Sister Time

So, once again I invited myself over to my sis' house to hang out tonight. I was feeling inspired to create something, and didn't feel like hanging out by myself.

So my sister had this great idea to take empty water bottles and repurpose them to create a bowling game for my niece. We used patterned paper and ribbon to wrap the bottles, then filled them partially with water. She can use a small ball to hit the "pins."

I'm so thrilled with how they turned out!

And since I'm in the mood to post pictures, here's one of my new haircut. I got it cut two weeks ago, right before we went on vacation.

Well, that's all for tonight. I'm exhausted and need to catch up on some sleep. I promise I will get around to posting more pics from our trip soon!

*S*

Craving something sweet? Bring your appetite and head over to my baking blog, Cupcake Toujours

Today Was a Sad Day

I found out this afternoon that my last living grandfather passed away. He actually passed away about 2 months ago, but he was living in Puerto Rico, and we don't have much contact with the family still living there.

I am so sad. My heart just hurts. Meeting my grandfather was on my "short list" of things to do. My mother and I were planning a trip to Puerto Rico for my 30th birthday next year. I was so looking forward to meeting him; now I'll never know this man that my mom describes as "so funny" and "a wonderful father."

I had originally planned to post pictures from the Grand Canyon. I just can't get past this news today. I felt it was important to pay homage to this man who changed my life (without him I wouldn't be here), yet whom I never had the privilege to meet.

I called my Mom back tonight to talk and cry some more. I also made myself a rum and coke that I drank in his honor. (Hey, we're Puerto Rican, it's what we do!) Will you have a drink with me, and toast his legacy?

San Diego Zoo

So here's a picture of me at the San Diego Zoo, complete with camera and giant souvenir cup! We looked like total tourists, but we had a great time. We took a bus tour, which covered about 75% of the zoo, then took the "Skyfari" air tram to see more of what we missed.

We loved getting to see all the animals, and we learned a lot about the Zoo's conservation efforts.

They are widely known for their efforts, and are very proud of their accomplishments.

We also got to see two of the baby pandas in the Panda Research Facility. They observe the pandas very closely, and monitor their behaviors and eating habits. The San Diego Zoo actually has the most successful panda breeding program outside of China! Here's a video of the youngest panda eating. Unfortunately, the zookeeper monitoring the pandas kept shooing us along, so please excuse the amateur video and the abrupt ending.

I do hope to post more photos soon. I just haven't had time to get that film developed since we got back. These are stills Jay shot using the video camera. I shot many more with my camera, but...well, we're still waiting on those. Enjoy!

*S*

Craving something sweet? Bring your appetite and head over to my baking blog, Cupcake Toujours

...And We're Back!

Well, we made it back fro our whirlwind adventure. We had a great time, and soon I'll have the photo evidence to prove it. I am one of the few people who still uses 35mm film, so I am waiting for my prints to be developed and the photos put on CD. Once that happens, I promise to post pics. So where did we go, and what did we do? I'm so glad you asked!

We left Monday afternoon, and headed to Albuquerque, NM. We got in very late, but ended up staying at a really nice casino hotel, the Route 66 Casino Hotel.

Tuesday morning, we headed out bright and early toward the Grand Canyon. We stopped along the way at the giant Meteor Crater, which is somewhere in the desert of Arizona. We finally made it to the Grand Canyon, just in time to watch a beautiful sunset over the gorge. We then continued on our route, settling in for the night at the Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

We spent much of the day Wednesday gambling in the PH casino, walking around Vegas and checking out the sights on The Strip. Wednesday afternoon, we headed out again, this time with our sights set on San Diego, CA.

The Casa Granada was our home-away-from-home while we were in San Diego. During our stay, we ate a ton of good food, and saw some cool sights. We went to the world-famous San Diego Zoo. We also found an awesome place that specializes only in breakfast, called Richard Walker's Pancake House. I live for breakfast, so this was a real treat for me. If you are ever in San Diego, you *must* go visit Richard. He was there to personally greet us at the door and make sure we were comfortable at our table.

I realize that all of this is useless without pictures, which is why I promise to get some posted as soon as I can. Stay tuned and let me know what you think!

*S*

Craving something sweet? Bring your appetite and head over to my baking blog, Cupcake Toujours

Introducing Cupcake Toujours!

I've been known to have a little bit of a sweet tooth. OK, honestly, I've been known to forgo an entire meal so I will have room for cake! But that's beside the point.

Because of my love of cake, and specifically it's miniature offspring, the cupcake, I have decided to create another blog. This blog will be dedicated solely to my love of a good morsel of moist delicious cake, topped with a mouth-watering mound of sweet, delicate frosting. Along the way, you'll find a few surprising ingredients, interesting cupcake facts (admit it, who doesn't love useless trivia?), and hopefully a recipe or two you can make your own.

I'll share some of the resources I use to create my recipes, but I can't give away all my secrets! You'll have to stay tuned to find out just what's next out of the oven. Enjoy!

*S*

Craving something sweet? Bring your appetite and head over to my baking blog, Cupcake Toujours

All My Bags Are Packed...

OK, that's a little bit of an exaggeration. If you know me, you know my bags won't be packed until 11:45 on Monday, since we're supposed to pick up our car at noon.

We're headed to California!! Jay and I are taking a road trip. We're heading out Monday at noon, then making a stop at the Grand Canyon. From there, we'll head to Vegas for a day, then on to San Diego, where we have booked a beautiful bed and breakfast. We'll be staying at the Casa Granada for three nights before we head back.

Our return trip will include a stop off in Tucson, where we will explore the old mission churches. We'll then stay in Carlsbad, NM for one night. Next morning, we'll get up and take the tour of the Caverns before we head back to Texas.

Whew! It's going to be a busy trip. We're both really excited to be going. It's been three years since we've had a real vacation together. We've definitely earned this one!! I can't wait to post pictures when we get back.

*S*

So Close I Can Taste It!

AT 4:17 Central Time on Sunday, August 3,2008, I submitted my final project for my computer programming class.

This is the first time I have taken a summer course. It is 5 weeks long, so for our fifth class session, we had our mid-term exam. For our tenth and final class, this Wednesday, we will take our final exam.

It is so much to cram into five weeks, but it is so worth it. Now I can focus on more of my major classes. This class was a prerequisite for the statistics classes I am required to take.

Final grades are due by Monday, so that should be a good way to start our vacation!

*S*