And the winner is...

The iPhone!!!! Happy Birthday to me!! I am so super excited about finally owning one. I do realize that about 90% of the general population has had one for at least a year or so, but I am thrilled nonetheless. In fact, I am blogging from my phone right now. So hopefully this means I will be able to get back into the world of blogging. I am sure I have been greatly missed. Next on the gadget purchase list - new MacBook!

It's Been a Long Month...

I haven't gotten to see Addi for the entire month of September because they were spending time in Florida with her grandparents. I was SO excited to pick her up from school on Friday and she has changed so much!! She talks so much more and has gotten so funny. She sleeps in a big girl bed and is about to start potty training. I was worried she wouldn't remember me, but as soon as I walked into her class she yelled "Hi Tate!" So cute - we are clearly still working on her 'Ks'. I am glad that I finally have a little body to fill the car seat that occupies my backseat all the time and I am so looking forward to the TWO new additions they are adding to their family. Addi is gonna be so excited when the twins are born. I am too!!!
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The Rachel Zoe Project

So, I think we are all aware that I tend to get sucked into crappy television shows...it is not a secret and I am not ashamed. My biggest downfall is the Bravo marathons. I can get into almost any show when it is my day off and they play 6 episodes back to back. At first you think it is pretty awful, and 4 hours later - you talk about the people on the show as though they are your friends. This is what has happened to me with The Rachel Zoe project.

Stacy has been trying to get me to watch this show for months and I keep meaning to check it out and then I always forget. My Tivo can only handle so much and there is only so much bad TV a girl can take. Its football season and so my weekends are pretty much filled with overweight men in tight pants and my weeknights are filled with rich college students on Gossip Girl and far too attractive doctors on Grey's Anatomy. But alas, I have this random Thursday off and Milo is becoming less of a man today, so I have plenty of time to kill on the couch. I had set my Tivo to record 4 episodes of The Rachel Zoe Project and I was determined to watch them all today.

That brings us to now...4 hours later. I am all Zoed out and yet I could probably watch another 4 hours. Something about the show is so fascinatingly awful. She is the skinniest person I have ever seen - and not in a good way. She does have fabulous hair though. She has the strangest sayings and I cannot decide if I love or hate them. She describes anything great as being "bananas" - as in (to Liv Tyler in a dress) - "your body is bananas in that outfit." Debatable right?? She also "dies" multiple times on each episode. So many things happen to her throughout her day to which she responds "I die." And then there is Stacy's personal favorite reaction...if Rachel wants to say no to something, but doesn't want to actually say no, she simply says "unclear." As in, "Rachel, do what about wearing this vest in the photo shoot?" Rachel looks over, clearly disgusted at said vest and responds with "unclear."

Then there is Brad - her token gay. He is a stylist assistant and beyond flaming. He is probably my favorite "character" on the show. He is always dressed to the nines and super concerned about what he is going to wear to every event. He rocks a bowtie in the most adorable way and always wants to try on the ballgowns meant for their clients. He cries fairly regularly and is VERY dramatic. He has the best time at parties and loves a red carpet. He is just so so funny and amusing to watch. He has what they call a "braditude" quite often and he prefers to call it, him being snarky. He is wonderful in every way and is the main reason to keep watching the show hour after hour.

Then there is the other assistant, Taylor. She is the angsty, hipster one with horribly bleached white hair with the worst over-the-face bang swoop I have ever seen. I am dying to reach into the screen and bobby pin her hair back out of her face. She is big on black eyeliner and whining. She is always "so annoyed" by everything and she thinks she is the only one who ever does any work. She has been doing it for 3 years now and feels she has no more room to grow. She tends to be all work and no play and says she will show up to an after work event and then ends up emailing Rachel on her Blackberry and canceling. Thus, she has earned the nickname "Bailer" - get it Taylor, Baylor...Bailer. Its amazing.

All in all, I am aware that is isn't really quality television, nor is it stimulating my mind in any way, but it sure has made my day off enjoyable and provided for some laughs and even more hilarious after-show conversations with Stacy. I am not sure if I will be a regular watcher, but I could probably get sucked back in with another marathon...

My Weekly Ellen Clip...

I have been on the fence about getting the iPhone for a few months now and this definitely pushed me over the edge. I am sold for the T-Pain app alone.

Noah Timothy Ateek!!

This post is a little late, but I needed to include that sweet baby boy Noah is finally here!! He was born on Thursday, Sept 10th weighing in at 7lbs 9oz. He is GORGEOUS and I am in love with him. Kathryn did an amazing job and she and TA made a beautiful little boy. He had a hard time his first few days and spent a week in the NICU, but now he is home safe and keeping his mommy and daddy up all night like he is supposed to :)

I spend my days off staring at his sweet face and holding him...being completely enamored by him. In fact, I have the day off today and I am about to head over there to see him for a little bit. Kat is a natural mother and its so fun and neat to see her with him. Crazy that after 15 years of friendship, we are at the place where she is a mom!! I am so happy for her!! And for sister Sarah too - we have to wait until April to meet her baby though, but I cannot wait!!

