Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I've been profiled.
My super cool friend Becca recently started a blog on the post-college experience. Each week she does a profile on various people she knows and their experiences. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Becca asking if she could feature me on her blog, and of course I had to say yes! So check it out... http://postcollegiate.wordpress.com/
Friday, August 20, 2010
It's a....
BOY!
Boy, oh, boy my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby boy! I get a nephew for Christmas! Madelyn is still wanting a baby sister. In fact, when they called my mom to tell her, Madelyn said she was getting a baby sister instead of a baby brother. It does vary from day to day on whether she wants a brother or sister, so there's hope that she will come around. If not, I imagine there will be lots of dress-up in Baby DJ's future.
That's what I always did. Anytime my brothers wanted me to play a game with them, they had to play my game first. I dressed them up in dance costumes and dresses until... well, let's just say it's a very good thing both of my brothers were so masculine. Otherwise, there was a possibility of them to grow up with cross-dressing tendencies.
Also, until a name has been decided on, I will be calling the baby "Baby DJ". Jay and my dad both have the initials of DJD, so the new baby will have the same. Let us know if you have any suggestions. My personal favorite is Dracula Jamie : )
Boy, oh, boy my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby boy! I get a nephew for Christmas! Madelyn is still wanting a baby sister. In fact, when they called my mom to tell her, Madelyn said she was getting a baby sister instead of a baby brother. It does vary from day to day on whether she wants a brother or sister, so there's hope that she will come around. If not, I imagine there will be lots of dress-up in Baby DJ's future.
That's what I always did. Anytime my brothers wanted me to play a game with them, they had to play my game first. I dressed them up in dance costumes and dresses until... well, let's just say it's a very good thing both of my brothers were so masculine. Otherwise, there was a possibility of them to grow up with cross-dressing tendencies.
Also, until a name has been decided on, I will be calling the baby "Baby DJ". Jay and my dad both have the initials of DJD, so the new baby will have the same. Let us know if you have any suggestions. My personal favorite is Dracula Jamie : )
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Worse with age?
I have come to the conclusion that one or all of the following three things is true:
1. My East Texas accent is getting worse with age.
2. I'm meeting more new people, who constantly notice my accent.
3. People have always noticed my accent, just never said anything (to my face).
I'm told that it's cute. Not sure if I believe that.
When I was in high school I used to tell people that I was going to take speech therapy to get rid of my twang. Perhaps it's time to start looking for a good (speech) therapist...
1. My East Texas accent is getting worse with age.
2. I'm meeting more new people, who constantly notice my accent.
3. People have always noticed my accent, just never said anything (to my face).
I'm told that it's cute. Not sure if I believe that.
When I was in high school I used to tell people that I was going to take speech therapy to get rid of my twang. Perhaps it's time to start looking for a good (speech) therapist...
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wedding Season, redux.
I just spent the better part of my morning sorting through my calendar for the next two months. It is not a pretty picture. The free time is very minimal!
I'm beginning to think that it's an old wives tale that most people get married in the spring. I officially have 5 weddings to attend this fall. Granted, it's not the 7 of this past spring, but 5 isn't much fewer. Plus, I'm not in any of these weddings, so there will be far fewer wedding-related events to attend. I'm also really excited about them! There's 2 C.A.R. weddings, a former roommate, cousin, and rowdy friends, so there should be some quality celebrating... even if it does get in the way of some of my football watching.
Mom had a check-up with the doctor yesterday. It's becoming a weekly date. They still can't get her meds regulated for the congestive heart failure. This isn't abnormal, sometimes it can take up to a year to figure this dosage out, though it's still a little frustrating! It probably wouldn't be as frustrating if we didn't have to get this done so we can move forward with her cardiologist in Houston.
Heading to Port A this weekend with my favorite DAR ladies for a State Junior Membership planning weekend. I have a feeling this will be a weekend of little work and a lot of play. I'm looking forward to it!
I'm beginning to think that it's an old wives tale that most people get married in the spring. I officially have 5 weddings to attend this fall. Granted, it's not the 7 of this past spring, but 5 isn't much fewer. Plus, I'm not in any of these weddings, so there will be far fewer wedding-related events to attend. I'm also really excited about them! There's 2 C.A.R. weddings, a former roommate, cousin, and rowdy friends, so there should be some quality celebrating... even if it does get in the way of some of my football watching.
Mom had a check-up with the doctor yesterday. It's becoming a weekly date. They still can't get her meds regulated for the congestive heart failure. This isn't abnormal, sometimes it can take up to a year to figure this dosage out, though it's still a little frustrating! It probably wouldn't be as frustrating if we didn't have to get this done so we can move forward with her cardiologist in Houston.
