AI: Miami

While the American Idol judges reported a lot of talent in Miami, apparently the editors decided not to show much of it last night. Either that or I'm becoming disinterested in the whole audition process and not paying as much attention as I was in the beginning. Either way, there were a few that I thought were not bad, but also not stellar. I liked rocker Robbie Carraco. We got the unwed-teen-mother contestant sent to Hollywood (is it just me, or since Fantasia's win have there been more and more of these contestants showing up?) (and it is just me, or does anyone else feel that an unwed-teenage-mother is not the best role model/idol for America?). We saw our share of bad singers/strange people. Blah blah blah. I sure hope next week is Hollywood Week!

Wordless Wednesday - Hay!

Corn-Fed American Idols

American Idol auditions were in Omaha, Nebraska tonight - cornhusker country! Nothing too exciting tonight - I think the judges were actually pretty generous, giving people like Jason Rich (who forgot the lyrics) and Angelica Puente (who was noticeably nervous) second chances and golden tickets to Hollywood. I'm glad - both had good voices and deserved a shot at the big-time. I also liked David Cook - a rocker who sang "Living On A Prayer" (can't go wrong with Bon Jovi!)!! Leo Marlowe also made my list tonight.

Tomorrow - Miami.

Ten Things I Would Buy If I Had $1 Million (And Had To Spend It On MYSELF!)

I had a hard time with this week's Ten on Tuesday list because all the things that first came to my mind were not for me - I would pay for my kids' college tuitions, buy them a Wii, buy Hubby a new Corvette and a boat - but none of that stuff is for ME. So here is my very selfish list of Ten Things I Would Buy If I Had $1 Million - And Had To Spend It On MYSELF:

1. a lovely house, custom decorated (including new furniture)
2. nice clothes
3. a horse or two
4. a cook (ok, I would HIRE a cook - I know you can't BUY a cook!)
5. a maid (ditto above)
6. several fabulous vacations
7. a really nice camera
8. a good printer to print photos
9. all the scrapbooking supplies I could ever want or need, stocked in my own scrapbooking room in my lovely, custom decorated house
10. a sporty, just-for-fun car

22 Years

Nothing has impacted the area in which I live more than the Challenger and Columbia tragedies. This is a NASA community - my daddy worked for NASA for 40 years. The astronauts are not just heroes to us - they our are neighbors, our co-workers, our friends.

I was a junior in high school and had just gotten out of class to go to lunch when I heard the rumors buzzing in the halls - "The space shuttle exploded!" No way, I thought. That just couldn't be. TWO friends of mine had daddies on that space shuttle. It just simply couldn't be. But during lunch the principal came over the PA system and announced the truth - Space Shuttle Challenger had disintegrated upon launch. You could have heard a pin drop in that high school cafeteria. For what seemed like forever, NO ONE made a sound. We were all in shock. And for weeks - for months - our whole community was in shock. And saddened beyond belief.

We lost seven heroes that day. Every year on this day I honor their memory. We will NEVER forget.

The Original Reality Competition

Tonight is a much anticipated yearly event at the Bubba's Sis household - the Annual Miss America Party! I grew up watching Miss America with Bubba's Mom, and now our family and friends join us for a pageant-viewing party every year, complete with crowns! Sadly, D and Wendy Bird can't make it this year, so the contestants are narrowed down to myself, Bubba's Mom, and Katie-Lady.





To those who think Miss America is just a silly beauty pageant, I beg to differ. Unlike the Miss U.S.A. Pageant, Miss America awards scholarships to its contestants; the winner of Miss America must posses not only outward beauty, but also inner beauty, as well as talent, poise, and personality. Miss America must have a platform - a cause she feels deeply about - and she speaks across the country on her issue. She is a role model. Gone are the days of the parades along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, of Bert Parks singing, "There she is....Miss America....", of a September crowning. But despite the changes over time, the Miss America Pageant has stayed relevant and fresh - and a great excuse for a party!

Get ready.......There she is!!

**Post-pageant update - rather disappointing this year. See a full review over at Bubba's Mom. Things just aren't what they used to be, are they? It's OK. I still want to be Miss America. Congratulations, Miss Michigan!

Friday's Feast #30

My 30th Friday's Feast:

Appetizer

How many times per day do you usually laugh?

As often as possible - I love to laugh, to act silly with the kids and say corny things that crack myself up. Laughter is good for the soul.

Soup

What do your sunglasses look like?

thin tortoise-shell frames and smudgy, scratched lenses (I'm hard on my sunglasses!)

Salad

You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go?
Colorado

Main Course

Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city.
As I've mentioned before, I love being half-way between the big city of Houston and the historic coastal city of Galveston.

Dessert

If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best?

lavender

How a tiny plastic baby messed up my plans. And a very important message. Read on.

This morning after I took the kids to school I was going to head over to the lab to have some blood drawn - just a general health screening as party of my annual exam - but I had to be fasting to do it. Fasting is not easy for me. But instead of making my cup of hot tea as soon as my feet hit the floor this morning, I abstained.

The kids wanted King Cake for breakfast - I bought a delicious strawberry-filled one at the store yesterday. But of course, I had to hide the baby in it first. So I poked him in there - real deep so he wouldn't easily be found - and covered the evidentiary hole with more gooey icing, then proceeded to lick all that yummy icing off my fingers. Oops. No blood tests today.

