Baby shower!

This past weekend we had a baby shower for Ann, my cousin Beau's girlfriend. We had a great turnout with a TON of gifts-they cleaned up! I was the designated photographer, and while there was cropping involved to be sure, I was very excited to see they turned out pretty nicely!

The girlies
Ann, Lauren (other cousin's wife), and Kate (cousin)

Kate & Lauren being silly

Could we BE more confused?
Me, Aunt Cynthia, Lauren, Ann, Kate

Aunt Cynthia & Ann with the bassinet o' gifts!

Showers hostesses give a belly rub!

One of my artsy attempts. I call it "Lamp & Punch."

Ann and her delicious chocolate with raspberry filling cake!

Mommy & Daddy to be

I'm excited to grab Jesse at the airport and spend Thanksgiving with these fabulous people...
15 days, but who's counting? :)

Christine's wedding

Of course, before any celebrating got underway, I had to have
quality Emma time! She's 7.5 months now--big girl!

Getting ready for Christine's kitchen shower/bridal luncheon
L-R Amy, Chrissy, Emma, me, Mels

At the kitchen shower/bridal luncheon
Me, Jodi, Amy, Christine, Mels, Chrissy

Soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Karl Witt! The day before the wedding.

The horrid mustard color mugs that were to be the wedding favors had to be
replaced by yummy petit fours. All the girls took a mug as a keepsake. :)

Ready to go to the wedding!
Josh, Amy, Summer, Chrissy, me, Mels, Stephen

The wedding scene...I mean, seriously. Could it BE more beautiful?

Christine's grand entrance was amazing!

It was a very brave walk in a wedding dress!

Aw, aren't they sweet?

Pre-reception with champagne & kabobs...yes, there was a pre-reception!
Bottom L-R Chrissy, Patty, Chrissy, Nichole
Top L-R Vanessa, Summer, me, Demetria, Mels, Amy

Cutting the groom's cake (Texas after the 1850 purchase)

Chrissy, Amy, and me with the Witts!

We corraled the couple for a group shot!

What a fun night and a great reunion of friends!

Happy Halloween 2009!

Can you guess what we are?
Three Blind Mice!

Complete with cane and sunglasses

Linda, the farmer's wife who chopped off their tails

Me & Abbie

Stacy was mad when she got stuck on the phone with a student while the rest of us were having fun!

Linda trying to chop off Abbie's tail

Yes, we have tails!

Rosy, our student worker, is a block of cheese

The whole group!
The farmer's wife chasing the mice chasing the cheese

The return to college...

A couple of weekends ago, I visited my alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University, for homecoming weekend. It was my first time to return since I graduated in 2001. A group of girls was headed up so I hopped in the car and went up to Arkansas. Here are a few of us at the bed & breakfast we stayed at.

Reunited! Jodi, me, Bethany, and Laura

The staircase at our bed & breakfast

The beautiful downstairs lobby of our bed & breakfast

Strolling onto campus for the first time...

This is the pimp mobile that shuttled us back to our car after the homecoming football game. It was-ahem-unique.

I got to see my good friend Rick for the first time in a few years! He made the drive from Little Rock for a little trip down memory lane.

The golden tiger (we are the Ouachita Tigers). Note the lack of a tail. It's this big "thing" on campus...where is the tail? Who stole the tail? Rumor has it the tail was taken by some rebels from the university across the street-Henderson State.

Another sweet reunion! Bill & Evelyn, my regional leaders from West Africa were there as well! It was a complete surprise to run into them! All of their grandchildren went to OBU as well, one of whom was a good friend of mine and someone who greatly influenced my initial interest in going to Africa.

Berry Chapel, in Berry Bible Building...the site of MANY of my classes as a Christian counseling major.

