House Search, Part 2

Matt and I are heading back to Dallas today to look at another round of houses. Also, tonight we're seeing TOOL in Fort Worth with Mike Shannon and Rhiannon. Oh, and I got my own pair of bowling shoes!

Other news: Emily is officially a college graduate! On Saturday she got her diploma and we had a party at Uncle Johnny and Aunt Cindy's to celebrate.

The last three days, in pictures

I'm too tired to write a real post right now...so here's a summary of my last three days in picture form.

Austin:

Lisa and Miles, with eager (and not so eager) helpers Liz, Travis, and Darby

Miles and "Aunt" Camei

Uncle Matt, Aunt Camei, and Miles

Landscaping project with Emily:
Wahoo!

Emily graduates from A&M tomorrow - whoop!

new bowling record

I blew my previous bowling high score out of the water yesterday. Previous record: 77. New record: 123. And I got a turkey. I'd be more pleased but it was pretty much good luck that got me that high. I'm equally proud of my 90 because it was more consistent.

Emily and I went to Home Depot and talked with a couple different women about plant options for the duplex. It was very exciting! We're going to tackle the project when she's done with finals.

I think I'm going to Austin tomorrow to visit cousin Lisa and baby Miles!

I have all manner of plant matter and dirt...

...under my fingernails. The last couple days I've been working off my nervous energy and excitement about our house search by pulling weeds and trimming the bushes at the duplex. Actually, I'm formulating a master landscaping plan just for fun and this weekend I may hit up property owner John for some funds to get at least some of it made a reality.

We're heading to Dallas tomorrow to look at houses with Jerry Washam! Seven, actually, which should take up a good chunk of time. Matt's been working on loan stuff really diligently and so the next step is to, you know, find a house! We're taking the camera and will take lots of pictures. :)

Tonight's Grey's Anatomy episode was a two-hour event setting the Addison spin-off TV show in motion. I liked the idea, and I like the character of Addision, but none of the people she met in LA really did anything for me. Oh, and the thing with Meredith's dad (no spoilers here, just in case someone hasn't watched their DVRed episode yet) made me mad.

nothing says "Happy Birthday" like castration

Matt hit the quarter century mark on Tuesday and we celebrated like any proper residents of the Lone Star State should - by castrating some calves. Okay, this wasn't actually Matt's preferred birthday activity, but Mom and Dad needed our help with the seven bull calves. So we trucked up to the ranch. Mike Shannon and Claude Locke were also wrangling with us. Mom and Dad had already trapped the boys in the barn, so we had part of our work done for us. We had to catch each calf with a rope around their neck, the men tackled the poor little boy, spread their back legs apart, and Dad popped an industrial-strength rubber band around their balls. The end. Those pesky things should just drop off eventually. It sounds pretty horrific but it is a lot less painful and more sanitary than cutting things.

After the castration, we helped Claude play with his dock (work temporarily halted when he dropped his wrench into the lake...oops). Then we messed around for a while. Matt and I are going with Mike and his daughter to a Tool concert next month, so we exposed the 'rents to their music before dinner. Mom made us an awesome birthday dinner - Cornish game hen, wild rice, fresh green beans, with pineapple upside down cake for dessert. Mike stuck around for both dinner and the requisite bonfire afterwards, which was really fun. Overnight we had a gnarly storm - mostly LOUD wind and rain at the ranch, but it spawned tornadoes in both the Metroplex and College Station. The morning dawned clear though, enabling us to do some chainsawing and burning of another dead tree, and Mom and I sprayed the cows for black flies.

Matt and I went on to Dallas on Wednesday so we could have birthday celebration #2. Matt bowled with Dad and Jerry that afternoon, and then we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner with John and Susie, had angel food cake with pink icing (a Matt tradition) for dessert, and watched the last two episodes of Planet Earth on the Roberts' HD. Then we came on back to College Station yesterday.