Of Course It's Not Just About The Car

Do you remember that commercial where the big, tough-guy daddy asks his daughter how her car is running? Maybe it was a Hallmark commercial? Or perhaps McDonald's? I'm unclear on the specifics. Anyway. The big, tough-guy daddy asks his daughter if she's getting the oil changed regularly and checking the air pressure in the tires occasionally and she assures him that she is. Definitely. Maybe. Because after all she's a girl and trusts that her daddy will always double check things like that for her.

That commercial always made me cry because that big, tough-guy daddy was in his own way, and not necessarily with words, telling his daughter that he loved her.

And because it made me think of my own big, tough-guy daddy.

When I was in college he used to obsess about how my little Honda was running because of the many, many miles between our house and Abilene. By asking about my car and checking on it regularly he was, by proxy, checking on me and showing his love and concern for my little Honda's precious cargo. He would quiz me occasionally to see if I knew how to change a flat tire and always waited anxiously by the phone to know I had made the drive safely back to Abilene after a visit home.

One time, either during my freshman or sophomore year, my dad and step mom Ruby came to visit, bearing a gift that daddy was beside himself with glee to bestow upon me. He had told me he had something for me and me, being the girly girl I am, had spent a fair amount of time daydreaming about the possibility of this gift being a cute new coat or boots or something.

Imagine my surprise when I opened up a box containing a battery operated emergency air pump, complete with its very own light just in case I was ever stranded by a flat tire on the side of the road in the dark.

I tried to swallow my initial disappointment that this air pump was not, in fact, something cute to wear and was, in fact, an air pump and show my appreciation.

But you know what? Over time I realized that asking about my car, making sure I was equipped to travel safely (a dependable Honda, a cell phone that came in its very own bag and don't forget, the emergency air pump) was his way of telling me he loved me and worried about me.

I've written a little bit about my daddy before (and I would be beyond tickled pink if you'd take a minute to click over and read it) because in case you didn't know, he's a pretty special guy. Lately though he's had a bit of a blow in regard to his health and has had to make some tough decisions. I haven't mentioned all of this before now because, well, I like to live in denial about certain things, truth be told I thrive there.

My big, tough-guy daddy is undergoing surgery today to remove several cancerous tumors in his abdomen and on his liver. If you pray, I would certainly appreciate you lifting him up in prayer today and in the upcoming days as he recovers. As you've probably guessed my manly-man daddy is a man of few words. He's good at telling you the whats, the whens and the wheres but otherwise keeps his deeper feelings to himself. But I think he's kind of scared.

And I am too.

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." James 5:15

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Philippians 4:6

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Romans 12:12

A Sad Truth

So many things to get out there and do...

so little motivation.

What I Wore Wednesday (Vol.11)

I can't believe this week has zoomed by and it's already time for another installment of What I Wore Wednesday. Let's take a peek shall we?

Patterned top: Stein Mart (I always forget about Stein Mart, pity)

Jeans: TJ Maxx

Necklace and brown tank: Target

Pointy-toed cowboy boots: Cavender's Boot City

Initial necklace: The Vintage Pearl

(I want to try being quirky and layering my necklaces more)

And I'll just go ahead and tell you I liked that outfit so much I wore it twice, yes, twice in the same week. Are we still friends?

Brown top & black tank: Old Navy

Black drape-y vest: Forever 21

Silver necklace: Kohl's

Jeans: TJ Maxx (a re-wear--which makes, um... three times, please don't judge)

Pointy boots: Cavender's

Beige drape-y sweater & teal ruffle top: Down East Basics

White tank: Old Navy

Skinny jeans: Target

Belt: Sam Moon

Which was my first time since HIGH SCHOOL to wear a belt over my shirt, so what do y'all think? Yay or nay?

Those pointy boots again. I'm kind of in serious, mad, hot love with them, so you'll prob'ly see 'em round these here parts a lot, I reckon.

(Apparently they cause me to suddenly speak country. And western.)

Yee. And Haw.

This week I did marginally better than last because I have three outfits documented instead of only two. I must confess though of wearing comfy yoga pants and a sweatshirt all day Tuesday and it was, in a word, glorious. At least from a comfort standpoint. So, as always, there is much room for improvement.

Thanks for stopping by today and visiting me and my pointy toed boots. Be sure to visit The Pleated Poppy to see oodles more WIWW posts.

