Since I last wrote, things have been busy, and yet we’ve been enjoying the slow pace of things and really making an effort not to have our schedules jam-packed as usual!
Last week was same ol’ same ol’ with work – Curt made it back from Louisiana ok, heading out to California today but will be back tomorrow, so work stuff is going fine.
We took the boat out on Thursday evening and had a great time, then Friday we went to dinner with Vinny & Yvonne, walked around Market Street, and went to the store and watched TV and just relaxed, was great!
Saturday morning we took my dad out on the boat as he hadn’t had the chance to join us yet, so we had a great time hanging out with him, and though he didn’t get up on the skate or board, he really did a GREAT job b/c it is hard when you do these things at first! We had to drop him off around 11ish or so as he had a flight to Holland to catch, and we stayed out for a couple more hours as the sun was shining and we were doing great out there. For the rest of the day we cleaned the house, and then had a friend over for dinner on Friday which was great – yummy steak dinner (by Curt), salad (by Chelsea), and Old Fashioned Cola Cake made by yours truly, and watched The Illusionist in the media room, so that was fun, too!
Sunday I slept in (from Thursday and then Saturday, we were both sore!) and tended to Cottonwood (everyone is out of town – Dad in Holland, Mom in WV, Ken in East Texas on business, etc) and the mess she made (she’s been sick – very sad), then went out to work on our backyard which, with the rain, has just gotten out of hand! We can’t keep up with how fast everything is growing!! So that was exhausting, and then I went to Chelsea’s for a party, and then we had Domino’s and watched a movie…
So the theme for the weekend was try and get stuff done that needs to get done, but try and relax a lot in between which worked pretty well! My “slower life summer” is going as planned and I’m really proud of us for sticking with it!
Oh – and here’s a “It’s the Little Things” segment:
I bought a new hairdryer this weekend and I love it! It’s a Remington, and blows my hair dry in like less than 3 minutes – so incredible! I also picked a bouquet of wildflowers that had been growing in my backyard as WEEDS and they are just what summer is all about… sigh!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
DC, Harry Potter, Boating - More Summer Fun!
Hey everyone!
I left off just having arrived in DC, and I had a great time! The work I was there for went great, and in our spare time in the evenings I got a chance to wander around downtown DC and do a little sightseeing! I’ve been there a ton before, but it’s been SO long since I’ve actually had the chance to walk around and take in the sights – and I love this city! Wednesday evening Andrew
(coworker) and I went to dinner close to the hotel, and had a delicious Italian meal – I had lasagna that rivaled my great-grandmother’s – yum! Then chatted with Curt, and read some Harry Potter book 6, and then hit the sack. Did the work thing the next day, enjoyed seeing the people out of the Arlington office and hanging out with them, and then that evening Andrew wanted to go to his favorite restaurant there (another Italian place – geez! LOL, he tricked me!) so we walked probably a good 5 miles around the city, going around the white house, to the memorials and the monument, etc. ending up at DuPont Square to go to La Tomate. The weather was absolutely amazing – like 80 degrees and what every Texan envisions summer should be like – sigh! At the National Monument, they had a ton of adult-type intramural sports games going on, including KICKBALL!! I explained this sport to Andrew (as he’s British) and it was so fun to hang out, watch adults play kickball, softball, and all in the shadow of the setting sun and the towering National Monument – ugh – so cool! It seemed like the whole city was buzzing with laid back summer activity; I bet DC would be a fabulous place to live and work… so we made it to dinner many steps later, and it was great! A meal of Ravioli, lemon drop martinis, and a lovely crème brulee later, it was time to take the metro back, and oh was I tired! Talked to Curt again, read some Harry Potter, and to sleep I went, with Friday being the day I would get to see my grandparents and uncle!
Friday went well with work again, and then headed out in the early afternoon to take the metro to meet my uncle who was going to pick me up and take me to my grandpa. Turns out he had a meeting with the State’s Attorney, so he met me there, but then his friend (also a cop) took me to
meet Grandpa, but not before I got a tour of my uncle’s office! It was really neat and weird to see the different departments – homicide (his), sexual assault, robbery, etc. Then he showed me his office, where he had a bulletin board of people’s faces and how they were connected, with important information – I noted that they were all younger than my little sister, and he said yeah, they start young and those people were responsible for about 8-10 murders in the area, but they just had to keep building a case in order to put them away. It was really strange because in just a picture of their faces, they looked to be nice looking kids, but I guess not so nice. The other really surreal thing was I saw a schedule type board that said At Bat, On Deck, and Next On Deck or something like that – I thought it was just for shifts so pointed it out, but Tony said it kind of is, but really it’s more for who gets the next murder. It struck me I guess because murder is on a schedule, they know it’s going to occur, and the next case
that person has it will be because someone has killed someone. It was heavy stuff, I tell you… made me sad. Somewhere out there someone is walking with limited time, and someone’s family will be devastated, and that At Bat cop will be busy with work trying to build a case, and then they go through the “schedule” all over again… sigh.
Anyway, had a GREAT time with my family – hung out with my grandparents, went out to dinner with them and my uncle and his girlfriend, and just had a great time!! For dinner we went to a seafood restaurant where I had Imperial Crab, and Cream of Crab soup – I can’t tell you how
ready I was for some great crab!! YUM! That evening we watched one of my Netflix movies, and then in the morning we just hung out until it was time for Grandpa to take me to the airport. We ate a nice relaxed lunch once we got there, and then I headed out on the plane for home! It was a really quick trip, but it was so fun and relaxing to hang out, and I loved it!
The Harry Potter book had come out the previous night, so I finished book 6 Saturday morning, ready to get my reserved copy when I got off the plane, but it was so torturous because the girl across the aisle from me already had her copy! It was all I could do to keep myself from glancing over and looking at the chapter titles – grr! She was about 2/3 the way through, so I asked how it was and of course she said great… it was going to be a long plane ride – especially since the girl sitting directly next to me was a trip in her own rite… ugh.
Anyway, so got home, we went to Borders and I happily picked up my copy, and Curt had to finish some work on the boat so I got a good 4 hours of reading in and got about halfway through… and oh my gosh, SO GOOD! I took a break for us to eat a late dinner, and then I choked on my chicken finger! I mean, real choke, reminiscent of what happened freshman year. I stood up choking, motioned to Curt who quickly got up, and I was just sucking so hard for air – what a nightmare it is to feel this kind of stress. After a few breaths I quickly threw up all over our bar, and we headed to the bathroom where for the next hour or so he had to sit with me while my body was recovering. I was SO BUMMED too because we were all ready to go out dancing, but just wasn’t meant to be so we watched a movie instead in between my interruptions. Ugh… at least I didn’t die, though! So thank heaven for that…
Sunday morning I read more Harry Potter for about 45 minutes in bed, then we took the boat out with a couple of friends (a loose potential match making session) and had a GREAT
time wakeskating, wakeboarding, and our friend did the slalom ski (looks hard)! Curt finally nailed his 360 and we all were cheering, and I tried wakeboarding for the first time, which is much easier than wakeskating, so we had a great day! Curt and I both got sunburned, so we need to be more proactive next time with the sunscreen, but other than that, it was awesome – still a little sore though b/c my endurance was great, but I feel it at the moment!
Curt’s been in Louisiana since Sunday night, he gets home tonight so I’m excited about that… I dropped him off to drive with a coworker Sunday night, went and had dinner at my folks’ place and hung out with them, and then snuggled up to read the last of the Harry Potter book – had 200 pages left, and finished in about 1.5 hours, just in time for bed. I laughed, I cried, and it was fantastic, so now just really sad that that is the end of it. Curt and I are going to go through all of the books from the beginning starting in September, because Fall and Harry Potter are synonymous to me, so I can’t wait as Curt hasn’t read past book 2, I think! Yea!
Tonight I am going to dinner with my Young Life girls which I’m so excited about, and we may take the boat out tomorrow night if we can get off work at decent times to get an hour or so in before dark… I’m sure Curt will attempt his 360 again, so I’ll try to get a video of him if possible!
I miss Kendyl – she’s on business for one more week….then when she gets back we’re going to go house hunting (just to look, and maybe act if there’s something good out there)!! Did get some GREAT news this morning though – our netflix membership is getting *cheaper* AND we get 17 hours of on demand movies per month – how cool is that?!
Enjoy the video - haha... we got a new boat tower so the music is awesome! I noticed that on the site it doesn't look like I have a bathing suit on, but I promise I do -it's just pink! LOL And notice I'm just a beginner, and I'm ok with this - I'm getting better all the time!
Hope everyone is well!
Love,
Tasha xx
I left off just having arrived in DC, and I had a great time! The work I was there for went great, and in our spare time in the evenings I got a chance to wander around downtown DC and do a little sightseeing! I’ve been there a ton before, but it’s been SO long since I’ve actually had the chance to walk around and take in the sights – and I love this city! Wednesday evening Andrew
(coworker) and I went to dinner close to the hotel, and had a delicious Italian meal – I had lasagna that rivaled my great-grandmother’s – yum! Then chatted with Curt, and read some Harry Potter book 6, and then hit the sack. Did the work thing the next day, enjoyed seeing the people out of the Arlington office and hanging out with them, and then that evening Andrew wanted to go to his favorite restaurant there (another Italian place – geez! LOL, he tricked me!) so we walked probably a good 5 miles around the city, going around the white house, to the memorials and the monument, etc. ending up at DuPont Square to go to La Tomate. The weather was absolutely amazing – like 80 degrees and what every Texan envisions summer should be like – sigh! At the National Monument, they had a ton of adult-type intramural sports games going on, including KICKBALL!! I explained this sport to Andrew (as he’s British) and it was so fun to hang out, watch adults play kickball, softball, and all in the shadow of the setting sun and the towering National Monument – ugh – so cool! It seemed like the whole city was buzzing with laid back summer activity; I bet DC would be a fabulous place to live and work… so we made it to dinner many steps later, and it was great! A meal of Ravioli, lemon drop martinis, and a lovely crème brulee later, it was time to take the metro back, and oh was I tired! Talked to Curt again, read some Harry Potter, and to sleep I went, with Friday being the day I would get to see my grandparents and uncle!Friday went well with work again, and then headed out in the early afternoon to take the metro to meet my uncle who was going to pick me up and take me to my grandpa. Turns out he had a meeting with the State’s Attorney, so he met me there, but then his friend (also a cop) took me to
meet Grandpa, but not before I got a tour of my uncle’s office! It was really neat and weird to see the different departments – homicide (his), sexual assault, robbery, etc. Then he showed me his office, where he had a bulletin board of people’s faces and how they were connected, with important information – I noted that they were all younger than my little sister, and he said yeah, they start young and those people were responsible for about 8-10 murders in the area, but they just had to keep building a case in order to put them away. It was really strange because in just a picture of their faces, they looked to be nice looking kids, but I guess not so nice. The other really surreal thing was I saw a schedule type board that said At Bat, On Deck, and Next On Deck or something like that – I thought it was just for shifts so pointed it out, but Tony said it kind of is, but really it’s more for who gets the next murder. It struck me I guess because murder is on a schedule, they know it’s going to occur, and the next case
that person has it will be because someone has killed someone. It was heavy stuff, I tell you… made me sad. Somewhere out there someone is walking with limited time, and someone’s family will be devastated, and that At Bat cop will be busy with work trying to build a case, and then they go through the “schedule” all over again… sigh.Anyway, had a GREAT time with my family – hung out with my grandparents, went out to dinner with them and my uncle and his girlfriend, and just had a great time!! For dinner we went to a seafood restaurant where I had Imperial Crab, and Cream of Crab soup – I can’t tell you how
ready I was for some great crab!! YUM! That evening we watched one of my Netflix movies, and then in the morning we just hung out until it was time for Grandpa to take me to the airport. We ate a nice relaxed lunch once we got there, and then I headed out on the plane for home! It was a really quick trip, but it was so fun and relaxing to hang out, and I loved it!The Harry Potter book had come out the previous night, so I finished book 6 Saturday morning, ready to get my reserved copy when I got off the plane, but it was so torturous because the girl across the aisle from me already had her copy! It was all I could do to keep myself from glancing over and looking at the chapter titles – grr! She was about 2/3 the way through, so I asked how it was and of course she said great… it was going to be a long plane ride – especially since the girl sitting directly next to me was a trip in her own rite… ugh.
