'Roids

I cannot for the life of me understand why people would take these things intentionally…

Remember those merry-go-rounds on play grounds when you were a kid? I don’t know if they are still around anymore—prolly to dangerous or something. Anyway- I feel like I’m on one of those, going REALLY fast, hanging out from the edge, with my head upside down. I think that’s the best way I can describe the dizziness. Don’t get me wrong- I’m grateful for those wretched little pills… without them I might not be walking yet… But I could really do without the caffeinated feeling too. Seriously- I don’t even care for espresso all that much, but I feel like I’ve had about 3-4 pitchers of it. Uggh. I want off!

Out and about... well, kind of.

Friday night was supper club. God bless supper club. The Griers made a place for me to "sit" and a good time was had by all. I told Joe I NEEDED to get out-- he didn't argue.

Shea & Dre in town so we meet for happy hour at the Four Seasons last night! Unfortunately, the picture is kind of out of focus – but actually, that’s quite perfect, because that’s fairly reflective of how I 'm feelin'. Good times, good times.

We went to dinner at an Italian place (if I could remember the name, I would of course include it...) on the east side, but that was about all I could handle and hobbled back home. But the wine was delicious. Who says you shouldn’t drink with these things?

Trey and EB & The Ceiling

We had a rip, roarin' good time in SA, ese... got the whole crew to the river walk to celebrate Trey & EB finally getting married. The wedding was magnificent, everything was beautiful, the drinks didn’t seem to end and a good time was had by all.

Good thing we had such a great time… Sunday morning we were on our way down to the brunch at Pat O’s and I coughed (as I have been doing since returning from India) and managed –for the first time in 4 years- to completely throw my back out. Why do they call it that anyway? So, I’m feeling very old and pathetic right about now… a trip to the doctor, massive amounts of meds, and a few days later -- I am still spending 99% of my time laying on my back, staring at the ceiling. Sitting is still not a possibility… but at least I can shuffle to the kitchen every once in awhile. Thank God for the steroids.

Some pics from the soiree… also known as the last time I was able to move.

(L -> R) Trey and his cake -- Em & Lee -- Walker getting ready for his big walk down the aisle

(L -> R) Trey & EB at the altar -- Mission San Jose -- Joe and Kim *trying* to behave at the reception

Meeting Jane Skaggs

Sweet baby Jane came into this world EARLY last Saturday morning. We got the good news as we boarded our plane bound for Shelby's wedding. Our first meeting with this sweet baby was fantastic- she's beautiful & perfect. Little think slept the whole time we were there. Truly an outstanding accomplishment considering the shenanigans the rest of us were up to.























Now that he's a big brother, Sam is all grown up and extroverted. I think he's been taking lessons from Reagan. We had a fantastic time chasing down the lizard he found-- much to his delight -- and on the way out he gave me a giant surprise hug and kiss as if to say "I may have a baby sister now, but let's just remember how stinkin' cute I am and how long I've known you now..." (or something to that effect). Anyway, it worked. I -heart- Sam.

Laughing till it hurts...

Funniest. Day. Ever.


Who would have guessed that a trip to –Oklahoma-- of all places… would have ended up being easily one of the funniest days of my life. Here I am, a couple days later, still smiling and still with a sore stomach and jaw from laughing all day. I think my neck even popped.



I have these fine ladies to thank for the raucous good time.















What a lead-up to Shelby’s Wedding day. I’ll post some goodies from Shelb’s weddin, but need to finish uploading first…

Happy Easter!

It takes forever to make deviled eggs—but given the right occasion, these culinary delights are well worth the effort.

No better occasion than Easter to stand around peeling hard boiled eggs for hours on end. I generally find it therapeutic but when I start to get frustrated that it’s taking too long, my hands are freezing/burning (depending on the ice bath or how quickly the eggs have come from the boiling water), or I keep slicing up the egg whites while peeling off egg shell… I think of my Grandmother and her sister Aunt Betty who taught me how to make them and again I find my Zen. Given that I am now the designated family deviled-egg-maker, I may as well find enjoyment out of it because this honor/responsibly is not to be taken lightly.

I think Annie and Aunt Betty would be proud of my multi-colored eggs this year.

~Happy Holi~

Such brilliant traditions those Indians have. Since returning from India, I have certainly picked up some new habits—most notably the daily making of chai over the stove. Sure, I only make it once a day compared to their 8-10 times and my one cup of chai has been American-sized to equal about 3-4 of theirs… but it is fantastic: slicing and crushing all the spices, boiling the tea and milk, the smell and of course the caffeine.

I digress…. Holi—a fun holiday where you paint each other in vibrant colored powders. Kind of like a giant food fight but with harmless bright color and some water balloons. Not at all related to the Easter traditions—but you do end up looking like a human Easter egg and like Easter, the day is determined by the lunar calendar. Good times.

I was told the reason behind Holi and how it started but am unsure of the details. If someone totally unfamiliar with US traditions and holidays asked me how Halloween started and why we dress up as goblins and fairy princesses then go door to door asking for candy or threatening vandalism… I could probably produce some sort of answer. Don’t know if it would be accurate. At this point I don't know if we need a reason- we just celebrate Halloween and appreciate it for the fund and tradition of it all. Same goes for Holi.

Anyhow- I loved Holi Hai. Mita and Sumit served delicious Indian cuisine for lunch and all-in-all we had a fantastic time playing outside in the beautiful Austin sunshine. Very fun, the kiddos loved it and the powder didn’t even stain my skin! But I did get some really strange looks when I popped into Lowe’s on my way home to pick up some sweet potato vine. I quickly decided to just head back home… that maybe the general population was not ready for human sized Easter eggs.

gratitude

it makes me happy to be thankful. in fact, it's the best feeling I know.

for this reason, i LOVE writing thank you notes. i cringe a little to hear people gripe about writing them, because i hate to think that someone is missing the chance for such fulfillment.

there is nothing better than the feeling of simply overflowing with gratitude and letting some else know that they are the reason. makes me feel full, complete, and all those other wonderful ways to try to describe being content and beyond...

Poopsie

I couldn’t be any prouder of my happy little niece, Madeleine “Poopface” Shrum, weighing in at an impressive 21 lbs at 6 months. I’m doing my best as Auntie Emily to spoil her rotten… so at this past Sunday night family dinner, I introduced her to homemade icing. I started by dabbing just a tiny amount on her little lip and within seconds, she grabbed by finger with both of her hands and pulled it right into her little mouth and tugged away. This, of course, was rewarded with a spatula with icing on it which she managed to smear all over me and herself. It was awesome.

Isn't she precious?

Tyler at our back door...

Bird? What bird? I have no idea what you are talking about.

I'm sorry... did you say you wanted to pet me?

I don't know where the feathers came from... or how one got on me.

UPDATE: The birdy whose feathers appeared on my back porch is still MIA. Meanwhile, Tyler continues to be dive-bombed by blue jays in the backyard.