Heading to Port A this weekend with my favorite DAR ladies for a State Junior Membership planning weekend. I have a feeling this will be a weekend of little work and a lot of play. I'm looking forward to it!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
My little Legislator
I got to spend some quality time with the niece this past week. Madelyn and Lindsey were in Austin from Wednesday-Friday and then we went to Lufkin for the weekend. Minus her being the worst bedmate in the history of bedmates, it was a fun time! They came to the Capitol on Wednesday then they went to Seaworld on Thursday.
On Saturday I took Madelyn to the C.A.R. State Workshop in Liberty. I figure at her young age the Workshop is the best meeting to take her to because it requires the least amount of an attention span and there's so much going on with skits and such. She had a blast, though we didn't see a single skit. She spent the morning playing hide and seek in the hall with her friend Kristen, playing upstairs in the bedrooms of the Price Daniels Mansion, and being the special helper at lunch by taking drink orders and holding the cups while they were poured.
We had a fish fry at the lake on Saturday night with most of the Durhams. I love fish frys. And my Aunt Joyce's yummy pies. It was also good to be with most of my cousins. We don't all get together as much now that everyone (minus me, Brad, and Edward) has kids.
Here's a cutie patootie picture of Madelyn that I took of her when she visited my office at the Capitol. Who wouldn't vote for this adorable politician?
On Saturday I took Madelyn to the C.A.R. State Workshop in Liberty. I figure at her young age the Workshop is the best meeting to take her to because it requires the least amount of an attention span and there's so much going on with skits and such. She had a blast, though we didn't see a single skit. She spent the morning playing hide and seek in the hall with her friend Kristen, playing upstairs in the bedrooms of the Price Daniels Mansion, and being the special helper at lunch by taking drink orders and holding the cups while they were poured.
We had a fish fry at the lake on Saturday night with most of the Durhams. I love fish frys. And my Aunt Joyce's yummy pies. It was also good to be with most of my cousins. We don't all get together as much now that everyone (minus me, Brad, and Edward) has kids.
Here's a cutie patootie picture of Madelyn that I took of her when she visited my office at the Capitol. Who wouldn't vote for this adorable politician?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
29.
I don't know if you know this, but I recently celebrated a birthday. And I promise I will stop talking about it. Soon. ish.
29. It's interesting being 29. I started freaking out when I turned 28. Not because it had anything to do with being 28, but because it made me think about 29. Why was I anxious about 29? Because next comes 30. 30 just seems so grown-up. And I don't always feel so grown-up.
Perhaps it's because of where I was when I turned 28. I had just moved into a new place. All. by. myself. And I didn't have a job, with very few options presenting themselves. I was driving a 10 year old car that was hanging on by a thread. The potential catastrophes that laid before me sat very heavy on my heart. Sometimes I could physically feel the pressure.
Luckily, I have amazing parents. Completely supportive and thoroughly convinced of my success in life. They handled my freak-outs and made me realize that while I was/am single, I am definitely not alone. That is comforting to even the most independent person. Because of them, I was able to keep it cool in front of everyone else. Otherwise I may not have been very fun to hang around all last summer and into the fall.
A job did come around. A job that I adore, with people that I respect. And there's so much to learn. And I'm learning. My car did die. It has been resurrected and is living a new life with my twin bro, but we had to part ways. I cried. And my new car just isn't the same, but I'm dealing. Living by myself hasn't been so scary. I've renewed my lease and will be hanging out with just the cats for at least another year. So, while I didn't begin 28 in the best of places, I'm content with where it ended.
That brings me back to 29. My last year before I'm a real grown-up at 30. I'm starting 29 in a comfortable place. I'm comfortable with my job, my home, my car, my friendships. Comfortable with my life. But we all know that comfortable can lead to complacent. And given that I'm such a creature of habit, comfortable can be a scary place for me. So, my goal for this year? Break out of my comfort zones.
With 30 around the corner, I have to get serious about what I really want in life as a grown-up. It's time to man-up and make plans. Otherwise, I'm going to be 40 living this exact same life, and while I think it's completely okay for a 29 year old, not so much for a 40 year old... Wish me luck!
29. It's interesting being 29. I started freaking out when I turned 28. Not because it had anything to do with being 28, but because it made me think about 29. Why was I anxious about 29? Because next comes 30. 30 just seems so grown-up. And I don't always feel so grown-up.
