The Jean Family

Ode to Pixar

2009-06-06T10:13:00.014-05:00

So, I just saw the latest installment of the Pixar franchise..."Up". Of course it was fantastic, as all Pixar movies are. Although, I thought the story was quite random...not sure how they came up with some of that stuff. But, in typical fashion, it was captivating, colorful, masterfully created, and funny. Heard the adults laughing more than the kids....watch out for those snipe :)

So, being that there are 10 Pixar movies total, I thought I would share my Top 10 Pixar movie picks: (They are all a "must-see")

#1) TOY STORY

The original is still the BEST!! I saw this for the first time when I was 16, and I have seen it many times since. Characters and story are unbelievably creative! I mean everything from the army men doing a "re-con mission" of Andy's bday party to the aliens with "the claw"...it's priceless! Not only is it my favorite Pixar movie, it's one of my favorite movies of all time! Love it :)

#2) FINDING NEMO

"P. Sherman. 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney" :) Without a doubt...the funniest of all the Pixar flicks. Great story and great characters (love the sharks, Dory, sea turtles,and the fish tank captives). So do you speak whale? "Maybe you should try a different dialect, like humpback." :)

#3) MONSTERS INC.

Probably the most under-rated of the collection, but once again...the story is perfect! They capture a day in the life of "monsters in the closet". "Boo" steals the show...and she hardly speaks at all, except to say "Kitty" or "Mike Wazowski!". Soo cute :)

#4) WALL*E

The best love story of 2008 was, in fact, a cartoon. I didn't really care for the political undertones, but the fact that the first half of the movie was done essentially without dialogue...only mannerisms of robots and sounds...GENIUS!!!

#5) TOY STORY 2

Some movie critics like this sequel better than the 1st...a feat that is rarely accomplished. Truthfully, I remember loving it, but haven't seen it in forever...need to revisit it again, since next year's Pixar movie is said to be "Toy Story 3"...YAY!!

#6) RATATOUILLE

The hardest part is pronouncing it or spelling it :) I remember leaving the theater after this one, and wanting to go cook something fantastic! Only criticism...I think it missed the mark on witty adult humor that is so prevalent in the other films.

#7) UP

Parts of the story were so well done...like capturing the "growing old together" relationship, but other parts were so random and off-the-wall, like Kevin and the dog collars, that I found it a little distracting. Colors and concept were great, but just fell a little short in my eyes.

#8) A BUG'S LIFE

Very cute and creative, but I must confess...it's been a long time since I've seen this one also. My opinion might have changed since the last time I saw it.

#9) THE INCREDIBLES

I know some of you are shouting at your computer screens right now, because most people loved this one. Here's what I think it is for me...Pixar is at it's finest when they capture the soul and personality of animals and objects, that in reality, do not exist. That is when I'm truly captivated! So, main characters here were people...eh...a little blah for me. Also, a little tired of the superhero thing.

#10) CARS

Someone had to be last, right? This had such potential!! Maybe I was let down because I love cars so much, and was excited to see how they would capture that. Also, felt that this was the least funny. But, the worst Pixar movie is still one of the best movies I've seen in the past 10 years.

The Xterra

2008-05-28T18:25:00.007-05:00

Last weekend, we went to Canyon Lake for an XTERRA race...it's basically a triathalon off-road. 1 mile swim, 14-mile mountain biking, 10K trail running. Many of our friends participated, and I spectated (of course) with our friend Travis. His wife Katie did the whole thing by herself...rockstar!!! Our other friend Hayley did the "sprint" version by herself...rockstar!!! Andrew was part of a relay team, that included Beck (who did the mountain biking), and a girl who did the swimming. At least that's what we were told. We never actually met the swimmer or saw her after the race...but apparently, she did a really good job. :) Our other friends Noah and Jamie were there too. We haven't seen them in 4 years, so it was great catching up. Noah also did the whole thing by himself...these people are insane!!

I was so proud of Andrew. He's not typically a runner, and I still don't think I would give him that label. :) But, he did so good. He didn't have much time to prepare, and just went out and did it. 6 miles of trail-running...no thanks!!! So, here are some pictures of the spectacle: (Travis is holding the signs)

Beck doing the mountain bike leg

Noah on his run. The sign says "Geez, you are slow"

Andrew doing the "marathon shuffle"

At least Travis was nice to his own wife

"I just felt like ruunniing..." --F. Gump

2008-05-13T21:02:00.004-05:00

I am signed up to do the running leg of an XTERRA race in New Braunfels this weekend. It is basically like an off-road triathlon, with the swimming being about the same deal, except the bike leg is mt. biking and the run is trail-running. Anyway, the XTERRA appeals to me now that I finally got myself back into shape. Two races, 1/2 distance and full, two categories, individual and team relay. I wanted to do the 1/2 distance XTERRA all by myself, but I could not find a place to train for the swimming without getting roped into a big contract, so no dice. My neighborhood pool opens the weekend of the XTERRA so that wouldn't work either. Sooooo I had pretty much written it off until my buddy Beck calls me and says that he needs a runner. (there is a relay division and he has a swimmer, HE is mt. biking, and his runner had a scheduling conflict).
I had been wanting to to the 1/2 race as I mentioned and figured I could whip out a decent 5k time so I agreed. I was excited. NOTE: I do not run. I am not a runner. I am a cyclist. I have never run longer than 4 miles at a time ever. Period. This seemed really doable and fun-- through the woods and across rocks and streams-- not like pounding asphalt following a never ending yellow line. Game on. Beck and I talked for another 10 minutes or so, then towards the end of the call, the word "10k run" comes out of his mouth. I asked him to repeat and he conifrmed that the team was signed up for the full XTERRA. Yikes! I was under the assumption that it was the 1/2 (5k). Now things just got interesting. I told him that I had a mtb. race that weekend, but after Sunday, I would ditch the bike and be a runner for the next two weeks and really devote some effort to training for this (although I was not, and still am not confident that I can even do this). I can walk it, but c'mon....
I have been running for a little over a week now and DANG THIS IS HARRRD! I hit it too hard, too fast and destroyed my right calf and had to take two days off four days into it, but after proper stretching and massage, I am back on it. I am running 3.5mi. at a time after work, at an 8:30 pace, but will only work up to 4mi. by the end of the week,rest Fri. and Sat. then go for all 6 at once on race day this Sunday. Not the most ideal training plan, but I don't have much time. My only goals: no stopping, no walking, no injuries. Otherwise let the chips fall where they may. Should be interesting. My 8 minute pace will probably fade by mile 4 and I'll be doing the old-man marathon shuffle, but oh, well.
I REALLY miss my bike, but kinda like the shorter distance runs. I may keep them up from time to time and learn to swim efficiently this summer and do a 1/2 X by myself next time.

