Scott told me so...

Every year I get the flu shot and almost every year my friend Scott responds with, "you mean you got the 'Give me the flu shot?'" This year was no different. As usual, I got the flu shot and as usual Scott gave me a hard time about it. In fact, when I got sick with flu like symptoms about a month after receiving the flu shot Scott proudly announced that, "[he] told me so." I quickly disputed his claim and explained that it was probably sinuses but if it was the flu, then at least the flu shot mimimized severity of it.

So, this brings me to why I am posting this blog. On Sunday, my doctor (from Texas Medclinic) officially diagnosed me with type A influenza.

On Friday (12/26), my sinuses started bothering me and I also had a weird cough. Since Jacob was at the recovery stage of whatever he had (which we thought was also sinus related) I was convinced that it my turn to be hit with allergies. It isn't unusual for our allergies to hit us at different times because both of us seem to react to allergens in a staggered time frame (thank goodness we're usually not affected simultaneously).

However, by Saturday (12/27) I started feeling really tired and weak (I felt as though I had been working out all day long because my legs and arms felt like jell-o and were sore). My cough had worsed, my sinuses were killing me, I had a headache, and later that evening I started running a fever. I called my mom to let her know that I didn't think I'd make it to my aunt Rosemarie and uncle Jimmy's luncheon. She said I sounded really bad and that if I didn't get any better then I should go to the doctor because it sounded like the flu. She also explained that the flu was very dangerous which I had heard before but wasn't too concerned about.

On Sunday (12/28) Jacob and I were concerned because I still had a fever and I was extremely tired. We both headed to TexasMedClinic: Jacob to be seen for his congestion that wouldn't go away and me for my cough, aches, pains, congestion, etc. When we arrived, I decided to take one of their complimentary face masks because of my fever and cough. I was so tired that I had no problem taking a nap while we were waiting to be called (this was unusual for me so Jacob and I were both begining to be convinced that I might have the flu). The doctor evaluated both of us. He prescribed Jacob an antibiotic for his congestion that wouldn't go away and then did a throat and flu test for me, he explained that even though I had received the flu shot, he had already seen 2 cases where 2 other people contracted the flu even though they received the shot also. 10 min. later the results were in and I did have the flu. Now, what was scary was that the doctor sat down and said he wanted to explain a few things to me. It's never good when a doctor sits down to talk so at that point I began thinking, "I am so glad that I get the flu shot every year," because I suddenly realized how serious the flu really is. The doctor explained my options, what to expect, how to take care of myself and what to watch for with regard to serious complications. He also suggested that it is possible that my flu shot may minimize the severity of my flu symptoms. Jacob took me home and started taking care of me. Between teas, soups, tylenol, temperature taking, and tissue refilling he's been wonderful. Sadly, he's also been sleeping on the couch and has officially become Crystal and Chloe's midnight trampoline/wrestling platform. I owe him big! But hey, he did buy himself a PS3 to pass the time!

So far, although I've been super sleepy, congested, and weak, based on what the doctor told me to expect I truly believe that my flu shot is helping to minimize the severity of my symptoms. My fever has gone down, my legs and arms aren't sore anymore, and I had enough energy tonight to make it to the living room for dinner, t.v., and computer time. So, although, "[Scott] told me so," I am still very thankful that I got the flu shot!

Holiday Rounds

As usual, our holiday rounds began on Christmas Eve at Jacob's aunt Christina's house. We enjoyed rice, beans, deviled eggs, dips (including Jacob's world famous 7-layer dip), cheese, crackers, meats and sweets. I even brought some seasoned crackers which were a huge hit. The food was delicious! Oh yeah, there were also tamales for the tamale eaters. While we waited for midnight to strike, we attempted to play a game of Cranium. I say "attempted" because we had to modify the rules because we quickly learned that playing with 19 people can be very challenging. At midnight we opened gifts and we finally headed home around 2:30 am. (Yes, this was well past my bedtime).

On Christmas day we planned to go to 10am mass. We knew this meant that we would need to be awake by 8am so we could be ready to leave by 9am. However, since we had gone to sleep at 3:30am, I convinced Jacob that we should sleep a little more and go to the 12pm mass instead. He agreed. We woke up around 9:30am, got ready for church (wearing wrinkle free clothes because our iron stopped working that morning), and then as we headed out the door, Jacob wanted to make sure mass was truly at 12pm and not at 12:30pm. Yes, fortunately mass was at 12pm but unfortunately, 12pm mass was in Spanish! I thought it would still be worth attending but then Jacob pointed out that we wouldn't understand anything that would be going on. So, after researching a few other church options, we realized that based on our timing, along with our wrinkle free outfits (a.k.a., jeans) we probably wouldn't have made it to another mass in time and we would have really stood out as being under-dressed.

Later that day, we went to Jacob's aunt Martha's house. Normally, we don't have enough time to eat at Martha's house because we usually only have enough time to stop by to say hello before we rush off to my mom's house but because game night at my aunt and uncle's was postponed until the next day, my mom started her dinner later this year which gave us plenty of time to grab a plate of delicious food. We had rice, beans, ham, potato salad, and Jacob even had more tamales! We even had enough time to watch Roger Mason hit a game winning 3pt shot against the Suns. Go Spurs Go!

