Merry Christmas from Tilly

I got my new camera. Just in time for Christmas! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Tilly is at Gramma's and Granpa's

This is the email my mom sent me this morning:


Subject: Tilly is being a good girl!
Jean DeFord (XXXXXX@someinternet.com)


Attached is a visual of what your baby has been doing since daylight.....

Asks to go out.

Runs after animals.

Comes back in.

Merry Christmas From The Hankes

I lost my camera at the end of the summer. I am getting a new one thanks to State Farm. It won't be here until after Christmas. This will have to do as a family portrait. Carl forgot to put on his glasses and Tilly is at my mom and dad's house. That 's why she's not in the picture!

Happy Belated Birthday Evee BoBo!

The guy using his scary eye stare to will the dice to give him a lucky roll is my brother. He turned 24 on Pearl Harbor Day. That is December 7th in case you didn't know.

He came into this world early in the morning and FAST! The story goes that when my parents came into the hospital that very cold morning in San Antonio Texas the delivery ward was full. Evan wasn't stopping his entrance any and the nurses were literally pushing him back in because the doctor wasn't there. To this day he gets a red mark on his head when he's pissed. It's the birth story of a legend. No doubt my brother will be a legend some day.

Some of the best memories I have are of us fighting. Yes, I said they are some of the BEST memories. Our fighting was epic. Daily. Hourly. Minutely. But it mostly ended the same way. We were forced into our respective rooms to a sort of time out but because our parents didn't believe in closing doors we would call each other across the hall. It would go something like this.

Evan: "Mom is mean."

Me: "Go ask her if we can come out of our
rooms"

Evan: "No, You ask her."

Me: "I can't. She will be mad."

Evan: "That's why I can't"

Me: "Do you think she will care if I just go
into your room to play?"

Evan: "You wanna play cars or Legos?"

Me: "Doesn't matter to me as long as I can
be the mom who takes care of the sick ones"

At least that's how I chose to remember it.

Evan was a pretty scrawny kid. He didn't care to learn how to tie shoes, use the potty, or to bathe. He was too busy for that. There was a lot of bike riding, Lego building, fort playing, dirt digging, ball kicking, bug and rock collecting, back rubbing, video game playing in the early years. In Elementary School he announced that he was going to be a Lego builder when he grew up. I am sure that was a defining moment in his life.

In Middle School the girls were falling all over Evan. But like much of his life, he didn't care. He was too busy for that. At the time I of course didn't know why anyone would think my dorky annoying little brother would be cute! Now I know it's because he has a sweet and caring nature that is mixed perfectly with a little smart ass. He was the class clown that teachers loved.

In High School, Evan made sure to be his own person. He wasn't the little brother in his sister's shadow. (He may disagree) He doesn't know the amount of girls that would come and ask me if I was Evan's older sister. After I would reply yes I would be met with squeals and "Oh he's sooo cute". He did band for one year. Just like me. The year where there was a trip. Smart guy. After he quit band he joined the soccer team. He did very well until his knee went out. During High School he dated the best looking girls and treated them nicer than they should have been treated. He was more popular in high school and in college than I would ever be. Again it's that sweet caring nature mixed perfectly with a little smart ass.

In college, Evan came to SFA! Just like me. I was so excited! I didn't want to show it though because I knew that would turn him away. I prayed that he would stay even though SFA was supposed to be only temporary until he got into A&M for Engineering. (Remember he had Legos to build) He stayed. I had the pleasure of once again sharing two years at the same school as my brother when he changed his major to Accounting and decided to stay at SFA. Once again he made a name for himself! He joined a couple of fraternities. Made friends. Even had a few ODD jobs (wink wink). Ask him about his work with the Art Department! We didn't really even see each other as much as I would have liked but it was nice to know that family was around the corner. He did make it a point to come to Wednesday night worship at Wesley. Wesley thought we were weird for taking turns rubbing each others hands during worship. But in true Evan fashion, he didn't care.

Now Evee BoBo is all grown up at 24! He's done with school. Now working with a big ol accounting company and wears a tie most days. Which I find very funny seeing as how he never cared to learn how to tie his shoes and now he has to tie a tie everyday!

He's still my little brother and I love him.

He has a sweet, caring nature mixed perfectly with a little smart ass.

Happy Birthday Evee BoBo!

Bloggy Fun....The Firsts

I secretly love these blogs....

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?

Never had one. I went to my senior prom with a girl named Stephanie in my History Class. We weren't even very good friends.

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
Yes. Everyday. I sleep with him too!
3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
shots of something. I was in high school and my friend's dad was serving up the drinks.
4. What was your FIRST job?
babysitting. It was all I did! That's why I am sleeping with my first love!
5. What was your FIRST car?
Le Baron Convertible. Man that was a fun car!
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
no texts today
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Carl. He wouldn't get up!
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Which time? That's right I went to 1st grade twice! Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Goldsmith. They were fun ladies!
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
The first one I remember is flying to Houston from Dallas. It sucked. My ears don't tolerate short flights.
10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
To my mother's dread it was Tiffany Erdmann. I have no idea where she is.
11. What was your FIRST sport played?
Is Cake Decorating a sport?
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
At Tiffany's I am sure. In fact it was a sleep over that ended our friendship. I was over at her house sleeping over and watching TGIF when she got a call for a better sleepover offer and her mom dropped me back at my house.
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Carl. I am not sure if HE knew I was talking to him.
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My Aunt Lisa's. I passed out the birdseed filled silk flowers. I just remember throwing the empty basket at the get away car. Boy was I in trouble.
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Went to the restroom.
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
The Edge Christmas Concert (Bush, Blink 182)
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
Piercing was 14, ears. Tattoo was 16, butterfly on ankle in Hawaii
18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Mexico for a mission trip in college.
19. What was your FIRST run in with the law?
There was this one time that my friends and I were pulled over by a goat cop....I should blog that story....
20. When was your FIRST detention?
Senior year in high school for wearing too short of shorts...the VP had a thing against fat girls.
21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Texas
22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart?
Ryan. It was quite a feat seeing as how we weren't dating or anything.
23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Joey, a vampire fanatic who ate bird seed...i lasted my first year of college with her. Don't go Potluck?!?!?
24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride?
To my Papa DeFord's funeral. Bummer. I know.

Consider yourself tagged!

Long Time NO Post....

Wow....

It's been a while. Here is a quick update. Bulleted....because I like bullets.

• I am still on my diet. I cheat a little more but I am generally sticking to it! I've seen a little bit of weight loss and feel TEN MILLION times better. I actually have no problem with giving up bread which was a shock for me! Cheese is a little harder.



• Carl is still in school. May will hopefully be the end of school!



• Tilly is fabulous. She is about to spend the next month with my parents. My mom's dog, Ginger, was put down in October and I think she misses having paws in the house. This is also a gift for Carl.



• I lost my camera. That's why the posts have been few and far between. Pictures are better than words. I miss my camera but not enough to buy another one just yet. Maybe when Carl graduates and gets a job.



• I still love Andrew to death. We had a great Halloween. Andrew was a cow and Tilly was a pig. He was so precious (i stole a picture from Kelly and it's featured below)



• I am so excited about the holiday season!

Love to all!

Day 10

7:45-Wake Up

(oops forgot my medi shot!)

8:30-Irish Oatmeal

12:30-Sushi Wraps (bought from grocery store it's make your own for like $3.00) with Avacado and 1/2 Apple with Almond Butter

can't remember....