Archives - Show All 
  • 2010
    • August
      • A BOY!
        08/25/10
        We found out last Wednesday that our little bean is a BOY! Travis was beyond surprised – he was convinced since we saw the ‘plus’ sign that we would be having a girl. I had a dream several weeks ago about a baby boy – of course, I didn’t want to admit to being wrong (heaven forbid!) so I didn’t sa

      • Happy Birthday to MUAH!
        08/10/10
        Travis and Carissa surprised me with a weekend trip away to San Antonio for my birthday this year! I love my birthday and I’m so grateful to have such a sweet hubby and daughter that make it such a special time for me.

        We left Houston Friday afternoon and made it to San Antonio in time

    • July
      • Time to Relax!
        07/13/10
        Boy, did we get some stuff done this weekend! Travis and I had made out an extensive list a week or so ago of things that we needed to get done and off the plate. Our list had 30 items on it. By this weekend, we had knocked out 11. Woot! Travis did most of the hard-work including:

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      • Happy Fourth of July!
        07/08/10
        We had a good mix of busy-ness and downtime this 4th of July. My parents went out of town for a couple of days the week prior so Carissa was able to spend some time with Grammy. It was a rainy week so they walked the mall, embroidered new Scooby Doo shirts, did laundry, and visited with Granny and

    • June
      • Father's Day Weekend
        06/28/10
        We were out of town on Lake Travis for a family wedding for Father’s Day this year. My cousin Kristine got married at a beautiful venue in the Hill Country. It was a really neat place to see and explore. We rented a condo in one of the lake-side communities of Lago Vista for the full weekend. We

      • Still CVS'ing!
        06/15/10
        This is a great week to begin CVS’ing if you haven’t already! It is really so super easy to get loads of free, or almost free, stuff that you use anyway. We have a cabinet full of razors (the NICE ones, not the cheap bic ones), toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, etc! If CVS isn't your thing,

      • Lucky Duck
        06/14/10
        We went to the St. Helen’s bazaar this past Sunday. We got there early and tried to beat some of the heat of the day (unsuccessfully). They had your typical festival fare – plenty of food, games, auction items, bounce houses, bingo, etc.

        One of the first stops Carissa made was the stuff

    • May
      • NOLA - 2010
        05/28/10
        Travis and I recently returned from a fun-filled weekend in New Orleans with our good friends Jake, Dee, Chris, and Margaret. The weekend started off with a quick 45 minute plane ride over to NOLA. Travis had brought along some Southwest drink tickets and in-flight entertainment in the form of a N

      • My Momma's Day
        05/11/10
        My Mother’s Day began with Carissa waking me up early-squirrelly that morning. Unless it is a special exception, she seriously wakes up with the sun. Trust me when I say she most definitely did not get that from me. I keep telling Travis that I’m going to make him switch sides of the bed with me

    • April
      • S-P-E-L-L
        04/22/10
        Carissa is really starting to be interested in spelling out words verbally and even writing them too! I was getting ready in the bedroom a few weeks ago and she came running in asking how to spell Goofy. I told her the letters, she repeated them, and then promptly ran off. She ran back a minute l

      • Happy Eggs!
        04/06/10
        Easter time and Carissa was back on the road again. Miss Popularity decided that she would rather spend the weekend in East Texas playing with Hunter and Colton than spending Easter with her mom and dad. In all fairness, when given the option, she did hesitate slightly and say “Can’t I do both?”

    • March
      • Cleaning!
        03/26/10
        Carissa is back, safe and sound from her Spring Break vacation with Pa and Grandma. Judging by all the pictures, she seemed to have a glorious time! She EVEN got to meet SCOOBY DOO at Universal Studios! WOW!

        She came home to a clean room and closet, a neat(er) art corner in the kitchen

      • Spring Break!
        03/18/10
        Travis and I are empty-nesters this week as Carissa is enjoying Spring Break with her Pa and Grandma in Florida. They have been to the Magic Kingdom to see Mickey, Pluto, and the gang, to Universal Studios and their Islands of Adventure parks, and to the largest McDonalds in the world (did you know

    • February
      • A mini-me monster
        02/25/10
        As if there were any question that sweetie-pie is my daughter, here is a listing of her birthday activities:

        • Tuesday – She was leader and birthday star at school. We had made some cupcakes (chocolate with chocolate frosting with sprinkles) for her to bring for her classmates along with

      • Happy Birthday!
        02/24/10
        My baby’s FOURTH birthday is today! Can you believe it?? One part of my brain says that I can’t believe she’s already four, but the other part can hardly remember a time when she wasn’t a part of our lives.

        At this time FOUR years ago, I was probably giving Travis the evil eye for ge

      • Star of the Week
        02/11/10
        At Carissa’s preschool every week one of the kids gets to be the “Star of the Week”. This week was Carissa’s turn, and she was sooooo excited! She has been talking about Star of the Week and what all it entails since the beginning of the year when the series started.

        The week prior, w

      • Steamboat Adventures! .... the Conclusion!
        02/03/10
        **Monday**

        On Monday, we all decided to have another ski day. Valerie and I had to go back to the rental place to get our equipment again. We went back to the house and skied down to the gondola area. Carissa tried it again, this time with her momma. She did just fine, but that was en

    • January
      • Steamboat Adventures! - Part Deux
        01/28/10
        Here is the continuation of our ski trip…

        **Saturday**

        Valerie had decided to go ahead and have a second day of lessons. Carissa, as mentioned before, refused to go back to ski school. I think she would have really gotten a lot out of the second day, but it is vacation and th

      • Steamboat Adventures!
        01/25/10
        We have recently returned home from a wonderful Steamboat Springs vacation. We left on Thursday the 14th and returned to Houston on the 19th. Way too short – I think we all wanted an extra two days at least! Travis, Carissa, and I traveled with my mom, dad, Ryan, and Valerie. Ryan and Valerie de

      • Twenty Things
        01/13/10
        Wow, over a week into 2010 already! The past few weeks just completely flew by with fun times with our family and friends. Here is one of those random catch-all posts.

