ColeHappenings

5 months away...

2011-12-02T15:43:00.000-06:00

I just received an email from one of Madison's teachers. It says "...We are five months from the 2012 graduation..."
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Mixed feelings. For sure.

My new favorite sitcom

2011-11-29T21:29:00.000-06:00

I've been watching this on re-runs.

IT IS HILARIOUS!

Strep has struck

2011-11-27T15:23:00.001-06:00

Three weeks ago Scott was struck with Strep Throat. He didn't know that's what he had so he just went through life feeling tired with a sore throat until he was sleeping 18 hours a day!
He went to Dr. & diagnosed him immediately. Strong antibiodics.
Unfortunately Dillon had been home to visit before Scott was diagnosed. And you guessed it... must've contracted Strep. He went for about 2 weeks thinking he just had a cold.
Dillon got home Tuesday night & showed us his swollen throat. Ouch! The Dr. diagnosed him on Wed. morning & actually gave him 2 injections to get a powerful anitiodic into his system & get the swelling down.

Not so fast... we're pretty sure Scott's got strep again.

Look at him today. He says he's so cold & tired.

After church he came home & curled up on the couch with a random jacket (really? Michigan?).

I mean look at him... he's sleeping with shoes on?? You know he's sick.

What do these have in common?

2011-11-26T13:20:00.000-06:00

Each Saturday (today is no exception) I go to the gaas station & buy 2 cans of Mt. Dew.

It is the 'energy' I need to get my butt off the couch & busy around the house.

Works every time.

A-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah-gah! (Popeye's laugh)

Up and Move...

2011-11-22T20:45:00.001-06:00

My Aunt & her husband have decided to move to a nearby city. It feels like such an odd thing since they've lived in the same house for so many years, I think 12 or 13. But their kids have left home a few years ago & I think they're ready for the 'next chapter'. That's cool, right.
It made me start thinking of how many other people we've known who recently decided to 'move to the next chapter'. My cousin moved from a rental house when she bought her own house last summer.
Jared moved to Iowa & then back to Texas again within the past 10 months, so technically he opened two-chapters.
Dillon moved to College Station to go to college in August, he got his own apartment with a friend.
In a couple of weeks my parents will be moving to Texas for the winter.
So wow... people are just Up and Moving.

Madison's Senior Pictures

2011-11-22T20:24:00.000-06:00

A good friend of ours took Madison out to do a photo-shoot for Senior Pictures. Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!

Random pics this week

2011-11-21T00:06:00.001-06:00

Scott performed a wedding yesterday & I went along. Usually I take a few pictures during the ceremony but it was awkward with the small family gathering and I was obviously not family... so I waited until we were ready to go & took these cool little snapshots of the flowers & the program. Scott's name was so pretty at the bottom of the program. Neat, right?

One Saturday last month Dillon came with us & waited in the car while Scott conducted a ceremony on the banks of Lake Travis. It was a beautiful day so we got a quick pic of Dillon & I.

Yeah, I'm thinking I should have been a photographer.

Of hands.

And sunsets.

Spending time on our front porch - what a great past-time!

Here's some random pics we took of each other today.

I wish the weather was like today all the time. Upper 70's with a breeze. Love it!

I got these 2 plants for Mother's Day this year.

I really thought they were going to die this summer since it was so hot.

The rose bush was hardy & now it has such beautiful blooms.

The gardenia bush I was SURE it was going to die.

Then I trimmed back the burned-up sticks & gave it Miracle Gro.

A Miracle Indeed!

I took a close-up of the branch that is getting ready to bloom. How exciting!

Madison makes 4th chair!

2011-11-20T23:46:00.000-06:00

YAY for Madison! She made 4th chair out of 16 Alto I's.
Here is the way the audition looked on Tuesday night. We waited for 2-1/2 hours to get registered. Obviously it was well worth it!

On December 7th we will travel to Waco where Madison will audition for State Choir. It is truly an honor to make it this far & we are so proud of Madison. :)

Wish Madison LUCK

2011-11-14T15:04:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow Madison will try-out for the Pre-Area vocal auditions. This is through TMEA, Texas Music Educators Association. There were over 40,000 students who started the audition process to make it to the STATE CHOIR.
First there were District Auditions, then Region Auditions, and now Pre-Area Auditions. After this is Area Auditions... those will be the students who will sing with the 'best of the best' from ALL OVER TEXAS.

Madison has an amazing voice & we think she's perfect... so doesn't matter to us if she makes it to State, but she's really got her hopes set on making it to State. Wish her Luck & I'll let you know how it goes.

Class Registration

2011-07-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

Dillon spent most of his day in Bryan today.

He went to register for his classes, which will start August 26th.

His registration didn't go quite as smoothly as he'd hoped.

He waited up until 12:01am on 7-21-11 so he could register on-line. Easy-Peasy, right?

There was some sort of 'hold' on his account which forced him to go to Bryan personally. Grrr.

Several people he knows going to Blinn had the same problem.

He did get classes scheduled, just not for the "ideal times" he had in mind.

Welcome to Real Life. :)

Part 2 - Jan, 2011 (Chronological Catch-Up)

2011-07-22T17:58:00.000-05:00

January means it's time for the
2011 Stony Point Rugby Season

Looks are deceiving... it was FREEZING!

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Jared & Brittany decided to spread their wings and move north.

Way North... All the way to IOWA!

Several of Jared & Brittany's friends were here to say good-bye the night bfore they left.

Not an easy thing to say... so we're gonna stick with...

SEE YA LATER!

Brittany drove behind Jared and took this picture of Jared entering Iowa.

Isn't this a cute picture?

Jared and Brittany were exposed to a very cold, wet & snowy winter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Scott's weight keeps dropping!

Look how Scott's pants have to be 'cinched' here!

Scott's losing weight very quickly. His stomach holds only about 4oz. so he doesn't eat a whole lot!

RANDOM RANDOM RANDOM RANDOM

This is a typical look after supper.

This is one of the ugliest smocks I could find at the Salvation Army.

I sent this picture to Madison as a threat to buy it since she wouldn't shop with me that day.

Once in a while I send a picture smile to a random person.

Consider this a warning. You may be the next one get a smile from me!

The above picture is self-explanatory.

WE LOVE TEXAS WINTERS!

We have PUPPIES

Molly was about ready to *pop* - or at least she looked like it.

The day Molly went into labor she was very lethargic.

She looked like this most of the day & one time I caught her sitting ontop of a pillow so she looked like a mama hen on her nest. I suppose that's what the 'nesting' instinct looks like? haha

About 8pm on January 20th Molly started having her puppies.

The County's Animal Shelter let us borrow a hard-plastic swimming pool so she could use it for birthing.

Molly let us sit quietly beside the pool and watch her giving birth.

It was AMAZING and SCARY and CRAZY.

And Dillon would remind us that it was STINKY (no lie, there was a distinct odor).

The vet told us we would probably have four puppies.

When puppy #5 came out we were amazed that Molly could hold so many!

Imagine how surprised we were when puppy #7 came out at 10:30pm.

That ALOT OF PUPPIES for such a little dog!

Molly is such a good mommy! She instinctually knew how to give birth and take care of her puppies.

We had no idea how quickly we would fall in love with these little pups.

We spent EVERY spare moment in the 'Puppy Room' watching the pups.

Scott's uphill climb

2011-07-19T14:31:00.000-05:00

I feel like Scott is facing a never-ending uphill battle.

He was back in the ER early yesterday morning.

Yes... another kidney stone.

This time there was infection. Enough to get him to 103 degrees.

Poor guy.

Well... we had 4 good days without pain,

out of the last 7 weeks.

THOR

2011-07-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

Scott & I saw the movie "THOR" today.

We really liked the movie! I recommend you see it.

