My Sassy Pants

Passion for Photography...

2012-01-27T10:13:00.000-06:00

Some people have a passion for cooking, fashion, crunching numbers, construction....I have a passion for photography. These pictures are some of the one's I have taken over the past year that really speak to me in some form.

I love the architectural structure and design of bridges. The way that a bridge connects two things together that were otherwise meant to be apart. The suspension is phenomenal to me...how the structure hovers over water or railroad tracks, in mid air, and can support thousands of pounds at a time is beyond my comprehension. My brain doesn't have an engineering capacity, so I am fascinated.

Much like bridges, I really am drawn to flowers. The way they bloom from a seed, with only water, minerals and light. How they reach for the heavens and are so pure, colorful and majestic. Every flower has its own pattern, design and identity, like people.

I hope you enjoy my perspective through the lens as much as I enjoyed capturing the images....

New Goods!

2012-01-23T07:43:00.002-06:00

My Sassy Pants just returned from Market. We shopped until we dropped....
Your turn! Check out the new, fun, sassy items here OR click on the Facebook sidebar on this blog...
(psst, over there ------------>)

She's an All American Rock Star!

2012-01-16T10:59:00.000-06:00

Sparkly Sweet Dreams.

2011-12-27T20:50:00.001-06:00

Tonight~

We watched a movie, I made special basil parmesan popcorn. I put a small jar in the center of the girls popcorn bowls with candy in them.

Taco's and Lemonade for dinner.

The girls took a bath in this chemistry "GOO" that was purple. It felt like squishy tapioca pudding. While they were doing their bath experiment, I was creating a fort in my room for us to sleep in.

One ladder, 4 sheets, a hammer, a couple of nails, a stapler, string of lights, 12 pillows, 4 blankets, 2 sleeping bags, stuffed animals, 2 flashlights, a ton of books and a BIG imagination.....

PRESENTING....

"GIRLS NIGHT IN"

All That Glitters.

2011-12-26T08:35:00.002-06:00

This Christmas, there was no shortage of bright sparkly things to catch a little girls eye. Brilliant hues of red, pink, purple, turquoise and lime green. Christmas morning has that same magical quality and feeling as when you enter the gates of Disney World©. Only, it is over in about 10 minutes. Then, all we are left with is a graveyard of wrapping paper, boxes, tissue, twist ties, bows and whatever else was binding the toy to it's package.
I made my annual Creme Brulee' French Toast, Thick Cut Bacon and Sparkling Orange Juice.
We went to Christmas dinner at my girl, Shannon's house. Mark and Shannon made a delicious dinner and I felt blessed to celebrate with people that I dearly love on Jesus' birthday.
Christmas is a season and a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, to celebrate life, appreciate family and to be thankful for all that glitters in our world.

Update on that Barrel of Monkeys...

2011-12-20T08:22:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

My landlord called and said that her sister has decided NOT to sell the house we are renting. (Breathe a sigh of relief)
I know that life is an adventure and that things always work out how they are supposed to blah blah blah....
It did work out like it was supposed to, the way my mind wanted it to. My mind and my heart.
There have been SOOOO many adjustments that my kids have had to make in the past year. It has been my goal this year to provide the girls with as much consistency in their lives as possible.
So, I am happy that it worked out that we are able to stay put and call this cozy place "home".

Words of Wisdom.

2011-12-16T18:13:00.000-06:00

One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be YOU. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

"Be Yourself. Everyone else is taken."

Faves.

2011-12-15T08:42:00.001-06:00

Some of my favorite photos and moments on the beach during Thanksgiving.

I love that my Mom does a fashion show with the grand-kids every year. I love that we have our own traditions that resemble our family and not so much the Pilgrims. I love that Pa-K spends time building sand castles, digging "pools" in the sand. I love that my brother and sister in law are there for the week because that time is priceless. I love my family and feel so blessed that we have this time together every year. My heart is full. My cup runneth over. Love you all SO much!!!

Sea of Bubbles.

2011-12-14T20:19:00.009-06:00

We were at this really cool restaurant in Gulf Shores when the Manager came outside, dumped some concoction into this machine and 20 minutes later, BuBbLeS!!!

It was a mixture of soy and sugar water. Essentially, making HUGE bubbles that don't hurt your eyes and tastes strangely sweet. The girls had that big belly laughter that you get when you are filled with complete joy. It was so fun.

~They ate, made a wish on a wishing wall, played in the ginormous sand box and swam in a sea of bubbles ~

A day in the life of childhood!

Family Getaway.

2011-12-13T19:18:00.002-06:00

On a warm November day....WHAT? Yeah, you heard me correctly, it was a warm day in November and the girls were on the beach in swimwear. We spent the week with family and it was a complete blast. There was shell hunting, wave jumping, sand art, fashion shows, photo shoots, great meals, awesome company and family. What more could you want on a warm day in the winter? OH, I know...fresh grapefruit from Pere's garden, add vodka with salt.

Elf Mail.

2011-12-06T08:39:00.000-06:00

That Elf is so smart.

Naughty or Nice.

2011-12-05T14:10:00.000-06:00

Is it possible to be on both of Santa's lists?
I like to think I am a nice blend of Naughty and Nice. You know, for balance.

In our house, "Magic Elf" comes on December 1st. His name is Henry.
Henry brings a treat a day until December 24th, when he leaves to help Santa to prepare for the Christmas Eve journey.

Henry watches your behavior and reports back to Santa.

This morning, Henry wanted to kick Lexie's rear end. She was having a meltdown about wearing a sweatshirt. It was in the low 40's this morning. She wanted to wear a T-shirt. If I was a bad Mommy, I would have let her.

40 minutes later, she was still running around the house without clothes on. She had a firm stance on her ground. I wasn't going to budge. My stance was embedded in concrete, unbenounced to her.

Guess what? She wore the sweatshirt, the scarf and the hat...........against her will. Crying and pouting. SO, what did I do? I started singing "OHHHH, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout...." (naughty me)

~AND~ for good measure, this is what she will come home to!

Barrel of Monkeys

2011-11-30T14:04:00.000-06:00

Oh boy. Where do I start?
Since I have lived in this house (for a year), the water heater has sprung a leak that required some parts to be replaced. The inside A/C unit was damaged and causing mold to grow in the home and had to be replaced. Not to mention they had to do a mold treatment/sealant through the house. Bushes had to be pulled because the sprinkler head no longer works in that area of the yard. Recently, the hard water was corroding the pipes, so a water softener was added to the home.

NOW, the outside A/C unit is "about to break" so either they can replace it now or wait until it breaks....but essentially, 30-50% of my heating and cooling bill is a waste because of the outside unit not working properly.

ON TOP OF THAT, my water heater sprung another leak, only it was internal and fried the wires on the thermostat and is now deemed a "fire hazard". Which means, it has been disconnected and needs to be replaced.
For the past 4 days, I have been without hot water. I just found out that an adjuster cannot be here until Friday.

My A/C unit hisses like a cat in a dog fight.

And I just got off the phone with the owner of the house and she asked me if I would be interested in buying the house. Great!

For sale, one barrel of monkeys and a madwoman to boot.

Word.

2011-11-29T10:32:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, during the holidays, people WIG out on each other. It happens.

In my family, we all stay together, in one condo, for a week. We learn something about each other every year. We wholeheartedly love one another and that is such a beautiful thing to me.

This tradition is a fond one embedded in my heart and in the hearts of my children, forever. Times like these are truly priceless. Even if we are wiggin' out on each other.....

2011-11-09T14:02:00.003-06:00

This image that I took of Bella was chosen by a local canvas printer to use as their marketing graphic for a trade show. I got a free HUGE canvas of the "Isabella" image for allowing the company use my work ~and~ they are advertising my photography business for me.

Very exciting!

Growing Up So Fast....

2011-11-07T10:41:00.001-06:00

We Are FaMiLy!

2011-11-06T07:53:00.001-06:00

We toast to you Pa-K, you are wonderful and we love you!
Nan-E, your reaction was priceless.
We love you guys and enjoyed surprising you.

It was a fun few days spent with my Bro and his beautiful family....

Those memories and times are precious and unforgettable in life.

Hey Creepy.

2011-11-01T08:24:00.003-05:00

The girls had a very fun night of Trick or Treat.
Lexie, 2 hours before the Halloween festivities began, said "I don't want to be a Witch anymore. I want to be Fancy Nancy.". UHHHHH, WHAT?
Then, she changed her mind again and said "Actually, I want to be a rock star". WELL, that I can do!

Bella is a Spider Queen.
Lexie is a Rock Star.
Friends are Vampires.

The most fun for the girls was passing out candy to other kids and visiting the "MONSTER" house. Lexie also very much enjoyed sneaking a lot of candy which turned her into a monster of her own kind.

I am thankful that in a few days the "Candy Fairy" will come and take all of the candy away and leave a small gift for the girls. The Candy Fairy works for the dentist and next to Tinkerbell©, she is my favorite fairy.

I did a photo shoot a few weeks ago in the spooky trees. Bella and Lexie's original costumes are photographed below.

vive la différence

2011-10-17T09:47:00.001-05:00

My motto is: "if we were all the same, the Earth would be a very boring place to live".

I like differences. Whether in looks, personality, skin color, religion, politics, fashions, social status, hair color, eye color, weight, height, attitude, culture, class....

I believe the differences are the very core of what makes our world rotate on it's axis. The God given uniqueness of individuality defines beauty.

If everyone were like me, daily life wouldn't have any spark. Nobody would be there to challenge me, drive me, inspire me.

From a societal perspective, we are going to have differences that are pleasant, some that put a distaste in our mouths and perhaps strong differences that offer a severance.

I recently had an experience that rocked my boat. Threw me off kilt. A moment that defined "differences". I believe myself to have an appreciation of uniqueness, quirks, opinions and needs. I do not have an appreciation for prejudice.

Like most, I have my very own distinct "taste" and religious morals, I can appreciate when others taste varies from my own. I admire those that find true friendship, love or otherwise in another person. It is not for me or you to judge what is right for another human being.

I tend to avoid people that are abusive, disconnected from reality, disrespectful, ignorant.

So, I say this;

be the best human you can be. Grow, learn, nurture your soul. Judge less. Love more and by all means, appreciate the differences in life, after all, that is how God made us.

Coal.

2011-10-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

There are so many changes that have happened in my life over the past year. Divorce, a move, new school for the girls, the dating life...
While it is necessary to put on a smile and pretend like everything is great, that is not really what is going on under the surface.
Divorce is HARD. A real kick in the gut. You don't recover from it or heal from it just because papers were signed. It takes time, its sweet precious time, like a wart....it doesn't go away over night.

What keeps me up at night is how I am supposed to balance everything in my life. I am not so great at balance. I am better at focus, on one, maybe two things, but balancing a 3 ring circus, not my strength. You would think I would be excellent at balance, being a Libra. Not so much.

