Anna is rocking her life at the moment. She is thriving at Life Bridges and even has a new boyfriend, Freddy. The Dak Prescott obsession has faded a bit since the Cowboys are in the off season. We are focusing on healthier choices and exercising more. Her annual ARD is tomorrow and she was involved in setting goals in our pre-meeting. She is going to try to go out in the community more with Life Bridges, start using different transportation options, continue to transition from one activity to another with fewer prompts, make her lunch (including prep and cleanup) once a week, and try attending a day hab this summer.

21 is one of those milestone years where reality stings a tiny bit. We should be taking her out for her first official drink at a bar and getting ready to celebrate her graduation from college. But that’s more my reality and dreams for her than her own. Anna is perfect just as she is and I’m so lucky to be her mom. She’s taught me to live in the moment, laugh every day, and appreciate routine. When we have those moments that are extra-ordinary, we appreciate them. Today is extraordinary. Happy Birthday, Booski! I love you soooooo much!

Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy Birthday! Whew! Love you, Anna!!!

Dominic and my mom mostly stayed in during the four days we were gone. The day after we got back (this was a Thursday), Dominic got his booster shot. The next day, he developed a sore throat which progressed to congestion and a low-grade fever which we attributed to the vaccine. By Sunday, he was feeling really sick and the sore throat was severe. So I took him to the doctor on Monday thinking it was strep throat. They swabbed his throat and nose, testing for strep, flu, and Covid. We were shocked to learn that he was Covid positive! Since school was supposed to start back on Tuesday, we decided to keep Anna home too. The population of Life Bridges is a little more vulnerable than most and we were being cautious. In fact, we all stayed quarantined for a week just to be careful not to expose anyone. We assumed we would all get sick. By Wednesday, Dominic’s fever broke and his sore throat resolved by Saturday. I ordered some home test kits which arrived Friday. And what do you know? None of the rest of us got it! All Covid negative. Huh.

I took this photo specifically for the New Braunfels Photographic Society. The January Assignment theme was Artist’s Choice which meant we could submit anything we wanted. (Go check out the gallery, there were some beautiful images shared!) I’m hoping to share all of my photos this year since I was hit or miss sharing any from last year. I thought it might be fun to show you what the Assignments were for 2021 and what I created. I didn’t win any Image of the Month awards last year but the club did award me with Member of the Year which is a huge honor. Thanks guys!

2021 Assignment Images

January: Something Old

Love Sustains in WWII

The photo in the background is my grandmother on my mom’s side. My grandfather carried her photo in his backpack all through WWII. The photo was in his backpack when he got shot at and actually has a bullet hole through the lower left corner. Pappy brought this little angel figurine home from Japan to my Grandma as a gift after the war. <3<3<3

February: Negative Space

441,000

As of February 1st, 2021, the death toll in the USA from Covid-19 was 441,000. I took this negative space themed photo in honor of those who died. This pandemic has changed the world, it will be written about in history books forevermore. As of today, January 12th, 2022, the death toll is 842,000.

March: SOOC

Wood Sorrel

SOOC stands for Straight Out of Camera… so no editing whatsoever. My mom cultivates a lot of weeds… yes on purpose! Her Egyptian tortoises eat a lot of various weeds and she likes to feed them fresh greens almost daily. However, this little tiny yellow blossom, called a Wood Sorrel, or Oxalis, is not safe for tortoises. The entire flower is less than a half an inch big. It is so delicate and beautiful! I used live view and my tilt screen on my camera to get low without having to lay down on the ground to get this perspective.

April: Glass

Mom’s Depression Glass

My mom has been collecting depression glass most of her adult life. She has red, green, and this pretty clear yellow glass. She pulls it out for special occasions. It’s very delicate and elegant.

May: Flowers

Rose Repose

We had an influx of worms and caterpillars last spring and I was lucky enough to get this caterpillar inching his way across one of our roses. I love the composition of this.

June: HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Did not participate… I’m not a fan of HDR.

July: Landscape

Paradise

This was from our trip to Key West. Isn’t that sunset spectacular? I love the sailboat and palm tree near the edge of the island. We were standing on the edge of Mallory Square with tons of people all around us. That was a fun trip!

August: Imperfection

Imperfect Petal

I didn’t have much time to shoot anything for this theme, so I went looking for imperfections in our backyard. This little flower is nearly perfect, except for one spot on the right petal. Normally I would have cloned that out and made it perfect but sometimes there is beauty in the imperfect too.

September: Inspired by Art

Did not participate, it was a tough theme from 2020 that our club members liked. I found it too time consuming. Maybe if I hadn’t been doing a P365, I might have been inspired.

October: High Key/Low Key

Baby Orb on Tiny Rain Lilies

My mom is always looking out for macro opportunities for me. She found this teeny tiny baby orb spider on a rain lily in the backyard and carefully brought it over for me to photograph. Since the theme was high key/low key, I put it on my white windowsill and used the window light to create a high key background. Then I rotated the image 45-degrees to the left. I was pleased with how much detail I was able to achieve.

November: Humor

Knock Knock

Every morning I take my mother a thermos of coffee from our full pot of Sumatra. Last Friday Anna and I took the coffee over before Anna went to Life Bridges and we saw this toad sitting on mom’s doorstep! He did not hop away when we approached him so I went home and got my camera to see if I could grab a shot. Not only did I get a shot but I got a little video, which most of you will see in November’s 1 Second Everyday project. Doesn’t he look likes he’s saying, “Knock, knock, is anyone home?” Made me laugh!

