Champagne wishes and Vodka dreams

My bachelorette party was this past weekend, and 6 of us headed to Austin for an afternoon spa day, and an evening of fun. I told them I would refuse to wear any type of bachelorette paraphernalia. Luckily for me they agreed, and were pleased they didn’t have to wear matching devil horn tank tops as well
.


There was a hitch in our giddy up out of town; it involved a car detail gone wrong and a hanging rear view mirror. Once that was settled, and we hit up both Sonic and Starbucks for some nosh we were on our way. The iPods were loaded for the 3 hour drive, and the cooler was packed with ice, champagne, and vodka. Let’s not forget the strawberries, cheese and “sociable” crackers as well.


We arrived at the hotel we dumped all our stuff with the bellman and headed down the block to Moonshine for some lunch. Then were off to the spa for nail treatments, and had the entire room for manis and pedis, as well as some quality wine drinking. Once that was over we were back at the hotel to our rooms for rest and to catch up on the Olympics. Later we had in room cocktails and snacks before our dinner reservation.


The valets thought we were so cute they drove us in the hotel car to the restaurant, as opposed to making us walk. Our initial reservation of 5 people that turned to 6 seemed to really throw them off so rather than wait, we decided to keep the party going with a pitcher of Mojitos at the bar, followed by another at the table. You can see where I am headed. Apparently when the waiter got smart with us party Meg was in full effect, and she will sass you back.


After dinner we decided to walk to a bar, and had to cross over 6th St and we were at least 5 years over the demographic. Unless one is 21 or a tourist you do not belong on 6th street. Instead of moving onto other bars or clubs we bought mixers we headed to our rooms where the vodka had been chilling in the ice all day. Ahhh. Nothing like the combination of red wine, champagne, mojitos, mandarin with 7up, then cranberry, then fruit punch Gatorade, then back to the champagne. I’m just thankful that it all stayed down, even if I had to plant one leg on the floor to keep from spinning.


The next morning we were up and out the door to breakfast. I needed something that would seriously absorb my crazy cocktail concoctions from the night before. Nothing does that as well as Austin Tex Mex. Once we had our huevos rancheros and tortillas we were on our way back to Dallas. Of course a stop in West, Texas is required. Trust me…if you’ve never had a kolache from West TX you are missing out. It’s a little piece of Czech heaven. I think we were all looking forward to an afternoon nap once back in Dallas.

THANK YOU ladies for the laughs, and years of friendship. Robin, I won’t even get into how many stops were made in your honor because I love you.

Craft Dallas

I never miss a season of Top Chef, and I love Tom…so I was really looking forward to Craft last night. We were ladies dining sans men. I tend to think for these types of events its a little more fun that way. Chris was happy with cereal and the Olympics, he probably preferred that.

We decided to carpool and save on multiple valet fees. It's still $6 even if you dine with them. We wanted to save any extra $ for the vino of course. We waited almost 10 min when one of the Hosts from inside informed us that the 1 valet they had that evening was very busy, we left our keys with the hostess (making our driver very nervous) and entered Craft. They had our reservation and gave us a nice table. Right away I was impressed with the lighting and the décor was modern, yet comfortable also. The restrooms are outside the restaurant next to the elevators and line for Ghost bar so you leave your cozy table, and are immediately thrown into “Da Club” for that little adventure.

The service from the beginning was excellent. We all reviewed the menu and found that the 1st and 3rd courses were selected by Craft to give us “variety”, and that our only choice was the entrée. An item I was not familiar with was on the menu as a selection: Skate wing. We had to ask, and when he used the words “ray family” and “scraped out cartilage” we were out. Selecting instead the braised short ribs, shirt steak, and seared scallops. We also selected a nice Pinot noire and the beverage director was friendly and not pretentious as many are in that role of the house. It is hard to find a decent red for less than $75 so be prepared.

The food was well proportioned, so no one left stuffed to the gills, or needing to drive thru sonic on the way home. We found both meat dishes a bit cool, as if they were mass prepared before people arrived and set under a warmer until served. The scallops received a much better response. The au gratin potatoes with gruyere cheese were oozing and delicious as were the homemade chocolate peanut butter sandwich cookies offered for dessert.

In all it received a rating of 7 out of 10.

