Mellie Dee ♥

2022 September | Mum’s Retirement, Game Night, Last Chemo, Spaying Artemis, Stargazing & A Whole Lot of Ethan

September 30, 2022 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

20220901 | Houston Restaurant Week | Mum | Astor Farm to Table | Katy, Texas

September 1, 2022

Due to such a busy month, I wasn’t able to take Mum on our usual mother daughter Houston Restaurant Week until this day. It was also to celebrate that she had retired! I chose Astor Farm to Table and it EXCEEDED my expectations. We use to love Peri Peri until it closed down near us and since then I’ve been trying to find a South African delight near us since. This is the winner.

From their bone marrow to their oxtail to their dessert. I don’t know what they put in it but I wanted it all again. Mum even asked for the hazelnut cake for her birthday because she loved it so much. She also loved the drink so much she was spewing random things which we had a great laugh about. I made a montage of some of those random things with video/pictures for our family to watch.

20220902 | Houston Restaurant Week | Alice Blue | Houston, Texas | Paola & Mellie Dee

September 2, 2022

I finally got to see Paola! We went to Alice Blue for Houston Restaurant Week lunch. The food was great. I loved how simple the mushroom dish was yet flavourful and filling.

It was nice to catch up with her and listen to her stories and I treasure the advice she gives me when I tell her my woes. She showed me around the area, letting me know which shops are some of her favourites which worked out as I needed a gift for Luke’s birthday.

20220902 | Mum's Retirement Party | Acadian Coast | Houston, Texas | Frankenstein & Mellie Dee

Later that night was retirement dinner at Acadian Coast for Mum. Frankenstein trekked his way over as well. Funny enough, the parents were going to go on a plane to Disneyworld to meet up with Brudda, SIL, Emmy and Ethan for a week of fun so they didn’t want to eat anything too crazy that could give them a stomachache. I on the other hand welcomed everything, especially the raw oysters. YUM!

There were many times Mum would tell me to stop grabbing things off his plate because he needs to eat. I translated that to him and he remarked that he didn’t mind. Also, hello, Mum, he’s welcome to grab off my plate as well!

20220903 | Luke's Birthday | Mellie Dee & Michelle

September 3, 2022

Luke’s birthday party finally arrived which also meant finally getting to see Michelle!! I loved watching how the kids interact with him. They were super caring and kept trying to feed Luke cake as he tried to flip it over.

20220903 | Game Night at Sissy & BIL | El Tiempo | Frankenstein & Mellie Dee

Later in the day I went over to Sissy & BIL’s for game night with Frankenstein. We played my favourite, Bananagrams, and though the name always escapes me, one my favourite games that BIL has. along with Tetris at the end. Frankenstein isn’t a fan of board games but he stayed through it all. I could see him getting tired toward the end. We did stop in between for El Tiempo but that probably just made him more sleepy.

20220904 | Stone Age | Belated 1:1 Birthday Dinner with June

September 4, 2022

I take June, every year, somewhere new for her birthday and although late, we landed on Stone Age. We had fun cooking on a hot rock and laughed a lot on our fails. This meal serves two but we felt it was too much food. I do like the place though and hoping we can come back again in the future.

September 5, 2022

I hung out with Mallory and she was nice enough to take me and the kids to Twistee’s for ice cream. I had been craving a dipped cone since forever. If you’re reading this, Mallory, when will you take us again?

September 7, 2022

Last day of chemo. It gets harder at the end as your body gets weaker. In the beginning she would be able to have conversations but it quickly changed to her sleeping through most of it.

September 8, 2022

Artemis finally got spayed. These are the pictures Frankenstein sent me. She was so chill in the crate even though it was her first time out of the house since her capture. haha And after with her wearing her fancy neck pillow.

20220911 | Sissy Day | Manicure, Coffee, Macarons

September 11, 2022

Here is a small glimpse of my embroidery project. I had to finish it by October for someone’s wedding so I took it to places where I was able to work on it, i.e., the nail salon. Sissy didn’t want me to but I had to get it done! The ladies that worked there all loved it and came over to look. After our pedicures we went to Sweet intensity next door for some treats, macarons and iced coffees, since we didn’t do lunch.

September 12 & 13, 2022

We had a two day workshop since many folks from out of town came in for the conferences and kickoff of a new thing. I was surprised with all the fidget toys the provided. Bet your ass they came home with me to fidget with while I was in meetings.

20220914 | Team Away Day | Escape Game | Masraff's | Houston, Texas

September 14, 2022

Our team did a half day away where we worked in the morning and went to The Escape Game’s Gold Rush experience. We escaped!! Then it was dinner at Masraff’s. This has quickly become one of my top restaurants work has taken us.

September 19, 2022

We had WEN mentoring session at La Madeline’s. It’s a different set up than my usual mentorship meetings but felt like this could be a good group. More than half did not show up though so I’m not sure.

