Category: Alaethia

Alaethia’s birthday was on the 24th. She was excited to be turning “double digits”. It was during a school night and their dad gets to take them for dinner the evening of their birthdays so we would officially celebrate on the weekend. But I did get out of work early to pick up her cupcakes and drinks to have her little birthday party with her classmates.

Her dad met us there and he surprised her with a giant sloth, balloon and candies. We passed the cupcakes and drinks out and then Aly’s teacher let them go out to the playground. I was on sloth-carrying duty and it was quickly becoming hot out 😆 .

School was out for the day but we waited for Emily to let her know we’d be waiting for her at the library. I gave them book fair money and Alaethia wanted to spend hers (Emily already had earlier). She looked around with Audrey and Maddie and found a Pusheen book. It’s so cute!

We read it while we waited for Emily and then we went home. She couldn’t wait to open her birthday presents.

That totes adorbs Pusheen came from the Wish App! I was thrilled that it arrived much sooner than anticipated. We hung around and the girls played with the new toys until their dad picked them up for dinner. Joked around with the boys a bit before they left, and then I tried finding something to do for 2 hours till the girls returned. Alaethia requested a cheesecake for her birthday, but since she was stuffed from dinner, we opted to wait till Saturday, when we’d celebrate her actual birthday.

Saturday came around and she and Emmos tagged along with me to go grocery shopping (but I’m on to them: I know they went with me to hoodwink me into taking them to Claire’s!).

Alaethia spent some birthday money and we made our way to 5 Below to get Emmos some ear phones since her school ones broke, and I ended up getting Jorge and I some work-out gloves and 5 lb. weights…because having to start working out from square one again has made me realize I’m wimpy and 8 lb. weights kill me 🙁 .
Anyway, so after an exhausting trip to HEB for groceries (and spending wayyyy more than I anticipated *sigh*), I got home, made dinner and then all the kids piled into the truck to go to Sky Park, Alaethia’s request. They all had a blast!

It was a great time and now the other 2 little ones want to do the same thing for their birthdays in February. These months are passing by in a blur!

Pixydust.net has been renewed for 2 more years! Not that very much has been or will be done with this website, but I just can’t let the darn thing go. (As much as it creeps me out sometimes,) there are too many visual memories saved here and I just can’t do away with it!

We got a 3-day (surprise weekend) at work, so I was off since Friday. It worked out perfectly since the girls had their Veteran’s Day program. Alaethia and her cheer team were performing and Emily’s class was singing. I’d missed Alaethia’s very first performance last month since it was when we had that delegation here from San Miguel De Allende.

Anyway, Mom actually went along for once, and their dad, too. It was a quick, but very sweet and emotional program. Of course I got goosies and was all choked up during the National Anthem, and got teary again at the end when Mr. Guerra sang “God Bless the USA”.

I didn’t get to take very many photos, especially because Emily was far and Alaethia was in the middle of her cheer team, but I snapped one when they were dispersing to their classrooms. Once I helped Alaethia change into her regular clothes, we hugged them goodbye and then Mom and I searched high and low for the new NES Classic console. I don’t know why I thought I’d actually find one, when all the crazies were out making lines at 5am 🙁 . I wish I could have been one of those crazies, but I forgot! Oh well. Maybe the next batch 🙁 .

Mom treated me to Wing Stop (those fries and nacho cheese. Mmph.), and then I dropped some off to Jorge, who was stuck at work without a chance for lunch.

I went back home afterwards and started taking down and wrapping up Halloween decorations. Mom went crazy buying little things here and there, which ended up turning into a dining table full of stuff to put away. I had to get another box.

I spent the evening watching Food Network and browsing Pinterest getting ideas on how to finish decorating my living room. Jorge and I decorated together when we moved in 5.5 years ago, but I wanted something bright and fresh that won’t break the bank. I started with dusting off two art pieces I had that I wanted to frame. So I went through my box of cheap Goodwill frames and found 2 that I would need to paint.

When Jorge got home from work he showered and then we had dinner at the Food Park!
We had our usual aguas frescas from Antojitos Beba and then we headed to Nuri Food Truck where I had a Q-dilla, Jorge had his favorite Devine Swine tacos and we shared the extremely delicious Bulgogi Pork Belly Kimchi Fries (Fries Carlito’s Way). They are literally finger-lickin’ good!

