Ahh, here we go! Day 7, the day before the big day

Yep, with Thanksgiving over, I knew the next two days would FLY by...and it did.

We packed up from the farm and headed to my moms. She had some shopping in mind, so a few of us fools tackled the mall on the day after Thanksgiving. It wasn't bad at all! We got dressed for the rehearsal and decided it was time, well, I decided, it was time for some pictures. Here's a few...






The rehearsal started at 6 p.m.


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I just love stuff like this...rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, weddings, receptions, showers...all of it. So I was looking forward to today.

Once the rehearsal was over, we headed to Maggiano's for the dinner. It is a beautiful restaurant and has excellent food too! If anyone left hungry, it was their own fault. You can see the menu!

We were able to have some appetizers while we visited. I saw people I hadn't seen in a number of years - Addison's friends and Becky's family. After a while, the salads came. By this time, everyone was sitting at their tables.

Between the main courses and desserts, some toasts were made and then John David had made a slide show of Kasi growing up, then Addison growing up, and then pictures of their life since they had met.

Naturally, I took way too many pictures, so here's a fraction of them: (45/120!)
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So that the wedding had been rehearsed, we all hoped Addison and Kasi were ready for the REAL THING!

This was Day 7

Thanksgiving Day - the 6th day of our trip

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was a cold day...after being in the 80's everyday that we'd been there! The house was full, the windows were fogged, there was lots of cooking and visiting going on.

Ron, Joshua, and Grandpa 'went to town' to buy some more peanut oil. That's what is used to deep fry the turkey. Grandpa likes to take the 'scenic route' to town, so it took a bit longer. HEB was out of peanut oil..finally found some at WAL-MART! Imagine!

We not only had a DE-licious deep fried turkey, but we had a smoked turkey and a ham. We also had sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes (Jo calls them "Irish potatoes"), 2 different fruit salads, green beans, cornbread dressing, hot rolls, cranberry sauce (not canned!), a corn casserole (YUM!!!), um, what am I forgetting?

Dessert? Oh geez, you wouldn't believe what all we had: 2 chocolate pies, a pecan pie, coconut pie, pumpkin dessert, lemon squares, and white chocolate/raspberry bars.

Mom didn't stay for dessert - but we sent some home with her. She felt like she needed to 'hit the road' since it started to SLEET... (remember it had been in the 80's the day before) After sleeting a while, it started to hail...then it even snowed a little. It didn't stick, but it snowed!

After dinner, dessert, and clean up...game time!
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Gabe & Emily come and we go to the farm on Day 5

I finally had all my kids together! After Gabe and Emily flew in, Ron and Josh came up from the farm to pick us all up and take us to the farm. At the farm was Larry, Sandra, Brenda, Mike, Lissette, Brian (Lissette's boyfriend), and Ashley...and of course, Erica, Thalia, Jo, and Sid.

Day 5 was Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Translation: Lots of cooking!

The cousins had a great time together. Their order in age is: Donnie-32, Joshua-31, Erica-31, Brenda-30, Gabe-29, Lissette-28, Mike-28, Emily-27, Lindsey-27, Ashley-21. So you can see how close they all are...you can probably also tell why Ashley is commonly known as "Baby Ashley."

Here's some pictures of our time together on Day 5:

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We spent Day 4 at my brothers

The plan was to get up and head to the farm. Well, the plan didn't happen because Thalia, who was at the farm, got sick. We wanted to keep Lindsey away from that...so Linz, Donnie, Mom, and I spent the day over at John David and Becky's. Sami was home...Addison (who was still a single guy) was also home.

Guess what we did?

Yep, you may have guessed correctly...we played washers! Now you need to notice the form and the way some hold their mouth when they throw. I do believe it all makes a difference!

Now you may notice some non-washer-playing photos included in this montage. Some of them are the many faces of one DONNIE....and a few of my baby girl...and there's one of Jabbo the dog...and the sky? Well, Mom said at one point, "Just look at that sky. Isn't it pretty?" So I took a picture of it.

