Aspen's Party

 Aspen celebrated her birthday yesterday with a big party with all (30) of her friends from church and some from school.

 She chose a super hero theme.  It was fun to see all these teenagers in capes!

My favorite part were the cakes.  Made pretty simply with templates printed out from the internet. Cake making is my favorite part of my kids birthdays.  Mostly they turn out.  Sometimes they are wrecks.  I'll have to find pictures

of all of them sometime.  But not this week.  Maybe next fall, when things quiet down a bit.

Zoom, Zoom

I started this post last week...before Nate's accident.  But I am posting it anyway.

New job, new title, this calls for a new car!

My car officially died this week, on the way home from San Antonio in fact.  Barely made it to the garage.  So we traded it in and Nate picked out this:

It's even his favorite color.

Since I lost my car, Nate gave me his.  Woohoo:(  (Insert sarcasm here)

But I am glad for him. Unfortunately, it doesn't seat the whole family. So I guess for a while we will be going everywhere together in two cars.

Can you guess?

What made this mark?

After you net it all out, we had a pretty average week

1. Quit my job (+1,500 points)

A couple weeks ago I gave notice. After almost 11 years. . . . I won't be working here anymore. This week was my last.

2. Dinner with friends (+150 points)

We did a Thai theme with a cooking group we are in. I didn't get a photo of the food, but the event did require a trip to the "Market"--I just love the fact that MSG has its own aisle.

3. Durango had problems (-500 points)

It has been having strange electrical problems for a while, but slipping out of gear was new, as was the black "cough" on our driveway near the Durango's exhaust pipe.

4. But made it home before dying (+50 points)

Final tally: 196,312 miles--actually sad to see it go, since it has been such a part of our lives, and accompanied us on so many road trip adventures.

5. Dinner at Eddie V's (+150 points)

I don't have a photo, but those who know what I am talking about will appreciate this one.

6. Got a new car (+250 points)

7. With a turbo charger (+250 points)

Zoom zoom.

8. Betsy's dental work (-500 points)

11 new crowns--the entire day at the dentist

9. Hopefully for the last time (+50 points)

Unfortunately we have thought is was the last time before. . . .

This isn't an updated x-ray, but you get the idea.

10. Snow (+450 points)

Probably the best snow we have had in the ~14 years we have been in Texas. It was below freezing for a couple days, so when it snowed, it actually stayed on the ground.

11. Betsy lost one of her temporary crowns (-100 points)

. . . and (surprisingly) doesn't have her dentist's mobile number. He wasn't in the office, due to the snow.

12. Hazel sick with a temperature of 103 degrees (-100 points)

Betsy was at the urgent care when number 13 happened.

13. Dislocated my ankle, and broke my fibula (-1,750 points)

I looked pretty much exactly like this guy, except I was lying in a puddle of slush in the parking lot at work.

Hmmmm, my foot should be pointing up.

When you dislocate your foot, it can put a lot of pressure on your fibula, as evidenced above.

14. Friends helping out--bringing food, etc. (+100 points)

We appreciate everyone that has volunteered to help out, visited, offered rides to Kansas, given blessings, brought us food, and kept us in their prayers.

And so, if you total up all the points, it was just a pretty average week.