Ryan is a Teenager!

The Birthday Boy!

... Except that picture was taken on Ryan's 3rd Birthday, and now he is 13! My baby brother is entering TEENAGEDOM. I can't believe it. In honor of the big milestone, I thought I'd share some pictures of Ryan's life so far.

Ryan was absolutely the cutest baby you've ever seen. He was so happy and giggled ALL THE TIME! He was so fun to cuddle and squeeze ... and you'd have to squeeze him tightly if you wanted to keep hold of him. He was so squirmy that became his nickname. I called him "squirmy" and "squirms" until just a couple years ago, when I realized that I was probably embarrassing him.

Below, Clockwise from Top: Brad, Nicole, Ryan and Me at the zoo when Ryan was 1

Ryan and I have always had a special bond. We even shared a room from when he was 2 to when he was 4 years old. (It was when I first moved back to S.A. and moved back in with my mom for a couple years.)

Seriously, look at that adorable face:
We've done lots of fun things together! I took him to DisneyWorld when he was 9:
Here we are at a Switchfoot concert when he was 12:
And now, he's growing up so fast! He's into skateboarding and music these days. And I'm not as cool as I used to be. He's informed me that my ipod list is "so last year".

Above: Before the haircut last month

Below: After the haircut with my sister, Nicole.

This is definitely an interesting time with lots of middle-school challenges. But no matter how old he gets, I'll always love him SOOO much and he'll always be my baby brother.

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

A Decade Ago

Today marks a somber anniversary for me. Ten years ago on this day, January 14th, my dad passed away. I have so many emotions that it's hard for me to express them. First of all, I cannot believe an entire decade has passed. It's strange to think about how different my life was back then. It's even stranger to try and imagine how different my life would be today if he were still here. He'd be 68 years old and I probably wouldn't be living in San Antonio; the only reason I moved back home was because he was sick. I'm so thankful that I did.

Here are a few photos of my dad:

I was definitely a "daddy's girl" when I was little.

My parents about 5 years before he died.
My mom thought my dad was the best dancer.

It's one of the things she misses most about him.

This was my family at my college graduation -- less than two years before he died. My dad was just starting to show symptoms, but had not yet been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

It's bizarre that most of the people in my life today never knew him. So I thought I'd share a few facts about my dad. First of all, he was hilarious and goofy. I definitely inherited my sense of humor from my dad. (I also inherited his cleft chin.) He was equally self-deprecating and self-admiring -- my family loved to mimic the faces he made when he was combing his hair in the mirror. He was very impulsive -- one time he got into a car crash and when the cops showed up to take the report, he had already walked across the street to a car dealership to look for a new car. He was strong and athletic -- he played football at Texas Tech and then with the Philadelphia Eagles. But he wasn't just a jock; he was also very hard working and ambitious. He had a Master's Degree and had completed all but a few hours on his Doctorate Degree. My dad had several careers in his lifetime. He started out playing professional football, and then he went into the management side. He owned a couple of minor-league football teams in San Antonio and then was GM of the USFL team here. He was also a college counselor, a teacher, and a special education coach for middle school and high school kids. And in his final business pursuit, he started his own nutritional supplement company. These are all things my dad would have wanted me to mention about himself. :)

Unfortunately, we were both very stubborn and didn't always get along. I have lots of regrets about our relationship, which I think makes the ache deeper and more complex. But I value the time I had with him and am especially grateful that I moved home to help care for him in the final months of his life. I admire him and love him and still miss him. I am the person I am today because of AND in spite of my father.

Resolved- REVISED

Welcome to 2009!

So, I've been debating what to write for my first post of the year. At first, I didn't want to publish my resolutions because I felt like they were too personal to be paraded before the masses (or even the fews), but then I thought, "Who better to share my goals with than my blogging buddies who love and support me, right?" I don't think I made any resolutions for 2008. I really hate to fail -- so often when I'm afraid of failure, I just don't try. There is no fail when you haven't tried. (I should put that on a bumper sticker.) Just kidding. It's a terrible personal creed and one that I'm trying to conquer by putting these goals in writing and making them public.

