The Year That Was...

Well everyone, another year has come and gone. I can't believe it's almost 2007 already! Is it just me, or do all of the 'elders' know what they're talking about every time they say, "As you get older, time moves quicker." Either way, it was a year filled with ups and downs, but for the most part, it was a year that made us appreciate everything we have. Let's take a look at what we had:

-Lost a grandparent (Late December of '05, technically)
-Almost lost a dad
-Had a 60th birthday party for said dad
-Finalized MOST of the wedding plans
-New TV and sound system
-PS3 arrived (hint, hint, Laura)
-Laura went to her first NFL game (sorry it wasn't a real team)
-Had our Christmas package stolen
-Got a digital camera
-Won an iPod (still trying to get it to work)
-Laura became addicted to 24 (more addicted than Jack was to heroin in Season 3)
-Visited our beautiful capital city
-Wedding rings!

I'm sure there is more that I am forgetting, and that will be filled in when Laura reads this, but those were a few of the highlights (and some lows), from our year. All in all, it was successful, stressful, and satisfying all in one, and realistically, what more could you ask for? What's there to look forward to in 2007 you say...well, only the biggest party of the century coming in June, but I'm sure everyone will be kept up to date on that! My final prediction as we close out 2006...Packers over the Bears 24-10. In case you don't like my pick, try this one on for size:

Packers (+3) over BEARS
For all you college kids reading this, we implore you, do not play ANY form of the "Let's drink every time Brett Favre gets mentioned" game on Sunday night. You will die.

We're not very good "bloggers"!

No excuses...It's been a long time...no good reasons why! :(

Wedding planning is going great! I've said that before, but really we have very little left to do. We got a lot done the last time we were in town...taste testing, cake ordering, tuxedo fitting, meeting with the officiant and my maid of honor to figure out ceremony details, meeting with florist, trial make-up done, meeting with the dj, etc. etc. etc. Anyway, a lot was accomplished. Last night we figured out the dates of our vacation/honeymoon, so we can get our requests off to our supervisors! Looks like a total of about 2 and a half weeks off! I don't think I've had that much time off since I started working at the ripe age of 14! I can't explain how excited I am! Everyone says this is so stressful, but Dave and I have really done a good job at keeping stress to a minimum! We are thoroughly enjoying the planning process!

Dave's parents were just in town over Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time! I think the more they visit, the more relaxing the vacation becomes. Of course Dave and I find new tourist spots to show them or new places to eat at, but for the most part, we just relax! No schedules or itineraries. We watched movies, ate out, got lots of ice cream, went shopping, grilled out and simply just spent time together! Dave and Ron went golfing twice (once with Ruben-who did a great job I hear) and Yvonne and I shopped til we dropped (literally)! We also went to a Texans game-my first official NFL game! It was too warm for football and there were no cheeseheads, but other than that it was a great time! We tailgated afterwards which was also a blast! One of the most interesting things we did while they were in town was going to the Holocaust Museum. It's probably not something that most people would think of doing on a vacation, but it was incredible. You learn a lot more about the hardship and the killing, but you also learn about the strength of the human heart, the people who stood up and fought and the people who put their lives at stake in order to save complete strangers. It is a part of our history that I can only pray doesn't repeat itself.

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We went to Martha and Ruben's house in Crosby. There were about 30 people there! There was great food and great company...we couldn't have asked for much more. Although I deeply missed my parents, Michael and Traci, I am very happy that they were able to spend the holiday together in Champaign this year!

Well, that brings us up to today. Not too much going on. I'm getting together with some of the girls from work tonight for a Christmas cookie decorating party. I think we'll also be watching some movies and ordering pizza! And it just so happens that tomorrow night a different group of girls from work are having a girls night too! More movies and possibly more pizza! It'll be a great weekend! Sorry honey, but I was specifically told that "no intact males are allowed". Spoken like a true veterinarian...good work Dr. Lauren!

I hope all of you had a nice Thanksgiving! We will try to blog more often, so you don't have to put aside a half a day to read it!

Floating Away

Well, many of you have been concerned that Dave and I are flooded and floating away into the streets of Houston...you can be assured that we are safe, however, the damage is incredible. The other day, when talking to my brother, I told him that the news makes it look worse than it is. This is true, however, I found out right after the phone call, that 4 people have died!!! And just this morning a mom and her child died when they tried driving through a flooded street. It turns out that the water was 10 feet deep! Thankfully, most of these streets are far away from our apartment and both of our commutes to work. Although, I did drive through several streets that had maybe 6 inches of water across the whole width of the street! All the animals in the zoo now have pools in their exhibit, and being their caretaker is a muddy mess. But, all in all the flooding has only been a minor inconvenience to Dave and I. Hopefully, for the sake of all the people affected by this it will be over now. The only positive thing that this "tropical depression" has brought us, is cooler weather. Through all of it we've had humidity worse than I have ever felt, along with heat in the upper 80's/low 90's. Today, much to our relief, the humidity is gone and we will be having highs in the 70's and lows tonight will be around 55 degrees!!!

I will be spending this cool night in a huge line (no doubt) waiting for a Haunted House and a Haunted Maze with many of my co-workers! I can't think of a better place to be on a cool October night!

Oh Crap

Alright, so there are times in my life that I am not sure where my 20's have gone. I feel like I come home from work and collapse on the couch and whine about work, money or some other thing that is completely frivolous...well, at least right now it feels frivolous! Yes, you are correct...I am hungover. I'm actually not sure how I am able to write this right now. All I can say is..."oh crap". I am back in my 20's...I have to work at 7am (in 1 hour from now)...my job requires me to pick up animal poop, and I am not quite sure how I am going to do that without throwing up! Last night it seemed like such a good idea to drink as much as I did, but now...not so much! How is it that one second I am fine, and as soon as the guests leave the house I feel like I am going to die. Does your body really know when everyone is gone? It secretly waits and says, "I am not going to let you know you are drunk until everyone has left and you drank so much that there will be nothing you can do about it"! And then a measly 4 hours later, you wake up for work and feel like you're going to die and say the classic phrase in your head..."I will never drink that much again"! Yeah, right, until next time! Anyway, I am off to McDonald's, because nothing solves a hangover like greasy food in the morning.
To my family, (or Dave's family), I hope I have not disappointed you! In fact, if you can help me think of ways that I can sober up before picking up that monkey poop, I would be forever grateful! OK, bye...have a better day than me.
Laura

No more perm!

So, I think I finally got the last inches of my perm cut out of my hair last night!!! I have been disguising it for months now and am very happy not to have to worry about it anymore! Almost 2 years later...no more frizz! All I can say is anyone thinking of getting a perm...DON'T! I've gotten 3 in my life and hated 2 (for my family-remember 5th grade?). You would think I would have learned by now! Oh well.
Short and sweet blog, but for me a 2 year war has ended! :)

Zuma Family Crap

So, last night my co-worker Vicki planned a little fun night out for all of us. My supervisor's sister was in town from New York, so she wanted us to get a chance to hang out with her. We all decided it would be fun to go play mini golf. Vicki found a place that not only had mini golf, but also batting cages, bumper boats, go-karts and more video games than you could ever play! It was called Zuma Family Fun. And so our story begins:
We waited outside for our whole party to get there. That is when we first noticed the smell of dirty diapers. Sara quickly told me that if I want to use the bathroom I should use "this bush, it's much cleaner than the restrooms". Well, ok then, luckily I went before I left the house. Once we all arrived, we went inside. The first thing I went to do is find an ATM or try to buy tokens, etc. with my check card. The guy at the cheesy prize counter told me that their only ATM was broken, so if I wanted to get money I could go to the concession stand. OK, so I ask if I can get money to play the games from this 14 year old girl behind the counter and she says "no". But, I was just told to come over here! She said sorry, and I said, "so you're telling me I can't do anything at your facility because I can't pay with a check card and you don't have a working ATM as an alternative!" She then told me that yes, I could buy the tokens that I needed, I just couldn't get cash from her. Well, alright, you should have said that in the first place. So, Vicki and I played for our mini golf and I got enough tokens for the batting cages to ensure very sore shoulders in the morning. The young girl walked away and came back with 1 golf ball. She told us that was all they had. What!?!?! How is it possible that you only have one golf ball!? So, I said, "you're telling me that you can't get any more balls, so anyone who wants to play tonight, can't?" She then asked me if I wanted my money back. I started to say, "well obviously", when Sara asked if we could talk to a manager. She went and got him and when we explained the loss of balls issue, he handed some keys to an employee and said "go to the course and get some more balls". Wow, rocket science! What does the girl do when the register runs out of singles? I can hear it now, "I'm sorry sir, I have no change for you. You cannot have your money." So, 15 minutes later, we get a handful of balls and the rest of the group pays for their round of mini-golf. Besides the fact that all the balls were wet and dirty, we were ready to go.
We had 3 different courses to choose from. We chose "Cactus Junction" and began our game. The course was extremely dirty and not taken care of. It had a huge waterfall (a staple at any mini golf course), but this one was gray and we had finally found the source of the earlier dirty diaper smell. At around hole 10 an announcement came over a horribly poor sound system saying that they were closing in 20 minutes. WHAT!? The internet says they are open til 10pm! It was only 8:40. So, we hurried up the rest of our game and ignored the announcement that said they were "now closed". Once finished we went back to the building and walked in. Sure enough, the video games were all off and the staff was cleaning up. No Skeeball. No batting cages. No Go-karts. We once again asked for the manager, complained, and got our money back for all our unused tokens. We also got few passes to come back and play golf again. Great maybe I can master the hardest hole which consisted of a wagon wheel in front of the hole! Yeah, I can't wait! He also told us that he has never been to their website and he'd check it out to make sure the closing time was correct. As soon as we left, we laughed it off knowing we would never go there again! We ended the night playing almost 3 hours of Catch Phrase, a high paced, fun guessing game! A rum and coke and some good friends and a game that was not dirty, wet or smelled like diapers...the night was redeemed.

