Promised pictures from this weekend...
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Bachelorette Party






The Wedding


















CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE ALBUM.

posted at 4/30/2003 04:58:00 p. m.

Dinner & a movie
Last night I had some free preview tickets for a new indie film called Raising Victor Vargas so I asked Kathy to join me - as she called it - on a "date".

So I picked her up after work, introduced her to Empire Cafe for a yummy pasta dinner (she had never been) and then headed over to Greenway Theatre to see a pretty comical movie that was better than I had anticipated!

I had a great time with her, saw a good movie, ate good food and got home by 10 PM! What more could I ask for?

posted at 4/30/2003 08:19:00 a. m.

Tuesday's Meme
Time for This-or-That Tuesday:
1. Lying down on the couch, or stretching out on a recliner? Lying down on couch.
2. Going barefoot or wearing soft slippers? Mostly barefoot but sometimes I wear house shoes.
3. Eating ice cream, or pizza? Ice cream.
4. Watching on TV...a classic movie or a reality show? Unfortunately, probably a reality show although I'd probably enjoy the classic movie better.
5. Wearing: blue jeans or sweat pants? How about comfy shorts?
6. A long, soothing bubble bath or a quick, invigorating shower? *Long*, relaxing shower...
7. Furniture: leather, or something more on the fuzzy side? Fuzzy.
8. Soft, classical music, or upbeat rock & roll? Upbeat music.
9. Darkness or light? Darkness.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You get married, or otherwise begin cohabitating with a significant other. S/he moves into your place, but brings with them the UGLIEST chair you have ever seen! You really don't want this thing in your home, but SO says it is the most comfy chair s/he has ever sat in, and no way will they part with it. Do you: grin and bear it, or scheme to get rid of the montrosity somehow? Try to find a compromise - put it in the master bedroom or re-cover it maybe?

posted at 4/29/2003 08:43:00 a. m.

What a full weekend!!
Wow! What a packed weekend! I hardly spent any time at home - and the dogs weren't happy about this. Here is a quick breakdown:

Friday:
-- Worked till almost 5:15 PM.
-- Rehearsal dinner at 7ish.
-- Bachelorette party started at 9ish
-- Partied, partied, partied with the bride-to-be till 12:30 AM.
-- Get home at 1:30 AM and went to sleep.

Total time at home before crashing for the night: 1 hour.

Saturday:
-- Woke up around 11 AM - with a house guest (Robert had stayed over because he was a bit too inebriated to drive home the night before after the bachelor party - tee, hee)
-- Arrived at wedding at 2:15 PM.
-- Wedding started on time at 3 PM.
-- Headed home at 6:30 PM.
-- Headed back out the door at 7:45 PM for dinner with the newlyweds and 20 of their closest friends at Bucca di Beppo's.
-- Joined the newlyweds and the maid of honor and her fiance at the bed & breakfast where the wedding took place for some late-night catching up and an overnight stay (the wedding package include the use of 3 rooms so we took them up on the offer).

Total time spent at home: 1 hour - and we didn't even spend the night at home!

Sunday:
-- Get home at 10:30 AM after a wonderful breakfast at the B&B.
-- Took a shower and a quick nap before heading back out for Kenny's company picnic at 1 PM.
-- Stopped for some pool on the way home with a couple of friends around 3 PM.

Total time at home before finishing up all of our social activities for the weekend: 2 hours

Finally, after all of these activities, we headed home for the rest of the evening. I was (and still am) exhausted. I am sure the newlyweds are even more exhausted though so I really shouldn't complain!

I have lots of pictures to share but only have a third of them uploaded so please, I ask once again for your patience with me as I upload them and post them here.

I will also compose a better entry on the wedding once the pictures are uploaded (which will be done tonight) but I promise to write some more on the bachelorette party this afternoon (those pictures are loaded although password protected).

Hope everyone had a good weekend as well and I'll check back in later...

posted at 4/28/2003 09:22:00 a. m.

