Play ball!

"I love Opening Day. I think we all do, whether it's the players, coaches or front office. It's just a special day in our American culture. It's weaved into the fabric of what we are, and I think it's a great day." - Padres manager Bud Black

Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball - a day our family really looks forward to! The Astros are in San Diego tonight (can you take your pets to PETCO Park?), then Chicago, so their Home Opener won't be until next Monday the 7th. Bubba and Bubba's Dad will be there - it is a tradition that they go to the Astros' Opening Day game every year, and have since Bubba was just a little kid (now he's a big kid).

The Astros are a new team this year - we've lost a few players, including Craig Biggio who retired at the end of last season, and we've gained some new ones, including second baseman Kazuo Matsui, who is on the D.L. and won't get to start playing until mid-April. He is recovering from surgery to repair an anal fissure. Bubba and I think that there should be a big promotion at Minute Maid Park when he returns - a giveaway of inflatable doughnut cushions for the first 10,000 fans! It could be sponsored by one of the local hospitals. It's brilliant.

So buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and root root root for the home team - it's time to PLAY BALL!

*An interesting fact - the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" turns 100 this year! Read about it here.

Friday's Feast #38

It's the last Friday's Feast for March - so dig in and enjoy!

Appetizer
What does the color dark green make you think of?

Emeralds

Soup
How many cousins do you have?

I have three true first cousins - my mom's sister has two children and my dad's sister has one.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

If I said a 10 would you believe me? If I said a 2 would you?

Main Course
Name something that is truly free.

Love

Dessert
Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

Special People Really Inspire Natural Greatness.

Laugh and the world laughs with you.....or looks at you like you're crazy...

To me, one of the greatest things in the world is laughter. It always feels good to laugh - a giggle or a chuckle can be fun, a belly-laugh refreshing, but the best is the laugh-til-your-sides-hurt-and-the-tears-are-streaming-down-your-face laugh. You know the ones I'm talking about - the ones that border on hysteria and you feel like you might pee in your pants. Those are the best.

Last night we went out to dinner because I just didn't feel like cooking. We were all tired, and we settled into the booth to look at our menus when our waitress walked up and asked us for our drink order. And she sounded exactly like Roz from Monsters, Inc. When she walked away the giggles started. Then I started talking like her and the belly laughs began. Then every time she would come to our table and talk to us, Little Son and I would look at each other and try to stifle our laughter until she walked away. Soon we were laughing so hard we couldn't even finish our meals. I literally had tears in my eyes. It was a hilarious evening.

So when's the last time you had a really good laugh??

Doing the Write Thing

Daughter's dream for when she grows up is to be an author. She loves to read, she loves to write. She does both as often as she can. Back in September the students at her school were asked to submit their writings for the Do the Write Thing Challenge, a nation-wide youth anti-violence program (click the link and check out the website - it's pretty cool). Last week Daughter received a letter in the mail from Harris County Judge Ed Emmett telling her that she is a School Finalist out of 17,876 submissions from 175 schools (only one boy and one girl were selected from each school)! She will be recognized at a ceremony at Minute Maid Park in May (obviously on a day the Astros aren't using it!) and has a chance to go on to the State and possibly National level!

That girl just amazes me. We are so proud!

Wordless Wednesday - Spring!

Dance Fever

All who know me know I love my reality TV. I don't watch the real cheesy ones - my favs are Survivor, The Amazing Race, American Idol, and Dancing With the Stars. I never miss an episode! The challenges each of the competitions provide intrigue me, but not to the point of ever wanting to try it myself. I wouldn't last one day on Survivor, I'm too much of a chicken to do most of the stunts they have to do on The Amazing Race, and even tho I love singing into the hairbrush in the bathroom, I know I don't have a good singing voice. BUT, then there's Dancing With the Stars. When I watch that, I want to do it SO BADLY!! I have danced pretty much my whole life, but never ballroom dancing, and when I see them training and performing all the different dances, I yearn to get on the dance floor and try it myself! Perhaps one day I'll get up the gumption to take lessons - with or without Hubby, I really want to do it. The only thing that worries me is those high heels.....