My ability to balance, wear many hats and succeed is really being pushed to the limit. I know, and have said this before, that a diamond is a lump of coal made good under pressure. Truth is, I am pretty comfortable being a sparkly little lump of coal.

I am doing everything in my power to keep my kids out of after school care. With that, comes much sacrifice for them, and for me.
It is my greatest hope and wish that my work will be fruitful so that my girls can come HOME from school in the afternoons. I also hope that in this process, I can find balance in being a GOOD Mom, having 2 businesses that rely solely on my skills, maintain a household, pay bills on time and contribute to society in a positive way. Somewhere in between, find moments for myself, for my little sparkly coal.

Grandparents Day.

2011-09-10T11:19:00.020-05:00

This was the first time the girls had their "Grandma" (or any Grandparent for that matter) attend Grandparents Day....well, except for when I dressed up as a Grandma when Bella was in Kinder. She wanted to have a Grandparent on the designated day and I didn't want to disappoint.

SO, glasses, feather in hair, shawl, knee high panty hose, lipstick on my teeth...I made an appearance at school. Bella was totally amused and her classmates thought it was a hoot.

I cannot tell you how thankful I was that I didn't have to bring out the "old" wardrobe this year. Thankfully, Nan-e came to the rescue. Looking NOTHING like a Grandma, as usual, and befriending some of the kiddos in the class that didn't have a Grandparent present. Nan-e saved the day and made some friends along the way. Nan-e also made 2 girls VERY VERY happy.

Where's Waldo? See if you can find Bella with Nan-e in the photo above...

Bottoms Up.

2011-09-06T16:34:00.002-05:00

Last night, I didn't sleep well. There was a wildfire within a few miles of my house. Evacuation calls were circulating through our area, that was on my mind. Lexie had fever of 103. My brain had plans for me that my body did not want to be a part of. The two of them just couldn't get together until about midnight. perfect~

This morning, I let the dog out and it was taking an unusual amount of time for him to come to the door. I called for him, but he didn't come. I looked outside to find him cowering down with mashed up poop in his fur. yay~

Lexie has to stay home from school today. I have to get Bella ready for school, make her breakfast, pack her lunch, bag up the cookies for Bella's class to celebrate her birthday and bathe the dog, all before 7 AM. joy~

I have sewing work to do, but nursing has taken precedence. Mom, I need a tissue. Mom, how do you put on a movie? Mom, my head hurts. Mom, I am bleeding. Mom, the dog still smells like poop. Mom, I'm hungry, again. Mom, Mom, Mom.... I have the hiccups and a headache. Did I mention that it is parent orientation tonight at school? awesome~

Needless to say, I got nothing done today besides being a master chef of chicken noodle soup. Dog grooming (bath and haircut included) has been added to my resume. Sewing? well, not even a single stitch of work got done. I have the hiccups, did I mention it? great~

Days like these make days like these happen...

N i n e. 9.

2011-09-05T16:43:00.007-05:00

I know exactly where I was when I went into labor with Bella. I know the conversation that occurred, almost verbatim. I am replaying the drive to the hospital, I can see the anesthetist like she was sitting next to me now, esh~ (heebee jeebees)

From the moment Bella arrived 9 years ago she has been a blessing of a child. Sweet, kind hearted, smart, thoughtful, artistic. Bella is so many things to me...SO, today, I celebrate my precious Bella for all that she is, all that she will become and all that she has brought into my life.

Happy Birthday Bella, I love you!

Back To School.

2011-08-22T09:38:00.003-05:00

Lexie and Bella started 2nd and 3rd grade this year. The photo above was taken on the first day of school this year.

The photos below are from last school year, on the first day of school.

There are a few changes. Lexie grew up a lot, she lost some teeth, got taller and was looking forward to school this year (whew!). Bella also sprouted up quite a bit, got "BANGS" (which she is already tired of by the way) and was not so much looking forward to this school year.

The girls started a new school and Bella was the social Queen at her old school. So, she's going to have to start building her empire at the new school. I understand how she feels though. She was at her old school for 3 years and knew everyone (staff and PTA included)...she has her work cut out for her this year.

Having said that, it will be a good lesson for the girls. Life changes and with that, one must learn how to adapt and embrace those adjustments. Better to learn how to conquer change now.

When I was in High School, we moved the last 6 weeks of my Junior year to not only a new school, but another state. I got a violent shove into "make it or break it"...and you know what, I jumped in head first! So, in keeping with the old adage, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Bella will be just fine! Queen "B" will be ruling her kingdom by the end of next week, I'm certain of it.

Crush...D

2011-08-03T18:48:00.000-05:00

This was Bella's 2nd grade crush, Rodrigo. He is super adorable and Bella spent most of the year drawing pictures of her and Rodrigo holding hands, or with bubbles over their head with random statements. His Mom looks along the lines of Penelope Cruz, so I had to amp up my game a little bit. Put on some makeup and heels when I went up to school. Don't want the in-laws to think I am a gym rat. Well, I hate athletic clothing, so that is a bad reference. Whatever, you get my point, my baby girl was smitten with a boy, I wanted to make sure she wasn't embarrassed by her family.

So, when I saw ~~found in her diary~~ the drawing that she made of them kissing, I ratted out my hair, put on my best trailer park (no offense) concoction that I could find and wore it on the last day of school. Needless to say, Rodrigo just wants to be "just friends" with Bella now. A Mama has to do what a Mama has to do, right? Kissing, in 2nd grade....not on my watch.

I was playing kiss chase in 2nd grade, I practically wrote that book. I've already prepped her, school work is REAL HARD in 3rd grade, tests and all, therefore, she won't have time for little boys.

Love you Baby. You will thank me someday, when you are nice and smart, making more money than some stinky boy, loving your career, traveling the world...meeting sexy Frenchmen. You're welcome! Mama knows best, Sugar, Mama knows best!

Where do you live?

2011-07-16T14:14:00.003-05:00

There has been a lot of traveling going on this summer. Recently, while on a 10 day trip to Louisiana, one of my friends in Texas said "you are never HOME, so where do you live?". Good point. I guess, based on my traveling adventures over the past 2 months, technically, I am homeless. I'm just a girl who lives in her car. That's how I roll...
Our whirlwind trip to Dallas for market is where the "vacancy" sign was first ignited. Less than two weeks later, off to Louisiana, 2 days following that trip, to Mexico, in the interim, Lexie turned 7 years of age.
Soon, we will be in Austin for a reunion. Unfortunately, blogging hasn't been a passenger on these trips, however, my camera was a trusty co-captain. Below are a few of the festivities that we engaged in on our journey through summer.

"The Parade".

A tradition that happens at Nan-E and Pay-Pay's house. "Here comes the Queen" is lovingly chanted as each child makes their way down the parade route. Every child is given the appropriate paraphernalia to attract their patrons.

This is what "JOY" looks like....Great Grandmother with her only Great Grandson.

And then, there is this kind of thrill seeking "JOY" that Lexie is demonstrating. Convincing.

Friendship.

The best woman for the job of raising the crazies below....no easy task.

What's a blog without some Eye Candy.

Please deposit 25¢.

Happiest Birthday to my sweet precious "7" year old, Lexie. What a ride it has been to watch you grow and blossom into this wonderful, smart, funny, ENERGETIC, fun loving girl. None short of a gift to this planet. I love you and I wish I had a smidgen of your energy! Today, I celebrate you and thank you for all that you have brought into my life, you are a blessing....

Happy Birthday!

Cabo

2011-07-13T08:29:00.001-05:00

Beautiful sunsets.

A room with a view.

Great company.

Infinity Pool.

Loads of laughter.

Excellent food.

Romance.

A good book and my iPod.

Sunset cruise.

I'll take a few days in Paradise for $500, Alex.

This little piggy went to market

2011-06-28T09:34:00.001-05:00

Twice a year, this little piggy goes to market in Dallas. Shannon and I have been working at Jennifer Massey Designs booth for a few years now. While the work is exhausting, the atmosphere ignites my creative spirit. I get to market and in some way, from the pit of my stomach, I come to life. I reminisce about the days of going to college in the Apparel Mart, working market 6 times a year for a dress company. I also modeled for ESPRIT, a million years ago, when caveman rags and bone necklaces were in and I loved every minute of it. The nostalgia hasn't worn off, I have a severe fashion addiction.

At market, with Jennifer Massey Designs, we set up the booth, make the jewelry, sell the goods, wear the goods and are so exhausted at the end of the day, sometimes we fall asleep with the gems on. Jennifer is incredibly talented, creative and a true designer, by definition. This market, we unveiled a new line at a top secret, by invitation only party and SOLD OUT!

While being replicated, not duplicated, is expected at market, one thing is always consistent with our market trip....laughter!

Me and my PEEPS

2011-06-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

One evening, Lexie and Bella were playing outside and they came across this little fella on the sidewalk. Little Peep was lost. Mama bird was flying from tree to tree, nervous about how she was going to get her little one back to her nest. Why she didn't swoop down and pick him up in the first place is a mystery. Maybe she could come down and give him a crash course in flying, or maybe, that is how he ended up here in the first place.

So, the girls got a bucket, put some dried grass and tried to coarse this little fluff ball into "walking" into the bucket. It went something like this: "Come On"..."here little birdie"..."Come On, you can do it"...Then they started to make the sound that you make when you are calling a cat or a dog (little fast kisses). Then, Bella whistled, and that got Little Peep's attention. He opened his mouth and waited for her to regurgitate some dinner for him.

The girls cracked up laughing. Bella asked, "what do I do?". I said, chew up a worm and spit it in his mouth. I cannot understand why she didn't do it....

Finally, with gloves on, we put Peep on a tall rock near the trees where the Mama bird was flying back and forth, back and forth. We said a little prayer that Little Peep would make it home safely and took our bucket of dried grass home. The next morning, practically before the sun met the horizon and the roosters had their morning coffee, we walked down to see if Peep was rescued. Indeed, he was. We have high hopes that Peep figured out how to flap his wings into the coup and that the "cat call" my kids were doing didn't summon a different kind of rescue mission.

Old School

2011-06-01T19:39:00.003-05:00

On this particular day, a year and a half ago, I spent most of the day conquering that "jump" that I used to be able to do ~~about~~ ~~250~~ ~~years ago~~ with complete grace .....It is all my brother's fault, he provokes a sense of youth in me and likes to challenge me to pull a muscle in some random place. It is ON like Donkey Kong, we like to take it back to the "old school" when we are together.
Honestly, we are 12, it is so fun.
On this day, I chose to jump around, pose with statues and relish in some of the most simple, unplanned, free spirited good times that a girl can have. These days, I appreciate the simplicity of movie night at home, dinner on a blanket under the stars and occasionally, taking it back to the old school, cuz I'm an old fool...(you are welcome for humming "can you dig it? we can dig it" for the next 8 hours). The small, simple pleasures in life do not have to cost anything at all, but can become a priceless memory.

