Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad! Don't worry, I won't tell everyone your age. I even added a photo where you have a full head of brown hair! (See what a nice b-day present this is?)

Fake pictures (until I can download real ones)

I've been pretty busy lately, but haven't been able to upload pictures since mid July. Relying on other photographers doesn't quite work either. I'll upload pictures (since some are awesome!) once I get my cord back (I mentioned I lost it in a prior post - I left it in my parents' kitchen). Since July, I have:

Won a hula costume contest with Mike. (Really Mike won because a coconut bra and pink grass skirt on a male is funnier than on a female. Since I bought the costumes, I'm allowed to say that we won.)




There was a Sage Meadow Family Fun Day to celebrate my neighborhood's one year birthday. Snow cones, a bounce house, and a waterslide were included. I'm still tracting down pictures of me.








I've been working on a rainbow sewing project. I have to kick myself to get working on it, but it's coming along. Since I'm headed out of town so much in the next month, I don't know when it'll be finished. Hopefully sometime before the summer ends. (Thank goodness hot weather lasts until early October in Austin!) Plus, I need to start sewing a ring cushion for my sister's wedding. I'm nervous about starting it, so I'm procrastinating. At the very worst, I'll work on it the day I get to NY. Then I'll have all day plus a helper (my mom).

I'm headed to Vegas on Thursday. I was there once before when I was 6. Everyone says it doesn't count, but I think it does. What if I choose not to gamble or drink this time around? Would that not count too? I played the ski-ball game that was connected to the horses race to the finish. (Yes, that's pretty much my only memory of the trip.)

Then, I'm headed to good ol' Churchville, NY for a week. (Side note: the town fair and tractor pull is this weekend in Churchville. I was invited via Facebook. I had to decline.) I don't have all the festivities planned out, but my Saturday and Sunday will be filled with wedding-related stuff.

Happy Negative One Month!

(Stop laughing at my math-i-ness, Lauren. Negative one month is a legitimate time frame.)


One month from today, my sister will be married. Okay, it's an evening wedding, so I guess it's one month plus a few hours. But please, if it's been 4 years and they'll spend the rest of their lives together, a few hours is nothing to argue.



May the next month be exciting and stress-free, may the planning be finished, may the love between you grow, and may the last-minute details be finished before I arrive on September 1st. (Hey, I had to say something to make those Kasiske girls laugh a little instead of cry.)


May the rest of your lives be exciting and stress-free, may the planning never finish, may the love between you grow, and may I not be told last-minute about any expected new arrivals. (And everyone together girls: "Awww" and boys: "That's too sappy." Sorry, I had to tie it into the wording in the last section.) But seriously, I am usually the last to know everything in my family.

Oo-Oh Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

The cable that connects my camera to computer is currently MIA. So I had to steal someone else's photos from Facebook. The neighborhood girls got together for an 80's night. Though you can't see it, I caked on blue eyeshadow too. I made 2 scrunchies from scrap fabric, and cut holes in some pink/white striped socks to make the legwarmers. The whole time I was getting ready, I kept thinking, "Gee, I wish I had that horrid pink crimper. I wonder where it is..." (Lauren, Alison, did you steal it from Mom & Dad's house b/c I might for the next time an occasion like this arises.)

Say Cheese (and wine and wedding)

At the 4th of July party (I've called it the pre-wedding reception, my sister's engagement party, and it was emailed as a "welcome Henrick to the family" party), my sister set up a photo booth. She's crazy for hats and scarves - here are some photos from the day.

Alison and I kicked off the photo booth. Most (older) women that wore the boa felt scandalous.


I am crazy jealous of Julianna's curls. She didn't have to do anything to them once she got out of the pool. The cowboy hat is fitting - she LOVES horses.

I'm headed to Melinda & Chris's wedding this weekend, so I thought I should show their pretty faces when they're not wearing the white dress & tux. Yes, they wear boas on a daily basis.

Lauren's Apron

After blogging about the apron I made for Alison back in January, Lauren quickly responded to the email with a plea for one too. Once I realized her shower was quickly approaching, I decided I could make that for her instead of waiting until Christmas.

This design just screamed "Lauren" - I wouldn't have been comfortable if I attempted any other one. After a trip to JoAnn's and some (unsuccessful) phone calls to try to ask my mom & other sister for advice on the fabric, I found two patterns that would work.

There were a few elements that I haven't worked with before. Extra stability was added in the polka-dot belly piece, and I top-stitched almost everything. I was actually surprised at how easy the top stitching was. It would have been even easier if I did it all at once and not on three separate days. It turned out nicely - I think this has been my best stitching so far (excluding that yellow toddler dress I made - I'm still too proud of making the pattern too).

After I gave it to Lauren (I'm not going to be in New York for the shower and wanted to get a pic of her wearing it before I left last week), she decided to attempt to drown her Husband-to-be with a bottle of seltzer water. Henrick declined my offer of making a matching dress-apron for him.

A duck, a Skateboard and a Tricycle...

...I rode them all in Austin's Urban Assault Ride! That's right, I took my bike out on the mean streets of downtown Austin for a race. This partnered race (my partner was Mike - and we had Virginia Tech biking jerseys - be jealous, Dad) was a scavenger hunt/obstacle course. We rode to nine spots (the scavenger hunt portion) and had to do a silly task (the obstacle portion). Photos are from kruetzphotography.com. (For more photos, click on the "UAR photos" - my bib number was 438 I think.) All these pics here are us are here except the ducks. We must have gotten there before the photographer :( Does anyone want to ride around and take pictures next year? I want my own action shots!Stop one had giant blow up pool ducks that we had to ride & pull around the duck in the cold lake. Other stops included throwing newspapers, riding a Big Wheel Tricycle, and getting vampire teeth near the Congress Street Bridge, of course.
I laid on a skateboard, and was pushed down the bowling lane to knock over some pins, played piggy-back croquet, unscrambled a puzzle ("fit all these pieces in this square"), added numbers on a beach ball (thank goodness for my math background), and headed to the finish for the final stop. Naturally, this race ended with a giant slip-and-slide, a team photo, and our time was clocked. I'm so happy that we made it within a descent time, and got 66th place for all co-ed teams... that's the 78th percentile!I had so much fun (I still haven't stopped talking about it) and am looking forward to next year. Maybe by then I'll be better on my bike and I'll aim for 85th percentile, top 10%, number 1, what do you think?