December: Stormy Weather

Hill Country Summer Storm

This is a panorama shot I took in July when we were having some big hill country summer thunderstorms. I was on Shady Hollow in our neighborhood and the sky just looked so dramatic that I stopped to get a photo specifically for this Stormy Weather theme (we are allowed to shoot anytime after the themes are announced). I was on a hill which is why the ground is curved near the left.

Thanks for looking!

Merry Christmas Eve

Twas the night before Christmas… and I had never been so prepared and not prepared at the same time! I got my immediate family’s gifts purchased on Black Friday (online) and got the tree up that weekend too. We celebrated Jenny’s birthday then went to Vegas. Ever since, I’ve been playing catch up. I totally forgot to get stocking stuffers. I didn’t really get gifts for anyone else. I didn’t make goodie bags for our wonderful support team (educators, house cleaners, garbage pickup, pool service, neighbors, etc.). But I did manage to make pecan balls to send to Pennsylvania (they are on their way, Beanie!) and snap a Christmas Eve photo. We had peace in the house and we were all looking forward to Christmas morning. 

Day 359, Saturday, December 25th, 2021

Our Merry Elf

Ever since he was old enough to walk, Dominic has loved passing out gifts to people from under the Christmas tree. While we were drinking our coffee Saturday morning waiting on Nana to toddle over, Dominic distributed everyone’s gifts in nice piles. He got trash bags and scissors prepped too. I can’t remember what he was telling us here but it was surprising news!

Day 360, Sunday, December 26th, 2021

The Prettiest Ribbon

We were packing up and getting ready to drive to New Mexico Sunday morning but I couldn’t resist snapping a quick macro of the prettiest ribbon. My mom is a ribbon-aholic and has so many beautiful ribbons from which to choose fro wrapping. Every year, mom outdoes herself with pretty wrapping, especially with bows and ribbons. The wrapping is a gift unto itself! Just a quick snap then Curtis, Anna, and I were off on a 10.5 hour drive to visit Pam and her family.

Day 361, Monday, December 27th, 2021

Sheilah Making Cinnamon Rolls

We woke up Monday morning excited to go to Pam’s house. We got there a little after 10 after stopping at Walmart to see if they had an official NFL football. Anna decided that the regular football she had wasn’t good enough… it wasn’t Dak worthy because it didn’t have the NFL logo. Walmart did not have one in the store. When we got to Pam’s, Sheilah was busy bustling around the kitchen making homemade cinnamon rolls. OMG. Those rolls were the most delicious thing ever. And that was just the beginning of delicious food she cooked all day long!

Day 361, Monday, December 27th, 2021

Anna and Gregg Dak-ing Out

Even though Gregg is a Steelers fan, he was very kind to watch some Cowboys and Dak Prescott videos with his niece. Curtis was playing on his new Oculus in the background while Seth kept a watchful side eye on me. Gregg told Anna about the Duke football, it’s the kind that they actually use in the game. That gave her something new to look up!

Day 361, Monday, December 27th, 2021

Pam Laughing at Anna

While Anna regaled Uncle Gregg with Dak accomplishments and just how cute he was, Pam smiled at the two of them bonding. Seth wasn’t sure of my camera and how I kept aiming it at his loved ones, lol. Pam’s hand infection is mostly healed and the whole household is better (for the most part) from the COVID infection that hit them at Thanksgiving. I think we made it there and back without getting sick, yay! We were careful wearing our masks in public and using hand sanitizer too. I’m so glad we all got our booster shots too.

Day 361, Monday, December 27th, 2021

Mountains All Around

Anna wanted to go outside to throw the football around and I took my camera to capture the mountains that surrounded us. Edgewood is about 6700 feet up and we could feel it! We had a few passes that we went up and down on our drive in and by the time we arrived, one of our chip bags had puffed up from the pressure.

Day 361, Monday, December 27th, 2021

Happy Anna

The Cowboys and Dak Prescott obsession remains strong and Anna loves playing football any time she can find a willing partner. She was so happy to have Pam and Gregg come out and watch her and Daddy toss the ball back and forth. Happy girl! We had a delicious Christmas dinner, played some Cards Against Humanity, then went back to the hotel late.

Day 362, Tuesday, December 28th, 2021

Serious Snow Storm

Pam warned us that we might see snow during our visit. And on Tuesday, the weather warnings started. That sky! That was a very serious snow storm brewing to the north. It didn’t start really falling in our area until overnight.

Day 362, Tuesday, December 28th, 2021

Dramatic Sky

I couldn’t decide which photo of the giant dark cloud I liked better so I thought I’d share both! I just kneeled down to try to isolate the dead tree trunk but still got a shed intersecting with part of it. It really was quite dramatic! We woke up Wednesday to about an inch of snow on the ground. Though it was a short visit, it was wonderful to see Pam, Gregg, Gabe, and Sheilah. Gabe really doesn’t like having his picture taken so I was trying to respect that. We missed Dominic like crazy (and mom and the dogs too!) but I was so glad that we went. Thank you guys for hosting and cooking!!!

Day 363, Wednesday, December 29th, 2021

UFO Museum

We decided to come back home the more southern route (only about a 10 minute difference in driving time) and go through Roswell. Neither Curtis nor I had ever been there. GPS routed us around town so once we realized that, we went back into town. Curtis wanted to pick up an alien souvenir to put on his office shelf so we stopped at the UFO Museum. I stayed by the car and he ran inside. There wasn’t as much touristy stuff in town as I was expecting.