        1. I had a fabulous girls-night out with some of my wonderful friends right before the holidays. We went to Birraporet

  • 2009
    • December
      • Four More Days!
        12/21/09
        Growing up, we had an advent calendar that my mom hung on the wall. It was basically a fabric Christmas tree that had ornaments with Velcro tabs that you would stick onto the tree. (I think she maybe even made it or maybe my Granny did – I’ll have to ask my mom where this tree came from.) Anyway,

      • Winter Wonderland to Bethlehem
        12/16/09
        We had SNOW the first Friday of the month! Fortunately, I had the day off from work, and Carissa and I had already talked about the possibility of snow that afternoon. Surprise, surprise – we started seeing big, fat flakes around 8:30 that morning!! Carissa was at her art table in the kitchen and

    • November
      • Happy Slapsgiving!
        11/29/09
        Before Rita gives me a hard time, I figured I’d better write an update for the latest goings on at Casa de Cherry (or is it Cherry de Casa? Hmmm… that’s what I get for taking Latin in high school I guess.).

        We’ve all been kind of sick off and on the past few weeks. I think it has somethi

      • Too early?
        11/12/09
        I am totally listening to classical Christmas music on Pandora today!

      • Recent Happenings
        11/05/09
        We’ve been a busy little family the past few weeks! Here is a quick run-down of our recent escapades…

        1. I went on a fabulous girls-only trip to New Braunfels with Dee, Margaret, Roxy, and Kim. What a fabulous time we had! We had pedicures, chocolate martinis at a piano bar, wine at Gr

    • October
      • Getting older...
        10/08/09
        At lunch today, I was taking one of those inane online surveys and it had a blank where you fill in your age. I actually typed in a "2" and had to backspace to put in the proper "3". My mind seriously forgot that I needed a "3" versus a "2".

        They

      • Carissa Update
        10/07/09
        You might recall several months ago I said that I wanted to post a few times per year about Carissa’s Favorite Things. It’s been about six months since the original post, so here we go again….

        Color: Still blue. Dark blue in fact.

        Movie: As far as the traditional 90-minute c

    • September
      • Happy Birthday Travis!
        09/30/09
        Travis had a fairly quiet birthday this past weekend (at least compared to mine!). Friday night, we went to the Pasadena Rodeo BBQ cook-off to enjoy some delicious food prepared by my brother and his team. It is always a really good time out there! I am glad though that we bring Carissa, go early

      • Growing up
        09/24/09
        I had the pleasure of dropping Carissa off at her preschool this morning – and I truly mean that without the hint of sarcasm. In the past, Carissa has always been very clingy with that cute bottom lip quivering, tears welling in her blue eyes, begging you not to leave. It was so bad, that at one t

      • Granny-the-Great
        09/03/09
        Carissa came running into the living room yesterday evening. She slid to a stop next to me, smiling, and says, “Momma, guess what? I love you!”, and then she grabs my hand and smacks a kiss on it.

        I answer, “Carissa, guess what?.... I love you – MORE!”

        With a roll of her blu

    • August
      • Another ER visit...
        08/25/09
        I’m out in California this week for work (yippee). On Monday when I left, Carissa was complaining of an upset tummy and was running a slight fever pretty much all day. We figured it was just a typical bug, and she would get over it in the next day or so.

        My flight was late in the aftern

      • So, what are we doing next year?
        08/16/09
        Wow, did Travis ever go overboard on my birthday! What Travis didn’t say in his post, is that all of this was all a huge surprise for me! He only told me to pack for the weekend like I was going camping – not “tent-camping” he quickly clarified as my eyes narrowed, more like cabin-camping. I did

      • Jonda turns 25... again.
        08/10/09
        Well, it was inevitable... we all knew it would eventually happen. Jonda has turned 25.

        Of course, this is only her fifth time to turn 25, so I'm not exactly sure that it's a huge surprise to anyone. However, since it was the five year anniversary of her 25th birthday, we decid

    • July
      • Movies, movies, and more movies
        07/28/09
        This has really been the ‘Summer of Movies’ at our house this year. Travis made a comment the other day that we’ve watched more movies in the past few months than we have the entire ten years we’ve been watching movies together. I don’t think it is quite that extreme (remember when we used to do t

      • Playing Ketchup.... Again!
        07/24/09
        So sorry that we’ve been a little MIA lately here on TravisAndJonda.com… Maybe I was thinking that my mom’s summer break applied to me too? Have I mentioned that having a spring break, summer break, Thanksgiving break, and Christmas break is a very attractive incentive to me to become a teacher?

    • June
      • A Summary of our Magical Vacation to Disney World...
        06/19/09
        Here is a summary of our recent trip to Orlando to visit Mickey Mouse!

        It was an AWESOME vacation!

      • In the eyes of the child...
        06/09/09
        I’ve been reading some Disney message boards for our upcoming trip and frankly started freaking out a little bit about the whole ‘what to do if your kid goes missing’ threads. They suggest things like printing out labels and putting them on your kid’s clothes (underneath it by the tag) with your na

      • Swim Lessons & Disney
        06/04/09
        Carissa has been taking swim lessons at the local YMCA the past two weeks. The first few days were terrible! You would’ve thought she had never been in a pool, let alone never in a million years guess that she swims every single day at her Pa’s.

        But, she (and I) has persevered. She w

    • May
      • Happy Un-Birthday!
        05/28/09
        Can you guess what Carissa’s latest response is to something she doesn’t want to do?

        “Weellllll… When I turn four, then I can do that.”

        It is driving me crazy so don’t be surprised to get a birthday invitation this summer for Carissa where she will ‘turn’ four.

      • In remembrance
        05/21/09
        My dad’s mother, Joanne Wilkerson, my Granny passed away this past Sunday. She had been sick for awhile so it was not completely unexpected. We had a beautiful funeral service for her yesterday morning followed by a lunch reception put on by my grandparents’ church. There were so many people who

      • Momma's Day
        05/13/09
        I had such a lovely Mother’s Day weekend. Friday was my day off so Carissa and I had a fun day at the house together. I had a conference call mid-day that I couldn’t skip out on, so dad came over and took her to the park for a little bit. There was apparently a big group of kids there that she ma

      • Twilight...
        05/06/09
        I finally got Dee hooked into the Twilight series. Dee has never enjoyed reading and has always pushed back when I suggested books for her. She begrudgingly took Twilight, and I told her to go ahead and take the other books in the series too because she would be hooked. Rolling her eyes, she acqu

      • Happy May!
        05/01/09
        And now I can officially say that I will be going to Disney World NEXT MONTH!