The Flu Sucks

So, my off days this week (Mon and Tues) were ripped away from me...the culprit? The flu! I'm not sure how it all went down, but to the best of my knowledge, this is how it happened:
It started with a sore throat and massive headaches and quickly led to me feeling like a 90 year old women going through menopause! Now, I am fully aware that this is not possible, but if it was, I know exactly how it would feel! I sit now on the computer chair with a pillow behind my "bad back". The fan is on high and my sleeves are rolled up as far as they can go, but I have no doubt that in a few minutes I'll be back in my sweatshirt and jogging pants under the down comforter. Believe it or not that was the scene about an hour ago despite our 90 degree weather outside and the 78 degrees inside! It is a highly confusing illness...am I hot, am I cold, am I young, am I old? Who knows! Yesterday I reluctantly called into work, leaving them short handed beyond belief! We just lost one of our employees to San Francisco, another one to college, and a third to a different department within the zoo! I felt very guilty, but in my field, it is much more important not to go to work, not only to not get any fellow co-workers sick, but the animals too! Primates can catch everything we can (obviously, since we too are primates), so we take that very seriously. I would not have been able to work in my normal area, nor would I have been able to touch ANY animal's diet, so what does that leave...not much! Feeling guilty of course, I tried to go to work today and they promptly sent me home. I was told I look like "poop" (I beg to differ, although it really isn't pretty) and I think the fact that I was sweating profusely was the other kicker. So, a half hour after I got there, I was on my home. More episodes of The View, Montell, and of course The Price is Right!!! Yipppeee! So, I had to break from those award winning shows (sarcasm) to type one of the most boring blog entries to date! So, be thankful you are not a 90 year old women going through menopause!

On a happier note, thanks to my Dave for taking such good care of me and for not getting too annoyed with my complaints and requests of the application of Icy Hot to my back! Thanks sweetie!

MUST READ!!!

Now, I don't usually endorse other people's writings, but this article you HAVE to read. For anyone that's been to Wisconsin and enjoyed anything the state has to offer, you are required by law to read the entire thing. It's an article from ESPN.com's Bill Simmons. Now, I love Bill because he, like I, is a die-hard Red Sox fan. Once I started to read this, I could not stop laughing, and remembering everything that made Wisconsin great. The beer, the brats, the weather...it's all there. So please, enjoy and take a look into what it's like in the Great North!

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060825&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

What Could Have Been?

I always love watching golf on Sunday afternoon for many reasons. One, to me it is completely relaxing. Two, if you ever watch a golf match, there are some amazing commercials to catch. If you watched any of the PGA Championship, there were a number of commercials with kids playing golf and not exactly loving it. One girl says she hates the game, while an older man walking with her tells her to be calm and swing easy. The moral, hate never works on the golf course! It's a life lesson. Golf is a life lesson. It teaches people that no matter what happens on the previous shot, there is always another one to make up for a mistake. For others, it teaches them how to relax and enjoy the talent that they have. In my case, every round, every shot and every winner reminds me of what I could have done. Many people have said that I am extremely talented when it comes to golf, and maybe they're right. But for me, it was never about the competition. I never liked competing when I was on the golf course. For me, in later years, it was a chance to get away from the world. You see on the golf course, if you're good enough, you can make any shot go anywhere at any time. In life, you'd be lucky to have one thing go your way in any given day. But not golf. Golf turns men into children. Don't believe me? Go play golf with your friends, and watch as one of the chips in for an eagle or drains a 45-foot birdie putt that dipped left and right. Watch them jump up and down and shout until everyone else is done. Listen as they taunt you for the rest of the afternoon with every chip or every putt. Feel their emotions come pouring out for at least 10 minutes. The beauty of it all; it can all change with one swing. That friend of yours that just made the miraculous shot, well, he's also the one that just: lost a ball, hit a duck, missed a 2-foot putt...TWICE, broke his 9-iron on a sprinkler head and drove the golf cart into a sand trap. You see, it's not about winning or losing, it's about who comes away with the most balls after 18 holes. Bragging rights only go to a certain few on the golf course, and if you're one of those lucky few, than my friend, you deserve a drink. So if you haven't tried it yet, go play. Play all day and night, and who cares if you lose a few balls? Who cares if you shank a few shots here and there? Most of all, who cares if you've never even been out there? If people don't want to wait, let 'em play through. Enjoy every round, every shot and ever minute of the beautiful game. Trust me, what you learn on the golf course will stay with you for the rest of your life if you're lucky. If it doesn't, let the others play through.

-Dave

P.S. When you're ready, come talk to me and we'll see just how good you think you are. I mean, people think I'm talented for a reason!

Off to Cheese Land

Well, my bag is packed and I'm ready to go back to Milwaukee for the weekend! I am leaving poor Dave at home while I do some wedding planning and hang out with the family. I will miss him terribly! It's a short and busy weekend, so I have very little time to hang out with anyone, so if you are one of the people who have not heard about me coming into town, I'm sorry, but don't be offended. I am dedicating this weekend mainly to my parents. I miss them like crazy and can't wait to spend some quality time together. Michael and Traci are coming into town too, so I'll get to spend some time with them as well! It's a much needed little break from work, which has been very hectic lately.
Anyway, I'm off and will talk to you all soon! And for those of you in Houston...yes, I will try to bring some authentic Wisconsin Cheese Curds home! Hopefully they will let them on the plane. I don't think they will cause an explosion! :)

Random Acts of Mindlessness

Ok, I know it's been a while since you have heard from either one of us, but there is good reason for this. You see, there has been a serious blockage of interesting tales from H-Town. Really, nothing has been going on lately. Sure, sure, things have been happening with both of our jobs (most notably me staying at Citibank instead of jumping ship for more money and Laura just kicking butt with everything at work and getting no praise), but other than that we are living boring lives. No Buckcherry concerts, no birthday parties, no going to movies or TiVoing our favorite shows. Nope, nothing. Nada. Zip. ZILCH. Unless...

Unless you consider that a pack of blood thirsty wolves tried to attack me the other day. Little did I know that I had the uncanny power to morph into objects that would not only scare the wolves, but would ensure my survival. My weapon of choice...Velociraptor.

Or, maybe you would like to hear about how I carried Laura home from work in 50 feet of water. A massive typhoon swept through the city and Laura was trapped. Like mothers who have lifted enormously heavy objects off of their children, I summoned the strength of fifty men to walk 20 miles to get to Laura, and then 20 miles to get home...UP HILL...BOTH WAYS!!!

Or maybe you saw me on TV the other night playing in the WSOP. Yes, I was in the tournament. Taking on heavyweights like Norm MacDonald, Toby Maguire, Jennifer Tilly (still thinking about those scenes from Bound) and my all-time arch nemesis...DEAN CAIN. He wants to look like me, not the other way around. I will destroy him if one more person says that I look like him. Yes, I spent a very hot and sweaty night with Terri Hatcher, but that story is for another day.

Or when I made a very delectable apple struessel one night for myself to have for breakfast for a week. The golden goodness was unparalleled and the warm and soft core absolutely melted my insides. Yummy! It was to die for. Next time I'll make some for you...ok, pumpkin!?

Other than all of that, nothing has been going on. Really, I lead a normal life with my best friend and fiance down here. Hope all of you can enjoy your weekend. I'll be at work on Saturday for a little while, but after that, it's all about Dave. Good to hear from everyone, and in case I don't make it, DO IT FOR JOHNNY!!!!!!!

-D-train

Will it ever end?

