The Helicopter

How cool is this backyard?  For a few weeks I've been hearing about the helicopter but had no real image in my head.  Now I know why I keep hearing so much about "Tess" and "Areee" and the helicopter!  This is definitely going to create toy envy, but I'm thrilled that Kariana loves her new playgroup friends.  

My Little Flower Girl

Didn’t you always want to be a flower girl when you were little? Trailing rose petals down the aisle ahead of the beautiful bride.

I am the girl who carries the flowers. 

This is the dress I dreamed of for hours. 

We’ve been preparing for Aunt Kari's wedding for some time.  After a few fashion shenanigans leading up to finding the perfect flower girl dress, I finally decided that my sweet flower girl would wear a simple smocked flower girl dress.  A smocked flower girl dress seemed simple enough . . no scratchy material or ribbons for an almost 2-year old to fuss with.  She wasn't in love with the dress but I figured with a few dress rehearsals under our belt everything would be fine.  I admit the dress rehearsals didn't go as well as I had hoped but Kariana seemed to like and was eager to wear her new ballet slippers that went with her dress.  I had to pry the shoes away from her a few times because I was scared she would get them dirty before the big wedding day!  We were half way there if the shoes met her approval, right? 

We explained to Kariana (as much as you can explain to an almost 2-year old) that we were going to fly in an airplane with Grandma and Grandpa to Aunt Kari's wedding and that Kariana was going to wear her pretty dress and look just like Aunt Kari.  We all "ohh'd" and "ahh'd" over Kariana's sweet smocked flower girl dress. We even coached Kariana to say Aunt Kari's name, which she pronounces as "Auntie Kari," in preparation for the big day.

Fast forward to the wedding day.  Kariana wanted nothing to do with her sweet smocked flower girl dress.  She screamed when it was time to put it on.  Apparently, it was a little too overwhelming for an almost 2-year old to look just like the beautiful bride.  This strategy totally backfired on me.  I had sort of hoped (okay, maybe wishful thinking) that we could convince Kariana to walk down the aisle by herself, but how can you really explain to an almost 2-year old that she is going to walk quietly and slowly down the aisle behind the ring bearers (ages 5 and 8 who performed their duties stupendously) to the front of the church with a bunch of strangers staring at her.  I quickly realized this was a tall order.  Kariana is typically a very outgoing toddler, but I think all of the strange faces "ohh'ing and "ahh'ing" over her that weekend was also a bit too overwhelming.  In the end, I decided it would be best if I carried my sweet unsuspecting flower girl down the aisle.  Not exactly how I planned it, but nothing really goes "as planned" when dealing with a 2-year old.  On the positive side, I guess my dream of being a flower girl finally came true.

Thanks to the beautiful bride and her charming husband for a wonderful wedding and weekend!  Now, we have to work on how to say "Uncle Eddie"!

The flower girl trying to escape her duties!

The flower girl with her new boyfriend, Owen (3 years old) or Big "O" for short.

Kariana with Grandma Kelly and Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Wilson at the rehearsal dinner.

The flower girl with her cousin, Brita (3 years old), at the wedding reception

Oregon Coast with Grandma & Grandpa

We all packed up and headed to the Oregon Coast for a few days before Aunt Kari's wedding.  Kariana was excited to be going on vacation with Mom, Dad and Grandma & Grandpa Bergen and this meant Mom and Dad had extra hands to help on the 4 hour plane ride -- ugh!  This year Kariana knew she was flying on a big airplane all the way to see Aunt Kari and Grandma & Grandpa Carlson.  Kariana was a great traveler and even received a few compliments from other passengers after the flight -- what a relief!  The weather at Salishan was gorgeous the first few days we were there . . .  not a cloud in the sky.     

Kariana LOVED the beach!  Kariana had a blast playing in the sand with her new bucket and shovel and Kariana and Grandma enjoyed getting their toes wet in the ocean. They made sand castles and I'm not sure who had more fun, Kariana or Grandma?  

Lots of sunshine meant great naps by the fireplace in the afternoon after lunch!  Here is Kariana having lunch in Grandma's & Grandpa's room while Mom and Dad got away for a few hours.  

And back to the beach for more fun in the sand.  The overcast sky on our last few days didn't stop Kariana. She just put on her new pink hoodie and off she went.   

Kariana also enjoyed swimming at the pool and dipping her toes in the hot tub at Salishan.  Here she is showing off her pink floaties!

