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Ambrosia
Wednesday night Purvi and I walked down the street that is across from our hotel looking for a place to get some dinner. This street has many restaurants, so it is really just a matter of choosing what you want. All the places have callers outside to tempt you into their restaurant. One caller was particularly persuasive, and we walked over to look at the menu. It was Mediterranean food of all sorts. It looked good, so we told the girl we would like a table. We started to walk into the restaurant immediately behind her, but she told us to follow her, that there was a different dining room. …
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Walk around Singapore
I went shopping and took a walk on Sunday. I took the bus to the People’s Park Centre. I really like taking public transportation in a new city. It helps you get the feel of the place and the people – not just the tourist stuff! People’s Park Centre was my destination because they have a craft store called Golden Dragon Store that sells yarn and knitting supplies. The shopping center also has lots of food stands, so I got some supper – I asked the man behind the counter what he recommended that included pork. The man gave me a plate filled with what looked like smoked pork (it…
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Trip to Singapore
I arrived in Singapore a few hours ago. I just finished unpacking and getting cleaned up. There was no way I was going to bed without a shower after 32 hours of travel! I seem to have arrived with everything I need, and despite the length of the trip, it was mostly uneventful. Singapore Airlines is wonderful. The flight attendants are very kind, and everyone was super helpful and smiled each time they spoke with me. I had a really long lay over in LAX, which is possibly the strangest airport known to man! Please note that there are no pictures of LAX – that is not an oversight! The…
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Massage on the Square
You may or may not know that in addition to being an amazing opera singer, my sister Laura is a registered massage therapist (RMT) in Texas. From the time she was a little kid she would volunteer to give people a neck rub, and everyone always said she did a great job. She took her natural talent to the next level when she attended massage therapy school between her undergrad and graduate degrees. She has been working as a massage therapist for about five years (I could be wrong here). She does all kinds of massage from hot rock to deep tissue. She is always looking to improve her technique…
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New links and side menus
Joey rearranged the right menu on this blog recently. The random image widget is still right at the top. The formatting of both the archives and the categories have been changed. Only the main categories are visible, but if you click on the plus, the list will expand. The archives are now run by a drop down – much more compact. All of this was really to make room for my ever expanding blogroll. I have added links to several of my friends’ blogs, and I also linked to a few of the blogs I follow. Now you can see what I spend my computer time reading. I think Laura…
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Workout Summary 05-11 April 2009
I started out strong this week. I did great working out while I was in North Carolina, but I fell off the wagon once I got home. We had such a busy weekend that I just never made it back to the gym! total minutes: 150 total calories: 1505 I will be traveling again at the end of this week, so I don’t know if I will do much better… We shall see!
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Camping at Willis Creek
Rachel, Debra, Joey, and I have been saying we would like to go camping together for YEARS! We finally managed it on Easter weekend. We decided to try out some federal camp grounds run by the Army Corp of Engineers. We wound up with a reservation at Willis Creek Park, which is on Granger Lake, near Taylor, Texas. The website indicated that the usual camping activities were available at the park: swimming, hiking, etc. As Rachel describes, this was only partially true. We actually had a great time despite the lack of formal activity. I got some much needed rest. We got to play with our godchildren, and visit with…
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Random Image Widget – Cousins
The Etherlimits main page has a random image widget at the top right corner. Each time you visit the page, you see a different picture. Today the random image was a picture of me and my female cousins in Market Square in San Antonio. This picture was taken right after my grandfather’s funeral on 09 January 2006. I totally love this picture, and since it is extremely unlikely that anyone else will see it on the random image generator, I thought I would share. The five granddaughters of Esperanza and Louis Rodriguez, from left to right: Madelynne, LisaDiane, Laura, Lydia, and Katie
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Workout Summary 29 March – 04 April
I got back on the wagon after my week in Florida! Total minutes = 360Total calories = 2378 Sunday – hiking, Monday – eliptical, Tuesday – Body Pump, Thursday – eliptical and Body Pump, Saturday – eliptical, Body Pump, and Yoga. I am feeling good about this week. I am in Wilmington, but I did go straight to the gym after checking into the hotel! I am hoping I can keep up the momentum.
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Shoe Shopping!
… but not for me. I realize that is a shocker! Joey does not like to buy things for himself. It usually takes some convincing and then you have to wait. After he has processed the idea of spending money on himself for long enough, he will either go buy the thing, or ask me to join him to shop for whatever it is. Joey’s shoes have been in a sad state for several months. He has his favorite pairs that are all extremely worn out – on their last leg, if you will. Also, we had been talking for years about getting him a pair of boots. This past…
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Hiking with Elanor on Wells Branch
We take Elanor to the park very often. She runs back and forth sniffing everything. She swims, or jumps around in the water. She plays with other dogs we meet along the way. She chases lizards and craw-fish. We usually hike in Walnut Creek Park. The park has three creeks: Walnut Creek, Tar Branch, and Wells Branch. Tar Branch and Wells Branch both empty into Walnut Creek, and then Walnut Creek flows out of the park, and eventually to the Colorado River. We usually play in Tar Branch and Walnut Creek upstream of the point where Wells Branch joins Walnut Creek. On this particular trip we went down to Wells…
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Aaron and Sujata’s New House
Aaron and Sujata just bought a new house. It is in Onion Creek, on the golf course. Actually, the golf course wraps around their house. Joey had gone over and looked at the house while Aaron and Sujata were still shopping, and he helped them move on Saturday, but I had not seen it yet. We were invited over for dinner, and to tour the house this past Sunday. The house has very high ceilings and so many windows! All the houses on their street are quite close together, but the windows are arranged to ensure privacy. The living room and kitchen/dining areas wrap around and open out onto a great…
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(non) Workout Summary 16-22 March 2009
Totally lame is the only way to describe my workouts this week. So much for the theory that a strong start leads to a good week. I went hiking on Sunday, and did body pump and yoga on Monday. Thursday I did about 45 minutes are cardio. This ads up to a paltry 165 minutes! I do think I have a good reason, though. On Tuesday I developed a crazy swollen lymph node behind my ear. It was really painful and gave me a huge headache. I was also completely exhausted. I did not get sick, so I have to congratulate my immune system. And rest was likely the best…
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That was in your back?!
