Category / family

by Bethe

Engaged

I promise to post more details (and photos!) later, but I just wanted to spread the big news… my youngest sister Lindsay is engaged! Her longtime boyfriend Dallas popped the big question last night. It’s so exciting!

I’m also so relieved… I’ve been bursting with this secret for a week. I think this proves once again that I CAN keep a good secret (much to the surprise of those who know me best), although I’ll admit that all I wanted to do for the past seven days was call everybody I know and tell them the good news.

So there. If I didn’t post this, I probably would have exploded. Congrats Lindsay and Dallas!

by Bethe

Big Plans

I have a blog post swimming around in my mind, but this is one of those that has to be just perfect, so you’ll have to wait another day or two until I can give it the attention (and editing) it deserves.

Tonight I’m going to see Michael Buble in concert with my sisters and my mom! They have been raving about how wonderful and dreamy he is ever since they saw him a few months ago (sans me, who didn’t want to fork over $75 to see him), and so this time mom insisted on buying tickets for all the girls in my family so we could enjoy his dreaminess together. I’ve been listening to his CD for weeks, and I must say he is rather good.

So now it’s time to go get properly gussied up so I can go enjoy my fun girls’ night out! I’m trying to perfect the “Texas Big Hair” look… which I must say looks rather fantastic at home in my bathroom, but once I set foot outside in the Texas humidity, evolves into a bit of a limp mess. I’m determined to conquer this hair challenge and have evoked a scientific approach, experimenting with different hair sprays, hair gels, root lifters, root stimulators, Elmer’s glue… whatever it takes. One day I will have big hair.

Better run, maybe tonight’s the night! It’s good to have goals in life, isn’t it?

by Bethe

150

In honor of my 150th blog post, here’s a photo of my family, which is absolutely precious. It was taken at my dad’s birthday. Dad’s holding the card I gave him which used illegal drugs as the punchline. Because after all, who doesn’t love a birthday card about drugs?

I’m asking you, my faithful blog stalkers, to leave me a comment so I know you’re out there. It’s either this, or you have to send me a gift. I figure a comment is cheaper!

by Bethe

Bethe Day

One of the best things about being an adult and having a “real job” (besides not having a curfew) is having paid days off. And my job, along with a bunch of other wonderful perks, gives me a LOT of time off. Like four weeks. And next year… five!

So tomorrow I’m taking a “Bethe Day” to celebrate life and all of the wonderful things I love to do. And the best part is… I’m going to get paid to do it! Hooray!

Here’s my plan:

–Sleep in.
–Go to the gym and sweat my rear end off while rocking out to my special new workout soundtrack on my Ipod.
–Get a pedicure.
–Visit an art museum with my dad to see an exhibit we’ve been really excited about (have I mentioned I have the the best dad EVER?).
–Take a nap.
–Read.
–Play a softball game.

And somewhere in there, I’m going to try to fit in a strawberry milkshake. Just because it’s something I love.

by Bethe

Please don’t do that with your dad watching

You know you’ve been to a country concert when you see two men wrestle, a girl with a bad spray tan, and a guy kissing his girlfriend with dip in his mouth. Oh, and this same Bubba with the dip can was also grabbing his girlfriend’s rear while her DAD sat next to them! Eeeew!

Yep, the Martina McBride concert was memorable.

When I got two last-minute (FREE!) tickets to the concert, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Turns out I’m a huge fan of hers, I just didn’t realize she was the one who sings all of the songs I love so much. I’ll be rocking out to her greatest hits album for the next week.


Sister Lindsay and I had a great time together. And this concert marks another notch in my belt of summer culture. Let’s see… I’ve seen Martina (along with Jack Ingram) and the Eli Young Band in concert, went to Shakespeare in the Park, saw the Fort Worth Symphony, went to Mama Mia on Broadway, and next week, we’re going to catch the other big Broadway hit–Jersey Boys. All of this in the past four weeks. Not a bad month!

by Bethe

Backyard make-over

We’re almost finished with the patio/rose garden. Today was day three of work. Here are the “before” photos:



Here are some work-in-progress photos from Sunday of dad and me working on the patio:

I swing a MEAN pick-axe!

Here are photos of us building the rose garden:

Last night I finished the rose bed, although I’m going to add some decorative flowers around it later. These tiny rose bushes will supposedly be 4 feet by 4 feet in just three years. That is, if they can survive my green thumb.