Filters

2011-05-27T15:45:00.001-05:00

I've been told that I have no filter. Well, I have one, it is just broken. I'd like to think that I have some cooth though. For example: "your toes look like fingers" or "you have a mullet" or "____ doesn't know what camel toe is". Yes, these are all things I have said, in the past 2 weeks.

Today, I had a Real Estate photo shoot and part of photographing real estate is making sure that it looks as neat and free from clutter as possible. So, filterless me says to the homeowner..."Can you get some windex and clean this mirror?"...Homeowner says: "do you want to take a few things off the bathroom counter?"....I say, "Yes, how about all of it, and Mr. Homeowner, will you please windex the glass shower door as well?"....oh, but no, I don't stop there. I go on to say, "You know, 1/2 peroxide and 1/2 water with newspaper will clean glass like nobody's business".

See, no filter. I couldn't just ask the man to clean his own bathroom. I had to tell him that the product he was using wasn't cutting it.

The moral of the story is say what you mean, mean what you say...and I do. So, if you find yourself in a dress that is so tight I can see whether or not your belly button is an innie or an outie, chances are you better cross the street because my filter is BROKEN.

Dog Days of Summer

2011-05-18T12:40:00.001-05:00

"Dog Days" are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they usually fall between early July and early September. In the southern hemisphere they are usually between January and early March. In Texas, Dog Days are fully present in April. It is hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement, and some news team will most certainly oblige us with the footage.
The end of school is traveling in the express lane to completion. Kids are amping up for their summer festivities and parents are planning their escapes via camps and one way tickets to Grandparents house. Nevertheless, ready or not, the dog days of summer are just around the corner. Our program looks no different. We are orchestrating camps, vacations, play dates and sleep overs to get us through the heat and away from diving into a bottle of Tequila (not the kids, duh)....It is something about kids having a strict schedule during the school year that offers parents, and perhaps children, a level of sanity. That sanity goes awry during the summer. Probably because, as parents, we relax on "bed times", rules and what not. The sun comes up before the rooster crows and stays high in the sky until the moon comes and kicks it out of the way, so the daylight beaming into a child's room hinders the sleep patterns of normality. Longer days, unorganized days, hot days, summer days. Each year, we survive it, scrapbook it, enjoy it and look back on it lovingly...Until the end of the following school year, where we dread it....ahhh, here we are.
Hey, I guess it is better to be in the Dog Days than in the Dog House, right?

Non-Athlete trains for a marathon....

2011-05-11T20:36:00.000-05:00

Meet the trainer, the motivator, the culprit, the marathon man. He's not nice to me. He has awakened muscles that chose to hibernate back in the early 1970's, so naturally, they are roaring, like a bear. I'm even grunting as though I have been in hibernation. Then, after he beats me up with this "work out" (which, for me, should be called a "knock out")...not only do I have to deal with aches and shakes, I also have massive hunger pains.

Someone feed the bears!

The marathon is 6 months away. This is my "before" shot. I thought you would want to see what I look like before I start trimming the treads off my shoes. Mostly, I have been walking, jogging, wheezing, cussing and then laying in people's bushes, but that is ok, I will make it a tenth of a mile, I can feel it. My trainer makes fun of people with those "ridiculous 13.1 stickers" on their car window. Don't tell him, but when I finish this, ~~half~~ marathon, I am air brushing that number on my car, with glitter and flames, in hot pink, down both sides. Because if I am going to work this hard to run down some street with an insane amount of other people sweating, wheezing and wearing (gag) athletic gear....I deserve a hallelujah, amen, you go gurrrrlllll.

I might even put some chrome wheels on...low ride that biach and put a florescent light underneath...and Trainer Dude, I WILL be picking you up in my pimpin' ride on marathon day, prepare yo'self..........................fool!

All About ME!

2011-05-08T21:36:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day. A day to be waited on hand and foot ~~massage my kids feet~~. A day to eat delicious food prepared by someone else ~~cook for my children~~. My day to kick back, relax and enjoy ~~mend owie's, handle tantrums, clean up messes~~. Mother's Day is truly a day about ME my children.

Thankfully, I get to celebrate this day because of my girls. Each day I feel blessed to be their Mama. "My day" was filled with joy, the love of my children, good company, handmade cards, sunshine, a gorgeous Bouquet of Roses, one Gerber Daisy and a gift certificate for a massage. I hope that if you are a Mom, you experienced fulfillment and complete happiness on this blessed day....

River Walk

2011-05-02T19:39:00.003-05:00

What to do on a gorgeous Sunday....what to do on Sunday?

Call up your good buddies and head to the Riverwalk. We had lunch, walked around the river, went to the Alamo. It was a day of good times. Bella, after a day of good times, was ruthless about wanting ice cream. So, Shannon ~~partner in crime~~ and I took it upon ourselves to "learn her a lesson". We went around the car and made everyone say what they were thankful for about our special day. Sarah, Lexie, Shannon and myself were quick to reply what we loved about our day. Bella says "I will tell you what I am thankful for about my day if you get us ice cream". So, my reply was (with evil laughter playing in the background of my head) "Bella, YOU have to write down 10 things you are thankful for about today"....

Needless to say: lesson learned. She wrote down more than 10 things (thank you Shannon, you rule!), apologized for not being thankful and in the end, got a small ice cream cone. One thing is for sure, that girl can negotiate like nobody's business. I can stand to learn a thing or two from her "skills" Cuz, Mama needs some new shoes.

Sweet Precious....

2011-04-29T09:03:00.002-05:00

My sweet precious Lexie is forever changing her clothes, nail polish, shoes, hair accessories. Did I mention that she is constantly changing her clothes?
When I was 16, my Mom said "I hope you have a daughter just like you"....Well, Mom got her wish and I have to say, I kind of like having a little me around. Even if I have to wash the same T-shirt and shorts every other day for little me to wear, over and over and over......

Thats My Honda

2011-04-27T07:53:00.000-05:00

Well, it was that time (insert face down kicking and screaming fit here) to downsize from the $80 a week gas-a-holic to a more economical vehicle. I loved my Nissan, with all my heart. I had the Armada 5 1/2 years, the longest I have ever had any vehicle. It was loaded with bells, whistles, BOSE (insert major crying here), sun-roof, Navigation (insert $2000 here), movie star tint that I had to get a special letter from the State to even keep on my car and a tank that could suck a gas station dry...Leather seats, DVD player, XM radio...

So, what is a girl to do? I had to end the love affair I was having with my Nissan. We broke up. It was time. Now, I'm rollin' in my new Accord that has electric windows, leather seats, a sun-roof, a mediocre (insert more sobbing here) radio, a 5 star safety rating (insert victory dance here) and gets....WAIT FOR IT.....WAIT FOR IT....32 miles per gallon (suck it Nissan, boo-yah, in yo face....still a tiny bit of crying here). In honor of my new Honda, I've enclosed the "Thats My Honda Song" for your entertainment.

***This song contains lyrics that say "sh*t", so if you don't wanna hear it, don't click it***

Keys in the Conch Shell

2011-04-18T21:14:00.003-05:00

Believe me, if I knew where that conch shell was, Kenny Chesney wouldn't be singing "keys in the conch shell, come on in"...he'd be singing "Damn Girl" I mean, while we are at it, if I found the key to Justin Timberlake's conch shell, I would "come on it"....duh

Meanwhile, I will settle for seeing Kenny in concert, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. I found his tour bus right outside of the hotel where I was staying, but no conch shell....strange. I was SO tempted to knock on the tour bus door and flash my brown eyes ~~boobs~~ at the driver to swipe Kenny's hat ~~underwear~~ and run with it, but my better judgement ~~lack of alcohol in my bloodstream~~ kicked in. Don't worry, I saw him in my dreams.

A trip to the Art Festival in Fort Worth was necessary, when in Rome, right?

Check out this cool glass blown windmill yard art thingy (I'm quite the art connoisseur). It was super cool, I loved it and probably took a stalker approach to the amount of photos I actually took of it. I didn't bother looking at the price, I already had enough heartbreak over the conch shell, so I didn't want a violent shove into Prozac land.

Fort Worth is so cool. So artsy, Stock-yardish and they even have Indians, real one's. I bet she is hand weaving something out of animal bladder. Oooh, she is so vintage and authentic...and wait a minute, so with the times? Really? She is on her friggin' iPhone 4. That is messed up. I think they must have brought her over from North Dallas....

I'm not really sure why, how, why....the bagpipes? Nevertheless, it was a wonderful, fun filled, adventure driven weekend and I had a total blast!

(The concert attire) A little bit country, a little bit rock n roll. Thank you and Good Night!

Rollin on the River.....

2011-04-13T20:09:00.000-05:00

I love this place...the water is green and crystal clear, 72 degrees year 'round.
The girls jump off the diving board, snorkel, swim, dig in the shallow stream for rocks and treasures, catch fish (and turtles), picnic and have a total blast.
Our friends Laurie and Donnie have spent many years enjoying this island, tucked away in it's own little sanctuary of a neighborhood. It is truly a hidden treasure.
Bella caught this baby turtle with a net, she also caught 2 bass and 1 perch. That kid is going to be wrestling alligators on some nature channel, I just know it! Lexie was more about launching herself off the diving board, sun bathing and socializing than admiring the wildlife in the river. I'd say that the girls are adventurous in their own unique way. I see myself in them both, although I wouldn't catch a turtle without screaming and probably dropping the poor thing on his shell....
Scuba diving, yes. Looking at & admiring the wildlife, through a mask, behind a dive master, with a dive knife, that's me. Bella is going to be the one chasing the tiger shark, while Lexie is on the boat sipping Rita's with friends.
Like I said, I can see myself in them both. For now, though, we are just hanging out, having good times, rollin on the river!

The Masters

2011-04-09T09:36:00.005-05:00

The course is dreamy, even a non golfing girl like myself can appreciate the way the trash bags match the exact green of the well, greens. The dogwood trees, the azalea's in full bloom, tall perfect mixture of pine trees and other posture flawless trees. The exact shade of Masters green grass, the crisp yellow flags on the green contrast perfectly with the glorious blue skies. The Neiman Marcus of courses. "There are no cell phones at the Masters"...."Hats are not to be worn backwards at the Masters"...."there is no farting at the Masters"....No purses, no camera's (except on practice round days), no cell phones, no cut off's, no gum chewing, hillbilly actin', no blah blah blah....They are proud, for sure!

I don't really care much about the hoity toity-ness of all of it, but I did thoroughly enjoy being 3 feet away from the players. Hey Tiger, what'cha doin?

Ricky Fowler, My Sassy Pants loves you, with your Caribbean blue jacket and pink Puma shoes. All you missin' is some bling baby! Mama Sassy Pants be lovin' you...My bro was checking out these pics later that night and he said, "awww, Sis, Ricky is one of my buddies, you should have called him over." Good to know Bro, some advance notice would be useful, nevertheless, good to know.
P.S. Ted, while we are on the subject, can you send me that video of you and Mark Wahlberg boxing~~, and his phone number~~?