Anyway, so got home, we went to Borders and I happily picked up my copy, and Curt had to finish some work on the boat so I got a good 4 hours of reading in and got about halfway through… and oh my gosh, SO GOOD! I took a break for us to eat a late dinner, and then I choked on my chicken finger! I mean, real choke, reminiscent of what happened freshman year. I stood up choking, motioned to Curt who quickly got up, and I was just sucking so hard for air – what a nightmare it is to feel this kind of stress. After a few breaths I quickly threw up all over our bar, and we headed to the bathroom where for the next hour or so he had to sit with me while my body was recovering. I was SO BUMMED too because we were all ready to go out dancing, but just wasn’t meant to be so we watched a movie instead in between my interruptions. Ugh… at least I didn’t die, though! So thank heaven for that…
Sunday morning I read more Harry Potter for about 45 minutes in bed, then we took the boat out with a couple of friends (a loose potential match making session) and had a GREAT
time wakeskating, wakeboarding, and our friend did the slalom ski (looks hard)! Curt finally nailed his 360 and we all were cheering, and I tried wakeboarding for the first time, which is much easier than wakeskating, so we had a great day! Curt and I both got sunburned, so we need to be more proactive next time with the sunscreen, but other than that, it was awesome – still a little sore though b/c my endurance was great, but I feel it at the moment!Curt’s been in Louisiana since Sunday night, he gets home tonight so I’m excited about that… I dropped him off to drive with a coworker Sunday night, went and had dinner at my folks’ place and hung out with them, and then snuggled up to read the last of the Harry Potter book – had 200 pages left, and finished in about 1.5 hours, just in time for bed. I laughed, I cried, and it was fantastic, so now just really sad that that is the end of it. Curt and I are going to go through all of the books from the beginning starting in September, because Fall and Harry Potter are synonymous to me, so I can’t wait as Curt hasn’t read past book 2, I think! Yea!
Tonight I am going to dinner with my Young Life girls which I’m so excited about, and we may take the boat out tomorrow night if we can get off work at decent times to get an hour or so in before dark… I’m sure Curt will attempt his 360 again, so I’ll try to get a video of him if possible!
I miss Kendyl – she’s on business for one more week….then when she gets back we’re going to go house hunting (just to look, and maybe act if there’s something good out there)!! Did get some GREAT news this morning though – our netflix membership is getting *cheaper* AND we get 17 hours of on demand movies per month – how cool is that?!
Enjoy the video - haha... we got a new boat tower so the music is awesome! I noticed that on the site it doesn't look like I have a bathing suit on, but I promise I do -it's just pink! LOL And notice I'm just a beginner, and I'm ok with this - I'm getting better all the time!
Hope everyone is well!
Love,
Tasha xx
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Miscellaneous Business
I know it has been awhile, but things have been pretty hectic AND I got sick again, so my apologies!
Here is what has been going on since my birthday post:
That night, Mom, Curt and myself went to see Harry Potter as the movie was released that day and it was SO great! I loved it! Then we celebrated AGAIN on the weekend by all of us minus Dad (he was still out of the country) going to the museum to see the Frogs exhibit and then the Deep Sea 3D Imax movie! I was sick and my neck was huge b/c of my swollen glands, but it was a really fun day and the frogs were so cool! My favorites were the poison dart frogs – their colors are truly amazing and they are so small! The Imax movie was also really cool with being 3D – they have really improved this kind of technology because they had jellyfish, squid, and turtles (and more) all coming out to play… haha! We then went to Marco’s (YUM) for dinner, and then Mom, Curt and I watched Roman Holiday and it was all happy times…
Thursday, Curt and I got off work as normal, but hurried, and took the boat out just the two of us for a nice evening of wakeskating and cruising. It was a really nice night and the water was so smooth as many people don’t go out so late and during the week, but we got an hour or so in before it got too dark, and we really had a great time, though we ended up tearing ourselves up a bit! I took two hard falls in the beginning that TOTALLY rattled my brain as I fell in the water on my head (I was a little rusty and was not letting go of the rope as I was falling – ugh!) so that *REALLY* hurt, and then as I was falling another time my knee skidded the skate so I had a nice skate rash all over my knee and leg… Curt also pulled a muscle or strained one in his arm, so we went home a couple of gimps! Later that evening my sore throat set in, and I felt SURE it was because of my two falls that set my head/ear fluid/everything out of whack!
Then Friday Kendyl got her Harley! It is white, and I will post pictures when I get back into town and on my other laptop, but she looks pretty sharp on it! The night she got it she and Mom rode their Harley’s up to see Mam and they had a good time… Kendyl has wanted one for a long time so check that one off the list! Next time you see her ask her how many pairs of boots she bought to “match” her bike and her many outfits… I love her – LOL!
Then on Sunday Dad was getting in at 7:30 p.m. or so, so because Kendyl and Dad had been out of town earlier, and I still hadn’t had an all together get together, we went out to the Cheesecake factory for dessert, did presents, sang and the whole bit, so that was awesome, too! So it was really a different kind of birthday with a bunch of activities that only a few people at a time were a part of, but I guess that’s how it goes when your birthday falls on hump day? It seems like my birthday has fallen on a weekday FOREVER now!
Tuesday was Mom’s Birthday and we went to Fogo de Chao which is a churrascaria much like Texas de Brazil so I was in heaven! I actually didn’t eat myself silly so that was good, but oh what a carnivore’s paradise! We had a great time, and I got a massage for Mom so hopefully I’ll get to go with her when she goes – I love massages!!
Wednesday I flew to DC for work, so am here now, and tomorrow I’m going to see my Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle who are up here in this area – so fun! I’m staying the night with them then heading home Saturday, so a really quick trip but you take what you can get, right? Anyway, heading off soon so gotta wrap it up. I have a few pics that I want to post and will when I get home. I got a new laptop though (against my wishes) from work and all of my programs are wiped, so I’m going to have to spend some time getting it back to normal… ugh! The laptop is nice and all, but I had a great system, and had everything like I wanted it!!
Oh, and REALLY excited about the new Harry Potter book - will be reading it this weekend so please no one spoil it for me, ok?? I started book 6 yesterday to make sure I'm all fresh and ready to go, and am about half way through so with the plane ride back I should finish it. I was kind of bummed b/c I'm missing the release party at Borders on Friday night, but they'll hold my reserved copy til Saturday evening so you know the first place we'll be going when Curt grabs me from the airport!
Anyway, until next time!
Love,
Tasha xx
Here is what has been going on since my birthday post:
That night, Mom, Curt and myself went to see Harry Potter as the movie was released that day and it was SO great! I loved it! Then we celebrated AGAIN on the weekend by all of us minus Dad (he was still out of the country) going to the museum to see the Frogs exhibit and then the Deep Sea 3D Imax movie! I was sick and my neck was huge b/c of my swollen glands, but it was a really fun day and the frogs were so cool! My favorites were the poison dart frogs – their colors are truly amazing and they are so small! The Imax movie was also really cool with being 3D – they have really improved this kind of technology because they had jellyfish, squid, and turtles (and more) all coming out to play… haha! We then went to Marco’s (YUM) for dinner, and then Mom, Curt and I watched Roman Holiday and it was all happy times…
Thursday, Curt and I got off work as normal, but hurried, and took the boat out just the two of us for a nice evening of wakeskating and cruising. It was a really nice night and the water was so smooth as many people don’t go out so late and during the week, but we got an hour or so in before it got too dark, and we really had a great time, though we ended up tearing ourselves up a bit! I took two hard falls in the beginning that TOTALLY rattled my brain as I fell in the water on my head (I was a little rusty and was not letting go of the rope as I was falling – ugh!) so that *REALLY* hurt, and then as I was falling another time my knee skidded the skate so I had a nice skate rash all over my knee and leg… Curt also pulled a muscle or strained one in his arm, so we went home a couple of gimps! Later that evening my sore throat set in, and I felt SURE it was because of my two falls that set my head/ear fluid/everything out of whack!
Then Friday Kendyl got her Harley! It is white, and I will post pictures when I get back into town and on my other laptop, but she looks pretty sharp on it! The night she got it she and Mom rode their Harley’s up to see Mam and they had a good time… Kendyl has wanted one for a long time so check that one off the list! Next time you see her ask her how many pairs of boots she bought to “match” her bike and her many outfits… I love her – LOL!Then on Sunday Dad was getting in at 7:30 p.m. or so, so because Kendyl and Dad had been out of town earlier, and I still hadn’t had an all together get together, we went out to the Cheesecake factory for dessert, did presents, sang and the whole bit, so that was awesome, too! So it was really a different kind of birthday with a bunch of activities that only a few people at a time were a part of, but I guess that’s how it goes when your birthday falls on hump day? It seems like my birthday has fallen on a weekday FOREVER now!
Tuesday was Mom’s Birthday and we went to Fogo de Chao which is a churrascaria much like Texas de Brazil so I was in heaven! I actually didn’t eat myself silly so that was good, but oh what a carnivore’s paradise! We had a great time, and I got a massage for Mom so hopefully I’ll get to go with her when she goes – I love massages!!
Wednesday I flew to DC for work, so am here now, and tomorrow I’m going to see my Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle who are up here in this area – so fun! I’m staying the night with them then heading home Saturday, so a really quick trip but you take what you can get, right? Anyway, heading off soon so gotta wrap it up. I have a few pics that I want to post and will when I get home. I got a new laptop though (against my wishes) from work and all of my programs are wiped, so I’m going to have to spend some time getting it back to normal… ugh! The laptop is nice and all, but I had a great system, and had everything like I wanted it!!
Oh, and REALLY excited about the new Harry Potter book - will be reading it this weekend so please no one spoil it for me, ok?? I started book 6 yesterday to make sure I'm all fresh and ready to go, and am about half way through so with the plane ride back I should finish it. I was kind of bummed b/c I'm missing the release party at Borders on Friday night, but they'll hold my reserved copy til Saturday evening so you know the first place we'll be going when Curt grabs me from the airport!
Anyway, until next time!
Love,
Tasha xx
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
More candles, please...
You gotta love birthdays...
