Happy Birthday Parker

 
 
 
 
Parker turned 1 yesterday. We tried to call to sing Happy Birthday but we just had to leave it on the voice mail. When are your parents going to get you your own number anyway? We love you and pray for you often. 

suzie's 'big girl bed'

 
apparently suzie is too good to sleep on the ground or in her doghouse. she now prefers fold-out, canvas chairs. i mean, how much more comfy could you get? she gave us a hearty laugh this morning as we found her in her new favorite place. jason snuck around the side of the house, even took a stepstool w/ him, to get this pic. if our kids are half as goofy as this dog, we're in for a treat. (that was NOT an insinuation that we're having kids anytime soon, so calm down, grandparents) :-) 

High Bank Twin Falls

I was on call yesterday and actually got some good sleep, so Cindy and I decided to spend part of the day "waterfall hunting". We got a lot of rain yesterday and thought there should be some good falls. Lesson learned: Places that have good waterfalls loose the water fast because the terrain is so steep. Must go next time during the storm. We still had fun.

We tried to see the "High Bank Twin Falls" which Tim Ernst describes as one of the "prettiest in Arkansas" when it is running. It was just a trickle today, but we had fun and will make a return trip. I highly recommend it. Here are some pics from today.
 
Interesting looking caterpillar we saw on a rock today. Not sure what it is called, but it looked like really good fish bate.
 
Suzie drying off after a cool swim in the pool below the falls. She really likes water.
 
View of the High Bank for which the falls get their name. As you can see, not much agua. This is about 70 feet high.
 
Really good shot Cindy took of the leaves. I think we are going to frame this one, maybe even enter it in a contest? 

34 years of walking thru life together...

sorry to be redundant in my posts, but now it's time to celebrate the 34th anniversary of mom & dad!wedding anniversaries should be celebrated more than they are, so here is my ode to Sir Charles and Queen Mum:

Razorbacks are red
neither of your eyes are blue :-)
after 34 years together
your marriage remains tried & true

you know each other well
you hardly ever disagree
except on the occasion
that mom outscores dad from 'the tee'

we honor your faithfulness today
you are both servants to the core
we love & respect you very much
may your marriage remain a 'hole-in-one' forevermore!

the end.

wuz ya, wuz ya!!!

mawiage, is what bwings us togetha today...

A very happy 5 year anniversary to my favorite brother & sister-in-law!!! You guys are awesome and we celebrate the past 5 years with you!

my Ode to Lee & Sonya:

Razorbacks are red
Lee's eyes are blue
5 years ago today
i heard you both say, "i do."

your commitment seems to deepen
every year to each other
i enjoy watching you steal smooches
even if it's my own brother :-)

we hope & pray in faith
that every year is better than the last
and no matter what happens down the road
our God will hold you fast...(and lee will continue pass gas.)

the end.

congrats!!!!! we love you!

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS A JASON!!!!!

Well, everyone, the first hill has been climbed & peaked by our beloved Jason. Today marks 30 YEARS that his presence has graced this earth. I don't know if 30 is technically considered to be 'over a hill' of any sort, but for his young & kickin' 25-yr-old wife, it's a hill to me! It is a beautiful day today here in Fayetteville, I can feel the magic in the air. :-) I know jason's Heavenly Father is rejoicing over him today, along with many of us.
Here is a pic from last wknd w/ my parents, and a 'special cake' that mom brought with her. If Jason wouldn't have picked it up before he cut into, he would've fallen for the joke that it was a styrofoam cake, but no, he caught onto it as soon as he picked it up for a picture. Darn it! We still enjoyed laughing at him as he tried to cut into it. There's some practical joke gene that has been inherited on my mom's side of the family. Then the REAL cake was brought out of a HUGE box and it looked like this- and dang was it good! i ordered the same one we had for our wedding cake= a little taste of heaven. :-)

So if you're a fan of Jason's and would like to leave him a birthday blessing or advice now that he's technically 'not young' anymore, I'm sure he would appreciate it.

Jason, I still remain your 2nd biggest fan. Feliz cumpleanos, mi amor!
xoxo,
c-lo

Weekend Rewind

Friday:
Got insurance for the Tahoe. Tried to go to get registration but decided against waiting behind the 40+ people in line. Decided to drive the Tahoe to meet Kay and Roger to see how she handles.

Cindy and I met my aunt and uncle Roger and Kay in McAlester, OK to eat at Pete's Place, a nice little Italian restaurant (actually in Krebs, OK). This place is unique in that each table is in a private room. Sounds fancy but it is not high priced at all and you don't have to get dressed up, I can attest to that by what I saw people wearing who walked in.

Saturday:
We enjoyed our visit with Kay and Roger and were treated to a wonderfully cooked homemade breakfast on Saturday morning. Thanks again, Kay, it was delicious. We especially enjoyed listening to Roger tell us all about his recent tripS to Rome, Italy.

Noticed gas in Atoka, OK was $2.29, cheapest we have seen thus far. Made mental note to fill er up on the way back. Met my Nanney and Popa (Gaston) at "Mac"Donalds in Atoka, by far the busiest "Mac"Donalds I have ever seen. Mental note, never go there again if it is that busy. Drove to Milburn, OK to meet my third cousin Edsil Osborn.
Edsil is a WWII vet and followed Patton's army through Europe. Would like to talk with him more. Sharpest 90 year old I have ever met other than my late great grandmother Mama Et. After doing some family business, we ate at the BBQ Pit in Madill, OK, further in the middle of nowhere than Milburn. Good baby back ribs that day.

Returned to Fayetteville just in time to see the second quarter of the most disappointing win I have ever witnessed in my life. I guess my expectations were set a little high. I am now not so sure about this season. Either Vandy played really good and Bama did not or maybe Vandy is still good without Cuttler? I am starting to get worried about next week.

