RTT: mon chien

J'embrasse mon chien sur la bouche.

Mon mari n'est pas comme elle.

Il ne sait pas lui que je connais.

-------------------------------------

I pulled the patio love seat out into the sun one afternoon. I laid down, basking in the sun. Sheila licked my toes. It was one of the best moments EVER!

From Adventures of the Grigg Boys

-------------------------------------

Sometimes when she sleeps, one of her ears sticks up straight. She looks like she is flying.

From Adventures of the Grigg Boys

-------------------------------------

It makes me so happy to see her give up all consciousness and flop down wherever she is to nap after a long run. I fell like I have done my job as her loving owner.

-------------------------------------

It makes me very discouraged when she is boisterous and full of energy after a long run. I feel like a failure and maybe could have gone that extra mile (literally) if not for me, then for Sheila.

From Adventures of the Grigg Boys

------------------------------------

Ok .... maybe I don't feel like a failure, but still discouraged!

From Adventures of the Grigg Boys

-----------------------------------

When I have a treat in my hand and make her sit and wait for it, she looks like she is secretly negotiating with me, "give me that treat, and I'll lick your toes. You know you want me to."

From Adventures of the Grigg Boys

For more Random Tuesday Thoughts - and maybe some not centered on unhealthy attachments to family pets, click here!

Weekend of Rockstars!

FRIDAY: Inaugural Seaworld trip of the season with our Seaworld buddies: Nicky and Benjamin






SATURDAY: Gabriel's first soccer practice of the season




SUNDAY: We had a very special church service. I blogged a couple months ago about how my MIL & FIL's house church got too large for their living room so we started one in our living room. Last Sunday we had a big gathering of both house churches out at Aruni and Mike's house. It was amazing! I wish I had the words to describe it but there are few people who can describe, even remotely, what its like being in a group (ie. church) and feeling the spirit move through you. I was moved to tears throughout the entire service.

But especially when my SIL gave her testimony. She and her family travelled down here to give a presentation on their impending 5 year mission trip to Peru. Her testimony was one of the most transparent ones I have been priveleged to hear - full of that complicated beauty that tethers us to God through tragedy, sorrow, surrender, healing and humility. Thanks for sharing, Steph.Stephanie reading before we began

the girls chillin'

Jason hitting on older women

Nana and Maddox

Maddox doing things he's not supposed to. "They" kept motioning to me to stop him, but I just kept taking pictures of him.

Aruni gave a demonstration about making God our focus

our musically gifted

Patti is on the left by the screen - then Beth, then Josh, then Natalie

my MIL, doesn't she look all young and hip and ready to rock out?

Al: he sang Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

Ethan: Speak softly and carry a big stick.

Mike and Aruni's dog, Bootsy. She let the kids put her in a doll stroller and then she just stayed there!

Spin Cycle: For quirky people, we sure are dull

Pie chart of Grigg household quirks:



Chomping at the bit for more quirky spins? Click here!

FFF: I married in your family, now you can't get rid of me.

circa 1980 or 1981?
Hubs, Brandon, with his sister, Stephanie (aka. Little Orphan Annie), and a baby. As I mentioned before they were brought up in France but they also traveled the world - so who knows where this picture was taken or who that baby is?

Is your day hum drum?
Are you looking for an exciting way to turn your day around?
Funky Foto Flashback is the answer for you!


alt="funkfotoflashback" />

Just post your vintage pic on your blog.
Copy and past the FFF code (on the sidebar beneath Ethan's bio) onto your blog post.
Sign up on Mr. Linky (below)
And watch the adoring and comical comments roll in! [at least you'll get one from me]

