Name Tags - Mission Accomplished

We just finished our name tags for the reunion that is taking place this weekend. THANK YOU ADIE AND TRACY for your help! The sticker party was actually quite fun.

Of course (typical me... "the procrastinator with good intentions") volunteered to make them over 2 months ago and left it to the week before to even start. After completing all 400 of them, I sure hope people wear them. We included everyone's high school yearbook photo, so it will be fun to see how everyone has changed or stayed the same. My most dramatic change has definitely been my eyebrows. I went a little crazy with the tweezer in high school.

Our reunion committee has had such a great time organizing the event (probably because every meeting began with a few bottles of wine) and I know the event is going to be so much fun. I am looking forward to all my friends that will be visiting from out of town: Michelle from AZ, Hillary from Memphis, Kristin from Utah and of course seeing everyone else that I haven't seen for the past 10 years. STORIES...To Be Continued...

Attack of the 3AM Barn Owl

So I haven't been sleeping well lately. Jason insists on keeping the window open at night, so our room drops to about 50 degress by the morning. This morning I think I even saw my breath.

Well, last night I was awakened at 3am by a horrible noise. It sounded like one of our neighbors dogs was being attacked. It was a mixture of screams and howls. Truly unlike anything I've ever heard. I woke up Jason and made him listen. He told me to get a flashlight and go outside and see what it was. Sure...I'm really going to go outside and brave a wild beast. So we sat and listened. All of a sudden, the weird noises were followed by a "Hoo Hoo" (like an owl). The noises went on for about 10 more minutes and then I finally decided to shut the window and try to ignore it.

So today at work I googled "strange owl noises" and came across a description of a barn owl. It seemed to match what we heard. Maybe he is in the neighborhood for Halloween. Anyways, if you are awakened by some strange noises, no worries it may just be your local Barn Owl. By the way, I do find owls rather cute. Sometimes they remind us of our cat, Serena. Same serious eyes. (see images above)

Background on the Barn Owl...
"Perhaps no other animal is more a part of folklore and superstition than the owl, and it is likely the behavior of the barn owl is one of the reasons. The barn owl likes to “haunt” old buildings like barns, church steeples or abandoned houses. Strange noises coming from an old house are not ghosts; they are more likely the calls of barn owls. The barn owl’s voice is a mixture of screams, screeches, whistles, growls and hisses, weird enough to make some people think that an old house where barn owls live might be haunted."

Adventures In Babysitting

We got the pleasure of babysitting Scott and Tyler this last weekend. They arrived bright and early Saturday morning and after a 5 minutes tutorial on the feeding tube and I was ready to go. For the first few moments, I was a little nervous however I quickly realized that we were ready for a wonderful day.

Highlights included:

*Scott
Playing with his Play-Doh in his high chair
Feeding his baby doll in the highchair (a cheerio got stuck in the mouth)
Showing us his teeth
Trying to eat cat food
Listening to Grandma on the cell phone while he got his diaper changed

*Tyler
Cuddling and sleeping in our arms (Jason even fell asleep while holding him)
Being happy and interested in the light in the sun room
Dirty diapers (forgot the joys of changing baby diapers)
His little smiles while he sleeps

We had such a wonderful time taking care of our nephews. It made us realize how much work it really is and we are so impressed that Danny and Heidi do it daily with a smile on their faces. They always make it look so easy and I'm so proud of them. After the boys left, we realized how lucky we are to have our nephews. They are both such an important part of our lives.

Austin Trip

Our little plane


The Ladies


The Men


The Lake


The Bugs


We just got back from visiting Ryan and Lauren in Austin. They moved about 2 months ago and when they left it was like losing a family member. They were our best friends and such an important and special part of our lives here in Walnut Creek. I was so excited to visit them in their new town and explore the sites.

We got in Friday morning around 3:30AM and needed to sleep a few hours to catch up on some ZZZZ's. After we woke up, Ryan took us to a cute restaurant for lunch. Lauren got off work a few hours later and then we headed to the airport to pick up Amber and Adam that were flying in from Columbus. I realized how much I had missed both Lauren and Amber with having both of them move from the Bay Area in the past 6 months. I was so excited for this weekend and I knew it was going to be perfect and just what I needed after these last few months.

Friday night we headed to Z-Tejas. An Arizona favorite. We all had a delicious meal with some great cocktails. After we headed back to Ryan and Lauren's apartment for a game of HEARTS (an Adam Scott favorite). Whoever lost each round, had to take a shot of either Crown Royale (Jason's favorite) or some sort of mixed grapefruit/vodka. Thankfully I only lost twice because the Crown Royale does not go down easy for us ladies.

Saturday we had the perfect day. We had a wonderful breakfast pizza, cooked up by Lauren. Kadie and Derek arrived from Dallas and it was great to see them. We headed to our boat tour on the lake. Our little electronic boat went the amazing speed of 10MPH, but it was fun to be on the lake crusing around. Amber was unable to make it on the boat due to a wicked hangover from all the Crown. Later that night we went to dinner on 4th street which was delicious. The guys got to watch the College Football games, while the ladies just talked. After dinner a few of us wanted to go out, so we moved up 2 streets to 6th Street. We went to The Belmont and another bar with Adam and Amber. Majority of the bars in Austin have rooftop bars, so it is nice to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. We got home around 2:00 after a quick stop for some fast food Mexican.

Sunday the men watched football as the ladies headed to Rudy's BBQ and picked up lunch. Lauren then brought me on a tour of Austin to show me some neighborhoods and even a house they were interested in. I was so happy to see how she loved being in Austin. I think it is going to be such a great adventure for the two of them.

What a perfect weekend...who could have asked for anything more? The best of friends, laughter, fun, beautiful weather, great food...truly the best time. Although it is sad that I no longer see my friends daily, I'm reminded that these trips are just as important and something I will truly cherish. I hope we can continue to keep the tradition going and plan something special each year. It will be fun to see where we all end up next year.

Welcome Home Tyler

After a month of being in the hospital at UCSF, Tyler Anthony McMillan came home. He has been through such an amazing journey and I couldn't be more proud to be his Aunt. Tyler was diagnosed with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which is a rare congenital heart defect. After a week of life, he underwent heart surgery and has made an miraculous recovery.

Through it all Heidi and Danny have been so strong and truly exemplified what it really means to become a parent. They were an example of trust in faith and showed nothing but pure love. I look forward to watching Tyler grow up and I hope to be able to support him through anything he needs. He is an inspiration to me and so many people. He has changed my outlook on my own challenges and made me realize how precious and important each and every day of life is. I truly see him as my little angel and I know he will forever hold a special place in my heart. One day I hope to share with him how he helped change my life for the better.