I will probably post many pictures of Noah on here because I have been anxiously awaiting his arrival for months and months and everyone knows that I love babies. So here is your first look at him, but be prepared for many more to come...



And then of course the first picture of Aunt Katelynn and baby Noah...we dressed him up in his tiny little Aggie gear and put him through a photo shoot. The first of many I am sure.

ummm...what!?

We all Want Her...

This is why Ellen is SO AMAZING!! Today was the start of her Season 7 and she opened the show like this...

Hook 'Em??

I guess by default I have turned into a UT Longhorn fan. Luke graduated from there and living in Austin, it seems that everyone is a fan. They must all bleed burnt orange here. I am pretty sure I bleed the standard red and I don't even look good in burnt orange!! Regardless, I love football and I love going to sporting events so when I was able to score tickets to UT's home opener this past weekend - I was super excited. They played Lousiana Monroe so we knew the game wasn't going to much to watch as far as good games go, but it was going to be exciting nonetheless. The entire city was wearing Longhorn attire and buzzing about the game. The news coverage and traffic were insane and the number of people was even crazier.

We went to tailgate a little before the game start - not really into tailgating and loud drunk people, but I am into friends so I went. We had fun and the threatening thunderstorm made for great weather. It was nice and overcast and a really perfect day weatherwise. It was for sure the coolest night we have had all summer and what perfect timing!! Maybe God is a Longhorn fan too :)

All in all it was a great night - the game was a blowout and we knew it would be, but still so fun to be there and watch. We even left early when they put the second string in. I was able to enjoy all of my favorite foods - stadium cheese nachos, a big fountain Coke, and pink cotton candy. And there is funnel cake!! It is the perfect menu for me all in one arena. Maybe this is the reason I got into football...

It was an exhausting day and getting by 10, all I wanted to do was get in bed. I put my UT shirt in the dirty clothes and I guess I will have to do laundry before next week...or invest in more of this color that is actually starting to grow on me. We are going to try and get season tickets next year, but as far as this year goes, guess we need to start looking for tickets to the Tech game in a week :)

Milo Getting Bigger!!!

So, I have realized that I need him to start going up the stairs...its inconvenient when I have groceries or something in my hands and he needs a ride up as well. Trying to teach him has been slow going and he still prefers to sit at the bottom of the stairs and cry until you go back down and get him. He is getting better though...and its really cute to watch his little furry self give it a try!!

Cancer...killed!!

12 Chemos!! Done and done!! I am writing simply because I am so proud of Rachel and the fact that she has stood up to cancer and dealt with 12 ugly rounds of chemotherapy for the past 6 months. That is about 12 more rounds than I am sure any of us could put up with. Her journey is inspiring and now she has gone and started up a non-profit in order to make money and raise awareness about other people fighting the battle against cancer.

www.killbadstuff.com

I cannot wait to show this website to my patients and for them to be able to order the t-shirts and temporary tattoo saying 'kill cancer.' I have already introduced the idea to a few of my favorite teenage patients and they love it and are so excited about it.

Rachel's organization is doing a big fundraiser event next July 4th and I am planning on attending. She also wants to sponsor one of my patients and their family. Amazing. The girl is unstoppable. How lucky I am to call her my friend.

A little entertainment...

These are the websites I most often visit when I am trying to pass the
time, or to just get a good laugh...

www.mylifeisaverage.com

www.textsfromlastnight.com

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Grace Madison!!

Yesterday I got paid to spend the day with this adorable face. Can't ask for an easier and more pleasant job than that!! She is adorable with perfect chunky rolls on her thighs and amazing blue eyes. She is 14 weeks old and smiles all the time. I had such a fun time watching her and can't wait to do it again next week!! Its nice to hold a baby every now and then :)
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Oh Henry...

Finally the weekend has arrived for The Time Traveler's Wife to come out!! I saw previews for this movie about 2 months ago and immediately went out and bought the book based on the previews alone. I read the book in a matter of days and absolutely loved it. I fell in love with Clare and Henry and have been looking forward to seeing the movie. Yea!!



Worked all week and so I didn't really do anything exciting and with only one day off this weekend (today), I still have yet to see anyone besides my dog :) I managed to meet up with Kathryn for breakfast yesterday and see her huge belly. Baby Noah is getting so big and will be coming in about 4 weeks!! I cannot wait to meet him and see what he looks like. I am excited to go over and see the nursery on Monday!!

