Lisa's Lounge

Mockingbird Chronicles continued

2009-06-21T14:35:00.003-05:00

Sadly it looks like only one of the 4 eggs has survived to real birdie-hood. Mama Bird is very loud and flustered when we go out on the patio - or even if we just open the back door! Here she is all puffed up and squawking a couple of days ago:

Today I notice she enlisted help - there are two of them now, feeding the one little baby and squawking any time the back door is opened...

And here is what Mad Mama Bird is so fiercely protecting - a cute fuzzy little baby mockingbird!

MIlls Mockingbird Chronicles

2009-06-14T11:40:00.002-05:00

We have a nice hanging basket of flowers on the patio - well, used to be nice. About 2 days after we hung it up, a Mockingbird decided to build a nest in it. We discovered 4 little eggs - so we have been gentle when watering.

Today the Mama Mockingbird was really uneasy with the dogs and me being out there. She first flew off to this fence post -

Then braved the nearby roof - and finally just braved it and flew on in. You can just see her at the top center of the 2nd photo...

I went out to check the watering I was doing, and she was not there, nor did I see her anywhere. So I took a peek -

And now I know why she was so nervous! They look kinda gross, but it looks like they are still hatching, so hopefully they are okay.

More to come on the Mills' Mockingbird Chronicles...

(We'll have to keep an eye on a particular beagle)

Baseball... inning after inning after inning of baseball...

2009-06-01T23:04:00.003-05:00

As a fan of Texas Longhorn Baseball, I have already witnessed college baseball history several times. Saturday night, May 30, 2009, is now #2 in the greatest moments list. (#1 is of course being in Omaha in 2005, the last time Texas won the National Championship) I witnessed a 25 inning baseball game this past weekend. Thankfully, Texas won, because it would have really sucked walking out of Disch-Falk Field at 1:15am after watching just over 7 hours of baseball as the losers. This photo of the scoreboard shows the game to be in the 5th innning... but look at the time - that is 1:15AM - and that is the 25th inning.

I'd guess that 90% of the initial 7,000+ fans at the game stayed for the whole thing. The auxilary stands are shown here - so I know the main grandstand was full!

On the road to Omaha, we start with 64 teams that compete in 16 regional tournaments. Those 16 winners will now play in 8 super regional tournaments, for a best two out of three series. Those 8 winners advance to Omaha, Nebraska, for the NCAA Division I College World Series. Texas has had a dry spell - they have not been to Omaha since 2005. :-) I know I know... cry me a river. But it is a well known fact that University of Texas fans are spoiled.

Even though bronchitis tried to interfere with my fun - I did not go to work at all last week - I made it to all 3 games. That Saturday marathon about wiped me out!

I am looking forward to one more weekend at the Disch!

Brush with Fame

2009-05-18T08:04:00.003-05:00

We had a special guest at the UT baseball game yesterday (other than my new baseball buddy, Nicole...)

UNO!

Elway was visibly unimpressed... his response was "Uno Schmooono"

Edge was equally nonchalant...

Spring... Fleeting...

2009-05-13T08:09:00.002-05:00

Spring came and went already - we should be hitting the 100 degree mark soon. Or darn close to it anyway. It's hot!!

The University of Texas' baseball team won the "regular season" Big 12 Championship last weekend. The Big 12, for monetary reasons I'm sure, also has a Big 12 tournament. It's kind of silly. Doesn't REALLY matter who wins the tournament. Texas has lost the tournament before but still gone on to Omaha for the College World Series. The Longhorns will host a regional, and hopefully if they win that, a Super Regional. Across the country 64 teams play in a 4 team regional. Those 16 winners then compete in 8 Super Regionals. Those 8 winners go on to Omaha for the College World Series.

Too bad NCAA Football doesn't have a playoff system.

For clarity's sake, the below photo is not the Big 12 trophy, it is the "Lone Star Showdown" trophy that is traded each year between Aggy in Collie Station and Texas. It usually stays in Austin. I can't remember when Aggy won a series against Texas in baseball.

Nicole joined me for some sweaty baseball watchin' fun...

Ter Mater

2009-05-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

Looky! I've got termaters!

Why vacations are fun but then they suck...

2009-05-01T07:01:00.003-05:00

First, you have this...

Then you have to come home and go back to work.

We had a great time on the "Milburn" 2009 vacation!

Look at our cutie patootie niece!!!

2009-04-21T07:29:00.003-05:00

Malia shared these photos recently - Julia decided to check out Jake's bed. He's not so sure about it...