There you have it, photos from Day 4.

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A "P.S." for Day 3

I failed to mention that while we were visiting with Aunt Jane, GRITS - the twirler, was selling raffle tickets for the twirlers.

I paid $5 to buy a raffle ticket.

For 2 tickets to the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers game this Thursday.

You can probably tell where this is going since I'm BLOGGING ABOUT IT....

Yep, when Ron and I got home from Texas, there it was on my answering machine...My ticket had been drawn.

Well, I don't live in Dallas...but guess who does?
Look how incredibly happy Kasi looks...I don't think it has anything to do with the Dallas Cowboy tickets!

We're off to see Aunt Jane...on Day 3

My favorite Aunt Jane lives about 2 1/2 hours from my mom. So on Day 3, which was Monday, November 19th, my mom and I went to visit. Ron, Josh, Erica, and Thalia took off for the farm.

Aunt Jane has had some health problems - still does - but she has THE BEST attitude. It was so wonderful to spend the day with her.

My cousin, Patti, and her youngest daughter, Emily, (who I call GRITS!) came while we were there. I can't remember when I saw them last. GRITS is about as adorable as you can get - sweet as can be!

Well, GRITS is a twirler and she put on a show for us... look at her twirl!

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This is my cousin, Patti, with Emily.
Patti and my mom...

So Day 3 was great...seeing my Aunt Jane, Uncle Charlie, Patti, and GRITS. On the way back to Mom's, we were naturally hungry...so Mexican food was the order of the afternoon. YUM!

At 11:55 p.m., Lindsey and Donnie flew in. Now all that was lacking was Gabe and Emily..who weren't due in until Wednesday.

This was day 3.

Day 2 - Thanksgiving Week continues in Texas

Day 2 was November 18th, a Sunday.

After slowly getting up and going out for breakfast (I think it was actually lunch time hours, but who cares, we ate breakfast), Thalia and I took a walk to a local park. We hiked around on some trails.
In the early afternoon, we headed over to my brother's. One thing we enjoy doing together is playing games. All kinds of games. One of these is what we call 'washers.' It's a unique name for a game...you see, you throw washers at a hole. Now scoring can get a bit...well, heated. Measuring is often involved - you know, to figure out whose washer is closest to the hole. You get more points if it goes IN the hole...and you get some points if the washer is hanging over the hole...and you get points if the washer is leaning up against the backboard.

I only took about 75 pictures of the washer throwing...so I'll just put them here in a slide show:

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When it got too late to play washers, we ate some pizza and then some of the group started a new game...basketball. I took a few videos of this. It seemed like you had to call your move before you took the shot...some were a bit humorous...well, maybe all of them were!

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Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So basketball was a big hit...even though, if you noticed, not one single shot was actually made. Oh well... That's enough for Day 2.

Thanksgiving Week in Texas - Day 1

After 9 days in Texas...a wonderful time with family...a great Thanksgiving...a beautiful wedding... here we are - back home.

I thought about how to blog all this, and decided I'd do it by days...with Day 1 being Saturday, November 17th.

Day 1
We flew out of SFO and headed to Texas. Joshua, Erica, and Thalia also flew in Saturday. My brother picked us all up...and off we went to Mom's where Becky, Sami, Addison, and Kasi were.
We were so happy to see each other once we arrived at the airport. Thalia gave her Papa a big hugLook at Thalia...isn't she a doll? I think so!

Joshua and Erica...I'm not sure what this pose is all about?
Back at Saddie's house, we have a human pyramid with Sami on the bottom, Kasi the icing in the middle of the Oreo cookie, and Thalia topping it all off!
A little too much for these girls. (They really weren't asleep!)
Now this guy is the reason for this whole trip. This is Addison...soon to be "the GROOM."
Mom, Erica, and Becky sat around the table watching the human pyramid and just visiting...no wait, I should say they 'was just vistin' that's how you say it in Texas.
Joshua found the ice cream....
Ron and John David were 'relaxin'....
After John David and his crew left, Ron was REALLY RELAXIN - with Thalia, on the couch!
Day 1 was over.