I spent virtually the entire day sitting on the couch watching the PGA Championship and hoping Tiger wasn't going to screw anything up. Luckily he made no major mistakes, but he didn't do anything spectacular either so I think he was lucky to still be in the lead at the end of the round. I have to work all day tomorrow, but I am really hoping for a slow day so I can sneak into an empty room and at least catch bits and pieces of the final round. You know I love to see Tiger in his red shirts on Sundays.

I get to start watching baby Gracie this week, one day a week because Addi will be gone for an entire month. I am so looking forward to getting to hold a little baby!! 14 weeks - although she is pretty chunky, so I guess not that little. She is adorable and I think it will be a lot of fun. Babysitting is something I can't seem to let go of, I love to hold babies and its super easy money. Maybe when I have my own I will decide its time to stop watching other people's!!

Also, I realized this week that its less than 4 months till my birthday!! That is always am exciting revelation. I guess I will have to figure out what I want. I have waited so long to buy a new computer that I will probably just end up pooling birthday and Christmas together and asking for a new one then. I have held out this long without one, I am sure I can make it another 4 months.

Took Milo to get his rabies shot this week and so now he can go to the big fun dog parks and play with all the other dogs. He appears to be super social so I know he is going to have a blast. Plus, he loves the water and there is a great dog park here with a place for them to get in and swim so I know he is going to love it there.

Halfway through August means we are bound to be on our way to cooler temperatures...I cannot stand the heat any longer!!

6 Miles!!

So, Sunday morning got up and had plans to go ride bikes with Alyssa
and Paul - little did I know that this was going to be a serious bike
ride. We went to a trail in Austin called The Veloway, its a bike
specific paved 3 mile trail. I thought this sounded like a nice way to
start off our day, a nice relaxing 3 mile ride around a trail. Oh, no,
this is not what the Toughs had planned. Their past triathalon selves
kicked in and they were ready to go big or go home. We finished the
first time around and just kept on riding immediately to the next lap.
Then I wanted to die. It wasn't so much the actual riding or number of
miles, but more so the 100 degree weather and the sweat covering my
body. I hate sweating. Needless to say, my toothpick legs made it
around another time before I tapped out. My bike is new and riding a
road bike is a different feeling than just cruising around town and so
I am still getting used to the positioning and feeling when I ride so
I was impressed with my 6 miles on my first real ride. My legs weren't
that happy with me, but I had a great time.

This is the link to the place where we rode http://www.veloway.com/

I had intentions of showering and napping when I got home, but I was
too hungry and so I spent the rest of the day lounging around and
reading. It was lovely.

We had an exposure to Pertussis at work over the week and were all
told to go to the ER and get on antibiotics. This is highly contagious
so I wasn't really allowed to do anything until I got them. Pretty
exciting stuff working in a hospital. Turns out, we won't be getting
The Whooping Cough after all - just a fun scare.

Monday was working and baking brownies, Tuesday was working and class
and baking muffins, and Wednesday was just working and eating all of
the baked goods. Its been a pretty exhausting week and I am glad to be
done working for the week.

Off for the weekend and looking forward to getting out of Austin and
hopefully sleeping a lot :)

--
Sent from my mobile device

Cutest Dog Ever!!

Seriously...
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iphone vs. blackberry

So, my Blackberry has been acting up for quite some time now and is constantly freezing and driving me insane. Yesterday it started making this awful high pitched noise - coming from my purse in the back seat of my car...not pleasant when you are driving. I have to repeatedly take the battery out and restart the whole phone to get it to unfreeze or work again. Super annoying. I guess I could call ATT and ask them to send me a replacement phone, but then they would send me what they already have 4 times - a refurbished one. For which I still would have to pay my 50 dollar insurance fee. My other option is to use my eligible upgrade and get a new one. Ahhh, herein lies my dilemma. Do I just stick to what I know and upgrade to the Blackberry Bold...take my QWERTY keyboard and actual push buttons and be happy that I am still able to BBM?? Or do I join the entire rest of the world and cave and get the iphone?? I am really on the fence here. Also, I have a feeling if I just wait it out a month or two, they will introduce a new Blackberry, possibly even a new iphone, for the upcoming Holiday season. They do every year. My iphone pros and cons are almost equal though. The iphone is awesome - we all know this. It has amazing quality and ability to look at the Internet, plus all the super fun apps...and the fact that its an ipod. I had the ipod touch so I know how amazing it actually is. Then there are the downsides - I had that it is touch screen keyboard. I dont mind the touch screen for the scrolling and tapping and all of that, but I feel like sending a text or writing an email would be a pain. With my buttons on my BB, I can get an email or a text out in record time. I think I would definitely miss the buttons. Plus, the iphone does not yet have the capability to received MMS messages. You can't receive picture messages!? You can GPS me and tell me the traffic, but I can't get a simple picture text?? That is just unreal. According to their website, ATT promises MMS abilities in September, which would probably be around the time I would actually be getting a phone anyway. I guess just something to think about. I have been dying for a new ipod touch and I thought with the iphone, I could just knock out two birds with one stone. We shall see...pretty important major life decisions going on in my world.

