High Heels & Huntin' Boots

Procrastination...

2011-08-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

Christmas Cards

2010-11-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

So, I've been contemplating this year's Christmas cards and I'm drawing a blank on ideas. We did the whole professional family picture last year and I plan on taking my maternity pictures in January or we could potentially use those.

So, I can't decide if we should do another photo or something simple and boring...what are your thoughts. What are y'all doing this year for Christmas cards?

A Trip to Corpus Christi

2010-11-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

Last week, Marty and I flew to Corpus Christi so I could attend the annual Texas Municipal League conference. It took a full day of flying Monday with the flight delays and trouble at Houston Hobby, but we finally made it and we were beat. We changed clothes and grabbed dinner at Blackbeard's close to our hotel. I had the fresh red fish with a garlic cream sauce and Marty had surf and turf. It was so yummy!

Tuesday I had set Marty up with a little suprise fishing trip in the bay. He had never been before and I appreciated he taking the time off from work to come with me, I wanted to do something for him that I knew he would enjoy. They had a great day on the water.

Here's Marty with his biggest catch of the day.

Jeri Lynn, Marty's sister, also drove in from Houston to spend the day with us. She's such a sweetheart and we don't get to see her enough living so far away! She and I ate at this wonderful place downtown called City Diner and I had an entire platter of you peel 'n eat shrimp. It was SO good! As was her "greasy burger" and onion rings. Afterwards, she dropped me off at my resolutions committee meeting and came and picked me up when it was over. We stopped by the office of some of my dad's colleague's and then went and met Marty and his fishing partner at Pier 99 for a frozen lemonade.

We said our goodbyes to JL and got ready for dinner at Water Street. I had a platter of coconut, pecan crusted and fried shrimp. Again, YUM! I miss seafood so much living up here!

Wednesday morning, Marty and I woke up and went for a walk on the beach. I wanted to take advantage of our hotels close proximity to the water and you can't go to Corpus w/o at least taking a little stroll.

The USS Lexington.

Oh and just so you know, there are three of us in this picture!

YES..

I am almost 14 weeks!!! We feel so very blessed! My due date is May 5, 2011! Yeah for a Cinco de Mayo baby! I've been so nauseated, but I've only actually been sick once. I am going to blame my lack of blogging on this...everything else seems so menial when you have news like this to share!

August 2010

2010-10-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Marty's actual birthday was two weeks after his suprise party. Another reason, he said he didn't suspect that I was up to something. We ended up having a small group of his close guy friends from "up here" out to my parents' ranch for the weekend. We shot skeet, fished, rode horses and enjoyed the country.

The Boys.
After the boys locked him in one of the skeet towers (behind him).

Beautiful Texas Panhandle Afternoon.

The boys decided to "chap" (beat him with a pair of chaps, typically worn when riding horseback) Marty 30 times instead of birthday spankings. We "lured" him in by telling him I wanted a group shot in front of the water tower. It took all of them to take him down.

He was so unsuspecting...

The banner made multiple appearances.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves! Hopefully, the birthday boy even though he suffered a little abuse over the weekend.

I'll get caught up one of these days...

July 2010

2010-10-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'd been waiting to move forward with my regular posts until I got some more pictures from Marty's suprise party. Unfortunately, some of the pictures I just printed off my sister-in-laws camera and don't have pictures on my computer. I promise I took more of the birthday boy...Here's a recap of July...

I volunteered to organize and implement our church's VBS all in a month. It was a bit stressful right at the beginning, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and we had a great turn out! I should learn to shut my mouth and know that God's going to take care of me.

The weekend after VBS, we drove out to a cabin on a friend's ranch and went for a horse back ride. We watched the sunset and rode home by the full moon. It was a bit of "outdoor experience". The cabin was really nice, but it's ran by generator. I convinced the boys to start the generator before we left for our ride that evening. In order to do this, though, we needed jumper cables which had been forgotten and left back at civilization so we had to go borrow some from a nearby oilfield hand that didn't speak English. When we got back to the cabin after our ride, all was well. They left me at the cabin while they left to tend to the horses. In the meantime, I discovered the largest centipede I have ever seen. (see picture below-YUCK!!!)

Shortly after, the generator went off. Thirty minutes later the boys show up. We had to drive out to the generator and restart it. It took until at least 2 a.m. before the house really cooled off.

We rode the next morning and it was absolutely beautiful! Then we came back to town and go around and headed to Amarillo for dinner dancing. I also ran around trying to tie up loose ends for Marty's suprise party.

Me and Kinsey before we left to go dancing.

The following week we left for East Texas after work on Wednesday and pulled in to my in-laws' about 2 a.m.

Here's Marty dad with Lily. They are quite the pair. Yes, we brought the dogs. And East Texas in July is too hot for anyone, but especially our furry little friends.

The next few days were an absolute whirlwind. My mother-in-law, mom and I ran to Longview on Friday to run a few errands. Then Mom and I went and stayed the night in Canton so we could put all the finishing touches together. The next day we all met up at First Monday to shop. Meanwhile the ENTIRE back of our car was full of Marty's birthday stuff. We drove back to G-town for the night and got up the next morning EARLY to go pick up all the cakes, pies and goodies for M's suprise party.

We got everything set up just in time. Everyone was amazed that I fit ALL the decorations in one huge suitcase. I purchased plastic table cloths in brown, blue in green. And bought rolls of burlap to use as table runners.

Here's the dessert table. Instead of doing a fancy, themed birthday cake, I had Gina of Creative Cakes in Winnsboro make several of Marty's favorites including Lemon Ice Box Pie, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Chocolate Pie, Southern Pecan Pound Cake and a Missippi Mud Cake. They were truly decadent.

Marty's mom, Aunt Scarlett and Aunt Luana.

Me with Marty's cousin, Morgan.

Robin, aka one of the cutest pregnant people ever, my mom, me and Jerrye, my MIL. Robin and Justin were such troopers. They stayed 'til the VERY end! Poor thing! I appreciated it, though!

Caden, Adam and Marty. Adam had to leave early because they were leaving for an Alaskan vacation the next day! But, we're so glad they came!

The birthday banner was made by Bekah Jennings. She has fabulous banners for every season. I want several for my mantel! And I had little name cards made for each of the pies and little stickers to go on the party favors. The ones on the gumballs said, "Hope You Had a Ball!" and the ones I had made for the bread from our local sourdough bread bakery, The Bucket, said, "Thanks for Coming!" and "Marty is 30!!!".

Thanks to Design Girl 16 for all your hard work on those. I wish I would have gotten more detailed pictures, but I just didn't have a chance. That's my #1 regret, along with not getting a group picture of everyone that was there.

Marty had NO CLUE. Even after he walked in and we were all standing there, I just knew he had figured it out, but he just thought his friends were all having a get together and I didn't tell him because I was afraid he wouldn't go. Silly boy! There were so many little kids! It was great! They loved this one corner that had several sofas. Then most of them went swimming. Those pictures are already printed, dangit!

Here's a picture of the the centerpieces. I used pictures of M from birth until now on brown, blue and green cardstock and also had smaller tags that had his monogram and "Marty is 30!!!" on them.

Here's a picture of the banner. There's also part of a centerpiece. Marty's cousins, Houston, Mark and Mark's girlfriend are also in the picture.

The goody table. The cinammon raisin bread and cattle bread is on the right and the gumballs in the center. I had everyone bring a picture of Marty or of them and Marty along with a note and we put them all in an album. It's there on the left.

We feel truly blessed and touched by everyone that came to Marty's suprise party. I had no idea how it would turn out planning something from a remote location, especially since I'd only been out to camp once before. We are so fortunate to have such amazing friends and family in our lives. Thanks again to you all!

If you made it to the end of the LONG post, you're quite a trooper!

A Worthy Cause...

2010-09-10T07:54:00.001-07:00

A dear friend of mine and her husband are true fitness buffs. They've done several half marathons together and numerous races individually. Smith, is raising money this fall for a very awesome charity. I stole the following from his site...

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12:48On December 5th, Kristin and I will run the White Rock Half Marathon in Dallas, Texas and as if that wasn't challenging enough, God has laid it on my heart to do what I can to change the world before I cross the finish line.So, what's all of this about? Every week, millions of women and their children walk more than 14 miles (or about 10 hours a day) just to get water for their families. Most of this water is contaminated, but it's the only water they have. They are forced to take the chance of getting diseases because there are no other options. More than 45,000 people die every year due to waterborne illnesses. With this information in hand, God has made my goal pretty simple: Go 13.1 so they don't have to go 14.I've made it my mission to raise $1310 to provide clean, safe drinking water to those that need it. If my goal is hit, 65 people will get clean water for 20 years. Your donation, be it $5 or $50, will literally change someone's life.Because of charity: water's unique model, 100% of all donations go directly to water projects, and each donation is "proved" using Google Earth when projects are complete. It's a pretty awesome operation.Please, do what you can. Help me change the world."Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthian 9:6-7

Watch the video by clicking on the link below.

http://vimeo.com/14176808

You can visit his site to donate here.

I applaud you in your efforts, Smith! This is definitely a worthy cause.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2010-08-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe four years ago today I married my best friend! It just doesn't seem possible! It's been a big year with me celebrating my 25th, Marty about to turn 30 and us embarking on the journey of starting our own family (other than our 'fur baby,' Tyke, of course). The page below is from our wedding album. If you click on the image you can read our vows. I personally think they were the best vows ever written, but I could be a little prejudice!

A picture from our Christmas card session last Fall.

I love you, Hon! God definately knew what He was doing when He brought us together! It's like your sister says all the time, "it's like we were made for each other". I am so grateful for you Muah!

We're looking forward to the weekend as one of Marty's good friend's from college, Craig, and his wife are coming to spend Friday night with us. Then we're headed to my parents' ranch to celebrate our anniversary and Marty's 30th (his actual birthday is Sunday). Sunday evening one of my besties from college is coming to spend a couple of days with us. My house is a complete mess since they just wrapped up laying tile in the entry way, kitchen and laundry rooms on Tuesday. Oh well! There's just been too much going on lately!

Stay tuned for a July Re-Cap that includes VBS (organized and implemented by yours truly-and I only had one break-down), a night of dinner and dancing with friends, Marty's 30th suprise party in East Texas (he had no clue!) and a family reunion at our house.

Have a beautiful, blessed day!!!

Kicking it Off...

2010-07-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

I had my car detailed yesterday...it had been FOREVER since my little Edge had a good bath. But, of course, it sprinkled yesterday and there are chances of rain through the weekend! So, I took a few pictures of it this morning to document it's shiny-ness before it's gone!

This will be the first cool to mild 4th of July I can remember. It's usually blazing hot! I even got a bit cold last night wearing a dress!

I LOVE the 4th of July and all of the festivities that our small town offers! We kicked off the weekend last night and celebrated our friend, John's, 24th birthday with about 40 people. I'm pretty sure a great time was had by all!

Here are a few pictures...

My cousin, Cory, and me before leaving the house. He LOVES pictures!

Jocelyn and Me-Take One.

Me and Jocelyn again. Love this girl!

Me and Josh, cousin of the birthday boy.

My sexy hubs and me at the end of the night.

I hope you all have a safe, Happy 4th of July holiday! I'd like to thank all the troops and their families for the sacrifices they make for us and our country! Let Freedom Ring and God Bless!!!

A Birthday to Remember...and Quotable Friday

2010-06-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I celebrated my 25th birthday with a few of my closest friends.

I had a bit of celebrating prior to that. Tuesday evening after work I ran to Amarillo to get my hair done before the weekend. Marty teased me unmercifully and asked if I thought I was some kind of rockstar since I was driving two hours one way for a hair appointment. Granted, my hair hadn't been cut or colored in about three months, so it was in desperate need of some attention. Kristen met me at Chick-fil-a after. I could eat there EVERY DAY! We hadn't seen each other in awhile and crammed about three weeks worth of conversation into an hour and a half!

The next day I received a sweet package from my dear friend, Kristin. It was a gift card for a Road ID of my choosing and some precious stationary cards with my monogram on them. When I went to visit her several months ago we went on a run and she asked me if I had one and I told her no. It took me FOREVER to decide, but I chose the Ankle ID because I already wear a watch and a Garmin on my wrists. I got an e-mail saying it shipped today and I can't wait to get it in the mail! They also sent me the following coupon for any of you to use who might be interested.

Coupon Number: ThanksCassi772125
This coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order. It can be used up to 20 times in the next 30 days. Feel free to send this coupon via email, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, town crier, or good ole fashion smoke signal.

Thursday night I went out to Kinsey's and we watched The Real Housewives of New York Reunion special and had a lovely spread that she had made earlier that day. I stuffed my face royally!

Friday I picked Mom up and we headed to OKC. We met Becky at BJ's Brewhouse for a yummy meal and then went back to Becky's for the evening.

Saturday started with a trip to Celeste Day Spa for some pampering. I don't know that mine was as much "pampering", but more maintenance. I was really nervous, but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. We went to a few stores and little boutiques where I snagged this handbag (that matched my shoes for the evening) at White House Black Market at almost half off!

Then met up with Tamara and Tara at Put a Cork in It Winery down in Bricktown for a little wine tasting. It was SO much fun! Red Dirt Road and Sweet Crude were our favorites. Some us used numbering systems to rank the wine, others used stars or check marks and Tara who had never done a wine tasting before wrote things like, "alright at first, then leaves a soapy aftertaste," "if I liked beer, this would be ok," "yuck". HaHaHa

We finished there and went back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. I ran across the street to the Renaissance to have my hair and make-up done and Mom followed shortly after. I was impressed. The stylist washed, blow-dried and curled my hair and did my make-up in one hour.