Next we headed to my mom's house where we had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, sweet potato casserole, cranberries, rolls, fruit salad, and chocolate cheesecake. We opened gifts then my mom, my sister and my grandma teamed up against Jacob and me in a game of Mad Gab. It was a tied game and then my mom and I went head to head in the tie breaker match. Their team won with the saying "Me Tarzan, You Jane." I never would have gotten it, who speaks like that anyway?

On Friday we went to Mimi's to use my $10 off coupon for a late lunch (they're grilled cheese is exceptional but I was dying for some veggies mid-way through my sandwich; thank goodness Jacob let me eat some of his walnut and cranberry salad.)

After Mimi's we went to my aunt Rose and uncle Cesar's house for game night. We started the night by opening gifts and enjoying some munchies. We had pigs in a blanket, spinach and artichoke dip, chips, dips, veggies, cheese, crackers, and sweets. I had brought my seasoned crackers as a gift for my uncle and he (along with everyone else) really enjoyed them. Plus, Jacob even had some more tamales! I think he had a really good share of tamales this year! Then after everyone had arrived, the men vs. women showdown began. We started off by playing Partini. This was a new game for us and was great because it helped the women take the lead: 1-0. Next we played Cranium Wow. It was a head to head battle but the men came out ahead. The score was then 1:1. Sadly, we lost a few players but the tie needed to be broken. Using Pictionary as the tie breaker, the women blew the men away in landslide win! Yay! The women had finally broken the dynasty of the men and then we headed home. Side note: Jacob claims that the men only lost because they lost 40% of their team.

Belated Holiday Pics

2 of my friends sent me holiday pics that I meant to post on previous postings, so here they are:

#1: Gag gift exchange at work. This year Janie (a co-worker) and I were in charge of coordinating our team's Secret Santa gift exchange/luncheon. Janie suggested that we do a gag gift exchange along with the Secret Santa gift exchange. I thought her idea was great because it was something we hadn't tried before. Plus it eliminated the stress of giving small gifts during the week. In order to keep the guess who aspect of Secret Santa, I suggested that each Secret Santa attach a tag to their gift that provides a clue about who the Secret Santa is for the gift recipient. Everyone had the option to participate in the gag gift exchange, the Secret Santa gift exchange, both exchanges, or neither exchange. The gift exchanges and luncheon seemed to go very well. We learned a little bit about each of the participants and we shared some good laughs. Here's a picture of Tony and the gag gift he received (he named "her" Lola). This was the one of the most creative gag gifts I had ever seen!

Sandra: Great job on the gag gift!

Janice: Thanks for the pic!

Tony & "Lola"

#2: Ben (my friend from work) was the photographer for our DPI Holiday Party so for the first time, Jacob and I took a "formal" picture at the Holiday Party.

Ben: Thanks for the pic!

Us at the DPI Holiday Party

Busy Weekend

This weekend was packed with events.

Friday night (12/19):

We ate dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse on the riverwalk and exchanged gag gifts during our annual holiday dinner/gag gift exchange with a few close friends from work. We had some really good laughs (especially from John) and we also learned a few new things about some of our other friends (one, in particular).

Angie, Jessica, John, (Jacob behind John), Jen, Judy, Bruno, Dianna, Randy, Jenn, Scott & Tiffany

Saturday night (12/20):

We ate dinner at Rio Mambo with Jacob's family to celebrate Beto's 27th birthday. The food was delicious and affordable.

Beto & his tres leches cake

Next we headed to Christina's (Jacob's aunt's) 40th b-day bash at The Stockyards. The place was really loud but the drinks were cheap and we got to meet a celebrity! Gabe Garcia was celebrating his birthday also! He even sang 2 songs while we were there. He seems like a really nice guy because he was willing to take pictures with anyone who asked. After a few drinks Monica and I even went over to ask him for a picture (unfortunately, my eyes look really weird; I had already had a few drinks and I couldn't contain my excitement. I'd like to blame my weird expression on the alcohol that was definitely settling in).

Us

Gabe & Beto

Monica, Gabe, and Me

Sunday (12/21):

We went to SeaWorld for the holiday celebration. Jacob had been wanting to go on a cold day and it was definitely cold when we went. We were both bundled up in sweatshirts and jackets. I even had a scarf and gloves. It was nice being at the park when it was practically empty. We saw the Polar Express 4-d show; we fed the sea lions; we visited the sharks, clydesdales, and penguins; we listened to carollers; we saw the Clyde and Seamore show (Clyde wasn't cooperating); we rode the steel eel (our faces were practically frozen stiff); and we had some delicious hot cocoa! Unfortunately, we didn't last until the Shamu show but we're hoping to return for an evening within the next 2 weeks to catch the show before the season is over.

A Tale of Two Parties

On Dec. 6th, we went to Jacob's work holiday party and on Dec. 12th, we went to my work holiday party.