My morning started out perfectly - the alarm went off and instantly started playing my summer theme song, "Nothing Left to Lose" by Mat Kearney, had a great lunch and wonderful tres leches cake for lunch with my coworkers, avoided being t-boned by a crazy bmw that ran a red light - hello? Thanks to Corbitt driving like a grandma we hadn't started going yet and this guy hit he truck that was on our rig
ht, but had we been there it would have been an entire lane LESS and surely would have hit us much harder… oh and by the way, it was a hit and run, he ended up hitting the truck lightly, but kept going, and the truck didn’t bother to chase him?! Crazy… Anyway, oh and forgot to say that while on the way to lunch heard my summer theme song AGAIN AND willed a front row spot at Ruggles which is pretty much impossible, so I’m on *fire*!! Tonight is Harry Potter with Curt and my mom which should be fantastic, and it’s been a good day so far with lots of calls from friends and family. The only thing t
hat is missing is Savannah, which I cried about last night, but am holding it together to make it a happy day today… and oh yeah, no rain! I think it has only ever rained on my birthday once, if even, so how about that?
Can’t wait to see the movie, will let all of you know how it is!
Love,
Tasha xx
ht, but had we been there it would have been an entire lane LESS and surely would have hit us much harder… oh and by the way, it was a hit and run, he ended up hitting the truck lightly, but kept going, and the truck didn’t bother to chase him?! Crazy… Anyway, oh and forgot to say that while on the way to lunch heard my summer theme song AGAIN AND willed a front row spot at Ruggles which is pretty much impossible, so I’m on *fire*!! Tonight is Harry Potter with Curt and my mom which should be fantastic, and it’s been a good day so far with lots of calls from friends and family. The only thing t
hat is missing is Savannah, which I cried about last night, but am holding it together to make it a happy day today… and oh yeah, no rain! I think it has only ever rained on my birthday once, if even, so how about that?Can’t wait to see the movie, will let all of you know how it is!
Love,
Tasha xx
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Young Life Camp at Crooked Creek!
Young Life Camp was AMAZING! 
Last week was great in pretty much every way… it’s almost too much to go through b/c we were so unbelievably busy, but to nutshell it to avoid the longest blog posting ever, I rode horses, mountain biked (omg so hard), did a ropes course (I’ve done these before, but have never zip-lined which was so fast!), did an
obstacle course in the mud, in the dark (and it was freezing by the way and people were coming out of the bushes with water balloons and super soakers), square danced, ate amazing food, had fun in dune buggy’s on a course, human rodeo, volleyball tournament, pool games tournament, BLOBBED, slid down a huge water slide, played dodge ball, and laughed a ton at Club every night.
We had 14 girls total in our cabin, 3 leaders and 11 girls. The other leaders were Rachel and Cori, and the girls were: Mikey, Tia, Brittney, Meara, Christina, Shelby, Heather,
Evie, Alex, Laura Ann, and Jenie. They were from both Woodlands and College Park as we’re a mixed club for the moment, and most of them going into their Junior or Sophomore year. We took our trip with another local (and rival) high school, Oak Ridge, who for this trip we termed “Smoke Ridge” b/c they had so many smokers – yuck!, and then a group of Woodlands/CP boys as well, so in total there were about 55 of us. We road the bus up on Saturday afternoon, got there Sunday afternoon, and then began our week of fun in the Rockies at Crooked Creek! All of the activities listed above were jam packed in there, and there was usually some free time in the afternoons but we al
ways seemed so busy! The camp is amazing – not to mention just gorgeous in layout and scenery – but had every amenity imaginable. The pool was huge and was so great, they had a hot tub that sat about 30 kids at a time, and had so many games and things to do, snack bar with WONDERFUL milkshakes and ice cream, and of course the YL store which I spent a small fortune in… I just love that we do this!
The girls were incredible to get
to know, too. As Curt and I have one year under our belt with this group it really solidified my relationship with a lot of the girls, and I can’t wait to see the fruits of that this next year! The message was really incredible too – mostly at YL camp it centers around God’s love for you no matter where you are, what you’ve done, etc. and just walks through Jesus’ death, resur
rection and really where we fit in so that was so good to hear again and even better, have the time to reflect on this as life is usually so busy! I loved it…the only bummer was that Curt couldn’t be there to share in this, but hopefully next year! 
Anyway, going to post a bunch of pictures to make up for what I’m lacking in words…
Love,
Tasha xx
Last week was great in pretty much every way… it’s almost too much to go through b/c we were so unbelievably busy, but to nutshell it to avoid the longest blog posting ever, I rode horses, mountain biked (omg so hard), did a ropes course (I’ve done these before, but have never zip-lined which was so fast!), did an
obstacle course in the mud, in the dark (and it was freezing by the way and people were coming out of the bushes with water balloons and super soakers), square danced, ate amazing food, had fun in dune buggy’s on a course, human rodeo, volleyball tournament, pool games tournament, BLOBBED, slid down a huge water slide, played dodge ball, and laughed a ton at Club every night.We had 14 girls total in our cabin, 3 leaders and 11 girls. The other leaders were Rachel and Cori, and the girls were: Mikey, Tia, Brittney, Meara, Christina, Shelby, Heather,
Evie, Alex, Laura Ann, and Jenie. They were from both Woodlands and College Park as we’re a mixed club for the moment, and most of them going into their Junior or Sophomore year. We took our trip with another local (and rival) high school, Oak Ridge, who for this trip we termed “Smoke Ridge” b/c they had so many smokers – yuck!, and then a group of Woodlands/CP boys as well, so in total there were about 55 of us. We road the bus up on Saturday afternoon, got there Sunday afternoon, and then began our week of fun in the Rockies at Crooked Creek! All of the activities listed above were jam packed in there, and there was usually some free time in the afternoons but we al
ways seemed so busy! The camp is amazing – not to mention just gorgeous in layout and scenery – but had every amenity imaginable. The pool was huge and was so great, they had a hot tub that sat about 30 kids at a time, and had so many games and things to do, snack bar with WONDERFUL milkshakes and ice cream, and of course the YL store which I spent a small fortune in… I just love that we do this!The girls were incredible to get
to know, too. As Curt and I have one year under our belt with this group it really solidified my relationship with a lot of the girls, and I can’t wait to see the fruits of that this next year! The message was really incredible too – mostly at YL camp it centers around God’s love for you no matter where you are, what you’ve done, etc. and just walks through Jesus’ death, resur
rection and really where we fit in so that was so good to hear again and even better, have the time to reflect on this as life is usually so busy! I loved it…the only bummer was that Curt couldn’t be there to share in this, but hopefully next year! 
Anyway, going to post a bunch of pictures to make up for what I’m lacking in words…Love,
Tasha xx
Friday, June 29, 2007
Heaven sent... My Savannah
This is going to be a hard post for me, and probably a sad one to read so there's my disclaimer. I'll do my best to keep it upbeat but the truth is that I feel a hole in my heart. Savannah went to Heaven last night, and it was one of the most painful moments of my life. I felt such a responsibility to her to do the right thing because she has been the most amazing dog and friend to me, and yet it was still so ridiculously hard to let her go.
As she hadn't eaten a full meal since Monday, and only a few bites here and there since then, I talked to the vet and we decided that the time had come, just as he had informed me back in the beginning of June that this day would come when she stopped eating. Her tumor had grown rapidly, and she just kept getting skinnier and skinnier, while her poor little belly kept expanding. We pampered her and mentally prepared; my family came over on Wednesday to spend some time with her, and then Curt & I spent more time last night before we left. We took the dogs out together, and let Savannah off the leash down the lane, and as she was walking away from us it struck me that she would be doing the s
ame thing later that night onto Heaven. It reminded me of Ayla in Clan of the Cave Bear (some may laugh) but I thought that for her, I needed to try and be as strong as I could. My mom, Curt and I drove to the vet's, with me with Savannah in the back, and I just pet her (and cried) the whole way there. When we got there Dr. Hablinski was great. We had some time alone with her in a room, and then he lead us to the back where they had their staff and locked the door to interruptions. They laid her on the table, and I held her head and spoke to her to tell her how much I loved her and that I would see her on the flip side. Curt held my other hand and was at my side, and Savannah and I were head to head, eye to eye until the end. I was beyond upset of course, and I could see in her eyes that she didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't concerned. All I saw there was trust - soul to soul trust in me that all would be ok. It was a heavy and painful burden and so hard for me to watch her go.
I remembered later that she always had this trust in me from the beginning
, and I first saw this in her when I first cut her toenails. I had laid her down, draped a leg over her in case she tried to bolt, and cut her nails. At first she didn't like it, but she listened to my comforts and trusted that I wasn't there to hurt her even though we were still getting acquainted. Where I called, she followed, and we spent her last moments in this trust and bond. The vet told us to stay as long as we needed, and then they would prepare her in her little coffin for us to take her to her final resting place. At this point of course I was a bawling mess, but Mom and Curt were there to comfort and we made our peace. They prepared her by wrapping her in a blanket that I had brought from the house - the blanket that used to sit in my bowl chair where we would sit together sometimes (and Savannah would be ever so pushy to get more room) as this was the only furniture she was allowed up on. I also brought her red lion stuffed squeaker toy, and her frog that Vicki got her for her birthday party, so they are in there with her as well.
We then got on the road to Giddings, where CP & Judy were waiting with a grave dug on top of the hill at their ranch. On the way over for the first hour or so I was still really upset, and about the time we reached the point on 105 before Plantersville, it started to rain even though the sun was still shining in the distance. I thought to myself, how fitting that there would be both rain and sunshine, as that was exactly what I felt. I then thought, wow, wouldn't it be amazing to see a rainbow from her to know that she was here with me, and that she had made it? I then looked out my window and was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw the most beautiful full rainbow on the horizon - I choked out for everyone to look, and I felt a certain peace knowing that God and she had heard me, I couldn't believe it. From that point on in the drive I felt so much better - still cried a lot but it was such a beautiful evening and I knew even in death that she would still be here for me. I took some pictures of the sunset, and knew that it was all for us...
We got to College Station and stopped for a bite to eat (about 8:30 p.m.) and I watched the sun go down while Curt and Mom were getting the food. We made it to Giddings a little before 10 p.m. and Curtis had spent some time earlier that day digging her grave to be right next to Jesse and Bear on the top of the hill. The moon was full, or close to it, and we lowered her in. I put some flowers on her coffin and said a few private words to her, and then we covered her to rest in peace. It really is the most beautiful place, and I know there she will be able to run free in spirit and it brings me comfort.
We stayed and chatted with Curtis and Judy, but it was late so we headed home... my head felt as if it would explode from the pressure of having been a basketcase all day, so Mom told us to sleep. We got home around 1:30 a.m. to a sleepy Maverick and cried some more and headed to bed. I can't wait to go to Giddings and spend the weekend, and spend some time with her on that hill.
As we were drifting off to sleep, I told Curt the story of when Kendyl and I went to Gulf Greyhound Park to pick out a dog that was up for adoption (May of 2001). We had brought Cottonwood with us thinking that whoever it was would have to get along with her, and we were thinking that I would get a boy b/c usually opposite sexes work better together so a dog isn't fighting for Alpha, etc. The lady however, took us to meet Savannah first, and I was closed to it at first b/c we were pretty sure it would be a boy, but she took us to her pen anyway and she and CW sniffed and were fine together, and Savannah was lively and excited that we were there. We went on and took a look at all of the boys, everyone of them CW *hated* and growled at, so we went back to see Savannah. CW gave her a mini growl then, but mostly b/c she was worked up by that point, but we knew that she was the one so I completely changed my mind and from then on I was set on her. She had the most beautiful coloring, I remember, red fawn, and was the softest dog I had ever met, and I think that she probably will always will be.