Morning Essentials

We were early to school this morning, which, truth be told, is rare. Not that Annelise has a lot of tardies or anything (three, I think) but we usually pull into the car line with smokin' tires and Annelise has to, um...make a run for it. Nice, no?

Recently, I've made a deal with myself that I will do my daily bible reading (I started following the read-the-bible-in-a-year plan again that I fizzled out on last year), bible study lesson (started a new book study on Ruth that's really good so far) and journal writing (trying to find the lost journaler within again) before anything else. So far this plan is working and I feel so much better knowing I've gotten the important *stuff* accomplished first.

I also take a little time to work on my monthly scripture challenge. Here is my verse for the second part of the month:

"...train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and life to come." 1 Timothy 4: 7b-8

It would be great if I extended my little deal with myself to include exercise before I do anything else, but I'm not quite there yet. However, I can tell you that I had a short date with Jillian Michaels yesterday and plan to meet with her again today for another bout of pain energizing workout. I hadn't done The Shred in quite a while, having preferred my Beachbody workouts, but honestly, I haven't even been doing those (or at the most once or twice a month, which you know, doesn't actually yield the best results). Even though Jillian annoys me (Why so angry, hmm Jillian?) I like that the workout routine combines large muscle groups with smaller ones, throws in cardio and abs too in a short, effective workout package. I hope that doing this will be my gateway drug into regular (I'm a little scared to say daily) exercise again.

And, just so you know, I don't tell y'all about my attempts to improve spiritually and physically to sound like I've got it all together because, hello, have you met me? All I'm doing is trying to do (and be) better. I fail a LOT and pout for a while and then I try again. And repeat. Case in point, take this past Sunday morning when I was getting ready for church. What started out as an innocent step onto our new scale before hopping into the shower led to a rapid fire downward spiral of my mood. By the time I wriggled myself into my knock-off Spanx, followed by my dress that was still too snug and tried to apply make-up to my by that time sweaty face I was in a state of self-loathing that could not be vanquished. I was also running late (no surprise there). I'm ashamed to admit that I gave up and decided not to go. You know that scripture about not giving the devil a foothold? (Ephesians 4:27) Well, I did and he ran rampant with my insecurities and I allowed him a victory in that battle.

"Submit then yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

I need to remember that. And practice it.

Happy Tuesday y'all!

If Someone Had Told Me

If someone had told me three weeks ago that I would actually crave a ginormous salad overflowing with all kinds of healthy tidbits and consider eating out at Salad Express a treat, I would have called that someone CUH-ray-zee.

If someone had told me that I would consider a clementine or a pear as much of a treat as say, a cookie, I would have laughed. And eaten three or five cookies.

If someone had told me when I signed up for Mother & Daughter tap that I would be required to wear a gingham swimsuit leotard, with a criss-cross back, conspicuously located stars and fringe near my chesticulars, denim hot pants and a cheap hat that sits on top of my large head like a cheap taco, I might have reconsidered signing up--and paying--for this privilege.If someone had told me it would take Annelise five attempts to write a letter to an American soldier with a pen instead of the pencil I originally suggested I might have been more insistent. (First grade has been collecting socks to send to soldiers in Afghanistan.)
If someone had told me that I would fall head over heels, SWOON I'm in lurve with a pair of pointy-toed cowboy boots I would have told that someone they were sadly misinformed.
If someone had told me that said pointy-toed boots fit like a glove, instantly make me feel sassy and equally sad to take them off I would have said no way, Jose.

If someone had told me I would bypass the super-sized snack foods and quickie freezer fixes at Sam's Club (our area's version of Costco) and gravitate while I salivate toward the produce section I would have laughed in that someone's face. (Although I could not resist buying 36+ rolls of toilet paper and a pizza for Scott and Annelise. Well the TP is for the whole family, I feel better knowing we're all stocked up. I can't explain that.)If someone had told me I would spend 1.5 hours longer at the magic hair place today because of a temporary keratin treatment I might have said I'll pass this time. The good news is it did make my hair silky soft and it actually moves individually now instead of as a unit. (That photo is my Medusa look while I was getting the color magic done.)

I'm glad that someone kept his or her mouth shut.

(Well, except for the whole tap dance attire.)

What I Wore Wednesday (The Return)

Go kill the fattened calf and host a banquet because the prodigal what I wore Wednesday girl has returned.