Goals for 2009:

Physical (Edited: Details Deleted)

Spiritual (Edited: Details Deleted)

Financial (Edited: Details Deleted)

Emotional/Social (Edited: Details Deleted)

EDITED TO ADD: So ... ever since I blogged about my goals, I haven't been comfortable. I felt overexposed -- kind of like that nightmare where you go to school/work and realize you're naked. So - I've decided to delete the specifics. I've written them down elsewhere for myself. The following statement still stands:

So, there. I'm resolved. I'm committed. I'm motivated. Onward.

Blessed

Merry Christmas!

I hope your family had a very Merry Christmas!! I have had a jolly holiday and I feel so overwhelmed with blessings. We spent Christmas Eve where we always do - at my Nanny and PaPa's house. We had a delicious Mexican food feast, and as tradition goes, we all ate way too much. This year, we added something new ... a musical performance! My friends, the Craguns, loaned me their set of pipe bells and a few of us performed "Jingle Bells" for the rest of the family. (They were so much fun, I really want my own set now.)
After dinner, we had our gift exchange. My cousin, Todd, had my name and I got an iTunes gift card (the best gift you can give, in my opinion) and a hat and mittens.

Christmas is always better with kids around!

My cousin, Shawna, and her cute little girl, Emily.

My nephew, Logan, and his new pair of boots.

Now that the cousins are all grown up and some have their own families, it's rare that everyone can make it on Christmas Eve, but for the first time in many years, we were all there and it made it a really special night.

On Christmas Morning, I went to my mom's house with two of my brothers, Ryan and Brad. My mom decorates her house so cute for Christmas and she still hangs all of our stockings from when we were kids.
Ryan received some new clothes ...

... and Rock Band 2!!

My brother, Brad, and his dog, KC:

(Brad's the one in the hat)

On Christmas night, my mom, Ryan, Jon, Nicole and I went to see "Bedtime Stories".

It was a wonderful day!

December has gone by in a flash for me. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to get done and I didn't have the money to buy as many gifts as I would have liked -- but I still think this was one of my favorite Christmases in recent memory. In addition to what I've shared so far, I had a couple other big blessings this year. First - I was given the responsibility of organizing our ward's "Giving Tree" project. Members of the congregation purchased presents for 13 families and I gathered the gifts and got everything ready to be delivered. It was amazing to witness so much generosity, especially during these hard economic times.

The other big blessing is more personal. On Christmas Eve, some anonymous angels gave a very special present to my family. We walked outside to find it right on the front porch. We were all in shock and my mom cried tears of happiness. We feel so blessed to whoever gave us such a generous gift. You have made this Christmas one that we will always remember and we feel so blessed to have friends like you. I hope you receive many, many blessings for your kindness. It truly was a Christmas miracle.

My Christmas Mix For You

THANK YOU for all who have sent me Christmas cards. I love getting them! I'm sorry that I am a bad friend and don't reciprocate. (HOWEVER - I may blog my Christmas Card this year, so stay tuned for that.)

I'm better at Christmas Mix CDs than Christmas cards. Most of my friends who have lived in the same city as me have been the recipient of one or two in Christmases past. I have a LOT of Christmas music (as most of us Christmas-lovers do). So I thought I'd spread some Christmas cheer by sharing my favorite (and not-so-favorite) Christmas songs.

First, I must say that it's a Crooners' Christmas for me. I'm all about Frankie, Dean, and Bing. There's just something romantic about their renditions that transport me to a winter wonderland. (I also love Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como and Nat King Cole) So, unless I specifically list another artist, just know that I prefer the classics on these when available.

Let's start with the reason for the season.

Category: RELIGIOUS

• I Wonder as I Wander
• O Holy Night
• Who Would Imagine a King
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
• What Child is This?

Category: PROBABLY MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG OF ALL TIME

• Christmas Waltz (Frosted window panes, candles gleaming inside ...)

Category: SONGS FOR GETTING IN A HAPPY, HOLIDAY MOOD

• It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
• Winter Wonderland
• Home for the Holidays (Perry Como)
• Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
• Baby, It’s Cold Outside (It's a draw as far as the Dean Martin or Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whitling versions)
• Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong)
• ‘Zat You, Santa Claus? (Louis Armstrong)
• A Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives, of course!)
• I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin)
• A Marshmallow World (Bing Crosby) (This one ranks VERY high.)
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

And just for fun, let's add a few more categories.

Category: CHRISTMAS-TIME MAKES YOU WANT TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP.

