The Vanessa MonoLogues

Birthday Fun

2009-03-13T22:03:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was my 30th birthday. It began the way the rest of this last month has gone: really shitty. Pardon my francaise, but there's no proper english word to express how negative it's been.

So I was driving to work and I started to feel sick. I immediately grabbed my plastic grocery bag with my lunch in it and held it up to my face. I knew i would rather lose my lunch than have puke on my lap or floor boards. So I then started to throw up into the bag while still driving. Three pukes later, I felt moisture on my lap.

While it's not out of the realm of possibility for me to also wet my pants while puking (yes, some of you know this first hand), that was not the case this time. Turns out my plastic bag had some holes in the bottom and I ended up with what looked like baby spit-up all over my legs and dripping down to the seat. I quickly called in to work and notified them I would be late, but would definitely be there!

I had already missed so many days, I did not want to be gone unless it was totally necessary. So I drove home feeling like I had wet my pants, thinking how lucky it was that no puke got on my shirt. Only have to find new pants now!

I realized all this happened because I took my medicine on an empty stomach. I finally had the D&C on Tuesday as I just could not wait any longer for the miscarriage to come. Plus, numerous people told me how incredibly painful their miscarriage was. Add to that my doctor informing me I would probably need a D&C anyhow as I was so far along when baby Logue died.

The surgery definitely ended up being a great choice. Thanks to the anaesthetic, I remember nothing and felt nothing. Kind of crazy that all that can go on and you don't have a clue afterward, but I am so thankful!

The only way to say it, it to just say it...

2009-02-26T21:46:00.000-06:00

Well, my lapse in posting pregnancy pictures and blogs was definitely a blessing in disguise!

Yesterday, Trey and I went to my 13 week check-up at the birth center. It did not turn out as planned. Long story short: they could not find a heartbeat, so apparently I will be having a miscarriage some time in the next few weeks or month or so.

We are very sad, but we know that this is not altogether uncommon. Thank you so much to everyone that has been praying for us. We feel so much more at peace with the whole situation. God has really blessed us with amazing family and friends who's prayers have covered us and helped us heal.

While I naturally was heartbroken about losing our baby, my next closest fear and anxiety about the whole situation was about having to tell people over and over about it and dealing with never-ending questions and sympathy. I'm sure that sounds strange and unreasonable, and I acknowledge that it really is. Of course people will be concerned and will want to understand. That's what they do when they love and care about you. But I am the type to deal privately with my stronger emotions, and breaking down in front Janice, the 8th grade US History teacher I've spoken to twice in my life, well, that does not appeal to me.

So, I'm telling you this not to say that I don't want to hear from you, as we must be close if you're one of the 5 people that read this, but so that you can spread the word to anyone else who I am less close to or who may not read this. Then I don't have to :)

I Love Being an Aunt

2008-07-16T19:40:00.000-05:00

These are some videos of my favorite little kiddos. Both are pretty cute if I do say so myself!

Intelligent Design for 2

2008-04-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

I have been MIA for awhile now because:

A) I have been watching Glimore Girls Seasons 1-7, CSI seasons 1-7, and Battlestar Galactica season 3. That kept me VERY busy :)

2) Our computer has no more memory and I couldn't download pictures and who wants a blog without pictures?

We are purchasing an external hard drive so that I can continue to download 100's of songs and still be able to watch hulu and save pictures. All will be right with the world as soon as this happens. If anyone has any suggestions about external hard drives or other options, feel free to fill me in.

So, I went to a movie with Trey, Gavin, and Elizabeth on Sunday. We saw "Expelled", the Ben Stein movie about scientific freedom and intelligent design. I thought it was very well done and had some enlightening moments. I'm referring specifically to Richard Dawkins alluding to aliens "seeding" life on Earth and some really vehement comments from darwinian scientists. I liked that Ben Stein was not afraid to discuss the origin of life face to face with some of the preeminent scientists of our time. Intelligence can be intimidating and these guys like to mock and lambast people who disagree with their scientific conclusions. Stein wasn't fazed. I definitely recommend the film even if you are not a fan of I.D. as Stein was simply making the point that we must allow for intellectual freedom.

Next intelligent design topic: The new Carris baby! Congrats to Molly, Rob, and Zoe on your new beast of a boy! Gage is so handsome and was obviously intelligently designed just for you guys. God bless you all!

Home for Finnigan

2008-01-04T21:41:00.001-06:00

Trey and I are so sad, but we need to find a new home for our sweet dog, Finnigan. It is just too much to have two dogs in an apartment, and since no one would ever adopt the beast that is Layla, Finnigan gets to head on to greener pastures.

Finn is a Great Pyrenees and he is just under 1 yr old. He is current on all his shots. Finnigan is completely housebroken and has been to agility training, so he is clicker trained and knows all the basic commands like sit and down. He has been around kids of all ages and loves them all. Finn also loves other dogs, despite how they may treat him :)

We love Finnigan so much and really want him to find a family that can love on him and take care of him like he deserves. He does not have a mean bone in his hairy body!