My favorite cousin, T.C.D. and me.

My beautiful mom and me before leaving the room. She's the one responsible for planning this amazing weekend and I can't thank her enough. It was absolutely wonderful! I am one very lucky girl!

We all met up downstairs in the lobby of the Sheraton and went to Nonna's for dinner.

This was compliments from the chef. Although, I always appreciate such gestures...really??? Cade was like, "Can we eat that?" It was a piece of celery with a pinapple, bacon, maple spread. Tasty, but tiny!

Here's a shot of the ladies at Nonna's.

Do I have some beautiful women in my life or what?! They are all equally as beautiful on the inside. I feel so very blessed to have these girls in my life. They make me a better person, push me athletically and spiritually and enrich my life. (This is true of a lot of my friends who couldn't make it this past weekend as well!)

The food was delicious, but the atmosphere was a bit stuffy for my taste. I LOVE a nice restaurant, but I want to feel comfortable as well. To Nonna's credit we split dessert which included Avis' Chocolate Cake with almonds, Chocolate Rum Sauce, whipped cream and edible flower and Nonna's A-MAZING Strawberry Shortcake on a heavy cream biscuit with whipped cream-both were unbelievable! We took a cab to Edna's, my favorite little hole in the wall place and got a table on the patio. While we were there, Becky and Whitney went in to order drinks and these three girls were like, "OMG, Cade Davis is out on the patio." HaHa He's kind of local celebrity since he's plays basketball for OU.

My running buddies, Tamara and Tara.

My OSU roomies, Whitney and Becky. I miss you girls, terribly, but always have a great time when we get together!

I don't know what I did to deserve all of these amazing people in my life, but I am everso grateful for each and every one of them. To all of you who sent cards, sweet gifts, texts or posted on my Facebook, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! I love you all and hope I make you all feel as special as I did on your next birthday!

Quotable Friday

Q: What is your definition of a rich life?
"A: Kathy - Richness to me, is me being fully present for those experiences in life that being me real joy. If I can truly be in the moment and present for the joy of this adventure - not worrying about financial responsibilities, obligations and a “to-do” list. THAT is my ultimate freedom and that is the richest possible life for me. I don't want to just be on a path, I want to be defining and owning my own journey.
Rich for me, doesn't mean having stuff, it means having the experience. Well OK, some “stuff”, like being able to buy a different flavor of ice cream I've never tried in a country I've never been to. I guess ice cream is “stuff”, but again, its more about the experience!"

Happy Friday Y'all!!!

Memorial Weekend Re-Cap

2010-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

I just can't get excited about blogging for some reason. I feel like there is too much to do I guess.

We had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend, although, I didn't take many pictures to document. My friend, Megs was in town and we went for a lovely run Friday evening. Saturday we did a little fishing and attempted to float the river. I think the girls and I could have floated the entire thing, but the boys made it more difficult by bringing along a canoe. Five hours later we were all a little grumpy and hungry.

Please ignore my paleness. Maybe my skin will thank me in 10 or 15 years...

Here's Russell with the catch that made his day!

Megs making it look easy...Sunday after church we ran the 5k route for the race in July. It was a beautiful day with some great running partners. Later that afternoon our friends, Alan and Marie rolled into town (for good) and I went over to help them unload their Uhaul. We went and saw Robin Hood that evening and I LOVED it!

Yesterday was fairly low-key. It was so nice to have the day off!

We're gearing up to run the Cow Calling 5k this weekend. It should be fun!

I'll leave you with a quote from a book that I received from my grandmother earlier this month.

"Dance While You Can...I will celebrate the sheer joy of being alive...the joy of being created in the image of God. I will not be cheated out of enjoying life's pleasures-the people I meet, the food I eat, the sunshine in the trees, the company of a friend."

Here's hoping I get back in the blogging mood soon!

A weekend full of "M's"...

2010-04-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

Becky, me and Mom before I left to go get on a shuttle. They are both such blessings in my life!!!

My Relay Team 4:13 after Tamara finished the last leg. Tara, me, Tamara, Kayln and Kristi.

I started this post first thing Monday morning, but am just now getting around to posting about my weekend in Oklahoma City, OK.

Mom and I drove in after work Friday evening and met Lyndi for dinner at BJ's. It was yummy! Afterwards, we ran to Target before meeting Becky at her apartment. Mom and I have both had this allergy/congestion/sinus mess so I wanted to take care of my body prior to our run Sunday morning.

Saturday we got up and around and went to Ulta and then the mall first thing for manicures and pedicures. I am pretty sure I had not had a pedicure since the end of September. (I'm a little insecure about my ugly toenails that I lost after my half marathon. They've grown back, but they are less than attractive!) Afterwards, we headed downtown to meet up with my relay team at the race expo. I got a sweet new running outfit by Brooks (I got the full top, not just the sports bra. Maybe some day be comfortable in running in just a sports bra, but probably not!) and some Forze bars that I absolutely love! (I like the Cranberry Nut best.)

We went our separate ways after the expo and Mom, Becky and I went ate lunch at In the Raw and then walked through the Arts Festival downtown. If you've never been and live in the area, it's really neat. We watched some quality belly dancing. Those women are quite inspiring! *See the video of them at the bottom of this post!!!* We heard some wonderful jazz music and were able to see some one of a kind pieces that were truly spectacular! I think we got just about every item on our "to do" list for the weekend checked off. We all met back up for dinner at the tasty Macaroni Grill after a trip to Samuel Gordon's to get my rings cleaned and ogle some beautiful jewelry and having blown through the mall.

Although, we made it in early for the night, I COULD NOT SLEEP. I wasn't nervous or uncomfortable or anything else, I just could not for the life of me fall asleep! But, when our alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. I was up. I had some hot tea and a little granola with some Greek yogurt and we headed downtown. I owe Becky a HUGE thank you! She was phenomenal this weekend and we couldn't have gotten by without her. She chauffeured us around the entire time and got us exactly where we needed to be when we needed to be there! We picked up my relay team at their hotel and she drove us as close to the start as we could get. If you've never experienced a race like some of the larger marathons, you should really look into it. They have distances from 5k to the full 26.2 miles and people walking, pushing strollers to an actual wheelchair marathon. The race began at the OKC Memorial Museum before daylight of course. I always get so emotional just due to the atmosphere of these races. There are people with pictures pinned on their backs "In Memory", people who run with prosthetics, like one lady who had a prosthetic leg who pushed a girl in a wheelchair while running the entire marathon. When you witness those moments, it's hard to not break down. It reminds you of how truly grateful you should be for your life, your health and those around you.

Another Day by Natalie Grant pretty sums up every thing I felt/feel when running.

Been driving through the night I pull up and see the lights This is the place that I call home I watch you as you sleep Think of all you mean to me

Touch your face Kiss you softly Before I go to sleep pray under the stars Search my soul and check my heart And thank God for

Another day Another chance to love the ones I love To find my way To laugh, to dance Watch the sun come up Another day I get to live As if Every breath could be the last I take I get another day

I've got a hand that I can hold Someone who knows my soul A safe place to lay my head at night So why do I forget How much I've been blessed in life Forget what means the most to me As I'm waking up I feel my beating heart So grateful that I've come this far And thank God for[Chorus] To make somebody smile Go the extra mile Take a wrong and make it right And try to touch somebody's life

I get another day.....

Inspiration from a friend...

2010-04-20T10:10:00.001-07:00

One of my friends in blog land recently posted about faith. She is a fabulous, God-fearin' farm chick and she definitely has a way with words. Check out Nezzy when you get a chance. Her latest post inspired me to share this little diddy I received in an e-mail not long ago, but it hangs on the wall by my desk as a daily reminder...

Drinkin' from My Saucer

I've never made a fortune, and it's probably too late now. But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow. And as I go along life's way, I'm reaping better than I sowed. I'm drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed. Haven't got a lot of riches, and sometimes the going's tough But I've got loving ones all around me, and that makes me rich enough.

I thank GOD for his Blessings, and the Mercies HE's bestowed. I'm drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed. I remember times when things went wrong, My faith wore somewhat thin. But all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeped through again. So LORD, help me not to gripe, about the tough rows I have hoed. I'm drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed.

If GOD gives me strength and courage, When the way grows steep and rough. I'll not ask for other blessings, I'm already Blessed enough.
And may I never be too busy, to help others bear their loads.. Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer, 'Cause my cup has overflowed. When I think of how many people in this world have it worse than I do, I realize just how BLESSED WE really are.

Random Ramblings...

2010-04-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a rainy Friday here in the Texas panhandle. We don't get many of those so it's kind of nice! It's been an interesting couple of weeks around the 'ol office lately. I met the Lt. Gov. of Texas last week and one of the candidates for governor this morning. Of course, I was running late! I even slept through my morning workout...I must have been tired! My alarm was set for 5 a.m. and I didn't even move until 7 a.m. My workout partner didn't either, though; no harm, no foul, I guess. In the morning we're running a local 10K, but there is a 60% chance of rain so we may get a little wet!

I've been nesting/Spring Cleaning like a pregnant person! I've been through both dressers, both my closets, under our bed and the bed in the extra bedroom and I've been vaccum sealing all the winter clothes I find! I still feel like there should be more space, empty space. I have an entire room full of stuff to give away.

As a few of you know, when Marty and I got married we started with a "4 year family plan". As we draw near to the end of that "plan," I've been doing a lot of research (because I'm Type A and it's what I do). www.babycenter.com is an A-MAZING resource! There is all sorts of useful information to be found there. I am close to reaching one my savings goals and felt so good about that until I read that the first year of a baby's life is estimated to cost almost $10,000! YiKeS! Which leads me to another site that one of my friends clued me in on www.smartcookies.com. It's an online money managing resource that has different calculators, articles and tips geared specifically at women. Thanks, Kristen! It has some great information as well!

Do any of you have online resources similar to either of these that you use on a regular basis??? I might as well have all the information/help I can get! : )

I haven't done a Quotable Friday in awhile so here you go...

"Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me." - Carl Sandburg

I need to take that one to heart!

Happy Friday All! Hope you have a FaBuLoUs weekend!

Birthdays, Babies and Bathing...

2010-04-08T13:34:00.001-07:00

I am throwing Marty a 30th suprise party this summer. We are inviting his friends and they're families and I'm wondering, what kind of party favor do you hand out? The theme is SUPER casual, it's going to be in the afternoon. I thought about those edible rocks in cute little pails or maybe little bags of popcorn. I don't know...he has a HUGE sweet tooth so I thought about a candy table, but I want it to be appropriate too, is a candy table ok for a 30th birthday? I'm kind of clueless about those things. Moving on...

We have had SSSOOO many activities lately I feel like I'm running in circles! We had Mandy's Mexican Fiesta a few weeks ago. It was an all girls' celebration. We had yummy food that I think I posted about previously and just a great time in general. I was too busy playing hostess to take pictures, though. Then my we had Keri's baby shower. I guess we're all growing up!

Kristen, Keri's sister and me.

This week we did dinner and movie Tuesday night with couple's for Tamara's birthday. We went and saw The Bounty Hunter. It was REALLY cute!

Tessa and Tamara with her cake.

A group shot. Why I always pose with my hand on my hip...I think I get it from my grandma. Note to self: It looks silly when you're doing it alone!

Ok, I need some more advice/hints/tips/etc. The only grooming I ever do for Tyke is a bath in between his grooming appointments if he's played out in the backyard with Mack, our black lab, or something. But, I got the bright idea to buy him a toothbrush the other day because everything you read says it's important to their health, right??? Well, I read the instructions carefully, and followed them closely...and that was the poorest excuse of teeth brushing I have ever seen. If any of y'all out there in blog land do that for your dogs...could you clue me in? He was thrashing around, getting toothpaste on everything in site. I can imagine what a picture we made. So, from now on, I'm leaving that to the groomer!

Sorry, it's been so long. I feel like there's been too much going on lately. On the work front and otherwise. I'm still training for the marathon relay at the end of the month, but I haven't been getting in the higher mileage that I would like.

This weekend we have turkey hunters coming in so there's not a lot on the agenda other than a little cooking and a long run on Sunday. Hope y'all have a great one!

An East Texas Wedding...

2010-03-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

A week ago today we drove to Gilmer for Marty's cousins wedding. We barely made it due to construction and traffic in Denton.

Marty and our niece, Ciara. She was a flower girl and did a great job! She lost her front tooth in her sleep! Crazy girl! Isn't she precious?

M and his cousin, Morgan, at the reception.

I'm a bad person and didn't get a single picture of the bride and groom. They were precious, though!!! It was a lovely wedding, but by the time it was over I was one tired puppy.

Saturday Jerrye and I headed to Winnesboro to do some scheming for Marty's birthday. It was a cute, quaint little town and we did a little shopping and eating while we were there.

Sunday we went over to Justin and Robin's to celebrate Justin's 30th birthday. He made fresh mojitos, cooked steak and potatoes and then flambeed crepes. I told him I felt bad that he cooked for us on his birthday, but he was quite the little chef. (And he's a fireman, otherwise, the flambe might have scared me a little!)

Here's Justin working his mojo in the kitchen...

I couldn't capture the flame with the lights on, so we turned them off. Still not a great picture. He was really impressive!

Monday he and Robin found out that they're having a little BOY!!! Congratulations, y'all! We are so excited for you!

