coffee break

We are in HOUSE PRE-MADNESS as they finish up the last few details at our new place.  We still need a fence, a few lights are on back order, mirrors, glass in the cabinets, etc.  CLEANING  But it's close.  I can feel it.   I can feel the knots in my tummy as I get out of my routine.  I can feel the madness in my bones as I stress about mess.  

I can feel it.

So, I also felt the need to gab.  That nervous kind of nothing gab where you waste time, and feel better.  The kind you do with your girlfriends that can also mindlessly gab.  :)   I jumped on Adium (for mac users, awesome way to bring all your chat's together) and tried to find Toni to gab with.  My nerves were piling up and I needed to release, but no luck.  She stayed up late, so I'm guessing not touching the computer today.  She was having trouble with a hard drive, so I'm praying no stress there.

So instead, I'm here.  On my blog.  And I'm gabbing.  That means, COFFEE BREAK!  

SOFTBALL

Last night was the Softball Team Supper before they head to play-offs today.  We thought Kalyn was going to be playing since there was an injury on the team, but it looks like no.  She will still be running and while she's great at that!  Has the cute nick-name and all.  (Wheels)  I would still love to see her hard work pay off in a BIG game way.  That's OK.  I get it Coach Winton.  You don't feel she's ready or better than what you have on the field.  And as her mom, I respectfully disagree.  And I know her time will come.  It still makes me sad.  (collective understanding head nob from all sport moms out there.)  Here's a shot of me and her last night.  Of course I used the TRA Pro-Retouch on my wrinkles and a few of her freckles.  Of course!

GREY's ANATOMY

Grey's last night was awful and amazing all at the same time.  I've been wanting Alex and Izzie to get together since they had sex back in Season 1 (or was that 2?)  I felt she was the spot of sunshiny happiness that would bring him out of his misery.  I was right.  But come on folks!  I'm a wedding photographer.  I've photographed 100's of weddings, almost 1000,  and there's no way in hell Meredith's gown fit "Izzie-the-Chesty"!  At many of the weddings I'm involved in, they  barely fit the bride they've been fitted for.  So, I definitely hated that part.  And yes, the church was lovely.  And wasn't that just the BEST kiss in TV history to last long enough for background music to play and every single couple have a "moment" during the ceremony?  Lovely.  But HELLO!  Who the hell does that at weddings?  Who?  I try to get shots of the guests interacting and catching each other's eyes during the ceremony but it NEVER happens.  Sure they smile, but linger on each other's necks and nuzzle?  Come on.  (I still loved it, though.  The sappy me, she LOVED it.  :) )

I did adore the part where George came and helped her down the aisle.  That was perfect.  You can have sex with George and break up his marriage, AND still get HOT Alex just because HELLO!  You have cancer.  Poor George.  He should be having the time of his life right now, as a single guy, you know, screwing all the new interns, and instead he's dealing with TRAMA and basically losing himself and his personality to not wanting to be there.  I realize he is leaving the show, I get that.  But come on!  Go out with a bang at least!  Profess your dying love to Izzie on her death bed, or break up your ex-and that stupid named Arizona.  But do something!  Interact with someone!   Don't go out a complete fuzzy memory for this season. I hate that!    Maybe get drunk and make a move on Little Grey, just to mess up her and Mark.  I don't know.

I do love the Christina and McScary story line.  Christina is really coming alive this season and getting her witty bitch back, and I love it!  She's one of my favs on the show and I can't wait to see what they do with her next season!!!!

EYESICKNESS

Not that I wear a lot of makeup anyway, but I definitely can't this week.  My eye won't quit watering and gunking up.  I blame the new anti-aging cream I tried out last weekend.  Yep, I may be allergic to anti-aging.  HA!  But it's painful and it hurts so cold water compress and lots of rubbing later, it's feeling better and seems to be doing better.  

