I know my blog has been blank of any updates for a loooong time. I'd like to say I was too busy but that isn't quite true. I'm not going to get into why I haven't written but I'm working through a few things and just didn't have the heart to write.

But Christmas is just around the corner and right behind that is New Years! I love New Years, not so much the eve part but the starting anew part. This has gotten me to think about what my resolutions will be this year. I know this is a little premature but I am so anxious to get things cracking again this year so here they are:

1. I'm bringing back the dailies: Everyone has different types of friends. There are best friends, party friends and even frenemies but I have a definition of friends that I call my "dailies". These are friends that are involved in our daily (or weekly) lives. When you tell them about how something your dealing with ends, they already know the beginning and middle of the story because they are involved in your life so much. Just because someone is your best friend doesn't necessarily mean they are your daily friend and this is what needs repair. Over the last couple of years friends that were my dailies have become more like my monthlies or even worse my yearlies. This is just not acceptable so I'm bring them back whether they like it or not!

2. I'm making God my daily friend: This is the most important one. We've found our home church, I'm not as busy and I'm in a relationship with someone who is on the same page as me spiritually. So I've run out of excuses. Instead of turning away from Him I know I should have turned toward Him. But I'm ready now to get involved, to push forward and to rekindle. And of course He's always been ready for me. I realize that this is not the best thing to put as a resolution but it's defined as "resolve to fix something that is damaged" and our relationship definitely needs some fixing.

3. Crafty, crafty: This is an easy fix. I resolve to get more involved! I'm weighing the idea of joining the Jr. Forum right now and I'm taking quilting classes starting next month. I feel the need to break away and do more of my own thing away from Chad. I think it's healthy for any relationship for each person to do their own thing from time to time. From my sewing classes to my bunco group, I'm establishing myself more and more in Nacogdoches and enjoying myself more and more.

4. Can I get a change?: I resolve to move forward. I'm not getting into details but this one is one of the scariest resolutions of all. I've never been afraid of change, in fact I've always embraced it and looked to change as an adventure. What's scary is when people you love don't want change as much as you. I've felt stalled out for the last year and soon something has got to give. I just hope it gives in the direction I want it to. Even so, it can't stay where it's at. Bad or good it's gonna have to change.




I hope each and everyone of you have a blessed holiday season and the happiest of new years!

Well I had an interesting weekend to say the least.

First off I want to give my Jacks a hoot and a holler and say Axe 'Em Jacks because SFA is on their third straight win this week. I just might be their little good
luck charm and didn't even know it because ever since I've been working the ticket booth at the games we've been winning. I don't believe we've won one game since I've been here so it's a nice change to be on the other side of the fence.

I've enjoyed working the games so much and the ladies I work with constantly keep me laughing. Our little school is so awesome because even though we are not a football power house the kids still get so into it. It's great to see the painted bellies and faces and all the kids wielding their painted axe handles. It's something I never had at UTSA that I longed for so much.

I didn't have much planned after the game since Chad had left for Arkansas this weekend to look into buying a Bronco so I decided to hit up my coworker Crystal to see what she was up to. That's when the fun began.

Crystal has been a temp in our department for a bit and for some reason I don't really chat up the temps. I'm civil but I guess I don't invest too much because I don't know if they'll stick around or not. Well not only has Crystal stuck but she's also become my office neighbor. It's also a bonus for me because I am no longer the youngest person in my department anymore (I'm sure I'll regret that statement down the road). But she and I are now quickly becoming fast friends.

Well Crystal talked me into meeting her at the Crater better known as Durango's Canyon outside of Mt. Enterprise to see Little Texas play. This place is a hilly pasture in the middle of nowhere with a stage in the middle of it. So basically is was awesome! I could not for the life of me remember what Little Texas played or what they were famous for but that didn't last long. They fired up with Amy's
Back in Austin and ended with God Bless Texas and rocked it all the way in between. But I'm glad Chad was not with me because they are a little bit "softer" band which was evident by all the middle aged women crowding the front row.



With Crystal was her good friend Nikki whom I liked the instant I met her. They are both Garrison girls which around these parts is "'nuff said". But girls from Garrison kind of remind me of girls from Uvalde: a little wild, a little bit country, a whole lot of fun! When the concert was over Nikki told me that they were "initiating me" and taking me to the Chicken House dance hall. It's a bar in a chicken house... no lie.

