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More renewal

We got the couches recovered. They needed it badly; I was REALLY sick of the original fabric. I picked it out when we bought the couches and was disappointed when the couches finally arrived. But, we lived with it for almost 10 years. Notice the color of the wall.

Before: Grandma and Monique waiting for Emerson to wake up from a nap.

During: our very nice lawn furniture that we hung out on. If you like it, you can go to Target and get some for yourself. It now lives outside on the lawn. My father-in-law pointed out that in some countries, this IS living room furniture and we should just keep it in the house and save ourselves some money.

After: We are still using the original throw pillows, but have plans to replace them. We are very pleased with how the couches turned out. The pictures don't do them justice. Notice the new color on the walls. That needed to be changed badly as well...the original had turned from light neutral beige to pink and I was sick of that as well. The new color is called "Vanilla Cone" by Behr if you want to look it up. Now we just need to get the artwork back up on the walls.

Don't tell Rico, but I'd like to redo the kitchen next :)

Renewal and Hopefullness

For some reason, the concept of "one world" behind the Olympics makes me feel hopeful. I guess with all the bad news in the world everyday, it's nice that the people of the world can regularly put aside differences and come together in one place and compete on a level that affords all respect and dignity. Maybe some bridges will be built. Needless to say, I have a slight Olympic addiction. I watch everyday and stay up way to late every night so I can catch the medal ceremonies. And wasn't the opening ceremonies AWESOME? I think they were the best ever. With the tragic death of my friends father-in-law last month and less than 6 degrees of separation between me and this young man, I am happy and thankful for this bright spot, these Olympics.

2nd Haircut

Emerson's hair grew fast after her 1st haircut, so we needed to do it again. We went back to the same place, only this time she got to sit in the yellow VW bug. She held still and watched Elm0's world. No tears, no whining. She's such a good girl and her new haircut looks so cute.

Hi Ho, Old Paint

Recently, Emerson's very generous Grandpa Patrick brought over and assembled her new horsey! Radio Flyer makes several different versions of this product, but Emerson would grow out of the smaller ones too fast. As you can see, this one will last a long time and grow with Emerson. It has a small sound box in it that makes galloping noises and trotting noises, as well as horse whinney's and neigh's. It took Emerson a while to warm up, but after we showed her how Grandpa and monkey could ride it, then she wanted to ride it to. Her feet do not reach the stir-ups and her hand barely reach the handles, so right now, this is a supervised toy.

Ewa, you would be proud!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Alex

On August 2, we celebrated Alex's 2nd birthday. Emerson and I had a great time seeing all our friends. Alex had a great birthday. As you can see, he is all boy and he LOVES cake. When we asked him how old he was, Alex would say "Two"! What a smart and handsome boy. We love you Alex, and we love your parents too! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Austin Girls Weekend

A few weekends ago, about 5 of us girls got together in Austin for a special celebration. We spent the weekend eating, shopping, laying by the pool and well, doing what there is to do in Austin (Bob Schneider, where have you been all my life?!). We had a great time with lots of good memories. I can't say much more than that except that this is Dena with Jason. Who has a house. On Burnet Rd. It has a pool. A big one. He's having a pool party. And we're all invited! And that's half of a Philly Cheese steak sandwich he's holding, not a burrito. And we can have it if we want!
Austin was an AWESOME time! KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD!

Sadness and Disbelief

I know that I have sent out e-mails to a few of you about this, but I need to use this forum as well. On Saturday, July 19, my good friend Ewa's father-in-law was riding his bike at 6am. He was struck by a truck and dragged for a block before the truck stopped, backed-up and then left the scene. My friends father-in-law was left at the side of the road to die. He was taken to the hospital and was in ICU as a John Doe for 4 days before his family found him. He died of his injuries on Friday, July 25, 2008. The truck and the driver have not been found.

Mr. Ricardo Graciano was one of the nicest men you would ever want to meet. He was always interested in what you had been up to and made it a point to engage you in conversation. He was very proud of his children and grandchildren. He was an educator and proud veteran. He was a good father-in-law to my friend and I CAN NOT believe this has happened! How can a person not know they have hit someone and are dragging them under their car??!! And what kind of person leaves a fellow human being on the side of the road to die?

In addition to his many humble contributions of time and money to charities and organizations, Mr. Graciano was very passionate about improving the bike lane system in San Antonio to make it safer for cyclists. To that end, Mr. Graciano's family has started a petition in cooperation with Bike World to make this happen. I know that I have readers that never comment, and that is fine. But please click the link below and sign the petition. The petition asks for all your info, but only your name and state are displayed. I know that Mr. Graciano's family would deeply appreciate your support as they try to make sense of their father's senseless death.

http://www.bikeworld.com/