Restaurant Week

This is any Dallas foodies’ favorite week of the year. Over 100 of the best restaurants offer a 3 course pre fixed meal for $40. We are talking five star dining for cheap here people. Reservations fill up the day the window opens for accepting them.

This year I was a little slow on the draw, but I did manage two reservations for places I have been dying to try. The first on the list is Craft, in the W Hotel.

The second is Hectors on Henderson. I will have to let you know if they live up to the hype.

Got My Vans On

I hope you all have had the pleasure of hearing the song Vans, by .The Pack I love it. The hook is way to catchy…got my vans on but they look like sneakers. Love it. I tried to get Chris to wear vans in the wedding, but he will never be a vans fan. I thought about wearing ones with sparkle sculls on them (adorable!) but Jimmy Choo won the shoe war.

The song got me to thinking, and on the RSVP we added a line for a song requests. We figured it was a little unique, and might be something fun for the guests to show their personalities. I have to say; so far the results have been mixed. Some didn’t even pick a song, and several that are wrote “anything we can dance too”. Really? Now I will say a few friends have come thru with songs that reflect their personality, and I love those. Some others have picked the usual wedding mush. I want originality, show me who you are, tell me your song!

Pre-Marital Counseling

Sounds fun right? Discussing finances, expectations, in-laws and sex etc with total strangers is a.w.e.s.o.m.e! Actually it’s not as bad as it sounds because the way our church runs the class makes it fun. The class is huge, 35 couples divided into 8 groups (4 each) and assigned a mentor couple (married 15+ years) to go thru the topics over a 4 week period.

The fun part has been getting to know other engaged people our age going thru the same kinds of issues. It’s like we have our own little network now. The flip side has been airing all your stuff for other people. Chris and I tend to have more, um, spirited discussions about some things than others. Not to mention that given the topic it just screams for some kind of funny and inappropriate comment to break the ice. Usually we tend to provide that as well.

This is our last week in the class, and the topic is In-Laws: Can’t change em, can’t kill em. Hilarious. I know Chris is looking forward to this one and he has tons of material.

60 days

As in 60 days until I have a different last name.

As in it's coming faster than I can even imagine,

as in all the showers have come and gone,

as in invitations are in the mail,

as in balances are due to vendors,

as in the dress is currently under alterations,

as in HOLY CRAP.

East Texas

I had never been to East Texas until this past weekend. My parents came to town for a visit, and are convinced the only way they will ever leave California is if they buy a house on a lake.

The requirements: Lots of trees, no alligators or leeches, allows ski boats, at least 1 hour from Dallas but no more than 2, and something lake front but not in a gated community.

So we took a drive, a long drive. In East Texas there are several lakes that fit those parameters. We chose Lake Palestine, Lake Tyler, and Canyon Creek. The only drawback to Canyon Creek is that the address would be in Gun Barrel City. That went over like a turd in a punch bowl. Hello…from California they don’t like guns and definitely don’t want to tell people "Hey, the new address is Gun Barrel City." Ha. The only worse fate they decided would be to live in White Settlement. Also would never happen in the Heinrich family.

We found many things of interest. Now they just need to look at a few more until they know exactly where they want to be. I'm invested of course because it will be my weekend vacation spot, and the future home for the entire summer of my not yet existent children.

Organized Living

I’m not sure how many of you know that I could spend a day in the container store. I really could. I wouldn’t go so far as to use a label maker for the cabinets because if you open a cabinet and see plates, I can assume that no label identifying “plates” is necessary. I might seem unorganized, but it's a secret hobby. I like for things to have a place. I don’t keep things very long, we don’t have a packed garage, I am not at all a “saver”, and I love to throw things out.



We spent the majority of our holiday weekend on a kitchen organization project. It involved 3 or 4 trips to both the container store and target as well as removing cabinet doors and shelves and all the contents of every kitchen and pantry cabinet in the house. It was a hot mess. We added some fancy new tracks and sliding baskets, some drawer organizers, lid and bake ware separators and voila: A totally organized kitchen. We were exhausted, but thrilled that we can now see what is lurking in the rear of our deep pantry cabinets with a mere pull of the basket.



All of this made me wonder. When on earth did I become so freaking boring??? Seriously? Every once in a while I realize that life is so much different. Not boring I guess, but not the thrills I used to seek? Hi, I’m Megan and I like to organize cabinets on the weekend. I have gone to the dark side…domestic bliss.

