Happy Birthday Friday!!

Today is Friday's first birthday!! How do I know this? Well, I don't for sure. But the vet's office estimated 7/11/05 as Friday's birthday. What is interesting about that, is that I actually remember 7/11/05. In the Summer of No Jobs, the days pretty much blended together, but Leanna had told us that since we were in Ft. Worth, we should go to the 7/11 and get a Slurpee on 07/11, so we did!

So, perhaps, while Jon was enjoying his Darth Vader Slurpee, and I my watermelon-pineapple, little Friday was being born!

I thought about putting pictures of Friday up here, sort of a chronology of events, but you've probably seen them all in some form or another in other posts. So instead, for those of you who don't know, I thought I'd tell you where kittens come from.....

That's right...Pier 1!

Happy Birthday little kitty-o-mine!!!

4th of July Flowers

My family came and visited last weekend. For the first time, my grandparents got to come to see (and stay at) our house! It's such a turnaround to host the family who has taken care of me for so many years. I still forget things like refilling glasses and keeping an extra roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, but I love to host. I get that from my mom, who gets it from my Grandma. I only hope to someday be as good at it as they are!

A tradition we have in our family is the hostess gift. I thought this was an American tradition, but evidently not. Anyway, if we stay at someone's house, especially for an extended period, we offer a hostess gift. Sometimes it's cookies or something for the family pet. Sometimes it's a decorative item. This time, for me, it was flowers.

If you're a dedicated reader of my blog, you know I planted a vegetable container garden last April. I was very excited about it, but it turns out "vegetable" and "container" are never supposed to go together. I want to adamently note that the plants were all alive (I did not kill them!), they just weren't growing. I had planted too late, and the containers were just too small. Needless to say, the 3 in. tall cucumber plants, and spindly green onion shoots were rather a sad sight.

So when my Grandma saw my pitiful attempt at gardening, she determined I needed new plants--and this time, full-grown flowers that were made for containers. Here is the result:


Isn't it beautiful? Sweet potato vine, zinnias, marigolds, vinca, and impatiens, flanked by two beautiful crape myrtles! It's so colorful, I've seen butterflies, and today, a cardinal! It looks like a real garden.

Inspired by such a generous gift, I filled another pot with some flowers as well. John and Karen gave me the pot, and the two green leaves poking of the dirt weren't doing it justice. So now, hibiscus to match the pot!


Yay for flowers! God knew what he was doing when he made things beautiful.

Work Blues

Things that make me want to not work when I'm in Waco:

• It's too cold
• There are people I need to talk to and "catch up" with
• I get full eating good food with Karen
• Karen and I talk about non-work stuff, like Hobby Lobby or Central Texas Marketplace, and I want to go there instead of back to work
• John works just downstairs, and I have to say hi!

Things that make me want to not work when I'm at home:

• It's too hot
• Jon is playing and enjoying summer
• The kitties are both napping, which makes me SO sleepy
• Mess distracts me (though I usually don't do anything about it once I'm off work)
• Fun projects tantalize me (painting just 7 feet away from me!)

I'm doomed!

But wait! It's the end of the work day for me, and I'm off until next Wednesday!!

Goodbye computer! Goodbye hard chair! Hello sleepy kitties and painting project!!

Hooray!!

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

I just finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel, on loan from Teresa. I now understand why no one I know who has read it has fully reviewed the book. It's an amazing story! Full of life and imagery. Something so full that at the end, I feel I can't explain it. I can't really review it, except to say that it was a great book.

Pi is 16 years old when the ship bound to Canada--carrying his family and the animals from their zoo--sinks. He is the sole survivor, and he survives in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days. His story is one of survival, but most importantly, of resisting the animal instincts that push out morals and faith--that push out humanity itself.

My one regret is that Pi is lost. He equally (and devotedly) practices Christianity (Catholicism), Hinduism, and Islam, and feels there is no problem with that. I kept hoping that he would find true salvation, but he doesn't.

All in all, a wonderful book! So colorful and rich! Read it!