Jacob's party cost $10, a 7-layer dip, plus 2 white elephant gifts for the 2 of us to attend. The party was held at a neighborhood club house and about 70 people attended (which accounted for most of the people Jacob works with). The food was good and we had a good time watching people open and steal white elephant gifts. We came home with a box set of Planter's Peanuts (Jacob's gift) and a bright yellow, weird shaped bowl that I "stole" because it would make a great dip dish or more immediately, a great peanut bowl. :)


My party cost $66, $6 for parking, plus the cost of a new dress, for us to attend. The party was held at El Tropicano hotel (which we quickly realized was the hotel formerly known as the Four-Points Sheraton) and about 120 people attended (which only accounts for a very small portion of everyone I work with). The salad with ranch dressing and the rolls with sweet cream butter were delicious. The rest of the meal was not so great. Fortunately, we did have some cake towards the end of the night (yay for cake!). The emcee was someone from work who did a great job entertaining us. The door prizes were good, in fact we won a date night because Jacob won a GC to Malibu (who knew it was still open?) and Scott and Tiffany gave us their GC to Mamacita's (we rarely say no to free food). The AFPC coordinators did an excellent job ensuring everything ran smoothly. However, the hotel coordinator kept propping open the door that led to the smoking area (I have nothing against smokers, but I don't want to breathe their smoke); it was pretty disgusting (not to mention hazardous to our health). When one of the AFPC coordinators asked the hotel coordinator to keep the door closed he explained that he wanted the doors open to cool down the room and that running the a/c would make it too cold.

Which party would you prefer to attend?

Christmas Luncheon

I love my job! Today we had our division holiday luncheon at the Marriott Rivercenter. The luncheon cost $25 per non-shinefund member or free for all members who were paid up (I finally paid all of my dues so I was able to attend for free). It was a great luncheon! (Yes, in case you haven't noticed a reccuring theme on this blog, I truly love to eat).

Carol, Janice, Me, & Greg

Fran, Elva, Sandra, & Kathy

The luncheon included an all-you-can-eat salad bar, pasta bar, chicken, pork chops, rice, veggies, assortment of breads, and dessert bar. I ate way too much (especially after finishing my meal off with 2.5 desserts)! After enjoying our meals, our division chief made a few announcements and then drew names for door prizes. The luncheon coordinator arranged for enough door prizes so that there would be a 50% chance for each person to win a prize. In fact 50% of our table won prizes, including me! It was a great way to spend a lunch!

Thanksgiving

Three years ago, I negotiated an agreement with Jacob for us to host Thanksgiving. Negotiating Thanksgiving back then was quite a challenge because I had to convince Jacob that it was woth it to him to host Thanksgiving even though it meant he would need to do most of the work. This was because I was in grad school and most of my time was spent studying or meeting with groups. Thanks to Dr. Plowman's negotiations class, I was able to negotiate and draft a contact that both of us agreed on (plus I was able to use my Thanksgiving negotiation as my final project, on which I earned an A).



Based on the success of that initial Thanksgiving at our house, Jacob has easily agreed to host Thanksgiving ever since. Thus, for the 3rd year in a row, we hosted Thanksgiving. Each year seems to run a little smoother than the previous year and we received a lot of positive feedback from our families suggesting that this year was the best year yet! I was especially glad about this because now that our families are growing (i.e., through marriages) we know that we might not be able to host Thanksgiving the same way, much longer. For instance, now that my cousin Cesar is married, his family now spends Thanksgiving game night with him, so you can see that we are slowly losing our attendees.


The details:
Our families arrived around at our house between 2-2:30 pm; we ate dinner a little after 3 pm (we had good variety of food, plus we had 3 sweetpotato dishes and 2 cranberry dishes); the football lovers watched football (which gave me some time to clean up a little), and the non-football lovers engaged in conversations with each other and helped me pick up the kitchen by packing up to-go plates for Jacob's grandfather (who wasn't able to make it to our house); we enjoyed delicious desserts, cocoa and coffee (my favorite part); and we played Turbo Cranium (my mom was a great puppeteer, Monica was a great puppet, and Jacob's dad was a great sensosketcher). After the game, we sat back and relaxed in the living room to wind down from the day. It was a great Thanksgiving!

My mom, Jacob's mom, and me trying to guess the song that Monica was humming.

Matthew and Jacob trying to guess what Jacob's dad was sculpting.

Neysa's B-day Extravaganza

On Nov. 29th, Jacob and I attended Neysa's 29th Birthday Extravaganza! The party was great! She had tons of good food (beef, BBQ chicken, pork, shrimp, potato salad, beans, rice, etc.), plenty of drinks (to include a margarita machine), and good music. Neysa's mom even made Jacob a small batch of her atomic habanero hot sauce.

We had a great time and we were excited to be back at Neysa's house after 11 years (the last time we were there, it was for a high school graduation party, c/o '97). Rosanna and I even reminisced about out senior lunch experiences which involved us being at ... well, I better not say where, since her parents still may not know where we went for senior lunch (Neysa, in case your parents are reading this, I'm refering to the exciting times we had in the cafeteria at Taft). : )

We're looking forward to the next time we all get together...hopefully sooner than 11 years from now. : )

Pitiful Cats

On Nov. 18th, after arriving home from work, I let Crystal and Casper play in the backyard while I stayed inside taking care of Chloe (she scratched the sides of her face so hard that she cut herself with her nails). After about 30-45 min., I went outside to check on Crystal and Casper and discovered that Crystal was no where in sight. After checking the backyard 3 times (just to be sure she wasn't hiding anywhere) I called Jacob and explained the situation and asked him to come home from work as soon as possible. Both of our neighbors checked their yards and still no sign of her. Jacob checked with the neighbors behind our house as soon as he came home. Meanwhile, I evventually checked the backyard again and discovered that she had returned. She was frantically running around the backyard while Casper barked at her and chased her around. Apparently he also was upset that she had escaped (and worse for him, had returned).

