life size

For some reason the pictures I've uploaded for my blog header keep turning out to be larger than life. So until I can figure that one out, those of you who come to my blog will just get some major face time with your favorite DINKs.

tarzan's psycho lunatic girlfriends

So, after six years of the exact same workout, I finally got bored. Really, I was bored about four years ago, but what's the difference? So, last week, I decided to step out of my little treadmill comfort zone and start trying some group fitness classes.

My first two "new" classes were great. They were a combination of cardio and weights, the instructors were friendly, the other people in the class were friendly. "Perfecto - I can do this new class thing all day long." Or so I thought... then I went to cardio kickboxing.

The class itself was actually fun - a tad bit more difficult than the other classes, but - oh my goodness - that was not the main issue.

You see, about 20 seconds into the class, I decided that my fellow kickboxers were LUUUUUUNATICS!!! Crazy folk, I'm tellin' ya.

Picture moms - angry ones - in their 40s, punching and kicking the air (as if they were actually hurting someone) whilst showcasing their six-packs and dripping piles of sweat. I would venture to say about half the class fit this description; it was American Gladiatoresque.

It literally felt as if any second these women were going to start beating their chests and screaming like Tarzan. I kid you not; it would have seemed normal in there. And I was afraid that one of them was going to punch me.

Come to think of it, many of the ladies were screaming like Tarzan.

"I never want to be these people," I thought to myself.

I overheard a series of disturbing conversations in the locker room after class. Here's one:

Lady 1: I hate it when [instructor] does the relay lines.
Lady 2: Oh, me, too.
Lady 1: I only burn 550 calories when she does the lines, but when we don't do them I burn 650 calories.
Lady 2: Yeah, I have to jog in place while we do that drill...

You are psychos!!! I really want to go back to the class, but I do not want to be a psycho.

the quotable Leah

Leah and I were at Rudy's this morning and she said something that we should all find amazing.

I was enjoying my breakfast taco, when Leah suddenly confessed, "I think if we redo the budget, I might have to start making coffee at home."

(Note: Leah has high aspirations for creating a really good budget but struggles with the whole keeping it part. This is similar to her Lent undertaking.)

My response was, "Well, you'll budget it that way, but you probably won't do it..."

She replied, "I knowwww. You don't understand. If I drank coffee at home all day, then I would never get to see people, and I'd get so bored."

She went on to explain, "You see, you're lucky. You get to see people when you go to work. And for me, going to Starbucks is like going to work."

For Leah, going to Starbucks is like going to work. If only all of us could live in her world.

i love my drama king

Last week, Northwest Austin got pummeled by a hail storm. I was inside my house, and my car was safely in the garage, but it literally felt like God was shooting hail down with a cannon.

If you've been reading this blog awhile, you know that Matt's biggest regret in life is that he wasn't a meteorologist. (Okay, that might be an overstatement.) Really though, for Matt, The Weather Channel rivals ESPN.

When the storm was on its way, Matt frantically called me and told me to turn on the weather channel, and he warned me that he wouldn't be leaving work until the storm subsided. Whatever keeps you safe, babe. And look at you making me break my TV fast. (Joke.)

Also, during the storm, my g-chat status read, "glad I have a roof/goodbye roof." It turns out I might be a prophetess. We discovered a leak above our garage, so Matt did some investigating. Looks like we will be getting a new roof. Giddy Up.

Funny tidbit. Don't know if you know this, but Matt is sort of afraid of our attic (like he's maybe been up there once), and he is most definitely afraid of the phantom rats that live there.

So I got a huge kick out of watching him sneak up the ladder very cautiously - like something was going to jump out of the attic and attack him. He was also afraid that if he went in the attic, he'd get dirty and would have to change. I promised him he would not get wet. Shoot y'all- I married a drama king.

But he is outside keeping our yard from looking like a jungle, so maybe I should stop telling all of his funnies.

Anyway, on an unrelated note, I'd like all of you to know that when I post something as stupid as "I am going to fast from fasting" and no one says anything to me about it, I automatically assume that all of you must think I'm taking crazy pills and you'll probably just stop reading soon. Then I think, "Maybe they don't know that I am joking?" "Can't they take a joke?" Just tellin' you how it is, man.