20220924 | Mellie Dee & Ethan | Katherine & Karen's School Sale

September 24, 2022

Rose’s daughter’s, Karen and Katherine, had a school event where they have their own businesses and people go around and actually shop. I took Ethan and he had fun eating and drinking everything. I bought him some things and he picked some things out for Emmy as well.

20220924 | Stargazing with Frankenstein | Mellie Dee

Later that night Frankenstein picked me up. We stopped by Buccee’s, picking up dinner and headed to a remote location for star gazing. He set up his telescope and then we had dinner by car brake light. hehe You can’t tell what we were eating but there was a sausage, sandwiches and chips. We didn’t get to do much star gazing as the clouds decided not to cooperate. After a while, we packed up and went home.

20220930 | Elyson Cafe | Playdate | Mellie Dee, Ethan, Mallory, Jacob, Beth, Caden

September 30, 2022

Last playdate with JJ & Connor before he left back to Dallas and it had been a while since I’ve seen Mallory & Beth. There was another Mum with her kid there as well. This was also the first time I met Caden! He was itty bitty and kept mean mugging me whenever he woke up from his beauty sleep. We had lunch afterward before we all went our separate ways.

Adventures with Ethan are always a whirlwind of fun. He loves to learn and help. Two top favourite memories from these pictures:

He was afraid of the giant skeleton and warewolf on our walk. He didn’t want to walk on that side of the street but I made him. After staring at it and watching me take pictures of Rizzo with them, he turned around and said “Goojei, no scare, picture.” It was the cutest and we snapped a lot of pictures and he asked to go back a few times afterwards.
He wanted to help me cook so he dragged his little stand chair over, helped me wash and clean the mushrooms and dropped them into the pan. He was so excited afterward and anyone that came to the kitchen after, he would tell them that he helped me cook it and they should eat it.

2022 August | Doctors, June’s Birthday, Conferences, Competitions, and Mentorships

August 31, 2022 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

August 3, 2022

Finished up one of my embroidery kits with this being the last one. I had the most fun doing this mostly due to the wheels and the surrey stiches.

20220810 | June Chemo | Minuti Coffee & Los Balitos

August 10, 2022

June’s chemo has been mostly us trying to decide what pick up to eat or drink to bring there. Los balitos burritos and coffee.

20220812 | Houston Restaurant Week | Frankenstein | Avenida Brazil Churrascaria Steakhouse

August 12, 2022

Frankenstein and I went to our first Houston Restaurant Week together. Avienda Brazillian Steakhouse hit the spot for all the pichana I wanted.

August 13, 2022

Lobster was on sale so Mum got us all our own. I went all out and did a seafood boil type meal with sauce from Yummy. Ughhh so good.

20220819 | Annual Check Up & Mia's Table

August 19, 2022

Did my annual check up and found out I in fact do not mind oatmeal but that it was made to be nasty growing up in the sense that my folks never put in flavoring or fruits to help mask the cardboard. When they went to do my EKG, the pads kept falling off. I think they gave up and the lady told me it was most likely due to my great moisturizing skills.

I stopped by Mia’s Table for a quick lunch before having to go to my dermatologist for my flare ups.

August 24, 2022

Another round of chemo, another road of Los Balitos burritos. I usually don’t have anything going on during this time so it was nice that I was able to attend an interactive meeting.

20220825 | Frankenstein | Gen Korean BBQ | League City

August 25, 2022

Went to GEN Korean BBQ with Frankenstein. Over ordered per usual and stuffed our faces. Over a year and a half, we still have some great conversations. And he still listens to my work woes where I “feel” the whole world is ending. Lady at work has been a bully and unbearable to where I contemplated on quitting.

20220826 | Chicken Orzo Dinner a la Frankenstein | Smoothie King

August 26, 2022

I worked out of Frankenstein’s house which I’ve never done before. He woke up super early which is surprising to me as he usually wakes up at night. He left for a bit and showed up with Smoothie King. After he dropped mine off, he left to his garage to work on some things as I continued working with a group on a competition project.

I forgot to pack underwear, gross, I know. And he made the trip to Target with me during rush hour! I then proceeded to get him to drive me to Joann’s to purchase embroidery things for an upcoming project then HEB for dinner ingredients.

First meal he’s ever made me! I thought we were going to cook together like usual but he told me to watch telly and relax. Orzo pasta with lemon chicken and a side of veggies because that’s all I ever want. So damn good that I tried mimicking his at home the week after.

August 27, 2022

For June’s birthday, we had our usual meal and cake. We opted for this pancake ice cream cake because she would always go with Mum every weekend for either IHOP or Denny’s. It’s been a while due to everything going on though. It got a lot of laughs when we revealed it.

20220828 | Hatchet House Texas | Frankenstein & Mellie Dee

August 28, 2022

Work has discounts for some activities and they were having a lottery for Hatchet House Texas for “couples”. Axe, star, and knife throwing which Frankenstein was totally down to lose sleep on. We had pizza and beer as part of our meals. I realized I was better at start throwing.

