Believe in the sun, even when it's not shining

In love, even when you're alone

In God, even when He is silent.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Send them up!

Update: The news wasn't so good last Wednesday...they will have to do another surgery that will be much more involved. Please keep praying.

Calling all friends and family...Daddy has some returning cancer on his shoulder and he will be having surgery next Wednesday, March 31. I convinced Mom that Patrick and I could handle caring for and checking on him (since she will be out of town), so Daddy moved it up from April 13 on the doctor's schedule this morning. Hopefully, that means that Daddy will be feeling better two weeks faster! So...just one favor...during the next couple of weeks, when you have a moment, please send up your prayers that he will have a speedy surgery with no complications and an even faster recovery so that he can return to the greens! Thanks to you all for your love and support and for keeping him in your thoughts -

xox
S

Off to the Zoo

It has been such a wet and cold winter that Gracie hasn't had a visit to the zoo in a long time. Given that she is such an animal lover, there couldn't have been a more perfect ending to her Spring Break. First things first...a train ride...

We'll have to go back and take pictures here at these horseshoe-like sculptures...
We all have PaPa's love of birds in us and it's evident here as Gracie took all of these herself...this one looks like a resin parrot that Mom just brought us to put on our patio for our "It's five o'clock somewhere" motto :)




Always a favorite...their flock of flamingoes never fails to take my breath away.


Thankfully, I sent along the umbrella stroller because on the train ride...yes, the very first thing they did even before entering the zoo...Gracie lost her shoe and didn't say anything to Mom until the ride was over...she's Shoeless Joe and had the dirty foot to prove it!

Gracie got to see the two new baby giraffes...she thought they were super cool!
...and so was the big cheetah...
But, Mom said that where she spent the most time, with the exception of the birds, was with the meerkats. Even though they are really a member of the mongoose family, Gracie thought they looked like monkeys...and this is a good thing because in their fervency to get out of the zoo crowds, they missed the monkey section - another of Gracie's favorites...but another reason to take her back soon, too! :)
It looks like Marmie made up for it with an ice cream and a tube full of little plastic sea creatures...to go along with her other little animals that she builds homes for with her magnets...not a bad day at all!
They topped the day off with a visit with Aunt Kathleen and Aunt Mary - like I said, couldn't have been a better ending to her week off!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Spring Break's Saddles & Shamrocks

Last weekend's Saddle-Up Saturday...picking flowers for Mommy, Daddy & Mr. Eddie.

Gracie posting and trotting...all at the same time! She was very proud of herself! I'm afraid she has my rhythm, so this was a big deal! :)


For St. Patrick's Day, Aunt Mary was gracious enough to invite us to the University of St. Thomas' Irish Studies-sponsored Mass & Brunch officiated by Cardinal DiNardo. Mom met Gracie and I there where we joined Aunt Mary, Aunt Ruthie, and Aunt Ruthie's youngest daughter, Katy, and her family. This is Grace at Aunt Mary's with Katy's daughter, Emma...
...and Katy's son, Sean.
Thursday, we took Gracie back to the rodeo grounds for the Paint Horse Show, carnival and souvenirs. She was chosen to be the cheerleader for our section's piglet in the pig races...
"Hammah" Montana didn't win, but we still had a good time cheering her on...
Daddy bought his cowgirl her very own cowgirl hat, complete with tiara, and a stick pony.
She's just a little excited, as you can tell...
We closed the rodeo and it's $4.50 cokes down with the Brooks and Dunn Last Rodeo Tour...this is the first year that I'm not really sad that it's all over...things have always been expensive, but this year it seemed ridiculously so. It seemed like attendance suffered for it this year and hopefully, things will change for next year...
Gracie returns to school tomorrow...she's excited to see her friends...Mommy's excited to have a routine back...I have yet to blog her trip to the zoo with Marmie, but that will have to come later...have a good week, everyone!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

More Rodeo with Brad Paisley

Oh my heavens...this was the cutest thing EVER! These wallabies just kept hugging and hugging...Gracie was cracking up...


Jack and Gracie with a pot-bellied pig -

Giving the llama some love -

...then the baby goat...

...and, of course we can't leave the donkey out!

I'm so glad I'm not a pig...I have a hard enough time keepinbg up with one baby!

This guy is pretty and ugly all at the same time...

uh-oh...nap time...

Now, this girl is really giving it her all in the Calf Scramble -

You gotta love a guy with a turquoise guitar -

This is the same slide she rode last year...it's a hike to the top, but the journey down is worth it, I hear...

Some rodeo highlights for you to enjoy...Bareback riding -

Saddle-Bronc riding-

Steer Doggin' -

The Bulls -

Barrel Racing -

Mutton-Bustin' -

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Popi's Birthday Celebration

Daddy, Mom and Patrick were there with us to see Gracie ride this past Saturday...she was so excited to have her very own audience!




We took Daddy to Topwater in San Leon so that he could enjoy his favorite meal, Drunken Redfish...we saw Jackie O while we were there ;)
Ohhhh...no....that's Gracie!


The birthday boy (Gracie took a good one!)

We went back to the house to have Mimi's Lemon Cheese Pie (you see the "69" in my candle art? :)) - nothing fancy, but what he requested...

We had a brief, but good visit - Happy Birthday (again), Daddy!
***Now, all caught up on the blog - Gracie was home sick today, so I finally sat down between Tylenol runs to organize my thoughts...hope you guys enjoy!***

It's That Time Again...

Houston Rodeo...man, Dallas doesn't have nuthin' on this guy! He is HUGE!

This is a baby and he's still HUGE!
"'scuse me, sir...may I borrow your hindquarters for a lil' siesta?"
So far, we've seen Dierks Bentley...
...and Kenny Chesney...
...and some good bull ridin'...

This is Douglas Duncan from Alvin...a hometown boy so to speak...he won the Bull Riding portion in last year's rodeo and it looks like he's making a run at it again...


This clown is an ordained minister and boy, did he need some prayers that night...brave and blessed, yes siree!

More Zany, Less Lip Might Have Been Better...

Sunday, 2/28

...but the Lipizzaner Stallions at the Toyota Center were still a sight to behold...Gracie was mesmerized until about a half-hour before the program ended. They had an intermission, I'm sure to allow the riders time for costume changes before the final performance, and then she got antsy...For Jack and I, it was a little under-whelming. I think we were expecting more action...jumps, tricks...but there is no doubting their beauty and strength. Overall, we were glad we went.

Now, if there had been more of this, it would have been spectacular...he jumped and kicked in one motion, as evidenced by his flying mane...very impressive!



This is an Andalusian...the only one in the show...some fancy foot work indeed...there's some video of him a little below -