        Woo-hoo-oo, Woo-hoo-oo! (**Picture me doing my happy dance!**)

    • April
      • These are a few of my favorite things...
        04/30/09
        Note - I am on an extremely high-profile project at work that has consumed all my time and brain-cells so this post is going to just be full of randomness… In fact, I think I started writing this up last Thursday and am only just now posting.

        I have wanted to begin posting on a semi-regul

      • Playing the CVS Game
        04/22/09
        I subscribe to several ‘deal’ blogs through my google reader. Most (if not all) highlight the ‘Drug-store Game’ and have at least a weekly post about the amazing deals they have gotten at either CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. Considering that there is a small CVS downtown and two big ones on my way

      • Little Cherry
        04/17/09
        If there were any doubt that Carissa isn’t my child, it was exhausted this past weekend.

        The Bunny left Carissa the board game Hi Ho Cherry-O in her basket, and we pulled it out to play that afternoon. If you have never played the game or forgotten how, it is basically a counting game.

      • Easter
        04/15/09
        We had a great holiday weekend! Friday after I finished with work, we had lunch with Pops and Grandma Ronnie for Veronica’s birthday. They met us over at the house, and we got to show off our new floor, TV, and movie room. We then went off to Floyd’s and got there just in time for the start of cr

      • Here we go!
        04/10/09
        Today is Good Friday and a holiday for Travis. It is supposed to my RDO Friday, but…. With my new project at work, I’ve had two mandatory conference calls this morning and was given one pretty intensive task to be completed as soon as ‘reasonably’ possible (corporate code for you better do it now)

      • Love it!
        04/09/09
        I could sit on hold with Disney forever! They pipe in Disney tunes! Woo-hoopty-hoo!

      • Just for you Rita...
        04/07/09
        Momma: “Come on kiddo, time to have your bath.”

        Carissa: “Momma. Do NOT call me kiddo. Only Daddy calls me that. You can call me sweetie-pie.”

    • March
      • Spring Break!
        03/20/09
        We’ve been busy this week! My mom is on Spring Break so Carissa took her and Pa to the zoo. It was so crowded that they had to park over at Hermann hospital! They tried to talk C out of going, but she had her mind made up. They rode the carousel (C picked the same white dog as always), saw all h

      • I lose!
        03/12/09
        Earlier this week, Travis took Carissa and me to dinner and to shop at Bed Bath & Beyond and JC Penney. Carissa was in a very silly, talkative mood and it carried over into the car ride room.

        So much so that I finally said, “Ok! We are going to play the quiet game! Everybody ready

      • Gotta Pay Attention!
        03/11/09
        Remember the conversation I described about reminding Carissa of the doctor’s instructions to drink milk and water instead of Sprite? We have had basically the same conversation every night since. Me asking what she wants to drink – water or milk, her answering Sprite, me reminding her about the d

      • Wellness Check
        03/09/09
        The Friday after Carissa’s birthday, she had her three year old ‘wellness’ check with the doctor. Carissa has always hated going to the doctor, even as a baby. She didn’t like sitting on the ‘baby’ scale and she knew she was likely going to get poked with needles, have strange devices stuck in her

    • February
      • Happy Birthday!
        02/24/09
        When I was little, and even now to a certain extent, on the days leading up to my birthday, my dad would always say “At this time x years ago, your mom was really nervous about getting to the hospital because of the rain”… And, then on the 7th, “At this time x years ago, we were at the hospital just

      • Birthday Party Numero Tres
        02/23/09
        Carissa had her third birthday party this weekend! Since our house is still in some *ahem* disrepair, my parents kindly agreed to host us all and also prepared a fantastic lunch of grilled pork loin, corn casserole, pinto beans, potatoes, cold-slaw, fruit, and rolls. Delish!

        Carissa’s d

      • I am weak...
        02/20/09
        I *heart* the food network. I could probably watch it all day long. Travis will probably say that I WOULD watch it all day long if we didn’t also live with a munchkin that demands her turn on the big tv. Anyway, Carissa has evidently caught on with my obsession…

        Momma: Ok, Carissa, tim

      • Daddy/Daughter Date Night
        02/12/09
        I had bunco last night so Travis and Carissa had a daddy/daughter date night. They had Incredible Pizza for dinner, packed up her Valentine treat bags for her school friends, and then it was time for bath and bed.

        This is a description of a conversation between the two of them before, to

      • Weekend Happenings
        02/09/09
        We had another busy weekend! Carissa was requested for the weekend by Grandma Ronnie and Pops, so Travis and I had a good opportunity to begin working on the living room. Travis had already moved all the furniture out for me last weekend so I could attempt to steam-clean our horrid carpet one more

      • Quick Math Lesson
        02/04/09
        Unless you live under a great big rock, you have heard all the hubbub about the so-called economic stimulus package. The total dollar value of this is sitting at $900 billion and climbing. I won’t get into the pork that is in there – you can find it all over the internet if you are so inclined. H

      • Absolute Worst!
        02/02/09
        We had a great Superbowl Sunday! We were rooting for the Cardinals as the underdog and, even though they didn’t pull out the win after going up on the Steelers in the 4th, it was still a really great game!

        The commercials were hit or miss as usual. Here is my take on the best/worst.
    • January
      • Superbowl
        01/29/09
        Superbowl is this weekend. Travis and I have hosted a big party on Superbowl Sunday for the past few years. Complete with tons of food, drinks, multiple superbowl pots, the works. It is normally a really fun day… but it is also a lot of work!

        The next day, I honestly can’t remember w

      • Parker is in Texas!
        01/26/09
        This weekend we had a very special guest visit Texas for the first time – Parker! Joey is doing some out of town training, and Loni decided to bring Parker for a visit. She didn’t tell Veronica she was coming though. Check out the squealing reaction over here!