New nephew!!!

2008-05-10T10:46:00.014-05:00

Baby Seth is here, and he is so cute and precious. It's kind of fun having a boy in the family. It's sad, but I think I understand boys better than girls...oh well. :) We spent some time over at Emily and Joel's on Tues night. I got to hold the baby, ate some good food, and watched American Idol. Sorry to you Jason Castro fans, but he was terrible.

Here are some pics of our new nephew:

It looks like I'm a natural, but you should feel my heart rate :)

He's so sweet!!!

Andrew...picture face without even trying...c'mon!!!

We look forward to the wonderful things that God has in store for him, and we especially look forward to watching Ella interact with him. :)

On a side note, I've been sort of absentee from the blog lately. Mostly due to a combination of work and school, which has made for a very stressful past few months. The good news...I'm getting a new position at work, and Microbiology is over!! God is doing some great things, and I'm just trying to wait for His timing...sometimes easier said than done.

Another side note...is anyone watching Survivor!?! This season has been awesome...blind-side after blind-side!! I can't wait for the finale tomorrow!!

What we've been up to....

2008-04-29T20:00:00.009-05:00

I went to Guatemala on a mission trip with several men from church where we all worked like slaves constructing a cinderblock building without power tools. Overall, it was GRRRREAT!!!! One of the better trips I've ever been on. Nope, not Photoshopped, that's me working.....

Next, in sports, I'm riding my bikes more often and even doing a couple of mountain bike races this spring. It feels great and I don't know how I'm finding the time, but I am managing to ride alot more. I got worked pretty hard at a race in Austin and realized how much I had let myself get out of shape. I did my best but the finish results were less than stellar. I did manage to have a blast while "holding down" 14th..HA!

After getting worn-out from a long ride at Huntsville State Park, I was ready for a PBJ, but so was this guy....... (I couldn't resist)

Then, this past weekend our small group from church went camping at Huntsville. I'd always heard rumors of there being gators in that lake, but Aaron made a believer out of me thanks to his boat. I saw two when I went out, but earlier he saw about 8. The "Crocodile Hunters" Aaron and Jeremy:

A strange thing happened when we were just sitting around camp. No breeze, just as peaceful as can be then we heard "crack, ....boom,POP,POP,etc." and saw a big tree just 40 feet from our campsite come crashing down towards us. It was right there before our eyes and I saw it fall in slow-mo. It was pretty cool. It fell on a power line and knocked out the power to half the park.

Keith who is a fireman for Houston put out the blaze 'with his bare hands' conceivably saving the lives of thousands and preserving the park for future genarations at the rate the fire was growing. It was just billowing smoke, and Keith dissappeared into the smoke and within seconds it was out.

As you can tell, it could only have been done by a professional fireman. Thank God for Keith.

Liz has been acing exams in her classes this semester and only has one week left!!!
Go Liz!

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

2008-02-19T20:36:00.009-06:00

I found our camera's charger, revived the battery and shot a few pics to share. First, I gave Abby another haircut--with Liz's help and coaching this time--and the results were MUCH better than the last time (for those that didn't get to see her think "shorn lamb").

It was more of a "trim" than anything to make her look less scraggly. We basically just removed the indian fringe from around her legs and underbelly. She now resembles a bear --especially from behind. The camera does no justice here. We like how it turned out.

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary last month --YAHOO

I've been making a career our of our master bath redo it seems. Really more of a career of procrastination. That has changed. I finshed the demolition and removal! It only took 8 months! --ah, but the project is still not done. I should finish in a month or so. To those who I've been describing this to, I'll let the pictures do the talking. To summarize, water leak plus lots of time equals decay equals forced remodel.

I know how an archaeologist feels now after spending 2-3 hours chiseling out the pan hidden in our slab beneath it all, but I didn't find any bones or anything cool.

I finally removed the last of the wallpaper our home that was in the dining room. I textured, added chair rail and crown molding and painted. I'm actually about 40% through a total re-paint of the whole house. This room captures our color theme--only two colors with the baths and kitchen being dark and the rest being light brown with a dark accent wall here and there. Its looking good but sure takes a long time. My painter at work asks me every week how its going then scoffs at the length of time it is taking me. Pros,...they always feel the need to prove their superiority. I didn't bring up my current time table on the master bath project!

Best of 2007

2008-01-09T20:56:00.000-06:00

While I am certainly no movie critic, I consider myself to be a passionate movie-goer with an eye for great movies. What does "best picture" mean to me? Usually, that I walk out of the theater, and can't stop talking about it. Also, when the movie comes out on DVD, and I add it to my collection...that's a good sign. So, here are my "best pictures" from 2007 (in order):

5. The Bourne Ultimatum - I missed every single "three-quel" this summer except this one. But, it seems I picked the right one to spend 2.5 hours on. Action scenes were great, and the story was not too confusing. The franchise did a great job tying together all the loose ends and closing the door on the Bourne series. This one was almost as good as the original.

