Happy Halloween!

Last night, Cory and I went to a coworker's Halloween party. It was a rowdy night (not for us) with some drunken yelling, a man dressed in nothing but vines and a speedo, scantily clad women (young and old), a Rangers win, and a large amount of beer (well coke and 7up for us). It may make me sound naive, but it was my first party with alcohol (besides some parties with my mom's side of the family with some social drinking of wine). It was pretty different than the Halloween party we went to last year (where we played Mafia and Cory dominated). Although we had a nice time with the coaches Cory works with, it made me very glad that my husband does not drink :) Although, yes, it did provide some laughs.

So, last year we made our costumes very last minute. We painted leftover wedding boxes to be dice and we were maybe still a little soggy from the paint. This year we could actually fit through doors! We ended up going as Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd. We trimmed up Cory's beard (it started out being very bushy and 14 inches long) but left it longer than Abe's so it would be obvious who he was. My hat and hair were definitely too flamboyant for Mary Todd, and Cory is maybe just a little shorter than President Lincoln :) But, we were going for dramatic effect. Plus, some of you know that Cory wants to name one of our kids Lincoln.

 The best part was that people actually automatically knew who we were! They kept calling us Abe and Mrs. Lincoln. Plus, since I had to wear a wig and color in my eyebrows, some of the coaches had a tough time recognizing me (yes, they may or may not have been a little drunk). Cory said he couldn't get over how different I looked. After leaving the party, we went to IHOP still decked out. It was a little embarrassing.

Cory in my Dad's old coattails and me in one of my old musical costumes from 10th grade

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

We forgot to buy candy last night in our tired stupor after the party, so we're being scrooges and pretending we're not home!

Happy Haunting!

Check out my beautiful flowers that my father in law gave me!

The jury is still out on what Cory and I are being for Halloween. Don't you worry, we have options.

After much procrastination, I decorated our house for Halloween last Sunday. Although the mantle is a little more bare than I'd like, we are still feeling pretty festive!

this one is our favorite!

Mr. Bones & our eyeballs :)

I thought I might light my hair on fire making these babies!

only 3 more days!

Utah Trip!

We get to go back to Utah for a few days at the end of January! Although we were very excited to return to Texas after Cory graduated, we made some wonderful friends in Utah. Southwest had a great 48 hour sale ($60 one way to SLC!). Cory really wanted to go snowboarding so we got these as an early birthday present for him. So, he is going to take a couple days off from school and we're going to go visit some friends!

We're hoping to hit up some of our old favorites, including:

• Although we really love the sushi place we have found in Fort Worth (we've been there 3 or 4 times since we moved here) we will definitely be heading back to Asuka with Jeff. Definitely. 

• Staying with Gramma & Papa for a couple days. I lived with them my senior year of college while Cory and I were dating. He actually told me he loved me at their house, proposed at their house, etc. etc. I came to Austin for a couple days this week to see Gramma while she was visiting. 

• Seeing Cory's old roommates. We really miss them. Here is us with them at Cafe Rio.

Tristan, Russell, Stuart, Mitchell, Cory, Delaney, & Jeff

• Probably hitting up our old date spot YoZone.

• And, we'd love to see some of our very very favorite Utah people...the Dyes. We hung out with them a lot while we lived in Saratoga Springs and we haven't found an adequate replacement. What do you say Kathy?

• And of course snowboarding at Sundance or Snowbird!

Representing Dallas in UT

Ready to hit the slopes!

We are really excited! Even though it will be beyond frigid and I've really been enjoying our 80 degree October days...

10.14.10

So, I'm sometimes a little scatterbrained. On Monday, I lost the keys to our car while we were at Cory's parent's house. So, we had to sleep in Arlington (with no overnight things), borrow his mom's car, and wake up at 5:15 so I could drive Cory to work. It was AWESOME. The best part was that we couldn't see the keys in the car and I could not figure out where I left them. Well, actually maybe the best part was the fact that it's our only set of keys. Or that it had our house key on it so we were locked out. I guess it's a toss up.

So, after taking Cory to work, I sat in the car in the parking lot for two hours (okay, it was like 6:30am so it's not like I was going to go and run all my errands) until the apartment office opened and could let us into our house. I was about to go to the dealership to buy a new set of keys (pricy!) when Haley (Cory's sister) said that my keys had gotten buried under the carseat in her car! yay!