Part of the OBU Homecoming tradition is Tiger Tunes, a variety show which different clubs on campus participate. Basically, each club chooses a theme (soccer moms, Baptists, Egyptians, monsters, prisoners, etc.) and creates a story using songs with "modified" lyrics. It's my favorite part of Homecoming! I participated with Campus Ministries one year when I was a student, and we won second (totally should've been first).

Sifting through old memories, scrapbooks, letters, etc...

Lauren's precious baby girl, Addison, and I became fast friends...

Burger Barn in Arkadelphia
Bethany, Jodi, Laura, Leigh, me, and Lauren

Seeking: Cheap Ideas for Fall Decor

So, here's the terrible truth. I've been over-budget every month for some time now. I have determined to cut back luxury items, which unfortunately includes seasonal home decor.

However, after being at my friend Sara's apartment last night and discovering how ultra-cute her autumn-ness has made her apartment, I am depressed by my own plain jane decor. You see, I get a (somewhat disturbing) high from scented pumpkin candles, the orange-yellow-red fake leaves scattered strategically along the breakfast bar, and the subtle pumpkin used as a centerpiece on the dining table (I have no dining table, just a box of "desk stuff" in the so-called dining area--but that seems irrelevant to me).

I am asking for help in CHEAP fall decor ideas. (I will probably send a similar request for holiday decor soon.)

My own ideas?
1. Go around the neighborhood, gathering leaves from people's yards.
2. "Borrowing" the fall lawn ornaments and wreaths from neighbors, leaving anonymous notes with the promise to return any borrowed items at the end of the fall season.
3. Taking magic markers to HP printer paper and cutting out leaf shapes to tack on my wall.

You can see that I'm not so good with the free, creative stuff. However, I know some of my more crafty friends might have brilliant ideas that are just out of my brain's reach.

I appreciate any and all comments, because while I'm not smart enough to come up with these ideas on my own, I am smart enough to toss out the ideas that truly suck. So please, feel free to leave suggestions as you wish.

Christine's bachelorette hoop-la

We all gathered to celebrate our dear friend Christine as she gets married to Karl in October.

At the Art Festival in Austin
Me, Vanessa, Chrissy, Nichole, Amy, Melissa, and Christine

Texas State Capitol in Austin, TX -- Woot Woot!

Toe ring shopping for some...

Chrissy and Mels are enthusiastic about the toe rings

Not toe rings for others...but notice the huge foot above our heads.

Christine the Bachelorette and me

Mels made fondue! Yum!

Toilet paper brides - Vanessa, Christine, and me

Christine's lingerie shower...this is the only pic that's going blog-public!

Mels blew up this pic of Karl so he could watch over us all weekend

Me & Ames

A toast to Christine

We got a belly dance lesson at the Middle Eastern restaurant where we had dinner!
Chrissy caught on quickly!

Chrissy & me

We went dancing at this amazing club where the dance floor was above a shark tank!

What a lovely weekend!

Let's give 'em something to BE EXCITED about...

Next weekend, I return to my college for the first time in about 8 years for OBU Homecoming weekend! Should be a riot!

The next weekend, I'm hoping to go to the Brownwood Sleep 'n' Eat, featuring Gayle & Lynn with grilled steaks and biscuits & gravy. Also, a double feature with 2 nights of 12+ hours of sleep.

The next weekend, I'm back in Austin for Christine's wedding...48 hours of Hoop-la beginning Thursday evening and going through Saturday night. Also hoping to see little Emma since I missed her last time.

Two weekends later, I'll be in San Antonio for my cousin's girlfriend's baby shower...quality time with the ladies of the fam! Also hoping to squeeze in time with my good friend Jenn that I haven't seen in a few years b/c she lived overseas.

AND the grand finale...2 1/2 weeks later, Jesse will arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday where we'll spend the long weekend gorging ourselves in Kerrville at Royce & Cynthia's.

I'M SO EXCITED!

PS Christine's bachelorette party last weekend in Austin was a blast...pics have been on Facebook if you're friends with me, but I hope to post here soon!