Mr. Rees, Algebra II Teacher

Ryan's first day of school was yesterday, but not as a student! Ryan is officially a teacher at Stony Point High School. He teaches Algebra II for all his periods, with the exception of one period when he teaches Math Modeling. He opened his class by giving them a summary of what they will be learning this year. He proceeded by writing a topology proof on the white board. I wish I could have seen the looks on the kids' faces. Ryan said their eyes were so big that they were about to come out of their heads. He then asked how many of them were thoroughly confused, to which 100% of the class raised their hands. They were all relieved to hear that this is not what they would be learning this year, but maybe when they get to college. Ryan is going to be a great teacher!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It all started with Robert's blog and then Kylene's blog. So I had to try it myself. Here are some of the results from hairmixer.com. Ten points to the person who can name all the celebrities.








Check out Ryan's new looks.



I just can't help playing on this website. There will be more pictures to come!

Who said Nordstrom is expensive?

I had a gift card for Nordstrom that I have been itching to spend (thanks Tess!). So today I decided to head over to the mall. I started upstairs in Nordstrom, where I parked, and made my way around the mall and back again. I had two other gift cards, to two other stores, that I also spent. On my way out, I decided to look downstairs at the baby stuff for my soon-to-be nephew. At first I questioned myself if I should spend any more money, but then I noticed a few racks of little boys clothes on sale and I found a cute baseball-themed tie. It was marked down from $16 to $5.90 and I thought that was a good deal. When I went to check out, the lady said, "Okay, that will be one cent." "What?" I said, feeling a little confused by what I thought I heard. "Yeah, one cent," she said. For some reason that tie was marked down to one cent! So I got the other tie too. Two ties for two cents, now that's a bargain! The two sales associates were even surprised by the markdown. The other people in line overheard us and one guy asked, "What rack were you shopping from?"

Here's the picture of the ties. Sorry Kristina, I guess this won't be a surprise when you open your baby gifts.

Cafe Blue

Living in Austin, we have been well acquainted with various lake-side dining experiences. But yesterday we discovered a hidden treasure right in our backyard! When looking for a restaurant online, I stumbled upon Cafe Blue. I was excited to see that it was so close to our house and right on Lake Travis, so we decided to try it. I didn't realize that we were only a few minutes away from the lake (Duh! I've been living here for seven years). I ordered the stuffed shrimp, which I highly recommend, and Ryan had the blackened chicken. The menu choices are limited, but the food was delicious! We liked it better than the Oasis and Iguana Grill (other Lake Travis restaurants). The food was a little pricier, but far better tasting and the crowd was definitely smaller and more laid-back. In fact, there was no wait to get in. In the pictures are: Shae (my lil sis), my dad, me, and Ryan.

Terror in the Night

When it comes to scary things, Ryan has always been sensitive. He won't watch scary movies, fearing they will haunt him in his dreams (which they do). He startles easily, which makes it extra fun for me to hide behind corners and jump out at him. I'm always looking for opportunities to add that extra spice to our lives. That opportunity came Wednesday night at a home we are house-sitting for. Ryan left in the evening to pick-up our brother-in-law at the airport, and that was my cue. There is a porcelain doll in the bedroom we are sleeping in, facing the side of the bed where Ryan sleeps. Porcelain dolls are creepy enough by themselves, but when you add a knife, you enter a whole new level. Here's what it looked like:


Because Ryan has been trying not to look at the doll, he didn't notice it until Friday. Now he thinks I am an evil person.