Matt

GASP! Matt put up a new post on his blog! ;-) Check it out!
(the link is on the right side of the page)

Sara Bareilles

Sunday night Matt and I are going to see Sara Bareilles in concert! I have seen her before with my mom but Matt has never seen her live. I am SO. EXCITED. She is so good live! I think I can safely say she is my FAVORITE female artist... and I might be a little jealous of her talent. ;-) Here are a couple of videos of her singing some of her new songs from her new album (which just came out a couple of weeks ago and is AWESOME.... buy it! You won't regret it!)

This is the awesome "intro" from her new CD called "Kaleidoscope Heart"



This is her song "Uncharted". I think it is my favorite from her new CD:



This is her current single "King of Anything"



This one won't make a lot of sense to some of you. This is a cover of the song "Single Ladies" which is a Beyonce song (R&B). It is a COMPLETELY different version, but I think it is kind of fun what Sara did with it. I think it is pretty funny. :)



If you're interested in comparing, click the link below to see Beyonce's version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY


So, needless to say, I'm excited about the concert. :)

A Few Random Things

I realized I had a few random things to share! :)

First of all, I got all dressed and ready for church yesterday and FOR SOME REASON.... Matt made me change. I just don't know why.



Secondly, this stuff is SO GOOD! It has the pouches that you just add to a pitcher of water and it is delicious. We get these a lot... usually fruit punch or peach tea, but this one is my new favorite! It is "Crystal Light Green Tea Raspberry"


Lastly, a couple weekends ago Matt and I decided we were going to go camping! It was kind of a last minute decision but we DID check the weather! We got all packed up and had to stop by Wal-Mart to get a few things before we left and when we came out of Wal-Mart the sky was nearly black. The campsites we were going to are only about 10 minutes from our apartment. We heard that it was supposed to pass pretty quickly so we went ahead and drove out there and "wait it out". Not 5 minutes after we got to the campgrounds it started POURING! And it KEPT pouring.... and kept pouring.... :( We sat in the car for a while but finally decided that even if it stopped raining soon, the ground would be so wet that it would be miserable trying to set things up. So we went back home!

This was when we were still pretty excited about camping...

This was when it was STILL pouring down rain and I had just gotten bit by about 6 monster mosquitoes...

Matt needed to go to the bathroom but it was completely dark inside. I got out for less than a minute to give him the lantern and I got bit by all the mosquitoes. They were SWARMING under that cover near the bathrooms. Matt had several bites too, but he doesn't react like I do to them. I was caking on the anti-itch cream!

So our first attempted camping trip was a flop. We're excited to try again when the weather is nicer.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, I don't know about everywhere else but we walked outside last night to some temperatures in the 50's! Boy, was that a nice surprise! Currently it is 62 here. I LOVE this weather! :)

Carmina Burana - Our Experience

On Saturday night Matt and I went to the ballet! We thought it would be fun to do something a little different, and it was! Ballet Austin put on a performance of Carmina Burana. It was a collaboration between Ballet Austin, the Grammy nominated choir Conspirare (based in Austin) and The Austin Symphony Orchestra. It was a really neat experience and I'm really glad we went. Neither one of us cared too much for the ballet part of it, but the music was pretty cool! The choir was AMAZING! On our way home we summarized it in two different ways. Matt said there were boring parts, but most of it was really good. I said most of it was boring but the parts that were good were REALLY good. :) Matt understood the music a lot more than I did, so he found that to be a lot more entertaining.

We figured we should dress up a little for the event. I, however, have been wearing tennis shoes ONLY since my surgery! So we did something that I HATE doing.... we went shoe shopping. I wanted some cheap and comfortable shoes. I didn't really care too much what they looked like. We were in Target and were worn out and ready to go home when we finally found the perfect pair!! Or so we thought....


They were cheap, and when I tried them on the store and walked around in them, they were comfortable. BUT OF COURSE, not five minutes after leaving the apartment they started rubbing my heels. Before we even made it out of the parking garage at the event I felt each one literally CUT my heel. After checking with Matt to make sure I wasn't going to embarrass him, I popped those shoes off and walked barefoot for the rest of the evening. This was the end result...