We piled in Crystal's car and drove down a series of country roads that kept getting smaller and smaller until I had to finally ask "ok where the hell are you taking me" and then we pulled in. I had to laugh it was just too funny. There were like 6 hound dogs in front of the place. We walked through a screen door to get in and it was pure country. I instantly felt the need to tuck my boots into my jeans like the rednecks!



I had the best time and we are now talking about making the chicken house a regular thing because it was just that awesome.

"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more." - Jonas Salk



Do you see this picture? I'm in there somewhere doing my little hand sign just happy to get my free snazzy purple shirt. I had no idea what road was ahead of me just like right now I still don't know what's ahead of me. But I am glad that I'm about half way down that road.

I'm not going to lie, work has been really tough lately but it has been so rewarding at the same time. I have really learned a lot about myself, my abilities, my awesome BS skills I didn't know I had, and my patience. I'm really proud of my section of this gigantic overhaul of ours. In fact, starting soon I will become a sort of mentor to Sam Houston State who will be implementing their overhaul in January. I've also been considered to speak at the convention featuring Banner about the P-Card section. I've been told to not be surprised if I end up mentoring several universities as I was the first to do this.

I'm not patting my back yet but all of this has put a little spring in my step... today. Monday I could easily be tooting a different horn. But all of this has come at a price, I haven't seen my mom since the beginning of July and for me that is looooong. I'm also missing Easton's second birthday tomorrow. But soon the dust will settle, my job will become more routine again and all will be right in my world again. And then there will be one thing left to do.... vacation.

I know I haven't been around. In fact I haven't touched a computer for fun in a while. My keyboard has somehow become a grindstone.

The word 'Banner' may not mean much to some but to me and my coworkers it's a four letter word, here lately it's become the bane of my existence.

When I first started at this university I remember sitting down to get trained on the program that they use for all record keeping and what was staring back at me looked an awful lot like DOS - think Wargames the movie from the eighties. I actually said "you're kidding, right?" Little did I know that the ITS department was cooking up a plan to change... everything. So here we are smack dab in the middle of the Axcess project (we're lumberjacks, get it? An ax...? Oh, well... I didn't laugh either.) We are in the middle of a software conversion and the P-Card Program is completely on my shoulders. In fact my boss wants so little to do with it that if it fails it's all on numero uno.

The worst part is that I have nobody to refer to because the trusty Banner people have no idea how the P-Card section works because no other university in the country uses it. Sure is lonely around here... For the next two months I've got to take all my expertise that I've accumulated by the endless testing I've done and use it to train every cardholder on campus, rouqhly 500 people. Needless to say my GMAT studying will be put off, the stress is just too great and ever accumulating. Add the fact that it's been way too hot to run and you've got a woman on the edge of pulling all her hair out piece by piece.

So, I'm bidding adieu for the meantime. Let's hope that this is a huge success and that I'm completely adored and celebrated. But when you work for the state, don't hold your breath. Take care!!

Chad and I had a funny conversation the other day. It was funny because I've never heard him talk to me the way he did Sunday night. He has heard me say for almost 2 years now that "I've got to call the Grad advisor" and "yeah, I'm going to go to grad school soon" and the ever classic "I'm not going to get anywhere at a college without my masters".

Well, we were at dinner and I had just busted out with one of the above and Chad said, "you're going to quit talking about it and go and get your masters". I was a little shocked because his tone was pretty stern. I asked him if he was going to force me and he said "no, but I'm not going to listen to it anymore."

At first I was a little stunned and then I found it kind of sexy I'll have to admit. But I'm really not one to take orders, I mean I'm an aquarius it's not in my nature. But then I found myself talking to an advisor the next day and ordering my GMAT books. I think that what was keeping me back is that I was afraid of rejection and it doesn't help that I work with the people that would be thumbing over my application.

But I also HATE studying for a big test. It is the very reason I left the industry I was in, the dreaded Series 7. But after playing around with the numbers I really don't have to do all great and will still be able to get into the MBA program. But I've decided to aim high, crack the books and get to grad school by the Spring semester. I guess I just needed a kick in the pants.

You know, maybe I should just have Chad start ordering me around and I'll start to get more done. But I could see "you will do the dishes and quit talking about" losing it's luster after a while.

It was just a matter of time... I thought it would happen later rather than sooner. But this weekend I discovered something. *sigh...*

I can now tell which side of my face I slept on the night before by simply looking in the mirror. Last night I slept on my left. How do I know this? Because there is a wrinkle between my left cheek and my nose that informs me and the worst part is that it is still there!! It's the afternoon and my wrinkle is still there!!

