pink nostalgia

this is how we tent

Since we went in March, the boys have been itching to go back to Mom & George's property.

Since we've been watching Naked and Afraid, they have convinced themselves that they can survive in the wild with only flint and a pocket knife.

Ergo, camping at the property.

Does this look like a girl who wants to go camping?

No.  No it does not.

I thought I clenched it with, "But Babe!  You won't have your fan!  How will you sleep??"  J replied, "I won't!  We'll be awake and miserable until 3 in the morning until we're finally too exhausted, we'll sleep horrrrrrribly, we'll have some good stories, and then we'll never have to do it again!"

Ahhhhhh.  Therrrrrre it is.

I liked the "we'll never have to do it again" part, but more than that, it clicked for me - the boys will love it.  It will be one of those experiences that we relive 20 years from now.  The boys won't remember it the same way we do (spoiler alert - they fell asleep at 9:30).  Our miserable is their magical, and it all creates memories.

It was really cute - the boys went shopping last week for all things camping.  They kept it all on the kitchen table to show me when I got home from work: hiking boots, glow sticks, a fire starter, water-proof matches, a satchel, ammo, knives, etc.

It wasn't so much camping as it was just sleeping in a tent.  Well, and we all "used" the woods.  Yes, even me.  And J and I brushed our teeth using a water bottle.

The boys went into the tent around 9 p.m. for the coolness factor.  There was lots of rustling around and giggling, then silence by 9:30.  J and I turned in around 10 since I was already nodding off at the campfire.

The first thing we see when we open the tent is Ethen asleep in his sleeping bag and Alex completely splayed out over his, J's, and my sleeping bags.  You would think since he's little that it wouldn't be possible...

J resituates Alex, and we crawl in.  As soon as we get settled, J whispers, "It smells fuuuuuunky in here!"

Well, I started giggling.  The kind of giggling that you do at slumber parties when you know you're not supposed to be laughing and you're trying to be quiet so Staci's mom doesn't come back out to yell at you.

Fast-forward Slow-motion through restless sleep and lots of badger noises.  J and Ethen both wake up to use the woods.  When J comes back in, he says, "It's only midnight."  Are you kidding me?!?!  Longest night ever!  Well, yes, he WAS kidding.  It was really around 4 a.m.  Then there was this exchange:

J: Man, it stinks in here!

E: It's Alex's breath.  (And poor Al, not even awake to defend himself.)

J: It's everyone's breath!  ...Except for Angela's.

me: [slumber-party-giggling]

J and I got up around 6:00 to a beautiful sky.

Here's the sunrise through the pine forest.  It looks like like the woods are on fire.

For a second, I thought the Gamemakers were trying to push me towards the other Tributes.

So yeah.  That was the last time we go camping.  : )

baseball take one

I've started taking pics of the boys's sports this season.  Here are a few of E from last weekend.

I really like this one.  He looks so intense.  Plus, the focus is really sharp, the colors are great, and the background is perfectly blurred.  [I'm loving the zoom lens Y gave me!!]

By the way, these are their pink camo jerseys for breast cancer awareness month.

I like these with J in the background in and out of focus.

I always need to get a few of my guy.

 

It does not get any better for me than E on the field with a huge smile.  I will choose these every single time.  This happened to be after the pitcher threw an amazing curve ball that dipped in at the last second and caused a strike.  He's looking at J and sending telepathically, "Did you see that??"  E said in the truck, "I couldn't even touch that!  It was awesome!"  

You can barely tell in these next two that he's still smiling from the shot above (click to enlarge).

 

 

 

 

BLAM!!

It's fun to have a new type of photography to practice.  I'm figuring out which angles I like, where to be in relation to different bases, and that I need to take a lot a lot a lot of action shots to get a few good ones.  It's really hard to keep him and the action in focus.  

It's also really hard to keep the camera level while I whooping and hollering.  : )

I've conceived the mini albums...

the little voice at the pool

On Labor Day, J and I left the house at the same time to go our separate ways - he was going to pick up the boys for the week, and I was going to the pool.  I would've loved to take the boys to the pool, but last week Alex bailed on me, so we agreed that we'd meet back up in a few hours.

We balance each other out in that way - he encourages me to do what I want to do without feeling obligated to him, and I assure him that outings and get-togethers are more meaningful when he's there.

So fast-forward 45 minutes.  I'm on my stomach reading a great new book (Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich), when I hear a little voice call out, "Hey, Angela!"

There at the gate were two of my favorite Wells boys waiting for me to buzz them in.  : )

It was very sweet when Alex's little voice said, "Hey, Angela, get in with us!"  These are the requests that boys'-dad's-girlfriends live for.