I just wanted to share my most favorite things about Savannah:
10. When we would take Savannah back to the track (with CW) for the greyhound reunion parades, she would go crazy crazy over the bunny when the races began. She would get on her hind legs, and prop her front two on the window, and bark with wild abandon with her tail wagging wildly in her helicopter mode (just huge circles) wanting to get out and run with her buddies. I recently saw a taste of this last week as I took her and Maverick out to potty in the lane down from our house. I had them both on their leashes, and it was misting and cloudy, and all of a sudden I saw them both go to attention. I turned to look at what it was, not knowing what to expect, and there was a small armadillo less than 8 feet away, completely unfazed by our presence. Maverick and Savannah both started prancing, Savannah's ears were at their full height, and she was whining and just wanting so badly to go check it out. I calmed them and told them we were just going to watch, and they kept it up until it disappeared into the woods. It was a special moment for me to see her act that way with such excitement.
9. Savannah was once so excited to go for a ride in Kendyl's truck to the park, that before we could get the tailgate down she cleared the bed and jumped straight in. I was floored - we had no idea she could jump that high, and I'm sure she didn't either, but I couldn't believe that in one leap she could be in the back of the truck, and it's not a small truck, either!! She was a determined little girl...
8. As most of you know I have a teddy bear that my Great Grandmother got me when I was about 10 or so, and I have slept with it ever since. Savannah has always loved Murray, and she was so sneaky with him because she would walk by the bed, and if he was in grabbing distance she would just take him and go somewhere alone. She would never chew on him, or treat him as a toy, I would just find her there with him tucked between her two front feet, with her head lying on top of his belly... she just liked to be near him I suppose because it has my scent all over it. I used to get cross at her when she did this, but it became an endearing game...
7. Savannah was a prancer when she was happy. She would do little jumps for joy if you asked if she wanted a treat, or if she wanted to go for a ride or walk, and when she would walk in these moments it was with such a confident bounce and stride that would make her collar jingle a ton.
6. Here in the last month I've taken note of her and Maverick's relationship. I loved it when she would be lying down on a bed, and Maverick would come up to her, and if they were both in the right mood, they would just sit there and sniff each other's faces and just love on each other. It was so special to see this quiet shared moment between two companions. Maverick has never known life without Savannah, and she was always so patient with him as a puppy. As he got older she was more inclined to put him in his place, but these quiet moments showed how much they cherished one another.
5. She was hysterical when she was ready to play. She could hang with Maverick in a game of tug of war (STRONG!), she would sneak up and pounce on a victim stuffed animal and thrash it about, and steal Mav's toys as well. Once in a blue moon, she would bark when she was excited in play, and it was always this snappy, gruff, joyous sound!
4. Savannah was the epitome of grace. She could run like the wind, and I loved to watch her run at Townplace in the grass around the col-de-sac. When she had gotten it all out of her system, she would then come sit by me in the grass, me on the porch, and we would just sit and think there in silence.
3. When we lived at Townplace she got into the habit of "watching the crack" when I would come home. As we didn't have a window near the carport, she would intently just stand by the door, ears at alert listening for the moment that I would be at the door. She would sometimes whine in anticipation, and I got to see for myself at my parent's house when I could look down on her playing this game... hilarious
2. I loved it when she would sniff my eyes and face... she would be ever so gentle, and just go over all of my features, with my eyes being her favorite. I don't know if eye makeup smells or what but she would even sometimes give a small lick (and she wasn't a licker!)
1. Savannah was a cuddler. She would rub her face on my legs and get really into it which was so funny, although not always so funny when I just put on my business skirt or pants and couldn't have hair all over me, in which case I would have to pet her head so she could get her fill - haha. She also liked to stand by me and others that she wanted to be close to - she would literally just walk up to you and just stand directly by you, or with her neck touching your leg. She was all about proximity. You could especially get a taste of this when she would get a bath... she wasn't always thrilled about the bath part, though she would tolerate it for her favorite part which came after, the towel-dry off. When she was finished, I would hold out the towel like a bull fighter, and she would just walk right into it with her head between my knees, and wait for a rub down, and oh how she loved it! :-) She would also enjoy when you laid with her on the floor, and sometimes would lay directly on top of you and paw at you to remind you to pet her...
*My all time favorite Savannah-ism:* I loved it when she woke up in the morning, and she would get up halfway and come to a sitting position, and stretch her nose high to the sky, with her ears as far wide as they could stretch. It was so funny, and yet so beautiful - she didn't do it all the time, so I had to learn how to catch her in it...
Now will be the hard part of coming to peace with this at home. Maverick was excited for us to be home last night and played with his blue lion (identical to Savannah's red one) and sniffed at her collar and leash, and today I keep looking for her and then remember. It will be a hard transition, but I know she will always be in my heart and that I have 6 years of wonderful memories where it was at first just us girls, and then a joined family. This is impossibly so hard, but all worth it just the same...
Love you Savannah,
Tasha xx
As she hadn't eaten a full meal since Monday, and only a few bites here and there since then, I talked to the vet and we decided that the time had come, just as he had informed me back in the beginning of June that this day would come when she stopped eating. Her tumor had grown rapidly, and she just kept getting skinnier and skinnier, while her poor little belly kept expanding. We pampered her and mentally prepared; my family came over on Wednesday to spend some time with her, and then Curt & I spent more time last night before we left. We took the dogs out together, and let Savannah off the leash down the lane, and as she was walking away from us it struck me that she would be doing the s
ame thing later that night onto Heaven. It reminded me of Ayla in Clan of the Cave Bear (some may laugh) but I thought that for her, I needed to try and be as strong as I could. My mom, Curt and I drove to the vet's, with me with Savannah in the back, and I just pet her (and cried) the whole way there. When we got there Dr. Hablinski was great. We had some time alone with her in a room, and then he lead us to the back where they had their staff and locked the door to interruptions. They laid her on the table, and I held her head and spoke to her to tell her how much I loved her and that I would see her on the flip side. Curt held my other hand and was at my side, and Savannah and I were head to head, eye to eye until the end. I was beyond upset of course, and I could see in her eyes that she didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't concerned. All I saw there was trust - soul to soul trust in me that all would be ok. It was a heavy and painful burden and so hard for me to watch her go.I remembered later that she always had this trust in me from the beginning
, and I first saw this in her when I first cut her toenails. I had laid her down, draped a leg over her in case she tried to bolt, and cut her nails. At first she didn't like it, but she listened to my comforts and trusted that I wasn't there to hurt her even though we were still getting acquainted. Where I called, she followed, and we spent her last moments in this trust and bond. The vet told us to stay as long as we needed, and then they would prepare her in her little coffin for us to take her to her final resting place. At this point of course I was a bawling mess, but Mom and Curt were there to comfort and we made our peace. They prepared her by wrapping her in a blanket that I had brought from the house - the blanket that used to sit in my bowl chair where we would sit together sometimes (and Savannah would be ever so pushy to get more room) as this was the only furniture she was allowed up on. I also brought her red lion stuffed squeaker toy, and her frog that Vicki got her for her birthday party, so they are in there with her as well.
We then got on the road to Giddings, where CP & Judy were waiting with a grave dug on top of the hill at their ranch. On the way over for the first hour or so I was still really upset, and about the time we reached the point on 105 before Plantersville, it started to rain even though the sun was still shining in the distance. I thought to myself, how fitting that there would be both rain and sunshine, as that was exactly what I felt. I then thought, wow, wouldn't it be amazing to see a rainbow from her to know that she was here with me, and that she had made it? I then looked out my window and was overwhelmed with emotion when I saw the most beautiful full rainbow on the horizon - I choked out for everyone to look, and I felt a certain peace knowing that God and she had heard me, I couldn't believe it. From that point on in the drive I felt so much better - still cried a lot but it was such a beautiful evening and I knew even in death that she would still be here for me. I took some pictures of the sunset, and knew that it was all for us...We got to College Station and stopped for a bite to eat (about 8:30 p.m.) and I watched the sun go down while Curt and Mom were getting the food. We made it to Giddings a little before 10 p.m. and Curtis had spent some time earlier that day digging her grave to be right next to Jesse and Bear on the top of the hill. The moon was full, or close to it, and we lowered her in. I put some flowers on her coffin and said a few private words to her, and then we covered her to rest in peace. It really is the most beautiful place, and I know there she will be able to run free in spirit and it brings me comfort.
We stayed and chatted with Curtis and Judy, but it was late so we headed home... my head felt as if it would explode from the pressure of having been a basketcase all day, so Mom told us to sleep. We got home around 1:30 a.m. to a sleepy Maverick and cried some more and headed to bed. I can't wait to go to Giddings and spend the weekend, and spend some time with her on that hill.
As we were drifting off to sleep, I told Curt the story of when Kendyl and I went to Gulf Greyhound Park to pick out a dog that was up for adoption (May of 2001). We had brought Cottonwood with us thinking that whoever it was would have to get along with her, and we were thinking that I would get a boy b/c usually opposite sexes work better together so a dog isn't fighting for Alpha, etc. The lady however, took us to meet Savannah first, and I was closed to it at first b/c we were pretty sure it would be a boy, but she took us to her pen anyway and she and CW sniffed and were fine together, and Savannah was lively and excited that we were there. We went on and took a look at all of the boys, everyone of them CW *hated* and growled at, so we went back to see Savannah. CW gave her a mini growl then, but mostly b/c she was worked up by that point, but we knew that she was the one so I completely changed my mind and from then on I was set on her. She had the most beautiful coloring, I remember, red fawn, and was the softest dog I had ever met, and I think that she probably will always will be.
I just wanted to share my most favorite things about Savannah:
10. When we would take Savannah back to the track (with CW) for the greyhound reunion parades, she would go crazy crazy over the bunny when the races began. She would get on her hind legs, and prop her front two on the window, and bark with wild abandon with her tail wagging wildly in her helicopter mode (just huge circles) wanting to get out and run with her buddies. I recently saw a taste of this last week as I took her and Maverick out to potty in the lane down from our house. I had them both on their leashes, and it was misting and cloudy, and all of a sudden I saw them both go to attention. I turned to look at what it was, not knowing what to expect, and there was a small armadillo less than 8 feet away, completely unfazed by our presence. Maverick and Savannah both started prancing, Savannah's ears were at their full height, and she was whining and just wanting so badly to go check it out. I calmed them and told them we were just going to watch, and they kept it up until it disappeared into the woods. It was a special moment for me to see her act that way with such excitement.
9. Savannah was once so excited to go for a ride in Kendyl's truck to the park, that before we could get the tailgate down she cleared the bed and jumped straight in. I was floored - we had no idea she could jump that high, and I'm sure she didn't either, but I couldn't believe that in one leap she could be in the back of the truck, and it's not a small truck, either!! She was a determined little girl...
8. As most of you know I have a teddy bear that my Great Grandmother got me when I was about 10 or so, and I have slept with it ever since. Savannah has always loved Murray, and she was so sneaky with him because she would walk by the bed, and if he was in grabbing distance she would just take him and go somewhere alone. She would never chew on him, or treat him as a toy, I would just find her there with him tucked between her two front feet, with her head lying on top of his belly... she just liked to be near him I suppose because it has my scent all over it. I used to get cross at her when she did this, but it became an endearing game...