After we recovered her, we decided that she would never be allowed outside again without one of us with her. Ever since the incident, Chloe and Crystal both walk around the breakfast area, crying at the back door, begging to be let out. It's a very pitiful sight.

Training is Fun

This week I taught my first true training course. It was on external referral certificates. The course lasted for 2 1/2 days and although I was physically and mentally exhausted at the end of each day, I loved it! At first, I was full of anxiety about presenting the material. After all, it was my first class and although I was given some guidance about what to train, it was all up to me about how to train. I was scared to death about what the students (my peers) would think of me and the materials I had prepared. Not to mention, that I was afraid of what they might ask especially because I was teaching a course about something I was familiar with but I hadn't actually been involved with on a regular basis for almost 3 years. You see, I recruit for positions that are open to the public which involves a different set of rules and procedures than positions that are limited to external candidates that fall under specific recruitment categories.

Anyway, the point is that although I was a little worried about how it would all go, I faced my fears head on and I loved being a trainer! Yes, it was challenging and exhausting, but in a very good way. It was almost as though I was back in school again! (Did I mention that I loved school, especially college?)
As a trainer, I was being challenged with random questions, I needed to think critically, I prepared activities and presentations, and I could adjust my training material as needed. It was great and now, I can catch up on my rest...before I finish responding to the list of questions they left me that I promised I would research for them. I really think training people is going to make me a happier and stronger HR Specialist. :)

Love What You Do

Over the last 6 months I've been seriously re-thinking my job and career choice. One thing I learned in grad school was that successful people find jobs that they love and are great in. Although I like my job and I am good at my job I don't think it's what I'm meant to do. Several years ago I started noticing something wasn't quite right between my job and me but I didn't know what it was because for the most part, I loved my organization's culture and people. Initially, I had thought it had something to do with the massive reorganization we underwent to "lean" our processes but over the last 2 years I started realizing that it was because I didn't love what I did and I wasn't "great" at what I did. Sure, I am good at my job but I don't think I'm great.


Despite feeling mismatched with my job, my supervisors have given me several opportunities to excel and find aspects of my job that I do absolutely love. For instance, about 3 years ago I started being tasked with briefing senior leaders about our HR systems. Although I have a lot of anxiety about presenting material in front of others, I quickly discovered that presenting briefings was something I got a "work high" from. Plus, I was briefing people about a favorite part of my job (the technical system stuff) and I received several comments about how well I presented material. Thus, I feel as though presenting briefings and learning new systems is something I am great at doing.


Now, although I finally found parts of my work that matched me, I am not able to brief people on a full-time basis nor do I want to; however, I think training others would enable me to do something I enjoy (present material) without overdoing it. Which brings me to why I am posting this blog.


At work, I applied for a training position in a different section. I discovered that the manager of the training position was interested in hiring me, but that my manager did not want to let me go. Basically, I was advised that in the best interest of the organization, I would not be able to leave my current area until I work in the area for 1 full year but that I could guest instruct on an as needed basis. As a result, thinking that my work situation was not that bad, I accepted the explanation and agreed to be a guest instructor instead of a full-time instructor. After all, I like everyone on my team and I still enjoy some parts of my job. Plus, I've learned that there are some battles not worth fighting, especially the ones I am most likely to lose. Although I initially accepted my fate without too much concern, over time, I started feeling as though I was being held back from reaching my potential and from doing something that I believe I would truly enjoy. Not to mention that being a trainer was part of my 5 year goal plan (7 years ago). As a result, I find myself not as excited about work as I used to be and I find myself fighting to make it to work in the morning and racing out of work in the afternoon.


However, I was recently asked to guest instruct a course and suddenly my excitement and motivation came back. It was amazing. I found myself naturally happy to be at work again and I look forward to going to work again, but only when I'm working on the training material. When I think of my other work I get a sinking feeling in stomach because I realize that it's only a matter of time before I will need to resume my normal workload again and be stuck behind my desk.


Yes, a desk is the last place I pictured myself ever working but it is where I have spent almost all of my professional career.


Although I understand why my supervisor did not want to let me go, I cannot understand why anyone would want to hold someone back from something that would make them happy. I have not given up hope that I will one day be working in a job that I love and that best fits me and in the mean time I am loving my current guest instructor assignment. Next week I will have my first guest instructor class and I will learn whether or not training is where I belong.

Helotes Elementary Cold Stone Night

Jacob serving Cold Stone ice cream

Ever since Jacob started working at Helotes Elementary, I've been looking forward to him working during one of their fundraiser nights and Jacob's been looking forward to achieving his "other" career dreams.

