Tonight we celebrate 3 years together, 1 year in the house… we haven’t done anything too out of the ordinary. We made salsa for our twice baked Mexican potatoes. In between episodes of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman we sipped wine outside in hopes of seeing Mars, Venus and Spica. And we had some dark chocolate hatch chili gelato as is tradition. Oh and Paul gave me a copy of Leaves of Grass.
Allons! the road is before us!
It is safe–I have tried it–my own feet have tried it well–be not detain’d! Let the paper remain on the desk unwritten,and the book on the shelf unopen’d!
Let the tools remain in the workshop! let the money remain unearn’d!
Let the school stand! mind not the cry of the teacher!
Let the preacher preach in his pulpit! let the lawyer plead in the
court, and the judge expound the law.
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money,
I give you myself before preaching or law;
Will you give me yourselp. will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?
I decided to take a quick trip to St. Louis to see Mary in the closing weekend of Titanic @ the Muny. After seeing Annie with Abbie, et al, for her birthday on Friday night, I flew to St. Louis on Saturday morning. We didn’t do much other than hang out, go to dinner and head for the show. I saved any seeing of the sights for when Paul and I go back in August to see her in Show Boat. I started the trek home on Sunday after breakfast.
The production was wonderful! Most of the cast had come back from the original Broadway show for this production and it was the first show since the tour ended. I really enjoyed getting reacquainted with the music as I had wrongfully given it the brush off years before. Cool tilting set, very talented cast, excellent dancing (Mary did the only real dance bit in the show) , and I got a quick backstage tour after the show. All that and getting to spend a little much needed sister time = great little trip!
Next she has Sound of Music and her last show will be Show Boat.
Ol’ Man River
Mary’s house… they managed to get the same house as last summer!
It is conveniently located just north of Forest Park.
We had another crazy weekend full of July 4th, belated Father’s Day and wedding shower activities! We drove up on Friday night so we could be at the Arlington July 4th parade at 9am on Saturday morning (yes, the 3rd). It is a long time tradition on the McLellan side… Paul has only missed one parade!
B.J. Cleveland was emceeing at the beginning of the parade and Paul walked to see him with me. He was in the middle of it so I only got to give him a quick hug. He was B.J. and the Super Ones on CBS in DFW back in the day. He was a theatre teacher of mine for several years at Casa and we were in many shows together. It was SO great to see him! AND I saw Todd Hart on the Theatre Arlington float but we didn’t get to talk.
We met up with Dad and Kelly at the Fort Worth Zoo for some belated Father’s Day celebrations. I hadn’t been in years and the places looks great! The new Museum of Living Art (new reptile house) is beautiful.
On Saturday night we had dinner at Uncle Julio’s with Mom and watched fireworks over the lake across from her house in Deer Creek.
Sunday there was a wedding shower for Andy and Christina at Gram’s house.
Then we got on the road to Austin for some symphonics and fireworks… our favorite event! We met Abbie, Thierry, Val & Sadie at Auditorium Shores. Sadie did really well despite all the noise from the cannons and fireworks!
Next year we are going to be out on the lake in kayaks!
The Symphony started with the Carousel Waltz and, of course, ended with the 1812 Overture… just like our wedding ceremony! I got Monday off, but Paul didn’t. Old movies and chores all day!
My cousins came to town for this past weekend. As soon as they got in, we hit the pool and the grill. We sadly watched the US get ousted from the World Cup over lunch. After showering and changing, we headed to the Capitol. Unfortunately the Senate and House Chambers were closed for renovations, but we toured the rest of the building and grounds.
Hula Hut was packed as usual, but it gave us a chance to sit on the patio and have a few pina coladas. So yummy!
Next we headed to the Congress bridge to watch the bats emerge at sundown. As the days are so long, they really don’t come out until after 10:30. We saw some come out but had to head home. We closed the night with some homemade apple pie, bluebell & The Burbs.
Sunday morning we had breakfast at Magnolia and explored the shops on South Congress… Uncommon Objects is lots of fun!
and then hit Barton Springs Pool. It was soooooooooooooo cold!
Philosopher’s Stone
They left the house for Toy Joy on their way back to North Texas. Tonight we are having my Aunt Beth & Uncle Alan on my father’s side over for dinner. The Castle PatterSwan is busy, busy, busy!
I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything since the wedding. Things have been so crazy!
We had the most fantastic honeymoon in England, Wales & Scotland. I posted my favorite photos from the trip on facebook so you can see the “quick” version here. If you REALLY wanted to take some time seeing the sights, you can see ALL of my photos here and here… all 1,100 of them. Pretty sure Paul took another 1,200 in case that isn’t enough for you.
The weekend after we got back, I was a bridesmaid in my dear friend Elisabeth’s wedding. It was beautiful and we had a lot of fun! I posted pictures here. We immediately came back and had a Memorial Day, wedding-is-over, Paul’s birthday party with swimming and grilling and honeymoon pictures.
Paul got a wine making kit for his birthday and we are about to start on a new adventure. He was given a Chilean Merlot recipe!
The following weekend we headed north for Gram’s 80th birthday pool party on Saturday and Caryn’s graduation pool party on Sunday.
The garden is doing well! I am harvesting tomatoes and basil like crazy. Our potato harvest was small, but I will know what I am doing this fall! We also have beautiful snapdragons, purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, daisies, and indian paintbrush in full bloom.
Last weekend we purchased a new mattress and bed!! The mattress just got delivered, but we won’t get the frame until August. Mattrezzz Guys & Gage Furniture are great local shops if anyone is in the market.
