13

Thirteen years.


1996






2009



Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Weekend roundup

This last week and weekend I accomplished quite a bit, but nothing photo worthy. I made a "to do" list of things I wanted to get done in addition to my regular housework, and with the help of hubs on some projects, managed to finish them all. So I feel good about that. However, when I was going down my list, I noticed that my hubs, being the "funny" guy that he is, added something.



Do you see it? Mr. Smartypants. (do I tell him he put message instead of massage? ha!!)

I only went to two garage sales this weekend...one on my street, the other around the corner. I got hubs a new Krups espresso machine for $10, a new muffin tin for $1 and 3 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper for a quarter. That's it. Not too exciting. I just wasn't able to drag my bum out of bed to go to sales like I normally do.

I also helped my neighbors who live behind me paint their shed. I had no idea what I was getting into. I went over to say hello and managed to be put to work. That's ok. I don't mind...he's 77 and she's 66, and that's what neighbors are for after all. The funny thing is, it was about 9am, and when we got done with the shed, he offered me a beer. Then another. And another. (ha!) Since it was about a gazillion degrees outside in the Texas heat, a beer (or two or three) at 9am sounded good. ;) They also had an old heirloom tea rose bush that they said I could have if I dug it up. So I had hubs help with that, then we planted it out back in one of our flower beds. I hope it does well!

Their backyard is amazing. It's like a little resort. They are great gardeners and I love to just sit on their back patio and visit. They sent me home with some fresh veggies from their garden (okra, onions and eggplant) along with a few eggs from their chickens. Yes, chickens in the suburbs! They have a chicken coupe (coop?) built that's actually not bad on the eyes, so it doesn't seem out of place. Like I said, their yard is a little oasis. I'm sure they are breaking all sorts of city ordinances. :)



Tomorrow is my last watercolor class. I'm so sad! I've really enjoyed it, not only for the creative aspect, but also the socialization. They'll start up another one come September, and if I'm still not working yet, I think I may sign up for it.

I'm also thrilled that I won a blog giveaway recently! Cathe at Just Something I Made had a great giveaway that I managed to win! I had the choice of a few books, and while they all looked great, I chose 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse since it looks like it might be right up my alley! Thanks Cathe, I appreciate it! If you haven't been to her blog, go visit. She always has such great ideas and tutorials, and also features free downloads for art projects.

Also, Kelli tagged me in a fun little game. Please feel free to join in on your blog!

Here’s how it works: USE ONLY ONE WORD!
It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen
2. Your hair? rootsy
3. Your mother? crafty
4. Your father? tired
5. Your favorite food? Mexican
6. Your dream last night? unknown
7. Your favorite drink? pepsi
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? art
11. Your fear? death
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
13. Where were you last night? Lowe's
14. Something that you aren’t? employed
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? floors
17. Where did you grow up? Austin
18. Last thing you did? laundry
19. What are you wearing? capris
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? barking
22. Friends? busy
23. Your life? blessed
24. Your mood? ok
25. Missing someone? hubs
26. Vehicle? dirty
27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? dunno
29. Your favorite color? depends
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? dunno
32. Your best friend? hubs
33. One place that I go to over and over? Caribbean
34. One person who emails me regularly? mother
35. Favorite place to eat? Aparicio's

A fine day

Hubs' band played at the Texas Music Revolution at Southfork Ranch last weekend. We had a great time. His band was the only one that received an encore! I'm so proud of him. It was cool to see thousands of people in the crowd singing along with the songs and cheering the guys on. Everywhere I went, people were walking around wearing the band's t-shirts. It was awesome!



We also got to walk around the ranch and see the horses. I've been out to Southfork before, as my company Christmas party used to be held out there. It's a beautiful place.



Here's a little fun fact to bore your friends. Many people don't realize, the scene from the TV show Dallas that shows the ranch and the house from the air during the opening credits is actually NOT the real Southfork Ranch. It's actually Brinkman Ranch, which is about 30 minutes to the west of Southfork. I used to drive past Brinkman to and from work every day. They have a fake "skeleton" of a house that was built purely for the opening credits of the show. When you drive by, you can see that it's an open steel structure with a roof. This is because at the time, Brinkman Ranch was more rural and had less development around it, providing the huge expanse of land for the shot. The real Southfork Ranch has several buildings that are used for parties, weddings, etc. and has neighborhoods all around it. The actual property is very beautiful though.