Tonight was one of those nights! Tonight, Jacob worked at Cold Stone Creamery. What more could I have asked for? I saw Jacob in action at an ice cream place (he looked so cute) and I got to eat Cold Stone ice cream! Plus, Jacob achieved one of his career dreams. You see, he's always dreamed of working at either Cold Stone or Marble Slab. (His other dream is to work at Subway, but we're still working on that one).

Jacob and his teacher friends worked hard behind the counter and raised a lot of money for his school. He enjoyed seeing his students and co-workers outside of class and his students loved seeing him! What a night! We're looking forward to their next Cold Stone night sometime in the spring.

Good Times with Good Friends

On Saturday, Rosanna, Neysa, Jacob and I went to Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and a movie. Jacob and I had heard of Alamo Drafthouse from a few of our friends but we never had an excuse to go there until Rosanna suggested it for our group night out. Although Westlakes Theater was one of our frequent hang-outs in highschool, Neysa, Jacob, and I hadn't been to Westlakes in years (Jacob and I think we were last there sometime during our freshman year in college). Needless to say, the 3 of us were "Drafthouse virgins" so the waitress (who happened to be Rosanna's cousin) gave us a crash course on Drafthouse procedures and etiquette.


After our crash course, we ordered our drinks and food. Much to our surprise, the food was really good! No, we didn't expect the food to be bad, but we were expecting bowling alley quality food and instead we got Friday's quality food. It was definitely a pleasant surprise. Jacob ordered the "Italian Job" Calzone and I ordered the "Wild at Artichoke Hearts" pizza. Both were delicious!


We enjoyed our dinner and caught up with everything that's going on in everyone's lives and then the movie began. The movie was hillarious! It was great to hang out and laugh with good friends from high school.


As Neysa put it, we feel blessed to have been able to keep in touch with such good people that we've known since high school (and one that Jacob has known since middle school). Hopefully, Brenda and Nick will be able to meet up with us next time (we missed you guys!).

Jen, Rosanna, & Neysa

Team Building Day

Today we spent the afternoon participating in team building activities at work and we had a blast!


At 11am we left the office and headed to the park for free hamburgers and hot dogs. As usual, the food was delicious. :)


Then we started the games. Tony, Greg, Elva, Carol and I represented our division in Family Feud. We kicked butt and placed 1st! It was a great way to start off the afternoon.


Then Tony payed volleyball while Greg, Elva, Carol, Janet and I played Guesstures. This game was a little more challenging for us and we were out during the first round...but we still had fun. :)


Next, Tony and I did the balloon toss. We were doing well up until there were 3 teams left (including us). I tossed the balloon a little too hard and not quite straight which resulted in it splattering on Tony. Sorry Tony, but at least we placed 3rd.


Then it was Mr. Harris, Camille, Woody, and me for the Dizzy Bat relay. Our team was doing great but in the home stretch, out of nowhere Mr. Harris and Maggie (from our neighboring team) were suddenly in the same spot and collided. The whole collision seemed to happen in slow motion yet still too quickly for any of us to react in time to prevent the collision. Fortunately after icing down one of the injuries, both of them were okay in the end.


Next, Tony, Elva, Carol, Dawn, and I competed in Taboo. We did great during the 1st round but the 2nd round did us in. Fortunately, we still placed 3rd.


Then during the final event of the day, Tony represented our division in the playground obstacle course and finished with the fastest and best performance at the slip-n-slide finish line which resulted in our division placing 1st for the obstacle course.


At the end of the day, they tallied all of the points and although our division didn't place 1st, we were content with our tie for 2nd place.


Go DPIA!

Mom's b-day

On Thursday, we celebrated my mom's birthday at Saltgrass Steakhouse.

It was nice to get together with her, my grandma, and my sister. We had a nice dinner and the food was delicious!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Halloween

This was the first Halloween in 4 years that I didn't have any school work to worry about and I was so excited about spending it with Jacob by sitting on our front porch to hand out candy together.

Our Skull Strobe light

In preparation, we bought several bags of candy: Twix, Snickers, a Wonka mix, a DoubleBubble mix, and a Twizzlers/Jolly Rancher mix. Jacob decorated the house (I helped a little), we played spooky holiday music and we strategically planned our seating arrangement so that the trick-or-treaters could easily reach us.

Our dangling spider

Sadly, after all of our preparation, we had much fewer trick-or-treaters than we expected and we were left with tons of candy. On the bright side, we did get to see some of our neighbors and we were able to spend 2 hours on our front porch relaxing together and listening to our music and the sounds of the high school football game in the distance.

View of our house from the front while I waited for the trick-or-treaters

Celeste's b-day

On Oct 18th we celebrated Jacob's cousin's (Celeste) 9th birthday at a neighborhood park. The theme was Rock-n-Roll. She had rock-n-roll music playing in the background and her cake was in the shape of a record. The fun activities included making personalized journals (where were these when I was a kid?) and a pinata.

Celeste & the pinata

Celeste & her Grandpa

As the main course, she had hot dogs and hamburgers with every topping you could possibly want: chili, cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, and relish! Yum! It was nice to spend time with Jacob's family and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Jacob's mom, aunt Liz, sister Monica, & cousin Jessica

Great Friday!