Speaking of fasting... Matt told me that I have no integrity. (Read: I haven't so much been fasting/the giving up coffee thing lasted till Friday.) Anyway, since Matt has the highest integrity of anyone I have ever known (not joking about that), I would expect him to tell me that I have none. Whatever. I am planning on finishing strong for Lent. (Notice the vagueness of that resolution.) But seriously...

Gosh I feel like I have so much more to tell you, but I think that will have to be it for now.

Last- This weekend was like 50000 people's birthday. Sorry if I am missing yours, but shout out to GTB, Andrea, Matt's bro. Michael, and our future sister-in-law, Brittany!

Familial Fridays: Isn't Meyer Cute?

Today I get to blog about Matt's brother and my fellow middle child, Meyer! I have a unique affection in my heart for Meyer. I think it's cause we get to share the middle child bond, or maybe it's just because I feel like I understand him, or maybe it's because I think I am like him in some sort of way? (Note: I realize how narcissistic that sounds. "I love Meyer; Meyer is so much like me." But I guess you will just have to deal with it and pray that I change.) Either way, allow me to introduce you...


This is Meyer's classic devious smile. Doesn't he look like he's up to something? He probably is.

It took me marrying Matt to realize that there really are people in the world who don't enjoy being just a little rebellious. Matt is one of them. But Meyer is probably a little more like me; he has a little bit of a rebellious side (or as my mom likes to call it, an "edge.") A few examples of this? Well, he got two tattoos shortly after he turned 18. He wants to own a motorcycle, and he used to want to own a pet wolf. And he has really big, loud speakers in his car (which he installed himself). Of course I think this harmless rebellion is funny and awesome- but don't tell your parents I said that Meyer. (Joking.)

When I was first being initiated into the Gibson family dynamic, Matt's mom was always affectionately calling Meyer by the name of "Eeyore." For those of you who forgot who Eeyore is, this website describes him as an "unbelievably lovable donkey who is dismally gloomy for almost eternity." BUT I personally believe there is a little TIGGER somewhere in Meyer, and we love getting to see that side. Meyer gets really excited when he spends time with his family and people he loves, when he gets to work with his hands, and when he has a dream or goal to chase after.

Meyer's future wife will have a handy-man if there ever was one. Meyer, Matt and Matt's dad recently fixed the deck in our backyard, and apparently Meyer was a rock star at this. He can also do all sorts of work on a car - like installing things and replacing things, and well, I don't know much about cars, so that's about as descriptive as I can get. All I know is we will continue to recruit Meyer to fix our house and install things in our cars for awhile.

Meyer is very smart, athletic, and capable of being successful at a lot of different things. (I forgot to mention that he is apparently a stud in his AP Biology class, he is naturally artistic, and he was a killer defensive back on the varsity football team.) We are excited to see what his future holds after he graduates from high school this year!

A future resolution?

For my next fast, I am contemplating a fast from fasting. I am really no good at giving things up anyway. Yes, I know, that's the whole point.

Please don't think about this too much. Just let me be, and be thankful that you are you.

On a totally unrelated note...

I thought I'd share some of my favorite posts from the early life of Gibbizarre.

• Bon Appetit
• Cruisin' Together and Regretting the PT Cruiser Decision
• what happens when Leah eats donuts
  
• more mattisms
• The Meat Thermometer
• DINK?

Enjoy!

you will think this post ends like five times, but it keeps going and going and going

Seriously. Read this. So much has happened since I last blogged. Where do I start?

Let's start where we left off - after dinner on Friday night. It seems that the best way for me to fight my dependence on dessert so far has been to increase my dependence on coffee. So, Friday night, when Matt was desperately wishing that I had not participated in Lent, I requested that we make a stop for decaf coffee on the way home, and Matt reluctantly obliged.

On Saturday I had at least three cups of coffee at breakfast, and then I had to do some shopping for Mary's 14th birthday, a wedding, and Annie's 1st Birthday. On my way home, I picked up another tall coffee. I finished my coffee, wrapped the presents, dropped by Annie's Party, then Matt and I headed to Chuy's with the Gibson family for Mary's b-day celebration.

I brought carrots to dip in the jalapeno ranch since I can't eat chips, and I longingly watched all the children sip their Dr. Peppers, and I listened to Mary talk about her b-day cake which was sitting at home with white frosting and raspberry filling.

This was enough for me to decide in my mind that I was DEFINITELY going to eat the wedding cake at the wedding that we were attending that night.