So, I drove up to Frisco, made a quick leisurely trip to IKEA, and got my keys. Then, I drove to Arlington to trade Cory's mom's car for my car. Then, I drove back to my house. Yeah, that only took most of the day.

I'd like to say things like this don't happen all the time. But, then earlier tonight I felt something under my shirt. I had my pearl necklace chilling in my bra...No, they didn't fall off while I was wearing them. Apparently it seemed like a good idea when I was in a hurry for work at 7:15am to stash them there until I had time to put them on. So, I wore my pearls in my shirt all day.

I decided to be a substitute. I think it will help me meet lots of teachers and help people know me at different schools. I've done a few days and it's been pretty good :) I actually already had a teacher request me back. I loved his class and kind of wish it were mine so I was happy to do it. As always, we're horrible at taking pictures, but I will take some of the baby shower for Christine this weekend! I'm heading to Austin tomorrow to get ready for that and coming back Saturday.

Until then, here's an oldie, but always a good one.

Scavenger Hunt

So, I spent the last 6 days in Austin doing a window washing project. Cory got very very lonely. In his words, "I've never missed you that much." Not even when we were apart for 5 weeks when we were engaged? Let's just say that Cory is a really social and touchy-feely person and without me or his best friend Jeff, he is a lonely man.

Anyways, so he was really insistent that I be home on Tuesday evening by 6 pm. He wouldn't say why and tried to pretend it was 'just to see me.' It was obvious he was lying. I really needed to finish my job, so I extended it to 6:30. I made the drive up wondering what he had in store. I was running about 15 minutes late but I called him when I was about 10 minutes away and he was still at work! I told him that I would be a little fried if he made me rush to Fort Worth and he was at work when I got home!

When I got home, I didn't see his car but I thought that it could be in the garage. When I walked into the house it smelled horrible! I guess Cory totally roasted a frozen pizza (like 4 days ago) and it smells like something burned down. But, there were five envelopes in the entry way because Cory spent days planning a scavenger hunt for me. It was really cute.

So, here is a recap of my fun night!

LETTER ONE
Letter One told me how much he missed me and loved me and that I had a night of surprises. He said I needed to go to Hulen Mall. I wasn't allowed to open Letter Two until I was in the parking lot.

LETTER TWO
Needless to say, I was anxious to get to Hulen Mall! Letter Two said that he wasn't at Hulen Mall but that I needed to relax and enjoy myself. He talked about when we were dating and we would go to Yozone in Provo. I loved Yozone! He had found a place inside the mall that was self serve yogurt. He left $10 and told me to get some yogurt. Of course he said some other stuff too. But, I wasn't allowed to open Letter Three until I was sitting down eating my yogurt!

This isn't my yogurt, but it's something I would get! I love mochi!

LETTER THREE
Letter Three started with a Cory quote, "I have a good saying that if you look good, you feel good; if you feel good, you play good. So, I think you need to take more time to pamper yourself. This is something you would never spend the money on yourself, So I spent it for you. Take some time for just Delaney." So, he had gotten me a gift certificate for a spa pedicure at a nail salon at the mall. I was supposed to text him with my progress during the pedicure (and read Letter Four). But, I found out during the pedicure that my phone was in the car. It was such a fancy little place with private rooms and dimming lights.

LETTER FOUR
I'm not going to say where Letter Four took me or what it said, but I will say that Cory wanted me to use a $10 off coupon that he got by taking a phone survey that asked him, "Did they ask you if you wanted to try on a bra? Why did they not ask you to try on a bra? Did you like the fitting rooms?" He said there was no option to say, "I am a male."

LETTER FIVE
So, after my pedicure I ran out to my car to get my phone. Just as I was opening the door my phone was ringing and it was Cory. I told him that I had left my phone in the car and that I had just finished the pedicure. I turn around and there he is. I guess he had been calling and couldn't wait so he came to the mall early. I guess he got confused when I left the mall (that wasn't in his plan) and he had to hide as I passed him. He waited for me while I shopped and then Letter Five took us to Chili's where we had dinner (we had to have a budget dinner after such an expensive night!).

It was a fun night and Cory did a good job spoiling me. It was really sweet. I love this guy!

