Graduation projects

The end of Stephen's senior year is approaching at warp speed. I've been working on a few different projects lately to display for his graduation party.

Mr. Rebel 2012

It has been quite a hectic year for our family. Stephen has enjoyed quite a bit of publicity from his community and school involvement. Most recently he competed in the Hays Mr. Rebel pageant. It was a lively show and all the participants did great. For his talent, he performed the dance from Napoleon Dynamite.

All the proceeds from the pageant went to the Hays Project Graduation fundraising efforts which benefit a good cause.

http://www.haysprojectgraduation.org/

Stephen was first runner up for Mr. Rebel, but he is Mr. Rebel himself to us!

Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays to everyone. The cold finally hit us this past week in Austin and we have a good excuse to light our fire and drink hot cocoa. Unfortunately the rain washed out the Sights and Sounds festival this past weekend...but we aren't complaining because we direly need the rain. This semester's coming to a close too quickly and we are trying to conclude our holiday preparations.

Here's our most recent holiday card:

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Busy start to the new school year

I cannot believe it is already October and fall is upon us. Last May Stephen finally completed his Eagle project at Hays High School. He and Mike traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch over the summer and hiked close to one hundred miles. Stephen passed his board of review after they returned and became an official Eagle Scout. We held his Eagle Court of Honor at the end of August. Since then he has been on the Hays CISD website for many honors, and this past week he was featured in the Hays Free Press.

I just completed a photo book with some of these images and details.

Create your own Photobooks with Inkubook.com!

Stephen's Junior Prom

Stephen attended prom early this April with a senior. He decided to go about a week before the dance, so we all scrambled to make it all work out. Once we arrived at his friends' house for pictures, he discovered that he had left his prom ticket at home. Mike graciously drove home to search Stephen's lair for the missing ticket while they took pictures to no avail. We thought that his ninth-grade English teacher who sold him the ticket would surely allow him in the door since they had a list of students and ticket numbers at the door, but we discovered this was an incorrect assumption when he called us later to inform us they did not. Luckily, one of his friends drove him from San Marcos all the way to our home in Austin and although he was resigned to staying home if he didn't find his ticket in the first five minutes, he found it in the front hall closet right away. They drove back to prom, but missed out on the picture booth which had already closed. Thank goodness we had taken him for pre-dance pictures or we would have none to commemorate the occasion.

Spring Break 2011

The Strokes @ Auditorium Shores

This spring break was hectic although it was mostly a "staycation." Noah came to stay with us while his family went to Disney. He and Stephen lived it up gaming all night long and sleeping till late each day. Mike had to work the week, and I volunteered the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival so I could earn a music badge. I worked at the Alamo Ritz theater downtown and was able to see some celebrities while watching the antics on 6th street. The music began on Wednesday night and each day there was music everywhere to enjoy. We took Noah to see his first rock concert at Auditorium Shores on Thursday where the Strokes played. The grand finale was fireworks over LadyBird Lake. I was able to see shows for some old favorites like Filter and Puddle of Mudd. I also saw great shows from other acts such as Flogging Molly, AwolNation, Panic at the Disco, and The Bravery. Aside from the usual madness associated with SXSW there were also some cool surprises such as Dennis Quaid coming on stage to sing and play a song during the Bravery's show. The week was exciting, but also exhausting. It will be a relief for our family to get back into a semi-normal schedule.
Dennis Quaid playing with the Bravery
The Airborne Toxic Event
Irish punk rock at it's best = Flogging Molly

Fall 2010

We have had a fast moving fall this year. Our fall has flown by at warp speed and now we are entering the Christmas countdown. This fall we have watched Stephen play varsity football and get inducted into the National Honor Society. We anxiously anticipate all the exciting developments this spring. Right before Halloween we adopted a new rescue kitten and named him Calvin. He has been a challenge, but he and Hobbes seem to be enjoying each others' company (as much as cats enjoy other cat's company). The temperature has just recently began to drop below our usual 90+, and we are enjoying the opportunity to wear winter attire. Looking forward to spending the holidays and seeing our family and friends.