        (While you are visiti

      • Happy Inauguration Day!
        01/20/09
        Random thoughts day again! Sorry, I am lazy and don’t feel like writing anything into a cohesive post.

        1. Wow! How much do I love Yo-Yo Ma! His face and body movement while he plays the cello is just so full of joy. ‘Air & Miracles’ by John Williams was a fabulous arrangement. L

      • Prayer Request
        01/19/09
        I was playing around on facebook this weekend and decided to try and find one of my old roommates from college – Kelly Whitted. She and I were in each others weddings and were close friends, but lost touch over the past few years. Well, I didn’t find her on facebook but tried Google.

      • New Love
        01/09/09
        I have recently developed a palate for hot tea. Granted, I still love my cup (or two or three) of creamy coffee in the morning, but tea is really creeping in on my coffee intake.

        Over my birthday, when I was pampered at the amazing spa at the La Berge, they had a ‘relaxation lounge’ wher

      • Cozumel Cruise Review
        01/08/09
        What better way is there to kick off a New Year with a cruise vacation? If nothing else, you can will delay that diet for a few more days!

        We left on New Year’s Day out of Galveston for a too quick cruise down to Cozumel and back. We had quite a group of people going – the three of us,

      • Couple of announcements!
        01/06/09
        Here ye, here ye! We have some great news to share with the internet at large.

        #1 – I believe that my sister-in-law is engaged! There was a conversation in the car over some Kentucky Fried Chicken that ended up with Marco popping the question to Beth! Gotta love those magical eleven he

  • 2008
    • December
      • And a partridge in a pear tree?
        12/30/08
        I liked the ‘random thought post’ so much that I thought we’d give it another go, so without further ado…. The Twelve Thoughts of Christmas

        1. Carissa’s favorite holiday song is definitely ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’. Every time we get into the car, she wants to hear Rudolph. She c

      • Where have we been?
        12/15/08
        I really don’t have any good excuses for being lax on regularly posting here. It definitely isn’t for lack of things to tell you about! I think it is because I have been really busy at work the past few weeks and haven’t had much time to do anything other than actual real work. (How dare they – w

      • Panama Pictures!
        12/07/08
        Travis reminded me that I forgot to post some of our cruise pictures. Here is a nice slideshow of some of our favorites that my talented husband put together.

        But, if you wanted to see all five hundred of them... Here are the links!

        ---Fort Lauderdale
        ---Aruba
        ---C

      • Who is this kid?
        12/02/08
        Momma: Carissa, have you been thinking about what you want to ask Santa for Christmas?

        Carissa: Yes, I want a blanket from Santa.

        Momma: A blanket, huh. Do you want anything special on it?

        Carissa: Yup, I want a Princess blanket.

    • November
      • Days 9, 10, & 11
        11/28/08
        Day 9 - October 10 - Ocho Rios

        Jamaica. Our last port day. The excursion we booked today was the Dolphin Cove mini-boats to Dunn’s River Falls. Our tour started a little later than usual so we had a later breakfast. But, we didn’t realize that we weren’t meeting in the theater like we

      • Days 7 & 8
        11/25/08
        Day 7 - October 8 - Puerto Limon

        Limon Costa Rica. We had selected a ‘canopy tour’ for our excursion which means zip-lining through the rainforest! We disembarked and waited for our bus to pick us up.

        We went on a half-hour tour of Limon and the surrounding area. The city

      • Day 6
        11/18/08
        Day 6 - October 7 - Panama

        Panama Canal day! Our alarm was set super early – before the sun even came out! We turned the TV on to wait for the guide to begin giving us the ‘tour’. Once he started and we could see the first lock from our TV screen, we headed up to the ‘secret’ deck on t

      • Day 5
        11/17/08
        Day 5 - October 6 - Cartagena

        Cartagena, Colombia is a city of over one million people. And, neither Travis nor I had ever heard of it before. Bogota, the country’s capital in the mountains has over eight million people! We took a city tour excursion today to learn more about the town

      • Days 3 & 4
        11/14/08
        Day 3 - October 4 - At sea

        Another wonderful day at sea. This morning, I went up to the buffet and brought breakfast back to the room. Frosted Flakes and oatmeal again. (We are nothing if not predictable!)

        We played a game a Scrabble with a lovely lady from Indiana. I real

      • Days 0, 1, & 2
        11/13/08
        For posterity's sake, here is a review of Days 0, 1, & 2 of our cruise:

        Day 0 - October 1 - To Ft Lauderdale we go!

        Travis and I took Carissa over to Pa’s house this morning. We stopped by McDonald’s on the way over for a hashbrown. Kisses and hugs were exchanged, an

      • Happy Veterans Day
        11/11/08
        Today, November 11, is Veterans Day – a day to honor and thank all those who have served in our military.

        History Lesson: Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day (and still is in other parts of the world). November 11 is the date that the cease-fire armistice was signed bet

      • Meet me at Rita's?
        11/07/08
        I am house-sitting over at Rita's today!

        Since I am home all alone and enjoying being a slug, I'm afraid that is all the writing you are going to get today from me!

        Have a great weekend everybody!

      • The Great Pumpkin
        11/06/08
        November already! With all the national stuff going on, I have really been neglecting what this blog is supposed to be about – chronicling our normal, everyday lives! I still haven’t even described in fabulous detail all we got to see and do on our anniversary vacation!

        Halloween has

      • Mr. President
        11/05/08
        Well, my guy and gal didn’t win last night…. But, the sun still came up today and should come out again tomorrow so I guess it will all be ok. Everything in life is cyclical. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens and how it all will shake out. (I will admit that last night was a TIVO night

      • You Can Keep Your Change!
        11/03/08
        Today, I pulled up our website and realized that there was a political advertisement on it. Not only was it a political advertisement, it was a political advertisement for a candidate and a party that I do not support.

        Since adding Google's advertising to the site at the early porti

    • October
      • Have you voted yet?
        10/29/08
        I have.

      • One more week to go…
        10/28/08
        Is it over already? Is anyone else as sick as I am of all the flyers, phone calls, and news about the election?