Day 363, Wednesday, December 29th, 2021

Leaving Welcome to Roswell

As we were leaving Roswell, I spotted the Welcome to Roswell sign on the opposite side of the road. I pulled a quick U-turn so I could get a photo. It sits in front of a now defunct locked building called the Roswell Test Facility. I thought it was some alien thing but nooo… it just used to be a saline water testing plant.

Day 364, Thursday, December 30th, 2021

Hidden in the Grass

Ahhh it’s nice to be home, especially nice to be back in our own bed. The older I get, the more hotel beds feel uncomfortable! We went from high 20s, biting wind, and snow to 80-degrees and sunny in one day. I was out back playing football with Anna when I noticed tons of tiny butterflies flitting among the grass. I wasn’t sure I could capture one, they move so quickly and were so low, but I got this one partially hidden. Butterflies always make me thing of my Nanny (whose birthday was January 1st).

Day 365, Thursday, December 31st, 2021

Sister Necklaces

Here we are at the end of 2021. What a strange year. We all thought it couldn’t be worse than 2020 and 2021 said, “Here, hold my beer!” Thankfully we didn’t lose anyone in our family and those who had COVID recovered. We have a lot to be grateful for. One of the best things that happened this year was reconnecting in person with Lisa and Pam, my sisters. I got them each this necklace… three hearts for three sisters. I’m the oldest so my first heart is solid, Lisa’s solid heart is in the middle (it should have arrived Wednesday, Lisa!), and Pam’s is the end. (That pretty blue ring was a gift from Jenny on her 30th birthday… yep, she got ME a gift for being a mom for 30 years, I cried!)

I’m not sure what I’m going to do in 2022 with my photography but I’m going to slow down and be more mindfully present. Update my website, catch up on some personal projects, but definitely continue the One Second Everyday project. I’ll post the year long compilation video soon! Love you all!

The End. Thanks for looking!

Chopping Onion for Chili

I’ve been in the mood to cook a lot lately! Last week I made a big batch of vegetarian chili, I think I’ve shared the final product on my daily project already this year. I just love watching a show on my iPad while Curtis plays Spider-Man in the background while I cook. I had already chopped up the green bell peppers and was tackling the onion next. The Shrink Next Door kept me company (and wow, who knew that Will Ferrell and Paul Ruud were so stinking talented as serious actors?!?).

Day 353, Saturday, December 18th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 354, Sunday, December 19th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 355, Monday, December 20th, 2021

Nana’s Support Squad

Poor mom. She’s been through so much the last few months. She lost a crown a couple of weeks ago and the dentist decided it was time for the tooth to get pulled. It was supposed to get done the week before Vegas but she decided to wait until we got home. I got her and Anna’s COVID booster shots scheduled for just before this appointment. The Omicron variant is causing a big uptick in our county of positive cases. Dominic delighted us with deciding to come with us (kids are out of school for Christmas break), so mom had me, Anna, and Dominic all there to support her. Two hours later, we were on our way to get milkshakes.

Day 356, Tuesday, December 21st, 2021

Merry Christmas from Nailed It

Anna did so well while we were in Vegas and during her last few weeks at Life Bridges that I wanted to reward her with some quality time. So I got us both mani-pedi appointments at Nailed It on Tuesday. She chose a pretty dark sky blue polish for fingers and toes and I got red on my toes and soft white on my fingers. We had a good time but then she suddenly cratered. Her COVID vaccine hit her and she started running a fever by the time we were home. Thankfully it just lasted a few hours. Didn’t they have the cutest Insta backdrop?!

Day 357, Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021

No photos today.

Day 358, Thursday, December 23rd, 2021

Winter Leaves

I hadn’t taken my macro out in ages and the weather has been unseasonably warm so I took my camera out to my backyard on Thursday. We have a crepe myrtle that had a handful of leaves clinging to a few branches. These bright red leaves remind me of falls in Ohio. Even though we are officially into the winter season now, the colors are all autumn.

Thanks for looking!

Scooby Doo Escape Room

Jenny and Wyatt love to do escape rooms and try to visit one in each city they visit. Jenny’s birthday gift to Curtis was treating us to an Escapology experience in Vegas. Curtis looked at all of the choices before we left and he wanted to do the Scooby Doo room. It was rated a 7 out of 10 in difficulty. This was our first time trying one and it was so much fun! There were 2 additional rooms that we had to figure out how to access from the first room. Each one of us was able to contribute a vital solution to a clue to keep moving forward. We got out with 7 minutes to spare. We made a great team!

Day 344, Friday, December 10th, 2021

Caesar’s Fountain

After the escape room, we took a cab to the Forum at Caesar’s Palace to do some window shopping. What an enormous mall! Three levels with multiple off-shoots, we wandered for about an hour then walked back to our hotel. I got this cute shot of Jenny and Wyatt in front of one of the fountains. There were a few times I regretted not bringing my professional camera but I was grateful to not have to lug it around.

Day 344, Friday, December 10th, 2021

Bombshell in the Front Row

Our birthday gift to Jenny was picking up dinner for the crew Thursday night at Lavo and tickets to see Absinthe. It’s an intimate theater set in a big top tent outside of Caesar’s Palace with all the seats in a round configuration around a centered round stage. The show is a mix of circus, burlesque, and vaudeville and is extremely raunchy. We laughed so hard we turned purple! We had front row seats and sure enough, our ringmaster, The Gazillionaire, noticed Jenny right away. Many lewd comments and some suggestive hip thrusts later, Jenny was blushing and happy to be noticed.

