Girls Night In.....

While the boys are away watching Transformers 2........

Pre-beauty school......

Post hair design time.

A little nail polish, popcorn and a movie.

No one is safe during beauty shop time.....not even Bandit.

WORDED WEDNESDAY.....let's change it up a bit.

There will be words in this week's addition of WW. Just wanted to warn you.

Had to share just a few of the highlights of the trip home a few weeks ago. We had a grand time, and got to see Seester and her family (from Vegas) for a short while. Kaelan desperately wants to move to Cloudcroft. She can't seem to get enough to the fresh air and spoiling from her grandma. Plus, the never ending supply of cousins never becomes a bore. We had some awesome hikes and exploration outings. We trekked deep into the woods to lay to rest our Dear Poncho in the same place we buried his mum, Beloved Brandi years ago. It is as it should be now.....

So, without further ado....here are some more photos. Some already appearing on Facebook....some not. We do loves us some mountains....and the folk residing in their peaks and valleys.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

Cloudcroft....the little town on the mountain.

Kaelan enjoys exploring the woods.

Mom and Kaelan looking out over White Sands.

Dad and Kaelan

Spiderman?

Taylor (The Nephew) comes running in from the playscape in the yard with eyes popping out of his head and air gasping out of him.

"Sandra, look! Look at this!" he screams to me.

"What? What? What happened?", I reply fearing he is going to show me some hairy member of the arachnid family or perhaps a new reptilian friend.

"Look.....watch this!" He lifts the edge of his short-sleeved shirt and begins making voluntary jerking motions. "Can you believe that?", he questions.

"What? What happened? What is wrong? Did you break something?"......my heart is still racing, and fearing the worst.

"NO!", he shouts, "Just look. Look at those biceps! I have been climbing those monkey bars the last few days. I do that a lot at home, but look! There is somethin' messing with my DNA here in Austin. Look at these guns!"

To my knowledge, no radioactive spiders have sunk (sank? sanken?) their teeth into......no spiders have bitten Taylor. Must be in the Austin/Barton Springs water.

Roadrunner

Pre-race stretch and hug.

Starting line with Kate.

Run Kaelan, run!

Post race and boo-boos.

I am so far behind in posting......so many pictures, so little time. Here are a few pictures from the Round Rock Roadrunner. In the past, mama and even papa have run the 10K before the Kid K. Not so much this year. Kaelan did a great job despite being trampled at the starting line. Poor kid....she just can't seem to enter a race without collecting a road rash prize, lately. She actually had a footprint on her back from the dude, a father at that, who tripped over her and then proceeded to step on her, just as the start gun sounded. The skin had just returned to her knees from her last spell. She did wipe the tears and finish the race....gotta love that drive! Mama ran with her, and all the while, Jeana, Kate, Kaelan and I used spanking the fanny of the Chick-Fil-A cow as incentive to keep going. Proud of that girl!

Word to the WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Ashes to Ashes, and Dust to......Garage Sale

We had a garage sale last weekend. It was time. Like when the roots show through on the hair job, or when the flip-flops have some extra broken flopping. The one car fit in the garage was getting quite tight, and our storage shed runneth over. It was time.

Usually when we have a garage sale, we are extremely organized and everything meshes. This sale was a bit impromptu, so we pretty much just shoved the stuff out there early Saturday morning and threw our wishes for our junk to find a NEW good home out into the universe.

The night prior to the sale, I placed several piles and boxes of "treasures" near the front door for a quick grab in preparation for those crazy early bird shoppers (and you know what I talking about if you've ever had a sale).

Kaelan rose from her slumber at the crack of dawn, eager to come and help with the big event. Okay, seriously, I think she got up early out of fear we would sell some of her stuff off without her approval. Kaelan jumped right in with grabbing and stocking the tables that adorned our front driveway, and more than once I had to rescue items that were NOT intended for the sale.

Cut to a point midway in the morning when the garage bonanza is in full swing......

While talking with a nice lady perusing the tables and loading up on our loot, my eyes caught a glimpse of something on the corner of one of the tables. Could that be? No, you have got to be kidding....

I have been making a little stash of goods I plan to take with us on our travels home next week in the corner of the dining room. I just want to make sure I don't forget certain items on may take list, so I decided collecting them all in one place would be easiest. One of those items is very special. It is a small box containing the ashes of our beloved friend Poncho. We have gone to Cloudcroft a few times since his passing, but the earth was frozen, so we planned on taking them with us on our summer trip. You are a smart reader....I think you know where this is going.

So, there it was. A simple wooden box with a simple lift latch in all its glory on my garage sale table. It appeared my little helper had no idea what the contents of the magic box were. It simply looked like it could get a fair price. In horror, I watched as one of my best buyers approached the table as she chatted on and on about her 14 grandchildren. I cringed as I watched her hands take hold of the box. Words ran in fear of my tongue in hard, rocky clumps down my throat. That item is not for sale! Please don't open that box! Anything......but nothing came out. The lady's fingers clumsily fiddled with the latch, and just as the little stars begin to float around my head and the world went dark, a miracle occurred. The lady gave a shrug and placed the box back on the table. "I can't find room for anymore do-dads, anyhow. How much for that hat rack?", she stated. Thank you, Lord! That was an awkward conversation avoided!

You will be happy to know the box is in a much safer place now, awaiting its trip back to the mountains where Poncho was born and rolled in many a pile of cow manure. I'd like to think I would have gotten a real sweet deal on those ashes....he was after all one awesome dog!

All Good PC's Go to Heaven.....

Cue in the bagpipes playing "Amazing Grace".
I think my laptop is dead. I am fairly certain my laptop is dead. Yep, it is looking like he is a goner. I did get nearly all my photos backed up.....it wasn't a totally shocking death. There were warning signs.....I feel bad for not granting him something from the "Make a Wish Foundation" (laptop edition). Pictures and updates to come after I finish loading all the software/data on to the new and improved laptop.....but that is inappropriate for us to talk about right now.
R.I.P. my little PC.