Buddy at Summer Camp

Buddy is our friends' cat. He's here for summer camp! He's a little older than Friday, and much better behaved! As a matter of fact, since Buddy came, we've noticed a dramatic difference in Friday's behavior. He hasn't bitten us once since Buddy came! I think he realizes he has some competition.

Here is Buddy:
Isn't he a nice looking cat? I'd already taken 10 pictures of him. He looks like he's getting wise to the camera, now.

He likes to sleep a lot. This is also very different from Friday. Friday likes to poke Buddy until he finally gets up and wrestles with him. They like to rough house. :)
At first, due to the changing from normal people/schedule/home to summer camp, Buddy didn't eat much, but now the bowls are getting emptied at a pretty fast rate!
You'll notice Friday is the messy eater. No Clean Camp Award for him!

All in all, camp is going well for both kitties. Buddy is getting daily exercise, and Friday is getting schooled in the ways of wrestling. He's getting much better. If I could figure out how to get video sizes small enough, I'd post a funny video where Friday shows himself to be a pansy who's never encountered another cat before, much less one who will bonk him on the head.

In other news, I got my hair cut today. I took a picture right after the lady fixed it, because I figure it will never look like this again:
Pretty much bangs and layers, and for the first time ever, my request to still be able to put it up in a ponytail was actually granted! Sorry I look so serious. It's hard work trying to take a picture of yourself! :)

The Blue Snake

Have you ever seen a child with the proverbial "blankie?" The blanket/toy/whatever is nasty and old, dirty and ragged, but the child loves it and carries it around anyway?

Have you ever heard of cats leaving "presents" for their owners? The dead bird on the doorstep, the mouse on the bed....

I think Friday has combined those two ideas into Blue Snake. It is his blankie and evidently his present to us all in one.

Teresa gave me Blue Snake before we even had a cat. We were moving to a duplex that allowed pets, which got me one step closer to owning a cat. So Teresa gave me Blue Snake (along with some gardening things for my other exciting thing--a yard). Therefore, when Friday came to our door, we were prepared with Blue Snake (and I always keep cat food in the pantry...just in case).

Here is Friday with his friend when he was very little:
Notice how tiny Friday is, and how clean Blue Snake is!

Lately, we've found Blue Snake in some interesting places.
Here:
Here, when we got back from vacation:
And here:
Oh, and this is one of the several times I've had to hang Blue Snake up to dry after Friday tried to drown him in the water bowl:
I can't tell if Friday is leaving Blue Snake as a present for us, if he plays awhile and then forgets, or what. The weird thing is that I rarely even see Friday play with Blue Snake! It only happens at night, I guess. But Blue Snake is always in a different place in the morning from where he was the night before. A lot of times Friday leaves him at our door to greet us in the morning.

What a silly kitty. Thanks, Teresa, for making sure Friday had a blankie even before he came. :)

Posting for the Sake of Posting (look out for rambling)

It's been far too long since I've posted. Since then, I've thought of several things to post about, but either they take too much work (posting pictures) or I forget by the time I'm at a computer. So for now, you'll just have to be happy with a random post.

Last night, Jon and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Mexico Real (thank you, Karen D for telling us about it!). It's one of those family-owned places with really good salsa. I love it. Anyway, it turns out that every Thurs-Sat evening, there are two musicians who walk around the restaurant singing and playing classical Spanish guitar. I was so excited! I watched the two men meander from table to table, singing in that beautiful harmony of Spanish music. By the end of our meal, the duet had made their way only a couple of tables away. I watched as they turned toward us. One looked at his watch, and I was afraid they were done for the evening. But they weren't! With a smile, they approached our table and asked if we had any requests. Coming up blank for any Spanish songs, Jon instead requested a romantic song (he's a smart one!). They proceeded to play and sing a beautiful song. It just made my day. So much fun! I want to go there every weekend!

Jon and I have seen several movies lately. Here are my reviews:
Over the Hedge: Very good! Unlike Ice Age 2, there were no hidden "adult" jokes. I laughed all the way through. Stay for the credits.