After a rough week at work I really needed a "great day" and today was great!


My day started out with me going to work (this was not the "great" part, don't get me wrong, it was not horrible but it was work).


Then, around 10:45 a.m. my day started becoming great! First, before leaving work, someone asked me to help them troubleshoot a problem with one of our systems. Although I was not able to assist them that exact moment, I did give them a tip and said that I'd be more than willing to assist them on Monday morning. This definitely gives me something to look forward to when I go in to work on Monday because troubleshooting system problems is the part of my job I absolutely love the most. I think I love this part because I get to analyze a problem and try to solve it; it reminds me of when we used to be given challenge problem in math or science. I just love the sense of accomplishment I achieve when I solve one of these issues. Unfortunately, my everyday routine work usually falls short of challenging me in this sort of way, which might be why I often wonder if I'm doing what I'm meant to do.


So back to my great day...after leaving work I met up with my friends Aurora, Lynn, Amanda, and Annabelle for lunch at Pompeii's. It was so nice to catch up with them and hear everything that's going on in their lives. Unfortunately, due to all of our busy schedules, we don't get to meet up often but it's wonderful when we do because they are such great people all of whom I admire (yep, Annabelle, even as young as you are I even admire you).


After our lunch I headed home for a quick nap before my tire appointment. Naps are one of the great, relaxing pleasures of life that I look forward to when I have afternoons off.

After my nap I headed to Discount Tire to have my tires rotated and valve stems replaced due to the recent recall. When I first arrived at Discount Tire, it was crowded and based on other customers' grumblings, it sounded as though there was a long wait. I asked the service rep how long the wait was and he explained that since I had made an appointment I should be out of there within 45 min - 1hr. Then after only waiting about 30 min my car was done and I was out of there--yay for appointments that are actually taken seriously!

To wind down the evening, Jacob made a delicious dinner with butterflied pork chops, seasoned potatoes, and brussel sprouts. We caught up on CSI (Las Vegas) and by 7:30 pm I fell asleep on the couch. I think I was exhausted from the stressful work week and my allergy/sinus problems that had gotten worse over the week.

All-in-all Friday was a wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating day and feel completely refreshed and ready to begin the weekend!

Sea World with Mom

On Sunday (10/11/08), Jacob and I took my mom to Sea World. We had a blast! We saw all of the shows (or at least all of the shows we wanted to see) and we visited the sharks, penguins, sea lions, and otters.





We enjoyed lunch at the park. Jacob and my mom ordered burgers and yes, I ordered a huge chili cheese dog!





We even convinced my mom to ride Atlantis. I was so proud of her for getting on the ride. After all, she's not quite as young as she used to be and rides make her a little more nauseous than she used to feel several years ago. All in all, we enjoyed riding the ride with her. She even made us laugh with her facial expressions! But I must confess that I did feel a little guilty about not telling her about the part where you go backwards!





After the Atlantis, we had planned to dry off by riding the Steel Eel (mom had enough rides by then so she agreed to watch our stuff). Sadly, the ride was stuck on the lower part of the incline (we were thankful it got stuck before we got on). As an alternative, we relocated my mom and our stuff to the Great White, but the line was so long that we decided we weren't meant to ride a coaster after all.





Later we enjoyed an afternoon snack. Jacob had a candy apple and I had cotton candy. My mom didn't want a snack but thankfully she helped me with my cotton candy.



Zombie (can you see the worms crawling out of him?)


Next, we headed off to wait in line for the haunted forest. I noticed that waiting in line flies by when you're with 2 other people because the conversation never seems to die. It was great. Not to mention that we enjoyed watching the warewolves and zombies spook people. Then as we approached the entrance, Jacob commented about how he hated haunted houses because he always ended up at the end of the line...and sure enough that's where we ended up. As soon as Jacob realized this, he frantically pushed my mom and me aside so that we would be last instead of him...it felt like we were part of a Seinfeld episode. So, hand in hand, Jacob led me and I led my mom into the forest. It was spooky and fun! The beginning definitely address my slight claustrophobia...and then the rest was suspensefully frightening. I'm so glad we went through it and again I was proud of both Jacob and my mom for coping with their fears and enjoying the experience with me.
Making friends with a zombie




We ended the day with the Shamu show and then headed to Subway for a light dinner that included some much needed veggies!
Mom & me waiting to see Shamu

Cesar & Kara's Wedding

Cesar & Kara's 1st dance

On Saturday (10/11/08), we attended my cousin Cesar's wedding. It was beautiful! The ceremony was held in the Gazebo area at the SW School of Art & Craft. After the ceremony, they encouraged us to mingle and enjoy refreshing drinks and delicious appetizers, while they took picures. Then, we headed to the chapel for the reception. The reception area was gorgeous! The dimmed lighting and magnificent interior design created an elegant dinner setting, not to mention that the food was spectacular!

Aunt Rose & Cesar (Mother/Son Dance)

Brittany (sister) & Niki (Cousin) Grandma

After dinner the dancing began. It was a lot of fun to watch Cesar and his friends "challenge" each other on the dance floor. The DJ was great and played a lot of good hits (Daniel, they even played "Ice Ice Baby"!)


