Preview!

It's getting to be that time again--Christmas letter time! I was having a great hair day today (give me a break!) so I attempted to take a picture with Chloe to put in the letter.

Here's the picture I think we're going to use. She looks a little unhappy to be in the picture, but this was the best one. Remember, it'll be in black and white and probably cropped more to our faces since it will be a small picture in the letter.

Here is an outtake...Chloe bit me! Apparently she was feeling fat today and didn't think that she was looking cute or something, because she was not a happy camper! I had the camera on timer and she bit me right as the camera was going off, so this was purely on accident, and kind of adorable.

Gratitude Attitude #33: Camera self-timers. 'Nough said.

I ♥ crawfish etouffee!

This past weekend, besides homecoming, was also my designated "Relax" weekend (aka homework was only allowed on Saturday morning and Sunday evening, but not in between). Sean and I both were invited to a mutual friend's BBQ, and since I wasn't allowed to use the shower before it was caulked (which he assisted me with on Sunday), he let me spend the night on Saturday.

Sean decided to take a mini road trip with his beagle Spencer in his new Chevy Silverado! They made the hour trek up to Waco to pick me up. Isn't it pretty?!

Here and Spencer and I, waiting for Sean to get in the car. He loves me. :)

Spencer, just hanging out on the ride back to Killeen.

One of my favorite parts about going to Sean's place, besides his company of course, is that he's an amazing cook. He tends to make things that are on the spicier side (I can't help it, I'm a wimp!), but I haven't been disappointed in his cooking so far!

Sean tasting his creation.

A cell phone picture that I sent to my mother. Her response was, "I hope you're helping and not just watching with a glass of wine." Ironically, I was watching with a glass of wine. Does my mother know me or what?!

In my defense, I did make the appetizers. Okay, so Sean told me what to do at each step, but still, give me a little credit Mom! It's pita bread covered in olive oil, baked for about 10 minutes, then hummus and feta cheese are added and baked for 10 more, with cucumber quarters on top. Quick, easy, and oh-so-tasty!

The finished result of Sean's creation: crawfish etouffee! It was a little too spicy in that I could only eat half of it, and he told me it was because he had to put the cayenne pepper powder on the top so that I could take an adequate picture. ;) Still, it was ridiculously yummy! I'm still kicking myself for forgetting my leftovers in his fridge.

Here's Spencer with his lover, a towel.

On Sunday, we went over to Lex's house for her BBQ. We stayed for about two hours, eating some great BBQ food, playing with Cooper and Spencer, and watching football (blaaaah, teams I don't care about). Then, Sean came over and helped me caulk my bathtub. Sean pumped the caulk into the abnormally large crack (no wonder the shower was leaking) and I followed with my finger to smooth it out. I'm quite satisfied with how it looks now!

Here's Sean and Spencer, right before they left. Friggin' adorable.

Gratitude Attitude #32: THIS link. It has provided me with so many laughs, I can't even begin to count. It's kind of inappropriate, so don't look at this if you're at work. It's supposed to be for "celebrating your own beauty," but I have to say, this is not appropriate jewelry to wear out of the house if you aren't performing in the Vagina Monologues. Regardless, check it out. ;) Love and miss you all!

Baylor's 100th Homecoming

Waco has been interesting to say the least, and although Friday during the day was hectic (8:00am-3:30pm: overreactive downstairs neighbors, horrible management company workers, and understanding plumbers), I was excited to be able to attend Baylor's 100th Homecoming celebration! I decided not to go to the game this year (plus I gave Joanna my student ID so her friend could get a ticket) and didn't feel like waking up early for the parade, so the most logical activity to attend was the bonfire! I had such a good time with Robyn last year that I had to make it a tradition. Below are some pictures; enjoy!

Look at all the birds! There are so many of them; it's really scary when you're sitting in a glass-walled Starbucks and they all fly towards you!

More birds. I know these first two pictures have nothing to do with Homecoming, but they're very Wacoan.

