congrats are in order...

part one - jay mentioned this on his blog, my first congrats goes to dan and steph. cheers to the happily engaged couple, who are some of our dearest friends! can't wait for the wedding...

i used the same pic as jay b/c this shows them posed and not trying to be silly...and that is rare

most of the time we are all more like this, a bunch of dorks - we have a lot of fun together!

part two - to my pal, lee. after years of hard work and preperation, lee has accepted a very exciting position with the dallas theater center. i am so proud of him and i know he is excited - so read the article to hear more on his news. fellow former a-towner and current dallas-ite, you make us proud.

an answer to our prayers!

last may, many of you may have read here on the ol' blog about a not-so-fun report we got on the dogs' annual trip to the vet.  the doctor felt that she was detecting a heart murmur in norman and felt that it might be serious.  she told us to watch for any signs of weakness, growing tired easily, or uncomfortable-ness in norman.  well a year later, norman has been nothing but a big ball of happy, tail-wagging, loving, entertainment...if you know norm you know he is a charmer and loves all he meets.  he has remained my steadfast running partner and snuggle-buddy...

today we went in again for their annual visit with a lot of inner fear --- only to find that the doctor could not find any detection of the murmur!  it seems that norman is a healthy, floppy, 2-year old little guy!!!  i don't know if he outgrew the murmur or it has just faded, but as far as i am concerned it is a miracle and i thank God for sending it to our sweet pup!  thank you all so much for you prayers and love for little normie.  my heart is so happy to have a good report on both our dogs health (of course mckenzie is in perfect health, she is such a trooper, all 3 pounds of her!).  they are our babies in this family and we love them so very much.   

kid rock fan club, consider me your newest member

last night, via invitation from our guest-listed friends, doug and kelly, i attended my first kid rock show. this was actually a part of a promo for this year's 50th grammy awards ceremony, but for me, it was a kid rock show in a tiny venue (compared to his normal tours). the granada is a favorite concert venue of mine, small and intimate. i was mildly excited about the show beforehand - i like kid rock, he has some fun songs, but i would never have labeled myself a "fan." early on i was rolling my eyes at most of the crowd, feeling like i was at a nascar race more than a show at the granada - basically i was being a snob.

it took about ten seconds for those feelings to wear off. i am very suprised to be saying this, but like an easily persuaded child, last night i became an instant fan of kid rock. that was the most fun i have had in a very long time and definitely the most fun i have had at a concert in years (all U2 shows are held aside for obvious reasons). kid rock is an entertainer and i can't believe i am saying this, but he is also an incredible musician. that man is a ROCK STAR! i'm totally on board next time he goes on tour. sign me up for the fan club!!!

lets go stars!

jay and i have the luck of not only receiving stars tickets from both of our generous employers, but also having a friend in ticket sales for the stars that has ensured our attendance at all the playoff games thus far.  we have had a great time cheering them on...there is something about hockey that is so much more exciting in person and especially during the playoffs!!  thanks, dan and go stars!!!!!

sports, sports, and birthdays...

yesterday we attended a 4pm ranger victory (they won their double header - wow!!!) as well as the greatest mavericks game i have ever seen (live, at least - go mavs!).  

tonight, we were pooped.  we decided to have a nice dinner at hibiscus, and then took the pups out for norman's b-day and a little dessert.  yes, normie turned 2 today.  such a sweet little guy. life is good.

happy mav girls

the crowd was ELECTRIC!

jay enjoyed the complimentary "clapper"

the birthday mom with her 2 year old boy!  happy b-day norm!

mckenzie is tired from all this birthday party-ing

opening day

the rangers are a staple in my life - and their opening day is a necessity. i love baseball and nothing beats opening day!!! in order to leave work early, i did a little business with clients and also had a little fun with my old friends.  although the rangers could not pull out a win, we had a good time...

hey batta batta...

steph and me

zac

zac was a guy so full of life - i can think back to his days leading our high school drumline, all the girls drooling over his great smile, the ease about which he carried himself, and his amazing musical talents. even as he battled his cancer, we all watched him remain so incredibly strong. it seemed that he never wanted to miss a moment of life. zac was a great friend to us all and he will be missed. he struggled long and hard with his illness and he is now at peace. god bless you, zac.

www.zacgalaviz.com

help light the katy trail

dallas friends, you all gotta love that little dose of outdoors that we call the katy trail. the friends of the katy trail organization has already begun installing lights up and down all 3.5 miles to help keep all of us safe as we use the trail, but they need some additional private funds in order to complete the project. please click here to read more about the project and donate - please remember that every little bit helps!

i want to go sphering in my new zorb

the above phrase would have meant nothing to me a year ago. have you seen a zorb? essentially it is a soft, plastic, hamster-ball-like ball for humans. i've seen these on a few tv shows and most recently, the water-filled zorbs on the toyota commercial. i could totally get into this...especially the water-filled one, rolling down a hill while whirling around inside - it would be like the ultimate waterslide.

it sounds like the easiest and most cost efficient way to do this is to rent one or go to a place set up for zorbing. i don't believe it has totally caught on in the united states, but i know there is a spot in tennessee to go. road trip, anyone? target has a "gigiball" but i somehow envision this would not be the same. if anyone knows of an area near big D to go and take a zydro ride (water-zorbing), please let me know!

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.