i know, i know...

So, Brooke's been complaining that we don't blog enough - and frankly, I agree. I really enjoyed writing every single day in November - taking the time out to vent, or celebrate, or ramble, or whatever - it was healthy. Since then though, I keep posting and promising to you that we'll write more. My intentions really are good, but I just can't actually make it happen.

You might wonder what exactly it is that keeps us so busy, and in reality, I'm not entirely certain. I keep WANTING to blog - but things keep distracting me. There are so many things I could write about - but I feel like other things keep happening that keep me from it. Same goes for Chance - he keeps telling me he's going to blog about things, but he has way less time than I do. And...because I'm slightly anal about writing events down in order, chronologically, I don't post until after he's posted about such-and-such event...etc. Basically...we just suck at this whole blogging thing. But, we're gonna try until we get it right.

Anyway - I guess we have been pretty darn busy. Since the end of February, we've purchased a new car ('09 Mazda 3) - which I KNOW Chance wants to blog about (and show you pretty pictures of our new baby)!!! We took a road trip to College Station for Chance's birthday - hung out with friends there, and celebrated his 25th. We've also had several friends turn a year older - in fact, Emily's b-day is coming up on Sunday. Let's see - what else...our AC went out at our house (had that fixed). My computer keeps overheating, but I keep putting off trying to start the whole repair process. We started digging up our overgrown flowerbed in the backyard and had a slight accident involving a pickaxe and some pvc pipe - causing a geyser in our yard and no water for 20 hours or so. I helped Emily paint her baby's room, and hung out with her parents, sister, brother, and his girlfriend last weekend. Chance has been pretty busy with work (adding an additional 2-3 hours a week on to his already 50something hour work week). Oh - and SXSW is coming up next week, so we're trying to get ready for that (planning a schedule, and getting ready to have people crashing at our house). Oh yeah - and right now I'm sick (yes, again) with some fever and some major aches (similar to what happened in July '07 that made me feel fatigued for 4 months after that).

So yeah, I guess we HAVE been pretty busy. I'm just overwhelmed. So I'm sorry we haven't kept up with our blog very well. We really are working on it - or we will, when I stop being sick and things stop blowing up in our faces. Yup.

makes me wanna scooby do

This weekend was pretty great...really - thanks for asking!

For the first time in QUITE a while, it actually felt like we had a complete two day weekend (although Chance DID have to work a few hours this morning). It was much better than the past couple of months have been with him working on Sundays in the middle of the day. Chance and I were able to go to church and lunch (with Elizabeth and Blaine @ Zocalo - FUN!) - which is totally not typical these days. We ended up with a lot of time to talk, relax (see Chance's last post), and get a few things done on Saturday and Sunday.

Our weekend was pretty full, and I won't detail the entire thing, but today was pretty darn busy. We spent a majority of the day searching out a potential vehicle (minus the two hours we were at Obees visiting Emily and Charlie - eating lunch - and taking Emily a nasty hot dog which she was craving). I'm pretty sure we've narrowed it down to two vehicle choices...the Mazda 3 and the Toyota Camry. Yes, we know that these cars are in two different size classes...that's part of the decision. But we're pretty settled. We've also decided that WHEN we buy, we'll most likely buy a new car (which we originally intended NOT to do). Due to financing/interest rates and the cars we're looking at, it generally would only be about $20-$50 more a month to own a brand new car with warranty, etc...so...yeah. But we also made the decision NOT to buy right now, unless we can get the EXACT deal we want - because honestly, we don't NEED a second car. We want one, but we're surviving just fine without. It's kinda nice to have all that off our backs - knowing that we're not tethered to NEEDING a car...knowing we can buy when we want and that we hace control over how much we pay ---it's all so relieving! At the end of the day, part of me felt like we'd wasted 6 or 7 hours of our lives test driving/searching/dealing with dealers...but really, I feel much better now that we've been through it and know what we want.

So, that's one accomplishment from this weekend. We also gorged a little, which I wouldn't necessarily call an accomplishment, but...eating a Cookie Monster at Cheddars + Frito Pie at Obees could almost be considered just that. The scale won't thank me tomorrow.

Accomplishment #3 (if you choose to claim the aforementioned as an accomplishment) is that I started and finished a book that I deemed 'way too huge to read' in about 6 hours. I swallowed it, if you will. I honestly didn't want to like Twilight - I'm not a big fan of reading what's popular just because it's popular, but Nicole forced the first two books in the series on me, and I had to oblige. I started reading Twilight at Thunderbird, and finished it off when I woke up this morning (I was nearly finished when I put the book down at 3:45AM). Ha. I'd recommend it to nearly anyone to read. It's so incredibly intense - just beautiful. I can't wait to start the next in the series. I'm craving it, actually. But no, this doesn't mean I'll concede and read the Harry Potter books. NEVER! I'll stick with vampire love stories for now - much more dark and interesting than kids and magic. (:

That Stephanie Meyer - she's got skillz (of the storytelling kind, at least). (: I'm SO ready for the movie. (:

EDIT: At least, I thought I was ready for the movie. Now I'm not so sure. I just re-watched the preview, and I'm concerned about some of the locations. Most of them are 100% what I pictured, but one of them in particular....is completely wrong. And the acting, not so sure about that either. But then again, can movies EVER be as great as books? And speaking of movies as books, does anyone have any knowledge of when Time Traveler's Wife is actually going to make its debut? Seems all release dates have been removed from IMDB. Great.

new car politics

I am not really one to spew out my opinion on politics, but, I am ready to spit this out and be done with it. Regardless of who I backed in the most recent election I can't help but be nervous now that the time has passed. I am proud, I think America has made a step in the right direction with their choice yesterday. I think America has made a wrong choice because now there is very little balance of power. I think we made the wrong choice because like my mom said we just voted in a "global" president. I for one would like a president who is the president of the United States. It makes me nervous but at the same time optimistic that the world has celebrated our choice for leader elect. I can do nothing but pray that this man makes sound decisions for the US, not for the global state.

I would hope that the new step we have taken is a step towards peace with one another, towards a Union that is truly united. I think it's amazing we have voted a man of different color into office. I just hope that isn't the reason that we voted him in, I hope it is not the reason we are celebrating. Maybe we can forget the color, which is what should be done. It is what I have done with friends from African-American decent, to Lebanese, to Mexican, to Chinese, to white suburban. I would celebrate no different any moment with these friends due to their color than I would with anyone else. I would celebrate because they achieved something, not that they are of certain decent and then they achieved something. I would not celebrate a persons color over their accomplishment. That is what bothers me most. I want to celebrate a step in the right direction as a whole, towards union. I don't want to celebrate a color.

So I will support my president, although I know I disagree with many things he stands for. I would like to ask you Mr. Obama to stand not for hope or change or a color or a segment of people as you have said all along. I would ask you to stand for union. For a country that can recover, that can sort out wars, that can sort out a poor economy, that can make the right decisions towards taxes, health care, education, homosexuality, church & state, and foreign relations. I want a man of invisible color that makes the rest of us invisible to each other's color.

That is all I have to say and all you will hear me say for the next 4 years on that. I won't give you my beliefs on the details. Just what I would like out of the next 4 years. Take it as you will.

And on a less, well, political note. I will beg of you dear readers to lend me your opinions. Claire and I are in the market for a new/newly used car. We are considering the 07-09 Toyota Camry, 09 Toyota Corolla Sport, 08-09 Nissan Altima, and the 07-09 Mazda 3. If any of you have experience, thoughts, knowledge, or advice towards these vehicles please let us know. We can use any help we can get.