Here's the stack of crates that eventually get burned. ;)

Alex and his amazing wife Sarah, waiting for the show to start!

Lindsey, a first-year Social Psych PhD and I, waiting for some sort of entertainment.

This is after the show started; here's Alex, Lindsey, and Sarah doing the Baylor Bears Sic 'Em!

I thought this was a pretty shot; this was after we moved away from the stage and towards the bonfire. I love how you can see the fireworks, stage, and all the people.

Last year, the bonfire literally "whooshed" up with fire after it was lit in less than 15 seconds, and this year, they seemed to have some difficulty. So, the cheerleaders decided to give us a show while we were waiting for the bonfire to spread. It was kind of funny to see the looks of terror on all the girls' faces after they're in the air in front of fire!

Lindsey, Alex, and I all think fire is fun!

The two Sarahs, having a silly time.

So that was this year's Homecoming bonfire! Below is a video of Chloe; I caught her drinking milk out of my cup in a very interesting way. This, coming from the cat who refuses to drink milk if you put it out in a bowl for her.

Gratitude Attitude #31: Alan, the wonderful plumber from Staas Plumbing. I'm sure I'll explain more about it when I'm not so frustrated with the whole thing. Trust me, he's an angel with a wrench.

Compassion

Read this. I cried.

Gratitude Attitude #30: Those who are compassionate enough to share their story, regardless of how heartbreaking, hurtful, or sad it is, so that others can learn.

Random Thoughts...

I need to start out with a disclaimer: I did not write these nor do I know where they came from. I can't find an originating post, so I can't give credit, which is why I'm writing this! I copied and pasted from Chopsticks and Pearls, but I can't find who wrote it, I just feel the need to share it! Enjoy.

Random Thoughts from People Age 25-25:

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-That's enough, Nickelback.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

-I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

-A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

-LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say."

-I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

-Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying. This also goes for anything that looks like a discernible pattern.

-Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart," all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart."

-Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies."

-While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

-MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

-I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

-"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

-I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new person, I'm terrified of mentioning something they haven't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

Gratitude Attitude #29: The computer in my office (even though it doesn't have an active internet port yet). I'm really excited about this because it means that I can do work in my office without having to bring my own laptop, which is a pain! It only took a little bit sweet talking to Dr. Stanford, but I'm super psyched (and super grateful) to have my own computer. This also means that my productivity will increase, as there'll be no need to drive home to grab my paper that is on my home computer. Hopefully, anyway. ;)

To my mother, on her birthday!

Some laughs for my mother on her birthday. So lucky to have you!

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Gratitude Attitude #28: My mother. Not much else to say, as words can't even begin to describe how wonderful you are. Love you.

Yeehaw!

Teodrick on the fake horse; he's "roping" the calf next to him!

Gratitude Attitude #27: The sponsors, workers, and volunteers of Waco's Special Ranch Rodeo. I was given the opportunity to attend this event with Sarah Grizzell, the wife of one of the other 2nd years who just happens to be a Special Education ("Life Skills") teacher at a local elementary school. She gave me a quick text message run down of what was going to occur, but I had no idea the size of this event nor what it entailed!

The free event started with check-in, where the students (we had four of her students along with one caretaker) received bright yellow t-shirts, red bandanas, and a cowboy hat (with a scent reminiscent of the Jamaican Hat jazz dance props). Then we stood in a long line to enter the arena, taking two bathroom breaks, pinning on numbers/name tags, and taking pictures with the Heart of Texas Sweethearts. After entering the arena, we stood for group pictures for entirely too long (our kids were restless!) and then were assigned buddies. Damarcus and his grandmother went off on their own, Teodrick's buddy was a Midway High School baseball player volunteer, and Silivia and Ashanti both were assigned to Darrell Petry (he's the big one in the white cowboy hat). Darrell was a lovely man who is a self-proclaimed "sometimes cowboy" (he works for Salvation Army as his day job). He was the leading winner of cash valued prizes in steer wrestling in 1997, 1999-2001, and 2007, along with winning the Kitsap County Fair and Stampede steer wrestling championship in 2009. He was hilarious to talk to, especially when I tried to get him to set me up with a hot cowboy (he declined because the cowboy lives too far away from Waco...damn!).