So, after the death of the Pygmy Marmoset Mom, "Mia", the injury of my African Pygmy Falcon, "Zuri", and all the other horrible injuries and deaths that my area has suffered over the last year, you would think it should be over for a while, right? No...not so much! On Friday the Cotton Top Tamarins and the White Faced Sakis were on exhibit together and had a pretty bad fight. The Cotton Tops being the smaller of the two monkeys, received all the injuries. Both the male and the female had several bite wounds all over them. The male, "Mikey", had the most bites on his tail, which x-rays told us, was broken! The female, "Minnie", had the most around her ankle, but luckily it wasn't broken, probably just badly sprained. Needless to say this will be the last time those two species share an exhibit together, especially since this is the second fight. About 10 months ago there was a fight between them where "Mikey" suffered a broken arm from a bite wound! On the bright side, at least they are not in the wild where they would die from these injuries by way of an infection, starvation or as an easy snack for a predator. Here they get pain meds, antibiotics and the best possible care from our vet staff.

Alright, well I am off to work to take care of my injured sweeties! Have a good day everyone!

My Way!

Yes, yes, I know it's been a while since I have posted anything to our blog, but there has been WAY too much stuff going on for me to even get on this thing and write.

Let's recap:

1. Audit at the bank
2. Test for Life and Health Exam
3. Dinner with co-workers
4. Appreciation Station at the Galleria
5. Afternoon meetings with our Area Manager
6. Boss leaving
7. Starting vacation!
8. GETTING A NEW JOB!!!!

That's right. Yesterday I officially accepted a job offer from Capital One Bank to be a Relationship Banker. Not only is it a promotion for me, but it is also a much needed pay rise...and a very healthy one at that. So, August 7th I will be ditching the blue and red of Citibank for the light green and silver of Capital One.

Let's see, what else!? Ah yes, my parents are in town for the entire week. They got in late Saturday night, and will be leaving sometime on Monday. We've had a busy couple of days so far with shopping, playing golf, sight-seeing, and lots of eating and napping! Today we are going to Martha's house for dinner, and hopefully, weather permitting, we will be watching Ruben play tonight out at the Woodlands. Tomorrow; possibly more golf and Lakewood Church at night. Other than that, the only thing set in stone is the Astros game Sunday night (my birthday) against St. Louis. It certainly has been relaxing, and there is no doubt it will continue to be. It's good to have them in town, and it is certainly much needed for me.

Other than that, not a whole lot else has been going on. It's been raining off and on, but luckily enough it's the typical Houston rain (20 minutes and then back up to 85 degrees). Good luck for the rest of the week to everyone, and have a very happy 4th of July!!!

A single dad with twins

As many of you have read, my Pygmy Marmoset couple had twins back in April. Yesterday, the mom passed away completely unexpectedly. Her name was 'Mia' and she was only 5 years old! She never showed one single sign of being sick, or not eating, or anything. Of course, I was the one to find her which made things even harder! She was such a good girl and an excellent mother. Her death was especially hard, not only because we didn't see it coming, but also because it now leaves dad with twins to care for on his own. They are almost 3 months old, and are eating a lot of solid food, but they may have still been nursing on occasion. We did some research and things are looking positive. At this age, even if dad abandoned them too, they should be able to survive on their own. That was great news as I was extremely worried about the welfare of the twins! However, it does not change the fact that Mia is no longer with us and that dad is now on his own. He had such a sad look on his face yesterday. For people who think animals don't show emotion, you are so wrong. It's never seen easier than in the face of a primate. Hopefully we will be able to introduce another female into this family group, but it of course will not be the same. Mia you will be missed!

After all this occurred, I began reflecting upon the last year and realized that we have lost 4 animals (3 primates and 1 acouchi), had to send 1 primate to a different zoo due to her partner's death, and 5 animals have gone through serious injury in just the past year. This was the hardest year of my career so far. I told my supervisor yesterday as I was in tears, that "I don't want to love animals anymore". It's just so hard when you lose them. And her response was, "that's why you can never stop doing this job"...and I never will.

Good News and Bad News

Now that we are finally fully staffed my off days are changing. I've been the next person in line for several months now, but am just now getting the chance to switch. I am now going to have Sundays and Mondays off! This means that Dave and I will finally have a day off together every week! We're both very excited about this! It will be starting this week!
The bad news is that I did not get the supervisor position, but it's not all bad. As much as I wanted it, I am very happy where I am now, especially with adding the Sea Lions and Koalas to my daily routine. It's a new challenge, which I always need. And being a supervisor means a lot more time away from my animals, so I am fine with the decision and am just glad I had the opportunity to interview. Hopefully, my time will come!

A Quick Update

I have to go to work in T-minus 10 minutes, but I figured I could squeeze in an update for all my fans. :) Just kidding. Anyway, the Sea Lion department has been short handed for about 6 months now, which is the reason that Kristin and I have ben learning the routine over there and helping them with training the sea lions (like they had to twist my arm). But, they needed more consistency then the two of us just coming over when we had time. So, it has been decided that both Kristin and I will be spending 3 days a week over at sea lions and 2 days a week in our sections at Natural Encounters (rainforest for me, bats for Kristin). I'm very happy about the decision. I don't have to give up my primates and I get to add 5 more animals to my care (3 sea lions and 2 koalas). Oh, by the way I got to hold one of the koalas last week! Very cuddly! So, this new rotation schedule should start in a week or two! I'm very excited to get some more experience under my belt.
Alright, well that's all with me. I'll bug Dave to do an update, as I can't even keep up with all his activities lately...tests, dinners, parties...the list goes on! Hope all is well with all of you!

The Good, The Bad and The Stressful

Well, thank you to my honey for recognizing in the last post the hard work taking care of animals can be. I always laugh when people are surprised that I work weekends... the animals still have to eat... the zoo is still open (and in fact is busier than any other day)... and we still feed them on Friday, which means...well, think about it. :(
Anyway, it seems that the job I love is even more challenging lately. We have been short staffed for quite a long time now and we have 3 employees starting this week and next. We also have zoo crew starting! Zoo crew are teenagers who work a couple days a week throughout the summer with us. It's an amazing opportunity for kids who are interested in the animal field. Finally...some relief! Although, I am still nervously awaiting the results of the supervisor interview!!! I want the position so bad, I can taste it. Despite that, I am not getting my hopes up too far. There are outside candidates coming to visit this week. For me, that is not a good sign, but I am just grateful for the chance to interview and I know I will make it there someday, if not now. In addition, just when we have several animals getting over injuries for various reasons, there's another one. My baby, my little Pygmy Falcon "Zuri", broke his toe yesterday and had to have part of it amputated!!! I was off yesterday and today, so I have not seen him yet. My supervisor told me that they have no idea how it happened. She said he was in good spirits though. I can't wait to see him...I hate not being there for him.
Well, with all the above good, bad and stressful going on, I will end with something good! On Dave's beloved 3 day weekend he came to visit me on Sunday! I have been working with the Sea Lion staff to learn the training necessary to work with our 420 pound male Sea Lion "Roscoe". I finally have enough behaviors down to perform a pretty good show and I was so excited for Dave to come and see it! So included are some of the pictures that he took while he was there!
It's back to work tomorrow and I am ready!

Alas, the beloved Three-Day Weekend!

Finally it is here. MY three-day weekend. I would love to say it is OUR three-day weekend, but Laura just isn't that lucky. It really is a full-time job taking care of animals. Kudos to her!!!

The last couple of weeks down here have been a bit of a whirlwind for us, with work and everything else going on. Laura interviewed for a supervisor position, I signed up to take my Life and Health Insurance Exam for work, my sister went to Colorado with the kids for a mini-vacation. The weather is getting warmer, and the beach is sounding better and better. Only problem is, one of us isn't going to go alone, so we must both suffer in vain. Oh well, soon enough I will have vacation and I can do anything I want.

Speaking of vacation, my parents are officially coming to visit. I have no idea why they have decided to drive, but I have a feeling my dad is regressing to his younger days and wants to get out on the road with his new car and see what it can really do. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited they are coming down here. They haven't seen the new apartment yet, and I really think they are going to like things down here. We'll do a little sightseeing, catch a ballgame (most likely on my birthday), and of course, lots of golf for my dad and I. I hope there's enough left in the tank for me to beat my dad...not that I'm really all that worried.

Less Than Jake came out with a new album this week. "In With The Out Crowd" is by far there most introspective record to date, but not so much that it is depressing and somber. Instead, the usual crunching guitars and sing-along style lyrics are there, but with a depth to it that hasn't been there before. I highly recommend picking this album up and giving it a try. You will not be disappointed. For those of you who like to download music, I know the iTunes store is running a deal where you can download the album and get an exclusive art PDF as well as a bonus track. Why not at least check it out!!!!

Finally, on a sad note, 24 is over for the season. I have to say, while I was able to predict some of the happenings during the 2-hour season finale, the ending COMPLETELY shocked me. I was not ready for that one! All I know is, I really hope the rest of this year goes quickly, because the new season that starts in January is going to be a helluva good one!

To everyone that has a long weekend, I hope you are with one's you love and I hope you are safe. We will probably cook out tomorrow night just for fun, and enjoy the gorgeous nights that we have down here. Be good and have fun!!!

