My Nephew is Cute (Part One)

Okay, so both of my nephews are cute. (That's one of the first times I've been able to say "both my nephews" -- Austin was born on Friday.) I unfortunately have not yet gotten to meet Austin, which means that I haven't been able to take my own pictures or video, so that's why the star of this blog post is one Brayden.



There's two parts to this one, mainly because I didn't want to inundate you with YouTube embeds. Brayden loves spy stuff. Last year, my brother and sister-in-law (the new parents!) bought him a spy kit with all kinds of fun stuff. This year, I gave him some more stuff that I was able to acquire through work (love. it.)...and a football. Because he wanted a football and, by golly, if a West Texas boy wants to start playing football, bring it on. Plus, he wants to go to Texas Tech -- and that's awesome in Aunt Amanda's book.

ANYWAY. Spy Stuff. Because you guys don't care about the football. I took video in 2008 and 2009 of him playing with his new spy toys. I finally got around to editing something together. Not the best editing job ever, but he just makes me smile.



(The comma on that Bond font just irritates me to no end!)

Merry Christmas!

I am sore ashamed.

For the first year ever, I didn't send out Christmas cards. I mean, I bought the cards. I have four boxes that almost coordinate with my wrapping paper du jour (thank you, Target). I even lugged them home in my suitcase with the intention of getting them sent out during all the free time I imagined having once my puddlejumper touched down in San Angelo. All that free time has been taken up with gatos and dachshunds and shopping (gross) and wrapping presents and nice, long chats with my daddy in the kitchen.

Instead, the boxes of cards will be boxed up with my presents and shipped back to Los Angeles. Better luck next year. Instead, I'm doing a blog Christmas card:

(Click me! I get big!)

It's been a good year. Thanks for being a part of it.
Here's to 2010!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

You guys, I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about the next few weeks. Okay, so I'm a little broke and trying to figure out the whole buying-presents thing, but that cannot detract from the glory that is my mom and aunt visiting this weekend. There will be Wicked-viewage at the Pantages (where I can pretend that I am living in yesteryear) and Disneyland-go-age and just general family-ness.

I can't believe Christmas is coming up so quickly. Things are about to die down at work, though if the strike ends (ohpleaseohplease), all bets are off. People will be pitching like there's no tomorrow. Chaos will reign in Century City. Before I know it, I'll be sitting in the back seat of my parents' Four Runner in Midland, falling asleep as we drive through Grasslands looking at Christmas lights. And I'll be eating at Franco's and getting a massage at The Waterford and eating at Ichiban and and and hanging with my family and my cat.

I'm really excited about the new year, though. I'm fairly hopeful that the strike will be over by then and that maybe -- just maybe -- something will come of the resumes that I submitted. Not that I don't love my job -- I do -- but I just feel like the time is right to make the leap.

We shall see.

(And this post was totally pointless. I need to sleep.)