Kathy Andy Julie
Monday, June 19, 2006
beach week
We just returned from a wonderful beach week vacation. Still haven't done all the laundry and unpacking, but, you know... The photos sort of tell the story. But the one thing we didn't get recorded visually was our last lunch of the trip.
I was determined that we would eat lunch at an old style diner/cafe along the little highway we were on. We blew through a couple of towns with town squares that seemed like they would come through, but all we saw were Subway, Wendy's, Dairy Queen. We got to Kenedy Texas and David spotted a cafe sign, but it was a Mexican Cafe and not right, then just a few feet further down the road, Barth's Cafe. Perfect! Loaded with cars on the outside, loaded with its original 50's decor on the inside. Even the music was right out of a time warp!
We walked in and past the salad bar with iceberg lettuce (shreaded), two kinds of dressing - ranch and thousand island, carrot and raisin salad, hominy!, black eyed pea salad, chocolate pudding, and not too many veggies to our table in the non-smoking section in the back. The waitress brought us warm, homemade bread and those little packages of butter. The kids got burgers and homemade rings, David and I split a chicken fried steak. We asked what kinds of deserts they sold, and she rattled off about 10 kinds of pie and apologized that they were out of coconut creme.
There was a big group in a banquet space near our table. A high school reunion, turns out they all graduated in the early 40's. I'm sure Barth's looked very familiar to them, and I wondered how many of them stuck close to Kenedy their whole lives anyway.
The beach trip was such a nice treat, Thanks Gramma and Grandad (Mom and Dad to me)
I was determined that we would eat lunch at an old style diner/cafe along the little highway we were on. We blew through a couple of towns with town squares that seemed like they would come through, but all we saw were Subway, Wendy's, Dairy Queen. We got to Kenedy Texas and David spotted a cafe sign, but it was a Mexican Cafe and not right, then just a few feet further down the road, Barth's Cafe. Perfect! Loaded with cars on the outside, loaded with its original 50's decor on the inside. Even the music was right out of a time warp!
We walked in and past the salad bar with iceberg lettuce (shreaded), two kinds of dressing - ranch and thousand island, carrot and raisin salad, hominy!, black eyed pea salad, chocolate pudding, and not too many veggies to our table in the non-smoking section in the back. The waitress brought us warm, homemade bread and those little packages of butter. The kids got burgers and homemade rings, David and I split a chicken fried steak. We asked what kinds of deserts they sold, and she rattled off about 10 kinds of pie and apologized that they were out of coconut creme.
There was a big group in a banquet space near our table. A high school reunion, turns out they all graduated in the early 40's. I'm sure Barth's looked very familiar to them, and I wondered how many of them stuck close to Kenedy their whole lives anyway.
The beach trip was such a nice treat, Thanks Gramma and Grandad (Mom and Dad to me)
Saturday, June 10, 2006
LU- CHA! LU-CHA!
Last night, the night before leaving town, the night after a long, draining week, and a packed busy day, I donned my Mexican Wrestling mask and went here! Does David have the coolest office or what?? Yes! he does, they got us these unbelievable tickets for free!
We went to the Alamo Travelling Roadshow for the hottest event in town-- a special advance screening of Jack Black's new movie Nacho Libre. We love Jack Black, it was directed by the guy who did Napoleon Dynomite (which we loved), the tickets were free (how did David's office ever get 11 of them??), Rodney even treated us to dinner and drinks, there were real Mexican Luchadors having wrestling matches before the movie, there were MIDGET MEXICAN WRESTLERS, then the movie itself! Whew!
We were in the commemorative photo of all attendees wearing Lucha Libre masks which will be posted soon on the Alamo site. I'll link as soon as I see it. LU-CHA!
We went to the Alamo Travelling Roadshow for the hottest event in town-- a special advance screening of Jack Black's new movie Nacho Libre. We love Jack Black, it was directed by the guy who did Napoleon Dynomite (which we loved), the tickets were free (how did David's office ever get 11 of them??), Rodney even treated us to dinner and drinks, there were real Mexican Luchadors having wrestling matches before the movie, there were MIDGET MEXICAN WRESTLERS, then the movie itself! Whew!
