From the Archives.....

I could actually be getting caught up. Finally. Here are some pics of when Kenneth and Lili came to town. They came over Labor Day weekend. Yes, two months ago. But, we did have a major and long overdue move somewhere since then, so hopefully, that gets me a little break. Not to mention I lost the USB plug in the move and it took me awhile to locate it among the 30k lbs of 'stuff'.

I also have a few pics from when Sara (Baba) to town, along with Gogi (Kyle's mom). But, my camera is in the shop getting fixed. Olivia was completely surprised when Sara came out from the terminal. The two had the best time (as did Kyle and I hanging out with Sara). Of course, Olivia wanted to sleep with Sara each night. My favorite part of the whole weekend was walking by their room in the morning and hearing the sound of two 'giggle's coming from behind the door. So cute!

We went to this great, famous hotel down the street from the condo called The Fountainbleu! (Valet cost $20!!! We had NO idea...). Olivia got to hang out in this swanky bar with us. Great parents, huh. She had a GREAT time and even took this cute picture of the four of us. She loved her Shirley Temple and looking at the fancy floor that changed colors. Us adults on the other hand....enjoyed a great martini and the view.

The next day we went down to Ft Lauderdale and ate down by the beach. Here's also a cute pic of Lili and Olivia as we all head down to the beach from our condo. It was quite overcast that day (really)...but the saying is true as evidence from the picture below of me and Olivia....the sun really does come through those darn clouds. ouch!

We then went down to 'Little Havana'. It was H-O-T!!! But, it was fun to see the sights and shop for cigars. We came across this park known as 'Domino Park'. There were about 100 old men sitting at these concrete tables playing hard-core dominoes. It was a lot of fun to watch. They seem to eat up visitors too, and were both eager for us to take their picture and them take ours. We finally tuckered O out! She has NEVER fallen asleep in her stroller. Ever!

Then we went down to Lincoln Road in South Beach. Great people watching with tons of outdoor cafes. We got down there in late afternoon and stayed later than we normally do with Olivia. She loved it! So did the adults, once again. There's a picture below where I was trying to take a picture of Kenneth and Lili. Every time I brought my camera up, Olivia would jump in front of the camera. Funny girl. We went to this sushi restaurant for dinner and learned that Wilmer Valderama (That 70's Show) was sitting next to us. I thought he was a bit 'washed up' in acting credentials....however, I just learned that he is the voice of Handy Manny. Guess he's not out of work after all. :)

The picture to the left of Kenneth and Olivia is one of my new favorites. They were really cute to watch together that weekend. The last day, we took them to Scottie's. Our new favorite hang out in Coconut Grove. Outdoors, right on the marina and a very laid back, Jimmy Buffet vibe.

Great, great weekend. We can't wait to have them back! (Hint, hint......)!! Almost forgot once picture from when Gogi was in town. We went to this place on the water one night called The Red Fish grill. Apparently a lot of movies, most notably 'Something About Mary', have shot scenes at this place. We got eaten alive by mesquitos and had to move inside, but the food was good and we are looking forward to going back once it cools down.

Visitors and Get-a-ways.....

The grandparents are here. Mimi and Papi. 'Fall' has come to Miami, or at least their version. We woke up this morning to 70f weather! It's beautiful. The Longhorns won yesterday in a very ugly match at the Red River Shootout. But, thankfully, a win is a win! And, Kyle and I are getting ready to head out for a quick 3-day anniversary vacation. Naples, here we come!! Golf today, spa tomorrow and a lot of R&R in between! Should be a great trip. The Gulf side of the coast here is supposed to be much prettier than the Atlantic. And, hopefully, we'll beat the Snowbirds out there, so we might not be the youngest people at the resort.

Olivia' birthday is this week too. Her preschool makes each student the 'Star Student' for the week of their birthday. With this award, comes the ability to do something special with the child each day. Fortunately for us, Monday is a school holiday, so we only have to come up with 4 things. Here's what Olivia picked on her own - Tues - bring her American dolls to school; Wed - bring Sam to school (this should be interesting); Thur - bring Shamu (my parents got him for her and he's HUGE); and Friday - the best - make your own sundaes! Yum! Should be a good week for the little one! And, Saturday, the party at our house......still haven't gotten the RSVP one way or the other from Keiffer. For her sake, I hope he makes it! Plus, my parents have to meet this character.

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Since I'm so late anyways and I have so many to post, here are a few pics from when Kenneth and Lili were in town.

Anyone Out There??

I officially think I'm writing to myself....and let me tell you....it is a very strange feeling!! One, that I do not like. On one hand, this is good documentation for later in life and I'm getting to document many of Olivia's gerat moments. But, on the other hand, I'm starting to feel a bit like a crazy-person who constantly talks to herself. Maybe people have truly forgotten about us now that we've been offically gone a few months. Hmmm??? If you're out there, let me know! :) I'd love to 'chat'. I was never a big 'diary' person. I'm not that interesting on my own. But, I do love a good conversation. So. Write. I want to hear how you're doing!!

