The Big Snipparoo

It has become rather apparent that we own one of the smartest puppies on earth. For instance, we had to stop telling him he was going to "daycare" the night before he headed to Dogtopia because he would act like such a nut the next morning I could hardly get dressed. 

Sort of like, "Hurry up, woman!'

Last night Dave and I were discussing Rambo's big adventure for today - the big neuter surgery. You see, he's now seven months old and must have this procedure before going back to said daycare to play with his friends.

Apparently he heard every single word. And also understood the premise.

Because the little fella did not let his dad sleep more than two hours last night. I was in and out of sleep and many times thought I was dreaming these wild events but, if memory serves, he even got himself stuck underneath the bed at one point. And there was barking. 

By both the man and the pup.

Unfortunately, his unruly behavior continued after I got up this morning as he was very fidgety, did some things on the carpet that said floor covering is not made for, refused to get into the car and then refused to get out of the car before refusing to walk back with the vet tech. He required a personal carry. At 50 pounds!

While I am impressed that a canine possesses this intelligence, I can assure you we will not be having conversations that involve Rambo in his presence from this point forward. I am happy to report he came through his surgery like a champ and can be picked up later this afternoon.

Now I'm taking bets as to how long it will be before he's willing to speak to me again.

A Week in the Life...

Is it just me or is the pace of life picking up a bit? And by a bit, I actually mean WHOA NELLY!

Between preparing for a dance recital, kicking off the spring volleyball season and getting ready for TAKS tests, my girl is super busy these days. Oh, and she has birthday parties to attend, a new season of children's choir, church outings and friends to see.

That doesn't even take into consideration that Rambo is (unknowingly) about to have surgery tomorrow. Nothing serious - just a little, you know, snip snip. Or that Dave worked five 12-hour shifts in a row last week, had one day off and then picked up again this week. Or that I'm trying to get back on the Zumba bandwagon after two (necessary) weeks off in order to heal from severe allergies.

And, y'all, even with all of this activity each member of my family continues to insist on three square meals a day. Who could have known?

Though I realize it sounds like I am - at best - whining and - at worst - complaining, neither is actually true.

Why?

Because I love this hectic pace of life. It's never busy, requires multitasking to the hilt and endless to-do lists that are color coded (side note: checking things off a list is one of my all-time favorite things) in order to stay organized.

Let me repeat, I LOVE IT.

Soon enough the girl will be gone while Tonto and I are left to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives. Lord, have mercy, can you even imagine how many dogs we'll have by then??!?!

So all of that to say, life is good. Even when it's not. And sometimes it doesn't allow for fun photos because this mom is overwhelmed with getting everything done.

But I much prefer this to the alternative. :-)

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!

Psalm 126:3

Everything and Nothing

So we had a whole bunch of activity over the past few days; however, I didn't take the camera out once so may I present you with a numbered list of a bunch of nothingness:

1. The girl and I were alone this past weekend as Tonto had to work. In fact, he worked five 12-hour shifts in a row so he's a bit, you know, EXHAUSTED at the moment. Needless to say, we partook in some "girly" activities like a trip to 3 Spoons and devouring Shipley's for breakfast on Saturday.
2. Poor Rambo has a rough week ahead and he doesn't have a single clue. Bless his heart. It's that time, though, and some things simply must be snipped done if he's to ever play with his friends at daycare again.
3. The Lady Bears have advanced to the Elite Eight and must now face A&M again. For the fourth time this season. I find that ridiculous and would like to start a petition entitled "Stop Protecting Tennessee and Put Teams in the Correct Regional." Not that I've given it much thought, though...
4. My house is clean and ready for Easter decorations (why, yes, I decorate for every holiday; thank you for asking) but said decs are in the attic. Until I can convince Tonto to climb up there, we shall remain bunny-less.
5. Trying to plan a summer schedule for an 11-year-old is nearly an impossible task. Between volleyball camp, church camp, VBS, zoo camp, etc. my eyes are just about to cross. Or bug out of my head. Pick your poison.
6. I began reading "Radical" last week and - OH. MY. WORD. - it's amazing, y'all. Will totally make you rethink a thing or 12.
7. Saturday is the Baylor football open scrimmage and we cannot wait to attend. My girl plans to finally get her jersey signed by none other than Robert Griffin III. Relatively certain her life will be a shade closer to complete after that activity. :-)
8. That's all I've got, friends...here's to me pulling out the camera soon so we all have something more exciting to look forward to than my lists :-)

P.S. The actual reason for no exciting photos is that the girl has gotten to that magical age where I spend time driving the girl from one engagement to the next. Saturday brought a trip to the Mayborn Museum with her friends from church while Sunday was a birthday party followed immediately by children's choir. Proof that I do not snap pictures and drive.

