Yes George and Gracie, There is a Santa Claus

George and Gracie made the "nice" list this year.

Enjoying Aunt Al and Uncle Drew's gift

Gracie using their new catnip mat from their future daddy

I don't have a picture, but the biggest hit is their new laser mouse toy. It's basically a laser pointer in the shape of a mouse. We got two this year -- one from Uncle Dean and Aunt Alissa and another one from their future grandparents. It's called a Loco Laser, and they really go crazy for it! I highly recommend it for any cat parents!

Christmas in Houston

I went to Houston over Christmas to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews. The whole family was there, and we had a great time. Grant and Drew are the cutest kids ever!!

I had fun playing with Grant. He loves trains and playing on his train table. At 2 years old, he doesn't completely understand Christmas and Santa Claus, but he still enjoyed the presents.

Drew is now 3 months old! He is very vocal and making lots of sounds. He is getting so big!

Merry Christmas!!

Sisterly Love

I wanted to try using video on my blog. It's not the best quality, because I took it with my cell phone!

Here's a cute video of Gracie being affectionate with George. Georgie doesn't even try to be macho. He loves every minute of it...

Closet Envy

I have to admit that I have a girl-crush on Anne Hathaway. I am so envious of her closet! I don't think she ever misses. I know she has help from Rachel Zoe, her stylist, but she has to make a final decision about what she wears.

(L to R) Marc Jacobs and Bill Blass

(L to R) Diane von Furstenberg and Chanel

Marchesa (at the 2008 Oscars)

My 4th Anniversary

Pat and I had our last anniversary in December yesterday. We celebrated four years together! I'm excited, because our anniversary will move to April next year after we're married. No more having to buy anniversary and Christmas gifts so close together! :-D

Mommy, Give Me Back My Box!

I recently listed my house with the hope to sell it and buy a home with my future husband. That means that I've been "de-personalizing" my house in the past several weeks -- taking down personal photos, using more neutral decor, etc. George and Gracie have had their food, water, and litter box relocated.

For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while, you know that my goofy cat, George, loves boxes. He has one box in particular that he loves sleeping in. Unfortunately for him, that box had to go in the closet to make things look better for potential buyers. I thought he had forgotten about it. Just the other day, I left the closet door open and came back to find him sitting in his box in the closet. He seemed to be screaming, "Mommy, give me back my box!"

Do Other People Put Up With This?

I'm going to rant in this blog posting, so be warned.

In an earlier posting, I talked about meeting with two florists. The one I'm talking about is not the one we chose. Mom and I met the day before Thanksgiving with a florist that usually decorates our wedding locale. At the end of the meeting, he promised an estimate by the next Monday or Tuesday.

I waited until Friday, 1 1/2 weeks later, without receiving the estimate or a phone call. I called Friday morning and left a message asking about it. No one returned my call. Really professional, huh?

On Saturday morning, the guy calls and says the estimate is about to be e-mailed to me. I almost told him not to bother sending it, but I was curious. When I check my account, I have an e-mail from him. A 14,000 KB e-mail!! It takes about 5 minutes to open, and then I see why. This guy had SCANNED his hand-written notes and jotted down monetary estimates beside his notes. On top of all of this, the final tally was insanely expensive.

I don't have a problem with someone taking longer than expected to get a document to me. If he had called and said he was really behind, it would have been no problem.

In the pictures I saw of other weddings at the Tutwiler, it seems like they are normally the florists. Did they treat other brides like this? Do people actually put up with this unprofessionalism? My dad always says that some businesses are in business in spite of themselves. This is a perfect example.

You're entrusting these vendors with one of the most important days of your life. If you're too artsy and wishy-washy to handle the business side, hire someone who can.

What's a World Without Bags?