What's next, crow's feet? Liver spots!? I know I'm getting older but I thought I was too young for tell-tale face bed wrinkles.

There is only one thing to do. I'm sleeping on my back from now on, at least that way all my bed wrinkles will be covered up by my hair!

Ok, so I know I've been a sourpuss in my last blogs (even the one today) so I'll share a story that is sure to get you smiling and laughing.

Check out this story of the two lovely ladies named Tara and Bella. It is sure to warm even the coldest of hearts.

What a roller coaster this week has been. I'm exhausted from feeling so many emotions.

Thursday Chad and I left for Concan. It was time for our yearly trip with all the people that my parents went to high school with. I always look forward to this trip but there was something definitely missing this year, my dad. Needless to say it was bittersweet.

Friday Josh and Reagan came up with Easton to see everyone and as they were walking up they had Easton hand me a piece of paper. IT WAS A SONOGRAM! I'm going to be an aunt times two!!! I couldn't help it I screamed at the top of my lungs because I always thought they would wait a little longer before they'd have another one. What a surprise and what a joy.

Yesterday marked the year anniversary of my dad's passing. I tried not to let it get to me but with all the exhaustion and emotions it was hard not to. While we were in Concan my brother gave me a copy of a speech my dad gave his football players on attitude. I was scared to watch it yesterday but I thought "well I can't get any sadder". So Chad and I sat down and watched it. Another blessing. The first thing my dad says was "I have done everything in my life that I wanted to, I have a wonderful wife and two great kids and if I die tomorrow that's fine with me because I'll have died a happy man." Listening to his voice and seeing his face healed something for me. Watching a parent helplessly deteriorate is a hard image to get out of your head so to have a video to remind me of him is exactly what I needed.

The good with the bad, I guess that's how life will always be. But the bad makes you stronger and the good makes you appreciative. And it all makes you better.

There are some moments in life that are so sweet you wish you could revel in them and keep them with you forever. This weekend I had one of those moments. It wasn't a moment that will change my life but it was a moment that filled my heart.

Every 4th of July Chad's family has a reunion with his dad's side of the family. We rode out to Arkansas to attend on the bike (and believe me, the bike is a whole other post) and we had a great time. Chad's family really does it up which is so unlike my family. We played whiffle ball and badminton. The Kings get together but it takes a wedding or something of that nature to get us all there and we would definitely never play whiffle ball. But Chad's family has included me completely and even though we are not married yet they have now become my family as well.

We were about to eat lunch and were in a circle to pray before we ate and I got to hold Chad's niece, Faith's hand. Faith is 3 and is "little miss personality". She will have you laughing in stitches in seconds of meeting her. While the prayer was going on Faith looked up at me and smiled in a way only a child can that will pull at your heartstrings. We spent the prayer smiling at each other and blowing kisses. When I whispered 'I love you' to her she so sweetly whispered back 'I love you too' and then promptly yelled 'SO MUCH'!

If I could have stopped time and recorded that moment I know I would play it every time I was sad or mad or depressed. Thank goodness God allows us to have these little blessings that keep us going.

Ok, I've noticed an issue I've been having for the last couple of years and it's come to light TODAY that I am a changed woman without even knowing it.

It is now physically impossible for me to have a lazy weekend and do absolutly nothing!

Chad has wierd work hours and he had Thursday and Friday off this week. I came home from work and I asked him what he did that day and I got a "not a damn thing and it was great!" I pondered this because I couldn't remember the last time I did that. So I decided this was the weekend that I was going to do nothing. I even busted my butt to get all the laundry done so that I wouldn't have an excuse and I could just kick back.

Well, how've I done so far? I got up this morning and decided while it was cool (Texas speak for 80 degrees with 80% humidity) I would take the dog to the park. I thought "well this isn't nothing". But I thought since I enjoyed going to the park it didn't count.

Then I got home. I got in the refrigerator for some breakfast and thought "man this fridge is messy" so of course I cleaned it. This included the leftover tubs that needed to be washed so I rinsed them off to get ready to go into the dishwasher because I was already running a load of dishes (whoops I forgot to mention that). Then I noticed that some of the eggs didn't have much longer before they went bad. What to do? I've made two loaves of poppy seed bread. Then I remembered that there were some blankets in the office that we didn't wash after my mom left and so on and so forth.

All in all I've cleaned the fridge, done two loads of dishes, two loads of laundry (my darks load is ever accumulating), made two loaves of bread complete with homeade icing, swept the kitchen, mopped said kitchen and I'm about to move on to the living room as soon as I'm done with this blog. So what about this afternoon? I can almost guarantee it will be something and not nothing.

