Project 52 - End of the Year

Bear with me as the last 10 weeks of the year unfold before your eyes....

I did not take any photos this week, but Benjamin did.  Above are shots of his co-residents and doctors in the clinic.  This was in preparation of interviews for the 2012 class!  As a side note, interviews went super well and our sweet friend Kenner clinched a spot in Houston!  We are thrilled to have him join the UT Ortho family.

Halloween.  Nerds.  Our sweet Sheep.

My Mom's birthday celebration.  There was steak, gifts, and cookie cake.

Mom, Salem and I hosted a Style Your Sole party.  We invited gal pals to come over and spend the afternoon snacking on food and decorating Toms!

In clockwise order: the Christmas wreath that I made with the help of Benjamin.  Breakfast overload from The Empire Cafe - our favorite after church place to eat.  Our family on Thanksgiving weekend.  This sign is located in the MFAHouston the last sentence says, "An ancient myth tells that when God created and named all things, he was accompanied by a monkey."

A gift from the boss.  He knows to keep the three gals who keep the department together shortbread.

Outtakes from the parents Christmas card shoot.

Crazy Cozads Christmas Celebration!

Dexter spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us.  He and Lulu are sweet on each other!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Cozads!

Another goal successfully completed!!  I so enjoyed putting these together and being cognitive to take photos every week.  I haven't yet decided if I'll do it again in 2012, posting every week... but in a nice way it was a fun thing to do to wrap up the week.  It allowed for great conversation between Benjamin and me.  It also has really allowed me to take time to realize how fortunate and blessed I am - in the big things and in the little things that I get to observe daily.  Nothing is too small to be thankful for it.

Book Countdown Complete!

Folks,

I did it!  I completed my goal of reading 24 books in the Year 2011!  For a little bit there I was beginning to doubt that I would successfully complete the task I had laid out before myself... but alas, when the last page of the book was digested, I celebrated with a hoppy, skippy dance!

The last four books I read are as follows:

Lisey's Story was my first Stephen King novel and I was pleasantly surprised.  At first it was a bit tricky following the writing style but once I caught on, it was an interesting read with twists and turns that stretches the imagination!

Now, some may say that reading the Wayside Series is cheating, however I disagree... I distinctly remember reading these books when I was younger.  Adored them then, adore them now.  I mean, who doesn't love the wacky going-ons on the 30th floor?  Pig-tails, gravity, apples, stolen voices to name a few!  Benjamin gifted them to me over a year ago and I simply had not taken the time to read time since owning them.  

Looking back over this year's list of books, I'm quite satisfied with the array of styles, authors, and genres.  The only book I gave up on was Jane Eyre.  I haven't committed to giving her another try...just might have to watch the movie on that one!  My Reading Wish List for 2012 is shaping up quite nicely with seven books already on the list:

Bossy Pants, Unbroken, Through My Eyes, Heaven Is For Real, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, The Tiger's Wife, and Sarah's Key.  

Have you started your reading list yet?  What is on it?

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Project 52: Week 41 + 42

Rainbow after a much needed down pour!  Shnazzy shoes that the sales man told me would give me bad ankles.  Mom said they look like a Mexican blanket.  Someday they'll be mine.  Benjamin's Ortho bat in honor of Halloween!

Breast Cancer Awareness rally in Discovery Green.  Looked out my office window one morning and there was this huge inflatable pair of boobs.  Of course, an after lunch field trip ensued!

Benjamin's Top 10 Creepiest Things List

I decided that it was time to clean out my drafts folder and I came across this list...

1.  The Snuggle Bear
2.  Demons
3.  VooDoo
4.  Gingivitis
5.  Crazy voices
6.  Loud noises that wake him up from a dead sleep.
7.  The Rat King from The Nutcracker.
8.
9.
10.

So, really this post should be named "Benjamin's Top 6 Creepiest Things List."

**This post was amended after I received an email from the MIL stating that she remembers Benjamin being creeped out by the Rat King after seeing The Nutcracker in elementary.  He confirmed that enthusiastically!

Merry Christmas!

On this day of wonder, joy and pondering on the Miracle that we celebrate,

Project 52: Week 38, 39 + 40

Sweet Dexter came to visit us for the first time.  He and Lulu got along well and are now old friends.

This was the week that I started my new job, we found a bat half alive in the backyard that Benjamin pummeled with a shovel, I learned to spell my last name correctly and we were there when David Crowder Band's amp caught fire.

So the Oil Company has Starbuck's coffee for cheap.  Real cheap.  I get a medium latte of my choosing and a muffin for $2.00 every morning.  Every morning.  Benjamin and I went to hear our friend's high school band play the halftime show at The Rig in Pearland.  Celebrated my hubby's 27th birthday!