Saturday, December 10, 2011

Ten Years Later...

My high school buddies and I circa 2001...


... and then reunited in 2011.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Wurstfest

This fall I went to Wurstfest, a festival self-proclaimed as a salute to sausage and all things German.   I did not actually eat any sausage at Wurstfest, although sausage was available for purchase in any form imaginable, but I did stop for a picture with one of the many sausage themed murals.


Aside from the sausage themed murals, the abundance of German music and lederhosen at Wurstfest was very entertaining.  I even took a stab at yodeling along with a master yodeler.


Here's to Wurstfest!  

Family Reunion

This past September, the women on my mom's side of the family converged in a small west Texas town for a family reunion with my mom's dad's family.  I hitched a ride with my aunt, cousin, and cousin's daughter and could not believe how much stuff three women and baby need for a two night trip - ridiculous!


The family reunion was held on a Saturday morning.  I really enjoyed meeting my grandfather's brother, Randall.  We bonded over our shared love for his adorable dog Mitzi.


Equally interesting was the door prize table.  Just look at all those goodies - a vase of rocks, a ceramic rooster, a pair of scissors, sugar free candy.


Actually, because I really wanted one of the plants, I anxiously awaited my turn when it came time to draw numbers.  When my number was finally drawn, I grabbed my grandma's cane, threw it into the air, and danced my way over to the table as if I was a contestant on the Price is Right.  In the end, there were prizes for everyone.


The rest of the weekend was spent at a hotel, but I can't really quantify what exactly we did.  I know that I went to Target at least twice, napped in one bed, and slept in two others.  Also, at one point I rewrote the chorus to Ludicris' song "Move B***, Get Out the Way," as a child friendly song called "Moo Cow, Eat up the Hay."  All in all, a pretty good weekend.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Update

It has been quite a while since I blogged, so I thought it proper to post an update of sorts regarding recent events in the Sias household.

1.  It's official: Chris and I are one of those dog couples.  You know, those couples who have a dog instead of children.  I have taught Doug (our little Jack Russell Terrier) lots of neat tricks and am tempted to post a video, but I think that would only be interesting to Chris and I.  In other Doug news, Doug received heart worm treatment and is now heart worm free.  With Doug's new found health, Chris is trying to channel his inner dog whisperer and teach Doug "calm energies."  I think Chris should teach Doug to stop eating disgusting foreign objects.  Yes, there have been incidents more disgusting than this.

2.  Chris and I have been living in San Antonio for a little over a year now, and time has flown-by!  Over the past year, we've had lots of out-of-town visitors.  Thank you to Mom, Dad, Casey, Dennis, Rudy, Lulu, Jesse, Vanessa, Vivian, Carlos, Lindy, A.J., Stephen, Genie, Mara, Marissa, Ryan, Amber, and Joye for staying with us.  I promise we will have a real guest room someday.  Also, we enjoyed seeing Gina, Heather, Eliel, Victor, Rick, Judy, David, and Cindy during their vacations to San Antonio.  We never had this many visitors in Lubbock.  

3.  Chris bought a new car.  One day we were walking through H-E-B when Chris told me that he posted the Miata on craigslist.  Two minutes later the phone rang.  And then the phone rang again.  Needless to say, the car was priced to sell and it sold quickly.  The new car is a little bigger than the Miata but still seats only two people.  I suppose it's a good thing that we are one of those couples that has a dog instead of children.

4.  Praise God for miracles!  A couple of months ago, Chris rode his bike to work.  During the day, someone stole the bike from the bike rack at his office.  Chris was very upset because this was his fancy mountain bike with oodles of sentimental value, not to mention monetary value as well.  After work, Chris and I checked a local pawn shop with no luck.  Later that night, Chris remembered that we were studying about how we should praise God in all things.  During our worship prayer, I thanked God that we only lost a bike and not something more serious, like one of our cars.  I also prayed for the person who stole the bike.  Less than a minute after we finished our prayer, the phone rang.  The security guard at Chris' office was on the line and told Chris that someone just walked up and returned his bike to the bike rack.  Wow!  A direct answer to prayer, and we didn't even pray for the return of the bike.  God is awesome!

5.  I have tried the following new things outside my comfort zone: I was a member of the praise team at church, singing into my own microphone.  I told the children's story at the Spanish church in Spanish.  I led out a group bible study on Moses and Hosea.  I painted faces at a fall festival.  Through all of this, I learned that kids are your easiest and most honest critics.

6.  I went on my first pathfinder camp-out as a staff member with the Scenic Hills Jaguars Pathfinder Club.  When I was in pathfinders as a child, all the members and staff took turns preparing and cleaning up after meals.  Our San Antonio pathfinder club, however, is blessed with the Flemmers.  The Flemmers are a retired couple who bring their RV, portable kitchen, and yummy food on all of our campouts.  The Flemmers made us baked spaghetti, biscuits and eggs, hot dogs and chili, fresh popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and even gave us snack bags full of treats for the ride home.  This was camping at its finest, except for the super chilly temperatures at night.
  

All I want for Christmas is . . .

My Christmas wish list:

1.  Vacation.
2.  Vacation.
3.  Vacation.

Can you tell that I really want to take a vacation?

Mr. Sias Turns 30

Last month Chris turned 30.  I asked Chris what he wanted to do to celebrate.  He told me, "Stay home and watch T.V."  I ignored him and planned a small birthday party at the apartment, which elicited a surprisingly sour reaction.  He explained that he did not want a party and that being the center of attention made him nervous.  Again, I ignored him.  I knew that he would regret watching T.V. to celebrate his 30th birthday.

Vivian and I made these architecturally themed chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling.  Chris decorated two of them.  Can you find his version of the Dallas Cowboys stadium and the Guggenheim Museum?

Needless to say, Chris had nothing to worry about.  He even had some help blowing out all those trick candles.


Doug joined in the festivities, until the spring-loaded, party poppers came out.  Then he hid in the bathroom and tried to escape out the front door out of fear.


Last week I saw Chris putting one of his birthday cards in storage.  I guess he realized that a 30th birthday is kind of special after all.