TexasMathnerd

Option 8 Sepia

2011-12-15T22:05:00.001-06:00

Seasonal Stripes Christmas

Customize your Christmas cards this holiday at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Another option

2011-12-14T09:11:00.004-06:00

Seasonal Stripes Christmas

Personalize your Christmas card at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Alright ladies... weight in. Let me know which one you like!

Christmas Card Options

2011-12-14T09:11:00.001-06:00

Wishing You Merry Christmas Card

Turn your favorite family photos into Christmas cards.

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Things that make me smile!

2011-11-14T21:41:00.003-06:00

So, I have not been the best at posting lately. I thought I would try to fix that with a simple post.

Things that make me smile:

My husband's dimples (praying hard that our yet non-existent children inherit those!)
Waking up in the middle of the night and thinking it is time to get up, but it's NOT! :)
Thinking about my nephews in WV
Thinking about my nephews and nieces in France (for the moment at least)
Drinking hot chocolate EVERY time it snows!

I'll add more later...

Karen

The Dallas Years

2011-10-05T21:37:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive photobook layouts so you can make your book just the way you want.

New Year- New Post! Project 52- week 21

2011-01-03T14:41:00.004-06:00

After the Blizzard of 2010 (as it has been named- not much more than a regular storm but with a lot of wind!), we went to my brother and sister-in-laws house to play! We sledded (pics to come) and found this "sugar shack" (a.k.a. maple syrup making shed). This was a pic waiting to happen!

2010 Christmas Cards!

2010-12-21T08:20:00.005-06:00

Peppermint Pink Christmas Card

Customize your Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

So, Paul said he would only do Christmas cards if they were *FUN*... so here is what ended up happening! The strange thing about this is that I can't stand the movie "A Christmas Story"... it is sort of like watching an Office marathon. I spend the entire time writhing in pain!

After having a fantastically silly and fun photo shoot with my sister-in-law Anna (seems weird to write sister-in-law and not just sister which is what I feel like she is)... I created 15 different versions on Shutterfly of our Christmas card. This one was the winner!

So, thanks Shutterfly for the Christmas cards! They are perfect!

Christmas Card Sneak Peek!

2010-12-15T07:54:00.005-06:00

These pictures that made the Hernandez family Christmas cards are not posted anywhere else- only for my readers!

Paul would not agree to do Christmas cards unless they were fun! I think the one above definitely make the cut!

Christmas Card Help!

2010-12-05T16:59:00.010-06:00

Last Year's Card

So this is the card I made last year and never sent... so I need your help. Please look at the pics that I have posted and "pic" your favorite!

I need to design our Christmas card and I can't make up my mind... well, I have some incentive!

This year, Shutterfly is offering a deal for bloggers to review their products for 50 free holiday photo cards. I actually wanted to do a post about my love of Shutterfly before I even found out about this fantastic deal. And, let’s be honest, Paul and I are finishing grad school and fifty free cards is a big deal and great blessing to us. (And you, because you’ll be the ones getting them in the mail from our family, ha!)

I’m not quite sure which one we’re using yet, but Shutterfly is always my go-to stop for photo books, cards and calendars. If you’re a blogger and interested in this promotion, you can click here. (And nope... I'm not getting paid for doing this... anyone with a blog can sign up!

Paul and I received a calendar of our wedding last year as a Christmas gift, and we've loved having revolving pics up all year... so we are making a calendar... you guessed it! Through shutterfly (calendars for 2011!)

So back to the point of this post... help me "pic" some pictures! Please leave a comment and vote for your favorite(s)! Of course, I will have to crop some down... or make your own Christmas Card and be sure to send us one!

Project 52: Week 20

2010-10-16T11:59:00.000-05:00

Leaf peeping in Vermont! Oct. 9, 2010

Project 52: Week 19

2010-10-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

We love fall! This year we've gone apple picking 2 times... with another one planned!

Project 52- Week 18

2010-09-25T11:16:00.003-05:00

Ok, so Paul isn't technically in this picture... but I am thinking of him!
A week ago, my sister in law (and recent neighbor!) came by to take picture for her website. We ended up having an impromptu photo shoot... she is quite talented! I had very little makeup on and didn't do too much to my hair... and she made me look good! Thanks, sis!

Week 17

2010-09-14T11:04:00.003-05:00

We were both honored to be in a Ashley and Nate's wedding this summer...
Just one year after our own wedding.
He still makes me laugh!

Week 16

2010-09-08T07:23:00.002-05:00

While we were in San Fransisco, we went with Paul's mom to the final resting place of many members of Paul's Serbian family members. I finally got to "meet" his grandfather that he respects so much.

Week 15

2010-09-04T07:36:00.004-05:00

Torrey Pines State Park, San Diego, CA

We missed our flight in order to take this picture! Well, sort of... apparently I rebooked our flight to save some money, and I forgot that I rebooked it! We should up two hours late for the flight. Fortunately, Southwest put us on standby on the flight I "thought" we were supposed to be on... we were able to get on and made it safely to San Fransisco!

Week 14

2010-08-25T15:03:00.003-05:00

On the coast of Maine... Acadia National Park- the only place in the world that rivals Rocky Mountain National Park for its beauty.
We celebrated our one year anniversary here (about a month late)

Week 13 (after a very long delay!)