Please let us know if you know of anyone who would be interested.

The pictures below are of Finn as a puppy and then how he looks now.

Man Cold

2007-12-09T11:28:00.000-06:00

Typical for this season

Trunk-or-Treat

2007-11-05T21:00:00.000-06:00

Trey and I got to spend Halloween with Gavin, Elizabeth, Eli, and Ella. We went to Trunk-or-Treat at their church. Elizabeth's parents and my mom were there too. Oh, and Finnigan. He was quite a hit. Trey kept telling people he was a chihuahua dressed up as a Great Pyrenees. That's my man!

Ella as a parrot with Liz

Eli as a pirate

I taught Eli some great pirate phrases such as, "Walk the plank!" and "Where's me booty?" Elizabeth says it was Eli's idea to be a pirate and have Ella as a parrot. What a little genius! I'm pretty sure he's going to take over the world some day.

Amazing Football Finish

2007-10-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

If you like college football, you have to watch this. Apparently there are 15 laterals thrown on this last play of the game. As my dad always said, "Don't ever quit!"

CONGRATS!!

2007-10-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to Ashley and Kelly on their new little girl, Ella. Beautiful name by the way. They are wonderful friends who I have known for farther back than I can honestly remember. They were sweet enough to have a little party for me at their house when I came to Michigan in September. They even lent me a comfy pair of pregnancy pants (I say lent because I promise I will send them back :) and let me nap on their bed. In exchange, I only had to let them in on the secret of internet TV. All us Texans love you guys and we are so thankful God has blessed you with Ella!
Photo taken post "the incident"

Sports, Culture, and Family

2007-10-15T17:54:00.000-05:00

SPORTS
On Thursday, Elijah, Gavin, my dad, and I went to an FC Dallas soccer game against Chivas USA. I personally thought it was a great game despite there being no goals. Everyone played really well so it was fun to watch. At each game they give out some sort of item. We got a great Gatorade water bottle (can't ever have too many of those!).

They also were giving every one these wigs to wear that looked like the hair of #8 Juan Toja. So we had a great time putting on the wigs and laughing at ourselves, although Eli was sort of scared of them.

Me and my dad with the wigs on while Eli chows on a hot dog

Me and Gavin

My favorite nephew, Eli

CULTURE
****WARNING****nudity ahead
On Saturday, Trey and I went to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth to see the Ron Mueck sculptures. They were incredible and so unbelievably life-like.

My favorite was "Wild Man" (below) because he really did look like he was going to jump out of the chair and run screaming out of the room.

Then we met up with Garrett and ate burgers at Fred's in Fort Worth.

FAMILY
On Sunday, we went over to Dave and Heather's house. They're our transplanted Seattle BFFs who God truly blessed us with up there and then amazed all of us by bringing them down here. We always have a great time with them. Anyhow, we went over there to watch the Cowboys' game and we have always brought our dogs over to hang with their dogs. They used to watch Layla for us when we went out of town and we would take care of Howser and Moffet for them. Anyhow, the dogs were all in their backyard and I went out there at halftime to see how everyone was doing, and all of the sudden Howser starts trying to get in Finnigan's face and then he attacks him! Howser was intent of kicking sweet Finn's butt and Finnigan didn't even try to fight back. After it all was over, Finn had a nasty gash under his eye. The vet said he doesn't need stitches, but he looks so bad! Dave and Heather felt terrible, but they're dogs so what are you gonna do?

Big Fatty Greek Wedding

2007-10-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

So I have not written in awhile, and I really should be writing about my 10 year high school reunion and my trip to Michigan or about Sarah's wedding in Cape Cod and our trip to Boston. Instead, I am a little behind and I decided I just need to get going. So I am going to write about current things and get to the past when I have time.

This last weekend, Trey and I and my friend Anya went to our friend Lindsey's wedding. She is Greek Orthodox and the wedding was 100% Greekified. Much of the ceremony was in Greek and there were lots of names like Cristos and Efthiomos, and her new last name is Petropoulous. The ceremony was at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of Dallas . It was so beautiful! It was a traditional Greek ceremony, very similar to the Catholic mass wedding ceremonies, but with a lot more chanting and singing/talking. This is the best picture I could get of the church since you can't use flash as it is a wedding and not a fashion show. So there was lots of delicious Greek food (hence the "fatty" title) and circle dancing and Greek toasts and "Ompah!" going on. We had a really great time seeing a more ethnic wedding than we are used to.

Expensive Summer

2007-08-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

Trey and I had planned on having a low-key, almost boring summer. It was extra long due to the TX law saying we can't start school until right around Labor Day, so I have been off since May 25. That is almost 3 months! So with only a trip to Florida planned for me and nothing for Trey, I anticipated a lot of lounging around and reorganizing of closets and drawers. Well, things turned out much busier, and expensive, than we imagined.