I am so due for a blog. This is influenced by my mom and Aunt Rita's trip to see us this last weekend.

I've never done an ode so hear goes...

Ode to a Crazy Lady (my Aunt Rita)

Oh, the Crazy Lady in my life. You have a laugh that can fill every corner of every room in the house. You have a belch that can do the same and then some and you are not shy about it. You are not afraid to wear a red shirt with white stars, blue pants with with red stars, red and white striped shoes and a sparkly red white and blue hat to prove you're patriotic on the 4th of July. If there is a song on that you like, you're going to sing it no matter who's watching. When you walk into a store that sells everything, it's almost guaranteed that you will buy the most obscure item (belly button lint brushes).

Crazy Lady you are one of a kind but there is something more. You took care of your ailing mother for 10 years without one complaint. You will have a smile on your face and joy in your heart no matter what life throws at you, and it's thrown a lot. You are there to lend a hand to ANYONE who needs your help no matter if you need help more. You think of yourself last and you are perfectly content with that because you are happy being you no matter what.

I love you Aunt Rita and the world would be a lot better if there were more Crazy Ladies in it.

This weekend I made my way to Austin for a long awaited trip to see my good friend Christie. I was so excited to see her and the city I had moved from. It was fun but exhausting trip as there was so much to do with the little time that I had there. But the trip held something I wasn't expecting to get.... closure.

I remember when I lived in San Antonio I thought that all my problems would be solved if I could just get to Austin. To me Austin was the coolest place in the world to live and I thought that it was just a dream that I would ever live there. I remember the day that it came a reality, I thought that my all prayers were answered. God really has a good sense of humor sometimes because my prayers were answered just not in the way I had imagined.

I was expecting my social life to explode when I got to Austin because Kami was there and I imagined all the awesome things we were going to get to do especially since we lived within 3 minutes of each other. About a month of me living there she called me with the news, she was engaged and moving to Houston. I still remember the hollow ringing in my ears when she told me and how I sadly tried to fake my excitement, I was losing my only friend. It was hard not to be selfish about the entire deal.

After that I really tried to like Austin. I became good friends with my boss Christie and we got involved in all sorts of things but it was all in vain, I wasn't happy. Getting older made me long for the small town life I was used to but with a small town you lose some of the career advantages that you have in a big city. I gave Austin 2 years of effort and in fact I was looking for other options (back to SA? Uvalde even!?) when I met Chad.

Being back in a small town is like a breath of fresh air for me. I believe now that it wasn't Austin, it was the city life. I was ok with SA because I was in college and wanted the excitement that a city can offer, it was also easier because so many other friends from Uvalde were there. But older life has brought out the "country mouse" in me. We live on a street where we know every neighbor whereas I didn't know one person in my apartment building in Austin. For the first time since I left Uvalde I feel a sense of community again. And even though Austin showed up #3 on a list by US News as the best place to live in the United States, I know deep inside they somehow overlooked Nacogdoches!

I was planning to make this entry on Monday as that was the day that Chad and I had been together for 2 years but work and life got in the way so I'm now writing this on my 2 year 3 day anniversary.

Compared to most of my friends I've been dating Chad for a shorter time than they've been married and two years together is nothing in most peoples eyes. But I'm breaking personal records here so it's a feat that I'm extremely proud of.

The day I met Chad started off like any other where I went to work and was excited because I was actually going to be in town the entire weekend. For some reason most weekends I lived in Austin I was going out of town, I've always been the most mobile person I've ever met. In celebration of me staying put Christie and I decided to do something fun so I started doing some Austin research to find maximum fun. That's when I saw that it just happened to be the weekend of the ROT (Republic of Texas)Motorcycle Rally.

This is the part that makes me believe that we are always on a path guided by God even when we don't know we are. I would have never given the rally another thought if it hadn't been for my friend Becca. The year before she came to stay with me because some guy friends of hers were playing in a Battle of the Bands gig in downtown Austin. I really avoided 6th street while I was living there but this was a special reason so I willingly took her down there. But it was quickly evident that this was an entirely different 6th street that I was used to. Instead of a slew of crazy college kids there was a slew of crazy bikers. I loved every minute of it! I've been around bikers my entire life and they are rarely as scary as they seem, instead their sense of freedom to be what they are and go where they want is highly contagious.