Now, speaking of this wedding. It was in Buda, about 45 minutes from our house, but it took a little longer with SXSW traffic and all that jazz. I won't lie that I was a little grouchy after having two very unsatisfying tex-mex outings in one weekend. So, I took a nap on the way to the wedding, and I woke up as we were taking our exit in Buda.

I am sure Matt saw the Starbucks in the distance and prayed that I would stay asleep and miss it, but I saw it and immediately exclaimed, "STARBUCKS!" (As if I never get to go there.) "Can I get some?" And after an hour of traffic, Matt wasn't feeling it. He immediately denied my request. Next.

Finally, we pull up to the wedding location in Buda, and we are greeted by this dude who works for the facility. Conversation went like this.

Dude: "Since you guys are a little late, I am going to ask you to park here and walk up to the facility."
Matt: "Um, okay, but we're not late, the invitation says 6:30."
Dude: "You're actually lucky; they are delaying the start since so many people didn't show up at 6:00." Then dude gets on his walkie-talkie and guy is giving him directions to give us.
Leah at this point looks at the invitation more carefully, and notices a rather important detail that was previously ignored.
Dude and Leah at same time start talking to Matt: (Don't know what dude was saying, but Leah says...) "Look, Matt, FRIDAY the 2oth"
Matt: Leah, I didn't hear a word this guy just said. Shh.
Leah: MATT, the wedding was YESTERDAY... FRIDAY.
Matt to Dude: "Did you guys have a wedding here last night?"
Dude: "Yep."

Congratulations to us; we are idiots. Surprisingly neither of us got upset at the other for never checking the wedding invitation. Point us.

Anyway, after feeling really bad that we had missed a good friend's wedding, I immediately realized that I wasn't going to be getting any wedding cake.

It was about when we were in the middle of downtown on I35, stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic that Matt started to get a little tired of being in the car. Plus, we didn't know where we were going. Were we going to hang out with our Newly Nearly Married group? Were we going to the in-laws' house to get birthday cake? Were we going home? To a movie? Who knows!

Little side note: about 99.99% of our arguments happen when we don't have plans and when we are trying to decide what to do on the spot. We officially suck at this.

So, Matt's main goal is to get out of the car, and my main goal was to get cake. (Which understandably annoyed my husband who does not understand my behavior at all.) No doubt the best option was to go hang out with our NNM group which was having dinner near UT campus (and I was about 90% sure there would be dessert there.) But we weren't able to get in touch with them, so the next best option (for me anyway) was cake at the in-laws' house. This meant another 25 minutes in the car, but neither of us wanted to go home.

Of course 25 minutes later, neither of us had gotten happier with the impending circumstances. Let's just say Matt took it out on his parent's dog, Max, when we pulled up to the house. And I made a beeline for the birthday cake. Two pieces of cookie cake + two pieces of vanilla-raspberry cake + half of one UT basketball game later, we were both much better. On the way home, I asked for coffee again, but this was just a test; I knew I had no chance.

Fast forward to this morning. At our church, they bribe you to park in an overflow lot and ride the shuttle bus to church in order to open of parking spaces for visitors. They do this by giving you free breakfast and Starbucks coffee at the overflow lot. Naturally, we park there. I fill up on coffee, and usually get another cup AT church before our Nearly/Newly Class and another one before the service. Don't judge! Seriously. They are small cups.

So after a healthy lunch today, Matt and I had to make a stop at Target. Of course my brain immediately remembers that Target has a Starbucks. Of course I lack the ability to just say no, and pick up yet another tall coffee.

This was the last straw. As I took the last sip at around 2:45 this afternoon, I decided that this absolutely must end. I can't do it any longer. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I am not drinking coffee for a week. I may still go to Starbucks and have passion tea or green tea, but NO COFFEE. Yes! Another restriction.

Matt's response was something to the effect of, "I'm sorry that I don't believe you."

But can you really blame him?

This post must end. I originally had more to tell you, but if I went on, well, it would be way too much good material in one post. So goodnight for now.

Matt Gibson, fed up with Lent

Leah and Matt have a Friday night tradition. It's called going to Maudie's, their favorite Mexican Restaurant in West Austin, indulging in chips, salsa, and queso while they sip 'ritas, relax, chat and watch the sunset.