2010-08-17T15:45:00.005-05:00

Here we are outside our little cottage in Bar Harbor, Maine....

I'll add a few just for good measure... since my readers have been bereft of pics for a while!

Paul's imitation of a tree

Me thinking about eating wild blueberries in Maine

Me with a giant L.L. Bean boot in Freeport, ME.

Project 52: Week 12

2010-02-05T06:43:00.002-06:00

A year ago this week, he asked... and I said yes!

Project 52: Week 11

2010-01-28T17:29:00.003-06:00

Christmas with my family!
(A week later than the 25th... our first Christmas with our sweet nephew Neil!)

Project 52: Week 10 (ChristmasDay!)

2010-01-28T17:27:00.001-06:00

My first Christmas not with my family... different, but good :)

Project 52: Week 9 (late)

2010-01-28T16:37:00.004-06:00

6 months after our wedding... still smiling! :) Have I mentioned how much I adore being married to him!

Project 52: Week 8

2009-12-16T16:32:00.004-06:00

Santa! I love him! (from one of my favorite Christmas movies... not my all time favorite though)...
Paul and I celebrated 6 months of marriage on Monday with a trip to NYC... we met up with his brother and family who are headed to Africa as missionaries.
Of the many things we did... we waited 45 minutes at Macy's to have our picture taken with Santa. Paul asked for a puppy... I'm worried.

Project 52: Week 7

2009-12-09T11:58:00.003-06:00

Paul and I are headed to NYC next week! Here is a pic at the ice skating rink in Central Park from our trip with my brother and sisters last year :)

Project 52: Week 6

2009-11-28T09:15:00.002-06:00

Our first Thanksgiving married! This is the only picture that was taken of us... it's a bit rough, but it documents the day! Our friend Terri (pictured in the back) came up to visit us for the holiday! We spent Thursday baking (mini pumpkin cheesecakes, Grandma's apple pie, and a chocolate caramel pecan pie)... we spent yesterday shopping! She almost completely finished her Christmas shopping... I'm jealous!

Project 52: Week 5

2009-11-23T12:20:00.003-06:00

I honor of our week off from school! (Even though we are both working from home this week). This is another older one... I should have new ones this week from Thanksgiving!

Project 52: Week 4

2009-11-16T14:44:00.002-06:00

This is a little late and not technically from this week, but here it is anyway :)

Here we are at the finish "line" of a corn maze- took us almost three and a half hours to complete it!

Project 52: Week 3

2009-11-09T12:56:00.002-06:00

In honor of Harry Potter keeping us sane in our two cross country road trips, we were Ron and Hermione for Halloween (for obvious reasons!) Glad to put those master's robes to good use!

Project 52: Week 2

2009-10-28T08:02:00.002-05:00

Paul and I had some friends (Doug, Julie, and Peyton) come visit New England. The weather was stunning every day but Saturday- here we are at the Lyman Orchards in front of my favorite kind of apple tree- Red Delicious!

Project 52: Week 1

2009-10-22T09:43:00.005-05:00

Well, my sister in law has challenged me to join Project 52. You post a picture a week for a year- I am not exactly sure that I will stick with a theme, but I am certain it will be related to my first year being married to my sweet husband! Enjoy pic 1: it is a little fuzzy but definitely represents what we did this week. Hosted two chili and pumpkin carving nights :)

OH MY WORD!

2009-10-01T16:18:00.003-05:00

I just had half a Sierra Turkey Sandwich... thought it was a "healthy" option for dinner. Turkey. Half. All good words in health world.

So wrong! The mayo on it has 35 grams of fat (whole sandwich). So, using WW as my marker... this healthy option was 11 points. Ugh. More than half of my daily allotment. Double ugh.

Just because... a few random pics...

2009-09-21T18:05:00.008-05:00

Jessica and her daughter

Mom, Dad, and Neil

Chatting it up right before we left on our honeymoon!

Such a precious face!

The photographer and dear friend!

More pictures

2009-09-07T11:06:00.008-05:00

Here are some of my favorites (including some not posted on facebook!) from the wedding. Enjoy!

New Orleans! Fine for a visit... wouldn't want to live there.

2009-08-06T23:02:00.004-05:00

Hi faithful readers,

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to New Orleans. I left on Friday and arrived at my hotel at 12:45 a.m. Exhausting! Then I was in meetings all day (not too bad- sort of fun.) I am on the program committee for the regional National Council of Teachers of Mathematics- the conference is slated for October of 2010.

I had never been to New Orleans. The food was amazing, and my hotel room smacked of an antebellum era (stunning!)
Here is the one place on Bourbon Street where I could snap a picture that didn't contain anything vulgar... I hope!

And here I am with my morning breakfast- at Cafe Dumond! THE place to have beignets in New Orleans...

The Wall of Flame!

2009-07-27T17:17:00.005-05:00

So, those of you that know my husband know that he loves incredibly knock your socks off spicy foods.

So, when we saw on the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food a food challenge (vegetarian even!) that required your eat 5 habanero fitters (made from 40 peppers my honey is quick to point out) and all of the salsa... it was all over. He was in!

So, we went on a scouting mission... he tried just one. No problems. He was ready for the real thing.