20220829 | IMAGE Conference, Starbucks, Studio X

August 29, 2022

I was able to attend the IMAGE conference even though it was only for one day due to my busy week. It was nice to get out of the normal routine and attend something. Wychico was also there at the same time so we stuck with one another and got Starbucks for lunch as all the other places was filled up. We bumped into one of our leadership team members who got us an invite to Studio X happy hour at True Anomaly. I talked to new folks and networked while munching on tacos and drinking beers. It was nice to see what others were doing in other companies.

20220830 | FEL Competition at Greentown Labs

August 30. 2022

My group and I met up an hour or so earlier to practice our presentation for the first time before heading to Greentown Labs for the FEL Competition. Although we did not win, it was a great experience. I got out of my shell and did something I never would have done, meeting amazing peers who I probably won’t ever see again. I also got a lot of IMs/texts afterwards on a job well done with my presentation skills. If you know me, you’ll know I’m the worst at it so it was nice to hear.

August 31, 2022

I joined WEN to get some mentoring from people outside of work that is in the same field as me. The kickoff dinner was at Maggiano’s where I met some of the folks that would be in my group. We were all mistaken that we would be served dinner but I guess getting some snacks and wine was worth it. The two ladies I met seem to be cool so I have high expectations now.

2022 July | Dig World, Frankenstein Meets the Family, Reunions, Astros, Planes, More Chemo & Embroidery

July 31, 2022 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

20220701 | Postino's Lunch | Katy, Texas | Anna & Aria

July 1, 2022

Went to Postino’s with Anna and her daughter Ari. We ordered practically everything on the menu and had so much fun talking about everything and nothing at all. I loved the food and know what I want next time I go. They accompanied me to Trader’s Joe because I wanted to buy some soup dumplings. I found out I’m one of Ari’s favourite people which is nice to know since she is a teen and they tend to not like anyone.

20220701 | Bucees & The Oaks for Dinner | Mum, Emmy, Ethan

I promised Emmy and Ethan I’d take them out so Mum joined and we went to Buccees to walk around and then ate dinner at The Oaks. The kids loved it and ran around everywhere afterward.

20220701 | Emmy, Ethan, Mellie Dee | Clay Painting & Light Up Balloons

I blew up light up balloons and they painted magnets. Sadly Emmy accidentally broke Ethan’s a few days later. Good thing he’s still young and does not even remember he made this or that it’s missing.

20220702 | Dig World | Katy, Texas | Emmy, Ethan, Mum, Mellie Dee, Michelle

July 2, 2022

Michelle and I made plans to take the kids to Dig World. SO SO COOL! I made Mum go with me since I couldn’t do both kids knowing how the rides were. Michelle brought along her parents as well.

Michelle and I didn’t get to spend as much time as we wanted but it was nice to see her and the kids outside of the house.

Overall it was a super fun experience but super hot one. We went and got Bonchon afterwards and the kids were SO thirsty and SO hungry that they ate the mostest. Then they passed out in the car when we were driving back home, stopping for some fireworks.

20220702 | Science Projects | Emmy & Ethan

I thought the kids would be tired when they got home. LIES. Once they were woken up from their car ride, they were running around like crazies.

I opened a science kit and we did some experiments. They loved it so much that they kept asking to do more and always point to the box when I open the “special” closet.

20220703 | Frankenstein Meets Parents, Emmy & Ethan | Hot Pot, Fourth of July Fireworks, HMart & Yan Tea | Sissy & BIL

July 3, 2022

The day started out with me tearing up as I did Emmy’s hair because I realized I probably won’t ever have my own kids. I’ve accepted it but it’s moments like these that makes me sad but blessed to have moments like these.

I then dropped Mum off at H-Mart while I took the kids next door to get smoothies, popcorn chicken and play games while we waited. They were complimented so many times on how well behaved they were.

Sissy & BIL came over to celebrate Fourth of July early. We played a new game where you use water to stick some foam stuff together to make things. This is also when Frankenstein met my family and this man went above and beyond, showing up with beers, flowers, Fourth of July cookies and chocolate covered pretzels.

We had hot pot for dinner, played games like Mister Murder (Emmy loved finding the murderer — eek) and did some fireworks. I loved seeing how he interacts with the kids. This was also the first time Rizzo did NOT bark at someone. Must be a sign … maybe? hahaha … maybe not. Overall, I think it went well.

July 5, 2022

Towards the end of the work day they came upstairs and requested I sing and play guitar. After work we did bubbles, walked the dog, and did some arts and crafts. She loved the string heart and kept telling her Dad she wanted it in her room during their Facetime call.