Cars: Very good as well! Pixar did its signature short film at the beginning, which was enjoyable. The animation was amazing, the moral was good, and it was just funny. Stay for the credits on this one as well. And then stay a little longer, because there's a little bit at the end after all the credits have rolled.

Cellular: Okay, this was false advertising at its worst. I thought the movie was going to be scary. It turned out to be about some guy that could have been in high school that needed to grow up to impress his girlfriend. It was so stupid. The real-life documentary on dirty cops in the extras was far more interesting. And William H. Macey did a great job.

Fun with Dick and Jane: Not really very good. Some parts were funny, but it wasn't worth the time spent to watch it.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Actually quite good. I'd heard that if you wanted to watch a weird movie, then this one was the one to see. And that was true, but I liked it. Admittedly, I like the more "artsy" films that some people don't like, and this falls under that category. I thought the idea behind it was very good: you can erase your memories, but it doesn't mean you won't make the same decisions later, and you lose out for not having those memories. It's rated R for language, no nudity.

The DaVinci Code: Surprisingly disappointing. For the big-name cast, I was very disappointed at the film. It was awkward and felt like it was being forced along. The music was stale--nothing to convey the intensity of the story. The acting wasn't even that good. Just a s0-so movie.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Well, I've seen this one lots of times, but I did watch it this week, so it goes on the list. This is a must-see for anyone who hasn't seen it. And if you're in the mood for a chick flick, it's a really great movie. The people are so normal in it. It's one of the few movies I've seen where the lead actress wears an outfit more than once. Family is important, faith is important, and love is a commitment. What a great movie. Also, if you're planning a wedding, this is the best movie to watch to get the right perspective. Tulah was my constant reminder to not worry about the details of the wedding.

Well, that's it for the movies. Anything else random...? Oh, I just tried Blue Bell Wedding Cake ice cream. It was pretty good. I could have done without the vanilla wafers (is that supposed to be like cake or something?) but the rest was good.

That's all for now. Maybe next time I'll take the time to post some pictures. :)

A Call to the Twenty-Somethings

Whoever said the 20s were their best years was seriously messed up.

I have friends going overseas for the summer. When they get back, they don't know where they'll work, or even where they'll live.

I have a friend living hours from her fiancé. She's moving soon, but doesn't know where she'll work, or even where she'll live.

I have a friend who just lost her new job because of something silly. She's just gotten married and decided to go back to school, and the loss of a job makes things even tighter than they were.

I have friends buying homes for the first time, or choosing not to buy, because life is too uncertain to put down roots just yet.

I have friends with unexpected honeymoon babies, and friends just getting on the roller coaster of trying for a baby.

The 20s stink.

And where am I in all this? I'm at the realization that getting out of college was not the end of the maze like I thought it might be. There are still new and unknown options at every turn. Which ones lead to dead ends? I don't know. Ask me where I'll be in 5 years, and I have no idea.

The 20s are the years when you notice your knees starting to hurt, you have a little trouble focusing quickly, and you can't keep up in ultimate frisbee. The 20s are the years when you look at accomplished people, realize they're your age, and wonder how you missed that boat. The 20s are the years when you figure out why so many people drink coffee in the morning, because there's no other way you could look like you've got it together when you walk through the office door at 8am.

The 20s are the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end. They're the end of all the training, all the nurturing, all the care. They're the fall-or-fly, sink-or-swim period where our parents look on with their breath held, hoping and praying that all the choices and turns they made in their own mazes got them to the end result of well-balanced and capable children.

But the 20s are also the beginning. We spread our wings. We soar for the first time in our lives. We make decisions on our own, and as scary as they are, we find we can make good decisions.

We begin to realize our worth as people. We have the faint realization that it's not the youth who can change the world, but us. We are the new business world, the new media, the new society. We are shaping our professions into what they will become. We are shaping society into what it will become.

We are faced with two very clear choices in our maze: the path of mediocrity, or the path of passion. Follow the first, and our world never changes. Follow the second, and there will never be a calm moment in your life.

But then again, the world will never be the same either.