• All I Want for Christmas is You (One of the only Mariah songs I really like)
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (U2)
• I’d Like You for Christmas (Julie London)
• What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve

Category: IF YOU’RE NOT FEELING JOLLY, HOW ABOUT SOMETHING MELANCHOLY?

• Hard Candy Christmas (Dolly Parton)
• Where Are You Christmas? (Faith Hill)
• When My Heart Finds Christmas (Harry Connick, Jr.)

Category: DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THE WHOLE PREMISE OF THIS SONG DISTURBING?

• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Category: I REALIZE THESE ARE SOME PEOPLE'S FAVORITES BUT I'M TIRED OF THEM AND PREFER NOT TO HEAR VERY MUCH OF THEM DURING THE HOLIDAYS.

• Rudolph
• Silent Night
• Jingle Bells
• 12 Days of Christmas

Category: NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN. IT MAKES MY EARS BLEED.

• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Okay, there's my list. Now tell me your favorite Christmas song(s).

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Dear Grinch,

I realize that your heart is two sizes too small, but I want you to know that you broke mine this morning. JUST when I'd found my Christmas spirit, you came and stole it from me. Literally. I wonder, what will you do with the Christmas decorations you took from my yard overnight? Will you use them to decorate your own house? More likely than that, you will probably sell them to someone else to make a few bucks. Well, I want you to know that I think you're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!!

You probably steal from lots of people, so to refresh your memory ... here's what you stole from me: (I found this picture online but they look like the same ones I had.)I just bought those lighted presents last year. Why didn't you take the spiral trees that are 6-years old now and have a short in the cord? OH ... I know why. It's because your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots.

Sorry. Your hatefulness is bringing out the grinch in me. I'm really debating whether to put up the rest of my lights now. What if you steal them too? But then again, if I don't decorate I guess I'm only punishing myself and then you win again.

In closing, the three words that best describe you, are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk." And if you happen to read my blog, well that's just makes the whole thing even more disturbing.

Merry Christmas, JERK.
-Julie

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

My long-standing tradition has been to decorate my house on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'm usually excited to get in the Christmas spirit and that's when I allow myself to start listening to Christmas music. I don't know what my deal was, but I just wasn't feeling it this year. I didn't get it done on Friday. Finally, on Saturday evening, I WILLED myself to do it. I knew that if I didn't get it done this weekend, then I might not have time to do it at all. (The worst part is dragging all of the stuff out!) Believe me, the thought crossed my mind of skipping the decorating all together this year -- but now that it's done, I'm so glad I did it. I love Christmas decorations!

Just when I had all the boxes strewn all over the living room -- I had a surprise visit from my friends, the Cragun family. They helped me set up the trees and decorate them. They brought some cookies to bake, and we listened to Christmas music and watched football. It made it SO much more fun than doing it alone.

(This cute little tree was decorated by the Cragun girls.)

They even convinced me to let them help with the outdoor lights even though it was completely dark outside. We got the yard decorations in place, now I just have to put the icicle lights on the roof and the garland around the door and the porch and I'll be completely finished.

I am blessed to have such good friends and I'm definitely feeling the spirit of Christmas now.

I hope your heart finds Christmas, too.

Black Friday

I spent "Black Friday" at home in my pj's, sniffling and coughing and wondering what good deals I was missing out on. I browsed all of the ads and found lots of stuff I'd want, but not much I could afford. So I balanced my checkbook to unequivocally confirm that I was indeed doing the right thing by staying home.

With the money I saved on "Black Friday" I decided to go shopping on Saturday! :) I didn't have much to spend, but there were a couple good deals I really had to take advantage of. And like all good deals -- that means I bought a few things that I didn't really NEED, but I saved money doing it.

For instance -- I completed my set of the Gilmore Girls series. I had all but a few seasons and they were on sale for $14.99 (Down from $48.99). Did I NEED them? No. But it was a good deal. (If any of you haven't seen the series but are the least bit interested, I would gladly lend them out. My friend, Karen, got me hooked a couple of years ago and I joined Netflix that summer just to catch up with the series. It's very cute and very addicting.)

This is my other VERY COOL purchase:Not the ipod -- I had that -- but the little bitty speaker. This was on sale at Brookstone for $19.99 (down from $35). I can't believe how good the sound is from this little thing. I mean, it's no Bose -- but it's decent! It runs on double-A batteries and so you can just carry it around from room to room. I love it!