Enter Lent. Leah and Matt still go to Maudie's, but Leah can't eat chips, or sip 'ritas (or even a coke for that matter), or expect dessert after the fact. This of course completely defeats the purpose of going.

Last night, Matt and Leah had a conversation that went something like this.

Leah: I'm going to get a 'rita.
Matt: No you're not, Leah. You can't do that!
Leah: Why won't you let me have fun?
Matt: I did not impose this on you. You imposed it on yourelf.
Leah: No, you're a pooper.
Matt: I can't wait 'till Easter.

Leah can't count how many times Matt told her to chill out last night.

Familial Fridays: Michael

Meet the 3rd oldest among Matt and his siblings... Michael! (He is the one in the cap and gown, and his fiancee, Brittany is on the very far right.)

A few words to describe Michael? Motivated, opinionated, intelligent!

Motivated. Michael has goals, and he doesn't let much stand in the way of them. For starters, Michael graduated from UT undergrad in 2 1/2 years. He plans to go to law school, and just got a really awesome score on his LSAT. On top of all this, he just proposed to his girlfriend, Brittany, about a week ago. Graduate early. Check. Get excellent LSAT score. Check. Get married. Check.

Opinionated. I once said that I didn't really mind the fact that Michael is opinionated because most of the time I think his opinions are right. (Except of course when he is stereotyping sorority girls or Facebook users; then I am forced to disagree.) But seriously, he has an opinion about pretty much everything.

Intelligent. (Read "motivated.") I won't pretend like Michael doesn't know he's intelligent. He definitely does. That's fine. If you are around him for more than 5 minutes, you can tell that he reads a lot. And he talks really fast. And I think he only had one B in college, which was not because he actually earned a B, but because his prof punished people who didn't go to class. Those are the worst.

Last Thanksgiving Michael and I got in a serious debate about when a family photo was taken, and I fought adamantly for my position - to the point where at least half of the Gibson family was on my side and I even had Michael second guessing himself. But we continued debating, and I ended up being brutally humiliated when he was able to prove that he was right. Dang. Lesson learned: Don't get in an argument with Michael. He will win. (Sounds like BROOKE, doesn't it?)

Seriously though, I am looking for a rematch.

Michael is also really intense. Like if you watch a Texas football game with him and 1- don't cheer for Texas or 2- criticize Texas, then he will probably get pretty frustrated with you. He'd prefer if you just left the room. It's really fun to push his buttons in these situations, and since I am not a blood relative, I am still somehow able to get away with it. I don't expect this to last forever.

Lastly, we are really excited about Michael and Brittany getting married next year! (We think Brittany is perfect for Michael), and can't wait to see what God has in their future.

segregation

As you may know, I tried to combine my old blog with "our" Gibbizarre blog. It was a failed attempt. Segregation prevails. Check out the new blog: www.thisvanishingmist.com.

21 days to break a habit??

Is anyone else participating in lent? And is it getting harder or easier for you? Because I think I actually want sugar, Facebook, television, and all of my other forbidden activities MORE now than I did after the first two weeks.

Okay I lied. I really can do without TV; it's the other two that are getting me. (That might be because I ate dessert on my anniversary and at the wedding last weekend. It would have been rude not to.)

I just realized that you guys are probably wondering, "What are all her other forbidden activities?" Or maybe you aren't wondering that...

I won't lie that I initially did not tell you everything I am fasting from because, to be honest, it is very embarrassing.

I told you, I am an "all-or-nothing" person, so I don't just fast from one thing, man. If I'm going to abstain from anything, then I will abstain from everything. The opposite is also true: indulge in one thing, indulge in everything.

So here is the official list of everything I gave up for lent:

1. Naps (except on Sundays)
2. Waking up after 7 AM (except Saturdays)
3. Facebook
4. Television
5. Sweets (including soft drinks)
6. Fried Foods (including tortilla chips)
7. Eating out for lunch if I am not with someone else
8. Alcohol
9. Shopping for clothes

I get a weird pleasure abstaining from all these things. But I think it goes without saying that I am really looking forward to Easter this year. :)

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By the way, original title for this post was "21 days to break a habit my butt." As you can see, I decided against that.

I am one of those...

Yesterday, I went into my favorite Starbucks location and for the gazillionth time it was freezing in there. It was so cold that I had to sit outside, where there were no plugs for my computer. This was not the first time I've had to sit outside or leave because of the temperature. So, I took my tall coffee and the district manger's business card outside and immediately composed the following e-mail on my blackberry.