Mom & Britt Us

Cesar & Kara: Thank you for sharing your day with us! We wish you the best as you venture into the new chapter of your lives together!

ACTS-travaganza HIV Ministry

On Saturday we attended the ACTS-travaganza HIV Ministry Casino Night event. We've attended this event for the last few years and we always have a good time. It's a great fundraiser for the HIV ministry and it allows us to enjoy a good dinner, sample several types of Sangria, hang out with a few friends, get our gambling fix, and most of all, donate to a great cause, all in one night.

My brother donated 2 pictures this year which helped raise $50 in the silent auction (thank you, Manuel!).

Our friends Scott and Tiffany introduced us to this event a few years ago and it has become something we look forward to every year. Tiffany was even the event chairman this year and she plans to chair it again next year (great job, Tiffany!).


Jessica & John

Us

Scott (Tiffany was busy coordinating stuff all night)

Spa Day

On Sept. 21st, we enjoyed our first spa day at the Windflower Spa at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. Going to a spa was something we had always talked about but had never actually done. Last year, my mom, sister, and grandma had given us the perfect reason to go to the spa...they bought me a gift certificate for a massage and manicure as my graduation gift.



Wanting to share this experience with Jacob, we booked his and hers massages and spent the day relaxing! It was wonderful! He received a theraputic massage and I received a signature massage. We soaked our feet in the spa, had a room service delivered lunch, and cooled off with a swim in the refreshing spa pool. It was a wonderful day and a great way to end the weekend/begin the week.

Jacob's 30!

Jacob turned 30 this past weekend (Sept. 20th). It was a little sad for him to be leaving his 20s, but overall he enjoyed his birthday. Although I had wanted to celebrate his b-day with a big bash full of family and friends, I knew he's really not into big b-day celebrations, so we kept it low key by having dinner with family at La Hacienda de Los Barrios and dessert at our house.

For dessert, the plan was to have a Cookies-n-Cream ice cream cake. He had his heart set on a spectacularly delicious all ice cream cake that had a crumbly cookie crust. Unfortunately, after coordinating with the HEB bakery for several days, I eventually discovered that his first choice would not be available. As a result, I researched the ice cream cake options available at Cold Stone, Marble Slab, and Baskin Robbins. In the end I selected a Cookies-n-Cream Ice Cream Cake from Baskin Robbins. It was delicious! And surprisingly, it was Jacob's very first BR Ice Cream Cake! Can you believe that in all his 30 years of life, he had NEVER tasted a BR ice cream cake!

After the cake he opened presents. He had requested that no one bring presents, but his family ignored his requests, which I was especially thankful for when he opened the gift from his sister which contained oatmeal raisin cookies. They were the most delicious oatmeal raisin cookies we had ever eaten.

All in all, Jacob's birthday turned out well. He enjoyed saying farewell to his 20s by relaxing, eating, and spending time with our families.

Love the litter and your cat!

Let's be frank. Crystal, our youngest cat, has litter box issues. We've tried almost everything.

We took her to the vet for an exam.



We put her on Prozac to ease her anxiety, but realized we're the type of parents who don't want our "kids" to be on drugs their entire lives.

We changed the litter to something more natural with no dust (which we loved but she hated).

We tried using a different style litter box.

We moved the box to different locations around the house.

We tried spending more time with her, but there's only so much you can do to spend quality time with a cat.

And recently we scheduled yet another appointment with the vet.



We're still waiting for our vet appointment but in the meantime we've found what we like to call a "miracle cat litter."


This weekend while we were at PetSmart examining a few more litter options, a lady approached us and said that the litter we were looking at (Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract) was wonderful. We asked her if she encountered some of the same problems we encountered and she said, "yes!" Like us, she had made numerous attempts to "fix" the problem but nothing seemed to work. Then her vet had recommended the Cat Attract litter and it worked! Based on her recommendation, we went home with the Cat Attract litter and a new litter box (one with a "sun roof"). The litter even came with a booklet that included some very good tips and coupons.


When we arrived home, we let the girls (Chloe and Crystal) explore their new litter box and sniff their new litter in the bag. After they seemed comfortable with the new box and interested in the new litter, we set the box in an appropriate location that did not make them feel "trapped in a corner" and before we knew it, both cats were fighting to use the box! Based on our cats' positive reactions to the litter, we purchased more several bags of the Cat Attract litter and another new box.

Testimonials:


Chloe: "It's so unnatural for a cat to not use the litter box. I just didn't understand it. We're supposed to be cleaner than the dog but Crystal was really making us look bad as a species. I'm so glad mom and dad finally found a litter Crystal will use."

Crystal: "I love the new litter, it doesn't smell funny and it feels great between my paws!"

Casper: "Yeah, the litter's okay, but I had more fun watching mom and dad yell at Crystal when she wouldn't use the box."

Will they ever get along?

Every now and then we have hope that Crystal (our youngest cat) and Casper (our dog) will one day be friends but then...

on days like today we can't help but wonder if they'll forever be at each other's throats.




This afternoon, while I was brushing Casper, Crystal plopped herself down right next to me and glared at Casper.