On a different note and once again, back to talking to myself, I can't wait for tomorrow morning to come. Olivia and I are heading to San Antonio for a few days. We get to see family and friends. I get to experience cool weather! The kind that's below 90f in the middle of October. The kind that makes you feel like you've actually changed seasons and really should put away your white pants for more than just the fact that Labor Day has come and gone! The weather that makes it impossible to wear open-toed shoes or flip flops every day because your toes might get a little cold. The kind that allows you to open the windows and the doors and not freak out that 'you're letting all the cold air out!' Do you think I'm homesick yet?? In addition to the family/friend sight-seeing and the ability to wear long sleeves and jeans, I'm also quite excited that my sister and I get to go out and have a margarita and some Mexican food (AND watch some UT football in the same state with other Longhorns!). Our friend's, the Dyer's, moved to Baltimore and I have always laughed at Katie's excitement over going back to Austin and getting queso and some good Tex-Mex. Now, I totally get it!!! It doesn't exist here. And, if you even live close to the giant state of Tx, you quickly realize it's a staple. It IS the 'American' food of Tx. Latin food and Mexican food are not even in the same ball park. And, here, it's Latin food. Even Olivia's been missing a little El Gabaucho's lately!

IF you are reading this and you live in Dallas.....Olivia and I also have almost a 2 hour layover in DFW tomorrow. We'd love to say 'hi' if anyone's in the area!

St Thomas and the Seaplane

I had a trip not too long ago to St Thomas. It was my 2nd time going since coming here. Overall, it's a lovely island. But, I think that's biased on my part, only by the fact that I get to drive on the left hand side there and it's a lot of fun!! And, very mountainous, which makes the left-hand driving even that much more thrilling. Beyond that, haven't quite figured out what you would do there much past a day, but it's nice to look at. It's a BIG port for cruise ships and shopping. I've never understood that piece of 'cruising'. You're American, you get on a very big and very expensive ship, they sail you very far away only to shop at American stores found at your local mall for the same price, or more. Hmmmm??

I digress. Back to the subject. This trip caused us to not only meet with people in St Thomas, but to also meet with people in St Croix. I don't even know how far away it is, but you have to get there via sea plane or ferry. We chose the plane. Initially, I was not a big fan. I don't like small planes and although I'm fine traveling and flying (a lot!), I like to know it's big and safe.

Here's what it looked like. An 8-seater. Choppy waters, they ask you your weight when you check-in, in order to properly 'balance' the plane. They weighed my barely-a-purse, purse that came in at a whopping 3lbs! If they have to weigh even that, how fine of a line is this balancing act??

This was our lovely pilot, Paul. He was from Russia or maybe Germany. I can't remember any more, as I'm so current in my blogging! Ha! But, he had an accent, I know that. Australian, I think now. :)

There were only 3 of us on this particular flight, so he let me get up front and pretend to fly the plane. Doesn't happen in commercial any more, does it? Nice guy. Guess he didn't suspect I was dangerous! Funny story for all you Dallas friend's reading.....the only other person on the plane....was an attorney from University Park who was about my age and now lived and practiced in St Thomas/St Croix! How strange is that? I didn't learn it until the very end, but of course, started the 'name game' at that time. No luck.

Here's how empty the plane was. We look like tourists, don't we?

Fuzzy picture, but this was a teeny-tiny island right off St Croix that had a resort on it. Looked very relaxing. Again, the pilot was very kind to us and took liberties not allowed on commercial. Knowing it was my first time, he did a fly by of the island to show me the sights. He kept pointing back and telling me to switch side to see certain things and to take pictures.

Here is Paul in action. Shorts, tennis shoes and a baseball cap. Nice uniform for sea flying. Wouldn't anything else seem inappropriate??

Best part.....the take off and the landing. It was a lot of fun and not scary at all!! Much to my surprise! Dad - if there were a sea close to San Antonio, I could really see you doing this in your post-retirement life!

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'Happiness should not be pursued - create it!'......we went to PF Changs's last night for dinner. This was the fortune in Olivia's cookie. Kyle laughed as for some odd reason, this brought tears to my eyes. It was perfect for Olivia. I kept it to put it in her baby book as I truly believe this is my daughter's mantra. She lives by it. So much to learn from this little one. I'm quite lucky.

Surprises for Olivia.....

I'm so excited!! Sara, lovingly named 'Baba' from Olivia, is on her way to visit!!! And, the best part is, we've somehow managed to keep it a surprise from Olivia. She knows that someone is coming to visit, just not sure who. Last night Kyle and I were talking to her about it. And, when asked who she'd like to see, Sara's name (actually Baba) was her response. (No offense for grandparents/aunts/cousins as the countdown to see you all is already in full swing!)

Sara was originally getting in at 845pm, but just texted me that she got off early and is on her way to the airport to try and make an earlier flight. Woo hoo!

And, OU (Sara's team) plays U of Miami tomorrow night at 8pm in Miami, so we'll get to watch it with her and cheer on the 'Canes!! (Sorry Sara!) Sorry Bradford.

Lili - i finally unpacked my USB cord, so pictures are on their way to being posted soon, I promise. And, in the mail so you can have a CD of them. Got a bunch and they all turned out really good.

Have a great weekend!