Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
My dog was going berserk; perhaps she saw a mouse!

My suitcases were packed and placed with care,
In hopes my ride to the airport would soon be there.

When out on my porch there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Uncle Eric and his awaiting SUV were there.

Lexus had been drugged for our impending flight,
But a Xanax and Benadryl left her with plenty of fight.

As I reached for her collar and shouted in vain,
My temper got the best of me and out came these names:

Now Lexus, now devil dog, now bad spawn - you listen,
We have a plane to get on, so you better stop your hissin’!

So into your travel bag you go, my little beast,
Just be glad it’s not a cage or a crate at least.

Her eyes – how they mocked me with an angry glare,
Her teeth bared and biting; her nostrils so flared!

A vicious growl and a twist of her head,
Soon gave me to know I had everything to dread.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
Grabbed her by her neck, then turned with a jerk.

And laying my fingers aside from her mouth and nose,
I gave her a quick push and into the bag she dove!

Quick went the zipper, the triumph was mine,
We arrived at the airport and just in time.

But I heard her exclaim, as we soared through the night,
"You think you’ve won, but we still have a return flight!"

Please pray for me!
PK

Congrats, Grad!

This weekend I flew home to Dallas for my sister's MBA graduation from Southern Methodist University (SMU). For the last two years Holly has had to juggle quite the busy schedule. By day she was the bubbly pharmaceutical sales rep and by night she played the serious graduate student.

Friday night we broke bread at Holly's favorite restaurant Hibicus. Luck would have it, there was a cancellation in one of their private dining rooms, so we were able to have a nice, quiet meal with the family and a few of Holly's co-workers (who were so nice to pick up the tab!) Thanks Derek!

One of the nice things about attending a smaller school (and graduating in December) is there was only 900 doctorate, masters and undergraduate students receiving their diplomas on Saturday night. We had no problem picking Holly out of the crowd and zooming in on her with Big Louise (my sister's fancy camera).

After a record-breaking graduation ceremony (only 2 hours!), the business school hosted a small reception for the graduates and their families. My Dad loved this because there was plenty of finger foods and drinks to go around. (Translation: he didn't have to pay for dinner that night! He also managed to stumble across the graduate t-shirt table and all I will say is "While the cat's away...")

We thought it would be fun to poke fun at the fact that I'm the only Smith sister who DOESN'T have her master's degree. Just call me "Underachiever PK". You can find me and my lame bachelor's degree cowering in the corner with all the other slackers.

Congrats, Holly! We're so proud of you!
PK

P.S. Holly, since I bought you a graduation gift, does this mean I'm off the hook for Christmas?

O' Christmas Tree

A few years ago my practical dad thought it would be fun to use up his stash of luggage tags. Since he's been a pilot for over 20 years and spent a good deal of that time in and out of airports, he had amassed quite the collection.

So it was no surprise when I walked into his house and was greeted by his luggage tag tree. Tags and a random assortment of ornaments and lights (both indoor and outdoor). Hey, what do you expect from a tree decorated by a dude?!

Like I said, not a whole lot of design continuity here, but at least you get the idea.

It was really cute to see my dad gush over his tree. And it actually became a fun little game. He would have you go up to the tags and see how many airport codes you could guess right.

A few of them were no brainers like "DFW" for Dallas/Ft. Worth and "SLC" for Salt Lake City. And then there were those that weren't quite as obvious like "BWI" (Baltimore International Airport), "SNA" (John Wayne Airport in Santa Anna, CA) and "ORD" (Chicago O'Hare International Airport).

Here's a closer view of the tags. How many can you get right?

Happy guessing!
PK

Cowboys Don't Take Baths

My sister Laurie recently started her own photography business called Laurie Ruth Photography. Since she's trying to build up her portfolio, often her friends and family members will pose for Big Louise (her camera). Below are some of her recent pictures:

Meet Beau Travis Pulliam. Beau Travis is 9 months old and the son of one of my sister's friends. He is betrothed to Ruby Belle Tarrant. (Yes, their parents are from the South!)

Ruby Belle was born two weeks ago to my sister's best friend. "Ruby" is after her maternal great-grandma and "Belle" is after her paternal great-grandma. Ruby Belle's dad is the biggest sweetheart in all of Texas. The day she was born he gave his wife a diamond and ruby necklace and said, "Dana, you're my diamond and our baby is my ruby."

Happy First Christmas, Ruby Belle!

That Beau Travis is a lucky boy!
PK