catching up

My eyes have been hurting lately. I think it has to do with 8 hours on the computer at work, and then I come home and spend ... ahem... several more?

So here's to catching up with Photo-a-Day.

Wednesday, 1/28. We were advised that a "cold front" was moving in. Yes, in Texas, anything below 60 is cold!

And yesterday, 1/29. Traffic. Ahhh, the traffic!

nothing new here

My week has been relatively boring. Last night I scrapbooked!

This is for a challenge over at Jen Wilson Designs. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

And my photos of the day:

This was my shopping card on Monday. And yes, I got a few funny looks in the checkout line as I snapped a photo!

And Tuesday. I can only watch American Idol when Dan is gone. He isn't a fan!

I still haven't taken one for today. Hmmm.

sleepy Sunday

Lately, Sundays are bittersweet.  It's nice to be able to relax, but then Dan always has to leave to drive back to Dallas. 

We went to church and this was the first day I taught my new Primary class - the 9 year olds!  Overall, it went pretty well.

Today's photo of the day is our church building.  Dan and I joke that it just might be the oldest church building in Texas!  

These lists have been popping up on all kind of blogs lately. I thought I'd try one.

The ones in bold are those I have completed.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.  Does Rockband count?
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21.Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.  Does in the gym count?
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in movie.
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job. Technically, I was "downsized." 
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Talked your way out of a ticket.  Not lately.

turning 30

Today is my birthday!  And as my husband would say, I'm spoiled!

I've had so many friends and family wish me a happy day - thank you!  It has really been a great day, and it's only 1/2 over!

I was supposed to sleep in, but as luck would have it, I woke up wide awake at 6:30 am.  (probably because I fell asleep at about 9:30 on the couch while watching Pineapple Express last night!).  At any rate, I enjoyed the quiet morning very much.

When Dan got up, I opened some presents!  Can you guess what I got?

If you guessed the beautiful necklace, you would be right!  My friend Becky sent that from Colorado!

But if you guessed the earrings, you'd also be right!  Dan "surprised" me with diamond earrings!  Isn't he the best?!

After breakfast, we showered and went to the temple.  We hadn't been in a while, plus it was our first time at the Houston temple.   It is beautiful!

On the way home, stopped for milkshakes at Chick-Fil-A.  Delicious!

Now we are just relaxing.  And, I need to decide where to go for my birthday dinner....I guess turning 30 isn't as bad as I thought it would be!

finally, Friday.

It has been one of the slowest weeks in a long time!  But finally, it's Friday!

I snapped this shot this afternoon.  Pretty typical of my desk on a Friday afternoon - an organized mess!

photo of the day, and a shout-out!

First of all, a big congratulations to my sister-in-law Heather and her fiance Chas, who will be married on Monday.  We wish them the very best!

So I've been having some trouble thinking of interesting things to take photos of every day.  To combat this, I have started carrying my P&S with me every day (well, every day that I remember).  Lucky for me, I had it today when I went with some co-workers to Goode's BBQ for lunch.  It was so nice to be sitting outside on the patio in January.  Without a jacket.  And eating some good Texas BBQ. Mmm! 

my first "video" post

I lied: there's no video. :)

Just audio of the first song I have "mastered" on the piano!  

the more we change, the more we stay the same

I didn't post yesterday, but I did take a photo!  

Yesterday, I caught Bella doing what she does best - sleep!  She can never relax until we are both home and sitting on the couch.

And what is Bentley doing?  Well, while I am on the computer, he likes to look out the window.  We think he looks pretty funny as he strains to see through the crack in the blinds. :)

monday. again.

Hello again!  

It's Monday and that meant back to work for me.  Dan had the day off, so he went to pick up the puppies (who came back VERY tired from the Houston Dog Ranch!), washed the car, and unpacked from the trip.

And what for me to do?  LAUNDRY.   Why does it seem like there is so much more laundry after being away for a few days?

catching up.

We left Thursday night and drove to Austin.  Overall, it was a great weekend - new friends, good food, and lots of driving.  Lots of driving.

Let me catch you up on my photos-of-the-day.

Thursday, driving to Austin.  We went up 290 and caught some traffic coming out of Houston, but overall, not too bad.  Took us just about 2.5 hours.

Friday: Day 1 of the drive.  We met at The Oasis restaurant on Lake Travis.  Beautiful!   After a quick lunch, we headed out.  John (the self-proclaimed "Tourmaster") handed out new maps at each stop.  Here's the first one.