This season of DWTS is off to a great start - the twelve couples all danced last week and this week, and their combined scores will be tallied for tonight's elimination. One man and one woman will be sent home. My prediction is that Monica Seles will be the woman leaving tonight - she is just....well....bad. My favorites of the women are Marlee Matlin (amazing!), Shannon Elizabeth, and Kristi Yamaguchi. They have all three impressed me so far! Priscilla Presley didn't do so bad, either (but man, she has messed up her face!), and Marissa Jaret Winokur is not very good, but has great enthusiasm! As for the men, I think either Penn Jillette will go home, or Adam Carolla - they are equally bad and obnoxious. My favs of the guys are Mario (never heard of him before, but he can dance!) and Jason Taylor, and I just think Steve Guttenberg is the cutest! The Cristian de la Fuente guy is not bad, but not great either, IMO. He's more of a goofball than a heartthrob to me.

I'll be tuning in tonight for the results show (right after I watch American Idol!) - we'll see if my predictions are right. And I'll live vicariously through all the dancers for another week....

Beautiful

To any woman - myself included - who has ever doubted their beauty:

Special Thanks

A special, heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who offered their condolences to us this week. It means so much to know that people care about you, and that they celebrate with you when you are up and grieve with you when you are down. The past few days have been full of mixed emotions - through the happiness of Daughter's birthday and the joyous celebration of Easter there has been that underlying sadness for Misty. Even Jax - our other schnauzer - is missing her. But we will get past this and be OK. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your kind words. They truly mean so much.

Happy Birthday, Beautiful Daughter!

Today we put aside our sadness to celebrate Daughter's 14th birthday - and what a beautiful young lady she is! We spent part of the day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, checking out the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit, then headed over to the zoo for a few hours of animal watching out in the gorgeous spring weather. This evening we topped it off with a celebratory dinner with our BFF's! Tomorrow we will celebrate with family and she will get cake and presents and be made much of. Oh, it's good to be 14!

I love you, Baby Girl! You are a beautiful, unique, amazing young woman who knows exactly who she is and is true to that to the core. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Misty

“Many years ago when an adored dog died, a great friend, a bishop, said to me, "You must always remember that, as far as the Bible is concerned, God only threw the humans out of Paradise”- Author Unknown

We lost our beloved Misty today - tonight we are grieving and heartbroken, but we know she is free from pain and waiting for us in Heaven. A good friend sent me this poem tonight:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here,
That pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of
Our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of
Food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those
Where were hurt are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our
Dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except
For one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be
Left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and
Looks into the distance. Their bright eyes are intent. Their body quivers, Suddenly
They begin to run from the group, flying over green grass, their legs carrying her faster
And faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling
Together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face;
Your hands again caress the head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet,
So long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together…..

Wait for us, Misty - we'll see you again someday.

Thank you, Bubba's Mom, for your beautiful post today.

Friday's Feast #37

It's a Good Friday Feast - Happy Easter, everyone!



Appetizer
Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?
definitely the country




Soup
Who is the cutest kid you know?
The obvious answer to this is MY OWN! But excluding them, it is definitely my nephew DREW BEAR!




Salad
Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.
I couldn't believe it when I heard that Carly was in the Bottom 3 on American Idol this week!



Main Course
If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?
Bath & Body Works bubble baths and shower gels



Dessert
What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?
None!

Wordless Wednesday - This is serious!

Unfortunate Timing

For the past three years we have been at Disney on or around the kids' birthdays (both in March) and celebrated there. I know, I know - the poor things. They haven't been able to have a real birthday party with their friends in years. They are really deprived.

But this year is different! This year we have no March trips planned, and I told the kids they could each have whatever kind of birthday party they wanted this year. Little Son didn't want much - no friends from school or anything, just dinner and go-karting with the D Family. Unfortunately, it got COLD for his birthday, and I was NOT going to drive a go-kart around a track with freezing wind whipping in my face - a sure recipe for snotcicles. So he decided on laser tag instead, which the kiddos fully enjoyed after a delicious dinner at the best hamburger place in the world - Tookie's (another place I would definitely take a tourist around here!).

Now it is Daughter's turn, and she decided on a pedicure party at the local nail salon - fun music, food, and fancy pedicures for everyone! She invited six girls. But this week is Spring Break AND her birthday is the day before Easter this year, so other than Lamb, no one can come. Daughter is crushed. I've tried comforting her by telling her that it's NOT her, that it's just the time of year; I've told her I'd buy her whatever she wants, even a pony; I've hugged her and wiped away the tears and told her we can do anything else she wants. But to a 14-year-old girl, no one coming to your birthday party is pretty crushing. It is so hard to stand by and see your baby hurt. I can't fix this. She will still have her family party this weekend, and we'll make it wonderful for her, but once again she has missed out on a party with friends (the next few weekends are no-go's for rescheduling, too).