Initiations, of sorts

The past few days have been a series of initiations in our little family.

For Friday:


The bath is not his initiation. He's had baths since day one.

No, today was the day of the first hairball.

He managed to get it all over himself, hence the bath. But Friday is now a true cat, hairball and all. You'll notice Jon's wet shirt. I remember the days when I could wash Friday holding him in one hand and the soap in the other, but not anymore. Bathtime is a two person job now! He also only required one hand towel to dry off. Now he soaks a full-sized bath towel.

For Jon:


I know this is a picture of Friday again, but he's sitting in what became a barbecue grill. Jon is now one step closer to the American dream: a wife, .3 kids (Friday), and a grill in the backyard. :) Somehow I forgot to take a picture of the grill all put together, but it looks nice and makes good burgers!

For Lydia:


I'm not sure what my initiation is...maybe the first time to cry over a piece of wood? This is what happens when the strap falls off the guitar. It was through no fault of my own, but that didn't make it any less broken. However, a very skilled person is taking care of my guitar now, and it's actually fixable!

So we've got a hairball, a barbecue grill, and a broken guitar. There you have it--an update on our life. :)

Buddy is coming to visit the Norvell Duplex 'o Fun pretty soon! We're looking forward to it, and praying the two cats get along!

Sunflower-cide

Jon just ran over my sunflowers with the mower. It's kinda funny actually--we went out there together and talked about how to mow around the sunflowers (they're about 5 in. tall right now). I watched out the window as he carefully moved all the pots and benches, and then mowed the whole thing down.

I almost ran outside to yell at him, but decided to stay inside and see what his face looked like when he figured it out for himself. He backed up the mower to take another swipe at it, and all of the sudden his eyes got really big and he started yelling. It was so funny, I ran outside laughing and saying, "It's okay! I can plant more!!"

He looked from the beheaded plants to me and said, "I've committed sunflower-cide!" It was just too funny to be mad at him. Now I'll just start over again, only this time maybe in a pot. :)

The cons of living on a budget

In Dillards with Karen. I need shoes for Leanna's wedding. Salesman approaches.
"May I help you?"
"Actually, yes. I'm looking for dressy brown heels for a wedding."
"Sure! Let's head over this way....are you looking in a particular price range?"
"Yes, I'd like about fourty dollars or--"
"Oh, I'm sorry, we don't have that."
"...okay...thank you...."

Move on to the Clinique counter. Clinique Bonus available with a $21.50 purchase. Saleswoman approaches.
"May I help you?"
"Yes, we'd like the lip gloss in Black Honey."
"Okay, that'll be $14.50"
"Hm...okay, do you have anything for $7?"
"Um, no."
"$8?"
"N0."
"What would it take to get up to $21.50 for the bonus?"
"Another lip gloss for $14.50."
"...okay...thank you...."

Today, Jared's Jewelers to find a setting for my aquamarine stone from my grandmother. Saleswoman approaches.
"May I help you?"
"Actually, yes, I'd like to find a setting for this stone. I also have two gold rings I'd like to melt down for the setting."
"Okay, sure, let's find a setting you like."
We do. It's a gorgeous setting with an aquamarine and 6 small diamonds on the sides for $450. I figure I use the gold from the old rings, the CZs from the old rings, and the stone I have, all I'll pay for is the labor, right?
"I have bad news. It turns out we don't use other people's gold. And we also don't allow CZs. So to use your stone in this setting with our gold is $540. It'd be cheaper for you to buy the pre-made ring and do something else with your stone."
"...okay...thank you...."

I'm all for living on a budget. But I get a little discouraged when what I feel is a reasonable amount to pay for an item is nowhere near what the store thinks (which, according to supply and demand, also means that most consumers feel the store is correct).

However, I think of when I was looking for a car. I went into several dealerships with the same request every time: "six thousand dollars or less, sixty thousand miles or less, year 2000 or newer." I got several quick "no ways," several "it's not about the full cost, but what you want your monthly payment to be," and then finally, I got an "okay, let me show you what I have." And that encourages me. And unlike a car, the timing doesn't matter on getting my stone set. So I'll wait, and look around, and carry my two old rings with CZs and my stone around until I finally find someone who will put them all together into a beautiful new ring...all for the price of labor.