Pretty Party Parasols

Say it 3x fast people.



Saturday was my 1st bridal shower! It was lunch at the Dallas Arboretum, in the courtyard of the DeGoyer house. The setting was beautiful and so was the décor. The parasols were definitely dual function as the heater was turned on in Dallas. The photos have us looking all cool and collected.The reality is that it brought swamp ass to a whole new level. But this is Texas, and it's June so heat is par for the course.



Some games were played. I think the funniest was a multiple choice game testing who knew me best. Apparently some of my answers threw a few people for a loop. Here is one of those: If Megan could live anywhere, where would she live? 99.9% chose Hawaii. However it would NOT be my pick. It would be Santa Barbara.

The ladies also wanted to debate my favorite show! They guessed the bacehlor/bachelorette. WRONG again. Just because I blog about it does not mean it's my favorite. Friday Night Lights would be the correct answer. I always ask myself WWRD? What would Riggins do. He is on my list for sure.

So is this cake:


Everyone was so generous with the gifts, and really went overboard. We received wonderful things from the kitchen registry. And some fun day trips in Paris from the honeymoon registry.


In attendance were Chris' mom, Grandma, Aunt and Cousin. And my friends Jen, Christine, Melissa, Emily, Meg and Heather.

My friend Kerri was the hostess who flew in from Denver! She did a lovely job.


Would that really be complete without mention of my mom though? She couldn’t attend because she and my dad will be here in Dallas next week, but sent her gift ahead with specific instruction not to open until the shower. I took one look at the card and knew that her gift was going to be different than the others. When it comes to her gifting in general we usually find ourselves singing “which of these things just doesn’t belong here.”

The card read: For those HOT Texan (not texas) nights. Um yeah…got an idea of what it was? Correct…lingerie. It is very pretty, but next to the cupcake tower and cereal bowls? We can always count on her to spice things up, even when she isn’t here.

Big News

Big News People...

Yesterday I went to get my usual 8 week trim, and decided to get BANGS.

This is huge for me. Typhany (my stylist) was even afraid and cut them long, just in case I didn't like them. But I did, and even asked her to make them shorter.

Upcoming News: Wedding Shower this weekend, and my mom's inappropriate card. Good Times.

Engagement Photos

After discussion Chris and I felt that we were 100x more likely to have an engagement pic up in our house, over a wedding pic. A wedding is an event, but the pictures we put up are of our life. So we had them done in April, and I picked them up on Monday.

The photographer (who is awesome) took 100 images, and was sure that it would take Chris and I an hour to look thru them all, and get down to 8-10. Ha, I am the master of knowing when I will hate how I look in a photo for eternity. So after 20 min we had chosen 4...4 images out of 100. We were told we were the most decisive couple she has ever met. Hilarious.






I hope you like them.

Daily Reads

Hello, my name is Megan and I am a Blogaholic.
Is that even a word yet?

I am though, I find one I like, and then see who they read, and eventually it's 2 hours later and I am wrapped up in someone else's life across the country. Sometimes world even.

I have a few that I check every morning because they make me laugh almost all the time. I also have a few that I check every week that are wedding related, but I won't bore you with those. I am sure none of you like exploring wedding theme and color ideas. So I figured if you read this and want a laugh check out these ladies.

Kat

Molly

Happy Birthday Robin

Robin, the youngest in the bunch..(almost).

Happy birthday!!

I am only mildly jealous that you get to celebrate your birthday in the big apple...and get to have cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Actually I am quite jealous. Do you think they might survive in a carry on bag?

I have been lucky enough to have known Robin since the first week I moved to Dallas, and will never forget the TRU layoff morning. I had no idea what I was going to do. I was sitting in my car that morning thinking here I am in a brand new city and I know no one...and my phone rang. It was Robin, calling to see if I was alright. I had known her 3 weeks!! Is it any wonder why I stayed? Great friends, and she is one of them.

Sunday June 15.

The trip is coming to an end. I made brunch reservations for us at the Hotel Del Coronado or the Del as most people call it. However when Chris discovers the cost (because it’s father’s day) he freaks out and we decide to eat our free breakfast at the hotel. We did compromise and go to Coronado and the Del to walk around a bit. I had to show him the best beach in town. When I told him it was where the movie “Some Like It Hot” was filmed he looked at me like I was speaking Greek. He's not into old classics or musicals. I have no idea how he ended up with me. I. Love. Them.