See!? Europeans are just as crazy and screwed up as we are!
--> Toddler Twins Go on Rampage, Shed Clothes

--> Rapid Divorce for 'Gross Infidelity'

--> Tourist with Pet Chicken Falls Foul of the Law

posted at 4/24/2003 11:31:00 a. m.

Is it Friday yet??
Well - this weekend is the big day for two very dear friends of mine - EJ & Sherry. I found EJ through someone else's blog (don't know whose) and noticed he lived in Houston. An invitation out to play pool with my friends and he was quickly "assimilated" and became a regular of the Friday Night Gaggle (as Kathy calls us). A quick e-mail from yours truly a few weeks later hinted that a girl liked him in the group and the romance between him and Sherry was sparked! A little over a year later and they are walking down the aisle Saturday as a new family. I am proud to be part of the ceremony and look forward to the festivities!

First things first though - tomorrow night is Sherry's bachelorette party... bwa-ha-ha-ha... :D Lots of pictures and stories to tell next week after everything is said and done!

(The picture above is at the pool hall where Sherry participates in a pool league on a team with my husband. It was taken right after EJ gave her the engagement ring - which was taped onto her cue stick!)

posted at 4/24/2003 09:08:00 a. m.

Photolog Update
Yes, I *know* it is not Friday but since the theme is for the entire week, I've finally gotten around to posting my Photo Friday entry over at my photolog.

posted at 4/23/2003 08:25:00 a. m.

Time for today's meme!
This-or-That Tuesday:

1. Yummier: Chocolate ice cream or strawberry cheesecake? Strawberry cheesecake I guess.
2. Better to watch on TV: Movies or sports? Movies - I don't watch sports either live or no TV.
3. A better web browser: MSIE or Netscape (or tell us your own favorite!) MSIE by default.
4. A better way to travel: Automobile or bus/train? Trains - wish we had them down here.
5. Your preferred camera: Digital or film? Digital for fun "party pics", film for more artistic images.
6. A Cooler Vehicle: Motorcycle or sports car? Sports bike.
7. More fun: Video games or board games? Depends on the game.
8. Sexier: A perfect body or an intelligent mind? Intelligent mind.
9. A stinkier smell: Skunk or gasoline (petrol)? Skunk.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: What is more important to you: making a ton of money and being at the top of your field, or finding your soulmate and living a comfortable but not wealthy life? Finding someone and settling down - which is pretty much what I have now and I am quite content!

posted at 4/22/2003 01:53:00 p. m.

90 minutes later...
I got into work only 30 minutes ago, after an hour and a half in traffic due to an accident on the freeway.

I left the house at my usual time around 7:30 AM. I walked in at 9 AM. This sucks because work starts at 8 AM.

Argh!!! You know what made it worse? I tried to take back roads to avoid the freeway but everyone else in the city thought the same thing so they were actually more backed up than the freeway. To top it off, I really had to pee the last 20 minutes of the trip as I continued to crawl along in traffic, still several miles from work.

So how has your day been so far????

posted at 4/22/2003 09:32:00 a. m.

I am connected to the WWW once again!
Finally! The cable guy came out and checked our signal - our cable modem has been down for the past few days, hence the lack of posts. He says we had a bad splitter so he replaced it - immediately fixing the cable modem issue - but also told us that we will need a signal amplifier installed in the future to keep the signal from degrading as much as it does now. Still, my connection is back up at least...

Unfortunately, I am about to walk back out the door to go see a movie with friends so this post will be short...

I will leave you with my Saturday Snapshot. Later alligators!

posted at 4/19/2003 06:21:00 p. m.

Yes, I am still here...
Sorry - been busy. As you know I can't really type stuff here at work and yesterday I was extra busy... then there was an impromptu Happy Hour after work where I got to see some of my co-workers in a more casual atmosphere. It was a lot of fun and I saw another side of some of them. It continues to reinforce the "good vibes" I feel here at this company.

