Love this cow art!

They are adorable. I love their expressions. And a great price for unique, original paintings. I found them while cruising around Etsy. The artist's website is drunkencows.com

Disco Triathlon

We had a great time at this well run triathlon out at Lake Ray Roberts. I did the sprint distance while Phil and a few of his coworkers ventured for the olympic length. The day was overcast with some sprinkles of rain, which was probably the most desirable weather in the middle of the Texas summer. Some of the athletes went for a more adventurous form of dress, and I still have the memory of passing a man in a speedo with what I thought was a hot dog emblazoned on the front. Awesome. After the race, the hot dog on the front was confirmed. I pointed him out to Phil and while pretending to take an after race shot of Phil, I captured this for your viewing pleasure:

Kora and John's Wedding

A few pics from a beautiful wedding we had the honor of attending.

Do you think it is funny...

when guys say "we're pregnant" ? I was talking to a coworker and asking him how far along his wife was now and it was "we're this, we're that." I can understand saying "we are having a baby" but I'm pretty sure "we" are not pregnant. I haven't noticed him growing a belly or making extra trips to the bathroom lately. That's my thought for the day.

Chair Fabric

I ended up painting our dining room a dusty blue, and I'm desperate to find a fabric similar to this. I love the way the zebra looks against the wall color, but it is hard to find animal prints that aren't cheesy and are in the colors I want, which are cream and chocolate. Most of them are black and white. Patton suggested I look for a brindle boxer stripe, but I haven't had much luck there.

Oh the dog nicknames

If you are a dog owner, you know what I mean. I even have nicknames for my friend's dogs. Somehow Emily's cute black scottie has become the little black wolf to me and their lab is now polar bear (if you saw her, you would agree.) Dodger's college roommates went from Lexie to Lou Poo, and from Phoebe to The Bunny. I could go on, but I will spare you.

As Dodger and Patton are now 6, they have had their share of nicknames. We'll start with Patton. You have Patty Poo, Patty, Tigertank, Bulldog, Vatton, Mr. Stripes, M.S. Stripes, Stripes, The German, Crazy, Krill Teeth, Junkyard Dog and The General. Patton also "talks" with his very own German accent. It is quite impressive. Here he is making his very best Junkyard Dog face:

Dodger's nicknames tend to be a little more...err...feminine. He was raised by a bunch of girls, what can I say? We started with nicknames that spin off of his name/breed: Dodge Dog, Dodgy, Ridgepig, Piggamaridge, Rogdor the Hungrinator. And then Jeff and his abusive aggie ring entered Dodger's life and so did the nickname Prince of Darkness. Poor dog! Being my dog, I have a few favorites, such as Mr. Adorable, Mr. A, Chief Black Nose, Mr. Muggles (Heroes anyone? I try to say it like the mom on there. Phil hates it!), and his latest name is Mr. Sweet Face (MSF for short.) I'm not sure where we came up with that one! Below is one tortured and abused Shrek Dodger:



I should probably have the "does that make me craaaaaazy" song playing in the background right about now. But I'm ok with that!

In Memory of Patsy Hochman

My dear friend Jennifer's mother was killed by a drunk driver on Monday. Jennifer was one of my roommates in college, our Maid of Honor in our wedding, and we have remained extremely close friends despite the physical distance that separates our homes. I can't remember when I first met Jennifer's mother Patsy, but since that time there were many visits to College Station, trips to Dallas where I would meet Jennifer and her mom out for dinner, and visits to Midland. I can still remember how Patsy would send me care packages in college when she would send them to Jennifer. She was a kind soul, a wonderful mother to Jennifer and Susan, and a new grandmommy to precious baby Hannah Grace. She was focused on others and not on herself. She was genuinely a lovely person, and it is a tragedy that her family will have to go on without her in their lives. Many a tear has been shed this week.

Please keep Jennifer's family in your thoughts and prayers. I know that they appreciate it.

This is a picture that I took of Jennifer and her mom at her wedding. I remember how beautiful Patsy looked that day, and I remember Jennifer telling me about her mom's beautiful brown dress that she would be wearing and how perfectly it went with her wedding colors.