        I swear, Travis and I get no less than three calls a night between 6pm and 9pm from politicians. (I will have to remember this for future reference and get caller ID for a f

      • HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
        10/24/08
        Parker Ray Cherry made his grand entrance this morning at 7:58am EST. He weighed in at 7lbs 2oz, and is 21in long. He definitely has the Matula look! Veronica said he also has Grandpa Wood’s long torso and the skinny Cherry legs and long toes! He has dark hair, with a tinge of red (but not red-h

      • Prayer Request
        10/23/08
        Internet, please say a special prayer for my sister-in-law Loni and my nephew-to-be Parker. Loni is scheduled to deliver Parker via C-section first thing tomorrow morning.

        Loni’s due date came and went last week, and we have all been “patiently” waiting for the notice that Parker was on

      • Can I get a woo-freakin-hoo??
        10/20/08
        I had the absolute best ice cream the other night. Read: The best ice cream. Ever. In my entire life.

        Those of you who grew up in the great state of Texas know full well that no other ice cream in the entire world even comes close to Blue Bell.

        No, you are absolutely posit

      • We're Baaaa-aaaack
        10/16/08
        We made it back from vacation in one piece! A relaxed, contented, completely pleased with our vacation piece!

        We had an awesome time on our cruise. It was just amazing – the perfect mix of rest, fun, education, entertainment, food, etc.

        From going 134 feet under the sea in

    • September
      • Three.... Two.... One
        09/29/08
        We are on our final countdown! One more day at work to go and then I will be otherwise known as Mrs. Vacationista.

        I have already told you what will be on our agenda the first few days. Now, I will tell you about the excursions we have chosen. We have elected to book everything throu

      • How many?
        09/25/08
        I received an email from my awesome sister-in-law this morning that simply stated FIVE MORE DAYS!!!

        It is a rare occurrence when Rita uses all caps and multiple punctuation marks, so I know she is overly excited for us.

        I think she might actually enjoy vacation as much as I d

      • Icky Ike
        09/23/08
        The Cherry family is getting back into the swing of things after Hurricane Ike struck. Riding out the actual Hurricane itself wasn’t bad – crazy wind and rain – but the aftermath is a totally different story.

        I won’t dwell on it too much since I am frankly tired of dwelling on it – Ike i

      • Mmmmm.... Cookies.....
        09/09/08
        I came across this article on The Chronicle’s website this morning. The Texas legislature ordered the education system to come up with a uniform system of calculating a high-school student’s grade point average. Apparently some districts provide credit for extra-curricular classes like choir and a

      • Shrimply Delicious!
        09/08/08
        We had a fairly uneventful weekend which was nice considering we have had something on the calendar practically every weekend since mid-April – no exaggeration either!

        This Friday, we went down to Angleton after work and had a nice visit with Travis’s Granny and Pawpaw. Carissa knew ex

      • We are getting closer and closer....
        09/05/08
        Travis and I stayed up late last night booking our remaining excursions for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise!

        Since I am so keyed up about it, I think you may have to suffer through my next few posts as they will likely be centered on this vacation. As you will soon see and if you ever

      • Labor Day Weekend
        09/04/08
        I love long weekends. We spent ours in Rockport this year with the Cherry-side of the family. Mike & Veronica rented out a fabulous canal-front home for us all to stay in.

        Mike had his boat already at the house’s dock by the time we got down there late Friday afternoon. Carissa pu

    • August
      • Ticked Off Thursday
        08/28/08
        Ten Things that Tick Me Off:

        10. People that park their cars in the street rather than in their driveways causing me to have to play chicken with the cars coming from the opposite direction.

        And, those cars that are coming from the other way that KNOW it is my turn to run the

      • Total cuteness
        08/27/08
        Five weeks to go until VACATION! At this time in exactly five weeks, I plan to be sitting at my conveniently-located-on-the-Fort Lauderdale-waterway hotel waiting for the local water taxi to take me on a boat tour of the “Venice of America”.

        My only big worry about this trip is leaving

      • Mr. & Mrs. Roberto Honez (aka Jake Jones)
        08/18/08
        Dee and Jake’s wedding was this past Saturday! All three of us participated – I was matron of honor, Travis was a groomsman, and Carissa was the little flower girl.

        Most everyone knows that we had some –ahem – problems coaxing Carissa into dresses. But, she put on her little white dre

      • The genetic code
        08/12/08
        Carissa and I were playing with an alphabet puzzle this afternoon. As she put the letters back into the correct slot, I would ask her to identify the letter and name something that started with that letter.

        “A is for Ant.”

        “B is for Ball.”

        “C is for Carissa.”
      • 080808
        08/11/08
        I celebrated my 25th birthday again on Friday! This year was pretty special since it fell on 08.08.08. Did you happen to notice that China even had a huge celebration complete with dancers, drummers, singers, and fireworks?

        I love my birthday. More so than any of the holidays even be

      • Par-tay!
        08/04/08
        Woot Woot Woot! Hurricane Party tomorrow at Casa de Cherry in celebration of Edouard's arrival.

        From our Risk department: To allow employees living in the damage-prone areas time to prepare their homes and families, the Reliant Houston-area office locations will be releasing employe

    • July
      • So much to do, so little time
        07/29/08
        Woohoo – Our excursion selection documents came in the mail for our anniversary cruise in October!

        The ports of call for this trip are Aruba, Colombia, Panama Canal, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. We have two full pages of adventures to choose from!

        We have our pick of anything

      • Rainy Day Blues
        07/24/08
        This rainy weather that Dolly brought to us is making me very sleepy this afternoon. I just really want to go home and curl up on the couch with a blanket and my book. Instead, I am stuck here staring at the fabric walls of my cube. Listening to the annoying ringer of a cell phone that someone le

      • Cherry Family Tree Update
        07/24/08
        Julie Corne/Yarborough recently contacted me with some changes for our family tree:

        And Janna Junkin/Kuykendall (master of the family tree) who had already updated the family tree was kind enough to supply me with an updated version she already had...