Hi [District Manager],

I am a frequent customer at 4-5 different Starbucks locations in Austin, and I just wanted you to know that I love the staff at both the Great Hills location and the Parmer and McNeil location.

I would like to bring to your attention, though, that the room temperature at the Parmer and McNeil location is uncomfortably chilly. Since I come to Starbucks to get work done [or blogging, or pleasure reading], I usually stay awhile.

I have often avoided the Parmer/McNeil location due to the temp inside the store, which is a shame because the employees are very pleasant. I was in the store awhile back, when another customer asked for the temperature to be adjusted, and the employees seemed to ignore the request.

With warm weather around the corner, most customers will probably be dressed to stay cool, but if it is too cold inside, customers will not want to stay. I believe that keeping the temperature comfortable and not too cold will promote longer visits= more refills, more money.

On a whole, I am very satisfied with Starbucks service and the friendliness of the staff, but I think you would benefit to change this one thing.

Thanks,

Leah Gibson

Well, the district manager responded to me, and today, after forgetting that I wrote that e-mail, I walked in and immediately noticed that the temperature was much more pleasant. My next thought was, "I hope that district manager didn't use my name..." (Because the lovely employees usually know the names of all frequent visitors. It's their job.)

But seriously, I think the scariest part about all of this is that I frequent Starbucks enough to feel like I have a legitimate right to voice my complaints. Matt doesn't know about this story yet, but I have a feeling I am going to face persecution from him after he checks his Google Reader tonight.

wedding weekend

This weekend Matt and I went up to Ft. Worth, for Andrea and Mike's Wedding festivities. Andrea and I met at Fish Camp, and were destined to be friends. We eventually ended up in the same sorority, trained for a marathon together, and roomed together our Junior year. I was very honored to get to be a part of her wedding.

And here's the ding dong, Matt, and me. Matt is a ding dong because he left his wedding ring at his parents house last night. He takes it off all the time, so it was only a matter of time before he'd forget it somewhere. At least we know he's not perfect. (I was beginning to wonder.)

Familial Fridays: It's Brooke!

Meet my lovely older sister, Brooke. We have such a history that I don't know where to begin. For starters, Brooke just turned the big "3-0" in December, and is about to give birth to her second boy. Her first kid, Peej, is almost as strong-willed as she is, so hopefully for everyone's sake the second one will be a little more even keel.

When we were younger, Brooke had a reputation in the family that resulted in two fitting nicknames: 1- "The Princess of Quite A Lot" and 2- "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." (Of course we have all recently learned that I can't be wrong, either, but this is news to me.) Brooke has always been aware of her unwillingness to back down and admit failure, but she'd probably tell you that she hardly ever needs to admit failure because she's always right. Case in point. So here's a pointer: don't get in an argument with her. You will lose. Even if you don't lose, she won't admit that you won.

Indeed she is The Princess of Quite A Lot, having both a natural ability and a willingness to work hard at things. I still find myself wanting to brag about what a good dancer she is/was. This was her main forte in high school and college. She was a world famous Kilgore College Rangerette officer and even got her pretty face on a billboard somewhere in the middle-of-nowhere East Texas. We should have known she'd be kicking her face as an adult because when she was a child she would put both legs all the way behind her head, put her hands on the floor in front of her, and walk... sort of creepy, but when it's your older sister it's automatically cool.

She's also very intelligent and has been told how intelligent she is since she could talk. So instead of bragging about it and proving it to you, you can just take my word for it. She uses her brain to be an accountant... and to find new information on wikipedia.

Seriously, Brooke will wikipedia ANYTHING and everything that she is interested to know. And instead of just reading the information for herself, she finds it necessary to let everyone else in the room know what she is learning. We appreciate the education...

Brooke's also quick-witted and she's gotten even more witty since she married Peter. This is being passed down to her impressionable two-year-old child, whom you have read about before.

"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters." I'm not sure if my favorite memory with Brooke is the time that I slapped her during the Easter Service at our church (like only 3 yrs ago) or the time she accidentally slammed my finger in the door when I was in 6th grade? And yet, despite the cat-fights we are still love each other and are probably much more alike than either of us is willing to admit. :)

Really, if you want to know more about her, or if you think you are like her, you should read her "ENTJ" personality profile.

