2008 in 30 seconds

Looking back on '08...really, really fast-like:

Happy New Year 2008!

The Newest Truitt niece/cousin Helen was born.

Angie worked on Obama's campaign. Happy Valentine's Day!

Steph turned 18. Mattie turned 6. Happy Easter!

Jason tried cases. Steph got accepted to UCSB. Tyler got lifeguard certified. Angie worked more on Obama's campaign. Mattie and Steph swam on swim teams.

Mattie danced.

Steph graduated High School.

Tyler summered in CA.Happy 4th of July!

Nephew/Cousin Charlie turned 3. Nephew/Cousin Walter turned 5.

Mattie went to GA.Mattie started 1st Grade.Tyler started 11th Grade.Steph started college.

We survived Ike.

Tyler turned 17.

Happy Halloween!

We all watched the Cowboys win. Jason turned 38. Angie worked more on Obama's campaign.

Happy Thanksgiving. We all watched the Cowboys win.

Angie turned 37. It snowed in Houston.

Angie & Mattie are going to the Inauguration.

Merry Christmas!

The Nutcracker and other Christmas Traditions!

Tyler & Mattie got our tree decorated, though it took awhile since we had to work around school, work, and activity schedules. It looks great. I feel a tad bit guilty this year for not giving our sweet tree something to drink, but we've decided over the years it doesn't seem to matter if we put water in it or not...it's pretty much dry and prickly by Christmas either way. So we opted to go dry this year and avoid the sloppy smelly tree water mess of years past.

Mattie and I made our annual trek to the Nutcracker Ballet, and I'm kinda hoping this will be our last year, at least for awhile. Even Mattie was bored. But it was fun to get all dressed up and go downtown, and we had the added bonus of getting to take my oldest and dearest friend Alison and her daughterBonnie with us. They just moved to the area from DC, so we're thrilled to have them close.

Other other yearly tradition is to decorate the yard of our good friends the Allens on or around Christmas. This one started because Brad, who lovingly refers to his dear wife Gretchen as "the Gretch who stole Christmas," begs every year to put Christmas lights on the house, and every year the Gretch refuses. So we do up their house in our own crazy style. We've fake-snowed their shrubs, trees, and grass (sorry about those bushes that are still a little discolored), hung huge ugly ornaments from their trees, Candy-Caned their yard (you might be familiar with Forking--where you stick plastic forks tines down in the yard--same principal, but with a Christmas twist), and put a huge plastic Frosty-the-Snowman on their front porch. Since this blog will go to "print" before we hit their yard this year, I'll have to update it after Operation Holiday Spirit is accomplished.

Steph's a whiz-kid!!

Congratulations Miss Stephanie for making STRAIGHT A'S in your first quarter at UCSB!! Incredible. Not that we're surprised...we know you are a smart cookie!! Way to go!

For those who might not know, our Steph started college this September at the University of California in Santa Barbara! She's really doing well at college, which is obvious from her rockin' grades. But aside from making it to class, paying attention, and studying a bit for tests, she's made tons of new friends, made the school's crew team, and is really active in her Campus Crusade for Christ group and her church.

Drop her a line at purplepenguin1990@yahoo.com!!

SNOW IN HOUSTON!

What a wonderful day...it's just gor-ge-ous here in Houston. Jason sent me a text at 3:00 saying it was snowing at his office, and then Tyler sent one that it was snowing at the mall. It started here at about 5:00 p.m., but it was wet, sleety snow. About an hour later, big fat genuine snowflakes were falling and getting heavier and heavier. We played and played until we were too wet and cold to play anymore. I'm praying the blanket of snow is still there tomorrow.

Enjoy the pics!

Thanksgiving in Kansas with the Oliver clan

Well, we didn't get snow this year, but we did have a TurDucKen. For those not from Southeast Texas or anywhere in Louisiana, that would be a chicKEN, deboned and stuffed inside a DUCk, which is stuffed inside a TURkey. It was yummy, those the Kansas kin was a bit scared at first. It was good to see everyone. Mom and Dad flew in from Georgia, and Uncle Bobby came in from Missouri. I can't remember the last time we were all together. Mattie and Abby played nonstop and had tons of fun swimming in the (freezing cold) pool at the Holidome. (Thanks again Suze!).

Aunt Cheryl made her triple crown award winning apple pie (best apple pie in Topeka's Cider Days festival three years in a row!), Kelly made her dirt cake, and Mom made her pumpkin rolls. There was so much great food. Stress on the "so much." It was everywhere. Everyone left the pumpkin pie alone after Bubba the Dog (not to be confused with Bubba the Tyler) slobbered all over it. Everyone but Cody. Teenage boys will eat just about anything. I got some great pics of the little cousins. Enjoy!

It's another Green Christmas--buh bye outside lights!

So this is my first official blogging experience...aren't you glad you get to suffer through it with me?

Jason was really happy yesterday when I decided that I can't just talk the Green talk, I gotta walk the Green walk. A ridiculous way to say that I can't justify wasting energy on Christmas lights. Me, the chick who starts counting down until the day after Thanksgiving so I can get all the decorations up and out and all over. I even surprised Tyler...he told me I was ruining Christmas. But here's the deal...how much time really do you spend looking at your own darn Christmas lights? Seriously, probably only when you drive in your driveway at night. I mean, I don't sit outside and stare at them, so other than looking conspicuously Scroogey between your neighbors and their lights and inflatables and candy cane sidewalk borders, putting lights up makes you happy for about 3 minutes a day. And the rest of the time--a total waste of energy.

It's hard to explain it to a typical 6 year-old. But as Tyler likes to remind me, I'm turning Mattie into a hippie, so she's cool with it. Unlike most people who have spent 5 or 6 times as much time as she has spent on our planet, my daughter understands the importance of taking care of the environment.

And Jason's just happy to not have to crawl around on the roof.

So part two of my going Green Christmas plan is to skip the paper Christmas cards. Added benefit is not having to lick 124 envelopes and find time to get them mailed before the New Year. I got them out on MLK Day once. Anyway, hope you enjoy the blog.

PS: I did let Mattie put Christmas lights on her playhouse, but we don't plug them in unless we're outside at night. Which we never are. But it looked cute in the pictures. I'll put one up here when I get them uploaded.