        In addition, Janna has som

      • Luckenbach
        07/24/08
        Aunt Vickye and family recently visited Luckenbach, TX. Home of some of the greatest "Texas" music you'll ever hear. They had bought my grandfather, Johnye Slaughter, a brick at the General store to commemorate his service in the Army some time back. She put together a great video of

      • Little Princess
        07/23/08
        While Travis and I were camping this weekend, Carissa spent a couple of nights with her Grammy. Now, when Carissa has a sleepover she just doesn’t pack up a couple of outfits and diapers to last a few days. Oh no way. When Carissa heard that she was going to Grammy’s and that her cousin Hunter wa

      • The Verdict
        07/21/08
        Our trip to the river this past weekend was great! Some people poked fun at my four fans when we got there, but they were the ones complaining about being hot at night, not me. I was actually even a bit chilly on Saturday night. Whew, crisis was averted!

        We had a really nice-sized camp

      • The River
        07/17/08
        Ok, so this weekend is our river trip, and I am stressing myself out to the point of needing that inhaler to unclog my breathing passages! Just in case you didn’t know it, I am just the wee bit of a princess when it comes to getting hot. And it has been H-O-T in Tejas these past few weeks.
      • Could this have been me?
        07/16/08


        “Who are these people?”, I’m sure you are asking yourself. Who are those smiling faces of people having fun and enjoying life? Are they friends on vacation? Or, was it taken at a family reunion? I’m positive you can find similar photos of yourself and your friends and family.
      • Mommy Bag
        07/15/08
        BC (“Before Carissa”) I would carry the cutest purses. I even traded out the contents of my purse on a weekly, if not daily, basis because the bag HAS to match the belt and shoes, right? Most of my collection was small handbags – just big enough for my wallet, a compact, chap-stick, and other litt

      • Why Momma? Why?
        07/09/08
        Well well well, here we are July 9, and I have been dreadfully neglecting this posting duty I committed to do. For what should be a relatively easy thing to do on a semi-regular basis, it really does take some thought and time to find something of interest in just another ordinary day to post about

    • June
      • Having Fun!
        06/18/08
        Well, Carissa along with her Grandma and Pa are midway through their vacation week in Pennsylvania.

        Here are some highlights from our phone conversations:

        1) The stroller somehow missed the flight, despite being checked in with two other bags and a car-seat that all made i

      • Mixed Emotions
        06/15/08
        This morning, Travis and I took my parents to the airport for “their” summer vacation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please note the quotes around “their”. They are planning to hit Sesame Place, Thomas the Train, the Liberty Bell, and all the other sites and sounds that Philly has to offer. Yeah,

      • In Memoriam
        06/09/08
        My Aunt Donna passed away last Thursday morning after a long battle with cancer. She is the wife to my mom’s brother Ben, and mother to Luke, Claire, and Mark. She is also my Godmother.

        Donna Cegelski was probably the bravest person I have ever known. If you have ever wondered what i

    • May
      • What is up?
        05/29/08
        Last week I was in California on business. It was a pretty good and productive trip if you take out the flat tire on the airplane getting there and a two hour delay getting home. Travis and Carissa enjoyed some daddy-daughter time by hitting Incredible Pizza twice, McDonalds, and an Astros game wi

      • Parker Ray Cherry
        05/27/08
        There are not too many times that I willingly acknowledge being wr- wr- wro-… Ug, ‘wrong’ is just a difficult word. But, this is one of those times where I have to admit that I was… mistaken.

        Joey and Loni are going to have a baby boy! They have already named him Parker Ray Cherry. I

      • New Favorite
        05/14/08
        I was looking for something different to do with the back-strap we had in the freezer rather than fry it, and this recipe was definitely the ticket. Travis has now deemed it as his new favorite.

        Here is the recipe as written on AllRecipes and my modifications/commentary follow behind i

      • Where in the world did she learn THIS?!
        05/13/08
        Sometimes (like yesterday evening), Carissa can be the biggest, well, turd for lack of a better descriptor. But then at other times (like yesterday night), she can say or do something that just totally makes me fall completely in love with her all over again…

        Carissa: “Momma, wanna come

      • Pink Jeep
        05/09/08
        Carissa: “Lookie there Momma!!”
        Momma: “I see it! Wow, is that little boy driving his own power-wheels truck?”
        Carissa: “YEAH! I want one too Momma!”

        *Idea is quickly forming in Momma’s head*

        Momma: “You know what? I saw a pink jeep the other day on the computer th

      • Rules
        05/05/08
        Another forwarded email note to save for the future… the VERY DISTANT future…

        Daddy's Rules for Dating My Daughter

        Rule One:
        If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

      • Carissa and her ABC's
        05/01/08
        Tonight, Carissa was missing her aunt Beth. After dinner, she promptly informed us that she wanted to do her ABC's for aunt Beth... and thus, the following is dedicated to aunt Beth, we hope she knows how much we miss her, and wish her all the best in Germany:

      • You wanna date MY daughter? Please see below
        05/01/08
        (This was forwarded to me in an email, and I thought it would be a good idea to save it for when Carissa is allowed to start dating. You know, when she is 25 or so.)

        APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER
        NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accom

    • April
      • Getting Over It
        04/30/08
        I have some things going on at work that has got me pretty down in the dumps. Nothing that is earth-shattering by any means, just things that, for lack of a better word, just plain suck. Needless to say for those that know and love me, I do not deal well with ‘change’.

        Rather than dwell

      • Weekend Happenings...
        04/28/08
        On Friday, I chopped off all my hair. Carissa came up to the salon during my appointment so she could see that it really doesn’t hurt to get your haircut. It still didn’t work too well, but she did sit in my lap and screamed through a hair cut, which is far better than her trashing about trying he

      • Back Online
        04/22/08
        Welcome back. Travis has advised that we are good to go for posting since we successfully transferred the site to a new hosting entity. I have no clue what this all means, but it makes Travis happy and that is always a very cool thing indeed.

        We have been pretty busy as usual the past f

      • Target Confessions
        04/07/08
        Dear Target,

        In the spirit of open and honest communication that is essential in any mutually beneficial relationship, I have a few things to confess. As you can see, I also provided a justification so you can hopefully understand that I truly mean you no harm.

