ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE

As if I needed a reminder of how wonderfully blessed I am, my family and friends go and make my birthday weekend fun and fantastic and make me feel like the most special Princess in all of Fairy Rainbow Land. I mean, wow, who knew I could talk on the phone so much in one day?!

My parents came to Austin especially to take me to a birthday dinner, then we relaxed on Saturday morning and headed to pick out a camera. And when I say 'pick out,' I mean that we spent about two hours in the store doing some "testing" of different cameras - complete with control points and placebos. Aaron knew I could be neurotic about things, but I think this camera-selecting incident took it to a new level. In the end, I came home with this cute blue creature that is everything I wanted in a camera, including, but not limited to, good sound quality with the video function. Thank you Mom and Dad!


Saturday evening the Austinites gathered at our house and I was surprised with flowers and Birthday Cake and ZBug says my name! Did you hear? Did you hear? Zbug says my name! She knows my name! Aaannngie. Oh such a sweet sound.

The festivities continued on the Big Day with brunch at Fonda San Miguel, which was quite possibly the most fun place I've ever had a meal. What a spread! And the company could not be beat. Taylor requested that the Mariachis sing Happy Birthday to me. I sang along.


After we sufficiently stuffed ourselves, Megan and I decided to relax with a margarita at Shady Grove then a pedicure. Peek-a-culah! That's for Renee'. The first color I picked up was called "Oh to be 25 again." How appropriate. Done deal.


To finish off the day, Aaron took me for Amy's Ice Cream. Mexican Vanilla with Plain M&Ms, dead.


Oh, but the fun does not stop there! When I arrived at work today this beautiful bouquet was on my desk. Several co-workers all brought in different flowers and put them together. Doesn't it look like a big burst of fun?!

ATB ROCKS IT OUT WITH HARDWARE

I'm joining the My Husband Rocks movement.

This week, Aaron and I put hardware on the cabinets in our bathrooms. Aaron is so sweet and patient with me and he knows how to do all the manly, handy things around the house.

He knew that we needed to make a template and mark all the drawers and doors. He explained to me the difference between a wood screw and a machine screw. He showed me a little something about the different sizes of drill bits.

He knew how excited I was about this project and didn't want me to have to wait another day, so he made a special trip to Home Depot after a long day at work when he would have rather just relaxed at home.

He gently pointed out that my measuring was a little off center on one drawer. And when he figured out after drilling the hole that I totally messed up and marked the wrong side of the cabinet door, he was not mad at me and didn't make a big deal about it. Do you get what that means? That means there is hole drilled in the door where there should not be a hole. A hole that can not be un-drilled. A hole that essentially ruins the cabinet door, except that Aaron knows a way to fill it in and make it look barely noticeable.

And by the way, helloooo, how typical of me to get so excited and do things quickly and mess up because I wasn't paying close attention. Aaron is the calm one who doesn't mess up because his brain doesn't turn into skittles when he gets excited about something.

He is so laid back and smart! I appreciate him and that he is always there, helping me do things right and making it better when I mess up. And I love him.

HAPPY THOUGHTS

Lists; Uchi sushi; the perfect 2-cup coffee press; twilight in the summer; fluffy towels; fireflies; puzzles; having art in my house created by people I know; Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market; flying in airplanes; tote bags; a movie that makes you laugh and cry; Unicorns; fried okra; receiving snail mail from friends and family; football game tailgating; the Littlest Longhorn; pilates; photo albums; skirts; laughing contests; home improvement projects; patience paying off; Birthdays!; the first cold front of the season; old friends in a new town...

GUN TOTIN' MEATEATER

I saw this bumper-sticker GUN TOTIN' MEATEATER and laughed. But it got me to thinking. And what I want to know is, can I not:

want to take home the money I work hard for and be responsible for myself and my family and also know that includes being responsible for my community and caring for and giving to those who've had a hard life and are less fortunate?

believe that a woman's experience as a mother would bring something invaluable to leadership role and also think that the balance between work and family is fragile?

be against discrimination and also against affirmative action?

wear Birkenstocks and also carry an expensive leather bag?

worship the only God I believe in and also be understood that while I believe for me there is only one Way, I respect others' views and don't consider myself the one powerful enough to judge?

believe that some things are inevitable no matter who is leading our country and also believe that different choices might result in better courses of the inevitable?

support drilling for oil in Alaska and also carry re-usable bags to every store, recycle, and conserve energy?

support immigration and diversity and also be passionate about not losing my American heritage?

What I want to know is, what would my bumper-sticker say?

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW

I am a big fan of knowing random, somewhat useless, often unnecessary knowledge. You never know when you might unexpectedly find yourself at a Monday night trivia game where it pays to know some random factoids.

For instance, did you know that if you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white? Or that there are 336 dimples in a regulation golf ball? How about that the name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with? Can you say whether or not a duck's quack will echo?

Random knowledge also comes in handy when you're trying to convince your husband who has a soft heart for every creature, except scorpions, that spiders - even very small ones, in fact, especially very small ones - should not be left alone to roam the bedroom walls.

Yes, I understand that spiders are handy because they consume many other little bugs, but did you know the average human accidentally swallows 8-11 spiders while asleep during their lifetime?

I rest my case.

A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY

This grin makes my soul want to eat cotton candy.
Reid Noel
4 weeeks

DOUBLE TAKE

I looked more closely at the picture in the Happy Birthday Bryan post and realized - that is RENEE' in the picture with Bryan - NOT ME!! Hahahahahaha! People say Renee' and I look alike, and we see the similarity. But never have I actually mistaken her for myself.

When I figured it out I immediately told Renee' and she said "I have been staring at the picture thinking, 'I thought that was me, but you know, I guess it does look like Angela.'"

So, I looked for some more pictures that I am actually in to illustrate my point and this is what I found.