I had given us a cushion (or so I thought) to do some quick shopping and grab a must have beverage. Chris wanted black Reef’s…and I had seen just the place with tons to choose from. After we browsed (and bought) a few pairs we headed to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for an Iced Blended. If you have never had one…I feel sorry for you. They are perfection in a cup. I ordered the original blended mocha, and Chris tried the hazelnut. He took one sip and understood why I talk about them all the time.



We headed to return the rental car, and off to the airport. Here is where it gets fun. Apparently…well actually…I didn’t look at the departure time. I thought I had, I had a time in my head that was the departure time…and I was wrong. So we were 5 min late to check in for our flight, and were told we would have to go standby on the next one. I am flexible. I made a mistake, but I knew that we would get home and chose not to stress about what I couldn’t change. Chris, God love the man, is not as flexible. He was so pissed…I had to take this photo while we were waiting in the airport. And he had even cooled off a little.



So I probably should be more detailed about flights…but I see an adventure, he sees total human ineptitude. Fun times. So we made the next flight, were home one hour later, and all was not lost. Lucky for me the wedding is still on, but I will not be the holder of itineraries for a while.

Saturday June 14.

The US Open…the big show. Chris set the alarm on his cell phone and we scheduled a wakeup call…for 5AM! He jumped out of bed and was ready to go in 20 min, and I rolled out of bed to drive him to Qualcomm Stadium in my PJ's. I like to stay classy San Diego.

*side note. I’m not going with him. I never even entertained the idea. He and I get along famously, however we are very different. Take shopping for example. I go in, know exactly what I am looking for, buy without trying it on…and if I hate it I bring it back. Chris likes to browse, shop just to look, try everything on, come out and model it etc. See where I am going with this? Golf is similar. I’m happy going around 9am with some reading material and a hat, finding a seat in the grandstand on the 18th green, and staying put. He likes to arrive when it opens, see the holes and scout the spots before any players are out, watch them on the putting green or warming up, and then walk briskly from hole to hole and group to group. I did it his way at the Grand Slam, and was exhausted after one day. I literally sat down in the shade at one point and took a 20 min nap. I figured for him to have the best possible time, I should stay behind. I would rough it hanging out with Val in the city I miss most.


(Cars at Qualcomm)
Everyone attending the open had to park at Qualcomm and take the shuttle bus. We pulled up in front of the stadium and they hadn’t even opened the gates yet! As they started letting in cars we were the first wave thru. Chris ended up being the 46th person on the grass that morning. Yes, he even knows what number he was. He was at Torrey Pines by 6:30, and walking the holes by 7am.



He decided not to follow Tiger, having seen him play before he knew that 90% of the people would be following Tiger’s group. He did see him play a few holes, but tried to watch everyone else as well. He said that Adam Scott can smack one hell of a drive. He outdrove Phil by 40 yards on several holes, and Paul Casey is like a foot shorter than Vijay but easily outdrove him as well. He said the weather was amazing, the golf was going to be historical, and the course was very difficult.


(18th hole)
In all Chris was at Torrey for 11 hours, and managed to see everyone at least once. He also managed to drop some cash in the merchandise tent. Apparently that tent was something to see at almost 40K square feet. When I picked him up he was wearing all his purchases and carrying a few for me. I love this guy; he knows to come back with gifts!

As for me, I dropped him off and drove the long way back to the hotel. I wanted to see some of my favorite places and memories by myself in the early morning when no one else is out. Well the surfers and the seals are out, but the ocean in the early morning is very peaceful.


After some breakfast and a shower I was ready to meet Val for our “girls’ day”. When I lived in San Diego Val and I had different schedules so we usually spent one weekend day together, and had a routine. It involved going to Fashion Valley Mall, so that was our first stop. They had added a bunch of new stores that I wanted to check out.


After some mall time it was off to PB and the Green Flash for lunch. She and I have been ordering their Oriental Chicken Salad for about the last 7 years. No need to change perfection. Green Flash is a great spot on the boardwalk so if you're lucky enough to get an outside table the people watching will keep you entertained.

(table view at the Green Flash)

Then we head to Bogart Yogurt in the afternoon for a treat. We used to go on a walk on the bay, or ride our beach cruisers to do those things, but this time we traded that for sitting on Val’s patio in Mission Hills in the warm sun, and reading magazines. It was our perfect weekend date.