Ben Hogan bridge in Amen Corner....
As the story goes, when the Masters decided that they were going to build a bridge, they had to acquire a portion of someone's property for the project. The property owner countered the Masters financial offer with a proposal for the Masters to give the property owner 4 Lifetime Memberships. The Masters paid several million dollars (as story has it) for the property....Hey, not everybody is privileged enough to be a member, not even if you have prime real estate.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see the course, take pictures and walk amongst the best golfer's there are, "the Masters" of the game. My brother, Angie and Bubba Watson made it possible and I am truly grateful for the experience. Hey, can I put in my request to attend next year too? After all, I have to walk the front 9 at some point. The hills worked me over. The footage they show on TV does not portray the accuracy of the slopes. My gluteus was maximus hurting. OH, and to prep for my trip next year, I will need to be debriefed on the who's who of your bff's, Ted. That way, when a little 9 year old who is sitting in front of me DYING for Ricky Fowler's autograph, I can help a sista out.

Imma Be

2011-04-03T21:42:00.007-05:00

Here. So exciting!

Showcase

2011-03-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

Bella was chosen, from a handful of students in her grade level, to perform in a district wide showcase, featuring 7 Elementary schools. Shannon's daughter, Sarah (you go Sarah!), was also chosen to perform. Das right! We are rockin' the district....

Bella's grade level performed a routine with hula hoops, along with 5 other schools in the gym. Each of the 6 groups were performing in sync to the same rhythmic routine, it was AWESOME. I was in awe of how many students were hula hooping at the same time, 20 + students, 6 classes and not ONE child dropped their hula hoop, tripped or got out of sync with the others. It was incredible.
So, Bella, you go girl. You rocked this routine, Mama is proud! W O W .....

how my kids see me

2011-03-30T10:14:00.002-05:00

There is something about being a Mom that makes you want to constantly freeze frame your children into a moment in time. Whether it is the first time they put their hands into finger paint, the first bike ride, dance recital, big belly laughter, whatever it is, you want to freeze them in that moment forever. More or less for selfish reasons. We want to look back on our "parenting" journey with loving happy memories. Also, it might be good to have the ammunition in case they need therapy in their mid 20's because of your horrible parenting, you can come back with images of the wonderful childhood that you so lovingly provided them....
Nevertheless, Bella never saw my eyes in her first year of life because I was always looking at her though the lens. Every move, every hiccup, I got it on camera. Even a tantrum, oh yeah, got that baby on film too.

I am a scrap-booker, even though I have ~~been a total slacker~~ fallen a little behind for the past 2 years, ok maybe 3 years. It becomes increasingly difficult to scrapbook an image or one event when you have taken 395 pictures of your subject blowing bubbles.
However, I have documented their lives and hopefully captured images that my kiddos will enjoy, giggle over and perhaps hold close to their hearts, and stay out of therapy. Even if they don't know what color my eyes are......

Spring (Gimme A) Break.....Part 2

2011-03-29T15:23:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine went to school with the guy that started SXSW Music festival. He's a gazillionaire, she says....I can see why. Everywhere in Austin, even in a coffee shop, there are musicians playing. It is so cool to stand back and hear all of the sounds of Austin. I truly love the art, the music, the active outdoorsy community that is all around the city. What a cool place! The motto of the city is "Keep Austin Weird"....and they do, see below.
I like that Austin is weird, that people are grungy, tattooed, wear fishnets all over their body in public, wear pj's to breakfast, don't comb their hair, ride bikes everywhere, wear funky sneakers with a suit, have multi colored hair....it is EXACTLY those qualities that I really enjoy about Austin and the culture. It is nice to know that we are different, otherwise, this planet would be a very boring place to live!

Spring (GIMME A) Break.....Part 1

2011-03-29T11:15:00.001-05:00

It is Spring Break, I am driving to LA when Bella starts to cry in the car. Just then I see a policeman's lights flashing behind me....I was like OH BoY. Thankfully, as I pulled over, the policeman went around me and retrieved the car in front of me. I didn't think I was speeding, but when Bella started to cry, I wasn't paying much attention to my speed, only that I needed to get my car off the road to see why my sweet girl was crying such big tear drops.

Bella was aching and we were only 1 hour away from our destination....with 103 degree fever. UGH! We had already driven so many hours, too many to turn back and head home. So, we brought Bella to the best health food store/care unit on the planet....Nan-E's house!

Within 48 hours, the girl was healed. In the meantime, here are some of the only photos I took of our LA family....(Sans Bella)

Thank you Dr. Mike for making a special trip to give Bella your care and expertise. Thank you to Nan-E and Pa-K for your love and healing powers. Nona and Pere, thank you for coming to kiss us and visit with us, we enjoyed our time with you. Wendy, Victoria and Ashley, you are the perfect hosts and it was wonderful to spend time with you and admire your gOrGeOuS new home.
Much love to you all......

Markers

2011-03-21T23:09:00.002-05:00

While at a coffee shop, in Austin, there was a Mom waiting for her cup of joe with her 9 year old daughter. The Mom was heavily tattooed down her arms....a little girl, around 4 years old came up to this Mom and started lightly caressing her tattoo arms. Then, with great enthusiasm the little girl says "What is this on your arms?". The Mom replied "Markers"...."I love to color and so I colored my arms". The 4 year old turns to the 9 year old and says, "do you have any markers on your arms?".
I couldn't contain my laughter. What a CUTE kid friendly response about tattoo's.

Telegraph

2011-03-17T08:07:00.001-05:00

In 1809, a crude telegraph was invented in Bavaria by Samuel Soemmering. He used 35 wires with gold electrodes in water and at the receiving end 2000 feet the message was read by the amount of gas caused by electrolysis. In 1828, the first telegraph in the USA. was invented by Harrison Dyar who sent electrical sparks through chemically treated paper tape to burn dots and dashes.. However, it was Samuel Morse that successfully exploited the electromagnet and was able to create a telegraph system that was a practical and commercial success. Hence "Morse Code".

In today's times, we communicate by phone, text, email, body language...in fact, most of our relationships with others are done via electronics. Whether it is saying hello, asking someone to pick up milk on their way home, ending a relationship, a lot of communication is done via texting. While conventional, it is terribly impersonal.

I believe the true art of journalism has been effected by this "revolutionary" electronic form of communication. Before Morse Code, the only form of long distance communication was by hand written letters delivered via horseback riding messengers. Thank goodness for letter writing, otherwise, would the New Testament even exist?

I have a friend whose family started a tradition about a year ago where each child in the family has to write a letter, an actual letter, to everyone in the family. The contents of the letter can be whatever they desire, from what is happening in their lives to opinions about politics...Once a month, each of these family members receives a letter, via snail mail, an actual letter, from the parent or sibling whose month it is to write. This method, while unconventional in today's times, holds great value to me. Think about the future, when a few years have passed and the letters are compiled in a binder somewhere. How cool it would be to peruse through those letters and see what life looked like at that time, from that person's perspective.

As a parent, I think this is an interesting approach to keeping a family close in an otherwise impersonal text happy world. Letter writing in this form is equivalent to taking a photograph. It freezes time and documents it so that history is made. I believe that this method of contact can keep a family rooted because they are communicating with one another. Essentially, they are taking time to share a part of themselves and investing in one another, even if it is only on paper.

Perhaps this is why I blog. To reflect on my past, to see how much I have grown, how much my children have grown and to put a piece of myself in history....so that in today's fast moving times of 4G networks and high speed internet, I can freeze frame a moment and make it timeless.

Petit Message

2011-03-16T09:53:00.006-05:00

">

Stéphane,
Se souvenir de moi? Tu me manques. Quand viendrez-vous pour visiter ma famille aux États-Unis? Dites à ma famille française qui me manquent.

Kiss Kiss
Votre sœur,
Sassy

Fat Tuesday

2011-03-08T09:07:00.004-06:00

Food + Wine = Fat Tuesday, well to be honest, food + alcohol = a day in the life of a CAJUN.

Fat Tuesday basically evolved from Roman festivals into a huge party. This day marks the last day of revelry before Lent. Mardi Gras was a way for revelers to get in one last party before they had to tone it down for the next 40 days and 40 nights until the resurrection of Jesus was celebrated.

In the early 1800's, the Mardi Gras celebration was a modest version of what it is today. Students visiting Paris, France decided to mimic the European version of Mardi Gras and so the party was born in the latter part of 1820's.

Cajuns have searched the world over to discover reasons to justify an ongoing engagement with alcohol and partying. Jazz Festival, Mardi Gras, Strawberry Jam N' Toast Festival, International Beer Tasting Events, Earth Day, Great Gospel Gathering, Oh that guy looks sober (I'll drink to that day)....and the list, the ginormous list of festivities continues.

So, whether you are Catholic, Lutheran, Cajun or otherwise....today is a day of legal over-indulgence. Eat King Cake, Drink Merrily, Take Advil and tomorrow, for the next 40 days, don't eat meat on Fridays and give up watching American Idol, or something like that....
Happy Fat Tuesday.

Sunday Morning Coffee....

2011-03-07T19:53:00.003-06:00

This past Sunday was no different than most Sunday's for me. I get up, make myself a cup of coffee, get dressed and go to church. Every Sunday, I walk into church telling myself that I am NOT GOING TO CRY. Every Sunday, I cry. I might make it through all of the heartfelt music, the Pastor's gripping sermon, the lady next to me tearing up...nope, I tell myself, not going to do it. Then, I walk into the lobby of the church and some random person says, "I am drawn to pray for you and I am not sure why, but do you mind if I pray for you?". Then, the prayer is something about how God loves me no matter what my trials are, to lay my troubles onto him and I will survive, and that it is ok for me to buy those sexy black shoes I have been coveting for a week or something like that. Honestly, I cannot hear her prayer over my own sobbing. (I'm sorry lady.)

This week, I was fleeing the scene like I committed a crime. I was having no part of the continuance of waterworks pouring out of my face. So, my buddy and I snuck out the side door. We were escaping beautifully and then, there he was...the Pastor. It's like he had security camera's on me and he knew that my face was unusually dry for my normal mascara massacre. "HI! I'm Kirk. How long have you been coming to church here? Come on guys, have coffee with me, right now, do you have 15 minutes? Do you have to be somewhere?".....

(Inside my brain it went something like this; damn, oh crap, that is Pastor Kirk, break left, run damn it run...but we are the only one's out here, he will notice. He will put me on the big screen next week for being a coward or anti-coffee or something wickedly horrible. THINK, THINK!!! Tell him you are from another country, speak French. Man, we are trapped. I'm not going to cry,

I AM NOT GOING TO CRY.

Wait, he wants us to have coffee? I am so screwed. I am TOTALLY going to cry)

And I did. I cried, he prayed for me and my kids. I bet he would have prayed a little longer if he knew I said damn, twice, right before I met him.....oops.

