Another Year Older

Last Thursday was my 34th birthday. I'd like to say that there was a great amount of celebrating that day but there wasn't time because it was the last night of VBS. I did have Wing Stop afterward with my man and the girl if that counts.

BUT the weekend was a different story. Tonto and I spent the day poolside at Hawaiian Falls (the girl stayed home because she's "already done it all") before we all had dinner with my parents. I got some sweet gifts and picked Chuy's because I was dying to eat fajitas with actual tortillas. Let's just say there are some things you truly do miss while going lo carb...

It was delicious and they even brought sopapillas for all. I don't particularly care for them but it was still a nice gesture. :-)

The girl ditched us after dinner and headed to skate with friends while we activated her new phone (stopped charging and Verizon replaced it for free and overnight - yay!), ate cake and took pictures.

My beautiful mom...

...and my nerd-in-this-picture husband...

...and my dad...

...and the guest of honor - Red. Velvet. Cake.

Saturday Tonto headed to the lake with some friends for "guy time" and I had lunch with my girl, hit up the nail salon and then Tay and one of her friends took me to see "The Dark Knight Rises." I'm a serious Batman fan, friends, and the ending was definitely worth sitting through a 3-hour movie.

All in all, a perfect birthday. Here's to 34 being the best yet! :-)

Weekly Top 10 - Crazy Busy Week Edition

1. I spent almost the entire day on Saturday with my mom. Tonto was working and the girl was at camp so we shopped until we dropped. Or at least I almost fell over from exhaustion. My mom, on the other hand, can still run circles around me in this area. We spent some significant time (eating, mainly) in Downtown Belton. 

2. The hot rod is still staying with us since we're not rescheduled for pictures until the 30th. I was alone all weekend and these keys were taunting me...you know, because I would love to take a joyride but have no idea how to even start it.

3. We recently decided to pull the trigger on moving. At first I felt like a huge weight have been lifted from my shoulders and then came the anxiety. Too many options. But, really, there are so many more important things in life that I'm trying to just wait until one option feels totally right. If you know me at all, this is somewhat of a departure from my super Type A personality.

4. Life is incredibly funny. Sometimes you just have to laugh.

5. My mom found this gem (hello, Midway Panthers!) for the girl while we were shopping last weekend. I also copped some super cute earrings for gameday. They were supposed to be Belton Tiger paws but, as far as I'm concerned, it's all about the Panther.

6. Point #5 is funny because we used to live in Belton and had season tickets for football. Now we're rivals. Weird. But such is life.

7. I was also introduced to candle jewelry last weekend. Since I have a serious affinity for candles, this has now become my new obsession.

8. We're having Bible School this week. And I somehow ended up with games. Soooo out of my comfort zone, y'all. BUT it's really been fun. In fact, I may just stick to games forever.

9. We're 30 days from the beach and I absolutely cannot wait.

10. VBS can make you feel like a kid again. :-)

Volleyball Camp with the Lady Bears

Last Saturday morning was the beginning of Taylor's most anticipated camp of the summer - volleyball camp with the Lady Bears. She absolutely loved this camp last year and would probably live in the dorms and eat in the residential restaurants all summer long...if that was a possibility.

Check-in and drop-off were much easier this year, mainly because we both knew what to expect. She stayed in North Russell (as opposed to Collins) this time around. I lived in South Russell so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane. Good thing those walls can't talk, friends...

Anyway, her super sweet coach - Audrey - saw that her nametag indicated she was in group nine before we ever headed up stairs and they like each other immediately. It was such a good fit. Taylor was roommates with one of her good friends and another volleyball friend from WFC was just a few doors down the hall.

Perfection.

When I walked into the Ferrell Center for the awards presentation yesterday afternoon, it was obvious Taylor had become friends with everyone. And was the life of the party. Love. This. Kid.

Her demeanor was entirely different - and much more confident - than last year. And it did my heart good...

Each camper again got a super cool green and gold volleyball. This year they have slashes in them - like a bear paw. And T again got all of the players to sign it for her. :-)

When it came time for the awards in her group, she received the "Molly the Braveheart" award. Molly was a precious young lady - and great volleyball player - who lost her fight to cancer a few months ago. She spent a year or so undergoing treatment and had several surgeries before that, though, and she kept playing volleyball as much as possible. The Lady Bears think of no one more highly than Molly. That's a fact.

And so, as my daughter walked up to get this award for "outstanding character, fight, leadership and teamwork," memories of those long (and rough) days of elbow rehab came flooding back to me. The emergency surgery. The plate and six screws. The pain. The tears. The uncertainty or what, if and when would she be able to use that arm again. And, if she did, would it ever be like it was pre-injury...

All of those things that made her who she is...

...literally brought tears to my eyes.

And as the entire camp did a rousing "Sic 'em, Bears!" and I packed her up from another adventure away, I was reminded of several things. 

Life is short. And can change in an instant.

The hell we (particularly my baby) went through with her elbow was nothing compared to some of the struggles others face every day.

All of the pain, frustration and agony were worth it. She did fight. And she won. 

And I am so incredibly proud to be her mom.

Weekly Top 10 - Lazy Summer Days Edition

1. There's really not a whole lot going on in our lives right now except that the (incredibly) lazy days of summer are upon us. The girl is enjoying a two-week stint of unscheduled time before the next wave of camps begin...so we're pretty much just hanging out and enjoying the down time.

