Layout

So, I changed the layout of my blog ... what do you guys think? 

Is Halloween really two weeks away?

Hello friends.  I've been quite busy lately, so I apologize for the lapse in blogging.

Today was gloriously rainy.  Austin has been caught in quite a drought these days (what else is new, I know), so the rain was welcomed.  For me, it's always welcome.  The humidity let up a little early this evening, which made it all the more wonderful.  We are so on-the-verge of cooler weather, I can almost taste it.  One can only take so much sunshine.

My camera has been dropped off at Conn's, and is en route to San Antonio to be looked at.  The Conn's guy told me it might only take 7 to 10 days, and stood behind that even after I told him not to toy with me.  Guess we'll see what happens.  I'm still using our office camera, and it's still painful, but I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize -- my repaired lovey or a new camera.

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, we were invited to spend the day at the lake by Amy & Jim.  What a fabulous day this turned out to be!  Amy was also kind enough to let me take some photos with her brand-new waterproof digital camera.  That gave me a quick fix!  We got some really fun shots:

Just starting out.  Zach's first time on a boat, as well.

The captain & co-captain.

This turned disastrous in about six seconds.

Like I said ...

Two happy, soaked boys.

Me & Amy, jumping at the chance to lounge.

The boys later imitated us.

Amy & Preston.

Me & Z.

Amy knee-boarding.  What a stud!

Look at her go!

Deep in conversation about something.

Super happy kids.

The weather was perfect, the kids behaved like a dream, we had food -- all good things.  It was just what Aaron & I needed, after the night before.  "What happened the night before?" you ask?  Aaron's 15-year high school reunion, that's what.  Aaron, his best friend Jamie, and I all went down to a new bar on Congress and attempted to re-live the glory days.  It was actually really fun, but man, it was a little harder to get out of bed the next morning than it used to be.  Yikes.  Thank God for Excedrin Migraine and Pepsi.  

The "posed" Aaron & Jamie.

The real Aaron & Jamie.  (And Armand.)

I didn't have my camera, obviously, so thanks to Emily for these pictures.  I won't show any more of them - I don't want to incriminate anyone.  Hehe.

The auction project I've been a part of the past few weeks is finally coming together.  I think we're very close to completing this thing, and that's a relief.  This amazingly kind local photographer has donated her time and skillz (yes, with a "z") to create a composite for us, and it's coming together beautifully.  I was emailed a teaser of what had been done so far, and this is it:

Sorry, I know it's small, but I didn't want all the kids faces up here 

for the world to see, without their parents' permission first.  

You understand, right?

I can't wait to see it with all of the photos, kids' names, and then framed.  I'm hoping people end up liking it and bidding on it at the silent auction in November.  I tried to capture the essence of each kid when I was taking their pictures, but it was hard to do with such little time.  I only had about 2 minutes with each one, and since I'm a perfect stranger only known to them as "Zach's Mom", it wasn't easy to get them to loosen up that quickly.  Hopefully I was able to get at least a little of who they are, and that will draw people in.  

Lastly, we're only two weeks out from Halloween!  HOORAY!  We are biiiiiiig Halloween fans around here, and we can't wait for the big day.  Z picked out his costume, and I know it won't shock anyone to hear he chose to be a Transformer again this year.  Last year, he was Optimus Prime, and this year it's Bumblebee:

(A stock photo - no, that's not my kid.)

This costume is new for 2008 and sent him into overdrive when he first saw it.  At the local places around town, it was close to or exactly $50.00 (cough cough), but thrifty Mommy found it online at BuyCostumes.com for a mere $33.00, including shipping.  I am living proof that sometimes it actually pays off to shop online.

That's about all that's been going on these days.  Well, except for a dear friend of mine who just welcomed his baby girl into the world (welcome Clare Evelyn & congrats to Joel & his wife!) and another who is dealing with an engagement that's been called off - everyone send good vibes out to Elyssa, even if you don't know her.  She's an amazing, kick-ass human being that got the short end of the stick in this situation, and the result is her first broken heart.  [sniff sniff]  I love you Elyssa, and A will never again find someone like you.  He's bonkers to walk away from this.  I don't know if he's just trying to find himself or if he's temporarily gone insane, but either way, you deserve better.  Hang in there, friend!  Dallas is only 4 weeks away.

Guess I will retire for the night, but only after I pack up my gym bag.  My eyes are getting heavy, and I can feel my bed calling me.  (Actually, I can hear the new mattresses I laid on at Conn's calling me louder, but they don't understand how expensive they are.)  Z's been in bed for an hour now and Aaron's been submerged in the Presidential debate, so I wanted to take the opportunity to jump on here and give a quick update.  Until next time ...

Peace & pastries.

Update on the camera crisis

You people are so sweet.  It's like everyone in my inner circle went on high-alert when they found out I was camera-less.  My dear co-worker friend Amber even handed over our work camera, just so I could have something versus nothing.  Thank you all, for understanding how hard this has been for me.  Becca described it perfectly - she said, "Some people need food.  You need a camera."  Amen.