It was worth the dirty feet. Walking barefoot took a bit of a toll on my feet as well, but it was MUCH better than the shoes! Here we are just before we left the apartment...

I think this is SUCH a cute picture of Matt. :)

Before the ballet started they were advertising the Nutcracker this Christmas. I mentioned to Matt that it might be fun to go to. After the show he asked me again and I said "NO WAY!" Haha! We had a good time and really enjoyed the music... but I just couldn't stand the ballet part of it. I know it is difficult and takes a lot of hard work and skill but it just isn't entertaining to me. There were PARTS of the performance that were really impressive.

Let me tell you up front, this video is over an hour long and I certainly don't expect ANYONE to watch it all! :) The music doesn't start until a little over a minute into it, but watch the first part of it. You'll probably recognize the music from a lot of movie scenes! Listen to the orchestra and the choir and how powerful it sounds! This movement was, in my opinion, definitely the coolest!

Carmina Burana

Our Saturday night plans.... so excited!!

Link

If you look at the "link" section to the right of this page, you will see that I added the link "Rebekah Osteros". That blog will give updates on her cancer, tests, surgeries and financial needs. Her mom is usually the one to give updates. Please continue to keep Bekah and her family in your prayers. Also, please be in prayer about an event/fundraiser I am trying to organize for them. I started working on it a little over a month ago but hit a few road blocks and didn't get very far. I am allowing more time for prayer and planning this go round! :)

My New Job

Last Tuesday I started my new job as a nanny! I have loved it so far and I think I'm going to continue to enjoy it. I am working with a 9 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. I help them with homework when they get home from school then spend time with them until their parents get home. They have tested me a little bit so far but its obvious they are just testing the waters to see what they can and can't get away with. ;-) They are really sweet kids and we have a lot of fun together! I'll share a couple of funny stories from the week.

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Kyle came home with some "crazy bands" which are some rubber band bracelets that are popular right now.
Kailey: (whining) No fair! Kyle has crazy bands and he didn't even have to buy them!
Me: Well Kailey, why don't you just buy some?
Kailey: Because my mom doesn't have any money...
Me: Really? None at all?
Kailey: Nope. She doesn't have any money, only credit cards.

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My first day of work I walked into the house and Matt called me. I answered the phone and started walking around the house looking for the dog so I could let her outside. They have a 15 year old sheltie. I saw her sleeping behind a chair in the living room. I called her and she didn't move. I called her again.... nothing. I started panicking! I told Matt that I thought the dog was dead and I didn't know what I was going to do. I kept calling her and got right up next to her and was stomping my feet and snapping my fingers. All the sudden she JUMPED up like I had scared her to death! Turns out a 15 year old dog doesn't hear so well. :) We go through that whole routine nearly every day, but at least I know to expect that now!

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Today I started cleaning/organizing the play room. When the kids got home Kyle walked in and said, "Woah.... you have impressive cleaning skills!"

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So anyway, I have really enjoyed it so far! This has been a big change for me going from full time work, to spending a month and a half sitting at home doing nothing and now working part time. I think this is going to be a good move for us and will lead to some good things! Thanks for keeping us in your prayers as I was searching for a job.

Elijah's Soccer Game

This past weekend Matt and I went up to Gainesville. We got in pretty late then stayed up with my parents to watch the Rangers game on TV. It was the first game of a three game series against the yankees. It went 13 innings but the Rangers ended up winning on a walk off homerun by Nelly Cruz! By the time it ended it was about 12:30am. Then, we got up the next morning and drove to Fort Worth for Elijah's soccer game. Here are some pictures from my parent's camera from the game:

Jason is Elijah's coach!


Judah playing with the rocks on the sidelines...

This picture cracks me up! I'm not really sure what was going on here or if I was purposely making that face or not... lets hope so! :)

Judah brought me a flower. :) He was so sweet and came over and gave it to me. I took it and smelled it and went on and on about how much I loved it then he took it away.... haha! Still sweet though :)

Judah playing in the soccer net on the sidelines...

We had a good time watching Elijah's game and he did a great job! I guess the coach did alright too.... ;-)

After the game we all went to Academy to shop around for a little while then went back to J and Summer's house. Matt and I got to meet Amos for the first time (their dog). He is SO sweet!! The pictures they have posted just don't do him justice! He is so cute and VERY sweet.