And just in case there is any misunderstanding, she does have a sweet/sensitive side. As the personality profile says, "Although ENTJs are not naturally tuned into other people's feelings, these individuals frequently have very strong sentimental streaks."

I love my sister!

she's haunting me

She's still sitting on my coffee table. We are well into March, and I think it's safe to say that Matt has some catching up to do.

Of course, he's busy WORKING and doing other legitimate things like fixing our deck, but I think he will probably choose something shorter and more of interest to him next time. :)

On another note, today is day 15 of Lent. If the "21 days to break a habit" rumor is true, then I should stop craving sweets and Facebook in about a week.

is there a starbucks fast in my future?

Have you ever legitimately believed that you were about to have a heart attack?

The other morning, I woke up around 5am, and my heart seemed to be pounding or beating faster than normal.

First thought, "Am I about to have a heart attack?"

Next, "What did I eat yesterday?"

"Two Rudy's breakfast tacos for breakfast, a hamburger for lunch, and two pieces of pizza for dinner... oh and I had a buttered popcorn at the movie theater the night before that..."

That was all it took for me to spring out of bed and hightail it to the refrigerator where I frantically reached for a handful of organic raw spinach and stuffed it in my face. Next, I shoved a handful of raw almonds in there, and I peeled open a grapefruit and ate that, too. Deep Breath...

Think to self, "Okay, maybe the healthy food I just shoved in my body will counteract all the junk I had in the last 36 hours and I won't have a heart attack/God, please make the healthy food work..."

But just to add caution, I made some organic green tea, too.

I am aware that this entire scenario is highly irrational, especially the green tea.

Maybe I should just lay off the caffeine?

caution: long but good

Try telling someone who is not good at admitting failure that they aren't good at admitting failure. Tell me how it goes for you. In the meantime, let me tell you a little story.

"Once upon a time [ahem, now], Matt and I were leading a small group in the Nearly and Newly Married class at the Austin Stone. We would meet with our group on Sundays and Wednesday nights. Sunday was a combination of teaching and discussion. The format was usually teach, discuss, teach, discuss...

One Sunday [or possibly yesterday], the topic of teaching was Love and Respect, based on Ephesians 5:33. The main premise of the lesson was that women primarily need love and men primarily need respect.

So our teacher, Evan, taught on a woman's need for love first, and then he gave us about 10 minutes to spend in group discussion. (Note that discussion time was usually interesting for Matt and me because apparently I had a control problem that should have been discovered a long time before it actually was.)

On this particular Sunday, Matt was leading this discussion time and doing a great job. But at one point, I got nervous about what he was going to say next, which caused me to abruptly interrupt him in a very awkward, public, and obvious way that totally embarrassed him. It was a big and terrible mistake on my part. And it was awkward for everyone!

So, you know how when you do something humiliating like that, you start to feel hot and sick to your stomach and just awful? Well tack that feeling onto the next topic of teaching that day, which was "a man's need for respect." OUCH! And tack onto that the very emphatic admonition, "Ladies, it really, really, humiliates men to be disrespected in public..." You're killing me here, man!

So on that day, I immediately apologized, but instead of believing Matt when he told me that he had forgiven me, I felt the need to apologize at least 100 times over. On top of that, I continued to get the hot flashes of humiliation each time I replayed this scenario in my head. The end."

Fast forward to this morning, when I am talking to my best friend, Rachel, via g-chat. Rach isn't shy about telling the truth. Our conversation went something like this:

• Leah: (Tell humiliating story that I just told you.)
• Rachel: Well, it was good that you made a mistake in front of your group, now they know you are real and not perfect.
• Leah: I'd rather be perfect.
• Rachel: I know you would.
• Leah: What does that mean, Rachel!? (I know exactly what she means, btw.)
  
• Rachel: Well, we'd all like to be perfect in public, but I think that you don't like messing up more than most people because it's hard for you to admit when you are wrong.
• Leah: (Laughing to self and thinking, "Wow, my mom and Matt would both agree with you.") Thanks, butt-face!
• Rachel: Hmmmm, I really struck a chord there- ya think?
• Time passes...
• Leah: Yes, I know I can be stubborn, but can we distinguish here? I will admit that I am wrong, but I just hate admitting it more than the average person. (Can you see me having trouble with this very thing?)
• Rachel: Okay, yes, that is what I meant. (Being very gracious.)
• Leah: RACHEL! Now I have to deal with the fact that I suck at admitting failure... which is a failure that I have to admit...why are you doing this to me!?