Gumbo Recipe

For Rachel, who contributes much to the recipe world, here is my family's gumbo recipe. I will preface it by saying that this recipe came from Southeast Texas, in Cajun country, where there is a Gumbo Cookoff held every year. That in itself does not make this gumbo good (though it is good), but it might explain the rather vague directions. :) To those of you who have never had gumbo, I will warn you that it seems to be an acquired taste. But oh, so worth it!

Ingredients:
Meat: this could be chicken, shrimp, sausage, turkey, alligator, wild game would probably work as well....or any combination of the above. I used two very large chicken breasts, thawed and cut up.
red pepper
black pepper
garlic
1 onion
4 green onions
4 T parsley
2 C flour (may add 1/2 C)
1 C oil

Put flour and oil in large pot. Stir roux continuously over medium low heat until it is almost fudge-colored. (I put mine on medium heat this time--cooked faster and didn't notice any negative results. Roux takes at least an hour, usually longer.) Add 1 chopped onion. Stir 1 minute. Roux will look slick. (Ah, my roux didn't look slick this time, maybe because it was on medium, but it turned out fine.) Add cold water until paste is smooth. Add hot water to desired consistency (coats spoon). (I just fill up the rest of the pot. Usually it simmers down to the right consistency) Add 4 chopped green onions and 4 T parsley. Bring to a simmer. Add meat (cubed) seasoned with peppers, salt and garlic. When meat is done, check for seasoning. Add creole seasoning to taste. Serve gumbo over white rice.
---
There really aren't that many ingredients, and most of them we have on hand, so this is a nice "throw together" recipe...except for the fact that it takes about three hours to make. Roux is available pre-made at the grocery store, at least in Southeast Texas where gumbo just might be one of the major food groups. We put plenty of Tony Chachere's on there, my dad likes to add gumbo filé and Tabasco. Put the rice in a bowl, pour gumbo on top, crumble some Saltines over that (or I like to put a heap of rice/gumbo mix on Saltines and eat them one by one), and it's done! Like salsa, gumbo tastes better as leftovers, after it's had some time to "cure."

So there you go. A little bowl of Cajun cookin' for all you who thought I was joking about the alligator, which means you're obviously not from Southeast Texas! :)

Debut

My debut to the hearing world will be this Sunday! That's right, I will be playing my guitar for people other than senior citizens who forgot their hearing aids in their rooms. So far, that one fact has been what has given me the courage to lead hymns on Sunday mornings at the rehab center, but this Sunday I'll be leading worship for our Sunday School class. Pray that I won't be too nervous, that my mistakes won't inhibit worship, and that I'll focus on what I offer to God and not what I sound like to the people listening.

The Last Gumbo of the Season

Fort Worth has had a cool front. Last week we had temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. Tonight it will be in the 40s. So strange.

However! That has allowed us to make gumbo one last time before the hot weather really sets in! Gumbo is best eaten on cold days, and it's just too hot to cook on hot days.

Tonight I started the roux not realizing we had no chicken to put in the gumbo, so I had to shut off the burner and make a quick dash to the store. What's gumbo without forgetting an ingredient? :) Last time I made it my parents had to pick up an onion on their way over...

So now I'm back to stirring the roux until it's a nice chocolate-y brown. And since that takes more attention than one would realize, I can't spend any more time on blogging!

The Ghetto-Fabulous Cat Tree

Well, this blog is about innovations, so today I have a new one for you. What do you do with two boxes and one hyperactive kitty? You put the first two together and let the third climb in!

I cut a hole between the two boxes so Friday could climb between the two, and hung a string with a jingle ball on the end for him to play with.


Tada! A ghetto-fabulous cat tree! Who needs a hundred bucks? Just raid your trash can! And I've got one kitty that's happy from head to toe....