Pictures from the Rangers game up next!

Rangers Game

Saturday night we all went to the Rangers game! (Mom, Dad, Jason, Summer, Elijah, Brad, Nova, Matt and me! Judah didn't go - late night!) It was the second game in the series against the Yankees. Here is Elijah and me in the car on the way to the game:



We had seats way up in the third deck, but they were pretty good! In the 5th inning it started raining so there ended up being a one hour rain delay. This picture is actually them UNcovering the field, but oh well. :)

We had some really obnoxious people sitting around us. A man was there for his bachelor party because he is getting married next weekend. He was 60 years old. There was one guy in particular who was with them that was REALLY obnoxious. He kept yelling and cursing and holding up his sign right in front of our faces (so we couldn't see the field) and was just annoying. There ended up being a slight confrontation because Summer finally had to ask him to watch what he was saying and he got very defensive. Him and one of his friends were yelling things back and forth to each other that were inappropriate. Summer, Nova and my dad all ended up asking him kindly, but firmly to stop. He was a jerk but luckily after that conversation that whole group got up and left to go to a bar. I was happy with that! The game was much more enjoyable after that. :)

The game came down to the 9th inning. The Rangers were down by one run going into the bottom of the 9th. So, of COURSE, we had to put on our rally caps!

The Rangers scored a run to tie the game. Then, they had the bases loaded with one out. The batter gets up to the plate and..... he gets hit by the pitch! I think it took everyone a second or two to figure out that that won the game for the Rangers! We all went nuts! :) I LOVE watching the Rangers win, ESPECIALLY against the Yankees. :)

The game didn't end until after midnight (again) so we didn't get back to Gainesville until 2:30am. That made it difficult to get up for church the next morning. ;-)

We had a good time and it was great to get to see everyone! It was definitely a tiring weekend, but it was a good one!

RAIN

We got about a foot of rain yesterday in the Austin area. I went out on our balcony last night and it was just POURING! So of course I had to play in it a little! :)


Matt said one of the main roads was closed this morning and he had to go the long way to work. He said that Brushy Creek was completely flooded and the water was up to the bridge. He also said that Brushy Creek Park was nearly completely covered in water.

It is still raining right now.... I think it is supposed to stop around noon. Hopefully I can make it to work! By the way, I just started work yesterday. I will post at the end of the week and recap for everyone. :)

Fredericksburg & Luckenbach

Matt and I left this morning and went to Fredericksburg, Texas. It is just under two hours from our apartment. We got there and parked downtown and walked around. I didn't figure we would do that for long, but we really had a good time! We ended up walking quite a bit. I was worried that I would "ruin" the trip because I wouldn't be able to walk for long, but my foot held out for me! By the time we finished I was DEFINITELY ready to rest, but I made it. :)

This was an old Catholic church that we thought was really pretty...


We stopped and ate at a German restaraunt and had the BEST sausage I have ever had. The sausage was called Käsewurst. It was a spicy beef and pork sausage with cheese in it. MMMM.... it was absolutely delicious! I'm not sure if that is a common thing that you can get other places. If you ever see it somewhere, try it! We stopped at HEB and found some sausage that looked pretty similar so we're going to try it sometime.

Our very last stop in Fredericksburg was at a winery. Matt and I don't care for wine, but my dad asked us to stop and get some that he liked. He said you could only get it there so we were going to get him some. I walked in and told the people what I was looking for, but couldn't remember one of the words in the name. They weren't sure what I was talking about so they asked if it was a red or white wine. I had no idea so I told them I wasn't sure and they sighed, rolled their eyes and LAUGHED AT ME! Not in a "haha, that is funny" way.... in a "what an idiot" way. It was obviously rude and it didn't make me very happy! I kept my cool and told them that I was getting it for my parents and that I didn't know anything about it. I told them I would step outside and call to find out the full name of the wine. As I turned around to go outside the woman said hatefully, "Well you're not 21." I just kind of looked at her and she said, "Well, are you?!" I calmly looked back at her and said, "Yes.... I am." Then she said, "Well bring your ID because I'm going to card you." I just kind of laughed and said OK. As SOON as I turned my back to walk out the door she huffed and said, "She is NOT 21...." OOOOO I was not happy! Matt was across the store and I waved him over and walked out the door. I was good to keep my cool inside but I unloaded on Matt! I calmed down some and called my dad to get the name of the wine. I went back inside the store and told them the name and the woman said, "Well you're in the wrong place, they didn't get that here." I explained that my dad described that very winery and said that is where they got it and she continued to argue with me. They said, "Well there are a lot of wines that say Fredericksburg, TX on it..." I. Was. So. Frustrated. So then I said, "LISTEN HERE.... I don't care for wine, and I don't care for your attitude! So if you want my business, stop acting like an *#@%&!!!!"