Normally I'm a cowboy kindof girl, but..... wow!

Update on Scott... the Sleepy Zombie

2011-07-12T18:56:00.008-05:00

Scott had the 2 stents removed yesterday from his kidneys (ureter). Yay!

It's not a pleasant office-procedure so the doctor gave him a muscle relaxant.

That turned him into a sleepy-zombie.

He was given the drug yesterday morning at 8:30am & we were home 45 minutes later.

He slept until 4pm, performed a quick wedding, then went back to bed.

He slept until 9pm, ate supper then went back to bed.

Scott got up this morning at 9:30am & has existed today as a walking zombie.

WHATEVER THEY GAVE HIM TO "RELAX" WORKS!

I'm guessing he feels alot like this little bear....

What...?!

2011-07-12T14:34:00.000-05:00

I wonder where this Tow-Truck driver graduated from.

Obviously not the Fire-Fighter Academy.

Stents

2011-07-10T23:50:00.002-05:00

10 days ago Scott had 2 stents placed near his kidneys. He went to a new urologist who decided to get aggressive with the treatment & removal of Scott's kidney stones. The diagram below shows where & how the stents are placed. OUCH!!

Scott has been placed in a study to see if we can determine what is making Scott produce so many stones & how we can get them STOPPED!

Wish him luck and hopefully we can get him started right away on some sort of treatment.

Tomorrow Scott gets these stents removed.

*Sigh*

To my Mom & Dad

2011-07-10T23:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

40 YEARS IS A LONG TIME - That's so Awesome...

I'm so proud to have you as role models for a long-lasting marriage.

Thank you.

((hug))

Anita visited us yesterday!

2011-07-10T23:26:00.000-05:00

If you decide to come visit us & tell me you want to go shopping for some inexpensive clothes... and you're cool with second-hand stores...

You're going to end up with me at the Salvation Army.

Scott's half-sister, Anita, came to visit us yesterday & we couldn't resist a trip to the Salvation Army.

After our shopping excursion we had a great visit and shared a good supper,

But the highlight of the day was Madison's "find" of a tennis racket for $3.99. Whoot!

COME BACK to visit us Anita!

We really enjoyed your visit and can't wait to see you before you go back to Iowa.

Part 1 - DEC. 2010 (Chronological catch-up)

2011-07-08T23:47:00.002-05:00

So December was full of... umm... Holiday, Family & a few random but wonderful things!

Of course we had a few musical tributes since we're a "Choir Family".

We participated in a FANTASTIC night of Christmas Caroling with the Stony Point Choir. We started the night caroling at the local nursing homes.

Here is Eric & Andrew being their jovial selves. The lady in the background looks thrilled.

After the singing at the nursing homes we went to the outlet mall & sang as a small group - then joined the other groups for a large ensemble. Here's the whole gang below. We had a great time.

The holiday concert was at the Round Rock PAC. See Madison (the only blonde!) on the end?

sta

The Stony Point 'Footnotes' Choir sang a couple of pieces at the Holiday Concert at the Round Rock PAC. It was a really cool collaboration of the SPHS Choir & Orchestra during this concert. Madison is in the front row, 3rd from the right. It's a beautiful song & I hope you'll listen to it all the way thru.

The Stony Point 'Footnotes' Choir sang at 'Grace Christian Center' in December. The Director, Annie Byrom, allowed a couple of choir alumni to sing along... so you can see Dillon & Amanda in the bunch. Listen for Madison at 17sec.

**************
SCOTT BEATS DIABETES
Scott spent almost 4 months preparing for the gastric by-pass surgery which his Endocrinologist (Diabetes Doctor) & his Bariatric Surgeon want him to have so he can get rid of diabetes.

Scott spent several days in a hospital in downtown Austin. Here is the 'pent house' view from his room. We enjoyed it but he didn't get much opportunity to sit & look out of it. Understandable, right?

A 'side-effect' of Scott's surgery is Weight Loss!

Watch over the next few months how Scott's weight dwindles away...

The day of surgery Scott weighed 283.

This is a photo Scott had taken for a newspaper article in December, 2010.

This is how we all knew Scott. Cute & Cuddly & Big Bear-like, right?

*************************************

The WHOLE Gang!

G'ma & G'pa Brown arrived in Texas in early December.

We are very blessed to have them in Round Rock for the winter.

We celebrated G'ma Vicki's birthday at the Oasis overlooking Lake Travis.

Here is Jeannetta, G'ma & me.

**********

Madison works at Carter's outlet store!

Madison started working for the temporary holiday season & keeps her job long-term.

Ahhh.... her first job!

*************************************

Good-Bye Pink Penguin

Scott & I decided to sell our portion of the Pink Penguin to our partners.

We wish James & Andrea lots of fun and adventures as owners of the

Pink Penguin Frozen Yogurt Shop.

*********

Merry Christmas - 2010

Here's the gang this year;

front row: Cody, Chelsie, Dillon, Josh

second row: Madison, Shelly, Jared, Scott & Brittany

And a goofy shot...

(really Jared??)

Christmas means we get creative, artsy & beautiful items from my sister-in-law Jill.

The Cole Family Tree is our original piece of art that Jill made for us this year.
WE LOVE IT!

********************

Santa Claus brought the Cole Family a very cute little dog on the Eve of Christmas Eve. (12-23-10)

The story goes like this...

Scott & I bought a new (used) vehicle on 12-23-10.

When we brought it home that night we took Dillon & Madison for a ride around the neighborhood.

As we were backing out of our driveway this cute little puppy was standing in our driveway.

No one in the neighborhood claimed her.

The vet checked the microchip in her neck & she was registered to an animal shelter in West Texas... who did not have the name of her adoptive family....

It appears she's been 'DUMPED'.

We think she's a cross between a long-haired chihuahua & a terrier.

She's VERY CUTE and loves to snuggle on your lap.

We named her MOLLY.

We noticed something unusual about her after a couple of weeks....

STAY TUNED until next month....

~~RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR~~

Now what

Whoops. I accidentally washed Scott's wallet. And all the contents. Now that's some clean cash!

Well Looky There!

We have curbside recycling. I like it.

Except those 2 bad-boys now have to fit into my garage. Somewhere.

~~XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX~~

FAMILY PORTAITS

The kids got portraits of themselves for Christmas & got them framed for us.

Very Cool.

We decided to elaborate on their sitting & add the whole family.

We decided this might not happen again for a looooooong time.

Enjoy!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Weddings here & there

Still here

2011-06-13T00:33:00.000-05:00

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about you all. I sorta have. I have a bit of a 'lull' in my life right now so I'm going to try to get caught up. Stay tuned. :)

stealer

2010-11-29T16:59:00.000-06:00

Facebook is to Blogspot what WalMart is to the Mom-n-Pop shops.

Insanely bored

2010-11-29T16:56:00.000-06:00

The last few days have been ~~incredibly~~ insanely boring at the Pink Penguin. I expected it to be slow since it's the Thanksgiving holiday & not to many people want to eat dishes of Frozen Yogurt after eating plates full of turkey & dressing. Anyways, I have resorted to 'surfing' the Blogspot World. That means hitting the 'next blog' button on the top of my blog's home page. I have read some of the most interesting blogs and feel like I have intimately gotten to know some folks who have walked through cancer treatments, or death of a loved one. Some of them are seriously funny. And some of them are full of amazing photos (for some reason lots of photographers have blogs).
Reading these blogs has inspired me to simply post what I'm thinking.
I currently feel like I shouldn't post if there isn't a picture to go with it. That would be my brother's fault. He told me once that he doesn't read my blog but only looks at the pictures... therefore, if I want people to be interested in what I have to say then I need to have pictures too. *sigh* I admit... pictures are cool. I'll try to keep up with that.
But for now, I'll try to post what I'm thinking or something cool I want to share.