20220707 | Ethan & Emmy | Day with Goojei

July 7, 2022

Dad was fine beginning of the day so I had to take care of them while I worked. I was excited I got to make them breakfast with Emmy’s help as Ethan slept. Emmy kept reminding Ethan that she helped make his food. I found activities to keep them busy while I was in calls and mostly kept quiet until I hung up the phone.

20220707 | Emmy & Mellie Dee | Longhorn Steakhouse, House of Pies | Katy, Texas

I took Emmy on a Auntie & Niece date since she was leaving that weekend. We stopped by Mallory’s and Beth’s houses to drop off gifts and headed to Longhorn Steakhouse (blood donation the next day) since someone was generous enough to give me a gift card there.

As we waited she sat and did her kids meal games and it’s so crazy how fast kids learn. She kept playing with it until the food came. And while we are we had conversations about random things.

She wanted to sit next to me when we were done eating and asked to take pictures with me. My heart.

we stopped at House of Pies to pick some up for Brudda and SIL since Brudda wanted some last time but didn’t get to.

20220708 | Inflatable Katy & Cocohodo | Katy, Texas | Emmy & Ethan

July 8, 2022

I went and donated some platelets and whatnot and got some cool gifts. They ran out of the 5 gallon mug so gave me a 1 gallon for now even though I already have one.

When I got back I took the kids to play at Inflatable Katy. No one was around so we literally had the whole place to ourselves. No compliants!

I loved watching how they help one another out especially Emmy with Ethan wanting to go with her but was scared at first.

I took them to Cocohodo for ice cream a d chocolate crepes while I had an iced coffee. Emmy asked why she had to share her food with little brother and that I should buy more. Girl thinks I’m rich!

20220709 | Jacob & Pat | Hong Kong Cafe | Crawfish Cafe | Brudda, SIL, Emmy | Houston, Texas | Mellie Dee

July 9, 2022

Jakob and his friend, Pat, were in town and for the first time in 10 years our schedule finally meshed when he was in Houston!

We had lunch at Hong Kong Cafe. Our nerdy selves talked about database and scripting. Sorry, Pat! It was nice to see him and meet Pat. Jakob has definitely changed a lot in 10 years, positively of course!

I went back home for a nap and then did some concrete step making with Emmy before we got ready for dinner at Crawfish Cafe. Brudda, SIL, and Sammi wanted some. I invited Frankenstein to join since we hadn’t had crawfish together not met Brudda and SIL.

I’m sure he was shocked they paid for our meal so we went and got boba and he paid for everyone. And he even got me gummy bear earrings! They’re currently my favourite pair.

July 12, 2022

I just wanted to share a bath bomb I did with the kids because it’s so funny!

20220713 | Gypsy Poet Pizza | Houston, Texas | Jane, Gerald, Nancy, Terence, Bobo, Gerard and Wife

July 13, 2022

Met up with some old college friends from FSA at The Gypsy Poet for some pizza. It was pretty good. And I was surprised we stayed so long! It was nice catching up with all of them.

20220715 | Mia's Table | Blood Donation | Mellie Dee & Ethan

July 15, 2022

Mum, Dad, Ethan and I went to Mia’s Table for lunch. He was leaving soon so we did a last hurrah with free ice cream!

Then I went and donated blood and got free top that is now my go to all the time because of how thin it is.

20220717 | Ethan & Rizzo Adventures | Science

July 17, 2022

Time with Ethan is so easy. He does need a lot of attention but he is always so easily entetained and happy.

20220720 | Chuck E. Cheese | Ethan, Mellie Dee, JJ, Jacob, Mallory

July 20, 2022

He got to go to Chuck E Cheese to see JJ and Jacob while Mallory and I shared some drinks. I find it funny that he thinks Jacob is JJ.

20220721 | Astros v Yankee | Work Team Building | Frankenstein & Mellie Dee | Pitch 25 | Sissy & BIL

July 21, 2022

The team I was assisting at work had a team away day at an Astros game. Frankenstein decided to get his own ticket that day since he was off so he came and walked with me from Sissy’s house. His seat was on the other side of where I was though.

I opted for the nachos and a beer using work money and it was nice meeting so many new people!

Frankenstein and I met back up a d walked back to Sissy’s where we hung out with BIL until she got off work. We went to Pitch 25 for some munchies and watched the second Astros game before we all parted ways.

20220722 | Mellie Dee | Shine on Heights Salon | Rizzo | Hong Kong Package

July 22, 2022

A new haircut and dye job. The hair was still super long but so far, I’m liking this lady!

I got a package from across the pond. Hong Kong Milk Tea. We couldn’t find any here and it’s my favourite instant drink! So excited. I still have SO much.

20220723 | The Artsy Soul & OG Tea | Ethan, Sissy

July 23, 2022

Sissy and I took Ethan ceramic painting. Ethan did a truck, Sissy did a cactus, and I did a few paw prints: one for Rocky, Rizzo and Artemis. We stopped by a teahouse for boba and smoothies.