So I was sold on going that night with Christie and she's never been hard to convince to do anything fun and different. We had a great time and found this great bar that the funnest energy and that's when it happened. I went up to the bar to order a drink and a guy bellied up to the bar next to me. I looked up to make room at the bar and that's when I saw him. I know that this is no cinderella fairy tale and I wish that I had a better story but honestly who cares as long as there is a happily ever after right??

Chad and I talked for a long time that night and the fact that he was from Nacogdoches made him even more appealing. I'd lived not far from Nac in Crockett and I remember always liking Nacogdoches. We ended up hanging out the entire weekend and I remember being very sad after he left. But we kept in touch by phone almost every night. It wasn't until I took a trip up to Nac and from there we went to Arkansas to go canoeing that I knew I was in deep. And it wasn't long after that that I decided to uproot my entire life for a boy.

I look back now and realize how lucky I am because I hardly knew Chad even though at the time I thought I knew so much. There's nothing like living with someone to see their true selves. But every day since that night on 6th street has been a blessing with Chad. He has high fived me at my highest highs and held me tight for my lowest lows. I've been in love before but it wasn't until Chad that I knew what it was like to be unselfishly loved back. There are times when I stop and wonder what I did to deserve him. He's got his wild streak but he's also got the purest heart of anyone I've ever met even though he sometimes doesn't want you to know that.

Though I do wonder about our future like when will we get married and when will it more than just the two of us, I don't have to wonder about who will be next to me when all of this takes place. I've found my match and I couldn't imagine life getting any sweeter than it is right now with him.

My reading list has always been across the board as far as genres go. I remember when I finally finished East of Eden, did I pick up another Steinbeck classic? Heck no! I read The Devil Wears Prada instead. But I never saw this one coming!

I was recently given a dare from my good friend Sally, a reading dare. She said she was reading the Twilight series and my interest piqued because I thought that it was aimed at teens. She confirmed this but said a ton of adults were getting into them too. She dared me to read just two chapters of the first book, Twilight, and not get hooked. I welcome any reading challenge so I thought, bring it on!

So, I went down to my local Hastings and was embarrassed that I had to go in the teen section that was cluttered with Robert Pattinson posters and t shirts and pillows and PEZ dispensers, you name it they had it. I can't believe that girls think this scrawny, pasty boy is cute but then again I still can't figure out what is so special with the Jonas Brothers either. I remember thinking "man things have come a long way since The Babysitters Club and Ramona!" Have I really lost touch that much?? I'm sure our parents thought the same thing when NKOTB and 90210 came out. But I don't ever remember there being any books that made me swoon or go batty like teenage girls tend to do.

Well, after two chapters guess who's hooked... Yes, yes break out the PEZ dispensers and the R-Pat (I'm just assuming that's what the girls call him) pillowcases. Though I have yet to see the movie, which I assume will happen soon enough, it's just a matter of time before I join the fan clubs! I hope Chad can handle it because he's already cracking vampire jokes left and right.

But the thing is it's been a while since a book has really pulled me in like that and I'm enjoying it whole heartedly. I LOVE to read and I have to admit that I haven't read a book since Ike hit and I was forced to due to lack of electricity. I seem to only be able to handle one hobby at a time so I'm hoping this won't phase out when I start my sewing classes. But what makes this book better is that it's a series and I have a total of 4 books to enjoy. I'm already on book 2 and it looks as though I'll have to spring for book three by this weekend. Then maybe I'll start a new "fan club president" hobby.

It's amazing how fast a year can go. It's also amazing how much can change in a year. Though Memorial Day is one of those holidays that is never on the same date, it will always hold the same meaning for me. Memorial Day was the day my world was turned upside because it was the day my dad had a massive stroke.

I sat down yesterday and realized how similar the day was to last year. Again we had a big group of people come to stay with us and celebrate the weekend. Again they left on Monday and I was left cleaning up the mess and doing laundry and planning for the week ahead. But this time I didn't get the phone call, instead I called my mom and discussed the eerie similarities.

She's had a few hard days in the last couple of weeks. She's had to watch the baseball team go on without my dad. She was there at Tom Bond field as they put up my dad's initials on the wall of the field. She had to watch my brother give away the first Coach King Memorial Scholarship away at the sports banquet. The same sports banquet that we were all at last year as they presented my dad with the Harvey Kinchlow award.

We're also expecting some hard days ahead. June will mark his 67th birthday as well as Father's Day. We'll have to go to our annual Concan trip without him as well as commemorate him while we are up there on the year anniversary of his death.

