Day 6 - March 14

The last port was at the cruise line’s private island, Labadee, in Haiti. This was one of our favorite days. The beaches were really pretty, and the weather was great.



Several family members were quite the snorkelers and saw barracudas, sea urchins, and all kinds of marine life.

I wasn’t sure how Tate would do on the beach. Last summer he had a blast anytime we went swimming, but a beach is pretty different. I was just waiting for that moment of rubbing the sand and salt water in his eyes. It never happened. He was over-the-moon, ecstatic, excited on the beach. It was hilarious to watch. Throughout the entire day, the only time he fussed was when we were taking him out of the water.

He played in the sand, crawled in the sand, and even ate the sand. We’ve watched this video about 100 times since the trip, and you’ll hear screams and screeches. Those are screams of pure joy. Too funny.





They also had a little kid water/fountain park. He LOVED crawling around and on top of the big water fountains. I wasn’t a fan of picking him up and having a surprise fountain of water in the face.



This trip also provided a sad realization of becoming older. I used to be quite the sun-bather back in my younger years. My desire to ward off more sun spots and wrinkles has drastically changed that…hence the hat in just about every outside picture.

It really was such a fun day for us all. We can’t wait to take Tate to another beach soon.

Day 7 - March 15

So the last full day was a day at sea…and my birthday! 32…hard to believe! It was a great day, and I appreciated so much everyone helping to make it special. First thing in the morning, I got to head down to the spa for a massage (thank you Wade!), where I was informed that I carry all of my stress in my shoulders. Um, I think it’s more like I carry around a 20+ pound boy every day, but thanks.

I headed down to breakfast (which by the way was delicious every day as well), we walked around, and then I got to head back to the spa for a pedicure (thank you Tisha & Ford!).

After lunch, we headed back to the room and were greeted a room decorated with Happy Birthday banners and fresh roses, thanks to our super-cool butler, Arvin.




That night Tate headed to dinner with the rest of the family, and Wade and I got to have a birthday date night. We went to the ship’s specialty restaurant, The Olympic. This was probably the finest of fine dining that we have experienced (lots of utensils, several courses, food to clear your palette, etc.). We probably lacked some maturity as we laughed at ourselves and our lack of sophistication, but the dinner was pretty incredible. I’m not sure it’s the kind of dinner I would want to pay full land retail for, but for $30 on the ship, it was well worth it.

I was very impressed with Wade as I talked him into venturing out and trying a few different things on the menu…lobster bisque, salmon soufflé, goat cheese soufflé, French cheeses, and even a glass of champagne with dessert.

And the dessert was yum---meee! I had a chocolate mousse, and they made a special crepe suzette for Wade.

One of the most impressive things about this dinner (and really all week long) was the level of service. Or maybe I’m just getting too used to Double Dave’s pizza on Saturday nights. The service was amazing…at dinner I asked which of two appetizers our waiter preferred. He said, “Here there are no problems, just solutions. I’ll bring you small portions of both.” Well, thanks!

It was a great night and great birthday. I got to spend the day relaxing, had some time getting kisses from my sweet little boy, and had a romantic night out with my husband. And, there was this incredible sunset…birthdays don’t get much better than that!

The Last Day - March 16

So I have no pictures from the last day. It was a LOOOOOOONG day. I won’t bore you (more than you’re already bored) with the gory details, but it involved waking up at 6:30 a.m., disembarking for 1 ½ hours with a kid in a stroller who didn’t want to be in a stroller, a wild goose chase and 3-mile walk alongside the hot, sunny beach in Ft. Lauderdale, and being stuck in the airport for 5+ hours from airline delays. Despite all of that, I was shocked at how well Tate did that day. It could have been a nightmare, but I was so proud of what a trooper he was.

We finally got home at about 11:00 p.m. The trip really was pretty fun. It was hard at times and not always relaxing, but we had a great time spending time with family and visiting some beautiful places. So after almost three years in the making, the Strzinek family vacation was a success.

Happy St. Patty's!

We got home LAAAAAATE last night after a 7-night cruise and family vacation. I'm recovering in mounds of laundry, e-mails, and lack of groceries. But have no fear, I'll soon be one of those obnoxious people to bore you with my vacation stories and pictures.

Until then, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I do have quite a bit of Irish blood in me, so today is always a fun one. Although, I'm not quite sure what we're celebrating or why, but I love the color green, so why not. :)

I'm still amazed at how much my little leprechaun has changed this past year.

St. Patrick's Day 2007:

St. Patrick's Day 2008:

Let It Snow!

Only in Texas can you start your week off on Monday shopping for beach vacation clothes while it snows outside, followed by two days of warm, short-sleeved weather, and concluded with six inches of snow!

We started by watching the snow out the window. So far, so good.