Tonight we are having dinner with a few friends and then all day tomorrow (after I get my 6 mile run in) I will be preparing for Mandy's Mexican Fiesta!!! It's Mandy's birthday and there's a small group coming over to enjoy the food and get in the hot tub.

The Menu:

Black-eyed Pea and Avacado Dip

Taco Salad

White Chicken Enchiladas (from The Fitnessista)

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Margaritas and Wine-a-ritas

I'll try and post some of the recipes on Monday. I swear, I don't know if work could get much busier. I guess that's job security, though.

I know I haven't done Quotable Friday in awhile, but this was on Private Practice a few weeks ago and I thought it was a fabulous quote!

Anyway Friends

"A little white dress with ABCs all across the front. I remember I came home one evening after a marathon of kids’ parties and whatnot and Little Miss Maya was not quite ready to take her little dress off and get in the bath so we went to her room and hung out on the floor and started talking. And out of nowhere, she told me that when she grew up, she wanted to marry me. So I said, “Why?” I asked her, I said, “Why me?” And she looked up at me and she said, “Because, Daddy, you are my anyway friend.” Now at the time I didn’t know what that meant so Maya had to explain to me that an anyway friend is the one person in your life who, no matter what they say or do, no matter what they’ve been through with you, they love you anyway. So my sincerest hope is that for Maya, Dink, and for Dink, Maya, is that anyway friend. Because no matter how old you are or what your responsibilities, if you have love, real, unconditional love, I think you can make it. So, to my anyway friend and her anyway friend, may you not only make it but enjoy it."

I hope you all have a few "anyway friends" in your life. The older I get, the more I realize that those true friends may be far and few between, but they sure make life easier. And if you have at least one person you can consider your "anyway friend" than you are truly, truly blessed!

Have a fabulous weekend, y'all!

Next week is St. Patrick's and I am so excited!!!

Obsessed...slightly...

2010-03-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! I saw Dear John this past Sunday and absolutely LOVED it! If I had read the book, I might have been disappointed in how they changed a few things, but instead I am now officially obsessed. I seriously might go see it again tonight and I've already downloaded the entire Dear John Soundtrack. Channing Tatum is my new favorite male actor and Amanda Seyfriend is pretty talented as well! What's not to love about this love story?

This past weekend was wonderful. My mom and I drove to Oklahoma City and met up with one of my best friends from high school, Lyndi, and one of the girls who was in my cabin my first term at Camp Balcones Springs, Caitlin. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and conversation at Zio's. I love both those girls and it did my heart good to get to spend some time with them! Saturday morning I got up EARLY (I'm always late so if we want to be half-way on time I have to have time to prepare!!!) We got around and met Becky at Mimi's for breakfast. Then we did some serious, but successful speed shopping and then met Lyndi and headed to OU for the basketball game. We had great seats and it was a really close game, but OU just let Baylor get away from them. I was still proud of my baby cousin. He did great! We went to eat at Charleston's afterwards with some of the family and Caitlin stopped in before her sorority's formal to say "hi" and "bye".

Lyndi Jyl and me before leaving the hotel for Zio's.

Caitlin and me Saturday at Charleston's. Doesn't she look stunning?! It's so hard to believe that we met when she was 10!!!

Here's me with "the big guy" after the game.

Sadly, these are the only pictures taken throughout the glorious weekend. I think I subconsiously know that taking more pictures just means I'm getting further and further behind at printing them off and organizing them into albums!

What a Week...

2010-02-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

The past week has been a blur...Monday evening I worked on straightening up the house because Tuesday night I hosted my book club at our house while Marty went to his boy scout meetings. We had a wonderful time! Our menu included a parmesan artichoke dip (served warm), an antipasto salad for the main dish, Pioneer Woman's Olive Cheese Bread (oh so good), cesar salad, and my first ever, made from scratch cheesecake. The big hit of the night, however, was the See-Through Sangria. Oh so yummy!

Here's the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. (It came from a Duncan Hines Cookbook.)

1 pkg Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 c vegetable oil
3 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 c sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 tsp all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 10-inch springform pan.
2. Combine cake mix and oil in large bowl. Mix well. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 22 to 25 minutes or until set. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 450F.
3. Place cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer, adding sugar gradually. Add sour cream and vanilla extract, mixing until blended. Add eggs, mixing only until incorporated. Toss 1/2 c chocolate chips with flour. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour filling onto crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 chocolate chips.

I just LOVE my book club! The ladies in it are always so much fun! They do my heart good.

We started the "Insanity" workout tapes this week. OH MY GOODNESS!!! They are SO hard! I've never done a workout video where the people in it are all sweaty and out of breath. They take regular water breaks and everything. Hopefully, it gets my jiggly butt in shape. (Sorry if that's too much information.) I thought I was in decent shape having done all this running for the marathon relay. It's not even the same!

Wednesday evening I helped cook at church and last night I ran to a near by town to get my driver's license renewed. It expired in June of 2009 and I had no clue until someone else pointed it out! And then I had dinner with my wonderful grandparents.

Today we're headed to OKC after work to do a little shopping and go watch my cousin play tomorrow. OU hosts Baylor at Norman so it's liable to be a pretty good game! They're calling for more snow for Sunday-UGH! I am SO ready for Spring! But, I'm supposed to go take a CHL course, so we'll see.

Y'all have a great weekend!

Picture Post

2010-02-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

I've been telling y'all for a few weeks now that I was going to share some pictures with you.

Here's a few from the snow storm a few weeks ago.

Trying to be artistic...

The tree across the street. I know...this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Our House. *(Don't judge me by the colors of my house. I am not a UT fan. The trim is the same as when we bought it and I just can't decide what color to paint it. Black, maybe?)

My best friend from college came in Friday evening. I made chicken and dumplings and a couple of my girl friends came over and ate and then we went to see When in Rome. It was SO cute! It was only about an hour and a half long, though, so afterwards we went back to the house and played games-Farkle, Wahoo and several different card games. I turned in about 1:30 a.m., but everyone else stayed and played until about 2 a.m.

Saturday, Tara and I went for a 5 mile run. It was a little chilly when we started , but by the end we were quite toasty and we finished strong and felt amazing afterwards! My mom came to town for lunch and to run a few errands afterwards. When she left we got around and headed to The Citadelle for the "Range of Passion" event. Marty even had a good time. I think he knew more people than I did. We all went to dinner after and then back to our house for more games. We met a new couple this weekend and they're moving to town soon and I am SO excited! I think we will be fast friends!

Here's a shot of us girls...Lanie, Marie, Becky and me.

And the hubs and I before leaving the house.

Sunday we went to church and then came home, got in the hot tub and took a nice long nap before Becky had to leave. It was a simply marvelous weekend. I don't think I've had that much fun here in Small Town, USA since the 4th of July!

Here's the recipe for my cousin, Sharon's, chicken and dumplings...

Ingredients: 1 box chicken broth, 1 small can of chicken broth, 1 small can of chicken gravy, 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables, 1/2 bag of frozen diced chicken (I use Schwans', but two can of chicken would work.), 1 onion, 1 can of homestyle biscuits (I use Pillsbury Grands), salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Add chicken broth to stockpot on stove and bring to a boil. Then add frozen chicken. Give it about 5 minutes then add chopped onion and chicken gravy. (I cook my frozen mixed vegetables in the microwave and then add them.) Tear biscuits into small pieces and add to pot. You will need to stir or "dunk" the dumplings every so often so that they don't stick together. Add salt and pepper. When the "dumplings" start to sink some, they're done.

Do Me A Favor...Please???

2010-02-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, Everyone!!! Is anyone else glad that it's Friday? I got up early this morning and went to the local YMCA for my morning workout. We have a 5 miler in the morning...that should be fun! One of my besties is driving in from the city this afternoon and we have all sorts of fun weekend plans. I PROMISE, I will post pictures from the weekend (and past weekends) next week.

That being said, I need to ask a favor. I am a huge cheeseball and there is a local "Cutest Couples Contest" that I entered mine and Marty's picture in. (He would KILL me if he knew! haha) I need all of you to go vote for us. Just go to the address below and type "Cassi" in the search option and we should pop right up! I very highly doubt we're going to win considering that I just entered us yesterday (I had seen it on the news the night before) and there is a couple who already has 3,300 votes. Seriously, do they know that many people? I guess they're just that cute! haha

http://myhighplains.upickem.net/engine/Votes.aspx?PageType=VOTING&contestid=13599#SubmissionDisplay or CLICK ME

UPDATE: The voting closed at 2 p.m. today (2/12/10). The couple that won had over 3,800 votes!!! I guess they posted messages on Facebook, MySpace and Craigs List! No need to head on over to vote...unless you wanna see some *interesting* pictures.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and very Happy Valentine's Day!

All my love,

Results...

2010-02-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

So, I'm afraid I may perpetually be an inconsistent blogger! I just feel like there is SO much going on.

How did you girls like the Fruit Flush? I lost a little over 4 lbs and kept it off like a week. So, it all came back. : ( But, I had so much more energy while eating just fruit. I didn't feel lathargic in the afternoon like I normally do after lunch. Now, if I could only figure out how to lose about 8 lbs and KEEP IT OFF!

I have pictures to post of all the snow we've gotten over the last couple of weeks. There's been so much fun stuff going on lately, and I didn't take pictures of any of it! The Power of the Purse luncheon at which Jenna Bush spoke at that my grandmom, mom and I went to last Friday, the Amarillo Peddler's Show, a Super Bowl party with friends Sunday night and my first game of Bunko last night.

I've been working like a mad woman again this week. And, yesterday we got some gut wrenching news about a family member near and dear to my heart. They're scheduling an appointment today to run some more tests in order to determine for sure...until then I've been asked to only tell family. But, y'all please lift up a little prayer for my family. We've all been kind of rocked by this and I feel like there's a huge dark cloud hanging over my head today.

I hope the rest of you are having a wonderful week!

Day Two...

2010-01-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

of the Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox by Jay Robb. Have any of y'all ever tried this before? I'm at the end of Day Two-THANKFULLY!!! This carb-loading, sweet loving girl is having a RoUgH time with this whole thing. You drink 6 oz of a protein drink followed by one full serving of fruit every two hours from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and then at 6 p.m. you can have 3-6 cups of raw vegetables and 3-6 oz of lean fish, chicken, turkey, beef or egg whites. If any of y'all are interested, let me know and I can e-mail you this bad boy. The hubs is even doing it with me. It says you can lose up to 9 lbs, but I've been so full I don't feel like I've lost any!

The weather forcasters are predicting SNOW!!! I'm a little doubtful considering it was in the 60s today and sunshiny, but we need the moisture so I say BRING IT ON!!! Although, we have plans out of town Friday night that involve dinner (yeah for real food) and dancing, so I hope the weather doesn't get in the way of those.

Sorry I've been MIA this week. I've gotten three new projects in the last 24 hours and I'm not finished with any of them.

Y'all have a fabulous evening!

Random Facts from the Weekend...

2010-01-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

Friday night was so much fun! We went over to some friends' house for dinner and games. There were 5 couples total and of course, I forgot to take any pictures. The girls played cards for awhile. Well, we attempted to learn Pitch. Have y'all ever played that before? It was too complicated for me. So we switched to Spades for awhile. Then we played one of the dance games on the Wii. I AM SOLD! A Wii is now on my wishlist! I was sweating after two songs! We left early because we had told some friends they could come over and hang out for their first date. We played games until 1:30 in the morning.

And then at 4 a.m., the dreaded stomach bug hit our house. IT WAS AWFUL!!! I learned that Finigrine is my new best friend. (And it's still affective even after a two year old expiration date.) I also discovered that under the right conditions that Chicken Broth can taste like a gourmet meal. Oh, and last but not least...Tyke LOVES figure skating. I was flipping channels the whole time I was sick and he was entranced by the couples figure skating. *hahaha*

I didn't sleep more than an hour at a time from 4 a.m. through the rest of the day Saturday, but I slept an entire 12 hours from Saturday night until Sunday morning, and although, I wasn't batting 100, I felt much better! Most everyone I talked to said the stomach bug lasted anywhere from two-four days so I am VERY thankful that mine was only 24 hours.

Happy Monday, Y'all!

And the Winner Is...

2010-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Lisa from Just a Spoonful of Sugar!!!

Please e-mail me with your mailing address as soon as possible. I have to find a box to put "the goods" in and it'll be on it's merry little way to you! Thanks for playing everyone!

I'm sorry y'all, I didn't take a picture of me drawing a name out of a cup. I kind of felt like Elle from Legally Blonde with her "Snap Cup". I did use my Diva mug if it makes y'all feel better, though. I'm feeling a little lazy this morning. I bailed on my workout partner this morning. Sorry, Tara! We went to see Avatar last night and it was SO GOOD! I didn't know what to think about it from the previews, but I loved it! We didn't get out of the theater 'til 12:15 a.m., though.

It's almost Friday!

New Year's Resolutions???

2010-01-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

Yea, so I didn't do New Year's Resolutions this year. I've already been working out, but am fixing to start training for my 7.6 mile leg of a full marathon relay at the end of April. But, I do have a few goals for the new year. I want to grow closer with my Heavenly Father. Sometimes I let daily life get in the way and slow me down spiritually. I want to be a better Sunday School teacher. My term is fixing to start next month and I usually rush in the door a few minutes late with last minute lesson plans and then I walk away wondering if the kiddos got ONE SINGLE THING from my class. I'm going to try harder to love the "difficult people" in my life because maybe I'm one of their "difficult people" too. I'm trying to limit sweets and carbs in order to shred a few pounds. I want to limit Facebook to once a day or less. That crazy vise is taking up WAY too much of my time! The hubs and I are in the planning stages of our trip to The Derby in May and I am WAY excited about that trip and 2010 means something very big for this girl-the hopes of a baby to add to our little family. That's right, y'all! You heard it hear first. By this time next year the hubs and I will hopefully have a little one running around *(ok, well not RUNNING, but you know what I mean). I've also decided that this song is gonna be my theme song. It pretty much sums it all up.