And if Friday ever decides he's going in and not coming out (if the cat carrier comes out to go to the vet, for example), we simply cut the tape on the box and pull him out! Then tape it back up again! This might be a little more complicated if I ever decided to paint it, but the idea would still work.

The jingle ball on the string was Jon's idea. We looked everywhere for Friday's jingle balls. He should have about 12 laying around the house, and we couldn't find any anywhere! I finally remembered that there was one behind the fridge that Friday tries to get at every once in awhile. Jon pulled the fridge back, and there was not one, but seven jingle balls! Friday thought it was Christmas all over again!

Possible improvements in the future:

• Paint it
• Add nubby fabric to one side for Friday to scratch
• Suspend a string on the outside of the box
• Put a carpet sample at the top entrance for Friday to scratch

So many possibilities....and to think: you, too, can own such an invention, for the low low price of a dumpster dive!

New look

In honor of Spring, when all things become new, I've changed the look of the blog. Now if I could be as productive with my list of Spring cleaning chores, I'd have a much cleaner house....

Weekend Project

This past weekend was the perfect weekend for a Spring Project. Anyone who's seen these benches before know they were grey, weathered and rickety. I sanded them down, tightened all the screws, and primed and painted Friday night and Saturday morning. On Saturday, I planted all my seeds in my new pots. Thank you, everyone, for the gardening things for my birthday!

Now this is the view I see from my window as I work. When the paint cures enough the long pots will go on the benches. I can't wait to see the plants start to come up!

The Austin Blog

Okay, okay! Here is the Austin Blog everyone (Cliff) wants to read!

As you probably read from the wedding blog, I was very tired and stressed from work. I had no idea how a vacation could change my mindset so much! This is probably my first real vacation since I've been out of school. It wasn't at family's house or on the way to family. It was just vacation, with our favorite couple, Cliff and Teresa!

After the wedding, Jon and I got home, dropped our bags on the floor, and crashed. The next day we got up to lead the weekly worship service at a rehab center here, then we dropped off the tux, and headed to Austin! We met up with Cliff and Teresa in Waco, and drove to Bee Cave, a very nice suburb of Austin. We stayed in a beautiful home, the home of Cliff's dad, Tim. Tim and his wife Laura had stocked the pantry for us, and we had no expenses but a couple of meals out! It was great!

We slept late, worked on a crossword puzzle (yes, one crossword the entire time), read, watched movies, and then did touristy stuff like going to the LBJ library and the state capitol. Thanks, guys, for going to those! I wasn't as impressed with the LBJ library as I was with the Bush library. I would highly recommend the Bush library to anyone heading to College Station. The capitol is always fun to see, and it was fun to freak Jon out when I wanted to take a picture over the balcony of the floor.

It seems I took lots of pictures of the house. First, it was a gorgeous house, and I wanted my mom to see every detail, because she would appreciate it. Second, I kept forgetting what pictures I had already taken, so there are lots of duplicates. Sorry about that.

The whole vacation was perfect. The house where we stayed was better than any 5 star hotel, the food we ate was great, and our only real expense (when we went out to eat), and we got to kick back and have fun with Cliff and Teresa, whom we don't get to see as often as we'd like. I came home completely relaxed and no longer unreasonably consumed with work. My life kind of evened out over those few days, and I came home much happier, which I'm sure Jon appreciated. :) I would recommend that everyone go on vacation. :)

Here is the link to my Family and Friends page. If you have bookmarked it before, I've changed the link a little, so you might need to re-bookmark it. It has pics of our Austin trip, birthday pics (we celebrated that the weekend after), and wedding pics. I've had some trouble getting all the captions to work, but I hope I've got it all figured out now.

In other news, since it's been forever since I posted, here's an update on Friday:
He got really sick last week, with a very high fever and generally not feeling well. It turns out that because of his heart murmur, he had several small blood clots, which caused the inflammation which caused the fever. He is now feeling much better, and will be getting Aspirin for the rest of his life as a blood thinner, just like for people who are susceptible to clotting. He's still a wild and crazy kitten, but is starting to mellow out into an adult cat a little. But only a little.