Hilarious.

This is amazing. So so amazing.

New Bike!! (Finally)

The day has finally arrived...I bought a new bike!! After talking about it for months and going to bike shops and getting fitted and doing research and reading reviews...I have finally committed and purchased a bicycle. Oh happy day!! And I LOVE it. It has pink on it, its so stinking light...its amazing basically. Thanks to a little help from my mom, I was able to go get it this past weekend. I went and picked it up and Saturday and then spent the rest of the day just staring at it. Hahahahaha. Its almost too hot to ride, but that did not stop me. I am really looking forward to the weather cooling off in the next couple of months so I can do as much riding as I can instead of driving. At this point, 105 degrees is a little rough to ride in. Not even that I mind riding in the heat as much as I mind showing up dripping in sweat to wherever my destination might be.

I am now going to go get a helmet this week - safety first and all. Then I will be good to go and ready to ride. We already have a ride planned for this weekend and I am super excited. I love to have something to do to get out of the house on my days off and be outside. Still waiting for Milo to be old enough to go to the dog park, so until then, bike rides will take precedence.

Besides the bike purchase, I did absolutely nothing all weekend. It was an extremely lazy weekend and I loved it. Its too hot to want to go outside. The pool at my apartment isn't even really refreshing because its lukewarm like bath water. I did some studying and cleaned my apartment, but that was all the energy I could muster to do anything besides lay on the couch or sleep. Sometimes you just need to veg out. I had a long week - lots of work and overtime and lots of family drama with Keaton...blah. I needed a weekend of nothingness for sure.

The Milo!!

Well, still heartbroken over the loss of Lexi (still haven't given up with the flyers and ads and whatnot), but its been almost a month and there has not been one word or lead or anything on her. So...in comes Milo!! I know many people judge or form their own opinions about Milo becing a replacement dog or whatnot, but that is really nothing even close to the situation. I live alone and I really missed having a dog. They aren't just pets, it is really a nice companion to have around. I would wake up in the morning ready to see a dog and take one out and feed her, and there was no dog. It made me sad every single day. I had wanted to get a Morkie about 2 years ago as a friend for Lexi, but had just moved to Austin and it seemed like a lot to take on at the time. So I decided to get one now. I am hoping Lexi comes home soon so she can meet her new brother, although I am sure she won't be happy about not being the only one around getting spoiled anymore.

Anyway, enough sad stuff. So here is Milo the Morkie. A mix between a Maltese and a Yorkie. He is all fluff and energy and I just love him to death. I am completely enamored by him and stare at him all the time. I don't mind when he wakes me up at 6am on my days off to go the bathroom because he is just so dang cute. He is bouncy and sassy and sweet...he makes me laugh all the time. He is super playful and really a great great little dog. I am so happy with him and I love having him around. You can see for yourself just how absolutely adorable he is...

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

 

So, we had Kathryn's Baby Shower last weekend in Dallas and I think it was a big success!! Kathryn and I are the lone two in Austin so I picked up her up on Friday afternoon and we hit the road for Dallas. I am all about 'making good time' on road trips and I don't think I had realized what having a 7 month pregnant woman as my passenger was going to do to that. We hadn't even made it out of Austin before the first bathroom/food stop. We had to make a couple of more along the way, but we made it to Dallas without hitting traffic and in time for dinner. Went to eat with Kathryn's mom and sister-in-law and then headed over to hang out with Lindsay.

My main incentive for going to Dallas early was to be able to spend a little time with Lindsay. I hadn't seen her since L.A. and I haven't been to Dallas to hang out with her in months. We had both read My Sisters Keeper and so we had plans to go see the movie that night. Knowing it was going to be a tear-jerker, we had decided the late show was the best option. The movie was good, but the ending was completely different than the book so were both disappointed in that. Nonetheless, we cried and then went back to her apartment to further discuss the change in ending and just to hang out and catch up.

Saturday we bummed around and then went to lunch and did a little shopping. We had seen a preview for the move The Time-Travelers Wife coming out in August and both thought it looked really interesting so we both went and bought the book. Then Lindsay had to head to Wichita Falls for a bridal shower so I was left to entertain myself and relax in her apartment all night!! I had a blast...enjoyed her Tivoed shows and her amazing bathtub. Read before bed and slept in the next day. A great Saturday night in my opinion.

Got up Sunday morning and made the 40 minute trek to Coppell for the shower. There is always a moment for me when I am tired or not in the mood for a shower or whatnot before I go and then I get there and see all the girls I love that I rarely get to see, and it is worth it. This group of girls has been getting together multiple times a year over the past 9 years for showers and weddings and they are always so much fun to be around. Its fun to see who is married/engaged/pregnant/has had babies...always good to catch up on everyone's lives.

