I have always been amazed by the sky. I cannot see a sunrise, sunset or interesting cloud formation without taking a moment or two to stare in awe of the beauty in our world.

I was at Johnathan's parents' house this afternoon and when I turned out of their driveway I was confronted with a glorious site. Fortunately, I did remember my camera today and I may have stopped the car in the middle of the road and hopped out to snap a picture.

It's things like this that make me realize how tiny I am and remember that my creator's vision for my life and the world is infinitely better than mine.

Family Resemblance

I fully admit to pilfering this from my mom, but it's just too funny.

Recent photos of my adorable niece:

Recent photos of my adorable sister:

I cannot imagine where Alivia got it from!

Second Favorite?

One of the many things I have come to love about Johnathan is his talent for giving me gifts. Now, if he never ever gave me a single gift in our whole relationship I would still love him, but his thoughtfulness and insight is the delicious icing on the proverbial cake.

The first gift I think he ever gave me was for the first Christmas we were together. We'd only been dating less than two months and I was working two full-time jobs and had just finished a semester taking 9 hours of school on top of it. That year, he gave me a gift certificate to get a massage. It was exactly what I needed, but never thought to ask for. Last Christmas he pulled out another brilliant idea for part of my gift. Knowing how much I love the show Mad About You and that the interactions between Paul and Jamie Buchman remind me of the way we are together, he bought me the first three seasons of the show on DVD. Again, it hadn't occurred to me to ask for them, but they've provided hours of entertainment and I couldn't love them more.

Johnathan isn't just good at giving gifts for special occasions either. He is thoughtful all of the time. He once saw a set of pearls that were modeled after ones that Jackie Kennedy wore and was so sure that I'd love them, he bought them immediately and gave them to me in October, even though he easily could have saved them for an anniversary gift the next month. On my first day at my current job, flowers were delivered to my office to offer me congratulations and wish me good luck.

Basically what I'm saying is that I feel incredibly lucky to have such a thoughtful, caring person in my life and the last thing I want to say about Christmas this year is that it was no exception. I could not possibly have ever imagined what he would come up with to give me, but I also could not possibly love it more. He gave me a tote bag with none other than my beloved dog on it. Granted, such a thing could have turned out to be really cheesy if it was poorly done, but the one he chose is beautiful and perfect and I couldn't be happier to carry it around. So, without further ado, here is my second favorite thing from Christmas this year:

Ring in The Holiday Season

A questionnaire that Johnathan's mom sent me:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial - silver, in fact
3. When do you put up the tree? within a few days of Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? after New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? yummmmm
6. Favorite gift received as a child? not sure, maybe my turquoise and pink "Puppy Love" bike
7. Hardest person to buy for? hard to say, I love coming up with just the thing I think somebody will love and think I generally succeed, even if it took me a long time to think of something, that only makes it more special
8. Easiest person to buy for? Alivia
9. Do you have a nativity scene? nope, but if I could find one that went with my decorations, I would definitely buy it
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I have a habit of buying ones to mail, filling out about half and never sending any
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? can't think of a one
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I love so many, maybe Home Alone
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? as soon as I see something that strikes me, this year the first gift was purchased in October
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? not that I recall
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? a bit of everything
16. Lights on the tree? love them, but there aren't any on mine
17. Favorite Christmas song? We Three Kings and Baby, It's Cold Outside
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? be wherever the family is - usually within a couple hour's drive
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph...and Olive, the other reindeer
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Mine doesn't exactly have either, it's more like a star and that's what I'd choose of the two
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? both
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I love the holidays, can't think of anything
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? anything beautiful or meaningful
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? squash casserole
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Johnathan moving back home

Babies on the Brain

You know those Volkswagen commercials with Brooke Shields that say people are having babies just to buy the van they're selling? Well, you can go on their site and make a baby using two photos...I guess to see if the baby is cute enough to be worth it for a van. So, here are some babies I could potentially have:

with Johnathan

with my best friend Ari

with my friend Laura

with comedian Eddie Izzard

with Paul Newman

and, because I ran out of ideas

with my dog Keller

I don't know if enough people actually read this blog to make a poll worth it, but I've decided to ask anyway. Vote on the right for who you think I should have a baby with.