OK, I am in Florida again with my dad. He is having more of the laser surgeries for his back. One of the procedures they did was remove hardware from an old fusion that was done on his L4, L5, and S1 vertebrae. When dad told me they would be extracting screws from his back, I thought, small screws. Like the kind they use to put glasses together! That was not at all the reality. The reality is so creepy I have to share it with you! Upon seeing the picture, my co-worker joked that it was no wonder Dad was having back trouble if the package of Kleenex was…
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Canoeing on Lady Bird Lake
The All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties Group went canoeing on Lady Bird Lake on the same day as Daniel’s First Birthday Party! We had the perfect size group. Just enough people for three boats. Joey and I had a kayak. Don, Misty and Ewan had a canoe, and Brian, Robert and Greg had a second canoe. We started on Barton Creek, and headed down toward the lake. We turned upstream, since it is nice to have the current working with you on the way home. We paddled a good way upstream, but were forced to turn back downstream before we reached the MoPac bridge, because there was a regatta going…
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Daniel’s First Birthday Party
Our wonderful nephew, Daniel, turns one year old on 01 April 2009! His birthday party was held at his Uncle Troy’s house today. Asher and I enjoyed playing with the pirate themed party favors. The blocks we got for Daniel were a big hit with both Daniel and his cousin on his father’s side, Jonah. Happy Birthday, Daniel!
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Puppy Adventures
Here are the latest pictures of the dogs…
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Spiritual Growth Retreat
I attended the Episcopal Church Women Spiritual Growth Retreat this weekend. Our workshop leader was The Reverend Bobbie Knowles, vicar of St. Philip the Joy-Giver Episcopal Mission in Austin, Texas. I had an amazing time, and made lots of new friends. I also took lots of pictures. The photo to the left of this text is of me and my good friend Pam, who is from Tyler, TX. She keeps everyone honest, and has a blast doing so!
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Pictures of the hike with Megan and Robert
I mentioned a hike with Megan and Robert, and Megan’s dogs, Reese and Anna, in a previous post. Here are some pictures of the event.
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Workout Summary 08-14 March
total minutes = 210 total calories = 1696 Well, down again this week. I did Body Pump on Tuesday and Thursday, and Cardio with Debra on Friday morning. Being out of town on Saturday was one contributing factor. Also, I did not work out last Sunday or Monday. I have realized that if I don’t start the week with working out, I just don’t do as well all week! This week started off strong thanks to the hike with Megan and Robert. Also, I did Body Pump on Monday morning with Debra. I was so glad to have her join me, and to get to try out Robyn’s class.
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Weekend outings
Joey and I had a great weekend. It was an amazing mix of relaxation and seeing friends. Upon expressing my amazement at how relaxed I felt, Joey told me that ‘normal people’ (by this I assume he means people not raised in the Mercado house) have weekends like the one we had all the time. I am skeptical. Here is the run down: Friday evening and Satruday – I was at Camp Allen for the ECW Spiritual Growth retreat.Saturday night – Dinner with Megan and Robert at Taj PalaceSunday – Sunday School in the morning, nap, reading my book, and lunch.Sunday afternoon – Hike with Megan and Robert, and Megan’s…
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Workout Summary 01-07 March 2009
Total minutes = 360 (almost made it to 400!) Total calories = 2727 I did Body Pump two days, cardio two days, and took a hike with the dogs two days. I missed working out on Thursday due to crazy work stuff.
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Covenant Players
Joey and I had surprise guests this weekend. Members of the Covenant Players came to All Saints’ to perform during our services and Sunday School hour. Their planned accommodations fell through, and our Director of Religious education, Elizabeth, called Joey and me to find out if we could host the players, Chuck and Miranda. We did have one problem. For some reason, Saturday, 07 March 2009, was a very popular weekend. Joey’s mom, Nancy, was in town, we had a TnT design team meeting, and we had to turn down invitations from two different sets of friends! I called the Covenant Players and let them know they were welcome to…
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Trip to Fort Worth
Joey and I drove to Fort Worth on Friday night. The main purpose of the trip was to see Ross and Kat before they leave Texas and move to Baltimore, Maryland. Joey got us all packed for the trip, and arranged for Elanor to stay with Lee, Billy, and Cali. Troy came over to pick up Katy for the weekend. As he left our house, he was holding her bed, and the bag with her food, etc. He called Katy, she followed him into the driveway. Katy was confused about what car to get into, since the tailgate of our CR-V was open, she she stood behind the CR-V waiting…
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Exercise Summary 22-28 February
Total minutes: 235 Total calories: 1946 Obviously quite a dip after last week’s high. The drop was partly due to a crazy work schedule, and partly due to our trip to Ft. Worth. I did manage to do two Body Pump classes, and eliptical with Debra before leaving town. The main thing that bummed me out (and hurt the numbers) was not getting to take the dogs for hikes in the park. Work obligations just refused to get out of the way enough for me to make it to the park before sunset! This week I hope to top last week’s numbers. I will work out early with Debra on…
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Household Projects
Joey has been tearing through the household projects lately… He finished all the wiring for the ethernet in the house, and rearranged the access points – there are many small businesses that have less complicated networks that we have! Cable modem, wireless router, several access points to ensure that the wireless network covers the entire house and back porch, several switches, and ethernet jacks in six rooms. Next he tackled the phone jacks. When we moved in there was ONE phone jack in the entire house. Now there are working phone jacks in my office, the guest room, our bedroom, and the kitchen. Not that there are phones plugged into…
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Workout Summary 15-21 February
I did great on working out this past week. I am hoping I can keep it up. Total minutes = 528! Total calories = 3550 Sunday – hiking, Monday – Body Pump and eliptical, Tuesday – Eliptical with Debra, Wednesday – hiking, Thursday – Body Pump, Saturday – Body Pump, Yoga with Lee, and hiking I did Body Pump today, and I plan to go to cycling class with Debra tomorrow morning. Also, I have finally seen a drop in weight. I have been working out since November, and my weight had really stayed about the same the whole time. That is a big accomplishment through the holidays, but once…
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Valentine Dogs
Elanor and Cali asked me to post this picture. They wanted to share their kisses with everyone. Happy Valentine’s Day from LisaDiane, Joey, Katy, Elanor, and Cali!