I did have my annual mammogram today - to anyone out there dreading this procedure, I can say in all honesty IT'S NOT BAD! I'd much rather do a mammogram than the whole visit with the gyn and all that involves (which I did last week). It is SO IMPORTANT for women to have annual mammography screening. PLEASE do not put this off - it could save your life. Early detection of anything is your best bet. Just ask Bubba's Mom. She'll tell you.

So the moral of the story is, take care of yourself, have annual checkups and screenings, and don't lick the icing off your fingers if you are supposed to be fasting. It counts.

Carolina Idol

A rather dull American Idol audition show from Charleston, South Carolina tonight. No one really stood out, but there was also not anyone really really weird. There were only two on my short-list tonight - Amy Flynn and London Weidburg. We'll see how they fare in Hollywood Week.

Next week - Omaha, Nebraska.

Wordless Wednesday - Swamp Shack

Say a prayer!

Please say a prayer - and keep saying them! - for WhyMommy, who is battling Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She had a double mastectomy today and is doing well in recovery. Just like Bubba's Mom, I know that WhyMommy is going to beat this damn cancer and be a SURVIVOR!

American Idol in San Diego

We only had to endure one hour of American Idol auditions tonight - much better! The funniest to me was the girl who said she likes to watch the auditions and laugh at the bad people, then she became one of the very people she laughs at - oh the irony! My favs tonight were Perrie Cataldo, Michael Johns, Samantha Musa, David Archuleta, and Carly Smithson.

Ten Things That Were Better "Way Back When"

Ah, the good old days! This week's Ten on Tuesday list is Ten Things That Were Better "Way Back When":

1. the freedom to be a kid outdoors
2. MTV
3. breakfast cereal
4. concerts
5. children's television
6. customer service
7. the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (it was better in the Astrodome)
8. airline travel
9. country music
10. Christmas

An Amazing Finish!

CONGRATULATIONS to TK and Rachel - winners of the 12th edition of The Amazing Race! Well done, you two! I was rooting for you all the way!

It's rodeo time in Houston!

It's that time of year again - time for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo to start gearing up! What started 76 years ago has turned into the largest livestock show and rodeo in the world, contributing over $200 million and counting to scholarships, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, and other educational and youth programs. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo has many "Go Texan" committees and sub-committees that provide funding for youth through fund raising and auction support. While the actual rodeo begins March 3 and runs to March 22, all these fund raising activities have already begun - and because Hubby's employer is a major donor to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, we get to go to many of these fun events! Today was the annual Rodeo Fashion Show, and Bubba's Mom and I had the honor of attending!

(I do not know why my eyes are so wide open in this picture. Bubba's Mom is not goosing me, I swear.)

The theme this year was "It's Five 'O Clock Somewhere", so you can guess there was lots of tropical decor and cute little tropical drinks.

There were great live and silent auctions, shopping booths, a "just-for-fun" casino, a delicious lunch, and of course, the fabulous fashion show! We got to see some stylish Western wear:

This was one of my favorites!

Cute, but not me.

Sometimes we cowgirls get cold!

But it wasn't all rodeo duds, no siree! We had some classy resort wear:

And evening wear:

Even bridal wear!

Bubba's Mom and I had a great time - we look forward to this every year and we're never disappointed! Cowboy up, ya'll - it's rodeo time!

Friday's Feast #29

TGIF! Enjoy this Friday's Feast!

Appetizer

What is your favorite beverage?

Tea! Some like it hot, some like it cold....I like it both ways! I'm also very fond of ginger ale.

Soup

Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.

My desk at home right now has a box of chocolates (early Valentine from Hubby!), my calendar, and pictures of family and friends (and a bunch of other junk).

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?

Well, if I'm not very honest then it doesn't really matter how I answer this question, does it? You'll never know!

Seriously, I will say an 8 - I do tell the occasional white lie.

Main Course

If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?
Geez - this is a hard one! I have no idea!

Dessert

What stresses you out? What calms you down?

Crowds stress me out. Xanax calms me down.

American Idol - Texas Style

Last night the American Idol judges were listening to hopefuls from Dallas, Texas - the city where they discovered Kelly Clarkson. Did they find the next American Idol here as well? Perhaps. I liked several last night: Jessica Brown, Alaina Whitaker, Kady Malloy (from Houston!), Kyle Ensley (yes, I know he's a dork, but so was Clay Aiken!), Colton Swan, and Drew Poppelreiter (for a more detailed re-cap of last night's show, head over to Valtool's Box).

Once again we saw the really bad, the really strange, and the downright scary. Why oh why do people subject themselves to such ridicule just to be on TV? It's no wonder the judges get so cranky, with all they have to weed thru to find a handful of hopefuls to send to Hollywood!

Next week: San Diego

Wordless Wednesday - Lone Star

American Idol is back!

Tonight was the premiere of the 7th season of American Idol, one of my favorite shows! They are in the audition rounds, which is always interesting and does get a little old after a while - last night they were in Philadelphia, tonight they're in Dallas. For a great re-cap of last night's show, head over to Valtool's Box.

My early favs: Jonathan Baines, Kristy Lee Cook, and Brooke White.

January 15

Time to take the Christmas decorations down. I'm just sayin'.