G.R.I.T.S. - You never know what they'll say!

This is a G-rated blog, just incase you were wondering.

However, for this one short post, it is OFF LIMITS to one KASI. So, Kasi, turn your computer off...go back to work...or back to planning your wedding...or thinking of your favorite aunt-in-law who will be flying in to participate in this shindig. (Do you know what a SHINDIG is?)

Ok, now that that is taken care of, we'll move on.

First, I should explain the title. GRITS in this case has nothing to do with the porridge type food commonly known in the south - and elsewhere -as grits. I happen to like grits, but it's not a food I crave...like chocolate or Mexican food...but grits are good. I digress....

GRITS in this case stands for Girls Raised In The South. That would be me, my mom, my sister in law, Becky, actually, it would be many fine women. (smile)

However, the other part of the title "You never know what they'll say" is for my mom.

Which leads us to the reason this is OFF LIMIT TO KASI. Now Kasi, here's your last chance to save your purity. Turn off your computer....

OK, I'll continue.

Tallywhacker... I would imagine if you look it up in Mr. Webster's book, it wouldn't be there. But most GRITS have heard this word. I'm surprised I ever learned the 'other name' - as many proper southern women use to say. "The other name" is what GRITS say whenever it's not proper to say, you know, the real word. Maybe my mom was trying to shield me in my younger years. I'm not sure, but John David might have grown up not knowing the REAL WORD either... thinking tallywhacker was a, you know, part of him! Oh geez, I need to move on....

I'm a California girl now, so I like to use the proper name...as I taught Lindsey. However, seeing as this is a rated blog, I have to keep it that way for the GRITS.

That was a long introduction to a cute picture I found of Addison. We're in the countdown now for his wedding... so I've been thinking a lot about him.

If you're not sure what a tallywhacker is, you can ask my mom.
Becky is, like I said, a GRITS. So that's probably why she is peeking over the bed. I did decide to show a rather discreet photo of Addison. Becky, I'm sure, positioned his arm just so....

I really hope Kasi didn't read this.

Marvin is 94 years old today!

Our neighbor and good friend, Marvin, is 94 years old today! Wow! He is ONE AMAZING MAN!
I've blogged about Marvin quite a bit...we love to have him over for dinner and usually a game or two or three of cribbage.

That's what we did Sunday...even though that wasn't his birthday, it was his birthday dinner. Today, he was going to one of his sons' house for lunch, then out with a group of his friends for their weekly Tuesday-night dinner night. That's why we had him on Sunday.
We had dinner and then cake for dessert. The cake was a new recipe - Irish Creme Pound Cake. It's pretty tastey, but probably not one I'll make again.

Ahhh, Marvin and my guy... they're buddies!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARVIN!

Thank you, Erica...or is it Josh?

How precious is this?

Joshua and Erica went to the Marine Ball this weekend. I had asked them to BE SURE and take pictures...just like I asked them to do on Thalia's first day of school, and on Halloween, and when they moved into their new house.

"OK, Jutz," was Joshua's reply.

Months went by...and then I was talking to Joshua last night and asked him about the dance. I asked him if they had taken pictures.

"Two," was his answer.

"TWO? Well, could you email them to me?" I asked.

"ERICA...would you email those pictures to my mom?"

Now, at this point, I reminded him of the Halloween pictures, the pictures of the house, Thalia's first day of school, etc....

So when I checked my email today, there were 48 emails...most from, I think, Erica! Thus, the title of this post!

This top picture of Thalia...well, remember I'm a teacher. So seeing a precious little one in bed reading...well, I get a big smile on my face! These next photos gave me the same smile....
What a great looking couple!
Thalia and her new bike!