Though it's all been hard I've chosen to look at it differently. I told my mom last night that we can look at as getting through the hardest year and know that each year will get easier as we learn to live without him. We also know that we are all one year closer to seeing him again. This always eases my mind because I know that's how he'd want me to look at.




I miss you Daddy.

Well I owe a few people out there some apologies (or blogologies if you will). But I had no idea that anyone read my blog. I mean I've seen the little dots that have been emerging on my clustermap but the dots have no faces and no names behind them. Why someone in Australia would want to read about my daily life is way beyond me, they must have gotten lost on the Internet.

But I was playing around with my blog today and I accidentally clicked on the comments link under one of my blogs and there it was, a comment from Charla, the blaster (short for blog master)! I had no idea I had a comment. And then I clicked on another one and there was a comment from my high school friend Sami, and I didn't even know she had a blog let alone read mine. I kept clicking and found comments from Sarah and Julia too, it's all too much (a little dramatic, I know).

You know I always thought that Blogger would alert you that you had comment kind of like Facebook does but I guess it does not. Now I feel a little foolish for being hurt that I have not had a comment yet. So if the CEO of blogger just happens to be one of my dots you should take note and make that a feature. I mean it's a blog eat blog world out there and you almost made me lose blog followers (otherwise known as blogowers, I couldn't resist)!

Yesterday I got home from work and went strait for the couch; it was just one of those days. Generally when I get off of work I head straight for the restroom and change into my workout clothes and don't give myself a chance to think my way out of it otherwise I'll never do it. Well as soon as I hit the couch I felt guilty but I was in a definite "oh well" type of mood. Well then my darling boyfriend said, "why don't we go buy some tennis rackets and go play tennis?" I was stunned because he's not the biggest fan of physical activity so I quickly agreed. Don't get me wrong, Chad and I love spending time together and we have a lot of the same interests but I'll never underestimate the power of finding new things we can do together and enjoy.

So we make our way to Wal-Mart and I got myself a sweet Maria Sharapova pink racket. The thing is I have no idea what is a good racket and what is not but it didn't matter because neither did Chad. Once we got to campus we had our choice of pretty much any tennis court because finals are basically done and all the students have been high-tailing it home. Well we started playing and what ensued after that was a lot of huffing, puffing, sweating and hilarity. It was perfect because Chad and I are equally bad and both of us couldn't stop laughing. We even switched courts because all of our balls ended up over there. We had great time and plan on making it a regular thing and I'm so excited about that. I now believe that tennis is good for the body, good for the soul and more importantly good for our relationship! Watch out Sharapova and Federer!!

I'm not sure why but blogging is taking it's toll on me. I know, I know.... I don't blog that much to even break a sweat but sometimes I want to blog and sometimes I guess I just don't feel like I have a lick of fun to speak of. Don't get me wrong, I've been busy and I've even had a lot of fun the past couple of weeks, but do I want to take the time to put it in words and fret over my grammar and spelling and reread and edit? Sometimes not.

Anyway, I'm going to giving the crib sheet version of the last couple of weeks:

- Well to start off, as of a couple a weeks ago I am down a few teeth. I finally bit the bullet and had my wisdom teeth removed which wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.... at first. My dentist knocked me out, I mean all I remember is saying "WooHoo!" for some reason and next thing he is trying to wake me up which I did very reluctantly. I also got to see once again what a wonderful boyfriend I have who valiantly took care of me despite a horrible chocolate drooling/crying incident that took place on the way home. It wasn't until days later that I was in extreme pain due to subconsciously clenching my jaw which I thought I was never going to get over. But happily all is well now and I'm just waiting on my holes to go away, classy I know...

- Chad and I got to go to Houston and hang out with our friends Kami, John, Brandee and Cullen and had a great time. We went for the big crawfish boil that Kami and John put on each year. And.... I got to wear my super cute "Boone's Farm Fever" t-shirt that I've been itching to wear. Boone's has become a tradition with this group of friends and if you want to know how it got started I believe you can read the story a few blogs ago. The best part of the boil was getting to see my friend Sally!! I love that girl and she gets prettier and prettier every time I see her. Also on hand was Sally's friend Betsy (aka Bird) whom I haven't seen since a trip to Concan a looooong time ago. I got to introduce them both to the Boone's tradition and I think they took a liking to it... Here's some pics!


Brandee, Me, Sally, Kami and Betsy before things really got started!


Kami and I watching the crawfish getting boiled. Note the awesome shirt.


Sally enjoying herself some Boone's!

