It's a New Year!

Well, it seems that I am back to continue my conversations with any who like to read. I must say that I have had a wonderful break from digging in the yard, taming the grass, and battling with rodents!

I apologize for being away for so long. The past few months I have been busy trying to be social, traveling on quick trips, going on bad dates, eating too much, drinking too much, recovering from the holidays, partying on trolly's, learning how to fly fish, going on great dates, and taking a quick ski trip to Banff!

After my last post in early November my social life picked up tremendously. I became thoroughly busy gearing up for the holidays that approached way too quickly. Thanksgiving came and went with many a game of scrabble with the folks (I will say that I won quite a few of them.). A few weeks after turkey day my family and I headed to Chicago for a quick family reunion. It was so great to see the family again and how all my cousins have changed. I think it had been atleast 9 years since I saw many of them and now they all have kids and GRAND KIDS! Below are some pics that were taken throughout the weekend! The first pic is of my aunt Patti and Uncle Bud. It was their 50th! Then my cousin Susie and I followed by my little brother, me, my cousin JAMIE's DAUGHTER Katie, Sam, and then Jamies son Able! It is still insane for me to think that Katie is headed off to college next year! Surely I can't be that old! The final pic is of Sarah, Susie's daughter and I. REALLY..I am getting up there. I had never met her until this weekend! I can also say that this was my first introduction to The American Girl store as well. Note to ANYONE paying attention....Don't EVER go into that store with the slightest hangover.

After Chicago, it was time for me to be in my 10th wedding for my friend in Austin...Yes I said 10th! The wedding was wonderful and everything went off without a Youtube moment!

Now it was closing in on Christmas time and NO I didn't start my shopping until the 23rd! I did survive though! Christmas was wonderful..once again another family holiday filled with Scrabble challenges and wine!

Surviving Christmas, the New Year was quickly approaching and my friends and I thought that renting out the McKinney Ave Trolley was a grand idea! And it turned out to be a fantastic holiday! With 25 of my closest friends and a trolley driver we welcomed in 2008! I won't elaborate because this post is already getting so long, but I promise more details to come in the future. I promise you stories of leaving people on the side of the road, near collisions, ugly sweaters(see below), crazy cajuns, a good fight, and two people walking over 10 miles home! Oh did I mention I LOST my phone, so I was seriously at&t in lakewoods 3rd customer on the first day of the year!

BREATHE easy we made it into 2008! And now it was time for the real drama to happen....I guess this is when I went out with a guy we will call CASHMERE SWEATER....It was probably the most comical date ever...Seriously, where to these guys come from and why is there an influx of them in Dallas? Cash McMogul would have been a more down to earth date..not to mention that I was doing what I could to get the guy to not like me...including getting hammered and referencing my fear of midgets, love of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and quoting Shrek...Yes all in one date! I'll elaborate more when I talk of my dating experiences in this town!

After cashmere I went on a dating freeze and focused completely on my upcoming trip to Banff. I did meet a great guy however and yes we are still seeing each other...I'll go into more of that later..as in everything else....I am just getting tired......But as I digress...my trip to Banff, was amazing, however cold, and well....3 of the original cast bailed last minute.. Last Minute = within 3 days of the trip! UG..oh well..more room for my big caboose in the 30 person hot tub, referred to 30 person butt stew......The highlight of the trip was the weather of course. It was 30 below zero...how do people function in that...I'll put up pics and a home movie(not Paris style) up in the next couple of days!

But now back to the original reason I started this blog...My house and gardening adventures! My green thumb is out and ready for action after we had our first 70 degree day in Dallas. This past weekend, I started to assess the damage that Mister winter had on my landscaping that I put in last summer....and well....the outcome was not good. It seems that my dwarf buford holly needs ALOT more light than they were getting...and that my crepe need to be MAJORLY cut back! With that mom and I headed to the Big Orange Box called Home Depot. We decided that the regular holly was doing well and doesn't need much light so we replaced ALL 8 Bufords added in another Nandina (I guess you can't have too many Nandina?) Gathered up some Sage Bushes, something called a Jberry, and the fabulous Purple Queen. Somewhere between the annuals and perenniala, I made my mind up that I would DIG yet another bed in the corner of the yard...to add some more color. My back hated me on Sunday....so all in a days work..

Till tomorrow!

This next weekend I will start laying the walking path from the front door to the driveway, extending the original bed, and breaking out the front yard to add a Jasmine bed........Pray for my back....