4. Juno - maybe a little unorthodox, and some of the dialogue is a little overdone. But, what a unique, quirky, and entertaining little film. You can't help but become attached to the characters and their story. You will certainly laugh, and maybe even cry (I did). And Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight K Schrute) makes a cameo appearance delivering one of the best one-liners of the whole movie. Acting is good, but the soundtrack is better (very Garden State-esque). I'd say it's this year's Little Miss Sunshine.

3. 3:10 to Yuma - I must preface this one...I love westerns!! And Christian Bale is definitely becoming one of my favorite actors. He never lets me down. I loved this one from beginning to end. The only thing I would have changed...the final shoot-out scene was a little unrealistic in comparison to the rest of the movie.

2. The Kite Runner - The movie was a good (not great) adaptation of the book. The cast of mostly no-name actors worked, and the scenery was beautifully shot. Heads-up...most of the movie is in subtitles, but I didn't find it distracting at all. It was moving, powerful, and had a storybook ending. Loved it!! But, read the book first.

1. No Country for Old Men - It's the Coen Brothers at their finest!!! Great story, great script (very little diaglogue), and superb acting. I love Tommy Lee Jones, and his small part in this one is still great. Josh Brolin should get nominated for Best Actor, and Javier Bardem should win Best Supporting Actor. He played one of the most scary, chilling bad guys that I've seen in recent years...flawless!! I repeat, it's the Coen Brothers (which I love for films like Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou?), so don't expect the stereotypical ending. But, hands down, my Best Picture of the year.

Honorable Mention (in no order): Zodiac, The Kingdom, Ratatouille

Grreat in '08!!

2008-01-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

O8's going to be great! .......I can just feel it.

No particular New Year's resolutions.. Just being a better me and having more fun, creating more margin in my life and investing more in my important relationships. That should do it.

Anyone want a free Aussie shep?

I'll even throw in free shipping...

Holiday Recap

2008-01-01T17:57:00.000-06:00

Christmas Reynolds-style ~

So, for Christmas day, we all piled into Andrew's truck and headed to Abilene. And by "we", I mean...Andrew, myself, my brother Jon, and our two dogs Jett and Abby. It was too cold for the dogs to be in the truck bed, so we were all crammed into the truck cabin. That was an adventure, although it was just me and Abby in the back seat, and she is pretty tame. I think the boys had a tougher time in the front seat than we did.

5 hours later, we pulled into Abilene and checked into our hotel. My dad doesn't like the dogs at his house, so we stayed at a hotel. Fine by me, since it provides a nice retreat when being around family becomes too suffocating. And my Dad paid for the hotel stay. Here's a picture of what my dogs consider "roughing it". :) Geez, they are spoiled!

We all had a great time. My mom is the best cook ever!! My favorite meal of the year is her Christmas Day meal. Ham with scalloped potatoes, green beans w/ bacon, salad, and rolls. Sooo good!! And not to mention, she is quite the baker also, so throw in a homemade Apple and Pecan pie. You can't beat it.

I honestly expected more drama, but our three day stay proved to be very tame, thankfully. The highlight was playing Apples to Apples. It's really fun, and my Dad got really into it.

In fact, the only other excitement came when I slammed my fingers in Andrew's truck door. I was opening the third door of the truck, when the wind slammed the passenger door on my right hand. Picture this, the door did not merely bounce off my fingers, it shut completely flush with my hand inside. I think I may have said a few choice words, and the concrete at the Holiday Inn is permanently stained with blood. December has been quite an injury-prone month for me. I'm glad it's over.

Christmas Jean-style ~

We all went to Emily and Joel's house the Saturday after Christmas to celebrate with Andrew's family. Also, good times! Ella is our 2-year old neice, and she stole the show.

Last year for Christmas, she was more content with the wrapping paper and boxes. This year was a different story. She has mastered the art of opening presents. She picks out a gift bag, not necessarily assigned to her, pulls out the tissue paper and gives one of two responses: "Wow!" or my personal favorite "Goodness Gracious!" It was sooo cute! Her facial reactions are priceless!

The day also consisted of more great food, and another round of Apples to Apples. This time, I was the winner!!

New Year's ~

New Year's Eve has never really been that big of a deal to me. It's a struggle to stay up that late, but this year was a success, even for Andrew :) We bounced between two houses, and had a great time at both. We said GOODBYE to 2007, and are welcoming 2008 with smiles on our faces!!

Today, Andrew took me out to the local shooting range for some target practice. I haven't shot a gun since I was a little girl, and I want to make sure that I look serious if I ever have to encounter an intruder.

The shooting range was an experience. I'm not going to lie, I was a little uncomfortable. There are empty shell casings all over the ground, and it's really, really loud, even with hearing protection. The sound of some of those shotguns and rifles alone was enough to make me almost turn around and head back to the car. But, I was brave. Andrew picked out a bench for us and placed our targets at 50 yds out. He took me through a quick, basic refresher course on shooting, and away I went.

What gun was I shooting? Well, it turns out that the sounds and shoulder jerks of others shooting 30/30's and 12-guages allowed my bravery to go only so far. So, I shot Andrew's 22-rifle. That's right, a glorified BB gun. Hey, small steps, folks. Target practice went much better than Andrew expected. I probably shot about 25 rounds, and I hit the bulls-eye probably 10 of those rounds. And, that was shooting with open-sight (no scope). I was proud!! So, to all the small varmint in the world...look out!! To intruders...hopefully they won't know the difference between a 22 and a 30/30. Better yet, hopefully there will be NO intruders. :)

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

I'm your huckleberry

2007-12-19T20:20:00.000-06:00

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I've already posted this on my myspace page, but thought I'd post it here for you non-myspacers.