In full disclosure, there may have also been another purchase -- a pricey hair-styling tool that was rated #1 by Consumer Reports. I realize that you can buy a 20-dollar blowdryer -- and that's always what I've purchased in the past -- but this Chi dryer has been beckoning me to take it home. Until now, I've ignored its siren's song. But the stars aligned and I felt it must be fate. Judge for yourself:

• A knob broke off of my blowdryer.
• I saw an ad that it was on sale for $40 off this weekend.
• I received a coupon in the mail that would make it another 20% off the sale price.
• We ran a Consumer Reports story this week on the best hair dryers and this very model was ranked #1.

Justification OR Justified? You be the judge. I'll let you know if it's as fabulous as the reviews say it is.

Thanksgiving '08

As they say, "There's no place like home for the holidays".

Unfortunately, I spend most of my holidays at work -- (See: 4th of July) -- and Thanksgiving is no different. Most of the producers have to work on Thanksgiving because we have every one of our newscasts that day. (The Friday after Thanksgiving, we only have a 6pm and a 10pm so most of us can have that day off. Another reason to LOVE FOOTBALL).

Anyway -- the bosses bought us a turkey lunch from Grady's-- Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Pumpkin Pie. (Thanks Dave! I mean "Kenny") It was delivered on Wednesday so I volunteered to heat everything and serve it to our crew of about 20 or so on Thursday. I meant to take a picture of us sitting down for our "family" dinner, but I forgot -- so that's why you have the picture of our tables without people at them. I bought some rolls from Luby's and some cranberry sauce to complete the meal. It was good but of course it wasn't NEARLY as good as my family Thanksgiving meal. I always make the fam PROMISE to save me a plate for dinner. (Several years ago, they forgot to save me rolls and mashed potatoes, but I'm working through that loss and I think I'm over it now.) I usually make it out to my family's Thanksgiving gathering just as everyone is saying their goodbyes. That's what I had planned to do again this year, but I had a really bad cold and by the time my workday was through --- I was too. (Sorry, Shawna!) I just wanted to go home and get in my pj's -- plus I didn't want to spread my germs to my relatives. (I had already exposed the co-workers as I prepared their meal for them. HA HA -- Just kidding. I washed my hands a ZILLION times and didn't breathe on anything. Just ask Mario who was hovering to make sure.)

Anyway, I went home and my mom and brothers delivered my leftovers to me! A HUGE plate of food and a HUGE plate of desserts. It was so delicious!!! I had enough food to last me for several meals. Well done, family!

This is the part where I should write about all of the things I'm thankful for. I won't bore you with a LONG list ... I'll just say I'm most thankful for my Family, Friends and my Faith. And even though I have to work on holidays, I am very thankful that I have a job!

Leaving Lost Maples

Fall has finally arrived in Texas.

And as my favorite motto (See Also: excuse, rationalization) goes ... Better Late Than Never.

One of the traditional Fall treks for those living in this neck of the woods, is to Lost Maples State Park where you can take in some of the best Fall foliage. The colors at the park were at their peak about a week ago and people have been flocking to Lost Maples to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

I haven't been to Lost Maples since I was a kid. Every year I want to go, but I just don't seem to make it. So when a friend said he wanted to go this weekend, I was very excited to finally make it up there and get in a good hike amidst all the pretty leaves.

We knew we needed to get an early start, but our ideas on "early" differed somewhat. (Sorry, but I was so tired and had gone to a late showing of Quantum of Solace on Friday night). So we settled on 8am. As I headed out the door to meet him, I picked up my morning paper and right there on the front page was a picture of Lost Maples with the headline: "Storm blows the leaves off of Lost Maples." A wild cold front had blown in Friday and it was monstrously windy and apparently it blew most of the Fall leaves off the trees in the park. Great. Oh well, there would still be some color on the trees and because of the cold front, the weather was absolutely perfect on Saturday. It was the ideal day for a drive in the Hill Country.

I mean ... come on ... how pretty is this?

Apparently, hundreds of other South Texans had the exact same idea. After a missed turn and a 45 minute detour, we arrived at our destination to find this:
There were dozens of cars lined up waiting JUST to get in the park. The wait was estimated to be about an hour or so.

Sadly, we decided not to stay. I had to be back in town for a meeting at church at 5:00, plus the low-fuel indicator light was on in my friend's car and we were about 40 miles from a gas station. (Luckily, he has a diesel VW with insanely good gas mileage).

