A little bit of Texas

Even though it's been nearly a month since my wonderful birthday celebration, I felt the need to document the cute birthday package that my parents put together for me.  It actually arrived a few days before their surprise visit, but fortunately I had followed instructions and not opened yet.

Just like my party, it was TEXAS THEMED.  Some of my favorite things from Texas all within one box.  Those two were very dedicated to collecting the contents, hitting up some of my favorite places in Austin (The Co-op, Central Market) and in Waco (HEB, Baylor) to find this stuff.  So creative, and some items was just plain funny.  Below is just a snippet of what was inside:

First, we upped our supply of some of the best BBQ rubs and sauces to come out of Texas. This may seem like a lot, but we go through a lot in our house.   This does not represent all the bottles in the box, mind you.  The local wildflower honey is already nearly gone...

After the sauces came the salsas.  This bottle was my favorite, because it basically represents everything that I stand for... :) 

Next came the UT paraphernalia.  Again, this is only a sample!  They even stuck in a Daily Texas that they picked up on campus.  So cute.

I'm probably the only person in Atlanta that has paper goods from HEB.  If you come to my house and need to blow your nose, your tissue will come out of a box with bluebonnet prints.  Those are staples in the Sasser house.  Fortunately, Mother and Daddy stocked me up on tissues along with other goodies from HEB:  Yellow Rose paper plates, a soft-sided Texas cooler, HEB bathroom spray (in Texas Wildflower scent - my favorite....)

This cutting board deserved a picture all by itself. When I'm chopping up my veggies, I can reminiscence about all the wonderful things in my State.

I have no idea where they found this plaque (I think it is the top of an old cigar or liquor box?), but it cracked me up beyond belief.  James is not thrilled that I have left this up in our kitchen, but it just speaks volumes!!

And, finally, some other miscellaneous items that Mother thinks I need to keep in the house:  plastic cups from the Baylor basketball games, the Wacoan magazine, and (for my honey) a Bush's styrofoam cup - his favorite.  

This was such a fun package to open (especially in front of my parents who spent so much time putting it together!)  I love those guys...they know me too well. 

Newest Addition...

We all know I love my kitties.  The girls bring a lot of joy to my life.  They cuddle, they are low maintenance, they looooooove their mama.   They have never quite grown on James (or vice versa, little Lupe HATES her Daddy.)   My husband is a dog person, and has wanted a dog for as long as we've been together.  Obviously this was impossible with our former lifestyle.   Both of us being gone 4+ days a week would NOT have worked for a canine.

As soon as I got my new job in December and started the work-from-home gig, my husband was hankering for a dog.  He was researching, calling breeders, coming up with names...all while assuring me that we wouldn't immediately jump into this commitment.  I guess he wore me down after a few months, because a little over a week ago our little precious bundle of fur arrived...via Delta, no less!

This furbaby is a Vizsla, which is not a very common breed (although we see more and more now that we have one).  I like to describe her as a red Weimaraner, but she'll be a little smaller (around 50 lbs).  They are nicknamed "Velcro Dogs" because they loooooove to be with their people.  Case in point: at the vet last week, a full grown adult Vizsla was in the waiting room...and she was sitting in her owner's lap.  Definitely a sweet breed, and one reason we were drawn to her.  They are also excellent hunters, but I think the only things this little girl will be hunting in Peachtree Hills are the squirrels.  (Her daddy believes she already shows great hunting agility at 10 weeks, so, we'll see....)  Despite the fact that they are "high energy" (i.e. hyper), all the Vizsla owners we have talked to said they would never get another type of dog.  That has to say something!

Day 1 as a Sasser

The furbaby does have a name:  Enda.  It's Irish and stands for "bird" or "birdlike".  Seeing as she is a birddog, we found it appropriate.  (She shouldn't be confused with the current Prime Minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny.  He is neither a bird nor a female.  Some of my Irish friends have assured me Enda is a gender neutral name.  Other Irish friends have pointed out it's more of a masculine name, but that the NY Times referred to their PM as a female, so obviously Americas are dense enough to believe it's feminine.)

She has been a HANDFUL.  Between hollering in her crate, mouthing, needing to potty every 30 minutes, getting up in the middle of the night....whew, she's exhausting!  But, I realize this is just puppyhood and she will (hopefully soon) grow out of all this.  Can't wait to get that little stinker in some serious obedience classes. :)

Despite the lack of sleep and having to walk around the house with Oxyclean in hand, we love this little gal and are happy Enda joined our family!  Now, if only Lupe and Carmen agreed...

"I love to roll around in mondo grass - so fun and smelly!" 

Displaying early pointing skills - Daddy is so proud! 

That "Big Birthday" Celebration

This past March 15th was a BIG BIRTHDAY for me.  And my sweet husband made sure it was not only big, but also very special.  I loved everything about the day and weekend, and James did such a wonderful job of making it a 30th that I will not forget.

My Mother started off the week by shipping me a huge, heavy box (more on the contents later) with instructions to only open the top envelope.  In it, I found a card for every day of the birthday week, which made me smile each morning when I opened a new card.

It also made me really miss my parents and feel sad that they weren't able to attend the little party that I knew James was throwing me that Saturday.  I mentioned this to my mom and to James throughout the week, but they let on nothing about the biggest birthday surprise....

...James flew them in on Thursday (my birthday) to surprise me!  I was SHOCKED!  I answered the door in my normal "work from home" attire (i.e. work out clothes), absolutely no make up, and while wrapping up a conference call - thinking it was just James getting home from his normal work travel and wondering why the rascal couldn't get into our house without me coming to the door.  After he said "I have someone here to see you" and I screeched "Who is it?  I DON'T HAVE MAKE UP ON!", I saw my dad come around the corner and my mom followed while filming the scene on her iPhone.  It was so much fun - I can't remember that last time I was that surprised!  After I collected myself, we kicked off the birthday weekend with a great dinner, catching up, and me saying "are you really here!?" a hundred times.