How To Wrap A Cat For Christmas

2010-11-14T19:53:00.000-06:00

Where has the time gone...??

2010-11-03T19:09:00.000-06:00

So I'm feeling a little guility (alright, maybe alot guilty) about NOT updating this blog! Geesh! Where does all my time go??

Here's some highlights of the past couple of months (yes, I think it's been THAT long since I gave ya'll an accurate update):

Madison: She has advanced to the next stage of auditions to make it to 'state' for choir! This is a HUGE accomplishment - she has 2 more rounds of auditions where the 'pool' of students will get tighter & tighter. The next round is on Nov. 16. Wish her luck!
We're also working on getting her a driver's license. She drives us (crazy) almost anytime we have to go anywhere. Now we have to work on the paperwork end of it. She narrowly missed the cut-off when Texas requires a formally taught driver's ed class... we're doing 'parent-taught' (am I crazy?).

Dillon: He is eagerly anticipating graduation and the opportunity to pave a path to independence. Because he has so many friends who graduated last year & he can't help seeing the 'greener grass' on the other side of the fence. I'm excited for him but nervous at the same time (what mom wouldn't be??). He has SAT scores going to Texas A&M, Colorado State University, Iowa State University, Blinn College, and Austin Community College. He desires an Engineering degree while playing rugby. Our difficulty is trying to find a college that has both! Not to mention something affordable. Ugh.

Jared: We rarely see Jared since he's on-the-go constantly! He works almost full-time at the Toy Store where he's been employed for almost 3 years. He's a great employee & a great-big kid so it's the perfect match for him. haha. Plus he volunteers on the Fire Department which has him commited to a 24-hour shift a few times per month. He's still applying for Fire Fighter positions all over Texas. The application process requires a written application, physical fitness test, personal interview, and a chief's interview... it can take several months to actually land a job! This process has been very trying on his patience (and ours!).

Scott: We spend alot of time at the Pink Penguin Frozen Yogurt shop, probably more than Scott should since his back doesn't tolerate the hard concrete floors. He loves to visit with customers (gee, imagine that?) and getting to know the Hutto Community. A few times a month Scott performs Wedding ceremonies which has proved to be very rewarding and again... a great way to meet & visit new people.
Scott's diabetes is still a challenge for him and doesn't seem to be obeying the laws of medicine like the doctors thought. Weird how out-of-whack his body can get simply from eating a plate of chinese food (one of his 'no-no' foods). He has qualified for bariatric surgery as an attempt to 'cure' his diabetes (look at this article recently published) so after 90 days of counseling & therapy we're looking forward to the next chapter of Scott's health... I pray it's a GOOD chapter, we've had enough of the bad stuff.

Shelly: Like I said earlier, we spend ALOT of time at the Pink Penguin... I'm thinking that will slow-down now that winter is coming. Although we've added a few Hot items to the menu & started some winter marketing.... so maybe I'm stuck at work! I really, really enjoy arranging weddings for 'Short and Sweet Weddings' and find it amazingly rewarding. I was elected President of the Choir Booster Club so I've already had several events to help coordinate & organize (my spiritual gift! love it!). Now if I could just clone myself to get some laundry done & vacuum the house once in a while... my poor pets are lucky if they get fed and I forgot what color the carpet is in Dillon's bedroom (under all the clothes on the floor).
I'm blessed and excited to say that my parents will be moving to Round Rock for the winter! It will be so awesome to have my family close-by for Christmas... now if I could convince Damon & Jill to make a holiday trip??? :)

I'm going to try to get some pics posted in the next few days & rid myself of this burden of guilt! Look for the Pictures!!
ps... Happy Birthday William! Love ya!

Homecoming Dinner

2010-10-02T20:50:00.000-05:00

Dillon's heading out the door to go to Homecoming Dinner with his friends.

I guess we've got more pics coming tonight, but here's the

traditional front-door picture with mom & dad. :)

Midnight Riot

2010-10-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, just because I haven't been posting lately doesn't mean we haven't been doing anything! Scott & I celebrated our 22nd Anniversary by going downtown Austin to watch a band some of our friends have called 'Midnight Riot'. We went to the club called "Red Eyed "Fly". Check them out...

This was Madison's first time on 6th Street - she really wanted to see the real

Coyote Ugly - so here we are!

More UT Lonhorn Honor Choir pics

2010-10-02T10:32:00.000-05:00

Abby, Adam & Madison on the UT campus.

Look at this HUGE organ!

It takes up the whole top of the concert hall!

Aw! Don't these 3 look so nice?

Madison is in the last row of the stage.

She said the first time the organist played the organ it blasted out of the pipe behind her & scared her!

Can you imagine having that right above your head & trying to sing?

Here is a beautiful song the choir did called "Gloria".

Look for Madison in the back row!

Madison at UT for Honor Choir

2010-10-01T13:59:00.000-05:00

Madison was selected to sing with the UT Honor Choir a couple of weeks ago!

This is a huge honor since they get to sing with college students who go to UT.

Here is Madison with Abby & Adam.

They trained all evening Friday & all day Saturday to give a

wonderful concert on Saturday evening.

We think it's pretty cool to have also experienced when Dillon went to Longhorn Honor Choir in 2008. Check it out here from when I posted TWO YEARS ago!!

Random pics last month

2010-09-20T23:03:00.000-05:00

Macey is sitting patiently waiting for us to drop something for her. We got rain one day. LOTS of rain. Leftovers from a tropical storm or hurricane... here is what our neighbors house looked like. Wow! Look at the rain coming off the side!
Yeah. I took this picture because last time we ate at this restaurant we asked the waitress to seat us somehwere else because the kid next to us was crying at the TOP of his lungs. Loudly.

You know those small gumball machines you see in some waiting rooms?
DON'T waste your money. Here's what I got for a quarter. 5 measley m&m's.

2010-09-20T22:42:00.001-05:00

Here are some pretty skyscapes we've had lately.

One night we were driving somewhere & I HAD to take this picture to show you how pretty this sunset was.

Scott thought I was taking a picture of him. heehee

Look at these funky clouds! Doesn't it look like there's a mailslot to heaven!

One morning I had to drive to Dallas to pick up some yogurt products for the Pink Penguin.

Here is the sunrise on my trip. I had to be there by 8am. Ugh.

Sorry it's kinda fuzzy, I was driving too.

Madison took this picture in our backyard. She was trying to

photograph a bird on the fence, but this one is cool with the sunlight.

2010-09-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

My incentive to dust.

This was all it took for me to get the dusting spray out.

How embarrassing.

Meet the Tiger - 2010

2010-09-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

Friday night was "Meet-the-Tiger" at Stony Point. Here is the booth that the Choir Booster Club had! We sold Foam Paws, Icees, wristbands, license plate brackets, antenna toppers, T-shirts, stickers, tattoos, and yard signs. We did pretty good!

Kaylee, Kelsey & Madison were great helpers!

We all pitched in & had a good time!

Here is the Booster Club President & the Choir President for 2010-11.

Shelly & Abby.

The band played at the Pep Rally & the Tiger gave a rousing dance on the field.

Each club & organization had their turn to be recognized.

Here come the choir.

Here come the Rugby Team!

GO TIGERS!!

Tailgating

2010-09-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

Before the Stony Point football games, the "Blue Crew" gathers around Dillon's truck to tailgate. Notice the drums! They really get into it. Sometimes they grill hotdogs if there's time & someone remembers to bring the charcoal. :) This is Dillon standing in the truck.

Local Celebrity at my house?!!

2010-09-11T14:52:00.003-05:00

From our seats in the stands we could see Dillon being interviewed by a news channel. Check out the link here to the story News Channel 8 has, where Dillon was interviewed. Watch it all the way though... he's got some good quotes.

