Long Walks on the Deck

From the "Office of Future Thinking"

Ah...okay, so we are really reconsidering our decision to locate both the pool AND the sandbox within eye shot of each other. Tennis match anyone? Um, yea, more to come on that later.

Don't Mess With Texas - Part III

Alert: post-lost-in-the-Draft-folder! Repeat; post-lost-in-the-Draft-folder!

It just occurred to me to scrounge around in all the blog drafts I (we) have begun, but have never seen the light of day. Imagine my surprise when I uncovered this one; the third and final installment from our San Antonio / Houston getaway from earlier in the year!

Hmm...let me see if I can remember what we did. Just kidding, we had such a good time, I will never forget!

After arriving at "Auntie" Megan and "Uncle" Drew's home in Houston, Grandma Gigi babysat little E (much littler at the time!) while this fearless foursome navigated the Houston traffic and experienced the World Renowned Houston Rodeo.

For years we had heard about the sheer size of this event, but it seriously needs to be witnessed firsthand to be believed! There were people everywhere (repeating this; EVERYWHERE!), but oddly enough it wasn't the kind of crowd that annoys easily. It was more of a large group just eating & drinking, enjoying the sun and hanging out. There was a lot of denim jeans on hand; many with chewing tobacco rings in the rear pockets.

The livestock building was stuffed with prize-winning animals of all breeds (BTW, I had two preemptive zanax to keep my esophagus open!), an exhibit where live animal births could be witnessed (from chicken eggs to cows!), and historic tractors galore (both restored and un-restored!)

The roof of this massive structure contains a split in it and it opens in both the North & South directions, like the sunroof on a car!

Inside the large building we found our seats and enjoyed the bulls & blood, dust & mud, the roar of the Sunday crowd....oops oh wait, that's a Garth Brooks song! But that's what they call it...they call the thing rodeo!

Among other things, the events menu included chuck wagon races, bull riding, and lassoing. But the highlight of the evening, yes maybe even more entertaining than the highly-talented, easy-on-the-eyes Taylor Swift concert, was the mutton bustin'! If you've never seen this event before, let me tell you, it is highly entertaining. Picture little kids in protective helmets, elbow and chest pads riding sitting on the backs of sheep and hanging on to their necks tight as the sheep race across an open area. It was nuts! I am almost tempted to create a future post on mutton busting alone!

Auntie Megan with little E! I remember hearing (perhaps in my head) "Quick, take a picture, Megan is holding Ellena!"

Uncle Drew and E watching the tube, probably ESPN's Sportscenter!

Playing in the yard. Hey this grass is different from our grass at home - it's green! Yeah, thanks for noticing honey.

And I'm down. Little help here!

In the shuttle on the way back to the valu-parking lot. Take a look at those little red eyes! Yes pun'kin, we pretty much always feel this way after a vacation. It was a fun experience, but it's nice to be back home! If I remember correctly, she was asleep before we paid to have the car released from the lot!

Summer is Here: Pontoon Boat Experience

Have I mentioned yet how much I love having an open schedule?

E and I were able to visit a whole gaggle of good friends this week. We met some at the park earlier in the week (J and K shout out!). Then we went to see a new 8-day old little baby (Charlie) that was the 3rd (LwH opinion: YiKeS!) for another set of friends. And finally, the "work" week was capped off for us as we visited one of E's little girlfriends, Emily.

Emily's dad Brian - a friend of mine since high school - had knee surgery earlier in the week, so we stopped by as an excuse to let the girls play together. Emily and Ellena, about 6 months apart, with Emily being older) get along great together.


Emily invited Ellena out of "her" pontoon boat for a few laps on the lake. Now for us, Summer officially begins when we get to go on a boat!

E had only been on a boat one other time (last summer with the Walley's) and she really loved being on the water. She seemed to take to all the running around and looking over the railing that can be had by a child on a pontoon boat.

Hey! What are you doing? You're all OVER the place! And no, you can't drive! Not yet anyways...