Trey spent last week in Fredericksburg helping his family build their cabins for their new business, Der Fels.

He then made a stop in Austin to do some music stuff before heading home.

I just returned from a last minute trip to Rocky Mountain National Park with my mom and dad. We drove up there and did some incredible hikes and stayed at a bed and breakfast (my dad's first). The best part of the trip was the 5.5 mile, 300 ft elevation hike which turned into the 11 mile, 1,600 ft elevation hike that went straight uphill for 3 hours. Minor mistake on my mom's part. It all turned out ok because on the way down we saw two huge male moose (meese? :) in the meadow.

After all this fun stuff, we thought we would be ending our summer on a high note. We were quite ticked then, when we headed to the car yesterday to find out it had been broken into by some idiots who thought we had anything worth stealing. They broke out the back passenger window and threw everything around. Luckily they didn't steal anything since we don't own anything worth taking. They broke into 14 cars in our complex that night. So this is what our car looks like right now.

We don't quite have the money right now to fix it after Layla's surgery and then emergency blood transfusion (never did write about that drama), one plane ticket to Michigan, 2 plane tickets to Boston, 2 vehicle registrations, a flat tire, a cracked windshield, and no paycheck for Trey until the end of September. So now I am humbled at being one of those people on the freeway with the wind flapping around my plastic window covering. I would like to give a shout out to Dave Ramsey because had we not been following his plan, we would have been in quite a pickle. Hip hip hooray for emergency funds!

I'm a Winner!

2007-08-16T10:50:00.000-05:00

I love to enter contests. I entered the HGTV Dream Home contest every day for 3 months. So I was quite excited when I arrived home from my last minute vacation to find out I had won something! Even though it is small, IT'S FREE!

Heavy Metal Suicide

2007-07-16T20:08:00.001-05:00

I am happy to report that Layla has made it through surgery! She is recovering at the vet's office and we'll know tomorrow if we can bring her home. When Dr. Whitworth went in, he discovered that it was not a needle that was causing the problems. It was a shard of metal that had gone through her stomach and was now completely enveloped by her liver. Layla had
heavy metal poisoning and that is why her red blood cells were down a month ago. All the medicine we gave her must have boosted her system, so that's why we thought she was better. I had decided not to get x-rays in May because she recovered. Whoops! So anyhow, Layla has had a piece of metal in her for about 3 months.

It was when Layla first got sick back in April that she started being really mean to Finnigan. They used to play together all the time. Well, after she "recovered", Layla never really went back to being friendly with him. We're hoping that this piece of metal is the reason, and not just the fact that Layla is a heartless b.

I Can't Even Sew!

2007-07-16T12:54:00.000-05:00

I just dropped Layla off for emergency surgery to remove a needle from her stomach. Apparently she has been bleeding internally since a few months ago because this needle perforated her stomach and possibly her liver. When she stopped barking when we came home, as well as let Finn bound around the house unchecked, we knew something was wrong. My only question is, how on earth did she swallow a needle? Layla is not a chewer. In fact we leave her out by herself when we are gone. She never touches anything (except wooden pencils weird as that is) so I can't imagine how she swallowed a needle, let alone a sewing needle. We don't even have sewing needles in our house! Anyhow, Dr. Whitworth said there is a chance Layla won't make it as she has already lost so much blood, but he said he was confident she will be ok. I started to cry a little but I hardly got to say goodbye to her before they took her away. Anyhow, say a prayer for Layla!

Spoiled Rotten

2007-07-13T17:42:00.000-05:00

So I'm back. Well, I've been back but I have yet to receive any pictures from my mom or Aunt Cindi hint, hint, so I really didn't have anything to put on here because without pictures, who wants to look at my page?

Anyhow, I had a great picture that I took last night, but something went wrong with my card and i had to reformat it, aka delete all my photos. Anyhow, I was craving something bad for me and we did not appear to have anything. So I randomly decided to open the bottom vegetable drawers of the refrigerator to see if there was anything sugary hiding down there. Our bottom drawers are opaque, so you can't see what is in them. So I pulled open the drawer and found something similar to this:

Only of course there was no bowl and there was more black to it and it was rotting through a plastic vegetable bag. I think it might have been parsley, but I'm not sure. I needed dental records to identify it. It did curb my appetite though.

And, for all those of you who think myspace is a waste of time, I would like to share a website I discovered thanks to a post from Jennifer Kirby. I think you will find this infinitely valuable, or perhaps just mildly entertaining.
This website allows you to look up the #1 song at any point in history, and of course history really only goes back to the 1890's. I'm pretty sure there was no music before then anyhow, other than chanting monks. Considering the era I was born in, I am quite happy to report that my song was one of the few disco songs that is tolerable.

