Merry Christmas!

"Happy holidays is what the terrorists say... Merry Christmas from the Burniskes!"

(30 Rock reference anyone?)

Giving thanks for Thanksgiving!

This year we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends in Boston. With both a mixture of friends we met at the University of Texas and Jessica's classmates from Boston University, it was a lot like the first Thanksgiving. You know, the fictional one we tell children about where both Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down together to share a meal.



As part of the decoration, we had some decorative corn with name tags. Then they turned into handy dandy parting gifts at the end of the night!



With a larger kitchen than last year, we were able to put all the food on the counters and have two people in the kitchen their filling their plates -- at the same time! Along with the turkey, we had plenty of food to feed all 11 hungry mouths, including delicious stuffing, vegetables, salad, cranberry sauce and relish, and wonderful desserts.



To add a little extra Thanksgiving sparkle to the scene, we added several decorative gourds to the table. You'll notice a Cinderella Pumpkin in the center there. If you hollow it out, however, it would not make a good carriage.



One final photo of a few of our guests (and our Indian tapestry). We hope your Thanksgiving was just as wonderful as ours was -- filled with great company and delicious food!

2 Years and Counting!

It has, in fact, been two years since we were married. For the second anniversary, the gift is cotton. So here was Justin's way of saying, "I love you". Enjoy!

Autumn Getaway!

A couple weekends ago, we got a chance to go out and explore the countryside. Armed only with our sense of exploration and our iPhones, and limited only by our mileage limit (well, kind of limited, seeing as we went over that limit!), we ventured out into New England.



We left Friday afternoon and found a pumpkin patch on the lawn of a church. It should be noted that prior to wandering among the pumpkins, Jessica was shot with a gamma ray that caused her to grow in size. To give you some perspective, those pumpkins are all about the size of a beach ball.



After searching the patch, we finally settled on these two pumpkins, and yes, we did look at every single one before we picked them out.



While all the colors of the leaves are beautiful, Justin's favorite color is red...



...although everyone's favorite might be the mixture of all the colors when they're brought together.



We also saw some geese. They were about to go watch a football game so Jessica got out some pretzels to feed them.



More beautiful color.



The reflection of the leaves in the water is always a pretty sight. We captured this shot while hiking in a state park near the Massachusetts - Connecticut border.



I guess the theme of these last three photos is water. This was a long exposure shot to give that water that softer look. Ideally there would have been more sunlight, but it seemed to turn out okay.



We also saw a couple of wild turkeys running around. With only one month left until Thanksgiving, it's no wonder they were in such a rush when we stopped.



Some of the prettiest color we saw all weekend was in a cemetery we came across while driving back on Sunday. The leaves all over the ground helped make the whole scene so striking.



Here is one of the gravestone statutes set against the red leaves.



And here is another gravestone. The end!

Apple Picking

So a friend came into town a couple weeks back so we decided to go apple picking!



This is a picture of everyone (minus the photographer/driver/apple mule) walking through the apple orchard. You'll notice no one's face is pictured. That's because the person visiting works in a high security job (she works in the Obama Administration -- and she brought us honey made by presidential bees!).



Here is a picture of our bounty. It should also be noted that we probably could have filled another bag this size with all the apples we "sampled" while walking the orchard.



And here is some made from scratch apple crisp. I tell you ladies, is there nothing this man can't do?! This weekend we've rented a car to go in search of "fall." Will post photos of what we find!

How about this one?

We recently stopped at the store where all the winter veggies are proudly on display. Of course, Jessica picked one out right away. And if we hadn't had to buy an extra bus ticket just to get it home it would be displayed proudly in our living room as our brand new ottoman!

Lobster + Lollipop - Lollipops = Fun!

As you may or may not have noticed, we've been doing a lot of single photo blog posts lately. This is because we've been using our new toys...er, phones, to post photos we take. But sometimes you need a camera to capture the moment, so here are a couple of those moments!



First and most importantly, we have a new member in our family. Coming in at just over two pounds and measuring right around 14 inches from claws to tail, Lindsey was purchased at a flea market in Western Mass while we were visiting the Thibaults. While Jessica tried to bargain with the salesperson, the key to go bargaining is being able to walk away if you don't get your price, and in this case it was love at first sight, so Jessica handed over the $5 and we brought home this little lobster. If you're lucky we might even post a video of her in action!



While we were visiting, Justin's cousin Talula was celebrating her 13th birthday. For his part, Justin worked on making balloon animals. Here he is with one of his early attempts -- a snake. Unfortunately they had asked for a banana so it was back to the drawing board...



In case you were wondering, Justin did manage a couple slightly more complicated creations, like this balloon flower featured here.



