Lasting legacy of the Flying Dutchman & LaFaye

The family is cleaning out Trey's paternal grandparent's home. It was a bittersweet day filled with lots of stories and memories. After a long day at the house we all went out to dinner at Don Teo's Restaurant, which was one of Delbert & LaFaye's favorite places. I must say, I can see why it was a favorite. Every person said their dinner was fabulous. Danielle missed all of dinner as she fell asleep before we got off of N Main St. We'll be making the trip back sometime this week to pick up a few bigger items that would not fit into the big white boat with 2 dogs, a kid-filled carseat, 2 adults and a half dozen plants. Once we got home, I read all of the book that Pop and LaFaye filled out for Danielle. (Pop's dad Joe, nicknamed him the Flying Dutchman, which he liked.)

We love and miss you, Pop. We love you, Grammer.

Justice

Lay, Skilling convicted in Enron collapse ---By KRISTEN HAYS, AP Business Writer
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Lay was convicted on all six counts of conspiracy, securities and wire fraud against him in the corporate trial and all four in the personal banking trial. Former Chief Executive Skilling was convicted on 19 of the 28 counts in the corporate trial, including one count of insider trading, and acquitted on the remaining nine.
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Justice.

Over the edge or Over the Hedge?

For both me and Trey it has been an incredibly busy time at work this week. Yesterday I had to be at work at 6:45 for an all day meeting beginning at 7:30am. This is after dinner out with work folks the night before. Trey has been working until around 7, 8, sometimes 9 every night since he was assigned to new parts. Yesterday was also Danielle's End-of-school field trip to Mr. Gattis' during lunch. Trey helped along with some other mothers. Being the only adult male on the trip he was the bathroom monitor for all the little boys. Danielle liked having her Daddy there but was upset that she and one other boy were the only ones without the School blue shirt; her blue Wiggles shirt didn't cut it. Oh, Wiggle Jeff--you've lost out to the live Hayden...Anyway, at 6 Trey was still at work and when I called he still had lots of work to do. But rather than go completely over the edge trying to cook dinner, clean the house and get ready for Thursday, I decided we should go Over the Hedge. So we gave Trey another hour then picked him up and went to the Over the Hedge movie down south. It was a fun movie--very clever, lots of "commentary" on our eating habits and fun Ben Folds music. A few scary parts here and there for a kids but very funny and enjoyable to our almost 4! year old.

We'll publish a few photos from the field trip later this evening.

Birthday party season has begun . . .

Today we had two birthday parties being held at the exact same time! So we first went to Danielle's good friend since infancy, Ruth's party then on to a friend from church, Bryan's party. And it is Texas so mid-May, they were pool parties! Here's a pic or two . . .

Danielle & Ruth














Danielle, Anaya & Emlyn--they go way back . . .















Then on to Bryan's party (Bryan is holding the ball)















Charlotte & Danielle

Hamsters & aluminum foil

And another funny story off the yahoo page:

Payback For Prankster Is Human-Sized Hamster Cage
POSTED: 5:03 pm PDT May 19, 2006
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A practical joker got a taste of revenge when friends turned part of his apartment into a human-sized hamster cage, complete with shredded newspaper bedding, a six-foot exercise wheel and a giant water bottle.
"It was a lot of work, but it was one of those cases where you do it because you have to," said Keith Jewell, a longtime friend and neighbor who engineered Monday's hamster-cage prank on Luke Trerice.
Trerice, 28, had it coming: In 2004, he enlisted others to help him encase another friend's apartment and most of his belongings in aluminum foil.
The victim of that prank, Chris Kirk, spent nearly two years cleaning up the meticulous coating of foil, which was wrapped around everything from his toilet and CD collection to the individual coins in his spare change.
A giant ball of foil still sits in the basement of Kirk's former apartment building.
The revenge plotting began immediately, and even though Kirk has since moved to Colombia, Jewell and others finished the job for him.
Trerice, who once said he would be insulted if there was no attempt at payback, also was waiting to see what his friends would come up with.
He even helped them out, making sure they knew it would be a month before he could move in to his Olympia apartment after graduating from dental school in Las Vegas.
"I knew that something was happening. They made no effort to hide it," Trerice told The Olympian newspaper.
Eight people put in more than 100 hours assembling the room, and supplies cost about $300.

Our freedom

I thought this was a good cartoon commentary on the yahoo page today.

KT Tunstall at ACL

Trey got 4 VIP tickets to see KT Tunstall at Austin City Limits taping tonight. We took Trey's friend, Dave and Dave's coworker, David. KT and her band are EXTREMELY impressive--particularily the percussion and her use of the delay. Highly recommended--show to air in October.
ooooo,woo-hoo
not the one for me,
yeah ooooo,woo-hoo
Said no,no, no,no, no, no, no
You're not the one for me
Said no,no, no,no, no, no, no
You're not the one for me . . .

Mother's Day at the Guadalupe River Ranch

Trey, me & Danielle on our early morning walk at the Guadalupe River--Mother's Day 2006

All the Girls:

Grammer & Addison

All the Moms:

Happy Mother's Day!