Gone to Florida

2007-07-04T13:29:00.000-05:00

Death and or Taxes

2007-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

"In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes."
Benjamin Franklin
It seems that it won't be death AND taxes for Mr. and Mrs. Brown, but instead, they have vowed for death BEFORE taxes.

The story talks about Ed and Elaine Brown who claim that there is no law requiring citizens to pay taxes. Therefore, they have avoided paying taxes for the last decade. Because of their refusal to pay, they have been sentenced to prison and been told they owe the government $200,000. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have said that they will die before they pay or go to prison. The government is now in a perplexing situation as they get to choose between ignoring this or getting into a shoot-out with a grandma and grandpa over money.

When I first read about this case, my initial thought was, "Crazy people." Then as I read on my thoughts changed to, "Could they really be right?" I was intrigued that the Brown's could actually make a case for not paying their taxes. Very interesting.

But as I read on further, I discovered something that really ticked me off. I found out that our own government is pushing a bill that will forgive all back taxes owed by illegal immigrants. So the Brown's own hypocritical government would like to lock them up while at the same time they smooth the way for the millions of people here illegally by erasing their debts. What a quandry we are in as a country. How can our goverment wave a special wand of forgiveness over illegal immigrants, but refuse to give it's own citizens the same consideration?

Fight for Life

2007-06-19T16:35:00.000-05:00

You really need to check out this video. You have to watch all of it though, don't stop early. No, I am not sick and twisted, just keep watching.

Oh no you di'int!

2007-06-18T22:28:00.000-05:00

Today I dropped Finn and Layla off at the vet. When I came to pick them up that afternoon, the nice, yet weird vet assistant was there. He just happened to have a giant snake around his neck and was acting like that was a normal occurance, which perhaps it is seeing as I was at the vet. As I was paying, here was our conversation:

Me: "How soon can we get Finn neutered? I don't want to do it too early."

Finn: Stares out door while panting.

Snake Charmer/Vet Assistant: Petting snake. "I would wait a month or so. Well, let me see...if I can get personal here for a minute." Walks toward me.

Me: Staring at snake waiting to see if maybe it would start to constrict on the guy's neck. Wondering if I would finally be able to find out if I have the strength and courage to save someone from a snake attack.

Snake Charmer/Vet Assistant: Bends down over Finn and reaches hands under and back to Finn's special purpose. "Well, he only has one testicle dropped...wait, no there's the other one. He has both, but I would give him some time with them."

Finn: Stares out door while panting.

Me: "You just grabbed his testicles." Sick.

BAP

2007-06-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

In honor of Father's Day, I would like to let everyone know what a fantastic dad I have. While many women end up marrying someone like their father, I instead ended up as my dad's female clone. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Here are the top 5 reasons I appreciate my dad:

#5: My dad raised me to be interested in the world around me. He instilled in me an interest in politics, cultures, psychology, and basically people in general. He's just about the greatest "people" person you could ever meet.

#4: My dad is big into character, and he never let me do lackluster or careless work. He showed me how important it is to work to the best of my ability, no matter if the situation was playing in a soccer game or picking weeds in the backyard.

#3: My dad always makes me feel smart. He tells me how helpful and brilliant I am for even the smallest things, like showing him how to attach a file to an email.

#2: My dad tells it like it is. I have never had to guess how my dad felt about a choice I made or a boyfriend I had. I appreciate that he lets me know if he's proud of me, as well as telling me when I disappointed him. He's always held the bar pretty high, but I see that as a compliment because he obviously believes I can reach it. Because of that, I have always had high standards for myself as well.

#1: Lastly, my dad always has supported me in any hobby, sport, or adventure I've undertaken. From soccer to study abroad to moving to Seattle, he has continually encouraged me. My dad has been there for me
physically by being at events to cheer me on or driving me thousands of miles,
financially by giving me the money to participate or the funds to get on my feet,
mentally by talking me through potential problems or pumping me up to dispel any nerves, and
spiritually by praying with me or reminding me Who I belong to.

I am truly blessed to have BAP as my dad.

Pump it Up - Summer Vacation Days 14-18

2007-06-12T21:39:00.001-05:00

Personal Accomplishments: ***
Memories: **
World Impact: **

The last few days have been really fun. I have been busy, but in a good way:

-I actually worked out at the gym instead of eating lunch, cleaning a bit, and going to bed at 7:30. Who knew being an art teacher was so tiring?

