Overheard at dinner tonight:
T: Z, you are so smart! And pretty. Are you pretty?
Z: Yep.
T: (laughing) And modest. Are you modest?
Z: Nope.
11.30.2008
11.28.2008
The Wedding Story - Part 2
So now that I was properly shod, we went back to SSS's house to get ready to go. The funny thing was that both of the girls were ready to go before e even got in the shower. We were totally waiting on him. When he finally made his appearance, we headed out.
The traffic gods had been against us all day, and the trip to the wedding was no exception. We had to get from one end of town to the other on the busiest cross-town road. Arg! When we arrived at White House Ranch, the ushers were immediately upon us telling us to RUN! The wedding was about to start. It is not nice to tell a woman non-accustomed to heels to run anywhere. We ducked into the garden with all eyes upon us, though we were only the next to the last people there. Of course, there were no seats together, so I sat with e and SSS found a seat further up.
When the groomsmen came in there was a guy with gray hair standing next to the preacher. Never having met the groom, I thought to myself, "How sweet! The groom asked his dad to be his best man." Nope. He was the groom. Ooops!
The bridesmaids were lovely in dark purple gowns. Each selected a gown that suited them best. SSM was a vision in strapless cream chiffon. She wore a fingertip veil over gorgeous loose curls. Just beautiful. I love weddings! Everyone looks so pretty! It is nice to have an occasion to to gussy up for.
The service was very nice; sort of non-denominational. The bride is Jewish and the groom is Protestant. There wasn't a chuppa, but they did stomp the glass and yell moseltov, which was a treat. Afterward, we adjourned to the house for the reception.
The White House Ranch is a beautiful house that used to be a private residence, but has since been converted into an event center. We were all agog at the sheer vastness of it all. What could the former owners have possibly done with it all? And the cleaning? Forget about it. But I suppose if you owned that sort of house you would have minions to do your cleaning. Interestingly, the kitchen was kind of a disappointment. It was all '80's laminate and cheap painted cabinetry. I am sure it was cutting edge when it was built, but it seemed incongruous given the grandeur of the rest of the house.
The wedding was small-ish; under 50 if I had to guess, but I'm not sure that is a good estimate. Immediately after the service, everyone hit the bar. Much to the bride's chagrin, the red wine was gone in a matter of minutes. I think the keg made it all the way through, but since I don't drink beer (or wine, for that matter) I can't be sure.
The food was great and the cakes were pretty. The groom's cake was an homage to the University of Texas, which was the alma mater of many in attendance. It was shaped like the state of Texas with a U.T. longhorn in the middle. It was surrounded by white chocolate-dipped strawberries with a tiny U.T. logo on them. The perfect cake for the guy that put the fan in college football fanatic.
The music was a little too easy listening for my taste, but there were some fun songs, too. In a stunning display of loyalty to U.T., they played U.T. fight song, and the school song, The Eyes of Texas are Upon You. We all sang and flashed the hook 'em horns sign. Afterwards, a very earnest woman - who was a complete stranger - came up to me and corrected my hook 'em etiquette. It seems some woman in some obscure U.T. history text said that you were supposed to keep your hand still during the school song to show your unwavering loyalty to the school. I was all, "She can't be serious." She was. Seriously? unclench. This gal seemed to not be picking up on many social cues, but she did notice that my reaction was incredulity. She kind of mumbled, "But you can do what you want." and slunk off.
Finally, the other sorority sisters and I gave SSM a candle light (a silly but harmless sorority ceremony) for her in the foyer. There is singing and the passing of a lighted candle, so I was glad we didn't have to do it in front of everybody. It was sweet. The same girls gave me one at my wedding, so I was happy to return the favor.
The bride and groom left in a cloud of bubbles at the early hour of 10:00. That left us with a fair bit of time for visiting. SSS, e, and I stayed up ridiculously late chatting. Or more accurately, SSS and I did. e fell very soundly asleep on the couch next to us. At 4:00 a.m. we finally cried uncle and crawled off to bed.