Leo & Kristi's wedding photos

Kristi & Leo--vows
















Danielle & Drake














Husband & Wife leaving on a Harley

my treat

My treat for myself on Saturday morning is a facial at a spa outside of town. I had a hard time deciding between a massage and a facial. I'll let you know what I think then will link to the spa if I like it.

mom guilt

And the mom guilt continues when I pick up Danielle and her "I love Mom because" project has 1) because she cleans my room 2) because she does my laundry and 3) because she gives me candy when I'm good.

Every other mom gets a because she plays with me, reads to me or tucks me in.

I'm a maid and briber. ugh.

compliment

I was frustrated with something at work yesterday and, rather than vent at work, called a friend to vent. During the course of our conversation Jenell paid me one of the biggest compliments ever; she told me that I am the one who taught her that her kids are the most important thing in her life.

I feel so guilty most of the time leaving Danielle at school all day and so often, work worries follow me home. I'm snappy and irritated. Jenell works as well, so it was good to hear and get that reminder to make the best of home time. Who knows what the next year will bring? I've learned you cannot plan your life. Though I still try and get disappointed all the time . . . . .

Satisfying Sunday

What a great Sunday this has been! The sermon today was about prayer as it is our communication and relationship with God. Then during Sunday School we are studying the Purpose Driven Life and came to the chapter on surrendering to God. During the discussion Trey stated something that he just came across in one of his classes; that during the course of a continued relationship with someone you get a mental model of that person that will stay with you all your life. So even after someone is gone, you can still experience that relationship by knowing and understanding how the person would respond to you in questions, feelings, actions, etc. Is that not why we continue to grow towards Christ? To develop that relationship and trust in the path we are shown. It has been a very satisifying Sunday.

Our Saturday

After the Rx began taking effect Danielle was able to be around others. So we met my mom yesterday morning to see Ice Age 2. (It was very cute.) Since we were very close to my parents we stopped by on the way home. Danielle ended up staying there for the afternoon. Trey and I stopped by a friends to feed the cat and the hardware store on the way home where bought a new wheel barrow, some mulch and a new rose bush for the side of the house. We had lunch at home then started working in the yard. I mowed the lawn and trimmed some of the trees, Trey finished his garden and cut up some of the limbs. Then the neighbor down the way didn't have enough to fill up his trailer to the dump so we paid them some cash to haul away the limbs. The yard looks so much better. Then we went back to my parents for pork chop dinner. My parents make the best pork chops either of us have ever had so we never refuse that dinner offer. Stopped by to feed the cat again then came home. It had stormed again so we'll probably be mowing again in the next few days. Trey did homework last night while D & I watched a tape of Signing Time. That was our Saturday--a great day!

pic from yet another thunderstorm

Last night we had yet another thunderstorm--that's one every week for the last three weeks. Fortunately our part of town was spared the hail and rotation that other parts of town received. Before the storm hit the radar over Enchanted Rock was purple, purple, purple--all around. It weakened some but we still got some of the purple band. Sheets of rain were falling off the Capitol--it looked like waterfalls on the dome. At 7am this morning 17K were still without power.

When it weakened and I got my nerve up I went outside to take a few pics. Here is one of the lightning ones . . .

Nurse!

I'm nurse for the next day or two . . . Danielle has strep throat per the Dr. this afternoon and Trey hurt his back and is laid up in bed . . . off to fetch popsicles and aspirin.

Little angel & bear

My little angel girl was ill this week; Trey stayed home yesterday and this morning until I came home. During nap time I was able to work from here; When I got done with my call I went in to check on my little angel. I found her asleep holding her little angel bear on top. This is a little bear that recites the "Now I lay me down to sleep . . . " prayer. It was just so precious that I had to take a photo.

"Had a bad day . . . "

While watching VH1 yesterday morning as we were getting ready for work the video for that new song by Daniel Powter "Had a bad day" came on; I told Trey to watch it because it is a good video. He agreed, but it set the tone for the rest of my day! Monday morning at 9am was the first training and the first email I got from the print shop left the impression that my materials weren't ready (eventually all got done 10 min before class began) then during the demo our test system went down. No one could do hands on training so we just demonstrated the heck out of it with a different computer. I paid Danielle's tuition then picked her up. Got to the Kid's Salon and could not find my checkbook ANYWHERE! Called Trey, made him go out of his way to look for it only to find it eventually between the passenger car door and the seat. So that made it start to turn up. Danielle got sick with a high fever last night. So, basically, I "had a bad day . . .

Lyrics from Letitsing.com:
Where is the moment when needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on
You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on
Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day
Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on
You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
(Oh.. Holiday..)
Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong
(yeah...)
So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day
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Today was MUCH better--trainings went smoothly, evaluations were all good, then had dinner at Buca di Beppo with my UMW Circle before coming home to my sweethearts and some happy to see me dogs. So I had a good day . . . :-)