Nonetheless, in the form of a man, God was present. He was calling out to me, telling me that as difficult as things have been, that I can lay my challenges on him and he will lift me above those challenges....and he also recommends waterproof mascara, and the black sling backs instead, he's just sayin'.

OSSUM Pedicure

2011-03-02T07:17:00.005-06:00

Texas Toes.

My friend Shannon and I went to get a pedicure at my favorite little family owned joint. They are cheap, they do a good job, they are thankful for your business and they speak kind of good English.

Mom and Dad are from Vietnam. They came here when their children were very young. They opened a nail salon. Their only son, James, instructed them that the only way to really learn the English language, is to talk to people, a lot. ~James speaks English, Vietnamese, Chinese, some Spanish and a little bit of French. His English is VERY GOOD, he talks a lot! ~

So, Mom is doing my pedi, Dad is doing Shannon's pedi. We are the only 4 people in the salon. It might be a little noteworthy to tell you that Shannon and I have just had a margarita, and well, we were kind of "happy".

Mom tells us: "my husband getting bit by a snake lass night".

(Shannon and I both look at the man doing her pedi) I was secretly looking for fang marks on his neck. Shannon and I are looking at Dad with wonder and amazement. How is he alive? Was it poisonous?

Anyhow, Mom goes on to say: "snake leave a juice on heeez boot, you know, isss a oison". Instantly, we try not to giggle. Poison, got it. Mom says: "he was bit 2 times by snake. one time in Vietnam, he bite by a snake 18 feet long, wait, translating is bad (Mom and Dad are now conversing in Vietnamese, I don't know what they are saying but I can imagine they are calculating that an 18 foot snake would be an anaconda and they wouldn't be here to tell this story if that were indeed the case)...."Mom says: it was sick (6) feet", "he kill it with the lawn mower, the snake head gotta suck in the motor".

I say, "WHERE DO YOU PEOPLE LIVE that you are getting bit by snakes in your yard?". Mom laughs and says: "I tell him, he bitting by snake sree (3) times, he live forever!"...."We live in the woods, we have a lossa wildlife in our yard....deer, snake, bird, awesome". (Doing my best to bottle up and swallow anything that resembles complete hysterical laughter, I look at her like "uhhhhh, awesome?") Mom is less than enthused by my inability to translate "awesome" as an animal in the wild. So, she turns to Shannon. She keeps saying "awesome. awesome. long teef, wiss fang, awesome." Shannon is digging deep and out of nowhere, she pulls it up "OH, you mean P-O-S-S-U-M"....Mom is pleased "Yes! wiss long tail, curling up, (she smiles) "YES, OSSUM!"

Sunshine

2011-03-01T20:06:00.006-06:00

The moments in life that tend to take my breath away are the moments that are simple, unexpected. We were having lunch at a restaurant and Lexie climbed on my Mom's lap, they were looking out at the ocean when I captured this shot of the two of them. Ironically, they are very alike....blue eyes, energetic, tiny, kind, vibrant....sassy! I looked at this shot later and it warmed my heart. This photo is a moment, frozen in time, captured, that will forever take my breath away.

Bella was snuggled up to Pa-K, my step Dad. On a complete detour of this subject matter, why is he a "step" Dad? I will never understand that label. A step is a manner of movement, a statement, a footprint. Where did the term "step parent" derive from? I don't know. It seems impersonal to me, especially since I dearly love my step Dad. Perhaps he is making a "footprint" on my life. I know that both of my step parents hold a dear place in my life and in the lives of my children. This photograph shows me the love of a Grand-father for his Grand-daughter. What a blessing!

Mom, Kenny, my girls: you are all my sunshine. I cherish you, I love you and I am always grateful when we are able to be together and "Hang Out"!

The "Non" Athlete

2011-02-28T11:33:00.001-06:00

This is how it started...

The A+ tennis player asked me if I wanted to play badminton. To be honest, I thought it was "badmitten", see, I didn't even know what the hell I was playing. For the complete entertainment and joy of those unassuming folks on the beach, I accepted the A+++ tennis players challenge. Do you see her? She is standing there with her hands on her hips, like she is bored. I'm ready, my racket (is it called a racket?) is in the upright position and the ball thingy with the net thingy is in my other hand, ready for me to lob it or launch it or whatever I'm supposed to do with it. Why am I not looking at my opponent? Well, because my step Dad is giving me secret instructions. The A++++ player is about to get it handed to her, and she is clueless, bored, but clueless.....

This is me, returning her serve, boo ya! Even the guy behind me is impressed, he is on the phone with ESPN. It is irrelevant that he is talking about his service interruption, and the boxing match something or another....I'm going to pretend he was talking about how bad~minten my skills are!

Here, I am demonstrating that you don't really have to hit the part rubber ball/ part net thingy right in the CENTER of your racket, that it takes more skill to skim it on the top of the racket....

This is the A+++++ trying to do some back handed move that is clearly bad form. My strategy has been to keep moving her backwards until she falls into the crater that my step Dad is calling a moat. I cannot be bothered with the fact that there has to be a castle around it in order for it to be called a "moat", but whatever. I am smoking the red head tennis player in the baddest game of BAD MITTEN.

Defeated. Sad but true. Wait, why is she smiling? I beat her, well, kind of. Even though I don't know what the game is really called or what the ball thingy is called, or what the object/rules/scores of the game really are. That is not important. All you need to know is that the "non" athlete beat the A+++++++++ tennis player in a very strenuous game of bad mitten.

Survivor

2011-02-23T18:59:00.008-06:00

My sweet precious girl is having an internal challenge, trying to establish some level of identity or balance in her own little world. With that being said, she deems it necessary to throw full blown crying, lay down on the floor meltdowns about wardrobe. Yes, life sucks and so does her wardrobe (according to Lexie). Naartjie is the worst store in the whole wide world! They have adorable clothes that are soft and luxurious in fit, fabric and style. But hey, Lexie wants to wear graphic tees, fitted skirts and funky leggings, which is ok, but I am about balance...let's wear everything in our closet, not just the select few that I have to wash every few days, over and over and over and over and......

This morning, we had an episode of Survivor on our hands. Oh yeah, she was elbowing her way through the carpet, kicking, crying, pleading her case as to why her outfit should not be voted off the morning routine of wardrobe malfunctions. I was determined to have her wear the skirt and super adorable lime jacket that she LOVED a month ago (tags still on) from Naartjie. I went covert op on her, I had "outwit, outsmart, outlast" on my side. Oh yeah, I wasn't giving in to her feeble attempt at wearing the Old Navy t~shirt special. I withstood her crying, I stepped over her kicking, I even offered for her to eat in the car on her way to school, but she was going to do it all in her lovely little pleated skirt with tiny lime trim and lace underlay.

That is RIGHT, you can go head to head with My Sassy Pants, but you will walk or be dragged away dressed in adorable threads, the tribe has spoken!

I C E creaaaaammmmmmmmm

2011-02-21T22:48:00.000-06:00

Mom?
me: huh?
I hear the Ice Cream Truck.
me: No way, it's F E B R U A R Y. I'm sure it's just one of our neighbors playing carnival music, I'm sure of it....
Mom, can I have some money?
me: Use your allowance. And don't stand out there too long, I have ice cream in the freezer....(secretly thinking there is NO way the ice cream truck was making rounds, in February no less)
SEE, MOM, Ice Cream truck!!!!
me: Hmmmmm, can I borrow a dollar?, I need a Push UP!

Dear NOT A TEENAGER,

2011-02-19T20:32:00.005-06:00

You are on my cell phone AND on my computer. You use my nail polish, my hair products, want hair extensions put into your hair (blue one's) and you wear the very hair accessories that I bought for myself....these things, for the most part, I am ok with. You love Justin Beiber and think he is "so cool". I'm ok with that too.

So, when I take you to see "Never Say Never", starring Justin Beiber, and I sing along to Justin Beiber's songs, you cannot say that "I embarrass you". Seriously? I am a total Rockstar Mom!

I know Justin Beiber songs, Katy Perry songs and countless others, I believe that puts me in the express lane to coolness. So, next time you tell me that I am embarrassing you, I am going break out my version of the Elaine dance...

Pete and Repeat

2011-02-17T09:04:00.001-06:00

4 years ago, in January, Lexie got the flu, then I got the flu.
This past weekend, Lexie had the flu and now, I have the flu. Washing a dish feels like the equivalent of running a marathon, when you have the flu. Brushing your hair, changing clothes or walking to the door to let the dog out is a monumental feat. It is crazy how a microscopic virus can take its toll on a person.
Nonetheless, I was just telling the girls this riddle my Dad always told me...
Pete and Repeat were in a boat, Pete jumped out, who was left?
I hope this flu bug goes away for good and does not "repeat" itself in 4 years. We are saying good riddance to you flu bug, oh yeah, we've had a talk with Pete and he is instructed to KNOCK YOU out of the boat!

It's snowing! wait, it's SNOWING?

2011-02-07T08:24:00.003-06:00

We live in South Texas, where people complain about the heat 9 out of 12 months of the year. It gets up to 105 degrees in the summer. So, when the weatherman said it was going to snow, our city was rapidly sold out of water, blankets and gasoline. It was 16 degrees on this snowy day. The girls threw "snowballs", it was more like snow-cone balls than actual snow, weighing on the side of icy, not fluffy like snow. Nevertheless, it was a morning worth popping out of bed at 6:30, even though school was cancelled, to make snow angels in a quarter inch of snow.

Lexie said, "I wonder what snow tastes like, then she put her tongue on it"..."mmm, it tastes good". Bella said, "Mom, you want to taste it?". I said, "No, Tanner uses the bathroom on this ground"....the consensus? "EWWWWWWWWW".

The girls thought it would be fun to ice skate in the street, the jeep isn't equipped with snow tires, we tried taking it out for a "spin". Our snow day was unusual, unlikely and super chilly....our wardrobes are ill prepared for this kind of precipitation. We made the best of it, had hot chocolate and rejoiced in the fact that we could ice skate, taste snow and throw snowballs at each other without having to get on a ski lift.

Super Coma Sunday

2011-02-04T15:08:00.004-06:00

Super Bowl Sunday reminds me of my friend Bil. His Mom always had a house full of kids on Super Bowl Sunday. A house full of kids yelling at the TV from every direction, cheering, eating, wrestling, sleeping and eating....There was always a delicious Gumbo, tons and tons of party foods (my favorite) and this chocolate cake that OMG! would rock your socks off. Yellow cake, chocolate frosting and sliced bananas in the middle, from scratch. I would eat until I was in a food coma, then sleep through the last quarter of the game.

Of course, there was the usual poster board with squares waiting for you at the door, the football pool.

