4 Things

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Accompanist
2. Piano Teacher (I had one student)
3. Marketing Phone-Caller
4. Teacher!

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1. Mary Poppins
3. Bourne Ultimatum
3. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
4. The Lion King

Four places I have lived:
1. Garland, TX
2. Rowlett, TX
3. Lubbock, TX
4. Katy, TX

Four places I have been:
1. England
2. Bahamas
3. Austria
4. Belize

Four Favorite drinks
1. Milk
2. Freshly sqeezed lemonade
3. Lemon-lime-orange-ade
4. Milk

People who email me regularly:
1. Mom
2. Catherine
3. Parents/staff from school
4. Myself (from school to home to REMIND myself to do things!)

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Guacamole
2. Thin Mints
3. Gala apples
4. Texas tacos

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. With my family
2. On vacation
3. With some friends
4. A home with all the laundry done

Four TV shows that I watch.
1. Wheel of Fortune
2. Amazing Race
3. NCAA Basketball during March Madness
4. Fox 26 News with my friend the weather man

Four friends I think will respond:
1. Mel
2. No pressure
3. Surprise me!
4. Have fun!!

Golfing...

On Wednesday Steve-o, Stephen, Chris, Rebecca, Jordan, and I went golfing! But we didn't use golf clubs; we used frisbees! Chris and Rebecca provided all the frisbees we needed, the local park provided the course, and we provided the entertainment, laughter, and smiles! Lou came along, too, to get some sun!



Bando mid-throw


Steve-o mid-throw



Chris mid-throw


Rebecca mid-smile







I LOVE the fact that there is a tee box for the ladies . That meant that Rebecca and I got to start a bit closer to the basket than the boys did. And it was a good thing, too, because my first throw was usually still the furthest away from the basket.

We had a great time!

Fogo de Chao

Bando and the boys like to go to Fogo, a Brasilian steakhouse, whenever they can. I've always heard the anticipation before they go, and I've seen the results when they get back, but I've never gone myself. (The results, by the way, usually include everyone who went vegging for a while in the living room and maybe even taking a nap).

Today, Steve-o, Stephen, Mel, Chris, Rebecca, Jordan, and I went to Fogo, so I got to experience the "magic" to its fullest extent! But it all began this morning. When Jordan and I were getting ready to go, he gave me a mini-lecture on what to do and what not to do at Fogo. Here are some of his words of wisdom:

• Don't be fooled by the salad bar. You go to Fogo to eat meat, not to get full on the salad bar. He recommends getting some rice and beans from the salad bar to eat with the meat.
  
• They'll bring mashed potatoes to the table. Don't eat them. They are good mashed potatoes, but that's not why we're going to Fogo.
  
• If your plate gets full of meat you don't want to eat, ask for a new plate; they'll gladly bring you one.
  
• Don't drink 3 glasses of water with your meal. (I can do that easily when we eat out!) But he does recommend drinking a Guarana because that's how it is in Brasil.
  

Those are just a few of his instructions to me. I was surprised at how long his mini-lecture lasted! But it was well worth it because I was not fooled by the salad bar! The food was great! I especially enjoyed the chicken legs and the filet mignon. They were superb!!! Also, the bananas were amazing!!!

When we had all finished, Steve-o had some great words of wisdom for us: "Fogo is like golf. You don't play to win; you just play the game."

A Little Spring Cleaning

One of my goals for the week was to clean out the closet in our second bedroom. The closet area had become my dumping ground. - I couldn't even close the closet doors! (I know, I know - it was pretty bad!)
Before:


But yesterday I did it! My purpose was not to go through every single thing in there; it was just to organize it, clean it out some, and close the doors! Adding the shelves really helped!
After:


And see? The doors actually do close! :-)


Kyle decided to help out with some spring cleaning in the kitchen, too. He had a great time getting all wet in the sink while he played with the water and the sprayer!

Things...

Things you would do with a million dollars...
Things that go bad...
Things cannibals think about while dining...
Things that should come with a manual...
Things you would say to a pig if it could talk...
Things that happen once in a blue moon...

These are all things that we wrote about last night while playing the game of things...
Stephen, Mel, Liz, Steve-o, Lou, Jordan, and I all played. It's a fun game, (actually called "things...") where you all write down an answer to the prompt, and you have to guess who said what. It can get pretty funny - when people start writing down what someone else might say, and when they bring back the same answers again and again for different prompts.

Well, one of the prompts was fairly simple: Things that make you giggle. I put "myself." (It's true!) But it was interesting as the answers were read because so many of them were the same! One answer was "Timee," one answer was "Mom," and another answer was "watching Mom think." It turns out that Jordan put "Timee," Liz put "Mom," and Stephen put "watching Mom think." Once we figured out that Timee's kids were the ones who put that she makes them giggle, the giggles really got going! - And it turned into all out hysterics!

You can tell Stephen is really giggling here.


Jordan is going in this one,


and now Jordan is coming up for air!


I don't remember what these girls were laughing about in these pictures, but they sure were laughing!!!



Another thing that got everyone laughing was when the prompt was things that happen once in a blue moon. Jordan put "Mom working," and everyone cracked up!!! - Don't worry though, Lou. Your kids love you! :-)

We had a good time!

A Happy Evening

Yesterday afternoon Jordan got all ready to go to work, and he drove all the way to Kirby, (which is a good 35-40 minutes from our house, probably), and THEN he got a call from work saying he didn't have to come in. That was actually fine with him because he didn't sleep well yesterday afternoon, so he wasn't really looking forward to being up all night on not much sleep. So he came home, and we got to spend some time together!

We went on a walk on the edge of a bayou near our house. - It was GREAT weather, which is saying a lot for Houston!!! Then we went to Marble Slab and enjoyed some ice cream.

It was so much fun to have an unexpected evening together!

Angie's Bridal Shower

My cousin, Andrew, is engaged to Angie! They are getting married in June. Last weekend, my aunt Carol and my mom threw a bridal shower for Angie. Here is Angie with her sister Brittany.



We had a great time meeting her family, watching her open presents, eating, (of course!!) and playing a game. - And it looks like Angie had fun, too!



Angie and her mom

Angie with her mom, sister, aunt, and cousins


Angie with her Grandmother, sister, and mom


My aunt Debbie, (Mother of the Groom), my mom, and my aunt Carol


Our side of the family - cousins, Grandmom, aunts, mom

We are so glad that Angie will be part of our family!

Laura's Perfect!!!

Happy Birthday, Laura!!! She's 20 years old now!!!!

So, I once heard a great little story about why it's so great to be 20. It goes a little something like this:

When you're 19, you're a teenager. When you're 21, you're an adult. So I guess when you're 20, you're nobody, and nobody's perfect, so when you're 20, you're perfect!!! (Thanks, Margie!!)

So, Laura, enjoy being perfect this year!!! Here are a few pictures of Laura throughout the past couple of years. (This is the best I can do, since she's in Lubbock, and I'm in Houston!) Enjoy!!!


Laura and Taylor


No fish for Laura, please!!


Always so helpful!

That's right! - Get your guns up!!! Go Tech!

Laura with one of her sweet nephews!

Laura and Paige!

Sisters!

A great moment!

What a good-looking bunch of kids! (Even if I do say so myself!)

Laura and Matt