Perhaps it's because of where I was when I turned 28. I had just moved into a new place. All. by. myself. And I didn't have a job, with very few options presenting themselves. I was driving a 10 year old car that was hanging on by a thread. The potential catastrophes that laid before me sat very heavy on my heart. Sometimes I could physically feel the pressure.
Luckily, I have amazing parents. Completely supportive and thoroughly convinced of my success in life. They handled my freak-outs and made me realize that while I was/am single, I am definitely not alone. That is comforting to even the most independent person. Because of them, I was able to keep it cool in front of everyone else. Otherwise I may not have been very fun to hang around all last summer and into the fall.
A job did come around. A job that I adore, with people that I respect. And there's so much to learn. And I'm learning. My car did die. It has been resurrected and is living a new life with my twin bro, but we had to part ways. I cried. And my new car just isn't the same, but I'm dealing. Living by myself hasn't been so scary. I've renewed my lease and will be hanging out with just the cats for at least another year. So, while I didn't begin 28 in the best of places, I'm content with where it ended.
That brings me back to 29. My last year before I'm a real grown-up at 30. I'm starting 29 in a comfortable place. I'm comfortable with my job, my home, my car, my friendships. Comfortable with my life. But we all know that comfortable can lead to complacent. And given that I'm such a creature of habit, comfortable can be a scary place for me. So, my goal for this year? Break out of my comfort zones.
With 30 around the corner, I have to get serious about what I really want in life as a grown-up. It's time to man-up and make plans. Otherwise, I'm going to be 40 living this exact same life, and while I think it's completely okay for a 29 year old, not so much for a 40 year old... Wish me luck!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Pre-Birthdays, Birthdays, and Birthday Do-Overs
Hands down, I have the best family and friends around. I am so incredibly blessed.
I turned 29 on July 12. Surprisingly, I am very okay with this. At this moment, I am actually looking forward to my 30s. I'm kind of *so over* my 20s. I do, however, reserve the right to change that opinion. Especially 6 months from now.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to celebrate my birthday. A lot. My goal in life? To have my birthday declared a National Holiday. National Jamie (and Jay) Day has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
Each year another year of Jamie (and Jay) is rung in with much celebrating. First, there's the Annual Jamie and Marianne's Pre-Birthday Celebration in DC. This year was our 5th. My dear friend Marianne celebrates her birthday on July 16. We've been friends for 10 years now (crazy!), and have spent many of those years celebrating our birthdays together. Originally, this was done on C.A.R. Regional Tour. After our C.A.R. days had come to a close, Marianne moved to DC. I always find myself in DC around our birthday because of DAR, so what better reason for a bunch of our C.A.R. friends to get together than to celebrate us? These celebrations are usually nights of much shenanigans and debauchery, though this year was quite tame. Maybe we are finally maturing in our old age (29/26)? Ruth came up from Staunton, VA for the evening and we were joined by other TX former C.A.R. and some DAR friends. We hit up Iron Horse Tap Room, which was quite fun... even though Ruth broke my favorite flip flops and I had several bruises on the backs of my legs afterward. The pre-birthday was also celebrated with cupcakes on the 4th made by former intern Kaylee and being treated to dinner by Anne and Shannon at M&S grille.
Next, was my actual birthday. I had originally planned to celebrate in Austin with a happy hour with some friends, but that plan obviously changed once my mom went into the hospital. For the first time in years, I spent my birthday with my twin brother... even though there were no presents or even birthday cake on our actual birthday. My dad had left our presents at the lake house and no one had thought about a cake. I ended up going to dinner with Emily, which was very much what I needed. Afterwards, there ended up being quite the impromptu party at our casa, which turned around an otherwise abyssmal day.
My mom did get out of the hospital that day, and I got my birthday present when I went to visit the lake the next day. My great birthday present from the folks? A blender. That's right, a blender. Oh, and some cash. The reason why I was upset about the blender? I wanted a crock pot! No lie. I really thought that's what I was going to get after we had discussed the usefulness of a crock pot when Lindsey received 3 at a wedding shower this spring. But I do appreciate the thoughtfulness of my parents when they thought I could use a really nice blender to make fruity, frozen drinks.... something they thought I did often, but didn't realize it was only ever done at the lake. Oh well, they try.
I finally made my return to Austin that Thursday and was greeted at Trudy's by some friends, all planned by my cousin Bunker who was visiting Austin for the weekend. Andrea brought me a yummy Hey, Cupcake! and Bunker got me a Mexican Martini, definitely making up for a lackluster birthday. I have also been treated to birthday lunches by cousin Becky and Great Aunt Catherine, and have future dinners/lunches to look forward to with some of my favorite former co-workers, Sarah and Travis.