Anyway, I have tomorrow off (Good Friday) and I hope to sleep in and hang out at home, catching up on my daily blog reads - which I have been sorely neglecting - and tidying up the house so I don't have to do it this weekend. Till then...

posted at 4/17/2003 08:26:00 a. m.

Happy Tax Day?!
Today's This-or-That Tuesday:

1. File taxes as early as possible, or wait until the last possible minute? Not too early, not too late. We usually file within a month of the deadline.
2. File electronically, or mail paper forms? Electronically.
3. Prepare your own taxes, or have someone do it for you? We buy a computer program that walks us through it.
4. Are you a saver or a spender? Spender!
5. Do you prefer to carry cash, or pay with plastic (credit/debit cards), or by check? I use my check/debit card - I never have cash!
6. You're broke and desperately need a job, but the only places that are hiring are retail or fast food places. Which would you pick? Where does Starbucks' fall into?
7. Keeping track of your money: are you more meticulous or careless about it? Careless - I only keep track of the balance, not where the money goes.
8. What do you do if you find yourself with a lot of change weighing down your purse/pocket/wallet? Do you try to spend it to *get rid of it*, or do you put it in a jar or a piggy bank? Piggy bank.
9. Which form of fake money do you like better...Monopoly money or those chocolate coins covered with gold foil? Chocolate coins!
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You find a wallet containing $5,000 in cash, as well as several credit cards and the owner's drivers' license. Your rent is due tomorrow and you're short $200. Do you take the money (some or all of it) and mail back the wallet anonymously...or do you return the wallet with all contents intact? I have a very guilty conscience. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I took/stole any money. I would return it, hope I get some reward money and if not, borrow the $200 from a close friend.

posted at 4/15/2003 09:28:00 a. m.

Weekend Update
As promised, I was able to have a weekend free of social obligations at long last! I still got a lot done, but on my own terms and with my husband. No foreign movies, coffeshop or artistic photography but a British pub, rented DVDs and Pencam fun instead...

Friday: Our friend Sky is finally heading back to California, a goal he had been pursuing for a couple of years now. We wished him the best of luck in his new job and his new home and sent him off with dinner at Josephine's and drinks at Prive. Here are the party pics (half of these weren't even taken by me but by several of the drunken revelers)!

Saturday: Spent the day with Kenny - I finally dropped off my bridesmaid dress for alterations (wedding is in 2 weeks), sold some books, bought some more at Half Price Books and then had a pleasant lunch at the Black Lab. Afterwards we headed to the Galleria and spent a few hours shopping. The new extension was especially nice.

Saturday night: Rented DVD’s and watched a surprisingly good movie, Enigma.

Sunday: Tried to find some capris or casual pants for work - came home with one pair of drawstring pants and two pairs of black sandals for the summer. Kenny changed the oil in his Jeep and fixed the radio in my car (the antenna needed to be re-connected) while I did laundry (mostly bed sheets), programmed and checked the sprinkler (I had turned it off for the winter) and cleaned the fish tank.

Sunday night: Watched another DVD, the Oscar nominated Far from Heaven, with Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. It was made to look and feel like a 50’s movie (down to the acting). It was good but not as captivating as I hoped.

Now it's back to the grind! In other good news, my company's team completed the MS150 bike ride from Houston to Austin this weekend and we raised a little over our $10,000 goal!!

posted at 4/14/2003 04:11:00 p. m.

Photo Friday
My Friday Photo for this week is up over at the Photolog...

posted at 4/14/2003 10:16:00 a. m.

Amazing News
My internet connection was down most of the weekend so I didn't get a chance to post my joy at finding out that our seven POW's had been found alive!

My thoughts are with them and their families as they all recover mentally and physically (including Jessica).

posted at 4/14/2003 08:38:00 a. m.