Ever since high school, I have made Gumbo on Super Bowl Sunday. It is now my tradition. Funny thing is, for many years, I didn't have a clue about football. I could barely throw out a players name. I would cheer for the team with the best colors or for their team name, not stats or anything scientific. I say for years but I really mean until the present. Nonetheless, on this particular Sunday, the Gumbo will be made, the party food will be consumed, there will be people yelling at the TV from all directions and I still don't know many of the players names. One thing is for sure The Packers have ugly uniforms and are called cheeseheads. The Steelers were originally the Pittsburgh Pirates, until they changed their name in 1940. A pirate is far more sexy than a cheesehead. So, Packers, pack up and go home... I'm going to be in a food coma and I don't want to have to try and stay awake to watch you get your cheese shredded.

Chillin on the River.....

2011-02-03T19:03:00.002-06:00

It was a day of beautiful blue skies with pillowy white clouds. A day to go on an adventure, skip rocks, catch minnows, giggle, have a race, do a handstand or 100, run down hills, dig a hole, take a piggy back ride, put your toes in the water, kick up your heels and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

This was a day of natural beauty, little smiles, happy hearts and warm fuzzies....

A day to see the world from a different angle...

A day to look forward to; in hopes that there are many more days like this to come......

Snow Angel

2011-02-02T07:52:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure if you are aware, so let me be the informant... If your Meteorologist says that it is going to be 16 degrees, you may consider turning off your sprinkler system. You know, unless you want to ice skate on your grass. It was fun, making a snow angel in my man made snow park, but I don't think the trees, the grass, the teenagers falling down on my sidewalk or the flower beds were rejoicing in my "~~snow~~ ice day".

Tanner's got a girlfriend.....

2011-01-29T10:31:00.000-06:00

Lexie got GoGo Pup for Christmas. However, Tanner truly believes that this gift was intended solely for him. He barks at her, runs around her, chews on her ears, cries out to her (thankfully, he hasn't figured out how to, um, well, you know)....

When GoGo Pup barks and starts to walk, Tanner runs away and whines in the corner. Apparently, GoGo Pup is the Alpha, battery operated must be switched to the ON position and has to be attached to the leash that makes her move, dog.

Christmas Card

2011-01-16T08:34:00.005-06:00

I took the girls out on the Guadalupe river for a "Christmas Card" photo shoot. This one happened to be one of my favorites. Somehow, though, Shutterfly/Costco/Wolf Camera NEVER printed them. It's the strangest thing. So, because they never printed the pictures, in all fairness, I kind of never sent them the photograph, you guys never got your Christmas cards. Really, who needs to get technical or point fingers? Here it is, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy January 16th, Season Greetings....May all your dreams come true.

40 year old splits....

2011-01-14T08:32:00.002-06:00

Bella: "hey Mom, can you do the splits?"

Me: "YES, I sure can!"

(I am doing my best splits without stretching AKA: tearing every muscle in my thighs and debilitating myself beyond walking, which gets me about 1 foot away from actually "doing" the splits) NOTE: I am completely impressed with myself. I haven't tried to do the splits in a whole lotta years, 15 to be exact. I'm thinking that I'm bad to the bone, in my head I am singing "oh yeah, uh huh, that's right sucka, I did it" (insert victory dance here) So, I stand up and kind of push my shoulders back suck my stomach in and grin really big.

Bella: "Oh well, Chase's Mom can actually do the splits"

Me: "Well, MRS. WENDY is a professional ballerina and so it's her job to do the splits" (boo-yah in YO' FACE!!!)

Bella: "You should practice, Mom, seriously, you cannot do the splits"

The Great Escape.....CAKE!!!!!!

2011-01-13T19:53:00.004-06:00

When I am down and I need an escape from reality, I read this and this, well HER BLOG in general...but first, I put on my depends because one might just excrete bodily fluids, don't say I didn't warn you....yeah she is THAT funny!
I'm so addicted that I ordered her coffee (Allie's Extreme Laser Blend) I really just want to be cool like her. I even started sketching funny events. Perhaps I will share them with you, in due time. For now, though, go get your cake and eat it too.

SCROLL THIS WAY....

2011-01-10T19:00:00.001-06:00

I have added some NEW posts below. Trying to get caught up. Enjoy~

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T18:09:00.000-06:00

This Christmas was a season of simplicity, change, love, strength and faith for us. Many aspects of our lives have changed over the course of the year.

Back in June, I took an amazing trip to France. I was able to delve into the culture, see the appreciation that the French have for life and to understand first hand the way they celebrate it. It was an eye opening experience to see such happy people who seemed to hold a great deal of value in family, friends and the enjoyment of life with less of an emphasis on the size of their homes or the make of their cars. I'm not saying that this doesn't exist in America, but what I am trying to say is that as a culture, the French seem to have figured out that "things" don't create happiness.

This was a subtle lesson that I didn't even realize I was learning, at the time. However, the experiences that I took away from France aided in the transition that was soon to come in our lives.

Sometimes we fail to "see" all that is magnificent in our world. Whether it is a sunbeam that created a rainbow, an outburst of laughter from a child, the kiss of a loved one or the simple fact that you have a roof over your head and food on the table. I hope that you celebrated the glory of God, the love of your family and the many blessings in your life this Christmas holiday.

a do over.

2010-12-22T21:38:00.003-06:00

I have these L brackets on a wooden shelf, only when we moved, I donated all of the L brackets except for 2, on accident. The 2 that I kept, were conveniently connected to the other wooden shelf...right. I went to Lowe's to buy 2 more L brackets (because i donated 6 of the same bracket and thought it would be amusing to BUY yet 2 more).

I went to screw the brackets into the shelf and one side was too loose. Realizing that the screws were too long on that one side, I went to back them out with the drill, but, the screws were stripped, damn them. What do you do to get stripped screws out of a bracket that is connected to the shelf that you are trying to hang because you have already hung the other shelf that had the brackets perfectly screwed in them forever, son of sh*t? Well, if you are me, you take your thumb and put it on the top of the screw and put a wrench on the bottom of the screw and turn really hard until a shard of metal is embedded in your thumb.

That is day 1.

Day 2:

In this new home, I have to orchestrate myself and the doors in the master bathroom. It is a daily synchronized beauty regimen. Open one door, go in, slightly close that door to open closet door. Close closet door to open linen closet door....but watch out for bathroom door that you originally slightly closed because that MO FO creeps open and tries to jack up your symphony of moves. This happened to me, this morning and my elbow took the hit, in the form of a black knot.

Then, my kids were having a terrible horrible no good very bad day and therefore, used their Mommy, me, as their personal punching bag to release ALL emotions. Aww, for me? Thank you.

I was being nice and going to make popcorn for them while we watched a Christmas movie together, only when I took the popcorn out of the pantry, a glass jar of pickles fell onto the tile. Immediately following it was a jar of pepper jelly, guess which one shattered? Yep, GREEN pepper jelly jar. AAAAHHHHH.

I went into the garage to get the broom and dust pan, when I grabbed the broom, the rake fell and gouged my eyelid. Are you *&*%^$ kidding me?

I swept up the glass, cleaned up the jelly, cried the whole time because my kids are also in the background fighting over what Christmas movie to watch, Polar Express or The Smurfs. Now, that's the spirit.

The corn is popped, nearly burnt, my eyelid hurts, my elbow now has a mass growing on it but hey (after a lot of tears, tantrums and crying, while my children watched me) we are watching Polar Express together, which is our family tradition.

I get up to get something out of my room and SLAM my shin into the aforementioned shelf on my bedroom floor that cannot be hung because it has the cockeyed L bracket with the stripped screws that have taken up residency in my thumb. S E R I O U S L YYYYYYYYYYY

Can I have a do over, please?

Do not feed the models......

2010-12-12T19:04:00.000-06:00

Everyone says "what are you feeding them?, they are growing too fast". Well, it is true, I have repeatedly fed these models. My bad. I cannot believe, in 4 months, Bella and Lexie have both grown a complete size in clothing and shoes. Nice, but terribly inconvenient for me since they now require more new clothes. It would have been better organized of them to grow right before the school wardrobe/investment was made. Esh.

I am very blessed to have sweet, tenacious kids, even if they are going to be 6 feet tall with size 13 shoes.

Something to love.....

2010-11-26T17:11:00.000-06:00

The girls made this heart out of bendaroo's and had placed it on the balcony of our beach condo. It was nestled up on a little mound of sand. I thought, hmmm, ironic, I DO love the beach. I also really love my kiddos and their creative minds.

No Tricks

2010-10-31T18:46:00.001-05:00

Bella was "Frankie-Stein" from Monster High and Lexie was Cleopatra for Halloween. We did our annual hay ride through the neighborhood and got about 18 pounds of candy. As always, we crept through the neighborhood spook house, rode on the hay ride and then had a cookout in the streets with neighbors and friends...a tradition that we started 3 years ago. Hopefully, a tradition that will carry on for many years.

Demeter

2010-10-29T09:22:00.001-05:00

Bella's class had a Greece project. She was chosen to be Demeter. Her speech went something like this; "Hi, I am Demeter, the Goddess of Grain, better known as Mother Earth. I have a brother named Zeus. My daughter is named Persephone. Hades stole Persephone from me. I was very sad, so I made all of the harvest, flowers, trees and plants die. After 6 months, Persephone was returned to me, which is when I brought all of the plants back to life. This is called Spring. Greek Mythology states that this is how the seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall were born."

Bella had to repeat this paragraph, in character, for about 1 hour and 100 times for other students in the school. Basically, they set up the classroom as a wax museum and every time a student pressed their come to life button, they would have to do their speech.

So, in essence, Bella rules the Earth....tell me something I don't know, ha~

PINK

2010-10-05T18:43:00.000-05:00

Some people have a mid life crisis, some people buy a sports car or get a tattoo....I got pink hair in honor of my 40th birthday. 3 pink streaks! Cheaper than the 2 door Mercedes I had my eye on......

Who knows what I will do when I turn 41. Look out!

40

2010-10-02T18:33:00.001-05:00

Thank you Tim, Shannon, Jessica and all of the wonderful friends that surprised me on my 40th. I will always be grateful. It was a total blast.

The Booth The Booth The Booth is on FIRE.....

2010-09-25T20:40:00.000-05:00

I finally decided to expand my booth space and offer more options, designs and accessories for My Sassy Pants patrons. It has been a wonderful experience and a total blast! The expansion gave me more of a presence in the store, so as a result, my business has doubled. I feel so blessed and I truly love creating, sewing and hand crafting new items for my family, friends and customers. Hmm, wonder what is up my sleeve for Spring?

American (made in China) Girl Store

2010-09-11T20:24:00.002-05:00

It was a totally quick road trip with Shannon and Sarah. We left on Saturday morning and returned on Sunday afternoon, almost 10 hours of drive time. We arrived in time to get our American Girl Dolls, have their ears pierced, finagle a wardrobe change and have dinner at the American Girl Bistro. We met up with Sarah, Ashton and Reese at the Bistro to complete our GIRLS only BFF weekend experience. The bistro setting was super cute! They had little place cards around the napkins that said things like "brave", "friends", "honest", "strong". The food was decent, the experience was fantastic and the memories created with great friends was amazing!