2. We're supposed to be tubing today to kickoff my birthday week (yes, I'll be 29 yet again) but it's been storming all week so Tonto was a bit hesitant to take T and one of her friends on a swift running river. And by "hesitant," I mean he refused. So I'm at my desk instead...

3. The Baylor Bookstore hosted a launch party for the EA Sports NCAA Football '13 game on Tuesday. It was fun to say that I was there (and to see RG3 on the cover!) but it just confirmed that I am NOT a gamer.

4. So ready for football season I can hardly stand it.

5. Citrus Cooler is my all-time favorite flavor of Gatorade. So thankful it's finally back on the shelves.

6. Got to see my buddy, David Smoak, who is the voice of ESPN 1660 (flagship of BU)...

7. We were going to do our photoshoot on Monday with my dad's hot rod. Since it was cancelled, we now have a long-term visitor. Tonto falls in love with it a bit more each day... :-)

8. What to do when you're craving sweets but aren't eating carbs? Homemade whipped cream. With a spoon. 

9. Tonto worked all night Friday (unexpectedly) so he tried out a 6-hour power drink on Saturday. All I could say was YUCK.

10. I'm not sure he's ever worked nights since we brought Rambo home. Which is probably why he spent the entire night like this...

All Dressed Up...Nowhere To Go...

So last night we were supposed to do a photo shoot with my parents. And my dad's hot rod. At the Suspension Bridge.

BUT...

...the weather would not cooperate and the skies were black with a forecast of heavy rain.

So we didn't take pictures (hello, Captain Obvious).

But we were all dressed up with no place to go so I insisted we have a mini shoot with my trusty Nikon, Carl.

Yes, my camera has a name.

Sorry I'm not sorry.

Anyway...this is the end result. And I'm so in love with (most of) them that I can hardly stand it.

The. End.

Let Freedom Ring!

So I'm late on posting about Fourth of July. But, hey, what else is new, friends...

Dave had to work because, well, hospitals never close and neonate patients certainly don't take a day off so it was just me and the girl. We had a tremendously busy day that started by joining my parents for the big parade in Downtown Belton. It's a tradition they started with her when she was super young and, in fact, my dad has been going since he was a little boy.

Aren't they precious?

 This one seriously has my heart, y'all. She's been so much fun this summer and seems to be coming out of the surly 'tween mode every once in a while. So. Incredibly. Thankful.

Obligatory parade pics...

And more of our entourage...

This little boy was sitting in front of us and fell in love with my mom. Or maybe her popcorn. It's a toss up. Anyway, he sat in her lap almost the entire time. He was adorable.

After the parade, we headed to my parents' house where we took even more - gasp! - photos. Honestly, Donny and I are very rarely photographed together (we're generally taking the pics) so it's kind of a monumental occasion.

She was horrified that our clothing coordinated but, hey, it's only the 4th once a year.

And another just for giggles.

After an amazing - and amusing - lunch, the girl and I headed back to Waco and saw "The Amazing Spiderman." It was really good. Tonto doesn't do comic book superhero movies so this is kind of a girl thing. Which seems totally backward.

Once he finally got off, we headed to George's for dinner (note: it's DEAD on the 4th), came home to watch the new episode of "Dallas" (I'm obsessed. Takes me back to my childhood), and then the girl and I went to my office. I'm lucky because my windows overlook the city's fireworks show. From the 7th floor you can pretty much see anything you want in this town. And it's air conditioned.  :-)

All in all, it was an AMAZING holiday. Kind of weird being in the middle of the week but I was so thankful to spend it with (almost) all of the people I love most.

Because I'm Lame...

I think we've established by now that I'm not a very good summer blogger. Honestly, not much has happened lately. Tay had a great time at camp last week and then returned to a rockin' social life. I spent the weekend making sure she was where she needed/wanted to be and hanging out with some girlfriends. It was Tonto's weekend to work. :-)

But I did take some phone pics so I guess we have that...

1. Someone absolutely refused to let me eat my popsicle in peace last night.

2. Somehow I've become one of "those people" who can be found drinking protein shakes after workouts. Tonto picked up several for me to try out. This one was my favorite because it tastes like a pina colada.

And this was my second fav. He's a huge fan of fruit punch but I could barely stomach that one this morning. Just keepin' it real...

3. In an unprecedented move, we received a Whataburger menu with our order over the weekend. I hear it's to introduce some healthier options but, honestly, all I saw was a jalapeno and cheese burger. Yum.

4. We had a staff retreat last week and, because it was in Texas, something had to be roped, right?

5. No words for this except to say it's real. Saw it with my own eyes.

6. New posters are out. Is it football season yet?

7. Everything around the office seems to harken back to Electricity these days.

8. As I put together T's care package last week, I realized my vices are hereditary. We have the same favorite junk foods. :-)

9. It's almost 4th of July. Unfortunately for Tonto, the hospital never closes for holidays but the girl and I will be taking in the Belton parade again this year with my parents. If we don't melt first.

10. I'm so incredibly thankful to be in a completely different state of mind this summer as compared to last. For real. Y'all (at least most of you) have no idea how dark it got before I saw light again. I have a couple of family members are very grateful as well. :-)