Pinterest Pumpkin Pic Fail

Lately, I’ve become obsessed with Pinterest.  I have to limit myself to 30 minutes a day or I will get nothing accomplished… 

While browsing my favorite new website, I came across the cutest Fall baby picture and decided I had to try it with my new niece during my visit to Connecticut.  Bailey already had the hat and everything!

First, we picked out the largest pumpkin we could find at the local pumpkin patch. 

I don’t know why we thought we needed the largest, because Bailey is a tiny baby.  On her birthday, she weighed in at 6 lbs. and 6 weeks later, she’s only 8 lbs.  That’s smaller than me when I was born! 

Then we hollowed-out the pumpkin, saving the seeds to roast.  I enjoyed all of the seeds during our road trip the next day, since no one else likes roasted pumpkin seeds.  What?!  Those were such a fun treat when we were little; a healthy snack to munch on during our Halloween school parties.

Back to the task at hand!

We lined the hollowed-out pumpkin with a garbage bag and then stuffed a pillow in so Bailey wouldn't be swallowed whole.  I guess we could’ve just used the smaller pumpkin, but she was already stripped down so we had to act fast.  “Hurry, stick the baby inside the garbage bag!” we yelled...  That’s just not right.

At first, she didn't seem to mind being stuck inside a pumpkin.  As long as her mama’s hand stayed on her back, propping her up, she was all right.  

But then Emily snuck out of the camera shot and all hell broke loose.

Bailey started to slide down…

Further and further down…

To avoid losing her forever, or having to use the jaws of life to get her out of the giant pumpkin, we stopped clicking away and pulled her out. 

Suprisingly, a few minutes later she was happy to try again! 

This time we balanced her very carefully on top of the pumpkin.  Emily held tight and then quickly stepped away while I went all “sport-mode” with my Canon.

But this didn’t look right either, so we gave up. 

Bailey took a nap and we carved out all three pumpkins while watching Hocus Pocus.

Dracula’s castle with a bat, a monkey for Bailey, 

and a pumpkin-head scarecrow.

Maybe next year, Bailey, when you can sit upright we’ll get a shot like this:

But for now, I have to admit defeat.  My first Pinterest fail.  No!!!

High School Reunion

It’s hard to believe our 10-year high school reunions are coming up soon! Luckily I didn’t need to wait until Spring to see my two best friends from Franklin – Barbara and Megan. Over the past month I've had the chance to meet up with both of them!

When we graduated, we scattered. I moved to Austin, then London. Megan went to school in New Mexico, and then moved to DC to get her graduate degree at Johns Hopkins. Barbara moved to Utah for college, where she met her husband Jeremy, became a teacher, and then a new mom to baby girl Kassandra! 

On her way to Spain for vacation recently, Megan had a long layover in London, so we were able to spend an afternoon together. It was great to catch up. It had been too long – 7 years! 

Graduation Day!

Even though we hadn't seen each other in 7 years either, Barbara and I do keep up through our blogs and email.  During one of our recent email exchanges, Barb mentioned that she had a family reunion in October in San Diego.  I immediately sent her a note back with the dates I would be in California for Cristy’s wedding.  She was feeding Kassandra in the middle of the night when she saw that message, and immediately ran into the bedroom to wake Jeremy up and tell him the good news – we’d be in San Diego the same week!

Barbara and me now, with Kassandra.  

What a coincidence!  I hadn't seen my HS BFFs in 7 years, and within one month, we were able to get together! 

David’s impression of my friends and me in high school is of a bunch of silly, boy-crazy teenage girls.  And we were!  They were great times, and here are some of my favorite moments:

• Megan and I spending our summers at El Paso Country Club tanning and swimming and eating all of the free chile rellenos we could get our hands on.  We were working as lifeguards, but it never felt like work!

My old high school swim team photo.  

I wish I could still eat 7 chile rellenos a day and look like this!

• Calling our parents from pay phones to come and pick us up.  That’s right, kids, I didn’t get my first cell phone until I headed off to college!