So, most of you that know me, know of my love for movie lines. They are what's great about movies! And my brother and I have been quoting them as long as I can remember...not many people can keep up with us. Sad to say, but we could probably hold several coherent conversations just using movie quotes. Hey, it's my talent, and I'm proud. Just to preface you, though, I left off most of the cliche ones like "Frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn." and "Here's looking at you, kid." The ones listed below come from movies that I have seen hundreds of times, and I'm sure I will add more as I think of them. I left the movie titles off in case you want to play along, although, I'm sure that's the kind of game that only movie nerds like me play. So, in tribute to some of my favorites, here we go:

1. "Let's be from Vermont, and let's have an emerging maple syrup conglomerate."
2. "I got robbed by a sweet old lady on a motorized cart, and I didn't even see it comin'!"
3. "Yah, well, sometime's nothing can be a pretty cool hand."
4. "Sure the Almighty didn't send me to watch your back? I didn't like him anyway. He wasn't right in the head."
5. "Well, ain't it a small world? Spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been saved and baptized. I guess I'm the only one who remains unaffiliated!"
6. "Whoa, we have to take a boat? Nobody said anything about taking any boats!" "Is there going to be a problem, sir?" "No, no problem. I'm just not that crazy about boats." "Geez, Caffey, you're in the Navy for crying out loud!" "Nobody likes her very much!" "Yes, sir!"
7. "So, when Andy Dufresne came to in 1949 and asked me to smuggle Rita Hayworth in, I told him…no problem."
8. "Show me the money! I love black people!"
9. "Keep it secret. Keep it safe."
10. "Tuesday night's plastic corrosion awareness meeting was, I think, a big success. And we want to thank Mr. Spell for putting that on for us. Thank you, Mr. Spell."
11. "But, for now, let me say – Without hope or agenda – Just because it's Christmas – And at Christmas, you tell the truth – To me, you are perfect – And my wasted heart will love you – Until you look like this"
12. "What kind of music do you usually have here?" "Oh, we got both kinds…Country and Western."
13. "Did they teach you that in the CIA!?! Did they teach you that!?! I've got one question for you, Jack…it's can you deal with that!?!
14. "I'm here to learn everyone! Not to make out with you! Go on with the chlorophyll."
15. "One more thing...I play, Coach stays. He goes, I go."
16. "Where's Elizabeth?" "She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So, we're all men of our word really…except for Elizabeth, who is in fact, a woman."
17. "Erroneous! Erroneous on both counts!"
18. "Ok, what am I doing? I'm chasing this guy. Nope, he's chasing me!"
19. "Who elected you leader of this outfit?" "Well, Pete, I just figured it should be the one with the capacity for abstract thought."
20. "Toe-pick!"
21. "I've got the Holy Spirit…it's a good train…you should get on it."
22. "P. Sherman. 42 Wallaby Way. Sydney."
23. "We've got no food. We've got no jobs. Our pets heads are falling off!!"
24. "Do you like apples?" "Yeah." "Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples!?!"
25. "Asps…very dangerous. You go first."
26. "Luther said I could learn some things from you. I already know how to drink."
27. "The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. In the common tongue, it reads 'One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
28. "Is not going well! I have stolen a bread van, and am chasing Michael down Michigan Ave. This is what comes of telling the truth!"
29. "George, you are the most selfish man in the whole world. Now, that's just silly…have you met everyone in the world?"
30. "I am removing the superfluous buns!" "Now, why don't we just calm down, sir." "I'll tell you why 'WE' don't calm down, because you're not excited! It takes two people for a 'WE' to calm down, doesn't it!?!"
31. "No time to discuss this with the committee." "I am NOT a committee!"
32. "You know, Ike, maybe poker's just not your game. I know…let's have a spelling contest!"
33. "I value my neck a lot more than three thousand bucks, Chief. I'll find him for three, but I'll catch him and kill him for ten."
34. "I'd like to dedicate this to my grandpa, who showed me these moves." "Aawww, that's sweet. And where is your grandpa?" "In the trunk of our car."
35. "How'd you do it Frank? How did you cheat on the Bar Exam in Louisiana?"
36. "You know those coconut bombs…you don't have to worry. They work right well!"
37. "Pull the lever, Kronk." "Wrong leveerrr!" "Why do we even have that lever!?!"
38. "I'm here to try out my sea legs." "But you ain't got no legs, Lt. Dan."
39. "Does this suit make me look fat?" "No, your face does."
40. "Do you think next time you might be a little more suttle?" "What do you mean, Winston?" "What I mean, Willie, is your carrying a bag of fertilizer and a semi-conscious Gloria...you don't look like your average horticulturalist."

>

More dental drama...

2007-12-18T18:36:00.000-06:00

I went to see my dentist yesterday to finish the root canal, prep the crown, and replace the cracked filling...see post on 12/11/07. After sitting in the chair for 2 hours with fists, drills, latex, and suctions all in my mouth, he says he can't complete the root canal because it's "calcified". Seriously?? Seriously!! Instead, I need to go see an endodontic specialist so that he can finish the root canal, because he has more experience in this area. Are you freaking kidding me?? I really know how my patients feel now...this process is exhausting and expensive.

So, for the third time in 2 weeks, I will be having a root canal on the same tooth tomorrow morning. After that, I head back to my regular, apparently non-specialized dentist to complete the crown. Then, I go back to my orthodontist to have him put my lower brackets and wire back on those teeth. Sheesh, this is never-ending. I'm such a regular that I have my own "laughing gas" mask in my purse to take with me to these appointments...that stuff really is good times!! :)

The Best Dog in the WHOOOOOOLE World.......

2007-12-15T21:20:00.001-06:00

The little black-and-white one. Parents can't play favorites, but dog owners can.....

Even with braces, don't ignore tooth pain!!!