We ROCKED Camp Rock

2010-09-10T20:57:00.000-05:00

It was a screaming, ear drum busting, rhythm gettin', hollerin out NICK JONAS 1,000 times, cotton candy eating, singing along to all of your favorite Camp Rock songs kind of night. The girls had a blast with some of their best buds at the concert. Bella was dancing in the aisle. Jess was dancing outside the stadium, actually there wasn't even any music, but the ringing in our ears from all of the girls screaming in the arena was music enough to get a beat to...

I mean, really, who needs to watch the dancers in Camp Rock when you have this crew???

Water Ride

2010-09-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

This was our last trip out on the lake for the summer. The girls love this tube, especially with Austin and Landen. These guys are great with Bella and Lexie, they treat them like little sisters, it is adorable! Shortly after this picture, the tube flipped and everyone went for a dip, face down in the lake. Lexie was cracking up and Bella put on her brave face in front of the guys. All in all, it was a wonderful day on the water.

This is Austin, showing us how to knee board. It's a good thing they did not have a jet ski, I may have shown him some moves....Oh yeah, I can jump some waves, don't think I'm scared...knee board, please. Where is the skill?

Bella Boo is 8, what????

2010-09-05T21:07:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that my baby girl is 8.

E I G H T, 8.

This year, I decided to keep it low key and invite 2 friends for a sleepover. The girls played, did crafts, created pillow cases to take home, ate cupcakes, had a "nail salon" set up, sang Opera, watched a movie and stayed up late. Bella came up with some rules and posted them on her bedroom door for the party. (FYI~ no tramp is trampoline) It was a total blast for Bella, she truly enjoyed her friends and her special day!

I smell trouble....

2010-09-01T20:41:00.000-05:00

But the smell of trouble never seemed to scrunch up my nose that much. In fact, I kind of like the way it makes my nose tingle. Anyway, this little cutie is Lucas. He is one of my adopted BOYS. Isn't he just puddin on a cookie? That boy is some kind of cute, and boy oh boy, he is going to be trouble. Good Luck DJ Wellie, aka Taco.

(Lucas, when you get in trouble, you can come stay with Auntie Reese, ok? Shhh, don't tell Mom)

We've got S P I R I T !!!

2010-08-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

How about you? Well, my kids have no choice but to have SPIRIT....this year, I am the Spirit Chairperson for PTA at our school. I am in charge of generating sales and income for the school through the purchase and sale of items that show school spirit. This year, I wanted to step WAY out of the box and with the support of my buddy, DJ Wellie, we ordered some really fun items. The "Cool Sleeves" that can also be worn as leg warmers are the hot ticket item this year for kids. So, guess what? We bought them and sold out of almost every color immediately. These photos were posted on our school website and so I thought they were note worthy here. Enjoy and for goodness sake, have some spirit!

Summer, How I Love Thee.

2010-08-01T20:19:00.000-05:00

While in Louisiana, we had to eat at our favorite restaurants, see our favorite people, take afternoon naps and OF COURSE, hang out in River Ranch. On this particular evening, the festivities in the town square were centered around kids. There were water slides, a balloon sculptor, dance contests, face painting, snow cones and fun music to get wild to. The girls had a blast with Nan-E and all of the activities that were offered. We enjoyed an outdoor dinner at the "Club for the elite frou frou people" (uh, wait, I wonder why they seated us OUTSIDE???). Anyhow, it was a wonderful evening and a great couple of days spent with family!

Southern Fried

2010-07-31T19:59:00.005-05:00

Tootie, Gran-P and Nona were having a good ole time at the party!

My sister in law (Mel)...first of all, let me say, seriously? she is pregnant and as it would happen, had the baby the morning after orchestrating this wonderful party. seriously? who looks this good at 9 months?

Anyhow, Mel (supermodel) makes the most insane, incredible paper mache' pinata's I have EVER seen in my life. This cow is no exception. A pinata people, isn't it somethin'?

Mel and Moose (my bro) had a real shindig of a party for "Tootie". She had a great birthday party and this was the 2nd year in a row that we were fortunate enough to attend. What a GREAT job Mel and Moose!

Then, as luck would have it, we got to meet "Bob the Builder" as Tootie lovingly called him. This was his first photo session....in preparation for the many years of Aunt Sassy snapping shots of him every millisecond for the rest of his life....

What a blessing to have spent such quality time with family and to experience the miracle of God in this sweet little boy.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Little Lexie Loo turns 6

2010-07-19T10:52:00.005-05:00

To know and appreciate Lexie, you must first, paint her nails, give her lipgloss and compliment her earrings. haha~

She is totally my girlie girl. She loves anything that has to do with glamour. Therefore it was only fitting that she had her birthday party at a spa/salon for kids. The girls got their hair done and sprayed with glitter, their nails painted, they played dress up and danced to fun KIDZ BOP musical stylings. Afterwards, we went for ice cream. Lexie had a great party and enjoyed her glamorous day!

Upstate New York

2010-07-10T11:28:00.001-05:00

Duck Duck Duck, Daisy? I love the flowers that were in bloom this time of year in Upstate New York. I took a bunch of pictures of different flowers, but I loved how unique these little guys were. They look like duck-heads to me.

The Adirondack chair was originally called the Westport chair, named after the small town in New York. I loved the color combo and the little diva's that adorned these chairs!

About 9 years ago, T-bone took me to these falls and I really enjoyed the hike, the creek, the scenery, but I was freezing cold and just wanted a big blanket and a cup of hot chocolate.
This time, the falls were even more exciting to see because the girls really loved skipping rocks and sinking their toes into the chilly water. I could sit and listen to the sound of a waterfall for hours. It is such a beautiful and tranquil place in the Adirondack Mountains.

This carnival is in a town on a little beach somewhere an hour and a half away from Caznovia. The carnival remains in tact year round, but reminded me of a fair in Texas that is seasonal. The girls loved riding the rides and walking around, winning a prize for shooting a target on a duck, you know, eating funnel cakes, seeing the world's smallest unicorn and buying happy faced rocks. I'm kidding.

We had a great time, thanks Mary, Skyler and Jakers. We love you guys!

Sparkle Independently!

2010-07-05T11:07:00.001-05:00

Paris - Chapter 2

2010-06-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

Deux Paris. There are two versions of Paris, the one during the day, then, there is Paris at night (ahhhh, amore')

Yesterday, it was the boat tour and ooh la la, the Eiffel Tower.

Today, the red bus tour and a celebration of my 40th 29th birthday! It is indeed, my last day in France and I am thrilled to spend it galavanting around Paris.

Madame and Monsieur, à droite (on your right) is the Arc De Triomphe.....the largest triumphal arch in the world, sitting about 161 ft high and 144 ft wide. Do NOT step foot on the street to get to the other side, you must take the underground passage. Why? because you would be engaging yourself in a no win game of chicken, with about 500 cars. It is the busiest traffic circle in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe sits at the western end of the Champs-Elysees. I don't remember what Champs-Elysees means but, to me, it translated perfectly into "SHOPPING BABY!". Miles of stuff to finagle into my suitcase.

Notre Dame sat for centuries, 6 to be exact, as the Gothic masterpiece of the Middle Ages. Notre Dame was far more interesting on the outside than on the inside, to me. I sat at a bar and looked at it from afar, with a beer in hand, very interesting! haha~ On one side of the building, there was a carving of a woman holding a baby, but the baby was decapitated (weird, I thought, why don't they fix that, gothic satanic freaks, isn't this a church for Christ's sake!)...then, I did some research and found out that the woman was a 13th century Virgin, a unique survivor that originally adorned the facade. I was unable to find out more about her story, if you know it, tell me, please!

Um, Pardon, Madame, q'est your toilette f...d up? I need un couvercle, a compart-e-mente? Oui? Comprendre? You know (and I say it louder) something to SIT ON...(the public toilets are weird in France, I'm sorry, no disrespect, but weird nonetheless). One place had a box with a drain, that's it. Like the basin for a shower, but without the doors or a shower head. Squat and piss? UM, LIKE, HELLO, I'M LIKE TOTALLY A-M-E-R-I-C-A-N and I need fluffy tissue paper, a door with a lock and a clean lid to sit my purty little tush on. After all, I am 29 and I am a princess in my own right.

I went all the way to Paris to try escargot. It's French and if I had to potty in a non lid toilet, I should certainly be ok with eating snails, right? I was a little nervous, but they were so good. Buttery with a garlic basil pesto, on bread, with a mouthful of vin, amazing! I mean, what wouldn't taste great with French wine in your mouth? don't answer that.

This was the celebration of my birthday in Paris. I look scared, not because I am turning 29, but because I was terrified that with all of the hair product I had saturating my head, coupled with the wind, that waiter was going to catch my curly q's on fire! AND, I did not want to come back home to the USA with spiked hair and have to pass it off as the most bad ass hairstyle fresh off of the Paris runways.

Paris

2010-06-23T09:11:00.007-05:00

We arrived at our hotel, checked in and got to our room, which was the cutest hotel room I have ever seen. Complete with a Queen Bed and a single bed in the same room (it was as if they knew that we were coming, Mom & Kenny and myself were staying in the same room), a terrace with a table and chairs, a dressing area and closet, a bathroom with a BATH TUB (highly unusual), wood floors....and our room was built (literally) right above the Metro. So, every time a train would go through the station below, we could hear the train on the rail. It was cool, actually, an experience that I would, otherwise, never have encountered. The walls would vibrate and the floor sounded like it was humming. Unlike hotels in, say, New Orleans...you hear humming alright, but it ain't the Metro!

This was my first view of the Eiffel Tower from ground to tip. It was a sight, and I hate to be a cliche', that was unlike anything I had imagined it to be. A magnificent monument that you never get tired of staring at, being around or taking in.

We took a boat tour at dusk and one of the most romantic scenes, for me, was the dance lessons at riverside. They are teaching the tango and the salsa. More than the buildings, more than the intricate carvings of the architecture, the thousand year old bridges overhead, I was drawn in by the sound of music and the bodies that swayed along with it. SO incredibly romantic...seriously? dance lessons, on the river, in Paris......orgasmic actually! (no offense)

After I watched the dancing, as far as I could see them, until they were a tiny spec and the music was gone, I had my cigarette to wrap up the um, oooh, ahhh, yes! yes! yes! experience and went on to enjoy a view of the sunset via boat tour, at around 10:00 PM.

To wrap up a perfect evening, we sat at a bar, on the water, looking up at the Eiffel Tower in all of its glory, while drinking champagne. Vendors on the street were selling their wares (lighters, mini Eiffel Towers, paintings, key chains) and most of these street salespeople are from Africa. brain does not compute. I perched myself on the edge of this magnificent experience and did my best to absorb each sound, the smell, the air and the romance of it all so that I could bottle it up and sell it to you here, on My Sassy Pants blog.