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Workout Summary 04-13 February
I took last Wednesday and Friday off from working out. Thursday, 05 Feb, I went on a hike with Joey and the girls. I also went to Body Pump at Hester’s Crossing. Saturday I went to Body Pump at Tech Ridge, and I had a teacher I had never had before. Her name is Jessica, and I really liked her. I am looking forward to attending her class again, and I am bummed that I can’t go this coming Saturday because I have altar guild at the time of her class. This Monday Debra and I did eliptical for an hour. Wednesday we went for a hike with the dogs…
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Recent puppy activities
Here are some photos of recent activities with the dogs. Cali is staying with us this weekend while Lee and Billy are in San Francisco for friend’s wedding.
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Chocolate!
Joey and I went to the big chocolate event at Billy’s school, The Texas Culinary Academy, last Saturday. There was an amazing amount and variety of chocolate items. Billy had entered the cupcake competition with his wonderful Texas Grapefruit and Dark Chocolate cupcakes. Joey and I toiled away a few weeks ago helping him pick the perfect flavor combination. By toil I mean eating a bunch of really yummy cupcakes – it was hard work, but what are friends for? The Choclate Event was fun, if crowded, and we got to see Billy looking official and wearing his chef outfit. Billy’s friend, Robin, had also entered the competition with some…
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…especially Barack, our president
I am an Episcopalian. The Episcopal Church is a Christian denomination, and a branch of the larger Anglican Communion. Episcopalians are Protestants, and while worship at any specific Episcopal church may take a form that best fits that community, worship is generally guided by liturgy. We take communion each week, and we use wine during the Eucharist. We believe in the Apostolic Succession. We say the Nicene Creed during our services. The Anglican Communion began with the Church of England, which has a long history, and famously, a break with Papal authority. King Henry VII, with the help of Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer, broke away from the Roman Catholic…
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Workout Summary 25 January – 03 February
Ok, last week I kind of slacked off, but so far this week I have kicked butt! 25-31 Jan – Total minutes: 360, total calories:2576 Breaks down as: Tuesday – eliptical 60 minutes and yoga 60 minutes, Wednesday – Body Pump and eliptical 60 minutes, Thursday – hiking 30 minutes, Friday – hiking 60 minutes. The weather at the end of the week was too awesome to spend anytime indoors at the gym, so Walnut Creek Park got my exercise time instead. This week so far: Sunday – hiking 70 minutes, Monday – Body Pump, Tuesday – eliptical 30 minutes (total strides = 3936, distance = 2.47), wave runner 10…
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Ordination of a Priest
Joey and I had the pleasure of attending the Ordination of John Wharton Newton, IV on Saturday, 31 January 2009. John was a member of Canterbury, the Episcopal Student Center, during the last couple of years that Joey and I were in college, then he was the program coordinator for Canterbury, and then he attended seminary. Now he is back at the Episcopal Student Center as the chaplain. The Ordination of a Priest is always an impressive service, and John’s ordination was especially beautiful. The church was absolutely packed. It was a fantastic blend of All Saints’ high church style, and the more casual music and atmosphere of the Episcopal…
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Day with Asher
Today Asher came over to my house to play for a few hours. Rachel and Debra were able to go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which they said was very good, if very long. Asher and I played with his encyclopedia. We read about Alcohol, Alexander the Great, and many other “A” words. We put together the Latin America puzzle, in alphabetical order, of course! We spent much of our time looking at my atlas, which, according to Asher, “will tell us where we are”. We looked up Andora in the index. He noticed that not only did the index give a page number, it also gave numbers…
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“Helping”
Elanor thought she would help Joey wash all the blankets and sheets from our guest rooms, but I don’t know how helpful she was… …cute she has covered!