2007-12-11T18:06:00.000-06:00

This past Wednesday and Thursday was by far the most painful 48 hours of my life, physically speaking. To the moms reading this...I have not given birth yet, and yes I realize that labor pains will trump this. But for now, trust me.

It actually started Wednesday at work. I started having this radiating pain all along my lower right teeth and jaw that was coming on about every couple of hours. By lunch time, I also began to have an ear ache on the right side. To be honest the whole "radiating pain" thing is not really that new for me. With braces, I have pain a lot of the time. So, I just ignore it and it goes away...right? Not so much. I went home early that day, thinking I just have an ear infection. I need sleep, and I'll be better in the morning.

While at home, the episodes began to increase in frequency and in duration. It was like I was having contractions!! To the moms...again, I realize that I haven't had "actual" contractions :), but OMG!!! I would be writhing in pain for about 10 -15 minutes, to the point that I would be crying, and then I would have no symptoms at all for 10-15 minutes. Andrew and I tried everything we could think of to help with pain. We called our moms too...no relief. So, I went to bed praying and hoping to sleep through the pain. Again, not so much. My routine that night consited of pacing around the living room and sipping on warm water for about 10-12 minutes, lay down on the couch for 1-2 minutes of relief, then repeat. I think I slept a total of one hour.

At 7:30 am on thurs, I made appointments with my dentist and my PCP...still not knowing if it was an ear infection making my teeth hurt or a tooth infection making my ear hurt. Well, the dentist was first. They take an x-ray of my lower right jaw, where I already have a crown. He comes back 10 minutes later..."Good news and bad news. The good news is, I know what the problem is. The bad news...you need a root canal because you have an abcessed tooth". Hey, at this point a root canal was good news to me b/c that would take away my excruciating pain. So, he says that I need to clear up the infection first before we can do the procedure. Gives me a script for antibiotics and vicodin for the pain. Root canal is scheduled in 10 days. Finally, some relief...I have never taken Vicodin, but everybody loves that stuff, and that will surely take away my pain.

Yeah, not so much!! I took 2 Vicodin...and NOTHING!!! Seriously?? Seriously!! I mean what is everybody's fascination with this stuff? 200mg of Ibuprofen worked better than the "miracle drug". So, by late Thurs afternoon, the pain was no longer coming in contraction-form, but pretty much constant. I called Andrew crying. "Please call the dentist, and ask him to call me in something else. Vicodin isn't working." The dentist had a different suggestion..."Come in right now (4:45 pm), and I'm going to do an emergency root canal on you".

I drive back to my dentist's office. Now here's the fun part...so why does the dentist want patients to take antibiotics 10 days before procedures? So that anesthesia will work. Too much infection, and it won't work. Any guesses on what's coming?? Not only did I have a root canal (the most-feared dental procedure), but I had a root canal with little to no anesthesia. Good times!!! It was quite an ordeal. I had a nurse on either side of me holding my hand while the dentist drilled. Andrew had met me up there. He was great! He stayed down at my feet, rubbing my legs. So, for about 20 minutes, I experienced dental work w/out the proper numbing effect. Now, let me just say, the pain during the actual procedure was nothing compared to the pain prior to. And after it was all over, I felt almost immediately better.

Now, fast forward to today. Still no pain. I'm faithfully taking my antibiotics still (sorry, Leah :)). I'm going to my orthodontist on Thurs to have him take off my bottom brackets and wire so that I can have my dentist finish the root canal, replace my crown with a new crown, and repair a cracked porcelain filling on my back tooth on Monday. Good grief...I'll be happy when this is all over.

The saddest part? On Wednesday morning, I was informed at work about my Christmas bonus this year...Yay, we can use it to get an I-phone!! But, back to the moral of the story...not so much!! Instead, it will be used to pay for an emergency root canal, crown, and cracked porcelain filling.

And that, my friends, is my story of the year!!

Random Musing:

2007-12-06T20:35:00.000-06:00

I kinda just discovered that I am a BIG fan of stews. My parents never really fed my sister and I stews when we were growing up. Probably because their parents never really made them for them when they were growing up, so I'm kind of just discovering them. The value of a good stew cannot be underestimated. I mean, it warms you up on a cold day, can make you feel better when you are sick (note: MUST be of the chicken family of stews), its easy to eat if you've just had extensive dental work done and are left sensitive (ask Liz about her exciting day), its difficult to overeat on, and finally they are easy on the pocketbook. They are also very easy to make-- so much so that even a poor cook can make a successful stew. Just use whatever you have laying around. A little of this and a dab ot that to give it a little kick! Perfect. If you ever feel like you've screwed up and made it too rich or spicy, just add more water to dilute it down, and now you have even MORE stew! Wow, you just can't lose with this stuff! I see myself eating alot more stew in the years to come. If we ever have lots of kids (over 6 kids), I'll probably invest in an old world cast-iron cauldron for stewmaking. You can make a LOT of stew in those things. I'd probably use a wooden paddle to stir it. It would be great!

Where have we been?

2007-11-30T19:30:00.000-06:00

Its been so long, so much has happened....stung by killer bees, bit by my own dog, etc., etc.
we're just doin' the same-old-stuff.

Fire in the Hole!!!

2007-11-11T18:24:00.000-06:00

Andrew's cousin Adam works for a demolition company here in Houston. This morning, we got to experience it first-hand. They imploded the Crown Plaza Hotel in the Medical Center at 7:15. We had to get up at 5:00am to be there on time, but it was totally worth it. Both of us felt that it was one of the coolest things we had ever seen. The only drawback...wish we had a video camera, because our pictures don't do it justice.

We were probably about 80-100 yds from the building. The countdown begins 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - Fire in the Hole! Then the fireworks...a series of 16 blasts (close to 1300 pounds of dynamite) just BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...to the point that the pavement under our feet was shaking, and then total implosion followed by a giant dust cloud. It was awesome!!!

