Seafood Fest

Last weekend, our neighborhood had an awesome Seafood Fest in the cul-de-sac. Each family chipped in, and we made steamed lobsters and grilled shrimp for the adults and burgers and dogs for the kids. The weather was perfect (no humidity, sunny and mid-70s) and the drinks were yummy!!

The only damper in the day was the moment that Maya announced that my camera had "stopped working." I'd let her use it to take pictures of the event, and after a bit of prodding, I managed to get her to admit that she'd accidentally dropped it a few times. At least I managed to retrieve her pictures before declaring it a total loss. All-in-all, she did a pretty decent job playing photographer, and now I have an excuse to get the digital SLR camera I really wanted. Nice.

Check out her pics here.

The Jungle Book (2008)

It's no secret that naturally curly hair runs in my family. And being a working mom (and having to deal with two little ones in the morning), it's often easier to just opt for braids, at least part of the time. Nadia hates having her hair done every morning, and it saves us both a lot of headaches (no pun intended).

However, when I finally take the braids out, it's pretty funny . . . and reminiscent of Mowgli from one of my favorite Disney movies.

Yep, I'm almost 38 ...

I know this because my idea of a fun weekend is hanging out in some lady's basement with a bunch of other 30-something women, drinking wine and margaritas and scrapbooking for 48 hours. I know most people wouldn't understand this, so I'm not going to try and explain the lure. But trust me when I say that it's nice to be able to:

• Stay up as late as you want (without worrying about having to play 'Mommy' in the morning).
• Do what you want to do (in peace) for two whole evenings.
• Not have to think about how to document the configuration of XML files or the uninstallation and migration of new software products.

At least for those glorious few hours, I did nothing but consume chocolate and baked brie and use the other (creative) side of my brain for a change.

Feel free to check out more pages here: Favorite scrapbook pages.

Surprise!!

This past weekend my younger brother, Chip, took on a major undertaking and threw a surprise birthday party for his wife, Nicole. Somehow he managed to coordiate a band, decorate the house, organize a Lousiana-themed menu, and invite all of Nicole's friends and students from Auburn University and New Orleans. Although the night was a success, we all realized that any parties planned in the future will include the help of his wife, Nicole -- who incidentally specializes in party planning!!

Here are a few pictures I took with my brother, my dad, and Nicole. Tony stayed back home to play in his company golf tournament, and Mom (who helped with the food) had already taken all of our kids home to bed.

The New Georgia Aquarium?

Now that our company has officially been acquired, our office is getting a makeover. The color scheme is a little questionable. . . but hey, no one asked me my opinion, so I'll keep it to myself.

Some of our walls now have a lovely aqua color. It seemed to make the fish happy.

But since the fish didn't make everyone here happy, they sadly swam away.

What Dog Breed Are You?

At first, I was a little suprised to see my results, until I read the description. I guess I can see it.

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Chihuahua: The Socialalite
Your single most amazing trait, dah-ling, is that you are charming and gregarious and gorgeous and lively. Oops! That was more than one. No worries, dear, it wouldn't be the first time the rules have been bent for you! Your charisma, combined with the fact that you can really dish out a good yap when push comes to shove, means you have no problem putting on the dog in order to get what you want. But it's not all about you! N-n-n-n-no-ooo! You simply adore your best friend and love your family to pieces, enjoying every precious little teeny tiny moment you spend together. And children? Well, you love the idea of them, but don’t necessarily need them hounding you day and night, right? Come now, honey, let's face it- children just do not appreciate a good sweater.

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Want to take the quiz? Check it out at Dogster.com.

Dedicated to Maxwell

One of my blogging buddies, Agent317x, has been having a little trouble with his beloved Mini Cooper, Maxwell. He's blaming it on the one time he took Maxwell through an automatic car wash, although deep down he realizes that's just plain silly. (BTW - gotta give two thumbs up to the Goo Goo cash wash near my house . . . the best 3-minute, $9 car wash ever!)

Anywho, Maxwell's windows have been causing Agent317x a little trouble. I found some nifty advice that might help him out in a pinch.