Except maybe skip the whole fattened calf thing and mix me up a big salad because I'm a vegetarian now. I think. Well, I'm trying my best for the next six weeks at least.

Anyway, this last week wasn't a super duper outfit week, but at least it's a start. Let's take a peek:

Grey jumper dress, leggings and leopard flats: Target

Black tank: Old Navy

Black drape-y sweater & mustard scarf: Forever 21

Marbled grey sweater & grey tank: Old Navy

Long sleeve v-neck & jeans: Target

Boots: Zappos (otherwise known as dangerous nirvana)

flat hair: bad hair day

Mustard-ish peasant top: Target

Grey tank: Old Navy

Jeans: TJ Maxx (7 for All Mankind and I haven't been able to wear them since last spring, so, um...YAY!!)

So there you have it, my big WIWW return.

Whee.

I'm linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy so be sure to pop over there to check out tons of other WIWW posts.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Movie Mayhem

Would it sound really lame if I told you we watched three movies (well, four across the entire family unit) over the course of this lovely holiday weekend?

No?

Good. I knew I liked y'all.

Saturday night, after Annelise hit the hay of course, Scott and I settled in to peruse the Pay-Per-View options.

I know, we walk on the wilder side of life.

By mutual agreement we decided on SALT since we both like thriller/spy/action movies and hold The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum in high esteem (though the Ultimatum is a wee bit iffy on my part because of excessive camera jolt-y-ness). For the first part of the movie I could not. stop. staring. at Angelina Jolie's horrible blond wig and found it highly distracting, as in I couldn't really focus or relax until she dyed it boot black. Overall though we thought the movie was pretty good but not quite up to the level of Bourne. The dialogue could have been better instead of using gratuitous curse words for empty emphasis but the plot twists and action were entertaining.

Sunday night Annelise went home with Pappo and Grandma after evening church for a sleepover, so Scott and I, party animals that we are, decided to watch Inception on PPV. I don't know if it was the cozy fire or the previous late night but barely an hour and possibly only two levels of dreams in I was asleep in my respective recliner. I woke up just in time for the ending, which made absolutely no sense based on how I spent the last hour. Since you can *rent* a dish-on-demand movie for 48 hours I was able to watch it again this morning, and I must admit, even bright-eyed and coffee fueled I'm still not sure if I *get it, get it*. I mean, I think I do, but there are sooooo many twists and levels of dreams and back and forths between what is real and what isn't my brain is still reeling. But I liked it. And I think I get it.

Then, because we just couldn't help ourselves Scott and I went to the matinee today to see this:

(Just me & my shadow, Colin and Geoffrey)

Oh my goodness! The King's Speech was perfectly delightful. It was like an intimate peek into the workings and dynamics of the royal family during crisis (approaching war with Germany, abdication) and also an uplifting story about overcoming personal challenges. If you get a chance, you must see it.

Not wanting to be left out Annelise went to see Secretariat with Pappo and Grandma today at the $ theater and said she really liked it. I wonder if this will ignite a horse-y phase for her?

I'd say we've seen our quota of movies for a while.

Well, at least until next weekend.

Kidding.

Maybe.

Have you seen any of these movies? Did Inception bruise your brain too (but in a good way)?

Saturday (I feel obligated to give this post a title but can't manage anything clever)

If there is a prize for Saturday morning inactivity I think I could easily win it. Even though Annelise was up until, oh I don't know, it could have been after midnight, she was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 8:30. We, however were not. Thankfully, she has learned to play quietly for a while until we begin to stir, or her tummy's hungry grumblings can no longer be ignored, whichever comes first.

Scott had to get himself together this morning though soon after A.'s Legos started clattering in order to go see the good people at H & R Block for some help. Apparently there is a discrepancy from our 2010 (2009) tax return or something. Oops is all I can say about that. I am trusting that Scott will make heads or tails of all those numbers and forms and I will only have to offer an encouraging nod along with a,"Good job, honey" because I don't know nothin' 'bout doin' no taxes (said in my best Butterfly McQueen "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies, Miss Scarlett!" voice).

Annelise and I are still in our PJs and it looks like this trend will continue for most of the day.

I love days like this.

Last night we had a few of our favorite families over for supper and so forth which ended up being loads of fun with a side dish of crazy but that's just the way we like it. I have no pictures of the evening because being the stellar photographer that I am (snort) I forgot to pick up my camera. I'm kind of mad at myself because 1) I have no pictures to spice up this post and B.) I realize I need to do better at documenting the candid, ordinary, daily moments and not just the photo-op posed stuff after an event or accomplishment (know what I mean, Vern?).