But Jules thinks it is hilarious!

Happy Birthday Julesy!

2009-04-14T21:52:00.002-05:00

Our baby niece is already a year old! She had her birthday party on Saturday, and unfortunately Uncle Ben and Aunt Lisa couldn't make. (Some deal about a Nooner reunion or some nonsense...)

So here she is with her crown! Love you Miss Julia!

What is up with this weather?

2009-03-28T08:20:00.007-05:00

It's freezing cold! Blizzards in West Texas? It's almost April.

I had a great time on my visit with Mike and our trip to Las Vegas. On Friday of my visit, Mike had something he had to get out at work, so I explored down town San Diego. After many instructions on how to ride the trolley, I of course still got on the wrong one... but it worked out! I realized it before it was too late, got off about a mile or so from where I meant to go, and walked along the PCH and Harbor Blvd back to where I was supposed to be. San Diego must be revitalizing down there - lots of cool stuff to see! I started down the "Greatest Generatioin Walk" on a gorgeous day...

Saw the USS MIDWAY museum, but didn't go in... it's on my to do list for the next visit.
Lots of Pearl Harbor and WWII memorials:

That famous photo is now a 20 foot statue:

There is a wonderful Bob Hope Tribute in bronze statues, called A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military - read about it at this web site.
Then I finally found my way to Seaport Village, a great shopping and dining area on the San Diego Bay.

San Diego is just plain gorgeous.

We had a lot of fun in Vegas, too. It was really cold there as well - and it even rained one day! We had a great view from our room at Bally's:
Our main event was to see the show Jersey Boys at the Palazzo, a new hotel by the Venetian. It was great! It is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was one of those "Oh yeah, they sang that song..." things.
Mike managed to win some dough on a slot machine down town, so we had dinner at the Top of the Stratosphere. Food was okay, but the view is AWESOME!

Next up? K E Y W E S T ! ! !

Vacation Anticipation

2009-03-17T07:31:00.002-05:00

So we all know the mortgage business sucks right now. When it's busy and I'm making money, I don't have time to take off and have fun. Now it's slow, and I'm not, but hey - at least I can go somewhere and not be working the entire time! Pros and cons, pros and cons.

So first up, I'm headed to San Diego and Las Vegas this week. My seemingly annual trek to leave town during SXSW. Plenty has been said by me on that subject, so I'll leave it at that. I am looking forward to spending time with Mike!

Next - back to the scene of the crime!

Four years ago, on March 3, I was kidnapped by Ben and The Wilburns and taken to Key West. After a much told adventure of finally getting there - the weather was uncooperative - Ben and I got married in the Domestic Violence Room at the Monroe County Courthouse, very near Mile Marker ZERO. Shots and beer were all around... and my now infamous face plant on the sidewalk. Said face plant was a combo of no sleep, heat, a couple of beers, and well, the shock of being hitched! :-) After the face plant (no beer was harmed or lost in said accident) we found a hotel and it's restroom so that I could inspect and clean my wounds. That hotel was Island City House.

Guess where we are staying in April? Island City House! Now, some of the charm and coolness of that idea is a little dampened because Ben and his Bromantical Partner Jon stayed there a couple of years ago, but that's okay. We are all really looking forward to visiting Key West all together. And another Wilburn couple will be joining us to celebrate their honeymoon - a few months after their wedding. (Jon's brother Brent, who was also on the last cruise with us)

Woo Hoo! I love Vacation Anticipation!

Mother Nature

2009-03-04T21:47:00.002-06:00

can be so beautiful! These are straight outta the camera - auto settings. :-)

Living with The Edge

2009-03-01T08:02:00.002-06:00

I finally signed us up for school with Edge - only to realize the first class that is for the humans only is the night we return from Key West in April. I hope they will work with us - it's the last class of the spring. We don't want to school away his quirks - his bark does not bother me and the sock fetish is hilarious. But I do want the basics - sit, stay, come here dammit.... so he can have manners in public.

AAAAAHHHH.... Yes.

2009-02-21T22:39:00.002-06:00

Baseball is here! Didn't go to the opener yesterday, but there was a double-header today. It was Butt-Ass cold (to use a Benism) but fun! Texas played University of Illinois-Chicago. So far Tommy Harmon is undefeated as head coach. ;-) The stadium is all done and looks great - and the parking still stinks. The field has some new kind of FieldTurf - no dirt except for on the pitcher's mound. Very strange! (Check out the photos - looks like 60's shag carpet) Not many folks there today - Brown, Timothy joined me, and Alison, Alan, and David were all there. Good times are just beginning! And then I found out while watching the news that the UT Men's Basketball team achieved the impossible tonight - they BEAT OU!