What's The Rush?

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. I think I have only come to appreciate it more as I've grown up. Johnathan collects Christmas music like nobody I've ever met, so I knew he was just right for me, because Christmas songs are the only thing I like to sing more than show tunes. I grew up in a house that had a Christmas tree in every room. Literally! There were even little, fully decorated trees sitting on the backs of the toilet tanks come December. And every tree had a theme: the guest bath was seashells, the master bath was angels, my mom's room had an Elvis tree, the living room was decorated in all burgundy and gold, the office was a white tree with blue lights and fish ornaments, the game room was a candy tree. My mom's decorating style definitely wore off on me too, my tree is silver and the lights and ornaments coordinate with my year-round decor. Besides that, I also buy gift wrap to match the tree, so the presents don't clash when they are under it.

The point is that I love Christmas and the Holidays in general. I love to shop for the perfect gift for my loved ones and love to watch them open their presents, I love to gather with family, I love Christmas movies, I love to go to midnight candlelight service at church and hear the same beautiful story of Christ's birth that I've heard so many times and sing hymns by the glow of hundreds of little flames.

However, I cannot stand when I start seeing Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving has even rolled around. I get that stores need to sell Christmas items early. That is fine with me. But last week - two full weeks before Thanksgiving - I suddenly felt inundated by all of the hoopla way too early. First it was driving by the big shopping center near me and seeing Christmas wreaths on all of the columns. Then I began seeing lights and decorations on peoples' houses.

But the final straw was driving out to Johnathan's parents' house on Friday night. I was flipping channels on the radio and the local soft rock station was playing "Home for the Holidays." I thought it must surely be an ad. I remember Lowes or somebody using it in the past. As the song kept going on with no voice-overs I realized that it was, in fact, just the song that they were playing. I tried to excuse it. After all, it isn't strictly a Christmas song. There's no place like home for Thanksgiving, too. But then the next song was "Winter Wonderland." The station (which always plays nothing but Christmas music for the Holiday season) had already switched over its programming!

The thing is, as much as I love Christmas myself, when you start it so early, I feel like it takes away from the excitement and enjoyment of the season. By the time Christmas, or even December, rolls around, there will have been so much "Christmas cheer" about that it will have become more annoying than spirit-giving. Besides, if you are already celebrating the Christmas season two weeks before Thanksgiving, aren't you sort of overshadowing that occasion? It's un-American is what it is!

Better than sex...TexMex

Sorry Mom, but I didn't make it up; that is actually how the restaurant advertises itself.

Around 11:30 I got an email inviting me to a birthday lunch for my boss at Vivo. It's where we always go for special occasions at work and I just couldn't pass up such a good (free) lunch. I'd say this is a very "Austin" restaurant, although the owner is from San Antonio, as evidenced by their signature puffy tacos.


In case you don't know, puffy tacos are a San Antonio tradition - Bobby Flay even did a thrown down over them once. They are basically tacos served on corn tortillas that have been somehow inflated and then fried. When I was little we went to San Antonio Missions games all the time. Throughout the game they had crowd participation events, like the bat races. I always wished I'd be chosen for one of the kid games, specifically the puffy taco race.

You see, one lucky kid got to chase Henry Puffy Taco around the bases and try to tackle him and if you won (which the kid always did, of course) you got a gift certificate for Henry's Puffy Tacos. Oh how I coveted that opportunity. Finally one game I was picked to participate in an event! I was so excited until I got down to the field and found out that I would not be chasing Henry around. Instead two other kids and I were going to be playing tug of war against Hercules. We won, but all I got was a gift certificate to Hercules Leaves and Petals. Who really thought a kid would enjoy money to spend at a florist? I think I ended up getting flowers for my grandma.

But I digress. The point is that I got to go to Vivo for lunch today. It's a really cool place. They have all of these brightly colored paintings all over the walls and huge vases full of the most beautiful roses. And they are super vegetarian friendly. I got a tofu puffy taco and delicious cheese enchilada and we had flan, since it was a celebration. The best part is when they bring the check, every woman at the table gets a rose to take home.