I don't want to make it seem like I'm making a bigger deal out of this than it really is, but those close to me know how hard the next few weeks are going to be.  A major outlet for my stress, as well as my creativity, has been eliminated and it's a little unsettling.  I will make do with the camera from my workplace, and hope the next few weeks go by quickly.

I called Conn's, because I bought the camera from them, and was informed that the warranty I bought with the camera expired 9 days prior to the camera malfunctioning.  Needless to say, I was pretty pissed to hear that news, but the Conn's corporate employee was quick to offer up that I had five more days on tap to extend my warranty.  It would cost me $98.45 for one year, so I had to really do my research and think this through.  I called around to some local camera shops, and found out they all pretty much charge the same for repairs - anywhere between $75.00 to $120.00.  If they could not fix it, they would have to send it off to Canon, which would cost $160.00, plus shipping.  Ouch.  Buying a new camera outright would be around $350.00, if I bought the same model I have now.  Double ouch.  The extended warranty at Conn's started sounding more attractive by the minute, since it's a replacement warranty.  That means I get a new camera if they can't fix the problem.  Sold.

I will be taking my baby over to Conn's tomorrow, to drop it off and hope for the best.  It should be about 3 weeks before I hear anything, so I'll attempt to be patient until then.  And I'll try my best not to call them on the very last day of those 3 weeks to see if it's already on it's way.

For those of you who haven't seen the camera I'm speaking of, here's what my lovey looks like:

I have bonded with this beautiful piece of technology, and I hope it won't be long before we're reunited.  I know there are people with much bigger problems in their lives, so I won't even pretend to act like this is a big deal outside of my world.  I just use my camera to help me stay sane, and it's way cheaper than therapy.  So, I'm saying it'll be tough without it.  It will suck.  But things could suck way worse ... I am aware of that.

Off now to watch the Presidential debate, although I have a feeling it won't make my sad mood any better.  Hugs to everyone, until next time.  

Peace & pastries.

*cue sad music*

My ... camera ... isn't ... working.

[deep breath]

Those words pain me to say.  Not sure what to do with myself at this point.  Exploring my options as to fixing it versus buying a new one.  

Either way, this sucks.  

Sigh.

Hannah Montana ... ?

So, we're browsing around the Round Rock Outlet Mall last night, to enjoy the cooler evening weather, and Z wanted to go into Kay-bee Toys. While he was drooling over Transformers, I wandered over to the board game section, only to stumble upon this:

Here's a close-up, just in case you can't see it well:

A.) Games like this should be abolished. Teaching your daughter how to become a "pop star", like Hannah Montana. It says it includes an "instructional DVD", as if to imply that if you & your daughter follow the steps on the DVD, you TOO could be the next Billy Ray & Miley. Isn't that false advertising? How about this ... do your daughter a favor, and get her a chemistry set instead.

B.) If they are marketing to little pre-pubescent girls, shouldn't they at least put someone on the box who actually looks like a girl? Or a young girl, at that? For some reason, the person photographed looks to me like a 14-year old boy in drag. I know this poor person had to don the dreadful Hannah Montana wig, but honestly. Even Miley Cyrus looks more feminine than this when she's all costumed up. Disney (who put out the game) could use a little of their massive fortune made off of Hannah Montana to doll up the girl on the game box. Wow.

By the way, has anyone out there ever watched five minutes of Hannah Montana? If so, you will probably understand my utter confusion as to how this became such a phenomenon. I think they use laugh tracks, it's that bad. Hannah Montana is reason #738 that I'm happy to be the Mom of a boy.

Catching up

I am happy to say I finally have some alone time.  Time where I can blog to my heart's content, without feeling guilty for neglecting my boys, neglecting my job, or neglecting my body for lack of sleep.  I actually was supposed to have six glorious hours of alone time yesterday, when the boys went to the UT vs. Arkansas game (thank you again Jim!), but alas, Murphy's f-ing law kicked in and I spent the entire day flat on my back feeling miserable.  Ok, not the ENTIRE day - I did get up to go get a pedicure for about 45 minutes, but then crawled back into bed immediately after, with toes barely dry.  I then proceeded to sleep the entire afternoon, only getting up to pee & check on the score of the game.  That shows you how much I love pedicures, eh?

So, since I have some alone time (Z's in bed, Aaron's at his store waiting for the carpet guys to finish cleaning their carpets, and I don't have to get up early tomorrow), I thought I'd catch everyone up on some things we've done through September.  By things, I mean a trip to the capital when it was one of the first low-humidity, gorgeous 80 degree weather of the year, our annual trip to the Pecan Street Festival, and another road-trip to a diner from that book I mentioned a few blogs ago.  Let's begin.

