Happy Halloween

Pumpkins

Aargh, Matey!

No this is not Rory's Halloween costume.
We went to a toy store with Mimi yesterday and she bought him an eye patch and an earring and he rolled in the stroller saying "Argh!" to passer-bys. It actually came in handy for the car ride home. We were already 50% in on the nap process thanks to the eye patch. All he had to do was close the other eye and off to sleepy land he went. Thanks, Mimi!

Bubble Gum

The other night after dinner, we all got a piece of gum out of the kids Halloween bucket and had a bubble blowing contest. Maggie just learned how to blow a bubble and boy does she work hard at it...

Music Monday

In honor of Halloween week...an 80's staple.

This was the very first cassette tape I ever owned. I listened to it over and over and even had a nightgown that said "Beat It" (it came with one silver glove!!!).

Can you sit still to this song? I can't. Do you have any great memories attached to this song?

Michael Jackson Thriller 1982
The original extended version is here.

Pumpkin Patch

...pumpkin patch pooped.

Bathtime

I voted...

...have you?

More Visiting in Nashville

I have a strange mesh of friends that I left behind in Nashville when I move away. There's a handful of Houstonian/Nashvillians that I've known for years, college friends and work friends. I feel I need to make the rounds when I'm there but love when worlds collide and I can have a night out with a mixture of friends.

Here are some mre pics from my time there...

Lindsay, Gabe, Luke and I all went to surprise
Sammy C with lunch

Video gaming with my buddy Sam

The Houston/Nashville girls

My old bosses, Rod & Susan (with Anna) and KK

Pancake Pantry (a Nashville MUST)

...with Lindsay and Sara

Music Monday

My friend, Lindsay told me about this girl a year ago and I haven't been able to stop listening to the album since then! I've started hearing her on the radio. Finally...some good CCM! (Can you tell I'm jaded?) The whole album is very well written, played and sung. And very addicting.

Brooke Fraser Shadowfeet 2007

My kids came too...

When I was packing to leave last week. Rory said that he was sad he couldn't go with me. He asked if "Little Rory" could go instead. He ran to the refrigerator and pulled off Little Maggie, Rory and Sully and said, "Here, take us with you".

So I did. Here are my kids in Nashville with me...

On the airplane
With Sam and Gabe

With my Belmont buddies

Out to lunch

with Aunt Lindsay

watching Sam play soccer

Sully and Luke

Rory and his buddy Gabe

finally back home

Back to Belmont

It has been more than 10 years since I met these ladies and spent every day with them on the Belmont University campus. Unappetizing lunches in the "caf", beautiful fall days listening to our friends play the guitar on the lawn and singing along, crazy Sara and her purple backpack WAY too full of books running to catch up with us while we prayed she wouldn't trip and seriously hurt herself this time, and coming home to our on-campus apartment and telling my roomies that Casey had just proposed. Good times!

A lot on campus has changed. They've added buildings where we remember a small parking lot being and all of the sudden...there stands a huge auditorium! But so much was the same. The bookstore, the bathrooms, the smell of the music building as you enter the doors, the beautiful landscaping and gazebos that are the nucleus of the small campus.

We loved getting to go back. Older. Wiser. 9 kids between us (2 of whom came along for the tour)!!! We shared memories and our first impressions of one another. Snob. Ditz. Dances-everywhere-she-goes. Stuck-up. We couldn't have been more wrong about each other (except for Sara...she does dance everywhere she goes). And capped it all off by singing our Alma-Mater at the top of our lungs!

In front of our old dorm, Maddox Hall

The Belmont Tower where good 'ol Dr. Shadinger
used to play the bells in the morning The stroller Mamas, Jess & Sara

Lisa modeling the latest in collegiate
fashion at the BU bookstore

Debate '08 signage was up everywhere. This is the
Curb Auditorium where the debate took place

Lisa & Corrie in the middle of the campus

Me & Lisa in front of the student center

The music majors (Sorry, Corrie) in front of the
Sam Wilson School of Music Building

And for your viewing pleasure...a tour of the practice rooms where we used to spend most of our time. Hours of piano practicing, vocalizing, accompanist rehearsals and a lot of goofing off.

Mighty Bow Hunter

A mighty bow hunter in the making... Rory got a bow that shoots nerf balls at Bass Pro Shop on Saturday. I hung my stand in the backyard and let him shoot out of it.

NOTE: Before anyone calls CPS, or I get an angry call from a grandmother, the tree stand is about 18 inches off the ground.

Dad is Flying Solo

What does dad do with three kids when mom is out of town?

Bass Pro Shop, of course.

Collin joined us for the trek out to Katy. We ate at Johnny Rockets. When the waitress brought Collin his ketchup, Rory said, "Hey... that looks just like you."