7. Savannah was a prancer when she was happy. She would do little jumps for joy if you asked if she wanted a treat, or if she wanted to go for a ride or walk, and when she would walk in these moments it was with such a confident bounce and stride that would make her collar jingle a ton.
6. Here in the last month I've taken note of her and Maverick's relationship. I loved it when she would be lying down on a bed, and Maverick would come up to her, and if they were both in the right mood, they would just sit there and sniff each other's faces and just love on each other. It was so special to see this quiet shared moment between two companions. Maverick has never known life without Savannah, and she was always so patient with him as a puppy. As he got older she was more inclined to put him in his place, but these quiet moments showed how much they cherished one another.
5. She was hysterical when she was ready to play. She could hang with Maverick in a game of tug of war (STRONG!), she would sneak up and pounce on a victim stuffed animal and thrash it about, and steal Mav's toys as well. Once in a blue moon, she would bark when she was excited in play, and it was always this snappy, gruff, joyous sound!
4. Savannah was the epitome of grace. She could run like the wind, and I loved to watch her run at Townplace in the grass around the col-de-sac. When she had gotten it all out of her system, she would then come sit by me in the grass, me on the porch, and we would just sit and think there in silence.
3. When we lived at Townplace she got into the habit of "watching the crack" when I would come home. As we didn't have a window near the carport, she would intently just stand by the door, ears at alert listening for the moment that I would be at the door. She would sometimes whine in anticipation, and I got to see for myself at my parent's house when I could look down on her playing this game... hilarious
2. I loved it when she would sniff my eyes and face... she would be ever so gentle, and just go over all of my features, with my eyes being her favorite. I don't know if eye makeup smells or what but she would even sometimes give a small lick (and she wasn't a licker!)
1. Savannah was a cuddler. She would rub her face on my legs and get really into it which was so funny, although not always so funny when I just put on my business skirt or pants and couldn't have hair all over me, in which case I would have to pet her head so she could get her fill - haha. She also liked to stand by me and others that she wanted to be close to - she would literally just walk up to you and just stand directly by you, or with her neck touching your leg. She was all about proximity. You could especially get a taste of this when she would get a bath... she wasn't always thrilled about the bath part, though she would tolerate it for her favorite part which came after, the towel-dry off. When she was finished, I would hold out the towel like a bull fighter, and she would just walk right into it with her head between my knees, and wait for a rub down, and oh how she loved it! :-) She would also enjoy when you laid with her on the floor, and sometimes would lay directly on top of you and paw at you to remind you to pet her...
*My all time favorite Savannah-ism:* I loved it when she woke up in the morning, and she would get up halfway and come to a sitting position, and stretch her nose high to the sky, with her ears as far wide as they could stretch. It was so funny, and yet so beautiful - she didn't do it all the time, so I had to learn how to catch her in it...
Now will be the hard part of coming to peace with this at home. Maverick was excited for us to be home last night and played with his blue lion (identical to Savannah's red one) and sniffed at her collar and leash, and today I keep looking for her and then remember. It will be a hard transition, but I know she will always be in my heart and that I have 6 years of wonderful memories where it was at first just us girls, and then a joined family. This is impossibly so hard, but all worth it just the same...
Love you Savannah,
Tasha xx
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
It takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow...
Sorry it’s been awhile (and I was doing so well!) but I’ve just been down lately so it’s been hard to motivate myself to write as I know it’s not really fun to read about someone going through cloudy times…
Savannah has declined, so we are talking about going in either tomorrow or Friday to say our goodbyes. I feel blessed to have had the time to go through the process of recognizing we have to let her go to avoid her suffering, but it still doesn’t make thinking about it any easier. We will take her to Giddings to the ranch to be buried as it will be a place we go often and a place where I know she will be safe and can run free in spirit. She will keep Bear and Jesse company at the top of the hill where they can see the whole property so it will be lovely.
I also decided I’m going to order a stone to put in our garden like this one from Old World Stones (they do all kinds of garden stones, including pet memorials http://www.oldworldstones.com/), so that I can just sit in our backyard and have this to look at to remember her place in our family.
And there has just been some drama lately that is not really fun blog material either, but like everything, it too shall pass (hopefully). So if you have any extra prayers out there, send some up for Savannah and me, I could use some extras - thanks :-)...
One funny story that did brighten my day yesterday – Kendyl and I were driving along, and she was telling me that yesterday was the day that her company celebrated the June birthdays, so an email was circulated that cake would be in the break room at 2 p.m. Well she was doing some work so she decided she didn’t want to show up RIGHT at 2 p.m., but that she would go when she finished. Well, turns out at these monthly birthday celebrations, the President of the company comes down (big deal, she works for a very large company) to say Happy Birthday, and also introduce any new hires! So when he came to Kendyl’s name, it was the whole, “Bueller, Bueller?” and she was nowhere, so some kind soul ran through the halls to come and snag her saying they were asking for her, and she had no idea why (she’s not a June birthday?) and that it was one of those “walks through the death gauntlet” through the crowd, because apparently EVERYONE attends these, and is on time to hear the President speak. How embarrassing – she pretty much said she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but that she tried to do the best she could with it. When the President did introduce her and said she was from A&M, she whooped, which made all of the other Aggies WHOOP!, including the President as he’s an Aggie – whew! He also said after that anyone who didn’t have the privelidge to know what that was to ask him later and he would educate them… of course I was laughing hysterically just cringing for her, but that’s culture stuff that she couldn’t have known! She even said, I mean on Office Space the eating cake in the break room was really casual, and not EVERYONE goes! OMG it was too funny… not all bad, though – like my Dad said, at least they know who she is – LOL!
So thank goodness for funny stories b/c last night I really needed one… rough stuff, but hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Anyway, lunch is over!
Tasha xx
Savannah has declined, so we are talking about going in either tomorrow or Friday to say our goodbyes. I feel blessed to have had the time to go through the process of recognizing we have to let her go to avoid her suffering, but it still doesn’t make thinking about it any easier. We will take her to Giddings to the ranch to be buried as it will be a place we go often and a place where I know she will be safe and can run free in spirit. She will keep Bear and Jesse company at the top of the hill where they can see the whole property so it will be lovely.
I also decided I’m going to order a stone to put in our garden like this one from Old World Stones (they do all kinds of garden stones, including pet memorials http://www.oldworldstones.com/), so that I can just sit in our backyard and have this to look at to remember her place in our family.
And there has just been some drama lately that is not really fun blog material either, but like everything, it too shall pass (hopefully). So if you have any extra prayers out there, send some up for Savannah and me, I could use some extras - thanks :-)...
One funny story that did brighten my day yesterday – Kendyl and I were driving along, and she was telling me that yesterday was the day that her company celebrated the June birthdays, so an email was circulated that cake would be in the break room at 2 p.m. Well she was doing some work so she decided she didn’t want to show up RIGHT at 2 p.m., but that she would go when she finished. Well, turns out at these monthly birthday celebrations, the President of the company comes down (big deal, she works for a very large company) to say Happy Birthday, and also introduce any new hires! So when he came to Kendyl’s name, it was the whole, “Bueller, Bueller?” and she was nowhere, so some kind soul ran through the halls to come and snag her saying they were asking for her, and she had no idea why (she’s not a June birthday?) and that it was one of those “walks through the death gauntlet” through the crowd, because apparently EVERYONE attends these, and is on time to hear the President speak. How embarrassing – she pretty much said she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but that she tried to do the best she could with it. When the President did introduce her and said she was from A&M, she whooped, which made all of the other Aggies WHOOP!, including the President as he’s an Aggie – whew! He also said after that anyone who didn’t have the privelidge to know what that was to ask him later and he would educate them… of course I was laughing hysterically just cringing for her, but that’s culture stuff that she couldn’t have known! She even said, I mean on Office Space the eating cake in the break room was really casual, and not EVERYONE goes! OMG it was too funny… not all bad, though – like my Dad said, at least they know who she is – LOL!
So thank goodness for funny stories b/c last night I really needed one… rough stuff, but hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Anyway, lunch is over!
Tasha xx
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wedding Season!
This weekend was interesting, to say the least, but the highlight was definitely Chandra & Walt's wedding on Saturday night! Chandra is one of Kendyl's oldest friends (from school and then 
soccer) and their wedding was at a beautiful church in the back of town, and then the reception was at the Waterway Conference Center, and it was gorgeous! Chandra looked so beautiful, and Kendyl was a gorgeous bridesmaid! The reception was very nice - they had different food stations, and I have to say my favorite (and unique!) "Smashed Potato Bar!" They had purple mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and regular mashed potatoes which I'm pretty sure I will dream about b/c they were SO GOOD! To top this off, they had a bunch of "fixins" as well, so I had the regular mashed potatoes with a little garlic, and a little crunchy bacon, and seriously guys, some of the best of my life, and I am a very critical judge of mashed potatoes!!
Curt and I had a wonderful time dancing, and then it got a little faster and me and Kendyl had a great time jitterbugging - it was a blast! As it was a formal wedding, I got to wear Tiffany's bridesmaid dress, too, which was great! I love that, and it was perfect for the weather and occasion, so yea! Their favors were so adorable - because they both went to Baylor they had Dr. Pepper in their original bottles with ribbons wrapped around with their names and the date - so adorable! They also had the M&M's custom made and printed with their names, dates, their favorite verse, and in their wedding colors so that was really neat, too!
We helped Chandra's family gather things up after the happy couple left to begin their life together, and then went home and CRASHED b/c we were so tired!
Today was a nice, slow day... Curt and I slept in, got some things done around the house, and then we watched National Treasure, and then he had to head out for the rest of training - I can't wait until it's over!!
After he left, I got into my swimsuit (as it was the first time that the sun was out on a weekend in AWHILE!) and went outside to enjoy the pool! I also gave Savannah a bath which was good but made me sad... she's getting really skinny, to the point that I was afraid to give her a good rub down like I normally do... sad Tasha... otherwise she is doing well. Still eating and had a great time chewing on a rawhide bone, so that's good. Then I laid out by the pool, and in the pool with a new floatie for the next few hours, went on a bike ride with Dad and Kendyl, and then went to the grocery store, made myself some dinner and watched Sahara, and wrapping up the weekend to get to bed! So pretty great day if you ask me! Movies, sun, good company, the only thing missing was Curt being able to enjoy it with me!
This week should be cool - going to lunch with CJ, and hopefully Dad and Kendyl, and I have my MS150 prize party, too which should be fun!! Then Saturday I leave for YL camp, and then it's July which I think is so bizarre - how can it be my birthday already?!?
Have a good one, everyone!
Tasha xx
soccer) and their wedding was at a beautiful church in the back of town, and then the reception was at the Waterway Conference Center, and it was gorgeous! Chandra looked so beautiful, and Kendyl was a gorgeous bridesmaid! The reception was very nice - they had different food stations, and I have to say my favorite (and unique!) "Smashed Potato Bar!" They had purple mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and regular mashed potatoes which I'm pretty sure I will dream about b/c they were SO GOOD! To top this off, they had a bunch of "fixins" as well, so I had the regular mashed potatoes with a little garlic, and a little crunchy bacon, and seriously guys, some of the best of my life, and I am a very critical judge of mashed potatoes!!Curt and I had a wonderful time dancing, and then it got a little faster and me and Kendyl had a great time jitterbugging - it was a blast! As it was a formal wedding, I got to wear Tiffany's bridesmaid dress, too, which was great! I love that, and it was perfect for the weather and occasion, so yea! Their favors were so adorable - because they both went to Baylor they had Dr. Pepper in their original bottles with ribbons wrapped around with their names and the date - so adorable! They also had the M&M's custom made and printed with their names, dates, their favorite verse, and in their wedding colors so that was really neat, too!