Cory and me in Cancun in June 2009

Austin

I came to Austin for the weekend to do some window washing. My dad manages two large office complexes and has let me learn how to do mulching, planting, and window washing to earn some really good money. I've done this particular job two times before and hated it. So, I was going to let my little sister do it to rebuild her depleted bank account (caused by the freedom that comes with a drivers license, getting a Wii, going paint balling, etc.). However, since she is taking 5 AP classes (and she even dropped one) she spends like 5 hours a night on homework...which means no time for window washing. She really is such a smarty. 

Still, Cory and I have set some lofty financial goals concerning his student loans. So, I wanted to earn this extra money.

A few things I've learned from doing manual labor:

1. It is really very scary to clean two story windows on a ladder that is too short. One year, I cleaned these on a 16 foot ladder. This year I used a 21 foot ladder. Using the 16 foot ladder meant I stood on the top rung and balanced myself on the window frame (you know those "caution" signs? I ignored them). So so scary and a very very bad idea. 

2. I've noticed that people either are really impressed that I am willing to work outside in the heat or they sometimes think I am maybe white trash or uneducated. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the joke, "Oh, I should have you come over and do my backyard/windows" or "Ya hot enough?" 

3. I apparently look like a 15 year old. Especially without makeup on. I have had a couple people ask me what grade I am in high school. I then tell them I have been graduated from college for over a year. This also happened at Cory's school. They have a very strict uniform/dress code. I did have on makeup this time, but an assistant principal still thought I was a student not properly dressed. No, I'm Coach Carroll's wife. The worst part about this is that he teaches at a 9th grade campus. I am not being confused with a senior but with a freshman. Awesome! People say I'll appreciate that when I'm older. 

4. It is not fun to work outside when you have a cold. The past few days I have had a body ache, sore throat, and runny nose. Makes me feel like a weakling when I try and move my tall ladder.

5. My dad is awesome. The first day, he rigged up a contraption. I used to hate this job because I couldn't reach the tall windows and it was terrifying. He got me this bar that safely suspends me away from the window. It's wonderful! 

6. Cory hates me being gone over weekends. He isn't good at being alone. So, he slept for 15 hours last night. Slept through two alarms. That's a hoppin' Saturday night.

I have had a great time being back in Austin! Last night, we roasted foil dinners on the fire pit. It's General Conference weekend and it's been great to listen to the talks with the family (well, minus Ang and the husbands). I went to the Relief Society broadcast (scroll to the bottom) with Cory's mom last weekend and that was really great too. I loved the stories that President Monson told. He gets such a kick out of himself and I love it! Watch General Conference online here and read about our church here.

Heading back to Fort Worth soon...news about a new job and pictures of our new bedroom stuff coming soon! :)

Our St. Bernard Cat

So, I recently found out the fate of our cat. So, he used to be small and little like this:

Well, apparently, I have the St. Bernard of cats. In my church, women have and are visiting teachers. This means that we visit other sisters in the ward that we are assigned to and become friends (hopefully) and talk about our beliefs. Anyways, my new visiting teacher loves cats. As soon as she walked in the door, she latched onto Scout and thought he was just wonderful. He is really a cute and playful cat; but he is a little nuts.


As she is scratching his ear, she says, "Oh, he's Maine Coon." Like an idiot, I'm like, "Are you talking about the hair that grows in between his toes?" I swear I'm not an idiot--just he has hair sticking straight out around his ears and that was where she was scratching and that's the connection my brain made. Moments later, I realize she was saying he is the breed Maine Coon. 


This is what I learned from her and from Wikipedia (Don't worry, I only updated 5 facts on there to be totally fake. I try and do my part.) 


1. Maine Coons can grow until they are 5 years old. Scout is one and is a monster with huge paws.
2. Male Maine Coons can weigh 15-25 pounds. Yes, TWENTY FIVE ell bees.
3. If you get a purebred that comes with papers to prove it, they can cost $700-1000 (Although Scout was free from a neighbor and of course we don't have breeding papers, but I'm of course planning on forging some in the near future). 
4. They are really gentle and playful cats their whole life. The males act clownish (oh really, I hadn't noticed...) while the girls are slightly more dignified (like real life).
5. They love water (which explains him sitting on the edge of the tub EVERY TIME we shower. He will scratch on the door if we lock him out. Plus, he sometimes likes to sleep in the sink.)


According to Wikipedia: "The Maine Coon is noted for its large bone structure, rectangular body shape, and long, flowing coat. The breed can be seen in a variety of colors and is known for its intelligence and gentle personality."


So, this may very well be his future.