02.03.10 DIFFA auction

Tonight was the DIFFA auction to raise money to fight AIDS in which Juan and a few co-workers designed a doghouse to auction. The 4 hour event was a fantastic affair with hundreds of different donated items and services to bid on. There was also and open bar and delicious food. Juan bid $400 on a Hotel ZaZa package that included the room, dinner for 2 at Dragonfly, and a couples massage. I bid $190 on a 5-piece handmade pillow set; but then Juan bid immediately after me on the exact same item for $210! I think he missed the point that we were together. We didn't win either, but it was a fun evening - especially for Juan. The doghouse sold for $600 and the entire team was thrilled to be a part of the event.

02.02.10 Shopping - Not my Forte

I have never enjoyed clothes shopping, hence the reason I only go about once a year...and only when I am in dire need of something. Tomorrow is the DIFFA auction and it is cocktail attire, so I begged my mom to go shopping with me after work. I always do my shopping with my mom. I need her opinion and assistance with the mounds of clothes I end up trying on. She is so great! After about 2-1/2 hours at both JCPennys and Sears we struck out. I did find a pair of slacks and a new suit, but no cocktail attire to be found....hmmpphh.

02.01.10 In the Air Again!

Both Juan and I had to travel again today for work. Juan headed North to Kansas City, KS, while I headed west to Los Angeles, CA. I spent seven hours in the air today for a 1 hour meeting! That is just crazy. I met with OSHPD, the state health department, for the West Hills project. It was a long day, but at least I won't miss half a work day traveling back tomorrow and I get to sleep in my own bed with my hubby!

01.31.10 New Chair Cover

My friend, Sarah, was looking for someone to sew her a new chair cover for her upstairs bedroom. I took Mom over to Sarah's house today to take a look at the design and see if it was something she could do. She also got a chance to see the house expansion they completed. Mom is not 100% sure she can recreate the chair cover without a pattern, but she took it home to study. Afterwards, Mom and I went to the Galleria to see the doghouses and do a bit of shopping. We followed that off with lunch at the Grand Lux and dessert at Sprinkles Cupcakes....YUM!

01.30.10 Jaime's Girls for Christmas

Juan's brother, Jaime, brought his three girls over today to celebrate a belated Christmas. The girls were with their mother in San Antonio over the holidays and once they returned I was recovering from surgery. We gave Orianna and Amore scrapbook kits with all the photos and supplies necessary to complete an entire album. We gave Amani, the youngest, a playdough kit; but she wanted to scrap with the big girls, so I gave her some old paper and extra photos and she went to town. All three girls spent hours with their scrapbooks and even finished a few pages. They are so sweet and always excited to come over and craft.

01.29.10 White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I love Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake! Ever since I moved to Dallas, almost 10 years ago, the Cheesecake Factory has been one of my favorite eateries. I am sad to say that we have not been there in over a year, so tonight we headed there for dinner. In my opinion, their food is just ok, but the dessert makes the entire trip worth while. White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake is my favorite.  My husband is not much for sweets, so he didn't order a piece, just wanted to steal bites from mine! So I told him I wanted him to be my POTD and this is how he posed... LOL he cracks me up! 

01.28.10 Project Life Albums Arrive

Yeah! Our Project Life Albums have arrived. I bought one for my sister as an early birthday present. We attempted to put them together this evening, but realized very quickly that we would need the photos each week to be satisfied with the layout. Neither of us are the types to just select randomly, everything must be planned and coordinated. The kit is beautiful though, the colors are bright without being overpowering. I'm anxious to print out my photos to date. Oh and by the way, Jakob LOVED the box they came in!

01.27.10 Science Fair Judge

Today I was invited to judge the science fair projects at Christie Elementary School. My friend, Miriam, is in charge of the Science Fair.  I really enjoyed seeing all of the imaginative creations of these youngsters.  It is amazing to see these 3rd, 4th, 5th, even 1st and 2nd graders grasping the Scientific Method and create their own hypothesis, test variables and come to their own conclusions. This year I helped judge the 4th graders and there were quite a few projects that contained all of the individual aspects of the Scientific Method, as well as an interesting experiment. The best part of the day was the interviews of students whose projects we felt were 1st place contenders. We interviewed four individuals and they were amazing to listen to. I expected at least one of them to confess their project was completed with A LOT of parental help; but instead each student was articulate in how they came up with the idea, how much help they received, and how they were amazed by the outcomes. It's a joy to see that there are obviously teachers doing something right and steering students into Science; or at least fostering their intrigue.

01.26.10 Dinner with Miriam

Juan and I met Miriam for dinner at the Grand Lux in the Galleria this evening. I hadn't seen her for what seemed like weeks. She told us about her new pet, a hairless rat! That is one crazy girl. We laughed a lot and entertained the waitress completely. Afterwards, we headed out to the mall to see the other Doghouse's that were designed and donated for DIFFA. I was surprised that there were only four, but the one Juan was involved with turned out very cool.

01.25.10 Morning Wake-Up

I am NOT a morning person, especially on Mondays. Even if I go to bed early, I am a girl who loves her sleep. My office hours are 7:30am-4:30pm daily. Juan's office hours are 8am-6pm Mon-Thurs and 8am-noon on Friday. This means I am the one to set the alarm, turn off the alarm, and get up first; at least that is the plan. Our alarm is set for 6:15am every morning, yet I am lucky if I manage to drag myself out of bed before hitting the snooze button at least 5 times. I even set both the radio alarm and the buzzer alarm, to no avail. For the past year or so I have tried to trick myself and set the clock 15 minutes ahead, hoping that I will get up sooner; but I know it's 15 minutes ahead, so I just do the calculations in my head before slapping that snooze and turning over for .... just 5 more minutes.  Pretty pathetic, I know.