My body is totally unaccustomed to all-nighters, so I felt like death in the morning even though a.) I had only had one drink; and b.) there weren't any small people demanding breakfast at the crack of dawn. Left to my own devices, I woke up around ten. We decided to do Ugly Breakfast (when you go to breakfast without doing anything more than getting dressed) before I headed back for my dad's house.
After what seemed like a million delays (I may or may not have had to drive back and get my cell phone), I was finally on the road. I got back around 3:00 to find that Daddy had accomplished the near impossible: both kids were napping at once!
They had a big time while I was gone. My dad's Rotary Club held an adoption awareness picnic on Saturday, so he took the kids along. There was a bouncy house, a scary clown (whose bright idea was that?), hot dogs and toys. Did I mention it was held at the local zoo? Z was in heaven. I made my dad promise not to give my babies away, even if there were days where I felt like that would be a good idea. Z and Q played with the kids that were there to meet prospective parents and had a blast.
That night, Daddy and his buddy MFS took to kids to Chuck E. Cheese. They had a big time. Q like anything with a steering wheel, whether or not it is moving. Z ran from game to game and raced around with all of the other kids. The only downer was that someone swiped her fancy flashing mouse cup and all of her tickets, but they got the cup replaced. I wonder how you wash something that has a flashing light in it. It doesn't seem like it would be dishwasher safe. On Sunday, MFS took Daddy and the kids to the Tokyo Grill for lunch. That is a good place to take kids because the cooking of the meal is great entertainment. All in all, they had way more fun than they ever have with me! I guess that's what grandparents are for.
The traffic gods had been against us all day, and the trip to the wedding was no exception. We had to get from one end of town to the other on the busiest cross-town road. Arg! When we arrived at White House Ranch, the ushers were immediately upon us telling us to RUN! The wedding was about to start. It is not nice to tell a woman non-accustomed to heels to run anywhere. We ducked into the garden with all eyes upon us, though we were only the next to the last people there. Of course, there were no seats together, so I sat with e and SSS found a seat further up.
When the groomsmen came in there was a guy with gray hair standing next to the preacher. Never having met the groom, I thought to myself, "How sweet! The groom asked his dad to be his best man." Nope. He was the groom. Ooops!
The bridesmaids were lovely in dark purple gowns. Each selected a gown that suited them best. SSM was a vision in strapless cream chiffon. She wore a fingertip veil over gorgeous loose curls. Just beautiful. I love weddings! Everyone looks so pretty! It is nice to have an occasion to to gussy up for.
The service was very nice; sort of non-denominational. The bride is Jewish and the groom is Protestant. There wasn't a chuppa, but they did stomp the glass and yell moseltov, which was a treat. Afterward, we adjourned to the house for the reception.
The White House Ranch is a beautiful house that used to be a private residence, but has since been converted into an event center. We were all agog at the sheer vastness of it all. What could the former owners have possibly done with it all? And the cleaning? Forget about it. But I suppose if you owned that sort of house you would have minions to do your cleaning. Interestingly, the kitchen was kind of a disappointment. It was all '80's laminate and cheap painted cabinetry. I am sure it was cutting edge when it was built, but it seemed incongruous given the grandeur of the rest of the house.
The wedding was small-ish; under 50 if I had to guess, but I'm not sure that is a good estimate. Immediately after the service, everyone hit the bar. Much to the bride's chagrin, the red wine was gone in a matter of minutes. I think the keg made it all the way through, but since I don't drink beer (or wine, for that matter) I can't be sure.
The food was great and the cakes were pretty. The groom's cake was an homage to the University of Texas, which was the alma mater of many in attendance. It was shaped like the state of Texas with a U.T. longhorn in the middle. It was surrounded by white chocolate-dipped strawberries with a tiny U.T. logo on them. The perfect cake for the guy that put the fan in college football fanatic.
