Celebrations in the Midst of Remembering

I'm taking my chances this morning.  It is usually not a good idea to ease into the morning around here in your jammies.  Last week the Comcast and electricians were in the back yard when I came bounding into the family room and had to make a quick dash back into the bedroom.  Workman come and go as things are shaping up around here.  Last Thursday like clockwork, Abel and his crew were here cutting the grass.  The glass door on our outdoor fireplace has been repaired and corbels were installed last week.  So everything is waiting to be stained.  Roy has even gotten into the whole working around the house thing this weekend.  He continued his sealing and staining the fence.  He just has a little more to go.  Anyway, it is a Monday morning made for lounging. 

Roy and I went to Taste of Texas on Friday afternoon to celebrate our 34th anniversary.  We went with all the Momo's and Popo's, senior adult hour, but there were quite a few young couples with newborns and small babies there at that time too.  Of course our whole meal was delicious and we didn't even do steak.  I had the boiled shrimp and Roy has the herb chicken.  Of course with any celebration at Taste of Texas, there is complimentary dessert at the end of the meal.  We both wanted something different, so we did two desserts.  That was our undoing.  Pecan pie and cinnamon ice cream for Roy and key lime pie for me.  Then our exciting evening continued as we stopped at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  It was like we were newlyweds again, picking out kitchen, bathroom and home accessories.  Only thing that wasn't like being newlyweds, we were paying for the whole shabang.  Oh well, at least I won't have to write us a thank you note.  It was our joy to run into Dean Dash Na there.  She was buying a shower gift.  I loved the anniversary card he gave me.  The front of the card had some old man smoking a pipe and the inside said, to my smokin' hot wife.  What a great card because he knows how I question all these ministers who always refer to their wives as smoking hot.  I question because after all the talk of women wearing modest clothes and I am all for that, so men can have pure thoughts, these ministers refer to their wives as smoking hot and it makes me wonder if men in the congregation who are trying to have pure thoughts all of the sudden start thinking about that minister's wife and realizing...hmmm...she is smoking hot.  I am smoking hot only due to some lingering hot flashes that like to revisit me from time to time. 

Saturday morning I met Peggy and her crew to get pedicures.  Her sister, nieces and daughters were having a girl's weekend at Lake Bain.  After our pedi's, we went to Ooh, La La for a mid morning snack.  Delicious!  Everyone came over to see our house and I even got a pro bono family room rearrangement.  Looks so much better!  Thanks Jenny!  They were all going into Houston for shopping but I knew I didn't have the stamina to do that, so I stayed around here.  While Roy went and bought salt for the water softener machine and more fence sealant, I stayed here waiting for another work on the house appointment.  Later on in the afternoon I went back to Fulshear to explore a little shop we had seen on Thursday night.  The name of the shop is Gabby's and she had such cute things.  So you know I am all about helping the local economy, so I bought a few things.  Even got a pair of shoes on sale to wear next spring and summer.  Although, I might sneak in a wear in or two in the coming weeks. 

Sunday morning, I didn't go to church.  There are several reasons why.  One, I didn't feel great and didn't know if I would be able to stand in the loft as much as the choir would be standing.  I also broke or really bruised a toe Saturday night.  And two, even though our 9/11 experience ten years ago turned out good, it is very hard for me.  Like I have written about before, sometimes I find myself thinking too much of the what if's.  It has been ten years since I have seen those horrifying pictures of the twin towers on fire with people jumping out of the buildings to their deaths.   I saw one of those pictures accidentally this weekend and that kind of put me over.  I watched the Houston's First service on the web cast and cried like a baby.  Tears of sadness for all the lives lost, tears of the what if''s and tears of thankfulness to the Lord for sparring our lives.  Grateful that He is our Hope and our Solid Rock. 

It was Roy's prayer Sunday...he prays more often than that but it is his designated Sunday to lead the early morning prayer in the worship center and then he prays with others during the 9:30 service.  He came home after his volunteering in the Connection Center and we went out to lunch.  We barely beat the church people into Fuddrucker's.  After we ate Roy wanted to go to the Bass Pro Shop in Katy Mills Mall.  He is interested in kayaks because he has seen several people out on the lakes around here and finds it intriguing.  Who knew that the Bass Pro Shop had so much other stuff than fishing, hunting and camping stuff.  It was a fun store and Roy could have probably spent a lot more time there but once again my stamina was ebbing and we needed to go.  Think Bass Pro Shop is right up there with the Tractor Store n his estimation.  I'm envisioning a lot of Christmas presents from him...from those stores. 

Sunday evening I met Dena at Goode Company Seafood for dinner and life catch up.  It has been quite sometime since we've caught up with each other's lives.  We also took the opportunity to exchange our birthday gifts for one another.  I came home full and with an armload of wonderful gifts. 

While I was gone Roy had emptied the dishwasher, folded towels, figured out how to change our sprinkler system to water on odd days, picked up the trash in the front yard from all the work going on next door and touched up a few places on the fence. Hmmm....I need to go out in the evenings more often.

Roy realized last night he hadn't taken any pictures of the house since July.  So here are a few from what he took.