God bless friends who speak truth to their most obstinate friends.

Yes, I'd like to believe that I am a wonderful and perfect person, instead of a weak and imperfect sinner whose only hope is to receive forgiveness. However, I can see it is actually more arrogant to continue to apologize and obsess over mistakes because it shows that you can't get over the fact that you might possibly be the type of person who could do such a silly thing.

Ahhh! "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" And also special thanks to Rachel today!

word of the day

I love the word "nincompoop." I think I like it just because it proudly includes the word "poop." It is a noun, and it means a "silly or foolish person." My brother and I actually used to call each other nincompoops when we were little. No doubt that this word must become a regular part of my vocabulary.

Who is the nincompoop in this picture?

Familial Fridays: Meet Mary

A few months ago (November), I ambitiously set out to blog about each one of our immediate family members. So far, I have blogged about my brother, David, and Mitchell and Madeline, my little in-laws, also known as Matt's siblings... In order to keep myself accountable to finishing this task, every Friday from today until I finish will be "Familial Friday." And today is MARY'S lucky day. (Dad, Meyer, I promise, your time is coming.)
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Mary's on the left. I don't know who the dude in the middle is.
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Mary is Matt's 2nd youngest sibling. She is almost 14 and almost in high school, which is REALLY hard to believe. When we started dating she was in 2nd grade.

The first thing I learned about Mary is that she is a huge TALKER. She loves to talk, ask questions, make random chit-chat. She has actually become a good conversationalist, and there are times when I'm talking to her that I forget she's only 13. Of course there are other times when she makes her age seem very obvious. :) Famous quote by Mary to Maddie, her little sister. "Maddie, you might have the brains, but I have the looks."

Mary is not afraid to ask what words mean, or what things are, or why things are the way they are. I admire this because when I was growing up, I thought it would make me seem stupid if I asked a question and everyone else around already knew the answer. So, my brother would ask questions, and I would sneer at him for asking, even though I didn't know the answer either. This happens to Mary A LOT, and it makes me love her more.

Also, Mary overhears and pays attention to EVERYTHING. She LOVES knowing secrets and HATES not knowing them. She and Matt both have big ears (not literally). But they both randomly overhear conversations, and Mary especially is great at gathering information. (I won't call it gossip.) She is a "go-to" in the Gibson household for information... much to the chagrin of her brothers and sisters.

Mary is also very good at several different extracurriculars. She is a star swimmer, high-jumper, volleyball player, and dancer (which is her favorite). Unfortunately, she also inherited (like Matt) a proneness to injury, and has spent much of this year with an broken ankle and a hip problem. :( Hopefully she gets better soon!

Mary loves to shop and she loves designer brands. In the last couple of years she's become obessesed with everything Coach. She has used hard-earned babysitting money to buy Coach purses, Coach shoes, Coach everything. And it makes shopping for her relatively easy, though many in the family are skeptical about whether we should encourage this behavior.

We love Mary and are excited to see her grow up and mature into a young high-school lady!

not a victim

If you're looking for a reason to switch to all-natural beauty products, I just found THREE.

1. Babassuamidopropyltrimonium Methosulfate.
2. Behenamidopropyltrimonium Methosulfate.
3. Methylchloroisothiazolinone.

Yes, in my longer than usual shower today I happened to glance at the ingredients list on my Aveda "damage remedy" conditioner bottle, and found those babies right there, not to mention at least ten other 15+ letter words.

I love that the front of the bottle says, "The art and science of pure flower and plant essences." What does that even mean, people? I admittedly don't know what those ingredients are, but I'm going to go ahead and assert that "pure" cannot be an accurate description.

By the way, you're not a victim if you know the advertising is dumb and misleading, but you still buy the product anyway. Welcome to my life.

show off!!

When I woke up this morning, Matt was already up making breakfast for me! AND he had made an early morning trip to Starbucks to refill my gift card and to get me a cup of coffee. Show off.

Actual celebration will be Friday night.

Three Years of Marital Bliss

Today is our anniversary! Happy three years to us. To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to share with you three "fun facts" about the history of our relationship. Enjoy!

