lake whitney and wacky waco

we took another camping trip this weekend with our "fellow outdoor enthusiasts," as i've started to call the crew. we got a great spot right on the lake, complete with a little shelter for all our gear...yes, we are so fancy. there was biking, bocce, lots of swimming in the lake (for the dogs), and jay cleaned house in our poker tourney! all good times on lake whitney.

saturday we were off to waco to celebrate one of my oldest friends, wes, on his 30th birthday and meet baby addison, his new little girl! wes and i have known each other since birth; wes's mom helped throw my baby shower and my mom helped throw his, so i wouldn't have missed this for anything!

but, before the party could start, we hit cameron park for some mountain biking. i remember this from college as a fun little bike ride - well either i don't bike enough or those trails have gotten a lot harder because we had quite the challenge on some of those blue trails. all-in-all, it was a very good time and definitely made me want to ride more.

after the big ride, we cleaned up and headed to the party. it was held at his in-laws that have a beautiful ranch right on the brazos river outside of waco. we had a great time catching up with old friends. and of course, once you are in any sort of driveable distance of george's, a trip is in order...so we made a stop for dinner after the party - nothing like a burger and a big O at george's...yum!

below, some additional camping pics...

not the best pic, but you get the idea...

the outdoorswomen
i'm telling you, they love water!!!

hammer's dealers

so we wrapped up the big flag football season last night with a bang - we were down in the semi-finals 18-0 at the half and came back and won! it was quite the second half, to say the least. so we then went immediately into the championship and played our tired little hearts out, but could not pull out the victory. we felt better knowing it was a team that has played together for ten years - that always helps soften the blow. my question is, why are they in a recreational league?!?

anyway, we had a great time and loved every minute of making new friends and enjoying a little good, healthy competition. now it's on to softball season with team logolink...starts tonight at 6:30pm!!

great season, fellow teammates of hammer's dealers. see you in the fall!!

PV ranch and austin

last weekend we took a trip down to the hill country.  we visited with jill and GP at their ranch, got some time with our good pals, mollie, lily and kevin, and had some fun times with our pups. the ranch gave us perfect weather and lots of laughs with old friends.  austin was even more perfect weather, some good shopping, hiking, eating, and pup time.  we found a great hike which i will most definitely do again with some good little swimming holes (which of course norman loved the most of all of us)!  sunday we got up early to get back and spend easter with the family - it was a great weekend.

this weather could not be better - i absolutely love the springtime in texas!  you just cannot beat this season, and combined with the longer evenings, it's perfection.  ; )

field trip to the capitol

mckenzie is proud of that seal...

shake it off, norm.

mckenzie is in the pack on jay - norm is in the distance ahead

the day of the greenville st patty's day parade is generally a good time for all - you have a race, you have a parade, you have parties -- therefore you have good times. this year we were pup-sitting, so norm and mckenz got to spend the weekend with one of their best buds, drake, and we got to see lots of ours, as well.

thanks again to all you irish folk for letting the rest of us in on your fun day.

the ladies of st pat's

the crew at barley

it was a beautiful day

me and my buddy, mike

this is what norm and drake did for four days STRAIGHT!  ; )

team aristocrats to hammer's dealers

faithful blogger readers (thanks, mom - heehee) may remember the tales of team aristocrats, our co-ed flag football team of yesteryear. well, we've evolved and the team has changed a bit, but the fighting spirit of the recreational powerhouse remains.

last night, our own hammer's dealers advanced to the final round of the playoffs with a 19-6 victory. who doesn't want to beat a team that has a team name "arrogant" and has a player thrown out of the game for attacking our QB? it's just the way things go. karma, i guess. whatever it was, (cue will ferrell voice) it was glorious.

stay tuned for more, sports fans. because next week, once victorious in the second round, we will go straight into the championship game that night. then we can join the ranks of such greats as bob stoops and barry switzer - as recreational champs of the DSS winter co-ed flag-football team. well maybe not quite the same thing. but for us, this is serious business (read: fun), so expect live action photos...i know you will be anxiously awaiting. ; )

democratic caucus in texas...