-Dave

Austin City Limits

Double Trouble!

Yesterday, as many of you know, Laura and I took a trip to visit our state capital, Austin. While the weather wasn't necessarily cooperating with us in the morning, it certainly turned out to be a gorgeous day. We left the apartment around 7:00 AM, and we arrived in Austin at about 9:30 or so. From there we started at the capital building, which as amazing! The grounds were beautiful, the layout was incredible, and the scenery was spectacular. From there, we went to a restaurant called The Oasis, which sits atop a "mountain", if you will, and had some lunch. The view was absolutely incredible, and can be rivaled only by that of the landscape in Colorado. Lunch was very filling, and the best part of all, it was only about 12:00! So far, we had driven to Austin, visited and toured the capital, visited the information center, eaten lunch at The Oasis, and gotten back into town.
From there, we went to the Texas State Cemetery. Now I know what you're all thinking, but just give me a minute. The reason we went there was because they have a monument to victims of the attacks on 9/11. There are two beams from the WTC Towers that are displayed as a memorial to those who lost their lives. I can only show a picture of what we saw, but I can never describe the feelings that Laura and I had looking at those two mangled beams. It is something that anyone who comes to visit Texas should go see, and I will do my best to take anyone and everyone there.
Moving on, we found out there was some sort of festival happening on 6th St., which is the equivalent of Water Street, only MANY more bars. Basically there is a bar every other door for about 4 blocks on either side of the road. There were little tents set up on the street and people peddling all of their merchandise. Kind of po-dunk to me, only because I never really enjoyed the whole "flea market" scene. But it was neat to see some of what people had to offer, and I know Laura enjoyed it, which is what was important to me. After walking up and down the street, we grabbed a quick drink at on of the bars, The Chuggin' Monkey to be exact, and decided to head home. Now, the trip home wasn't bad from a weather standpoint like the drive in, but we did get a bit lost, I hit a pigeon, and basically turned a 2 1/2 hour trip into about 3 1/2 hours. Oh well, we made it home!
All in all, it was a wonderful trip, a wonderful time with Laura, and hopefully a wonderful birthday for her. It was god to get out and do something different, and rest assured, we will be taking more trips once we find the time. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and I am going to try to get some posted online somewhere so you can actually see what I am talking about a little bit better than just these few!

The latest...

Well, it seems my brother and I are in the same boat. He just had a post about the fact that the time between posts keeps increasing. I guess the same is for us. Maybe the novelty of the blog has worn off, or we simply don't have that exciting of a life. Oh well.
We have decided to cool off the house search. After going to see one and really liking it, we took a closer look at our finances and feel that it may be best to save up a little more first. At least now we know what we can get and what the process involves. We will probably look again after the wedding. Right now we just want to enjoy the wedding planning process and save up money so we're more prepared.
My baby Pygmy Marmosets are doing great! They are going to be a month old on May 4th! They are getting so big, which for them is about 2-3 inches long now. They have not ventured around the cage yet, they are still enjoying being carried around by mom and dad. We got our first picture of them two days ago; it's the one above. Dad is the one carrying them. You can see the head of one baby and the back and tail of another! Could they possibly be any cuter? I certainly don't think so!
Well, that's about all I have. I hope everyone is doing well and I'll hopefully decrease the time between now and the next post.
Laura

Out of our league?

Well, tomorrow we meet with a realtor/friend who will be helping us decide if we are completely nuts for thinking we could own a home at this stage of our life, or if we indeed have hope. Houses here in Texas are incredibly cheap! We are currently looking at brand new houses in great communities for around $100,000. All of these houses are at least 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and 2 car garage. Many of them also include all appliances, blinds on all the windows (saves money on curtains), a fireplace and walk in closets. It blows my mind that we could get all we want and much more for this price. These same houses in Milwaukee would run at least $200,000 if not more. We are throwing money away every month for rent that could be going towards a morgage. The issues we're concerned about are taxes and insurance (based on our huricane experience last year, we'd be sure to get flood insurance)!!! Buying a house now could mean having it paid off by the time we're in our 50's or much sooner if we ever get some raises! :) If I learned one lesson from my parents about house buying...it's have the house paid off by retirement. So, here we go...wish us luck! We are very excited about this possibility. So excited in fact, that I have even mentioned giving up my truck. And for those of you who know me, I will have a very hard time even thinking about getting rid of my yellow baby...but, if it means a house, I'm happy to do it.
Well, we will keep you updated!

Our Vacation...Finally!

Alright, so here is the promised blog entry about our vacation! Sorry it took so long! The vacation was busy, productive and relaxing at the same time!
We got a lot accomplished for our wedding! We chose a photographer and a baker for the cake. We also saw our ceremony and reception site for the first time! It is beautiful! My mom and Dave's mom could not have picked out anything better!
Over the weekend we spent tons of time with family during several gatherings! It was a great time! I finally got to meet all of Dave's family as well. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I'm honored to become a part of their family.
Then on Tuesday my mom and I drove down to Champaign to visit Michael and Traci! The drive was not nearly as hard as I anticipated. The time went fast and I never even got close to falling asleep while driving (a very bad habit of mine). I was so happy to see their house...it's gorgeous! It is cozy, but not small; modern, yet warm and welcoming. It was perfect! They have done such a wonderful job decorating, it looked like something out of Trading Spaces! So, we spent that day and the next going out to eat (we ate a lot), walking around downtown, driving through Champaign and visiting back at the house. We also went to Allerton Park!!!! Michael has had many entries about this gorgeous park, and he was right. It's huge and beautiful. We had a blast exploring the trails and checking out all the funky statues that filled the property! I got a chance to take some more artistic photos with our new digital camera, which I must say turned out pretty good! Of course the time came when we had to say good-bye, which sucks!!! I miss my brother and Traci a lot! At least when I lived in Milwaukee I got to see them several times a year and now we're averaging about once a year.
Dave spent his time hanging out with Jenny and Don and Lynn and Matt while I was in Champaign. He misses all of them like crazy and I know he highly enjoyed that time. Not to mention, playing with Nathan and Grace! By the time I got back from Champaign, Dave was back in Houston. I had 2 more days in Milwaukee which I spent hanging out with mom and dad and going out to eat lots more!
It was a wonderful time! We are both extremely glad we got to see so much of our family while we were there, but it was also good to get back home. Every time I refer to Milwaukee as "home", Dave corrects me and says"Houston is home now". And you know he's right, it does feel like home. Milwaukee will always hold a special place in our hearts. It is of course, where we grew up, but it does feel nice to get back to our lives; and that, for us, is here. Thanks to everyone for making our vacation so perect! Now, it's your turn to visit us! :)
Laura

If you could only be so lucky...

So for all of you that think I have this cushy, easy job...think again. Let me tell you about my Friday at work, and tell me if you still think the same! It started pretty normal; people yelling at me because there was going to be a hold on their check and they wouldn't be able to use the money this weekend, (to which I tell them to take their lazy butt to the check cashing place like all the other bums). After that it was the usual homeless woman coming in telling us she has $50,000.00 in her account and she wants all the money out. Oh, she also has an account at The Bank of the World!!! Have any of you been there before...well me neither. She then decided to hit the bullet proof glass we recently had installed and told us we were keeping her money, and that she is awaiting a wire transfer from her work, but she hasn't gotten it in the mail yet!? Yes, read it again if you need to. She is waiting for a wire transfer in the MAIL! To top it all off, after she "calmed " down, she very hastily said that we needed to change her address to HOMELESS! WHAT!? Basically picture a black Stan Laurel with no top front teeth and a few inches shorter...this is my nightmare. After that mess happened, we went on to our usual ritual of deciding what was for lunch, which, coincidently, is my favorite part of the day. In the end, it was chicken...and mighty fine chicken if you ask me. So, as I am getting back from lunch, there is a gentleman at one of the teller windows trying to cash a check. Only problem...the check is forged. YEAH! I'm not sure if he really knew what he was doing or not, but he sat down the entire time as we called the police and had him arrested. I actually think when he looked at me and our eyes crossed paths he stole a piece of my soul. Ever had that feeling? Not good. Turns out he said he had gotten the check from the company last week for work he had done...only problem, the check was dated for today! "I'll pay you on Tuesday for a hotdog today..." For those of you that remember that comic strip, it kind of sounded like the same scenario. Anyway, he was taken away, but then everyone and their mother decided to come in the the bank. It was nonstop from about 12-5, which is when I left. Ugh, I don't know why I put up with it, but there is something generally satisfying about my job. Sparing the lesser details of the day, that was it in a nutshell. Now the next time you want to ask me how work is going, keep this story in mind. If I say fine...don't ask any more questions, because there won't be a good story attached:)

I have twins!