The music was a little too easy listening for my taste, but there were some fun songs, too. In a stunning display of loyalty to U.T., they played U.T. fight song, and the school song, The Eyes of Texas are Upon You. We all sang and flashed the hook 'em horns sign. Afterwards, a very earnest woman - who was a complete stranger - came up to me and corrected my hook 'em etiquette. It seems some woman in some obscure U.T. history text said that you were supposed to keep your hand still during the school song to show your unwavering loyalty to the school. I was all, "She can't be serious." She was. Seriously? unclench. This gal seemed to not be picking up on many social cues, but she did notice that my reaction was incredulity. She kind of mumbled, "But you can do what you want." and slunk off.
Finally, the other sorority sisters and I gave SSM a candle light (a silly but harmless sorority ceremony) for her in the foyer. There is singing and the passing of a lighted candle, so I was glad we didn't have to do it in front of everybody. It was sweet. The same girls gave me one at my wedding, so I was happy to return the favor.
The bride and groom left in a cloud of bubbles at the early hour of 10:00. That left us with a fair bit of time for visiting. SSS, e, and I stayed up ridiculously late chatting. Or more accurately, SSS and I did. e fell very soundly asleep on the couch next to us. At 4:00 a.m. we finally cried uncle and crawled off to bed.
My body is totally unaccustomed to all-nighters, so I felt like death in the morning even though a.) I had only had one drink; and b.) there weren't any small people demanding breakfast at the crack of dawn. Left to my own devices, I woke up around ten. We decided to do Ugly Breakfast (when you go to breakfast without doing anything more than getting dressed) before I headed back for my dad's house.
After what seemed like a million delays (I may or may not have had to drive back and get my cell phone), I was finally on the road. I got back around 3:00 to find that Daddy had accomplished the near impossible: both kids were napping at once!
They had a big time while I was gone. My dad's Rotary Club held an adoption awareness picnic on Saturday, so he took the kids along. There was a bouncy house, a scary clown (whose bright idea was that?), hot dogs and toys. Did I mention it was held at the local zoo? Z was in heaven. I made my dad promise not to give my babies away, even if there were days where I felt like that would be a good idea. Z and Q played with the kids that were there to meet prospective parents and had a blast.
That night, Daddy and his buddy MFS took to kids to Chuck E. Cheese. They had a big time. Q like anything with a steering wheel, whether or not it is moving. Z ran from game to game and raced around with all of the other kids. The only downer was that someone swiped her fancy flashing mouse cup and all of her tickets, but they got the cup replaced. I wonder how you wash something that has a flashing light in it. It doesn't seem like it would be dishwasher safe. On Sunday, MFS took Daddy and the kids to the Tokyo Grill for lunch. That is a good place to take kids because the cooking of the meal is great entertainment. All in all, they had way more fun than they ever have with me! I guess that's what grandparents are for.
11.27.2008
Happy Turkey Day!
Work, work, work, work, work.
Eat. Eat. Eat.
Work, work.
Eat.
Work, work, work.
Collapse in tryptophan induced coma.
The end.
Hope you had a Thanksgiving as filled with love and laughter as mine was.
Eat. Eat. Eat.
Work, work.
Eat.
Work, work, work.
Collapse in tryptophan induced coma.
The end.
Hope you had a Thanksgiving as filled with love and laughter as mine was.
11.25.2008
Stop the Insanity*
Visiting my dad is exhausting. It's all the work of parenting (alone) without any of the convenience items. Why does Z get so wound up when we are visiting? She is much wilder here that she ever is at home.
That said, I have two words for you: n@ked gymnastics.
Last night before bath time, Z stripped down to her birthday suit and turned somersaults across the living room floor, flashing her girl bits at us once per flip. Just showing off for F.A., I guess.
*The rest of the wedding trip is coming. I just need a little sleep first.
That said, I have two words for you: n@ked gymnastics.
Last night before bath time, Z stripped down to her birthday suit and turned somersaults across the living room floor, flashing her girl bits at us once per flip. Just showing off for F.A., I guess.
*The rest of the wedding trip is coming. I just need a little sleep first.