Then unfortunately I had to drive all the way back to Austin because I had to work at 7am on Monday morning. Needless to say, the drive back alone went much quicker :)

All in all, it was a great weekend and a nice time hanging out with all the girls. It was also my mom's birthday so Happy Birthday to her!!

Thug Story

Taylor Swift made a rap video and its hilarious...

Lexi.

Well, this past weekend - Friday June 12th was Lexi's 5th birthday and we celebrated by getting her a little birthday cake. She was way more into the icing than any of the actual cake...she just licked it and then eventually just picked it right off the cake and carried away!! Smart dog.



As far as updates go, I am sure most people know by now that on Monday June 15th, Lexi went missing. It has been a little over 48 hours now and we still have no word on her. I have posted ads on Craigslist and all the vet website in Austin. We put up flyers and searched the entire neighborhood over and over for hours and days and nothing yet. No one has called the number that I have on her tag on her collar, but I am still praying and hoping that a good person will eventually call me and want to give her back to me. I miss her every minute of the day and I just really hope to find her soon!!

Amazing Blast from the Past!!

Mark Paul Gosselaar was on Jimmy Fallon on Monday night and appeared completely in character as the one and only Zack Morris. It was so hilarious and made me like him so much more...

How is it already June??

Where is time going?! I am so shocked its already well into summer and into June!! And very very hot in Austin - that part I could definitely do without. I finally had a day off on Tuesday, well not really the entire day because I had class, but I didn't have to work and that is saying something. I took full advantage of it and literally did not get off my couch or out of my pajamas until I had to leave for school. Work has been insane this week because we have been full and overflowing with patients and so it is making it a little bit not fun to be there. Good news is that I have to work all stinking weekend...

Lexi is on the mend - her black eye has healed nicely and I have taken off the cone and been letting her run free. She is still on antibiotics...crazy dog.



Need to start thinking about Father's Day and my mom's birthday...and Luke's adoptive birthday (apparently since his parents celebrate that, I am in charge of celebrating it too??) So many presents to buy this month!! Plus I am on the hunt for a new bike and a new computer - have this precious little computer desek and my broken laptop just doesn't look right sitting on it.

I wish I could say that I have fun things planned for the summer ahead, but I am sad to say I think it will just be more of the same - school and work. Kathryn's school year is finally over so I am looking forward to spending some time with her big belly - her baby shower is this month too!! No real trips planned, although we are hoping to spend a weekend in San Antonio doing the Riverwalk and Schlitterbahn. I am sure we will all float the River at some point this summer too. So I am sure I will be able to manage some fun in there at some point...amongst the tests and hospital hours :)

Already Sunday??

 

Guess I missed out on blogging all week - although not a whole lot to say because as soon as we got in town from WFalls, I just worked every single day. Work on Tues, Wed, Thurs at the hospital - super busy, but missed the kids so it was good to be back. And then Friday I had Addi all day.

Friday night we had a party for our friend Morgan's birthday. The theme of the party was the 1984 Olympics (don't ask, we still don't know why). Anyway, so everyone was supposed to dress as an athlete, an 80s athlete at that. The party was very strange and fun at the same time. These people took it very seriously!! Opening ceremonies and the Olympic oath - very intense. We competed in random events and had medal ceremonies as well. Overall a good night, but definitely a little weird.

Saturday I slept forever...trying to catch up from the week. I had no motivation to get up and do anything or go anywhere. Luke finally convinced me to go with him to buy a microwave. I figured it was the least I could do considering he was going to spend most of his Saturday night coming with me to babysit. We had to watch Addi for a few hours, which I never mind because she is so cute and easy. Then after babysitting we went to meet up with Luke's friend John and John's girlfriend, Lindsey. We had a great time!! We even stayed out till 2am which is so unlike us these days. Hahahaha.

Today has been another great day off...I was able to sleep in which I never tire of doing. Luke and I were strongly motivated to take the dogs to the dog park because we always talk about doing it and only manage to actually do so about every 4th time we think of going. Got some frozen yogurt for the road and then headed to Town Lake. Lexi and Porter had the best time playing!! There were so many dogs and so much to explore. We threw them both in the water and they both absolutely hated it. Experiment failed. It was super hot and after a while the two pups were seriously dragging so it was time to take the dirty dogs home. Luke cannot stand a dirty dog so he gave them both baths as soon as we got to his apartment. I napped on the couch :) The dogs have been sleeping since we got back and we are about to head to the grocery store and make dinner. Got to get ready for the start of yet another busy week - back to school this week. Blah.

Highlights from the week - visit from one of my favorite patients who is off treatment, Illeana, getting to wear my new sundresses, keeping my apartment and car clean, Mom visiting Austin, trip to the outlets and awesome new shorts, finishing a great book, planning trips...looking forward to fun summer things that are starting soon!!