We helped Chandra's family gather things up after the happy couple left to begin their life together, and then went home and CRASHED b/c we were so tired!
Today was a nice, slow day... Curt and I slept in, got some things done around the house, and then we watched National Treasure, and then he had to head out for the rest of training - I can't wait until it's over!!
After he left, I got into my swimsuit (as it was the first time that the sun was out on a weekend in AWHILE!) and went outside to enjoy the pool! I also gave Savannah a bath which was good but made me sad... she's getting really skinny, to the point that I was afraid to give her a good rub down like I normally do... sad Tasha... otherwise she is doing well. Still eating and had a great time chewing on a rawhide bone, so that's good. Then I laid out by the pool, and in the pool with a new floatie for the next few hours, went on a bike ride with Dad and Kendyl, and then went to the grocery store, made myself some dinner and watched Sahara, and wrapping up the weekend to get to bed! So pretty great day if you ask me! Movies, sun, good company, the only thing missing was Curt being able to enjoy it with me!
This week should be cool - going to lunch with CJ, and hopefully Dad and Kendyl, and I have my MS150 prize party, too which should be fun!! Then Saturday I leave for YL camp, and then it's July which I think is so bizarre - how can it be my birthday already?!?
Have a good one, everyone!
Tasha xx
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Time, can we go by a little faster please?
How can it only be Tuesday? Several times today I have sworn that it should be at least Wednesday, but no, it’s only Tuesday… geez! Not much going on, missing Curt this week, but having fun being lonely housewife, too. I have even bribed Kendyl to come over and mow my lawn in exchange for chicken casserole dinner… she asked me last night why I could not do it, and I asked her if she wanted my honest answer or a better answer. She replied honest, so I said, “honestly, I have made it almost 26 years without ever having to mow a lawn, and I’m going for a record here!” She laughed, and I laughed, and she asked for my better answer and I said, “because I’m still getting over my sick stuff and I could have mono or WORSE!,” which is true, but let’s hope not. Sidebar: I *might* have mono because my glands are still swollen, and I’ve finished my antibiotics from the sick stuff that Curt gave me after Italy, and on Web MD it says that if my lymph nodes don’t “unswell” within the next couple of weeks that it could be something like mono, or heaven forbid, worse. But it is fairly common after an infection to have swollen lymph nodes, so for now I’m just drinking lots of water, taking Vitamin C still, and envisioning the water cleansing that gross stuff out of there – yuck! Anyway, so she’s coming over tonight to do that, and while she is I will cook my specialty and maybe join her outside weeding, or something like that. Should be fun… Thanks, Kendyl!
Update on Savannah: She didn’t eat all of her breakfast this morning and threw up, so I won’t be alarmed for the moment (because she has always done this occasionally anyways) and I’ll wait and see what dinner tonight brings. Maverick is still all up in her business, but he seemed better last night and today so I left him out with her for today, so we’ll see how that appears when I get home later today.
Curt is doing really well in his training – so far he has continued to ace his exams, and excel in his courses so that is wonderful. This training is career-defining to say the least, so
I am really happy that he is so focused and set on doing really well. They said in his course that everyone in this training would at some point get the opportunity to go and live abroad, whether it’s 3 weeks from now or 3 years from now, so just be prepared for that and the decision-making process. I asked Curt if there was a sign-up sheet, which there isn’t, but here’s one of the places we could go if we are REALLY lucky… Germany! So pretty, huh? Of course the company has offices in over 60 countries so there are a ton of possibilities, but maybe someday we’ll have the opportunity to go somewhere really amazing!I’m getting excited for YL camp – I leave on the 30th of June and will be gone until the 8th – we are going to Crooked Creek! Should be SO MUCH FUN – they have horses, a BLOB which I have never done and am excited about, and of course so much singing and talking and hanging out that it will be unreal! I am so excited to get to know our kids on this level, and finally be on the other side!
Hope everyone has a great day, and take a look as I just posted the Italy pics! These are just a few out of the 700+ that we took. Kendyl is hard at work making a complete DVD with our videos, and all of our pics, so whoever is interested in seeing it sometime, just let me know!
And show me some love with the comments, people!
Tasha xx
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Summer is in full swing!
So last night was a wonderful summer evening at the Kenny Chesney concert. 
Vicki came in so it was just a girls evening with me, Mom, Mam, Kendyl, and Vicki. The weather was perfect - Vicki and I caught some dinner at Chick Fil A and went to my parents to eat and my dad was nice enough to take us and drop us off. The first act was Taylor Swift, and she was good - she's only 17! We were shocked!
Next was Sugarland, and that was who Kendyl really came to see, she loves them! She has loved Sugarland since before they were big, so she was so excited! We got some good video, too... lol! They of course didn't know we were taping - whoops! I loved it when she sang Beyonce's song with the "To the Left, To the Left," and no one but me knew that song, and then I didn't really know any other songs except for the ones that had gotten major radio play! LOL!
What was even more entertaining was this group in front of us, and this girl was already a little tipsy at the beginning of the show, and they went to get some beverages, and came back and the girl had a different shirt on! My eyebrows were raised but she started to explain to her friends that someone down there had bought the shirt off her back for $20 bucks (it was the flip flop tour shirt) and her flip flop lighter for $5 - it was the most hilarious thing listening to her thinking what a great deal she got when she probably paid $35 for that shirt! LOL... anyway, not nice to make fun so I'll stop now...
So night fell and it was time for Kenny to come on - he had a whole Pirates of the Caribbean
theme as Cruzan Rum is a sponsor (shameless plugs everywhere) and he started with his newer stuff that I didn't really know, but then as he went on he got into his older stuff which is my favorite... it was the epitome of summer - perfect weather, good music, good friends and family, and just great. Vicki and I stated the 3 songs we were hoping to hear, and he played them all! My favorite was "Back where I come from" and it was just great. We left a little early at 10:45 p.m. or so to beat the crowds as Dad was coming back to get us, so we walked to Market Street and got some Jamba Juice, then Dad came and got us, and it was a great night.
Today is the Ballet, another girls event, so stay tuned....
Tasha xx
Vicki came in so it was just a girls evening with me, Mom, Mam, Kendyl, and Vicki. The weather was perfect - Vicki and I caught some dinner at Chick Fil A and went to my parents to eat and my dad was nice enough to take us and drop us off. The first act was Taylor Swift, and she was good - she's only 17! We were shocked!Next was Sugarland, and that was who Kendyl really came to see, she loves them! She has loved Sugarland since before they were big, so she was so excited! We got some good video, too... lol! They of course didn't know we were taping - whoops! I loved it when she sang Beyonce's song with the "To the Left, To the Left," and no one but me knew that song, and then I didn't really know any other songs except for the ones that had gotten major radio play! LOL!
What was even more entertaining was this group in front of us, and this girl was already a little tipsy at the beginning of the show, and they went to get some beverages, and came back and the girl had a different shirt on! My eyebrows were raised but she started to explain to her friends that someone down there had bought the shirt off her back for $20 bucks (it was the flip flop tour shirt) and her flip flop lighter for $5 - it was the most hilarious thing listening to her thinking what a great deal she got when she probably paid $35 for that shirt! LOL... anyway, not nice to make fun so I'll stop now...So night fell and it was time for Kenny to come on - he had a whole Pirates of the Caribbean
theme as Cruzan Rum is a sponsor (shameless plugs everywhere) and he started with his newer stuff that I didn't really know, but then as he went on he got into his older stuff which is my favorite... it was the epitome of summer - perfect weather, good music, good friends and family, and just great. Vicki and I stated the 3 songs we were hoping to hear, and he played them all! My favorite was "Back where I come from" and it was just great. We left a little early at 10:45 p.m. or so to beat the crowds as Dad was coming back to get us, so we walked to Market Street and got some Jamba Juice, then Dad came and got us, and it was a great night.Today is the Ballet, another girls event, so stay tuned....
Tasha xx
Friday, June 15, 2007
TGIF
So glad it’s Friday…
It was a rainy night last night, and I don’t think I’ve driven through worse weather in quite some time! There was this storm cell just sitting on top of downtown, and it was the kind of
storm where the rain and fog are so thick you can’t even tell the difference between the colors in the road and the sky – scary stuff! Then all of a sudden I was out of it, and the sun was shining and the ground was dry – we have such weird weather sometimes! Anyway, last night I had dinner with Yvonne as her hubby is off on a business trip, so we went to Potbelly (one of my faves, yea!) and had a nice chat. Then she dropped me off, and the fam came over to give Dad his Father’s Day gift – a Trek road bike! I think he really likes it – Ken and I thought of this awhile ago but she went ahead and picked it out and bought it, so now we can do the MS150 as a family (with Mom as our ever skilled roadie!) which will be so fun… there is a ride coming up next weekend at Gulf Greyhound Park which I’m dying to do, but Dad gets in from Germany the night before, so he may not feel up to it, but we still may go! Anyway, here are a couple pictures of us last night…
Oh, and so funny! Because we had been hiding the bike at my house, and I couldn't "unveil" in the garage since we did that for Mom on Mother's Day, I made up this story that Dad had to help me kill a wasp’s nest that was on my front door, so we had to get a flashlight, some Lysol and a fly swatter to go around the front so he could find his bike! Apparently my story was so convincing that even Mom and Kendyl didn’t catch what I was doing, so they stayed in the house, and then Kendyl looked out there and figured it out, so they came through the house – it was so funny! I am such a good fibber when it comes to surprises!! So Dad and I were walking around the house, and the flashlight wasn’t working so he was saying things like would I be able to see and run away fast enough, etc. and then he came upon it… LOL! Happy Father’s Day and April Fool’s in June!
Update on Savannah: she is doing great – so far, so good. Her attitude is still cheery, and though I can tell she’s slowing down and have to motivate her to get up when she’s settled, I think she’s doing well… still eating and drinking great, and her other bodily functions are normal, too! Maverick on the other hand, is being a pest but I think it’s because he knows something is up with her. No longer do they sleep on separate doggie beds, but Maverick has to be by her all the time, and he is constantly sniffing at her, and whining at me when I tell him to lay down somewhere else! I’m cutting him some slack as he may be sensing that something is wrong, but it’s getting a little old as he doesn’t leave her alone and she’s having to tell him to “back off” in her most polite growl! Haha…
Anyway, tonight is Sugarland and Kenny Chesney concert – whoop! – which all the girls will be attending (Mam, Mom, Ken, Vicki, Chandra, myself) and then tomorrow we have another girls outing to the ballet! Then hopefully Curt and I will get to spend some time together and have a relaxing Sunday until it comes time for him to leave (AGAIN!)… Check out the adorable video of Sunni as a little girl below - it's really so sweet! I'm going to start using videos more, so check back often!
Have a good one!