First French Braid

The ladies braided Kariana's hair today at playgroup and sent me this picture.  I don't know why but it made my day!

When Going Home Doesn't Feel Like Home Anymore

Kicking back & relaxing

Around August of each year Tobin and I have had enough of Houston’s brutal summer heat and start to become a bit nostalgic. He thinks about the Oregon Coast and I become homesick for Austin. We try to get away from Houston for a few days and this year we knew we would be heading to the Northwest for Aunt Kari’s wedding in September so we decided to spend a few long weekends in Austin. Tobin has discovered Barton Creek’s golf courses and I get my Austin fix – a perfect compromise. Austin has grown tremendously since I left to attend school in Houston in the mid-90’s, but Austin is pretty much still the same organic town that I left. Yes, there are more roads, traffic continues to get worse, and Austin’s restaurants and shopping are more diverse, but the majority of my old Austin haunts are still there. I miss the lakes, Hippy Hollow, Barton Springs, Sixth Street, Austin City Limits, the UT Tower, the Capitol, and most of all, the Hill Country. These “Keep Austin Weird” and I am a huge proponent.

Houston, on the other hand, is a multicultural metroplex. It’s the fourth-largest city in the nation and spans approximately 600 square miles. The famed honky tonk Gilley’s is no longer in business, but Houston will always be known for its no-zoning ordinances (a developer’s dream), refineries that go on for miles, expansive concrete freeways where 80 mph is the norm, crawfish boils (as kids we caught these critters in the creek but didn’t eat them), king cakes (a cinnamon-roll like cake with sugary icing and traditional Mardi Gras colored sprinkles with a naked baby trinket inside), and least we forget, 100% humidity. These create Houston’s culture, which I had not experienced before moving here. As I heard someone say recently, “It’s a whole different world on the other side of I-45” referring to East Texas and Louisiana. Please don’t get me wrong. Houston is also home to an extremely sophisticated energy industry which I’ve seen stump many over-confident New York bankers, brokers and lawyers. There is that famous line “Yes, I live in Texas. No, I don’t ride a horse to work.” that comes to mind. In fact, only New York City is home to more Fortune 500 companies than Houston. Houston is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions — NASA's Johnson Space Center, where the Mission Control Center is located — the Port of Houston, one of the busiest ports in the U.S, Rice University, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, four professional sports teams and the Astrodome, the Eight Wonder of the World. Houstonians have a lot to offer.

I will never be a true Houstonian. I wasn’t born “inside the loop” or in one of Houston’s many suburban neighborhoods, but Houstonians have graciously accepted me and many other newcomers to their city. You will never catch me cheering for LSU. My blood runs Burnt Orange and my heart is at Darrell Royal Stadium on game day. When I walk around the 40 Acres, the 40 Acres feel the same and my heart skips a beat, but I feel old. Maybe it’s really me who has changed. I hope, for Austin’s sake, that its traffic continues to creep along at 55 mph and it doesn’t become so congested that it loses its laid back and relaxed quality of life. But Houston is my home now and going home to Austin doesn’t feel the same. At times I am okay with this, but at times I am not.

Feeding turtles & ducks on Lake Austin.

Swimming at Barton Creek.

A round of golf  . . . Par 3.

A game of chess.

The tortilla thief at Hula Hut.

Race to the bottom after BBQ at County Line.

. . . on the way home.  Kariana is a Houstonian.  I'm not sure how I feel about this so I prefer to refer to her as our first true Texan!

By Far The Best Purchase We Made This Summer

These $15 floaties are by far the best purchase we made this summer if only it hadn't taken us ALL summer to convince Kariana to wear them.  She wanted nothing to do with her hot pink floaties until dad finally convinced her to wear them one afternoon by the pool.  Okay, dad really bribed her and told her that she couldn't come swimming unless she at least gave them a try.  He was in the pool and she was eager to join him so I helped her put them on.  Viola!  Kariana loves her floaties.  She has freedom to swim, kick and splash as much as she wants without having to be held my mom or dad.  And mom and dad have their freedom back too!  Yippee!  Kariana even discovered that she can float on her back.  Doesn't she looked so relaxed?  I know . . . I know . . . there is probably some mommy & me swim class fanatic out there thinking that these floaties are compromising all of the progress we are making in swim class.  Yes, that mommy & me swim class fanatic is me but I've decided I don't really care if it saves my back and me from having to tote Kariana around the swimming pool all day.