I Was Here by Lady Antebellum

You will notice me

I'll be leaving my mark like initals carved in an old oak tree

You wait and see

Maybe I'll write like Twain wrote

Maybe I'll paint like Van Gogh

Cure the common cold

I don't know but I'm ready start cuz I know in my heart

I wanna do something that matters

Say something different

Something that sets the whole world on its ear

I wanna do something better

With the time I've been given

And I wanna try

To touch a few hearts in this life

Leave nothing less

Than something that says “I was here”

I will prove you wrong

If you think I'm all talk, you're in for a shock

Cuz this dream's too strong

And before too long

Maybe I'll compose symphonies,

Maybe I'll fight for world peace

Cuz I know it's my destiny

To leave more than a trace of myself in this place

I wanna do something that matters

Say something different

Something that sets the whole world on its ear

I wanna do something better

With the time I've been given

And I wanna try

To touch a few hearts in this life

Leave nothing less

Than something that says “I was here”

And I know that I will do more than just pass through this life

I'll leave nothing less than something that says “I was here”

Another Great Giveaway...

2010-01-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

Yvonne at XOXOYVONNE is having an A-MAZING, girly-tastic giveaway. Head on over to her blog to enter!

Just look at all that fabulousness!

Happy Friday, Y'all! Here's you a quote for Quotable Friday that I just added to the sidebar of my blog yesterday. (In case you haven't noticed it...) "It's none of your business what other people think of you." I repeat this to myself ALL THE TIME!

Have a beautiful, blessed weekend!

My First Giveaway!!!

2010-01-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

There is no rhyme or reason to why I picked the things that I did, but I hope you like them, nonetheless.

Rules:

1) Leave a comment on this post.

2) Become a follower of this blog, if you're not already.

Pretty simple, right?

The Goods:

(Please excuse the crummy photography. I took these yesterday morning in my office.)

A Scentsy Warmer in Lisbon (brown with a beachy blue glaze) with Scentsy Scent Mediterranean Spa. If you haven't ever bought any Scentsy before, I think you will LOVE this. I have several in my house. The wax even when melted doesn't get hot enough to burn you or your little ones. I was pouring out my hot wax the other night to change scents and spilled wax all over my hand and it was warm, but not even close to being hot enough to burn me.

Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Body Wash and Body Lotion in Eucalyptus Spearmint with a new white loofa.

Coffee koozie from Ahmelie.com (Check out her site by clicking on the web address). The koozie is brown with mint green polka dots.

Keepsake Box that says, "You make the world more special..." on the top of the lid and "Just by being in it!" on the front because y'all really are special to me!

And last but certainly not least, a $25 gift certificate to Silpada Sterling Silver Jewelry which can be seen at www.mysilpada.com/cassi.rash, but I will include a catalog along with the gift certificate. You'll have to contact me to place your order.

Good Luck! You have until this time next week (Thursday, January 21, 2010) before I draw a name! Ironically, I just won my very first giveaway so I'm very excited to finally do one of my own!

Decorating Advice

2010-01-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Alright, all you home interior savvy people out there...I need some advice. I think I've posted a few pictures of our front room at the house. The walls are a mocha brown color with stark white trim. I have black vintage tables and am looking to add some red and white furniture pieces. I REALLY want a white couch, like maybe a canvas one from Pottery Barn or something.

Here's a picture of the front entry. The other two tables I have are similar to this style. One is round and I had thought I'd place it between the two club chairs I mention below.

And then yesterday I got the Grandin Road catalog in the mail and fell in LOVE with these club chairs. They come in red also.

What do you think? Black tables, white couch, and red and white club chairs??? What color rug would you put down. (We have creme colored carpet.) What other accents would you use???

Stay tuned for my giveaway! It's kind of a random mix of things, but fun nonetheless!

New Year's and a trip to East Texas

2010-01-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well, it snowed New Year's Eve here in the panhandle so the hubs and I got to leave several hours ahead of schedule because we were afraid the roads might be bad. We couldn't decide if we were going to drive on through or go ahead and celebrate with my friends in Wichita Falls. As fate would have it, the roads were perfectly clear and we got to meet up with one of my best friends from college and her bf. They had this little place lookin' like something out of Sweet Home Alabama with Christmas lights and food everywhere. It was great!

Here we are at the beginning of the night.

Marty and Whitney. Two of my very favorite people!

Whitney and Aaron

I love this, girl. Although, she always makes me realize how BADLY I need a tan!

We got up the next morning and drove the rest of the way to Marty's parents'. We had family get togethers Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Saturday, Jerrye and I spent the day at Canton with my oldest niece and one of Marty's girl cousins. I just LOVE that place!

This is our youngest niece, Cadi. They got these masks to keep their faces warm while riding the four-wheelers and go kart. Doesn't she look like a little Mexican wrestler?

Sunday we went to church while the boys went to Ft. Worth for a gun show. Afterwards, we took my oldest niece, Ciara, to Aunt Barbara's Tea Room in Pittsburg. It was lovely as usual! Sunday we came home and took LONG naps before everyone came over for dinner.

Marty with Ciara and Cadi Lynn.

Monday we finally got to see a few of Marty's friends. We went over to Justin and Robin's and did some hiking in the woods until Robin got home from work.

Here are a couple of my favorites...

We left their house and met RJ at Papacitas for some yummy Mexican food.

Here's a picture of he and Marty. These two keep me in stitches.

Happy 2010! We had a great time at the in-laws. We got to spend some quality family time and although, we didnt' get to see a ton of our friends, we felt rested when we left instead of frazzled like usual. We'll be back in March for all of y'all we didn't get a chance to see, though.

I'm only 1 follower away from hostessing my first giveaway and I've already got a couple of items. I'm just looking for a few more fun things!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-29T08:15:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was very low key for us and it was quite nice! We drove down to my parents' on Christmas Eve and got stuck in a snow drift 1/2 a mile from their house. Once that was over we just relaxed and opened presents once the boys got in from hunting.

The next morning we got around and headed to my grandparents' house. We did Mexican food for lunch since we did a HUGE traditional meal at Thanksgiving. The food was yummy and the clean up was SO MUCH EASIER than usual!

Every year my grandma buys a "gag" gift that one of the guys ends up with. This year Dad was the lucky recipient of this B-E-A-UTIFUL Christmas ornament. His face says it all!

I know y'all have seen the three of us before, but here's a shot of Mom, Gma and me. The dress I'm wearing is a Christmas gift from the hubs.

Mi familia.

This is my grandparents' cat, Skittles. I thought it was so cute that he was sunbathing on the festive bench.

Me and Marty. He was less than enthused about taking pictures that day.

We are having a small cousin get together at our house tonight. We are just having appetizers and playing games. That being said, do y'all try and stick with a theme when doing appetizers? For example, all Italian or something? I don't know why, but for some reason I think the food should "go together", but I've had the hardest time planning what to make.

We leave Thursday for Wichita Falls where we will celebrate New Year's Eve with one of my besties from college and then Friday morning we will drive the rest of the way to Marty's parents' house in East Texas.

So, in case this is my last post of 2009, y'all have a very safe and Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2010!

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time...

2009-12-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

This time of year means many things to me...holiday baking with my mom, ice skating and Christmas shopping with a few of my besties in OKC, The Rader Ranch Christmas Extravaganza, sprinkled with festive attire and a few holiday parties here and then my favorite part-the giving.
A couple of weekends ago I went to OKC to spend some time with my girlfriends. We ate sushi at Budda Tao, did a little shopping, had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, went ice skating downtown and then went to look at Christmas lights.
Here's a picture of Becky and I at the ice skating rink.

It was cold if you can't tell by my Rudolph Red nose. I fell once on my knee and decided that perhaps I am too old and unathletic for such things, but I sure felt festive while doing it!

The next day Becky and I went to Life Church in Edmond. Life Church is a non-denominal church that is based out of OKC, but has satelitte locations all over the nation. You can view sermons at http://www.lifechurchtv.com/. If you live in the OKC area and want to hear some amazing Christmas music, this is the place!

Afterwards, we grabbed brunch at The Bagel Cafe (one of my favorites) and then I loaded my stuff and headed to Norman to see Caitlin who was a camper of mine when I worked at Camp Balcones Springs. We had a late lunch at BJ's Brewhouse and then I headed back to Texas.

As you know if you've been following my blog, the hubs was gone ALL LAST WEEK to San Antonio. He got in Friday evening and we got around and went to The Rader Ranch Christmas Extravaganza. It was fun, but we didn't close 'er down like last year. Marty was tired so we got there about 9 p.m. and left around midnight. Here's a picture of Jocelyn and me before we left our house.

The following night we had another Christmas party. I was SO excited about wearing my dress, but am SO disappointed in the pictures. I look greasy for some reason-so frustrating! But, we had a great time and their tablescape looked fabulous! Just like something out of Better Homes & Gardens or something!

Marty and I in front of the fireplace. How do you make "dewy" not look "greasy"??? Any ideas??? I was going for a slightly smokey eye and nude lips. I failed.

And for your viewing pleasure...

My dad got these hats on a trip to Russia. We came across them last weekend and I kept thinking, "'Cause baby it's cold outside..." *lol* I hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas! God has blessed us SO abundantly and I hope we've been able to give some of that back this year in some small way. I'm all about paying it forward! Speaking of which, I am planning on hostessing my first giveaway as soon as I reach 100 followers!!! So tell your friends!!!

Merry Christmas Y'all!!!

I Love...

2009-12-17T08:39:00.001-08:00

My Husby...I know this is a no brainer, but Marty has been gone to a training in San Antonio for an entire week and it's ridiculous how much I miss him. I think sometimes I take for granted having access to him 24/7 and I forget about how well we get along and how much fun we have together. I always thought I wanted a job where I could travel all the time even if it meant us being apart. THERE IS NO WAY! He is such a sweetheart, I can't imagine having to be away from him like this on a regular basis. We have two Christmas parties this weekend and I am so excited for him to get back into town! We have a very casual relaxed party Friday night and possibly dinner with friends before that. And then Saturday night we have a fancy-cocktail dress type affair. I haven't told him yet that he has to dress up for that one!

The picture is from last winter. He would KILL me for posting it, but I love that he is holding Tyke and sporting his pj's. My favorite boys...

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Prescriptives

2009-12-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

Do any of you use Prescriptives skin care or make up? I switched over from Clinique a couple of years ago and my mom read yesterday where they were doing away with Prescriptives. I absolutely LOVE their stuff and am so saddened by this news.

So I need some advice...what brands/products do y'all wear? What are your favorites? I am SUPER anal about my foundation matching so I usually wear a tinted moisturizer or have them custom blend everything.

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This is What I Know...and Quotable Friday

2009-12-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

Hey Lovelies! This post is probably more honest and more real than I've ever been with you all. And, it may be more than you want to know to the point of being a bit boring so with that said...

Have you ever had somehing happen in your life that makes you step back and re-evaluate yourself. This particular instance is the loss of a friend. Not a death, but the dissolving of a friendship, a life long friendship.

I have never had many girlfriends. Growing up it was just easier for me to get along with the boys. No drama, no fuss and if they didn't like you or something you did they told you about it-fair and square. I always had one best friend from my hometown although, it wasn't always the same person. I COULD NOT WAIT to escape the pettiness of high school and move on to bigger and better things and hopefully friendships with girls. My freshman year of college was A-MAZING! I remember calling my mom after 11 of us had just made a trip to the city. Even though, there are times I long to be part of a larger circle of friends, I had much rather be one on one with one of my best girlfriends. I like to connect and really get to know how they're doing and sometimes I guess I feel like when I've been in a big group it can be more surface level friendship. I think that may be attributed to the fact that I am an only child.

My parents instilled a strong sense of self and confidence in me at growing up. Even during my super awkward coke bottle glasses, huge gapped front teeth and overly permed hair stage, I was a confident kid. And even though that confidence has waxed and waned at times in my life, people still tell me they think I'm a confident person. I've been called "fake", "too nice" and a group of kids in high school considered me "stuck up" because I wouldn't come to their beer parties. I didn't take my first drink of an alcoholic beverage until college and I am still very conscious of my hometown reputation. It was a town of 1,300 people so everyone knew anything and everything you did. On top of that, I was very close to a lot of the youth there and wanted to set a good example for them.

Since moving back near my hometown and to another Small Town, USA it has felt like high school all over again. There is a large group of girls here that do things together and are close to my age. I have what I would consider two friends here that aren't family. And I pray for God to bring new people into my life daily.

I keep in regular contact with two friends from high school, one I actually attended high school with and the other I met at a trackmeet and we became instant friends. I also keep in touch with two friends from college. These girls keep me grounded. It's just so hard because we're so far away from one another.

So, sometimes I think it's just me. Why is it so hard for me to have friends when that's the thing I long for the most? Growing up even though I struggled with friendships, God had always placed amazing people in my life. We've been here three years and I feel like it's still hard for us to make friends.

