New Car!

I got a new car yesterday! A blue Acura TLX with grey interior...

Click me for a bigger version.

SO pretty!

In other news, turns out I'm friends with someone who knows the lovely Cindy Williams from "Laverne & Shirley."

Not really, but the silhouette looks like her, yes?? Ha!


Saturday 9: Hello, Dolly (1964)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a woman returning to the town where she was happiest. How many towns have you lived in? 

Eight-- Worms, Germany; Pasadena, TX; Lenexa, KS; Deer Park, TX; Houston, TX; League City, TX; College Station, TX; Austin, TX

2) Crazy Sam played Ernestina in her high school production of Hello, Dolly! and still remembers one of her lines: "Hey, you with the big ears! What are you doing after the show?" Tell us something that you memorized for school that is still rattling around in your brain.

I remember all the words to the German Song "Tanz Mit Mir" I sang with my fellow Bluebird Girls in our senior musical, Carnival. (Can-can girls, yo!)

3) This week's featured artist, Louis Armstrong, got his start entertaining diners on riverboat dinner cruises. Have you ever taken a dinner cruise? 

A few. We recently went on a company dinner cruise on Lake Austin.

4) Armstrong took his nickname, "Satchmo," from "Satchel Mouth" -- a slang term for someone with a wide mouth, which Louis believed was his most distinguishing feature. What do you think people notice first about you?

My smile. I hear a lot of "You're always smiling!"

5) In 1936, Louis became the first African American to get featured billing in a Hollywood movie. Have you seen any of this summer's big movies?

Trainwreck, Pitch Perfect 2, Entourage, Jurassic World, Magic Mike XXL

6) When "Hello, Dolly" composer Jerry was growing up, he was close to an aunt named Belle who encouraged his love of music. Tell us about one of your aunts or uncles.

My aunt Teresa is the youngest of five kids, where Mom was the oldest, so Teresa and I are only 11 years apart. I've always thought of her like an older sister. She's a feisty, independent person and very funny and enjoys having a great time. We had a serious falling out a few years back, but thankfully, we've been talking via email every so often for about a year now. We hung out at my Grandpa's one afternoon last year, which I enjoyed a lot. Hoping to see her again this fall.

7) Though famous for composing the scores of Hello, Dolly!, Mame and La Cage Aux Folles, Jerry Herman can't read music. Can you?

Yep.

8) Now retired, Mr. Herman lives in Miami. This is Miami's "wet season," which lasts into October. When did it last rain where you are?

Friday! Shocking.

9) Random question: Have you suffered a sunburn this summer?

Not yet.

Read more...

Hill Country Drive to Drippin'

One of my friends' friends is having a baby girl they're naming Luna. So pretty! Pregnant ladies everywhere lately!

Jeff and I headed to Dripping Springs to Deep Eddy Vodka distillery and also to Hawk's Shadow Winery and Vineyard last weekend. Deep Eddy was superfun (my fave is the cranberry vodka). They have a nice view at the tables outside and a really large indoor lounge. We'll definitely go back.

Hawk's Shadow is beautiful! Stunning view from their huge patio...

Bring your own food and have some wine there. It will be perfect in the fall, when it's a bit cooler, but until then, there is a surprisingly refreshing breeze on the patio (and an indoor tasting area). The drive through the hills to get to the winery is pretty, too. 

Finally made it to Rolling in Thyme and Dough (I love clever business names) in Drippin' as well. It's always been closed when we've tried to go. The bakery is awesome! We'll have to go back for lunch or dinner in the cafe.

Sunday Stealing: I want you to be free from me Meme

Are your nails painted a dark or light color?  dark taupe
Have you ever order pizza online?  yes- Yaghi's
What color was the last candle you lit? red
Is there something written on your shirt right now?  nope
Is there a bookshelf in your room?  no
Do you own a treadmill?  not anymore
Have you ever signed up for a gym membership? I've been a member of an aerobics gym and a gym gym.
Is there a garbage can in your room? What color is it? yes, it's white
Have you ever read in the bathtub?  nope
Have you ever had to wear a hairnet?  no
Do you know how many pages the last book you read had?  150-ish
What day of the week does the laundry usually get done?  Wednesday
Do you use Facebook chat often?  Very rarely, but my work friends and I frequently use Facebook Messenger.
Do you have any baby pictures of yourself on your computer?  one with my mom and dad
Do you eat onion rings? Yes. Do some people not?
What flavor of tea did you last have? regular unsweetened
Do you own a bathrobe?  no
Did you/will you have coffee or some other form of caffeine today?  probably not
Do you have a mailbox or do you collect your mail from the post office? we have a mailbox
What was the last animal you saw, and was it a pet?  Maya, our cat
What was the last documentary you watched focusing on? the Nazis
Is there anything you need to remember to do before the day ends? get Mel's baby gift!
Is your car messy, or do you like to keep it clean?  it's pretty neat
Are you the type to wake up before the sun has even risen? yep
Do you get uncomfortable when people stare at you? yes
Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for a long period of time? I was in for a week several years ago, when they put me on blood thinners for a suspected blood clot in my lungs. Most boring week ever.