And now you know! :)

My anniversary surprise

Hubs surprised me. Well, sort of. He told me that last Sunday (11/30/08) we were going to be spending the night somewhere and to pack a bag. Yay! But wait, what about our dogs?! He said he arranged for someone to take care of them. Hmmm...if you know me, you know my dogs are my children, and I don't trust just anyone to watch them. Especially old girl Sammi. She's 14+ years old, almost completely deaf and almost blind. I worry so much about something happening to her, especially when we aren't around. Not to worry, it was taken care of....

Hubs ended up telling me where we were going. He surprised me with a night at this very funky, eclectic hotel in Dallas called
Hotel Belmont. It's a fun place that was originally built in the 1940s. It was recently renovated in 2005 and has such a cool, funky vibe! Their motto is "modern luxury, local flavor and mid-century swank." While it still has it's retro charm, it also has modern details. And best of all, our room had a fantastic view of the Dallas skyline, both during the day and at night.

The sitting room. It had views of the skyline as well as some of the gardens below. I can imagine that in the summer the flowers are overflowing.





The bedroom was so lovely. Very simple, but very cozy. The bed was comfortable, and I don't know what they used for laundering the sheets, but they smelled so good.



A garden tub for two. Or four. Seriously, you could fit an entire family in there.



Some of the beautiful views.









We decided to stay at the hotel and eat at their restaurant. They really are into mood lighting. I totally had to lighten the picture up just so you could see us. ;)



We went to the lounge/bar area before dinner and then after. They feature artwork from local artists. Loved that.

Views from the bar patio.





Now, I know you can't see *us*, but you can see the skyline, and that's much nicer to look at. ;)





Roses were blooming and rosemary was going wild outside our door. In freezing weather. And they were gorgeous. I don't know how they were surviving!



The next day started off cloudy, but it did end up getting sunny when we left for breakfast. We went to Allgood Cafe in Deep Ellum. It was all good. And super yummy. Great pancakes.



The gardens were gorgeous. I wished I'd gotten photos, but since it's winter, they probably wouldn't be as nice as the ones on their website. The pool was fantastic. If you were in the pool, then you'd have an "infinity pool" view of the skyline. Awesome.

I loved this place. It was totally my style...I loved that it was a one-of-a-kind place, and not a chain like the Westin or Hyatt, etc. I loved the funky, eclectic style. I grew up in Austin, so that's probably why. :)

It was a fantastic night. And I only sent my neighbor one message asking about the dogs. :)

11/30/96

I married my best friend.

I heart him

I am so proud of my hubs! He's so motivated, such a hard worker and inspires me. He plays in a band, has his own teaching studio, does recording sessions....he's living his dream. We should all be so lucky.

In the early years, hubs worked a "regular" job and then would gig at night and on weekends. About 10 years ago, he made the decision to quit his job and play music full time. That was very scary for me. I don't like the unknown. I like stability. Around that time, I had just received my degree and was working my first "out of college" job. I was starting to see the light at the end of the student loan tunnel when he made this decision. I was worried, but I also knew that there was no better time for him to take that leap.



Over the 15 or so years I've known him, hubs has played every type of music imaginable...rock, blues, jazz, original, Christian, even calypso and everything in between. Currently, he plays in a country bad. Though this is not your grandma's country band. It's more of an alternative country/rockabilly band. They are a lot of fun!



This is unlike any gig he has played before, but he loves the music and the guys. He's having such a great time with them. In all the years I've known him, hubs has never dressed the part of a Texas man...until now. It's so fun to see him wearing boots, a hat and pearl snap shirts. I never thought I'd see the day. However, this is reserved for gigs. This is not his normal clothing style. Though I have seen a few short-sleeved pearl snap shirts work their way into his every day attire. ;) I think he's too cute.



I think the Lord has truly blessed him. Not only was he given a wonderful talent, but he's able to make a living with it.



Because of his work, hubs has been able to travel all over the country, Canada and Europe. Evidently the folks in Europe love American blues music, so he's been there several times, to France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, etc. That definitely beats sitting in front of a computer in a cube all day!



He and I have different work schedules, and it's difficult to find time to spend together. It's very hard on me sometimes. I miss him quite often. But every night I pray that he is happy with what he is doing and that he is successful. And even though it hasn't always been easy over the years, I am so happy that he is doing what he loves. A lot of folks don't get that opportunity, whether it's because of personal choices, family obligations, finances, or any other number of circumstances. And though he irritates me quite often ;) I am very blessed to have married this man.

(Note: I'm not usually this sappy...shut up Gwen! :b....but for some reason I am tonight. :D )