Tamara Shannon

For those of you that know Brent, have met Brent or vaguely heard mention of him you probably know of his intense love of cookies. He really doesn't enjoy cake and can easily pass up a pie, but cookies beware! I, knowing this, recently purchased 4 boxes--yep 4--of a fundraiser cookie that Brent absolutely loves! The last time I bought them it was like a little piece of Heaven on earth for him and pretty soon all 4 dozen (that's 48 chocolate chunk cookies) were devoured (ok, I'm sure I offered some help). I searched everywhere trying to fill the order for "MORE COOKIES!" Unfortunately, they are only sold through fundraisers and I was not prepared to buy 100 million boxes. Sorry Brent, you'll have to do without. Then, it happened! Another co-worker was selling them to raise money to send her son to the Little League World Championship (they won his division by-the-way). We received our boxes about 2-3 weeks ago. We're down one box and half of anoth...

Brent and I had the opportunity to watch Dot and Ella while my parents moved my little sister, Tanlee, back to Lubbock. This was Dottie's first time with stairs (I think). This, combined with her 'little bit of a weight problem' made for some good entertainment. As promised, Tanlee, here is your dog climbing the stairs.... And again! Trust me, she can use the exercise!!

I enjoyed a day off from work, for no reason at all. It was fabulous. I slept in--though I use that term loosely because I got up to have breakfast with Brent and let the dogs out (I'm dogsitting for my parents; they went to Lubbock today to take my little sister back to school). I did, however, manage to get a little nap in though after Brent went off to work. I then filled my day with, well, really nothing. Got my hair did! :) I always want to make more for dinner and spend more time developing my baking/cooking skills. Oh the pressures of 'wifedom." Unfortunately, by the time I get off work, finish up at the gym and make it home I'm never in the mood to bake/cook....and we're usually starving. So typically, we have a simple sandwich, Lean Cuisine or cereal (occasionally, I'll make some pasta). Tonight, however, was a perfect opportunity to make something new! Nothing fancy, but it was fun; I had some time. This also lead to my first encounter with the busy d...

Brent's after-work time is devoted primarily to Chemistry, thus I had to come up with some projects to keep my sanity. Occasionally, I'd go on "cleaning sprees!" Scrubbing, dusting, wiping, washing, folding--you name it. I cleaned it, twice. That got old fast though. Last Friday night, about 9:15, I don't know if it was the marathon HGTV watching or the mind numbing boredom but, I decided I wanted to paint. I went to Brent (who was, of course, studying), spilled my plans and relayed the urgency of the situation because Home Depot closes at 10!! Off we went for a little late night shopping adventure! Approximately 2.5 hours later.... VVVWWAAALAA ! Accent wall complete! I went for something drastic...or so I thought. Everyone that has come over since then had to be coached as to the new changes. Seriously!?! Last night, I decided it was time to get to work on the downstairs bathroom. I finished the cabinets, but Brent's still getting the hardware installed. So,...

We made it to our 3 month mark, hurray! We celebrated by doing what everyone does here in San Antonio- we ate! We went to J. Alexander's at the Quarry and it was fabulous. The most exciting part though was that I discovered a new way to style my hair for the event. :) jk, Brent's the best part. We have truly grown so much as a couple. It's hard for me to imagine my life without him...weird. Though I can imagine life without all the extra laundry and dishes! Ok, ok, that's enough gushy-mushy stuff. There hasn't really been a lot going on lately...at least not with me. I have a million 'projects' I want to start on, but have yet to. I'm still in the brainstorming phase...trying to decide where to begin. That tends to be a fault of mine. I have SOO much I want to do that I can't decide what to do first. Then I overwhelm myself and then nothing gets done. I think I'm really close to making a decision....I can feel the progress on the ho...

Refresher: Brent and I are the new CTR-7 teachers. The past 2 times we've taught, I think I handled the ADD and inability to remain seated fairly well. I found that I do have limits. Though I'm not sure why, this Sunday was especially challenging for me. Fortunately, Brent had his mood under control. I was going to throw down. I threatened to get the parents at least 3 times and if it weren't for Brent no one would've gotten fruit snacks. My patience was nonexistent. I felt bad afterwards because Brent told me how he could tell I was about to have a melt down. I'm sure he was just glad that he wasn't the one I was after. As always, Brent managed to lighten my mood with this little story: (Preface--Lesson was on Forgiving Others) Brent: "So lets say you are out walking on a hill and this bully comes and knocks you down. You fall down the hill and hit your knee and your head is gushing blood (motion hand to illustrate blood spurting from head)...

ThE sHaNnOns Tubin Time! Superstar in the making...? It's not everyday your 5 nieces and nephews come visit, but it sure is fun when they do! I was so looking forward to their visit...I took off work and everything (I know that implies an ulterior motive, but I was most happy to see the fam). Here are some ' tid bits' I learned: Tara: so not 7. I can totally see her dishing out some advise well beyond her years. I may be calling her soon to get the 411 on Taylor Swift, how to work on my tan and for advice on the complexities of life. Eric: I always deemed him the calm patient one. He certainly has some great leadership potential; he's so good with his little bro. I was surprised, though, to see how brave and adventurous he was! Totally up to fly off the tube and ride hands free. Rebel. Ian: The bravest 4 year old I know. He will battle sharks and aliens all with his laser power! He is also very sweet and affectionate ; I am feel bot...