We all enjoyed a yummy breakfast buffet for supper consisting of my new hands-down favorite breakfast casserole, piggies in their blankets, sausage balls, fruit, bubble bread and crescent cream coffee cake.

Um, yeah, we ate well, that's what we did.

And, yeah, I went off my plan but I didn't party like 1999 either. I ate the fruit, casseroles, etc. but...

Wait, are you sitting down? Good.

I did NOT partake of the bubble bread or coffee cake. Did. not. eat. any.

Aren't you proud of me?

Believe me, I was tempted to nibble a little but I was scared that even a taste would trigger my almost dormant but very evil sweet tooth and I would have a set back. And since this whole sorta vegan thing is new and fragile I'm scared to threaten it too much, which is what the mouth-watering sweets would do, I'm fairly certain. I want to get to a point where a bite or two or a small portion of a treat is enough and I'm satisfied with it and not feel like it's my duty to finish the whole platter/pan/box or bag (know what I mean, Vern?).

And with that my friends I'd better close. It's time to schlep on into the kitchen in my PJs and rustle up some vittles. And by vittles I mean salad.

Happy weekending y'all!

I Am Rabbit, Hear Me Roar

And watch me twitch my whiskers and thump my tail, because I'm fairly certain I am turning into a rabbit.

Why, you might wonder, am I turning into a rabbit?

Because I am on Week 2 of following a plant-based diet. As in I think I've become a vegetarian, but that term kind of freaks me out because I've always thought of vegans as Birkenstocks-with- socks-hemp-wearing-crunchy-granola-making types, so I hesitate to call myself one. And I might not be one forever because I'm not opposed to animal based products (but think maybe we don't need to eat SO MUCH of them) and wouldn't mind the occasional carnivorous snack.

I've mentioned before about trying to break up with sugar and made attempts to follow a healthier eating plan last year, but I soon lost my way and my bad habits quickly returned. I knew that once you got the junky food and the sugar out of your system your body (amazing machine that it is!) adapts and no longer craves junky food, but I could never get myself together enough to try it again (or I would make it one or two days and then dive face first into a bag of Golden Oreos or drive through Taco Bell and hate myself).

Before Christmas I visited Celia's blog and read about her amazing journey to becoming healthier and her success following a plant-based diet.

I was intrigued though not sure I could do it, but I bought the book, Eat to Live just in case.

Guess what? I can! I can!

Here's the basic daily plan:

Unlimited

1 pound raw vegetables

1 pound cooked vegetables

At least 4-5 fresh fruits

beans

Limited

cooked starchy vegetables or whole grains

raw nuts and seeds

avocado

NO dairy products, animal products, or sugar

Believe it or not, the transition has not been that difficult (so far). I am actually enjoying my HUGE salads and fresh fruit and haven't felt deprived at all (for reals). My energy has been good, no crazy spikes or crashes, I also think my overall mood (AKA crankypant factor) has been much steadier and happier (for reals) and I'm sleeping better. I don't find myself feeling hungry as often either, and when I do it's not in that desperate must-stuff-these-chips-into-my-face-right-now-or-I-might-hurt-someone-kind-of-way.

So that's good.

I have not cheated with sugary treats or junky foods but am not going to beat myself up if we go out to eat Tex-Mex occasionally either (because I can't break up with Tex-Mex). In the spirit of full disclosure though I will admit that I haven't broken up with coffee yet (but I drink it with almond milk and no sugar) and realize that I should...so we'll see about that.

My plan is to follow this for at least six-weeks and see what happens.

I'm hopeful there will be visible changes.

(But no whiskers, floppy ears, cotton-ball tail, or big thumpy feet please.)

A Runner Starts Over (um...again)

This morning I went for a run.

For reals.

3 miles.

Sloooowly*.

And?

My legs? Tight. That's what they were.

Because it was my first run wog in far, far too long.

And I see-sawed between liking it and hating it the entire time.

While I wogged along, I thought:

Where did my former running self go? Am I really the same girl who has run 2 marathons and handfuls of half marathons? Why have I had such a stop-start (mostly stop) relationship with running for the last 1.5 years? What's happened to me? Where did I go?

I don't know.

But I'm trying to find that girl again.