Saturday Snapshot
My Saturday Snapshot is up over at the Photolog...

posted at 4/12/2003 09:45:00 p. m.

silly entry
I know this may sound inconsequential but I finally have business cards once again! Woo-hoo!

Although I never need to hand them out, it still makes me feel like a legitimate part of the company. Like I belong somewhere. Like I have an actual career.

They never ordered any for me at the CPA firm (probably because they knew they were going to get rid of me half-way through my short eight month stay there) and at the job prior to that (where I was for four years) I had cards printed but they never reprinted them when my job title changed a couple of years after being there (which somewhat perturbed me). Plus, the cards were plain and boring.

Anyhoo, I finally have business cards with the correct title and pretty colors (I actually helped re-designed the card - and they look great too, thank you very much)! *grin*

(Plus, if I drop them in enough fish bowls at restuarants around town, maybe I could win a free lunch.)

posted at 4/11/2003 04:24:00 p. m.

Theme Thursday
Another photolog update!

This time it's Theme Thursday...

posted at 4/10/2003 11:17:00 p. m.

Yucky yellow goo...
My home has over two thousand feet in square footage, almost all of it is hardwoods or tile. Only two of the smaller rooms are carpeted and the doors to these rooms are closed all day.

Yet my dog still manages to puke on the carpet. How you say? By waiting till I get home and am sitting here on the computer with the doors open. She just calmly walked in and with no warning puked on the beige Berber carpet in a corner right next to my desk.

She must have waited all day to do this. I wonder how much enjoyment she got out of watching me run to the kitchen for some stain cleaner and paper towels? Fortunately, with some quick action I was able to get 99% of the stain.

Still... I swear she timed it and waited for the perfect moment when she knew she could get in here. Argh (and yuck).

posted at 4/10/2003 07:01:00 p. m.

I'm a mommy!
Well, actually, my fish is a mommy! My orange Swordtail seems to have had babies recently. I thought she looked rather rotund but she had been like this for a while. Feeding them this morning I saw a baby so I quickly scooped him up before any of the adult fish got to him thinking he was breakfast. I searched some more among the floating plants - which offered some protection from the hungry adults - and found two more of his/her siblings. All have been temporarily placed in a drinking glass with some of the plants for them to nibble on (the plants also provide oxygen) until I get home tonight and figure out a better solution.

posted at 4/10/2003 08:19:00 a. m.

BlogShares Fun!
I just bought blogshares in a handful of my closest blogging buddies and was able to raise the value of my own stock 9 cents - from $.34 to $.43! See, it pays to help out and support your friends!

posted at 4/09/2003 10:36:00 a. m.

Not a single link in this post...
Hello loyal readers... I guess I've been posting a lot of what I've been doing but not really of how I've been doing lately. Things are fine. Kenny is a bit under the weather these past couple of days - I think he may have even gone into work late today. I am not sick but my energy has been extremely low. We have had so much to do these past few weeks!! I am hoping that these next couple of weeks I can hide away and stay home, do stuff for myself, not for anyone else. Then again, I said the same thing last weekend and I even planned on going to the movies with Kenny but we never made it.

I am currently trying to get back into my aerobics schedule. I am working near the facility once again so I am hoping to go back to class this coming Thursday. I haven't been since the holiday season last year. I *have* to do it though. I haven't gained all my weight back but I have gained enough to make me feel tubby again and make some of the new clothes I bought feel tight once again. I hate the feeling and know I need to just "do it" and start eating better once again (my diet has steadily gotten worse since I started my new job).

Also, changes are all around me. The new job is going well. I am busy but enjoyably so. Some things are tedious but others aren't so it balances out and the day goes by relatively quickly. Plus, my co-workers are great people. It's like a family around here. Today my boss told me I was "wonderful" when he asked me for a favor. I just told him that that is what he pays me for... LOL.

