"Vacation"

So Maren & I got up Saturday morning not really knowing what the day would hold. We decided to go through old clothes--clothes that are really old and clothes that have *ahem* shrunk over the last couple of years--and take those to Good Will. Not sure if there's a Bad Will anywhere, or even someone tough enough to admit he is, but that's where they went. Well, it was 11:30 and we were on our way home when the cell phone beeped. Mom & Dad Records asked us what we were doing and if there would be a time this summer if we would be willing & able to come on up for a visit. So I pulled a suitcase out of the closet and started packing as Maren & I "discussed" the pros & cons of leaving by 1:30 in the afternoon. I wanted to...she didn't. But we both agreed that later in the summer could be complicated by packing to move and by her pregnancy making it hard to travel. So...we were on the road, suitcases, dog, & cooler, by 1:15, dropped off some keys and were out of Waco by 2pm. We stopped in Missouri on I-57 at 12:30 am Sunday, and we were on the road by 8:30. With apologies to Olney folk who weren't terribly far away, we just don't get to see Mom & Dad very often. So we arrived in Midland at 8:30 pm. Tuesday we went to Grand Rapids to see our family there. The ladies in the Records family threw Maren a surprise baby shower--a surprise that I knew about it & kept a secret to Maren. They said "Surprise!" when Maren got out of the car. She thought they meant "surprise we came to see you guys while you're here..." She was very happy about the baby shower, though. We'll be here in Midland on vacation then, until May 29. We'll head home then, stopping in Taylorville, before making the loooooooooong journey back to Waco.

Graduation, part 1

Maren & I both graduated on Saturday, May 12. We couldn't decide for a long time if we would walk or not since none of our family were in attendance. We decided to "buy our stuff" and get some photos, but since Maren wanted to go through with the ceremony, I decided to go ahead as well. We just have a few photos from Saturday, and Friday we're going to have some pictures taken from around campus by a friend.


I didn't get a photo of Maren walking (the professional photographer there did), but this is a photo of me by Maren from about 200 feet away. I'm the one on the right facing left (you can't see much of my face, but I have the white stripe from my hood around my neck). The man on the far left is President Lilly, the Baylor U president.

The backdrop in this picture is about 25'x25' and is a mural painted by one of the designers in the theatre last spring specifically for graduation.

Wednesday Night $1 Hot Dogs at Baylor Ballpark

Wednesday night, May 9, was $1 hot dog night at Baylor Ballpark. Our friends Justin & Atalie...or "Justalie" as we refer to them (in case they ever become celebrities, they already have a couples celebrity name) joined us. Here's some pictures of the ball game, with nifty little captions which I've devised myself.

A packed Baylor baseball game...seriously though...at least the baseball team has accomplished something in the last 3 years and has a winning record...and what's not to like about the kids doing the Chicken Dance or the 3rd inning Musical Chairs contest?

...pretending not to hear Maren ask for the 5th time, "How do they score a touchdown?"...

Justin tells Atalie he's going to eat 4 $1 dogs...

Atalie retaliates by turning her tongue blue with cotton candy...Justin polishing off dog #3...

...throwing out a bunt attempt...

...Maren enjoys showing everyone her clean nostrils...and my true colors on my head...

The guy behind us was wearing an English soccer jersey. Maren didn't realize it until the 5th inning. Our lawyers are telling us not to post our side of the story here, but lets just say it turned ugly...In unrelated news, "someone" had to post $2000 bond on Thursday morning because of an "incident" in section 124...

2 Baylor General admission tickets: $12. An RC and a Dr. Pepper: $6. Cotton candy: $3. A package of Snickers minis: $3. 4 $1 Baylor hotdogs: up all night with an upset stomach. Going to a game with Justin & Atalie: priceless.

Maren at 24 weeks

Ok, so its past time for a new posting, but you can't do a posting without a picture. Those are just the rules of ettiquette. No one wants to read a picture-less blog. Its like in grade school, when for the first time you read a book with no pictures. Its shocking. Like going from 5th grade to 6th...no more recess. Its just better left alone. Picture the blog and everyone loves you. No pictures...no readers.

So Maren decided we needed to get some new pictures of her, since she's right about 24 weeks. In fact, she's due 4 months from yesterday (April 21). And because I'm auditioning for a play in Dallas and wanted a new headshot to take with me, it was the perfect opportunity.

So we went up to "Miss Nellie's Pretty Place" at Cameron Park. It was under construction. It wasn't pretty. But I made sure not to get any of that in the picture.

But doesn't Maren look pretty with the "Dead End" sign sticking out of her head? When we got home Baylor jumped all over Maren. She was happy mommy was home, but she was mad she hadn't bee in any photos. She wanted to be in a photo.

Not really...Maren had to hold her up.

As you can see...I'm not letting Maren feel alone in this process. In fact, you can see on my shirt that my water had broken...or that I washed my hands and wiped them on my shirt...

Just as a side note...this is the photo I'm using for my headshot. I should be able to get a lot of work with this one!

She's a Dienstbach!!

So because of the thunderstorm/tornado on March 30, Maren & I didn't get any pictures of the baby. But today we were back to finish the ultrasound. She's still a girl, which was a relief since several people have given Maren cute little girl outfits. Her little legs were spread pretty wide. It was quite obvious she's a girl. That's a trend that better not continue...



Some of you are wondering "what does he mean by 'she's a Dienstbach?'" Well, Dienstbach is the maiden name of Maren's mom. When we got a profile view of the baby's face today, she was jawing away. We figure Little Girl Records will be a motor mouth just like her mommy, her Oma, and her all her mommy's aunties. Of course, she'll be just like her daddy's sister, mom and aunties too. But you should hear her mommy and Oma talk on the phone...it's like two auctioneers...

Ei Was Dann!

So, it's the end of the first week of April. We ran the AC all week until Thursday. Today, it snowed. All day.

At the end of a hard day of shoveling snow, Maren and I relaxed with our new kids.



We expect those kids to be gone by the end of next week. But for now, we love them. Tomorrow, we'll love them on a salad.

HELP!!

WE NEED MONEY!!

Just kidding. (Well, actually, we wouldn't turn any down.) We want your vote for our consideration for baby names. Voting will close at midnight on the day the baby is born. Please vote for your favorite name, and perhaps add your own suggestion.

Gretchen Jennifer Records
Donna Ulrike Records
Maggie Mia Records
Sadie Baylor Records
Lilly Pig Records
Annika Kirsten Records
Anna Nicole Records
Beatrice Inge Records
Martha Jesse Records
Renate Beth Records
Dorothy Kathy Records

These are the only names we're considering.