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Sunday Stealing

Friday night at the Round Rock Express game, a bee was flying around my face. I totally freaked out stood up from my seat and tried to wave the bee away. Then Jeff said the words no one wants to hear...

"The bee is stuck in your hair."

He tried to flick it away, but it was trapped in there. So I had to stand still and whimper while he looked for something to dig it out. He grabbed something (I have no idea what- a napkin?) and was finally able to flick it away like twenty minutes later.

Ok, it was 5 seconds. But it felt like forever.

Grrr! Bees!


Sunday Stealing: Shout Out The Answer Meme

Do you shout out the answers at the TV while watching quiz shows? 
Yes
 
Do you get over-involved with TV or movie plots at times? 
I'm not usually one to notice and point out plot inconsistencies. I do point out the really bad ones though. For instance, we watch Stalker, but I have an issue with the cops ALWAYS showing up at these completely random places, at any time of day or night, just before the stalker is going to kill the target. Every. Single. Time. (And always about five minutes before the end of the show.) They have some bizarre conversation first, where they lay out a ridiculous line of reasoning that leads them to a light bulb moment, where they figure out what remote desert location/completely unrelated person's home/dark beach the stalker is about to strangle/shoot/drown the victim. It's just very amusing.

What's the highest hill or mountain you've ever climbed? 
Climbed- probably Mount Bonnell in Austin (vertical gain=190 feet. YES!)
Reached the top by alternate means- Mt. Jenner in Bavaria (vertical gain=3943 feet), Pikes Peak in Colorado (vertical gain=7400 ft, still remember those switchbacks from when I was a kid)

Do you have a piggy bank? 
No, but as a child, I used to keep my money in a little metal treasure chest.

What's the fastest you've ever traveled in a car? 
90?

Could you ever hand milked a cow? 
I don't think so.

Which was your favorite science? Biology, Physics or Chemistry?
Biology
 
Have you ever had a surprise party? (that was an actual surprise)
Nope
 
Have you ever worn clothing with the labels/tags still attached? 
No.

Have you ever slipped on a banana skin?
Only while playing Mario Kart.

Are you scared of the dark?
Every now and then I have to turn a light on because I'm not sure I want to walk through a dark room at night.
 
Do you have a lawyer? 
No, but I have some friends who are lawyers, so if I ever need one, I'm ready!

If you had a paid year off, what would you want to do? 
Remodel my kitchen and the upstairs bathrooms, go to Puerto Rico, take an Alaskan cruise

How long did you last phone call last?
30 seconds
 
Have you ever helped someone across the road? 
No

Have you ever been wolf whistled in public?
Yes

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Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Heartbeat Song (2015)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Kelly Clarkson is singing an upbeat song about falling in love. Think of your favorite love song. Is it about finding love or losing it?

Finding it!

...I'm a snowball running,
Running down into the Spring that's coming 
All this love
Melting under blue skies
Belting out sunlight shimmering love...



I so love that song!

2) This song was co-written by Kara DioGuardi, who was a judge on American Idol. Kelly was, of course, the first American Idol. Do you watch Idol, The Voice, or America's Got Talent?
We used to be very dedicated fans of AI, but haven't watched for years, ever since the original judges left. We watch The Voice.

3) In this video, Kelly is blonde. Clairol based a famous ad campaign around the assertion that "blondes have more fun." Tell us another commercial catchphrase (it can be for any product at all).
"Just do it."

4) As a young girl, Kelly wanted to be a marine biologist. She jokes that she changed her mind after seeing Jaws. Tell us about a movie that really scared you.
The Grudge. It was really different from most horror films at the time. The basic idea is that anyone who dies in a fit of rage leaves behind a manifestation of their anger. Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as an American nurse who moves to Japan and lives in a house that has the curse after a mother died there. It is super intense and VERY creepy!!

5) Kelly is very involved with NASCAR, performing at pre-race concerts and appearing at their Champions' Breakfast. Are you a race fan?
Nope.

6) Kelly is married to Brandon Blackstock, stepson of country superstar Reba McEntire. Are you a country music fan?
I'm a fan of all music, but country isn't one of my favorites.

7) The Blackstocks have a baby girl, River Rose. In May, the family visited an Australian wildlife preserve and introduced her to koalas and kangaroos. Have you visited the zoo this year?
Not yet!

8) Upon learning that she was getting criticized on Twitter for being "big," Kelly responded, "Say what you will. It's a free world. It doesn't bother me." How about you? Do you worry what other people think of you?
I care about what my friends and family think about me. If randoms on Twitter were talking about me, I couldn't care less.

9) She bid over $200,000 and won a ring that had once belonged to Jane Austen. (She doesn't have the ring, though; the British government banned its sale because it's a historic artifact and Kelly's money was returned.) She also has a first edition of one of Austen's novels. Who is your all-time favorite writer?
I'm not a fiction reader, so I don't have a fave.

Read more...