In conclusion, all it really takes to make me happy is TexMex and a flower.

Plagiarism

I stole this game from The Pioneer Woman, who stole it from the movie Heartburn, which my best friend Ari and I have pledged to watch together when she moves home in about a month. The game is to describe yourself with a list of five words. Seems easy enough.

Let's see, I spend most of my time at work; I am somebody's (well, really about nine people's) assistant, but I don't really think of my job as who I am. I am somebody's daughter, absolutely the product of my parents, but that isn't how I define myself. I am somebody's girlfriend, but I've long felt that that word doesn't do justice to our relationship at this point. I am neurotic (I'd like to think in the most charming sense of the word), but people could take that wrong. So, who am I?

When I narrow it down I think I am:

Christian
Loved
Devoted
Silly
Moody

Take it for what you will.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

The first movie I can remember really loving as a kid and wanting to watch over and over was 42nd Street. When most little girls my age wanted to be Rainbow Brite, I wanted to be Peggy Sawyer. I thought she was just the most beautiful woman there ever was and the musical numbers in the movie dazzled me. That was the beginning of my life-long love of musicals and musical theater.

Grease was always a favorite, though watching it now I am shocked by some of the adult content that slipped past me as a kid. I remember the first time my mom and I watched A Chorus Line and then she took me to see the stage production in high school. From The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady, to Moulin Rouge and Chicago, with Funny Face and Singing in the Rain thrown in the middle, I am always up for watching a movie that incorporates song and dance into the story. In fact, I've long maintained that the world would be a happier place if people really did randomly break into choreographed musical numbers.

Last night I decided to pop in my old video - yup I still own and use a VCR - of what is probably my best loved musical of all time (and one of favorite movies ever)- Funny Girl. If you have not seen this movie, you need to! Barbara Streisand is flawless, the songs are timeless and the clothes are gorgeous. I've been singing Don't Rain on My Parade in my head all day. Here's a great scene for those of you who are unfamiliar. Quite the silly seduction, but the inner monologue is great and I would kill for that dress.

RIP, Old Friend

I like things a certain way. Have I mentioned that? Get used to it. I'm not big on change unless I initiate it. I love to mix things up when I feel like it, but if somebody else puts it on me, I resist.

I got a new check card in the mail last week. My current one expires next month. I love my current card. It is the first card I got on my first bank account of my very own. I've had it for years and years. It is all worn in (almost to the point of being un-swipable). Most importantly, I have the number down pat. I could rattle that off better than my ABC's. My fingers typed it automatically with each online purchase.

When I got the envelope from the bank and could feel a hard spot, I knew it was a new card. Blegh. It's all slick and shiny. It has no character. It doesn't fit into my vintage sense of style. And it has a stupid new number to memorize. Why can't the number stay the same? As soon as I got it, I tucked it in my wallet behind the old and haven't thought much of it since. Well, the bank just called and said I need to activate it to avoid service interruption. So I say "Goodbye old card. You served me well. Thank you for all of the hours of mindless shopping you facilitated."

What's In A Name?

Johnathan and I aren't really big on nicknames. Occasionally I'll refer to him as Johnny, John-John, John Boy or J-Man when I am being goofy, but he has always just gone by the full version of his name and I almost always just call him Johnathan. Likewise, he calls me by my name most of the time. In fact, he uses my name more than any person I have ever met. In the beginning it actually bothered me that he so often put my name at the end of a sentence. I thought he was being condescending. Like if he was trying to make a point and I was misunderstanding he'd say "that isn't what I'm saying, Elyse," and for whatever reason, my name in that sentence made me feel like a child being chastised. But in time I came to realize that he didn't just use my name when frustrated. He also says things like "I love you, Elyse" or "thank you, Elyse." And he uses everybody's name when he talks to them; he is not being patronizing, it's just one of his traits. But my point is that aside from calling each other "Baby" or by our given names, we have never been too big on nicknames and terms of endearment.