So if you're ever in my neck of the woods and you notice a wogging turtle slogging merrily (or not so merrily) along, it's most likely me. Feel free to give me a friendly honk, a fist bump or just raise your hand in a power to the running people wave.

I'm going to need it.

*Said in my best Seinfeld "Well, heellllllllooooooo" voice.

Written on My Heart

One of my goals for 2011 is to make a more concerted effort to memorize scripture. I've worked on this before and made some progress, but lost my steam 3/4 of the way through 2009. I was choosing verses twice a month, but not trying my hardest to engrave them upon my brain. 2010 efforts were even less than half-hearted. Now that Beth Moore has challenged us again I am dusting off my little notecard spiral and getting back to the business of imprinting God's word on my heart so I can better abide in Him.

Here is the verse I selected to begin 2011:

"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness."

Isaiah 61:10a (NIV)

I chose this verse because it's how I want to be, I want to delight fully in the Lord; to rejoice in Him, yet I seem to always find myself choosing to delight in the things of this world instead. Sigh.

I am confident though that having more of God's word imprinted on my heart this year will make a difference.

I'll leave you today with two things: 1.) a link to Ann Voskamp's thoughts on scripture memorization (she's provided materials to help memorize the book of Colossians throughout the year, which is a fabulous idea, but also one I find a tad intimidating for me right now, along with helpful tips to aid memorization); and 2.) this thought provoking video about why scripture memorization is so important.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Happy (late) Birthday Edie

Turquoise cabinets.

That was how I discovered Edie.

I was immediately intrigued. I mean someone bold (and a little bit funky too) enough to throw convention to the wind and paint her kitchen cabinets turquoise was my kind of girl.

Her blog quickly became one of my favorites and one I always savor reading. There may even be the occasional drool. Reading about her faith, her fierce love for her family, her honest struggles with homeschooling, her decorating escapades, her craft projects and OH MY WORD don't forget her cooking has been a delightful treat these last two years. Though I have never met her in person, Edie has encouraged me to embrace MAC make-up, especially black eyeliner, even though I'm on the flip side of forty; opened my ears to the sheer awesomeness of Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers; inspired me to read the entire Harry Potter series back to back; and created a desire in me to read more C. S. Lewis. Edie's gift with words consistently touches my heart, sometimes with a warm fuzzy feeling and others in a prickly pinch-y way (which is not a bad thing at all, you know). God has blessed her with many gifts and she does not shy away from using them to His glory.

A few days before Christmas Edie's home and all of their belongings were destroyed in a terrible fire. Thankfully she and her family (and their dog!) all escaped without harm and in true Edie fashion she was soon heard to be praising God in the aftermath.

My heart has been so full for Edie and her family these last several days, hurting for her while at the same time confident she will use this period of darkness to shine Christ's light. Brightly.

And with her own flair.

Happy (late) birthday Edie!!

"After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. "

Job 42:10

Random-y Randoms

It would be wrong of me to let 2011 go any further (farther? further? I get confused) without a random blog post, wouldn't it? (Wait, don't answer that.)

Well, I aim to please, so here are a few random-y randoms...

*I'm still mulling over my list of possible resolutions, goals, flash-in-the-pan changes I want to make for 2011. And I'm only four days behind so far, so, YAY for that.

*Actually though (hangs head) I haven't even started a list.

*I suppose I'm only thinking about thinking about goals and changes at this point.

* Don't even get me started about choosing a word for 2011. Oy vey!

*But I'm thinking about choosing one.

*We spent a lovely New Year's day at my dad and Peggy's house where there was much football viewing, black-eyed pea chomping, chatting and card playing.

*Annelise got to play with Peggy's grandsons and had another one of those BEST DAYS EVER IN HER WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE climbing trees, shooting baskets, playing tag, riding bikes, playing hide-n-go-seek, eating lots of JUNK washed down with Grapette soda followed by foam light saber wars.

*And apparently, one week after Christmas, her life would be complete if, and only if, she had a RipStick. (because C. and C. have them.)

*Thanks to a concerted effort Sunday afternoon all of our Christmas paraphernalia is packed away and things are back to *normal*.

*Except I insisted on changing the furniture around in our family room, which has become an after Christmas tradition, and therefore we have a new normal.

*And it's kind of weird.

*I decided to put two chairs together to fill in an empty spot along one wall and from one angle it looks so-so and from the other it looks just this side of silly, because, really, who's going to go and sit against the wall instead of in front of the TV anyway?