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Workout summary 21-24 January
OK, I did pretty well, especially if you factor in that I was sick Friday and Saturday. I did 335 minutes total, and burned 2024 calories. I came pretty close to the goal, and totally topped last week. This week’s plan: Monday – Body Pump and Yoga, Tuesday – RPM, Wednesday – Body Pump (I am hoping Billy will join me for this one) and elliptical machine or treadmill, Thursday – elliptical/treadmill and yoga, Friday – Body combat (new class for me), Saturday – Body Pump and Yoga. This would give me strength training on three days, yoga on three days, and cardio on four days. We shall see if…
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Troubled waters
I am really feeling out of sorts. I was sick at the end of last week, and that put me off my game. I had not really recovered from the combination of the holidays, house guests, and surprise travel anyway. I did manage to do my laundry, which is something, but I still feel like my house is a disaster area. I know many of you think I am crazy, and I realize that the standard that I hold for ‘clean’ is really different than most people. But that does not diminish the feeling that my house is an unorganized pit with a ton of dog fur on everything. I…
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Inauguration Day
I feel like I should say something thoughtful and deep to commemorate this day. I cannot think of anything particularly meaningful. Joey and I did watch the inauguration live on TV this morning. I enjoyed President Obama’s speech, especially, “We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.” I am hopeful about the future. I realize that change is slow, and the expectations placed on President Obama are high, but the beauty of hope is that it can survive the most dire situations. Hope can exist when all else is lost, and, while we are in difficult times, all is not lost. I hope President Obama can…
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Exercise Log 11-20 January
I did not do as much exercise as I would have liked, but I did do some, so I won’t call it a total bust. I did 109 minutes total, and 949 calories burned. This week I am off to a much better start. I played Wii Fit at Rachel and Debra’s house, and actually got my heart going a bit. I definitely had fun! Can one make a case for a second gaming console, when you are not really that interested in most video games, and, in fact, avoid them at all costs? Well, if that is allowed, then I think I might go there 😉 In the mean…
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Tampa
My dad is having back surgery in Florida. I drove to Houston, stopping at Dorie’s for a visit and some lunch. We had a great time. After a quick trip around the beltway, I made it to Hobby airport, which, by the way, has entirely too few signs. From the parking lot to the terminal there was exactly one sign pointing the way, and it points the wrong way! After finding the terminal, I flew from Houston Hobby to Tampa. We got up early this morning and went to the Laser Spine Institute for dad’s procedure. Our hotel is only a short walk from the institute, and we walked over. …
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Workout Summary week of 04-10 January 2009
I did yoga and walked (treadmill) on Monday. I was not able to do body pump because I failed to sign up! The influx of new people after the new year meant that the class filled up. The classes before Christmas did not require sign up – more accurately they were not bothering to enforce it or tell anyone because the classes were not full. Ah, well, I went much harder on the treadmill out of frustration, so I got my workout in the end. Tuesday I joined Debra for for RPM really early in the morning. Robyn was the instructor, and she was really fun and encouraging. If I…
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Exercise Log for 29 Dec – 03 Jan
I did better with working out than I did last week. Laura was in town, and she encouraged me, and joined me at Body Pump on Friday. So here is the run down… Total minutes: 395, Total calories burned: 2109 I did yoga twice, body pump 3 times, and cardio twice. I am really aiming to do 3 hours of strength training, 3 hours of cardio, and three hours of yoga. Plan for this week: Monday – body pump and yoga, Tuesday – RPM with Debra, Wednesday – body pump and treadmill, Thursday – body pump and yoga, Saturday – body jam and yoga. It is getting easier to get…
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9th day of Christmas
Laura and I started the morning with a trip to the gym. We took a Body Pump class. Laura did great, and even got a compliment on her performance from the lady standing behind her. The class was at the Hester’s Crossing gym, and I decided I don’t like the group exercise room as much as I like the one at Tech Ridge. It is much harder to see the teacher, and I am uncoordinated enough to really need to see the teacher! It was a good class, and we got a great workout. After our workout, Laura and I dropped by to see Rachel, Asher, and Chiara. Asher was…
- Debra and Rachel, Elanor, Friends and Family, Home, Kay, Laura and Jason, Lee and Billy, Lindsay and Don, Misty and Brian, Ted and Becky, Troy
New Year’s Day
Yesterday Joey and I hosted our tenth annual New Year’s Day party. A great group of people showed up! We ate hoppin’ john, bean soup, and sausage balls (aka meat cookies). Dad, Asher, Laura and Joey decorated the garage and side walk with chalk. The Etheredge siblings were all present, and our nephew Daniel was charming, as usual. Chiara played with Elanor. Lee and Billy brought their friend Melissa, who talked physics with Dad, and then discussed opera with Laura and Alissa! We finished the evening with a round of Apples to Apples. In short, it was a wonderful day, a perfect start to 2009.
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Exercise
Well, I did exercise this week. I did not do as much as I had planned, nor did I top last week’s numbers, but I also did not stop entirely, so I am counting it as a good week. Monday – yoga, Tuesday – Body Pump, Thursday – hike, Friday – Body Pump. Total time – 270 minutes. Total calories – 1473. Plan for next week: Monday – yoga and cardio, Tuesday – cardio, Wednesday – Body Pump and water aerobics, Friday – Body Pump and water aerobics, Saturday – cardio and yoga.
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Etheredge Christmas – the third day
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me… family, a bell mishap, and a shopping trip. Troy, Kay, Andrew, and Daniel all came over to our house for breakfast on Saturday, 27 December. Andrew and Dad cooked eggs and sausage. Joey made sticky buns and hot sauce (not to be eaten together, those are just the things he prepared). Everyone sat down and we really enjoyed the meal. Next we opened our presents. I got a perfume, and framed picture of Joey and me from Joey. Troy gave us a copy of his wedding video, and a gift card to Alamo Drafthouse. Kay, Andrew and Daniel…
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Christmas Eve, and the first day
Many of you know that I absolutely insist on Christmas being celebrated during the actual twelve days, and Christmas Eve. Joey and I usually set up our tree on Christmas Eve or the eve of Christmas Eve. This year we set it up on Tuesday, 23 December, 2008. Lee and Billy joined us. Lee helped me hang the lights. Joey made hot chocolate. We got the tree up and decorated in record time. On Christmas Eve Joey and I slept late, and then got up and did some chores around the house. Joey put up the lights on the exterior of the house. Then we drove down to San Antonio…
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Exercise Log
Kathlyne and Debra are always awesome at working out. I always wish I could stick to a workout plan like they do. I also find it really fun to see how much they love the numbers that come out of their workouts: minutes, calories, etc. Starting a little over a week ago I decided to buckle down and work out every day. I made a plan, and I actually stuck to it for the most part. Here is the run down: yoga, hiking, yoga, BodyPump, yoga, hiking. Total time = 400 minutes. Total calories = 1766. I got sick on Friday and didn’t work out that day or yesterday. I…
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Backyard Project
And in the fourth winter Joey said, “let there be grass”, and there was grass, and it was good. Ok, well, there is not grass yet, mainly mud… let me back up. When we moved into the house four years ago, the backyard was all weeds. We never minded much. KatyDog was thrilled to have a backyard at all. She didn’t complain about the lack of grass. Also, since she mainly likes to find a sunny spot and lie down, she did not really put to much stress on the vegetation that was there when we moved in. The horrific drought, on the other hand, really did a number on…
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Etheredge Family Gathering