Watching Pooh together on television. When the mecca of accurate future prediction, the 8-ball, was cornered and asked "will E&E be BFFs?", the response was "Yes, Definitely".

E is for Everyday!

That's how often we take time to go outside and play; everyday. Sometimes we play in the yard (as you can see, she loves the fountain!), sometimes we play at local parks or school structures (now that they are vacant during the day), and sometimes we just stop at places that look fun or interesting.

Where I once thought staying at home would muffle me a bit, I am still amazed at how it has instead increased my "bubble" of knowledge. I am now capable of reciting the opening time of Costco, a list of "good" parks in the general immediate area (including hours and whether the restroom contains that plastic baby changing shelf...very helpful), sunscreen expiration times, and expected afternoon weather conditions.

No matter where we end up however, or how often we play and walk around, the results are similar (See below). She gets a-tuckered.

My Summer Obsession: Wipeout!

I wholeheartedly believe that everyone deserves to have a Summer Obsession, you know, something they can completely submerse themselves in, head over heels, for a short-lived sun-fueled love affair. For 2009, mine is the television show Wipeout.

If you haven't seen this show, I highly recommend checking it out. It has everything you could ever want in a show! Giant obstacle course? Check. Water? Check. Mud? Check? Fire? Check. Foam-covered, colorfully padded surfaces? Check. Enormous red balls? Check. Sometimes out-of-shape contestants that have no business near a giant obstacle course? Check. Humor? Check. Oh and let's not forget the actual wipeouts! Face plants. Check. Gravity-defying feats? Of course! Back-bending spills? You betcha!

Every Wednesday, I find myself counting down the hours until Wipeout is on the air! I can't quite explain it, but I have such a deep pull to this show. An attraction SO great in fact, that after it aired last night I consciously awoke to find myself submitting my online application!

I would love to challenge the water luge, the wall of fists and, or course the sweeper arm in the final Wipeout Zone!

Cross your fingers!

Q: What is YOUR Summer Obsession? It can be anything that has crept into your veins this Summer! Share it with us!

The Good Kind of Waiting

E and I have really been enjoying our time together lately and I truly feel blessed to be doing the Lord's work. A friend and mother of one (soon two!) stretched our thinking last year at a small group encounter by describing that when the housework and baby work became a bit overwhelming, she would try to remember that everything she was doing was both for her and the baby (and her husband) but it was also for the Lord. Clearly this made an impact on me because not only do I remember the conversation, but I feel this way today, not to mention I am sharing and passing it on here with you. I mean, when you stop and think about it, it makes real sense, doesn't it?

We are in a period of "waiting" right now. Anyone who has been "waiting" before knows what I mean and can relate to the process. The most peculiar part of waiting this time is the sense of peace. Although this is not solely about me, I happen to find myself very restful with where I am today. This just goes to backup the ideology that we are all exactly where we are supposed to be. At times like these, there is something very comforting about a growing faith. We really do live with hope, and it has opened our perspectives.

Spotted: Inspirational Church Sign

While driving home from a trip up north on Sunday, we passed a small church (you know the type, like right out of a movie) with a picket fence, some flowers and a little steeple. It also had the following message out front near the road:

"God promises a soft landing, not a calm ride"

How true is this? We liked it and just thought we would share it with you.

Latest Cutie Moment

So - I don't have any great video or a stellar photo-op, but I do have a cute story. Well, there is a long list of cute stories to be honest. But this one I found especially cute - maybe more about Loren than about Ellena!

Loren called me this morning at work. I mistakenly missed the called and dialed him back a few hours later. He was quite exasperated and said I missed a very critical moment. He then proceeded to explain that when he and Ellena were playing in her play kitchen, she picked up her plastic banana and said..... "nan-nah"! Now is that a smart little girl and a proud daddy or what??? And to think, we haven't even worked on the word banana yet! We have worked on please, Ellena, patience, bath, and many others that she is doing quite well with though... ;)

Now, if only we will get to more words and less screaming!!!