Pinewood Derby

Wednesday evening brought a very important rite of passage - that's what I hear anyway, as I never experienced this activity - the Pinewood Derby at church. The RA's and GA's brought the heat and it was fun to see their different creations.

What I did not realize is that said Derby would bring out my man's competitive spirit like nothing I've seen since he had to leave the Baylor v. Texas A&M football game due to a nauseous feeling. Bug I digress...

As you can see, he took it a wee bit seriously...

...and, in turn, the girl took it every bit as seriously...

...and, as one might imagine, I was told a hot rod is not considered complete until the flames were applied. Who knew?!?!

Due to someone in our house forgetting that her car was due last week, it wasn't weighted properly so it didn't fare all that well in the speed category...

...but it did garner a 1st place trophy in the design category!

No, her feet have not yet touched the ground. :-)

March Madness

If you have read this blog for more than half a minute, you probably realize we are huge fans of Baylor athletics. All sports, really, but we're probably most into football and basketball at this point. Have to admit, though, that I'm relatively certain baseball and softball will be added to the "obsessive" list this spring as well.

Anyway, we decided to attend the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA women's tourney as soon as we learned Baylor would have the opportunity to host the games. We headed out Sunday afternoon to check out the first game (U of H v. WVU) so we could do a bit of scouting. You know, just in case Coach Mulkey asked our opinion. :-)

It was SUPER fun!

Here's our team watching the first game as well...

Soon it was time for the main event - Baylor v. Prairie View A&M.

May I present the competition?

I really just took photos before the game began so if action shots are what you're looking for, you will be highly disappointed. It's rather dark in there and you're not supposed to use a flash. Most importantly, I'm not brave enough to make one of our players miss a shot due to said flash. Fear the Mulk! (In a good way, of course -- I'm a HUGE fan!)

The lady on the left is one of my co-workers and she also does the radio play-by-play.

Our team warming up. During their drills, Dave looked over at me and said, "Even their drills confuse me." They're a REALLY good team. Clearly he wouldn't cut it. :-)

The ever popular Courtside Players!

Check out Griner's perfect form...

While Dave was impressed with their intricate drills, I was super impressed with their flexibility. And willingness to perform this type of stretch in public. Some things just aren't the same after college, you know...

Melissa Jones!!!

The on air talent...and if you look closely, you can see the voice of ESPN 1660 behind them with his laptop. :-)

I always wonder what they say in these huddles...

There she is, y'all, Kim Mulkey - the woman my Paw Paw watched play basketball at La Tech with braided pigtails.

The introductions were made...

...and it was time to get the party started.

Well, I'm not sure Prairie View would consider it much of a party. They set a record for scoring the smallest number of points ever in the first half of an NCAA tournament game. Ouch!

Their fans and dance team were awesome, though, and were wildly entertaining. They have tons of choreography for the songs their bands played. They even started the wave. Was the first time I've ever seen the wave at the Ferrell Center.

It was a bit of a rout and we took on WVU last night. It was frustrating because we were obviously playing by different rules. They played rugby (without repercussion, I might add) while we played basketball.

And, while it was annoying, we won anyway and are headed to Dallas for the Sweet Sixteen. My husband was also berated by an older couple for - gasp - standing up and cheering during the game. You know, just like the other 9,000 people in the building. Don't even get me started on that interaction because it was silly. And rude. (on their part, not Dave's)...

Anyway, we're heading to church tonight as we continue in our marathon week. We literally have something scheduled every night but the weekend will be here soon. Hope you're all doing well, friends!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Without further ado, may I present the photo overload from our visit to Baylor Ballpark on Saturday afternoon?

Here's where I make a shocking confession: this was my first visit to Baylor Ballpark. I know, y'all -- the horror!

I blame it on the fact that I worked very closely with a certain MLB team for several years during which time I ate, breathed and slept baseball. This caused me to take a bit of a hiatus from the sport but I'm now back on board with America's favorite pastime. 

My precious child was really excited about going until we got there. Approximately 4.5 pitches into the game she asked if we could leave. It was delightful, I tell you. 

After a brief time of poutiness, she perked up with a Dr. Pepper and a hot dog. Nothing like ballpark fare to bring one back to the bright side, huh?

It was an absolutely beautiful day...