However, ever since he bought the a video of It's Flash Beagle, Charlie Brown on an eBay auction, because it was one of his favorite things to watch as a child, I have taken to calling Johnathan "My Sweet Babboo." It's Sally's nickname for her true love, Linus and apparently (thank you Wikipedia) it was what creator Charles Schulz's wife called him. When I heard that, it was just too disgustingly precious not to inflict on him. Linus is not much of a fan of this moniker or the girl who uses it, but [I like to think that] Johnathan doesn't mind it. At least once in the Peanuts series, Sally also said she was Linus's "Sweet Babbooette." I guess that makes them a couple of Babboos.

When I decided to create this blog I wanted the URL to be something that stood for both of us and was personal and it couldn't be taken already by one of the other millions of bloggers out there. I can change the header/title of the page as often as the mood strikes me, but the address would be permanent. So (not that anybody asked) that is why this website is TwoBabboos. And, come to think of it, maybe the fact that all of the titles of Peanuts cartoons he watched as a child ended with Charlie Brown's name had some influence on Johnathan's habit of using peoples' names the way he does.

I Dream of Jeannie

The good news is Johnathan has officially finished his coursework toward his Master's in Biblical Studies. Of course, that means that he is now working on his thesis - no small task. The subject of this paper (that word doesn't seem to have enough gravitas, considering the whole degree relies on it) is pretribulational, dispensational premillennialism eschatology....yeah, already pretty much over my head. Basically, as I understand it (though I may be corrected on this), that means he'll be discussing/defending the view that Israel and the Church are distinct entities and that Jesus will return before a seven year tribulation, followed by an additional return of Christ with his saints to reign on earth.

I actually really enjoy the fact that Johnathan is pursuing post-graduate degrees in Biblical studies, because I become so much better educated about my own beliefs through discussing his studies with him. My only question is, once his thesis is approved and he has actually graduated, do I have to call him "Master?"

On Why I Should Never Leave Home For More Than One Day

I love spontaneity and I tend to be a pretty impulsive person. I'm up for anything, so if you want somebody to talk you out of a 'crazy' idea, I am not your gal. However, I need/thrive on/crave routine. I am at my optimal when things are orderly and scheduled. My best days are the ones when I wake up at 4 AM, start with a workout, stay busy at work, run errands or do chores at home and have only a little down time for reading before bed. I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning (a hot cereal of brown rice with chopped almonds, dried cranberries and blueberries, 1 tbsp of protein powder and skim milk) and lunch and dinner usually consists of one of about 5 variations of vegetables and some source of protein. Some people might get bored by such a lack of variety from day to day. I love it! It makes me a much happier, saner, more pleasant and more productive person.

But, my routine does not exactly come naturally to me. I have worked hard to figure out just how things need to be and, even though I know it's best for me to stick to the plan, sometimes I have to force myself to do just that. The worst is whenever I go on a trip. I love to travel - can't get enough of it. I do sometimes need to get away from all that I am used to and I find great joy in discovering new places, people and things or getting back to the old ones. But it is impossible for me to stick to the patterns that keep me sane when I am away from home. Every "usual" part of my daily life is disturbed...it's great!

The problem comes when I get home. First of all, it seems that lately, any time I leave home for more than 24 hours, I get sick. I came back from Cozumel with a sore throat that lasted three days. I got a stopped up/runny/sneezey nose just about the minute my plane touched down in New York on Friday and now, 36 hours after returning to Austin it has not gotten any better. Furthermore, it takes me several days to get back to normal. My sleep schedule is off; I haven't exercised in a week; I try to put off going to the grocery store until my "regular" day, so now my food supply is lacking; and, shamefully, my suitcase is still lying on my bedroom floor with all of the clothes inside (I took out toiletries, shoes and makeup only because I've needed them). Hopefully I will be back to normal by this evening, but it really is just pathetic what leaving home does to me. I'm beginning to think it isn't worth the trouble!

Typical Me

I attempted to make my car payment online today (it's due by tomorrow), only to realize I already did it last week. Apparently I can be absent minded and really on top of it at the same time. I was stressing over the money to make the payment, but since I'd already done it, it feels like I found a few hundred bucks!