We were in the commemorative photo of all attendees wearing Lucha Libre masks which will be posted soon on the Alamo site. I'll link as soon as I see it. LU-CHA!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Summer Easy Living
It was supposed to get a little easier, huh? So far it has been a busy summer for me. The morning routine is easier now that the kids sleep a little later, and I don't have to make lunches, or gather homework, or rush anyone out the door to school. BUT.... I started a new job. I do computer research 4 hours a day here from home. And man it is kicking my butt.
The first day I just wanted to quit. Almost in tears from the frustration, I wrote a resignation email to the girl I'm working for. But in it, I offerred to work until she could replace me. On about day 6 or 7, I was starting to get an idea about how to do this job, and now it is a typical "I don't love the work, but I can do it job". It would be perfect if the kids were in school. If you can consider "I don't love it" jobs to be perfect. It is a high pay, work at home kind of job, that would be perfectly timed to kids in school. That's more like it.
Anyway, I get up early every day (6:30 or earlier) so I can phone the UK. Some days I can hardly understand their wacky accents, but yesterday, I got a very helpful sales rep, who patiently answered my questions, who I UNDERSTOOD, and who I eventually envisioned as really cute, just wanting to help me from around the world. I called a friend who reminded me he was probably more of the tech nerd type with English teeth. So I googled the name and came up with a frumpy older balding man who was the town council man of Derbyshiresham or somewhere. After shooting the picture over to my friend, she told me I should have used yahoo's search engine, she found something much more accurate:
The first day I just wanted to quit. Almost in tears from the frustration, I wrote a resignation email to the girl I'm working for. But in it, I offerred to work until she could replace me. On about day 6 or 7, I was starting to get an idea about how to do this job, and now it is a typical "I don't love the work, but I can do it job". It would be perfect if the kids were in school. If you can consider "I don't love it" jobs to be perfect. It is a high pay, work at home kind of job, that would be perfectly timed to kids in school. That's more like it.
Anyway, I get up early every day (6:30 or earlier) so I can phone the UK. Some days I can hardly understand their wacky accents, but yesterday, I got a very helpful sales rep, who patiently answered my questions, who I UNDERSTOOD, and who I eventually envisioned as really cute, just wanting to help me from around the world. I called a friend who reminded me he was probably more of the tech nerd type with English teeth. So I googled the name and came up with a frumpy older balding man who was the town council man of Derbyshiresham or somewhere. After shooting the picture over to my friend, she told me I should have used yahoo's search engine, she found something much more accurate:
Friday, May 26, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
Fun Day
I'm about to start a new little job. I will do some contract work, from home, on my computer. Boring but lucrative.. Anyway, I thought it would start today, but it didn't so I had a free day with Joey.
We met our mutual Godmother for lunch. Went to the big new Whole Foods and ate all kinds of neat stuff. Then Susan and I decided to show Joey the Chocolate Fountain. We picked out the three most lovely chocolate covered strawberries, yum!
Then as soon as we got home, Joey and I had a date to meet my friend at her new house with its new POOL. First dip of the summer. It was wonderful.
Picked up the kids from school and felt so happy I took them for gelato.
Have dinner (I've finally thought ahead for a change and it has been marinating the last 20 hours) ready for the grill.
House is getting cleaner including cleaning out the junk drawer and other hidden horrors.
I'm done with several of the stressers which usually lurk in the back of my mind. The last Girl Scout meeting of the year was last Thursday. My dance recital was Saturday. No more homework for the kids. Only two more lunches to pack for Emma for the year. Picnics on Wednesday (Max's class) and Thursday (Emma's class).
Just coasting now..........yippee!
We met our mutual Godmother for lunch. Went to the big new Whole Foods and ate all kinds of neat stuff. Then Susan and I decided to show Joey the Chocolate Fountain. We picked out the three most lovely chocolate covered strawberries, yum!
Then as soon as we got home, Joey and I had a date to meet my friend at her new house with its new POOL. First dip of the summer. It was wonderful.
Picked up the kids from school and felt so happy I took them for gelato.
Have dinner (I've finally thought ahead for a change and it has been marinating the last 20 hours) ready for the grill.
House is getting cleaner including cleaning out the junk drawer and other hidden horrors.