Prepared with milk in the car, we arrived at Salvador Molly's with our friend Paul from UConn. My undaunted husband drank a small cafeteria sized milk before, ate the peppers and salsa, and sweated like never before. He was literally dripping (notice the pic- a little bead dangling from his nose.) I was....uh... so proud.

After polishing up the fitters, he downed another milk. So far so good.

We arrived home around 10... stayed up watching HGTV until midnight just to keep him upright.... you know, plenty of time to digest. So far so good.

Fast forward two hours.... Paul sat up straight in bed complaining of stomach pains. He started getting dressed- he was headed to the store to buy some kind of pain reliever. I was still in a sleep stupor when he announced that he couldn't go... I had to go in his place. He was buckled over in pain. In sickness or in health....

So, I started getting dressed when I remembered that we are living at a hotel. They probably have stuff for this at the front desk. I called and the nice guy said "Absolutely!" Off I went... the night manager gave me Tums (on the house), another small carton on milk, and camomile tea.

I returned to our little room to find my husband perfectly still on the bed. He said if he didn't move that he was ok. He ate four Tums and downed the tea... staying as still as possible.

Amazing, he drifted off to sleep within 15 minutes. But not without snoring like never before!

I didn't have the heart to wake him... and lay as still as possible for at least an hour.

At Salvador Molly's, his picture now hangs proudly on the WALL of FLAME- a permanent memorial to his last stand.

Love you babe! (Note: his pic is not yet up... but the center pic is Adam from Man vs. Food)

Sneak peek!

2009-07-15T21:44:00.003-05:00

We just got our pictures back from the photographer.... they are so big that they take forever to load. So... here is an early look at them!

Honeymoon!

2009-07-10T20:35:00.014-05:00

Our honeymoon was so relaxing... as with most weddings I would imagine, the days leading up to it were long and the nights did not contain much sleep. So after driving for two days after the wedding, we finally arrived in the San Juan Islands. Our place was precious- with a view of the water! We hiked, went to a vineyard, and went whale watching (minus the whales).... we did get a rain check to come back and go again.

Oh, before we made it San Juan we spent the day in Seattle (bought lots of fabulous food that we cooked on the island)... you'll see some pics from Seattle here too :)

This was at False Bay- otherwise known as "stinky beach"

On our whale watching tour (one of the few pictures with both of us)

I'm a bump on a log

Our $10 bouquet of flowers from Pike's Place Market in Seattle

Our little home

Paul at "The Place" where we had dinner our last night there

Dead Man's Bay (pretty, huh?)

The ferry on the way back

Paul outside the first Starbucks! We have the gift cards that you can only get there (we are such tourists!)

Me with my gorgeous flowers from the market

Married!

2009-07-03T16:13:00.009-05:00

Hi faithful followers! Sorry for the long break between postings, but I've been a little busy :)

The wedding was spectacular! The weather held (except for the wind- notice how it played with the veil during ceremony!) Marriage is not that different from being engaged- except he doesn't have to go home at night. I feel incredibly blessed- God is so faithful! Enjoy the pictures! Most of these are duplicates from facebook, but I will post some honeymoon never before seen pics too! Check back for those- they are on Paul's computer. He is coming home from San Diego tonight! :)

Much love to all of you!
Karen and Paul

One more month!

2009-05-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe- time flies... and I imagine the next month will be the fastest of my life!

We have so much left, but we are slowly marking things off the list...
1) Honeymoon location and accommodations- booked! We got an amazing deal... God is so gracious! We are only able to be at our actual destination for 3 nights/4 days. We found a great little spot on the water- buy 2 nights get one free! YEA! We aren't breaking the budget!
2) Music... lots of details to go.
3) Tuxes... expensive little guys. Still working on that.
4) Cake... I have to make a final decision on the cake.
5) Gifts.... I have no idea where to begin. So many people have been incredibly giving and gracious... now to find gifts that even remotely portray my thankfulness!
6) Reception stuff... bubbles, place cards, decorations, oh my!

But no matter what details get missed, I will be just as married to the love of my life!

Engagement Pictures

2009-05-08T19:32:00.008-05:00

I know there a faithful group of followers that may have not seen these pics. I have more... and will post more soon. Also, it is kind of fun that we are one of the leading pictures on our photographer's website. He did a phenomenal job... professional and fun! If you need someone to take pictures for you, please let us know! He will be at the wedding doing the video :)

Cake and flowers!

2009-04-22T18:28:00.002-05:00

The next step in our wedding planning was to choose the cake and flowers. My cake proved difficult to design (so we are putting off that decision), but I do know that it will be a 4" on an 8" on a 12" cake... the bottom and top layers will be Italian cream (minus the coconut) with cream cheese filling and the middle (thanks to mom!) will be white cake with raspberry filling.

The groom's cake pays homage to our Colorado location... you'll have to come to see it!

Flowers- combination of circus roses and flame calla lilies.

Registering

2009-03-31T14:18:00.003-05:00

Paul and I finally made the time and registered. Kind of fun walking around zapping everything! And man... do you ever get great service! :)

We made appointments at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Macys. We arrived at BBB about thirty minutes late (can't remember why- I think we had to stop by the bank, I think). We started out by picking china patterns and silverware... they wouldn't show us any prices while we were choosing! I was extremely frustrated... we don't need everyday dishes, and I have a china set that I got for my 18th birthday... but I would really LOVE Christmas dishes. So, we picked out a pattern. I fully intended to take it off the list at BBB and register at Macy's for it... OH, my did that change.