Anyway, back to the Special Ranch Rodeo. After we got our buddies, we made a beeline to the horse rides. There were plenty of volunteers to lift the children up on the horses, along with at least three volunteers per horse to walk it around, giving ample time for each child to parade wave as s/he walks around the arena. All four of our kids did horse rides first, and would've gone back for round two if there had been enough time! Then we went to the calf roping area (Teodrick is pictured above; sorry for the bad quality but it's a cell phone picture) where the kids were placed on a metal horse and then could rope a calf on wheels and pull it back to them. After that, we went to wait in line for the wagon ride, a big, two-horse-pulled wagon that the kids were very excited about. There was a "barrel race," where the kids rode stuffed horse sticks with one of the Princesses of the rodeo, and each got to get into a rodeo clown barrel with famous bullfighter Cory Wall. After the event was over, the kids all received free Blue Bell ice cream (a big Texas brand) and coupons for more ice cream.

My 27th gratitude attitude is to all of the cowboys, cowgirls, rodeo princesses, H.O.T. Sweethearts, photographers, Midway HS baseball players, parents, volunteers, sponsors, and everybody involved in the Special Ranch Rodeo. All the kids had such an amazing time (and it was very apparent how much fun everybody else had as well!), and that couldn't have happened without every person's participation. It was a night to remember, and I wasn't even the one riding the horses! ;)

Love and miss you all. Yeeeehaw, y'all!

Happy birthday, Kristen!

Gratitude Attitude # 26: Kristen Forseth. Voice of reason, conscience, and love, Kristen has always been an outstanding role model and ally. After almost four years of knowing her (can you believe it's been four years?), she has never once withheld advice because she thought it would be something I wouldn't want to hear. She has been faithful, both as a supporter and as a friend (and as a blog reader!), which is more than I can say about some people I've known longer. I'm lucky to have Miss Kristen Forseth in my life, and I wish her the upmost birthday she could ever have. :) Love you!

♥ ♥ ♥

What says "love" better than a visit back to Seattle?! Here's a photo blog (with some extensive captions) so you can experience the weekend with me.

The first two things I do when visiting (which I presume will always be the first two things every time I go home): Get espresso (thanks Kathryn!) and visit Christopher.

The weather was beautiful! It was too cold for my liking (dang Texas and it's 80-degree falls have spoiled me into wearing flip flops until late November) but was gorgeous outside! For those who don't know, this is the marina about a half mile away from my parents' house.

I got to spend an entire night with the beautiful and lovely Kathryn Hicks, in which we went out to dinner at my favorite Silverdale restaurant, Silvercity Brewery (yum!). Here's a picture of our Christopher tributes (minus Katie's arm, which isn't completed yet so I didn't post a picture).

We also celebrated Christopher's life by visiting him and bringing him balloons and sugar free RedBull.

Saturday was Kate and Robb's wedding, which I was psyched to be able to attend! Dad and I are silly!

Sandra (hi, Sandra!) and my brother are excited for the wedding, too! Notice Scott's huge head.

The beautiful Kate and her stunning husband Robb!

After Scott left, we decided to take family photos. You know, of all the family members we love. :) Kidding, kidding. Here I am with mom and dad.

We're a strange family.

Kate. B-E-A-UTIFUL!

Robb.

Friggin' adorable!

After the wedding, I went to Kerry Park with Lauren McNally and captured some amazing photographs. Who wouldn't want to live here?!

Lauren and I celebrating Seattle!

Laur and I also drove further down the road from Kerry Park and ran into this view. We decided to take some jumping pictures with the sunset in the background. How could you not love this area?!

So that was the weekend in pictures! Love and miss you all! :)