Silly Boy!

These kids have really got Team Spirit! Here is the traditional half-time rally

that the band does for the Student Section; aka Blue Crew.

You can't see Dillon from this point of view, but he's on the

ground leading the band... or so he thinks. :)

Dillon's rugby summer - 2010

2010-09-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here is a cool newspaper article that involved Dillon's rugby game in Colorado this past summer. I was going through old emails & forgot that I had this! For any of you who helped him financially get to Colorado, THANKS!!

Quote of the Day

2010-09-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Customer: "Do you have any toothpicks?"
Me: "Sir, this is a yogurt shop, we rarely have the need for toothpicks. Sorry, I don't have one."
Customer: "Hmpf" and he walked away.

Love Dare

2010-09-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

Scott & I are reading a book that requires Partcipation!

It's called the Love Dare.

It's a book that you read with your spouse & each day (for 40 days)

there is a challenge for you & your spouse to do.

The whole idea is to re-ignite the idea of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in your marriage.

We're only on day 6 but the dares are activities like

"Call your spouse & ask them how they are doing & take time to listen".

One of the dares was to buy something for your spouse while you were out-and-about that day.

I picked up a book for Scott since he's been reading quite a bit lately.

Scott brought home my FAVORITE perfume! I haven't had any of it for over a year, so this

was a real treat for me!

Thanks Honey! ((hug))

Real life Tetris

2010-09-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Madison & I cleaned out the pantry.

I left in a hurry to go to a wedding & left Madison in charge of putting everything back in the pantry.

I guess I should have given better instructions because this is what

it looked like when I returned.

She grouped all the cans on one shelf, boxes on another shelf & odd-shaped things on another.

It was like a real-life game of Tetris.

Cereal was right next to Hamburger Helper because they were BOXES.

It's not very condusive for making meals, so I rearranged it.

Creative Juices

2010-09-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

Each Wednesday morning we have 4 new flavors of yogurt at the Pink Penguin.

Here is what the machines look like & the blackboards above them to show you what flavor is in each machine.

Here is where I start to get creative...

Although last week I went a little overboard...

The Pink Lemonade Sorbet is the same font as our logo, Pink Penguin.
But the 'Genuine Tart' I decided to use... um... a beer logo...

A couple of people actually commented that it tasted like beer. Right.

I probably won't do that logo again. haha

Yellow Cake Batter is one of our most popular flavors.

I adopted the Keebler treehouse to illustrate the Cookies-n-Cream flavor.

Normally we put words on the boards like this week's flavor boards.

(Okay... so the Cheesecake font came from Cheesecake Factory)

In addition to the blackboards describing the flavors in the machines, we have

whiteboards to give customers SUGGESTIONS or RECIPES that they can make

with the flavors we have for the week.

Cheesecake and Red Velvet Cake are 2 flavors we have this week.

These boards I made for the Chocolate and Vanilla flavors which we

have every week.

You wouldn't believe how many Mud Pies I have sold to kids.

The Monkey Tails is a summer-snack my mom used to make when I was little.

Except we put a banana on a stick, dipped it in chocolate & rolled it in peanuts.

This is my 'yogurt' version of that.

Thanks Mom! :)

Labor Day 2010

2010-09-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

My Labor Day holiday was skewed a few days earlier than tomorrow's actual holiday. I had scheduled myself to have normal days off last week, Thursday & Friday, from the Pink Penguin. Then we had 2 weddings to perform yesterday so I took that day off too. Yay! That was our 3-day weekend. Today I went back to work from 4pm - close so I'm slowly getting back into the groove.

I'm really hoping that tomorrow will be busy at the Pink Penguin. I have to work 10:30am-10pm so it will be a long day already and even longer if it's slow. I guess I could always close the store! I guess I am the manager/owner. Ha.

Hope you enjoy YOUR day off!

2010-09-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

You are now listening to the Stony Point Choir Booster President for the 2010-2011 school-year!

Considering there were only 3 people in attendace at the elections, I had very little competition!

Three years ago I was simply a Booster Club member,

2 years ago I was Treasurer when the Choir Director was transitioning OUT of the program

and we had no Booster President,

Last year I was Treasurer again when a new Choir Director was transitioning INTO the program,

and we had a temporary Booster President,

So this is my fourth year in the Choir Boosters... and I think I've got a pretty good idea of

what the President's role is. No problem. :)

Congratulations to MADISON

She was voted amongst her peers to be the Choir's Vice-President.

She will be in charge of 'Social Events'.

Oh Boy.

Can you find Dillon??

2010-08-31T22:24:00.001-05:00

Dillon is the crowd-proclaimed leader of the 'Senior's only' Student Section called "Blue Crew" this year. I think he'll do a good job. :)

Yes, he's the one on the shoulders.

Year 2010-2011

2010-08-31T21:49:00.000-05:00

Here we are on the start of ANOTHER year of school.

It's hard to believe we're nearing the end. Not the end of the year... but the end of

my kids' school-age career. Dillon is a senior this year & Madison is a junior.

That means I have this year & next year... then it'll be over.

I don't know if I'm happy or sad about it, actually I'm a little in shock that it's so close.

Dillon really wanted his senior year to be an EASY YEAR.

But Dillon confessed tonight that his classes are actually quite challenging & he's finding this stimulating.

His favorite class is an intro to engineering. He came home tonight & talked non-stop about it.

I'm so glad he's found something to really look forward to & be thinking long-term.

Madison is also excited about her classes.

She is taking THREE choir classes. I hope she doesn't get burnt-out...

but that girl LOVES to sing!

She is also taking a college-level american history class and learned that the textbook

is available in video format on the internet. So basically she's watching

the History Channel (one of our family favorites) and she's

getting credit for it! I found myself watching over her

shoulder tonight & wondered to myself if I could somehow gain college

credit hours for watching this?? haha

Anyways...

The end is near.

*sniff*

Sweet 16

2010-08-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

A few days before Madison's 16th birthday we went to have 'Glamour Shots' done.

Here is her 'Glamour Pose', ain't she purrrty?

Kitty Cat Cole

2010-08-22T23:36:00.000-05:00

On a Friday night in mid-June we had a stray neighborhood cat visit our porch.

After several attempts to run the cat off (including letting the dogs chase her around the block) I decided Madison could keep her for the weekend until we found her rightful owner.

A Monday morning visit to the vet revealed that she actually belongs to a neighbor

who lives on the block near us.

When Madison tried to return the cat to him, we learned that the man actually couldn't keep the

cat & was "looking for a good home" for the cat.

Hhhmmm.... By locking it out of his house??

Anyways, we kept her and named her "Kitty Cat".

She's a year old, but very petite, therefore she looks like a Kitten and the name "Kitty" is very fitting.

I was worried that Macey would be mean to her but since we let Kitty

keep her front claws for a month, they established a "healthy relationship". haha

Kitty got her claws removed 4 days ago so we're hoping they'll stay respectful to each other!

I didn't realize how much I miss having a cat around the house.

She's so loveable and LOVES being petted... yes, she's one of those cats

that rub up against you and meows until you pet her.

Boys and their Toys

2010-08-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Here is Scott's newest 'toy'... A 2008 Chevy Silverado.

He loves the truck!

Upon closer look, you can still see the Iowa Haweye influence.

GO HAWKS!!

I think Scott caught 'truck-fever' from Jared... here is Jared's 'toy'...

Jared got his truck as a result of his car crapping-out in June.

Jared drives a 2008 Dodge Ram.

If you remember... Dillon also drives a Dodge Ram.

I guess we've succombed to the Texas-trend of becoming a Truck family!

