Living in Munchkinland

I want to tell you about a really dangerous intersection near where we live. Over the years I have seen many traffic accidents including three fatalities. People zoom thorugh the intersection and crash through the fence. These accidents have become more frequent since they built the new high school and traffic increased at the intersection. On average I would say that we have one every two weeks or so. The way the intersection is laid out, it is very difficult to determine right-of-way, and there is a curve that sends countless cars zooming off the road and into the fences and pastures. I hate this. I'm so worried that someone I know and love is going to die or be injured here. I call the county commissioner and I called TX Dot and I talked to both and got some information. TX Department of Transportation is aware of the situation and is monitoring the number of accidents. They have determined the crash frequency to be moderate to high, but we as ranch owners know that ther...

My dad is brilliant and charming and full of swagger. My dad is poet. When I was a little girl I often mixed up my dad and Bob Dylan. My dad dreams big. He has an idea and then he has the balls to just do it. He has made and lost several fortunes that way. My dad is an ancient Christian Buddhist who believes in Navajo. My dad is a first class groover. My dad has early onset Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's has taken his brain and filled it with plaques and tangles and it makes it hard for him to remember. This has been so hard. Hardest for him. Hard for everyone. Alzheimer's is a cruel disease. For eight years we have struggled. We, as a family, have watched the disease creeping into our lives. My dad calls it "the storm". It can isolate someone. But we won't let it. My dad still has a lot up his sleeve. He still has so much to contribute. He's way too young to hang with the geriatrics and he has always been so, so social. He still plays in his b...

We had the boys' end of the year picnic last night. It was so humid and yucky that I wasn't sure I wanted to go. (I had a fever/headache virus on Wed-Thurs and was still recovering). I also had a terrible day on Friday and was emotionally exhausted, but I'll do anything for my boys and so I cooked up a dish to share and we drove out to the park. The kids sang and mom and dad came to watch them. Then we all had a delicious potluck. The montessori moms put out a great spread, I have to say. We got the kids to bed late and then I curled up on the couch with a great book (I'm reading the Game of Thrones series) and watched a big thunderstorm roll in. We really needed the rain and I love sleeping through a summer storm. This morning we worked out, cleaned the house and got ready to meet some friends at the Texas Swing Festival on the courthouse lawn. The weather was still muggy, but not intolerable and we really enjoyed the festival. The music was swinging and the ki...

We had a very busy week. On Tuesday we celebrated Buddha Day. We decorated the table with flowers and candles, the kids colored numerous Buddhist flags and we gave gifts to everyone at our ranch happy hour. On Friday I loaded up the kids and drove to Zelick's Icehouse, a new bar in our little town that we were very excited about. I felt a little odd, taking my children into a bar alone, so I waited until Stacey and Chris got there with their children and we all went in and took over the bocce ball corner. It was a great bar, but I'm not really sure it's kids friendly. If only they had food. I will definitely go there again without them though. Saturday we had a pool party at Casa Pacifica and had a fabulous time. Good company, good wine and good grilling. I love having the pool to go to in the summer. It's pretty much my favorite thing to do. (other than traveling of course.) On Sunday we attempted to go to church, but my battery died and so we spent the hour...

I could have been something more. Maybe. You never know. I had talent. I busted out of my small town with my star brightly shining. I was the girl who was leaving Texas, heading to New York City. I could sing, act, and had a lot of dance lessons under my belt (though I've never been a great dancer) and I had supportive family. I actually did pretty well. By the time I was 22 I had a BFA in musical theatre, my equity card and my first important 9 month, eight show-a-week gig. I had a great brownstone apartment on the upper west side and I was head over heels in love with New York City. But the honest truth here is, that I never loved musical theatre more than anything else. And you have to, I think. You have to love it more than anything in order to take the constant rejection, the long hours and small pay. There was something in life I wanted more. I wanted to be a wife and a mom. I wanted to be like my mama. So I didn't keep my eye on the prize. I followed my he...

Here are some pictures of the fabulous Pappy Hour from their latest gig.

Here is my mother's day love letter post from '08 for some sweet mother's day love . All you've got today from me is a recap. We did have a lovely mother's day weekend. We managed to stretch mother's day over two weekends and I think that is just fine. Last Sunday afternoon we had a brunch at my mom's house to celebrate since they were going out of town on the real mother's day. My sister and her family came as well as my grandparents and my uncle and aunt. We had a wonderful day being together. This weekend started off with the Cinco De Mayo parade downtown. It was a very sweet, small town parade. After a rest, we attended a great Neverland birthday party for our friend Brynn's 3rd birthday combined with a Pappy Hour gig on Saturday afternoon in New Braunfels. Michael and his band were even better than last time and had added several new songs. I am so proud of them and love the band. I think the kids loved it too. Sunday morning the kid...

We have had a great weekend so far. Martha and Clark surprised us with a last minute visit. The kids were so happy to see their grandparents pick them up from school on Friday! We spent the afternoon playing outside and catching up and then Michael took off for Austin to see my dad's band play at the Long Center and left our babies in the good care of their grandparents. The Long Center gig was really fun. The band played on the terrace and the weather was beautiful. We sat with our friends and danced and played with the kids and enjoyed the music. After the sun set and the band finished their last song, Stacey and Chris and Michael and I loaded up our lawn chairs and drove down to the Whip In where we had great Indian food and enjoyed delicious beers. Saturday Michael and I took a run and then everyone else (including Kade) went fishing while I snuck out to the grocery store. When I came back, they had a big bucket full of perch! Michael and his dad cleaned them while I pr...

On Monday, the kids still had a holiday from school so my dad and I took the boys to Wonder World. Wonder World is a place in San Marcos that features caves, a tower, an anti-gravity house and a train through a little animal sanctuary where you can feed the deer. The kids loved it. After a full morning at the park we ended our afternoon with a big lunch at Casa Maria. The kids couldn't have had a better day.