ALL THAT GLITTERS....

Tonight is the Contemporary Arts Museum "Another Great Night" --this coincides with the Museum of Fine Arts' "One Great Night" (the smoker exclusively for men)

John donned his tux and headed out to smoke, back slap and talk of $100 oil....I stood in my closet without a thing to wear (spare the eye rolls please) -- the theme of my evening is gold or silver. After I got off the couch, blew my hair out and found shoes that would not make me buckle in pain after an hour....I walked into the kitchen and I think I put Sinclair in shock. She stood transfixed on the shiny beads on my dress. Honestly if I could fluently read a toddlers brain I am sure it was processing "how fast can I pull those beads out and feed them to Oliver before I get in trouble?" Actually, I feel like a Vegas showgirl....which my ADD brain translates to "do not forget to call Becky Binion this week in Vegas and check on she and Nick" -- since when you give birth your brain only works in post-it note sound bites!

I had to add these .....Sinclair's new thing when I say "cheese" is to give me this toothy grin. I will get even and show these at her wedding.

A Day in our "Squirrelly Existence" at Casa Chaos

So I was sitting in the garden room earlier....reflecting on a few things and I looked across the dining room and froze! Hanging on our cream silk walls between the Chilsom and the Guerrero (furry little guy has good taste) was a HUGE SQUIRREL!!He looked as scared as I was feeling.

I am confidant this all comes down to our crazy ass cat, "Oscar Wyatt" ....I definitely smell a rat -- no pun intended. I should think Oscar should be in sales (assuming this feline spoke) -- I wonder how that loco kitty talks his prey into coming inside. Like any good politician I am sure he is promises them nuts, berries and a great life of grandeur.

I immediately got Sinclair and (her bodyguard) Marlene into a safe room -- then rallied the rest of my cavalry. CoCo went and found a net...Amaleia got some sheets and I called for backup -- River Oaks Patrol.

Officer Wilson knew right what to do, so he worked the net. Officer Hamilton cornered the little guy behind the scotch cabinet -- booze works in situations like this.


Talk about teamwork!!! C'est la vie....

Doodlebug, Doodlebug fly away home.....

This week was a sad week for John and I. It was the passing of a very grand man to our family. Attwell patriarch, philanthropist, pioneer, scholar, mentor and friend...that is what Evans Attwell was to so many. I always called him "Doodlebug" --- the man had a passion for doodling like nothing I have ever seen. I can see he and Charles Schulz up in heaven now discussing how to tweak Snoopy....make Snoopy "cooler"

"Doodlebug" sat on John's last Board of Directors and he and John were very close. In turn, I am very close to his daughter-in-law, Theresa. The FUNNIEST woman on the planet that does not have her own reality show.

I first met "Doodlebug" and his mane of floppy curls in 2001 and fell in love with him instantly! He was fair, sensible, profound, logical, witty and just so damn fun!!! We were in NYC once at a Board Meeting and had rented out the Rainbow Room for a dinner - he was my dinner partner. I was not aware of the doodling passion at the time and I thought he was just ignoring me because he was bored. The more he doodled the quieter I got....he would ask me a question that required a detailed answer and then he would start doodling. It truly drove me batty. He looked at me with that floppy top and said "just because I doodle does not mean I cannot hear you" I realized that is when he REALLY WAS paying attention.

On the flight home, we boarded the plane I discovered his love for the show, Sex and the City ....he was truly a Renaissance man. Evans Attwell belonged to a generation that measured men by their honesty and their courage. Evans Attwell's integrity will long be remembered.

Truly a storybook wedding!

D-Day is FINALLY here!!!!

Veronica and her Daddy, "CoCo" are pure royalty! When the monumental carved doors opened in the Cathedral, Veronica lit up the room and sucked the wind of out it at the same time! She reminded me of Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner combined. Absolutely breathtaking!

Sinclair leading the way.....

Here is a photo from the night of the wedding on Friday night....the first of many to come! One of my dearest friends Lisa Jane took this photo of us right after the nuptials. She is such a fabulous photographer you don't even notice my daughter and I soaked in baby puke!
I love my husband so much....he so precious!! Love that gorgeous man!!!! We make gorgeous babies too!


I was curious as to why one bride needed over a DOZEN photographers. They seemed very aggressive and not even gracious at times. I asked Veronica about this when we reached the reception and she said "Ohhhh, we only hired one photographer, the rest are paparazzi" I must have looked obviously stunned. Well, the photographers worked for Cosas, Vistazo, People Espanol and were contracted by Latin Vogue and most of the international newspapers. There was three television camera crews on hand as well! Then it dawned on me (note to self) she really WAS South American royalty!

Not only could Daniel have not chosen a more perfect bride - but her family is just as ideal. Her parents, are so stunning and gracious -- very, very warm and genuine. We are so excited that we have all come together as a joint family. Veronica's sister, Christina is moving to Houston next month and we could not be more thrilled. If it were up to us we would move them all over to Texas! I told CoCo, we hope "to marry all his girls off to tall Texans!" (He smiled so big!)