This was my view from my window one day:
Yep. A squirrel found the bird feeders, and he was pretty determined to get some yummy sunflower seed. I missed the shot with his back feet on the pole and his front feet on the feeder. He fell too quickly for me to get it. Acrobatic though he may be, he never got any seeds.

And this is what my husband brought home last weekend!
Jon won Best Composition at the Warhammer tournament he and Dave went to this past weekend. Best Composition means Jon had the best painted, best looking army. He got a unanimous vote! And no, I did not paint it all. Warhammer is Jon's hobby, and he does a great job with all that stuff. I like painting the army men with him, but it's his thing, and he's really good at it.

I've made some changes in the sidebar. Now that Dave and Karen are married, they've combined blogs. Cliff and Teresa have also combined blogs. And as I said before, I've changed the link to my Family and Friends page slightly.

That's all for now! Hopefully my next blog will no be so long in coming. It just took awhile to get all the photos up and captioned.

A new sister, fondue, and dancing with abandon

I am writing at the end of a long day--a long three days, in fact. Dave and Karen are now officially married! It was an absolutely perfect day, today, and I wanted to write my thoughts about it before I went to bed and forgot anything important.

The "event" began Thursday night with a bachelorette party for Karen. I had experienced an awful week, was trying to get things finished for work (so I could go on vacation this upcoming week) and also get ready for the wedding. By Thursday evening I was very physically and emotionally tired, with stress of work weighing on my shoulders.

We went to Simply Fondue. I've decided that fondue is wonderful--but only for the dessert course. In an instant-gratification world, I'm surprised a place like that has even made it. In an hour's time, I probably managed to cook 6 bite-sized pieces of meat, 2 slices of vegetable, and two stuffed jalapenos. Surprisingly, it filled me up! But I still say that the chocolate fondue is really what it's all about. No waiting for anything to cook, and options like Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and Tirimisu!

There were 11 people at Simply Fondue--mostly sorority girlfriends of Karen's from college. I am a person who has very few good friends, and meeting so many (and trying to remember their names!) was very trying for me. I felt very overwhelmed and inadequate. By the time we made it to bed (at 2 in the a.m.), I was grateful for the rest.

The next morning began with a brunch with all the girls from the previous night, plus several more girls, plus all the women in the family! It was another overwhelming time for me. All the girls were wonderful, but I felt very out of place. Not because of anything they did; I was still stressed about work, and out of my comfort zone with so many new people.

After the brunch, I helped Walter and Mary decorate for the rehearsal dinner. It took awhile to get the sound to work on the slideshow I had put together of Dave and Karen. I was so excited about the slideshow, and very nervous it wouldn't work! I left for the hotel dead tired. My head was in a fog, and all I could think about was getting some sleep. I had to e-mail some things to work first, and couldn't get the internet connection to work. I could have cried at that moment. Walter let me borrow his computer and get done what I needed to, and I stumbled to my room and flopped on the bed to take advantage of the little time I had left before the rehearsal. Then Jon knocked on the door. He had class that morning, and just made it into town. I set aside my hopes for a short nap, and it turned out I needed Jon more than I needed sleep. He listened to me express my stress, and he made me feel wonderful and capable. We went to the rehearsal together, and just having him there made me feel much more confident around those girls that I did not know. No longer was I the odd girl out. My husband was standing right over there, and I could look to him for support any time I needed it! There was someone there who loved me and accepted me, and I didn't need to worry about anyone else!

The rehearsal was fun, as they always are. Everyone moved to the dinner, my slideshow went off without a hitch (and people really seemed to enjoy it!), and then came the speeches. The speeches were filled with memories and tears, and they were wonderful. Mary spoke about how adding Karen to the family was like having another child. The others would be no less loved, and it would be impossible not to love the new addition just as much. I have been a Norvell long enough now that I cried through the speeches. The rehearsal dinner was perfect: a wonderful mix of fun, laughter, meaningful moments, and tears. I got to know Karen's siblings, Mike, his wife Rachel, and Sarah. They are all very neat people, and seem to be more "small group of friends" people like me, so we got along very well. I also found out I have a shy blog audience (ahem, Vendsels!) who need to now make themselves known in the comments! No fair reading and not commenting! And I'll try to do the same for you!