Today dad came and finished laying most of the rock, and then started grouting. Tonight I have been sweeping and washing the rocks and grout every hour to get it perfectly smooth. Tomorrow or Thursday we hope to finish the rest. Here’s what it looks like with the wet grout:

This has been a much harder project than I had originally thought. I guess that’s how most home improvement projects go. I couldn’t have done it without my dad–he has done about 80% of the work, maybe more (today he worked on it while I was at work!). He’s such a good dad, and I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to hang out with him and learn how to do this project from him. I definitely lucked out in the parents department.

As soon as we finish, I’ll post the “after” photos.

by Bethe

It’s good to be a girl

Tonight my sister and I went and got pedicures together, and then grabbed coffee afterward. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time. She makes me laugh like nobody else, and when the two of us get together, trouble brews and stories flow freely. Anybody watching us at that coffee shop probably thinks we’re strange girls, because we laughed and waved our arms and gestured excitedly while telling stories, we encouraged each other, and had an old-fashioned good time.

So now my toes are painted a cute shade of pink, my stomach is full, and my heart is content. A pretty good night.

by Bethe

Blonde moment… and the chair

Tonight we went to the best little Italian restaurant in town… it’s called Taverno, and it’s like you’re stepping back into Italy. Even the bathroom is “authentic” European. Last summer when my family and I traveled across Italy & France, our big joke was trying to figure out how to use all of the bathrooms. Some were coin-operated, some had flushers in the form of peddles, for some had a push-button flush, others you pulled a rope from the ceiling. Most were co-ed (not cool for a modest Texas gal), and all were tiny. And this one was a lot like that… only it was free. In Italy, that’s a bargain!

I had a major blonde moment–I left mom’s birthday gift at home on my desk. I also forgot the thing I was supposed to bring for my dad. I was too busy chatting with my friend on the phone and worrying about doing my hair, and just left it. Which of course means that now I look like I didn’t actually buy a gift. But mom… I promise, I did! And it’s going in the mail tomorrow!

I also talked a few weeks ago about my big furniture purchase. I’m big into symbols that represent life changes. And since my life has changed over the past few weeks, I decided to commemorate it with a new piece of furniture. My very own Ethan Allen chair. According to sister Sarah, it’s their #2 selling chair of the year. Apparently I have good taste. Even better, I got it 40% off the retail price because it was a floor sample. I guess that means a lot of strangers’ rear ends have sat in that chair, but then again, a lot of strangers’ rears will sit in it in the future. so it doesn’t really matter, now does it? So anyway, this is my “life is not complicated” chair. Isn’t it cute?
by Bethe

Two’s

My blogs seem to come in two’s. I think it’s my A.D.D. side. I get to writing one thing, and something else pops into my head. And I hate long blogs. I also hate long research papers. And I have one of those due next Friday. Bleh.

Since I worked all weekend, I took the afternoon off. Originally my plan was to go home and do homework. But that changed about the time I left the hospital parking lot, and I decided I’d rather go home and take a nap. But then, after a good lunch, I realized I wasn’t tired, and decided to hit the gym instead. There’s nothing better than working out at 3:00. There was nobody there. No gawking middle-aged men, no beefy teenagers. Nobody’s sweat splattering onto me as they run on the treadmill to my left. It was total workout peace.

I was in the mood to push myself extra hard (my workouts are totally driven by my mood… I think today’s inspiration had to do with the rockstar soundtrack playing in my iPod, or maybe it was seeing all of those people conquer the marathon this weekend), so I ran on the treadmill, then rode the bike, then lifted weights. Hard. And now, as I sit in bed typing this, I feel like my rear end is going to fall off. Or explode. I think I overdid. Which means tomorrow I’ll be hobbling around like an old lady, trying to keep up a sleek, sophisticated facade, while trying not to waddle around like a pregnant lady with a wedgie.

On another note, tomorrow is my mom’s birthday. I’m so excited to celebrate one of my very favorite people. Ever. If I can grow up to be half the woman (and mom) that she is, I’ll be happy. She combines grace, style, wit, intelligence, a great Christian character and a spot-on sense of humor, with perfectly accessorized outfits, sass, and a cup of Starbucks. She’s the strongest woman I know. I’m glad she’s my mom.

And, lucky for me, I don’t think she’ll care if I waddle into the restuarant tomorrow night as we celebrate her birthday.