20220725 | Karen | College Talk | Homebrew | Katy, Texas

July 25, 2022

Rose’s daughter wanted some college advice so I took her to Homebrew where we drank smoothies, ate pistachio muffins and talked about boys … I mean college.

20220726 | Work | Mango Festival | Baby Shower

July 26, 2022

Work had Mangofest. Free mango things and little shops set up where you can buy things from earrings to salsa. The team I was assisting had a baby shower so we did that as well. I didn’t feel I worked at all that day.

July 28, 2022

I took Ethan for his last play time with the boys before he left. Jacob loves stopping him from going and JJ loved picking him up. The one wjere Ethan is holding something in front of him makes me laugh because he had a mouth full of food almost coming out as he looked at himself in the tiny mirror.

July 29, 2022

And just like that, a drive to Bucees for a drop off and he’s back home. Ugh, he’s such a sweet boy.

20220730 | Frankenstein | 1940s Air Terminal Museum | Houston, Texas | Mellie Dee

July 30, 2022

Frankenstein and I had a airplane day. We first made a stop at 1940 Air Terminal Museum which is right next to Hobby Airport. it was cool to see some planes up close and what they wore or had on the plane in the past. So much history for how the airport came to be to now a museum since they needed a bigger location, Hobby.

20220730 | Frankenstein | Lone Star Flight Museum & Kemah Thai | Houston, Texas

The Lone Star Flight Museum was our next stop. This was actually SUPER cool to see SO many planes used during war and what not. They also had some interactive things to do.

We stopped for Thai food afterwards before heading home. Look at them deformed heart rices. Haha

July 31, 2022

Another chemo session accompanied by breakfast. I’m becoming a pro at working from the hospital.

20220728 | Embroidery | Class of Shirts for Emmy, Ethan, JJ, Jacob

Some crafts for the month includes a whole lotta embroidery things and t-shirt making for Emmy, Ethan, Jacob and JJ. I messed up the sizes so had two extra ones. Hopefully Mallory found people to give those too.

20220730 | Ethan | Puzzle | We Bare Bears Summer Bears | July 4th | Costco | Puzzle Tracker

Puzzles galore. I even made an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my puzzles. Ethan loves to help so he did his own. Maybe he’ll grow to be the puzzle lover and take all my puzzles one day.

2022 June | Astros, Beth’s Baby Shower, Vow Renewal, Chuck E. Cheese & Chemo

June 30, 2022 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

20220602 | Ethan | Dad's Early Birthday Celebration

Ethan left in the beginning of the month.

Our family had scheduled Dad’s birthday celebration by doing a family trip in San Saba for the weekend. Where is that? No clue. We literally looked all around to find a place that worked for us. Personal pool was a must!

June and I did not end up going so we celebrated Dad’s birthday a day early before they all left for the trip. Ethan helped me decorate. Ugh, such a cutie pie.

June and I didn’t go because she had just gotten her port put in and her first round of chemo. She didn’t ask anyone to stay back, or tell us to cancel the trip and knowing her, she’d hate if we did so I opted to stay back.

I took off work for her port insertion day and her first round of chemo. During her port insertion day, there was a gift shop selling jewelry and other things so I walked around during her surgery and bought some earrings, a romper and a tweezer.

The location where she was getting all this done was at the hospital she worked at during COVID. She had told one of her old coworkers to maker her treatment since she trusted him.

And during her first round of chemo, I just talked to her as much as I could. We even brought Krispy Kreme donuts to her secondary pharmacy where she worked during COVID. She got to choose who made her treatment and it was nice seeing people pop in and out to say hi to her. We were even able to video chat with the kids since Dad was up there with them so time passed by fairly quickly.

She had two additional rounds of chemo this month. Prior to showing up for her labs before chemo, we would sometimes grab food and drinks. Thankful for my manager for understanding and letting me work from the hospital.

It was pretty easy in the beginning but started to get a little rough the next couple.

20220607 | Frankenstein, Mellie Dee | Astros v Mariners | Shake Shake

June 6, 2022

Frankenstein got free tickets from one of his coworkers. Dang good seats too. He brought his camera and we stuffed our faces with Shake Shack. The pics are taken from him. Such detail. He had a good one with their arm all funky.

20220610 | Blood Donation | Mallory & Mellie Dee | Tiff Treat from Monica's Baby Shower

June 10, 2022

Blood donations with Mallory. We got free towels. I also came home with cookies for winning a baby shower game through online.

20220611 | Beth's Baby Sprinkle Shower | Mallory & Mellie Dee

June 11, 2022

Mallory and I threw Beth an ice cream baby shower. We had games and a whole lot of diabetes (cookies and ice cream). I made the poofs look like mini ice cream sundaes with a shower gel on the side as party favours. I’m so late at posting that Caden is already born.

20220611 | New Bed Frame | Rizzo & Mellie Dee

That night I went home and built my bed frame. Loving it so far! So does Rizzo. He wouldn’t leave. I guess he likes this more than sleeping on the floor.