After being at BBB for over 3 hours and hadn't made it out of cookware, we decided to head to lunch and postpone Macys until later that night (Paul ended up being in a rare shopping mood so I capitolized on it!) We went back to finish off at BBB and didn't like any of the bedding/bath stuff. How very odd is that!?! We did not choose bed and bath stuff at Bed, Bath, and Beyond!

Anyway, after I went to an afternoon tea with some ladies at church, we headed to Macys. Man, were we ever disappointed. We are doing everything in our power to keep everything priced within reason, and we discovered that one of the patterns that we had considered at BBB for $49.95 a place setting was $90 a place setting at Macys! Everything there was higher at just about every price point... we were extremely frustrated. The only thing I could get there that I couldn't get somewhere else were some nested mixing bowls in fun colors. I decided I could live with that concession... so we cancelled our Macys registry.

So... onto Kohls... we liked the bedding but not the bath stuff... so no go on Kohls.

So... BBB... could we register for everything there? Well, probably not. Our only scheduled shower so far is in Baytown... and there isn't a BBB...

So... JCPenneys... Success! Bed and Bath stuff there! Very nice quality and moderately priced! YEA!

We ended up going to the BBB in West Hartfort that has an expanded China section- we found Christmas plates and corresponding place setting that worked better and were less expensive than the ones I found in the book! We are quite excited! With the 20% coupon that BBB sends out like crazy, they are only $32! I'm pretty excited!

Dress Shopping!

2009-03-24T14:54:00.002-05:00

Oh, my! I cannot believe all of the options for dresses! I had some of the most precious people in my life (ladies, of course) that came with me... my mom, sister, Aunt Marion, my cousin Julie, Anita (who drove in from Dallas for the occassion), and Andrea (who also drove in from Waxahatchie for the event!) And was it ever an event!

We started out looking at a consignment shop on Friday (mom and aunt came)... lots of great dresses... but none that really stood out. Great shop though! If you are looking for a dress in the Houston area, it is definitely worth checking out! (marrygoroundbridal.com)

We had a similar situation at David's Bridal... lots of options but none stood out... UNTIL... I tried on the last dress. I stepped out and all of my bridesmaids started tearing up... I teared up... it was the dress! Ivory and stunning!

We had an appointment at another store, so we decided to keep it. Again, lots of options, but nothing compared to the last one from David's Bridal (which by the way I had said I wouldn't buy my dress there- it used to have warehouse in the name. Sort of why I won't shop at Dress Barn :) Oh, did I mention that it fits perfectly! No alterations needed at all... and my aunt is going to make the bustle!

So, we went back and got the dress. We ended up with a veil from the other store... matched the champagne detailing on the dress perfectly.

I keep "visiting" my dress that is in the catalog they gave me :)

100 Days

2009-03-04T19:04:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow will be 100 days until our wedding! I found a counter online. Paul and I have small group tomorrow night, but I want to figure out some way to celebrate the end of the triple digits.

Random thoughts for today:
1. Still unsure about colors... currently leaning toward black with white, ivory, pale pinks and yellows... black would make it much easier to locate bridesmaids' dresses (maybe something they would actually wear again??? who knows...

2. My mind is already on spring break... although I have a make-up class over the break (due to the snow day).

3. Paul and I are working on switching over to a cash budget. I am amazed at how quickly the money flies out of our pockets!

4. I'm down 8 pounds since the start of the fall semester! Yea! A few more to go... my summer in Texas killed me! I didn't have a "home" so I ate out a lot and am still working it off. Wow... who knew it would be this hard!

5. Still feeling overwhelmed... can't really concentrate on school or the wedding. The minute I start on one- the other creeps into my head.

6. I leave a week from today to go shopping for a wedding gown! YEA!

7. I really want a chocolate chip cookie from Panera (where I am right now)... but I am not going to have one (see #4)

8. I still don't have the official word that I got the internship in Portland... so, pray that it comes through. If not, I'm not sure what I will do about summer work and the wedding.

9. I am going to have a brand new nephew very soon! His in-utero (sp?) pics are adorable!

10. I love my fiance!

One high and one low

2009-02-28T18:25:00.002-06:00

First- the high!
We booked the Historic Stanley Hotel for June14th! So... feel free to start looking at airline prices!

Next- the low!
I turned my ring in today to be sized. I won't have it for over a week! (Crazy- I could get it done faster somewhere else, but then our warranty would be void). But... I did buy some bling from Forever 21- 5 rings for $3.80 :) I am wearing one right now!

Wedding Updates

2009-02-22T20:37:00.003-06:00

Bridal Show-
I went to my first bridal show (as a bride-to-be) today. Paul went with me (such a trooper! I owe him! :) I was hoping for inspiration about colors, cakes, etc... and was a little disappointed to find that most of the vendors were DJs, chiropractors, and limo services. Such is life... at least I went to a show... and they plastered a red circle sticker on my jacket when I walked in with the word BRIDE written in black. Odd, don't you think? Seems like they could have chosen something less gothic.