RTT: Self Deprecation

Endorphins: Beth and I run together every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We recently added miles to our regular runs just for the heck of it. After such a run I had a little runner's high. So I start telling Beth about how we took out the prickly pear in our yard. I told her how I threw it over the fence into the green belt. I told her how our fence is so fragile that one time when I threw it over, it took part of the fence with it. I told her about how there was so much prickly pear that I could stand on the "trunk" and jump on it without it breaking. Then, I demonstrated. But this time The prickly pear gave - it broke, I fell on my arse, and took the top of the fence - or what was left of it - with me. We laughed until we peed! Then as I was explaining that it is such a good thing that I am not a 14 year old boy (because of all the trouble I would potentially get into)I started climbing this tree we have. I did a pull up on a branch, swung my legs around and hung upside down for a bit, then as I swing my legs back around, I misjudged my distance from the ground and jammed my shoulder.

my running mates

As I was leaving the house to meet up with Beth for a run (not the same day as the above story) I put Ethan in his car seat - then I put Sheila in the back - then I started the car to get the AC going - then I went to get Gabriel's booster as I had just washed the cover - when I got back to the car - IT WAS LOCKED! My car never does this. This is not like the automatic locks that lock when you shift into drive or close the doors. I don't know how it happened. It was a freak accident. Brandon wasn't anywhere nearby and I panicked. I called the police. The police, the fire dept. and an ambulance came tearing down my street sirens and lights ablaze; only to tell me that none of them had a slim jim so we would have to wait for a locksmith. Humiliating. I felt like the biggest dope.

Simon trying to coax Sheila with a treat to the front seat so she would step on the window down button. It didn't work.

Gabriel had a good time.

I ate an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk - in one sitting - in less than one hour. For Shame!

Gabriel: When I get married, I want ot marry a girl who doesn't have a daddy.
Me: Why is that?
Gabriel: So I can rescue her from the monsters.
(Let's wait a few more years before we inform him of the emotional dangers of wanting to be the hero)

Simon watches the kids for us a lot so we can go do things together. It is awesome! We have had many an outing to run together to pick up some food, or walk around somewhere together - just an hour together, uninterrupted is fun! We came home one night and Simon said he was trying to teach the boys how to do a relay race with sticks. At point, Gabriel got Ethan's stick and so Simon just handed Ethan Gabriel's stick. But this didn't sit well with Ethan so he ran after Gabriel shouting, "MY DICK! MY DICK!"

I am such a big dork. How will I illustrate this point? I cut open an avocado to beautiful green avocado perfection! So I took a picture.



Then I cut open the second avocado and it was equally perfect. So I took a picture of that one too. That was a good night for salads in my house!




The Stiletto Mom posted a story after my prompting. I felt very special about this so you should go read it. Go ahead and do it now because this post is done. Then, if you have MORE time to kill you can read other random tuesday thoughts by clicking on the uber cool button below.

St. Patrick's Day was How Long Ago?

... and I am just now blogging about it!

Have you ever seen the pie chart of a procrastinator? That's me.

St. Patrick's Day in San Antonio is sad - is neglected - is lame - is uncelebrated. There just aren't enough Irish in these here parts. But coming from St. Louis, where it is a much celebrated holiday (complete with a parade, 5k fun run, pub crawls, free concerts, and on and on and on) I get a little home sick on St. Patrick's Day. This year, I had my own party. The Bedheads came over. Simon was here. Who is Simon? Simon is our friend from St. Louis who moved to Massachusetts around the same time we moved to Texas and now he is living with us until he gets a job to start anew in Texas, where snow is rare and steak is, well, I like it rare.

As you know, St. Paddy's was on Tuesday and (what you may not know) I teach at the Yoga Studio on Tuesday nights so we celebrated on Sunday after church. The Bedhead's came over and we had Shepherd's Pie and Guinness. I tried to make St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake but it flopped. We still had fun - it just required fewer calories.

(failed Gooey Butter Cake)

Ethan had some calls to make - then he hung out with Josh.

Just so you know, that is mid-blink - NOT, I repeat, NOT a drunk toddler. Still funny though.

Ethan and Ezra dj'ed for us.

Ezra then had some calls to make.

I love this picture of us!

this one's good too


Simon