Jennifer's Joyous Journal

Houston Fun

I had a great time in Houston over the weekend. I took Magda to see Meredith on her return from Jazz Fest. The trip was so much more than getting to visit with my sister. It was incredibly relaxing though I really can't claim that I got any more sleep than usual (and I'm exhausted today).

I enjoyed the hospitality of the Linger household and I eagerly look forward to visiting again (maybe with Elizabeth when Dale and Jonathan are in England?). Magda and I slept in Matt's bed which is phenomonally comfortable and his room has awesome blackout blinds that let us easily sleep until 9:30am or so. I cannot say enough wonderful things about John's cooking. It was delicious and well-balanced and well-coordinated. His talents are inspiring. We all enjoyed the fabulous weather in the backyard which has exactly the kind of lawn I wish I had the energy to cultivate at my own home.

With any trip to Houston, the best part is visiting with family. As an added bonus, family included Grandma on this trip. Magda enjoyed seeing/meeting all her great aunts and uncles as well as her once removed cousins (Courtney and Cat). And I certainly enjoyed showing her off. Many many thanks to everyone for contributing to the car that picked Meredith up from the airport. I was not relishing the prospect of either leaving Magda with Kathleen or taking her with me to the airport since it was so late in the evening. She would not have been a happy baby in either instance and having to make that choise proabably would have left me not ever wanting to make those arrangements with Meredith ever again. As it is, I'm looking forward to our next visit.

Date Night

Stepan and I had a great time at ALO's Le Nozze di Figaro. It was one of the most enjoyable productions I've seen here in Austin. All of the characters were well-cast with actual acting talent as well as incredible voices. This particular opera is a comedy. I know it sounds obvious, but operas are so much more enjoyable when nobody dies in them...mostly because when someone dies in an opera, the death scenes tend to last for HOURS!!!

Many thanks to Elizabeth, Dale, and Cynthia for taking care of Magda for us. She told me this morning that she had an awesome time and is looking forward to playing with Kayleigh and Jonathan again sometime real soon.

First Official Mother's Day

We did celebrate Mother's Day last year, even though I was only a Mother-in-Waiting. We had a good time but it absolutely doesn't compare to enjoying the day with my beautiful girl.

As planned last year, Grandma joined us in Austin to celebrate this Mother's Day. Tim and Felicia brought her from Houston on Saturday night and we all enjoyed the fabulous pre-marinated fajita meat from HEB that Stepan grilled to perfection. The delicious margaritas Mom put together also helped with the festive atmosphere. As an added treat we got to enjoy the company of the entire Churchett clan - Kayleigh and Elizabeth are always a delight, but we don't always get to see Jonathan and Dale. I was so please when they were both able to make it.

On Sunday morning, Mom picked up Grandma from Elizabeth's and Magda and I met them at St. Albert's. This time, I remembered to have Mom pick up headphones for Grandma. She was able to hear and enjoy the entire mass which is something that I don't think she always gets to do when she goes to out-of-town churches. As promised last year, Fr. Bill sang the Ave Maria at the end of mass. He's got an absolutely fabulous voice which Grandma had no trouble hearing (even without the headphones). She said she really enjoyed the performance and that getting to hear it was definitely worth the trip to Austin.

After church, we all gathered at my house for Sunday brunch. I think Stepan was mildly surprised that the breakfast strata I put together (and he stayed home from church to bake) was actually quite tasty. His zopf was also a big hit, though he would have perferred to have a different type of flour for it. And what would Sunday brunch be without mimosas? You just can't go wrong with champagne and orange juice.

Lastly, but certainly not leastly, this Mother's Day showered me with bunches of technical gifts. I got a webcam and I gave a webcam to Mom so that we can do video instant messaging. I also got a new wireless, optical mouse from Mom because my old one sucks and is constantly sticky. Stepan also got me a post-natal yoga video. I wanted one that was yoga with baby, but I think I really need the one he got me to help get me back into shape. Stepan also gave me a lovely card that has Magda's hand prints inside it. I really need to get on the ball and got those prints into her baby book, but Stepan assures me that it is definitely a 2-person job.

Anyway, many thanks to all who made my first Mother's Day one to remember. I truely had a wonderful time and am thankful for the gift of my beautiful daughter and the foundation of love and support continue to receive from all the wonderful mother's in my life.

It Works!

After much trial and error, a call to Dale, and serveral attempts to get us all upgraded to the most recent software, Mom and I can finally do video chat with our webcams. It really is pretty cool though I wish the video windows were bigger. Also as a result, I'll be available for instant messaging again. I've installed both the yahoo messenger and AIM on my computer. Get in touch with me if you use either of these services and I'll send you my screen names.

Family Photo

St. Albert's was putting together a photo directory of the parishoners. All photos were being taken digitally so we had the option of taking our own and emailing it to them...which was a good thing since Stepan doesn't go with us to church all that often. We need to do more family photography.