Merry Christmas!

On this eve of Christmas Eve, Paul & I wish everyone a very merry Christmas-- filled with family, friends, & good times. Love to you all!

Who can't resist my wiener?

The following pictures were taken the last weekend of November when Paul's parents came in town to visit. As we were all walking on the beach late one afternoon, Stretch soon became the attraction of some excited kids. They were giddy with excitement to see a little, black weenie dog zipping around the beach. The kids quickly surrounded him and wanted nothing more than to pet him. It's like he was a little good luck weenie-god that everyone wanted to rub :) Stretch was such a good boy and patiently let all of the kids shower him with love.

King of Church

The king of 1320 Church Street wishes everyone a wonderful start to the holiday season. Make this one great and remember to drink responsibly.... unlike this little guy.

I'm grateful for.....

....so many things! What are you grateful for this holiday season? Here's just a few things that have recently filled me up with great thanksgiving:

1. Sunny days with plenty of lounging...

2. My Cuisinart immersion blender & a good beer (helps make any batch of soup better!)...

3. A long dog...

4. Bad family pictures & sweet wiener lovin'...

5. Surprise, spur-of-the-moment visits from parents...

6. The end of a beautiful day...

But mostly, I'm grateful for YOU-- all of my family & friends! Hope everyone has a safe & happy Thanksgiving.

Halloween bunko

Every month, a group of my L&D friends get together to play bunko. Now, this is a game that I used to think older ladies played (partly because I remember my mom playing it with all of the neighborhood ladies when I was a kid). Much to my surprise, bunko is actually quite fun, especially when there's plenty of good food & beverages to enjoy. And of course, when a group of L&D nurses get together to drink & have a good time, there is always a good story being told by someone-- usually involving the latest crack whore that's come in to have her baby, who's in denial about being in labor....or pregnant, for that matter. Or the one about the doctor whose pants (& everything else) fell off in the middle of a delivery [Real story: it happened to me. Uhh, what's a nurse to do? I didn't know what the proper protocol was. Grab the baby, or grab his pants? I chose the baby. Apparently, as I was told later, you're suppose to go for the pants. Whatev. That baby wasn't the only one in their "birthday suit" that day.]
Anyways, here's some pics of our Halloween bunko. However, we never actually got around to playing bunko this time.....

I went as the OctoMom, whose "baby daddy" was Michael Jackson. Hence, the 4 black babies & 4 white babies.

By far, the best costumes went to these two:
the "Dick in a Box" duo.

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Don't Forget!

To all the Lovely Ladies of my life:
This is a little late, I know, but-- better late than never. October is/has been Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please, please don't forget to do something as simple as a breast self-exam. Just a quick little check could save your life. Breast cancer doesn't discriminate. It doesn't care how old or young you are, whether or not you have a family history, or how healthy you are otherwise. Don't forget! Go ahead, get your man involved too. I'm sure he won't mind ;)

It's tough being a weenie

All things autumnal

I love this time of year. The colors of autumn, the smells, the tasty treats-- it puts me in the mood to make soups of all kind. Yesterday, I made a thick tomato soup, homemade bread (my first gluten-free loaf-- and it was actually quite good), & some smoky pimento & cheese made with smoky gouda & cheddar cheeses. Yum!

The recipe for the remainder of the day: a comfy blanket, a warm little weenie to cuddle, & a good book. Yes, I do love all things autumnal :)

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Oh, happy day!

Sweet Makenna Grace finally decided to make her presence yesterday,
9/29/09 at 7:40 pm.

Congrats Krista & Casey!
Paul & I can't wait to meet her :)

From the garden

Farewell & goodbye

I just found out yesterday that Patrick Swayze died on Monday. How could I have missed that news?? (probably because I don't watch TV). I was a HUGE fan of him when I was younger. My cousin Angela and I had Dirty Dancing memorized-- word for word. We would watch that movie two & three times a day during our Burleson summer visits! You couldn't peel us away from the TV during any dancing scenes of that movie. I'm certain Patrick Swayze is the reason why any young girl in the late 80's wanted to be a dancer. hmm.... and I bet she's already gotten to dance with him...... I think I'm a little jealous ;)

One year ago...