We went home and caught up on Grey’s Anatomy, and it wasn’t long till I passed out!

The girls had a UIL meet early the next morning, so I got ready, saw Jorge off and headed to their school to meet them and Mario.

It felt like time went by in a flash, then John (Audrey and Maddie’s dad) reminded me it’s because we used to have to stay all day for Chess! It’s a welcome change 😆 .

I saw my little ladies off when they were done with their stories/competing and I headed to Goodwill, for yes, another frame. I found nothing except Monster High and MC2 dolls for the girls.

I went across the street to Wal-Mart to purchase a bin for the Halloween decorations and ended up finding some AWESOME pillows on clearance that would match the theme I was going for in the living room in my head 😆 . They would match perfectly with my Otomí embroidered pillows I purchased from one of my awesome Artisans! I couldn’t believe my luck; they were $7 together!

I got home and started fixing things up, but not before I got bored enough to stop and meet Jorge for lunch :D. (I feel like my life really does revolve around food *sigh*.)

We went to Siempre Natural, where I had my usual turkey and bacon pita and fideo soup. I only ate half the pita and was so proud of myself. I dropped Jorge off at work and went straight to get my hair cut. It had literally been–wait for it–a YEAR since I’ve cut my hair. Jorge said if I didn’t go cut it THAT DAY, he and John would hold me down and he’d chop it himself!

So Ms. Rosie (my hairdresser) and I had a great, long talk while she chopped away at my hair. It’s still long (it was halfway down my butt; now it’s above it), but I should have asked for a more diamond-shape at the bottom like before 😕 .

Mom and I went to see Gramma and then to Walmart because I wanted to find another one of each of the pillows! After searching high and low (literally), I found one of the pinwheel ones. It’s something, at least! I got a few grocery items and then got home and made Jorge some lemon butter salmon and some zucchini noodles :).

After dinner, Jorge and I sat to watch TV while I paid all the bills online. He got to see first-hand just how long that takes me (almost 2 hours!!).

We woke up the next day and I made us some chorizo, egg and bean tacos with queso fresco. I’d bought some refrigerated tortillas from one of my artisans the week before, and he gave me 2 more packs! They are delicious.

We lazied around and then spent the rest of the day running errands, like purchasing bathroom repair stuff from Home Depot and then Jorge took me around 2 more Wal-Marts to find more pillows (only found 1 more pinwheel one, but for $2!! WIN!!)

We got home and he worked on the bathroom, while I stood by for support (and later tidy-up duty). I made dinner and we watched “The Walking Dead”, which I’d missed the week before. I was passing out before we could even watch the current one 😕 . Alas, as restful and productive as my weekend was, I could still use a whole other week off! It goes by too fast!

It’s midnight and I just woke up from an extended “nap” with Alaethia on the couch to catch the end of the Canelo boxing fight. Jorge is playing Clash of Clans for the next 20 minutes so I’m finally getting an opportunity to post!

On Wednesday, November 18th marked our 5-year dating anniversary. We hadn’t planned on doing much, but at the last second we decided to go to dinner at Kumori, like we have for the past few years.

So after I picked Alaethia up from chess practice, picked up some prescriptions for mom, picked up Emmos and took them to a 4-H meeting (still undecided about that one), we met my love at home and left together :).

It’s hard to get good pics in there because it’s so dim, but I snapped away anyway :).

We were nervous about the girls’ food choices thinking they wouldn’t like what they ordered, but Emily did pretty good with her chicken skewers and fried rice and Alaethia ate most of her California rolls!

We got our usuals:

It was sooo good. It’d been a while since we’d had a chance to go to Kumori!

We finished there and walked a few shops down to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

The girls each chose a treat and I got a mocha truffle. They were good and saved theirs for the next day, while I devoured mine, heh.

It was a great evening and so nice to get out during the week.

It’s almost surreal that it’s been 5 years! In a way, it feels as as though time’s flashed before our eyes, but then it also feels like we’ve been together for decades!