        Confession #1: Y

      • Surprise!
        04/02/08
        We have a surprise guest at our house for the next few weeks! Beth is in between homes due to on-going relocation issues, and so she is staying with us. Woohoo! Carissa couldn’t be more excited to have her ‘Aunt Bif’ stay at Mama’s house. She has eagerly shown Beth her train set, made her some k

      • Fridays
        04/01/08
        I try to do something special with Carissa on my Fridays off from work. This past Friday I asked her what she wanted to do with options like the zoo, the Mickey Mouse clubhouse, Chuck E Cheese, Chic-Fil-a, and the park. Not too surprisingly, she picked Chuck E Cheese because she wanted to ‘go play

    • March
      • Miss Manners
        03/27/08
        Travis and I have been working with Carissa on her manners – yes ma’am, no sir, please, thank you. She is actually doing really well with it considering she is only just two years old, but she does need to be reminded occasionally.

        The other day, Carissa was asking Travis for a jellybea

      • Easter 2008
        03/25/08


        Carissa enjoyed seeing the Easter bunny at the Pearland Easter Egg Hunt! She also found 54 eggs at the Cherry house on Easter morning (along with some other various "loot" the Easter bunny left behind.) Then she got to go to Pa & Grandma's house and find even MORE eggs

      • Rodeo 2008
        03/22/08


        The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo comes to a close today. Travis and I got to see several performances this year, but the best time was yesterday when we got to take Carissa with us to spend some quality time with the animals.

        The first thing on our day of fun and exci

      • Open Letter #1
        03/19/08
        Dear Bounce-On-It,

        Yesterday (Tuesday March 18), my husband and daughter were looking for something fun and special to do on their day together. I did some research on google and came across your website. What a great time they would have here, I thought to myself. Carissa loves to bou

      • Six Degrees
        03/18/08
        Do you know the ‘six degrees of separation’ theory/game that basically says that everyone is connected to everyone else within six degrees of people? I had one of those moments today.

        I enjoy reading Heather Armstrong’s blog www.dooce.com. She is kind of a pioneer in blogging and, in

      • Firsts...
        03/12/08
        As first-time parents, Travis and I have gone through a very wide variety of ‘firsts’ with Carissa. There are the commonly reported developmental ones such as her first smile, first tooth, first words, first steps, etc that you are supposed to write down in a baby book. Then, there are other first

      • Choo-Choo Jacket!
        03/10/08
        In case you haven’t heard (or noticed the recently acquired train paraphernalia at our and her Pa’s house), Carissa has really gotten into Thomas the Train. She knows all the engines’ names (Thomas, James, Percy, Edward, Gordon, Emily, Toby, etc), their respective colors and numbers, all the songs,

      • Playing Catch Up...
        03/06/08
        My mom has been hinting that our website has not been updated in *quite awhile*. The dutiful daughter that I am, I passed along the message (aka instructions) several times to my darling husband. But, he has been very busy on his Xbox 360 quarterbacking the A&M football team (which is apparent

  • 2007
    • December
      • Happy Holidays
        12/26/07
        We'll post some of the fun holiday photos soon... there also appears to be a slight problem with the site right now, as our regular photos are not being trimmed down appropriately.

        We hope everyone has had a fun and exciting Christmas and a safe and festive New Year. Since we're

    • November
      • Gig'em Aggies!
        11/03/07
        She's growing like a weed! Carissa outgrew her Winnie the Pooh costume before Halloween got here. So we went the totally 'make-believe' route and had her dress up as an Aggie Cheerleader!

        This year, we attended the Trick-Or-Treat Trail event put on by the City of Pearland a

    • October
      • Gettin' Hitched.
        10/27/07
        We wondered if it would ever happen... ever.
        And it finally did.

        Jake Jones proposed to Dee Wright last weekend under the century tree at Texas A&M University. We were happy to be able to celebrate with the ecstatic couple at the Dixie Chicken. I have to admit that it brought bac

      • "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"
        10/25/07
        Let the good times roll!... and that they did in New Orleans, Louisianna. Thanks to Jonda, we enjoyed a great weekend away to celebrate my birthday and our four year anniversary.

        We stayed at the Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel, ate lots of Cajun food, played in Harrah's Casino, and

      • Turning 30 sucks.
        10/01/07
        Well, October is officially here. I love the fall. Mainly because it's football season, it's dove and deer season... and it's baseball post season. Though this year, my Astros suck, my Texans are struggling with injuries, all of my Fantasy teams are horrible, and my Aggies are on thei

    • September
      • Carissa Sees Shamu, Sharks, and Sea Lions...
        09/24/07
        Well, it has been a while since I've posted a video... and I apologize for the size of this thing (9 megs - it'll take a while to load). And it's only about about 40 seconds long. But this is Carissa and I feeding the dolphins at Sea World San Antonio with Raymond, Cassandra, and Jond

      • Kingfish and Football Fun...
        09/16/07
        If my father ever wanted to retire and make a career as a fishing guide... he could definitely do it. He knows where all the honey holes are... and he has the determination to find fish, even when they're not biting. His racing hobby has slowed dramatically with the purchase of his boat, but I&

    • August
      • ik woon in United States
        08/29/07
        The U.S. Government can't screw up the passport process any more than it already is... It cost me over two hundred dollars, three different trips to passport offices, and over 8+ hours of my own time to finally obtain one. Of course, I had already waited 8 weeks before going through the "e

      • The Great Smoky Mountains
        08/09/07
        We took a family vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee this week. Fifteen of us camped out in a gorgeous wooden cabin on a hillside over looking the town. It had a beautiful view. We were on the back porch when someone asked how the Smokey Mountains were named -

        “The name of the area comes f

      • Where has the summer gone?
        08/02/07
        So it has been forever since I posted last. The lapse of time is based on many reasons:

        A. Summer came and I've been playing (Schlitterbaun, Camping in Wimberly, Cajun Festival, Weddings, Fishing, Tubing, Zoo, Circus)

        B. Not only have I been playing hard, but I've bee

    • May
      • A Lazy Springtime
        05/20/07
        Well, five months into 2007... and the hell with New Year's resolutions. This year, I was suppose to be better about updating the website. Particularly since we have Carissa, we wanted to do better about posting on-goings and pictures for family. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. I would

    • March
      • Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!
        03/18/07
        Spring Break 2007... Since Grandma and Grandpa were enjoying their Spring Break on the Grand Princess of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Jonda struggled to work from home and keep Carissa at the same time.