2010-07-17T22:59:00.000-05:00

So Jared did not get offered the Firefighter job with the city of Round Rock. He made it all the way to the final interview with the chief, which is pretty good for his first attempt at trying to get a firefighter job. Now he's started applying for positions in other cities. I hope he can find something! Meanwhile he's kept his position at the toy store.

Pink Penguin Grand Opening

2010-07-17T22:46:00.001-05:00

The Pink Penguin joined the Hutto Chamber of Commerce a few weeks ago... I had NO IDEA how HUGE this is to a smaller community such as Hutto. Right away the Chamber President arranged for a 'Grand Opening'. Whew! What a deal! Publicity!
Our Open House was July 8th from 1:00-2:00pm. We we only going to have a few friends & family there but I panicked when I read of other "Grand Openings" in Hutto and the cool stuff they do; face-painting, pizza, drinks.... So we decided to offer free 8oz. cups of frozen yogurt. Of course when you mention the word "Free" you automatically have a crowd.
Needless to say the Chamber President (Bob Barker's twin brother??) said this was the largest crowd he's ever seen at a Grand Opening. We gave away alot of free yogurt and got our picture in the newspaper. We framed the picture & hung it on the wall at the Pink Penguin so all the kids in the neighborhood can see themselves. Neat, right?
Here are some pictures from our Grand Opening!

Here we are with James & Andrea Cole and their daughter Sydney dressed as the Penguin.

The Hutto Chamber of Commerce President shows off our little penguin dude.

We are working on marketing some new methods to get our name into the Hutto community. I think we're just on the tip of the iceberg (pun intended) with the potential the Pink Penguin can have in Hutto. We're the ONLY frozen yogurt OR ice cream place in town. Awesome!

2010-06-20T18:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my DAD!!!

And to Scott's DAD!!

And to my husband... Scott, thanks for being a great dad to our kids. :)

2010-06-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

We had such a glorious day of visitors today! A distant cousin stopped by today from New Orleans. We haven't seen him in years... probably 15 years... We had such a good time going reminiscing and sharing life stories. THEN my cousin who lives in Dallas called to say she was in town too! We all went to the Pink Penguin for a Frozen Yogurt & got re-acquainted.
It made me think... family never leaves you.... you'll ALWAYS be related to family. No matter how long it is between visits, you'll still be family. Nice to know. Good to know. Makes me happy. :)

Where's Dillon?

2010-06-18T09:26:00.000-05:00

Amongst all the excitement with the Pink Penguin & guests from Iowa,

I forgot to tell you about Dillon's success story!!

May 29th & 30th Dillon was trying out for a position on the Texas

High Performance Youth Rugby team.

Here he is playing a scrimmage in Huntsville, TX.

There were over 66 boys who advanced to this selection level.

Here they are at the Sam Houston University fields for try-outs & practice.

It was over 100 degrees on Saturday that they practiced.

Fortunately no one passed out from heat exhaustion. I was close though.... :)

Dillon MADE the cut!!

He is in Denver right now competing in a

national tournament!

Dillon was selected as the #1 'Fly-Half' for the 'Under-17 league' in the state of Texas!

The tournament is the Rocky Mountain Classic Rugby Challenge.

There are teams from all over the U.S. at this tournament.

Scouts from the U.S. Eagles are there to recruit potential players for Rugby

in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro!

Close call with Spaghettios

2010-06-18T08:56:00.001-05:00

Scott & I finally went shopping last night after working several nights at the

Pink Penguin. It was 10:40pm when we finally got to the check-outs at WalMart.

Then CATASTOPHE struck.

Our whole case of Spaghettios has been RECALLED??!!

It took us 30 minutes to get a store manager to come re-start the computer-cash-register

when we tried to purchase these things.

We finally left at 11:10pm.

It was frustrating that the computers & manager took so long,

but when I read the news headlines this morning, I'm glad WalMart stopped us from buying

a whole case of Spaghettios.

Look what we bought!

2010-06-10T16:34:00.000-05:00

We have great news to share!

Scott & I have purchased a Frozen Yogurt shop called the Pink Penguin!

We took possession a week ago and have been learning the ropes from the girls who currently work there.

Who knew that selling Frozen Yogurt was so much work?... fun work of course!

Funny Side Note: I don't like frozen yogurt! But once I tasted the quality of this yogurt, I was sold! Literally! There is no 'yogurt-after-taste' & it's so creamy. The taste takes me back to Iowa City's Dane's Dairy in the mid-1980's.... ahhh.... good memories!

The Pink Penguin is in a small strip mall in Hutto, the neighboring community to the east of us.

Here is the map of Round Rock and Hutto. We live about 9 minutes from the shop.

This is a Self Serve Frozen Yogurt, so you start with a cup & you fill it as full as you'd like of the SIX flavors of frozen yogurts... it will cost you 41 cents per ounce.

The Chocolate & Vanilla are offered every week.

The other 4 flavors rotate every Wednesday.

We've decided to offer 'Yellow Cake Batter' through the month of June since it's so popular.

This week we also have Peanut Butter, Cookies-n-Cream, and Very Strawberry.

You can see the flavor updates on the Pink Penguin's facebook page!

One you've filled your bowl with frozen yogurt then you can choose from OVER 50 TOPPINGS!

We have 10 syrups, plus fruit & crushed candy bars, cheesecake nuggets, mmmm.... there's so many!

We have a table just for the kiddos. The wall is a chalkboard too! They can spend some time hanging out with us. Because we're so cool. :)

Here is a video-tour of the Pink Penguin!

If you're in Hutto, Please STOP BY!

Josh's Graduation

2010-06-06T09:27:00.002-05:00

It is a busy weekend for Josh!

Josh's graduation ceremony was on Friday night...

I almost missed Josh's name on the video clip, but you can hear our cheering section!

Here's Josh's personal cheer section!

Saturday night was a Graduation Party for Josh & 2 of his good friends.

Here is Josh's diligent mom, Stephanie, hanging streamers for the party. :)

Josh is in the blue on the far left.

Each boy had their own cake... Josh's was a soccer ball theme... predictably!

Josh's grandpa (my uncle) on the right came from Iowa to help celebrate!

Jenn & Chad came from Oklahoma & Jennelle came from Dallas (via Vegas) for the celebration.

Be prepared... next year will be these 2 monkeys below who graduate.

Dillon & Benji.

Below: He's thinking... "Just wait til next year!"

Steph looked great!

She did such a good job with everything...

And I'm talking about raising such a fantastic kid as Josh!

The below picture is priceless b/c Steph & her mom both avoid the camera all the time,

But I got them together on this one!!

We had a good... HOT (temp was 98 degrees) time.

After the party we all walked up the hill to the community swimming pool.

The party continued at the pool with a DJ. What a welcome splash after 98 degrees!

No pictues at the pool. Certain people threatened to break my camera if I took pictures.

Probably b/c they knew I'd post them here. :)

Today Josh is celebrating his Eagle Scout Ceremony,

CONGRATS TO JOSH!!

The pictures below are from our ride home... we stopped to get drinks at McDonalds.

Which is where we discovered Madison accidentally had Chelsie's camera in her bag!

We waited at McDonalds for Josh & Chelsie to come.

Here they are in the drive-up. I'm sure she's looking at her camera wondering

"How did these last 4 pictures get here??" heehee

While waiting for Josh & Chelsie we attempted to make friends with a stray cat in the McDonalds parking lot.

We named him Chester since our friendship offering was a Cheeto.

He didn't take it.

Dang cat, anyway.

2010-06-03T22:23:00.000-05:00

Our last day together we spent shopping & eating lunch together at Chuys.

Shopping with 2 silly girls turned out to be modeling opportunities!

Here is Madison & Audrie with their

"Knight in Shining Armor"

Yes, there was one just the right size for Audrie.

Don't ask....

Apparently trying on things (hats & bikinis) is a popular pastime....