Joey and I are so lucky to live in the same city with his siblings. Although we did not spend the day of Thanksgiving with our Etheredge family, we did see them over the weekend. Christinne’s folks, Dave and Sarita, were in town, and we got to visit with them as well. Everyone assembled at our house in the afternoon, and we visited and relaxed. Daniel met Elanor; they seem quite fond of each other. Babies and dogs make for really cute pictures. Daniel got to hang out with Uncle Troy and Aunt Christinne, and also met Dave and Sarita for the first time. Troy brought Ziegy over as well,…
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Thanksgiving Part Two
Thanksgiving weekend was full of wonderful food. Not only did we get invited to Aaron and Sujata’s on Thursday, we were also invited to Lee and Billy’s for a Thanksgiving feast on Friday. Lee and Billy celebrate with Lee’s family on Friday – their drive down from the DFW area is much less crazy on Thursday than it would be on Wednesday. Joey and I were really grateful to be asked to join their family gathering. We had a lovely time visiting with the Cagle clan: Roy, Becky, Anne, Chris, Rachel, and Emily. We were also joined by Lee and Billy’s neighbors, Carson and Robert Alexander. The food was fantastic. …
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It is a doggy dog world
Elanor has definitely made a place in our hearts. Here are some more pictures of her from the past week. She went with us to Lee and Billy’s house this past Friday. She and Cali played with one of Cali’s toys in the backyard. You can see it in a couple of the pictures – a dino cuz. It is hard rubber, it squeaks, and it has a dinosaur tail – what more could you want in a toy? Not much if the fun that Cali and Ela had is the measure we are using to judge! Elanor’s bed arrived on Friday. She has already made it her own by…
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Thanksgiving Day
Joey and I realized about a month ago that we were completely foot loose and fancy free this Thanksgiving. For the first time since we have been married, we were not hosting Thanksgiving, and we were not traveling somewhere for Thanksgiving. Although we were stunned at this turn of events, we were very pleased about the situation! Aaron and Sujata invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner at their house. We were more than happy to accept the invite. Joey went over to help them set up on Wednesday. He even assembled one of the many pies. It turns out that Aaron and Sujata were not hosting an ordinary Thanksgiving dinner…
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New puppy! Welcome, Elanor!
After much debate and consideration, Joey and I decided on which dog we wanted to adopt. I went and got supplies for a new dog: bed, crate, food, food bowls, toys, leash, etc. Last Friday Joey and I went to pick up our new puppy. She is a yellow lab. She is just about one week shy of one year old. Here are some more stats for those of you who like to know the size of things: she is fifty-five inches long from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail, her tail is sixteen inches long, and she is twenty-one inches tall at the shoulder.…
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A little house shopping (Not for us :-)
Here are some pictures of a house I looked at with Troy this morning.
- All Saints', Camp Allen, Diocesan ECW, Friends and Family, Lee and Billy, Lindsay and Don, Misty and Brian, Twenties and Thirties
Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting and Retreat
Many of you know that I was president of the Episcopal Church Women at All Saints’ Episcopal Church back a few years ago. The last year of my tenure, our church hosted the Annual Meeting of the Diocese of Texas Episcopal Church Women. The meeting was well received, and everyone had a great time. It was a really tough job, and I was glad to take a break and relax once it was done. Apparently people sat up and took notice of the job I did as Annual Meeting Chairperson, because this past spring I got a call from the president of the Diocesan ECW, Anne Hart, asking me to…
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Picking a new family member
Joey and I have had KatyDog for eleven years. She used to have trouble playing well with other dogs. Lee and Billy have a dog named Cali, who has become a friend and playmate for Katy. Based on Katy’s interactions with Cali, Joey and I decided that we could add a new dog to our family. Joey really wanted a big dog, specifically a lab. Since I had no particular opinion on that count, I was happy to go with his suggestion. I got in touch with Heart of Texas Lab Rescue. There is a very elaborate process for adopting a dog: application, phone interview, meet and greet, home study,…
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Daniel, a baby on the move!
Kay, Andrew, and Daniel came over for lunch on Wednesday. I was working, but managed to escape my office for part of their visit. Joey grilled some chicken and made salt potatoes and a field green salad. (Have I mentioned that having a house husband is great? It is even better when you work from home AND he can cook 🙂Kay looked through the bags of clothes from my closet cleaning project and found a couple of dresses. Daniel has always been advanced in the mobility department. As of Wednesday (a lifetime ago for a baby, so this might have changed already) he was crawling, bear crawling, pulling up on…
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Clean Closet
Last weekend Kat and Ross were here in Austin. They arrived in Austin before I got home from North Carolina. Saturday morning as I was unpacking, I decided my closet needed some help. I had lots of clothes that I never wear in my closet. Due to lack of space, some of the clothes I actually wear were in the sewing room closet. Kat helped me weed through all the clothes in both closets. We made several piles: clothes I still wear, things that don’t fit, but that are in good shape, and I would wear again if they fit, stuff that I just don’t wear anymore because it is…
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Halloween revisited – Dragons return
In my earlier post about Halloween, I posted pictures of my godson’s various costumes over the years. I also posted a picture of my goddaughter’s first Halloween costume. I did not have this picture at the time, but I feel it definitely belongs in the collection. This is Joey and my nephew, Daniel, in his first Halloween costume. You may recognize it as the same dragon outfit that Asher wore his first Halloween. Joey wore his big dragon costume again. The Serrins/Springfield family kindly lent the costume to Kay and Daniel. I do not know if it was Rachel or Debra, but one of them took this picture too –…
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Prudence, the underrated virtue
Joey and I are long time members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church. We love the All Saints’ community, and are glad to be able to be part of it. Several years ago (could be five, could be six – I can’t believe it has been that long) a new rector (priest-in-charge) came to All Saints’. Our rector is a wonderful man: thoughtful, caring, good administrator, and he loves a good football game, and a glass of beer. Joey and I have had the pleasure of getting to know him as we participated in parish life. He preaches every few weeks (we have several priests who rotate the preaching responsibilities), and…
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New Manager, Former Manager
My manager, Heidi, is leaving my company. She is adopting a baby, and has decided that she wants to stay home with her new daughter. I totally respect and support her decision, but I am really bummed she won’t be my manager anymore. I really love working with her! Happily, the person who is taking over as my manager is a co-worker that I admire. Her name is Tracy, and she is officially my boss on Monday. My former manager and new manager are in the picture; Heidi is on the left, and Tracy is on the right. Tracy and Heidi have done a great job with the transition. They…
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Drive to Durham
Today I drove from Wilmington, NC to Durham, NC. I always stay in a hotel in Durham. My co-workers usually stay at hotels near the airport. There are lots of fast food restaurants and business parks. It is not very friendly or welcoming. A few years ago, when I was spending every other week in this part of North Carolina, I discovered that there is a DoubleTree Hotel about a ten minute drive from my office. It is in more of a neighborhood, and not to far from a major shopping center that has good restaurants and stores like Target and CVS. Anyway, I made the drive from Wilmington to…
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Relaxing Saturday
I decided to take it easy, and have a relaxing Saturday. I slept in a little bit. I worked on my knitting project. At lunch time, I met Farrah at Brasserie du Soleil. We were both craving the same thing: Brasserie Burgers – small burgers (my mom used to call them “mighty bites”) – with roasted tomatoes, caramelized onion and gruyere. We also got macaroni and cheese. After lunch we went shopping at Belk. Fun for me because we don’t have this store in Austin. I spent the rest of the afternoon giving myself a pedicure and manicure. I tried to go to the movies, but there was nothing I…
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Happy Hour – or Happy Day?