If you think Alex's running man jump is good, you should see his cowboy.  : )

alamo drafthouse

Y'all remember my affinity for Pitch Perfect, right?

Yeah yeah, since you been gone..."Oh, no backup dancers?  Okay."

"I mean, you're welcome!"

So my BFF's BF saw that the Alamo Drafthouse was having a Pitch Perfect sing-along and did we want to go?  "Yeah, I did!  And yet, maybe I didn't, because I got hit with flying Mexican food."

Please don't stop the please don't stop the please don't stop the music!

This was my first time to a drafthouse theater (full menu served to your seat during the movie), plus driving to Austin and hanging out with Y automatically kicked it up a few notches.  

C'mon c'mon I like it like it c'mon...

The food was good, but the energy definitely made it.  I had forgotten how fun it is to be in a theater full of people as giddy as you are over the movie (New Moon midnight premiere, anyone?).  They had the lyrics and quotable quotes on the screen karaoke-style.  Y sang some, the girl on my other side sang everything, and the whole theater shouted the quotes.

"Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who sings like a boy!"

The theater also gave away yellow "Bella scarves," a plastic cup for Beca's audition song, and a confetti popper for Audrey's puke-fest.  (Apologies.  That will be the one and only time I use the word "puke" on the blog.)  

"She didn't lose it!  We know exactly where it is!  It's all over the third row!"

It was so so fun to just be myself - a little silly and obsessive with some chair-dancing thrown in.  Of course, I smacked Y a few times during the movie and talked really fast when I got excited.

"Sexy man splits!  Whooo!"

Ha, Chris (Y's boyfriend) asked me, "So, if there was a Pitch Perfect 2, would you go see it?"  [Pause.]  Then me, "Yes.  I'm sorry, I hesitated because I couldn't decide if you were joking."

"You're one of those a cappella girls, I'm one of those a cappella boys, and we're going to have aca-children.  It's inevitable."

My only regret is that I didn't do Beca's huge fist pump during the finale.  Sigh.  One of these days when the boys are gone, I'm drawing the shades and dancing it out.

And it may just be more of the same (bop bop bop), but sometimes you wanna go where everyone knows your name (whoa oah oah).  So I guess I'll have to wait and see (bop tssst).  But I'm just gonna let something brand new happen to me!

I mean, honestly.  It's impossible to listen to the soundtrack WITHOUT dancing.

Cuz we might not get tomorrow tonigh-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-ni-night!  UNH.  Hands u-u-u-up!  I put my hands u-u-u-up!  Don't you...forget about me (party in the USA-A-A-A).  Tonight!

The post-movie surprise is on deck for tomorrow...

weekend snapshots

It was a very delicious weekend.

And by the way, IIIIIII grilled those steaks!

 

elite

Last weekend, Mom and George were in town, which always means that I get to pick the restaurant.  ; )  The occasion this time was that no one was cooking!

We went to Elite Circle Grille.  This is one of the two places that I'll order onion rings as an appetizer.  This is why.

And the best chicken sandwich maybe ever.  My mom almost grounded me for eating my green beans with my fingers until she realized she was eating her Dr. Pepper ribs with her fingers.  Touche.

A word to the wise: I've had brunch here once.  It was inedible.   Like, really inedible.  So don't go to Elite for brunch.  But definitely go for lunch or dinner.  : )

Happy Monday. 

 

lee day 2013

This was another heart-warming day at my parents' property with half of my whole family.  It's unfortunate I didn't get any photos of them.

I did get lots of photos of the scenery, which is proof of how much my mom loves me as she'll drive me around on the 4-wheeler and dutifully stop on a dime whenever I see something I want to take a picture of.  : ) 

This is the neighbor's barn.  I think it's so cool.  Of course, I would never step inside it.

You know you're country when you have a barbed-wire fence.

This is that same fence from several paces away.  ; )

My mom hates this skull.

But she loves the dogwoods!

This field reminded me of Bella and Edward's meadow in Twilight.

And that's all.  It was a lovely day.

All except for getting lost on the way there and almost eaten by walkers.  Oh, have I not told you that story yet?

so slide that little sugar shaker over here!

You know I love it when you get you're shiiiiiine ooooooon!!!!!!

Happy Saturday, y'all.  : )

Song: "Get Your Shine On" by Florida-Georgia Line.  

RR5

My college roommates Beth and Cassandra were recently in town for our annual roommate reunion.

The staples: supreme pizza rolls, a batch of cookie dough (of which there were only two bites left by departure time on Sunday), scrapbooking, and ginormous life updates. 