And then, there's my mother. The most A-MAZING God-fearing woman I've ever met in my entire life. We live an hour apart, but talk multiple times a day on the phone and spend A LOT of weekends together. She's taught me about life, loving others, forgiveness, kindness and she's my favorite shopping partner to boot! I thank God daily for our relationship and realize that although, most daughters share a special relationship with their mother, I couldn't ask for a more amazing mom. I thank God for the gift that she is to my life daily. And maybe our friendship is all I need...

Well, that's enough of that. Now, that you're all thoroughly confused...I guess this all stemmed from the fact that in the dissolving of the above mentioned friendship she said that keeping up with me and reading my blog "made her feel bad about herself". I guess this was my attempt to be more honest about what I'm feeling at this stage of my life and a combination of what I've thought about over the last few days.

I must share this quote I came across on another girl's blog for Quotable Friday. Fellow blogger, forgive my lapse of memory and please remind me if you come across this post and you happen to be the one I'm stealing this from! I apologize!

"I don't wake up and run to give me that extra boost of energy. I don't spend hours at the gym to relieve stress. And I didn't start taking yoga classes to spend even more time with my friends. The truth? I want to look good naked. Doesn't everybody?" ~Nike

Doesn't that just make you smile? Hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!

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With This Ring...

2009-12-08T06:58:00.001-08:00

My dear friend, Jeff Goins, is requesting that I, and any of you who feel compelled repost this article to get the word out about this selfless cause.

"Ali Eastburn decided to make a radical gift and give up her wedding ring to help dig wells in Africa. Since then, she has been challenging people to give radically to change the lives of people around the world. Right now, With This Ring is auctioning off the rings that people have donated from around the country (which you can see at http://www.withthisring.cmarket.com/)." *Blogger wouldn't let me insert the link so you could actually click on it from this post.*

They are also doing a 12 Rings of Christmas feature on the blog to highlight 12 of the rings and the stories behind each of them (Dec. 7-18). You can link to the blog at http://withthisring.wordpress.com/ (where a new ring will be featured each day for the next 12 days).

Now, this reminds us what true giving is really about. I don't know that I am at a point that I am unselfish enough to donate my own ring, but I am amazed and inspired by these people who are able to do so themselves.

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I've been gone...FOREVER...

2009-12-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies and Happy Monday! I have no pictures to post from Thanksgiving and the last week of our lives because my dad took my small digital camera on his latest hunting excursion. He is currently out of the country in the wildnerness in search of big game. Thus, my mom came to stay with us Saturday night and is here for the majority of the week.

Our company came in Wednesday evening and left yesterday morning and then another group arrived yesterday evening! I just love this time of year! I got my house mostly decorated, minus the Christmas tree-hopefully, I'll get it up this evening. Mom and I are going to make Christmas candy Tuesday evening and go see The Blindside Thursday evening and then I'm off to OKC for the weekend.

I will post pictures from all the recent happenings soon, I promise! In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely week and enjoy this wonderful time of year! Muah!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day of work until next Monday, so I wanted to wish you all a VERY Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year including all the wonderful people in my life (which means you, too), my health, a roof over my head and clothes on my back just to name a few. God bless you all!

We are headed to my grandparents' tomorrow and this is what I'm bringing. This website is A-MAZING! I've used several of their recipes and they're always a big hit and taste SO yummy!

Winter Fruit Pasta Salad - Special Occasions - Eat Better America: "Pastabilities? Try apples, pears, cranberries and a tangy orange dressing. From eatbetteramerica.
Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:50 min
makes:8 servings

1cup uncooked small pasta shells (4 oz)
1medium apple, chopped
1medium pear, chopped
4medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)
1/4cup chopped pecans
1/4cup dried cranberries
1/3cup fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
3tablespoons orange marmalade
1/2teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4teaspoon salt
1.Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain.
2.In large glass or plastic bowl, mix pasta, apple, pear, onions, pecans and cranberries. In small bowl, mix all remaining ingredients; stir into pasta mixture.
3.Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 30); Total Fat 3g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 210mg; Total Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 11g); Protein 2g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 0%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils, 1 oz-equivalents Grains
*% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet."

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Quotable Friday...

2009-11-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." - Rita Rudner

I love this quote! I have such a great time with Marty. Although, I feel like our crazy schedule has kept us from spending much quality time together. I will be looking forward to the holidays for that very reason.

We took this picture while in Fort Worth before heading to Cafe de Brazil with our group. He felt HORRIBLE and had coughed his head off the whole drive down, but he was such a trooper and we had a great time at dinner and then afterwards at Pete's Piano Bar downtown.

Have a beautiful, blessed weekend!

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Question...

2009-11-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

First of all, thank you all for your sweet comments on my last post. Seriously, y'all are a boost to my ego and I love you all!

Second, I can't remember if I've polled y'all about this before, but what do you do with all your digital pictures? I post the ones I want people to see on here and on Facebook, but I'd still like to have them in albums at home (I think). However, I'm a year's worth of pictures behind in printing them off. They're all still waiting on Shutterfly. So, if you don't scrapbook (or if you do) what do you do with your digital pictures? I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but I like to look back through photo albums and go "this was last year".

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My First Half Marathon...

2009-11-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Wow! Let me just say...anyone who has ever competed in a half marathon, full marathon, triathalon or any similar event, I now have a whole new respect for you. The race was both amazing and awful at the same time.
We woke up at 5 a.m. on Sunday and were out the door by 6 a.m. We walked to the convention center in downtown San Antonio to catch a bus to the starting line. We waited in line for an hour by the time the bus dropped us and we made our way towards the starting line they blew the gun for the first corral to go. Luckily, Tamara was in corral 9, I was in corral 12 and Kristi was in corral 21. We had to take a quick potty brake between some poor individual's home and a fence because the port-a-potty lines were at least 20 people deep. By the time we stepped to the starting line they were on corral 7. So we had just enough time to stretch and calm our nerves. We all decided to start together in Tamara's corral. I know this may be a no no to some of you, but there were people with all sorts of bib numbers so we didn't feel too bad. The first several miles I was just overwhelmed with emotion. It was such a cool experience to be running with so many people. I think I heard that 31,000 people had signed up for the race, 26,000 actually showed up that morning and cross the starting line and only 20,000 people made it to the finish line. CrAzY! I kept fighting the tears back the first few miles. Seeing people run with signs like, "I'm A Survivor" or "In Memory Of...". I just feel so blessed to be able to have had the experience and I thank God every day that I am healthy enough to get out there and run. I started off ahead of my two friends and then Tamara and I fell in together after I stopped at the first water station. I heard someone say there was like 94% humidity when we started the race at 7:30 a.m. The temperature felt great, but as the sun begin to come out the hotter and more humid it got. Tamara and I ran together for probably the first 5 miles and were keeping a great pace, but I stopped at EVERY water station so we got separated at some point after mile 5. I hit a wall around mile 11, but picked up my pace from mile 12 to mile 13. However, the finish line was a huge hill and I slowed it way down for the last stretch. I had NOTHING left at the finish, but I didn't walk once and I FINISHED MY FIRST HALF which is a great feeling! It took me a while to recover afterwards. My second toenails on both feet were REALLY bothering me and when we finally got back to the hotel and I got my shoes off I saw why...they were purple and I'm 90% sure I'm going to lose them. Small price to pay I guess!
I'm pretty sore today, mainly in my back. The hot tub is calling my name!
Here are a few pictures...please ignore the sweaty glow and lack of make-up.

This was on Saturday before we left to get our registration packets. We stayed at Hotel Indigo downtown. I HIGHLY recommend this place. This lovely, chic boutique hotel was conveniently located and the service was superb!

Here we are Sunday morning pre-race.

Tamara and me, post-race.

And me with my #1 fan. She has missed very few of my races, so we figured we better not start now.

Lastly, the three of us, post-race.

My Results:
Chip Time: 2:18:40
Overall Place: 6901/20021, Gender Place: 3190/12585, Division Place: 403/1109

I didn't make my goal time, which, for my first race, I'm totally ok with. I don't think I'll be ready for another half anytime soon. The spring may be the earliest I feel up to another event of that magnitude. But, I can look back on this race with pride. It's like a sign I saw someone holding during the race said, "Your legs will forgive you...eventually."

*Ok, those descriptions are in order for the pictures at the top of my post. Anyone have any idea why when I upload pictures they're now in code form (aldkja;fa'da) instead of showing the actual picture? So, I'm unable to move them around, but they show up normal after I publish the post??? Strange...*

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Rock 'n' Roll...San Antonio Style

2009-11-12T11:48:00.001-08:00

So, I have continued to be a bad blogger...I don't know what my deal is...we are leaving first thing in the morning for San Antonio. The race starts at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. I checked the weather and it's supposed to be 74% humidity with a chance of rain. This girl is used to the DRY Texas Panhandle...hopefully, I'll survive.

I promise to report back next week with pictures and with my first half marathon under my belt! Y'all have a fabulous weekend!

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Tyke's Birthday

2009-11-06T13:07:00.001-08:00

The Monday after our lovely Stillwater weekend was Tyke's Birthday. I had originally wanted to through him a Halloween themed puppy party, but we were too busy so he had to settle for a birthday cake. It's not really pretty, but I think he liked it. And, I know, I'm a terrible mother for serving it on a PINK plate, next year I'll have a blue one, promise!

I used this recipe I found online...

Peanut Butter Delight Dog Birthday Cake

1 cup white or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a cake mold pre-sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake according to size of pan.

Low-fat cottage cheese and shredded carrots can be used for icing. Store in refrigerator.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

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A Couple of Week's Worth of Pictures...

2009-11-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

OSU Homecoming was great! There were several late nights, cold weather, amazing friends and lots of fun! Enjoy the pictures as I attempt to get caught up in the blogging world. I am caught up at work and on the home front so I feel like I can blog away with reckless abandon!

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Reality Show Boo hooing...

2009-10-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Did y'all think I was ever coming back? My sincerest apologies for being gone for so long and the blogging hiatus...I will blog about our trips soon, but for now...

I watched the Biggest Loser night before last. I'm not a huge fan meaning I don't watch every week, but I was flipping channels and started watching and then a couple of the girls started telling their "stories" and why they had turned to food. I was boo hooing like a little baby. So touching...I can't imagine facing what Abby has faced losing her ENTIRE family.

Needless to say I will probably tune in next week.

So, I hope you've all had a fabulous couple of weeks! What are your Halloween plans and what are you dressing up as?

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Many Thanks...

2009-10-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

You ladies just amaze me! Thank you for your sweet comments on my last post!

I am VERY excited today! We leave after work for my old college town to take part in the homecoming festivities with at least 5 of my best friends and their spouses and/or significant others! I know That said my blogging may be slightly limited over the next week. Tyke's birthday is Monday (and I didn't end up having throwing the puppy party for him because we've been so busy) and I am making him a cake I found online. I'll try and share the recipe with y'all on Monday. I have meetings in a nearby city next Tuesday and then the hubs and I leave for Ft. Worth for the TML conference on Wednesday. We finish up Friday morning early and then are staying in Dallas for the weekend just to play. So, I have a lot to do around the office before then. Now if I only had a new wardrobe to go with my upcoming travels, I'd be set.

The Wife from The Cobia Family was sweet enough to nominate me for the "Over The Top" blog award. I greatly appreciate it! Again, you are too kind!

RuLeS...

1) You can only use one word.

2) Share this award with 5 of your favorite bloggers.

3) Alert them that you have given this award.

4) Have fun!

Where is your cell phone? Desk
Your Hair? Clean

Your Mother? Work

Your Brother? None
Your Favorite Food? Italian
Your dream last night? Nope
Your dream/goal? Career/Family

What room are you in? Office

Your hobby? Running

Your Fear? abandonment

Where do you want to be in 6 years? successful

Where were you last night? (Book) Club

Something that you aren't? conceited

Muffins? Blueberry

Wish list item? furniture

Where did you grow up? Texas

Last thing you did? run

What are you wearing? ORANGE

Your TV? off

Your Pets? adorable

Your Friends? FaBuLoUs

Your Life? busy

Your Mood? excited

Missing Someone? friends

Vehicle? Edge

Something your not wearing? necklace

Your Favorite Store? Express

Your favorite color? red

When was the last time you laughed? yesterday

Last time you cried? (last) week

Your Best Friend? several

One place you go to over and over? Colorado

One person who e-mails you regularly? Christie

Favorite place to eat? Crush

And my apologies, but I don' t have time to nominate and tag some of you other lovelies today, but I will try to next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Silent Victories???

2009-10-13T08:05:00.001-07:00

Y'all, I keep reading things that say sometimes it's better to keep your accomplishments to yourself and not share them...and to an extent I agree with that, but I completed my first ever 10 mile run yesterday and I just have to share it with someone. You'll still love me, right?

I was SO not looking forward to this run because a) it was my longest to date and b) my running partner wasn't able to run at the same time so I was going at it solo. It's SO much harder to pace myself and push myself when I'm by myself. I had dreaded it ALL DAY LONG, but when I got off of work the weather was perfect. Mid-50s, hardly any wind...I always run better in cooler weather than warmer weather. So I started out on a familar route and ran 6 miles before my first water break. I stopped for a few minutes and grabbed my knee band because my knee had started bothering me around mile 5. After my break I set out on a undetermined route and ran a mile around our turfed football field, which relieved my joints immensely. By the time I finished it was dark and sprinkling. But, I finished and I felt pretty good. I was a little slow from my goal pace time, but I can live with that.

Now that this has become my "hobby" I find myself wanting the latest gear, workout attire, etc. I think it's just the girl in me. Hope y'all are having a wonderful Tuesday!

Quotable Friday and Another Blog Award...

