And we still aren't done...

Well our first Christmas celebration was a week before Christmas. Levi's parents came through San Antonio on their way to Florida and we got to enjoy an evening with them. Our second Christmas celebration was the 23rd in San Angelo. We went to dinner with my dad and step mom and sister, niece and nephew. After some yummy mexican food L and I went with J, S and T to look at the lights on the river. Our 3rd celebration came about 20 minutes after we got back to my mom's house. The 24th we got to hang out with J, S, and T again and go to lunch with my mom and step dad. We hit the road around 3 and made it back to San Antonio in time to go to HEB before they closed. That's where our good luck ended.

We set out for Red Lobster for our Christmas Eve tradition only to find that they closed 15 minutes before we got there (at 8:00). So we tried a different sea food place called Crabby Jacks. It was the strangest place we had ever been to and the people were well crabby so we left. Next we tried Outback only to find that it had closed about 2 minutes before we got there. So we settled for Salt Grass. I was pretty darn good....not bad for having to settle ;)

Thursday morning we got up and had our own little Christmas with just the two of us...my favorite kind. This was our 4th Christmas. Then we went to see Marley and Me. If you haven't seen it....GO....NOW! The rest of the day we just hung out at home spending time together.

Friday morning we slept in and just puttered around. I got ready to head back to San Angelo and Levi went in search of Guitar Hero World Tour. I headed out around 2 and got to Angelo in time for dinner. Melynda, Eric, and Jordan got there in time for dinner so we spent the evening visiting and playing.

Saturday (my 5th Christmas) was our official Christmas at my mom and Kerry's house. All of us kids and the grandkids (except Royce, Randy, Samm and Levi) were there for breakfast, presents and lunch. After a quick trip to my dad's house I was on the road again by about 4:30 to come back home.

It was been a long week and a half but it was fun and I wouldn't have traded any of it for anything (except Levi being able to be in Angelo more). I have really enjoyed this holiday season. The decorating the apartment, doing some shopping, actually doing some cooking and baking, and of course my favorite getting Christmas cards in the mail.

And after all of that....we still have an unopened present under the tree!

Just Us

Levi and I had our pictures taken by a friend of my sister back in October. We used them as Christmas gifts so I didn't want to post the slideshow until after Christmas. Well it's after Christmas now so here they are. Thanks SO much Jenny, you did an amazing job getting such great pictures from two such un-photogenic people!

And now....the apartment...

view from the front door

another view from the front door...the door behind the tree is the bathroom and the unobstructed door is our bedroom

view from the office

view from the dining room, that's the office over in the corner

looking at the kitchen from our bedroom door

our porch....it's actually really big but there is a sprinkler in the landscaping right there that drenches the whole patio

Stepping back in time...

Levi and I went on a search for a bowling alley in our area the other day. We found two things...one was that bowling clubs exist. And we're not talking people gather for leagues, we're talking you have to be a member to get in the building. What? The other thing we found was well....a bowling alley....straight out of the late seventies early eighties. I can probably tell you know that no amount of descriptive words would be able to convey what it was really like. We walk in to the sound of a very old and quiet vacuum cleaner. The first thing I saw was a man around the age of 55 or 60 vacuuming the floor around a small Christmas tree sitting on a table. The owner stopped vacuuming long enough to get us a lane. While Levi was paying I walked over to the side to pick out a ball only to walk past the windows to a room where 5 or 6 grey headed women we having a meeting of some sort. As we walked to our lane and put on our shoes we realized what was about to happen. Levi would throw his 16 pound ball down the lane and hit some (probably most of) pins....and this would be the ONLY sound in the whole place. There were no other bowlers and the vacuuming hadn't started up again yet. Well we bowled, one of the meeting ladies opened the restaurant and the owner vacuumed. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures....

notice the wood paneling and what you really can't see is that there is a telephone at every set of lanes....so the babysitter can get a hold of you on league night I'm sure...

Candy coated Whoville

Levi's brother is working in San Antonio right now and we went to see him at his hotel the other day. This what we saw in the lobby....

(sign reads: What it takes to bring Whoville to the Hill Country: 8 days of hard work, 1 pastry chef, 10 pastry cooks, 2,000 pounds of sugar, 750 pieces of candy -gumdrops, licorice, lollipops etc-, 750 pounds of royal icing, 40 dozen cookies, and 8 gallons of molasses)

Bullet train

Well I was planning on my next post being pictures of my nice, clean, everything-has-a-home, apartment but.....nope. Instead, I jump on the bullet train.

• I, along with the rest of Texas, am COLD! L and I went bowling this afternoon and when we got home the car said 81 degrees. We went to dinner with some friends and it was 55 and windy. We came out of dinner and it was 38 degrees and raining...and L was still wearing shorts and a polo shirt.
• Speaking of Levi, he has a flight tonight (tomorrow morning) at 3:30am. YIKES!
• He's in bed and I'm wide awake after having 3 glasses of Dr. Pepper at dinner....I might still be up when he gets up to go to work.
• I still don't have a job. Lots of applications send out but no job. I'll try some more tomorrow.
• I miss the kids and teachers at TWCA.
• I'm ready to start getting Christmas cards in the mail.....even though most of ours are going out by e-mail this year...it's cheaper.
• Anyone want to buy a house in Houston? I know I great one that just so happens to be for sale....or rent.
• I think I can hear the sleet outside.
• I finished reading Twilight 3 days after I got it and really want to read the next one. Tried to get a library card today so I could check it out but didn't have any proof of my new address so I couldn't get one.
• I need/want to make some more jewelry. I'm waiting for my ring sizer to come in so I can start making rings.
• Maybe I'll take pics of the apartment tomorrow. And maybe I'll just go buy the book tomorrow.

TTFN!