(the Fish House)

After I picked Chris up we decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. We walked across from the hotel to the Fish Market. I think it’s a fun restaurant on the water in the harbor. Halfway thru dinner we realized we were so exhausted that if we wanted dessert it would have to be room service because we were done for the night.



We walked back along the water, and ordered in room ice cream while watching highlights on sports center.

Friday June 13.

We wake up early, and he still can’t believe we are in San Diego. We arranged for a hotel and rental car the rest of the weekend but were riding with Val to her work in the morning. She teaches 4th grade in La Jolla and has only 2 days of class left. After dropping her at school and grabbing Starbucks (it is me after all), we head to downtown La Jolla, and the cove at the shores. I show him all the fun places on the cute streets lined with coffee shops, boutiques, and surf stores. We park and walk to the cove and Seal Beach. It’s early so all the babies and mom seals are still lying on the beach. It smells terrible, but is something to see up close. We walk along the shore for some exercise then head for the next stop.



PB….short for Pacific Beach. I love to visit PB. I lived there for 1 year and that was enough for me, but it’s the best people watching in San Diego. Seriously. Although now that they banned alcohol on the beach, it is more family friendly and less Girls Gone Wild. I take Chris to Kono’s for a breakfast burrito. It’s a PB cult legend frequented by locals and tourists alike. The line was about an hour long (normal) so we pass on breakfast, and look in some shops and walk the pier instead.



We decide to go to Old Town. This is something that every San Diegan does with any visitor. It's an area that has historic pueblo adobes, and the history of the city’s origination. It’s also home to some great Mexican food. Old faithful being OTMC complete with women in the window making fresh corn and flour tortillas. Delicious. Until one has had Carne Asada in San Diego they have not had Mexican food. This is only my opinion. I pointed out to the Texan that queso is Texican, not Mexican. I love it, can’t imagine life without it, but living in a CA border town for 4 years I had never even heard of it until I moved here. We stuff our faces and move to the next part of town.



On our way to the hotel I take a detour to one of my favorite parks of all time. Balboa Park. It's huge, and filled with things to do. The zoo, and live music, the Prado, the gardens. I think it's a great place to get lost for an afternoon. We have limited tome so I try to show Chris all the places I miss the most.



We are staying in a wonderful area downtown. We can walk to anything from the hotel, and are directly across from the USS Midway. There is something about boys, and aircraft carriers. Chris automatically begins to sing “danger zone” from Top Gun when he stands on the balcony viewing the ship. They did film most of that movie around San Diego so it’s only fitting.



We had arranged to meet Val and Brian at his barbershop in the East Village and walk to dinner from there. We change, clean up and make our way to the other side of downtown. Brian owns 2 barbershops in San Diego, and not the fluffy kind. The old skool, straight razor shave barber shops. He opened the East Village Lefty’s almost a year ago and I hadn’t seen it. It’s amazing. He has a view into Petco Park, and is in the middle of a very hip part of town.



A few doors down from his shop is a restaurant called neighborhood. It’s upscale bar food. All I have to say is HEAVEN. From the sweet potato fries, to the jalapeno Mac and cheese and the Marsala mushroom and steak burger…wow. A wonderful evening with very special friends, but we have to wake up early to get Chris to the US Open so we call it a night, and return to the hotel.

Thursday June 12th.

I can hardly contain my excitement all day. I'm stuck in a Branding: Increase Retention and Recruiting education class, but counting down the hours until I can begin a surprise attack on Chris.

It actually began 3 months ago before his birthday. I was thinking about what I might do that would be special for him. His favorite thing is golf…so I decided to take him to the US Open. It is (was) in San Diego this year at Torrey Pines, and being that I lived in San Diego for many years, I was thrilled for a weekend visit. I emailed his boss to tell him the plan, and booked all the reservations and tickets. Today months of planning would be realized.