2nd Annual Moody Family Crawfish Boil!!

 

A little slow on getting the Crawfish Boil blog in, but here goes...

Such a GREAT weekend!! I seriously love going home and I think that is so awesome. A lot of people cannot appreciate their parents and don't look forward to hanging out with them, but I just love mine and always have the best time. They are so happy and I love seeing them together again and they just always seem to be having fun.

Got up Friday morning and sat around all morning enjoying having the day off. Packed and dropped the dogs off at Elizabeth's house for the weekend. Went to the 'Tan Party' where me and Alyssa and Jana all got a beautifully bronzed spray tan and then it was off to get Luke and hit the road. We finally left Austin around 3:30 and surprisingly hit no holiday or Friday traffic at all. Got to WFalls in time to watch Lebron James score the game winning 3 and hang out with my dad. Mom was out for a Girl's Night Out and we were too tired to wait up for her.

 

Saturday was just getting ready for the party and making cookies, running errands, picking up the crawfish. Luke ventured out on a shopping excursion with me which just proves how amazing he is - he even carried around the clothes and went to get me different sizes and colors. I am a lucky girl :) Got back to the house and started getting ready for the party. I LOVE a crawfish boil more than anyone else I know. We had 100 pounds of crawfish and so many corn and potatoes...it was amazing. About 30 people came and everyone had a blast. Margaritas might have helped with that too!! The food was absolutely amazing - my dad always outdoes himself with this...gets better every year. Everyone ate until they were miserable (in a good way) and stayed till the wee hours. Lots of laughing and so much fun. I am so thankful to my parents for putting on this party every year, it is one of my favorite new family traditions.

 

Sunday was just sleeping in and hanging out before having to head back to Austin. A little after-party clean up, but mainly just more laughing and hanging out with the family. My Aunt Alicia was in town for the party and brought all my favorite foods from Baton Rouge so I was in heaven all weekend. We finally got back on the road around 3 with the car packed up and crawfish for when we got back!! So, we were able to have a whole round 2 of crawfish upon arrival in Austin Sunday night...just as good the second time around.

I am not sure when I will get a chance to go home again, but I hope soon - it is always a fun time and relaxing with no obligations to do once I get there. Thanks again to my parents for hosting us and everyone else for a really great party!!

Headed Home...

About to hit the road for Wichita Falls for the 2nd Annual Moody Family Crawfish Boil. This has quickly become one of the favorite things my family does. Last year we had a blast and I am sure this year will be even more fun!! A lot of people are planning on attending and my aunt is bringing all of my favorite treats from Baton Rouge!!

Pictures and a recap to follow...

She got robbed, and then she left...

 

Girls Weekend in L.A. was the best time. Minus the small burglary that happened on Friday night. I will get back to that in a bit. So, I leave Austin around 4 on Thurday and magically end up in California a little after 5. Ahhh, California. Sunny and beautiful and perfect. I loved the palm trees and the weather and was instantly relaxed as soon as I walked out of the airport. Ashley and Becca picked all the Texas girls up and we headed home to change and then we walked to a little Mexican place for dinner. We had the best time just getting to hang out and chat and catch up over dinner and margaritas. Everyone was pretty tired from work or traveling that day so we called it a night around 11.

Slept in on Friday and got up and got ready to head to Malibu for the day. First we walked to get brunch at Toast, one of Lindsay's favorite places to eat in L.A. Then on the road to Malibu!! We were headed to a museum called The Getty Villas. It was absolutely gorgeous!! We got to wonder in and out of exhibits and go outside, we had a great time and the weather was so perfect. Then we stopped at Dukes, right on the ocean, to get some drinks and snacks and enjoy the view and the weather. Rachel met up with the 5 of us after work and then we all headed back to L.A. to get ready for a night on the town. Everyone showered and dressed and we called a cab and then headed to Crown Bar in L.A. Such a fun night of dancing and laughing. Headed home when the bar closed around 2am, ordered pizza and everyone went to sleep a little later.

Then Saturday morning came and with it, the realization that the house had been robbed while we were gone the night before. It was shocking. Ashley noticed her jewelry missing and then Becca checked and hers was gone too. Pretty soon we all started looking around and noticed that everyone's jewelery was gone. Along with ipods, phones, cameras, and money. It was just crazy. Had to call the cops and file a report and do the whole fingerprinting thing and whatnot. It was a wild morning. So, needless to say, this put quite a damper on the day. We finally rallied and left the house around 3 and headed the The Grove for some lovely outdoor shopping and strolling. We sat down for some appetizers and just to relax and forget about the morning. Went home and decided that after the previous night, we would just take it easy and head to dinner and then go to a local dive bar so we could sit and talk and not have crazy loud music and whatnot. We went to a great sushi dinner and then spent the night laughing at Nick's Bar. It was a super fun night and something we all needed after the burglary.