Happy Hour is illegal in North Carolina. You heard me. There is no such thing as happy hour. The state government of North Carolina has decided that having drink specials at certain hours causes people to drink too much too fast. Restaurants and bars can have daily drink specials, but not happy hour specials. One of my favorite places to go for “not happy hour” in Wilmington is the Cafe Phoenix. First of all, they have a cool name, and a cool logo. Secondly, they have half price wine all day Thursday, by the bottle or by the glass. Whenever I am in Wilmington on a Thursday, Nicole and I…
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Halloween away from home
I have had to be away from Austin for Halloween the past four years. Today made five halloweens away from home. I have missed every Halloween that my godchildren have experienced! Here are some examples of what I have missed… My company does a costume contest at each location. So instead of hanging out with my godchildren, I have had the pleasure of seeing grown people act crazy. Here is a small taste of what was going on at my office in Wilmington on Halloween. The Pac-Man and Miss Pac-Man costumes were pretty good. You can’t see them clearly, but there are also several ghosts in the group!
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Hanging out in Wilmington
I am in Wilmington, NC for a big project for work. The weather is really beautiful: mid-sixties during the day, down into the forties at night. Wilmington has a really nice downtown area along the Cape Fear River. My hotel is on Water Street, which, as the name suggests, is right on the river. Within a few blocks of the hotel are tons of great local restaurants. The project lead, Michelle, invited everyone to dinner at Deluxe Cafe. We had a great meal. The food was creative and fun, as well as delicious. We started with seared ahi tuna topped crisps with greens, bruscetta with pears and brie, and calamari. I had Scallops Florentine…
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Aerodynamics
frustrated grackle - tortilla in autumn breeze - I can't fly like this.
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Cat nip filled knitting frenzy
The other day I suddenly remembered a cute pattern (recipe, as K calls them) for Feline Dim Sum. No, not dim sum filled with felines! Knitted cat toys in the shape of a wonton or eggroll. I searched the web and found the pattern. Then I ran to my stash and found some scrap yarn. I knitted one up while dinner was cooking – it took about 20 minutes. I did not have any batting or other materials to stuff the toys with, so I called on my friend to see what she had. She came up with some fabric scraps that worked out very well. The actual knitting, stuffing…
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Mental Health Day
Lee has been working like crazy lately. Billy asked her to take a day off for mental health purposes. He asked Joey and me to join them for a day trip. We decided to drive out to Shiner, Texas to visit the Spoetzl Brewery. We had fun trying the beers that were on tap at the brewery. The tour was interesting, and we had a nice tour guide, but there was also a crazy tour guide who always sounded like she was angry. Billy and I had a good time laughing about how much she yelled. We also stopped into Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Shiner, which is one…
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Filter Poetry
So I’m sitting here at breakfast with Kat and she just demonstrated how you can use the power of the spam filter to create poetry. Open your spam mailbox, pick a subject line as your starting place, and just read each subject line aloud one after the other. Today mine is: Suffering from low self-esteem? Ever wished to increase your man’s size? Than do not miss the opportunity. Now you can easily put your most intimate problems to end. Get the pair of shoes you have been eyeing all season Branded shoes at affordable prices now Go to our online store to enjoy shoe heaven, as you will find what…
- All Saints', Friends and Family, Lee and Billy, Lindsay and Don, Misty and Brian, Twenties and Thirties
TnT trip to the Blanton Museum of Art
The All Saints’ Episcopal Church Twenties and Thirties decided to take a trip to the Blanton Museum of Art as a group. Most of us had never been there before, despite its location right in the middle of Austin. Misty found an engraving with a chubby Jesus. Lindsay was terrified that she might meet the same fate as St. Agatha. Trenton found a car that he could connect with. Joey found a penny. Jeff, Trenton, Joey and I got lost in a bunch of yellow noodles. Fun was had by everyone. After exploring the museum, we wandered over to The Dog and Duck for some dinner and beer. It was…
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LisaDiane’s Birthday – 09 September 2008
Karen suggested that we go to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Tron. As it turned out the showing that Joey and I were in town for was on my birthday. What could be better than Tron as part of a birthday celebration? Billy, Jacob, Joey, and I went to Sushi Sake for dinner. We ate appetizers and lovely sushi. After dinner we made our way down to 6th Street. We were a little early for the theater, so we went into Pecan Street Bar for some refreshment. We met up with Karen, got out tickets, and made our way to the theater. The pre-show was ads and documentary bits about…
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The Seattle Underground
Today we took the ferry from Orcas Island to the terminal and drove back into Seattle. With a day left before we were to fly home, we decided to explore the city a little, and we took a tour of the Seattle Underground. In the 1890’s, the streets around Pioneer Square were re-graded at one-to-two stories higher than the previous street level. Some of the older ground level walkways and dwellings, now below grade, fell into disuse. The tour took us through some of these spaces. We also spent some time at the Seattle Mystery Bookstore, shopped at the Utilikilt shop, and had a snack in Occidental Square Park.
