a veritable plethora of...

cool words, succinct and sometimes terse....

David is gardening---everyday he comes home, changes clothes and checks his vegetables. He loves this---very cathartic. With the Texas storms we been having, he is doing a lot of "honey-do's" fixing roof shingles and fence slats. He lost his blackberry---lost like a boy without his toy! David worries that I make him sound too good to be true---so watch for that post!

Jasmine turned 20---wow---really? jasmine will always be about 11 to me....what a lovely kid she's turned out to be---fun, funny---trying so hard to be growed up---it was hard to not be with her on her birthday...guess her cute husband will have to suffice. If you havent read his blog---he doesnt post often---but its a cute read--and ode to my baby! Lyric turned 21---lyric has always been 21....she just now has caught up....what a lovely girly-girl she's turned out to be---she is my touchstone (2 points to who-ever can quote that movie---not you lyric)...trying so hard to be growed up---hard and fun to watch her growing pains...nice to be with her on her birthday...we were more than enough....we're on to you. life is still an upheaval for her---but she seems to be clawing her way out of the quagmire.

MY BABY IS HAVING A BABY!

sorry kids---this trumps everything....love you all and all that---but this is it. :) Leah & Joe will be giving David & I our 1st grandchild in November--we have waited and wanted this for about 5 years (and happily encouraged our daughters to teach us delayed gratification)....but yay!yay!yay!

Sam came home for his first weekend visit...he is living in Waco at a group home. We were all very anxious (the good and bad kind of ) for this visit. He had to sit on a bus for 5 hours for a 100 mile trip...got in at 1 a.m. He has gained about 10 pounds...that is very good...taller than Ace...also good. It was a good time---he was home all of 36 hours. He slept in....helped Dave & Ace with some chores....mostly just wandered around unless we gave him something to do. We took the two boys to Incredible Pizza Place on Saturday...rode go-karts and had a good time...went to a couple of very nice wedding receptions...natalie & chad and richard & Jennifer...then some switch went off and he got really grouchy....really grouchy....at this same point, Molly called wanting money, playing the "you dont care about me" guilt card (I dont sucker into that outwardly--so it doesnt really work)---but she does have a job and is going to graduate--YAY!....got off the phone and had to just stand there....i was a wreck....this was a deja vu that i didnt want to re-visit...this is how i lived the entire year of 2007....yeah---see my St Patrick's day post

Ace & I are doing Music Man at the local community theater---rehearsals until shows the entire month of June---first night of rehearsal the director approaches me to play the piano---no prob---by the end of the evening she announced me as assistant music director...which means i get to go to a lot of rehearsals and help the Barbershop quartet learn their parts and help Harold Hill learn his cadences...yeah--love that---but its wearing out my voice...so I spend a lot of days not talking to conserve my voice....(how silly is that--I work at a call center talking on the phone everyday!) ...DancingMoose is picking up the pace for our shows...we are at one a week---and hope to go full-time (like 2-3 shows a week) by mid-summer...just got 2 gigs in one week in October---one in Albuquerque and one in Atlanta! ---

and because I choose to live vicariously through all of these people---I am worn out and energized....and i have great stories!

the theme for today---cool words---each paragraph has a lovely word or two! find em! AND---what new technology did my baby girl help me figure out? hmmmm?

...she's not having three...but

the sunflowers should answer your question....and this sunflower will bloom in November!

I love texas weather....

Last night a storm blew through----we lost a transformer---so we are without power---school is closed since most of the schools dont have power---trees are down everywhere, street lights out everywhere....we're gonna get a new roof out of this storm! Ace immediately got on his bike and rode around to see the damage. David got his generator out to hook up the freezer and refrigerator---I came to work....cant see at home to put on make-up. The storms were predicted---but not as bad as this. There were tornadoes somewhere in the dallas/ft worth area---not us tho---just lots of damage from trees falling. Our neighbors party canopy got put in another neighbors backyard---totally shredded. Lyric and I were up til 2 talking---the storm was blowing pretty good then---I was up at 330-4 when the transformer popped. This is the pole after the tree that hit it was cleared away...the transformer pole landed on the power lines---lots of sparks and arcs with this! Ace jumped out of bed to close the windows in lyric's room (her room is a bit damp now---she totally slept thru it). This morning the sidewalks were full of people checking out the situation. Interesting to see all the neighbors walking around looking at the damage and chatting....brings us out of our comfort zones. I love Texas weather....as long as we only lose our power for 1 day---we got our power back about 3 a.m. Friday morning---we watched the power guys climbing up and down the poles---at midnight---with only a harnass on---THERE IS NO PAYCHECK HIGH ENOUGH TO MAKE THAT JOB WORTH IT!