Day 344, Friday, December 10th, 2021

Absinthe was Amazing

What an incredible show! We highly recommend anyone traveling to Vegas to see Absinthe. The acts were so talented… everything from strong men, acrobatics, strip tease, comedy sketches, even a guy who performed inside a plastic tube that dropped from the ceiling! We laughed until the point of tears, we were wowed by the artistry and strength, and we would see it again. 

Day 345, Saturday, December 11th, 2021

Dream Racing Lamborghini

My mom gifted Curtis with a race car driving experience at Dream Racing for his birthday. Curtis was so excited and a little nervous too. He chose to drive the Lamborghini and he upgraded from 5 laps to 7. We watched a training video then got to ride with an instructor in a Mercedes SUV. Wow, it’s a super curvy twisty track! When we got back, Curtis got to get in the Lambo and start it up. Vroom vroom!

Day 345, Saturday, December 11th, 2021

7 Laps Later

Curtis was super charged on adrenaline when he finished his 7 laps. He said it went by so quick. He topped out at 142 mph only because the straight aways are very short on this track. He loved it and wants to do it again.

Day 345, Saturday, December 11th, 2021

Entering Wink World

After racing, we met Jenny, Wyatt, Selena, Tucker, Laura, and Tommy at Area 15. It’s a giant immersive playground for grownups. We joked that it had to have been made my stoners! There was axe throwing, multiple VR experiences, several bars and restaurants, art shows, and all set in a black lit surreal environment with music playing. After having a drink at Oddworld (where we had the best bourbon ever), we got tickets to see Wink World, a 3D music and light show with 6 distinct rooms, each with a cool message about the infinite being within ourselves. Surreal dude!

Day 345, Saturday, December 11th, 2021

Jenny’s Grownup Capri Sun

After Wink World, we had snacks at The Beast. Jenny was soooo excited to get a grownup Capri Sun. She looked like a little kid again trying to poke the straw through the pouch! The girls all liked it so much that they ordered more to take with us (I smuggled Jenny’s out in my purse, lol). We went back to the hotel for a siesta then went out for a late dinner with just Jenny and Wyatt. We ate at Peppermill and Fireside Lounge, a retro vibe diner with deep circular lounge areas set around fireplaces. 

Day 346, Sunday, December 12th, 2021

Slots Before Leaving

Jenny and Wyatt had an early flight back so they could get the dogs out of boarding, but Curtis and I got to lounge at the hotel until checkout. We decided to each play $20 on the slots. I was up $7.75 and decided to cash out. Curtis put a second $20 in and ended up winning $48. We just aren’t big gamblers. We said goodbye to the Bellagio and headed to the airport to eat lunch there. When we got on our flight, we saw Laura and Tommy!

Day 346, Sunday, December 12th, 2021

Back in Texas

Ahhh back in Texas. It’s always so nice to come home, isn’t it? We flew in and out of Austin so we had to take a shuttle to the car then drive an hour home. We had one of the best vacations ever, with so many fun experiences. It was a much needed break and we feel so blessed that Jenny wanted to share her Dirty Thirty birthday with us and her friends. Thank you, Angel!

Day 347, Monday, December 13th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 348, Tuesday, December 14th, 2021

Presentation Day

Dominic had finals all week last week. Tuesday was his English presentation. They were studying Hamlet and finding examples of current mental health issues in the play. He worked with two other students on the project. Their PSA covered anxiety and they got a 96! Dominic finished the semester with straight As!!!!!

Day 349, Wednesday, December 15th, 2021

The Carpet Cleaner

Unfortunately while Curtis and I were in Vegas, Lola had a tummy bug. Ewww. Multiple carpet stains on multiple area rugs. Charlie also horked up some gross stuff. Mom thinks that the dogs were eating on the palm tree debris. We lost both big palms by the pool with the snowstorm we had in February and they had to come down. I guess the insides of the trees were rotting and the dogs thought that was the most delicious thing ever. So gross. I found Fabio, The Carpet Cleaner on Yelp. He came and saved the day, getting all of our area rugs and our carpeted staircase clean. He even cleaned our 2 recliner chairs! Yay!

Day 350, Thursday, December 16th, 2021

Out with Mom and Dad

There were no groceries in the house so we took Anna out to eat on Thursday last week at ATan. (We took Dominic home some dinner too.) I just playing catch up from our 4 days away and I’m still a week behind on almost everything! Anna likes ATan because there are hardly ever any little kids there. She wore her headphones just in case. Just as we were finishing eating, she accidentally knocked her full glass of soda in her lap. Oh no, poor Booski. She was soaked to the bone and very embarrassed. I got her cleaned up the best I could in the bathroom then had her take off her shirt in the car. We’ve all had mishaps like that, I reassured her.

Thanks for looking!

Homemade Ice Cream

One of my birthday gifts last year was an ice cream maker. It’s surprisingly easy to use and since my mother likes ice cream more than anyone else I know, it’s an easy treat to make for her when I think of it. I mentioned in passing that I just forget to put heavy cream and whole milk on the grocery list… and next time I went to the store, guess what was on mom’s grocery list? She’s so cute. She really does love ice cream more than anyone I’ve ever known. And that’s saying something because I really love ice cream too!