4pm I race out of the training to get home and meet the driver picking up myself and the luggage. I put the US Open ticket, his hat; sunscreen and golf vest into a bag to give him for the big reveal. The driver and I load up, and head for downtown. At the same time Chris’ boss was calling him into his office to let him know he needed to shut down his computer, pack his things and go down to the lobby. Chris of course freaked out, and thought that he was fired. He was assured that he was not being fired, and that it was a good thing he was leaving for. Here is where his anxiety begins. He headed back to his desk, and I call his cell phone to tell him I am downstairs waiting for him. He peppered me with questions because he was freaking out “Why are you here?”, “What are you doing here?”, “Did you win something?” After convincing him to come outside, he saw me standing next to a town car and was totally confused.

I push him into the car, hand him the bag and order him to open it. When he sees the tickets his face goes into total shock. He asks if I am coming with him, and when we are leaving. When he hears me say, “yes”, and “right now”….I could see the total discomfort pass across his face. I could tell he was having this internal dialogue:
“Oh dear…right now…I wouldn’t have worn this for the plane, or this watch, it doesn’t match…I was going to mow the lawn on Saturday…now when will I do that…I wonder if she remembered about the dog…where are we going to stay…how much is this costing”…etc. Until he can look in the suitcase he will worry about what I brought for him to wear.


San Diego from the Air

We get to the airport, check in, board and head to San Diego. The flight is short, and uneventful. When we land and head for baggage my phone rings, and it's our ride. My best friend Val is waiting at the curb. As we drive Chris begins to relax. Once we arrive at Val and Brian’s…he is immediately handed a beer (great work Brian) and he starts to enjoy the surprise. We eat dinner and catch up with the happy couple. This is the first time that Chris and Val’s husband Brian are meeting. They hit it off, and Val and I are thrilled. Chris also has a chance to look into his suitcase, and even though I didn’t pack all that he would have chosen, I'm given kudos for a good job. After a few hours (and beverages) we head to bed.

And that’s only Thursday!


(Val and Brian)

SURPRISE!!

I have been keeping the BEST secret for months, but it was so worth it. This past weekend I kidnapped Chris for a special surprise. I will go thru it day by day because:

a) The blog has been lacking lately

b) The whole weekend is hard to put into one post

Stay Tuned

Babysitters Club

You know you used to read those books, and if you didn’t you are too young for this blog. I started babysitting from a very young age, but have been out of the business since college. This past weekend I babysat for the first time in 6+ years. Our friends Heather and Chris had twins on Valentine’s Day, and haven’t really had a moment off in months. They both work, and take care of the kids with little to no help at all. So when My Chris proposed we give them an afternoon off, I happily agreed. He took the new parents golfing for the afternoon, and I took the 2 babies. Who do you think got the better end of that deal?

I HAVE NEVER WORKED HARDER IN MY LIFE. They are wonderful babies, really, not a problem at all, but babies are hard. Multiply that by 2 and it was an endless cycle of feeding, burping, rocking, diaper changing…then repeat with the other…then repeat again. And no naps! I had totally forgotten the amount of energy that goes in to properly caring for infants. I am sure they felt reassured when they walked back in the door and I yelled "look I didn't kill them" as if that were a surprise to everyone including myself.

When the golfers returned relaxed and refreshed from 18 holes of adult conversation, and a few beers on the course I knew that it had been totally worth it. I have never felt more appreciated for giving someone an afternoon to do something for themselves. It’s what friends do, and I will do it again soon, but I am now in a holding pattern about when I will be ready for the baby step. It takes selflessness, and super human bicep strength, along with the acceptance that life as you knew it is really gone. Not that a new life adventure is bad, it’s just very different. I am in awe of the baby mama’s I know, but I will savor until the last moment many things about not having a baby yet.

Shayne Won!!

I love it. I do. I never wanted to like her, but I couldn’t help it.

Of course I am talking about the Bachelor finale last night. Matt picked Shayne, and I have wanted him to since episode 6. Really, she is pretty hilarious. When she got out of the limo the 1st night I rolled my eyes and said...”oh no”. She seemed young and dumb and I was sure she was using the bachelor to move her career out of a guest role on a daytime soap and into at least a lifetime movie. Gotta love first impressions. However, each week she grew on me, and each week I have been rooting for her. She is young, and an actress, and Lorenzo Lammas's Daughter,but she was totally herself. When she whipped out her makeup kit on the ski slopes I thought…she is my kind of girl. It was a classic moment and I laughed as hard as Matt did.

So he picked her. Honestly, this is the first couple in the last few seasons that I am rooting for.