So, I know I promised more entries about our trip...maybe I'll get to that later, but right now I must inform everyone of my good news! I am a new mommy of twin monkeys!!! Our pair of Pygmy Marmosets had twins about 36 hours ago! They are first time parents, so the first 10-15 days are critical! The dad pygmy marmosets carry the babies almost exclusively, until it is nursing time. Then, he will pass them to mom one at a time. This is a very difficult process. Many times the babies accidently get dropped to the floor and they are usually picked up right away, but with new parents you never know. We are keeping a very close eye on them and limiting our noise and activity around them. In fact, my supervisor, my fellow keeper Maria and I are the only ones even allowed in the room where they are being housed. They are a very important pair to the population in the United States and they are a very high profile animal for the zoo. Once we announce their birth, which won't be for at least 2 weeks, they will be all over the news (like many of our births and deaths at the zoo are) and we will have many requests to view them by potential donors to the zoo. A wish that may or may not be granted dependant upon their progress and health. Anyway, this is probably more information about these tiny monkeys than any of you ever cared about, but I am very excited! The fact that Maria and I have made these delicate primates feel comfortable enough to breed, give birth and accept their babies (thus far) is something that we are very proud of. This is one of the many reasons I have become a keeper.

So, the pictures included show adult pygmy marmosets. They weigh between 130-150 grams at full grown. The babies are about an inch long and weigh approx. 20-30 grams!

Reality

So, our vacation has come to an end and we are back to reality. Unfortunately, reality has found us no time to write on our blog. We had a great time with family back in Milwaukee, but are having a hard time getting back into a routine here in Houston. The temp has warmed to around 85 degrees daily and is only going to get warmer. Quite a change from Milwaukee's 40 and raining the day I flew out. Oh well. So, to our loyal blog audience, I promise we will have an entry or two real soon about our trip. For now, however, it is back to that previously mentioned "reality", which for me is the zoo.
Laura

One Shining Moment

What a spectacular time of year! Not only is getting nicer outside (I caution against using the word warmer), but it's March Madness! It doesn't matter if you are Duke or Duquesne, if you are in the tournament, you have a shot at winning. There is always a 12 beating a 5, and there is always drama with every game. To see the faces of the players, win or lose, is to look into their soul and realize what this game truly means to them. It's not about the money...yet, and it's not about the magazine covers or photo shoots and dinners at the 5-star restaurants. For most of these kids, the sheer enjoyment of being one of the 64 teams lucky enough to be invited to the NCAA Tournament will last them a lifetime. For most, there will be no more basketball after college, which is why there is so much more emotion for them. Even if you don't like college basketball, or even basketball in general, give it a shot. Watch all the smiles, the tears, and especially the heart that comes out in every game for the next 2 weeks.

Speaking of basketball, I met Rafer Alston at work the other day. Most of you may know him as "Skip to my Lou" from the AND1 mixtapes. He was a streetcourt "legend", and he's been on a couple of different NBA teams, most recently the Houston Rockets, which is who he plays for now. I remembered he played for Milwaukee a few years back, and I mentioned that to his sister, who was actually the one in the bank, and she ran outside and asked him to come in. Surprisingly, he was awesome. Very friendly, and he truly seemed appreciative. He gave me an autograph, and spent a few minutes talking with me. I don't know...kind of cool if you ask me!

While on the subject of sports, baseball is right around the corner. I love thinking about baseball because, for me, it really does remind me of Sunday afternoons with my dad. Now, we've only been seriously going to Brewers games for the past 4 or 5 years, but Sunday's were our days together. It didn't matter how good or bad the Brewers were doing. What mattered was whether or not the hot dogs were tasting good that day, or if we would have to get some brats or sandwiches to last us the afternoon along with our peanuts. No matter where I am or where he is, every Sunday during baseball season will always be our day!

Last, but certainly not least, we will be home on Thursday! We have a lot going on while we are home, but it is much needed, indeed. Things have been extremely stressful for me at work lately, and I really need to get away. A trip home will no doubt help heal the soul.

Less Than 2 Weeks!

So, Dave and I leave for Milwaukee in 13 days! We are both desperately in need of a vacation! The madness at my work continues, and everyone at Dave's work has had a vacation, but him! It'll be great to get back home and see family and friends! Although, how is it that vacations go so quickly? Dave and my mom have yelled at me for doing this in the past, but I'm already sad about it being over. It just goes so quickly! And this time, we have more planned than ever! We will not only be doing some homework for our wedding (like finally getting to see the ceremony and reception site we have booked), but we also have a wedding to attend! In addition, we have a baptism, a memorial service for Dave's much missed Grandpa, and I have a mini-trip within a trip to see my brother and sister-in-law in Illinois! It seems impossible that we will have time to do all of this, but I think we have it planned well and I know our families will help us to make good use of our time.
I am extatic to see Michael and Traci! My only trip down to Champaign is when I helped them move. Since then they've purchased their own house, which I hear is beautiful and I can't wait to see! I've convinced my parents to take the 4 hour drive with me. A big part of that decision was everyone's fear of me falling asleep behind the wheel. Anyone else ever do that? Well, if you have, you know how much it sucks. I actually went to the doctor recently about my sleep issues and she said if they don't improve after what she recommended than I would need to get a sleep study performed on me! A bunch of electric equipment stuck to my body while I desperately try to fall asleep knowing full well that I am being watched and am in a cold empty room...sure, that'll solve my problems! I don't know if I was more irritated at that, or what the doctor "recommended"... a cup of coffee in the morning (which I gave up a month before this appt.), no naps, exercise, go to bed at the same time every night, get up at the same time every morning and take 2 Tylenol PM caplets every night before bed. I will admit that the Tylenol has helped me get some of the best sleep I've ever had, but I'm still tired during the day and even the doctor can't motivate me enough to exercise! Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about falling asleep on the way to Illinois, or at least if I do, I won't be the one driving!
Laura

Posting, blogging, writing...whatever!

It's been a while since I've put anything on here, and I guess it may seem as if I have nothing to say. Well, I really don't. Very few things throughout the day stick in my mind, and therefore I have little or no reason to write about them. It's not that I'm boring or anything, I just like to play video games and watch movies a little bit more than trying to be cynical:) Alright, alright, here it goes:

Looking forward to getting a new book tomorrow. True, Don Quixote has been sitting on my shelf for a few months, and I still have every intention of reading it, but it takes time. Not a book you can stop and start night after night. I need to read it on a vacation when I can devote some time, and put myself into the story. Anywho, the book I will getting is called, "Why My Wife Thinks I'm An Idiot". It's by ESPN sportscaster Mike Greenberg, better known as one half of the hilarious duo from Mike & Mike in the morning on ESPN Radio. So, the book deals with his thoughts on an everyday basis, and why his wife basically disagrees with everything he says or does. Very funny from the excerpts I've read, and even Laura has laughed while reading some of them. Check this out:

But the doctor did have a great deal to say to my wife and, frankly, the language she used was absurd. Am I really supposed to know what a uterus is? I mean, does everyone? Apparently my wife thinks they do. “How in the world can you not know what a uterus is?” she asked. “Well,” I said, “I don’t have one.” “You don’t have a satellite dish, either. But you know what that is.” “Do you know what rack-and-pinion steering is?” I asked. “No.” “Well, you see,” I said, “I don’t make fun of you.” “I cannot believe you would compare rack-and-pinion steering to my uterus.” I realized there was no good end to this conversation. “Well, does anyone want to tell me what a uterus is?” I asked. Without blinking, the doctor pulled down a roll-up picture of a frontally nude woman with her abdominal cavity on display. And I immediately regretted not having pursued the rack-and-pinion line of questioning. By the time she finished, I needed a stiff drink.

Funny to me because at some point in time down the road, after the wedding, I see a conversation like this coming to fruition.

What else? Oh yeah, my sisters birthday is coming up. Very funny card I got for her. Even I impressed myself on this one. Her type of humor, my type of humor...it's all the same!

Maybe I make some "interesting" comments here and there, but I think they are all valid. Maybe not valid, but I think someone might find them useful. Now that I think of it, I don't really say many useful things. Maybe I should try this whole "thinking before talking" thing people keep harping me about. Huh, interesting.

Do I really need to work anymore? I mean, why can't I find a sugar-mama to support me and make things easier? No worries, and all I have to do is turn on the charm for a couple hours out of the day. Come to think of it, that's what I do at work anyway:) HAHA, BOOYAH!

Last but not certainly not least, baseball fans around the world lost one of the great players ever tonight. Kirby Puckett died at the age of 44 from a stroke he suffered a few days ago. Growing up in Milwaukee, I couldn't help but hear about Puckett and the Twins all the time, especially after they beat the Atlanta Braves to win the 1991 World Series...unfortunately I remember nothing of them beating St. Louis in 1987, so I can't comment on that. Nevertheless, one of the happiest and brightest stars of the game has been lost far too early. My condolonces to any and all family members or Twins fans out there.