-went to see Surf's Up with my students for a field trip

-made an awesome art project at camp with giant coffee filters and watercolor paint

-kicked Trey and Tim's butt in Phase 10

-watched The Privileged Planet with our new small group from church

-played soccer with my nephew at his Soccer Tots program (he's awesome at Red Light, Green Light)

-Got to meet Rigaud, the visiting minister from Haiti who is staying with Gavin and Elizabeth (my mom spoke French with him, which always makes me so proud of her :)

-And lastly, I started my volunteer tutoring program

Daughters - Summer Vacation Days 12 & 13

2007-06-07T20:40:00.001-05:00

Personal Accomplishments: *
Memories: *
World Impact: n/a

These are some pictures of my super cute niece, Ella Grace. Ms. Nola, my mom's great friend from Michigan, brought a tiara and a feather boa for her all the way from Michigan. Tiaras and boas are Ms. Nola's thing. Anyhow, Ella loved it and I thought I would share. So, Elizabeth wrote in her blog about the incident and I thought she made an excellent point. She said that she never thought she would see her daughter in a tiara because she doesn't care for the whole "princess" mentality. Elizabeth then went on to say she had changed her opinion because, it's one thing to dress your daughter like a princess, but quite another to raise her like one. I wholeheartedly agree.

It has been incredibly helpful and uplifting for me to see how my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, handles motherhood. While I originally (9 years ago original) thought that we were total opposites, I now see that we are far more alike than we are different. Seeing how gracefully and comfortably she handles all types of parenting situations thrown at her gives me confidence that I, most likely, won't permanently emotionally damage my children. When I do finally decide to step into the role of mother, I know that she will be an incredibly valuable resource and confidant.

Bowling - Summer Vacation Days 10 & 11

2007-06-05T19:08:00.000-05:00

Personal Accomplishments: **
Memories: **
World Impact: **

Today was bowling for Camp Tejas. I worked with three kids, one of which had his own bag, ball, shoes, and team shirt. Oddly enough, he scored the lowest of the group. There was also a boy who used the bowling ramp to play. I would have to remind him every time to gently place the ball on the top of the ramp and then push it, DO NOT THROW THE BALL AT THE RAMP!!! One staff member decided that he could teach aforementioned student to throw the ball without the use of the ramp. The student dropped the ball on the staff member's foot and that was the end of his lessons. We had fun though. The kids really like to be able to do well at something, just like any other kid.

Yesterday was a lazy day, aside from a trip to Costco, because today was supposed to be so busy. I have been anticipating for weeks a dinner with a great friend in from Boston on business. Sarah and I were supposed to meet up for Indian food at Madras Pavilion in Dallas (props to Tim for introducing me). Unfortunately, Sarah had to cancel last minute as she had to fly back. I am so bummed! I really was looking forward to some unrushed time to talk with her before her wedding in September. Sarah and I were very close friends in high school, but we sort of lost touch for awhile as we are both not very good at calling and such. We never really completely dropped out of each other's lives, but we were not real consistent. Anyhow, we were able to take a trip together to a friend's wedding in October and we had a great time together, picked things up right where we left off.

Although we talk more now, it's not the same as being face to face, so I was looking forward to tonight to catch up a bit more, as both our lives have changed drastically in the last 5 years or so, as have we. But things happen and there will be other dinners. I'm crossing my fingers it will be soon!

Swimming Freak Out - Summer Vacation Days 8 & 9

2007-06-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

Personal Accomplishments: **
Memories: ***
World Impact: **

On Friday, Camp Tejas went swimming. The previous night I had searched for my swimsuit but could not find it. Instead of going to buy a new one at 8:30pm, I decided to wear an old one that did not fit at all, much like everything else in my closet. I planned to simply wear shorts and a shirt over it. No big deal.

So I was assigned to a sweet boy who was very pumped to be going to the pool. We got to the there and I put sunscreen on him and got him his life jacket (all campers must wear a life jacket) and we headed to the freezing water. This is an outdoor pool with no heaters, just like at Shiloh, so you take it as is. I got in some but mostly just watched him from the side and watched when he said, "Watch this!" and cheered when he went down the slide.

We had been at the pool for over an hour and all was good, so I headed to get my water bottle and yogurt. I was heading back and watching Zach as he climbed out of the water and headed toward me. Now, it is difficult to understand what he is saying sometimes so when I asked him where he was going, it sounded like, "Want out." I assumed he meant he was done swimming, so we headed toward the benches and I stopped him to take off his life jacket. As he got out of it, he immediately turned and ran back toward the pool.

I started running after him, balancing my water, yogurt, and the dangling life jacket. I was barely able to grab him with my semi-free hand before he jumped right back in the pool. Earl was running over so I said, "Can you help me Earl?" What does big, strong Earl do? He takes my yogurt and water out of my hands and walks away. Thanks for all your help! Thankfully, Tracy was there to help me restrain him and we spent the next 30 minutes at the edge of the pool with a crying camper who desperately wanted to get in without a life jacket.

Eventually he calmed down and we got him changed, but that was quite enough excitement for the rest of the day.

