I've moved...

to a new blog!

http://austindallas.blogspot.com/

Yele Haiti

I know there are so many ways to donate and the Red Cross (and giving people) have gotten the word out about texting a donation, but just wanted to let you know of another option. It's always hard when donating money to know exactly where the money is going, but sometimes you just have to give out of faith.

Yele Haiti is a foundation that Wyclef Jean founded in 2005 to raise funds and build awareness for his native country. All funds raised at this time will go to the Earthquake Fund. You can donate to Yele Haiti by either texting “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can click here to DONATE.

And if you're still unsure about who/where to donate, check out this list and these tips at Charity Navigator. Although Yele Haiti is not on this list, I've done some research and feel confident in donating to them. But again, donate where you feel comfortable. Just donate.

Merry Christmas. IOU.

I just love sending Christmas cards. And I especially love Paper Source cards. Fortunately, I found the perfect cards this year and eagerly addressed, stamped and sent them out. Unfortunately, I didn't quite put enough stamps on all of the cards--about half of them were square cards. And I didn't even know it until I read Jen's blog today. So...if you received a lovely notice from the USPS that postage is due on an item mailed to you...I owe you 20 cents. :)

Here's the other card that had the correct postage on it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

mary + bobby

 

My 30th Birthday

I had the best birthday celebration(s) with my friends and family. Love getting to celebrate for a whole week! :)

It started with the 30th birthday trip for Robin, Barbie and me. We started a tradition of taking a trip each time someone turned 30...starting with Julie in Vegas. Then we celebrated Jen's birthday in San Francisco. Megan's birthday was at Hotel Zaza. And finally, it was time to celebrate ours in Puerto Vallarta!







This is where we spent most of our days...chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool...



playing this...



while Jen practiced her ninja skills...



tried to sleep comfortably on the "king" sized bed...



the birthday girls, Robin, Barbie and me, at dinner at Cafe de Artistes...





we watched shows each night...but let's use the term "shows" loosely...



because I hardly think Stevie Wonder in a Santa suit, leading Eeyore on a leash qualifies as entertainment. But who am I to judge?

Julie and Jen at dinner the last night...



me, Lisa and Barbie...



And this picture is for the Mystery Girls...yes, Gilda tried to make an appearance!



And when we got back from Mexico, we celebrated in Dallas with a party at my house...just laid back, grilling and hanging out.

with my brothers, Benton and Bobby



Ginny and Celeste



Megan and Chris



Tim and Lydia



Gina, Jen and Barbie



Jason and Danael



And Lydia and Gina took me to Cretia's to celebrate and Bobby and Mary took me to breakfast. I've been slacking on taking pictures and, obviously, blogging. Hopefully I'm getting back on track now!

Feliz Navidad en la casa nueva.

The wedding was amazing, beautiful, so unique...and SO cold! I didn't take that many pictures, but I will be updating at some point. Until then, here are some pictures of my Christmas decorations. I really wish you could get away with leaving Christmas decorations up all year long. It's just happier that way.

And since I didn't blog about it...now's a good time to let you know that I moved. A whole 1/2 mile from my previous place. Had to move very quickly, but found a much better place. I guess it's the downside of having a shady landlord when the economy's tough.

Here are the pics. And my favorite Christmas songs for your listening pleasure.

And I didn't even blog about Christmas last year...so here's a picture from Christmas last year so you can better see my goth tree as my brothers call it.

Merry Christmas!

Did you think I was going to update my blog?

Don't get too excited...I'm letting other people do the writing for me. There's so much going on right now, so I'll just link to everything for your reading pleasure. I promise I haven't completely abandoned this blog, and hopefully once things calm down I will be back to blogging!

First up, my brother Bobby is getting married this weekend. I absolutely love his wife-to-be, Mary, and we have all been looking forward to this weekend. Lovely, rustic wedding in Nacogdoches...in the snow? Pray for good weather on Friday and Saturday! And I'll have pictures and details when I get back. For now, check out their adorable wedding page here.

Next, my best friend Lydia is due today! But most likely, Bobby's birthday won't be until next week. (Not to be confused with the Bobby who is getting married this weekend.) She and Tim are definitely ready to meet him and you can read her blog here.

Then we will have my cousin Whitney's wedding and our family Christmas in Abilene.

Tiffani and Tim will be the proud parents of Mazie Marlene.

And in May, my little brother Benton will marry his best friend, Laura.

And I promise to update my blog before then.