Random weekend happenings

Who would believe we'd get this much snow?


E and N took a short jaunt to take pictures in it. We didn't particularly stock up on baby snow suits, so the amount of time we spent playing in the snow was kind of limited.


N has realized that he can see himself in various reflective surfaces in our house, and being that he is narcissistic this is the best thing ever. He crawls around until he finds himself then proceeds to gaze at his beautiful face for longer than I would have thought possible. I can't say that I disagree with his assessment of handsomeness. I would think he'd be more modest though.


In an effort to slowly transition to table food, we've started giving N whatever we're having. Of all the things he's tried so far, his absolute favorites are yogurt, Honey Nut Cheerios, and meatballs (as in "spaghetti and"). Here he is having breakfast of yogurt and Cheerios. He knows it's going to be a good day.

Heaviest single day snowfall in Dallas history!

We're experiencing the heaviest snow Dallas has ever seen. People in Dallas don't deal well with snow, much less six to ten inches of it. This morning, I kid you not, I saw a man who had wiped a tiny peephole in front of his driver's side and left his remaining windows covered with snow/ice. I spent ten minutes of my commute trying to avoid him and all his scary driving. Regardless, it's really pretty and we're having fun with it.

Battered and deep fried

E and I moved to Texas (one of the fatter states in the union) from Colorado (the absolute leanest state there is) approximately a year and a half ago. (It's true, check out the survey here.) We rationalized that the increase in girth could be solved mathematically. Our original hypothesis was:

chubbiness = (crushing heat) x (delicious cheesy smorgasbord of Mexican food) / (available mountains to climb)

I can see it. It makes sense. More heat, more Mexican food, less mountains... It works out beautifully. This is why people in Texas are chubbier, I'm thinking.

But today I realized that was not, in fact, the right equation. The right equation, it turns out, is simply:

chubbiness = (fried butter)

Any group of people who celebrate fried food as much as Texans were bound to find a way to make the absolute worst possible food of all time. Fried butter. Seriously. I think it would be better if we poured a bunch of ranch dressing over it.

Summer in Texas

Summer is officially here. Out of the last 20 days, 19 have had temperatures over 100. It's ridiculous. I can't even imagine what the electric bill will look like. Ugh. Temperatures this high mean that E and I spend a good amount of time indoors. Our newborn can't handle being outside in weather like that. Our chocolate lab would melt. We would melt.

To pass the time, N likes to nap during the heat of the day, regardless of where he is. Here he's using E as a pillow. Apparently he's really comfortable. There are some good things to be said for summer in Texas. Check out a small sampling of the produce we picked up at Costco. I do mean small sampling. This is Costco after all.

This is Zoee spending time inside. She doesn't much care for the heat unless it involves swimming. She spends the day chewing on this cow knee bone. Seems gross to me, but she enjoys it.

Something else Zoee can do to pass time in the summer? Shed. Think we ought to make a sweater with all this? I think we've got enough for something for N to wear. E threw his running shoe down there for some perspective.

That's just gross. We're not going to do that.

Corny dogs and Big Tex

This weekend my dad and stepmom came up for a weekend of the famous State Fair of Texas. Having grown up in Texas, it might be surprising to know that this activity is something that neither E, nor me, nor my dad for that matter had ever participated in. So we went at it with gusto. We arrived at the gate 10 minutes before everything opened, and we started our quest maximize fair time. We wandered through the midway, and then happened to find Big Tex, the larger-than-life cowboy who sounds an awful lot like Johnny Cash when says "Howdy Folks!". Right in front of Big Tex is Fletcher's Corny Dogs, home of the original and first ever corn dog. Nevermind that it was only 10:30 am, we decided to partake anyway. They were delicious. We looked at cars, we saw livestock, we watched some dogs perform an interesting frisbee show. (Let's see my dog do that!) We even looked at the sculpture of Annubis made entirely out of butter. It was a full and productive day. Oh, and we also managed to have plenty more fried food before the whole thing was over. All in all, a great day at the fair.

Today we're resting up and the weather is so beautiful that we've opened up the house. Zoee is loving this, and she's managed to find the small spot of sun in front of the office French doors. I imagine she'll only move enough to stay in the sun for the rest of the day.

They're full of hot air

Yesterday I went with some friends to the Plano hot air balloon festival. This consisted essentially of a ridiculous number of booths offering such delicacies as corn dogs, funnel cakes, and nachos, a climbing wall and other athletic endeavors, and tons and tons of hot air balloons. It was a really good time. After touring all the booths and enjoying a corn dog (with mustard!), we found a good spot to sip strawberry lemonade and watching the action. It was awesome! We stuck around until it got dark and a whole new set of balloons participated in the glow, which basically means they all light their fires at the same time and look like a field full of giant lightening bugs. Neat-o.