Hat Day

Otherwise known as Kentucky Derby Day…I think unless one is in England it’s the only day in America where huge, ornate, colorful hats are not seen as a sign of a mental illness in a woman.

Texas is as close to the "South" as I plan on getting, and here we have a version of the event at Lone Star Park. I happened to be shopping for something completely different a few weeks prior and came upon a hat that I had to have for the hat contest on Derby Day. It fit the bill completely, and it was black and white with crazy feathers coming off of it, but in an elegant way. I felt like a larger, older version of Kate Middleton.

So the hat: I saw, I purchased, I wore…but alas I did not win. I know this will be hard to believe but there were at least 75 hats in the contest, and they varied from homemade, to theme hats, and hats with real roses with every possible option in between. It was something to see. So I did not win, but I felt I represented the spirit of a true derby hat.

Chris turned 31

Chris turned 31 last week, and I am so thankful that I don’t have to hear him tell everyone that he's the younger man…by 3 months. It’s been hectic the past month and extremely busy at work so he really didn’t want to do anything for his birthday. I can understand that, so we had dinner, just the 2 of us, and called it a day. We went to Bob’s in Plano and it was delicious. I’m still thinking about the vanilla ice cream.
This was the 4th birthday of his that I have had the pleasure of helping celebrate. Looking back I can’t believe that we met when we were 27 and that all this time has passed. It feels like yesterday that I was planning his surprise 28th birthday at the pub where we shared our first drink.
I tease about him on this blog regularly, and he is a great sport about it, but in truth he is my person. I don’t like saying “my other half” because I’m quite whole on my own thank you, but he is irreplaceable and invaluable to me.
When you meet him, he seems very different from who I have found him to be. He would hate if I gave all his secrets, but false bravado covers some of my favorite things about him. He is kind, hard working, extremely generous, supportive, encouraging, and funny. You heard me right…he is funny. I swear. When I look at him with his grandma, or with the baby of a friend, on the phone to my mom, or even sending an email to one of my friends that had a bad day I understand that he is one in a million.
So Happy 31st birthday to the best maker of eggs, mower of lawns, and creator of budgets, dancer of NKOTB, orderer of my complex starbucks drink, lets me have the window on all flights, never interrupts important TiVo, and always walks the dog at night fiancé. You are so much more than that, but I don’t have room, and Worley would gag if I go on.

Apple Bottom Jeans

A few weekends back I went to visit my friend Celeste in Houston. (Above photo on the far right) I like to call her the Rajun Cajun and this weekend was no exception. She moved from Dallas to Houston in February. I had never been to Houston. I decided it was time for a visit. It would have been a perfect weekend, but getting out of Dallas took forever. Thanks to the weather in our state my 3:30 flight ended up being a 7:30 flight. We got a late start Friday night, but that didn’t stop us. We made up for it of course. A few bottles of wine and some cheese fries later we stayed up till 5 am chatting and catching up.

She lives in this amazing part of town called The Village, near Rice University. It is bustling with people, fun pubs, and restaurants. The weekend was filled crawfish, cold beer, horoscopes, starbucks and movies. The funny stories are usually due to Celeste’s over-sharing and friendly with stranger's disposition. I swear that girl never meets someone she doesn’t like. We managed to drink plenty, eat a ton, and see more bachelorette parties at a piano bar than should ever be allowed.

**Random Side Note: I’m not kidding; I think there were 7 brides at Howl at the Moon. I decided right then that I don’t want one…well none like that. One of them was wearing this hideous baseball cap/veil combination that we couldn’t handle. Her poor friends had these headbands with gigantic hearts off the top that looked like alien nubs. Awful. No matter how much I drink, that never looks cool. I hereby promise that you will never see me out with any fake veil, shirt with a spinner, or fake member items (suckers, necklaces, blow ups), or flashing lights around my head. Oops, I forgot the “Bride to be” beauty pageant sash and tiara will also never see the light of day with me.

We decided the song by t-pain “Low” was our theme song for the weekend. It literally came on the radio every time we got into the car, and everywhere we went. Luckily it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. I mean "Reeboks with the straps"…poetry in motion.

Police Blotter

The police blotter from my home town paper has to be one of my favorite things to read. Yes I go online during the week to check it out. It makes me feel like I’m never to far, and always gives me a laugh. As I have mentioned many times I am from a small town, and the police blotter, along with a scanner are the best way to see what shinnanigans are really going on. Below is the police blotter from yesterday’s paper, no I am not kidding nor did I make this up.