Then out of nowhere, I saw Crystal reach out a paw and slap Casper's front paws and then his face. Casper jumped up in shock. After I calmed the 2 of them down, everything seemed okay but then all of a sudden, Crystal slowly reached out another paw and slapped Casper again! I couldn't believe it! Maybe they'll be friends one day, but probably not today.

When God listens...

Have you ever had a moment where you realized God really does answer prayers? Well, I had one of those moments today.

A few weeks ago, my brother and a few of his friends embarked on a mission in India. Aside from upset stomachs and combating bed bugs, overall, their trip seemed to being going relatively well. However, as planned, this past weekend my brother's missionary friends headed back to the US while my brother stayed behind in India alone. Now, I know my brother had planned for this but still, he's my "little brother" so I can't help but be worried about him being alone and possibly sick, in a foreign country. As a result, for the last few days I had been praying that my brother finds "friends" in India. Then yesterday, after not hearing from him for a few days, I also started praying that I would be given a sign that he is still alive and well.

So, I was so excited when I came home this evening and received an e-mail from him (signifying he was alive and well) and then read his new blog posting which indicated he had made a lot of new friends when he attended a mass in Bangalore. My prayers couldn't have been answered any louder! I am so thankful for the power of prayer.

Do you have any prayer moments you'd like to share?

Bobbi pens?

Today was the day we've been waiting for since we discovered that our washing machine was broken. It was the day we would meet the "Maytag Repair Man" or more precisely, the contacted out, but certified to work on Maytag, service repair man from A & E Factory Service.

I found it quite ironic that a commercial with a supposed "Maytag Repair Man" was playing while our washer was being serviced. Go figure!

Regardless, the service technician was friendly, thorough, and professional. The diagnosis? 2 Bobbi Pens had become lodged inside the pump. $155 later, I realized that I need to pay much more attention to emptying out all of our pockets before starting a load of laundry.

Additionally, Jacob has made it quite clear that I am no longer allowed to complain about the occasional paper he forgets to remove from his pockets. I suppose a messy washer and paper lined clothes doesn't come close to the expense of 2 bobbi pens.

It came to a screeching halt...

Around 11pm Friday night, while doing a load of laundry, Jacob noticed that our washer didn't sound quite right. He called me into the pantry to listen to the screeching sound our washer was making.

We agreed to stop the washer then called Jen's mom to seek advice regarding appliance repairs before we made any hasty decisions.

After speaking with my mom we called the "Maytag Repairman" only to discover that we would need to wait until the morning to speak with someone contracted out, yet certified to work on Maytag appliances.

We had been given 3 phone numbers to try and after trying all 3 numbers, we settled for the appliance repair company that would actually schedule an appointment for us.

Note to appliance repair companies: Even if your service hours are only M-F, you are losing customers if you can't even make appointments for people who call during the weekend!

Needless to say, we're not sure that we chose the best company but we chose a company we could bank on providing us with a service visit early in the week.

Then, we called my mom to set up a "we're home to do our laundry" visit. Now, seeing as both of us lived at home during college, this was a neat experience for us. We can finally say, yeah, we know what it's like to stop at mom's house to do laundry. And yes, we brought Scrabble to kill time.

Vacation to Virginia: Day 10 - Heading Home

After spending a night in Atlanta, we hit the road and headed back to Texas.

We had lunch at Hardee's in a small town in Alabama. We shared a 1/3 lb bacon & cheese thickburger and curly fries so that we'd have room for dinner. Although the food was good, the atmosphere was questionable and we've decided that we'll stick to the big cities next time we visit Alabama.

Based on a friend's recommendation, we stopped at Copeland's for dinner in Baton Rouge, LA. Our friend was right. Copeland's was sooooo good. Jacob ate the Shrimp Etouffe'e and Red Hot Potatoes and Jen ate the Country Fried Ribeye and Red Beans and Rice. Yes, the heartburn was completely worth it. We think they have the absolute best Cajun food and we're looking forward to stopping at Copeland's again, next time we are in LA.

Around 11pm, we finally made it to Houston and we stopped at What-A-Burger for a "midnight snack" of a milkshake, a malt, and a fried apple pie. Yes, food was the only thing we had to look forward to on our drive home. :)

Then, around 1:30am, we finally made it home.

Vacation to Virginia: Day 9 - Chimney Rock

We spent the morning of Day 9 hiking at Chimney Rock.

We hiked to the top of the rock...

and admired the view...

We saw the Devil's Head...hmmm...which one is the devil?

Jacob climed down into Moonshiner's Cave...

and then he took some time to ponder the meaning of life.

Then we headed to the waterfall, which we reached after a humid, 30-45 min. hike.

After admiring the waterfall, we headed back to the car so we could head out for lunch and then head to our hotel in Atlanta.

We had worked up a pretty good appetite after hiking, so we couldn't resist stopping at Pizza Inn for their buffet lunch. To top off our lunch indulgence, Jen at the most delicious dessert pizza, S'mores Pizza. Yum! : ) It's too bad we don't have Pizza Inn in SA anymore.

Aside from the fact that we were sad to know our vacation was coming to an end, and yet excited to know that we would see our "kids" shortly, our drive to Atlanta was relatively uneventful.