I'm done with several of the stressers which usually lurk in the back of my mind. The last Girl Scout meeting of the year was last Thursday. My dance recital was Saturday. No more homework for the kids. Only two more lunches to pack for Emma for the year. Picnics on Wednesday (Max's class) and Thursday (Emma's class).
Just coasting now..........yippee!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Battles of Kerbey Lane
New Superhero name for Joey: Bubble Boy
He can create a bubble sheild OR throw a bubble around his enemy.
New Superhero name for Mommy: Super Sweet
When little boys have their bubble shield down, I pour syrup over them rendering them trapped. Or, I might have to shoot sticky hard candies at them with my candy gun, until they are completely incompacitated. Sometimes I put 100 pieces of gum on the sidewalk home from school until the feet of Bubble Boy are hopelessly stuck to the ground.
But somehow, Bubble Boy always informs me that his shield was up in the nick of time....hmmmm.
He can create a bubble sheild OR throw a bubble around his enemy.
New Superhero name for Mommy: Super Sweet
When little boys have their bubble shield down, I pour syrup over them rendering them trapped. Or, I might have to shoot sticky hard candies at them with my candy gun, until they are completely incompacitated. Sometimes I put 100 pieces of gum on the sidewalk home from school until the feet of Bubble Boy are hopelessly stuck to the ground.
But somehow, Bubble Boy always informs me that his shield was up in the nick of time....hmmmm.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
Tree Limb City
Major wind storm here last night. It was really rocking at about 10:30pm. David described what happened when he went out to cover his car, a big wind roared in and all the tree limbs around him seemed to be lunging out for him. Then he demonstrated his crazy run for the back door. I have never known David to admit to such startled anxiety!
Anyway, when the wind was at it's peak, I seriously thought it might be a tornado. It really sounded like a train outside. I asked David if we needed to move to the hall, but since the weatheman kept noting the winds weren't rotational, but straight line, there weren't any tornados expected in Austin proper. The weather guy did note that the straight line winds were between 70 and 80 mph, and that they could do as much damage as a weak twister.
Luckily, our house was spared any significant tree damage.
Today, I rode around the neighborhood. My impression is that every third house has a limb down the diameter of my arm. Every half block has a limb down the diameter of my waist, and every block and a half has a half of a major tree down. There are trees that are just blown over. Of course twigs, sticks, leaves and ball moss is everywhere, in the yards, on the streets. I'll try to get some pictures today.
Oh yeah, within a block of our house there are two houses with limbs/tarps on the roof and one crushed pickup truck at a third house. Our neighbors three houses down had a half of a 24" diameter tree crash down, so Kerbey Lane is closed because the tree crosses the street.
I was supposed to go work 8-11 today, but got a call there was no power at the office, so I got today off! And it's my birthday!
We are due for another round of wind/storms tonight.
Anyway, when the wind was at it's peak, I seriously thought it might be a tornado. It really sounded like a train outside. I asked David if we needed to move to the hall, but since the weatheman kept noting the winds weren't rotational, but straight line, there weren't any tornados expected in Austin proper. The weather guy did note that the straight line winds were between 70 and 80 mph, and that they could do as much damage as a weak twister.
Luckily, our house was spared any significant tree damage.
Today, I rode around the neighborhood. My impression is that every third house has a limb down the diameter of my arm. Every half block has a limb down the diameter of my waist, and every block and a half has a half of a major tree down. There are trees that are just blown over. Of course twigs, sticks, leaves and ball moss is everywhere, in the yards, on the streets. I'll try to get some pictures today.
Oh yeah, within a block of our house there are two houses with limbs/tarps on the roof and one crushed pickup truck at a third house. Our neighbors three houses down had a half of a 24" diameter tree crash down, so Kerbey Lane is closed because the tree crosses the street.
I was supposed to go work 8-11 today, but got a call there was no power at the office, so I got today off! And it's my birthday!
We are due for another round of wind/storms tonight.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
The Pigs on Parade Show
Pigs on Parade is the end of the year info-tainment that Ms. Sharpe puts on. Emma did a similar skit in this class. It has pig songs, pig facts, and a pig poem, and nice pig artwork around the classroom.
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