Last night I celebrated an official Birthday Do-Over with a happy hour at 219 West with some friends, and it was quite a success. It was fun to see many of my worlds collide: high school, Lufkin, DAR, Capitol, and political. Elizabeth brought yummy Delish cupcakes and I was treated to the very yummy treats they serve at 219 West (mini bugers and mini corn dogs... MMMM). Afterwards, Andrea and I decided to end the evening with a little champagne and a peaches and creme dessert at Cru. Absolute perfection.
So, I think it's safe to say that year 29 has been fully celebrated. I'm so grateful for everyone that has helped me embrace my last year of my 20s whether in person or spirit. It's been fun! And it's helped me forget about some of the more not-so-fun things that have been happening in my life.... so thanks!
I turned 29 on July 12. Surprisingly, I am very okay with this. At this moment, I am actually looking forward to my 30s. I'm kind of *so over* my 20s. I do, however, reserve the right to change that opinion. Especially 6 months from now.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to celebrate my birthday. A lot. My goal in life? To have my birthday declared a National Holiday. National Jamie (and Jay) Day has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
Each year another year of Jamie (and Jay) is rung in with much celebrating. First, there's the Annual Jamie and Marianne's Pre-Birthday Celebration in DC. This year was our 5th. My dear friend Marianne celebrates her birthday on July 16. We've been friends for 10 years now (crazy!), and have spent many of those years celebrating our birthdays together. Originally, this was done on C.A.R. Regional Tour. After our C.A.R. days had come to a close, Marianne moved to DC. I always find myself in DC around our birthday because of DAR, so what better reason for a bunch of our C.A.R. friends to get together than to celebrate us? These celebrations are usually nights of much shenanigans and debauchery, though this year was quite tame. Maybe we are finally maturing in our old age (29/26)? Ruth came up from Staunton, VA for the evening and we were joined by other TX former C.A.R. and some DAR friends. We hit up Iron Horse Tap Room, which was quite fun... even though Ruth broke my favorite flip flops and I had several bruises on the backs of my legs afterward. The pre-birthday was also celebrated with cupcakes on the 4th made by former intern Kaylee and being treated to dinner by Anne and Shannon at M&S grille.
Next, was my actual birthday. I had originally planned to celebrate in Austin with a happy hour with some friends, but that plan obviously changed once my mom went into the hospital. For the first time in years, I spent my birthday with my twin brother... even though there were no presents or even birthday cake on our actual birthday. My dad had left our presents at the lake house and no one had thought about a cake. I ended up going to dinner with Emily, which was very much what I needed. Afterwards, there ended up being quite the impromptu party at our casa, which turned around an otherwise abyssmal day.
My mom did get out of the hospital that day, and I got my birthday present when I went to visit the lake the next day. My great birthday present from the folks? A blender. That's right, a blender. Oh, and some cash. The reason why I was upset about the blender? I wanted a crock pot! No lie. I really thought that's what I was going to get after we had discussed the usefulness of a crock pot when Lindsey received 3 at a wedding shower this spring. But I do appreciate the thoughtfulness of my parents when they thought I could use a really nice blender to make fruity, frozen drinks.... something they thought I did often, but didn't realize it was only ever done at the lake. Oh well, they try.
I finally made my return to Austin that Thursday and was greeted at Trudy's by some friends, all planned by my cousin Bunker who was visiting Austin for the weekend. Andrea brought me a yummy Hey, Cupcake! and Bunker got me a Mexican Martini, definitely making up for a lackluster birthday. I have also been treated to birthday lunches by cousin Becky and Great Aunt Catherine, and have future dinners/lunches to look forward to with some of my favorite former co-workers, Sarah and Travis.
Last night I celebrated an official Birthday Do-Over with a happy hour at 219 West with some friends, and it was quite a success. It was fun to see many of my worlds collide: high school, Lufkin, DAR, Capitol, and political. Elizabeth brought yummy Delish cupcakes and I was treated to the very yummy treats they serve at 219 West (mini bugers and mini corn dogs... MMMM). Afterwards, Andrea and I decided to end the evening with a little champagne and a peaches and creme dessert at Cru. Absolute perfection.
So, I think it's safe to say that year 29 has been fully celebrated. I'm so grateful for everyone that has helped me embrace my last year of my 20s whether in person or spirit. It's been fun! And it's helped me forget about some of the more not-so-fun things that have been happening in my life.... so thanks!
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