Alright, I'm running out of steam here. I think we need to get Q-Tips or something for Laura. I always knew she had a lot of stuff in her ears blocking the inbound flow of information, and now my point has been proven. Alas, I will leave you all with words of wisdom that I learned once from a very wise man: Don't stop believin'...Hold on to that DREAAAAMMMMMMM whoa whoa!

Where's The Mosh Pit?

On Monday night we went to see Less Than Jake, and if you read the previous post you know how excited Dave was to see them! I too, was excited, but I only know a few songs and wasn't sure what to expect. So, we headed Downtown to The Engine Room where I found us in a crowd of people from 15 years old to 30 years old. We witnessed a variety of "punk"clothes that we thought had long gone out of style! Dave and I hung back for the first band and made cracks about the type of people that we were sharing this night with. We then snuck up among the first two rows and waited through 2 more bands before Less Than Jake came onto the stage. During the third opening band, a huge mosh pit opened up on the floor. Dave kept asking me if I have ever been to a concert like this and my answer was consistently no. We ended up on the outer rim of the mosh pit with sweaty, overly-excited boys stumbling into us. It was gross, funny and highly entertaining at the same time! I laughed pretty hard, but no, I won't be looking for any more mosh pits soon! When Less Than Jake came on the crowd went wild, including me! Oh my God do they have energy!!!! They were running and jumping all over the stage! They paid attention to the crowd like I have never seen before. They told us jokes, threw several things out into the audience, got us involved and never lacked the energy they had when they first came out! They played mostly old songs that everyone knew, including the 4 I had memorized! To Dave's surprise I jammed out all night, clapping, dancing and singing! I even screamed when the lead singer Roger came close to us! I think he looked at me!!!! Now, it wasn't quite as exciting as when Tim McGraw looked at me (I swear he really did) when I was in the fourth row of the Tim and Faith concert, but it was close! Anyway, I'm really not sure why these guys aren't more famous, but I won't complain, at least I kn0w who they are! So, if you haven't checked them out yet, I highly sugest you do so! Listen to "The Ghosts of Me and You", or "The Science of Selling Yourself Short"...my 2 favorites! Now I may never be as big of a fan as Dave is, but I am definitely on my way and you can bet we will be at the next concert here in Houston!

T-minus 1 day!!!!!!

That's right, tomorrow night Laura will be experiencing her first Less Than Jake concert. We will be at the Engine Room here in Houston around 7 or 7:30. Now, I've see these guys about 10 times back in Milwaukee, and every time the show was better than the last. The last show I was at was last May at The Rave. Not only was I right up in front (as usual), but I was lucky enough to catch one of their guitar picks that they threw into the crowd. Less Than Jake, to me, is like Aerosmith to Laura. And for any of you that know Laura, you know how much she LOVES them, and would do anything to see them.

Actually, now that I mention Laura, I am very surprised how much she has gotten into LTJ. I never thought of her as the type of person who would like this music, but I guess I was wrong. I'm not saying she's a "diehard" fan or anything like that, but she can sing along now with the best of them:) For any of you that have never heard any of their songs, do yourself a favor and check them out. You won't regret it. Just follow the link on the side of the page, and enjoy! Hopefully after tomorrow night I'll have some cool merch to tell you about.

So, we'll be talking to all of you in a few days, and try to give Laura a call on Tuesday morning so you can hear how much fun she had:)



"Well I'm half awake and half a world away, all my past mistakes and every misspent day, proves that I'll never change, I'll always stay the same...I wouldn't have it any other way"

Oh What A Night

Greetings and Salutations! So last night Laura and I went over to my cousins house to hang out, get some food and play some games. He and his wife invited over two other couples, so we knew it was going to be a good time. After a good couple of helpings of chicken fajitas (and rice of course), we started to play a game called Catch Phrase. Basically, for those of you who are unsure about what it is, you are given a word and you have to describe it without saying that word or trying to rhyme it with anything. We split it up as boys vs. girls, and let me just tell you, I have not laughed that much when playing a game in a LONG time. I mean, I know it sounds easy, but some of the things people were coming up with just from only getting one description were hilarious. We really got into this game, and it is certainly going to become a member of our family very soon.

Anyway, back to the real reason for this post. Now, my cousins, as with most Mexican families, are big into boxing. So of course, the Mosley/Vargas fight was on last night. Now, I am not necessarily big on fights, and I know Laura hates boxing with a passion, but last night was something to watch. In case you missed it, Mosley won on a TKO with 1:22 left in the 10th. Vargas didn't get knocked out, but his left eye was so swollen, the doctors at ringside couldn't even see his eye! Now, most fights I've seen have been somewhat boring and uneventful, but this was truly a sight to see. The fight was good, the action was good, and it was interesting to see round by round Vargas' eye get more and more swollen. I'm not saying that I will be watching fights on a regular basis from now on, but I had to put in my two cents after last night!

So, a fun night of games, a man becoming hideously disformed from a fight, and a lot of good food! Who could ask for anything more!!! In case you are all interested in seeing what I was talking about from the fight, here is a picture of Vargas after the fight.

The Four Queens Sports Fatigue

I’m so done with the four biggest “Drama Queens” in sports right now:

Brett Favre: The headline in the papers said “Aikman predicts Favre retirement”. Wow. So it’s come to this. Other QB’s wildly speculating on a subject everyone (including those in Wisconsin) are totally sick of. Enough. Please.

Roger Clemens: He’s retired. He’s not retired. He’ll play for the Astros. He’ll go somewhere else. He doesn’t want to travel. He wants to play one season with his son. His mom said before she died that he should retire. He still hasn’t made a decision. Ugh.

Barry Bonds: I’m so tired. Ohhhh. Everybody get off my back. I’m gonna retire after this year. No I ‘m not. ESPN is hounding me. I hate Pedro Gomez. Here, Pedro, have this exclusive. Oh yeah, ESPN is doing a reality show about me. But I hate them. Shut up already.

A-Rod: I’m gonna play for the Dominican. But wait, you’re American, born in America! Okay, I’m not gonna play at all. Oh wait, now I am. For America. But I don’t like how the WBC portrayed all this. How come nobody likes me. Zip it, cooler!

Green Thumb?

So, I did it again...I sentenced another 2 innocent plants to death. This Monday when Dave and I had a day off together we went to the Houston Garden Center in search of some flowers to brighten up our front entry way. Well, this is not the first time I've done this. Every time my mom came to visit (3 times) we went out to find me some "hardy plants". And every time, within only weeks I killed them. It is quite depressing seeing as my grandma (Grammy) and my mom are expert gardeners. My dad and my brother are also decent gardeners. How is it that I can tell if an animal isn't behaving normal or is sick at the slightest sign, but I can't remember to water a plant? I thought I had come to terms with this lack of talent, but I recently discovered that I have not. I still want to be good at it. It is hard for me to accept. So, we approached a lady who worked at the store and Dave proceeds to tell her that I have this disability. She points out a few plants and then looks at me and says, "even these need to be watered at least once a week"! She gave me a look like I was unworthy of such a responsibility. We purchased a Geranium and an African Iris. Hopefully this time I will do my part in giving them a better life than the plants before them! :) If not, Dave claims that he is pretty good and often planted flowers back at his house. Ron... Yvonne... can I count on him?

Cavalia

So, last night Dave and I did something quite different than our usual movie or t.v. watching. We received 2 free tickets to the production Cavalia! For those of you who don't know it is a mix between a circus, a ballet, an opera and a comedy show! I really don't know how to accurately describe it, but it was amazing! The key element was 37 trained horses! Mostly, unbridled and unrestrained, I was in awe of the amount of control and trust the horses and performers had for each other! In addition to the beautiful Lusitanian Stallions there were acrobats, contorsionists, trapeze artists, dancers and so much more! If you blinked you missed something! The show reaffirmed my absolute love for horses and partially makes me regret buying a car instead of a horse! Mom and dad- remember those discussions!? All in all, I highly recommend it if it comes to a town near you!
Laura

"us" recently

So, for those of you who haven't seen us in awhile...here we are. This is a couple of weekends ago at a friend's birthday party. I didn't think we looked any different, but I was just looking at a picture of when we started dating (back in October of 2004) and I guess we do. It's probably due to the fact that I had short (chin length) blonde hair! I can guarantee I'll never go short again, but the color...well, if any of you really know me, it changes constantly! So, your guess is as good as mine as to what it'll look like in a couple weeks...months...years! And Dave has different glasses and his hair is done slightly differently. Anyway, this is one of my favorite pictures of us, so enjoy!
Laura

Valentine's Day

So, have you ever had your significant other tell you that they weren't going to get you anything for a particular holiday??? Well, Dave and I decided just that. We both agreed that we show each other everyday that we love each other and don't need this "Hallmark holiday" to show our love. Also, we figured it would save some money. O.K......so, I knew I would get him a card, and I have to say that I figured he would get me one as well; but, that would be it. Nothing else, right? Wrong! I came home on Sunday night to a huge surprise! I carpooled that day with a co-worker, so she dropped me off in front of our apartment, instead of me going in back like I normally do. I noticed immediately that the blinds were closed. They are NEVER closed when Dave is home. So, I knew something was up. When I walked in, all of the lights were out and there were candles EVERYWHERE!!! Dave had love music playing on the computer too! I followed the candles into the kitchen where there were more candles, a HUGE display of red roses, a card and 2 wine glasses! I then preceeded (as tears ran down my cheeks) to the other side of the apartment. Same story...more candles. Except this time instead of roses, I found Dave waiting for me! We toasted to "us" and after one glass of wine we went out to dinner. We had a wonderful time at dinner and continued to toast to ourselves back at home until the bottle was gone. We talked all night and listened to cheesy love songs. It was very romantic! I have to thank Yvonne, Lynn and Jenny for teaching Dave how to treat women well. I have to asume that growing up with 3 women would help to teach a man that! :)
Anyway, the lesson here is that I no longer will trust Dave when he says he is not going to do anything for me! Even though he says it was "nothing", it meant the world to me!
I hope all you women out there can say you had just as good of a Valentine's Day as I did!
Laura
P.S. Thank you so much honey! I love you!