A true feat of engineering too. The buildings in the background are Texas Children's and St. Luke's hospitals...you know they don't want any collateral damage to those buildings. We kept thinking about the poor people in The Best Western next to our viewing area that were awakened this morning by dynamite blasts...hopefully the manager pre-warned them.

Needless to say, we're hoooked and can't wait to experience another one!! The video at the bottom is not the actual building we saw demo'ed, but I put it on here so you could get an idea for the sound...it's pretty darn close to what we experienced. Oh, and the last picture is our souveniers...fake dynamite filled with red hots :)

Feelings Check:

2007-11-09T21:18:00.000-06:00

Man I sure am tired from the week, but I really have no agenda for the weekend other than riding some singletrack tomorrow morning. That already feels like a relief. The weather should be good and its a trail that I have never ridden. That thought relaxes me, it is a comfortable feeling.

Go Grease Lightning...

2007-11-03T22:12:00.000-05:00

As a kid, I never really dressed up much for Halloween. Maybe because of my church background...I don't know...but, if I did dress up, I'm pretty sure I was always an angel :)

Honestly, though, I think it's much more fun to dress up as an adult. Too often, we all get caught up in the busy-ness of life. I say we need to act like kids more often. Being silly is great for putting a smile on anyone's face!!

So, we have a costume contest at my office each Halloween, and people get pretty into it. Thought I would share some pics from this year's festivities. And by the way, my department won "Best Group Theme"...makes it all worth it!!

tomorrow, tomorrow!

2007-10-31T21:21:00.000-05:00

The Office is on tomorrow, YA-YAH!

Feelings Check:

2007-10-30T20:33:00.000-05:00

Here's how I'm feelin'. Jack Handey said it best. "I don't pretend to know all the answers. I don't even know all the questions. Hey, wait, where am I?"

Respect.

2007-10-29T21:29:00.001-05:00

I took it up a notch with Liz tonight, respect that is..... You all know I'm not much of a movie buff like her, but lately I've been enjoying watching lots of movies with her. Old movies that is (to get me caught up) and I've been enjoying the movies and the time with her and she loves it, so everybody wins! We were watching The Sixth Sense which I've never seen all the way through, just bits and pieces. Is anybody surprised at this? Anyway the dead little girl who'd been poisoned by her mom who appears in the boy's tent at night and is throwing up is Mischa Barton, actress from The O.C. I told Liz that's who I thought it was and she googled or IMDB'd it or something and confirmed it and was amazed! It was a threefold amazement, I believe: 1. she was amazed that Mischa Barton was in that old of a movie, 2. she was amazed that she did not know/had not discovered that on her own, 3. she was amazed that I knew who Mischa Barton was in the first place. Look at me go! :) Look out Jon/Jeff!!!!!

Dwight Schrute

2007-10-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

Dwight Schrute, yes, Dwight Schrute. Nobody beats that guy!....nobody!

Can't believe I did it!

2007-10-20T23:07:00.000-05:00

Yep, I did it. I never thought I would because at first I was o.k. without it. I went ahead and took the plunge. I got a yard crew to do our yard! Whoever said you can't buy time was WRONG! I did today and will every weekend until the spring. I love to cut grass, but hate picking up leaves, remember?.. I woke up this morning and stepped outside, opened the garage door to start what would take me 3 or so hours of finding my driveway and grass again and thought, "Its 60 degrees and clear and I have to do THIS,--this is criminal!". -- It would have been if I'd have stuck around and done it, so instead I jumped in the truck, drove down our street and found the first lawn crew I came across. I asked them if they wanted more work, they did, and followed me to the house to survey the job. I showed them around, told them what I wanted and they gave me a bid that was so cheap I didn't have the heart to negotiate it. They were two guys, Beto and Enrique. Beto didn't speak much English, mostly just smiled alot, but Enrique did, although his voice sounded like a 12 year old and he appeared to be in his 40s. Comical. It was around 9 or 10 in the morning and they smelled like they had been drinking already...??? Rascals. Oh well, they did a great job for a fair price and if they show back up next weekend I will be setup nicely.
I went for a bike ride in the nice weather with a smile on my face. Money well spent.

Catching up...

2007-10-13T12:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been slacking on my blog posts recently. So to sum up everything for the past couple of weeks:

1. BRACES ~ I was told in July/August that I would be getting my braces off in November. Yay, I'm in the home stretch, right? WRONG!! I went for my regular check-up last week, thinking "I only have one more month of this nonsense", and my orthodontist tells me I'm going to be wearing them for 6 more months!!! What!?! I mean, I could understand a few extra weeks, but 6 more MONTHS. Yeah, good guessing there Doc. Sheesh...so one more holiday season of "brace face" and "metal mouth"...darn it! I'm sure in a few years, I'll look back on this and laugh. But, right now, my mouth just hurts too much :(

2. Fall TV season ~ I set the TIVO to record all the new "buzz" shows, including Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, Big Shots, Rules of Engagement, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc. to see if I'd be adding a new show to my already scheduled line-up of The Office and Survivor. I needed a new show, since American Idol and Lost aren't coming on until the Spring, and Grey's Anatomy has become such rubbish (sorry to you Grey's lovers). Well, I was NOT impressed with any of these. Some of them were entertaining, but does every show have to be about how "fast you can get laid" and "how many people can we have an affair with"? Good grief!! And "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" was not near as funny as Travis, Katie, Beck, and Hayley made it out to be (sorry guys). But amidst the same old cliche shows...but one has surprisingly emerged as a definiete contender... "Pushing Daisies". It's great!! After only 2 episodes, I'm sold!! It's unique, witty, whimsical with a little make-believe thrown in...my kind of show. Everyone should give it a shot. I must warn you though, it's the kind of show that you either HATE or LOVE...not really in between. Let me know what you think.