Merry Montage Christmas

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

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Nerren Reunion 2010

Last week we traveled to Tennessee for the first Nerren family reunion. It was a long drive, but well worth the travel. Our extended family all camped in the Cherokee National Forest at Camp Cherokee. It was a great opportunity to catch up with cousins we haven't seen in a very long time. On Saturday a small group of us went on a rafting trip down the Ocoee river. It was very exciting and Erin even took an unexpected river swim after being accidentally booted out of the raft during one particular rapid. Hopefully, this will be one of many family get-togethers to come....since we have missed everyone tremendously. My only complaint was that we didn't have more time.

Our talented family

Our fall has been crazy busy. Our first anniversary has come and gone along with many other important events. Today we are reflecting on our fun and talented family.

This past October I traveled to a professional development and stayed in Houston with my big sister Stephanie and Tim. We went to dinner at the Redfish for my birthday and then later that evening Tim demonstrated his monkey boy impression.



Mike’s big brother and Michelle married this past September. At the wedding celebration Mike’s dad was a dancing fiend, and showed his grandson, Jordan, how to impress the ladies.



Stephen celebrated his 16th birthday. After his birthday dinner, he chose to go to Amy’s ice cream for dessert. The man behind the counter asked him why he was wearing a sombrero, and after Stephen told him that it was his birthday, a deal ensued. Stephen would get free ice cream….as long as he could catch it.



Also, Mike has finally finished his long endeavor of completing our 90 gallon tank stand. Everything but the canopy is completed. It looks great.

We are looking forward to our Thanksgiving week break…we sooo need a break!

Colorful House

Last month a wonderful friend came to visit and helped us paint 5 rooms in our house in only 3 days. It was quite a feat! Now we have 6 total colorful rooms. Here are some pictures to give you and idea of our new color scheme.
Master Bedroom Master Bath
Stephen's bedroom
Guest bathroom
Game Room
Dining Room
Kitchen

Signs around Austin...

So this past few weeks we've been paying closer attention to some unusual signs around Austin. They are too colorful not to share...

Summer's Slipping Away...

We have about one week until Stephen begins grueling football two-a-days and two weeks before I return to work. Where did summer go so quickly? It has been a hot one without enough rain. Last week I stayed with my big sister in Houston while some co-workers and I attended professional development and then I brought my niece, Hannah, home to visit a few days. My sister asked what it was like to trade for a daughter....I must say nice. Mike asked me if I was trying to trick him into wanting a daughter since she was sweet, didn't talk back, and was interested in helping out with his fish.

I took Hannah tubing on the San Marcos river one day and we ran into some interesting folks (as usual). An older group kept calling out "Ticca-tacka, ticca-tacka...Oi, oi, OI!" We have no clue what they meant... Later that Friday we drove her to downtown so she could watch the bats take flight from underneath Congress Street bridge and later we dinned at one of our favorite quaint local Brazilian restaurants, Sao Paulo's. After dinner she declared that Brazilian is now her favorite kind of food.

Saturday morning Hannah and I enjoyed the local favorite spot for crepes, Fliphappy. About noon Stephen finally returned from his Canada trip and to celebrate we all went swimming at Barton Springs Pool. There isn't much else worth doing on a scorching hot summer day. That night we drove to Houston to return Hannah to her parents. Sunday we we able to spend the day with my Aunt Suzanne and Uncle George who were visiting from Tennessee. It was great to see them. Hopefully next time they'll come to see Austin.

Yesterday Stephen and I spent the day at the Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop with Marga, Jonah, and Hannah. That evening Jenny and Molly stopped by to see us as well. This weekend we are picking up Jordan, Mike's nephew, to hang with us for a week. I suppose we're trying to squeeze in as many family visits as possible before summer subsides....

Keep Cool!
Laura, Mike, n Stephen