Halloween Fun

We've been doing some fun Halloween activities around the house this week. :) Elise has just been dying to paint a pumpkin, so Jamie and I found some paint and let her have at it in some old clothes in the back yard on Saturday. She really enjoyed it, and the pumpkin is actually really pretty! We carved our pumpkin tonight. The smell of pumpkin makes Jamie gag, but he was a good sport. Elise chose a Cinderella pattern, which works really well with her costume (which just happens to be a Cinderella dress). We have assembled her goodie bags to take to school on Friday, and we will be baking Halloween cookies tomorrow night. YUM!

Coming out of the shadows...

I've been debating over this post for quite some time. Jamie and I have been going through something rough for about a year and a half now, and I haven't talked about it publicly. I'm at a point now where I feel like it is affecting me in such a large way that I need to just get it out into the open and address it.

When we were in Hawaii in June 2007, we began trying to have a baby. This is the subject of my other blog, which up until now has remained private. I won't go into all the details of our trying to conceive journey, because it is all documented there. Suffice it to say that the cycle of hope and despair has been difficult to handle. I thank God every day for my blessings, which are many. Still, I feel like something is missing, and I don't know how to handle that. So, if you are the praying type, we could use all the prayers you can send our way.

I am nervous about opening up about this, but I feel like it's something I need to do.

A productive weekend

I have spent the last 2 days emptying every single drawer, cabinet, and closet in our house and decluttering. We've hauled out no less than 15 trash bags full of junk. I lined all the cabinets before putting everything back. I'm feeling quite accomplished & exhausted. I sold a few bags of clothes to a resale shop, donated a few bags, and put some stuff on consignment. It feels great to have things organized. We don't have a ton of space in this house, so I finally decided to clean things out and start using the space we do have wisely! It's been an eye opening experience and makes me want to think twice before I buy anything else. I refuse to let things get cluttered again. From now on, if we don't have room for it, we don't buy it.

It's back!

I have been a big fan of Desperate Housewives since the first season, but the last couple seasons have left quite a bit to be desired. I am so thrilled to see it is back and better than ever this year!!! Tonight's episode was *brilliantly* written, and I am back on the edge of my seat. YAY!!!

We made the playoffs!

With our win against Manvel last night, we have secured a spot in the playoffs! Congrats to my love and the Mustangs.

Random Questions

How come I can never finish a cup of coffee before it gets cold?

Why is my daughter obsessed with Spiderman?

Why do children's toys take 30 minutes to get out of the box?

Why does time pass so slowly when I'm at work, but so quickly on the weekend?

Why do I complain about being out of shape right before eating a big bowl of ice cream?

How come I am exhausted all day long, but once bedtime arrives, I am wide awake?

How come you can never find a pen when you really need one?

Why do I start wearing fall clothes in October, even though it is still 80 degrees?

Why do I have to wake Elise up at 7:00 on the weekdays, but she gets up at 6:30 on her own on the weekends?

When did I become so disorganized?

Why do people display campaign signs? Have those ever influenced a vote?

What am I going to make for dinner tonight?

Mom's New Blog

My mom started a blog recently to keep her out of town family and friends updated on the latest news in the family. It's called Davis Reports, and is now linked on my Blog List. :)

Quick Football Update

The Mustangs are now 4-1 overall (3-1 in district play). We had a tough loss to Angelton 2 weeks ago, but came back last week to defeat Santa Fe and this week to defeat Pearland Dawson High School. We need one more win to clinch a playoff spot. Next week we play at Manvel High School, so hopefully we can lock up the playoff spot there!

I am a bad wife!!!

This is the 2nd weekend in a row when I have interrupted the UT football game (last week for the pumpkin patch). These are not the actions of a caring wife! I do feel a tad bit guilty.

Jamie and I bought a treadmill on closeout today, and I have been dying to try it out so he is putting it together for me. I'm so excited to have a treadmill at the house!!! I am going to cancel my gym membership tomorrow. I'm never able to go anymore, because I don't want to be away from Elise in the evenings. This is going to save us $40 a month, and I can get my exercise right here at home with my family. I miss working out so much. I am going to feel so much better when I get back into my routine. I found a wonderful ab workout DVD, and I have a few weights as well. Maybe I will finally get back into my skinny jeans by Christmas. :)

Go Longhorns!!!

