30 Days - Day 1: Guilty Pleasure

I found out about this fun blogging idea from Ashley at The Daisy Parade via AJ the Purple.  I think this is such a neat sort of "get to know you" type activity!
Here's mine:

* The book Wifey by Judy Blume
* The movie Sorority Boys (yes, I admit it!)
* Almond Milk
* Long Hot Baths (I would love a tub like this!)
* Reading Blogs (my husband might say I have a bit of an addiction)
Check out the complete list here.

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Girls Weekend 2010 - Jumping Fun!

Every year the women on my mom's side of the family get together for a little trip and some much-needed bonding time.  This year we went to Crystal Beach near Galveston.  The beach house was really nice and the weather turned out perfect, despite a cold, rainy arrival.

From the left: my cousin Leah, my cousin Brooke and baby Ellie, my mother-in-law Lida, my mom, my Aunt Karla, and my new cousin (through marriage) Christina!

We (well, really me) decided that it would be fun to try some jumping on the beach since the weather was so gorgeous and they happily played along. :)  Thanks girls!

Do you ever take some time out to bond with the ladies, be they family or friends? What do ya'll do?

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Something Peculiar

Something so strange and lovely just happened.

Today I was teaching an early preschool class and picked up the book, I Can Fly.

I was attempting to give the book to one of the Sp.Ed. kids I was working with, but he quickly discarded it.  Before he did though I noticed how cute the illustrations were.
Cut to a few minutes ago when I am reading Elsie's post on her blog "A Beautiful Mess" that answers questions for aspiring artists and business owners.  I read a question about her painting style and at the end of her response she lists some artists that have influenced her, so I think, "why not look some of them up?!"  Without any thought, I look up the first person listed, Mary Blair, and these are some of the pictures I see on the google image search:

 

  

  

Wow!  I immediately recognize her work as what I had seen earlier in the children's book.  Gorgeous are they not?   I am so glad I discovered Mary Blair today!  It seems as though it was meant to be! :)

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Baby Boomer

Meet our new baby, Boomer!  She came home today from her foster home with Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary.  As you can probably tell she is a tabby, but I really love her distinct markings.  In most spots she is like a gray tabby then there are little patches where her orange tabby color shows through.  Its pretty adorable.  At the moment Boomer is six months old, however she is extraordinarily small for her age.  She's about the size (and weight) of my Rebel camera.  We are just so happy to have her, although Chloe is not as overjoyed at present.  Hopefully, Chloe will warm up to Boomer, though and they will be cuddling and cleaning each other in no time.

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Chloe at the Bay

Aaron's family has a bay house near Port Lavaca.  We don't get to go there often enough, but when we do we ALL enjoy it!  As you can see Chloe is enjoying her limited outside time exploring on the porch.  She's being pretty good right now, however there have been times when she's given us some scares by locating herself on the other side of the railing.  Of course as soon as she does it, Aaron and I are rushing as calmly as we can to get her to come back around.  Thankfully this doesn't happen often! 

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Stowe Family Reunion '09

Every other year my dad's side of the family has a reunion somewhere within the continental United States.  This year we went to Colorado Springs, CO.

I loved seeing all of the chipmunks everywhere.  We don't have them here is Austin and I find them so adorable.

We went on a few hikes, one of them to Alberta Falls inside the national park.

My lovely parents

I am a huge fan of modern architecture, so it was such a great treat to make a quick jaunt to see my dad's cousin's home in Denver.

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Our Sweet Boy, Django

Django was our kitty for such a short time.  We adopted him when he was 13 years old and got to spend the next three months falling in love with his sweet disposition.  He had many previous medical conditions that we were unaware of, but I will forever be grateful for the chance to give this boy a home.  I have a feeling he did more for Aaron and I than we were able to do for him.  We still feel such an attachment and love for him.  He was such a calming presence in our house and will always be missed!  Meet Django.

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Summer Days... Are Gone Again

It was an exceptionally hot summer in Austin this year.  Despite times like the fun we had below, I'm glad that the cooler weather is here (and so is our pocket book).

This photo of my friend, Lacey, was taken on the Comal River with a disposable camera then processed a bit in Photoshop.  I thought it was a fun and powerful image of a summer day.

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