Talking about everything is nothing...A spoof!

Whoa, hey there! How ya' doin? You kind of a... snuck up on me. Not cool! But, since you're here, just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...

If you remember, a couple of weeks ago Laura put up a post on talking to her mother about nothing. Well, even though I give her a hard time about it, I understand this. I know how much she loves her parents, and how much better she feels when she can keep some sense of normalcy after moving away over a year ago. Talking to her mother for hours on end about what the weather is like, or what they are wearing, or how their favorite shirt just doesn't look the same on them anymore makes them both happy. And I respect this. Nevertheless, I do not follow this trait. When I get on the phone, not just with my parents but with anyone, I like it short and to the point. Give me the days exciting events, and that's all I need. And if you think this is limited to only phone conversations, all I have to say is...NOT SO MUCH! This is the way I am in life as well. Long, drawn out stories do nothing but bore me. I mean, sometimes a story needs a lengthy explanation, and I understand that. However, most of the time a simple A,B, C story would work for me. I don't need background information and what everyone was wearing or who was standing where, just give me the facts! Too much talking can kill your mind. Oh yeah, you didn't know that!? Well it can. I can back this up with scientific proof, but that would be too much info:)! To make a long post short, I love the rambling part of Laura as much as I love any other part, and I would never want it to change. Just don't expect me to turn a conversation about my jeans into a 30 minute mini-saga, complete with illustrations and guest speakers!!!

Super "Sloppy" Bowl

Well, it's been a while since I have put anything on here, so what better day to start up than today! Here are a few of MY TAKES on the game today, and some other interesting things you may not have known.

- This may be the second most boring Super Bowl to date. Clearly no teams can beat the snooze-fest that was Super Bowl XXXV between the Ravens and the Giants back in 2001. Don't get me wrong, I like the Steelers, but really, there is no contest here. I don't want to see Seattle. I don't even think Washington wants to see Seattle. They're boring, and they haven't faced a tough team yet.

- For all you betters out there, here are some interesting ones for you to think about before the game:

*Team to Win the Coin Toss - Seahawks: (-105) Steelers: (-105)

*Will Either Team Score 3 Straight Times w/o Other Team Scoring - Yes (Conversions Excluded): (-145) No (Conversions Excluded): (+115)

*Over/Under FIRST Made Field Goal of the Game - First Made FG o34.5: (-105) If No FG -- No Action u34.5 : (-125)

*Over/Under FIRST Punt of the Game (Must be an Official Punt) - First Punt o42.5 : (-115) Return Yards Don't Count u42.5 : (-115)

*Total Number of Different Players to have a Pass Attempt - Pass Attempts o2.5: (-180) Pass Attempts u2.5: (+150)

Just a few to wet your whistle. For more, check out: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5299120

- Here are some fun little facts for Super Bowl Sunday:

* Most Super Bowls generate $100 million in merchandise sales bearing the Super Bowl logo. The all-time high was Super Bowl XXXI, Green Bay over New England, $120 million.
* The Super Bowl is the top at-home party event of the year, surpassing New Year's Eve, (Hallmark Cards, Inc.).
* Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day of food consumption behind only Thanksgiving (American Institute of Food Distribution).
* The NFL licenses 50 companies to produce products bearing the Super Bowl logo - everything from party plates, invitations, aprons, helmet chip and dip sets, banners, pennants, dishes.
* The average number of people attending a Super Bowl party is 17 (Hallmark).
* Ninety-five percent of Super Bowl watchers watch with at least one other person (Hallmark).
* An estimated 14,500 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday.
* The California Avocado Commission says that on Super Bowl Sunday, Americans scarf down eight million pounds of guacamole.
* Sales of antacid increase 20 percent the day after Super Bowl Sunday.
* Six percent of Americans will call in sick the day after Super Bowl Sunday.
* Super Bowl Weekend is the slowest weekend for weddings.
* Sales of large screen TV's increase five times during Super Bowl Week (National Electronic Dealers Assoc.).
* Fans spend an average of $15 on food and drink at the stadium during Super Bowl (Service America).
* Fans spend more than $50 million on food during the four days of the Super Bowl weekend (Thursday-Sunday).
* Fourteen miles of soft-drink pipeline leading to 160 dispensers serve fans at the game.
* Nine of the 10 most-watched TV programs of all time are Super Bowls.

- Finally, I hope everyone does enjoy today. We are going to be heading out to a friend's house for the first half of the game, so I'm praying it will be enjoyable. The Rolling Stones, I could do without. After the whole Janet thing a few years ago, I fear we are going to be seeing nothing but The Stones, Aerosmith and Paul McCartney. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. So to everyone out there, HAVE FUN TODAY!! Afterall, it IS the Super Bowl, no matter how uninteresting it may be. My pick, you ask. Simple: Steelers 27 - Seahawks 13! HAPPY EATING!

Dave

P.S. Unfortunately my brother-in-law will not be in this years Super Bowl. However, he was in last years :-) Matt, this one's for you...

Don't Inhale!

So, I'm not sure where to even begin this post. All of you know that I work in a building that is very new; not even a year old, to be exact. Well, just like all new buildings, not everything is done perfectly the first time. We've had issues with many of the animal enclosures since the opening of the building last March. One of the aquariums has been the biggest headache of all. This particular tank has a large tube through it that kids can crawl through. It was intended to hold piranahas! It was a very anticipated part of the building, however, it has never held piranha due to a leak. Over the last 10 months a variety of tactics have been used in order to fix this tank, but none have been successful. For those of you who think this should be easy, please keep in mind that this tank isn't all glass; it's walls are all rockwork except one. So the leak is not visible at all. At one point we had the construction workers come back and they used 70 gallons of some type of foam in the tank to fix the problem. It, of course, didn't work, and I could have bought a house with the amount of money that they spent on this foam! So, anyway, we made the hard decision of paying a new contractor to come in and clean up the mess, instead of the old ones trying to fix what they did wrong. Although it will cost the zoo a lot more money, at least it will be done correctly. So, we closed our building to the public about a week ago and the construction began. The piranha tank was/is the priority so that is where they began. Within a day of drilling they found 12 different toxins in the rockwork of the tank that would have easily killed anything we would've put in there! All of these "toxins" were obviously used unbeknownst to us. A few days later (Sunday) another keeper came running into my area and told me that we need to secure our animals and get out of the building now! Turns out that their drilling released a toxic fume into the air. After hours of phone calls to our supervisor and curator, who were both off that day, we got clearance to re-enter the building. Apparently, the amounts were not high enough to really harm humans, despite several of us coming down with headaches, watery eyes, upset stomachs and stomach cramps. Once our supervisor and curator got there we were told that for the animal's safety we were to move them all out ASAP. This was music to our ears, as all of us keepers were so scared for our animals. On the other hand, we have over 250 animals in our building and it wouldn't be an easy task. It took 25 people (other departments came to help), over 7 hours to find places for the animals, tear down caging and set it back up in the new locations and physically move all the animals. It was a long night to say the least. In the end, all of the animals are safe, which is what matters most to us. Hopefully, we can find some way to make the original contractors liable. As for me, I have the bruises and scratches to prove the animal's reluctance to move out of their beautiful exhibits, and I am sore in places I didn't even know existed. So, if anyone asks me "how's work?", expect me to grunt and roll my eyes. On a happier note, I have today and tomorrow off to recoup. And after all of this, I'm sure I'll be happy to go back to work on Thursday. It's great to be able to say that I love my job...in good times and in bad!
Laura

Did someone say Super Bowl Party!?