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Elise's 4-year stats

Yes, I know Elise turned 4 several months ago, but I rationalized holding off on her appointment since I needed to get her flu vaccination and it's not available in July. This way she only gets one exposure to the germ-filled waiting room and one set of shots (since she needed a few other vaccinations as well).

She is 43 inches tall and weighs 39 pounds, which puts her into the 95th percentile for height and down to the 75th percentile for weight. She has been up in the 90th percentile in weight for most of her life, so this is a sign of her beginning to slim down and take on more of my body type of being tall and thin (according to the doctor). He was very pleased with how she checked out, and said that she was perfect. Of course, I already knew that. ;) Another bit of good news - no more vaccines until she is 12!!! She is THRILLED with that.

Our annual trip to Dewberry Farm

It is that time of year again! We took our annual trip to Dewberry Farm today and had a great time. Jamie and I have been doing this with Elise since we were first married, so this was our 3rd year to go. Each year they have added new things - and it gets progressively more crowded!

We picked our own wildflower bouquet, rode a few rides, and of course took the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. I love this pumpkin patch, because the pumpkins are still on the vine. It's really neat to see them in their "natural" element. Elise was so funny - she kept searching for the perfect pumpkin. She was quite picky, stating that most of the pumpkins were either "too dirty", "too flat", or "too lumpy". LOL I was able to convince her to wait to buy one until we can go to a local church pumpkin patch that we also visit yearly. I'd rather spend the money there, and I am sure they are cheaper too!

Who Benefits?

Let me tell you what I am going to do.

Warning - Rant Ahead...

I've been watching this financial crisis unfold for a while now with great interest. I wish I were back in college (not really, but you know...) taking my Money & Banking, Investments, or Financial Statement Analysis classes at the moment. I bet they would be REALLY interesting now. I was briefly encouraged when the House voted down the bailout bill initially. Of course, they added a bunch of pork to the bill and resubmitted it and passed it about a week later. Go figure.

Guess who voted for it. Senators Barack Obama AND John McCain. Guess who I will NOT be voting for on November 4th. The idea that these companies are being bailed out with my tax dollars is nauseating. Neither one of these candidates are going to go to Washington and "fix" this debacle. They are both proposing big spending, each in their own way. I'm a Republican at heart, but was really giving some serious consideration to voting for Obama in this election, simply because I can't stomach another 4 years that resemble the last 8. But I've changed my mind. I've decided that the best way to send a message to the parties that their behavior is totally unacceptable is to withdraw my vote. If the Republican party wants to earn my vote back in 2012, they need to give me a TRUE conservative. Until then, I refuse to send the message that it's okay to give us a candidate like John McCain by voting for him simply because he is the "lesser of 2 evils". I will be voting 3rd party.

An interesting little tidbit: AIG was recently provided with $85 billion dollars to bail them out of their financial troubles and keep them afloat. You want to know how their top performing executives responded? They took a week-long spa retreat and enjoyed massages and other various spa treatments. If you don't believe me, check out the Washington Post article here . That's right - while working Americans watched their 401(k) investments go down the crapper and struggled to make ends meet, AIG executives were out partying on our tax dollars!!! I hope you're sitting down, because it gets even better. Guess how the Federal Reserve responded to their outrageous behavior? They decided to loan them an additional $38 BILLION dollars!!! This just happened on Wednesday of this week.

A few details about the bailout bill...(by the way, have you noticed how initially it was called a "bailout" and now they are calling it a "rescue")...here are a few of the "extras" - or as McCain would call them - "goodies" that were added to the bill before it passed: Film and Television Productions (Sec. 502), Wooden Arrows designed for use by children (Sec. 503), Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Section 308), Auto Racing Tracks (317), Wool Research (Sec. 325). Kind of gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?