2009-10-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Loving the difficult people in our lives has really been on my heart a lot lately. Here's a point from a sermon that I wanted to share for Quotable Friday. "Be creative in your hospitality; look for new ways to make others feel accepted and valued and loved." A good one to apply to the workplace or anywhere for that matter that I also try and live by is "Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully."

Y'all are just too sweet to me! Ashley at Ramirez Family gave me the Your Blog is Fabulous Award.

The rules are as follows.

1) Thank the person who nominated you for this award. Thank you so much, Ashley!

2) Copy the logo and place it on you blog.

3) Link to the person who nominated you for this award. (How do I do that again?) 4) Name 5 things I am obsessed with. 5) Nominate 5 FaBuLoUs bloggers.

Things I am obsessed with...

1) My Garmin Forerunner 305. I don't know what I'd do without it on Sundays when I do my long runs. (10 miles coming up this Sunday morning and it's gonna be cold! The high for the day is only 42 degrees and it's supposed to get down in the 20's during the night. So, I'm guessing at 6 a.m. it's still going to be pretty chilly!)

2) My iPod Shuffle. Yes, it's only a shuffle, but again, I use it every time I work out. I chose the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon because there is a band set up every mile of the race. And since you're not allowed to use any type of mp3 player, this was VERY important to me! I don't see how people run without listening to something.

3) My cameras. I have a Canon Digital Rebel and a Canon Elph and I typically carry at least one of them with me EVERYWHERE! (Too bad I haven't printed off any of my pictures from the last year. That's my only complaint with digital photography.)

4) Earl Grey Lattes. Since it's gotten colder I have one every morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Yummy!

5) Our Fireplace. Growing up I always wanted a fireplace so when we bought a house that was one of my requirements. We light a fire EVERY evening we're home in the fall and winter!

I nominate the following Fabulous Bloggers...

1) Confessions of a Domestic Goddess

2) Courtney at Starting Out

3) Mrs. Guru at Off the Beaten Path

4) Heather at Step Inside

Y'all have a wonderful weekend! I think it's going to be quite chilly in the panhandle!

A Manicotti Recipe

2009-10-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, I have GOT to get better about taking pictures of what I cook because I pick recipes sometimes based on the little picture above them, but I never think of it until later.

Monday night I got home and had set out all of the stuff for stew and I thought, "that sounds boring". So, I pulled what I had and made crab manicotti. My friend, Laura, made manicotti ALL THE TIME in college and it was always so yummy! I was nervous about how it would turn out, but the hubs LOVED it! So, I thought I'd share it with you all.

Crab Manicotti

Ingredients:

8 Manicotti Pasta Shells

3-1/4 cup your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Progresso.)

1-15oz container of Ricotta

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1/2 can spinach (I would have preferred fresh, but I went with what was on hand.)

1/2 small can of chopped black olives

1/2 pkg of crab meat (or imitation crab if you are landlocked like us and 45 miles from a store big enough to offer the real thing)

A sprinkle of salt, pepper, Tony Chatcheres (spelling?), Parsley

Directions: Bring water to a boil and add Manicotti Shells. Cook for 6 minutes and then removed from water and lay on foil to cool. Shred crab meat and combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour and additional 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan, stuff shells with mixture and lay in pan, cover shells with remaining mixture, add another 1/4 cup of spagetti sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes on 350. Enjoy!

Family Birthday Fun...

2009-10-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Let me just start off by saying, I LOVE MY FAMILY...

Friday after work we headed south to my parents'. It had been awhile since we'd spent an entire weekend at their place so I think we were all having withdrawals. Here's Marty expressing his love for my fur baby.

Saturday, Mom and I were lazy, but we finally got around and went to lunch and a local arts and crafts show. I got some cute blingy bracelets (you can see a few of them in the below picture on my right hand). This picture was taken Sunday after church.

Sunday I got up EARLY and met Tamara and we ran 9 miles. Again, it was rough. For some reason mile four was hard for me and then I was fine until about mile 7.5 and my knee started giving me fits. The weather was perfect, though. Cloudy, wet and cool. I was so glad to have our long run out of the way before church. My Gma and JoePa met us at church and we all went out to eat for Gma, Mom and Joe's birthdays that were all last week and then they came back to the house for a while. It was a lovely time. I am so blessed to have these people in my life. Mom and I watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past after my grandparents left; it was really cute! I was not ready to come back to C-town and work on Monday morning.

Marty and Me

My house is in serious need of attention after being gone all weekend, but it was worth it. M has softball tonight and I'll be tuning into The Hills and The City...I know what you're thinking, but I love them both!

Quotable Friday...

2009-10-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken by our dear friend, Robin, one Fall in East Texas. It seems we never make it back in time to see the colors change like this...

I know I missed 'Quotable Friday' last Friday, but this Friday, I'm back so the quote for the is one from my personal quote collection. It makes me think of Fall, nostalgia and it is hunting to season; to which means my husband has caught the fever and cannot wait to enhale the crisp fall mornings before sunrise.

"All things on Earth point to home in Old October; sailors to sea, travelers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken." - Thomas Wolfe

Hope you all have a beautiful, blessed weekend! We are celebrating the birthdays. My grandmom's birthday was Wednesday, Mom's was yesterday and today is JoePa's. So we are headed South to spend the weekend with my parents and celebrate with everyone on Sunday. Sunday is also my long run (9 miles), so wish me luck. My knee and ankle have been bothering me lately. I think it's all the pounding on the treadmill and street, but it makes me feel old to admit that I have joint pain!

Wishful Wednesday

2009-09-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

Kelsey over at The Seattle Smith's is hostessing Wishful Wednesday.

Today 'I Wish'...My Pet Could Talk Because I've been dying to know...

1) If he's been cold the last few mornings we've gone walking. I walk Tyke on a harness (which he hates) because he's like a sled dog pulling on a lead if I don't, but his coat won't fit over his harness.

2) Why in the last two weeks he's gone from playfully chewing on his toys to full on devouring them. Included in the rampage were a pair of M's work pants, a button up shirt and his comfy work boots. Care to answer that one, my little darling???

3) And last but not least, if he thinks he's been abandoned when I leave him at pet resorts when we go on long trips.

I couldn't decide on just one question or picture. He is my furbaby after all!

4) L.C. (the cat) Why do you let Tyke bite and pull on your ears and harrass you when it'd only take one good swipe from your fully entact claws to make him lay off? You are a sweet kitty when you want to be.

Tired...

2009-09-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Friday we went to the high school football game in a neighboring town. We ate dinner with my dear friend, Randi, and her husband, Shea, at this lovely little Mexican place that I always forget the name of.

Here Randi and I are before the game.

Saturday I got around and drove to my parents' to see my dad. Mom was in Amarillo doing the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure with two of her friends. One of which is a breast cancer survivor. We had to admit my granddad to the hospital late Friday night so I decided to go check on my dad Saturday. He and I drove to P-town and met Uncle Bud, picked up a horse and had lunch before driving 45 minutes back to my parents only for me to turn around and drive to Amarillo to see Granddad who has limited visitation. I met Mom up there and we spent an hour with Gdad before driving back to my parents.

Sunday morning I had to get up to teach Sunday school. I had 12 2nd and 3rd graders. They were VERY rambunctious! I took a nap that afternoon and Marty went and dove hunted and rode his horse with Justin and Ben. Then I went to "Pumpkin Patch" out at the garden and toted home some LOVELY pumpkins for my porch. Does anyone have a recipe that makes your pumpkins look shiny and waxy on the outside? I know I've seen one, I just don't remember where.

It was SO hot Sunday evening. So, Tamara and I decided to wait awhile to run our 8 miles. I LOVE having someone to help me get through those long runs. She pushes me so much! My knees started bothering me towards the end. Do any of y'all run with those knee bands? I've been going to try them, but wanted to ask someone if they thought they helped, first. It was 8:30 p.m. by the time we finished and I was not hungry at all, but by the time I laid down in bed around 10:30 p.m. I was STARVING so I fixed some brown rice and steamed veggies. Then drifted off into a beautiful oblivion of sleep.

Monday I had a 3 mile EZ recovery run and work was usual. Nothing exciting.

This morning was my "rest" day from running so Holly and I took the pups for a walk around 6 a.m. How Tyke, my little Papillion, keeps up with Blue, her Standard Poodle, I'll never know, but he LOVES it!

Hope you all had a great weekend! And are having a great start to your week!

Mom is coming up tonight and we're going to get our nails done, eat pizza and watch Marty play some softball.

Sterling Silver and A Giveaway...

2009-09-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I sell Silpada Sterling Silver jewelry. It's comes with a lifetime guarantee and if you get it and don't fall in love with it, they'll let you exchange it or refund your $$$, no questions asked. I thought I'd share a few the new pieces with y'all from the 2009-2010 catalog which you can view by clicking here. I had an open house last night and haven't completed the order, yet, so if you find something you just can't live without, send me an e-mail at cassirash@gmail.com What girl doesn't love jewelry?

Ashley at Live.Love.Laugh is giving away an adorable ring dish of your choice from Wise Impressions. This one is my favorite.

So click on her site Live.Love.Laugh and enter the giveaway! You have until next Monday, September 28!

Feelin' the Love, Y'all

2009-09-21T14:20:00.001-07:00

Well, you ladies have been so kind to present me with a few awards lately. I would like to thank Modern Mom at How to Survive Life in the Suburbs for the Give Good Blog Award. She has an extremely fun and witty blog. You should all check it out if you haven't already.

The rules are: No one really likes rules, do they? She has made them simple. Make a cocktail, pick out some of your favorite bloggers. Send this award to four of them. Tell them why you think they give good blog. There are so many fascinating, witty and fantastic bloggers. Let's invite them all to the party!

Or you can just put it on your mantle and watch it sparkle. I am going to opt for this option since I have two other blog awards to dish out.

This next award comes from Mimi at A Peek At the Pierces. She is a new blog read, but oh so sweet! She awarded me the Honest Scrap Award.

The rules are as follows...1) thank the blogger that gave you award. Thank you, Mimi! Keep on keepin' on towards that 5k. I know you'll do great! And 2) Share 10 things that your blog readers may not know about you. I'm pretty much an open book on here, but I will try and dig deep.

3) I am supposed to present this award to 7 bloggers I find brillant in content and/or design, or those whose blog has encouraged me.

1. I was ready to be done with school, so I finished in College Town in three years. I then moved back to Texas, married the hubs and finished my last 9 hours online.

2. The hubs and I were engaged 8 months after the day we met.

3. I am EXTREMELY emotional *lol* I cry...when the preacher gets up in the pulpit to pray, during songs whether on the radio or during church, at the love I feel for my family, one day of the month for any reason at all, when praying out loud with/for my friends, when something the LEAST bit sentimental comes on the television. I'm going to be a wreck when it comes to my kids, y'all.

4. I own 7 pairs of boots and four of those are cowboy boots. (and I'd really like to have at least one or two more pair.)

5. I want EVERYTHING in the Pottery Barn/Ballard Designs Catalog. If only my bank account was that big!

6. Marty and I already have our kid's names picked out even though we have one year left in "the plan". The boy name we just decided on recently, but we've had a little girl name decided upon for years.

7. I LOVE being involved and being in the middle of everything. If I'm going to be involved in something, I'd rather lead it.

8. Which leads me to the fact that I serve on our local city government and someday would like to be involved in politics. I have strong opinions about a lot of things and would like to see certain things happen in my lifetime. Watch out Washington! *lol*

9. I sell Silpada Sterling Silver Jewelry. They have some beautiful pieces and I don't work my business as hard as I used to, but it still offers some great benefits. Go here to visit my site.

10. Sometimes I entertain the idea of getting my Master's Degree, but I never can decide what degree I'd pursue.

Last, but certainly not least, Miss Jody at Miss Fancy Pants...Proud Army Wife. Hoo-ah! gave me the Kreativ Blogger Award. To accept the award I must 1) Thank the lovely lady that gave me the award. Thank you kindly, Miss Jody! So glad you are a fan of my blog and I'm forever grateful for the service your husband has done for me and our country! 2) Copy the logo and put on your blog.

3) Link the person who nominated you.

4) Name 7 things about yourself no one knows. Sorry, but to kill two birds with one stone, I'm going to say the previous 10 things about me count. Any objections to that? I don't think I have 17 things to share with y'all that you don't already know. I'm not that mysterious!

5) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers and post links to their blogs

6) Leave a comment on each blog and let them know you nominated them.

I'm giving the following gals The Honest Scrap and The Kreativ Blogger. If you've already received one or both of these, just repost your initial post. They can really be a lot of work!

1. The Wife

2. Cow Patty Surprise

3. The Seattle Smith's

4. Ladybug Blessings

5. The juice is worth the squeeze...

6. Brownies for My Breakfast

7. French Kiss

Another Style Show and A Little Two Steppin'

2009-09-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Friday night we had some friends over and we cooked out. I got this Cosmorita drink mix in Canton that you put in a blender with white wine and ice. It was YUMMY! It was definitely a hit with the girls.

Saturday I had another style show, but this time my Gma, Mom and I were all in it together.

Here's one of Mom and Me.

And the three of us. Are they not two of the most gorgeous women you have even seen?

We had so much fun and went and had lunch a little coffee shop afterwards.

Then Mom and I made a flying trip to A-town to check on my Meme. She looked better than I expected, but I just hate seeing anyone I love in a hospital bed. I talked to her yesterday and she said she wasn't feeling as well as she had the day before. Poor thing, she spent her birthday in the hospital.