tonight jay and i attended the democratic caucus in uptown along with about 500 - 600 other folks from precinct 1202 (which i am told in 2004 had about 10 attendees).  according to stickers, t-shirts, posters and hats worn, there was a dramatic obama following in attendance.  i would guess upwards of 90%.  i felt (based on the STRONG feelings i sensed) like one of the few that attended the event that would personally be pretty happy with either candidate, but i won't get into that now (however, as of now, it looks like they will both still be in the race tomorrow morning, so this stands to be one of the closest races in recent history!  sooo exciting.).  to me it was exciting to know that my vote actually counted this year - that the democratic vote is a factor here.  it is so exciting to truly be a part of the "process."

when we got home, the kids were holding a caucus of their own - i guess we are rubbing off on them, our sweet little politicos...

"si, se puede"

yes, we can!!

i'm tired, get your votes in, harris county!

camping in glen rose

saturday night we went camping with a crew (six humans and four dogs) in glen rose.  we did the "primitive" camping, which meant we parked and hiked into our spot.  it was  only about a mile-and-a-half, but it seems like 40 when you pack all the crap we all brought!  it was fun, a great workout, and the dogs loved it.  

once we got settled in from hiking we were able to enjoy perfect weather, happy pups, and lots of games.  we started with bocce ball, moved to poker, and ended with charades that night.  it was a great time and something we all said we need to do more often.

norman LOOOOVES camping

norm and blue playing in the water

bocce ball

the crew.  forgive the shot, used a timer and balanced it on a camping chair

poker tourney

mckenzie taking a break in the murky water

dad's girl

friday night my dad and i spent some quality time with other dads and daughters. the girls were between the ages of 5-12 and we were asked to talk with them during their "date night" at church. i think my dad and i had as much fun preparing for it and going through old pictures and memories as the girls and dads did friday night. it was a fun and special deal, i'll share some pics we used in our talk and pics from the night...

me, "helping" paint

taken in tulsa - the fam looks a bit different!

friday night - that cowboy hat on the podium was my fave growing up...stylin', huh?  my mom said i cried one easter because i couldn't wear the hat and my boots with my easter dress.  ; )

changed it up a bit

yes, you typed the right address. i have been collecting these letters for a while now to do some "reconstruction" the the generic blog i had for so long. i may make a few more changes, but for now i'm just enjoying the new look! hope you do, too.

i've also added a blog roll of sorts to the right. i may add more as i think of other friends sites i visit often. check them out, you may find one of our old mutual friends over there - i go waaaay back with some of those folks.

enjoy!

haiti

a friend of mine from college is about to embark on a journey to haiti. he will be working with malnourished children through an organization called the canaan orphanage. they are working to raise money in order to purchase something called "medika mamba" which is a nutrient-enriched peanut butter that helps in bringing children back to health. i have read extensively on the organization and am 100% supportive of their work in haiti. what cause could tug more at my heartstrings than to help bring children back to health? here is a brief blurb from his personal website:

My name is John Elmore and I will be living in Haiti from April 17th - July 15th, 2008. During my time there, I will be working at an orphanage and transporting/distributing life-saving food to malnourished children, while Chris Hlavacek, CFO of the Kanakuk Institute, manages the ALIVE AT FIVE program from the U.S. side.

to read more, visit their website: http://www.canaanorphanage.org/

or to make a donation to help the cause, you can give via paypal by clicking here.