Day 337, Friday, December 3rd, 2021

Oreo Ice Cream

My favorite flavor of homemade ice cream to make so far is Oreo. I keep tweaking the recipe and now I think I have it just about perfected. I take just the outer chocolate cookie part of the Oreo and crush up about 2 cups worth of cookies in my Vitamix blender. Mom snags the cream filling to use on graham crackers for a treat the next day. I add the crushed Oreo powder to the ice cream base after about 20 minutes in the ice cream maker. After putting the ice cream into a container to freeze, I swirl in another cup of crumbled Oreos to get the bigger cookie chunks. Yum! 

Day 338, Saturday, December 4th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 339, Sunday, December 5th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 340, Monday, December 6th, 2021

First Family Christmas Shoot

Jenny and Wyatt recently got engaged (yay!!! congratulations!!!) and Jenny wanted me to take some pictures of them for their first Christmas card together. She and Wyatt came down on her birthday and brought their dogs, Granger (Jenny’s) and Sonya (Wyatt’s). They all changed into Christmas pajamas, yes even the dogs, and we took some photos in the backyard. So cute!

Day 340, Monday, December 6th, 2021

Newly Engaged Jenny and Wyatt

This was my favorite picture of the series. My sweet little Angel on Earth is getting married. Aren’t they adorable?

Day 340, Monday, December 6th, 2021

Happy Birthday Jenny

Jenny wanted cupcakes for her birthday treat so I got a variety of chocolate and vanilla from the H-E-B bakery. They have the most delicious cupcakes! I put all of the cupcakes into a pan so that I could decorate the tops of them with a happy birthday message and 30 individual candles. It’s not every day that your little girl turns 30!!! We also celebrated with Jenny’s dad, Robby, and his wife, Denise. It was so nice to have a full house. I made Chef Boyardee pizzas for our main meal, a blast from both of our childhood’s (hers and mine!). OhEmGee so delicious!

Day 341, Tuesday, December 7th, 2021

Splat Fail

Dominic really wanted to have his hair colored bright vivid pink so I picked up some temporary hair color called Splat. It’s supposed to wash out over 10 washes. The packaging said to leave it on for a short time for light pink and a longer time for dark pink. However because his hair was already a little dark and already red, the color really did not show up at all. Oh well, Splat fail! (Except for his scalp… that turned bright pink, lol!)

Day 342, Wednesday, December 8th, 2021

Bemused Shopping Partner

Curtis and I did some panic shopping on Wednesday before leaving for Vegas on Thursday. (If I haven’t shared yet, Jenny and Wyatt invited us to go to Vegas with them to celebrate her 30th birthday.) He really needed some comfortable walking shoes and new jeans. I needed some comfortable walking boots and some new shirts. I struck gold at Penney’s and he had good luck at Men’s Wearhouse. He wasn’t too thrilled with me snapping a photo but he’s a good sport most of the time when I pull out my camera. 

Day 343, Thursday, December 9th, 2021

Wyatt and Jenny Dressed for Dinner

We had a direct flight out of Austin to Vegas mid-day on Thursday. It was so cool to see Jenny and Wyatt at the airport and get to be on the same flight with them. Once we got to Vegas, we checked into the Bellagio, and unpacked. Jenny and Wyatt were on the top floor (26th) and we ended up on the 22nd floor. We got ready for dinner, had a drink at one of the Bellagio bars, then went over to the Venetian for dinner. Wyatt and Jenny looked so nice! 

Day 343, Thursday, December 9th, 2021

The Crew at Lavo

Jenny had made reservations for 8 at Lavo restaurant, a highly rated Italian restaurant located at the Venetian. Joining us was Jenny‘s best friend Selena and her husband Tucker (on the far right) as well as Jenny‘s friend Laura and her husband Tommy. They were all very welcoming of us joining them! The food was good, the service was excellent, and the company was incredible. We had the loveliest meal.

Day 343, Thursday, December 9th, 2021

SlotZilla Zipline

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and changed clothes. Then we met up with everybody on Fremont Street for one of Curtis’s birthday gifts… the SlotZilla Zip Line. Fremont Street is so cool. They created an arched roof over 5 blocks of Fremont Street connecting the two sides, and the roof is a giant screen where the Viva Vision Light Show is projected. There are multiple casinos, restaurants, and even live music stages! 

Our SlotZilla flight time was 11:20 pm and we got there early so we had a drink to calm our nerves. There are 2 ways to zip line, seated or super hero style. We did the super hero style which starts 4 stories up and goes the entire length of the indoor section of Fremont Street. Selena and Wyatt went first with two other people then Jenny, Curtis, and I got to go together. I purchased the digital photo package so these next few pictures were provided by SlotZilla.

Day 343, Thursday, December 9th, 2021

Holly Near the End

I’m not a terribly adventurous person so I was really proud of myself for trying this! Jenny and I both got a little nervous the higher up we climbed (4 stories is high!) but the safety harness and checks were very thorough. Watching others take off was reassuring too. They had us lay down flat on our stomachs on a bench that went up and down, then they hooked us up to the equipment, lowering the bench until we were dangling. There was a gate in front of us that lowered then we took off. Our body weight determined how fast we went. I kept my arms out the whole time! I felt more like an angel soaring over the crowd than a super hero.

Day 343, Thursday, December 9th, 2021

We Did It!

When we finished our ride, all three of us were full of laughter and adrenaline. It was so much fun!!! I would totally do something like this again (but maybe not 100 stories high) and Curtis wished it was longer. I highly recommend this adventure to anyone visiting Vegas.

Thanks for looking!

No photos today.

Day 331, Saturday, November 27th, 2021

Entry Left

The day after Thanksgiving and I’m decorating for Christmas?!? WHAT? Yes, it’s true! For the first time ever, I got the Christmas decor down from the attic (with help from my boys, thanks!) and actually decorated. This is the left side of our entry… lots of silver, some mercury glass, Christmas trees, deer, and an angel.