The new regulars: pear & procuitto pizza, Double Dave's pizza (yes, we're now up to 3 kinds of pizza), chicken & artichokes, and book reviews.

 The freak-out moment:  While in HEB, Beth and Cassandra went nuts on the sale the store was having on these Plum Organics baby food pouches.  Naturally, I was perplexed by all of the squealing and asked for an explanation.  The short answer is their babies loooooove them and it's expensive.  The long answer is two full paragraphs.

The heart-warming moment: Beth and I in the bedroom, Cassandra in the living room.

Angela: "Goodnight, Beth.  Goodnight, Cassandra."

Beth: "Goodnight, Cassandra.  Goodnight, Angela."

Cassandra: "...Goodnight, Angela.  Goodnight, Beth."

A: "Awww.  What was the name of that show?"

B: "I don't know."

A: "Cassandra!  What was the name of that show?"

C: "The Waltons!"

Thanks for coming, girls!!

pickled beets

1. My uncle Larry's triple-dog-dare to eat a pickled beet.  My cousin Kristen wanted to join in even after I told her that I had tried them once before and they are "naaaaaasty!!" 

2. They say the anticipation is the worst part.  It's not. 

3. This is the moment after we have both put the beets in our mouths, and notice Kristen didn't even get it off of her fork. 

4.  Water won't help, girrrrl.  Mine is chewed and swallowed after much struggling.  Grandpa Clark doesn't know what the fuss is about. 

5.  Kristen is now gagging.  That won't help, girrrrl.  By this time, Mom is standing several feet in front of me, and her face is beet-red from laughing so hard.  My laughing keeps getting distracted by the foul residue in my mouth, and by the way, even after you eat a handful of unsalted peanuts, you'll be fishing pickled beets out of your mollars for 30 minutes.

*Special thanks to George for taking photos of the worst-tasting moment in my life.

league city food

This is what a typical weekend at my parents' house looks like in atypically delicious food.

Saturday breakfast: Applewood smoked bacon.  Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries.  My Mom's Muffins.

Saturday lunch: early Mother's Day lunch at Texas Land & Cattle.

Saturday dinner: Meme's baked beans.  Wedge salad a la Saltgrass Steakhouse with homemade Ranch dressing and balsamic glue reduction.  Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork.

Sunday breakfast: A debate on whether to skip breakfast to stuff ourselves at an early lunch and be miserable OR make ciabatta bread French toast and then stuff ourselves at an early lunch and be miserable.

Sunday lunch: Jimmy Changa's.  The only reason I'm ever happy to skip breakfast.

PLUS shakes and beets, but those are different blog posts.  : ) 

lee day 2012

On Saturday, the whole family showed up for a perfect day in the country.  

My mom said she missed me a lot last week.  : )

"Alan!  You caught me with my tongue out!  Angela, you better delete that one!" "No, no!  I'm keepin' that one!  For sure!"

Best.  S'mores.  Ever.

Thanks, Family.  : )

rr 4.3

Last weekend, my college roommates and I got together in Dallas for Roommate Reunion Year 4, Volume 3.  See Volume 1 at Beth's here + here.  Can you believe we didn't take one single photo for RR 4.2 at my house?

me: How does my hair look?
Beth: What are you going for?
me: I rolled out of bed and my hair just fell this way and naturally looks amazing.
Beth: Yep.  That's it.

- What do you mean, "The Harper Avery award is not a real thing??"  I saw it on Grey's!!

me: Can I do the least amount possible?
Beth: What do you mean?
me: I wanna just sit here.

- Oh no!  I just split my infinitive!

me: My tummy hurts.
Beth: Mine, too.
me: What do you think it was?
Beth: Uh...the raw cookie dough.
me: Hmph.

-  I'm game for smoothies, but our blender may or may not be broken. We haven't used it but maybe a couple times, mostly because we think it may or may not be broken.  Get out your instruction book and figure it out, you say? Oh, roomies. We don't have instructions.  We opened the blender as newlyweds, when all we needed was our love to make the world/blenders go round. We threw that instruction book away because our love could power any blender, face any trial....Now, we use instruction books.

Jazz hands!

san antonio treasures

Last time Dave and I visited San Antonio grandma, I took some time looking through the garage.  These shots are straight out of the camera.

Lots of history; lots of memories.

yonder come the kin folk in the moonlight

Lou'siana Saturday night.

Last Saturday, to be specific.

Dave and I drove to Louisiana to visit our brother-in-law and niece who are in the process of moving down south, y'all.  What's up, Maddie-piiiiiiie??