- One last blog section (wow, when I get started you can't get me to quit!); Last weekend I went home to see my cute little mother. I wasn't originally going to go home for Mother's day because my friend Christie was graduating from St. Edwards with her masters that weekend. Well I guess I was meant to go because she ended up not walking the stage so I went Uvalde instead. I'm so glad that I did. Not that this trip was so different but I could tell my mom was extremely grateful. Anything to put a smile on her face, even if it means driving 14 hours in one weekend.

Hopefully I'll get over this blog funk and add blogs more frequently. Only time will tell!

There are people in the world that absolutely hated high school. Some base their entire existence on overcoming how they felt in high school and there are some that wouldn't dare come back to their hometowns even if they were paid. I am not one of those people. I loved high school and more importantly I loved my class.

I got to go home for a wedding this weekend of a fellow classmate and luckily for me she was super involved in high school activities and still holds tight to friends we had in school.

As I walked up to the event by myself (Chad stayed home because his brother came up for a visit) I got a heavy case of the nerves. I seem to do that every time I know I'm going to see old friends. I guess I'm concerned that I look ok or that something awkward will happen but really I don't know why I get that way. As soon as I walked up familiar faces quickly began popping out of the crowd and I instantly went from nerves to excitement. After the initial hellos it's funny how relationships quickly revert back to how they were in the past like no time has passed at all.

Some people prefer to go on and leave old friendships behind them and some just let life get in the way and don't take the time or the effort to nurture their old friendships. But I've never wanted to be that way. Someone has become my friend because of something special about them and more rare is that they've found something special in me. I don't like letting this fall by the wayside. This weekend has really enhanced what I spoke of in the last blog and makes me want to plan something even more. But what's awesome is that I know for a fact that we will have a lot of people jump on board, that's what makes my class so special.

Uvalde High Three Cheers for You!!!

Last night I was laying in bed making a mental list in my head of what I needed to take with me to Uvalde. Now that I live so much further away my trips home have become few and far between so my mental lists seem to get longer and longer. While I was laying there my thoughts drifted to the whole reason I am making the journey today. My friend Tania is getting married.

I started thinking about Tania and Matt and my relationship with them and found myself getting a little sad. When I think about fun events from my past I'd say 8 times out of 10 Tania was there. Not only was she involved in all the things I did in high school but she was usually the organizer and planner of the entire thing as well. She was immersed in any organization or event that you could be in. The thing that always drew me to Tania was her childlike curiosity about things I always took for granted. She came to Uvalde from Argentina and with such a culture shock everything that we were so used to she saw through completely new eyes and I've always found that so refreshing about her.

The reason I was saddened was that I would call my relationship with Tania as close without being close if that's possible. We have shared so many memories together but I feel as though I've never put the effort I should have into our friendship. Maybe it was the fact that she has a TON of friends and I didn't want to get lost in the shuffle or maybe it was that she is always super busy or it could be just plain old life got in the way. Whatever the reason was the end result of the whole thing laid on me like a heavy blanket last night.

I'm so guilty of the "we should get together" line and then never following through. The one thing that I have always loved about Kami and Tania is that they make a point of planning events that force us to get together. Trips to Concan and Galveston, heck Kami and John are having a huge craw fish boil in two weeks. While I on the other hand just sit around and wait to be invited to the next event. Well NO MORE!! Friendships are one of the most important things to me and I need to hold them up with higher regards so I will work on what I can plan for this summer or something big for next summer that will bring old and new friends together! I just hope I can do it as well as Kami and Tati!

My favorite Tania memory: At Kami and John's rehearsal dinner Kami gave us our presents for being in her wedding in these GIANT gift bags. Tania and I were the most amused by these and gave her some hell about them. Well after the dinner on the way to the after party Tania had a great idea of stopping at HEB and buying some refreshments for the party. These refreshments included: two bottles of every kind of Boone's Farm Wine ever known to man, a pineapple ( I still have no idea why T grabbed this) and a balloon that that had a skull and crossbones on it that said "Pirate Party" (not sure about this either but it's hilarious to me). We decided to cut the bottom of our giant gift bags out and wear them as dresses (a handle over each shoulder). We put all of our goodies in our bags and walked up to the party. We got all sorts of "what the hell" stares and I started feeling pretty stupid but Kami absolutely loved it and ALL the bottles of Boone's were consumed (by the naysayers I might add). Love that girl, she's a gem!


This is a horrible picture but it was the only one we had of it!


One of my favorite pictures and the start of a really fun night!

