More Scorpios!

Apparently 9 months before this very day (give or take a month) was a very successful day for conception, no matter what the year. Today we have not one, not two, but 4, possibly 5, birthdays to announce!

So without further ado, happy, happy, happy, happy (happy) birthday to Dad (aka Grandpa) and Megan (aka first granddaughter and my goddaughter and niece, not to mention the little princess and the boss of the family ... whew, so many titles!). Dad, my apologies for the photo, but I just could not resist! And a happy birthday wish going out to my Fabbo friend, Christin, AND to our dear wonderful friends Glenn (and Michelle??) who we miss so much. (Michelle, is today the actual day, or is it just right around now? I can never remember, horrible friend that I am!).

My goodness, what a busy birthday day!!



In honor of this major birthday day, we voted . . . again. HA! Just kidding. Actually, I spent your special day driving ALL over North Dallas hunting for white disco pants and go-go boots. Just for you. Really. OK, for me and Mark. But I did think of you all and the fact that I should be at home working and updating the blog rather than waiting until the last minute to find Halloween costumes! Alas, I had absolutely no success in my hunt (well, no success for the price I was willing to pay). So now we are up the Halloween creek without complete costumes! Stay tuned until next time to find out if we solve our mini Halloween crisis in time!

Happy Birthday, A. Karen (AKA The Queen Mother)!

We have been quite lax with the birthday wishes around here. I have no excuse. However, I can redeem myself with the fact that I contacted the missed birthday wishees (including Aaron, Heather, and Jay) via e-mail or phone or Hallmark e-card or Facebook or what-have-you. Because I am overdue with a post and because it is my favorite godmother's birthday, I thought I would write a quickie.


Welcome back from Aruba, Auntie Karen! It sounds like it was a blast, and we are quite extremely jealous that we were not there, celebrating and relaxing with you. I'm also hoping that all is set for you to "enjoy" using The Card! We will raise our glasses in a toast to you this evening (and the next evening, and the next--you know how much we enjoy a celebration or three). Have a very, very happy birthday! We love you!


In honor of your big day, Mark and I performed our civic duty/privilege at the voting booth (with Mark, my U.S. citizen husband, voting for the first time in his life. No photos of the momentous occasion . . . not allowed in the voting booth, of course. I thought about telling everyone there it was his first time . . . like maybe they'd make a big deal of it, like at the Rocky Horror Picture Show or something. But he insisted that we lay low and act like normal voters. Bah humbug!)

Weekend Update

We took a mini-vacation this weekend to explore the wonders of Oklahoma. And it turns out, there are wonders in Oklahoma! (Yes, that's me on the left, and yes, my hair is SUPER short.)

The Joffes are/in OK

We headed north to Lake Murray, where Dave and Donielle had rented a little cabin. Though we didn't do much, it was great to get away and to see some different terrain. There were little hills, different (bigger) trees, and a beautiful lake with actual shorelines where you could walk right into the water without having to fight off weeds and bugs and who knows what else lurks along the Texas lakeshores. Although it was a sort-of three-day weekend and although all the cabins were booked up, the lake was empty (presumably because it's autumn and much too chilly to be boating, what with those 80 degree temps and all!). We saw maybe three or four boats on the water the entire time (including a souped-up pontoon boat that I'm pretty sure went faster than Eric's (oops, I mean, Uncle Gary's) motor boat).

Lake Murray as seen from Tucker Tower

Saturday evening, Dave and his family rented kayaks to explore the lake, while Mark and I took the dogs for a walk. Sadie and Kai (who has become a full-on water dog) chased each other, as well as whatever rodents and frogs they could scare up, all over the place. Later that night, after a relaxing dinner of lasagna and a fun game of Apples to Apples, we all fell asleep watching reruns of Saturday Night Live. Aaaah, relaxation!

Kai the Explorer

Tired Pooches

Sunday, Dave and Donielle cooked up a delicious breakfast, providing us with the energy for some exploring of Tucker Tower and other spots around the lake. Once again, the dogs (and the rest of us) had a blast. A relaxing barbecue lunch afterward, and we were on our way. A quickie trip, but still a good time.

Mmmmmm, breakfast

Lindsey, Lexie, and AJ atop Tucker Tower



Mmmmmm, lunch

And next time we are in OK, we will be sure to keep our camera at the ready, as we missed out on some classic shots, including a three-wheel motorcycle/sidecart towing the world's smallest trailer carrying a tiny replica of an old 1950s' Chrysler (huh) and the best Burma-Shave-style series of 10+ billboards advertising what I think might have been the only bar in the county.