With the Super Bowl only a week away, it's time for everyone to start plugging their ears and stop tuning in to ESPN for their "round the clock" Super Bowl coverage. We have plans to go to a party on Sunday for the game; something I personally don't like to do. However, as many of you know, I like a happy home, so we are going! Anyway, I was reading an article on Steve Czaban's website about Super Bowl parties, and I thought to myself, "Self, this is a sign. You need to show this." So, as much as I would love to take credit for this list, it is through the creativity of another that I have this. Without further adieu, here are the people most likely to come to YOUR Super Bowl party:

The Gambler: Sits there stone silent, rocking back and forth like Leo Mazzone. Spends inordinate amounts of time on cell phone during timeouts and halftime covering his mouth. Eventually erupts with either a loud “YES!” late (usually when the over hits) or a muttered string of expletives followed by a hasty exit without saying goodbye to anybody.
The Boozer: As soon as you said “free beer” he would have showed up to watch girls softball.
The Snoozer: Guy who can’t hold his liquor and BBQ and ends up slackjawed snoring by halftime.
The Jerry Markbre: Knows every rule in every situation and is always ready to let everyone know about it.
The Pete Morelli: Thinks he knows all the rules, but almost always misinterprets them.
The Bitter Fantasy Guy: Insists on recounting every trade his team made all year, before losing in the final.
The Chatty Kathy: Woman from work, who insists on yapping all game about office gossip.
The Coordinator: Guy who uses phrases like “Z-Whammy, Slot-Bingo” to pretend he knows the plays.
The Nostradamus: Fearlessly predicts every play before it happens. Eventually is right, and won’t shut up.
The Bitter Wife: Can’t understand why husband won’t leave when game is still going on in 4th quarter.
The Anti-Martha Stewart: Host with a paltry selection of food and snacks, but thinks its some great “spread.”
The Duece Staley: Guy who shamelessly drops a withering “deuce” in the bathroom.
The Scout: Single/divorced guy who spends way too much time in kitchen, working the ladies.
The Vocalist: Guy who shouts “ooh” and “ahhh” at even meaningless plays.
The Mel Kiper: Somehow claims to know at least a half dozen NFL or ex-NFL players personally.
The Bad Dad: Lets his son run around trashing the house, spilling food, and generally causing havoc.

Walk The Line

So, a while back my brother wrote a post on his blog about Walk The Line. Let me just say, that for once we agree on a movie. Wow...it really was amazing! They both deserve the awards that they got for their performances and I wish they'd get more. Joaquin and Reese were both very believable! It's over 2 hours long and isn't that action packed and somehow it still manages to keep your interest. I actually didn't want it to end. Dave loved it too! We both called our parents right after we left the theatre, urging them to go see it; and this is coming from someone who hates country music (Dave), and someone who the only thing she knows about Johnny Cash is a great song called Ring of Fire (me, obviously). Anyway, my point is... go see it. Or if you don't like going to movies, then buy it when it comes out. No need renting it, as the cost of doing that nowadays is half the price of owning it!
Laura

Talking About Nothing is Everything

Well, I have been nagged by Dave to get my butt in gear and write a few posts on our new blog. Yes, what that means is that all the previous posts were from my handsome honey, Dave. My brother seems to think the last post was mine because Dave's "are normally funny". Well, surprise! I guess I haven't written yet because it seems like my day to day activities aren't interesting enough to share with everyone. Except my mom of course. Dave is very right when he says that her and I could cut our phone conversations in half and still be talking about nothing! We tell each other what we had for supper, exactly what we did throughout the day, sometimes what we wore and I even remember a few occassions when we hung up because one or both of us expressed that we had to use the restroom. Well, what can I say? She's my mom and somehow I feel closer to her when we know everything going on in eachother's lives. O.K., not everything...but close. I mean back when I lived in Milwaukee we could sit for hours over a cup of coffee discussing boys (and by boys I mean Dave), clothes, money, my work, friends and much more. It sometimes felt like we were two teenagers gossiping in a school cafeteria. It was great! It's one of the things I miss the most about being away from home. So, no my "meaningless" conversations with my mom are never really "meaningless" and they'll never stop, as silly as they might sound to the outside listener. Dave knows this first hand, and although he sometimes makes fun of us (he often takes the phone away from me and "scolds" my mom-she loves it though), he will never ask me to stop. He respects me more than anyone EVER has...this is one of the many reasons I am marrying him! And that by the way, is the number one thing my mom and I discuss now-a-days. What color will this be, when will I try my dress on again, what will the centerpieces be, what readings, what linens, who will be there, what d.j., what photographer, etc. etc. etc. But, I love it... I am talking to my mom about the most perfect day of my life (even if all the qustions above never get answered or turn out completely wrong...it won't matter)!
Laura

Something's Gotta Give...

Do you ever just have those days where you need some sort of divine intervention to calm you down? Well, if anyone's listening up there, today is one of those days. It's not necessarily one thing or another, it's just a "group effort". Don't get me wrong, I love my life. I couldn't ask for a better script than the one that's playing out in front of my eyes. I know I am blessed and have been well taken care of, but sometimes I need more of a push. Patience; not my top virtue. I don't know, maybe I just need a good nights sleeps. Tomorrow is a new day and I am going to treat it like one. It'll take an army to bring me down from now on...

-Yesterday is history, today is a mystery, tomorrow is a gift!

Kobe goes off!!

So, not being the biggest basketball fan, I was about to not write a thing about this, but being a SPORTS fan, I feel obligated. Kobe Bryant went off for 81 points last night. 81 points!!! Now, I'm not comparing this to 100 points from "Wilt the Stilt", but c'mon, the guy absolutely went off. And let me pose this question to you, do you know the names of any of the other Lakers? Of course not because there main goal on the the team is to A.) Get Kobe the ball and, B.) Get out of the way. Nevertheless, this was an amazing performance from an amazing athlete. Notice, I say athlete, not person. I will never forget what Kobe was accused for in Colorado, but now I may think of last night and what he did before I think of anything else!

The King has Returned!

So, a few weeks ago a very sad thing happened in our house. My Playstation 2 passed away with little fuss. It kind of just died, mid-game mind you, and since then things have not been complete for me. Until now! I drove to the local Target store and purchased a new PS2. Very slim design, and with the ability for online gameplay built right in, unlike its predecessor that had to have an expansion pack put in place, I am at peace. My world is complete once again. I toyed with the idea of an Xbox instead, but that would be like starting over. My brother-in-law just purchased a new Xbox 360, which I am SUPREMELY jealous of, but that was just way out of my price range. So now, I wait for PS3, and enjoy all of my games once again until I can upgrade. Oh happy days...

01/21/2006

So, I guess we should really get this thing going! After a quick, but very enjoyable weekend last week, it's good to be home and it's good to be relaxing. I will admit, there is nothing like being back home with family and friends, but there is something different about coming home to a place of your own. And yes, the company down here in Texas (Laura), while not nearly the same as that in Wisconsin, makes it home:) So, here are some rantings and ravings for this week;

1. My favorite commercial right now...the NFL commercial featuring the Philadelphia Eagles. You know, the one where the players are in the locker room after the game and a kangaroo comes in posing as the new mascot so that it can steal some authentic apparel only to be confronted by the actual mascot of the Eagles!!! HILARIOUS!

2. Favorite show...24. Unfortunately we are experiencing some technical difficulties here that don't allow us to receive anything other than ABC and CBS, so here's hoping for a miracle. 5 years running and still going strong. Who doesn't love Jack Bauer???

3. I hate to say this, but I am getting sick and tired of Angelina Jolie. I mean, today I saw a little blurb that said, "What makes Angelina cry...". WHO THE HELL CARES!? I mean, is this the next Mother Teresa, or what? Don't get me wrong, I am a BIG fan of hers, most of the time, but enough is enough! I am going to personally lead a boycott right here in my own home. Even though Laura is in love with her, (a little too much at times me thinks), I am done hearing about her and how perfect she is. HOMEWRECKER!

4. Last but not least, I plan on foregoing my own wedding to marry Mandy Moore. Laura doesn't know about this yet, but I am sure she will be ok with it. C'mon, she's talented, beautiful and is just plain wholesome. I think I may have a pretty good chance at her. I mean, if I put on a little bit of the 'ol Dave charm, I could make this interesting. Huh, I like this idea...

5. FREE IDEA! Yes, this is the last one, I promise. STAR WARS EPISODE III finally got the recognition I think it deserves the other night. I know most people don't like Anakin (played by Hayden Christensen), but I think he did an absolutely masterful job of portraying a kid, really, that is lost in love and war. Bravo and kudos to George Lucas for the awards he has won. I got your back, George.

Alright, alright. I'll leave you all with a picture from the trip home. It's the fam, minus one brother-in-law, and including a very unhappy Nathan. Baby Grace is getting big...thank God for these pipes I have over here otherwise I would have been in trouble:)

1/11/2006

Well, my faithful sidekick has finally done something productive on her day off:)

As for this blog, it was inspired by the mind of a genius...(brownie points!?)...and is now in the hands of idiot savants. Our day to day lives are truly stories to be told, and to know us is to love us. Take care and enjoy the ride!