obama in dallas

jay and i joined the throngs of other obama supporters today and went to the barack obama rally here in dallas. i keep having to pinch myself to believe that texas, our fine home, will actually be a state of importance in this primary season. never before in my life have i had the opportunity to take part in something like this with a candidate (i'm quite certain that is due to my choice of residence). so for me, i knew this would be something special. i figured there would be a good turnout as too - well, it was all that and more. the entire arena was completely packed, up to the rooftops and packing in more to cover the entire arena floor (trust me, i was on it, it was packed!), and they were all chanting, screaming, thrilled to be a part of something so electric - and let me tell you, that place was exciting. people keep saying that this campaign has all the momentum, and today, in that place, as obama spoke, i felt that was (is) definitely the case. i definitely felt part of something big...

ron kirk and emmitt smith gave a great intro, and then obama came out and created a frenzy of excitement with a soul-stirring talk. it was moving, inspiring, and i'm so glad that i was able to go! this was definitely an experience i will not soon forget.

the line - reunion arena was completely full by the time he took stage

introduction by ron kirk and emmitt smith

obama speaking

hahaha

so i hesitated on posting this, but decided that my hubby is man enough to take a little smack from the guys.   this is so cheesy, but so very funny and cute at the same time.  friends, my favorite valentine's card of all time:

politco fun with t-shirts

ah, political statments on t-shirts and bumper stickers, i have such mixed emotions about you all. while i cannot support (or even fathom) some of the stuff "they" come up with, in the spirit of fun during this, our blessed U.S. primary election season, i give you my top 3 t-shirt spottings:

now they are all good...hilarious, if you ask me. but this last one takes the cake. especially because i bet my good friend, barack, has seen it, and i'm certain he would think it is funny as well.

yoga update

as i checked class times at the yoga studio i've been attending, i was reminded that i made a public decree that i would update the blog at valentine's day on my progress.

good news! i am still loving it and have held to my decision to go twice a week. i'm slowly learning more about the practice of power yoga, and starting to feel more comfortable in the poses. it really is an incredible workout. luckily i am not so craaaaazy sore after every single class now, just energized and ready for the next one. i would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for a change in their routine. not only is it a great workout, but it's also a very calming process that really helps you decompress.

**side note: it also helps your waistline! adding this to the workout routine has already made all of my pants fit loose in the waist. ; )

just in time for valentine's day...

a post about romeo. maybe not the romeo you would normally envision, but still, a great one. this is quite possibly the most entertaining thing i've seen in weeks, which i realize may not bid well for me, but alas, i still post...

romeo and his trainer

this tiny man from india is the self-proclaimed "world's strongest dwarf." weighing only 20 pounds, romeo says he normally works out with 3 pound dumbells and does "aerobics and dance" to get in shape. he is training hard and apparently little-man is looking to be famous, so who am i not to help him carry out his cause. work it, romeo!

i thought this was a joke...

at first. but it's not. ladies and gentlemen, i give you: "the wine rack." frightening and funny all at the same time.

camelbak is to athlete as wine rack is to booze-hound. a little SAT fun for you on a friday afternoon...

i love signing day

glorious

the sooners are doing well, my friends.  i can't wait for football season!!!

super tuesday

super tuesday was interesting, to say the least. my turbo-charged politico husband (or "kingmaker," as owen called him) can't even come up with a decision on how this will all turn out.

take the new poll i put up this morning - i'm curious what you are all thinking at this point, and it's an anonymous way to show your candidate some support! the poll closes on march 4th, texas' own super tuesday...

license plate vote

texans (and i guess non-texans that care), vote here for the new texas license plate design. and if i could sway your vote a bit, please don't pick the one that is currently winning, by a landslide i might add,"lone star texas." it looks like a freaking nascar hat! ugh...any of the rest will do, thanks so much. ; )

a big liar or a cruel joke?

jay keeps me updated - hourly, i might add, on all things college football. during this, the season of signing day, it's all about recruiting. i must say, the story i have read today may top them all...

kevin hart (in front of his entire school, at an assembly) committed to cal. problem is, cal didn't ever make him an offer...or recruit him at all. apparently someone was impersonating the cal coach, and now the "authorities" have been contacted. whoa!

ugh. sooooooooooo embarrassing.

02/07 - update**http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=771601