It's that time of year again...

Jamie and I spent half of today outside working in the yard. I pulled weeds and trimmed bushes while he worked on the sand pile. Yes, we still had the sand pile! That project took way longer than we anticipated, mainly due to rain and schedule conflicts. I am happy to say that it has all been spread now! We raised 2 portions of the back yard and the entire back porch. There was some left over, so Jamie also raised a low part of the front yard. It is going to be nice once we are able to sod over the blank areas. It should help some with our water issues, although we will never be entirely dry unless we did some major work. It's just not going to happen since we don't plan on staying here any longer than a total of 5 years. There is a limit to how much we are willing to put into this house. We will get the sod within the next month, and I also plan to have another load of mulch delivered to replenish the flower beds. Maybe we will be finished by Easter if the weather cooperates.

We had the whole house, driveway, and sidewalks pressure washed on Friday. Between that and the yard work, our place is looking pretty decent. Next I am about to embark on a big project inside - remodeling Elise's room to give it more of a "big girl" look. I plan to start in 2 weeks (when I have my next Friday off). We have all new furniture, new bedding, and I am going to paint and get some new things hung on the wall. I think I'm going to do a light pink on the walls. The furniture is coming from my parents, so it will be a few more months until we have that. Their new house is not ready yet, so they want to keep the furniture while they are showing their old house. We are happy to wait, because they are also giving us a few new pieces for our living room! I can't wait to get it!

Once I have her room all fixed, I am contemplating painting the kitchen. Jamie just recently painted it white, but I think I might like a taupe in there. It seems like the work never ends. Such is life!

Vote!!!

Just a quick reminder to all my Texan friends - regardless of who you support - get out and vote!!! Early voting ends today, but you can vote in the TX primary election on Tuesday, March 4th. Get out and exercise this wonderful right that we have as Americans. Remember: If you don't vote, then you can't complain!

My identity crisis & other updates

I have decided that my experiment with brown hair has officially run its course, so today I got blonde highlights. This is the first step towards getting my hair back to normal. It will have to be done in stages, so it's still pretty brown right now, but the highlights brighten it up quite a bit. At this point, most of my family and friends think I am crazy since every time they see me I seem to have a different hair color. A lot of people have asked me why I dyed it brown, and I don't really have a good answer. But I have thought about it a lot. There are a few things going on in my life at the moment that I wish I could change. Since they all fall into the category of things that are completely out of my hands, I think I've resorted to changing some things that I can control as an outlet for my frustration.

I wandered up to the MAC cosmetics counter today and went overboard. I now have a full new collection of make-up to go with the new hair. That was quite a leap of faith - the stuff is not cheap, and I've never used it before. I got pretty lucky and really love all the things I bought. The girl who helped me choose shades was really good at her job - she picked the perfect foundation and powder just by looking at me. What a relief, because I can't return any of this stuff. I'm on a new budget for 2008, and I should *not* have splurged like this, but we did just get a pretty substantial refund on our tax return, so I blew a little today. Now it's time to buckle down and get back on track. No more excuses! As a side note - I now understand why people RAVE about MAC. If I were going to waste a chunk of money, I sure picked a great way to do it. I'm officially hooked, and I don't know if I'll ever wear another brand of make-up again.

In other not so great news...We discovered on Monday that Elise has asthma. Her case is mild so far, but it's still so upsetting to me. I wish that I could take that away from her. We pray that it won't become a huge issue for her and that she will outgrow it eventually. My number one concern is that she won't have the opportunity to participate in athletics. I have high hopes that she will be interested in doing so (not that I would ever push her into something she didn't want to do). I just want her to have all the options the world has to offer. I don't want her to have limitations.

Jamie coached the first baseball tournament of the season this weekend. The team did well, defeating Clear Lake & Texas City. They had only one loss to The Woodlands. Between tax season and baseball season, quality time has been in short supply. We did finally have a date night tonight while Elise spent the night with Grandma & Pa Pa. We saw Jumper, and other than the lady who sat behind us with her 2-yr old and 6-yr old who talked through the entire movie, it was good. For the life of me, I don't understand why people take small children to inappropriate movies late at night. That is a topic for another entry...perhaps another time.

Can you feel the love?

We all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! As it turns out, we were all planning to surprise one another, and it worked out really nicely. When I woke up, I saw a pretty basket of potted tulips, some balloons, and a card waiting for me. Also, Jamie had set up Elise's breakfast and tied the hugest heart balloon ever created to her little table. When I got out of the shower, Elise came in and gave me a card that Jamie had helped her sign for me too.