Day 331, Saturday, November 27th, 2021

Entry Right

The right side of our entry has more mercury glass in gold, silver, and teal with a beautiful flower arrangement done by Blumen Meister’s. I turned off the overhead light, so the lighting looks different. And of course, my gold nutcrackers flank the ends of both sides. Love my nutcrackers!

Day 332, Sunday, November 28th, 2021

Stuart and Our Christmas Tree

It took all day Saturday but I finished decorating the Christmas tree too. This has never happened this early in the season. I usually wait until after Jenny’s birthday to decorate. Since her birthday is December 6th, I never wanted her to feel like her birthday wasn’t a special event on its own. But she is all grown up now so she doesn’t mind us decorating earlier. This year, with some advice from mom, I didn’t use any of our plastic shiny ornaments from when Anna was little. (Anna used to try to eat them or throw them so we replaced everything with plastic.) Mom has been gifting us with beautiful ornaments the last several years so the tree is adorned with the prettiest baubles now. I also got most of my shopping done on Black Friday (on Amazon, let’s not kid anyone!) so I feel more in control of Christmas than ever. Wow, this feels amazing!

Day 333, Monday, November 29th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 334, Tuesday, November 30th, 2021

Laundry Day Selfie

The goal of my P365/52 photo project was to capture everyday life this year. And sometimes it’s good for me to get in front of the camera even when I look schleppy. I do all of our family’s laundry about every 5-6 days. (Both kids are capable of doing their own and sometimes I’ll have them do their own just to keep their skills fresh but I don’t mind doing it for them.) Folding on the pool table gives me plenty of space to sort. This is one chore I really enjoy… lol, I would always be the 3rd stew on Below Deck! 

Day 335, Wednesday, December 1st, 2021

Last Day of Braces (NOT)

Dominic had an orthodontist appointment after school on Wednesday that he thought might be his last appointment. He drove himself but I thought it might be nice to surprise him by showing up. I picked up Anna from Life Bridges, we drove through the pharmacy for mom, then headed over to Alkire Orthodontics. Dominic was very surprised to see us and I think it made him happy we showed up. I did get this cute “before” photo just in case today was the day. Unfortunately, Dr. Alkire wanted to adjust his bite just a little bit more, so the end of January will be the official end of Dominic’s braces. 

Day 336, Thursday, December 2nd, 2021

Adulting

Curtis doesn’t love to take care of his preventative health, so two years after he turned 50, I finally nagged him enough that he scheduled his first colonoscopy. Dr. Arnold with Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio is our entire family’s gastroenterologist. Dr. Arnold is adorable. After my colonoscopy he told me that he found nothing of note except that I had the colon of Tim Duncan, lol. Curtis had a few polyps removed and was also diagnosed with diverticulosis, just like Dominic. He was instructed to repeat the colonoscopy in 3-5 years. Dominic is still having trouble with abdominal pain and is still losing weight. Dr. Arnold had him try another 2 week course of Xifaxan, an antibiotic that can sometimes resolve the issues with which Dominic is dealing. It didn’t help so we are awaiting the “what’s next” message from Dr. Arnold. Everyone, take care of yourselves… get that colonoscopy, get your annual checkup, get your mammograms!

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Horses at Marbridge

We finally got our tour of Marbridge rescheduled and got to go visit last Friday afternoon. It was early release for the Thanksgiving break so Curtis and I picked up Anna at 1 o’clock and headed to South Austin. Dominic already had plans so he couldn’t join us. Marbridge is a community like Daymark that offers residential placement for adults with intellectual disabilities. It’s been around for almost 70 years so it is quite a bit older than Daymark. We were met by Rosie who did our tour, and she was lovely. The campus is quite sprawling with many buildings scattered all over. They have a dorm where residents share a room as well as apartments where only bathrooms are shared. Anna was excited to meet a staff member’s dog and to see the horses. Overall she liked it, but not as much as Daymark. Which now begs the question… do we attempt to build a Daymark in the San Antonio area???

Day 324, Saturday, November 20th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 325, Sunday, November 21st, 2021

Do Not Eat Gift

Margi dropped by to check on mom last weekend and she brought mom a gift, this beautiful pepper plant. I chuckled when I read the sign, “Do Not Eat.” Margi was the one who brought the ill-fated chocolate meringue pie that eventually caused mom’s food poisoning. 

Day 326, Monday, November 22nd, 2021

No photos today.

Day 327, Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021

Showing Dak to New Friend

There’s no school or Life Bridges all week for Thanksgiving and when I woke up on Monday, I was virtually non-functional. I think the stress of worrying about my mom caught up with me. All day I could not shake the fatigue and joint pain. So I was thrilled when I woke up Tuesday morning and felt better. I dashed to HEB at 8 am, got home with $500+ worth of groceries at 10:30, then picked up Anna for our 11 am pedicures at Nailed It. Anna finished a little before me so she started chatting up the woman sitting next to her. She was sharing Dak Prescott pictures and remarking on just how cute he was. She asks everyone she meets if they can get Dak’s phone number so she can call him. So cute!

Day 327, Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021

Pampering Complete

Crystal did Anna’s pedicure and Vicky did mine. Anna got Cowboys blue and silver on her toes and Crystal wrote Dak on one big toe and #4 on the other. Anna and I enjoyed our massaging chairs while we got our pedicures too. It was some much needed relaxation and pampering at Nailed It! After pedis, we went to Visionworks and got her glasses adjusted. The Cowboys lost on Sunday and there may have been a throwing incident. Oops.