June 16, 2022

They needed an extra for Bunco at Mallory & Beth’s neighborhood. I won $20! I do love this neighborhood. They have so many things going on. Sadly at the moment, it’s too far away (and getting too expensive to move there).

20220620 | Frankenstein | Memorial City Mall & Mikoto Sushi

June 20, 2022

Frankenstein was on my side of town for his internship class so he decided to make time for me by literally waiting over an hour at Memorial City Mall while I finished up working, got ready, and drove over there.

We walked around a bit and I bought puzzles because SALE!

Then headed to Mikoto for dinner. All you can eat. We laughed so hard at his two little flavoured sashimi compared to the regular sashimi. Can you find it?

20220624 | Artemis, Mellie Dee, Frankenstein | Top Gun Maverick | Star Movie Grill | League City, Texas | Dave & Busters

June 24, 2022

Since Frankenstein’s Aunt and Uncle had a surprise vow renewal this weekend, I went over a night early to have a little date night. He was stuck at work when I got there so I walked around Bravo, a party store nearby, and then headed to his place.

This is the first time Artemis was so loving (because Frankenstein wasn’t around!). She even laid next to me in bed while I realxed.

Once he got home, we went and watched Top Gun Maverick at Star Cinema Grill. We ordered ALL the foods and a giant pitcher of sangria. It was our first theater movie and he even got the whole experience where I cried pretty much non-stop through the movie. So much feels. I’ve watched it a second time since and it’s still just as great.

We played some games at Dave & Buster’s nearby and had the funniest experience taking pictures because it was SO horribly executed. When we were walking back to the car, I accidentally dropped it and his response was “just leave it” because they were so bad. But I loved it because the memory is too hilarious not to.

20220625 | DoorDash The Flame Tacos | League City, Texas | Frankenstein & Mellie Dee | Pam & Steve Vow Renewal | Galveston, Texas | Poretto Beach & Tremont Hotel

June 25, 2022

We ordered The Flame Tacos for breakfast/lunch and later got ready for the vow renewal at Poretto Beach. We met others at the Tremont Hotel for the bus ride to the beach and my goodness … it was SO gorgeous. We spent a lot of our time afterward at their rooftop after having some finger foods at the reception hall.

20220630 | Emmy & Ethan's First Chuck E. Cheese | Mellie Dee

June 30, 2022

I took Emmy & Ethan to their first Chuck E. Cheese experience. Ethan was scared of the mouse but overall they loved it and asked if they could go back again. They also ate more pizza than I thought they would! Not having kids, and maybe never having kids but having this experience made it feel like I did for a split second. Great memories I’ll remember forever.

20220630 | Emmy, Ethan, June | Crystal Making

We had many adventures together like making crystals, eating ice creams, bath bomb surprises, and more. These two are so fun and I always wish they would move closer.

20220630 | Puzzle | Manhattan Skyline, We Bare Bears Vacation Car, Majestic Cafe, Friends The Experience, Haul

Some puzzles I finished this month. Manhattan Skyline, We Bare Bears Vacation Car, Majestic Cafe, Friends The Experience, Pickler’s Haul. I might have made some of these names up but the Majestic Cafe is the most pieces I’ve done … 2000 in two days isn’t too bad.

2022 May | My Birthday, Rizzo’s Surgery & Breast Cancer

May 31, 2022 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

20220530 | Puzzles | Lego Ice Cream, Batman, Superman, Star Wars, Beach, Friends, Oil & Gas | Emmy & Ethan

I finished 7 puzzles this month! SEVEN. Well more like six and a half but it’s more Frankenstein’s fault since it was his puzzle his work folks started and couldn’t finish. My first 2000 piece puzzle couldn’t be finished because of it.

The kids loved seeing how fast I could finish the puzzles. I even got them into it by buying them their own. They continually redo them and haven’t got sick of them yet.

20220501 | Ethan, Rizzo | Monica & Osvaldo's Baby Shower | Mellie Dee

May 1, 2022

Ethan follows me around as much as he can. It’s like having another Rizzo around. I don’t mind it though … when he’s not loud when I’m in a meeting.

Monica invited me to her family and friend baby shower. I haven’t had homecooked Mexican food in so long. I savored it for sure! Osvaldo showed up late when it came to opening presents. It’s weird how you know someone for so long but after not being together for a long time, it feels a little foreign. It was nice to see their family and catch up though.

Ethan and I went on a walk with Rizzo afterward. That boy overheats SO fast. After 10 minutes he was already red in the face. He didn’t want to go home though.

20220505 | Ethan, JJ, Jacob, Mallory, Mellie Dee, Rizzo | Park, Elyson Cafe

May 5, 2022

After work I took Ethan to play with JJ and Jacob at their neighborhood park. We ordered food from Elyson Cafe and just watched them do their thing. They are all so grown up and can do so much by themselves. It’s crazy how five years ago, Mallory and I were hanging out alone, with no babies around.