These are the times when parenting gets hard. The times your heart breaks right along with theirs. I look back at my own life and the times I was hurting and only now realize how Bubba's Mom must have felt for me. But I survived, and I learned, and so will Daughter. I just wish I could make her feel better NOW.

Ten Places I'd Take a Tourist in My Hometown

I love my hometown. I was born here, and I've lived here all my life. Hubby was also born here, and has lived here all of his life as well. We know the area well, despite its many changes over the years.

Where is our hometown? A community called Clear Lake City, located half-way between the big city of Houston and the historic seaside city of Galveston. Come on down and visit us! Here's where I'd take you:

1. NASA/JSC - my Daddy retired from here after 40+ years of work; it is the heart of our community; there's a lot of cool stuff to see here!
2. Kemah Boardwalk - for fun, and fresh Gulf seafood!
3. The Strand/Historical District in Galveston - there's so much history in Galveston, and beautiful Victorian architecture, some still standing after the Great Storm of 1900; plus there's some cool shops along the Strand to poke around in, and more delicious seafood!
4. Galveston Beach - not the prettiest of beaches, I'll admit, but still a great place to relax on a beautiful day!
5. Moody Gardens - also in Galveston; fun stuff to do there, including cool exhibits, an aquarium, and a white-sand beach.
6. San Jacinto Monument - to see where Texas won its independence from Mexico!
7. If you come at this time of year, I'd definitely take you to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!
8. If you come later in the Spring or Summer, I'd take you to Minute Maid Park to see a Houston Astros baseball game!
9. Houston Museum of Natural Science - lots of cool stuff to see here, too.
10. The Houston Zoo - right across the street from the museum - they've really fixed it up nicely and I love animals so it's a fun place to visit!

Ya'll come on down! D... and I will show you a great time!

Kiss me, I'm Irish!

No really. I am. Both of my dad's parents can trace their lineage back to Ireland. We even have a castle there (well, it's in ruins now, but it's still there - see above)! I'm proud of my heritage, and even tho I don't really LOOK Irish, it's fun to BE Irish!

So Erin Go Bragh! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Don't forget to wear a little green!

Crazy 8's

I haven't been tagged for any memes in a while, but Michael at Valtool's Box tagged me for this one and it looks like fun!

Name 8 Things I Am Passionate About

1. Christ
2. my family
3. my friends
4. the fight against breast cancer
5. my pets
6. dance
7. music
8. Disney

Name 8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die

1. see my children graduate from high school and college
2. live long enough to see my grandchildren
3. take my nephew Drew Bear to Disney World
4. go on a Disney cruise
5. see the Astros win the World Series
6. enjoy retirement years with Hubby
7. be debt-free
8. become a better photographer

8 Things I Often Say

1. "I love you." (can't say it often enough)
2. "Fabulous!"
3. "Howdy!"
4. "Yo, Dogg" (a la Randy Jackson)
5. "Hey there, Delilah." (to my cat)
6. "Can you please turn that down?" (to Hubby watching TV)
7. "No prob, Bob."
8. "Holey moley!"

8 Books I've Recently Read or am Currently Reading

1. Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
2. Shoot from the Lip by Leann Sweeney
3. Pushing Up Bluebonnets by Leann Sweeney
4. Take Flight! A Sisterchicks' Devotional by Robin Jones Gunn & Cindy Hannan
5. Umm.....I don't read as much as I should anymore....

8 Songs I Could Listen To Over and Over

1. "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi
2. "Stay" by Sugarland
3. "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns 'N Roses
4. "Come Sail Away" by Styx
5. "To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks
6. "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
7. "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith
8. "Bright Lights" by Matchbox Twenty

8 Things That Attract Me To My Best Friends

1. They love me for who I am.
2. They are fun.
3. They are not pretentious.
4. They don't judge me.
5. They love God.
6. They love my family.
7. They genuinely care.
8. They make me laugh.

8 People I Think Should Do Crazy 8's

Whoever wants to!

Who's your daddy?