After the game, I was surprised with not one but TWO cakes. The first being a "fake cake" which I will post pics on later. Cindy's mother, Kay, had it made and did a good job of ALMOST pulling it off. I picked up the cake to have a pic taken and thought, "this is really a lot lighter than I expected". The wheels of recollection started turning and I remembered the story of a concrete cake being made and decorated for Chuck one year. I saw the snickers on their faces and knew something was up. I hesitantly tried to cut into the cake as they laughed at me not being able to cut well into the styrofoam underneath. They later brought out the real cake, which was very good. I got some great and much needed gifts as well.

Sunday:
Slept in, at a big breakfast at IHOP with Kay and Chuck, returned for a nap, woke up and went to the Rom Apple orchard in Fayetteville, went to prayer meeting, to church, and out to eat with David and Laura Jackson at La Huerta's, then hit the sack early for a good nights rest.

I guess that was long, but just wanted to recap the weekend.

The New Ride

 
Got the insurance, now its to the DMV. Please pray for me. 

The Search is Over

Tonight we bought the replacement vehicle for the Jeep. It cost less than what I received from the insurance company, is still a 4x4, has A/C, probably gets close to the same gas milage, has twice the engine, has more room, and will be something the people in Oaxaca can use in a few years. I think we got a really good deal on this vehicle. I will try to post pics tomorrow.

lil' pk, whatch you think?

 
our little nephew parker still thinks the Hogs are #1. or, well, maybe that's his 'light' for his 'this little light of mine' interpretation. or maybe he just picked his nose and is holding up his findings. whatever his thought process was for this pose, we still think he's awesome. (not to mention future all-american linebacker for the Hogs) we've all got high hopes for this little giant. :-) 

USC Game Highlights

 
An enthused college fan. I always get a kick out of seeing how they dress up.
 
The fly over with afterburner effects. I get chills everytime I see one of these.
 
Can we say "HIGHsteppin". This is one of the drum majors that has mad kicks!
 
Our beloved blow up hog mascot thing. He was more fun to watch than the game.

My thoughts on the game. I think we are better than Grant thinks we are. I have two season tickets available for him to the Alabama game if he should dare take them. 50 yd line, east side, upper level of the bottom deck. Great seats. Or, we could sit in the south end zone if we could get a couple of our neighbors to move to the 50yd line seats.

Speaking of my "neighbors" at the game....Cindy and I felt like two magazines between an expanded volume of the largest two dictionaries you have ever seen. I am going to make a suggestion that the UofA require people to list the width of their back sides on a flat seat and pay extra for those who "go over the line". I guess we are going to have to get their early to "claim our space". I am thinking about putting tape down and acting like the university did it, or would that be too obvious? It wouldn't have been so bad had we been standing the whole game.

-Mustain - I think he is going to be all right. he will take his lumps and make mistakes, but he looked good.
-McFadden - back to full speed next week
-Felix Jones- they need to make him carry the ball around campus this week and let students try to knock the ball out of his hands...any successors gets a free field pass. Each drop, he does 50 up downs.
-RoJo- I hope he makes a great receiver
-the Defense- they looked improved, will get better, should beat Alabama. 

Que piensas?

I believe that the Lofton Casa is in need of a new post, so here are some thoughts and observations that I would like to make tonight...

*Lighting a candle has the power to immediately calm someone down.

*Opening a new bottle of wine just for yourself is quite a thrill. You think, "wow, i am really special."

*Making mix cds for people is a form of worship for me. It's one of those small ways that my heart comes alive, even for a moment.

*Chocolate cake is a gift from God.

*It is very hard to tell when a soy veggie burger is done in the middle. Is it supposed to be gooey at all? It never changes color, so I just don't know. Any expert veggie burger cookers out there?

*Rearranging furniture is really exhilirating. If I moved something around every day, I think I would be in a constant state of exhiliration in my home.

*Jason is amazing. He has worked from 5p-7a for the past 2 weeks, and is now on an unplanned 24-hour shift to cover for someone else, and continues to take it all in stride and with a smile on his face. Oh how I love him.

*I wonder how many important documents I would destroy if I burned every pile of stuff in our house...hmmm...tempting, but I don't think I'll take my frustration out to that extreme...yet.

*I am so excited for fall, my absolute favorite season of the year. So many good things coming our way...stunning leaf colors, razorback football, crisp, de-humidified air, pumpkins (one of my favorite words in the english language, you can't help but smile after saying it), fall-scented candles, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, and, oh yes, the best smell in the world- wood smoke/ leaves burning outside. The world stands still when my nose catches a drift of wood smoke somewhere outside...oh so good.

*If you've happened to notice a particularly handsome soccer dad driving around town in a hot minivan, don't be fooled- It's actually Jason! He does look hot when he's behind the wheel, I must admit. It is our 'transition' car on loan from his gracious grandparents until we find a new one. It's proving to be a good motivation to find a new one.

*A healthy body with all ligaments and bones intact and in working order is really something to be thankful for. Like, really. My ACL-less knee is reminding me of that every day. Surgery is imminent sometime late october-ish.

*If we scored a touchdown for every time i yawned last night at the USC/ AR game, those 'Beat USC!' t-shirts could actually have been a collector's item.

*There is nothing like the peace and stillness of the night. Cool breeze, grasshoppers, moon shining through the window, 'harvest spice' candle burning, itunes worship playlist playing, suzie tickling my feet w/ her head (since my hands are occupied on the keyboard) in a feeble attempt to get petted, sipping on ronnie's merlot..life is good.

La vita e bella.