Monster Truck Show

Well I experienced my very first monster truck show, last Saturday night. After spending a wonderful afternoon with WD, Erin, and Dylan we met up with Brooklyn, Zach, and Caden to watch a monster truck show in Gonzales at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. WD had taken Dylan to a show last year when it was at the RiverCenter in Baton Rouge, and they had a great time, so we were expecting the same this time. The trucks were big (all 4 of them), but apparently out in Gonzales they are more impressed with 4-wheelers stuck in the mud. That was the majority of the show... a bunch of local rednecks trashing up their ATV's while swimming through mud, and oozing testosterone! Although the show wasn't much good, the company was.

Pinewood Derby 3rd Place Champion

We joined Dylan for the annual Pinewood Derby contest for his Cub Scouts' pack. It was fun of course, and to make it even more exciting, Dyl won 3rd place in his age group and advanced to the finals. Way to go Dyl!

Mardi Gras 2008

WD, Erin, Dylan, and I were downtown Saturday afternoon. We were trying to hang out and do something different, so we headed down to the Arts & Science museum (thanks to my mother-in-law, Aleta, for the annual family pass). The kids loved the space stuff, but my favorite was looking at all the art. Some of it was so nice and textured, that it was hard not to touch it. After wandering through the museum, we headed out to the street where a Mardi Gras parade was going on. We all caught beads and enjoyed watching the floats in the chilly weather. We ended up at Coffee Call where we warmed up with hot chocolate for me and Dyl, Cafe-au-lait for WD and Erin, and beignet fingers for all! It was a great weekend.

Chi

One of my favorite birthday gifts this year was given to me by my in-laws. It's the Chi flat-iron for styling hair. I had heard many of my friends and family sing its praises, but just couldn't fathom spending over $100 on a hair appliance. I now know why everyone loves it. This tool heats quickly and makes styling my hair a snap. I can't wait to give it a try on Erin's hair. She has to wear curls when she dances with her competition dance team, and I've been told there are really cool techniques for making ringlet curls with the Chi. In the meantime, she loves the straight look and is ecstatic that she can have my old flat-iron which worked ok, but took longer than the Chi to heat up.

Why You Shouldn't Give "Scratch-Offs" As Gifts...

This is hilarious... I overheard one of my coworkers cracking up laughing while she was watching this video... it is now saved as a "favorite" whenever we need a laugh in the office!

Jupiter Parade 2008

Erin and her dance team were invited to walk/dance in the Jupiter Parade in downtown Baton Rouge Saturday night. We were all very enthusiastic, until we realized how very cold it was going to be. The girls were good natured, but danced very little. They were trying to stay warm and to keep smiles on their faces. The crowds were polite (as far as Mardi Gras crowds go), so other than the cold weather, it was lots of fun. Dylan and WD spent father-son time while I walked with Erin. They ended up catching lots of beautiful beads and even toys.

Christmas in January

I was just uploading photos from last night's Mardi Gras parade, when I found photos I took of our Christmas in January with the Davis' in Alabama. There are way too many to post here, but I uploaded them to Shutterfly. Click HERE to see them. We had a wonderful visit last weekend. Erin, Dylan, and our dog, Chewee enjoyed a little outdoor play with WD's sister, Danielle. WD's other sister, Julie came over to visit as well. Dad Skeet pulled out the horses and saddled them up to give us all rides. One benefit to having such great family (and large families, too) is having great holiday celebrations too... even if we were a little delayed this year!

Surprise Birthday Celebration

WD got me good this year! I don't think I've ever had such a fun birthday. He arranged for most of our family and friends (and even my coworkers) to be at our house last night. When he and I arrived from eating out, we walked in the door and everyone jumped out and surprised me. I have never been so surprised or freaked-out. I know that I couldn't have a better husband, better family, and better friends. Thanks to all who planned, replanned (as I know it was initially scheduled for tonight), and make it over! You made turning 34 an event I'll never forget. Ya'll are the greatest and I am truly thankful!

Disney's Desperate Housewives

Back-to-School "Gadget"

Classes officially resumed for the Spring 2008 semester on Monday. I have gotten a "slow" start compared to last semester... lots of stuff going on from work projects to prepping for Erin's dance competition season. I logged in to my classes and got started tonight while my DVR played an old Oprah episode in the background. Then something caught my eye on TV:
Oprah was highlighting (no pun intended) items that she thought were innovative. She had a shoe designer, Cold Stone Creamery, Carmex, and a product designer from 3M who works specifically for "Post-its" on the show. Post-it has come out with the 3M Post-it Flag Highlighter! Basically it's a highlighter built with a little flag dispenser on the side! I will have to make a stop by Office Depot to pick up a few of these for this semester! Especially since my book expense for two online classes has now topped $170... I'll make sure to really mark up those textbooks with notes, highlights, and flags!

Ricochet

I just finished a book by Sandra Brown called, "Ricochet". This was a "for-fun" read; not a book to expand my mind nor a book for school... just simply for entertainment purposes. It has taken me some time to finish it because of all the other things I have been doing, but well worth my "entertainment" time. To be honest, I have read most of this book while driving... yes, driving. Reading is the only thing that has kept me sane while inching down I-10 towards Prairieville during 5 o'clock traffic.

Bucket List

Today was "Inauguration Day" here in Baton Rouge, so I didn't have to go to the office ;-) After putting the kids on the bus, I hit the laundry and headed out to do grocery shopping. What a boring way to spend the day off. After spending half the day doing the same ole mundane tasks that would have been done regardless of being off or not, I decided to head to the movie theater... by myself. It was rather nice. I saw "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It was really cute. Basic story line... two completely different men meet each other through hospitalization where they are forced to share a room. They both are given a year or less to live, but it isn't so morbid, because the rest of the movie is about how they complete tasks and life experiences that they have listed on the bucket list, a list of things to do before "kicking the bucket". It was heartwarming and funny.

ANTM

I have just discovered a really cool show on VH1... "America's Next Top Model". Over the last couple of days there has been a non-stop ANTM marathon showing episode after episode of this series that apparently has been out for quite a few years. Tyra Banks (former model... and I think she acts some too) hosts the show along with a few very strange men who serve as runway trainers and photographers. Besides seeing all of the beautiful clothes and lovely people, this show appeals to me from a photographer's perspective. It is so amazing what the photographers can do from an artistic standpoint! I'll have to find out when it currently airs then set the DVR now to record this new found reality TV series.

Happy New Year!

We rang in 2008 with family, this year. We cooked lots of good food, and had WD's family over (his mom's side). WD and I stocked up on fireworks making sure to include daytime fireworks for the eager kids who just couldn't wait until it got dark. We started the festivities at about 5pm and didn't end them until right at midnight. The kids ran around with cousins and neighbors' kids, while we enjoyed hanging out with family and the few neighbors who stopped by on their rounds of party-hopping. Lots and lots of fun. Even Chewee enjoyed the fireworks... he ran toward them, trying to bite and chase them!