Day 328, Wednesday, November 24th, 2021

Waiting Nicely

Poor mom, she can’t catch a break. Tuesday afternoon, one of her crowns came loose and by Wednesday morning, it had popped off. Not that she was eating much yet anyway, but now she could only drink liquids or eat super soft food. Off to an emergency visit to the dentist! Anna has been so good lately that I asked if she wanted to join us, especially since Curtis still had to work. Anna wanted to bring her toddler reborn, Ellie. We waited in the lobby of Rivercrest Family Dental for about an hour while mom visited with Dr. Miri. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to save her crown, so he’s going to pull that tooth in a couple of weeks. Good news is that she can eat on it carefully. Anna was a doll while we waited, I was so proud of her! After the dentist, we picked up prescriptions, got mom another blood draw (somehow the blood sample from last week at Dr. Kelly’s office got lost and I was worried about how little she was eating and how fatigued she still was), then picked up some Tipsy Cow. Yum!

Day 329, Thursday, November 25th, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving

I can honestly say that yesterday was the BEST Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. The day was perfect from start to finish. I felt good. Anna was in a good mood and took a long nap. I cooked… ham with a homemade sweet glaze, mashed potatoes (in the Instant Pot with heavy whipping cream and butter, omg <all recipes are linked here on the blog>), peppered gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and rolls. We don’t often have a traditional meal but I felt like doing it this year. Mom carefully curated from her pretty napkins, placemats, candles, and Depression glass to set the most beautiful table ever. Jenny and Wyatt arrived just after 6 pm and we sat to eat. Oh I also made an Amaretto Sour that everyone declared was delicious so I was tipsy by the time the kids arrived. We had pumpkin pie and a lemon Cool Whip pie (graham cracker crust, one container of Cool Whip, and 2 lemon yogurts) for dessert. After Anna went to bed, we played Cards Against Humanity with the new Nasty Bundle that Pam sent Curtis for his birthday. Dominic dominated the game, earning most of the black cards. It was an awesome day.

I’m so grateful that my immediate family is healthy and happy. Honestly, the happiness part is something that doesn’t come easily for any of my three kids so to see them all laughing and enjoying a meal together means the world to me. Jenny and Wyatt got engaged last week so we got to celebrate their love. I’m very grateful for my husband. Curtis is so patient with me, he has taught me how to relax and not sweat the small stuff. He still likes me and I still like him! We have so much fun together and so much to look forward to. Even though mom is recovering slowly from her fall and food poisoning, she is recovering. I’m so grateful to still have her by my side. I’m also thankful that my sisters are in my life again (we’ve been having a lot of fun getting to know each other better) and that my dad has a presence in my life. If you could spare a prayer, Pam’s household has been hit by Covid… she’s the one with CVID so she’s at a much higher risk for complications. Thank you everyone. <3

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Not Feeling Good

It had been one week since mom’s fall. Her wound was healing well but she was feeling lousy. She had a muscle in her abdomen that hurt all the way across, right around her diaphragm. Her head hurt, her back hurt, she had bruises, she was swollen everywhere, and her auto immune system starting attacking her. Her pain doctor called in a Medrol pack (some steroids), a muscle relaxer, and an anti inflammatory. She wanted to see Dr. Kelly first to make sure the laceration had healed enough to start the steroids. Dr. Kelly reassured her that she was healing well but it would take 4-6 weeks to make a full recovery. I was really proud of my mom. Even though she had company in from out of town, she was doing good resting as much as possible. That is hard for her.

Day 317, Saturday, November 13th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 318, Sunday, November 14th, 2021

Go Cowboys

Beanie and Charles went home to Pennsylvania on Sunday so we spent a little time with them on Saturday. By noon, it was time for the Cowboys game and look at my 2 cute fans. OMG. They are seriously adorable on game day! Go Cowboys! Go Dak! Anna was thrilled when they won again. I’m really glad she had the game to distract her because mom got violently ill Sunday morning with food poisoning. I spent most of the day at the little house trying to keep mom out of the ER. 

Day 319, Monday, November 15th, 2021

A Rose for Sunshine and Clover

The worst of mom’s food poisoning had stopped by late Sunday evening and I got her to drink just enough water to avoid going to the hospital. She tried eating half a boiled potato Monday around lunch but mostly she just slept. I took care of her Egyptian tortoises, Sunshine and Clover, gathering some horse herb and snapdragon blossoms. I also learned they love roses so this beautiful rose became their lunch too!

Day 320, Tuesday, November 16th, 2021

Priorities… Eat or Mate?

Before the kids went to school, the dogs started barking. I looked outside and saw a vulture swoop off of our roof and go over to our empty lot. Uh oh. Something died. We had about 8 vultures sitting on the top of our roof (check November’s 1SE project for that video) so I ran inside to get my camera. They took off when I came back out but I did get a couple of cool shots. I didn’t realize at the time, but the bird in the tree was actually mating with another vulture. I have half a dozen or so shots of those wings expanding and contracting to try to stay balanced. You’ve got have priorities, right?

Day 321, Wednesday, November 17th, 2021

Dominic’s Birthday Gift to Dad

Dominic got his dad a couple of video games for his birthday, one of which was Spider-Man for the PS4. Curtis has really enjoyed playing it and even watching someone play is fun. The graphics, the fluidity of the motion, the vastness of NYC, the details… lighting, reflections, shadows… it’s a gorgeous game. Dominic is also enjoying playing it, no surprise! He’s further along than his dad so he can give Curtis tips. 