...patriotic, if you will...

...and though it doesn't look like many folks were in attendance from this photo, there was a good crowd. Most of whom chose the third base side so as to avoid direct sunlight. A smart group. Obviously.

This fellow cracked me up. Got to love a baseball player who isn't afraid to get dirty. The girl - always one who thinks in black and white - inquired REPEATEDLY about "why have white uniforms when you know from the get go that they're going to get dirty?" Yeah, you try explaining that to her...

It was a lot of fun to watch the players exhibit their various moves and stances. Made me remember why I used to love baseball so much :-)

And the various stances while on base crack me up as well.

Carl (aka our camera) managed to get a good action shot of the pitcher. Unfortunately he also captured some Tech players. I was really trying to avoid giving them any face time. :-)

Coach Smith talking it over with the pitcher. The pitcher who was in a bit of a bind, if you will.

My very favorite thing about baseball is that each player gets to pick out his own song. Said song is then played when he has an at-bat. The songs are, literally, what capture my attention the most. Yes, I realize how sad that sounds. No, it doesn't bother me at all.

Anyway, the catcher - Josh Ludy - had to be our favorite because he chose good ol' Johnny Cash. He was an instant hit with our little fam due to that pick. He also hit the game winning RBI after we had a bit of a collapse and somehow ended up with a tie game after leading 12-3 when we left during the sixth inning. It was unfortunate but they pulled it out in the end. 

I will have you know there were no Corn Nuts, peanuts or sunflower seeds involved in this visit to the ballpark. Seems almost unfathomable, doesn't it? I can assure you we made up for it the next night (at the NCAA first round game) when I stocked up on both popcorn AND peanuts.

Can you say water retention? And diuretic? 

I certainly did!

Supermoon!

I don't know about y'all, friends, but we really had a fabulous weekend. It was one of those that was just delightful from beginning to end. In short, a RARE one. Perhaps it's because of the lack of regularity that it meant so much to me...

Anyway, the girl unexpectedly spent the night with a sweet friend on Friday night. That lead to an unexpected date night with the man. It was delightful. Yummy fajitas at Se Cocina followed by a drive around the lake that was followed by an evening of March Madness.

Saturday morning we ran errands while the girl spent a lazy morning at her friend's house. She got home around noon and we returned from the grocery store shortly thereafter. After she and the man worked on her Pinewood Derby car for a bit, we headed to the Baylor baseball game.

Oh, yes, nothing says spring and fun like baseball, does it?

That evening we grilled steaks and coupled them with fresh salads and baked potatoes. Sweet mercy, friends, it was so good I could hardly take it.

I read about the Supermoon on Twitter that evening and decided we needed to document and enjoy the occasion so the girl would remember it the next time it comes around in 15-20 years.

It was...

...stunning...

...and beautiful!

After heading inside, I thanked God over and over for such a sweet day. Things have been nutty and crazy at our house for quite some time and it was just what we needed.

Yesterday we had a great time of worship at church, took a great nap and then headed to the Ferrell Center to watch the Baylor Lady Bears advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament. We'll head back again tomorrow evening for the championship game, which would put them in the Sweet Sixteen. So fun!

So that's the brief synopsis but, as you know by now, I photographed most of these events and will share them with painstaking detail that may make you grimace. But, for now, I give you the supermoon. And a very grateful wife and mom :-)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for He who promised is faithful!

Hebrews 10:23

Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Most Girls' Days include the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, right?

To be honest, we probably should have waited until the man could join us. I'm thinking he may have helped us to understand more of what we viewed; however, we still had a great time.

Kim Mulkey - one of Louisiana's finest!

Here's a mini photo essay...

Ok, after we visited the area where each person inducted to the Hall has a display (confession: I did not realize there was actually a display for each inductee until I downloaded the photos...clearly I'm a genius!), we headed into the Football Hall of Fame where we came upon something I actually recognized: Coach McQueen's letter jacket from Temple High School!

And some other Temple coach's cowboy boots...only in Texas, y'all!

I also found Baylor's Coach Art Briles (aka CAB)

Then we headed into the Southwest Conference Gallery...

I can tell you I've never loved this child more than when we began walking in the the University of Texas section and she asked if we could pause for a moment "before going over to the dark side."

The Promised Land :-)

There are so many pictures that I didn't provide a lot of commentary (you're welcome!) but we did have a good time. She also scored some Dallas Cowboys bracelets. Know what I have to say about that?

Who Dat!

Happy weekend, friends :-)