On Saturday, Trey and I enjoyed our mostly clean apartment, as Trey had spent most of yesterday cleaning. He told me to make myself scarce as he was focused and really wanted to get some stuff done. When he says that, I definitely will not get in his way. The dogs were freshly groomed on Friday so we had no hair to vacuum. Life is good. The dogs needed something to chew on (other than our carpet) so since I never got to make it to Costco, I headed to Petco. The bones are more expensive at Petco, so I wanted to be sure to buy the best value which means bigger bones. You would think little Layla would have a tough time with this, but obviously not.

Saturday night, we went over to my parents' house to go out to dinner with them. Their good friends the Cucherans and the Kirbys, from Michigan, were in town and staying with them, so we all were going to hang out. Of course the Corbett's came too and Gavin and Elizabeth so it was quite crazy for awhile. Lots of babies and laughing and catching up, so the volume and insanity were welcome.

Ella was there, naturally, and I am amazed at how much she changes every week! Just last week she was fighting to lift her head for a few seconds. Now she has almost no problem holding it up. She smiles so much more too. I guess we're just starting to see her personality. I can't wait to find out more about what she's like!

Nikki's baby, Stone, was there too. He is so cute and BIG! He looks like he could kick some butt already. It only occurred to me after that he was born right about the same time as Eveyn. I can't believe that Eveyn would be walking and exploring like he was, and we would know if she likes to be held or if she likes to be tickled. It makes me really sad that I'll never know or see her like that.

Everyone had a great time together and Trey and I stayed until late with the girls out on the deck and the guys watching the game inside. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE PISTONS LOST!! The only thing that could make this basketball season any worse, would be if the stupid Spurs win the championship. So I am now officially a Cavs fan, but only until October.

Postcards - Summer Vacation Day 7

2007-06-01T14:28:00.001-05:00

Personal Accomplishment: **
Memories: **
World Impact: **
Yesterday we decorated postcards. I'm not sure they will go through the mail as they are covered with so much glue and sand. They are really cute though. The kids really enjoyed writing them and had fun with all the glitter and glue. One boy had so much fun he threw up in class. A couple times. Oh the joys of working with kids.

I also took the dogs to the vet as the groomer said we had to have proof of rabies shots and Finn had never had his. Thank goodness there was an opening that evening. We also got Layla's sick skin thing checked out. She has this crusty, scabby thing over her elbow. Really gross. It took the vet $60 to tell me that it's not mites and to spray some stuff on it. We were only at the vet for 20 minutes, but it cost over $200! I'm beginning to wonder if these dogs are worth it.

Kid Puzzles - Summer Vacation Day 6

2007-05-30T23:11:00.000-05:00

Personal Accomplishments: **
Memories: **
World Impact: **

So the kids made their puzzle pieces today. Initially, I was worried that they might all try to copy my lame example, because that is what so many of my other students try to do. So today I learned one of the greatest things about working with kids with severe disabilities: They are NOT typical kids. Now this may sound obvious, but it was really a pleasant surprise in terms of their art work. I will take pictures to show you tomorrow, but they came up with some of the greatest combinations for clothes, hair, shoes, it was wonderful.

After work I went to the dentist and almost fell asleep in the chair while she was cleaning my teeth. Afterwards, I had that great, clean feeling where you can run your tongue across your teeth and feel the spaces between them. I have never been the best at brushing and flossing so I get a lot of gunk in my spaces. So for me, getting my teeth cleaned is like a new beginning. Every time, i promise myself I will brush three times a day and floss before bed. My resolutions never last more than a few days, if that, but who knows? Maybe this will be the time I stick with it.

Back at home, let Finn hang out in the living room while i did some stuff on the computer. I kept hearing a thumping, but every time I would go look in the living room to see what the noise was, all I would see was Finn sitting in the middle of the floor, not near anything he could be destroying. I figured it was his tail wagging and hitting the floor. So the last time I went in, this is what I saw:

In case you can't tell, there is a big hole in our carpet. How could I have guessed Finn was eating our carpet!? I was so ticked. We really need to get some more bones.

Camp Tejas Set-up - Summer Vacation Day 5

2007-05-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

Personal Accomplishment: ***
Memories: **
World Impact: **

Today I set up my classroom for summer school. This year, I am the art teacher for Camp Tejas. No, I do not have any artistic ability. Thankfully, that does not matter much as my students will have severe mental and physical disabilities, so we'll have to do most projects for them anyhow.

As long as there's color and lots of stickers, these kiddos are happy. Tomorrow we are making kid puzzles that they can each decorate however they want. My example is ridiculous looking, so hopefully they can overlook that and show what great artists they are. Anyhow, tomorrow should be fun as it's the first day the kids are there. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone.