Wedding Date-
Pending an internship offer (that I should hopefully know about by the end of this week), we have a date! We have gone 'round and 'round with this one because of the multiple variables (family's and mine) in play. We narrowed the field down considerably to just a handful when I read in one of my bridal books (thanks, Mom!) that according to Victorian tradition the best day to marry is the groom's birthday. So, Sunday, June 14th, it is! Happy Birthday, love! He is quite excited about the selection.... being that he is a minimalist and doesn't like superfluous stuff, he doesn't often look forward to his birthday. He said that is can't wait for this one! :)

Wedding Venue-
After much searching, we have tentatively landed on a place- the Historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (www. stanleyweddings.com - we have the concert hall and patio reserved) As long as there are no hidden fees (and I get offered the internship) we plan to put the deposit down this weekend. It is everything I could have dreamed.... set in the Rocky Mountains (which will be the backdrop for the ceremony), elegant, and a grand entrance. Just stunning...

So.... 2 major decisions down. Hmm.... about 5492 to go! :) I can't wait!

Feel free to make color suggestions... I am a little stuck.... here are the leading options....
Given that the room is a light butter yellow with white trim....
1) navy with raspberry flowers
2) eggplant with white flowers with sage accents
3) plum with a spring bouquet of flowers
4) rich wine color with ???? accents

Other ideas???

The Proposal

2009-02-08T14:20:00.005-06:00

Our one year “anniversary” of dating was Thursday (Jan. 29th), but since we both were in class most of the day and wanted to be able to enjoy celebrating, we only went out for dessert at the Cheesecake Factory that night (had a fabulous white-chocolate blueberry cheesecake and coffee). Over dessert, we reflected on the past year and where we wanted to grow in the next (typical for us to do some regular reflecting). He asked how I saw the next year of dating. My internal dialogue screamed: Dating?! Seriously? Another year? But I kept a calm face and said that I would like to get to know more of his friends. I resolved that I could date another year.

We had decided that Friday (Jan 30th) would be the official day to celebrate one year of dating. He arrived at my house after working at Panera with me in the morning and then heading to Trader Joes for his weekly run of groceries (neither of us made it to the gym that day). He got ready at my place. After trying several different combinations of clothes, I ended up wearing a black and white wrap dress once I saw that he was wearing a tie.

Paul suggested that we exchange gifts before we left for dinner. He opened his gifts first-two pairs of gloves (his were falling apart), a colander to strain his rice (sexy, huh?), and a card. He then gave me a dozen red roses and a card. It read:

On the front: “You and me sitting in a tree”
Inside written by the card company: “ K-I-S-S-I-N-G” which was followed by a description of our first kiss. J
Hand writing by him: “First comes love…” which was followed by a description of the first time that he told me he loved me and then the first time that I told him that I loved him.
If I had not been clueless, I should have predicted the next line to be “Then comes marriage…” It wasn’t there… but would soon be J

He then went to his coat and pulled out a little velvet, black box… about the size for a ring! He handed me the box… followed by an “Oh my…” from me. Something wasn’t quite right though… he wasn’t talking… he wasn’t on one knee… not exactly what I was hoping. Seeing my hesitation, he opened the box for me- a pair of diamond solitaire earrings. He said he had been saving for ten months and wanted me to have them.

Me with my new bling!

A little stunned, I put on the earrings… made an appropriate fuss over them. He then helped me with my coat and we were off. I didn’t know where we were going (he likes to surprise me- and I like being surprised). We headed toward Boston and chatted the whole drive there with Jack Johnson playing on my ipod through the radio.
We ended up at the Prudential Center at the Top of the Hub on the 52nd floor- a fabulous five star restaurant. Our reservations were for 8:30 and we arrived at 8:00, so we decided to check out the observation deck on the 50th floor. We asked the hostess if we could go down, but she informed us that the observation deck closed at 7:30. She suggested that we try anyway and explain that we were waiting for our table.
The elevator was still running to the 50th floor, so off we went. When the doors opened, we immerged and noticed that one side appeared to be a private party but the other side was dark… but the door was still open. Paul walked through to see if we could go on the deck… there was one girl finishing up things from the day, and she agreed to let us by. As Paul and I walked around, I kept straining to find Fenway Park. No luck. We turned a corner… the lights were out… no one was around. I was still looking for Fenway. Paul stopped, faced me and took my hands. He said that he had some good news and bad news. I could feel my eyes immediately welling with tears. The conversation from the night before suddenly dominated my thoughts- he is about to tell me that we are not in a place to consider marriage and should wait another year. I braced and heard “The bad news is that your earrings are fake” What? Seriously? “But this isn’t.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out another little black, velvet box… he said, “Karen Elizabeth… “ At which point, I remember biting my upper lip… watching him get down on one knee… and my saying “Absolutely!” I honestly don’t remember what else he said. I was stunned.

I don't really like the way I look in this picture, but I think you get the idea that I was stunned!

We stayed on the observation deck for just a few more minutes and then headed upstairs for our reservation. We were seated immediately- a table by the window overlooking the Boston skyline and the harbor. Our waiter came by shortly (Tom- fabulous!) and asked if we had any questions and rattled off the specials of the night. I realized that while I had been staring at the menu- I hadn’t read a word. So, I told him that I was still a little stunned and held up my left hand. He graciously offered to give us more time. JI ended up ordering the three course meal: braised short ribs with homemade gnocchi, salmon in a cream and sausage sauce, and creme brulee. Paul had the apple butternut squash soup and pad thai tofu (and a little of my dessert- he doesn’t care for sweets).
For two hours, we were the only ones that knew. We talked about the wedding, how he had spoken to my dad at Christmas, and how he had been saving for the ring since the second month we were dating- that he did quite a bit of research- and was able to pay cash.