Brudda came and brought a soccer ball and easy to travel goal posts. Rizzo was chilling next to the soccer ball and with the name, found it cute.

20220506 - 20220507 | Ethan & Rizzo | Sushihana, Early Mother's Day Crawfish, Mother's Day with Gma

May 6, 2022

Brudda, Dad, Ethan and I went to Sushihana for lunch. Mum came during her lunch hour. Later that night Sissy and BIL came over and we had an early Mother’s Day celebration by ordering food from Yummy. There was SO much leftover especially since I hadn’t been feeling well and was afraid my stomach would be even more upset if I ate the spicyness.

May 7, 2022

We went to Gordon & Patsy’s for our usually Mother’s Day dinner with Gma. It was nice to all be together again.

20220511 | Churrascos and Wine | Work Event on Campus

May 11, 2022

Work had a get together event and for the first time in my life, I was served ALCOHOL on campus! And I’ve worked on this campus since 2008! They catered from Churrascos so I could have gotten beer or even liquor! So crazy how things have changed.

20220511 | Birthday Dinner | Mallory, Beth, Mellie Dee | Santiago's | Katy, Texas

Later that night I met up with Mallory and Beth at Santiago’s for my early birthday dinner. We, okay I, I went a little crazy and ordered way more than needed. But everyone knows that by now. The pichana is a clear winner and I cannot wait to come back here!

Also wanted to add that when they arrived, they were trying to convince me to have my bachelorette party in Las Vegas … because they want to go. First off, not engaged and won’t be any time soon, and second, not a super big fan of Las Vegas. Let’s just go as a girl’s trip instead?

Per usual, thankful for these two ladies that always finds time to shower me with love.

20220513 | Birthday Song | Ethan & Emmy | Ikea with June, Elements Massage, Jollibee

May 13, 2022

Day off, I had a video from Dad. A recording of Ethan and Emmy singing happy birthday to me. I wonder how long they’ll continue using the fake cake you see in the picture. Emmy’s been using it since day one. And Dad added a candle so that they can blow after singing. They “fought” to blow it for sure.

June had a biopsy done the day before to check for breast cancer when she felt a lump. She wanted to celebrate my birthday and make me feel special so she went with me to Ikea even though she wasn’t feeling well. A week or so later, her results came back positive and reality hits hard.

We walked around and bought nothing. I noted some dressers that peaked my interest but with the lack of supplies, I’ll wait to make a decision. We bought ice creams and soft serves along with a chocolate cake to serve as my birthday cake.

I dropped her off and headed off to my massage at Elements Massage. Frankenstein’s present to me for Valentine’s Day. I sadly didn’t get my hot stones but they left credit of $5 for me next time. Sigh … someone get me a gift card here so I can use it up.

I walked around and went to different places for my birthday discounts like Kendra Scott and Nothing Bundt Cake. I came home to a fully decorated table with the Jollibee I ordered June and I for lunch. Pictures of table below. She went all out.

20220513 | Birthday Dinner | Ambrosia | Houston, Texas | Mum, June, Sissy, BIL

Mum, June and I met up with Sissy and BIL at Ambrosia for my birthday dinner. It was very different but it was delicious. Their décor was super cute on the patio with twinkly lights and all. We took pictures and realized that Sissy and I looked like twinsies. Per BIL, true sisters dress alike .. gross. haha

20220513 | Rizzo, Birthday Flowers from Frankenstein, June's Decorations, Gifts from Everyone

We went our separate ways. Mum and June sang happy birthday to me as I opened presents and ate the cake we got from Ikea. Literally look at the table. She printed out pictures, made paper flowers, blew up balloons and all.

Presents poured from all over the place this year and I feel so so so loved. My biggest surprise was Frankenstein’s flowers he had delivered. I never cared for flowers but I realized it’s who gives them to you. These weren’t pity flowers or flowers “stolen” from someone else’s bouquet. They were bought for me and only me.

Don’t be fooled by the other flowers with Rizzo. Sissy got those for boss’s week and gave me one. Mum loved them and took the vase along with it. haha

20220514 | Crawfish & Feng Cha | Gordon & Patsy | Mum, June, Sissy

May 14, 2022

Mum, June, Sissy and I had crawfish at Gordon and Patsy’s. You would think they made it for me for my birthday but in reality, since Mum has been a bit depressed, he wanted to treat her some food and get her out of the house. Sissy ordered us Feng Cha since she was craving boba. Mine did not taste good at all.

20220515 | Birthday | Frankenstein | Perry's Steakhouse | Lunar Eclipse | Artemis

May 15, 2022

I drove to Frankenstein for my date night/birthday surprise. When I got to his place, I changed, got ready, and we headed to the mall. I’ve been wanting to go to a mall with him but sadly, since it was a Sunday, everything closed early. We were both clueless since we aren’t big in person shoppers. He got excited when he remembered I wanted to go to a Container Store but, yep, closed.