First, we were looking for something fun to do outside on this breezy, non-sticky day a few weeks ago, and we also wanted it to be free.  We decided to take a trip down to the capital grounds, and look around the capital, then hang out on the grounds under the big, giant trees.  We've taken Z there one time before, but he was only 3, and didn't remember a whole lot about it.  Of course, now that he's six, we heard about how "bored" he was within 15 minutes of pulling up some shady grass and relaxing.  Too bad, son!  Mommy & Daddy weren't moving for a while, so we tried to come up with games and things to keep him busy.  Besides Aaron chasing him (which got old for Aaron REAL quick), I decided to play fetch with him.  As harsh as this sounds, it worked, and he was delighted to go running after my shoes for a good while.  Then, he resorted to chasing the people-friendly squirrels, but that quickly backfired.  We saw him run up on one little furry guy, then stop dead in his tracks, and come hauling ass back towards us.  The squirrel had actually juked him, as if to act like he was going to rush Zach.  It was hysterical.  Zach came back to where we were, and described the squirrel's face as, "it was like he was saying 'WASSUP?!' ".  I wish I had taken a picture of Zach's thug face as he was imitating this tiny squirrel.  I will spare you of token capital pictures, as I'm sure you've all seen it either in photos or in person before.

The Goddess of Liberty

The squirrels will walk right up to you.

Impatients are floating in the fountain

Z thought this was dirt ... oops.

The after-math.  Oh, boys.

Lying on my back, looking up.

Alright, one capital photo, for good measure.

Running back with my shoe (ie - fetch).

A lovely blue jay.

The same lovely, but suddenly perplexed blue jay.

Leaving the capital grounds ... he saw signs and was ecstatic.

Nice.  Driving through downtown & saw this guy.  

So, he means peace but back off, bitch?

Hmmmm.  Only in Austin, I swear.

After our time at the capital, Z mentioned he would like to go see a museum or two.  Since we won't go anywhere near the Austin Children's Museum on a weekend, we took him to a Natural History museum on UT campus.  Again, it was free, but apparently everyone else had the same idea.  It was so ridiculously crowded, it was making me edgy.  You couldn't even see things close-up because of all the people around each exhibit.  We left there, asking Z what he'd like to see next, and he said an art museum.  Aaron thought it would be great to take him to the Ransom Center's Art Museum, also on campus, because he & I had been there before and loved it.  Turns out they were having a paper exhibit, so it was basically a bunch of old letters and hand-drawn pictures or notes by certain artists and authors, so it didn't do much for Z.  He did find one print though, that caught his attention, and asked me to take a picture of it:

A closer look.

The title, artist, and explanation.  Interesting.

Fast forward a week or two, and we took our second trip for the year to the Pecan Street Festival.  It always comes through in May and in September, and we always go both times.  Z loves the funnel cakes and snow cones, Daddy loves the shrimp on a stick, Mommy loves the overpriced gyros, and Mommy & Daddy both love the cheap, ice cold beer.  I took some random shots from that day, nothing family-oriented.  Guess I was feeling a bit artsy.

The pizza joint on 6th street even has a myspace page?  Seriously?

Oh, how times have changed.

Needless to say, it was a fantastic day.  It always is when we go there.  As much as crowds usually get on my nerves, there's some weird calm about this specific event.  It just feels like home ... don't know why, but I won't kill the wonderment of it all by trying to figure it out.

Lastly, we finally took another day-trip to visit one more diner in our beloved diners/cafes of Texas book.  This week we chose The Bluebonnet Cafe in Temple, TX, and wow, we were not disappointed.  I forgot to document our meals in pictures on the last few trips we've taken, so I'm happy to say I remembered on this one.  Here was our lunch:

My cheeseburger and fries.  Oh yeah.

Aaron's chicken fried steak and onion rings.

The place itself.

I have to apologize for not taking pictures of our desserts.  Aaron ordered the chocolate meringue pie, and I ordered the apple pie with ice cream.  (Z opted out of all the goodies, because he had a big breakfast.)  We tore into those pie pieces as soon as they hit our table, so they were gobbled up before I remembered the photos.  If anything, that should be testament to the yummy goodness of this joint.  Stop by, if you're ever on your way to or from Austin.  It's worth it.

Other than the things I've posted here, we've been staying busy with school, work, and allergies.  We're all full of snot and antihistamines these days, and praying for cold weather, like everyone else.  This round has hit everyone particularly hard lately, even co-workers and my two best friends & their families.  Seems like no one can escape the mucus.  I've also been busy being "room parent" for Z's class, which includes working on an auction project for our biggest fundraiser of the year in November.  Z's teacher, one other Mom, and I all decided we should do a photo collage of the kids, then have it framed and labeled with our school crest & monogram.  I think it'll turn out beautiful, but we have a lot of work ahead of us before it will be done.  I photographed all the children last week, and will be doing a few re-takes this week, so I can get the pictures off to the magical person who'll be putting them into collage form.  I'll show you the end result, once we finally get there.

Hope everyone has been doing well & taking care of each other.  October starts this Wednesday.  What the ... ??  Wanna really freak out?

Yeah, chew on that one for a while.  eek!  Hugs to all, until next time ...