Mr John Daniel Schiller, III and Miss Maria Veronica Wong Salas were married in San JoseMaria Escriva de Balaguer in La Puntilla in Guayaquil, Ecuador at half past nine o'clock in the evening on October 26, 2007 the bilingual full Catholic mass ceremony was officiated by Father Rainiero Maninccioni. Full mass communion preceded a personal fireworks show overcasting the city in the couple's honor.

The bride was presented in marriage by her parents Mr and Mrs Otton Wong Lama donning Reem Acra couture encrusted with embedded crystals and seed pearls, accented with platinum atop a double faced heavy silk ballgown that was enhanced by a cathedral length veil. Wrapped around the bride's bouquet of orchids was an antique silk crocheted handkerchief carried by her great-Grandmother, over 84 years prior.The bride adorned a Platinum and diamond vintage tiara that was a Wong family heirloom consisting of over 45 carats of diamonds. The tiara was originally worn by her maternal grandmother over fifty years ago, was highlighted by pear shaped Graff drop earrings, a gift from her grandparents, Mr and Mrs. Otton Wong Carrera.

The groom's Father, John Daniel Schiller, Junior served as his son's best man.

After services, the standing room only mass followed the bride and groom via Police escorts to meet an additional 1200 guests at the Isabella ballroom which is the largest ballroom in all of Ecuador. The decor was designed and orchestrated by international designers Layla and Alexandra Anton of Noches de Gala. Over 100,000 orchids flown in from New Zealand were designed by Presidential florist, Cruz Veintimilla of Akdeniz. Guests were awed by a twelve foot tall wedding cake flown in from Miami. 22,000 deserts each handmade by artisans in Peru, Lebanon, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Columbia. The ballroom was encased by dual waterfalls 36 feet high.The 10 piece band, Reyes serenaded the guests from midnight to 9 AM. A full seated breakfast was served at 7 AM consisting of the traditional fresh seafood ceviche.

Guests included Ecuadorian Minister and Presidential nominee, Leon Roldos; Mr and Mrs Antoine Chouery of Paris and Miami and Mr. and Mrs Alfredo Dassum, Mr and Mrs Elio Wong, Former Texas Secretary of State Jack Rains and Mr Meredith Cullen. Guests flew from ten Countries (including USA, Ecuador, France, Lebanon, Israel, Italy, Columbia, China, Argentina and Chile)

The couple plan on honeymooning in Salinas, the Maldive Islands and Rome. Afterwards, they will make permanent residence in Houston, Texas.

T-Minus 20 Hours and Counting!!!

I took these photos at 3:15 AM CST


We snapped these before we went to bed Friday morning....John and I were still concerned the floral designers who are the official Presidential florist, Cruz Veintimilla of Akdeniz. The decor was orchestrated by international designers Layla and Alexandra Anton of Noches de Gala. This Mother-Daughter team worked truly around the clock. The crew had to build the final frames to hold the thousands of orchids could possibly not make it on time. We were chewing our nails and pacing the floors~


Alas, this was NOT their first rodeo!

The final countdown....

I wanted to show a few outtakes less than 36 hours before the reception. Veronica and Daniel's reception started at midnight on Friday night (October 26th) -- this is the largest ballroom in the country of Ecuador. The evening is preparing for 1500 guests (1800 invitations were mailed out) The workers just got through laying new carpet in the ballroom. The branches were being arranged to hold the greenery and the majority of the 100,000 orchids that were being shipped in from New Zealand the following day. I included some of the orchids they were using at the bases on the florals. Note the individually wrapped netting on each bud.

They divided the various sections of the room to feature a speciality of the country. The cigar roller was flown in from Cuba, the coffee was imported from Vienna, the chocolates from Switzerland. I truly cannot capture from the photos below how massive the transformation these designers made to this ballroom. John and I were worried they were on a time crunch and we just did not think they would pull it off in time....not only did they work through the night both nights and set up for three days straight -- it was magical!! This event would have blown away anything from Hollywood or New York standards. When the bride and groom arrived back from the church and the doors were still closed....the guests waited patiently and in unison you heard over a thousand people gasp in awe when they saw the completion. No wonder, there were over 15 paparazzi and three news crews there to cover it!

SINCLAIR LOVES HAWK - XOXOXOXOXO!

These are some out takes from today's play date that "Hawk" Cockrell and Sinclair had in our back yard. I posted a few of the moments we captured ....they all brought a smile to our faces.

"Oscar Wyatt" - our cat even got in on the play time. We also saw some rafters racing down the bayou. Mother nature was in a great mood and it showed!

Estela and I decided that we cannot wait to show these two all their photos fifteen years from now - on their first date!

Sinclair just hanging out with her God Mother, Auntie Melissa....we all spent a few hours basking in the perfect weather!!