Merry Christmas Everyone

Heading to Tulsa tonight or early tomorrow AM. Hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas. Guess we'll continue the party next year. Love you all!!

Christmas, cameras, and clothes

Howdy!! I am about to take off work for the day. Yay!!
I would be more excited if it wasn't to go buy fat clothes. I have gained almost 10 lbs since quitting smoking and it is all around my waist. None of my jeans are comfortable any more and I can't go through Xmas without good jeans. I have already saved about $150 not buying smokes, so I deserve to treat myself.
I almost got my new camera last night, but Jason still wants to do a little more research. He gets slightly OCD about new electronic purchases. Guess it is good since I would just get what I wanted as fast as my credit card could buy it!
Just a few last minute things to get done for Christmas shopping and then it is time to give them out. That is my favorite part!
Hope everyone is enjoying the pre-Christmas festivities and preparation.

Smoking

I technically quit smoking two weeks and two days ago. Yay for me!! It is going pretty well. I fell off the wagon a bit on Saturday night. Too many cups of champagne punch and a ciggy sounded pretty tempting. I caved and had a few.

However, no more since then, so that is a good sign. Maybe I can be a social smoker? I know my throat felt like crap the next day. It is hard to resist when you are around other smokers. I am now on a mission to get everyone to quit, even if it is just selfishly.

It really did feel like losing an old friend at first. I have smoked for so long and have a true fondness for the feeling it brings. My health is much more important however, so I will bid farewell to my smelly old pal.

I admire everyone who has successfully quit, it is not easy. And for anyone thinking about it, just do it!! I, for one, like a good challenge.

Crossword puzzles

I have gotten into doing the crossword from the Statesman every day. Thanks to Audrey who has been doing this for years. I decided to try because I do such monotonous work all day that my brain is on permanent vacation. I try to read to keep the hamster exercising, but I don't find as much time as I would like.
Most days the crossword makes me feel dumb. I can usually get about 1/2 done without too much effort. Then it is a guessing game. I eventually have to break out the dictionary or our handy Google search engine to get it 100% complete. I know it is a process, especially memorizing all the "crossword" words that no one uses in every day life.
Anyway, it gets me thinking. Thinking I am an idiot that is.
I'll keep it up and hopefully be a guru before long.

Jason's Birthday!!

It is my wonderful hubby's birthday today!! He is getting really old, but luckily a little wiser and more distinguished as well. :-)
We have been celebrating for a few days. His parents came down for a visit and he got to go to the OU/A&M game while I got to spend some quality time with my terrific mother-in-law. (Yes I am that lucky to have a mother-in-law I actually enjoy spending time with!!)
Then Sunday we smoked ribs and stuffed our faces while watching football and hanging with the D-man. Monday night we went out to dinner at Trudy's and turned my OK family on to the famous Mexican Martini. Yum-O!!
Tonight is probably another night out to dinner which is actually more of a treat for me so I don't have to cook or clean. Yay!!
I love birthdays even if they aren't mine and I am so glad we had family here to make #34 so special for Jason. Happy Birthday, Old Man!!

Almost Spook Day

I am so excited about Halloween this year. Dylan is finally old enough to really get into it. He is going as Batman this year!! The old school Batman, not Dark Knight. And to my surprise, Dylan's trick-or-treating pal and cousin Ashton is going as Robin! Totally unplanned, and so awesome. I will try my hardest to get some pictures out there.
This has been such a long week. I am so ready for Halloween to finally be here. Another busy weekend with that, then a Halloween party, then a birthday party at the zoo!! Whoo, the life of a 4-year old is tiring!
Dylan has a pajama and pumpkin painting party at school tomorrow also. He is really excited about it. He has a new teacher who he really enjoys. She is kind of a goof, but that is what you want in a preschool teacher, right??
Have a very safe and Happy HALLOWEEN!!

Willie Freakin' Nelson!!

So, thanks to Audrey, I had the pleasure of attending the closing concert for The Backyard. For those of you who don't know, The Backyard is a large outdoor live music venue nestled in the heart of the hill country. And now a huge shopping center, hence "the closing". They have plans to reopen down Hwy 71 at an even larger spot and I am sure it will be great, but it'll never be exactly the same.
The music line up was unbelievable. We got to see some really talented musicians and danced our hearts out! Elizabeth Wills was the first act and she was terrific. Fantastic voice and great stage presence. Plus I really like the song lyrics she writes. After that there were a couple acts not worth mentioning in this blog. But then.....Carolyn Wonderland (very Janis Joplin-like) was great and The Gourds really got the crowd going. They do lots of their own stuff, but also do "country" cover versions of everyone from Jethro Tull to Snoop Dogg. Hilarious!
Followed by Ruthie Foster, Kelly Willis, Jimmy Vaughn, are you drooling yet?

Then of course, WILLIE was the headliner. I have never seen him live before and he was great. He sang most of his oldies but goodies and got the crowd involved. Threw out a few red bandannas to ladies (old ladies) that were throwing their "grannie panties" up on stage for him!! Guess he's still got it!!
He shared with us some of the songs he had written during his recovery from carpal tunnel surgery. One started with "Too many pain pills and too much pot" and another ended with "Did you hear the one about the dirty whore?". Needless to say, they were a riot.

This is going to be a hard one to top. Might be the best concert I will ever attend. Audrey and I made lots of friends at our private VIP spot and we shared laughs and dances. I am exhausted today, but it was definitely worth it!!