Surprise Party- Summer Vacation Day 4

2007-05-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

Personal Accomplishments: *
Memories: **
World Impact: *

Monday night Trey and I went to a surprise 30th birthday party for my brother, Gavin. It was at Reata's in downtown Fort Worth. The restaurant was pretty good and the servers were incredibly nice seeing as how we were a huge group with quite a few demands. We all managed to keep the party a secret, so Gavin was actually surprised to see everyone. It was a lot of fun to see all their friends and Elizabeth's parents. Eli was super cute, especially with the little baby that was there. He kept leaning over right in his face and saying, "Hey little baby. You're so cute!" He loves to mimic so he sounds like an adult a lot of the time. At the end of the meal, I got to eat my dessert of Molten Chocolate Cake with Drunken Berries. It was a volcano of chocolate flava. I tried to find a picture of chocolate lava cake, but they all looked fake, so I thought I would share this picture, which also appeared as an image option for chocolate lava cake:

Movie Day - Summer Vacation Day 3

2007-05-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

Personal accomplishments: N/A
Memories: *
World Impact: N/A

Yesterday I was very excited to go to church as we finally found one we liked, Frisco Bible Church. A woman from church called since I had filled out the guest card and we ended up having a long conversation and I looked forward to meeting her. Anyhow, I set our alarm and the next morning I woke up at 11am (yes, I can sleep that late) to find that I had neglected to click the switch to actually turn on the alarm. So annoying. As a result, yesterday was spent avoiding the dishes and dog hair in our apartment instead of going to church and being productive.

We did watch a few movies. The first one was The Painted Veil, which was an ok movie, nothing I'd necessarily recommend to anyone.

We also saw Alpha Dog. That movie was actually pretty good, surprisingly as Justin Timberlake is in it. Even better is that it's based on a true story. The end made Trey so anxious he had to leave the room. Of course afterward I had to look up the story on wikipedia. Very sad.

Family and Fighting - Summer Vacation day 2

2007-05-27T13:45:00.000-05:00

personal accomplishments: **
memories: ***
world impact: **

Yesterday would have been considered a wasted day by most people, but I quite enjoyed it. Trey and I lounged around most of the day. I watched The Family Stone, an unbelievable but mildly entertaining movie. Then we finally headed out to Gavin and Elizabeth's to have dinner and watch UFC 71. I got to play baseball, football, soccer, tag, keep away, and lots of other games with my little dude, Eli. It was the perfect day to play outside as it wasn't too sunny. Trey and I brought Layla and Finn with us. Eli seems to love both of them, but he REALLY seems to love Finnigan's penis. Eli kept telling Elizabeth and I that he really wanted to look at Finn's penis. He wanted us to make him roll over so he could see it. That cracked me up. We tried to explain to him that it's private, just like his, but it did not seem to make a difference to Eli.

Then we went to Mark and Liz's (Elizabeth's parents) to watch the fight. While we were there I was able to spend just about all night with beautiful, little Ella. I changed my first tiny, baby diaper (I am now an expert) and fed her. So much fun. Unfortunately, Chuck Liddell lost his fight pretty quickly, but the rest of the fights were pretty good. All in all, a great day.

Punk Rock - Summer Vacation Day 1

2007-05-26T11:42:00.000-05:00

personal accomplishments: **
memories: ***
world impact: *

Yesterday was my first day of summer vacation and it was pretty fun. I spent the day vegetating and picking up around the house, but nothing more serious than hand vacuuming, which by the way is one of the greatest inventions ever. That Friday night, Melt Banana was playing at Rubber Gloves in Denton. Melt Banana is this punk, noise band from Japan.

We bought our tickets and then went to meet Micah and Ashley at J&J's Pizza in the square. They are both moving to Austin Saturday so they couldn't come to the show, but we had a good time hanging out for a bit and laughing about old Chappelle show episodes.

So we headed back to Rubber Gloves and met Jared and Tim there. The place was packed with punk kids and hipsters. A lot like this:

Mixed in with a bit of this:

It was hot and crowded, but a good show. I also ran into my hairdresser, Isabeau. She's fantastic and it was funny to see her in such a random place. Afterward, we headed up to Ethan's studio and the guys messed around playing some music and I ate my Good 'n Plenty and laughed a lot. Successful evening.

Austin Weekend

2007-03-29T21:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend Trey and I went to Austin to compete in some races and to see some friends and family. Things started out rough as my parents decided they no longer want to watch our dogs for us when we go out of town. They decided to let me in on this Thursday afternoon.

Layla

Finnigan

We figured we would bring Finn to Austin because he is easier to take care of than crazy Layla. Plus, Annalee and Evan have a dog and Layla can be a real B when it comes to other dogs. Now to find a place for Layla. Ian was having 3 people stay with him this weekend, so he was not a possibility. Gavin offered to keep Layla, as did Alana, but we finally decided to board her at a vet. We then found out her shots were way overdue, so a $30 stay turned into $170. Also, Trey and I were going to have to drive seperate so he could drop Layla off Saturday morning. Oh well, what can you do?