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The Village of East Sound
We began our day today in the charming village of East Sound. Lovely morning, good breakfast, enjoyed exploring. Looking forward to tonight’s festivities. I’m so happy for my cousin 🙂
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Traveling to Marty and Brittney’s Wedding
Today we traveled with Nancy to Marty and Brittney’s wedding destination on Orca’s Island. We met up in Seattle, traveled together to the ferry dock, spent the day on the ferry, and settled at the end of the day at the OutlookInn.
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Seattle – 24 July 2008
Our second day in Seattle started with a trip to Pike Place Market. We rode the monorail, and then walked a couple of blocks to reach the market. On our walk we stopped off at Lush; Kat loves this store, so we decided to check it out. We stopped to get some coffee to give us some pep. Recharged, we started exploring the shops. We found a great shop called Little Shanghai, and I got a fantastic jacket. We continued to wander and shop. Just beyond Pike Place Market is Victor Steinbrueck Park, which overlooks Puget Sound. Joey took some pictures of the totem pole that is in the park,…
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Seattle – 23 July 2008
Joey’s cousin Marty invited us to his wedding on Orcas Island, Washington. We really wanted to support Marty and Brittney by attending their wedding. Since we had never been to Washington State, we decided to not only attend the wedding, but check out Seattle as well. We woke up very early to catch our flight to Seattle. Thanks to the fact that we were flying west, we still had most of a day when we landed. We stopped and got coffee immediately – we were in Seattle, and we had been awake a very long time – what else could we do! We got our rental car from Thrifty. They…
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Unexpected Day in Fort Worth
Joey and I got up early on Thursday, 19 June 2008, to travel to Troy and Christinne’s wedding in Cozumel, Mexico. We boarded the plane in Austin at 5:45 am for the forty minute flight to DFW. From DFW we were catching a connecting flight to Cozumel at 10:25 am. If any sane person had to guess, they would say five hours is plenty of time to get from Austin to DFW, find the correct gate, and board the second plane. If they were on our flight, AA1038, they would have been wrong. As we approached DFW, the pilot announced that we would have to circle for a about twenty…
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Hamilton Pool – June 2008
On Saturday LisaDiane and I went with some of our friends to Hamilton Pool. LisaDiane, Don, Coye, and Sydney drove out to the pool at about ten o’clock. Both Misty and I had commitments in town that left us free to leave at noon, so I hitched a ride with Misty and her boys. Brian is currently a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago in the Pyrenees, so he was not able to join us this year (Brian – I’m looking forward to seeing pictures from Spain). Misty, the boys, and I got to Hamilton Preserve at about one o’clock. We had to wait about half and hour for a…
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A Day in the Park with Daniel and Kay – June 2008
Last Thursday LisaDiane and I went to lunch with Kay and Daniel. We went to Freddie’s on south first. Kay had never been to there and Freddie’s is so kid friendly that I thought we should help her get acquainted with it. We enjoyed some burgers and walked around the playground and took pictures of Daniel. I was a bit restless (the girls had chatted and eaten slowly – I had wolfed down my burger in a few quick bites and was in dire need of a walk to make amends) so I proposed we head over to the park for a stroll. We relocated to Zilker and I pulled…
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Afternoon with the Springfield/Serrins Family – 31 May 2008
Joey and I decided that it had been too long since we had spent some leisure time with our wonderful friends Rachel and Debra, and our godchildren. We went over to their place on 31 May 2008, and spent the entire afternoon, and even went out to Serranos for dinner. We had a great time just relaxing and visiting. Chiara demonstrated her sitting up skills. Asher and Joey built a marble run, and we had a terrific time having international “marble parties”. Just in case you haven’t had the pleasure of attending a marble party, they work like this: Asher decides where in the world the marble party will occur…
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Mayfield Park – May 2008
Mama and Papa came to visit Daniel, Kay, and Andrew. The day they left town, we had breakfast at Cafe Java with Troy and Christinne. After breakfast, we went to Mayfield Park to stretch our legs and get some fresh air, and walk of the yummy food. Mayfield Park includes a wonderful garden, and has peacocks. There was one peacock that really understood the program of showing off for the visitors. He stood around for twenty minutes while we took pictures. Here is a link with more information about Mayfield Park: https://www.austintexas.org/listings/mayfield-park-and-nature-preserve/6859/ We had a lovely lunch at home with Kay, Andrew, and Daniel. I got to hold Daniel for half…
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An Anole at St. Matthew’s – May 2008
This week I am attending a workshop retreat titled “The Art of Engaging Holy Scripture” at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Austin. I noticed this anole in the window of our workroom just before our lunch break today. I was so pleased to catch a series where he changed color!