11.24.2008
Big Balls in Cow Town
This will shock you, but I loaded up my kids and drove across the state. Oh, no shock? Yeah, me neither. I think the shocker would be if I were ever to stay home!
The occasion this time was the wedding of my sorority sister M (SSM). SSM lives in Houston along with a large group of our friends from college who work in the aerospace industry. (Can you say NASA? Yeah, my buds are mission control. How cool is that?) The wedding fell on one of T's rare weekends off, but I was not foolish enough to think he would be making the trip with me. No, he would be off looking for the mean deers.
Originally, he was headed out to the ranch, and Grandma was going to watch the kids for me so I could make a weekend event of the wedding and really catch up with my college friends. But plans change, and T decided to go to the lease. There is talk of letting the lease go after this year, so he wanted to get in one last hunt. Now the problem with the lease is that it is not kid friendly. No plumbing. No insulation. Open flame gas heaters. It's the deer lease of death! So I wasstuck with responsible for the kids. Not that I was bitter, or anything.
I was struggling for ideas for who I couldpawn them off on trust them with. I was coming up with nothing. I thought maybe Z could stay with lovely neighbor S - with four kids already, what's one more? - and I could lug Q down with me and get a sitter. Finally, inspiration struck. I was headed down to see my dad for Thanksgiving anyway, so why not drop the kids off there, then zip over to Houston for SSM's wedding? Genius! Lucky for me, my dad was agreeable to this plan. Yippee!
After the goat rope that was Z's party, all went smoothly on the trip down. Well, except for that little stop in the thrivingspeed trap metropolis that is Jewett, Texas. Thank you Mr. Nice Officer, sir for only giving me a warning. Honest! I missed the reduced speed sign. Z finally fell asleep right when it was time for dinner, so we drove on through to my dad's, arriving at 8:30 or so. Man, that drive is a beating. But at least I get to drive for two and a half more hours the next day!
Stellar parent that I am, I stuffed my sleepy/cranky children with McD's and hustled them off to bed. I actually fell asleep while playing 'possum to get them to sleep. I probably would have slept through the night right there on the floor if my dad hadn't accidentally set off the fire alarm when he got home from the theater. (It is a weird alarm sensitive to the light a fire makes, so it goes off if you turn on the hall light at night. Charming, huh?) Daddy and I stayed up until midnight chatting, which is unheard of for a former farm boy such as he.
I wasn't in any particular hurry to hit the road in the morning, but even so, I had a really hard time getting out the door. First I forgot my keys. Then I forgot the Librivox book Daddy had burned for me to listen to on the trip. I made it all the way to the gas station before I realized that I had left my purse at the house. When I came back to get it, my dad asked if I had separation anxiety!
Finally, I was on the road! By early afternoon, I had arrived at Casa D, my sorority sister S's (SSS) house. We sat in the living room and got all caught up, having figured out that it had been over four years since I had been down for a visit. (The last time was when I was pregnant with Z! Man, kids sure put a crimp in your social life!)
Finally, I declared myself to be starving and we headed out for soup, salad and bread sticks. Unfortunately, the wait there was half an hour. At 2:45! In a recession! Right before Thanksgiving! We had no time to wait because the shoes that matched my wedding ensemble fit my pre-babies feet, and were so old that both of the heel caps shattered when I tried them on. Also, I needed pantyhose. Not like I have a lot of call for those staying home with the kids! Thank god!
So rather than soup, salad, and bread sticks, we grabbed snack bar nachos at Target. The good news? The shoes I found matched my skirt perfectly and were SO pretty. Black and tan spectator pumps? with ankle straps? and black patent leather that matched my purse? Totally worth the agony of the unaccustomed 3+ inch heel. The pantyhose? Were made for female basketball players. I am not height/weight proportionate, so those suckers were so long that I could tuck the control top under the band of my bra. And I did. Who needs Spanx?
Wow, I am taking a long time to tell a relatively short story. I am officially too tired to finish this epic tale tonight. Tomorrow I willbore thrill you with wedding details: the dress; the food; the strange girl with no social graces. Stay tuned.