I'll tell you what. I am going to find out who every single incumbent Congressman & Senator is in this election, and I'm voting against them. I don't care if they have a R or a D next to their name. I want them ALL fired, every last one. It's time to do some major housecleaning if you ask me.

Everything I know, I learned after I was 30.

So, today is the day! The Big 3-0! You know what - I feel great. I was just thinking yesterday as I was folding a load of towels, "I feel really great today." I got the idea for the title of this post from a comment that a good friend of mine left on my myspace page. She's a little bit older than me, and probably a lot wiser!

A lot of people - particularly women - have a tough time with hitting 30 and bidding farewell to the 20s. For me, this is just not the case. My 20s held their fair share of wonderful moments, but overall they were very difficult years for me. My college years were wonderful (especially my freshman year), but they were also hard as I said a final goodbye to the thing that had defined me for so many years before that - my volleyball career. I made the best friend of my life during college, and through the latter years of my 20s, we have grown apart and now barely speak. That's been a tough transition for me. I bought my first home in my 20s (and then my second). I gave birth to my beautiful Elise and met and married my soulmate - although those 2 events did not happen in the order that I thought they would. I got my first professional job in my 20s, and I've met so many wonderful people during my career so far.

I have officially coined my 20s as a decade of learning and personal growth. For those who know me, it comes as no surprise to hear me acknowledge this....I am a very stubborn person. I tend to learn my lessons the hard way. Hitting 30 has made me really look back at the person I was at 20, even 25. When I think back to those years, I can barely recognize myself. I am finally 100% comfortable in my own skin, and it feels GREAT! I have a clear vision of what I want to be now. I thought I knew back then, but now when I think back to myself as a new college graduate, I realize that I knew nothing! All the things that I thought were important at that point in life have fallen by the wayside as I get older and realize what really matters. It feels good to finally know myself - really know myself. So, with that, I bid farewell to my 20s. I'm thankful for all that they taught me, but I wouldn't go back for anything in the world - even if that means I have to put up with slight weight gain and a few wrinkles in the process!

We celebrated yesterday since Jamie and I both had to work today. My original plan was to book a party room at The Melting Pot and have a huge bash. I had a guest list of more than 30 people at one point. But Hurricane Ike had different things in mind! I had already toned things down quite a bit before the storm came and decided just to do a family celebration in lieu of the huge party, however the restaurant sustained major damage in the storm and remains closed for repairs as I type this blog entry. Plan B was going to be moving the celebration to a different restaurant, but then the football game was rescheduled from Friday night to late Saturday afternoon (also hurricane related). These are the things that one becomes accustomed to as a football wife. It was becoming clear at this point that a dinner out was not meant to be!

As is usually the case, things happen for a reason and I am so glad this is how it all turned out. Mom did a meal and small party for me at her house last night, and she surprised me by inviting one of my oldest childhood friends to join us. Jennifer and I were the best of friends as children and remained friends all through high school. Her husband (and former classmate of ours) is currently deployed in Iraq, and it has brought her back to Friendswood for the time being. There is a saying that I like: "The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young." While I still consider 30 to be young, it was wonderful to sit with her and reminisce while we watched our daughters play together. It was so heartwarming, and I can't think of a better gift for my special day than the gift of friendship. Thank you, Jennifer!!!

Jamie helped plan my big surprise, and I must admit I had NO idea! I am a tough person to surprise, so they did an awesome job keeping the secret under wraps. He also surprised me with a beautiful new watch and Tiffany's necklace that I have been eyeing for quite some time now. My father-in-law is going to engrave the back of the heart on my necklace. It is gorgeous and will be a wonderful keepsake to remember my 30th. I love you, my heart. You are the best! Elise was so cute. After we ate cake, she said, "Mommy, thank you for your birthday." She really knows how to melt my heart.

So here I am - 30 and fabulous!!! I am confident that the best is yet to come...

Fall Photos

I decided to try my hand at taking some fall pictures of Elise, so today I dressed her up and took her over to my parents' back yard and had some fun. I am far from a professional photographer or photo editor, which shows! But I had a good time playing around with it. A few of the pictures are actually pretty decent, and the price was right - FREE! :)

Enjoy the slide show!