Tasha xx
Update on Savannah: she is doing great – so far, so good. Her attitude is still cheery, and though I can tell she’s slowing down and have to motivate her to get up when she’s settled, I think she’s doing well… still eating and drinking great, and her other bodily functions are normal, too! Maverick on the other hand, is being a pest but I think it’s because he knows something is up with her. No longer do they sleep on separate doggie beds, but Maverick has to be by her all the time, and he is constantly sniffing at her, and whining at me when I tell him to lay down somewhere else! I’m cutting him some slack as he may be sensing that something is wrong, but it’s getting a little old as he doesn’t leave her alone and she’s having to tell him to “back off” in her most polite growl! Haha…
Anyway, tonight is Sugarland and Kenny Chesney concert – whoop! – which all the girls will be attending (Mam, Mom, Ken, Vicki, Chandra, myself) and then tomorrow we have another girls outing to the ballet! Then hopefully Curt and I will get to spend some time together and have a relaxing Sunday until it comes time for him to leave (AGAIN!)… Check out the adorable video of Sunni as a little girl below - it's really so sweet! I'm going to start using videos more, so check back often!
Have a good one!
Tasha xx
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Lights, Camera, Action!
So I'm experimenting with an old video clip of Sunni when we first brought her home to Mam... Enjoy (if it works!)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
My Savannah...
Some sad days ahead...
My dog, Savannah will be 10 by the end of summer, and on Saturday I noticed a bump on her "waist" where her ribs end... I took her to the vet Monday to check it out, and after an ultrasound Tuesday it doesn't look so good.
The vet examined her and said due to the location and in feeling her other organs, it is most likely cancer of the spleen, and it is the spleen and/or other organs that are enlarged. He stated to know for sure she would need an ultrasound, and that their lady would be coming Tuesday, so we took her back early Tuesday morning to be dropped off - he said I could leave her there in the kennel that night, but who when they find out their dog has cancer is going to then leave them alone for the evening? :-) So Tuesday she got an ultrasound by the woman who does a mobile ultrasound service to the area vets, and it turns out it is a cancerous tumor though her spleen is fine, but it is obstructing the view to her kidneys, so assuming it is "going for" her kidneys, and this is inoperable, there is nothing that we can do except enjoy the rest of our time with her. 
I am so heartbroken - she is my princess and is too sweet to suffer. The vet said we had anywhere from a week to 3-4 months - it's just too hard to tell as dogs can operate on 1/4 of their kidneys, so we'll just have to see how long she can hold out without suffering from the pain (and I'll know this he said when she starts refusing to eat and/or vomiting often, so at least there is an indicator). I refuse to be one of those people that allows a dog to suffer b/c they are too selfish to let go, and on the other hand I can't imagine her not being here... I just pray that dogs to go to heaven, b/c I can't imagine my heaven without her. I am just thankful for this special time we will have together, and the time I have to prepare myself to be strong for her when it is her time.
Thanks for any prayers, and just pray for her strength and no pain on her part - whatever will be will be, but more time would be ideal for me if she is ok.
Thanks for any prayers, and just pray for her strength and no pain on her part - whatever will be will be, but more time would be ideal for me if she is ok.
I am having an early birthday party for her on Sunday at 4 p.m. with cake, treats, and anyone is welcome to come and join us in celebrating how special she is and how wonderful she has been since we've been together. Email me if you have any questions, and thanks everyone for your support.
Tasha
Monday, June 04, 2007
Here comes the bride...
So it’s been a whirlwind, so sorry I’m behind…I've been working on this and the Italy post for days, pictures to come! 
So Thursday, May 24th we got back from Italy at around 7p.m. or so in the evening. Then Friday, I had a lunch time flight right back out to go to South Carolina for Tiffany’s wedding! Of course before I left for Italy I had all of my bags packed – and good thing because I was busy getting everything turned around again to go back into the airport again!
I made it there safe and sound (was almost a close call there at the airport but all ended up ok and that’s all that mattered – obviously my luck from our Italy trip was carrying over, thank heavens)! Tiff met me at the airport looking very bronze and bodacious, and we went to her place to pick up the rest of the bridesmaids (BM’s from this point forward – we were very big on the abbreviations this weekend) and we headed out on the town for Tiff’s bachelorette party – whoop! We had a wonderful dinner at Chocora Alley there in downtown Greenville, which is Tiff’s favorite place. In attendance was of course the B2B (Tiffany), myself the MOH (Matron of Honor), and BM’s Betsy, Twyla, Cathy, ReAnna and Kaci. Dinner was FABULOUS and enhanced by some wonderful lemon drop martinis for me, and a combo of those and margaritas for the ladies. We were having some fun! Next was some ice cream, and hurried back to the house for some girl time pampering and massages from a massage therapist – woohoo! This was so nice – we all had a great time chatting away and sharing this time with Tiffany before Saturday’s big day of Rehearsal and Rehearsal dinner (wedding on Sunday). So we slept in on Saturday, met for the rehearsal, and the wedding site was just gorgeous – as Tiffany said, like something out of a
Thomas Kincade painting. We were there in the heat of the day, so it was hot, but we were thankful the ceremony the next day would be in the evening! Tiff looked beautiful, the rehearsal was a success, and then we went and had some munchies with Mrs. Helen and Tiff and I went to get our toes done, and then time to hang out before the rehearsal dinner! The Rehearsal dinner was at Furman University which is a beautiful Ivy League school – and the dinner was excellent and a lot of fun… we girls had a lot of fun together over the weekend and we couldn’t believe how fast time was going!
Before we knew it, Tiffany’s wedding day had arrived – we got to the site to start getting ready, and MOH Tasha went into high gear! It was not at all stressful, and Tiff’s nerves were treating her nicely, but there was a lot to do to make sure Tiffany’s day was perfect!
Her hair and makeup were gorgeous, and when she was done I was next, and I was really happy with my look as well (very different for me but I loved it!) and then pictures, getting nervous about my toast and Joe’s wedding ring, and making sure everything in order took over… thank goodness my mom was there to help, too, she was a savior for me in more ways than one and I was happy to have her support as well! Everything was perfect – the colors, Tiffany, the flowers, the dresses, the venue, now all we needed was the groom and the bride to say “I do!”
The ceremony itself was perfection – Joe looked great, Tiffany looked great, she had the most beautiful GM’s and BM’s (quote of the week from the BM’s – “We do not have ugly friends” which was funny, and kidding btw) and flowers, there were 150 of their best friends and family
members, and just magical. I did a GREAT job passing the ring off – you think that this is not a hard task, but I had Joe’s ring on my right hand behind my Aggie ring so it wouldn’t fall off, then before I walked down I switched it to my left thumb which was to be holding my bouquet at all times so no chance of it dropping there, and then I had to take Tiffany’s bouquet, fluff her dress (so a huge bouquet, my bouquet in one hand, me kneeling in grass in heels trying to make her beautiful) and then nonchalantly slide his ring off of my thumb while death gripping both of our bouquets with my right, and then having it ready to put in the palm of the pastor’s hand – this stuff is 
complicated folks so give any MOH’s out there a pat on the back! Then the ceremony concluded, pictures, then party time! The Texas girls represented well – lots of dancing and having fun, and showing those SC/Ohioans how it is done! Next up for me nerves-wise was the toast… I practiced it on the BM’s during dinner and bawled my way through it, so that wasn’t a good sign, but they said it was great. After dinner, they did their first dance, then some more dancing, then before I knew it, it was time to cut the cake and do the toasts – here we go… I had my one page typed toast with me in case I needed it, but I went through it with flying colors, choking up twice which 
caused Tiff to choke up, but had some laughs in there as well so in my mind it went beautifully – whew! Then a toast from the Best Man, really nice guy from Ohio, then dancing, then rushing around to make sure all was taken care of for Tiffany so she could change and get on the road to the Bahamas! It was a whirlwind, again, but so much fun and so amazing! I was thinking all throughout the weekend, that even though I was married, that this was the first wedding of a friend that I had been to. Ashley is married, but I wasn’t there in Vegas (still bummed) so it had never really solidified to me that we are old enough to get married?! Very bizarre feeling but I guess that is what getting older is all about! 
So lots of fun… up next for us is YL camp the first week in July (just for me, Curt doesn’t have enough vacation) which will be at Crooked Creek in Colorado which is very exciting! And other than that, I’ve told Curt that this summer I want to practice living a slower lifestyle – will keep you posted on how this goes!
Love,
Tasha xx
So Thursday, May 24th we got back from Italy at around 7p.m. or so in the evening. Then Friday, I had a lunch time flight right back out to go to South Carolina for Tiffany’s wedding! Of course before I left for Italy I had all of my bags packed – and good thing because I was busy getting everything turned around again to go back into the airport again!
I made it there safe and sound (was almost a close call there at the airport but all ended up ok and that’s all that mattered – obviously my luck from our Italy trip was carrying over, thank heavens)! Tiff met me at the airport looking very bronze and bodacious, and we went to her place to pick up the rest of the bridesmaids (BM’s from this point forward – we were very big on the abbreviations this weekend) and we headed out on the town for Tiff’s bachelorette party – whoop! We had a wonderful dinner at Chocora Alley there in downtown Greenville, which is Tiff’s favorite place. In attendance was of course the B2B (Tiffany), myself the MOH (Matron of Honor), and BM’s Betsy, Twyla, Cathy, ReAnna and Kaci. Dinner was FABULOUS and enhanced by some wonderful lemon drop martinis for me, and a combo of those and margaritas for the ladies. We were having some fun! Next was some ice cream, and hurried back to the house for some girl time pampering and massages from a massage therapist – woohoo! This was so nice – we all had a great time chatting away and sharing this time with Tiffany before Saturday’s big day of Rehearsal and Rehearsal dinner (wedding on Sunday). So we slept in on Saturday, met for the rehearsal, and the wedding site was just gorgeous – as Tiffany said, like something out of a
Thomas Kincade painting. We were there in the heat of the day, so it was hot, but we were thankful the ceremony the next day would be in the evening! Tiff looked beautiful, the rehearsal was a success, and then we went and had some munchies with Mrs. Helen and Tiff and I went to get our toes done, and then time to hang out before the rehearsal dinner! The Rehearsal dinner was at Furman University which is a beautiful Ivy League school – and the dinner was excellent and a lot of fun… we girls had a lot of fun together over the weekend and we couldn’t believe how fast time was going!Before we knew it, Tiffany’s wedding day had arrived – we got to the site to start getting ready, and MOH Tasha went into high gear! It was not at all stressful, and Tiff’s nerves were treating her nicely, but there was a lot to do to make sure Tiffany’s day was perfect!
