Musical Memories

Many times throughout my day - throughout my life, I hear a song and find myself drifting from what I am doing to reminisce about what used to be... I blame this on Musical Memories.
I catch myself remembering about that time in class when…or the song I remember hearing the first time I kissed a boy. There are bittersweet song-memories; the song that reminds me of my late grandfather. There are always contagious songs you would like to never sing again, but – I love the memory attached to that horrible song. There are songs that should scar me forever, but instead, I hear it and smile with my face and my heart. Therefore, here is a song list, memories and comments to follow. Cheers to the memories.

• First Recital Song – Van Morrison "Brown Eyed Girl"


• First Kiss – Craig David’s "Seven Days."


• My Daddy – Ricky Van Shelton’s "Statue of a Fool"; Little Willies’ "Roly Poly, (Daddy’s little Fatty)". Yes, I am aware of the inappropriateness of both titles.


• My (late) Grandfather – Allison Kraus "When you say Nothing at all."


• My Best Friend in the whole wide world – (in no particular order) Sir Mix A Lot’s Baby got Back, Tony Orlando’s "Knock Three Times", Ani DiFranco’s "Wishin and Hopin". , Vanilla Ice "Ice Ice Baby", Garth Brook's "Friend's in Low Places", Reba McEntire "Fancy" and "The night the lights went out in Georgia". Meredith Brook "Bitch", Warren G/Nate Dogg "Regulators". There are so many more, I could go on forever. - It is part of the reason I love her.


• Ex-Boyfriends, (none to be mentioned) LeAnn Womack "I hope you Dance.", Steve Holy "Good Morning Beautiful.", Blink 182 "Adam's song". Yes, normally, it would be weird to mention ex-boyfriends. However, without them and without the lesson's learned, I wouldn't fully understand how great I have it now. I have found my perfect match...and cue Cullen....


• My wonderful Husband – Where do I start? 50 Cent "In Da Club", Coldplay "The Scientist", "Yellow", Randy Travis "Forever, Amen." Jimmy Fallon’s "Idiot Boyfriend", Brad Paisley – Let’s be honest, all of them. Mark Wills "I do."

I will end there. I could make this blog entry terribly long and I will spare it. I love songs; I love music; I love having subtle reminders that my life so far is pretty darn great. Happy Tuesday, to all!

HOUSTON, TX

Happy Monday! What a wonderful weekend. The Mills' family came together in Houston to celebrate Cullen's big 2-5, to watch UNT vs. Rice football game (which, let's be honest - was an embarrasment), and to just be together. We had feast meant for kings and really enjoyed our laid back weekend.

Hope everyone's weekend as as excellent. Hook 'em, Congrats to the Longhorns for the WIN this weekend.

I love boobs.

I know... what an odd title for a blog. A near cause to my heart (literally) is Breast Cancer awareness. Since 2006, my family has participated in Susan Komen's Race for the Cure in Downtown Austin. Each time I am at this event, I am just blown away by the amount of people willing to support such an incredible cause.

The first year we participated, we didn't really know what to expect. When we left, there was one moment I can recall better than any other. A mom (mid-50's in age) and her daughter (mid 20's, if I had to guess) were walking together with signs on their shirt. These signs (which the race passes out) say "Walking in Memory of...." "Walking in Honor of...." "Walking in Celebration of...." Mom's shirt said "Walking in Celebration of my daughter." Daughter's shirt said "Walking in Celebration of my Mother." I cried while I finished the walk. I knew at that moment that this was real. This Breast Cancer thing is really real.

The very next year, my family was walking for my very own mother. We wore signs that said "Walking in Celebration of Our Mother!" This year, we will walk together, again, cancer free with our mother.


With all that said I give you two things:


One, my friend Kristin is walking in the Breast Cancer 60 mile, 3-day Challenge. Her team is named Dangerously Pink. If you would like to support her and their 60 mile walk, you can find their team link here, Dangerously Pink. Please visit them; They are selling shirts and Koozies. Their koozies say "I love boobs". (see there is real reason behind the blog title!)

Two: If you are in the area, or can be in the area, and want to join us for our Race for the Cure (no worries, it is a 5K), we would love love love to have you! Visit the Race for the Cure website to register!! NOVEMBER 2ND, 8:00 A.M.!!

Bark Park!

Recently, I have been taking the dog-babies on dates. After work today, Brodie, Millie and I met our new friends at the dog park to play. Our new Boston Terrier friend's name is Bruno. His doggie-parents are wonderful. Check out some of these fun pictures from Bark Park in Georgetown!!


Brodie and Millie played very hard at the park!!



This is Bruno! Cute, Huh?



When we got home from the park, the doggies fell faaaaassssssst asleep.

Happy Birthday to you!!

It seems as though September is FULL of birthdays. This week is especially full!! I love birthdays - everyone's birthday!!

SO, HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY to my friend, Jessica; I hope TODAY is the best day you could have! Cheers to another 25!

HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY to you, Lauren Walden; You are absoultely one of my most favorite people. Viva Las Vegas.

Happy Birthday to you, Brandon! I miss you, friend.

HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY to my wonderful husband; Friday will mark the day you officially become an old man!

Happy birthday to everyone who has a birthday this week!!

Stuff White People Like

Last night, during Small Group, the host of the group talked about a website called Stuff White People Like. Can there really be enough "stuff" in this world that white people like to deserve an entire website? The answer is undoubtedly, yes. Here are some highlights:

• Being Early.
• Sweaters.
• Bumper Stickers.
• Bottled Water.
• 80's Nights.

For more examples, please visit the site. you will laugh out loud, guaranteed.