This was also the weekend when we were supposed to hit by a hurricane. Good news, the clouds always have a rainbow lining (that's the phrase, right?).



A couple weeks later three friends came in for a weekend visit, which is always a good excuse to get out and see some of the sights. We also met up with some other UT friends who have since moved to Boston for educational pursuits.



George had a vision for our nation. Apparently this bird of prey was wondering what it was.



This shot was taken near Copley Square, where you have the old churches surrounded by the modern architecture.



Feel free to post your favorite "Shark at the Office" joke in the comments section.



We also managed to sneak in one last game at Fenway before the season ended, thanks to the four tickets from the Thibaults. Before the game they honored one of Jessica's favorite players, 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell, who just retired at the end of the season. Thanks Mike for all the great memories!

Coincidence? I think not...

How much you want to bet the dentist opened up two weeks after Sugary Heaven had its first customer? If NEDC was smart they'd give out gift cards to SH -- 5 dollars for every cavity filled during a visit.

"Fall of love"

Yes, it is again fall, a wonderful time of year when the rumbling of AC units is replaced by the rumbling of leaf blowers. Jessica found a leaf that represents her feelings about the season that changes the color of the leaves...

What is art?

Because if this passes for art, then that Budweiser frog commercial must be a masterpiece.

First Day of School!

Here's a shot of Jessica on her first day of school. All those bags and she only had two classes that day.

Welcoming Committee

We asked before we moved in to our new apartment if they had any trouble with mice. We were told not to worry. Then, on our first night moving in, this was just sitting there, watching us. Mocking us. Where is a lawyer when you need 'em?...oh yeah!

Grab Bag

Picked up some exciting veggies today from the farmers market - a grab bag of deliciousness! $20 got us six ears of corn, five carrots, three peaches, two beets, one head of cabbage, two bell peppers, one pound of heirloom tomatoes, and a partridge in a pear tree. Now off to create a dinner with all these veggies!

Beauty, Cute, Pretty, and Other...

A sunset...



...is beautiful. It happens every day yet every day it is new and different and unique.

A doggie...



...is cute. So friendly, non-discriminating, and always a comfort to have around.

A flower...



...is pretty. Always worth taking a minute to admire.

Justin's eye...



...is none of the above. He got poked in the eye playing basketball and popped a blood vessel. Good news, there is no long-term damage, and as long as he remembers to wear sunglasses small children won't cry.

Get your move on!

So we finally got our apartment keys five days after we thought we were going to get them. And, because we didn't find out that we were getting the keys until 2:00 p.m., we had to scramble to find a truck. The only one we did find was available from 6:00 p.m. till 11:00 a.m., so we had to get over to our 5x10x8 storage unit, which looked like this when we opened it up. We'll post another photo of it empty...

Quality..?

Went shopping at Ikea, where they have displays that show the "quality" of their products. I think whoever came up with that advertising gimmick might have had a screw loose. Literally.

Boston is a no smoking city!

Unless you're the sewer system. Needless to say it has been very wet and rainy here. Which is better than last summer when the only moisture we had was our body sweat.

Some day we may all have one!

Funny thing about this gas station. They can see a future where the world is divided into ten times as many countries as there are now.

They probably meant they have that many flags in total, but if not I wonder what my country's flag would look like?

Latest in Blog Mania

So the sun is setting on our summer in Austin...



We're on our way back to Boston, where, this year, we will attempt to post on a weekly basis!



Hey, you don't need to act that surprised, we're just talking about a blog here. We can handle one lousy post a week.



Oh, right, you were reacting to your birthday gift, not our blogging plans. A gift from Christopher, her youngest son. Happy Birthday Mom!

For the love of Frosty!

We've entered into a Frosty competition. Go here to see our video and here to see our photo, then give them both 5 star ratings. The top ranked posts get prizes! If you want to be really sneaky, you can also click on another video/photo that has a high star rating and give it one star. Here are the links:

http://apps.facebook.com/frostyproject/EntryDetail.aspx?eid=2061&v=Video&s=DateCreatedDesc

http://apps.facebook.com/frostyproject/EntryDetail.aspx?eid=2087&v=Image&s=DateCreatedDesc

Smattering of Photos

Here is a collage of photos that represent some of my work.

Happy Belated Father's Day!

Nothing new, but sometimes it is good to go back and remember...



(Note: Click on the four arrows in the corner to see the video full screen. Part of the video might get cut off otherwise)

Hello?

We're not sure if anyone still reads this (we have been huge slackers on the posts so far this year), but we just wanted to let all our friends and family know that we will be back in Austin for the summer! More details to come!