Mucho Memories of Mexico!

Sweet memories of one of the finest weeks of my life linger in my mind and heart, like so many grains of sand stuck in the sunscreen on my ankles. So much for waxing eloquent - we had one heck of a good time while vacationing near Akumal, Mexico!! Mike, Cindy, and all of theirs, me and Mom spent an entire week enjoying the beautiful water, beaches, sun, food, and each other. I had several first time experiences -

* snorkeling in a lagoon (crystal clear water, tropical fish, sun filtering through the water - awesome!)

* swimming in a cenote (a place where the underground rivers of the Yucatan pool at the surface - it's like an oasis in the middle of nowhere)

* visiting ancient Mayan ruins (very beautiful & interesting, and built on a cliff over the ocean - I'll post a picture as soon as I figure out where I put my darn vacation pictures on the computer)

And of course, lounging on the beach was a great time too. Part of the great fun we had was picking up the neat pieces of fossilized coral (I think that's what it is - they are very unique and I brought a bunch home [above is an arangement from them] I have had fun arranging them and it is a sweet reminder of a great week.

[later same morning] I found my pics.

Spring Break visitors

Okay, maybe it's not as ambitious as a mid-morning decision to strike off for New Mexico that very afternoon like my brother and sister-in-law, but in my defense I did plan for a 1 1/2 hour trip to Billy Bob's in Ft. Worth a mere one week in advance. (AND in the company of 4 teenagers and a couple of twenty-somethings, for which I think I deserve extra credit! ) We had a good time with Harrison and Tiffany visiting over spring break. Since their plane was cancelled on Saturday, we got a bonus day, and that evening we cooked burgers in the back yard, as we had beautiful spring weather. I was blessed to look out my kitchen window and see one of my brother's boys (Mark) and one of my sister's boys (Harrison) and my own boy (Landry) playing ladder ball together in the back yard. I tucked this little memory away in my heart for posterity!

Horrible Ice Storm Strikes McKinney

This week we had a good 1/20th of an inch of ice and sleet, which immobilized our community. Being the brave soul that I am, I actually made into work by 9:30 (after following the advice of our local news anchors, which was to pack a blanket, extra water and some canned rations if you just had to get out). Made the most of my trip and snapped some pics that I'll share with you. I thought the first one should be called "In the Dead of Winter" and the second one "Sugar-coated Garlic". It was pretty, I have to say.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I woke up this morning and it only took me a few seconds to think "Yay! Today's my birthday!" Then, on the heels of that thought, came "Aren't you getting a little old for that?" Who is that, exactly, that's always trying to poop my party? I ignored that pesky little voice, and got up and decorated my birthday cake.

Trek to Corpus Christi for Haley's Grad

Well, we have a college grad in the family! We are proud of Haley, with her new degree in Occupational Education and minor in Marketing. Steve and I went down on Thursday, and on Friday, we did something Haley had been wanting to do, which was hike across the Harbor Bridge over Corpus Christi Bay. It was exhilerating, but kind of scary! When we were above the 6 story buildings by quite a bit, I knew we were high! Calvin and Beverly were there with their AirStream, and invited us over to the RV park for a shrimp boil. It was fun to see how the snowbirds live, and how they decorate their little trailers for Christmas. Haley graduated on Saturday, and it was a really nice ceremony. The A&M/Corpus campus is the only university that sits on its' own island, thus, they are the "Islanders", and they wear real flower leis at their graduation. Very pretty! Congrats, Haley!

Our Nativity

Here's a pic of the Nativity set I was lucky enough to get from Mom and Dad. This is the one we kids grew up with, and I still love it, and admire it every year. I still pack the figurines in the same box, with the same cotton that Mom always used, and when I pull it out, a dozen or so Christmas meories from my childhood and my children's childhoods come to mind. Guess it's getting close to being an antique by now, kind of like me. Thought Mom, Mike and Vicki might enjoy seeing it.

Thankgiving 2008

On Thanksgiving, our family celebrated with Doug, Stacey, Stuart and Christi. It was a gorgeous Fall day, and after a traditional feast, we walked out in the pasture. I loved seeing Doug and Stacey's new calves, and was reminded of my blessing of growing up in the country. You might have thought that those two good looking gals at the top were me and Stacey, but it's not - that's Jenny and Jenni, Doug's coyote-stomping donkeys. They are so cute, with their crosses on their backs. We gave them a treat of ground corn, which they were thankful for.