Reagan, my sister-in-law sent me pictures of Easton, my nephew, and I cannot tell you how much these brighten my day! When I was in Uvalde we were all playing and my brother casually asked Easton what color the car was in his hand and he said "ellow" and it was indeed yellow. Well we all cheered and clapped for him and he was slightly startled at first but then kept saying it over and over loving all the praise he was getting and had the absolute cutest look on his face. Well, my mom told me that he still points to yellow things and says "ellow" but the cheers aren't quite what he was getting that first time so he says "where Aunt Kyley?" LOVE HIM!

Here are some pics she sent me, my favorite is the second one!

So, I'm not sure if I mentioned that Chad bought a boat about a month ago so I'm mentioning it now. The thing about Chad is that if he gets something on his mind he will not rest until he gets what he wants. This usually results in me walking out to see a new Harley sitting in the driveway or a new TV in the living room, this time it was a boat. Don't get me wrong Chad does not go out and blow a bunch of money all the time and I do believe once we get married this will have to calm down some but sometimes he gets so caught up that he forgets to include me.

Well anyway, Chad and I both had discussed getting a boat for fishing on. We didn't need anything fancy, just something that we could scoot around the lake and the rivers in. Well guess what showed up in my driveway but a little jon boat. Well Chad has fiddled with that dang boat for about a month now and it's working out pretty well. We took it out for it's maiden voyage last weekend and had a great time even though Chad only caught one fish and I caught a whole lotta nothing. We even had fun despite the fact that the pull cord came completely out of the engine and Chad had to rig it (believe me I was ready to jump ship and swim back to shore when that happened).

Well Saturday I found myself itching to go back. I was really surprised at myself about how much I wanted to go. My mom had let me have my dad's fishing rod and reel so I felt so proud and excited to use it for something my dad really enjoyed doing. It kind of made me feel like he was there with us. Well after much patience, I caught a fish! I ended the day with two perch and two broke lines that both came from nice sized catfish. I only wish those had ended better... All in all it was a great day! That is until the engine broke again....

So, Chad and I don't really watch a whole lot of TV especially in the warmer months but when we do we tend to watch FX a lot. But, for some reason I have never gotten into the show Rescue Me but I have always wanted to. Well lately on FX they have been playing a lot of the show's commercials because the new season is starting soon and they are really funny! So I decided that I'm going to watch it but I hate when I get in the middle of a show and don't know what is going on. I thought about renting the DVDs in order to catch up but I hate having to worry about when to take those back.

So that is when I found a little gem of a website where you can watch TV shows online! I remember the Hulu commercials during the Super Bowl but I couldn't remember what the silly name was so I just started Googling away. I finally found it and they have every episode of every season! And it seems like they have a lot more so you can rest assure that I'll be playing with that website for a while. As for last night I just watched episode 1 of season 1 and I can already tell that I'll be hooked. Check it out for yourself!

Ok, so here I am with a completely revamped blog site that took me FOR-E-VER to complete and I have no camera in which to capture the things I would like to blog about! And... I actually have things I'd like to talk about!

Sometime around my birthday my camera that I spent a lot of money on up and decided to die on me and to be honest I wasn't that sad because I never liked that camera. So, at first I didn't really care to rush out and get another one because I really don't take a lot of pictures. Plus, there are so many other things that I have on my budgeted spending list like lounge chairs for the pool (I never knew how much those suckers cost!) and B needs to go to the vet and I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out at the end of this month. Why does everything I want have to cost over $100? I guess because if it's less I just buy it and don't sit and pine after it. Anyway, now that I'm trying to blog I really want to add pics but alas, my blogging will be quite boring until the camera moves up on the spending list!

So, I had originally started this blog as a way to keep people informed about the progress of my dad's health after he suffered a major stroke and now that he's passed away I wasn't sure if I would be a "blogger". I didn't think I had anything to write about, I have no kids to brag about and my daily life can be so dull. I didn't want to start only to realize how boring I really am. I also struggled with whether or not to keep my old posts on here but I've come to realize that it's important to me to know where I am in life but also where I was in the past so they are staying and I'm blogging away!

In the mean time I have revamped my blog to a bright cheery background from that blah brown to reflect where I am in life. And whether or not anybody reads this doesn't matter to me. This will become a sort of Kyley Diary where I can see all my past comings and goings.

In the past when I was on MySpace I thought I had the HTML background thing down until that is I tried to find a background for my blog. Selecting is hard enough! I want something that is a true representation of who I am so I looked and looked and looked. It had to be cheery but not girly and not too boring. I think I've done ok but soon my tastes will change and I'll be on the hunt again!