That ain't a fire ant

This past weekend I ventured down to Houston for some good-natured party-time at my sister's bachelorette shin-dig. I was planning on recounting all of the fun we had celebrating in Houston this weekend, which included a shower, some ridiculous hat, shopping, massages, dinner, and drinks. But when I got home my husband had a different story, I believe you'll be glad I shared.

While I was away for the weekend, E went up to see his parents. Usually when I am there, visiting the padres involves his mom and me hanging out in the house while E and his dad tromp around in the mud, dirt, and brambles with the dog. Apparently the only difference when I can't come is that no one is there to hang out with his mom. The boys? In the dirt. E, his dad, plus one more... This guy:This, my friends, is a striped bark scorpion (Centruoides vittatus). It is one of the many varieties of things in Texas that try to sting, bite, or otherwise poison you. E met it in a most unfortunate way. As told by him:

"Well, I was down in the fish pond filter hole and we were finishing up putting the filter in place. As I was getting out and walking back to the house, I realized I had a fire ant in my pants. I swatted it and this only successfully upset the monster. He stung me again, this time, much higher up the leg. Plus, the burning... A lot more intense. At this point I ripped my boots off because my jeans wouldn't go over them, then proceeded to unceremoniously shuck down to socks, shorts, and a t-shirt. After turning my jeans inside out I found the little guy. While he was mad, I was madder, and he quickly met his end."

When he finally decided he was free of all potential poison-ers and had reapplied his pants, he went inside. He told his mom about this whole incident and she had apparently missed the entire show. E dancing in his underpants on the back patio? Yeah, she didn't see that whole thing. Fortunately, his dad did. Someone has to be able to tell this story at future family gatherings.

From where I sit, it sounds pretty hilarious. (Now that I know he's fine, of course.)

Everything's bigger in Texas

This weekend we had a friend visit us from Colorado. In Denver, this is the guy we could always count on for anything. A good conversation, a drink after work, someone to play with your dog... This guy is pretty much all around one of our favorite people in the world. So we were SUPER excited to have him visit.

We did all kinds of fabulous Dallas-y things while he was here. First and foremost (and perhaps most importantly) we spent hours on Friday afternoon floating around the lake catching up. You'd be amazed how easy it is to catch up on a lake, especially when it's 104 degrees outside and all you want to do is stay as submerged as possible. It was great. We found a quiet cove and just swam the afternoon away. After all this we went to dinner, but it's amazing what a day of work, swimming, and sun will do to you, especially when you throw in a few drinks. We were exhausted.

There are some things about Dallas that are unique to the city. The 6th floor museum near Dealay Plaza, the West End, the Texas Rangers, the Arboretum... Plus all the Mexican food you can handle. And Blue Bell ice cream. Songs about Texas playing over loudspeakers everywhere... We did it all. And had a fantastic time doing it.

It was great to catch up. We can't wait until the next time we get together again. I just hope next time E does all the driving.

Yes, I do mean 105

Tomorrow we have a friend visiting from Denver. We are SUPER excited about this. He's never really experienced the glory of Texas, and we're going to do our best to show it to him. We're going to eat BBQ. We're going to watch the Rangers. We're going to go boating. However, beyond that, we're going to have to stay inside. He's coming from something I know well... Mild, temperate summers that invite you to put out a hammock and waste away a Sunday afternoon reading a good book. I'm not sure he knows what he's getting into.

We're totally going to use my lime in Mexican beer though. It's time. My lime tree has produced a glorious lime, which will totally be used.

It really is a good life

The smoke filtering up through this tree is a result of 15 lbs of brisket smoking on a grill a few feet away from it. It's impossible to describe how incredible that much BBQ smells, but I'll let you imagine the mouthwatering aroma of meat so tender that it falls apart on the fork, corn slightly charred with smoke and covered with butter, and the reminder that when it's Independence day and my grandfather's Big Surprise 70th Birthday Party it is totally fine to have a large slice of pineapple upside down cake with homemade ice cream. (Trust me, I've barely scratched the surface of all the food that we were able to indulge in.)

The fourth of July in my family is always a party - where we gather at my grandparents for a weekend of dominoes, swimming dogs, and lots and lots of food and drink. This particular fourth was especially special, as my grandfather was turning 70 just a few days after. We planned, we conspired, we sneaked. And as a result instead of the typical 10 people at the party, we had nearly 26. It was incredible, and to top it off, I think he was really surprised. It was awesome.