The occasion this time was the wedding of my sorority sister M (SSM). SSM lives in Houston along with a large group of our friends from college who work in the aerospace industry. (Can you say NASA? Yeah, my buds are mission control. How cool is that?) The wedding fell on one of T's rare weekends off, but I was not foolish enough to think he would be making the trip with me. No, he would be off looking for the mean deers.
Originally, he was headed out to the ranch, and Grandma was going to watch the kids for me so I could make a weekend event of the wedding and really catch up with my college friends. But plans change, and T decided to go to the lease. There is talk of letting the lease go after this year, so he wanted to get in one last hunt. Now the problem with the lease is that it is not kid friendly. No plumbing. No insulation. Open flame gas heaters. It's the deer lease of death! So I was
I was struggling for ideas for who I could
After the goat rope that was Z's party, all went smoothly on the trip down. Well, except for that little stop in the thriving
Stellar parent that I am, I stuffed my sleepy/cranky children with McD's and hustled them off to bed. I actually fell asleep while playing 'possum to get them to sleep. I probably would have slept through the night right there on the floor if my dad hadn't accidentally set off the fire alarm when he got home from the theater. (It is a weird alarm sensitive to the light a fire makes, so it goes off if you turn on the hall light at night. Charming, huh?) Daddy and I stayed up until midnight chatting, which is unheard of for a former farm boy such as he.
I wasn't in any particular hurry to hit the road in the morning, but even so, I had a really hard time getting out the door. First I forgot my keys. Then I forgot the Librivox book Daddy had burned for me to listen to on the trip. I made it all the way to the gas station before I realized that I had left my purse at the house. When I came back to get it, my dad asked if I had separation anxiety!
Finally, I was on the road! By early afternoon, I had arrived at Casa D, my sorority sister S's (SSS) house. We sat in the living room and got all caught up, having figured out that it had been over four years since I had been down for a visit. (The last time was when I was pregnant with Z! Man, kids sure put a crimp in your social life!)
Finally, I declared myself to be starving and we headed out for soup, salad and bread sticks. Unfortunately, the wait there was half an hour. At 2:45! In a recession! Right before Thanksgiving! We had no time to wait because the shoes that matched my wedding ensemble fit my pre-babies feet, and were so old that both of the heel caps shattered when I tried them on. Also, I needed pantyhose. Not like I have a lot of call for those staying home with the kids! Thank god!
So rather than soup, salad, and bread sticks, we grabbed snack bar nachos at Target. The good news? The shoes I found matched my skirt perfectly and were SO pretty. Black and tan spectator pumps? with ankle straps? and black patent leather that matched my purse? Totally worth the agony of the unaccustomed 3+ inch heel. The pantyhose? Were made for female basketball players. I am not height/weight proportionate, so those suckers were so long that I could tuck the control top under the band of my bra. And I did. Who needs Spanx?
Wow, I am taking a long time to tell a relatively short story. I am officially too tired to finish this epic tale tonight. Tomorrow I will
11.22.2008
Hunter Love*
T: Sweetie, your eyelids are all glittery.
Rae Ann: Is it gold glitter from Z's project or eye shadow?
T: Glitter. It's pretty. Like a turkey feather.
High praise indeed.
*1. Eww! Not that kind of love
2. This entry is for CCF, my biggest fan. I wrote this after Daddy and I stayed up late talking because I knew you would notice if I didn't post!
Rae Ann: Is it gold glitter from Z's project or eye shadow?
T: Glitter. It's pretty. Like a turkey feather.
High praise indeed.
*1. Eww! Not that kind of love
2. This entry is for CCF, my biggest fan. I wrote this after Daddy and I stayed up late talking because I knew you would notice if I didn't post!