Tomorrow we are having Wil(l)’s 1st birthday in the park behind the house! And next weekend, Val, Vaughn & his girlfriend, and Chad (my cousins) will be coming down for the weekend. It has been non-stop for the last 6 months, but we are having a great time together.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I loved this banner image from Food Network so I borrowed it. I found a good recipe for a vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie and a very tasty Guiness & Onion soup recipe I might try tonight!
Haven’t been very good about posting lately… We have been somewhat busy with wedding stuff and I don’t want to bore ppl with all of that. But I figured our recent trip to the coast and St. Patrick’s Day would be a good excuse!
Just got back from our annual trip to beachingtown Port Aransas, TX with Paul’s family. They go every year around this time. This is my 3rd year and it is always very relaxing and a lot of fun. Will, my soon-to-be-official nephew, had his first experience with the ocean so that was pretty exciting… for all of us.
HAPPY BABE!
It was Blue’s first time and he was also a happy pup!
Other than walking or running down the beach and a few times head-on into the cold waves, I got some reading in and we watched the first season of Castle. We also visited the Aquarium in Corpus and the National Seashore.
We take turns making dinner each night. This year we made lasagne rolls and pine nut cookies with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Everyone made yummy foods and each night couldn’t be beat.
National Geographic is having a Peeps In Places pictures contest so we took some Peeps pics… I think this was my favorite of mine.
I know Abbie, Anne and Paul got some good (probably better) ones, too! As usual, it is good to be home.
I want to watch a good Irish movie tonight… The Quiet Man, Secret of Roan Inish, Bloody Sunday, Boondock Saints, Waking Ned Devine, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Angela’s Ashes, Wind That Shakes the Barley, Finian’s Rainbow… if you have any suggestions, please send them!
Had a very productive weekend. We got our rings in the mail on Friday! Having ordered them online, I was slightly nervous. However, they are every bit what I hoped for. It is a seven-strand braid of white and rose gold (yellow shown). My favorite part is that they match and are actually made from the same braid.
We went to visit Chandor Gardens on Saturday and, even though it was rainy and chilly, it was even more beautiful than I remembered.
We secured the venue, musicians and photographer with contracts this weekend. We are also waiting to hear back from two caterers. Mom and I hauled out all the serving platters my fantastic grandmother has passed down to her. We should have plenty of beautiful pieces with which to serve and decorate.
I also found some great pictures of my great-grandfather Janie who helped build the gardens to have on display.
Janie working at Chandor Gardens
Mom and I practically got kicked out of a Hobby Lobby and a Michael’s on Saturday night… We are having so much fun together. I knew this would go one of two ways… glad it is going this way!
I had it designed last week, but we wanted to get the website up and running before it went. Paul is amazing! He took my design for the Save the Date and made it into a website. There are several ppl we don’t have emails for that will be getting a postcard in the mail soon.
Also… heads up for Austin folk… we are having to keep the ceremony and reception somewhat small for cost purposes. So we are going to be having a separate party in Austin not long after the wedding… we are thinking Memorial Day weekend. Will post details soon!
Our honeymoon is going to be AMAZING!! A few days after the wedding we fly into London, spend three days in the city and then start driving around the country. We are going to Stratford-Upon-Avon, Oxford, Stonehenge, Bath, up through Wales to see all of the King Arthur sites, York, the Lake District and into Scotland to Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Glasgow. I CAN’T WAIT.
The month of May is going to kill us. Mary graduates on April 30 in Michigan. The following weekend is our wedding. The next two weekends we will be across the pond. The weekend after that I am bridesmaid in another wedding AND we are thinking of having our Austin party. The following weekend is Paul’s birthday!! Yikes! But I am looking forward to it all. We are having so much fun.
My mother’s poodle, Shirley, left us on Wednesday night, December 30. She died peacefully of old age in my mother’s arms. I am so glad we got to spend one last Christmas with her. She was a tough old broad.
Had a pretty decent Thanksgiving all in all. We drove up Wednesday night. Got on the road about 5:30 and didn’t get there until 11:30. One 40-mile stretch took us an hour and a half! But no one was taking the secret road in Hillsboro so that helped speed things along.
Thursday we went to Gram’s and had a Thanksgiving lunch that couldn’t be beat. Then we went over to my mother’s and had a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn’t be beat. That night we watched Love Actually.
Friday, Mom and I watched Harvey Girls then Mary, Paul and I went over to my Aunt Vickie’s house for a Thanksgiving lunch that couldn’t be beat. Then Mom, Mary and I went to visit my grandmother. That night we watched Bedknobs & Broomsticks and Sleepless in Seattle.
Mom had to work on Saturday so Mary and I watched Annie Hall, had lunch with my dad at the Jazz Cafe on Montgomery (omg so good) and then met up with Paul, Jim & Anne at the new and improved Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. These are some of the only pictures I took all weekend!
We drove back to Austin that night, Paul went to the Data Pop show, and I stayed home and watched Wicker Man.
It was nice to be home Sunday and have some time to get stuff done. We got groceries, beer making stuffs and xmas lights! Paul got up on the roof and put a strand around the house. Another house in the cul-de-sac was also putting up lights… They wrapped their tree and also changed all the outdoor lights to either red or green bulbs! We might need to step it up a notch! And I actually made Chestnut and Apple Dressing last night! It was ok, but with a few tweaks should be good for next year. Thanksgiving, I wish I could quit you!
I have always wanted a real wreath!
Soooo that was an incredibly boring recap of a fun Thanksgiving holiday! I watched some great movies and ate too much!
Oh and Paul gave me a copy of Leaves of Grass.
Old movies and chores all day!
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