Now, my grandparents have been married almost 50 years, and my grandma knows him pretty well. She managed to get some information on a gift he wanted and then go purchase it in town from the local dealer. When he opened it, he said, "Last time I was down there he said he already sold it!"

She said, "He had."

They're precious. And I can only hope that we have it so good someday. Every boat they've ever owned for as long as I can remember my grandpa has named after her. This one is no different.

Love you Ma and Pa. Thanks for the great weekend.

The century mark

Today in the metroplex we reached the century mark. Over one hundred degrees of hotness baked the city for hours and hours, resulting in cement that is hot enough to fry an egg. Really. Living in a giant concrete jungle isn't the most fabulous place to be when the temperature starts to rise. The laws of thermodynamics are a cruel joke. It left me longing for a January day last year when Zoee and I built a fort to protect ourselves from a barrage of snowballs projected by a certain husband of mine. At the time I remember being excited about the future hot chocolate and down comforter on the couch. Now I just wish I could swim in the snow to cool off. I'm sure Zoee feels the same way.

The cost of summer living

Today we were being the diligent young Americans that we are and doing financial planning and reconciling. We do this periodically, say once a week or so, to make sure we know whether or not I can really buy that piece of art I'm wanting (read: sno-cone). Anyway, this was always a relatively simple task in Colorado. All of our bills were approximately the same in Colorado at all times, which made budgeting a super easy task. In fact, the time of year we found ourselves most concerned with utility prices was the winter, when the freezing air tried to creep into your bedroom at night. Thankfully, it was always possible to pile on more down and keep warm.

Now we find ourselves in the opposite situation. We're in Texas. In June. It's hot. Really hot. We've done everything we can think of to keep our energy costs down. We programmed our thermostats to be energy efficient when we aren't here but not so much so as to overtax the AC unit when we get home. We try to keep all doors and windows closed to keep the bought air in. We even go so far as to stripping off clothing before turning down the air. (Well, there's a limit to stripping when company is around.)

Anyway, we're thinking this is working fantastic. We've been living in our house since February with no energy bills over $50. This is GREAT! Well... All that was true until our latest energy bill. If things keep increasing at this rate one of us will have to take a second job flipping burgers! I can only hope we've seen a peak in the energy-cost-increases. There are four more months of summer to go!

(For those not of Texas, I do mean four more months of summer. It's mid-June, and summer in Texas officially ends mid-October. We won't see temperatures below 80 for the daytime high again until that point, and I really don't think any daytime high above 80 should as "autumn".)

Springtime in Texas

Spring in Texas is a beautiful thing that I had wholly forgotten living in the far-off land of Colorado. These pre-100 degree days bring with them sunshine and clear skies that merit flip-flops and jeans, skirts and tank tops. It's nice to walk around outside and there is just the right amount of sun. There are giant thunderstorms that usher in the warmer ski-worthy weather, and these bring with them blue and white lightning across my purple evening sky. Breathtaking. The morning comes and it's clear and beautiful outside and everything smells fresh and clean. Full of promise and flowers and the smell of grass. I love springtime.

Heaven in the Freezer

Why would we be so full of glee being back in Texas? Here are two reasons: Centennial Cupcake and Buttered Almond. Blue Bell, I've missed you so.

Under the influence

Because of the vast number of locations of our friends and families, we have decided to start a blog. (This is under the influence of many of our friends who are doing the same.) I can't promise it will be updated every single day, but we'll do our best.

After years of life in Colorado, I find myself back in Texas. This may be a shock to many, but I did this because I wanted to. I loved life in Colorado. Amazing friends, fantastic weather, a job I loved, and a place that felt friendly and safe. I miss my Colorado life - full of friends who I can count on, mountains to climb, happy hours after work at our favorite local bar, clear crisp spring mornings full of promise... Despite all this, Colorado was never quite home.

To many who don't know it the way I do, Texas is backwards and slow. It is home to loud politicians, warmongers, and rednecks. Texas is to many people hot, humid, and without charm. This is not my Texas.

Texas to me is family reunions playing washers at my grandparents. Home of big wide skies, sunny days on the lake, blinding thunderstorms on humid summer nights, Mexican food and lazy Saturday mornings eating breakfast burritos. It is quaint hill country towns and lunch at the Grist Mill. It is tubing the Guadalupe with friends on a clear hot summer day. It is soccer tournaments and waterskiing and family family family. Texas is everything I love the most about being alive. This is my Texas.

Welcome home.