After 150+ miles the first day, we arrived at the Eagle's Nest Observatory, where we spent the night in little rustic cabins.  After this trip, it is safe to say that I am not a fan of "rustic."  

Day 2, Saturday.  More driving.  Twisty and curvy and high speed driving.

The best part of the day may have been these Wiseman House truffles.  Oh, so good!

Day 3: Sunday, January 18th.

Need I say it?  More driving. :)

While stopped, I snapped this beauty.  Possibly my favorite shot of the weekend.  We had gorgeous weather!

We finished the weekend at the DriveWay Speedway, where the drivers got to test their skills (at relatively low speeds) on a practice track.  Then we headed back to Houston.

Wednesday!

This weekend we are taking a short trip to Austin for another car club activity.  This time we are participating in the Raging Bull Texas Stampede.  Should be fun.

In preparation for this day, we've been looking for a local dog kennel for Bella and Bentley.  We found Houston Dog Ranch a couple weeks ago, and it sounded perfect!  So today the pups had to go in for Aggression Testing.  Basically, do they play well with others.  I am happy to report that they both passed with flying colors!  

This place really is amazing!  2 acres of outside fenced-in play areas, 4000 square feet of indoor space, and even a 38-ft bone-shaped swimming pool, what more can a dog ask for?  The best part - tuckered out puppies!

I did some scrapbooking last night also.  It's been a long time!  Check this out.

what a day

Today was not a lot of fun. I spent most of it in a meeting that was, to say the least, taxing. 

I got home, let the dogs out, and 5 minutes later this is what I saw.  Such cute faces put a smile on my face.  

what I do

Another quick post for me today.  The puppies are demanding my attention!

This photo was taken in our maintenance shop.  These are called FRBH pumps, and basically, this is what I do every day.  Help design pumping systems.  Probably more correctly, help people figure out why their system isn't working right and then fix it. :)

time to relax

It has been a busy - but quick! - weekend.  After church, we snuggled on the couch and watched TV before Dan left for Dallas.  Can you tell there's a puppy under all those blankets?  I hope you're having a relaxing Sunday!

a day at the zoo

We had such a fun day today!  

We spent the day at the Houston Zoo with a co-worker of mine (Melissa), her two kids (Gus and Jemma), and her parents.  It started out pretty mild, but as the day progressed, it got colder and colder.  We took many photos, but this one is one of my favorites.

happy friday!

Today is Friday and that means one thing: Dan got home tonight!  I am so glad to see him, and can't wait to start the weekend together, so this is going to be a short post.  

When we got home, I had to show him the progress I have been making on the piano.  He surprised me by snapping this:

But that's not my photo of the day. 

Here is my photo of the day.  beard and all.

Book club

Today was grueling!  A morning filled with unhappy customers (because they couldn't reach us all day yesterday due to the changing of the phones - I couldn't really blame them!), and an afternoon of sales meeetings!  Yuck!

But there are (at least) two upsides.

First, and foremost!, tomorrow is Friday and that means that Dan is coming back to Houston!  I cannot wait to see him; it has been a long week.

And second, tonight is Book Club Night.  A new book club here in Houston, and I hope it's as good as the one in McKinney!  We will be discussing:

Which I didn't personally care for, but we can't like them all, right?

Have a great Thursday night!

Everyday Life

These Project 365 photos are supposed to capture "everyday life," which for me means the office.  Today we got a new phone system - which included an "upgrade" to a new phone.  I'm not convinced that these are any different than the old ones.  For one thing, we were without phone, internet, or fax for most of the day!  On my way out this afternoon, I got a kick out of the "phone graveyard" in the hallway.  Good thing I had my trusty point-and-shoot in my purse!  These are the old phones.

And here are the shiny new ones.  Now, if only I could learn how to set up my voicemail.... :)

And, if anyone cares, Jen Wilson has come out with her new 2009 line of digital scrapbooking supplies.  There's a chat on her website at 10:00 est to launch the new goodies!

Lafayette College strikes again!

Tonight I went to a Lafayette Alumni meeting.  It's the first Alumni "meeting" that I've attended since graduating in 2001.  It was actually a lot of fun!  We mostly discussed recruiting and admissions, but it was fun to hear stories that everyone had.  It's amazing how much Lafayette has changed.  

As luck would have it, I was unpacking some boxes before the meeting and came across this little beauty.  I can't believe I'm actually posting this...