Here is Jared, Tyler & Sandy trying on hats.

This one looks very nice on Tyler... lol

This is probably the only way Madison would be allowed to wear a bikini this summer....

We concluded our shopping by going to the Pawn Shop.

We watch Pawn Shop Stars on TLC all the time, so Madison was thrilled to go into a "real" pawn shop!

This is how you know you've spent too much time with someone... when they get into your space... specifically your armpit space. Audrie??

We take the stage!

2010-06-03T09:26:00.001-05:00

Ellen & Scott gave an awesome rendition of Captain & Tennille's "Love will keep us together". That one was for me b/c I love the 70's!! They shouldn't let me pick the songs... we'd be stuck in the 70's all night!

Madison & Scott sound just like 'Lady Antebellum' as they sing "I run to you". Get in line for autographs...

Ellen jumped up on stage to help Scott finish a Tom Jones favorite: "Did you happen to see the most beautiful girl?" :)

Ellen invited Scott to join her in a tribute to their mom... "Wind beneath my wings". Very nice & touching!! Love it!

Cole's take over at the Rattlesnake Inn

2010-06-03T09:07:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed a great burger, some pool, then singing & dancing!

Mostly we just enjoyed hanging out. Fun Times!!

Madison & Audrie were trying to learn how to two-step...

Memorial Day at the Coles

2010-06-03T08:55:00.000-05:00

You know how much we love to hang outside on the porch...

Here are the kids we had with us on Monday night:

Dillon, Chelsie, Brittany, Madison, Audrie & Jared is sitting.

We're enjoying a visit from Scott's Mom, Sister, Neice & Nephew this week!

We participated in our Memorial Day family tradition where we each find a veteran's grave & lay a flower on it in rememberance.

Madison doesn't miss a photo-opportunity!

Really? Even in a cemetery? Come on Madison!

Graduation 2010

2010-05-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

We have lots & lots of friends & family graduating this year...

here are a few senior pictures:

Josh, Jade, Amanda, Cody...

Our weekend is full of Graduation Open Houses!

Lots of hugs & happy tears as these kids turn into adults.

Congratulations to the Class of 2010!!

New addition to the kitchen!

2010-05-27T10:09:00.000-05:00

When we first bought our house the developer offered us an appliance package.

Of course it was un-Godly overpriced, especially the fridge.

We elected to buy our own fridge. But when it was time to move into the new house, we didn't have the money for the fridge that matched the rest of the appliances. Ugh.

So we shopped on Craigslist for a cheap, but suitable fridge.

And it worked... until Tuesday.

So... back to Craigslist we went.

Low & Behold!

We found the fridge that matches the rest of our appliances that is only 4 months old at a HUGE DISCOUNT.

The man who sold it to us just bought it in January & now he's being relocated for his job.

Thank You God!!

Isn't it pretty? It goes perfectly. And fits the budget. :)

Happy Birthday to ME

2010-05-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

Is this funny or what?!

Leave it to Dillon to give me this card for my birthday. hahaaaa

SPHS Choir Year-End Show!!

2010-05-19T09:40:00.000-05:00

Studio 54 was a HUGE success!!
The theme this year was 'The Classics' so all of the songs were either Classic Broadway, Classic Rock or Classic Motown. Therefore the kids dressed in 70's and 80's costumes.
Madison & Dillon had ALOT of parts in the production... I didn't get all of them on video since I was helping with the production too, but here are a few fun pics & clips...
Look for Dillon in the back row in bright green & Madison on the right in a black t-shirt.

Bet you didn't know Madison could do Classic Broadway Annie!?!! Turn up the volume b/c she does a GREAT job!!

This will be one of the rare chances I get pictures of Dillon & Madison next to each other in a production, so I had to take advantage of it & try to get as many pics as I could!

The grand finale was a duet of Dillon & our good friend, Amanda, singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".

Yes this does look like Dillon is a Ninja Turtle... but he's supposed to be one of the zombies from Thriller.

A little Dillon humor, right.

Now presenting... "Firefighter COLE"

2010-05-18T16:24:00.000-05:00

Jared graduated on Friday night from the Fire Academy!!

The Processional was very traditional with the bagpipe & drum.
Gave me the goosebumps listening to them!!

Jared & Brittany... awwww....

Proud Dad & Mom!

Jared gives Margaux a squeeze!

Jared had his own fan section at the ceremony!

This is the Official Designation for Jared... he is no longer called "Cadet Cole"

now he is "Firefighter Cole":

There were 34 Cadets in his Academy.

He was a member of the 40th graduating class of the Academy.

Chuy's hosted the after-graduation-party. :)

2010-05-13T12:18:00.001-05:00

Here is Jared's fire gear... freshly home from school and ready to be used to fight a fire!!

Jared is taking his state exams today & tomorrow.

Wish him luck!

2010-05-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

We went back to the Rattlesnake Inn this past Sunday.

We used to go on Tuesdays but we haven't been there for months!

I guess on Sundays it's 'truck night'. Look at the parking lot full of trucks.

Madison found a new duet partner! He's a friend of Jared's and I think we're now guilty of his newest addiction to singing karaoke. He wanted to stay & sing all night. :)

Night Burn Excercise at Jared's Academy

2010-05-09T13:23:00.001-05:00

Last Wednesday the Fire Academy invited friends & family to come watch the cadets put out propane

fires which would take place at night. We packed up our lawn chairs & set out for a night of "burning stuff up".

Below is the fire tower where Jared has practiced simulated rescues by running up & down the stairs with

'victims' of burning buildings.

We've seen pictures of the cadets using ladder trucks & ropes with this building,

I must admit the 'tower' was much more intimidating in person!

Here we are waiting for the burning to begin!

Here is Chelsie & Dillon in the back & Brittany, Madison & Scott in front.

We ended up waiting for over an hour for dusk.

We got a little bored. :)

Jared hung out with us for a while, but soon had to 'suit up' for the night.

See him in the background getting his gear on? (with the white shirt)

Below is a labratory table. The propane tank next to it will blow fire.

Because Austin has so many highly technical industries, the scenario of a lab table catching on fire is highly probable. This is a common occurance for the Austin Fire Department.

See how quickly the table is ON FIRE!!

The pictures below show how the firemen approach the fire & extinguish it.

It's very scary because you can hear the roar of the propane fire!

The video here shows Jared (controlling the nozzle) as he gets VERY close to the fire with his team of firemen. They extinguish the fire & close the propane valve to stop the fire. Yikes!!

STAY TUNED UNTIL 55sec. to see Jared come forward.

The grand- finale of the night was when the cadets extinguished a simulated propane tank that was on fire.

The roar of the fire was enough to scare me!

Watch the progression of pictures below to see how big the fire was!

Last week was called 'burn week' for the cadets where they put into action many of the skills they've learned in simulated environments. It was a good week to finish with.

All next week Jared will be taking his state exam with graduation on Friday night.

We're very proud of Jared!!

motivation

2010-05-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

I woke up very motivated today!

I think it must be because the sun is shining & the weatherman says it's going to be a beautiful week.

Scott is healing (slowly, but surely) and the end of the school-year is in sight. *sigh*

The weddings are steadily coming in & I'm ready to 'step-it-up-a-notch' to fill our schedule full.

Hope you are motivated today too! :)

2010-05-03T09:52:00.001-05:00

Jared's hard work is going to pay off!

Jared has been applying for firefighter positions with several surrounding cities;

Round Rock, Georgetown, Temple & Harker Heights.

We're very proud of him!! :)

How much did this beautiful landscape cost?

2010-05-02T17:57:00.001-05:00

Our driveway is almost too narrow for 2 vehicles... we were killing the grass by walking in the grass alongside the driveway.

So we decided to start a landscaping project!

