First Snow

Someone got to experience snow for the first time!!  He absolutely loved it.  I think he was in shock a little bit, but when I brought him inside, he whined because he wanted to go back outside!

Changes Around the House Continued

I mentioned in a previous post that we bought a new flat screen and mounted it above our fireplace.  We made some more improvements to that area this past week.  Meezy and his brother ran the cables from the TV, through the wall, into the adjacent cabinet.  We also bought a cordmate kit to help hide the cable coming from the outlet, since it's not on the same wall as the TV.  It looks awesome!

No cords!

Hidden cord from outlet to cabinets

Early Holiday Celebrations

We went to an annual Christmas party on Friday night, and in previous years the theme had been tacky sweaters.  This year, the hosts decided we should all wear festive PJs.  I made a Target run and was pleased to find they sold adult footed onesies.  I could've gone all out and purchased the cheetah or zebra ones, but I opted for a slightly more muted striped one with a monkey on them.  Imagine my surprise when my friend, Sharon, showed up in a similar pair!  Lol.

 

I didn't win the prize for best outfit, but I did win for best gift!  I brought a frisbee disc shooter and a marshmallow shooter.  You gotta know your audience!  A bunch of guys who have been drinking will love stuff like that!

This weekend, we also started putting up our new TV in the living room (merry Christmas to Meezy).  Our previous TV was also a flat-screen, but we had it on an entertainment stand in the corner.  We bought a new one to mount directly onto the wall above our fireplace.  It has really opened up our living room!  We haven't hidden all the cords and arranged the other electronics yet, but I'm already very pleased with the results.  I wish I would've taken pics of where the TV was before, but this is all I got.

Previous view of the fireplace

New view! (Casey doesn't move much)

Holiday Express Riding Train

My sister told me about a man in Richardson who set up a train in his backyard and opens it nightly during the holiday season for anyone and everyone to come ride.  It's pretty amazing to see in person, and if you've got little ones, you should definitely stop by!  They run the train every night from 6-10pm, between Thanksgiving and New Years.  I recommend you go on a weekday night because there will be less people there.  We visited tonight, and it was so much fun!  They don't charge anything to ride, but you can certainly make a donation to help offset their operating costs, if you feel so inclined.  It's a fun family activity, and your kids will love it!  You should check it out.  Here's more info.

 Train that goes around a large display of lights and holiday characters

Dutch's first train ride - trying to take it all in!

My niece and I having a blast on the train

And here's a video of it to give you a better idea:

Easy Update

I think I always have at least one home improvement project in the works at any given moment.  It's hard to find time to get them finished these days, but I can actually mark one off my list.  We bought cabinet and drawer hardware for our kitchen a few weeks ago and finally got around to installing them today.  Adding hardware in your kitchen is a relatively cheap and easy way to give it a little more character.  With almost 30 cabinet pulls and 10 drawer pulls needed, though, I knew the actual installation would take a little bit of time!  Once we created a template that could be used on all the cabinets, that sped up the process.  Unfortunately not all our drawers are the same size, so we had to create multiple templates for them.  The finished product came out beautifully, though, and I'm glad we did it.

    Boring drawers and cabinets before

Finished product

Thanksgiving Part 2

We headed to Amarillo over the weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with Meezy's side of the family.  The food was delicious, and the company was even better.  Getting there is never a great experience, since it means 5.5 hours in a car with a baby, but we're always glad to see family. 

PurpleStride DFW

I forgot to write about the 5K I completed with my sisters a couple of weeks ago.  We participated in the PurpleStride DFW race, which benefited the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  My Opa died from pancreatic cancer about 11 years ago, so we figured this one would at least have some meaning for us.  I'm happy to report that I finished in my fastest time to date, at 30:15.  Hopefully by the next one I can break the 30 minute mark!  I'm typically not a great runner in the winter months because the cold air makes it harder on my breathing, but maybe I can still run at least one more in the next couple of months.

      

On This Day

I'm thankful for the wonderful people in my life.

Champions Series Tennis Match

I've been a tennis fan for many, many years.  Going to Wimbledon and the US Open are two experiences I'll never forget, and this past weekend I got to add a couple other matches to my memory bank.  While they weren't quite as spectacular as seeing Grand Slam matches, they were fun because the players were legends who I grew up watching.  The main reason I bought the tickets, of course, was because Andre Agassi would be there!  I've idolized him since the first day I picked up a racket.  His return of serve is arguably the best the sport has ever seen, and I always strove to mimic his style when I played. 

The matches were competitive, but the players didn't pass up the opportunity to talk crap to each other or joke around with the fans and ball kids.  It was definitely a more relaxed atmosphere than a typical professional match, and that just enhanced the experience.  The first semifinal was between Jim Courier and Michael Chang.  The second semifinal was between Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.  The winner of each met in the finals, so it was Courier vs. Agassi.  That was definitely the best match-up of the night because the guys really got to pound the groundstrokes.  For a couple of 42 year olds, they sure still know how to put pace on the ball, not to mention they're still in amazing shape!  Agassi ended up victorious, so that was the icing on the cake for me.  I wish I had remembered to bring our fancy camera, because the pics from my Iphone are pretty crappy:

 Courier

 McEnroe (who actually mooned Agassi after one point)

 our vantage point for all the matches

 Chang

 

 Agassi

Interviewing the winner

We had a great time watching these legends play, but I think the best part of the night was the kick-ass tshirt we found at the merchandise booth.  There probably aren't a lot of people these days who will understand this shirt when I wear it, but if you do, you are awesome.

Cheering for the 3 Day

The 3-Day walkers passed by my sister's house again this year on the first day of their journey, so Dutch and I went out to cheer them on.  My sister and her neighbors set up tables in their yards with various goodies (kleenex, cookies, candy, bottled water, etc) and made lots of signs of support.  It's so rewarding to cheer the walkers on, and to think about the sacrifices they're making to try and find a cure.  It's a good reminder that we're all in this together. 

I dressed Dutch in his Komen onesie and draped a pink tie around him.  He loved seeing all the people and I get the feeling the walkers enjoyed seeing his smiling face as well.

By the time the last walker had passed, he was tuckered out!  Oma's lap was a good spot for a nap.

I've cheered and/or volunteered at the 3-Day for the past few years, and the best part has always been seeing and congratulating our friends Hank, Sarah, Rachel, and Becca.  They signed up for the first time the year their wife/mom was diagnosed (and she actually passed away two months before that walk), and have continued to walk each year since then.  It's an emotional experience for them, and I promise to support them every year they do it.