So I drove up Friday and got ridiculously lost and it took me 5 hours to make a 3 1/2 hour trip. On Saturday morning I got up and talked with Annalee and Evan and then had to rush to make it to my Saturday afternoon race on time.

So, when I saw the blip about Urban Dare in a magazine, I thought it sounded fun, but I was completely unprepared for how intense and serious some of these people were! Here's the website of the team that won. Wow.

Anyhow, Urban Dare is kind of like a scavenger hunt for locations. A little like Amazing Race, but not as difficult and in one city. I raced with my old high school friend, Jessica. As she is in great shape and a spinning instructor, she kicked my butt. The race has a five hour time limit and while planning for it, Jess and I had scoffed at anyone needing ALL that time. Well, in our face because we barely made it in time. Basically, we ran or speed walked for 5 hours. It was worth it though as I was able to go all over Austin and see places such as:
Daniel Johnston's Graffitti

Stevie Ray Vaughan statue

Barton Springs Pool

So, Jess and I had a great time and we're definitely racing next year, but I will be better prepared so I don't become a human anchor. We'll also ride the bus more than just at the very end.

After the race, I wanted to pass out and never wake up. I had the Austin Statesman 10K the next day, but there was no way i was ever going to be able to do that. I had planned on meeting an old roommate from Oxford, Christiana, for coffee or a drink, but I was not even sure I could pull that off. I decided I had to see her so we met at Freddie's since Trey and I could bring Finn.

Jared and Kristy met us there and while I originally intended to stay for only about 30 min, we ended up staying out till 3am. We had such a blast that we closed down Freddie's and headed to Spider House, another outdoor bar.

I had a great time talking and tipsily pontificating with Christiana and Kristy. I am now in love with Austin so Trey and I have decided if we must stay in Texas, our permanent home needs to be Austin.

Passing Time

2007-03-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

So, Trey was gone this last weekend, plus a few more days. He was at SXSW with Garrett and he had a blast. So glad I didn't have to go as I can only take in so many shows before I get irritable. Anyhow, I stayed here and relaxed. I watched some great movies that inspired me to stand up for what I believe in and made me appreciate the freedom we have to say whatever we want about our government. The primary movie was about Sophie Scholl, an anti-Nazi activist during WW2.

She fought with words and was executed for it. She spoke out against the war and Hitler and that was not tolerated. Amazingly, at 21 she gave her life for a cause she believed in. Made me what to run out and save something, someone. From what or where, I don't know.

Seeing that movie made me wonder if I would have the courage to do what Sophie did. Every movie I see about a martyr makes me wonder this. It's so easy to think, "Well of course I would hide Jews and speak out against Hitler!" I think we underestimate how much influence our historical knowledge has on us. Knowing what happened to the Jews, who wouldn't risk everything to save one? But they didn't know what we know now. They didn't know how much of a hero they would turn out to be.

So anyhow, since Trey wasn't here, I also got to eat whenever and whatever I wanted. Not that I normally don't, but, well, I ate weird combinations of things. On Thursday I had a root beer float and sushi party for a student. On Friday I had bubble tea and Bueno. On Saturday I bought velveeta and ro-tel to make queso. Yummmmmmmm. I also bought a box of Nutty Bars and ate the whole box. Not just one package of two, but all six packages of two which according to my middle school math equals 12 individual nutty bars. It was worth it on every one.

Birthday Bust

2007-03-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today was my 28th birthday. Not that I expect a big celebration at this age or anything, but I figured I would at least enjoy the day. It didn't help that today was the first day back after spring break. Here are the low points.

1) Woke up at 8:10. While that means almost 2 hours of extra sleep, but it also means I am already 10 minutes late for work. As a teacher, you can't really be late for work. The kids are there, waiting and there is no one to cover for you, EXCEPT YOUR BOSS. 1st period starts at 8:30. Panic.

2) Phone is dead as unnamed husband left it off the hook. No blaming here, just finger-pointing. Cannot call work to even have boss cover me. No, we do not have cell phones. I imagine my kids wandering the halls telling everyone they see, "Mrs. Logue isn't here. Can you help us find her?" Sweating.

3) Takes 23 minutes to get to work. Therefore I do not have time to:

shower
brush teeth
wash face
brush hair (not all that unusual for me)
eat breakfast
cover up dirtiness with make-up

4) Grabbed wrong lunch tupperware out of fridge. I end up eating pathetic portion of cold chili.

5) Forgot to get my purse so I can't buy anything for lunch.

6) Burned the popcorn that I needed to eat for lunch.

Now, to end on a good note, I came home to one happy Trey and two excited puppies, all vying for my attention, as well as three packages from wonderful family members. I showered, napped, and ate my breakfast at 6:30pm. The day started at a 3 and ended at an 8. Today probably would have peaked at a 6 had I not had such an atrocious morning. I have to have the bad to appreciate the good.