HOOK 'EM!

Queso Bowl 2009

2009-02-09T07:46:00.003-06:00

We had the very distinct honor that many dream of but only few get to experience... Queso Bowl judges! I don't think I'm allowed to disclose the location - not yet anyway. Our friends the Hahlwells will be guest judges next weekend at a secret location, and then our two experiences will be up against each other, with the winner advancing to the next round.

Here's a blurb from the Queso Bowl My Space page:

"We love queso. Plain and simple. It's delicious. We are out to find what we consider to be the most bestest queso in all of Austin. We have selected 16 restaurants in Austin (many of which we have been to, but some we have not) that we think are contenders and created a set of NCAA-style brackets to help us work our way to the winner. We will be rating each queso on a scale of 1 to 10 in 4 categories. These categories are: 1 - Overall taste; 2 - Overall aesthetic of the queso and its presentation; 3 - Viscosity (Is it too thick? Too runny?); and 4 - Stamina/Longevity (how well does it hold up over the duration of the queso eating experience? Does it harden and become inedible if not eaten right away?) Will post our ratings for each establishment and blog about our experiences."

Last year Tim and Liz did all of the judging on their own. This year they have added guest judges to add more variety to the opinions. Which, ahem, was a very good idea. Considering who the 2008 winner was - I questioned their Tex-Mex taste-ability. I do feel somewhat superior, being a native and life-long resident of Tex-Mex land and all. But hey, it's their Queso Bowl. I am just a mere one time participant and full time observer.

Here's to Queso!

Winter doldrums

2009-02-09T07:38:00.003-06:00

Since this is normally a slow time of year at work, my brain tends to slow down as well. Been busy, enjoying movies and the warm winter weather...

Photos of the boys shopping for treats and also Super Bowl Party:

I was a little interested in the Super Bowl this year. Hate the Steelers (as all true Cowboys fans should) so I was for the Cardinals. But it was a pretty bad game... I think the Cardinals forgot they had a big game that day. So Kristin and I shoe shopped on line instead. :-) Here are some of the cool cats that came over to watch:

Golden Anniversary of my brother's birth

2009-01-17T23:15:00.003-06:00

Wow - He's always been my "older" brother but now he's just my OLD brother! David will be 50 tomorrow. He was born in Panama City, Florida - so NOT a native Texan. His wife and I mention that every chance we get - but truth be known he was back in Texas before either of us were born. In honor of his aged self, I'm digging up all the photos I can....

Yay for Chick Night!

2009-01-15T09:47:00.003-06:00

I am fortunate to have a great group of girlfriends to hang out with all those many times the Ben is on the road. Last Saturday my cousin (my top GF!) and Denise, the wife of the guitar player in Ben's band, came over. We hung out, drank wine, ate munchies from HEB's frozen section - and had a nice relaxing evening. We thought we'd complain about our men most of the time - but found that boring and solved the world's problems instead.

Last night I met up with Kristin and Liz - who I just don't get to see enough of any more - for sushi and wine downtown. The sushi was to die for, the wine excellent, and the girl time was AWESOME. :-) Thanks ladies! We started at Maiko's on 6th, then went next door to the Belmont and sat on their patio for some more vino. 10:30 rolled around and we had to get home, but I could have stayed much later, jabbering and catching up! I had agreed to Wednesday night because the band normally rehearses... turns out there was no rehearsal, so Ben and Tim (Lizzie's husband) decided a night at Bone Daddy's was in order.

I miss you guys! Here are some photos - the sushi pic does not seem to do it justice...

Special K

Blast from the past - please, go ahead and laugh!

2009-01-09T20:47:00.002-06:00

Wow. My nephew found this photo in an old desk... I'm not even sure when it was taken but I look to be 15 or 16 and David looks to be 19 or 20, so I'd say 78 - 79ish. I have ZERO recollection of the Dr. Suess outfit. Zero. I know my 20's are a blur - but now I'm wondering about my teens! I'm attempting to clean it up in Photo Shop - but I just had to share. I've been studying it - I see the paper bell in the background and I remember we had a wedding shower for my cousin Judy sometime in 1978. This could have been at Christmas or David's Bday - which is Jan 18. (He'll be FIFTY by the way, very soon) We moved into this house in the fall of 1977. I'll keep you posted as I stare at it more. Aren't old photos fun and mysterious!? With our parents both gone - David and I tend to disagree on time lines these days... Mom always was the one to set us straight. Okay, well, I'll ramble more when I make any new discoveries! :-)

Goodbye 2008 - Hello 2009!