3. RUDY's BBQ ~ this was the first restaurant that Andrew ever took me to. Although, it was during the first phase of our relationship when we were "just friends", it holds good memories. So, Rudy's can mostly be found in Austin and San Antonio, and there's one in College Station. But to our excitement, they have built one just around the corner from us...the first one in Houston is basically at our back door. Yiippeee!! You would think that Houston, TX would offer a better BBQ selection, but there's really not any good ones in our area. So, the grand opening was 2 weeks ago. We tried SIX times to go eat there, and with no luck. The line was always out the door, and we were just too hungry to wait. In fact the first time we had it was last Sat. when my brother bought a bunch of it for the OU-Texas game (Boomer!!) at his place. Soo good! I love their cream corn and chopped beef. Since then, we were finally successful at eating at the actual restaurant, although that now makes the score 1 out of 9 tries. That's a good sign though :)

Wow, that was a bunch of summing up!!

Dog Rodeo!!

2007-10-02T17:58:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, our friends Travis and Katie were in town doing a little car shopping. They brought their two dogs Bandit and Daisy with them. So, Bandit + Daisy + Jett + Abby = Dog Rodeo!! It was funny, and I'm so proud of Abby. She was actually pretty social, which is very unlike her. And Jett, the smallest one of the bunch acted like the biggest. Daisy gave him a run for his money though. So, here are some pics, although the action shots didn't come out very well.

And this is Bandit's idea of participation:

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

2007-09-23T22:26:00.000-05:00

So I recruited Liz to help me with the leaves and yard after not being motivated to brave it alone, and we got it all done, and it looked great! What a day. Woke up this morning and yep, leaves EVERYWHERE! Why is fall my favorite season again?
Beck, I have a nice 2 niner disc wheelset ready for ya. Give me a call, I'll give you the details.

Getting Older.

2007-09-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

Liz covered this a few weeks back, but I have to throw in my two cents cause its me we're talking about here. Yeah, yeah, ya I turned 30 three weeks ago ----as a side note, I just typed "turned" 30. I don't remember any corners, or spinning, so why did I type that? but is there another way to express it? nope----back on topic, I guess I kinda AM getting/feeling older. Let me give you an example. Maybe its youth or just one of my dumb quirks, but I used to spring out of bed on Saturdays to do the lawn, yep, "spring" --it really annoyed Liz who is more of a fan of the "gradual snuggle" out of bed. Now, the leaves are starting to come down and I just don't care anymore. I even asked a neighbor about his lawn crew. It could be me getting older or the "leaf" factor. I'll cut grass all day, but I HATE dealing with leaves. Am I being lazy with age or just being normal here? I've always been a "gotta go Joe" and unable to sit still, but lately Liz and I have been watching lots of old movies that we record from TCM. Classic John Wayne westerns and Alfred Hitchcocks and I'm loving it! I guess she's trying to start me from the beginning, since she's a huge movie fan. Its pretty good. And speaking of sitting still and watching TV, since Comcast took over, they changed the program lineup and brought back "Top Gear" on BBC. Best show EVAR!!!, o.k. maybe "The Office" but its great!!!!!! Crap, enough stalling, I guess I gotta get out there and do the yard now..... poop!

I've been tagged...twice!!

2007-09-16T17:20:00.001-05:00

I've been tagged by Mariana and Amy. I'm giving in to peer pressure, and have spent the last 30 minutes trying to come up with my 8 random facts...it was harder than I thought. But first, the rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So, in no particular order:

1. FEAR - I am terrified of throwing-up. I realize that "no one likes to throw-up", but my dislike goes much deeper. I go to extremes to avoid this action, to the point of pacing around my room for hours, sipping water to avoid it at all costs. I do NOT share sentiments with the phrase "you'll feel better when it's over"...and I REFUSE to force myself. And by the way, Emily Skaggs can relate. :)

2. LIKE - I am pretty fond of Rap music. Maybe this stems from my basketball roots, I don't know, but I can jam to Eminem, Kanye, 50 cent, Dr. Dre, etc. So, everyone sing/rap along:

"Cause I'm slim shady, yes I'm the real slim shady, all you other slim shady's are just imitating..."

"Now, I ain't saying she's a goldigger, but she ain't messin with no broke, broke...get down, girl. Go ahead, get down..."

3. QUIRK - I love baby names. And, although Andrew and I are still a couple of years away from taking the plunge, I've had a list of my favorites since we first got married. Actually, it's not so much a list as it is an Excel spreadsheet...yeah, I'm not kidding. It has a column of girl names, a column of boys names, and then a column of final combinations. I keep it on our hard drive, and update it periodically with new additions. For now, the top slots are filled by Addison Grace, Avery Elise, Noah Walker, and Grayson Seth...we'll have to see if those hold up. :)

4. TALENT - My special talent is quoting movies or tv episodes. My brother and I are capable of holding several coherent conversations using only movie lines. And, I'm a huge Friends fan, and love to quote them with Emily Roberts (she is truly the master), Shelah, and new-comer Mariana. "The cushions are the essence of the chair!"

5. STRUGGLE - Total transperency, here...I have a self-esteem problem. I know, it is so silly, and I really don't know where it comes from, but there you have it. Ultimately, I think I've spent too many years trying to find my self-worth in things like marriage, work, friends, family, etc. I realize this now, and am shifting my focus to realizing my worth in Jesus Christ.

6. HATE - I detest ALL condiments. So, no mustard, mayo, ketchup, relish, or even salad dressings. I used to get made fun of all the time when I was a kid b/c I'd want my burger with meat and cheese only, my sandwich with just meat and bread, or my salad dry. Now that I'm an adult, it pays off b/c I don't have to worry about the extra calories. Who's laughing now?!?