When the Eiffel Tower lit up and the lights began to dance, with the beam of light shooting out of the top of the tower, the moon approaching in the distance, as if to see what all of the fuss was about, I realized that this experience would change me. In all its intricate details, and yet simply, sitting on a red leather chair, on the deck of a restaurant floating on the water, sipping champagne with my family, I would walk away knowing that in my heart I would have a fullness that will nestle in to my memory forever. Maybe the same or similar way that Stephane felt when he came to the USA for the first time? Oui?

So, I encourage you to take that trip you have always wanted to take, go, now. Life is full of twists and turns, you don't know what tomorrow holds, so go grab that experience, orgasmic or not, and relish it, let it sink into you and allow it to change you in a way that only you can understand....then, come back and tell us about it so that we can celebrate with you!

Emotional Farewell

2010-06-22T19:41:00.003-05:00

After a glorious day in Bordeaux, we returned to have a casual dinner with Stephane's family. It is our last night in Sanguinet and we are digging our heels in hoping to soak up the Verdet family at maximum volume. When I tell you, we truly fell in love with this family, our French family. Alain is hysterical, a modest man with a fantastic sense of humor, a romantic beautiful love for his wife and an obvious passion for life. Sylvaine is a nurturing and angelic woman, creative, happy, kind and armed with her own sense of humor, along with a true and endearing love for her family. Arnaud was hesitant to jump right in, but seemed to ease his way into our hearts. He looked at us out of the corner of his eye and was relatively silent but would give an occasional dig into his brother, Stephane, which would make us laugh....sibling rivalry in another language is after all translated the same, rivalry. Haha.

Stephane, where to I begin? Stephane is smart, he is super funny, although he feels like he cannot translate his humorous side from French to English, he manages beautifully. He drives fast, so I think he has a thrill seeking side to him, he is a gracious and kind host. Literally giving me the shirt (sweater) off of his shoulders when I forgot my jacket. I am forever grateful that Stephane took my family around France. I believe that, in large, this trip was so meaningful and had a richness to it because Stephane was there with us. So, chin, salute', cheers to you Stephane for being a wonderful friend and brother, you are a treasure.

Tonight at dinner, we received gifts from the Verdet's. Mom and Kenny received a cheese cutter, called a Girolle that is from Switzerland. We had the most AMAZING cheese, called Tete De Moine (photographed above). My girls were given cookbooks, I received a vin necklace from Saint Emilion that was handcrafted and filled with red wine as a momento, along with a photo frame book that held pictures from the area of Sanguinet. It was a heartfelt and emotional evening...see below.

We waited 18 years to meet Stephane's family and now this Chapter of our trip was coming to a close. It was bittersweet. The time we spent with the Verdet family is time that we will all treasure and hopefully repeat many times over in this lifetime.

Pour la famille Verdet: nous vous aimons et nous nous réjouissons d'apporter notre famille de nouveau ensemble, afin que nous puissions célébrer la fusion de nos deux familles. Sylvaine, vous avez non seulement acquis une fille, mais deux petites-filles ainsi. Beaucoup d'amour à vous tous!

Bordeaux

2010-06-22T07:10:00.000-05:00

In direct reflection of self, I believe that Bordeaux was the city that best mimicked my personal style. I really loved Bordeaux. The city, shopping, the architecture, chocolate shops, wine vineyards, shopping, festivals, shopping.....and the mirrored water fountain.

We went shopping (I know, shocking) down a street called "Rue Saint Catherine", where no vehicles are allowed except motorcycles. They actually block the road off so that you can shop freely, photographed above. The chocolate shops had the most amazing sculptures crafted from chocolate, hand painted with white chocolate.

The mirrored fountain was a personal favorite of mine. I imagined myself sitting on a blanket at the edge of the water, watching my girls run around and enjoying the mist, the water and the experience, while eating cheese, chocolate and drinking champagne. Along with my camera, because my FAVORITE picture from the entire trip is of Mom and Kenny in the mirrored fountain. I love the sky, the building in the background, their reflection and the love that is so apparent between them in this picture. Ahhhh, amore'!

Saint Emilion

2010-06-21T09:48:00.001-05:00

This is Julien. He is syphoning the wine out of the barrel for us to taste.

These are the wines that are created at Chateau La Fleur Morange. It is really cute, the Mathilde is named after Julien's daughter. He said the wine is much like his daughter, young and sweet.

Some things I learned about wine...(the good, the exceptional and the ugly)

1. Drinking wine straight out of the barrel gives me a serious headache. The grapes are too ripe. Must drink wine from a bottle, got it!

2. It costs 700 Euro for ONE grape/wine barrel, which translates to about $940 USD. From that one barrel, you get about 600 bottles of wine.

3. To properly pick the wine grapes, you pull all grapes from the vine, EXCEPT the one closest to the leaf....when the time is right, you pick only the grapes closest to the leaves and that is the crop that you will work with. The juice of the grape, the skin and the meat all must be the right color to make the wine taste good.

4. Once the grapes are chosen and picked, they are put into large silver containers, that I couldn't translate the name of, kept at a specific temperature. The grapes will sink and the juice will rise in this container. Once this happens, the juice (wine) is moved into the aforementioned barrels, where the wine will ferment for 18 months. (The wine I tasted out of the barrel that caused my head to throb was only about 7 months old).

5. The older the grapes are when you pick them, the longer the wine can sit in a bottle and the better it becomes, for example....the wine that we tasted was from 100 year old grape vines. So, essentially, their wines could sit on a shelf in a bottle, unopened for up to 20 years and taste better with age. A younger grape would not last very long in a bottle, shelf life is much shorter and will sour as time progresses.

6. Some wine vineyards will use cheap barrels and throw a piece of wood into the wine as it ages to give it that "aged to perfection" taste, but Julien told us that the reason that many people get headaches (like myself) is because of this method. Your wine is supposed to age in a barrel, which is where the wine gets the oak undertone from, so, vineyards will cheat to get the same flavor quickly and turn their wines around faster....however, Julien says that in the end, it is not a good product. Wine is not supposed to happen quickly, it is supposed to take a while and that is what will make a wine's flavor exquisite.

7. Julien is the owner of the vineyard, Chateau La Fleur Morange Julien gave us a private tour of his winery. He was both entertaining and informative. He said that when he first began making wine about 10 years ago, he was very proud of his first batch of wine, so he tasted it from the barrel (too early, he said) and discovered that he would be named "Chef Vinegar". Ha. He said that he had to ask himself, what have I done? I have bought this vineyard, so I will make vinegar?

Saint Emilion is the top choice for locals and the French for wines. Everywhere we visited in France, we would say that we were going to Bordeaux to see the wine country and people would tell us that we must see Saint Emilion. In the US, 10 wines from Saint Emilion were listed in top wine magazines for being some of the top wines of 2010.

On a side note, many of the "vinters" (winemakers) or "viticulturist" put rose bushes at the end of their rows of vines. They say if there are bugs in the roses, there are bugs in the grapes. Interesting approach and the brilliant roses at the end of each row of crisp green leaves and grapes offers a beautiful contrasting landscape.

La Dune Des Pyla

2010-06-20T22:52:00.002-05:00

La Dune Des Pyla is the largest Sand Dune in Europe, measuring 107 meters high, a mountain of wind carved sand. What began as an island in the sea slowly began to be carried by the wind onto shore and has become a monument. When you are standing on the top of this sand dune, there is the Arcachon bay on one side of you and the forest on the other. It is a very steep slope down to the sea, the same incline as an Olympic ski slope.It is extremely windy on the top of the dune, but a truly magnificent site that extends for miles. The sand dune moves 1 meter deeper into the shore PER year, covering private plots of property, approximately 20 per year.

La Teste

2010-06-20T20:43:00.000-05:00

Shopping on the streets every Monday in any city in France, um, where do I sign up? I am told that almost every city in France has a market day every Monday, where vendors come and set up their goods, fresh produce, riz au lait (OMG! AMAZING), fresh cheeses, breads, wines, oh the shoes....ah, the clothes...ooh la la, amore'! What is not to love about an outdoor market in France? Nothing, unless when you ask for the price, they say "Dix Euro" so quickly that you think they are saying the the price is "zero". Free? OK, I'll have one in every color, thank you, MERCI!!!!!! Yeah, um, no, she was actually saying Ten Euro please, not ZERO. I like my translation better!

bonjour famille de verdet

2010-06-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

What I should say is "hola familia de verdet" because for some odd reason, every now and again, when someone would speak to me in French (which rarely happens in France, I mean, seriously), I would panic and answer them in Spanish (another language that I don't really know, or thought I didn't, until I went to France).

By far, the warmth and hospitality of Alain and Sylvaine (Stephane's parents) was some of the most heart warming that I have experienced. The first day we arrived in Sinquinet, we were welcomed with a feast fit for Kings and Queens, and we rolled out of there like a bunch of peasants that had raided the food table.

The Menu:

Frois Gras appetizer stuffed inside of Duck Meat

4 tomato salad (red, green, yellow and orange)

Pan Seared Duck with green beans (Steak for me because I am a big chicken and won't try the duck. To be honest, the treasure was mine, that was one of the very best steaks I have ever had, if not THE BEST)

6 cheeses with delectable bread

Caramel Dessert with fresh strawberries

Champagne, Red Wine and Stephane's very sacred Armagnac

HA! Top that Prince Henry. The Verdet family is funny, charming, loving, kind, happy, talented and the most incredible chefs, the food was outstanding. Even though we were unable to fluently speak one another's languages, we managed to understand each other with elegance and ease. We all fell in love with one another, as if we had been childhood friends reuniting. In essence, we were reuniting. Stephane came to stay with our family 18 years ago in the USA....my Mom kind of stalked him until he responded and the rest is history (haha!). Actually, it wasn't always easy for her to find Stephane's whereabouts, but Nan-E managed to hone in on his location. Thankfully.

There is a special place in my heart for our French Family, I love them dearly and treasure their friendship immensely.

Le Pointe De Grouin

2010-06-18T21:45:00.001-05:00

In all honesty, it is taking me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to blog about France. I took 590 pictures (which is a modest amount for me) over 14 days and 9 cities...So, to narrow the pictures down to the bare minimum and tell a story behind only the minimal is quite the feat. I can completely understand why it is so challenging to be a screenplay writer if you are breaking down a story from a book or novel into a 1 1/2 to 2 hour film.

Anyhow, this place was one of my favorite finds along our travels. Simply, it is a park with one of the most dynamic views I have ever seen in my life. The rock erosion with the many colors of clay, the lighthouse off in the distance, the brilliant hues of the sea against the colorful chiseled rock was truly radiant and gorgeous. There were birds making a nesting ground for themselves on the island, so to hear the waves crashing on the shore and to watch the elegance of the birds swaying about in the crisp blue sky was serene and almost unreal. The sun was setting as we rounded the corner and uncovered this beautiful hidden site, so the colors were all so much more intensified as the sun rays bounced it's light onto them.

I could go on and on about this place. Le Pointe De Grouin is, for me, that little happy place that you tuck away in your back pocket and pull out on a rainy day.