Ladies?  (old ladies) what do you use on your face?  I've been an Oil of Olay girl for years but really want something a little thicker to absorb overnight.  Leave me a comment and let me know.  My face will thank you.  :)

ROSARY

We went and watched the Thirsting with the youth a few weeks ago and he encouraged all the kids to Pray the Rosary, so I started.  Daily.  It doesn't take as long as I though it would, maybe 20 minutes, and it's pretty simple, although I do have to cheat and have the prayer book handy with a diagram to help me out.  Yep.  If there's  leader, I do OK, but solo?  I need cliff notes.

Have a great weekend everyone!

coffee break

It's definitely time for a coffee break.  I wanted to share some things that are on my mind.

  
Dooce's New Book

She did it!  Heather Armstrong's new book hit the stands this and she dragged me in. Actually, her hubby did. He twittered something about it being on the top list of non-fiction so I raced to Barnes and Noble after my pedicure Tuesday and went and picked it up. I just started it, but the writing is witty and profound and she's not afraid to bare her soul. I love people who do that.

I stared reading dooce's blog back when I first started blogging. I always wanted to be a write. Not a Jane Austen, be still my heart and whisper my fleeting soul on a sun rise breeze, kind of writer. And not a SCARY I can't finish that paragraph, check make sure the door is locked kind of writer, either. But a witty writer. A funny writer. A writer that bent the language, said much of nothing, yet had you constantly searching out any little snippets they might create. Heather's that kind of writer.

Softball

Kalyn made Varsity!!! Woo Hoo! Or did she? She was officially on JV and we were excited, but then JV broke up because there simply weren't enough players so she is on Varsity. Sort of? I mean, she's played in a game, she's batted, she's slap-hit, she's gone 4+ days a week. Probably sees her coach more than her family. She's missed enough softball related absences that her mother was perpetually (how's that for using Catholic words?) worried she wouldn't make it past her Freshman year, despite her high GPA.

I'm thrilled she’s on the team, however, I’ve been waiting for the announcement, the letter in the mail that tells me how to get our Varsity Flag. You know, the flag that’s in your window or your yard to tell you that a Cooper Pirate lives there. I want the flag. We have no flag. So maybe we aren’t on varisty?


House Building Blues

I seriously thought we would be in by now. I knew Feb. 20th was not a chance. And then when the door arrived much delayed, I was thinking, OK. March 1st or so. AND now that Spring Break is passed, I'm thinking Easter? Who knows. But we do have floors and amazing back splash. Just a few weeks longer, right?


My Weight

It’s too high. I’m too large to move like I want. In my head, my body is tanned and hard and I have long blonde hair and high heels and I’m dancing around a pole. Wait, that’s in Devin’s head. But you get the idea. We always think we look better than we really do. I was editing Molly and Steven’s photos and Emily, the photographer that shot with me, took many photos of me and I look so LARGE in the middle I swear I was wearing a bullet proof inner tuber under my black shirt. I must get in shape.

New iPhone

I’ve had a first generation iPhone since they came out in June 07. During Spring Break it swam in a cup of coffee and the screen quit working. So, I now have the 3G iPhone and I just heard through the apple rumor mill that a new one is coming out this June that will allow you to text photos and a slew of other things that is too cool to comprehend.  

This is kind of a pisser.  I mean, I'm pleased Apple is doing cool things and making such wicked cool things that I MUST BUY instantly, but I just bought the 3G, so now what?  

I'm heading out of town this weekend for an AWESOME wedding of Anna + Nick.  I know it will be great because her sister's was AWESOME last June and I always have fun in Austin.  :)  

Until the next coffee break.  :)

there's nothing a little coffee can't fix

call it "coffee day" but when you see this picture on  my blog, it's random thoughts from me.  Things that have been on my mind.  Burning my brain.  