We did learn a lot about our emergency preparedness---we have everything we need---now just have to have it more readily available---not trying to track down the batteries/candles/flashlights...etc. We got to try out our generator---used it to keep the freezer and refrigerator going---realized that we could use a bigger one if we wanted to have anything else on it. I also learned I am way too dependent on technology for my information and amusement!

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

what is disappointment and how do you avoid it? not really a rhetorical question---- the pessimist in me says "lower your expectations, you will never be disappointed"---the optimist in me says "readjust what you thought was the optimal result---and you wont be disappointed---just see new options"---the control-freak in me says "if you work hard enough you can plow thru and power thru anything and have it happen the way you think it should"---the realist in me says "whatever" (maybe that is more the fatalist)---the mom in me says "dont you see the bus coming? get out of the street!".

yes--I know---this is fairly cryptic---but its my blog and I can crypt if I want to.

Conference weekend

...was lovely---we stayed home and lounged and watched conference---thanks to the technology of satellite! Got to see our new prophet, Thomas S Monson, in his first time as prophet and president of the church. What a wonderful man---so endearing---you could feel his spirit as he spoke. I loved listening to President Eyring---he is always my favorite. I love that he allows himself to get emotional as he speaks. Enjoyed President Uchtdorf .....doing so much of the conducting---gave us a good chance to get familiar with him....truly is an international church. Loved that we heard so much of personal-family type stories---Ace & Dave loved when President Monson wiggled his ears on camera!

I served a small-ish super bowl type meal during the sessions ---I use any excuse as a way to fix finger-food---my favorite to serve!

Shipoopi

....I have long used this word as a term of endearment for my kids...no one seemed to know where it is from! MUSIC MAN! Ace and I both got chorus parts (I do get to sing Pick-a-little-talk-a-little and be in the One Grecian Urn---that will be fun)---this will be fun to do.

Our new rooms.....

...again...not a great photographer---but we have almost finished (with the exception of wall decor, which go up this week) two of the upstairs bedrooms---we've enjoyed doing this together---dave has done a great job (albeit taken a lot longer than he wanted or planned)---here's some pics of Ace's room---the dresser turned out beautiful.... to truly appreciate the re-do---this dresser was covered with 25 years of white paint, then red paint, then burgundy paint---it took Dave forever to strip and sand it---but he got to get new tools---so he was happy.
Ace's room is red/black/gray----he painted the bed and shelves---chose all the bedding.. and yes---that is Nemo on his window ledge.....and a Superman pillow on his bed....still my baby boy!the hairy stuff standing up by the shelves are his collection of Harry Potter brooms! Ace's room used to have a blue w/clouds ceiling (a nightmare to repaint) and a mural on 2 walls of a landscape with a barn, tepee, trees, the carpet was nasty 10 yr old---furniture was so beat up from 2 boys growing up in that room... Our Guest room! first time we've ever had a place we can close the door and have ready for guests---what a wonderful thing! ---it will be the L.D. Bell room---with all of our band memorabilia around...a shrine to my favorite past-time--marching band. I've gathered all the old T-shirts from all the years of marching band and the different competitions, medals, band pics, marching band charts---I'm excited to finish this room---has our PS2 and a tv in it to finish off the 'den/guestroom' feel...this room used to be lemon yellow and sky blue---including the doors and closet---again---DONT EVER LET YOUR KIDS DO THAT!---but now it is neutral---and HGTV says that is good...so when you come to visit me---ask to see my shrine!

a loverly weekend....

Dave, Ace, Lyric & I tripped down to Lago Vista to spend Saturday with my sis, Eden & her hubby, Bill. We chatted and sang in the car (yay Flo-rida)....stopped in quick at IKEA....what a great store. Eden & Bill live on a golf course---deer everywhere---she is a wonderful hostess. We went to a quirky and fairly lame festival in Marble Falls---but walking around together was fun. Went back to their house for a loverly dinner (Eden loves to cook gourmet---its always good)---then we watched "Princess Bride" from their HUGE DVD collection---and then headed home---long day---but nice--very relaxing and always love a change of scenery. I love having Eden in Texas---they used to live in San Francisco---when Bill decided to retire they looked all over the country for a place to live---decided on the Hill country (Bill is an avid Harley rider)---Eden works very hard to stay connected with us---they come up here a lot---David & Bill strolling the boardwalk of Marble Falls---very patient as we ducked in and out of little boutiques and quirky art stores.
this store is called "It's All About Me"---a long-standing family joke with Lyric---this was a good weekend for Lyric to just get out of Ft Worth and spend time with us.