Here's their backyard.  Any time you say the word "cow," Maddie latches on like a bulldog and tries to go to the back yard.  "Cow?  Cow?  Cowww?"

She doesn't seem to have the same affinity for chickens.

And even though it was a bit of a drive, I definitely recommend going out to Pintail Wildlife Drive.  Jeremy guarantees that you'll see at least one gator in the pond at the inside of the first big bend.

You get the best view of wildlife from your car because you're not trying to outrun this guy.  

Just in time for the one o'clock showing.

(BTW, gators can run faster than humans.  And they eat people.  Or at least decomposing bodies that have been dumped in the swamp.  Source: The Glades on A&E.  I have a girl-crush on Callie.)

What a ham, huh?

Alright, already!  We get it!  You're king of the swamp!

Arguably, the best part of the day was when Maddie climbed up on the couch and snuggled up on my chest with no prompting.  There was also this:

Fried boudin.  Mmmmm.  Dave said my southern drawl came out a bit while I was eating it.  : )

Maddie's favorite was Dave's fried shrimp.  Can't blame her.

Whoopsie, someone said "cows" again.

Song: "Louisiana Saturday Night" by Alabama

she thinks my tractor's sexy

For Father's Day this year, we loaded up Barkley in the Jeep and drove out to Mom and George's property in Grapeland.  We rolled up just in time to see this.

About a week later, my mom said to me, "You took those awful photos of me on the Scag...I thought they'd be up on the blog by now!"  All in good time, mi madre.

Who's that top shot?  Why yes, little Annie Oakley made her debut!

This was my first real time "shooting" as an adult.  Dave gave me his gun safety course and showed me exactly how guns work.  (BTW, I got an A+ for gun handling!  : ) )  He even got me loaded up (pun - ha) on some gear, or at least as much as I would let him.  Mom and George were also very patient with me and told me what to expect from each gun (how much kick, how loud it fired, etc.).  My mom was even kind enough to fire her rifle a few times to prove that your cheek is supposed to rest on the butt (I didn't believe her and thought I was going to break my jaw).

It was a great Saturday.  My only complaint was that the time went too fast. 

Song: "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" by Kenny Chesney

happy birthday shenanigans

My three best friends took me to Round Rock for some birthday fun.  : )

We had lunch at La Madeleine, one of my favorite places.

Then we shopped around the outlet mall.  Angie was my personal shopping assistant.  Hey, she volunteered!  Walked right up to me in the first store and took my clothes!

We picked out clothes for each other and weighed in with opinions.  I seriously thought this dress was a robe when I saw it on the rack.  Some wise guy stuck it into my pile before I got to the dressing room.  The photo is blurry because the girls were laughing so hard.

Someone commandeered the camera while no one was looking...

Y met Snooki!  Lookin' good, girrrrrl.

Jessie made a new friend, too.

So I tried this shirt on, and Y said, "Umm, I just see yellow.  I don't see Angela."

More of girls just being girls.

MAN, I've never looked hotter!!

Thanks, girls!

meeting ellison

 Last weekend, Cassandra and I roadtripped down to Houston to meet roommate Beth's first baby.

It didn't occur to me to take pictures of the baby with her mama.  It looks like I have a death claw on that child's head, but I promise, I was gentle.  Elle was very good for me.  She was awake and didn't fuss, which is really all I ask of a one-month-old.  : )

More tomorrow on the rest of the trip (read: the food).  Yumm.  ; )

s'mores

Look what my aunt brought to the property last weekend.

My family from top to bottom: Papa, cousins Erin and Allan, Mom, aunt Deborah (BB or Beeb), and cousin Casey.

Almost every county in Texas is on a burn ban since the weather's been so dry, so we roasted marshmallows in the charcoal grill instead of an open flame.  Mark my words - charcoal makes everything delicious.

My uncle Kevin's theory is that the marshmallow should be so warm and gooey that it can't even stay on the skewer without sliding into the fire.  I'll agree with his theory and add that your marshmallow should catch fire at least once (Exhibit A: Casey extinguishing her marshmallow).

Dave stupified us all by putting two chocolate layers on his s'mores.  That man is a visionary.

Delicious. 

Thanks, family.  ; )

lee day 2011

aka My heart is very full.

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend.  : )

Last Saturday was the fourth annual Lee Day at my parents' property where my mom's side of the family gets together for lots of out-in-the-country fun.

Hiking, reading, watching football games, four-wheeling, canoeing, Liverpooling, climbing, crossing, relaxing, and smiling.

Plus more deliciousness I'll tell you about tomorrow...