DyessFamChronicles: Carlsbad and other pictures and some michellamneous mentionables

I finally got the 35mm pictures put on cd so that I can share them. I also have a few pictures from our recent visit with Sam's cousins Billy Gene and Patsy. I need to take a few pictures of what "fall" here looks like at the moment. Here's a hint. The five day highs for this week are 102, 100, 104, 104, 102, 101 degrees! The lows are all 78 degrees or below. I keep reading about the lovely weather in East Texas and I'm really wanting to be there right now!!! I'm also wondering if we are going to be able to go home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I guess we'll just have to see. We have family here and are already invited to Thanksgiving, so we won't be doing that on our own. I love Thanksgiving. Its my favorite time of the year. We usually go to Thanksgiving at my Granny's house and being around my extended family and eating all the super yummy food and being able to make something to add to that. I love it.

I've been thinking a lot about Christmas because our little live Christmas tree that we brought here with us didn't make it. We had it for over two years and I was very irritated about it dying. Arizona has now claimed the lives of ten+ of my plants. I'm now refusing to get another one until we have a house and a yard. That way after we use it for Christmas, we can plant it and hopefully it won't kick the bucket! In light of that, I've decided to do a very homemade Christmas. The boys and I are going to make a Christmas tree out of a refrigerator box. I'm going to string our lights on it and put the few ornaments we have with us near the top and then we are going to make the rest of the ornaments out of styrofoam, cardboard and whatever else. We're gonna make construction paper and popcorn garlands. Its gonna be fun and cheap and reusable! Woo-hoo! :) I will be taking pictures to document this process and then the hopefully great finished product.

Yesterday, we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel with Sam's aunt and uncle and we had a really good time. Sam's Aunt Mary Alice took Braden on a walk through the store part and they came back with a stuffed opossum for Zekey and a "super grabber" for Braden. Braden picked them both out. He's really funny. He chose the opossum because he thought it looked like the rat in Ratatouille. We just got that movie about two weeks ago. Anyway, I also took a little walk and looked at their ornaments. I love ornaments! I think that is my shopping obsession. (I didn't remember it until I went looking at the ornaments.) I will be going back there for a few ornaments and I will also be going to Hobby Lobby soon to check out their selection. I may go to Michael's, but I'm not usually impressed by what they have. In the past 3 years, I've always tried to make it to a Crate and Barrel to get some ornaments because they usually have some very neat ones. I think I will be continuing that tradition because there is one about 8 miles from me. I'm very excited!!!! I really like Crate and Barrel, not only because they carry neat stuff, but also because they wrap up what you buy and put it in a box for you. Its such a nice way to store my ornaments. :) Even though most of my ornaments are in storage right now, one day I'll be able to get them all out and decorate our tree and its going to be so much fun to see them all on the same tree. The ones I buy this year will probably make it into storage too if we go home. I don't like traveling around with breakable ornaments, so yeah.

Another couple of things that I'm very excited about are going to take place this weekend, both on Sunday. After church, we will be attending our first Agape Feast. They have it once a month and it is a time of fellowship between church members. We didn't go to the last one, so I'm very excited about this one. Its gonna be spagetti and stuff. Yum! I also got an application to work in the children's ministry. I want to be involved in both of my kiddos classes. Okay, so three things instead of two. We will also be getting our pictures made later that day. I found a Picture People studio. I have heard such good things about them and I'm really glad that we finally live near one! They specialize in taking pictures of children, so I anticipate some really good pictures. Also, you take your pictures, pick the poses you like and then about an hour later, you are taking your pictures home. That's right! They process their own pics right in studio! I can't wait. I've got to go find something to wear for the picture though because Sam and the boys mostly have brown and earth-toned nice clothes, while all of mine are black and white. I found a maternity resale shop here and will be going in the next day or two, so hopefully, I'll find something. We went to Gymboree on Saturday and I finally used the rest of the gift card that my mom's friend Jane gave to us for Zekey's birth. I was wanting to find something for both Braden and Zekey for picture purposes, but could never find similar things in the sizes they wear. I ended up finding Braden a pair of brown slacks and Zekey a pair of brown shortalls. Yay! They already have shirts to wear, so I'm ecstatic! Sam already has something to wear though I'd really like to get him a new shirt. I'll be on the lookout for that and something for me. We really don't do this very often and because I don't keep up with what place has what, I end up running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Not pretty!

Okay, enough yacking. On to the pictures.

These are all from Carlsbad Caverns with the 35 mm camera.

These are from 2 weekends ago when we went to hang out with Billy Gene and Patsy for a couple of days. These were taken with our new digital camera. Man the difference is amazing!

Billy Gene and Braden

Braden being goofy while I experiment with the camera

This closeup is just fabulous to me. You can see iris detail and everything! This camera rocks!

This is an owl that was roosting right above our heads. It was dozing and alternately keeping an eye on us. This is the closest I've ever been to an owl.

Braden, Billy Gene and Sam went to the Pima Air Museum for part of the day and apparently had a very good time.

After they got back from the museum, Braden decided they needed to go swimming. Apparently it was a little chilly and the adults weren't as keen on it as the kids. :)