Her hair and makeup were gorgeous, and when she was done I was next, and I was really happy with my look as well (very different for me but I loved it!) and then pictures, getting nervous about my toast and Joe’s wedding ring, and making sure everything in order took over… thank goodness my mom was there to help, too, she was a savior for me in more ways than one and I was happy to have her support as well! Everything was perfect – the colors, Tiffany, the flowers, the dresses, the venue, now all we needed was the groom and the bride to say “I do!” The ceremony itself was perfection – Joe looked great, Tiffany looked great, she had the most beautiful GM’s and BM’s (quote of the week from the BM’s – “We do not have ugly friends” which was funny, and kidding btw) and flowers, there were 150 of their best friends and family
members, and just magical. I did a GREAT job passing the ring off – you think that this is not a hard task, but I had Joe’s ring on my right hand behind my Aggie ring so it wouldn’t fall off, then before I walked down I switched it to my left thumb which was to be holding my bouquet at all times so no chance of it dropping there, and then I had to take Tiffany’s bouquet, fluff her dress (so a huge bouquet, my bouquet in one hand, me kneeling in grass in heels trying to make her beautiful) and then nonchalantly slide his ring off of my thumb while death gripping both of our bouquets with my right, and then having it ready to put in the palm of the pastor’s hand – this stuff is complicated folks so give any MOH’s out there a pat on the back! Then the ceremony concluded, pictures, then party time! The Texas girls represented well – lots of dancing and having fun, and showing those SC/Ohioans how it is done! Next up for me nerves-wise was the toast… I practiced it on the BM’s during dinner and bawled my way through it, so that wasn’t a good sign, but they said it was great. After dinner, they did their first dance, then some more dancing, then before I knew it, it was time to cut the cake and do the toasts – here we go… I had my one page typed toast with me in case I needed it, but I went through it with flying colors, choking up twice which caused Tiff to choke up, but had some laughs in there as well so in my mind it went beautifully – whew! Then a toast from the Best Man, really nice guy from Ohio, then dancing, then rushing around to make sure all was taken care of for Tiffany so she could change and get on the road to the Bahamas! It was a whirlwind, again, but so much fun and so amazing! I was thinking all throughout the weekend, that even though I was married, that this was the first wedding of a friend that I had been to. Ashley is married, but I wasn’t there in Vegas (still bummed) so it had never really solidified to me that we are old enough to get married?! Very bizarre feeling but I guess that is what getting older is all about! So lots of fun… up next for us is YL camp the first week in July (just for me, Curt doesn’t have enough vacation) which will be at Crooked Creek in Colorado which is very exciting! And other than that, I’ve told Curt that this summer I want to practice living a slower lifestyle – will keep you posted on how this goes!
Love,
Tasha xx
Sunday, June 03, 2007
When the moon hits your eye...
Ah, Italy... I wish we could still be there!
The trip was so amazing, and of course it's too much to be able to write so I'm going to give the nutshell version (which will still end up being a novel, I'm sure)! And keep in mind, the theme for this trip was no planning, which is a type of trip we have never experienced before so it was a little out of my comfort zone! Another theme that we experienced along the way was that this
trip was all about PURE LUCK! From beginning to end this trip was just a series of fortunate events, and it was exciting and adventurous!
So Curt and I were leaving a couple of days before the family was (long story, but jist is cheaper flight) so we embarked on our flight, which was late in getting off the runway as a result of stupid Newark airport just "deciding" to ground all planes so we were REALLY worried about catching our connection 
as we only had an 1.5 hour layover to begin with! So we FINALLY get in the air, sprint through the terminal to our connecting flight to Rome and got there JUST as the lady was calling final boarding call - Lucky Instance #1! So we made it, and we were sweating and exhausted, but we made it and that's all that mattered! So the flight was great, we made it Rome, and then we
were off to Florence to meet Tom in Figline! We had a few hour train ride to get there and Curt got to see a lot of Tuscany and the smaller Italian towns, and it was just gorgeous and we had such a great time. Tom met us at the train station and we had a lovely dinner, and it was just so lovely to be there with him. The next morning Curt and I took a few hours to go to Florence and had a great time tooling around the leather market, the Duomo, Palazzo de Vecchio, and just seeing the sights. We left early in the afternoon, Tom p
icked us up again, and then we went to see Tom and Carolyn's digs! We went to their other place at the mill, which is so awesome, it's actually a home that used to be a mill that they converted! We also got to see the olive grove which was amazing 
- 100 trees that they manage and harvest olives from to make their Amici oil! Tom walked us around the property, showed us the trees and the baby olives that will grow big by fall, and we had cherries from their cherry trees! Then we headed back to their place for dinner, and while Tom prepared us an amazing Italian meal, he suggested that we go hiking in the mou
ntains so we did, and it was so peaceful! Then our meal was just so delicious, probably one of our best on the whole trip! And Tom also treated us to Vinsanto, and also some *grappa* which Curt and Tom had fun with!
The next morning we got on the train to Rome and headed out - it was sad to go but luckily Tom and Carolyn only live an hour away so we'll them again very soon! Rome was great as well when we got there - we did the Colesseo and Palatine hill tours which were GREAT, and
then went out to dinner with the Mariandes! We met at the Trevi and made our wishes, and had a lovely dinner... the next morning we were heading out to make our way down to Sicily!
So we had an obscenely long train ride, but we made it down south, took a ferry to Messina and spent the next couple of days to see Taormina and the area, and Taormina was just so beautiful... we saw the Greek theatre ruins, and the sea was just be
autiful, and this town was just so picturesque - probably one of the most beautifu
l that we were in the entire time...It was so fun to have Grandpa Dan there - along with my family (Mom, Dad, Kendyl, Curt and myself) Grandpa Dan was there to share in our quirks and family time... it was fabulous! We had such fun making jokes and spending this time with him... and he was such a trooper with the backpacks!
We literally did a true backpacking trip and we all had our backpacks and walking sticks making our way all through Italy!We then started our journey back up the coast, and stopped next in Cosenza to head into San Giovanni in Fiore which is where my family is from! This town is way in the mountains, and we rode a bus to get there, and then we hiked down to find the church that my Grandpa's grandparents got married in and where everyone was baptised, etc. It took us awhile to
find it as no one along the way spoke English but we found it, it was very old and felt very holy and special. We found a special hotel where a guy was very helpful in giving us a map, some history, and everything! We would have stayed there but they didn't have hot water (just for the night) so we ended up going back north and up to Salerno (I think? It's all blurry) so that we would be well positioned to go to Sorrento the next day! So In Salerno we saw their local church, an old man who thought I looked familiar (so sweet) and then we got on our way...Sorrento was another amazing town - one of my favorites from last time and we had a great time there! They had the most amazing gelato place there, the sea was gorgeous, our hotel was GREAT (Il Faro
on the seaside) and we even got a dive in (Curt and myself I mean, not the fam). On the dive, Curt ended up seeing 5 octopus (or is it octopi?)... (I had troubles with my dive suit, which led to ear-clearing problems and so much pain, so I had to abort the dive but “told” or rather communicated to Curt to stay down, and of course he sees 5 octopus, and on the second dive when I abandoned the dive hood and was fine, we didn’t see any – ugh… but nevertheless we dove in Italy, saw some wonderful things, experienced the cold Mediterranean, and had a great time. Ever since then, however, I have still had troubles with my equilibrium and ears, so ho
pefully no lasting damage there, but still giving my body some time for recovery with everything we were doing! Also in Sorrento we went to our favorite inlaid wood factory – Notturno – and I bought a few things there, and the owner, Michele (Michael) remembered me! Was very excited! I bought a beautiful box (to go with my music box from Grandpa from 5 years ago) and have them both on our new furniture at home.Next we went back to Rome, and had a lot of fun doing the catacombs tour, which was very special and humbling for me, saw the Circus Maximus, the Catacombs themselves, the Mouth of Truth (Curt and I stuck our hands in – we’re free and clear!) and also St. Peter’s Chains at a smaller ch
urch near there, and then of course the Vatican, Sistine Chapel (this is amazing every time I see it – how the people on the ceiling look like they come out of the ceiling is so amazing, it almost makes you dizzy!), and of course St. Pete
r’s. I have to say that St. Peter’s has gotten a lot more confusing with the way they try to herd people around in there – it wasn’t like this at all when I went last, and it didn’t seem to serve any purpose? By the time we were finished no one wanted to climb to the top with me, and I conceded as I was tired, and have already done it once by myself, so maybe next time.
Curt and I also did some shopping from our souvenir budget that we had been saving up for – Curt bought some shoes that he loves, I bought my box of course from Sorrento, and we also bought some art in Piazza Navona, one of which is a very large painting of Venice (yes, we know we didn’t go there this trip but it is beautiful and Curt fell in love with it) that we got for so cheap! You couldn’t buy a print at Bed, Bath and Beyond for this price, and this one is an original oil painting! So we’re excited to get it framed – it will go in the living room above the couch, and Curt will rig some lighting so watch for it!
Top Ten Most Funny Moments:
10. Curt and I literally running down the hill with our backpacks, a sack of food, and walking sticks in Castiglion to make sure we caught the train back to Rome!
9. Guessing Kendyl’s next meal (was ALWAYS pizza margherita)
8. Walking through the Naples train station with our walking sticks poised as swords for whoever dared approach (pickpocket centrale)
9. Seeing a taxi cab driver in Cosenza dance in the street to an accordion music mix blaring from his cab (he asked Mom to dance)
7. Seeing a large boxer first chase a dog down an alley, and go back up the alley, only then to jump on his owner’s scooter and head down the road (seriously, this dog had to weigh 80 pounds and loved riding on this tiny thing – hilarious and we have a picture!)
6. Meeting the dog who refused to lick my gelato bowl clean b/c she only liked “Vaniglia”
5. Looking at each other in the evening to see who would suggest more gelato, and then us ALL agreeing
4. Having grappa with Tom, enough said3. Seeing the road sign with a car going off into the water in Sorrento, clearly b/c it has happened
2. Trying to stalk the man who had a Spadafora bag to get a picture of it
1. Seeing Grandpa make our pbthhh face and many other funny moments on the train when we had to entertain ourselves
Hardest laugh I have had in years: Kendyl is in the shower, and Curt and I are unpacking – all of a sudden, I smell something very odd and look up at the a/c vent and make a face. I go about my business, and then I smell it again and make a really bad face, and am saying to Curt, omg, do you smell that (thinking, and the next sentence out of my mouth would have been, “I think someone upstairs died,”) but at that same moment, I looked at Curt and he was taking off his socks and shoes, and it dawned on me that this atrocious smell was his feet, and I just died laughing for like 10 minutes, and then th
e next morning when I was retelling the story, I couldn’t even get it out… disclaimer: normally Curt’s feet do not smell (hence why I had no idea where this smell was coming from) but for some reason with us walking non stop all day, and possibly the lack of Zinc in his system, it really was smelly… and omg so funny… I’m giggling to myself just picturing it again… LOL!Top Ten Favorite Things I Saw:
10. A line of the Olds’ and Proske’s with our backpacks, walking sticks, walking all through Italy like ducks in a row…
9. Family’s roots in San G. in Fiore
8. Statue on a very tall mountain as we passed in a train – was a huge angel with arms outstretched open towards the sea - gorgeous
7. Tom & Carolyn’s Olive grove
6. The rows and rows of trees planted by the monks after WWII in the mountains of Saltino, near Figline by Tom’s house
5. Palatine Hill and Domitian’s Palace - incredible4. Taormina: the bougainvillea vines, and alley ways
, and sunlight in the town with Mt. Etna off to the side was just so gorgeous3. Pompei – I still can’t get enough of this place… Curt really loved it here and I would venture to say that this, Taormina, and Sorrento were his faves
2. Castiglion Fiorentino with Curt, and showing him my school, room, where I would eat, etc.
1. Catacomb tombs in Rome
So in a very small nutshell, this was our trip... there is so much more to tell, but of course I just could go on for hours so I will spare you! We had such an amazing time as a family, and it will be a trip tha
t is with me always so I'm very grateful that we all got to go together.Next up is Tiff's wedding - stay tuned! And I'll get some pics posted soon, as well!
Love,
Tasha xx
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