• Sleepovers at Megan’s house outside on her trampoline, even the time I got bit on the lip by some kind of horrible bug.  The next morning, it was so swollen I couldn’t speak!

• Dressing up as Huey, Dewey, and Louie for Halloween.  We thought it was awesome, but looking back now, those were the lamest costumes ever.  We just wore green, blue, and red T-shirts with matching visors.

Megan looks so young in this picture!

• The first time we “snuck” off campus for lunch (which was totally allowed, by the way) at Ardovino’s for El Paso’s best spumoni ice cream!

• Rationing out our $3/day for lunch at Wendy’s, where we could get 2 Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers, a Small Fry, and a free glass of water.  Delicious and cheap!  Later, we wised-up and started to go home a couple of days a week so our moms could make us lunch for free!

• Becoming seniors and getting the privilege of dressing up in themed costumes every Friday night for football games.  And then gorging on Taco C after the games.  Elizabeth tells me the senior girls still do this.  Fun!

• Megan and me blasting Lifehouse, Linkin Park, and homemade CD mixes (again, I feel ancient talking about mix tapes and CDs instead of iPod playlists) on the way to lifeguard classes in Socorro.  And during our lunch breaks, we’d have pizza eating contests at Cici’s.  For two thin girls, we could finish off quite a few pizzas!

• Hanging out in my backyard pool every single day of the summer.  And little Elizabeth would push us around on our floats, taking us on “splendid boat rides.”  Later, Barbara tried to help her “become a woman” by teaching her to go underwater without holding her nose.  Elizabeth still holds her nose.

• Summer trips to Cleveland, where Barb and I rode the tallest roller coaster in the world (at that time) and Mexico, where Meg and I would eat the best authentic Mexican food.

Barb and me at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Megan and me at a cabin in Mexico

• Watching ridiculous movies like Billy Madison, Austin Powers, and Heeeewey over and over to memorize all of the lines and songs.

• Dancing around the halls of our high school to Prozac’s Sucks to be You before getting our Walkmans (OMG – Walkmans) confiscated by the principal herself!  Then pointing at each other and continuing to sing, “Sucks to be you!”

The halls of Franklin High

Once we learned to drive, we became even more ridiculous…

• At least once every couple of months, we’d go to a really late movie.  And when we got out, the mall’s parking lot would be practically empty… except for the cleaning van!  We used to chase the cleaning man around the mall’s parking lot (going about 3 mph) just to freak him out.  I think he was more confused than anything.

• Spying on our boyfriends, and once even breaking into one of their cars to steal and destroy his dip (it was a filthy habit anyway)!

• Having water balloon fights with Barb and our friend, Matt, while driving down Mesa.  Once, I threw a balloon at a stranger’s car, not knowing his window was down.  It hit him right in the side of the face and exploded, soaking him.  He was so furious that he started to chase us.  Our car chase lasted about 10 minutes, until the guy got bored and drove away.  Thank goodness Matt was driving that time!

On the last day of school, everyone would go to a 

local park for a giant shaving cream fight

• Off-roading in the desert in our friend’s trucks and Jeeps.  El Paso was a great place to off-road.

• Seeing how many people we could fit into my 4-seater Ford Probe to drive to Sonic for lunch.  I think the record was 8.  My Probe was a piece of s---.  Once, I lost power steering so Barb had to help me crank the wheel on all of the turns home.  Another time, the car became possessed and the windows started rolling up and down on their own while driving to my piano lesson.

• Or the time that Barb and I lost our minds and thought it would be hilarious if I drove down the street with her sitting on the hood of my car.  We crossed four lanes of traffic to get to the Franklin Mountain neighborhood, with her holding on for dear life.  (Actually, now that I think about it, it’s amazing that none of us ever got into an accident…)

Ah, the memories.  High school was such a great time spent with some amazing friends.  Let’s not wait 7 years to get together again, ladies!