        I think she quickly learned that conference calls and crying babies don't work w

      • Another Knot Tied: Keesler / Cherry
        03/11/07
        On a beautiful spring Texas day, Marcus Keesler and Bonnie Cherry were wed at the Varner-Hogg Plantation in West Columbia.

        The ceremony was followed with a reception at the Freeport River Place where there was great bbq, Texas music, and cake. Of course, in great Texas style, the groom�

      • Giddy Up Girl
        03/04/07
        "It's Rodeo time Houston!" And Carissa celebrated western style! Thanks to her great granny and papaw Slaughter, she had tickets to go and see Clay Walker. She went for her first train ride, had her first taste of cotton candy, and rode her first pony. Grammy and Pawpaw bought Carissa

    • February
      • How Old Is Carissa?
        02/27/07
        For the past month, we asked Carissa how old she was and her new trick was to hold up one finger. Ask her to blow out a candle and she would puff away... so when this weekend came up, she was definately ready for her very first birthday.

        She enjoyed her balloons, the streamers, the presen

      • If I weren't a programmer, I'd be a member of the National Ski Patrol.
        02/22/07
        I was tired of getting my hopes up for a ski vacation. It seems like one has been mentioned for the last 3 or 4 years, but it never actually materializes... So when Chris Paxton asked me if I wanted to go for a weekend, I jumped at the chance.

        48 inches of snow fell 3 days before we arriv

      • 326 Bulldog A1C J.Cherry
        02/07/07
        Airman First Class Joseph Cherry graduated from Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB, San Antonio on February 2nd, 2007. He now lives at Sheppard Air Force Base in North Texas as he trains to be an F-15 Crew Chief.

        Joe graduated with three ribbons including one for Markmanship... Evide

    • January
      • Carissa's First Christmas
        01/10/07
        Well, I told you I would try to do a better, and here's a start! This is a quick video of Carissa's first Christmas. She got TONS of toys this year including a Radio Flyer Wagon, Bounce & Spin Zebra, Leap Frog Learning Center, Bouncing Tigger, and her own School Bus. Of course, she had

      • Website Posting Withdrawal.
        01/01/07
        Perhaps the New Year’s resolution for 2007 should be to write more posts on the website. Maybe it’s being busy at work, maybe it’s being busy as new parents, maybe it’s just being lazy, but whatever the reason, we haven’t posted since October. I blame my sister. Had she just sent us anniversary pict

  • 2006
    • October
      • 25 Years - Hawaiian Style
        10/22/06
        October 22nd marks my parent’s 25th anniversary and we celebrated with a Hawaiian style Luau in early October. Jonda and I are blessed to have wonderful parents. We celebrated Raymond and Cassandra’s 25th sometime back, Mike and Veronica’s this month, and we will one day celebrate Pat and Odie’s. Th

    • September
      • Blue.
        09/21/06
        Almost two weeks has passed since Turtle left us. We still find an occasional toy, rawhide, or pig’s ear tucked beneath a sofa or a pillow… and it makes us feel a little blue. We would like to thank everyone who has sent flowers, cards, or their thoughts and prayers. We are blessed to have such grea

      • In Loving Memory...
        09/12/06
        We lost a close friend yesterday. She was one of our best friends.
        We met her in December of 1999, and she had a smile that would make anyone else smile when she walked into a room. Carissa especially liked her… and she was special in that she was one of the few that could make Carissa instantl

      • Poolside in September
        09/04/06
        Jonda's birthday month is officially over. And I think you can say she had a good one. She finished the month by selling her lemon of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and buying an official mommy mobile, a 2004 Ford Expedition! It seats eight, and Turtle and Carissa love it.

        We rang in MY birth

    • August
      • Ain't No Mo Green Beans!
        08/21/06
        Carissa turns six months old this week. She celebrated by starting off her week with a cup of green beans, her first non-formula / non-rice cereal meal. Her initial reaction was missed by the camera. It looked like she had bitten into a lemon. Beyond that face though, she soon decided that green bea

      • Jonda Turns 25 Again...
        08/14/06
        In case you blinked and missed it... Jonda turned 25, again. I think it is a yearly ritual now. I will forever be married to a 25 year old. Hey, it sounds good to me? Of course, when I'm 70, they'll be calling her a gold digger and me a cradle robber. Then again, I guess I would actually h

      • Carissa's First Astros Game
        08/14/06
        Carissa went to her first Astros game this past weekend. Actually she went to the World Series last year in mom's tummy, but this was her first "in person" appearance. We got free nose bleed seats from Reliant Energy since we were one of the first 300 to sign up for online billing. Th

      • Airman Cherry
        08/03/06
        I got the call around 9 p.m. tonight to finally confirm that my little brother is now Airman Basic Cherry. The recruiters finally brain washed him enough to get him to sign the dotted line. Yet they failed to tell him about "recycling" in boot camp. I like how recruiters leave out the fine

    • July
      • The Whole Cherry Orchard
        07/27/06
        Forget the family tree, we have an orchard going on here! This tree goes back further than my great grandfather, all the way back to 1891. How do people come up with data like that...? It is not like they had SQL server or Oracle databases back then. I'm sure to get back that far, someone has d

      • A Cherry Tree
        07/23/06
        Well, the new format is finally being posted. The website has taken a back seat to work and a newborn, but now is the best time to have a site right? I mean, what a better place than the web to show off all of Carissa's adorable pictures?

        Well, if I can keep up with it, then it defin

      • Moblog Failure.
        07/15/06
        So my first moblog was a success. My next two failed miserably. The flex window support I was using turned out to only hold 50K of memory. Which means, that pretty much anything over 3 paragraphs in length, or anything with an image attached to it would basically disappear and not post.

        S