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TnT Design Team Meeting – 10 May 2008
Joey and I are members of the All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties Design Team. The Twenties and Thirties group is mainly a fellowship group at our church, and despite anything Rachel says, it is not a singles group! The design team is a group of couples who get together to plan the upcoming events for the larger group. Happily, the other couples who are involved, Don and Lindsay, Billy and Lee, and Brian and Misty, are all really great people who enjoy the same things Joey and I do – good food, good wine, and good conversation. The design team gets together once a month, whether we need to or…
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Party at Don and Lindsay’s House – May 2008
Don successfully finished the semester, and Lindsay had a birthday. Double reason for a party! Joey and I met many of Lindsay’s high school friends. There was a shark piñata, but not for long! Check out the pictures to see the shark’s sad fate…
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Nancy and George Visit Austin – March 2008
Mama and Papa came to Austin to visit with Kay before Daniel was born. During the stay we decided to spend a day out all together. First we stopped by the fire station to visit with Troy. Then, in celebration of the lovely spring weather, we drove out to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The Wildflower Center is a remarkable garden and research station situated in suburban south Austin. Take a look at the center’s website: http://www.wildflower.org/
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Camping Trip – March 2008
The All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties Group went to Guadalupe River State Park for a camping trip. The weather was cool. We took a couple of hikes around the park. Joey and Don, the boyscouts of the group, took charge of building a great campfire. We roasted marshmallows and ate s’mores. Don and Lindsay made hobo dinners, which are aluminum foil packets filled with ground meat, ramen noodles, veggies and spices. The foil packets get tucked into the coals of the fire to cook. They turned out to be delicious! You can see Lindsay’s in the pictures below. Joey made hot cocoa for everyone before we turned in for the…
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Kat’s Birthday – February 2008
LisaDiane and I drove up to Fort Worth yesterday to eat cake, slay a piñata, and celebrate the beginning of Kat’s 32nd year on the eighth return of her birthday. Tim’s father was at the party and I spent some time chatting with him and Tim and Rod about home improvements, cellular networks, recumbent bicycles, and other worthy engineer topics while feeding my Yitzchak Spector glass a fair supply of bubbly sweet red wine. Kat made a wonderful yellow cake with rich chocolate icing – I had two pieces and took a big piece home after the party. Sad news for Fort Worth – Tagel is moving to Seattle to…
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The Crestview “Wall of Welcome” – February 2008
Kay, Troy, Mama, LisaDiane, and I ate lunch at Little Deli in Crestview on Monday. I had not been over there in a few months and so I did not know that Jean Graham had been hard at work on a beautiful new mosaic mural on the Woodrow side of the shopping center. Jean has been providing mosaic lessons and supplies to Brentwood and Crestview residents and this (nearly complete) mural titled the “Wall of Welcome” is the fruit of those labors. Here are just a few pictures from this pleasant addition to a pleasant neighborhood.
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Rachel’s Birthday Lunch at Freddie’s – February 2008
We celebrated Rachel’s birthday with a lunch party at Freddie’s on South First Street on Sunday. Children, dogs, and friends were in attendance. I got to play with Asher, Chiara, Keegan, Molly, and Lea while LisaDiane caught up with Audrey, Will, Maggie, and Jay. And there was birthday cake. With strawberries.
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Acolyte Festival – February 2008
Milton Bell and I took pictures at the Acolyte Festival at All Saints’ on Saturday morning. Teams of Acolytes traveled from across the diocese (some drove all the way in from Houston – they must have been up *very* early, the festival started at 8:30 AM) to participate in the workshops and the acolyte olympics. The thurifer workshop, a perennial favorite, was particularly popular this year. Here is a collection of our photos.
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Kay and Andrew’s Baby Shower – February 2008
On Saturday LisaDiane and the Zimmerman family hosted a baby shower for Kay and Andrew at the Zimmerman’s home in south Austin. We stuffed ourselves on snacks from Central Market, tasty homemade deserts, lime punch, and lemonade. Here are some photos from the party:
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Aaron and Sujata’s Wedding, Austin, Texas – February 2008
I am very pleased to announce that Sujata Prabhu and Aaron Camp were married on Saturday the sixteenth of February, 2008. LisaDiane served as Matron of Honor and I served as Best Man. The Bachelor-Bachelorette party was at Cafe Castronova Thursday night and we mingled with their new extended family at a pre-wedding open house in Lakeway on Friday. We spent the day Saturday at their fabulous wedding celebration at Arbor Point in Round Rock.
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Vestry Retreat – February 2008
We had two special guests at the All Saints’ Vestry retreat on Saturday. Our discussion focused on the buildings at All Saints’ and our perception of how well they serve us. BJ Andrews was our first guest and she helped set the stage for our discussion by telling us about the history of the buildings, past and present, on the All Saints’ campus. After lunch we met for a Q&A session with a second guest: The Buildings. All Saints’ Chapel and Gregg House came to our meeting!
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Mardi Gras at All Saints’ – February 2008
The annual Mardi Gras celebration at All Saints’ was a big hit again this year. We had a big crowd, lots of floats, a good parade around the block, and our EYC raised a fair amount of money for the mission trip. This year included the giant hamster float (driven by giant hamster wheels): Many families participated as part of the Krewe All Saints’ parade. And the Dragon made it out to the parade for a third year! Here is a photo of the Dragon leading the King through the parade.
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Debra’s Birthday at Volente Beach – September 2007
What a relaxing party! Debra took her whole family out to Volente Beach for her birthday. Volente Beach is a small water park on the shore of Lake Travis (just northwest of Austin). They have nice sandy beaches, a few water slides, and (this last weekend) no crowds 🙂 We met at ZuZu’s for lunch and birthday pie and then drove out to Volente. Debra and I took turns swimming with Asher in the big kid pool and we all took turns riding the slides. I had a really nice time. Thanks Debra! Happy Birthday!
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at BookPeople – July 2007
We just got back from the BookPeople release party for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” – fun & chaotic. Thousands of costumed fans followed inter-laced carnival queues to see fire spinners, eat Gryffindor kettle-corn, join Luna and Neville for a wand dual, dunk Voldemort, listen to the Orchestra, and get a copy of the 7th and final Harry Potter novel. We bumped into Michelle and Hannah. Hannah looked like she was having a great time while she was officiating at the Wizard Battle booth. Lee and LisaDiane got their copies of the book shortly after midnight.
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A day with Papa in San Antonio – July 2007
LisaDiane and I spent Saturday in San Antonio with Papa – It was so nice to see him. Papa was in SA to attend Promise Keepers. We met him after the event and enjoyed an afternoon browsing in the shops on the Riverwalk, exploring the dragon exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures, and shopping in Market Square. We had dinner at El Mercado and bought desert at the candy counter at Mi Tierra.