We finally finished! I think it turned out great!
We can already see how much we WERE walking on the grass.

Now this project WAS NOT FREE. As a matter of fact it cost more than dollars.

It cost Scott the most.... He paid for the project with his health.

Unbeknowst (is that really a word?) to Scott he had developed an umbilical HERNIA this week!

The doctor decided to perform surgery right away since an infection seemed to have set in too.

Scott didn't want me to take a bunch of pictures of his belly, so I was going to capture an image from the internet but those pictures were disgusting & didn't look anything like Scott's hernia. Yuck.

Scott simply had a hard, sensitive spot behind his bellybutton & and the skin was hot.

(It was a little weird when he'd ask "Does my bellybutton feel hot to you?")

The above picture shows where the hernia was (see the red arrow?).

Scott did let me take one very close picture of his belly-button incision.

He'll still be able to wear his bikini this summer.

hahahahahhaaaaa

Anyways, he's recovering well & will probably be out-of-commission for a week.

Thanks for all the prayers & well-wishes!

It's that time of year again!

2010-05-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

Madison had her first pool party on Friday night -
so it's time to go from jackets & sweatshirts to....

Beach towels, sunscreen & the beachball!

The water is still a little chilly but the daytime temps are in the 80's each day,

so we're ready to GO SWIMMIN'.

Fun Monday

2010-04-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

We got a surprise visit from my cousin, Jennelle, on Sunday night!

We love having company!! So you should come visit us... :)

While we waited for Jennelle & Terence to meet us at Rudy's we decided to take some family pictures.

This explains why the kids were in a 'sour' mood.

hahah. Just kidding, the kids are always so fun to hang with.

So Madison decided to take our picture.

After she took this one she said "Dad you need to smile!"

She took another one saying "Come on Dad, smile bigger!"

I figured he didn't smile again, so I gave him a frown.

Finally when we both gave a great smile, Jared decides to join in.

*sigh*

I told you there's never a dull moment with our kids.

Prom 2010

2010-04-27T14:11:00.000-05:00

Dillon & Chelsie had a great time at prom this past Saturday night! Here are some pictures that captured their night together. Aren't they a cute couple?!?!

The big break-away

2010-04-26T10:31:00.000-05:00

The Texas Youth Rugby Association had the State High School Championship games this weekend.

Stony Point made it to the 'Final Four'. Which is amazing!!

We didn't do so good against the other teams, but to think that Stony Point is 4th best in the STATE!

Dillon had this amazing break-away run yesterday with a classic 'juke' at the end.

See 4th picture where he changed direction mid-run. Cool.

2010-04-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

Note to self:

Do NOT give Scott Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum.

It does not mix well with the crown on his tooth.

At all.

Meet the bus driver

2010-04-21T07:27:00.000-05:00

Since Dillon has been grounded from his truck the past week, I feel like a bus driver! I didn't realize how much he runs himself & his sister around. Ugh. One week left.

rumor has it...

2010-04-17T23:11:00.000-05:00

The Coles are making a road trip to Iowa the last week of June! Put it on your calendar! Be there or be square!!

2010-04-17T23:05:00.000-05:00

TEST SCORE: 93
RESULTS: Within top 5%
HOW MANY TOOK THE TEST: Close to 500 people

WAY TO GO JARED!!!!!!

2010 Tiger Dancers Spring Show

2010-04-17T17:09:00.000-05:00

Dillon has become part of the tradition with the Stony Point Tiger Dancers Spring Show! This is his 2nd year being an Emcee for the show... I'm pretty sure he'll be a target for next year too. He did a good job! Last night was the first show & here are some highlights...

This next video is one of my favorites Dillon did. It certainly shows his belly-dancing moves. NOT. haha

These girls put on an AMAZING SHOW. Here is a snipet of the Grand Finale.

Dillon & the other 2 Emcee's participate in the Traditional-Round-Up that the Tiger Dancers do after their shows. Cute!

Nature at my door step

2010-04-17T16:16:00.000-05:00

This moth hung out next to our front door for 3 days. At first we thought it was dead. Then we thought maybe it was a brand new moth emerging from the coccoon & was just chillin'. In any case we decided to leave it alone. It's not there any more, so it must've decided to move along.

Today our neighbor came over to borrow a tool from the garage & while Scott and Pat were in the garage a tiny snake came slithering right in! Pat took care of it with a shovel. YUK.

We have actually been on the lookout for snakes... a memo was sent to all of us

b/c a neighbor killed a diamond-back rattlesnake on their back porch. SCARY!

2010-04-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

Click this link to see what Jared will be doing this weekend.

Fire Fighteer for City of Round Rock

He will be taking the Civil Service exam this weekend & then doing the CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test) test on June 5. How EXCITING!!

Little Dillon

2010-04-15T13:50:00.001-05:00

Dillon has to provide a picture of himself when he was younger for a video slide-show

at tomorrow night's Spring Show. Dillon is an Emcee & this will be part of the show.

On our quest to find a funny picture we came across these classics:

Dillon LOVES his new shoes! I took this picture during his nap time in Aug. 1996.

Obviously Jared loves to hug Dillon. NOT. haha

This was taken in June 1994 in Iowa City.

The one-hour-photo store in the mall picked this as "Picture of the Week" in Mason City & it was displayed for a week in the middle of the mall so everyone to get a good laugh.

This was a Christmas cookie decorating night.

Look close at the orange Tang stain around his mouth. I can't believe I fed them so much sugar before bed!

October 21, 1994. Too cute.

I notice now that both the boys are wearing PJ's. Jared's are on the outside & Dillon's are on underneath his costume. Oh well, they were 3 & 1 at the time, I don't think they noticed.

Macey & the window

2010-04-15T13:35:00.001-05:00

Macey LOVES to look out of Dillon's window, even when the shades are closed! The bed is just the right height that she can spend all day laying on his bed looking out the window. Ahhhh, the life of a dog, right?

Dillon's MOVIN' ON UP!!

2010-04-12T17:18:00.001-05:00

Texas Youth Rugby Association

As the story goes, “with fine disregard for the rules of football” William Webb Ellis picked up the ball & began to run with it. The plaque at Rugby School claims this was the start of the sport rugby football in 1823. Although an apocryphal story about the origin of the game, we know in Texas that in 1993 two middle schools in Houston, St. Ambrose & St. Anne’s, played the first organized game. In 1998 our first High School aged teams began playing.
Texas Single School and Multi-School Program
As part of the Texas Rugby Union, TYRA was formed in 2007 to govern high school and youth rugby throughout the state of Texas. High Schools compete in the Texas High School Rugby Conference or THSRC and the multi-schooled teams compete for the TYRA championship. This website is to provide information to our existing teams and schools while offering some help for those interested in growing this sport in Texas.

This was a BIG weekend for Dillon!

He played for Stony Point on Saturday morning & helped the team win the 'wildcard' position in the State playoffs in 2 weeks. Yay!

RIGHT after the SPHS game we jumped in the car & headed to Texas A&M University in College Station.

He played on a select-team called 'Central Texas Cyclones'.

Here is Dillon & the scrum-half from Stony Point playing for the Cyclones.

These are the 4 kids that came from Stony Point to play on the select team.

Dillon makes friends easily.. he's posing with a teammate from San Antonio.

Even though the Cyclone Team didn't win, there were scouts watching the players.

Dillon was selected to try-out for a team called "under 19" or U19 which includes boys who are more experienced & typically are closer to age 19. (Dillon JUST turned 17!!)

Dillon stayed overnight in College Station & made the cut for the U19 team!!

However, Dillon declined the invitation to join the U19 team & instead he agreed to join the U17 team (17 yr-olds). The coaches told him that his expertise may get him bumped to the U19 team eventually, but for now he has a spot on the team!