So another year, and I still haven't made it to Lost Maples -- but all was not lost. We still had a good time. We stopped at this Apple Orchard/Bakery and did some antique shopping in Bandera.

And the scenic drive was absolutely amazing.
(I hope blogspot lets you enlarge these next two pictures because they are so pretty.)
We stopped on several bridges to take pictures. This one is my favorite:

See? Texas can be pretty in the Fall.

Sock it to Me

This is how I went to work this morning and how I stayed all day long.

"Why only one sock?" --you may be asking. Well here's the deal. We've already established my issue with tardiness -- so of course I was frantically trying to get out the door this morning. My last stop was the dryer where I was going to fish out these socks. I searched and searched but could only come up with one. The other is still hiding somewhere amidst the t-shirts and workout shorts. I was running so late that there really wasn't an option to run upstairs and find another pair.

"So why wear the one sock -- why not just go barefoot?" -- you may be asking next. Well, here's the deal.

1. These are my new shoes and I want to keep them nice.
2. They're just more comfortable with the socks.
3. Why should both feet have to suffer when there is one sock available?

Perfectly rational explanation, I think. And to be fair, I let my right foot wear the sock for the first half of the day, then I traded it to the left foot.

Girls Day Out

I promised my friend Ami's daughters I would take them to lunch and a movie for their birthdays - which were within a few weeks of each other. So Saturday, Kenley, Adi and I went to see High School Musical 3 and then had lunch at Firehouse Subs. Despite the grimace on Adi's face (I took the picture with my arm outstretched and we were looking right into the sun) we had a great time! They are such sweet girls!!

Afterward, I did a little retail damage and purchased some random things that I really don't need. I was sucked into the after-Halloween 50-percent off sales! Here are the items I ended up with:
I got everything displayed on this bookcase for about 55 bucks. I won't show you what else I bought (shirt, shoes, a purse or two) so as not to be subjected to further ridicule.

Happy Halloween!

Boo!


I hope everyone is having a Happy Halloween!

(Especially my brother, Lance who is celebrating his birthday today!)

The Grinch may have stolen Christmas, but the economy has put the kibosh on Halloween ... at least at my place of employment. We used to have a party and a costume contest with CASH prizes. I've been known to win some of that moolah in years past. Last year, I finally achieved my dream Halloween costume. I had been wanting to do it since 1984 when Danielson (Ralph Macchio) sported it in The Karate Kid. This masterpiece won me 25 (or was it 50?) bucks. See how we all played along? Usually we have a ton of people in great costumes, but not this year. It's sad. There are just a few of us. Not that my costume is great. In fact, it's my go-to witch apron and hat that I bring out every few years when I'm too lazy to come up with something good.

Phil and Me. You can't see his boots in these pictures, but he was either a cowboy, Indiana Jones (with a large man-purse), or Woody from Toy Story. I'm not sure which. (Or maybe he wasn't dressed up at all??)

But check out the picture below. There are some unexplained phenomena in the upper right part of the picture. I'm pretty sure they are ghostly orbs.

My coworker, Mike, looked better in my witch costume than I did:It's so fun to play dress up. Maybe I should have gone as the Sonic commercial girl. Lately, a lot of people have been telling me that I look like her. I guess we both have blonde hair and small noses ... but other than that. I dunno. What do you think?

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjHoxSKqE0M

And speaking of other people's perceptions of me ... my friend Tobi wrote a blog about her quirks ... and in it she mentioned this talent she has for assigning songs to people she knows. So, of COURSE I wanted my songs. I got two of them. (Awesome!) The first was a Daughtry song -- "What About Now." cool. But the second one is so tremendously fantastic! Apparently when she hears BRICKHOUSE by the Commodores, she thinks of me. I'm sure you are all familiar with the song, but let's review the lyrics:

Ow she's a Brick-house
She's mighty mighty
Just lettin' it all hang out
She's a brick-house
That lady's stacked
And that's a fact
Ain't holdin' nothin' back.
Oh she's a brick-house
Yeah she's the one, the only one
Built like an Amazon.

Is that not the most hilarious song assignment EVER. I'm LOVING it. Thank You, Tobi!! I think she was inspired by the picture that she posted of me on her blog where my bosoms are OUT OF CONTROL huge.

I Rocked the Early Vote!

Civic Duty: a