Madness before 5am

My precious alarm went off at 4:00am today. And yes, it was to go....shopping. I don't even get up that early to go to work or to work out but for shopping, I'll do it once a year. I was out of bed by 4:30 and in the van by 4:40. A Starbucks (a must have if you are out of your house before 6am) Peppermint Mocha, which my stomach later hated me for, was in my hand by 5:00am and I was ready to shop. I went with the very-kind-to-go-with-us mother-in law Pat, my sweet sister-in-law Cherish and Ben's aunt and cousins...my cousins-in-laws? I have never been one to even attempt to leave the house on Black Fridays before last year. I mean, really, who wants to go out on day that starts with "Black" but last year Ben's female family members were going so I joined in. I have to admit, I really went more for the thrill and fun of it that for any amazing deal. I think I could have gotten the same deal at 10am that I did at 5:45am but hey, then when someone compliments my new boots (20% off for the early birds) I can't say, "Yeah, I bought those at 5:45 in the morning!". And who wants to take away that experience. I also got some other Christmas gifts but they might be for YOU so I won't spill the beans. Here is us about to buy our 5:45 in the morning boots! The first photo is Cherish, the 2nd one is Sara (Ben's cousin) and me

I hope you all enjoyed "Black" Friday whether you were shopping, eating more, or watching football. A few more days and its back to school and normalcy. We're being pampered by my family and Ben's family and will miss them dearly!

Twas the night before thanksgiving...

If you haven't read this book, you should! It's cute. I read it to my kids this week.

Ahhh Thanksgiving. It's finally here. It seems to have snuck up on me this year. All the sudden it was the beginning of November and then all the sudden it was Thanksgiving! I'm at home in Allen which means family time. I adore family time. I love the group times with all the laughter and people around and I treasure the one-on-one times whether planned or if it just happens. This morning, as I always try to plan for, I got to wake up slowly and sit and talk with my mom. Historically, this has been the time when I hang out with her. We talk and drink coffee. My brother Keith was doing a landscaping job at her house so he came in also and ate breakfast with us and I got to talk to him while my mom took Cody (the dog that's more like a small child) for a walk. Such a treat and all before 11am. I then ate lunch with my sister Anne and we went shopping at let's see...DSW, the Loft, Charming Charlies, and some cute stores on the McKinney square. For lunch, I had a small quiche, a small cup of fruit, and a nice helping of Chocolate Chip Pie. Can we say YUM?! It has been a precious day. Tonight, we are going to my sister's oasis of a house (its amazing!), to eat BBQ and play games with the whole family. I have to pack in months of family time in two days. This is how it must be done and I must say I love it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I'm tremendously thankful to my God and King for how He has blessed me with his faithfulness, the people around me, and all His blessings. Now bring on the delicious food!

I confess...

...that I am a Twilight fan. I have been hiding it for too long and it must come out. I'm not a crazy fan though. I just enjoy reading the books and have enjoyed the movies. I went yesterday with a few of my ADULT girl friends to see the newly released New Moon movie. We were in a theatre full of crazy teenage girls and you cannot imagine the screaming. The last line of the movie elicited an ear piercing scream that I have never heard in a movie theatre ever. But teenage girls aside (I love you teen girls, just not while you scream in a movie) I enjoyed the movie. It was interesting to see how they portray certain characters and events that happen. I'm currently reading the 4th book so please don't tell me what happens at the end.

On another note, today, we were very kindly given passes to the LPGA tournament that is right here in Houston just about 20 minutes from our house! It was a gorgeous day to walk around. We went with our friends Grant and Jen. Grant and Ben very very serious about their analysis and discussion of the golf being played around us. Jen and I really just followed them around and found different places to stand and talk. We got shushed once by someone official for talking while someone was about to tee off. So sorry! We got to see Lorena Ochoa from Mexico in this exact outfit! That is a picture of her from today.

Two day week this week, then off to Dallas on Tuesday night, then to Arlington on Thursday afternoon. I love Thanksgiving.

October where did you go?

Whew! It has been quite a month. It has been exactly 1 month since I blogged - partly just from lack of motivation, partly from busyness (if you write this word by the rules, changing the i to y, it comes out looking like business, what's correct?) Well, because I don't want you to A, skip all the text and go to the pictures, or B, have a lot to read, I will just recap in mostly pictures. Here is the month of October...

Mom, Dad, and brother Keith came to visit the weekend before my birthday. Friday, I took off work and my mom and I went to the Houston Art museum! Then on Saturday, the guys played golf and I went shopping with my mom. Such a special birthday treat. They took me to the Taste of Texas for dinner and it was absolutely delicious!

On my actual birthday, Ben took me to the Melting Pot and gave me some pink sapphire earrings. He is the sweetest husband!

Is that Bacon? And Eggs??? YES! My school has book character dress up day every Halloween. The students are encouraged to dress up as a book character. Usually, each grade level team of teachers picks a book, and we chose Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I am the bacon that falls from the sky, Erica is eggs, and Amanda is the old man who tells the story. We had a blast! The others on our team were a pancake, the little boy, and one of the towns-people.

This past week, 3 other 3rd grade teachers and I got the opportunity to go to a 3rd grade teachers conference in Austin. We learned a lot and enjoyed our time together. After our first day, we went to the capitol building, to the Hula Hut, and then to the Yogurt Spot. A night to remember! Below is Amanda, me, and Erica.

And these are my sweet kitties. Carlos is getting huge. He is just so long but he still has a little baby meow. Maybe he will mature later and have a deeper voice. On the other hand, Polly has seemed to stop growing and is a petite little kitty. Oh how I love them :).