Back to Work

Going back to work after a few days off is never fun, and with the holiday (and several short weeks!), it's even harder.  Today for me was pretty blah.  I couldn't do much at work because they were still reconciling inventory, so we couldn't even be on the computer system (wouldn't want us to mess things up!).

As you've probably noticed, I changed a few things on the blog.  It's still a work in progress, but I think I'm done for tonight.  

I'm already wondering what to take photos of every day.  Do you think that's a bad sign?  I guess we should face it - most of my photos this year will probably be dog or car related. :)  Here's my sweet Bentley wondering why I am following him around with the camera.

Quiet Afternoons

I love quiet Sunday afternoons!

With the new year, our church services started at noon today.  I have mixed feelings about afternoon church, but I guess I'll get over it. :)  We spent the morning pretty much being lazy, and when we got back from church Dan packed the car, we ate a late lunch/early dinner, and then he left to drive back to McKinney for the week.  That leaves me here with the puppies.  

One of my 2008 resolutions was to read the Bible - all the way through.  I didn't quite make it (I got to 2 Corinthians 5), but I really enjoyed it (more than I thought I would!) and learned a lot in the process.  I'd like to finish the New Testament by the end of February, so I took advantage of this quiet afternoon to do some reading.  Thus, my photo of the day:

Sunny Saturday

Look at this!  Three posts in a row!  Good start to 2009, if I say so myself.

Today was gorgeous - 83 degrees and sunny with a warm breeze.  Just about perfect.  Dan and I slept in (after a 5:30 wake up call from Bella & Bentley, I put them in the other room and went back to bed!) and then went to run some errands.  Yesterday, Dan surprised me and bought me new cookware.  It's a long story, but somewhere in the move from Salt Lake to Dallas to Houston, I seem to have lost almost all the pieces to the red Kitchen Aid set (which coincidentally Dan got me on our very first married Valentine's Day).  Dan teases me that I "misplaced" them so that I would have an excuse to buy a new set, but the truth is, I liked that set a lot!  So anyway, since the new set is hard anodized aluminum, I can't use metal utensils anymore.  That gave me an excuse to buy new ones! We searched high and low for the "perfect" silicone utensils, and after going to Bed, Bath and Beyond, Target, Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, and back to (a second) Bed, Bath and Beyond, I decided that I really wanted the ones at Williams Sonoma.  *sigh* so back we went.  Poor Dan was about tired of shopping for kitchen utensils at this point. :)  I tried to find a photo on their website, but no luck.  They have silver metal handles and red silicone functional ends (spoon, slotted spoon, tongs, etc.).  So that was our little adventure.

When we got home this afternoon, we went out to the backyard and played "fetch" with the puppies.  I use the term "fetch" loosely because while Bentley enjoys running after the ball, he doesn't really understand the bringing it back part.  So it goes a little like this:  I throw the ball across the yard, Bentley runs after it.  Bentley picks up the ball in his mouth, promptly drops it, and runs away.  I then walk to the ball and repeat the process.  Or sometimes Dan and I play catch and Bentley runs back and forth hoping one of us will drop the ball.  Bella, in the meantime, prefers it sit and watch.  Smart dog.  And this photo seemed fitting for Day 3:

This is pretty typical, since they never seem to be looking at me when I snap a picture anyway. :)

Making Music

We inherited this piano last year when Dan's grandmother passed away.  Since we have been in transition, it has been in storage and so this is the first time we've actually had it in our home.  Isn't it beautiful? 

 

Since before Christmas, I have been trying to teach myself to play.  My first "project" is Away in a Manger, and even though it's way past Christmas now, my plan is to continue to work on it until I have it down perfect, and then move onto a new song.  I'm almost there!  In the meantime, I try to play at least a few minutes each day.  It's proving a little more difficult than expected.

365 Project

I've been reading all over the place about the 365 Photo-a-day projects. At first, I thought - is that even possible? I mean, a photo every day? That's a huge commitment! But then I thought - what the heck? Why not give it a try. Especially since this is going to be my 30th year!

I was going to try and get this kit by Becky Higgins, and may have gotten one, but (it's a long story - suffice it to say Computer Problems) we'll have to wait and see if the order went through.  At any rate, I thought what better way to display these photos than right here on the blog. 

So here is Photo Number One. Yesterday (1/1), I was unpacking and came across a box of photos already in frames. I had a great time finding homes for each of them. This reminder of our wedding day sits right next to my stove, so I can see it every day.

And yes, I do realize that it is January 2nd, so I'll post Photo Number Two shortly.  You'll just have to be patient. :)