At the end of the evening, Jon left for the bachelor party, and I went back to the hotel for a wonderful 10 hours of sleep. The next morning I woke up not thinking at all about work, much refreshed and ready for a full day. And a full day it would be.

Bridesmaid plans started at 11 o'clock. Karen was the perfect bride: very easy going and willing to delegate. We all got ready with plenty of time to spare! The photos were fun, and all taken before the wedding, which I think is a fabulous idea. I felt much more like myself, not like the little recluse I had been the past two days. The wedding began at 5 o'clock, and it was beautiful. Karen looked gorgeous, Dave was in tears most of the time, and every song had meaning beyond the marriage of two people. Dave and Karen left in a white horse-drawn carriage to go to the reception location a few blocks away. We all met them there to enjoy barbecue, cake and dancing.

I love weddings with dances. I don't have any other opportunity to dance, and I enjoy it. I think lots of people who enjoy music feel the need to dance. I always thought that since I have no idea how to dance, I would like conducting, because I could still move with and respond to the music. However, I am not a conductor. So, despite my lack of knowledge, I dance. Normally at weddings, Jon and I dance a few songs, then we let others do all the funny stuff and look ridiculous. But tonight, in honor of Dave, we decided to make the most of every dancing opportunity. Jon was my first inspiration to enjoy every dance and not worry if I knew what I was doing or not. Little Sarah was my second. She was the flower girl, and at 7 years of age has no inhibitions or worries about how she looks. She twirled and jumped, clapped and rolled on the floor, and she loved it. It reminded me of the story my parents tell of me with the Junkanu dancers in the Bahamas when I was a little girl, and got to dance on stage in front of everyone.

So I decided that tonight I would dance with abandon. Who cared if I had no idea what the song was, or how to dance to it? Who cared if I was only one of two on the dance floor? Who cared if all I could do was jump and twirl? If I was at a loss of what to do, I looked to Little Sarah and followed her lead. We jumped and twirled together, and it was great. I had the most fun I've ever had on the dance floor. Sarah Vendsel (I would call her Big Sarah, but she is by no means big) was my lone dance partner at one time, and she wore me out! I could not keep up with her!

Sarah, along with her brother and sister-in-law, are very neat people, and I hope that somehow we are family now, because I would love to call them brother and sisters. I think I'll call them that, anyway.

And I can officially call Karen my sister, and I'm so blessed! I'm telling you, I love my brother, and am glad I had a brother growing up, but I sure like having sisters now that I'm grown up. They're so fun to talk to and do stuff with. And I just like the idea of adding to our family. I love my family (and feel very much a part of the Norvell family) and love being able to be a part of inviting someone new into it. I hope Karen feels as at home in the Norvell family as I have.

I have now officially used up the 10 hours of sleep I had last night, so it's time to head for bed. I promise to put up any pictures I took onto my website soon. Well, maybe after vacation. Good night, and blessings on Dave and Karen as they start out on this most wonderful adventure.

Morning Musings

The mockingbird has decided to grace us with his presence the past two mornings. I like him because it's like having dozens of different songbirds. It's nice to hear him in the mornings. But he just likes to sing; he doesn't eat anything from the feeder. And the he leaves mid-morning. I hope he comes back tomorrow.

Every fall there is a Hot Pepper Festival in my hometown of Palestine. Last year my parents complained that all the salsas in the salsa contest were pretty boring, and nothing as good as what we make at home. That has inspired me to try to improve on the recipe we have, and enter into this fall's contest! Leanna and I, two salsa officianados, will be getting together this summer for a salsa fest of our own, seeing what we can come up with in the kitchen. If anyone has any suggestions, post them here and we'll include them in our salsa experiments this summer. :) And if you just know what you like in salsa (taste, texture, temperature, etc.), let us know here so we can keep those in mind as well.