10:12 a.m. Wednesday — A woman called from the 22000 block of Lofall Lane to report a trespasser shot a turkey on her property. The male trespasser took the turkey and walked away. A deputy notified the California Department of Fish and Game.

3:09 p.m. Wednesday — A caller from a school on the 11000 block of Highway 174 reported an ice cream truck was coming to the campus before class let out and the male driver was blasting music. The caller asked the man not to park in the school parking lot. The man parked across the street and was still disrupting class.

158 Days

Apparently when you get engaged, and plan a wedding people actually want to know some details. Well I’m not sure if they actually want to know, but they ask.

I figured I would just let everyone know…IT’S ALL PLANNED! Yep, I’m done. Well I have a few minor things to decide when I'm in Tahoe next month, but other than that…we have a wedding folks.

Gotcha

My mom is here visiting for a few days, and we live in a small house. Meaning at night, it's quiet. My mom doesn’t seem to understand this concept and around 11pm last night after we were in bed she decided to call my dad, and to check her office voice mail…(7 messages) all by using the speaker phone feature on her cell phone.

The first 2 calls Chris and I lay in bed perplexed, but by the 3rd client voice mail we were dying laughing. We started making fun of her loudly (of course) and she decided to take that opportunity to start calling my cell phone that she knows I keep on but in another part of the house. Me, of course not knowing it was her, leapt out of bed and ran to the cell phone thinking it was an emergency this late at night (11:30pm, I am a rock star) only to see that it was my mom calling. She started cracking up and yelled out “gotcha”.

Awesome. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is older.

Home Town Torch Carrier!

A friend from High School carried the Olympic torch yesterday. I was waiting to say anything because of the controversy in San Francisco we weren't sure it was actually going to happen, but it did!! I've never known a torch carrier before, but of anyone who represents that spirit it would be Jill. I hope to get a picture of her with the torch up later this week or next.

Anyway, she is amazing, and the accident that nearly killed her (it did kill her boyfriend) was something that stays will all of us who know her. I am amazed every day that she is even here. She is a little fighter, and a ray of sunshine and I thought I would tell a few of you about her...if you're at all interested :)


• Jill Mason, 30, an activist for the "Every 15 Minutes" cause against drunken driving. In 2004 she was crippled and suffered head injuries when a drunken driver hit her and killed her boyfriend while they were on a bike ride.

Here is her Essay that was submitted for selection: Jill Mason

11 days!

11 days until the Bon Jovi Concert. I can't wait!

My Brother

I was 4 when he was born, and from that moment I was his biggest fan and protector. My baby brother. We have always been close, and never really had that sibling rivalry that many do. We played Barbie and Gi-Jo, and had traps on the swing set. I tried to be at all the soccer games, and big events. He probably never needed me to look out for him, but I did and I always will. I can’t help it.

He is the funny one in the family. The one that makes us laugh all the time, literally. He has always been cautious, or “slow to warm” as my mother says. He was the quiet observer as a child, cautious and kind. He was impossible not to love. As he got older and met some lifelong friends in Jr. High, he came out of his shell. He started to become the comedic extrovert that he is today. In high school he was a prankster. He was always the smarter one, and never had to work too hard to do well. He had fewer rules, because by nature he is a rule follower.

When he was in college we were even roommates, and we survived! When he got married I was sad at the idea of being replaced, and looking back that’s normal but also a totally lame reaction. I knew in my gut when he met the woman he was going to marry, and she makes him light up in ways that no one can. She looks at him now, 5 years later, like he is the smartest most wonderful thing in the world. Can anyone really ask for more for your brother?

We have never lived more than 3 hours from each other really. Until they went to Vegas and I came to Texas. I cried when their moving van pulled away from the house. After years of harassment an opportunity for them to move to Dallas came about. I was thrilled. I hated living that far away from them. I always dreamed that we would be close enough to raise our families together. I think that I might get that dream after all.

He turned 27 on April fools. I am so proud of him, and the way he conducts himself. I am proud of the kind of husband and friend he is. He is someone I love to hang out with, whose approval I will always seek, who’s advise I think is indispensable, and who I will always (on some level) boss around. I can’t imagine life without him and I hope I never have to.

Happy Birthday Rob.