Socially, things are changing too. So many of my friends/close acquaintances are shifting gears... new boyfriends/girlfriends, new jobs or loss of jobs, having babies or getting married. None of it's bad (except for the job layoffs) but things do change as a result. Group dynamics change and the way you relate to the person changes somewhat. I think Kenny and I are one of the few to stay in place, so to speak. I am having to adjust to these changes and work out my feelings.

So, yes, I am content but frustrated and a bit overwhelmed emotionally and physically. My biggest complaint is the lack of time I get to myself. There are so many little projects I want to do but my weekday is shot - I get home too late to get anything done - so I have to rely on my weekends which are often full of various social events. When I do have some free time, I waste it sleeping in and catching up on comfy bed time with Kenny and the dogs.

Anyhoo, thanks for letting me vent a little and really, don't worry about little old me. I may have an unexpected respite this coming weekend and I promise I will do everything I can to take some time for myself - and Kenny. I have a handful of foreign films to go see, photographs to take (for my enjoyment) and a favorite coffeeshop to go visit... is it Friday yet? :D

posted at 4/08/2003 01:51:00 p. m.

My weekly meme
Today's This-or-That Tuesday:

1. Sexier (female)...Pamela Anderson or Jennifer Garner? Garner
2. Sexier (male)...Ben Affleck or Matt Damon? Damon
3. The better piano player...Billy Joel or Elton John? don't know
4. Funnier...David Letterman or Craig Kilborn? They have different style of humor so I can't decide.
5. The dumber cartoon cat...Stimpy (of *Ren & Stimpy*) or Tom (of *Tom & Jerry*)? Tom - he's the original and a classic.
6. A better news anchor...Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather? Don't care.
7. A better TV chef...Emeril Lagasse or Jacques Pepin? Don't care.
8. The trashier talk show host...Maury Povich or Jerry Springer? Springer
9. The worse fast food burger joint...McDonald's or Burger King? McDonald's
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: Only a handful of U.S. Presidents have been considered to be *great* Of the following two, which one do you consider to be greater...Franklin D. Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln? Why? This is a hard one but I choose FDR - Abe helped abolish slavery, along with many other leaders but I feel that this was going to be an inevitable change that was already developing with or without Lincoln while FDR helped the entire country survive the depression with his New Deal program.

posted at 4/08/2003 08:35:00 a. m.

Fondue Fun!!
Last Friday was a smaller group than normal but we had more fun than usual to make up for it! Christine organized a wonderful fondue party at my place to help celebrate Mike's 25th birthday! EJ & Sherry attended as well as Kathy & her husband Tom and a non-blogging friend, Amanda (see group picture below).

Christine set everything up. She and Mike made two cheese fondues - a traditional Swiss cheese and a cheese and red wine one. We dipped cheese sausage and breads in those. For dessert we had chocolate fondue (before and after) with fresh strawberries, pineapple, apples and marshmallows. It was all very yummy and a great way to celebrate a good friend's birthday!

More on Saturday's photo-filled day...

posted at 4/07/2003 12:05:00 p. m.

My photolog is active once again!


With a couple of new photo memes:

posted at 4/07/2003 12:32:00 a. m.

I joined the crowd...


...and claimed my blog over at Blogshares. Now I've got to figure out how this works. All I know is that EJ bought most of my shares up already! I was flattered to see that my blogging friends Sherry, Shirl, Kathy, Chris and Lynn have also bought shares. Thanks for the support guys!

posted at 4/04/2003 03:47:00 p. m.

The Mirror Project
I almost forgot! This week at the Mirror Project they are featuring my 2nd gallery, "Tiny Digital Fun" (my first was "Vintage").

In addition I have started a couple of themes, "All Dressed Up" and "Merry-Go-Round Magic".

Of course, I have also contributed quite a few more pictures, all of which are listed to the left under the Mirror Project button. There are some fun shots in there so be sure to check them out!

posted at 4/03/2003 08:20:00 a. m.

Weekend Catch-Up
Busy, busy, busy - and by the time I get home I don't have time to get on the computer (and I don't really feel like it either).