2009-01-02T08:39:00.002-06:00

What better way to welcome the new year than with babies? Brad and Laurelyn came back to the slums :-) yesterday to visit and have dinner at the Smiths. I can't get over how their son Hunter, and the Smith's son Meyer are growing! Meyer has been walking all on his own for a couple of weeks now. He'll have his first birthday on January 10. And Hunter has the greatest laugh! The blurry photo below is because he was laughing so hard...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

This is Hunter's impression of a chicken :-)

Meyer's GQ pose

Happy Holidays to all

2008-12-28T18:16:00.002-06:00

and Here's to the New Year! May 2009 be even slightly better than 2008! :-)

Here's one of the best things that happened in 2008 - our niece Julia!

A Big Razzzzberry to Rudolph

2008-12-17T07:35:00.002-06:00

I think this is Blitzen - wasn't he the one that picked on Rudolph most? He is showing his distaste for the most famous reindeer of all ...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Brrrr! It's cold, and other news...

2008-12-16T08:32:00.003-06:00

Winter is here! But of course by Friday it will be in the 70s again. More evidence of why I live here.

Disneyland was a total blast. Very nice to get away! Plus I got to visit with Mike again! :-) He came up for a day of Disneyland fun and then we had a dinner reservation at Goofy's Kitchen. Goofy is Mike's favorite character. So, that leads into this: When Disneyland added their second park in California, California Adventure, they built in the existing parking lot. As you can imagine, being smack in the middle of a city there is no room for real expansion. So they built a 10 story parking garage, called Mickey & Friends. Since it is so massive, and like most parking structures, there are signs on all the posts where you park such as "Donald 7" etc. So you can find your car when you come back. After our dinner in Goofy's Kitchen, which was at the fancy Disneyland Hotel, we walked to Mike's car because he was kind enough to bring us water and cokes, plus to give us a ride back to our hotel. But he couldn't remember where he parked. "Did you make a note of the posts? Donald 3? Mickey 5?" Nope. Keep in mind this was the end of Day 2 for Ben and I, and the Disney feet/legs were definitely setting in. Plus it was late. So... we traipsed around the 2nd floor, then the third floor, then across the landing to the other section of the garage... all the while Mike is setting of his alarm. Which worked for the most part, except that there were SEVERAL others doing the same thing! We'd hear his alarm, but it echoed so much we couldn't figure it out. Finally, we isolated the floor - and Ben ran back over to the other landing and found it. It was actually very close to where he thought he was, just a couple of floors off. They don't have elevators. The kicker? Remember who his favorite character is? He was parked in the GOOFY section!!! It really was hilarious. I told him only because I love him so much would I not murder him.

I also got to meet up with a fellow disney fan and flickr friend, Abby. She takes way better photos than I do - and lives nearby so gets to go to Disneyland quite a bit. It was great to meet her! It was her first Disneyland outing without her daughters...

Plus we picked up these lovely "dream ears" in honor of their current promotion, Year of a Million Dreams. They have a dream squad that randomly shows up and hands stuff out.

Be sure to visit my flickr page for more photos! I'm slowly loading them up. Not a lot of great ones - I took my new camera which was a mistake. I decided at the last minute to NOT take my Digital SLR, due to its size. I sure wish now that I had. I like my new Canon point and shoot, but I haven't learned its settings very well yet. So during the best photo op - we had front row seating for the holiday parade, the white balance setting was all screwed up and I couldn't get it to flash when I wanted. Harumph. Lesson learned - just like you don't wear new shoes to a park, don't take a new camera....

Next up, Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Santa Claus!

2008-12-09T07:46:00.003-06:00

Isn't she just adorable??? And look how formal and handsome the whole family looks! Great photos, Irbys!!! Merry Christmas everyone...

Big 12 Hoopla

2008-12-03T07:17:00.002-06:00

We have a columnist that has been writing for the local paper for years. Like 30 years or more. My family has enjoyed his crankiness the whole time. He used to have a dachshund named Hoover. We always had dachshunds, and new what he meant by Hoover! Anyway, John Kelso wrote a column recently about the Big 12 football championship game that I thought was humorous. It won't be humorous to OU fans... :-)

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/02//1202kelso.html