Birthday Dinner!

Not only was I glad to see my parents, but our birds and potted plants were super glad to see those two again (the yard never gets as much TLC as when they come to visit).  :)  But I digress...

Surprises did not end with the parents, but James had also arranged a very fun, "Texas"-themed party (with help from the super creative, Kellee Murphy).   All my favorite things:  friends, BBQ from Fox Brothers, Ms. Leron and Aunt Wyllene's red velvet cake...  James even made a collage of baby / kid / adult pictures for guests to sign.  How cute it that?  Get this boy on Pinterest and he would be unstoppable!

It was a great party and I had a blast catching up with friends / family and celebrating a new decade.  Some great pictures of all the festivities below, courtesy of my dad who fortunately had his camera out for the event!

All the way from Alabama!

Not sure if Calvin is qualified to arrange candles, seeing as he's not on Pinterest

My sweet Mother

Sweet MotherS.  

Up to no good, I'm sure...

People also brought some super funny cards and great little gifts.  I always feel a little awkward sitting and opening them in front of the whole group, but there were quite a few laughs.  The card that got these laughs said:  "(outside) The Democrats took your birthday cake.  (inside) They wanted to share it with people who weren't fortunate to have a birthday today, like you do".  HAHAHAHA, even this little liberal could appreciate the humor.

I have gone through all my pictures to find one of James and me from the party (or even the weekend), but I can't find one dang shot!  He made the birthday weekend one for the storybooks, and I can't tell you how much it meant to me.  Such a sweet husband!

Hello New Decade!

Sunscreen Season!

As we enter into Spring and Summer, just a little Public Service Announcement to make sure you are in SPF at all times while outside! No such thing as a "safe tan", and nothing wrong with being a little white. As you can see, pale is the new tan. :)

A shout out to the Murphy's for this super cute shirt. I love it. One of my fav birthday gifts. I am going to need lots of time to update on my birthday last weekend, but stay tuned for that post.

Spring Break 2012!

When you're no longer a student, not a teacher, or don't have school-age kiddos, Spring Break doesn't mean much...unless you proactively plan a girls trip around the first of March and pretend like you're coeds again.  :) Just kidding, there was none of that craziness this past weekend, just a fabulous, fun, r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g beach/spa trip with a great group of girlfriends.

I still can't believe that we managed to pull it off and find a weekend where the six of us could all meet  - how is that even possible with our crazy lives?!  After weeks of planning and hundreds of emails back and forth about various topics like "do we need a rental car", "how many spa treatments should we book...each?", and "Wristbands!?  Keeping it classy!", we all arrived in Fort Lauderdale late Thursday, traveling in from Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans.  Could we have been any more excited!?

"Here's to a fabulous weekend!"

Let me lay out how our next few days went:  Wake up after 9 hours of sleep and move to the lounge chair at the pool.  Get up from the lounge chair to find the pool waiter.  Laugh a bit with the gals.  Flag down the pool waiter again for a little snack.  Get up from the lounge chair and head to the spa appointment.  Stumble out of the spa appointment to melt back into the lounge chair for a nap.  Wake up from the nap, reposition on the lounge chair, and maybe find that darn pool waiter again.  Gossip a bit with the gals. Watch the sun go down from the lounge chair, and figure it's about time to get up, get dressed, and find someplace with good seafood for dinner.  Pick-a-little, talk-a-little with the gals.  Head back to the room and fall asleep - another solid 9 hours - and then repeat that day all over again.  

Seriously?  Can I just do this every weekend?

(I'm going to ignore the fact that I did see lots of emailing on the mobile devices, and a few people had the audacity to whip out their laptop from their pool bag.  I would pass judgement, but I was one of those sad souls, too...)

I know that Ft. Lauderdale may have received a bad rep back in the day, but I actually found the hotel and the places we visited to be fantastic.  Definitely could not complain about the accommodations, nor the views:

Nor could I complain about the food.  Lots of really lovely seafood out there, and many great choices on the water.  I always know we're at the beach when the fresh filet is served while I can smell the surf outside.

But, my favorite part of the weekend - of the entire trip - was the girls that I spent it with.  I love these ladies, and it's wonderful to know that no matter how far away we are, how long it's been, or where we are in our lives, we can pick right back up right where we left off.

100th Post - Can You Believe?

This marks our 100th post...100 sassy updates from our little family.  I would love to say I'm going to mark this occasion with something really spectacular, but, alas, nothing really to report here!

We're doing great, loving life, and looking forward to lots of exciting updates in March. As a teaser, you should expect to see upcoming posts on the following:

• Someone is living it up in Latin America, without his Spanish-speaking wife!  Although I am JEALOUS, I'm excited that James got this opportunity to visit the region and participate in some very interesting meetings and discussions.  Can't wait to see his pictures (hope he is actually taking some...) :)

• While the cat's away, the mouse will go lay on the beach with a fruity drink in her hand!  I'm headed out tonight for Florida, where I'll meet up with a great group of girlfriends and enjoy some nice 80 degree temps.  Now, you'll definitely see pictures from me.  Especially because I'm venturing to the Sunshine State with a new lens!

• After we get back from our trips (oh, and I celebrate a little big birthday), we are going to be expanding our family with another furry family member.  How adorable are these little Vizslas?  Among these cuties is our little gal.  We can't wait to get her on the 24th!!!

There ya go - lots to look forward to so stay tuned!

(Note - none of these pictures are mine.  Hope I'm violating copyright laws and don't know it....)