We hung out on the field a bit, people watched and talked about random things. Then he told me go guess which restaurant I think it was. I got it wrong, but he had made reservations at Perry’s. I was able to go all out and we ordered drinks, martini flight for me! I liked his drink more though but I don’t remember what it is. He got the pork chop and I opted for the expensive steak. We got a side of Brussel sprouts and loaded mashed potatoes. We had quite a lot leftover.

We are horrible selfie takers as you can see above. We sat on the field again and watched the night sky, then made our way back to his place where he pulled out his telescope and camera. We walked down near the golf course and watched the lunar eclipse. He took a lot of pictures and I laid down on the blanket and read through an article where we could assess one another. I think that article brought us closer together and I was able to speak easily without fear of him getting angry. Sigh, so nice.

That’s one of his moon pictures from the lunar eclipse. This picture doesn’t do it justice since I kind of pixelated it.

The next morning I sat on the porch and relaxed as he continued to sleep. Artemis hung out with me as well. Look at those YELLOWS!

20220517 | Lunch with Chelsea | Cajuu | Katy, Texas

May 17, 2022

Chelsea and I finally got to grab lunch together at Cajuu. We’ve been wanting crawfish and the flavour here is perfect, the price, not so much. We’re both alike and showed up with presents for each other’s birthdays that passed. And being able to catch up with her is always a treat. We complain about things but we are so thankful for everything we have.

20220519 - 20220520 | Rizzo Surgery | Gulf Coast Vet | Houston, Texas | Mellie Dee

May 19, 2022

Rizzo has been fighting a bump and sneezes and breathing issues since the end of November and they finally said he needed surgery. The fear I was going to lose him was HUGE. We spent a few minutes alone in the car together. I cried a lot and although Frankenstein was far away, he did something that made my heart so full so that I could focus on something else when I was in the waiting room for him to go in.

Rizzo had to stay the night but was told all was well. He had a bacterial cyst, unsure how and why, but it ate through his bone and impacted three of his teeth. Luckily they were able to make the incision in the mouth rather than on his face. He still looked rough when I picked him up the next day but he healed up well. He kept trying to nibble on his IV arm so I sewed him a collar pillow. He actually loves it and doesn’t mind me putting it on him.

20220530 | Emmy, Ethan, June, Swimming, Target, Fun

May 21, 2022

Emmy and Ethan are here again! We went to Target for some fun, played in water with LOTS of water balloons, made toilet paper tube animals and more.

20220526 | Splash Pad | JJ, Jacob, Mallory, Emmy, Ethan, Mellie Dee

May 26, 2022

I took them to the Splash Pad in Mallory’s neighborhood after work one day. They played with JJ and Jacob first at the Splash Pad before moving to the playground. Its so nice that they have a friend the same age as them Sadly they don’t live anywhere nearby else they could be best friends!

20220527 | Nursery | Mum, Ethan, Emmy | World Market

May 27, 2022

Mum, Dad, June, and I took the kids to IHop. Afterwards Mum and I took the kids to the Nursery and TJMaxx. We shopped for a bit and dropped Ethan and Mum home. Emmy and I continued our shopping adventures.

20220527 | Dim Sum Box | Katy, Texas | Emmy, Jenny, Le

When we were about to pick up food and head home, I get a phone call from Jenny and Le that they were nearby and we decided to eat lunch together at Dim Sum Box. Super expensive and the food is normal with a way smaller menu. My favourite is their special garlic shu mai.

20220528 | Rainforest Cafe | Katy, Texas | Sissy, Emmy, Ethan, Mellie Dee

May 28, 2022

Sissy came and we took the kids to Rainforest Cafe. They were both scared at first when the thunder happened and the animals went crazy. Ethan literally sat on half my lap holding my arm for dear like practically the whole entire time we were there. We walked around the mall and headed home.

20220528 | Crawfish Cafe | Houston, Texas | Jenny, Le, Emmy, Jennifer, Jimmy

Later that night, I took Emmy to Crawfish Cafe for dinner with Jenny, Le, Jennifer and Jimmy. Their fried shrimp is better than most Chinese restaurants! But the flavour I got for the crawfish was meh. I should of listened to Jennifer and gotten the one she recommended. Next time!

20220529 | Frankenstein | Cooking "Panang" Curry

May 29, 2022

Jenny and Le came and picked up Emmy to go back to Dallas. Ethan was still here though.

Frankenstein made plans to cook dinner together since we were both off for Memorial Day. We decided to make Panang Curry which might have been a mistake seeing how there’s not many Asian stores around. We went to Kroger to pick up our ingredients and it was a hit and a miss. Coconut cream/milk was EXPENSIVE there but we substituted and did our thing and I will say, although it tasted nothing like Panang Curry it was still delicious.