• 25 Things on Facebook  is great to read on others profiles, and I've been tagged a bunch, but I'm stumped when it comes to myself.  Just stumped.  I have nothing remotely random and interesting as others have shared.  How can I compete with "I lived in Europe for years" or worked as a missionary.  I've done nothing on the grand scale of life, in my eyes at least.  Just existing and dealing with my life is my "25 Things".  Someday, on a long plane ride or a stay over in some town in a hotel room, I'll finish my 25.   (I think I'm on 4).  By that time, a new "tag your it" will be popular and I'll feel the pressure all over again.  sigh

• Science Projects are lame.  So is FFA.  Both involve way too much parental time to pull off well.  So this year, I was hands off with Summer and let her do it totally on her own.  And she did.  The theme, the presentation, the actual work was her work.  But I know other kids will go and it won't be.  Same with the kids that show the pigs, cows, goats, whatever.  The parents are the ones I see cleaning, feeding, running and to and fro.  Lame.  (please note I realize there are exceptions to my random thoughts.  I get that there are some of you who have kids that really clean their pigs.)  Late last night, after Summer went to bed and we had glued down all the sections on her project board, I found typos and mistakes.  Do I tell her?  Or let her grade suffer?  I told her.  I helped her fix them.  I couldn't let her hang for a job well done.  I mean come on!  Journalists have editors for stuff like that.  I was Summer's editor.

• Grey's was awful last night.  That is NOT the Derek I know and love.  I realize all good men must fall and fail and make mistakes.  This is what makes them GOOD.  But he would not have worked himself all up for that lady.  He just wouldn't have.  And I love how great folks look after brain surgery!  My gosh!  She had how many surgeris in how many days?  Just the drugs alone after one 6 hour surgery for me took days to get out of my system long enough to hold a good conversation.  And they didn't even enter my brain.  Give me some of that Grey's Brain Surgery!   LOL  I want some!  And correct me if I'm wrong, but Derek has lost patients before, right?  But this time it was his fault because he nicked her artery?  Right?  

• Building a house requires so much brain power to do it in a way you are happy.  I'm exhausted after each major decision.  Hours and hours spent in places trying to find things I love and won't get tired of.  The pressure of getting it right!   I'm so anxious to BE DONE.  I'm sure my friends and clients are as well.  Just be done and get on with life and living.  I feel like I'm in a stand still.  The Lord's Prayer helps a lot.  When I feel the anxiety build up and the chest tighten over a drawer pull or paint color or this week's crisis, a bath tub, I just breathe and focus my thoughts on HIM.  It's all pointless.  I'm sure a tornado will come and hit the house and it won't matter anyway.

• 5th year Anniversary of my wreck.  I always wax nostalgic.  The Sweetheart Sizzler will always be a bittersweet reminder.  We went, by the way last week and it was a GREAT success!  245 plates served and they didn't run out of food.  We went late, thanks to a softball game in Odessa, but it was so much fun seeing some of you.  I need to force my self to get out more.  I always enjoy it.  (I can just hear Jennifer saying, "oh, hell yeah."  I try to think about how thankful I was that night of my wreck.  That week.  That month.  That year.  I slow down and think about how I felt ALIVE and full of hope and promise.  How we feel renewed on Sunday's after mass and receiving His body.  That great feeling your entire body feels after an AWESOME workout or that giddiness you get from laughing hard with your friends.  So much of that spirit is of HIM and his creation of breath and life.  That's how I want to mark that "line in the road of my life", my "oh, my god story.  Just think of Him.

• God is working in a BIG way at Cooper!  Or should I say Turning Point is?  Last night they had an EVENT that Kalyn went to.  A "Live it Up" fellowship.  She wasn't responding to our texts when we were trying to pick her up, (mom and dad outside in car, waiting....with groceries.  So I went inside, upset at first, to go and find her.  Drag her out.  The 2nd I opened the door to the Commons area of the HS, you could feel it.  You could actually FEEL the Spirit there!  It was just AMAZING!  My tone inside my body immediately changed and even though the moments in the car were not the greatest on the ride home, I know some kids lives were changed last night.  And it's so inspiring as a mom and parent of a child there, of children growing and learning in this community, to know that she's in a good place.  A place where kids are seeking Him.  Keeping their thoughts and hearts turned to Him!  I'm excited for Cooper and the community.  Kalyn was PUMPED and FIRED UP.  I LOVE THAT!  And I Love my God for answering my prayer about finding Godly Friends.  He's making tons of them.  :)

That's all for now.  I'll have more photos to share after this weekend.  I have basketball tonight, woo hoo!  Go Lady Pirates and then a session with a family I've been trying to photograph for years.  YEARS.  So stay tuned.