Top of the Hub- overlooking the skyline and Boston Harbor.

The hour and a half drive home was filled with phone calls to family and close friends. I discovered that my dad had somehow managed not to tell my mom about his talk with Paul.
I do not remember a lot of the details once he dropped me at home. But I do remember that his text message to me that night to let me know that he was home said- goodnight my fiancé.

Our "anniversary" of sorts...

2009-01-29T07:46:00.002-06:00

Anniversary implies something more than dating usually (something a little more permanent... ), but not in this case. Today, Paul and I have been dating for one year. The longest ever relationship for me! I am quite thankful for what he has brought into my life. I am turning into a sap because of him (for those of you that know me well, that is quite a feat!)
The other day we were on the topic of "what would happen if..." and he said that he hoped that I would date again if the unthinkable happened. I told him that I didn't think that would be possible- he has spoiled me! No one would come anywhere close! He responded, " Well, I am doing my job then."
So, happy anniversary, babe! I love you!

Promised pictures

2009-01-16T10:45:00.004-06:00

In and Out Burger run! Did you know they have verses printed on the bottom of their cups???
Point Reyes in California... this was just before the fog rolled in!
Oh, the House of Pies! This is my favorite... French Silk :)

More to come later... they are on my other computer. Happy New Year!

Christmas Travels

2009-01-08T09:50:00.003-06:00

Well, I had a fabulous time with family filled with adventures... here are some of the high (low) lights in no particular order!

1) I caught a stomach virus (lovely) the second day with my family... down for two days... didn't eat much for 5-6 days.
2) Got to go the House of Pies! I'll post pics later...
3) Spent time with my extended family on my father's side. Bought my cousin's 4 year old a "knight in shining armor" set. His mom said that she was glad they only came to Texas once a year... oops!
4) Lost my luggage while going from Houston to San Francisco... I was a mess! I knew that would have to meet his family the next day (ok... I had already met most of them)... I had nothing with me! Luckily, our luggage came in the next morning. I applied makeup at the airport and headed to meet the rest of the family.
5) Had Pappacito's with my family! YUM!
6) Went shopping with my cousin Julie, my sister, and my Aunt... got some great $9 shoes!
7) Went to Point Reyes with my honey! Saw elephant seals and lots of fog.
8) Went to Napa Valley- the wine tastings were either closed or ridiculously crowded... so didn't taste anything. Beautiful area though!
9) Flight home was canceled. We were rerouted and arrived 45 minutes earlier than the canceled flight was supposed to land :)
10) Got a Wii for Christmas from Mom and Dad! Any game ideas? Paul and I are loving it!

Ice Cream

2008-12-08T08:30:00.002-06:00

Paul's mom makes the best English toffee... all we have left of the care package she sent are the crumbles. So, Paul suggested that they go well over ice cream.

So last night I went to the grocery store to do my last shopping trip before going to Texas... and bought my favorite ice cream... chocolate chip. I immediately went to church after going to the grocery store. The temperature here is so cold there was no need to take my items out of the car (to put in the refrigerator) while I was in church. But... my precious ice cream made the trip to the church freezer... I didn't want to risk wasting it. That would be a travesty!

Driving home, I realized that I left my ice cream in the freezer... ugh.

My redneck roots are still alive and kicking!

2008-11-30T15:54:00.002-06:00

So, I have been recently distraught that my bathtub will not hold water long enough for me to take a bath. I tried to stop the drain by placing an upside down plate over the drain... no luck. Also, contacting my maintenance guys seemed too time consuming...

This Thursday (Thanksgiving)... I was longing to soak in my bathtub. I had been working quite hard to get over strep and frankly the thought of having to stand for a long time in the shower was more than I could take... so I tried covering the drain with duct tape... it worked!

I am so classy!

Pictures

2008-11-11T19:39:00.006-06:00

I haven't posted any pictures lately... so here are a few recent ones :)

Here is Anita playing in the leaves!

Here Paul and I are... err... picking apples at a local orchard.

The pumpkin I carved!

Me at the basketball hall of fame in the sport's caster booth.

A rainy Thursday afternoon...

2008-11-06T13:43:00.002-06:00

So, I should be reading and preparing a presentation that I am going to give in Dallas next week, but I'm not. Blogging seems much more interesting.

Random thoughts for today:
1) I really like teaching. I gave up the classroom when I started work on my PhD, but this year I am teaching a senior level class for college students that are planning to be teachers. I am quite enjoying it... I brought them cookies today (part of the lesson)...

2) At the gym on Monday, Paul and I were doing weights (on a particularly evil machine), when I saw an older lady fall off the treadmill. She just moved backwards on the treadmill and then I saw her feet above her head! I was surprised at how paralyzed I was... I was across the room from her so I couldn't decide if other people closer where going to do something. When they didn't, I ran to the main desk. By the time I got there, the girl at the counter had figured out something was going on and called 911. She was still on the floor when we left. I checked on Wednesday, the older lady is fine.