Sunday we got up and just lounged around all morning, ordered brunch to go and just talked and watched TV. Then it was off to the airport :(

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend in California - despite the whole getting robbed thing. We had a blast, the weather was perfect and it was just the vacation I had been needing.

We are already planning our next one for the Fall...this time we are thinking NYC!!

Addison Jane!!

She is such a smarty...and so dang cute. This is why I keep doing the nanny thing - even if it is only one day a week.

Headed West...

So, in about 24 hours I will be on a plane, headed to beautiful and sunny California. I cannot wait!! It is a much needed vacation and break from the world. Finals finished up yesterday and I am ready to get away and relax. We are having Girls Weekend (Part II) in L.A.!! The weekend is going to be full of laughing and eating and beach time and dancing - yea!! There will be plenty of updates and pictures for sure.

Today I am watching Addison for the day and I took her to the mall to go on a mission to find shorts. Mission...unsuccessful. I have not given up and am hoping that L.A. has more to offer in the world of shorts than the Barton Creek Mall here in Austin. I digress, as we were walking into the mall, I am pushing Addi in her stroller and a woman in her 30s comes up to me and asks me if it is hard doing it alone. I stare at her for a moment and she tells me how cute Addi is and then repeats her question, asking me if it is hard to do it alone. Um, first things first, Addison is not my child, but secondly that is a completely inappropriate question to ask someone!! I was so taken aback but it that I went on to defend my non-daughter and myself!! Letting her know that I was clearly NOT doing this alone and that her dad was working like most normal fathers do on a Wednesday at 10am. Anyway, it was an odd question and an odd moment and I thought I would share someone else's complete lack of social skills.

In other news...its a million and one degrees here and its only early May. We are going to be in for a long, super hot summer. Hence the needing of shorts. You feel like you walked into an oven whenever you go outside no matter if it is 6am or 11pm. Its gross.

The Red-Headed Stranger...

So, last weekend we went and saw ol' Willie Nelson in concert. He is apparently best friends with Luke's boss and so the tickets were free...and so, why not?? It was a little strange to see him singing in a church, but to each his own I guess. Whenever I think of Willie Nelson, all I think about is how my grandpa's motor home horn plays 'On the Road Again' and we used to always request him to play it. So, that is of course the song that I really care about.

Justin does it again...

Apparently I never post on this blog anymore, but that was because I had no Internet and a broken computer. Good news is, both are back in action so therefore...so am I!!

This weekend Justin Timberlake hosted SNL and it was pretty funny overall. My favorite things he does are these skits where he dresses up as a sidewalk singer for some company and this one did not disappoint!!



In other news...I went kayaking for the first time this weekend and LOVED it!! My arms and shoulders and back are super sore and my shins are sunburned, but I had the best time.

3 days till California!!

Weekend in Review...

Well, I am starting back to Thursday where I was greeted with a 'Happy Thursday' present of none other than...FLOWERBOMB!! Amazing!! Now I can cross it off the wishlist and I smell like a dream. So good.

Then it was packing and claning and more packing and working and moving and packing and moving and unpacking. It basically was terrible. But the good news is that it is done and that I love love love where I am living. We hung curtains up, I have groceries, everything is put away in my closet...its wonderful. It probably wont last, but its still great for now!!

That is seriously all I did all weekend. I did manage to watch the Super Bowl in the midst of unpacking and I was really hoping for the Cardinals to win, but I was happy enough with the amazing Larry Fitzgerald touchdown and the fact that they also got a safety. It turned out to be a pretty good game in the 4th quarter.

Working and school all week long...not a lot of time for playing. Started cooking dinner last week and burned myself so badly on the first night. I am still trying to care for this burn, it isn't healing very well - I think it is worse than I actually thought it was. But the meal turned out amazing so at least it was worth it.

Oh, in other big news...I think I might have figured out why I am sick all the time after I eat...apparently I could possibly have celiac disease. I will know for sure when they finish doing all the testing on February 18th. What it basically means is that I am allergic to gluten, wheat, rye, barley. This should make eating an interesting ordeal.

Other than that I am just ejoying the warm weather, loving my new place, excited about my parents wedding in a month and trying to stay healthy and deal with these crazy allergies from the weather going from hot to cold so often. I am ready to start running and riding my bike again!!

Top Item on the Wish List...

So, I discovered this perfume before Christmas and yet cannot seem to be able to actually own it. It is ridiculously expensive and overpriced, but yet, I cannot actually say that I think it is overpriced because it is hands down the most wonderful smelling liquid I have ever encountered. I keep finding smart and practical excuses for why I cannot indulge and own this, but I am starting to crack and think that I may have to get myself a little Valentines Day gift...

And it's Back!!

So, I have never cared about American Idol and never watched a single episode before last year when Lindsay got me hooked on it because of David Cook. Now, I still get excited when I hear him on the radio and feel as though I need to watch the new season just because of this commercial...