Our New Niece in New England

David and I are the proud uncle and aunt of a baby girl named Bailey!  Born September 5th, Bailey is a happy, healthy infant.  My sister, her boyfriend, and Bailey are living in Connecticut.  So before heading to San Diego for Cristy’s wedding last week, I spent a few days on the East coast with our new niece.

Great shirt!  Too bad she looks so sad in it! :(

I flew in Saturday afternoon, and got picked up by Emily, Kendal, and Bailey.  When they asked what I wanted for lunch, I didn’t miss a beat.

“5 Guys!”

Molly introduced David and me to YouTube sensation DaymDrops a couple of weeks ago.  I’d never had 5 Guys and Fries before but Daym Drop’s review made my mouth water.  If you haven’t watched one of his fast food reviews, do it!  Do it now!

5 Guys was everything I imagined.  The fries bit back, the bacon was crispy, and the meat was juicy but not greasy.  It was “Dayum” good!

I have to admit though, the Doritos Locos Taco that I had for dinner that night was even better.  I will never go back to a normal taco again.  The Doritos shell just adds so much more flavor.

But enough about fast food and onto the real reason I was in New England – Bailey!

She is a tiny, precious girl.  She’s not yet sleeping through the night, so she’d sleep a lot during the day.  As the aunt, I just got to enjoy Bailey while her parents changed all the dirty diapers and woke up in the middle of the night with her.  Thanks guys!

Hanging out with my sister and niece on Saturday afternoon

On Sunday, we went to a corn maze in the heart of Connecticut.  

Bailey slept the whole time, 

but still got a sticker when we crossed the finish line.

On Monday, we woke up early (at least Emily and I did – Kendal is used to getting up at 5:30 every day) and packed up the car for a road trip through New England.

Quick break at a nearby reservoir 

In my opinion, this time of year is the best time to visit New England because of all the colors.  The leaves are changing and the weather is cool, but not yet cold.

Our first stop was the Yankee Candle Factory in Massachusetts.  Recently featured on Undercover Boss, this place is huge!  It took a couple of hours to get through all of the different areas.  Bailey made it about 30 minutes before she started screaming for her second breakfast.  Once she ate, she was happy.  Plus we spoiled her by carrying her around everywhere.  Lucky baby!

Halloween section of Yankee Candle

Cute family photo in "Bavaria"

When we started to get headaches from all of the candle-sniffing, it was time to go.

Next stop – Vermont!

We went to a suger house to sample some real maple syrup and learn how syrup is “harvested” in Vermont. It was interesting to see that a lot of the sugar families still use horses to trek through the snow-covered woods to get to the maple trees.  

After stocking up on some authentic maple syrup, we took the scenic route to Ben n Jerry’s. 

We stopped to take some family photos. 

This year's Christmas card?

At Ben n Jerry’s, we took the factory tour and visited the flavor graveyard. Some of those flavors definitely should have died, but a lot of them sounded good. Whoopie Pie? Who doesn't love a Whoopie Pie?

At the end of the tour, we got a couple of scoops of the Milk n Cookies ice cream.  It was sooo good.  I also learned that Ben n Jerry’s makes a Crème Brulee flavor and Cake Batter pint.  What?!  I LOVE cake Batter and couldn’t wait to try the Crème Brulee but they didn’t sell either at Ben n Jerry’s!  Shouldn’t the Vermont factory have EVERYTHING?

Guess not...

We were sooo excited to be there!

I am also sad to say that I turned down the chance to devour the Vermonster.  Conquering the Vermonster has been a dream of mine for many years (much like my Texas-sized donut dream) but there were only three of us there (plus a baby) and I knew we couldn’t finish.  I didn’t want to waste any ice cream, and my stomach was still aching from all the fast food I consumed earlier in the weekend.

After declining the Vermonster, we drove down the road to a Cabot cheese store and did more sampling, and then we headed to the apple orchard for some fresh apple cider, apple cider donut holes, and caramel apple cake.  Yum!

Stomach ache?  What stomach ache? 

We drove back down to Connecticut and called it a night because Kendal and I had to wake up at 4:00 the next morning to get to the airport for my flight to Cali.

