a pic from spring break

Seminole Canyon. I think this might be the Rio Grande. We camped in Seminole Canyon, right beside the Rio.

30 WHAT?

Oh, my! This Sunday I am turning 30 what! Yes, in layman's terms that's 39. Yes, one year from the big 4 zero. I know, it beats the alternative. But, of course in cliche I think to myself. Who am I? Where am I at? Am I where I want to be? And all I get for an answer is "really, it's ok." I probably don't want to be anywhere else, or anyone else, or doing anything else. Because, if I did, then I would do it. So, cheers to being 39, living in a good home, eating well (sometimes, scratch that...all the time eating too well), having the most fanstastic children in the whole wide world, of course: the best man a woman could ask for, super-great family & friends, & a whole lot of fun to top it all off. My biggest thanks goes out to God, obviously my biggest fan for setting me up like this. ok. Enough about me...ok maybe a little more. _______________________ Was a happenin' in our world right now: Me: working the part-time gig at the church bookstore up until Summer, then a break until Fall. Went to the Premier Outlet Mall this week with friends, super great time! Headed to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts with friend today! Stellar week! Capped with coffee. Loving the crossroads, picking the road less traveled. M: Work is going great. Still with AmerCable. Just got a new hire to work for him, so he's now offically a "boss" come the 24th. And he's going back to school for his MBA. He will also receive the term "student" & "Aggie." Yes, I said "Aggie" God Bless him. Also, he's strapped on his plumber pants, but his don't sag...and is fixing the upstairs bathroom leak this week. Yea, "handyman"! Big Kid: Loving biking around with his buddy after school. Got his 1st & 2nd rank with Boy Scouts. Think he's going camping this weekend, maybe. Loving his soccer. Doing great. Little Bit: Twirling is going great! Wears her twirling academy t-shirt proudly. Still doing the girl scout thing. Just started back up with her running club, which she was TOTALLY excited about. And going for a sleep over birthday party this weekend. Life is good.

Ash Wednesday

Well, Little Bit is in the shower singing the 12th verse of some song, not interested in finishing up because it's WAY past her bedtime on a school night. And Big Kid has been sent upstairs to go to bed, so he's playing his guitar while sitting in his room because he knows that buys him at least another 15 minutes. They must have gotten something from the loooonnnnngggg sermon at Ash Wednesday services tonight.

I think we all like to go to this service. It's such a somber service, yet my family seems to look at it like a party. On the way into church, I really thought my kids could have run at least 5 laps around the Big parking lot and not even been winded. Thankfully, we sat in the back...near people I know and work with, so I'm sure to get to discuss the big & loud yawns, the on-purpose off key singing and laughing, the rubber band popping, and program rolled up and whapping that was happening on my end of the pew. And yet, it still seemed as though at some point in the service my kids got it. Maybe while Little Bit was singing along and really enjoying the music. Or when Big Kid paused to pray right after receiving his ashes on his forehead. Or maybe the point where both commented how the tv screen with the shots of the special music during the offering looked like a movie. They just seemed happy.

And yet, when we are to leave in silence we as a family have a hard time. There are people we know, water out of the water fountain to be drank and of course when we hit the parking lot and arrive at the car a nice game of M locking the kids out and then unlocking the car, over and over. Thus, making the car honk off and on with the locking of the door and unlocking of the door.

So, in this season of lent, I guess the point i'm arriving to in a round about way is that I hope you're Lenten season kicked off with happiness for this most joyous of occasions. Because really we are fortunate, as Jesus is Risen!

new sort of pet lizzard

Well, Little Bit just showed me inside her Tupperware container. It's full of black, pine bark mulch. Then decorated with tiny green leaves in a perfect rectangle. And an upside down big, pink azalea flower. Under the flower, a dead baby lizard. She picked him up and tried to hand the dead lizard to me. I didn't want to hold him. I was worried that he might be still alive, but no it was dead. So, glad to see under that flower.

After much discussion of weather she shoved that poor lizard in the Tupperware container while still breathing, I did find out she found the lizard already dead and wasn't the perpetrator of its demise. And I also found out that she has kept this lizard for the past couple days and plans to keep it for a while longer.

She had brought him in the house to show me. I said she should keep him outside. She wanted to bring him along for the car ride to baton to show her friend. I said no. I'm non-understanding like that. She decided to keep him on the table beside the kitchen door, so I'd suggest you not open the Tupperware container and lift the flower unless you want to see a dead lizard.