3) I just found out that I am going to receive a pre-dissertation fellowship. I was quite pleasantly surprised. I didn't know I was even being considered!

4) Rainy days kill my hair... so why do I bother?

5) I can't wait to get my Christmas music back on my ipod! It's November :)

Starbucks musings...

2008-11-02T16:12:00.002-06:00

My brain is mush... you will be quite pleased to know that I have my rough draft complete for my lit review.

I have decided that I must not have much of a life... last night (Saturday night), I spent the evening camped out at Panera bread until it closed.... working on my paper. Ugh. To top it off, I didn't eat part of my dinner that night so that I could have a cookie while at Panera (I ate at Moe's- good place for Tex-Mex up here... but that isn't saying a lot).

I got to Panera... ready for my chocolate chipper as they call it... they were out. I asked the girl "helping" us if there were any other cookies. She was no help... wouldn't check. Just told me that was it. So, being the mature graduate student... I pouted. I refused to buy coffee either. I just sat there with my water and using their free wi-fi.

So, I went to Starbucks to work after church today... Paul bought me a cookie :) Good man....

What I should be doing...

2008-11-01T08:56:00.002-05:00

I should be writing a lit review and research proposal... but blogging is more fun (maybe I am just trying to get my writing juices flowing!)

So, for Halloween this year... I left my porch light on... and stood poised with tootsie roll candy. Paul chose this because I don't really like it so I am not tempted to eat it :) 5 o'clock rolls by... 5:30... 6... 6:30.... just when I think no one is going to come by... a pretty little princess and her mom show up. She is a neighbor of mine that I had yet to meet. I let the princess take more than one :) I had plenty. Sadly, there are no other trick-or-treaters. But at least I had one!

Paul and I fell asleep later watching the Nightmare before Christmas.

Pretty great Halloween!

New Englad Fall

2008-10-13T14:16:00.004-05:00

My top ten favorite things...

10. Starbucks new hot chocolate flavors are out :)
9. Colors! I have a favorite bright orange tree on my way to school...
8. Sweaters! I am so cold natured... I love pulling out my old, but new to me, wardrobe of warm stuff!
7. Boots! Enough said...
6. Christmas is getting closer...
5. Fresh, straight from the orchard, apples!
4. Pumpkin carving- we are having a party here on Thursday night... I'll post pics later.
3. Being in a place where there is a real fall... I love Texas, but this is hard to beat!
2. Corn mazes! Paul and I spent 3 1/2 hours in the "best one in the country" (according to their website) trying to find our way out! So very fun!
1. Everywhere I drive I feel like I am in a luxury car commercial- leaves billowing behind my 2002 Trailblazer.

A long absence...

2008-04-07T14:56:00.002-05:00

To my small but faithful readership, a sincere apology... it has been way too long since I have blogged.

Here is what is on my mind today...

The IRB... a lovely invention. I don't know why this was new to me, but every time you undertake a research project it must be approved by this lovely institution.

After several revisions, I finally had my most recent one approved! Yea! Only to realize that I need to make a couple of extremely minor revisions. I spoke with one of the lovely IRB people and he promised that he could handle it today if I make the revisions and got to his office by 4 (current time 2:40). After making the minor revisions and getting the 2 additional signatures, I was quite proud of myself as I walked the "third" version over (current time 3:20). I walked into his office only to be told that it was not right. I asked for clarification. He said "sit tight" and he would handle it. So, I said, "Oh, would you like me to wait here?" He responded, "NO." So, I responded, "I guess I did not understand what 'sit tight' meant." He said he would not be able to get to it today... I left feeling quite stupid. Ugh.

I'll blog more later...

The Adventures of New Year's Eve

2008-01-15T14:33:00.001-06:00

Being a full-time grad student that lives 1,800 miles away from "home" comes with interesting challenges. I spent New Year's Even with friends in Texas. Little did I know that one of the planned parties was also a formal one. Well, I didn't bring anything formal to Texas with me... even though I have some great ones. So, I didn't have it in my budget to buy anything new. I set out to borrow everything. Shoes... dress... jewelry... appropriate undergarments... everything. After a day of searching... I think it turned out just fine. So, I just may have to give myself the title... of Superhero Grad Student. Able to spend no money and complete an entire outfit!

Random Events of 2008 thus far... Swing Dancing, Movies, and Running

2008-01-15T13:41:00.000-06:00

Well, I went to a swing dancing class. I thought that I had come a long way in my short semester of working on "my moves." Hmm... well not quite far enough. Last Wednesday, we attended a class in East Hartford. It took my dancing with three different partners before I discovered that I was trying to dance a 6 count step to an 8 count. Ugh... I was dismissed to the "dummy" section. My pride took a hit.

Awful movie... Running with Scissors. The quote on the front said one of the funniest movies of the year. They lie. It was incredibly depressing.

Running... I finally agreed to train for a marathon. Yep... I... who came in last place in the 1 mile run in high school track (needless to say I was only on the team for a semester)... I am training. I am one week in. My heart rate was obnoxiously high at the beginning last week and running even a short distance (less than 2 minutes) just about laid me down flat. I can tell some improvement this week. My heart rate is lower... not by much... but I can tell the difference.

*For those readers that may not know, I am not planning to run a marathon until January of 2009. EEK!