Then we began the bundling up process. Since I was already bundled up in my ski jacket (which hadn't seen real snow in about five years) and hat, Tate's suspicion of something shady began. He was quite perplexed by the doubling and tripling of clothing layers, plus the gloves, plus the silly hat.

And alas, the introduction to snow for the first time in his life. The verdict is...

NO THANKS!

At least Macy enjoyed herself.

It was quite peaceful and beautiful. Just in time for...spring?

Book Review: Identical Strangers

I figured I would try to post my book reviews after I read the book rather than at the end of the year when my 30-something memory displays its diminishing abilities.

So the first book of 2008 for me was Identical Strangers by Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein. I love true stories, and this one was fascinating. The identical twin sisters were placed for adoption at just a few months of age. The adoption agency was secretly taking part of a scientific study to see the true test of nature vs. nurture, so they separated the twins (and several other sets of multiples) and placed them in different adoptive families. So hard to believe that would really happen!

The book is written in a journal format alternating between each of the twin’s perspectives. In between their narratives is really interesting research on identical twins.

The book covers several years of the twins meeting each other, getting to know each other and their respective families, and the process of searching for their biological mother.

To me one of the most intriguing parts of their story and journey is that at one moment they feel connected to this person that shares the same DNA, and the next moment, they resent any sense of similarity. It speaks a lot to the basic desire to be unique. So what happens to that desire when you meet someone who looks and acts a lot like you?

There are sections of the book that are serious page turners and then there are sections that are pretty slow. Overall, it’s a very interesting story and worth the read.

Remembering Kari

Today I remember my friend and college roommate, Kari Firestone Heil, on what would’ve been her 32nd birthday. I’ve learned over the years that when someone passes away, no matter the circumstances, the people left typically long to find a way to keep that person's memory alive.

I knew Kari all throughout our ACU years, and we first met when we lived on the same hall of Gardner dorm our freshman year. I think anyone that came into contact with Kari would use so many of the same words to describe her: joyful, friendly, talented, spunky, and bubbly. She had a great sparkly eye and smile combination that was contagious, and she was always bouncing around singing something.

She, Garyn, and I lived together for just about the last 2 ½ years at ACU. I remember when we found our duplex on Turtle Cove and were SO excited to be officially living off-campus. We thought we had arrived. I remember when we all went to Wal-Mart to buy our first grown-up purchase -- a big rug for the living room. We brought it home, rolled it out, and then Amber Lucy (Kari’s dog) peed on it. Hilarious.

I remember all of us racing home in between classes to eat lunch and watch Days of Our Lives. I remember her little blue car that she was scared to drive if we were ever in a big city. I remember driving home with her from a visit to San Antonio when a huge tornado storm passed right over us. We were petrified but just laughed the whole time.

I remember when she would eat some kind of yummy sweet the way she would make a high-pitched “mmmm, mmmm, mmmm” sound. I remember the way she encouraged me to give Wade a chance.

I remember when we moved out of the duplex and into an apartment. The funniest story there was when the bathroom sink broke and about 6 inches of water flooded the entire apartment. We were a bunch of clueless girls and didn’t know what to do but run around screaming and laughing...and pause to take a goofy picture.


And of course, I always remember Kari singing and dancing. For someone who never had official dance training, she was amazingly talented. She loved to perform and was a natural. She was in just about every ACU theatre production and was a Sing Song hostess. You could see on her face how much she loved being on stage.



I wish so bad she had known and felt the love that so many people had for her. I wish so bad that I could go back in time and change things. I hope and pray that somehow good can come from the tragic. I hope and pray that more will be taught on how to handle depression with much more grace extended. I hope and pray that the legacy of the Kari we all knew and loved will live on in her two beautiful daughters.
Happy Birthday Kari!

Highights From The Past Week

Babysitting all 3 cousins…at the same time
We experienced one evening with three kiddos all under the age of two. And I thought dinner time was crazy with just one! It really wasn’t all that bad, just busy. And, sadly, it’s easy to forget about that youngest one when she’s happily sitting in the bouncy seat. When everyone was tucked in for the night and sound asleep, Wade & I looked at each other and said…”at least we know we could handle three kids if we had to.”

It was fun having a little one around again. Baby Morgan is a sweetie!

Valentine’s Part One
Nothing says romance on Valentine's Day like a choice of fried chicken or chicken fried steak. The beauty of Babe's Chicken House on Valentine's with 6 adults and 3 kids...no wait, it's loud, and who cares if you make a mess.

Valentine’s Part Two
Nothing says romance on the day after Valentine’s Day like the kid at the grandparent’s house and a nice quiet dinner where you sit by each other on the same side of the booth (yes, for this one night, we were that cheesy couple). After a yummy Tex-Mex dinner, we had my most favorite dessert ever…EVER…the famous Truluck’s chocolate cake (click to enlarge picture and see the true beauty of this masterpiece).