It was back to the rodeo for us last night - the kids had been begging Daddy to get tickets, and boy did he deliver! Four seats on the posh Club Level on Toby Keith night! (Hubby's position at work does have its nice perks.) We saw some great rodeo action - had some good laughs - and watched a great concert. During the bull-riding competition they brought out an apprentice rodeo clown to give him his first try in the barrel (a dangerous position, indeed). He worked the barrel for the last three bull riders, and even got a tumble when a bull knocked him over and rolled him a bit! At the end of that round we got to meet this apprentice clown - it was Matt Lauer from The Today Show!! Too funny!

As always, the crowd thickened at it got closer to concert time. A man and his well-endowed girlfriend sat behind us, and when Toby Keith started singing she stood up with her beer in hand and danced. I worried for Little Son's safety. She was either going to spill her beer on him, or one of her boobs was going to fall out of that tube top and knock him upside the head. I had to keep a close eye on him.

It was Salute to the Armed Forces Night, and everyone was feeling quite patriotic. Toby Keith put on a great show, and towards the end he sang American Soldier and the whole crowd was on their feet. And that's when it hit me. Or rather, SHE hit me. The lady behind me whacked me on my hat. I turned around and she snatched it off my head and handed it to me, saying, "You need to show respect for your country!" She was holding her own hat over her heart. I stuck my hat back on my head - bad hat hair under there - and said to her, "He's not singing the National Anthem!" Then I turned around and continued enjoying the show. Toby segued right into Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue and the crowd went wild singing along. Miss Boobs tapped me on the shoulder and when I turned around she was right in my face saying, "Do you disrespect your country??" After I caught my snap from the buzz I got off her breath, I stuck my finger in her face and said, "I have a son in the military, so GET OUT OF MY FACE!" For the rest of the song I ignored her. And then we left. The kids had troubled looks on their faces, because they had heard the whole exchange, so I hugged them and said,

"Hey, it's OK! WHO'S YOUR MAMA??"

Friday's Feast #36

Time for another Friday's Feast! TGIF!

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

10 - I have great handwriting!

Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?

Definitely baths - with bubbles!

Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?

I can't even remember the last movie I saw, much less the last BAD one!

Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

I take a prescribed medication every night to prevent migraine headaches; if I do not take it, I do not sleep. The doctor says this is not so much an "addiction" as it is a "dependency", so if I'm OK with it, he's OK with it. And I'm totally OK with it.

Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

a piano

Wordless Wednesday - Contentment

Ten Things I'm Looking Forward To In The Spring

I love Spring! It's my favorite time of year. My babies were born in the Spring, and there's always fun stuff to look forward to, so my Ten on Tuesday list was an easy one! Here are Ten Things I'm Looking Forward To In The Spring:

1. warm days
2. Houston Astros baseball
3. Texas bluebonnets
4. Bubba's Mom finishing radiation and officially kicking cancer's butt for the third time!
5. sandals (and bare feet!)
6. spring clothes
7. more daylight in the evenings
8. the return of Dancing With the Stars
9. Spring Break
10. Bon Jovi!!

What are YOU looking forward to this Spring?

G.N.O. at the Ro-de-o

So as you can see from the post below, D and I and our girls (and 73,455 other people) were at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo yesterday for the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert - and what fun we had! It was an all-day event for us. We headed up to the rodeo early in the day so we would have plenty of time to eat and see some sights before the show. The girls were looking pretty durn cute in their new hats....(that's Daughter on the right, Lamb on the left)...

We were starving when we got there, so we perused all the many choices of things to eat - pretty much whatever you would want, they have. Most of it is fried and/or on a stick:

We settled for good ol' sausage on a stick - deeee-licious!

And as tempting as the fried Oreos sounded, we settled for funnel cakes, washed down with a Coke! YUM!

With our bellies full of grease and sugar, it was time to rodeo! I was really getting into the action...

We headed into Reliant Stadium, which as Bubba's Mom says, looks like the box the Astrodome came in! Our seats were WAAAAAAAY at the top, so up, up, up we climbed....

Look how high we're getting! I think our ears started popping....

Hello, Astrodome next door!

We found our seats in plenty of time for the rodeo. D and I love rodeo - we love cowboys - we wore our boots special for the occasion:

See how high up we are??

We watched all the events - our favs were barrel racing and bull riding.

