San Antonio

I didn't get to blog the entire time I was in San Antonio, due to the fact that my ancient laptop died a sudden death. Or got a virus, I'm still trying to figure that out. Anyhow, here are some quick highlights of the trip. I will post a full-on recap when I return from Thanksgiving (Vegas baby!).

Highlight #1: More teachers than I've ever met/seen in my life. They were so stoked on life, on teaching, on the NWP. They were amazing and inspiring. I loved it.

Highlight #2: LIVE BULL RIDING. Yes, I said it. It was indoor. It was at a place called "Cowboy Dance Hall". There were 2 live bands, 2 step, and poker. And chain smoking and lots of 10 gallon hats. It was pure heaven.

Highlight #3: Hanging w/ my favorite co-workers. Piano bars that played amazing covers. A dive bar called the Gulch, where a round of 3 Bud's cost $6. Burgers, beer, and no-whiner dinners at the hotel bar. Awesome.

Highlight #4: Taking an old fashioned picture with Spike (see Highlight #3). Will post as soon as I get it scanned. Let's just say the roles were reversed (I had a bolero tie, Spike was in a southern-belle dress).

Time to pack for Vegas. Thanks, San Antonio, for the great time!

Weekend recap + trip details

So, many of you may know that I organized a 50th birthday party for my mom this past Friday night. It started off with a lovely family dinner at my aunt's house, complete with photos of my mom (when she was a youngster/awkward teen up to her marriage photos). She loved the decorations and theme of the party - it was "country in the city"...

After that we headed down to the Saddlerack bar - for those who may not know of the notorious Saddlerack, it's a country bar/club in this weird warehouse area in Fremont. My parents used to frequent it in the late 70's when it was located in San Jose. At any rate, there were about 20 of us there, honky-tonkin' it up! I caught my mom on multiple occasions on the line-dancing floor, trying to keep up with the cowboys that were strutting their stuff. It was an AWESOME night.

For her birthday present, I got us tickets to see Carrie Underwood on Saturday night (a little selfish, I know, since I wanted to see her as well!) It was a great girls night out - we got dressed up and took BART to the Oakland Arena. We had incredible seats, I was so excited! (I had bought the tickets in August, so I didn't remember where we were sitting). Anyway, Carrie put on an incredible show. I mean, really, that girl can sing! I didn't know what to expect, since sometimes seeing people live is disappointing. Her show was the exact opposite - upbeat, fun, loud, and she's a very humble person. All of those people that rag on her should really recognize how great of a singer she is, no matter how she got there, or what kind of music she sings.

So now, I'm packing up and heading to San Antonio tomorrow for NWP's Annual Meeting. It's going to be an exhausting 6 days of work work work! I'm hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the Alamo, and hopefully see the world's largest cowboy boots (pictures above). I'm also crafting like NOBODY'S business, trying to get gifts ready for the upcoming holiday season! The next month and a half are going to go by soooo fast!

Sleepover

This past weekend, Cadence came over for a sleepover at our house. She's growing up soooo fast, it's pretty unbelievable! We mostly just hung out, she ate lots of bananas, and chased the cats around the house. It definitely calmed down my thumping uterus...(which I think Paul is very happy about!)

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom turned 50 years young yesterday. When I spoke with her yesterday morning, she was a little groggy from "honky tonkin" the night before. Wish I could have been with you to celebrate, mom! Luckily for her, my family and friends are throwing her a country-inspired party this Friday night, complete with dinner and dancing at the Saddlerack club in Fremont. Here's a few photos of the mom-ster as a young-ster!

Life is GOOD

I've been battling a sinus infection, thus have been MIA on the blog, and also haven't "really" been able to celebrate appropriately. But, damn....am I (finally) proud to be an American!

Get out the vote!

Ahh, my friends....the most important day in the history of elections is upon us. There's such a great energy in the office and outside...I think it's a mixture of nervous energy, hope and excitement. I'm trying my best to have good thoughts, to not think about what could happen if McPain gets elected. My stomach hurts just thinking about it.

Well what are you waiting for?? Go vote!