Happy Thursday!
Warrenton 2012
Yesterday I drove out to Warrenton to spend the day shopping with Mom and her friends. After a hard week at work, it was nice to be with my mom and look around the different booths for a few hours. The only downside was that it got very hot as the day went on -- almost into the 90s. It's way too early for that.
I was able to take a few pictures while I was at the show...
After I said goodbye to everyone, I drove over to Brenham to take pictures of the wildflowers. I had trouble finding a good spot at first but finally decided to stop along Hwy. 290. It was a little windy, so I couldn't take as many close-up shots as I would have liked, but I do like the ones I managed to take.
Springtime in Texas truly is the best time!
I was able to take a few pictures while I was at the show...
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| Tuba |
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| My mom's friends and me |
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| Road signs |
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| Knobs in every color and size |
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| Two very strange dolls |
After I said goodbye to everyone, I drove over to Brenham to take pictures of the wildflowers. I had trouble finding a good spot at first but finally decided to stop along Hwy. 290. It was a little windy, so I couldn't take as many close-up shots as I would have liked, but I do like the ones I managed to take.
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| Red poppies |
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| Field of bluebonnets |
Springtime in Texas truly is the best time!
March 2012 Round-up
It's time for my March round-up.
What I Read...
For my other round-ups, please go here.
What I Read...
- My Life in France by Julia Child: I really, really wanted to like this book because I enjoyed the Julia Child parts from Julie and Julia so much. Unfortunately, I grew a little bored and irritated with Julia as the book went on.
- The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons: This book was marketed toward fans of Downton Abbey, so of course I had to try it. The first two-thirds of the book were wonderful, but I felt it fizzled in the last third.
- Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult: Oh, Jodi -- you were once a can't-miss author for me. Now, not so much. Lone Wolf felt disjointed, and the characters unlikeable. I miss the author who wrote My Sister's Keeper and Plain Truth.
- W.E.: This movie focused on Wallis Simpson (W.) and King Edward (E.). I've been interested in their story since I saw The King's Speech, but this movie was a little disappointing. Once again, the modern-day story detracted from the more compelling past story (just like The Iron Lady). I hope they someday make a great movie about Wallis and Edward (yes, we're on a first-name basis now), but this is not it.
- DVD: I rented Footloose last Saturday. It was cute, and I enjoyed the dancing.
- Gymnastics: The 2012 Olympics are only a few months away, and NBC is doing its best to show as much gymnastics as possible (thank you, NBC!). I watched the American Cup earlier in the month and the Pacific Rim Championships two weeks later. The American women are doing well so far, and it's going to be difficult to see who doesn't make the team.
- Figure skating: The World Championships took place this past week. Nothing has aired on TV yet (at least for me), but I've been able to catch a few things on my computer. And with Paul's help, I've been able to hook my computer up to the TV to see it on the big screen. Yay for skating and technology!
- TV: Dancing with the Stars returned this month, and I've been pleasantly surprised with the dancing so far. Urkel's my favorite. :)
- Experiencing another beautiful Texas spring. The wildflowers are absolutely beautiful this year.
- Choosing the purple nail polish at my last pedicure
- Participating in a direct mail workshop for two days this past week. I was the only one in my office participating, so it was a long two days of watching the Powerpoint and listening to the conversations on the phone. At least the information was useful!
- Spending the second weekend of March at home. I was in desperate need of some "family time," and it felt wonderful just to relax and be with those I love.
- Driving over to Warrenton to spend the day with Mom and her friends.
- Playing Words with Friends. I'm good. :)
- Celebrating Dad's birthday while I was home
- Discovering Quarries Park one afternoon when I was looking for a place to take pictures
- Visiting the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for the second year in a row
- The last half of this week. :)
- Putting the wrong contact solution into my eye one morning. Ouch!
- Trying to solve the Great Apostrophe Caper of 2012. Let's just say apostrophes are my least favorite type of punctuation at the moment.
- Driving home in the pouring rain. I almost thought about turning back when I could barely see the road a little outside of Austin.
- Coming into work one day and discovering that I couldn't turn on my computer. I had to call our IT department, contact Dell, and have a repair person come out the next day. Nothing like having that happen when you're really busy.
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| Blue sky |
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| Parker |
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| Sunset over Quarries Park |
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| Tansy aster |
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| Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |
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| Indian Paintbrush |
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| Giant metal chicken! |
Wildflowers in Bloom
Last Saturday I made my annual spring pilgrimage out to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. I brought my camera along, of course, and was able to take several nice pictures of the wildflowers on display. There weren't as many flowers blooming in the garden area as I remembered from last year, but I realized later that I was visiting a week earlier this year. Luckily I discovered the fields of bluebonnets beyond the garden and braved the blinding sun to get a few pictures (I forgot to buy sunscreen — eek!). Some of my pictures are below.
February 2012 Round-up
It's that time again...here's my February round-up.
What I Read...
What I Read...
- The Bungalow by Sarah Jio: I needed something light after finishing The Book Thief, and this book fit the bill. I really enjoyed the story, which took place on Bora-Bora during World War II.
- The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford: I just finished this book yesterday. It was about a young woman and her pursuit of love, usually with the wrong men. It was definitely an entertaining book, and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the volume (Love in a Cold Climate).
- The Iron Lady: I saw this movie the day before the Oscars, and I'm so glad I did. While the movie itself wasn't that great, Meryl Streep gave a commanding performance as Margaret Thatcher, especially in the modern-day scenes where Thatcher is battling dementia.
- DVD: I rented two terribly awful movies from Redbox: Breaking Dawn (the latest Twilight movie) and One Day. Save your time and avoid them.
- Television: The second season of Downton Abbey concluded this month. I don't know what I will do with my Sunday nights.
- Traveling to Colorado for the Four Continents Championships
- Spending Valentine's Day with my mom apartment hunting. We also ate at Chuy's and picked up chocolate-covered strawberries from Amy's and cupcakes from Gigi's.
- Discovering Paper Source, one of my favorite stores from Boston, downtown
- Watching the Puppy Bowl with Dad
- Visiting the Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy while we were in Colorado Springs
- Experiencing snow while we were in Colorado
- Holding the February potluck at work
- Playing my new piano (a gift from Michelle) for the first time
- Seeing all the little signs of spring: wildflowers, trees budding, bugs (well, maybe not that last one)
- Getting super sick last week after the potluck. I'm not sure if it was something I ate or a bug, but I did NOT feel well.
- Cleaning up after Sammy the day we got home from Colorado. He threw up seven times around my apartment, and I had to enlist Mom for help.
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| Cadet Chapel at the Air Force Academy |
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| Snowy feet |
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| Valentine's cupcake |
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| Angelic cat |
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| Garden of the Gods |
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