I snapped this picture on my way home. I know it's tacky. I know it's rude, but I just could help myself. Accessories typically make one look better. In this picture I'd say the accessories are the motorcycles...and I'm going to leave it at that...

When I got back to C-town we met up with some friends and went to the most quaint little outdoor dinner and dance. They only have it through the summer months and there is always a yummy meal, a local artist feature and an outdoor concert and dance. It was so much fun!

Jocelyn and me.

Marty, me and Ben.

A few of the boys. Don't think that just because they're cowboys they don't influence what one another wears. Marty asked Justin before leaving his house, "Do you have a vest I can borrow?". I think they all thought it was going to be cooler Saturday evening than it was, but it makes for a funny picture.

Daggot, Justin, Marty and Ben.

We didn't get in until around 2 a.m. so I slept in a little and put my 7 mile run off until the evening. Church was A-MAZING! The song service and sermon were exactly what I needed to hear. It was all about not carrying your hurts, habits and hang ups with you that they start affecting those around you. My favorite quote from the sermon was, "It's none of your business what other people think of you." Amen to that! M and I went out to lunch with some friends and then came back to the house and took a LONG nap. It was wonderful! My run however, was not. It could have been due to the fact that we were out late, coupled with me not taking a water break until almost mile 6, but I just feel like these long run aren't getting any easier. It's over and done with, though, as is my 4th week of training! Only 8 more weeks to go!

Happy Monday, y'all!

Quotable Friday...

2009-09-18T13:21:00.001-07:00

I LOVE quotes, love them and love to live by them! Hence the "quotes i love" section on the lower right of my blog. So, I'm going to try and do a "Quotable Friday" every Friday to cap off the week and because by Friday, I'm exhausted both mentally and physically.

I had a four mile pace run this morning and IT WAS TOUGH. Maybe it was the leftover pizza I had for dinner ; ) Whatever, it was made it hard to get through, but it's over and done with as is almost my day so YAY for that!

I have another fashion show tomorrow and then we're off to A-town to check on my grandma who they put in the hospital today with advanced pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. This is my other grandma, not the one I model with-just to clarify. She's a real petite little thing and very frail.

Well, here's the quote for the day. I will post about a few awards I received this week on Monday. Happy Friday, y'all!

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earn, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." -Unknown

Gratitude and A Baby Gift Idea...

2009-09-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Geez, girls! Y'all are just too sweet! Now if y'all all lived in Small Town, USA we could have one heck of a puppy party! Thanks for all of your comments. I really appreciate it and you all made me think that maybe I'm not completely cRaZy.

Then head on over to Bowheads & More. The first 5 followers get a free bow and I think there's one spot left! Also, checkout the girl behind Bowheads & More at The Wife. She has a LOVELY blog that I just recently discovered and it has quickly become one of my favorites!

Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend!

Polling My Friends in Blogland...

2009-09-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Remember, I live in Small Town, USA, so some things that are permissible and "normal" in bigger places are simply not here.

Which leads me to my question...Tyke (if you don't know who Tyke is by now-you haven't been reading my blog very long, but he's my Papillion puppy and you can scroll down my blog and to the right to see his adorable picture) turns one on Oct. 19th and I've been entertaining the idea of having a Halloween themed "Puppy Party". I know, I know...some of you are laughing and even scorning me, but hear me out. One of my friends did something similar for her pooch in Oklahoma City. I was trying to make a list of people that I know that have small dogs or well-behaved large dogs and I thought I'd poll them too. I absolutely LOVE Halloween and decorating my house for it, but I'm too intimidated to throw an all out adult Halloween party, so this way it's like I get to do a scaled down version of what I'd do for an adult party complete with a dog-friendly birthday cake. And I've found some of THE CUTEST dog costumes. We could have a costume contest for the dogs, too...

What do you, am I a complete nut job that loves my fur baby a little too much? *LOL*

A Fashionable Weekend...

2009-09-15T07:32:00.001-07:00

Friday night we went to the high school football game. I ended up being slightly overdressed and was a little warm until the sun went down, but I'd always rather be overdressed than under...

Here we are before we left the house.

Saturday morning I woke up to a drizzly, overcast day-so not compatible for good style show hair...thus the reason for my flat do in the following pictures...

This is my lovely grandmother. I refer to her as "Gma" because "Grandmother" has always seemed too old and outdated for her. She has been modeling in local style shows for years and has such grace about her. I look up to her in so many ways.

I didn't know any girls from C-town were modeling, but myself and I walked in to find my cousin, Candy, (on the far left), Ada and Angela.

Sunday morning I got up before church to run my 6 miles, but I guess I didn't get up quite early enough, because by the time I got out the door I only had time for four miles. So, unfortunately, I had to go finish the other two that afternoon after Tyke, Lily and I had a lovely nap.

My parents left last week for a trip to the mountains with some of their friends. The guys hunted mule deer and Mom and her friend would take little day trips in town and shop and have lunch. So, I was SO excited when she called Sunday and said she was driving in to stay the night with us and pick up Lily. My mom is my very best friend and we talk a million times a day on the phone so the fact that I hadn't really been able to talk to her during her trip was KILLING me!

I think Fall is officially here! It was in the mid 70's all day yesterday and I think they said it was like 55 degrees this morning. There is definitely a chill in the air.

My Ode to East Texas...

2009-09-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Oh East Texas, how I love thee...let me count the ways...

Marty and I left Thursday after work and got to his parents' around 2 a.m. I got up Friday morning and decided I would run outside around Marty's parents' land. The first mile was ok and then the humidity and hills about did me in...it was only a three mile run, but it felt like I was in a sauna the entire time. When I finished and cooled down I made my way to his parents' porch to stretch and got bitten by fire ants. Those things HURT! I proceeded to tell my husband how I think fire ants should be called piss ants. (Piss ants are little black ants that we have in the panhandle that don't bite.) He said, "no, because fire ants bite you and it feels like fire". I replied, "yeah, but when they bite you, it just pisses you off."

The rest of the day was LOVELY. The weather although, humid was nice and I found so much at Canton I wanted...I always say I am going to take a trailer next time and just fill 'er up! I found some cute accessories, a few dip and drink mixes, Tyke some doggy clothes, my mom a few birthday gifts and my prized find, this entry table.

I'd been looking for something for FOREVER! And all the tables I looked at just weren't exactly "it" and the prices ranged from $250-$700. I got this little jewel for a mere $150 after a little bargaining he came down from what it was marked. See, there is some positive to a recession.

After Friday's running experience I found a 24 hour fitness place to do the rest of my running. It was nice and I fell in love with this machine called The Wave. Have y'all ever seen or tried one? It's like rollerbladding and 10 times better than a stair climber . That afternoon we went to Los Pinos Winery and had lunch with Martys parents and then spent the rest of the afternoon at some friends' house. Marty went to high school with Justin and Robin and we always enjoy catching up with them. Robin recently opened her own chiropractic office and so she adjusted me since we're never around to actually make an appointment.

Here's the hubs and me at the winery.

That night, Marty was coming in the house and let this lovely creature in...it's a wolf spider with about a million babies on her back. Granted, we have wolf spiders at home, but never one like this in the house. Marty sprayed it with bug spray and all the babies fell off her back. I should have gotten a picture of that. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE! (If you look closely you can see her eye glowing. I've always heard that if you shine a flashlight across your yard at night you'll be able to see the spiders because their eyes glow. CrEePy! I don't know if you can tell, but there are some glowing spots on her back too!)

Sunday Jerrye, my mother-in-law, and I went to church (the boys went to a gun show in a nearby town) and afterwards we drove to Pittsburg to Aunt Barbara's Victorian Tea Room where we had the tastiest lunch I've had in East Texas. Peter, the owner is originally from England and moved here a little over a decade ago and opened the tea room. We will definitely be going back there. They even serve afternoon tea and high tea complete with sandwiches, pastries, scones and cake. How adorable is that?

Here's a picture of Jerrye and then of me in front of the tea room it also serves as a bed and breakfast known as The Pecan House. I wish we could have gotten a picture together, but Peter was busy serving other people and we didn't want to interrupt.

It was shortly after that that we stopped at a gas station and I had the pleasure of meeting a good 'ol East Texas hillbilly. I needed some gas and although, it was late in the afternoon, I still had my church attire on. I walked towards the door and heard somone say, "How you doin'?" I look over and it's an older man (older than my parents by quite a bit), missing several front teeth with the biggest goofy grin on his face I've ever seen. I looked at my feet and said, "Fine, thanks." Well, he followed me in the gas station and stood in line behind me a few short seconds before yelling over the other people that were in line, "Y'all take food stamps?" The lady behind the counter told him yes to which he replied, "Great!" and turned and went back out to his truck. I was lucky enough meet him again when exiting and held the door ('cause that's how I was raised) and with the same gap toothed grin, he giddily thanked me. Don't get me wrong, I am not being judgemental at all, he was just a little creepy.

Monday we went to Longview and had lunch with some of Marty's friends from college at David Beard's Catfish Village. Don't laugh, they have the best chocolate pudding in the world...except, I think they changed the recipe because it didn't taste quite as good as last time. It tasted artificial, so I was slightly disappointed, but we still took several tubs home with us. That evening we cooked out with the family.

Here's my sister-in-law, Cristy, niece, Ciara, brother-in-law, Wayne, Marty and our youngest niece, Cadi. I don't know why, but I hardly got any pictures while we were there.

If you're still here at the end of this long post, you deserve an award.

We are off to the high school football game tonight. It's homecoming here in C-town. Question: I haven't been to a high school football game since my freshman year of college. And now that I'm an adult (*lol*) what does one wear to a football game? Mind you, people dress up here more than they do in your average small town, but I'm totally at a loss...HELP?!

Tomorrow I am modeling in a fashion show in a neighboring town. I'm a little nervous. My mom is always there modeling with me and she won't be there this time because she and my dad are in the mountains. I'm sure it will still be fun. I'll try and post pictures Monday!

Have a fabulous weekend!

*Some of the pictures are out of order...what's new blogger?

Garage Sale=A Thumbs Down

2009-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I never seem to get around to my weekend recap until mid-week. Hope y'all don't mind too much! Friday evening Marty and I hauled a TRAILER LOAD of stuff over to my grandparents to start setting up for the garage sale Saturday morning. But, before we began pricing and unpacking things we went and had dinner at The Plaza. I had a chicken fiesta salad which was YUMMY! Then we came back and worked until about 11 p.m. getting things priced and situated. I HATE GARAGE SALES...remind me of this the next time I think having one is a good idea.

The next morning we woke up around 6 a.m. to an unusually chilly and almost Fall-like morning. We were in the shade for the first few hours and it was downright cold. Typically, when we have a garage sale, we have people showing up around 7 and 7:30 a.m. when we've put 8 a.m. in the paper. Saturday that was not the case. We didn't have anyone until after 9 a.m. Someone mentioned, the economy, but I was like I think the economy would improve garage sale attendance.

Miss Abby who lives in the same town as my grandparents and whom I hadn't seen or spent time w/ in awhile came and had lunch and then we ran to a local boutique to try on clothes for an upcoming style show that we're in. That was fun and refreshing. Abby just started her half marathon training last week as well. She was my workout partner in college and always pushed me. I miss having her as a workout buddy.

All in all we made $300 less than we did in the garage sale we had three years ago. But, the good news is, we have more $$$ in our pockets than we did before and we got rid of ALL of our stuff!

Sunday morning, Tamara, came in before church and we did our four mile run. I was wishing we had been in the picture taking mood because she stepped out of her vehicle with the same shorts I had on, and we both had pink tennis shoes...it looked like we planned it. *LOL* I'm not gonna lie, the run was tough. Around mile three I was really struggling and had slowed my pace WAY down (and I had chosen a path that included mostly hills for the majority of mile three so that didn't help). I thought I was going to have to walk, but I just started praying and once we topped that hill and hit mile 4 I felt amazing! We sped up and ended up finishing just a few seconds slower than we had aimed for...I was so glad to have someone to run with or I know I wouldn't have finished that strong. God is good! It was a beautiful, cool morning and we went back to mi casa and had granola with blueberries and strawberries. And then I proceeded to be late for teaching my Sunday school class. Story of my life...am I the only person who has to set an alarm for when I should be leaving my house?

Happy Hump Day, everyone! The hubs and I are heading to East Texas sometime tomorrow for to spend Labor Day with the in-laws. So, I probably won't be blogging until next Tuesday or so...I am excited to go to Canton and visit the local winery...hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Another Award and a Giveaway...

2009-09-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

The lovely Mrs. EyeCanSee over at The juice is worth the squeeze... was kind enough to give me the Splash Award. The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award you must...

Put the logo on your blog/post.

Name up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.

Let them know they've been splashed by commenting on their blog.

Remember to link the person from who you received your Splash Award.

I am passing this award along to...

Her Southern Charm

Discom-BOB-ulated Running

Also, stop by My Teacups in Peony. She has a lovely giveaway donated by Down and Out Chic. Check it out by clicking on the Teacups link!

Office Humor???

2009-08-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

My boss sent the entire office this article yesterday.

I wrote him an e-mail and asked if he was trying to tell us something. What do you think?

Back Story: I work for a hedge fund so lately, we've been talking A LOT about people making financial decisions based on their emotions and the state of the economy, not based on their knowledge. So...he really wasn't aiming this at his employees, but it makes you think otherwise, doesn't it?

Frame of Mind...

2009-08-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

What does it take to change your frame of mind?

Yesterday I came home from the office. It hadn't been a bad day, just kind of blah. Then the hubs came home and we got in a slight disagreement. That only sent my mood further south.