Meet Kenadie

One of my little confessions in life, is The Learning Channel. I love watching shows that educate the world about different types of people. Last night, I was watching a show about Kenadie, a little girl with Primordial Dwarfism. Isn't she just terrific!

The big One-Year.

When I got to work this morning, a delivery came for me. Inside my delivery was 2 dozen long stem, beautiful, red roses.

The day is finally here. Today marks one entire year of marriage for Cullen and I. It has been a crazy busy, wonderfully exciting year. Cullen Mills, I heart you, and look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. The best is yet to come.

I love you and I love being Mrs. Erin Mills.

Mr. and Mrs Cullen Mills

September 15th, 2007 marks the day I became Mrs. Cullen Mills. September 15, 2008 I will have been married for exactly one year to the most wonderful man I could imagine. I thank God everyday for blessing me for such an amazing life-partner.

As this date rapidly approaches, I thought I would share three pictures from our wedding day that mean so much to me.

Picture #1 is the minute I saw Cullen for the first time on our wedding day! Picture #2 is the minute we were pronounced "husband and wife!" Picture #3 is us talking about what a perfect wedding it was. I just love this boy, and again, thank my lucky stars for him every single day!

God Bless America

A serious note - God Bless America. I can not believe it has really been 7 years since that horrible day. I will make this a short entry, with a prayer...

Dear Heavenly Father, Please be with the families of those who suffered a loss of loved ones, friend and/or family on September 11, 2001. Give them strength to walk through life with you - and show them the world is a good place. Please watch over all of us, as we open our hearts to you. Amen.

A question to ponder... answers provided

Do you find occasional geckos wandering about your home? Here are some tips that help you get rid of these nuisances.

Steps -

• Check your home for insects. After all, that is their food source; if you cut that out, then the geckos should leave soon after.
• Also, try glue traps. The flat type, with just the slightest raised edge. The gecko will eventually run across it and be caught. If you catch it in time, you can pour veg oil on the trap and release him. (It's pretty gross though.)
• Plug the ways they are getting in your home. Check under your doors for cracks in the door sweep, and around windows for non-sealing areas. Spray bug spray liberally once a month on all door sills and window sills. If you spray your outside bushes near your house, it should help reduce bugs and reduce the food source.
• Try mothballs. They are believe to repel geckos. But this is a last resort, as mothballs smell a lot worse than geckos. Place a mothball on a piece of tape near door entry or window ledges. Mothballs disintegrate in water, so placing them outside does no good.
• Geckos have a lifespan of close to 5 yrs, and prefer warm, humid areas. They are nocturnal and hide during the day, so you'll probably encounter your house mates at night. If it's colder than 65 at night, geckos will try to get in your house to warm up. You may discourage their entry by turning down the thermostat.
• Geckos were on the rise in Texas in summer 2007 due to unusual rains and humidity. Crickets were a plague, and spawned a delicious feeding frenzy for the geckos. Prompt removal of crickets from the outside (and inside!) of your home will reduce gecko food sources.
• If you can catch the gecko merely by slapping a plastic bowl over it and sliding a paper under the bowl top, you can hustle the gecko outside and far away from your home. This works temporarily for small infestations. Remember, a cold gecko is a slow gecko, so it helps to keep your house cooler.

Tips - Geckos don't like:

• keeping your house cooler than 65 at night
• bugspraying their food sources
• mothballs
• glue traps

An update...

For those who are sitting on the edge of your seats about those box scores from the weekend games... Westwood High School spanked Harker Heights High School. UNT had a depressing loss against Tulsa. (It was expected, but I prayed hard.)

"Are you ready for some Football?"

Someone recently told me that I married Cullen knowing his obsession with sports. (FACT.) Someone recently told me that during the months of September - Superbowl Sunday, I come second. (FACT.) What someone failed to mention, is that the word obsession doesn't quiiiite describe Cullen's love of the game. (FACT.)

HOWEVER, I love when he is happy. And....he is IN HEAVEN. This weekend, we are going to the Westwood High School (my Alma Mater) VS. Harker Heights High School (his Alma Mater) football game followed by UNT vs. Tulsa. He is like a kid in a candy store. :)

Three more facts:
1. Westwood WILL WIN tonight.
2. I pray UNT will win tomorrow.
3. I ordered Cullen a koozie that reads: " We interrupt your marriage to bring you FOOTBALL SEASON.!"

Christmas ........... in September?

Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas is is in the air. I feel it already! I love Christmas spirit; the crisp cold air, brightly lit streets and CHRISTMAS MUSIC. I pull out the ipod list and CD's on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This music becomes the permanent background noise for over a month. It is beautiful.

What caused this rant above you ask? I bought my first Christmas gift this past weekend. It was just a stocking stuffer, but it made me smile and already look forward to "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree!"

So, Merry Christmas to all!

Let's meet up!

Yesterday, my friend Amber showed me this fantastic website. Meet Up. It is a place to find groups that have common interests and meet up. Of course, we joined the Boston Terrier meet up group and look forward to Doggie-Day at the park in late September!

They have meet up groups for just about anything - you should find one and join!

Moments in Time

There are definitive moments in time that are history markers. Two are just around the corner: Cullen's big TWO-FIVE. (wow - not only is he a quarter of a century old...but, he gets a break in insurance rates!!) The second is our one-year anniversary. I cannot BELIEVE it has already been one wonderfully magic year. In our first year of marriage we:

• Became MR. AND MRS. CULLEN MILLS!!
• bought a home - without financial help from parents.
• learned to live in harmony.
• learned the meaning behind "how to fight fair".
• managed to celebrate at least 10 weddings with friends and family.
• coped with the loss of a very special grand-father.

I think for one year we are doing better than I could have ever imagined. So, happy early birthday Cullen and Happy anniversary. Cheers! Here is to many many more! I love you.