There'll Be No Tamales This Year!

Guess what Friday is? Well, besides being Friday the thirteenth-it's my husband's birthday. Oh and it's Fidel Castro's birthday as well. I often tease my husband about all the traits he has in common with Fidel, such as: same birthdate and they're both dictators! (Just kidding!) sort of.

So here's my question for you-what should I do for my man? I know I can't top last years celebration! His mom and brother flew in from Mexico for ten days and on the day of his birthday we all gathered in the fellowship hall of our church and made homemade tamales with all the fixin's. (homemade salsa, refried beans, Mexican rice, guacamole,...) Okay, I'm drooling now! We had about fifteen friends over and we even sang Mariachi songs to him.

He doesn't have to work Friday. He wants to go to Busch Garden's during the day. He wants to play on his regular soccer team Friday night. I'm considering cooking a Beef Wellington and of course baking a cake; but there certainly will be no tamales for him this year! As far as his gift, well that's a secret!

HERE ARE A FEW - WELL ALOT - OF PICTURES FROM LAST YEARS BIRTHDAY GET TOGETHER.

DO Y'ALL KNOW HOW LABOR INTENSIVE MAKING TAMALES IS?

IT'S AN ALL DAY PROCESS!

MOTHER IN LAW AND BROTHER IN LAW GOT AN EARLY START MIXING THE MASA FOR THE TAMALES

ADDING THE CILANTRO TO THE CHICKEN (tamales filling)

CLINT PUT THE SHUCKS IN TO SOAK

SOME OF THE CORN SHUCKS FILLED WITH MASA

HELPING MY MOTHER IN LAW SPREAD THE MASA

JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY GOT INVOLVED WITH THE PREP

DIGGING IN

I FELL IN LOVE WITH THESE CUTE MARIACHI DANCERS WHICH MY IN LAWS BROUGHT ALL THE WAY FROM MEXICO





ADMIRING HIS NEW SOCCER CLEATS

SHANE GETS A HUG FROM HIS DAD HIS FAVORITE PRESENT--HIS MAMA

FATHER AND SON SHARE A BIRTHDAY HUG

AGUSTIN READY TO BLOW OUT ALL THOSE CANDLES

NIECES AND NEPHEW WITH THEIR "old" UNCLE

Meet "Delilah"

...the newest member of our family! Just look at that face!

I contemplated naming her "Angel" because she came to us like an Angel and has such a pleasant disposition. Shane has been bugging me for months to get a dog. We haven't had a pet since moving into this house FIVE years ago! We've been reading and researching about Corgis and Dachshunds, his first choice of a dog being a Corgi. Well, out of the blue, last Saturday while visiting my parents, we noticed a puppy roaming the streets. By afternoon, she had nearly been hit by several vehicles. My husband brought her into my mom's fenced yard and gave her water. As soon as I walked out onto the deck and got a good gander at her beautiful face and EYES, I was hooked! The following sentence came flying out of my mouth before I knew it: "If we can't find her proper owners, she is going home with us!"


We took her around to several neighbors. Not a one had ever seen her. She had a collar on but no tags when we rescued her from the street. We all noticed she was very clean. We sat on the deck, grilled out, let her play and nap all evening there in the yard. Not a single car slowed to seemingly look for a missing puppy.

Sooo... at the end of the night, when we loaded the truck to head home, guess who was in the haul? Yep, Miss Delilah!


We had spent the evening trying to think of the perfect name for her, you know, in case we did bring her home. We discussed Buffy (for her color), and a few other names. When Josh arrived (our 23 year old), he looked at her as she greeted him on the sidewalk. He gave her one or two pats, commented on her gorgeous eyes and her sweet face then blurted out: "You should call her "Delilah". The second I heard it, I knew that was it. She would now be "Delilah". Later in the day, he suggested "Cleopatra" because she appears to have black eyeliner around the green eyes, but no, "Delilah" had stuck! Later, I mentioned possibly calling her "Angel" but that didn't seem to stick either.


We've had a fun week with her, learning more about her little personality and she learning ours! She seems to have had some training. She sits automatically when you approach her with the leash or if you give her a treat. She lets us know when she needs to potty by pacing back and forth from the front door to the back sliders. She is very loving and affectionate as you'll see in the following photos. Shane has really shouldered his load of responsibilities with her. He bathed her last Monday and again today. She smells so good tonight! Thanks Shane!

She isn't a Corgi, but Shane is delighted with her-and she was FREE!! We will get her into the vet now and hopefully get a better estimate on her age. I'm guessing she is around four months. She is at that gangly stage, and still has those tiny, sharp puppy teeth. I'll always wonder what her history is. Is there a family missing her? Was she sat out in the neighborhood on purpose? What was her name before we dubbed her "Delilah"?

Shane says he still has a hankering for a Corgi, but he loves Delilah!



That dog is a CrAzY sleeper! Just look at some of her positions!

Of course, by the end of her first night with us, I had allowed her to break my one staunch rule-allowing her on the couch!

But she wanted to be right up against me each time I sat down and being the softy that I am, well...I now have to keep a sheet on my couch!


There is definitely nothing quite like a boy and his dog!

Another Little Girl All Grown Up

Just sitting here thinking about how so many of our friends are marrying off their daughters this summer!! Little girls with boo-boos became gorgeous brides and it seems this happened over night!. Two in particular tug at my heart strings.

In June, Mike and Kim proudly turned their beautiful daughter Amber over to Nathan. This past Friday, Justin and Summer saw their lovely daughter become Mrs. Aaron Hargis. It was a classic, elegant affair which was officiated by the bride's grandfather, Pastor Bruce Turner of Tampa, Florida. Aaron and Katelin sang to each other and the harmony in their voices was amazing! Directly after their honeymoon, they will be moving to Indiana where Aaron will begin his new job as youth pastor of a church there. We're so happy to see this energetic, young couple following God's will for their lives. Felicidades Aaron and Katelin! We love you!

My son Josh with Kate at her 19th birthday party just a few short months ago. They've been buddies since they were babies. I've enjoyed watching their brotherly/sisterly relationship over the years.

Katelin arrives in her limousine.



Life-long friend Cali was one of Katelin's bride's maids.


Justin walks his daughter down the aisle.
This is when I began to cry!

THE KISS!! Well one of the kisses. I think he kissed her three different times. It was so cute and of course we all laughed!

Katelin feeds Aaron his bite of cake.

The couple used a winter's theme as that was the season they fell in love. The dessert bar looked so cool and refreshing, with crystal candy bowls and vases full of rock candy on sticks in colors of white and cool blue. Grab bags were available for each of the guests to fill with Hershey's kisses, truffles, mini sparkling marshmallows, and many other miscellaneous sweets; all in white or cool blue. To help transform the gym into a winter wonderland, my son Josh cut down six large dead trees on Justin's property, brought them to the gym. They were placed behind the head table. The candlelight sparkling off the crystal dishes and mirrors on the tables, the icy color scheme, all helped set the ambiance Kate was going for.