Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Christmas Season Begins

We spent our day yesterday putting up our tree and getting into the Christmas season. We had a great day, and we made beer-cheese fondue and drank yummy wine. David made chicken for dinner and Mom came over and hung out since Dad was at a football game. It was a great evening, and I am feeling so relaxed. However, that ends now as I am getting ready for one more test and then two final exams. When those are done I am going to be SOOOO ready for our cruise!! We set sail two weeks from today and I am going to be really ready for that. We're leaving the 13th to head down there and get the party started. It's going to be interesting to see what Galveston looks like these days. I'll take lots of pictures.

But that's it for now. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Yum!

Today was a great day! David and I have spent the two days cooking and cleaning and getting ready, and today we had my family over for dinner. David did the turkey, and the 36 hours of brining and then roasting to perfection most certainly paid off! Everything was delicious, and we had so much fun! We had a Wii Tennis tournament, we goofed around, ate, drank, and enjoyed some football. What an awesome day! I am so lucky to have the family that I do...no, not lucky, blessed. We missed Grampa, Ann, and Rob, but Grampa and Ann were off on their 15 day cruise to Hawaii (how lucky to be 89 and out on a cruise with your wife!) and Rob has moved to Vegas and couldn't make it home this year. But that aside, the day was wonderful.

Now I am full and sleepy, and I am going to go put on my pajamas and chill. I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Happy Birthday Dad!!

It's my Dad's birthday today! We're waiting for them to get here and then we're taking them out for dinner. It's been a nice day...David and I have relaxed and watched the Cowboys win (yay!) and just hung out. :)

Tonight there is a bit of cake and ice cream...a nice finish to a great weekend! :)

And now it's time to get ready for Thanksgiving! I'm hosting and I am really looking forward to it! I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Treading Water

Well, I have been slow to post but I have been swamped with homework. I am excited to report that I got my major homework stuff completed and off my plate, so I am actually getting to enjoy myself just a bit. We had a our weekly dinner with Grampa last night, and had a great time. He and his wife are leaving next Wednesday for a 15-day Hawaiian cruise. Let's think on that for a moment...he is 89 and cruising! I love it! I hope to be 89 and active enough to be going on cruises one day! They are so cute about it...I will miss them on Thanksgiving, but I am so happy they are enjoying their lives. :)

David and I will be hosting Thanksgiving since it will be a small group. I'm looking forward to doing the cooking and then kicking back to watch the Cowboys play...I thought they were starting to look better last week, so I am hopeful. We'll see!

I have three and a half weeks of school left in this semester...and I am ready for the break!!! We leave on OUR cruise on the 14th, but we're heading down on the 13th so we don't have to rush. Our hotel in Galveston is open and we hear that the cruise ports will be ready by then, so I think we're leaving out of G-Town. I hope so...I want to see that area rebuilt. It's not a super luxurious tropical island, but it's a neat place and I hope they can have a full recovery after Ike.

That's all I have for now. I hope everyone has a great day!

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Words From My Mother

I got this in an email from my mom this morning. It doesn't matter how you voted, it's a great day in history for everyone! Here's my mom's email:

"Well, it's quite a day and as I was thinking about everything, I felt pretty emotional. And here's why….

In my lifetime I have seen a lot happen. I remember:

White and colored drinking fountains and bathrooms.

Mother being in trouble with the neighbors because she would let our maid in the front door.
Neighbors said she was ruining it for all of them because they would all want to be let in through the front door.

Our yard man, Mr. Johnson, who would knock on the back door and ask for a drink of water and then stepping back down the steps to wait in the yard for his drink. He would tell me that, "I knows my place." I was about 10-11 and I just couldn't understand exactly what that meant.

I rode the bus to work in downtown Fort Worth in my early twenties and, if the bus was full and more White people got on, the bus driver got up and told the Blacks to move to the back of the bus where they had to stand. Even pregnant Black ladies were made to move to the back and often had to stand while riding the bus.

I remember Martin Luther King and the awful, but brave and courageous struggle he and others waged for a better life for all people.

I remember the march through Selma, Alabama, and the other marches that he and others led. Do you suppose that God would let Dr. King know this part of the dream?

Four young men went into Woolworth's to try to get served at the lunch counter.

Miss Parks did NOT move to the back of the bus and she went to jail.

A little Black girl walked through an angry, hate-filled crowd to go to school in Alabama.

Whites and Blacks lost their lives in the struggle to sign Blacks up for better housing.

Poll taxes were put in place to keep Black people from voting because they could not afford to pay it.

I was moved to see the tears of Jessie Jackson and others who know the struggle from the inside out.

But what really moved me is that Shanna was able to take her girls with her while she voted and she was there to answer their questions about the vote for President. Someday, they will vote and they won't have to walk through an angry crowd or pay a Poll Tax -- it's their right to vote. A lot of people paid the price and I am so proud she is instilling in them about the importance of their vote and that it will count!

I wish I were more eloquent, but it's a proud moment in our history.

Love, Mom"

Amen to that, Mom. How neat to be a witness to history!

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Vote!

Today is the day...I hope you will all get out there and vote! I refuse to open the blog up for a debate on candidates, I am just here reminding you to get on out there and exercise your hard-earned right to vote. (Especially us gals...in the grand scheme of things, we' haven't had this right for very long so lets do it!)

And if you vote, be sure to stop by Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, or Ben and Jerrys to get your freebies!!

Happy Election Day, America!

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Sick...and Tired!

I am both. Sick, and tired. My allergies are just really driving me nuts, and I am just worn out. We went to the funeral of a close friend's father yesterday, and I think that emotionally drained me as well. It's a tough thing to realize that we are getting to be that age where this is happening more often. One of David's close friends lost his father on Sunday, and then a close friend of mine lost his on Wednesday. It's just heartbreaking. I suppose the bright spot in this is that we've seen friends we haven't seen since the wedding, and that's nice. We agreed that it would be good to get together for something besides a wedding or a funeral. Now if only everyone had some spare time!

That's it for today. I am going to go rest on the couch. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!