But the highlight of the night was when Hannah Montana took the stage - the girls were so excited, and even D and I squealed like little girls! She did a great show - sang a bunch of songs as Hannah, then switched over to Miley and did more songs (during her "switcheroo" time, we were treated to daddy Billy Ray Cyrus singing a few songs for us - what a treat!). The girls were all smiles and sang along and waved their glow-sticks to every song - the looks on their faces was priceless. Unfortunately D's camera died so we didn't get a pic of their priceless faces, but that's OK. They're forever ingrained in our memories.

It was late when we finally got home, and we were all pooped, but we had a great time - a day we'll never forget!

The Hottest Ticket in Town

And oh yeah - we were there!

Friday's Feast #35

Welcome to my 35th Friday's Feast! Have a seat and stay a while!

Appetizer
If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?

Julianne Hough - she is precious!

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

8

Salad
Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Main Course
What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

Mexican food

Dessert
Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?

Thankfully, NO!

It's a party!!

Howdy, ya'll! 5 Minutes for Mom is hosting The Ultimate Blog Party 2008, so I just had to get in on it and throw my own here at Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend...Me! Because who doesn't love a par-tay?? It's a week-long party, so woo hooo! Come on in, have a look around, shake your booty to the party tunes! And be sure to sign the guest book - and leave a comment - before you leave! Thanx for coming to my party - and don't mind D dancing on that table over there in her go-go boots. She's funky that way.

Fortunate Timing

The scene at a Times Square recruiting office this morning (read about it here):

Pic of Navy Son (on the left) and friends, taken one week ago:

Looks like that Guardian Angel really is watching over him.

(And thankfully, no one was hurt in the bombing incident.)

Wordless Wednesday - Lazy

Ten Favorite Drinks

This Ten on Tuesday list took me a while, but I finally came up with my Ten Favorite Drinks:

1. Ginger ale - I drink it all the time!
2. Hot tea - I drink it every morning!
3. Sweet iced tea - there's nothing like it!
4. Limeade from Sonic (and they have the BEST ice!)
5. Pina Colada (and getting caught in the rain)
6. Chocolate Malt Frappuchino from Starbucks (sadly, you can't get this anymore)
7. Sweet lemonade - the best I ever had was at the Trade Days in Canton, Texas!
8. Mudslide - hubby makes the best - Frangelico, Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, and vanilla ice cream - YUM!
9. Apple juice
10. Hot chocolate with whipped cream on top

Now I'm really thirsty......

Happy Birthday, Little Son!

My baby boy turned 11 today - the third child born on the third day of the third month. It sounds so cliche to say "Where does the time go?" but that's truly how I feel - wasn't it just last year that this tiny little man was born 5 weeks early, after I spent three weeks in the hospital on total bed-rest? When I cried tears of joy when he let out a wail at birth (because they told me he was so early he might not even cry)? When I got to bring him home 6 days later and introduce him to his big brother and sister? He's growing up so fast, and this one is the hardest for me because he is the baby - the last one.

I'm so proud of you, sweet boy! Happy Birthday - and many, many more!

Bright Lights and Late Nights

The past few days have been a whirlwind for me! Busy, busy, busy - and tonight I am exhausted! But it has been fun....here are the highlights:

Thursday night D and I went the the Matchbox Twenty concert! We got downtown faster than we anticipated, and were there when they opened the doors. We found our great seats, ate some yummy dinner, and at 7:00 the opening act took the stage - a band called Mute Math. We weren't so crazy about them - a large part of their act involved strobe lights flashing into the audience, something D and I found quite annoying. Not because we're old. Just because it's annoying. Next on the stage was Alanis Morissette, who was better but still just OK. More bright flashing lights, and she gets a little whiney, in my opinion. Not because I'm old. Just because. FINALLY at 9:00 or so, Matchbox Twenty came on, and they were AWESOME! D and I had such a great time singing and dancing to the music, and their Bright Lights? Oh-so-much better!

We got home late - after midnight. I think we were both dragging on Friday!

Hubby and I also attended a birthday party for a friend over the weekend - her 40th. The party started at a Mexican restaurant, where the margaritas and Coronas were flowing, then moved to a club on the lake - literally ON the lake, as it is a barge connected to the land by a pier. We had a great time and it was another late night for me.

Yeah, I'm tired. Maybe I AM old.