Exactly one year ago, Paul, Stretch, & I were evacuating this island-home of ours as Hurricane Ike approached Galveston. With both cars packed, filled only with the essential items from my newly edited "P&K's Hurricane Evacution List", and suitcases to accommodate just a long weekend --(I specifically remember telling Paul: 'We'll just be gone for a long weekend. We don't need to pack up everything like we did when we evacuted for Rita.' (!)-- we said goodbye to our boarded-up home and thus began our very own Evacution Escapades across Texas.



Two months later, after traveling from Ft. Worth, to San Antonio, to Houston-- we were finally able to move back home. The term "Home Sweet Home" now has a whole new meaning. We will forever be grateful for all of our family & friends who helped us out & let us stay a while!

Happy Anniversary, Kelley & Ross!

Paul & I were just reminiscing about our fabulous Colorado vacation one year ago. I can't believe it's been a year since you guys got married!! The vacation, your wedding, & all of the pre-wedding festivities will forever be a part of my most favorite memories. Thanks for showing us how great your city is! Enjoy today & all the anniversaries to come! Cheers to you two :)

Love,
Kara

The Big 3-0!

For Paul's 30th birthday we took the week off work & celebrated with family. We spent last weekend in Bastrop State Park in several of their cabins. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for this time of year in Texas! We spent our time playing at the pool, taking walks throughout the park, and of course- eating excellent food! This was the first time that our nieces from Paul's side of the family got to meet our nephews from my side of the family. The kids had a great time playing together! Ben, especially, had a wonderful time playing with his "gulls"!



After the Bastrop weekend, we stationed ourselves in San Antonio for the remainder of the week. Paul treated himself by going mountain biking or road riding everyday on some of his favorite trails & roads. Other than riding, the days entailed plenty of delicious meals, a trip to our favorite hill country winery, & lots of play time with Ben & Logan! It's been a great birthday celebration week!

The birthday boy-- ready to ride.

All cleaned up & ready for a delicious birthday dinner!

I think Ben was more excited about Uncle Paul's presents than the real birthday boy.

Silly boys

Pool time with Logan

This is how Logan celebrated Uncle Paul's birthday!

August in review

By now, all of you reading this know that I'm truly the worst blogger ever. With that said, here's what's been going on....from last month :)

A reason to miss Ft. Worth: my best friend, Krista & soon-to-be Baby Girl Makenna!
Here we are at the FW baby shower.

"...and they all fall down." The trees, that is.
Via chainsaws & tractors. Our tree on the far left is no more.
Galveston currently has a big tree replanting initiative going on now that they have removed all of the dead ones.

But have no pity because there are wonderful little things growing here! Our garden is doing great!

Back in mid June, I planted some butternut squash seeds without really expecting much.
To my surprise, they have done so well & have totally taken over!
Mmmm.....butternut squash soup, roasted butternut squash ravioli...coming up!
Delish.

And last, but certainly not least: my basil on steroids!
This stuff grows so easy here on the island--and with little effort. I love it when Stretch goes snooping around the garden and then comes inside smelling like basil!

Sunrise at the beach

This morning Paul, Stretch, & I headed out for a sunrise romp on the beach. Stretch LOVES to run on the beach. It's so much fun to watch him gleefully zip all over the sand. Talk about a happy wiener! Here are some pics...

My personal favorite action shot-- ears flying & all.

Happy dog.

Posing by the water

Me & my boy

Hood weekend

Some pics of the boys on our recent July visit to Kristen & Randy's new house....

Ben: "What are you doing Aunt Kawa?"

...a little Logan love.

"Take my picture, Aunt Kawa. Bang-bang!"