So, I started keeping track of my "stats".... being such a math nerd anyway. My sister-in-law has encouraged me not to watch my actual weight... but I am keeping track anyway. One of my friends of the male persuasion also said that I should not pay attention to my weight because while I was training I would be gaining muscle which weighs more than... uh... the other tissues. Lovely euphemism, huh :)

My First Connecticut Snow Storm

2007-12-13T22:47:00.000-06:00

This one was named Alexander. I thought my car provided an interesting yardstick...

Here is my car around 12:30 pm... (the snow began around 11:00... I got home around 12:15)

Here is my car around 3:30...

And finally at 5:00...

Needless to say, I have some shoveling to do in the morning!

Minneapolis Trip

2007-11-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

I just got back from Minneapolis... my first time to venture to Minnesota. Quite clean and lots of things to do. Here is my favorite pic.... notice the statue in the background. I will update more soon...

My home...

2007-10-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

I have had some requests to see my cute little home... so here are some pics. It has already changed some... but I would want to clean before taking more pictures, and unfortunately my take-home midterm in stats is keeping that far away from me... ugh.

Fall Pics

2007-10-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

For all of you that wanted to see a New England fall... here is what I found this weekend.

Random stuff...

2007-10-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

So, I am not always the smartest about what my body can handle. I decided to play volleyball without knee pads... I still have bruises over a week and a half later.

I also have had requests for pictures of New England in the fall... enjoy!

The view from my study spot (about a block from my house- above and below)

The view from my house
Pictures from Anita's Visit last weekend- this is called the tower in West Hartford

Frustration

2007-09-15T16:00:00.000-05:00

So, I knew that not living near a Chick-fil-A would be difficult... but not ridiculous.

Plan A: On Tuesday, I was craving a chicken biscuit and sweet tea... so I decided to look up where the closed Chick-fil-A was... 68 miles away (1.5 hours)... ugh... but ok. I could still swing that- until I discovered that they didn't served breakfast.

Plan B: try the new McD's chicken biscuit. So I ventured to McD's before work on Wednesday only to discover they had never heard of it. So, the substitute chicken biscuit isn't going to be an option either... ugh...

I want some southern food.

First Day

2007-08-27T19:13:00.000-05:00

Ok... so I am a nerd. I took my picture on the first day. Not a great shot, but I had to do it myself.

The Transfer Station

2007-08-27T19:02:00.000-05:00

I have ventured into the world of green. It's not that I am opposed to recycling- it's just that Texas does not make it that easy. So, being the dutiful Yankee, I ventured to the transfer station (because it is not actually the dump- they take your stuff and transfer it.)

So, on my way to work for the first time, I decided to stop. As I am heaving trash bags into the cavern for the true trash, a women in a small white compact car yells, "Hey, you're to pretty to do that! You should have a guy do that for you." So, of course, I called her a sweetheart and decided that was a pretty good start to my day.

Next I had to recycle my paper. So, I had to yell across the lot to the attendant. Since I had never done this before, I did not know if I had to take the paper out of the plastic bag before throwing out the paper (in hindsight- it was a dumb question.) The woman in the white cars yells a second time, "Wow- you're pretty AND southern!" I guess I still have my Texas roots.

Second odd experience...

2007-08-22T21:42:00.000-05:00

Apparently sharp cheddar cheese in New England is not a bright orange color like Texas... it is white. Strange things are afoot at the local Big K supermarket.

First odd experience...

2007-08-21T21:53:00.000-05:00

Well, at least this is the first one about which I will write....

So, my friends at school (namely Julie and Jaimie) and I had a tradition of going to Wendy's for lunch every Tuesday. With the insanely short lunch time, we had to get it down to an art.
*I would dismiss my class about 30 seconds early- impatiently wait for the last student to leave...
*Lock my door and run for my car (seriously!)
* Drive around and meet my friends who were panting from their recent sprint
*Dash to Wendys... stealthily avoid cops and red lights....
*Turn left across traffic into the mecca of school lunches
*Order the usual (jr. cheeseburger delux, small fries, small (or medium) DP- depending on the day...
*Speed back to school and eat our plunder in less the 5 minutes (that is all we had before students were back in the classrooms...) Ahhh.....

So, in honor of those friends and today being Tuesday... I used my GPS to find a Wendys for lunch (after leaving the closest Target to my home (which mind you is 20 minutes away!) )

According to the GPS, it was a mere 1.9 miles away. 1.9 miles away my foot! I drove for at least 15 minutes... spotted the Wendys and ordered. I was little apprehensive that they would not have any DP... but alas... they did!

I was thrilled... until I noticed.... No ice??? Is this a Yankee thing??? Or just an absurd practice by this random Wendys. I decided not to be angry... after all, being the math-nerd that I am... I got more of the elixir for my money than I had expected! :)

To top it all off... I had to go back to Target after the Wendy's jaunt... and just as I was about to make the final turn into Target... a Wendy's sat proudly on the corner.

Kicking and Screaming

2007-07-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

In honor of my best friend, I am naming my first blog kicking and screaming. She reluctantly made a blog as am I.

With my new adventure coming up soon, I thought this would be a great way to keep all of the people that might want to keep up with my new life in Connecticut!

Just to make things more interesting, here is a picture from my going away party last night.