*But I think I'd rather have weird instead of empty.

*And there is something called a subwoofer now residing on our family room floor and we have yet another remote to add to our collection all in the name of the home theater experience.

*Whatevs.

*It was a little sad to see our tree sitting at the end of the driveway waiting to be picked up by the garbage men yesterday morning.

*I feel sad about that every January.

*But, no, we didn't recycle. Sorry Mother Earth.

*I've started writing in my 10-year journal again.

*Seriously, how hard is it to find (make? take?) time to jot down five lines every day?

*Based on my numerous blank gaps throughout 2010, it's apparently quite hard.

*But I always like reading back over the previous year's entries, so I promise to do much better this year.

*I popped into our bathroom yesterday morning to tell Scott (while he was busy shaving) that we had taken down our Christmas decorations on the same weekend for the last three years and he looked at me like I had quite possibly lost my mind.

*But I stand by my conviction that a 10 year journal is priceless.

*In other news, Annelise is happy as a clam to be back at school.

*For reals.

*Scott is happy as a clam to be back at work.

*Well, that might be stretching it a bit.

*I am happy as a clam to be back to our routine.

And on a slightly blasphemous side note: Yesterday Annelise hopped out of the car to get the mail and I asked her if she thought she could bring the trash can up to the house so Scott wouldn't have to do it (notice I didn't say me). After thinking about it for a split second she agreed and then proceeded to haul it down the driveway toward the house. But not before exclaiming, as she was trying to get situated with the ginormous can leaning against her back, "Mom! This is just like when Jesus had to carry the cross!!" with extra loud 7 year-old volume and sincere 7 year-old conviction.

And I know it wasn't even remotely close, and certainly not something that should be made light of, but...I couldn't help but laugh.

And of course take a picture.

Brand Spankin' New

Well, it's here.

2011.

1.1.11 to be exact.

Full of newness, full of possibility, full of...well, I'm not quite sure yet. It's too new. When faced with a new year I usually find myself wavering somewhere between a grab the new year by the horns (wait, are there horns?) feeling and a self-loathing pull the covers back over my head kind of feeling. Since it's still early, I'm optimistic and shooting for the former instead of the latter. How about you?

We welcomed 2011 in with a late afternoon lunch/early bird supper followed by a trip to HEB.

I know, you are green with envy.

But then we got really wild and played games.

First there were a few rounds of Skip-Bo, followed by several exhilarating rounds of Uno. Annelise kept a running tally of our wins in her Hello Kitty notebook.
She also kept her skates on (I worry she may become a modern day Tootie Fields type or a Sonic car hop) and would occasionally set her cards down for a quick skate around the stairs.

Since 8:30 is almost midnight we decided it was time to fire up our sparklers and shepherd in the New Year a little early.
Annelise was a little hesitant this time for some reason (it's not like she's never held a small, flaming firework in her little hand before) and we practically had to force her to hold one.

But she finally gave in and embraced the fiery stick of doom sparkler. And yes, she was wearing shorts and a jacket. It's Texas in December.After our exciting fireworks extravaganza, consisting of six sparklers, we finished up the night with a game of Rummi-Kub. Have you ever played it? It's like the card game Gin Rummy (why is it called gin rummy? Are you supposed to drink gin while playing?), but played with tiles like dominoes. It's fun, trust me, but can take a while to play.

Off-track but loosely related side note: I can't help but think of my Aunt Bernice (AKA Aunt Bernie) who was my grandmother Sue's sister. When I was 12 or 13ish my mom, dad and I went up to visit them in Centerville so my dad could (he hoped) kill an innocent deer. Or maybe it was birds. I can't remember. I do remember Aunt Bernie teaching us to play Rummi-Kub and subsequently playing the entire weekend. And it was Aunt Bernie who gave me my first taste of hard liquor. Yep, she did. But it was purely medicinal because a Hot Toddy (which I think was warmed up whiskey and honey or something) was her sure fire remedy for cramps. Maybe I was ever so slightly tipsy, at 12 or 13, on my medicinal Hot Toddy, but I felt remarkably better and thought Rummi-Kub was the best game ever.

And that, my friends, was our rollicking New Year's Eve.

But it was really fun.

So I, along with my symbol of hospitality, the prickly pineapple, welcome 2011, whatever it may bring.

Happy New Year y'all!