100 Things to Be Thankful for

I challenged myself this week to really think about the things I'm thankful for. I wanted to come up with a list of 100 things. And I did.

It may seem like a silly list, and you may not understand what a couple of things mean. But they mean something to me, and I'm thankful for each and every one... and so much more!!!

• Cole's laugh
• Our warm home
• Our health
• Family
• Wagging nubby dog tails
• Tickling cat whiskers
• The reason for Christmas
• Mom's gentle spirit
• Dannie's sense of humor
• Daddy's work ethic
• Gran's faith
• Freedom
• Our jobs
• The Texas flag
• Dee Dee's sense of family
• Randy's talent for cooking
• Sisters-in-law I get along with
• I have a brother-in-law
• Warm chocolate chip cookies
• Cold milk
• Sunshine
• The moon and stars
• Butterflies
• Fresh flowers
• Good friends
• New York pizza
• Freckles
• Falling leaves
• Fresh-cut grass
• BBQ
• Diet Dr Pepper
• Board games
• Photographs
• Music
• Our five senses
• Mexican food
• Friendly neighbors
• A good book
• Women's suffrage
• Undeveloped land
• Alamo Drafthouse
• The back porch
• Smooth water
• Moose pants
• The Food network
• Snaggle-toothed kids
• Cute shoes
• Great coworkers
• Rainbows
• Bluebirds
• Baby goats
• Fried okra
• My education
• The ability to balance a checkbook
• Insurance
• Toothpaste
• Soft towels
• Shade
• Thank-you cards
• The scent of vanilla
• Fresh strawberries
• Sharing
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Prayer
• Being an American
• Being a Texan
• Being polite
• "Please"
• "Thank you"
• Laughing until I cry
• Working out until I sweat
• Sleeping in
• Angels
• Heaven
• The right to bear arms
• Smiles from strangers
• My favorite jeans
• Cartwheels
• Tap shoes
• Spellcheck
• Our military
• Road trips
• Cartoons
• The Sunday paper
• Crayons
• Pilots who know what they're doing
• Ronald Reagan
• Creativity
• Christmas wrapping paper
• Birthdays
• Oxygen
• Miracles
• The color red
• Mascara
• Generosity
• Surviving a fight
• My marriage
• Curly ribbon
• Second chances
• Life

Go T.J., It's Your Birthday!

T.J. turned 10 today. I know, the gray in his face makes him look 45, but not quite.

We celebrated the day by sleeping in. Then Cole and I took both of the boys to PetsMart for T.J.'s birthday shopping trip. He was more into the food and treats, and tried to pick out one of those gravy-basted bones that weighs 30 pounds. Instead of the giant bone, we got him a new birthday bear, kinda like the one that Bugsy picked out for his birthday. As you can see, it's yellow!!! And Bugsy is on the other end of that little game of tug-o-war pictured here, trying to steal T.J.'s new birthday bear...

T.J. also tried to eat the finger of a girl who worked there. She walked up outta nowhere and bent down to touch him. If you know T.J., you understand that slow and quiet is the way to his heart, no surprises. She startled him, and he startled her enough that she squealed and ran away. No blood, no lawyers.

We then spent the afternoon watching the race and the Cowboys game. Cole gave his two cents about the game, of course. I wanted to go to the Empty Bowl Project, but it just didn't happen today. This year is the first year that I've missed going in four or five years now. But I did get a couple of gifts made today: A hand-stamped set of coasters as a thank-you gift, and a set of hand-stamped personalized stationary. Both ROCK!!! hehe

"More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle"

That line will crack me up from here on out!!! Cole provided a great recap of the weekend when my coworker friend Megan came to Texas for her first-ever visit. We had a blast while she was here, doing many Austin-y things... But the main reason for her visit was seeing the Barenaked Ladies in concert at The Backyard. I've always liked them, but I can now label myself as a fan. They put on a heckuva show!!! They seem to really like Austin... and who could blame them?!?! We froze our little butts off during the show, but it was well worth the cold. Gloves are nice.

Some guy named Mike Doughty opened for BNL and he was really good, too. He had a great sense of humor and the crowd really liked him. I can only imagine that an opening act has a hard time courting the audience when they came to see someone else. He did this fun little synthesized, sound-bit song that started out with "more bacon than the pan can handle" and talked about cake. It was really fun and funny!!! I have an email into him to try to find a download of it... I'll let you know what I learn. And every time I sing that line in my head, I can't help but think of the girls who wear their jeans waaaay too tight and their tees way too short, and there's more skin hanging over and out than should be... too much bacon. HA!!!

See weekend pictures of ducks, bridges, peacocks, lakes and taco shops here.

I'm sure I'll have more to say tomorrow, but for now, I'm tired and heading to bed... nighty-night!!!

Busy Weekend

We're home. Back from D/FW. Glad to be vegging out with all the babies.

Friday evening: A great show from Jerry Seinfeld at UT's Bass Concert Hall. I didn't know he was so animated and physical during a stand-up show.

Saturday morning: Drove to Fort Worth. Saw Paul's new house. Went on tour of Lockheed Martin.

Saturday afternoon: Late lunch at Riscky's Steakhouse in the Fort Worth stockyards. Checked into hotel. Drove around looking for a place to watch the UT game. Finally sat down to drinks at Rocky's Grill with Clay, Amy, Paul and Cole.

Sunday morning: Up and on the road at 8a to head to Texas Motor Speedway for the race. It rained a good bit of the morning, but the skies dried up for the race. My boy Kevin Harvick took third place after spinning Scott Riggs. I'm gonna blame that one on Kyle Busch who was right behind Harvick on the track at the time. It's not what really happened, but I like my version that keeps Kevin out of trouble.

We spent time before and after the race tailgating. There's really no point in trying to go anywhere. Cars sit still for hours trying to get out of the parking lot. I guess we got back to the hotel around 9p. Exhausted. Dusty. Ready for a warm shower and quiet sleep.

Monday morning: Had breakfast with Clay and Amy before we all hit the highway heading home. I ate horribly this weekend. But, tomorrow is another day. A new day to start fresh and healthy again.