• Matt and I were friends in high school, but we were NOT attracted to each other in high school. I remember our Senior year, Matt's superlative was "best eyes," and since I never really took the time to look in his eyes, and since apparently he never smiled at me, I thought it was totally bogus. He was just Matt, the guy who copied my homework and talked to me about his girl problems. (Yes, you read it correctly... HE copied MY homework in high school. Hard to believe, I know.) Oh, and I also thought he was a little bit egotistic. Someday you will have to read what I wrote in his yearbook; it is rather amusing.
  
• Our official "dating" anniversary was October 12th. We "defined the relationship" over the phone our freshman year of college when Matt was in Dallas for the Texas/OU game, and I had come home that weekend after the A&M/Baylor game in Waco. (That was back when beating Baylor was a given.) The funny part about this is that a couple of weekends before that official talk, I had gone home for our H.S. homecoming game and he was holding my hand and acting like we were dating. So, when my old HS classmates asked if I was dating anyone, I responded "yes," but didn't say who. This caused some confusion, and Matt and I actually decided after that weekend that we needed to retract the "dating" status until we were able to get approval from certain friends/parents/other people. It's sort of silly, but I am glad we did it the way we did.
  
• I bought my wedding dress six months before we ever got engaged... and I got caught. Matt was upstairs in my dad's office one day and saw a file folder entitled "Leah's Wedding." Of course he was thrown off-guard since we were not engaged yet. Inside he found the receipt for the wedding dress. Can you imagine how you would feel if that happened to you? It just dawned on me the other day, "What if he had been planning to break up with me, but he saw that folder, felt bad, and just stayed with me because he thought he had to?" I asked, and he assured me that wasn't the case. (I'm joking, of course.)
  

In conclusion, Matt is God's perfect match for me! I really do believe that he would be successful at ANYTHING that he wanted to do. I will follow him any place he wants to go! And of course, I will be faithful to blog about him and tell his silly idiosyncrasies every step of the way!

maybe think twice about that Jesus fish

This will redeem the last post about Reveille.

I'm on my way home from the gym today, and for once I am actually driving civilly.

I have to merge onto a highway, and have limited time (due to a short merging lane) to get over. I am going a little bit slower than traffic, but not much, and it's really obvious that I need to get over.

But the bleach blonde with giant sunglasses in the silver Volkswagen Beetle behind me decides that it would be better just to speed up and make me linger in the shoulder. So I did what I had to do and merged in front of her, admittedly going a tad bit slower than she was. Now, I realize that I probably could have timed this merge better, but it really wasn't that bad.

I then look in my rear view mirror, and without a doubt see her mouth very clearly, "What the (four-letter-word-that-doesn't-start-with-"H") are you doing?"

Now since I was trying to be civil but didn't think my driving warranted the f-word, I sort of just raised one hand with my palm facing upward to make a "why did you do that?" signal.

She then proceeds to speed past me via the left lane, proudly displaying... yes, a Young Life bumper sticker and a Jesus fish (icthus, what have you). Shame, shame, shame.

Of course, we both got stopped right next to each other at the red light just a mile or so down the road. Can you say, "awkward?" (For her of course, not for me.)

I suppose I can forgive her... although I know nothing about what it's like to have road rage. :)

goodbye to tu

Apparently I was terribly bored on Christmas morning at my dad's house this year because I filmed this...

I got this Texas A&M Reveille dog thing before I went to college. It used to sing the Aggie fight song. Now it just waves. I think he is actually waving goodbye to Texas University. :)

Why I Want A Two-Year-Old

You can teach them to say anything, and it's automatically funny! (And, as long as it's not your own kid, you don't have to worry too much about whether or not you're teaching them heresy.)

So, from the time he could talk, I've been teaching my nephew (pictured below), to say two very true and awesome things. He still says them to this day.

1. Uncle Matt is skinny.
2. Uncle Matt's a ding dong.

When he was only 1 yr, "skinny" sounded like "kinny" and "ding dong" sounded like "deen-don." Now he can say them correctly.

Of course one of the best of all was last year, we were all sitting at the table, except for Matt, who was still getting his food, and Peej demanded, "COME EAT, UNCLE MATT!!" This was completely unprovoked. Apparently Peej and I both get impatient when people aren't on time to the dinner table.

This is my nephew (Peej is a nickname) at Christmas, and he is wearing his little nebulizer because he had a small case of pneumonia. :( He will be a big brother at the end of April! I love him.