Love it.

Love him (not in that order, of course).

ACU Sing Song
We braved the rain, sleet, and cold to make the trek back to Abilene this past weekend, so I could serve as one of the judges for ACU Sing Song. It was a lot of fun and brought back many memories. If you aren’t familiar with this little cultural phenomenon, it might seem a little strange. It’s such a hard thing to explain, but it is a pretty impressive show for a bunch of college students. And if you are a past Sing Songer, you might appreciate this “Behind the Scenes” video I found. The infamous double gym…the drama, the tears, the cheers, and the never-ending runthroughs.

14 Months Old

So this week, the Tater Tot turned 14 months old. It has been quite a month. I’ll start with the exciting news…he is mobile! About three weeks ago, this happened one night (sorry for the not-so-great quality and for my quite annoying background voice).



He’s still doing just the army crawl, but he is really able to get around and is already so much faster. This has obviously changed things around the house. In fact, this weekend’s major projects include lots of baby proofing.

So remember all of the toys that invaded our home after his birthday and Christmas? Well now that he’s a man on the move, those aren’t very interesting. What is most interesting is crawling under the kitchen table chairs, getting into the cabinets, opening and closing drawers, and even pulling up to his knees on anything he can reach. The bumps and bruises have already begun.

But when he is playing with his toys, his new trick is to throw them. Everywhere. It was kind of cute and funny at first, but man oh man, this kid can throw. This has become one of a million parenting dilemmas I think about. How do you teach a 1-year-old what is OK to throw and what isn’t? I haven’t figured it out yet, so right now, just about everything gets thrown…food, toys, cups, you name it.

He has also continued to enjoy his tiger xylophone. Although we call it a piano because xylophone is not a word I see him learning any time soon. Anyway, this video is of his Jerry Lee Lewis impersonation.



Tate has had a lot of changes this month in his daily routine. I have to hand it to him, he has really handled it all wonderfully. He’s gone from two naps a day to one. That started off rough but quickly evened out to a good 3+ hour nap each day. Bless you child! He dropped his last bottle in the morning and before bed and is now completely on a sippy cup or cup with a straw. And he made the switch from formula to milk. I was expecting a major protest to these changes after hearing horror stories from some friends but have been very pleasantly surprised. It’s so strange to have so many of the baby phases end.

Another biggie this month was his newfound craziness for his Daddy. He’s always had a good ‘ol time with Wade, but that has really intensified this month. He has said “Da Da” a couple of times right to Wade and even while playing at the door outside of Wade’s office. (He only says “Ma Ma” when he’s upset and crying.) And I’m not surprised at all to realize that Wade can get the biggest giggles and squeals from Tate when they’re playing. I guess my prediction of Wade being the fun-loving Dad, and me being the strict Mom may be coming true. Yikes! Here’s a picture Wade took from some of their guy time. (He also had his SECOND haircut this month. The boy has got some hair.)

This has been a fun month with lots of changes, but has also been one of the more challenging months so far. With his new mobility has also come lots of frustration…for both of us. He has made so much improvement with his physical therapy, but he’s still somewhat limited to what he can really do and get into. This gets him VERY frustrated. This causes LOTS of whining. This gets me VERY frustrated. I know this is just the beginning of a whole new stage, but for some reason, I wasn’t expecting it until he turned 2!

Despite the whining, he continues to be a constant source of joy. He is already taking after his Daddy and seems to know no stranger. When we’re out and about, he will flash his big smile to just about anyone and talk to them in his “Tateish.” He still loves doing anything outside and would love to permanently move his room into the bathtub if we would let him.

After a big month like this past one, I’m excited to see what the next few months bring as I learn more and more about this little guy I love.

***Here’s an extra video just for fun. Too bad Tate couldn’t do this last Sunday for the Cowboys!***

Just Call Me Betty Crocker

Ummm, not quite. But I am pretty proud of myself. I made a quiche for the first time. (Cue the ooooos and ahhhhhhs now.)

Our friends Laura and Jackson came over for our regular lunch playdate. I was feeling extra ambitious and decided it was time I added a quiche to my vast (ha!) repertoire of foods that have to actually be cooked. You can only "cook" these so many times.

So the verdict...not bad, but it's no Quiche Lorraine from La Madeleine (my absolute fav). But then again, with Egg Beaters instead of eggs, turkey bacon instead of the real stuff, and half & half instead of heavy cream, it's not going to taste quite the same.

I know to all of you Bettys and Marthas out there, this might seem small potatoes. But for someone that just learned how to peel potatoes over Thanksgiving (yep!), this is quite the victory. There may be hope for me yet.

"Quiche? How do you spell quiche? You don't spell it son, you eat it." --- (Can you name that movie?)