calm before the storm

ed and i ventured to old stomping grounds a couple weeks ago to see one Ms. Ivy Ikpeme wed her Mr. Troy Ruths! Ivy- can you BELIEVE it's been 2 weeks already? i foolishly volunteered to help my mom host a garden shower for a family friend, and ended up staying the ENTIRE following week at home. i don't think i have had a lengthy stay at home like that since..summer after freshman year when i actually moved back home? i wish i could say it was relaxing, but everything was GO GO GO to get everything accomplished. we also celebrated the births of our beautiful niece campbell and ed's best man and great friend, andrew.


let me preface this next paragraph with the following disclaimer: my mother and i (and sister too, come to think of it) go CRAZY for a theme.
the garden shower was complete with flower fruit kabobs and amaretto fruit dip, dirt cake..which had to be placed in a wheelbarrow, you know, sangria, little ants (mostly the fake kind) scurrying around everywhere, gifts for the lawn and garden, and the yummiest food. shower games were vetoed, but they did play beer pong. my PARENTS played beer pong..only i think their version of it included cups containing margaritas, not beer.

a day or so of rest and it was off to celebrate with campbell! that darling little girl is the only grandchild thus far on EITHER side and is absolutely adored by all. she just turned two, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her or SPEAKING to her. they're even moving her up to the 3 and 4 year old class because she is 'mature' for her age. she's tall and lean, like her parents, with no trace of baby fat to be found :( she knows her shapes, colors, a little sign language, LOVES doing crafts, and can say AQUA-DOODLE. ed and i still refer to her as 'the baby' ..and probably will continue to do so until she has a new sibling or cousin. which you should not look this direction for.

click HERE to see pictures from both the shower and campbell's birthday!

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this week has been absolutely nuts trying to get back in to the swing of things. ed and i CLOSE on our condo next wednesday! and we've been running around signing our life away all week. in an effort to save money on boxes we made the trip to campus to score a few boxes from undergrads during 'MOOve in with Bevo' weekend. ridiculous, i know. that little trip ended up cosing us a nice chunk of change, as ed got a ticket for 'ignoring posted signs' when he turned left from guadalupe on to 25th. in all my years on campus i NEVER saw those signs or knew you couldn't turn there. seeing another 6 people do it without receiving tickets only fueled our rage. we got one box that trip..a very pricey box.

orientation was friday..and it was information OVERLOAD. i'm all signed up for classes now, and will not have to TA for 3 years...which is super excellent. i also sat in a 2 hour presentation about the health insurance i can now receive, and was informed on all aspects of life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. it left me feeling pretty deflated, as i'm sure you can imagine.

my parents' birthdays are on monday (yes, same day) which is a bit overshadowed by what my mother is certain will be bad news from her doctor. we've all decided to chip in and get them a wii..as they somehow manage to overtake ours every time they come to austin. keep mom in your thoughts this upcoming week, if you would, and i will do my best to let you know how it goes.

condo closing is on wed. classes start on thurs. we have to be out of our apt by the 31st. parents are coming to austin that weekend to help the little brother (and hopefully us) move some of this crap we have all managed to accumulate. should be one hell of a week.