11.21.2008
Thanksgiving Heartburn
Z had her school's Thanksgiving feast today. I dropped off Z and the cupcakes in the morning, and was to return to help out at 10:45. In the meantime, I needed to get packed up for a week-long trip to visit my dad, straighten up the house so it wouldn't be a mess when we return home, and wash off several days accumulated stink. (Again, my standards of personal cleanliness? Low. Shameful.)
Now, I would like to blame it on T, who called needing paperwork that some brain trust in the department had misplaced, but it was not his fault. I simply couldn't get everything done in the allotted time frame. So I was late. And not just a little late either. Not only did I not arrive early to help set up, but I arrived late enough that the songs had already been sung and the kids were sitting down to eat.
I was just sick. When Z's teacher told me that they had already done the singing, I almost popped a tear. It is my whole job to be there for all of Z's stuff and I had missed it. Z didn't seem phased or disappointed at all, so at least there is that. A couple of the other parents took photos, but no one took a video. So for this party, I get a great big parenting fail. Boo.
I did redeem myself slightly by staying until the bitter end and helping to clean up after a horde of sugar crazed three-year-olds. I would have done that in any case, but still. Sigh.
In different but related news, I met Z's best school friend at the feast. What can I say? Oh, noes! I totally understand why Z is friends with this little girl. She is as precocious and verbal as Z is, leaps and bounds ahead of the other kids in the class. Where the other kids are still speaking practically in grunts, Z and her friend are on a polysyllabic spree.
Where Z's chatter is bossy, but innocent, somehow her little friend seems far too worldly for pre-school. Like she came to their class via pre-school juvie. Like maybe she was grabbing a quick ciggy in the girls' room. For example, as I was helping to clean up the feast, I watched this little girl drag a little boy over to a corner and make him kiss her. OMG! She's three! Now Z has been known to give kisses, but she doesn't demand that the other kids kiss her. There was just something about this little girl that shot up my antennae.
But what do you do about it? It is not like I can tell Z not to play with this girl - that would just make her more irresistible to my hard-headed offspring. Plus she is the only kid in the room with whom Z could hold an actual conversation. She doesn't seem like she'd have a mom who would call me up for a playdate, so Z is only seeing her three mornings per week. I guess I just want Z to stay little for as long as humanly possible.
Now, I would like to blame it on T, who called needing paperwork that some brain trust in the department had misplaced, but it was not his fault. I simply couldn't get everything done in the allotted time frame. So I was late. And not just a little late either. Not only did I not arrive early to help set up, but I arrived late enough that the songs had already been sung and the kids were sitting down to eat.
I was just sick. When Z's teacher told me that they had already done the singing, I almost popped a tear. It is my whole job to be there for all of Z's stuff and I had missed it. Z didn't seem phased or disappointed at all, so at least there is that. A couple of the other parents took photos, but no one took a video. So for this party, I get a great big parenting fail. Boo.
I did redeem myself slightly by staying until the bitter end and helping to clean up after a horde of sugar crazed three-year-olds. I would have done that in any case, but still. Sigh.
* ** *** ** *
In different but related news, I met Z's best school friend at the feast. What can I say? Oh, noes! I totally understand why Z is friends with this little girl. She is as precocious and verbal as Z is, leaps and bounds ahead of the other kids in the class. Where the other kids are still speaking practically in grunts, Z and her friend are on a polysyllabic spree.
Where Z's chatter is bossy, but innocent, somehow her little friend seems far too worldly for pre-school. Like she came to their class via pre-school juvie. Like maybe she was grabbing a quick ciggy in the girls' room. For example, as I was helping to clean up the feast, I watched this little girl drag a little boy over to a corner and make him kiss her. OMG! She's three! Now Z has been known to give kisses, but she doesn't demand that the other kids kiss her. There was just something about this little girl that shot up my antennae.
But what do you do about it? It is not like I can tell Z not to play with this girl - that would just make her more irresistible to my hard-headed offspring. Plus she is the only kid in the room with whom Z could hold an actual conversation. She doesn't seem like she'd have a mom who would call me up for a playdate, so Z is only seeing her three mornings per week. I guess I just want Z to stay little for as long as humanly possible.
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