....OK I didn't actually say that OUT LOUD, but I sure thought it! :) They ended up telling us that we could find that wine down the street or at HEB. We tried to find the place down the street and couldn't, and we looked at HEB and they didn't have it. Needless to say, I was NOT pleased with the service there! It took me quite a while to cool off after leaving there!

What DID help me to cool off was some homemade peach ice cream we bought at a roadside stand right outside of downtown Fredericksburg! Mmmm.... it was delicious! We also bought some Peach Pecan Amaretto Syrup there. It says you can use it for grilling, on ice cream, mixed with cream cheese for a dip, pancakes, waffles, fruit salad, cottage cheese, etc. I'm looking forward to trying it out!

On our way back we stopped in Luckenbach, Texas! Matt had never been before. I certainly didn't build it up so as to not give him high expectations but he was still disappointed. :) Haha! He thought it was neat, but just that there wasn't much to it! It wasn't as neat this time as it was last time I went. Last time I was there it was pretty empty and seemed a little more "historic". Today it was a bar. Lots of drunk people, a lousy country band and a crowded bar. Nevertheless we both got our "Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach" shirts to show we've been there.

To finish off the day we stopped by the snow cone stand in Cedar Park before we headed home. We have been saying all summer that we wanted to go and just never got around to it. So we enjoyed our snow cones then headed home! We are both pretty worn out now but we had a fun day!

Baseball & BBQ

This weekend Matt's family came in to visit. On Saturday night we went to the Round Rock Express game! Last time they came the Express ended up going into several extra innings... they made it easy on themselves this time and won 6-2. Jonathan was so good through the whole game. Here is a picture of him when he crashed in G-Ma's lap....


Before the game, Matt and I went with Renee to the outlet stores for her to get some new shoes. I guess Matt got tired of being in the shoe store so he decided to entertain himself... this was the end result.... haha!

This was back at our apartment on Sunday. I thought this was a really good family picture!

On Sunday after church we drove to Elgin for some BBQ. They are suppose to have some of the best BBQ around! With the exception of a rude woman behind the counter, we had a good time there too! :) And it WAS good BBQ! Apparently you can buy their sausage at any HEB, so check it out! It's called Meyer's. Here we are outside of the BBQ place...

Well, this one is out of order, but here is Jonathan at the Express game...

On Sunday afternoon I took Renee over to see Fran and Ethel (from the Pointe) who are now at a different facility. It was a fun weekend! The best part is, we still have one more day off! :) We are about to head out to Fredericksburg for the day, so I'll have pictures to post of that later.

Happy Labor Day!

Updates

I went to the doctor today. He said things looked pretty good. It is still pretty tight in my foot so he wants me to massage it every day to loosen things up some. I go back in 6 weeks for another check up.

I also got a new job! This is something we've been praying for for quite a while now. I was sad to leave the Pointe for a lot of reasons, but it was definitely the best choice. There are a lot of sad things happening there and it was best that I move on. I got a job as a nanny for a 6 yr old girl and a 9 yr old boy. I have only met the family once (I'm meeting them again on Friday) but I absolutely LOVED them and really seemed to "fit" with their family. This job will only be part time. For now I will help out part time with another job then, next semester, I will start taking some classes again. I will post more about that as it gets going. I think I'll be starting on Monday. I'm really excited about this new path I'm taking and I think some really good things are in store for us! Keep us in your prayers as we start some new things!

Funny Video

Matt's mom sent us this video the other day and it is SO funny! Watch it til the end... he really gets into it!! :)