - huge! Out of my price limit, but I definitely got exercise hiking around it's 4 floors. We spent some time watching the ice skaters on the rink at the bottom of the mall.
~ Went to the Children's Museum in Houston - very fun watching Noelle play and explore and have a great time.
~ Ate at America's with Travis and Noelle on Wednesday evening. Probably THE best steak I have ever put in my mouth. Unbelieveable!
~ We went to the downtown aquarium on Friday - not very big but Noelle enjoyed looking at the fish and so did we. :-)
~ The flight home went much better. Noelle flirted with a flight steward and got some graham cracker sticks and was a happy camper.
~ She was not a happy camper when she had to sleep in her own bed on Friday night - by herself. Naptime on Monday was hard, too. Today has gone much better.

Pictures of our trip, you ask? Click here.

In other news . . . what we've done today:

Catching Up...

We're back from Houston! We had a good time and I'll share more about the trip later. :-) I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry and needed to get some sort of grocery list put together so I can do some shopping. Also trying to get Noelle back on her schedule today. She's not a happy camper...

Here's a pic of our little Halloween ladybug. She was not into having the hood on! You can view a couple more pics our our bug by clicking the picture.