But, I really wanted to share with you some pictures from my friends' wedding this weekend. A little background first: the bride was my best friend in high school. We've known each other since freshman year. The groom was my first boyfriend. We dated from the spring of my senior year in high school till the beginning of my junior year in college (almost 3 years). It was a rocky break-up (my fault, long story) but we were soon friends once we talked things over and realized that friends really were all we could be. The bride had always remained our mutual friend and in reality, they deserved to be together. After a reasonable time, the bride asked my permission to date the ex-boyfriend. I very happily said yes and that started an almost 9 year relationship that finally led to marriage this past weekend!! I was thrilled to see them *finally* tie the knot!

The wedding took place at a local restaurant that is known for it's beautiful water-side garden full of peacocks. The ceremony itself was done at the gazebo under beautiful blue spring skies and a canopy of trees. What made it more special is that the bride (and the bridesmaids) wore traditional Vietnamese wedding attire reflecting her culture. The reception even featured the dragon dance. It was a wonderful celebration and I even had a mini-reunion with old high school friends. I wish all the best to the couple and many they have many more years together! Here is the of the rest photo album.

At the wedding I also saw had a chance to visit with some friends I hadn't seen since my own wedding back in the fall of 1998. They live in Boston and hardly ever come down south so it was a treat to see them and even nicer to spend a few hours together at my house Sunday afternoon catching up on each others' lives. I prepared lunch and the weather continued to cooperate so we ate outside on the patio under even more clear blue skies.

Sunday afternoon I also helped celebrate another upcoming wedding, EJ and Sherry's. We had a nice BBQ "wedding shower" outside at a friend's apartment complex that features a beautiful little lake. It was a low-key affair but full of friends. I didn't take many pictures that evening (I was tired and mostly sat in a chair and watched people) but I can promise you that we all had a great time as reflected in this picture of the bride-to-be...

That was it for my weekend... full of good friends, good conversation and joyous events! What more could I ask for? :D

posted at 4/02/2003 08:26:00 a. m.

Meme Fun
Time for today's This-or-That Tuesday:

1. The Bogey-Man or Henry Kissinger? Bogart, I guess.
2. Whips 'n chains or soft ropes with furbound cuffs? Both?
3. Fish sticks or Amazon.com? Amazon.com
4. Whitewall tires or color TV? Color TV
5. Leather or lace? Leather
6. Abraham Lincoln or leftover turkey? leftover turkey
7. Movable Type or Star Trek? Star Trek
8. Happy Happy Joy Joy or Bounce Bounce Bounce like Tigger? Happy Happy Joy Joy
9. The Michelin Man or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man? Michelin Man
10. Thought-Provoking Question of the Week: If you HAD to marry one of the talking M&M's in the TV commercials, would it be the red one or the yellow one? Why? Easy! The red one - I like red better than yellow in general, I don't like peanut M&Ms (which the yellow one is) and the red one just seems to act less dopey on the commercials...

Edited 11:03 PM - Oops! I was fooled! The questions above were for April Fool's Day. The real questions are below:

1. Tag or hide & go seek? Tag
2. Hopscotch or wiffle-ball? Hopscotch
3. Chutes & Ladders or Candyland? Candyland
4. Chess or checkers? Chess
5. Parcheesi or backgammon? Parcheesi
6. Twister or Yahtzee? Twister
7. Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble? Scrabble
8. Monopoly or The Game of Life? Game of Life
9. Go Fish or Gin Rummy? Go Fish
10. Thought-Provoking Question of the Week: You have a young child (or just babysit one), who is about 6-7 years old, and you like to play various games with him/her. Do you: let the child win sometimes to help improve his/her self-esteem, or play normally, in order to teach the child that we can't always win in life? I think I would play normally but also try to help them understand my strategy or way of thinking so they could learn.

posted at 4/01/2003 12:08:00 p. m.