Back it up to Christmas...

So, since I wasn't around my computer in order to post pictures of Christmas, I thought I would put off writing about it till now. I went home to WFalls - obviously. It was a really fun weekend/week...I had to be back in Austin on Christmas to work that night. Luke came home with me the first part of the trip, over the weekend. We had to steal The Robison's tree to take a picture that looked any sort of Christmasy.



Sarah was only going to be in town on Saturday and part of Sunday, so it was really important for me to be in town and get to see her for a little bit. Only 2 and a half more years in Alabama!! Hahaha. We spent most of the afternoon on Saturday at the Robisons doing the usual, playing Catchphrase and laughing a lot. We went back over there on Sunday for just a bit before Sarah and Ryan had to head to the airport. I love going to the Robisons over the holidays, it is something I have been doing since I was like 13 and it is always so fun.



Monday morning, Luke headed back to Austin and then onto Beaumont. My mom and I had are annual holiday lunch with Carly and Mrs. Jennings. We ended up going to Olive Garden and it was super fun. I love these lunches because they always last for hours and end with presents!! It is always really fun to get to see Carly and to laugh about things from our pasts with our moms. Or to laugh at our moms, either way, we were having a good time. Then I got to see her new house and her new puppy - both of which are very cute!!



Tuesday was just haircut and being lazy. I finally got to see Cody on Tuesday night...another one of my favorite things about being back in WFalls for Christmas. I love to meet up with Cody every year. We were looking for anything to do that would be fun at all, but everywhere closes by 10 in this town. So, we ended up just driving around town for a few hours, listening to the new Britney album and catching up. Basically a perfect night. I got to see him the next day too and watch a movie and just hang out. It made me really want to get on the ball about booking a flight to Boston to see him.

Wednesday was Christmas Eve, but it didn't really feel like a traditional Christmas Eve...no church service and no family dinner...I guess that is what happens when everyone gets older and has to work on Christmas Eve. My mom and dad and I still had fun hanging out all night.

Christmas morning was a little bit of a rushed affair due to the fact that I had to get on the road to get back to Austin for work. We got up and everyone was there but Christopher who had to work yet again. We did presents and stockings and then had a quick breakfast before I had to leave. My dad decided that putting silly string in our stockings was a good idea...it turned out quite hilarious. Although he was already ready with his string for the sneak attack when we discovered ours. Tricky.





All in all, it was a great Christmas and a great trip home. I am looking forward to the next time I am in WFalls because I think it will be in March for my parents wedding!! Super exciting!! Merry Christmas (a little late).

2009 has begun!!

And I am a little behind in my blogging. Ooops. I still need to do a Christmas recap and post some pictures, but that is going to have to happen when I am at home in front of my computer. As it is now, I am at work and just realized that I am in a new year and I haven't written on here in a long time. Maybe when I am done working nights this week, I will be more consistent. Hopefully anyway.

Christmas was super fun, but I will save that for the next post...

New Year Eve - I think I am getting to the age where I don't really care if I go out and do anything at all. I am just as content to stay at home and hang out then get all fancied up. Actually, I prefer staying at home to getting all dressed up and paying lots of money to go out downtown or anything. We ended up going to a party at my friend Kelly's house and it was fun, but I am just so sleepy and by 12:30 I was ready to put my pajamas on and go to bed. Yep, definitely old.

There has been lots and lots of football watching the past week - I am honestly ready for this whole College Bowl Week to be over so I can watching anything besides football. Now that the Cowboys embarrassed themselves last week and aren't in the playoffs, it doesn't hold much interest for me anymore. The UT game is tomorrow night though and we have plans to go watch it with some good friends so I think that will be really fun. I just really really hope they win or I know a lot of boys that will not be happy,

I am officially on my second to last night shift at the hospital and I am so excited to be able to work days and have a little bit more of a normal life and schedule. I am not looking forward to getting up at 6am, but I think it is going to work out so much better in the long run.

Other than that, just hoping that someone wants to sublet my house by February so I don't have to pay the rent all by myself - an impossible task. I am really not looking forward to moving...AGAIN...but as long as I can get it all squared away and the money situated, I will be really relieved and I am sure happy to have my own place again. I just hate moving...blah.

My parents are getting re-married in a couple of months and I think that is just about one of the coolest things ever. I think it is such a neat story - a little weird at first, but they both seem really happy and it is going to be exciting to have them back together. We can just forget the past 5 years ever happened. Hahahaha. So I am really looking forward to getting to see that and watch them start part 2 of their lives together...it is going to make going home so much more fun!!

That's the quick rundown of the past few weeks...I will do Christmas with pictures soon because posts with just words are kind of boring, but sometimes necessary I guess. I have to work with what I have at the moment, and at 3am at work...this is all I have.