This means in June he'll go to the final round of cuts in Dallas.

If he makes it past that point, then he'll play on the USA RUGBY ASSOCIATION's Texas Team (either U17 or U19). He will fly all over the U.S. playing Rugby. Their first game will be this summer in Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Rugby Challenge.

What this means to you....

Dillon will have to do quite a bit of fund-raising to get his seat on the plane to Colorado... so...

Expect a letter, phone call, or email from him in the near future asking for some help. Every little bit will help!

I'm sorry if this is boring you to tears... but we are SO EXCITED for him!! :)

Bluebonnets everywhere!

2010-04-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

I decided I would make a terrible pet photographer.

You have no idea how difficult it was to get these 2 to sit still & look

somewhere near the camera.

Oh well. These are the best ones. :)

The wet winter we just had has made the wildflowers bloom EVERYWHERE!

The sides of the roads are simply covered with bluebonnets.

This little patch is in our neighborhood.

I wish the flowers could stay for months & months because they're so pretty!!

Spring 2010 SPHS Choir Concert

2010-04-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

These pictures are totally out of sequence!
The "Thriller" dance was the grand finale - they did so awesome!
One of our friends who has a 5-year-old son told Madison not to sit near him after the
concert because she "Was too scary-lookin'!"

Madison & Dillon are both in the

Varsity Chorale which sings very challenging

pieces. The choir sounded so beautiful &

it's cool to have them in the same choir!

See Dillon on the far left & Madison on the far right?

Too bad they don't stand next to each other for picture-purposes, that would be nice.

Good thing I don't have a headache

2010-04-08T12:32:00.001-05:00

This has been going on ALL MORNING!! I finally figured out where it's coming from... this little guy is perched in our front yard. I hope he's not thinking of building a nest there... it's a beautiful sound for about 10 minutes, then I've had enough.

Ninja Game

2010-04-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

When they play this game really fast it's very comical!

Yes.... Oh... I did....

2010-04-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

For over a year the boys (not Scott) have been bugging me to let them

get a tattoo. Of course I said no everytime.

But for Dillon's birthday I caved in.

Jared designed the cross & crown of thorns.

Scott, Jared & Dillon all have the same custom tattoo.

Scott's tattoo is a bit smaller than the boys'.

This picture makes me laugh because they're all showing a

little of their underwear. Including Scott. hahaha

Of course they have to do a 'man-ly' pose. Love it.

The "mom-who-caved"

2010-04-05T16:34:00.000-05:00

It wouldn't be Dillon's birthday without

the traditional ice-cream cake from Dairy Queen!

Early on the morning of Dillon's birthday his friends came &

decorated his truck & filled the cab with packing peanuts.

I tried to get a picture but Dillon ran off to the carwash & dumpster

before I got a chance... this is the only evidence left.

ONE piece of packing peanut on the carpet. Hmpf.

Our family (plus his girlfriend Chelsie) went out for Mexican to celebrate.

2010-04-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

Dillon's picture is in the school newspaper this month!

Rugby is becoming more popular at Stony Point High School.

Don't worry... I don't expect you to be able to ready this microscopic print. :)

Pretty Girl Madison

2010-04-05T14:36:00.000-05:00

Look what Scott brought home from Kansas

2010-04-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

This little speck is more than you think...

It causes alot of pain...

It's a kidney stone!

If you're thinking this is really gross... I have to agree.

But talk to any man who has passed a stone & it's actually a trophy

of endurance of great pain.

I wish the picture was clearer b/c this little guy has spikey edges

and looks a bit astroid-ish.

OUCH.

Saint James Place Cook-Off

2010-04-04T13:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the first of many cook-offs between our neighborhood friends.

Cook-offs will continue after this one with a different GRILLED item each time.
I believe brisket is next. Yum.

Here are all 7 cooks. Each had to prepare 3 racks of ribs.
They started cooking at noon. We had so many ribs!!

We judged on appearance, texture, and taste. This was my first plate.

My judging party was Madison, me & Chelsie.
Don't let her snarly-look fool you...
she loves ribs & was a great sport! Winner of the cook-off got the black apron & the loser gets the "Traveling-Trophy-Pink-Apron" that says 'I suck at Grilling'. Nice. Poor Pat. :(

Our ribs came in 3rd place! I'm pretty happy with that since it was our first cook-off!!

Easter Dinner a little early

2010-04-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

On Good Friday we went to Marble Falls to have a

Good meal with my family from Wimberley & my

family from Copperas Cove.

After supper we found an awesome little park that had a

sand volleyball area. Here is Margaux playing her

position on the team. Isn't she cute!

For some ingenius reason the volleyball court is right next to

the wide creek. Yes... you guessed it... twice.

Here is Madison & Benji speculating on how they're going

to get the ball back.

Andrew joins the observation.

Thank goodness a random kid was net-fishing & caught the

volleyball for them. Whoot!

Monkeys never grow up. Right Benji & Madison?

2010-04-03T09:39:00.000-06:00

You're jealous... aren't ya?

Bet you wish you had an Alumni shirt too, right?

A looooooong day on the road to Wichita, KS

2010-04-02T21:23:00.002-06:00

We left the house at 8:19 but realized we only had a half tank of gas.

So we stopped for gas... which rolled into a stop for breakfast... which rolled into

a restroom break... so we didn't really get on the

road until almost 9:00.

You know how you pass a car on the interstate & pretty soon

that same car passes you... then if you drive long enough

you pass him again, then he passes you again?

It becomes like a game, right?

Anyways, this car was playing 'leap-frog' with us for so much

that I started keeping track. We got up to

9 times we passed each other.

Then he disappeared into the abyss of cars on Interstate 35.

Potty break in Fort Worth.

We look very tourist-y, I mean how many people take their pictures

at the public restrooms?

Passing the Red River between Texas & Oklahoma @ 12:38.

Everyone's happy here. Godfathers Pizza!! And Subway!!

Here's what happens when Shelly takes over as driver. Scott & Madison get silly!

Something is definately messed up with that Edward pillow. Or Scott.

The guys were watching a movie on the laptop. In between texts, right Dillon?

Finally Oklahoma City @ 3:05.

There's that creepy Edward pillow. I mean, there's that

awesome pillow that Madison brought.

Finally to Kansas!

Yes! The hotel!! Nine hours!!

Take me to the hot tub. Or not. ;)

self portrait

2010-04-01T12:59:00.000-06:00

Looks like I have an orange mustache! heehee

Still in the Academy!

2010-03-29T16:31:00.000-06:00

We're very proud of Jared!

He has about 6 weeks left until he finishes the

Fire Academy.

Thumbs Up

2010-03-27T21:24:00.000-06:00

As of yesterday I have been given the "Thumbs Up" to blog about how the Cole Family lives again. Full Pedal-to-the-Medal type of blogging. Like I used to.

So, my fellow blog-readers... get ready! I'm back!!

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-13T18:55:00.000-06:00

We started Spring Break today with a Rugby game win & sunburns for everyone! It was a bright sunny day & we got up to 80 degrees.
Jared went to a controlled-burn today, in other words... he BURNED down a house today! It was a practice burn for the Fire Department. He's not home yet but he has texted us so I know he's okay (whew! I don't know how moms of fire fighters do it).
Scott & Dillon went to San Antonio tonight to pick up Dillon's good friend, Nathan, from the airport. He lives in Waterloo, Iowa & I don't think he's ever been to Texas. He'll have a fun week since the weather will be in the 70's& sunny. I think we might go to Houston for a day & I'm sure we'll think of plenty of things to do this week... wish all our friends & family could come down... (sad face).
Madison has decided we're going to do LOTS of practice driving this week. And after our 2 mile driving experience this afternoon... ummm... she definitely needs practice.
Look for pictures this week! Happy Spring Break!