My New Enlgand trip was short but sweet.  I loved spending time with my gracious hosts and bonding with Bailey.  She is definitely being spoiled by her Auntie Sarah and Uncle David.  I can’t wait for David to meet her next summer!  She’ll be 9 months during our family vacation to celebrate Elizabeth’s high school graduation.  What a fun age!  She’ll be starting to develop her personality, and probably be mobile.  We can’t wait to teach you how to swim and play in the sand and just spend time together, Bailey.

I miss you already!

A Trip to the Modern (Sh)Art Museum

This past weekend Sarah and I decided to take a little trip down to the Tate Modern Art Museum. Let me start by saying that, except for in rare cases, I am not a fan of modern art. Sure, I have seen some pieces over the past 27 years that I've liked, but for the most part, I just don't see the unique talent and gift that is required to create many of these works. Anyway, about a year ago, Sarah and I paid a visit to the Tate Modern, and upon seeing many of the unnamed exhibits, we vowed to return one day and re-title the pieces with more appropriate labels. Let's begin...

Well, that didn't take long!  We hadn't even entered the building and we already had our first example of modern "art." I don't know how randomly walking and running around in a group is art, but if it is, my favorite pieces would be the games of soccer and rugby. My distaste is clear at the end of this video, as all I could think about were all the wedgies and swirlies I should have been doling out.

I title this piece "The Shinless Wonder", or maybe "No-Shins McGee." 

Either way, someone is in desperate need of calf injections!

"Cat Poop." Not sure what else to say... some random metal cubes and a bunch of pieces of something that looks like poop. Oh, and a huge black Dorito in the background.

"How to wrap a body in duct tape before burying it in your backyard." Seriously, this creepster just took some pieces of wood, attached them to some Debenhams mannequins, and then wrapped them in packaging tape! "That'll be $1 million, please... Now back to my dungeon to work on my next masterpiece!"

"I did the same thing in 3rd grade but no one paid me any money for it."

"Nailed It!"  Literally, this is a bunch of nails hammered into a canvas...

"Sarah's Worst Nightmare." When Sarah saw this, she cried, "All those poor books!" This "artist" took a bunch of other people's written works of art, messed them up, glued them to a board (poorly, I might add), and voila!

"Tic-Tac-Toe." Four pieces of metal wire, with some threads in the shape of a circle in the center. (You never, NEVER start in the middle in tic-tac-toe!) But it's in a glass case, so it's important and valuable. Fail.

"Trash Day." This one screams, "Our ghetto neighbors left their old table on the curb." These two things were leaning against a wall by a doorway. Were they art, or just something that the maintenance team was collecting? If that can actually be considered a valid question, then it's not art.

"Pebble Bulls-Eye." Now if only someone would drop a water balloon or a piano here to wipe this thing out.  Maybe it was done without any instruments and the artist was able to create perfect geometric circles by hand... but I doubt it.

"You missed a spot!" It looks like we missed the frame in this shot, but there actually wasn't one. Just a big square of grey paint with a white section in the middle. Art. There was a married couple staring at this for over 5 minutes and I am not exaggerating (I guess they were analyzing it?). I was dying to ask them how it "spoke" to them.

Don't look closely - there is nothing to miss. Just two cylindrical halogen lights meeting at a 90-degree angle. I didn't realize 7-Eleven halogen lighting was art... 

...or exposed air ducts (yea, they're roped off).

"Cinder Block Jenga"

"Giant Paint Sample." This one just makes me sad and embarrassed when I think of how the artist brought it to the Tate and it was analyzed and swooned over before being put on the wall. I can hear the conversations - "Oh yes, look what he's done here" or "Oh, how splendid that he didn't miss a spot with his paint roller. Hoorah!" Maybe that was the point - to emit an emotion from me because of the irony of how ridiculous this is?

Ahh, not these guys again!! Walking backwards and singing like monks is just weird - stop it!

Thank goodness this museum is free!  Or the "art" wouldn't be the only tragedy here.