Day 322, Thursday, November 18th, 2021

Anna’s Annual

It was time for Anna’s annual checkup and she got to see Stephen, Dr. Kelly’s PA. Overall, Anna’s health is good. She’s gained a few pounds since starting the Paxil but her cholesterol numbers are better than last year and her fasting blood sugar was good. Way to go! I told everyone in the office that I would see them later because…

Day 322, Thursday, November 18th, 2021

Nana’s Staples Come Out

Just a few hours after Anna’s checkup, it was time for mom to get her staples out. She was actually supposed to get them out on Monday but she was too sick. Her fatigue has been so intense that she hadn’t been out of bed much. I suggested they run a CBC to make sure everything was okay. Mom said the staple removal wasn’t bad, Dr. Kelly has a good touch. Her laceration has healed up beautifully though she still has quite the bruised goose egg back there. 

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No photos today.

Day 310, Saturday, November 6th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 311, Sunday, November 7th, 2021

Glittering Caterpillar

Mom’s fall on Thursday was pretty dramatic and she really didn’t feel very good on Friday. I helped her wash her hair (there was still a lot of dried blood in it) and she agreed to use the walker around her house to ensure good balance. I was so worried about her that I woke up sick on Saturday (a stressed induced flare) that thankfully was mostly gone by Saturday night. She really is very brave and was dealing with the fall very well. On Sunday, Beanie and Charles arrived from PA. Beanie is mom’s sister and Charles is Beanie’s husband. 

Mom called me mid-afternoon on Sunday to tell me about a giant caterpillar she had found just outside her back door. This thing was at least 3 inches long and had these unusual yellow horns just behind its head. I’m guessing it will turn into a moth based on its size. I like how the concrete glitters in the late afternoon sun and makes the caterpillar look like it’s surrounded by jewels.

Day 311, Sunday, November 7th, 2021

Communicating with a Dragonfly

I moved the caterpillar to a different section of the yard so it would be safe away from our animals then walked back toward the house. Right at the edge of the pool is a dead rose bush and this dragonfly landed here as I was walking by. I thought that it would be rare to get two good shots in 10 minutes but asked the dragonfly if I could photograph him just as I had asked the caterpillar. I pulled my camera up and he flew off. Oh well. Wait, he’s back. Actually he’s back and in a better position. I thanked the dragonfly for posing for me and got a few shots. I really do believe they understand me when I talk to them.

Day 312, Monday, November 8th, 2021

Birthday Kisses

Monday, November 8th, was Curtis’s 52nd birthday. We had a family party with me, Anna, Dominic, Jenny and Wyatt, Nana, Beanie and Charles. I started snapping photos of Curtis and he started vogue-ing. Too cute. He ended his posing with kisses for me.

Day 312, Monday, November 8th, 2021

He’s a Stinker

Curtis is such a stinker! Right before this shot, he had wadded up some wrapping paper and threw it at me… see his arm is still in motion! I like that he’s still so playful with me. It makes life fun. 

Day 312, Monday, November 8th, 2021

Birthday Lasagna

Since we didn’t have a lot of physical gifts for him to open this year (everyone gave him experiences to have while we are in Vegas next month), I wanted to cook him a special dinner. He very nicely asked for lasagna, which I’ve only ever made once and that was with my MIL’s help. So I scoured Google for the highest rated meat lasagna and the highest rated cheese lasagna and got to work. Beanie and Charles helped by shredding the brick of mozzarella for me. Charles also helped by browning the sausage and beef and he chopped all of the onion, garlic, and parsley. I was so proud of our team effort because the lasagna turned out amazing… so so so delicious! Happy Birthday, Curtis!

Day 313, Tuesday, November 9th, 2021

No photos today.

Day 314, Wednesday, November 10th, 2021

Museum of Handmade Furniture

I was worn out after Curtis’s birthday and took another day off from shooting. I spent more time with Beanie and Charles on Wednesday and met them at the Museum of Handmade Furniture. One of their current passions is woodworking so they were excited to see this museum. I didn’t even know it existed and it’s right behind Life Bridges. It’s located in a whole historic area called Heritage Village. They have an annual festival called Folkfest, with live demonstrations of what it was like to be an early settler in Texas. They also have a Living History demo every second Saturday in Heritage Village. Pretty cool! Sue was a great tour guide.

Day 314, Wednesday, November 10th, 2021

Life Bridges Workout

Since we were so close to Life Bridges and it was just after 2:00, I messaged Anna’s job coach to see if I could bring Beanie and Charles over to see where Anna worked. Anna was thrilled to show B&C the facility and especially wanted to show off her treadmill and exercise equipment skills. Go Anna!

Day 315, Thursday, November 11th, 2021

Lunch at Krause’s

Thursday, Big Rick came down from Austin for a visit. Unfortunately, mom was still feeling pretty poorly so I took him, Curtis, Beanie, and Charles out to lunch to let mom rest. We decided to try Krause’s Cafe, a large German restaurant downtown. I got a salad that was sooo good, very fresh with a tart balsamic vinaigrette. I can tell I am tired though, bone tired. I missed focus on almost every shot I took at Krause’s and I had a great one of Rick smiling but it was too out of focus to use. We had a lovely visit with Beanie and Charles and it was wonderful to see Rick again too. I’m hoping to get caught up this week on chores, photos, and some household projects. 

Thanks for looking!