A couple of weeks ago, Zak and I went on a belated birthday trip to see Wicked. It was playing up in Austin, so we ditched the kids with my parents for a night. We have been wanting to see the play for several years, but last time we had tickets Zak went and got laid off so we sold them. In fact, we were worried about buying tickets this time for fear Wicked was a curse and he would lose his job again.

Thankfully, it was a one time deal and he is still employed.


We had a glorious time driving alone and talking (not turning around every two minutes to break up fights). The play was fantastic, we were able to meet one of my best friends for dinner beforehand, and had entirely too much wonderful food. If you ever find yourself at The Magnolia Cafe in downtown Austin, order yourself the queso omelet. You will not be sorry. I'm still thinking about it.

On the way home we stopped at the Goodwill Outlet (definitely my dream vacation). Only a few cities in the nation have one (Houston does not. Boo.) I'd been to the one in Phoenix so forewarned Zak, but really didn't need to. The Austin store was much nicer than the Phoenix store. In Phoenix, your "cart" was a huge garbage can and you had to dig through wooden bins that were about 4 feet deep. Oh, and no air conditioning. In Phoenix. You get the picture.

In Austin, there were real carts and the bins were only about a foot deep. Much easier to find things. Everything (at both outlets) is sold by the pound. So when you want to check out, you weigh your clothes/toys/etc and the total is calculated according to that number. It's around $1.49/lb. If there was one in Houston, I'd go once a week. Or maybe everyday.

We didn't stay too long, but I was able to find a really nice sweater for Jakson, a handmade quilt, some clothes for Storey, an adult sized Mickey Mouse shirt intended for a Disneyland project, and some other odds and ends. No stains, no rips. Not sure how things end up at the outlet, but it seemed to be the same quality of items in the stores. If I lived close, I would never shop anywhere else again. Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

Between old roommates, queso omelettes, and the Goodwill Outlet, I have a lot of good reasons to make frequent trips to Austin.

And just in case you are wondering, Zak has now determined that Wicked is his all-time favorite production. For me, it's still a close second to Thoroughly Modern Millie. Maybe 1A and 1B???

Storey's preschool asked parents to make a Valentine's mailbox from a cereal box for their parties next week. Despite the fact that I've had preschoolers for 3 years, this is the first time I've had to decorate a box. It was kind of fun. A glittery mess, but good times were had by all. And enough pink sparkles to satisfy even the most demanding of divas.

Uncle Tyler commented that the kids look just like me in this photo. I don't see it, but maybe I'm too close to the situation? I think Jak possibly has my eyes....

Storey set up her "office" today and was taking appointments. Not sure what type of establishment she was running, but the stuffed animals were lined up to get in.

Unrelated story: Last Sunday during the sacrament service (passing bread and water), Storey came to sit in my lap to eat the bread and Jakson plopped himself in the spot she had been sitting. For some reason Storey suddenly decided that she wanted to sit there again and began (in true Storey fashion) yelling at him. I whispered to her that she needed to stop and tried to move them apart, but she just kept yelling so Zak picked her up to take her out. As he carried her through the chapel she was screaming "But I want to take the water! Give me the water!"

Oh, how embarrassing.

When our Bishop went back to the pulpit after the sacrament was over he remarked how all of us should be as anxious to take the sacrament as Storey Vermillion.

Wah. Wah.