Elise and I gave Jamie some cookies that we'd baked the night before. Elise also gave him the Valentine that we made. Then I had 2 cards for him - one from me and one from the boys! It was like a party in our house at 7am! Here is a pic of all the loot (please ignore my shabby appearance since I hadn't done my hair or make up yet!):

Jamie told me why he chose the flowers for me. He liked that arrangement because there was one flower for each year we have been together - and one to grow on. How sweet! Plus, tulips are my favorite. I hate roses, so he did a perfect job. Our dinner was wonderful as well, and Elise had a ball at her school party. She brought home enough junk to last for the rest of the year!

Happy Love Day!

I thought that the world had lost its sway

It's so hard sometimes

Then I fell in love with you

Then came you

And you took that away

It's not so difficult, the world is not so difficult

You take away the old

Show me the new

And I feel like I can fly when I stand next to you

~Calling You, Blue October

Let me start by saying I love Valentine's Day!!! But this wasn't always the case. Traditionally I have found Valentine's Day to be overrated and disppointing. But that all changed 2 years ago. Jamie and I first met face to face on Valentine's Day 2006. We had been chatting on the phone for a few days before and had exchanged a few emails. We hadn't planned on a Valentine's Day meeting, but Jamie's baseball game was rained out, so we both found ourselves at home with nothing to do.

I'll never forget that night. I was sitting on my bed upstairs at my parents' house reading a magazine in my sweats. I had just put Elise to bed after a very uneventful, normal day. I was just settling in to read for a while and go to bed. Then my phone rang. I was surprised to get a call from Jamie, since I knew he was coaching a game that night. He told me that it had been cancelled and asked if I wanted to go get something to eat. I had already eaten dinner, but I didn't tell him that! I decided to go for it...and that is how it all began. I think we both knew we were very interested that night, and it didn't take long for us to realize that we had found something really special. So, that is the story of how my views on Valentine's Day were transformed.

As sappy as it sounds, I love this day, because it seems like such a fairy tale meeting - to meet your soulmate on Valentine's Day. And I have continued to live that fairy tale every single day thereafter. I just adore our story, and I could not ask for a better partner in life for myself and Elise. This is a day to recognize how lucky we are and to remind one another of where it all began...at the most unlikely time. I don't think either of us were expecting to find a lifelong friend, lover, confidant, and partner that evening exactly 2 years ago today. But we sure are glad that we did!

Jamie and I will be celebrating with a quiet, romantic dinner alone at one of our favorite local restaurants. We made reservations 3 weeks ago to be sure we would have a table. Many thanks to Mom & Dad for babysitting just like they did on the night we met.

We are celebrating a day early with Elise - I put together a goody basket for her and we are working on her Valentines for school and baking Valentine cookies. Grandma, Grandpa, and Mary all have goodies for her tomorrow, so I thought it would be best to space things out a bit. I also helped her make a Valentine for Coach.



Wishing you all a very Happy Love Day (as Jamie would call it)! We hope your lives are as full of love as ours.

Old Friends

I once heard a saying about old friends. I am only paraphrasing, but it was something like, "The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young." As I near my 30th birthday (which will come later this year), I can really appreciate that sentiment.

Melissa is one of my oldest friends, and I miss her so much. We grew up right down the street from one another and went to school together from 3rd grade through high school graduation. She has been traveling abroad and working for various relief organizations since college graduation. We kept in touch all through our college years (Melissa at UT and me just down the road at Southwestern). It's truly a lifelong friendship. I'm amazed that no matter how much time passes, Melissa and I can get together and pick up right where we left off...and she always has some wild stories to tell!

She was in town briefly last month getting hitched, and I was able to meet her new husband and catch up with her for a bit. Unfortunately we had a short visit, because she and her husband were headed to Paris the next morning for their honeymoon and to visit her husband's family in France. After about a month there, they will head to their next assignment. Her husband is assigned somewhere in Africa or the Middle East (I can't remember) with the Red Cross, and Melissa will try to find a job there as well. She's just an amazing woman, and I am proud to call her my friend.

As much as I'd love for her to live in the states again, I don't see it happening! So, we will settle for maintaining our friendship across the miles and enjoying our occasional visits.

I may see her again in December. She and her husband are contemplating a wedding reception in Honduras, and Jamie and I are planning to make the trip if they put it all together. It could be a really fun little getaway!