7. PASSION - March Madness, baby!!! College basketball play-offs is truly the greatest sporting event every year. Each March, I look forward to filling out my bracket to predict the winner of "The Big Dance". I watch Sportcenter for hours on "Selection Sunday" to give me the edge over my fellow competitors. In fact, I won our office pool this past year. Way to go Florida!!

8. PET-PEEVE - Text messaging...where do I begin. This is the one fad that I have not jumped on yet. Probably, because I'm not any good at it!! For the longest time, I had no idea what BTW, LOL, :), and :( all meant. And T9...seriously?!?! All, I want to do is type the word "three", and all I get is Ugh, thirsty, or word not in dictionary. Seriously...there has to be an eaiser way. BTW, I dun hav a txt plan, so it costs me $1 Ech tym U txt me :)

There's my 8 facts, and I think that most of my blogging-friends have already done this, but here it goes...Leah, Emily Roberts, Shelah, Amanda (3rd time's the charm), Travis and/or Katie, and Beck and/or Hayley...you've just been tagged!!

So...

2007-09-14T17:55:00.001-05:00

I was glancing back over the past few blogs, and has anyone else noticed how many paragraphs I've started with the word "So..."?!? That's a little silly. There's bound to be more ways to communicate thoughts than with the same word over and over again.

So, I'm going to quit doing that :)

New car...well, new for me :)

2007-09-11T19:27:00.000-05:00

So, Andrew and I have finally decided that we are going to quit TALKING about moving to Austin, and actually start PLANNING on moving to Austin...YAY!!! Seriously, this is a place that we've talked about moving to since we were engaged. And seeing as how we do not have any bitties running around, it's a good time to relocate. Of course, taking into account that God will provide the opportunity.

So, with that being said, we've decided to downsize our cars to get rid of our car payments sooner. This a very hard task for Andrew AND I to consider because we are huge car people. And not from a standpoint of driving the most expensive or "showy" car, but of having a "driver's car"...i.e. something GERMAN like VW, Audi, or BMW...hence the Passat...and tear now that it's gone :(

We sold the Passat on Labor Day, and afterward, Andrew and I had a little family finance meeting to discuss the budget for the next car. Oh boy, these little meetings can get tense quick. Ultimately, we decided max $6500. Now I had no idea that $6500 would be such a difficult limit. We searched and searched on Autotrader, Craigslist, Ebay, and all the usual spots. Considering our price range, we were mainly looking for Accords or Maximas. We test drove a couple...and I just came home depressed. I mean I know I was giving up my wonderful German car for a good reason, but I had no idea how much I would have to lower my expectations. Yikes! In fact, I kind of gave up looking and decided to let Andrew do the research...too depressing for me.

After only one week, he calls me about a Maxima he found. Now this, my friends, is what is SOOO wonderful about being married to Andrew Jean...he is a ROCK STAR!!! Many of us know how his talents come in handy in the bike world, but let me tell you, he is truly amazing. I didn't even see the car other than in pictures. It's a 2000 Nissan Maxima w/ my favorite color combo (silver ext/black leather int), and for under our budget!!! While he was test driving it, he noticed a leak in the radiator, and used that to bring the price down. Yah, it's pretty darn nice having my own auto mechanic in the house. Give him anything with parts, even a car engine, and he can take it apart and put it back together. And, if he doesn't know how to do it, he'll just Google it and then go do it. I'm telling you...ROCK STAR!!!

So, I thought I'd share pics of this great find (previous car above and new car below). I think the "treasure hunt" is half the fun for Andrew. I mean, let's be honest...he's had 10 cars since I met him in 2000...maroon 4runner, white maxima, blue lexus, silver GTI, red GTI, green explorer, brown 4runner, maroon truck, silver truck, pewter truck...Geez, that's a bunch of cars. But, hey, we're "car people"!! :)

Drew is 'a bloggin'

2007-09-10T23:22:00.000-05:00

Rant, rant, rant.... Soapbox, soapbox
and a little shout-out to all my friends!
Oh, and I recently rode my bike.
Happy Travis?
until next time, -Drew

Bare Minerals!!

2007-09-04T21:26:00.001-05:00

So, Andrew and I were in Austin over Labor Day weekend hanging out with some of our friends, Travis/Katie and Beck/Hayley. The funny thing about this is that I'm more like "3rd wheel", or technically speaking "6th wheel". The reason being...they are all very outdoorsy and they all love to mountain bike. Now let's be honest, as my age has progressed, I have become a little more girly and a little less tomboy (tear from Travis, smile from Andrew). So, while I was once very athletic (and still am if I'm playing something like basketball), I could care less about being outdoors, mainly because of things like spiders, roaches, and mosquitos (poking fun begins now).

So, all of this to preface my new favorite thing...Bare Minerals make-up!! This stuff is awesome, and who do I owe this great find to...Katie and Hayley, who are without a doubt, the most outdoorsy/tomboy-esque kind of girls that I am friends with. I mean these girls could go a week straight with no make-up at all, sleeping in the dirt with the boys, banging their legs and arms up mountain biking in Austin, Colorado, or wherever. So, you can imagine my surprise when we are all getting ready to go out to dinner, and they BOTH have this new make-up to demonstrate for me. "You just twirl the brush, tap off the excess, and buff" explains Katie. Seriously?? Seriously!! I was cracking up...this was the sort of thing that I was supposed to be showing them!! I've got to hand it to them...they are both a perfect blend of tomboy and feminine...as clearly displayed by this picture.

So, to my other girly friends like Emily S, Leah, Emily R, Amanda, Laura, Katie W, and Mariana (who should be ashamed of yourselves for not being the ones to suggest Bare Minerals first :)), we've got some catchin' up to do!! ~Liz

We've been converted...finally!

2007-09-04T20:41:00.000-05:00

So, we have decided to give this whole blog thing a try. Although, we are babyless and not much occurs from day to day other than work, we figure we have SOME good stories to tell. :) ~Liz