When I was in high school, it didn't matter what it was...if I needed to think, relieve stress or just change my frame of mind, I went for a run. The good, long kind. Whatever was bothering me at the beginning of my run seemed petty and menial by the end of it.

So I changed out of my work clothes, put Tyke's little harness on and we went for a quick walk and then I dropped him off at the house and went and worked out.

I think the combination of being outside and jamming to my iPod that my dear friend, Tamara, uploaded with some great praise and worship music was just the ticket.

When I walked back in the house I felt completely different than I had when I arrived home earlier that evening.

It got me to wondering...what helps change your frame of mind or put you in a better mood?

Happy Friday! We are headed to my grandparents to have a BIG garage sale tomorrow. I'm praying we get rid of all our junk and make lots of moola! One of my friends had a garage sale in Amarillo earlier this year and made $1,600! I've NEVER had a garage sale be quite that lucrative, but here's hoping...

A Family Affair...

2009-08-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

Friday night after work Mom came up and brought Lily. She and I did a few last minute things in preparation work Saturday's festivities and my poor husband worked his fingers to the bone for two days straight getting our front and back yard looking better than they've looked since we've lived there. All our projects were things we'd be NEEDING to do, but just hadn't had the initiative to do. We did kick back a little and open a bottle of this...(if you've never had this stuff, it's THE BEST red sparkling wine you will ever drink). We had some in Fredericksburg and I called the place and had them send Mom and I a bottle.

Saturday morning Mom and I got around and took the puppies for a walk and then ran a few errands and came back and started kitchen prep. One of my great aunt's showed up two hours early! Everyone else started arriving around 4 p.m. I, however, was unfortunately still in my athletic clothes and unshowered. I let Mom play hostess for awhile while I made a mad dash for the shower. We ended up having around 30+ family members. I was VERY pleased. Half the group set up shop in the dining/living room area and the rest outside on the porch. It was a beautiful evening and everyone had a great time.

The only matriarchs left in our family. Aunt Earlene, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Mary. There were 10 siblings in all.

Here's a group shot (minus Marty and me because we were the photogs).

The first cousins.

My younger cousins kept the puppies busy. It was great! They were SO worn out by the end of the night, though.

Here's Brynn and Brendan with Tyke and Lily.

Brendan and Lily having a moment. So cute!

Gage and the puppies.

Tykers at the end of the evening. I think we all felt the same way!

The food and fellowship were fabulous! We don't really have family reunions on either side of my family anymore so other than funerals we never all get together anymore. It was such a blessing! We had SO much food leftover so we had some more friends over Sunday after church to help us take care of them. There's something to be said for friends that you can have over for leftovers and not feel bad about it...

I sat down with my great aunt, Shirley, and went over some of her geneolgy research. I've never been into all of that, but the closer we get to having children the more I've started researching family names...I'm slightly addicted although, I don't really know what I'm doing. Shirley and her two daughters go back to Tennessee where our family originated and tour through the towns our family came from, the different family cementaries (I know it sounds slightly morbid, but they've traced several family members that way). My dad has always teased my mom about her "hillbilly relatives" from Tennessee and after doing a little investigating it turns out that his dad's side of the family came from Tompkinsville, KY, which is just about an hour and 15 minutes north of Cookeville, TN, where my mom's mother's side came from. Ironic isn't it?

That's probably way more family info than any of you wanted to know, but if any of you have any tips on geneolgy and how to go about researching it, I'd be ever so grateful!

A Recipe to Share...

2009-08-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

I just cut this recipe out of the paper. It sounds YUMMY! My mom is coming into town to stay with us tomorrow night and then a bunch (40 to 50) of family members from her side are coming over Saturday afternoon for a cookout at our house.

I'm thinking I'll make this for breakfast Saturday morning.

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

Pinch each salt & cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 pint fresh blueberries

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 7x11" baking pan. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

2) Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs one by one and beat for 1 minute. On low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture, the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour mixture. Gently stir in berries. Pour into baking pan.

3) Bake for about 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, unmold, then cool right-side-up.

Serves 12. Per serving: 220 calories, 33g carbs, 3g protein, 55 mg cholesterol, and 9g fat.

*Sorry I don't have a picture. I hate recipes that don't have a picture!

An Orange Weekend...

2009-08-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well, my parents flew to Pennsylvania last week to see some friends so I we had an extra addition in our house...Miss Lily. She is Tyke's mama. They had so much fun running around chasing each other.

Here she is lounging one evening.

Saturday morning I got around and went to Amarillo. I had a VERY long to do list. I went by and saw my grandad when I got into town. From 11:00 until 1:00 we set up for the OSU event that evening. I took lunch to my Meme and then had to be at WG for my appointment at 2 p.m. I took in four different hairstyles and finally chose a combination of two of them. It's shorter than I planned, but I like it. After that I headed to The Prescriptives counter to get my make up done. I LOVE getting pampered. I try and get my make up done a couple of times a year just to learn new things and try new colors. The best part is that it's free!

Here's a picture before I changed clothes...I realize now that the smokey eyes and red lipstick were a little overkill. However, I'd taken a picture in of this girl that had the same skin tone, hair color and eye color and I thought it didn't look too drastic on her...That's why she's a model in a magazine and I'm not.

Josh & Me. Josh is a former Pistol Pete (our mascot) at OSU and now serves in the Alumni Relations Dept. He's been so much help getting our chapter organized.

Me and my twin. This is Jaime and I am obviously joking because she's SO much more tan than I am! She's been a huge help and when I got to the event we had the same dress on.

A picture of the new officers with Josh.

I didn't get all my errands run on Saturday so Marty and I had to go back on Sunday. We picked up a grill for our big family get together this Saturday. And we got to have lunch with my parents who had just flown into town and see my Grandad again.

By the time we got home that evening I was exhausted. It was a very fun and productive weekend, though. Hope yours was great as well!

Triathlon

2009-08-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your sweet comments yesterday. I REALLY appreciate it. I went home and the hubs asked me if I was doing okay. (I woke the poor guy up an hour earlier than usual sobbing like a crazy person so he could go take care of her for me.) I told him that I had blogged about it and he was like, "You put pictures of her on there, that's kind of morbid." I just thought, boys...they don't understand sometimes. But, if any of you agreed with my hubby-my apologies.

So, I am just now getting around to posting about my triathlon. My four personal goals were 1) To Finish 2) Not Come in Last 3) Not to Walk ANY of the 3.2 mile run which was the very last event and 4) Not Get Sick. I added that last one the Saturday morning on my way to the race. I was EXTREMELY nervous and we had been using Gu Energy Gel during our training, but only like one package per workout. The morning of we took some 15 minutes before the competition started and then every 45 minutes during. It gave me the WORST indigestion. I was burping up a storm during the run and just thought, "Lord, if I throw up, I'm done. Please just let me finish this thing w/o getting sick." I met all four of my goals. One of the girls I had been training with won 1st in her age group. I was SO proud of her. She cycles competitively and the wind was blowing SO hard that day, if you were on a road bike or a seasoned cyclist-you definitely had the advantage.

There were 6 of us from Small Town, USA that competed and did the ENTIRE triathlon. I knew going in the other were all in a lot better shape than I was. They've been working out consistently for the last couple of years and have done several half marathons and such. I think I overestimated what kind of shape I was in as I just started working out consistently at the beginning of June. But, I had fun and I finished my first tri!

Here are a few pictures...excuse my ugliness as I only got a few hours of sleep due to my nerves and my mother isn't the greatest photographer...and these are posted all of out order because I am a buffoon when it comes to blogger!

Finished. I know this is a less than flattering shot, but there is a sense of goofy relief mixed with satisfaction on my face that I just had to share!

Running.

Me and Tamara before the event started.

Transitioning between the swim and the 12.5 mile bike.

That's me on the bottom left and Tamara towards the center of the picture on the last stretch of the 450 yd swim.

It was a great experience! I can say I've completed a triathlon and if I ever do another one, I can only improve from where I started.

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Tomorrow is Marty's 29th birthday. He is helping one of his good friends ship cattle an hour and a half East of here and I have my first OSU alumni chapter dinner and that I helped organize and plan an hour and a half West of here so we won't be seeing much of each other, unfortunately.

Sad Day...

2009-08-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

I got up early this morning to go workout. As I was pulling out of the driveway something on the side of the road caught my eye...it was Cowboy.

She couldn't have been there long because of course, my initial reaction was to run to her and see if there were any signs of life. Sadly, there were not.

We got Cowboy a month after we got married. Next month would have made three years. She was the first pet that was "ours". Marty had Mack and I eventually got Honey and Tyke, but she was "ours".

I know they are just pets and our two cats don't even get to stay in the house anymore since we moved. We let them inside occasionally, but not anything like we used to. It's just so upsetting because they were so good at staying out of the road. If I was outside, they'd follow me around and to the curb, but if they even heard a vehicle coming they ran straight for our front door. We do, however, live on a fairly busy street and people fly up and down all the time.

Enough of that. Here are a few pictures of her.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her. She's only about a year old here. Notice the cute collar...I bought four or five nice collars and she lost all of them. Cats were not meant to wear collars.

Here she is with a couple of her kittens. I think these were from her second litter.

Here are she and L.C. (her kitten that we kept) in our old house.

This first one is of her and Tyke when he was just a puppy. They love to cuddle up and snuggle together.

She loved to cuddle and be held like a baby. And unlike L.C. she was much more snuggly. It was

kind of a crummy way to start my day to say the least. And on top of that, we couldn't swim due to the lightning. No workout this morning=me feeling very draggy.

Three Years Ago Today...

2009-08-12T07:15:00.001-07:00

I married my best friend. It is so hard for me to believe that Marty and I have been married for three WHOLE years. It's even harder for me to believe that I love him more today than I did standing in that church in front of all our family and friends three years ago. That was the happiest day of my life thus far and I never dreamed I could possibly feel more for him than I did that day.

I loved every minute of planning our wedding. I would give anything to do event and wedding planning full-time. It was a big celebration. And even though, I was taking a full load of summer courses at OSU and planning a wedding from a satelittle location-I had a blast doing it all. I've heard so many brides say that if they had it to do over, they would elope in a heartbeat. Not me. I never felt stressed through the entire process...and if anything, I wish that I could put our wedding day in slow motion and live it again so I could savor every moment...

I wanted to share a few pictures...I don't know that I've ever posted any of my wedding pictures on my blog other than the other of my parents and me on the lower right hand corner of my blog. WARNING: I tried to post these in some kind of order and blogger is being a PAIN!

This is during the ceremony. We were so giddy! Can you tell by the scrunched up, full of joy smile on my face?

Here's a shot of me with my WONDERFUL bridesmaids...I am so blessed by the people God has brought into my life and these girls were so much help. They are absolutely beautiful inside and out!

This is my favorite bridal portrait. We waited until after our wedding to take my bridal portraits because I wanted to take them out on my parents' ranch and was worried about ruining my dress.

Here's my favorite page from our wedding album. Our vows were so unique and so perfect. Dr. Jay Spencer, who is a dear friend of Marty's married us. He and his ENTIRE family (and when I say "entire" I mean, he and his wife, their three kids, Jay's cousin and his wife and their three boys) were huge spiritual influences on my husband, and for that I am forever grateful to them. Since Jay was a mere 8 hours away during the wedding planning process, we didn't do a whole lot of marriage counseling, but he did have several questions he wanted us to answer without discussing our answers with one another. So we did, and he formed our vows from our answers to those questions.

My vows to Marty read: "I, Cassi, take you Marty to be my loving husband. I promise to love you unconditionally, to honor, respect and cherish you daily. I promise to always spend time with you, however busy life may be. I promise to be a good listener and to make you and your feelings my priority.I promise to care for you emotionally, physically and spiritually, to be a good homemaker for you and our children and to make God the center of our home. I promise to be your best friend, soul mate and lover for the rest of our lives. Finally, I promise that I will always be your huntin' buddy and that I will sit with you on the front porch when we are old and gray."

Our vows fit us to a "T" and were so personalized. I LOVE them! They bring a tear to my eye reading over them now.

This is a candid of me with my parents after the ceremony. These two people have been the best parents a daughter could ask for. I know I've said this before, but they truly are my best friends.

Marty and I are keeping things low key this evening. I bought a really nice bottle of wine a few weeks ago so we're going to open that and have some yummy dessert. It's hard to do much since our anniversary falls in the middle of the week...

I will post about the triathlon tomorrow. I am seriously going to win "Worst Blogger of the Year". I just have so much to do at the office I feel guilty blogging during the day and by the time I get home I DO NOT want to sit in front of a computer screen.

Have a beautiful, blessed day!

Tomorrow is the day...

2009-08-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. I will be competing in my first triathlon. My nerves are REALLY starting to kick in! Wish me luck...

In other news...it's been an interesting week. I don't want to get all debbie downer on y'all, but this is where I post my feelings, frustrations, etc. so here goes...1) I got a fancy little chandelier from my parents for my birthday and I was visiting with our neighbor about which electrician to use because he is a retired home builder and I figured he'd know. So he assures me that he can help us hang the chandelier (and a couple other light fixtures we got a while back). So he came over Monday morning to hang the lights. (Backstory: While I was gone this past weekend, I asked Marty to supervise said neighbor while he hung the lights. Marty ended up having things to do Sat. and Sun. mornings and so he told our neighbor to come over Monday morning.) So before I left for work I told our neighbor about the height I wanted it to hang and such...I came home a few hours later and he's destroyed the chandelier! He broke several of the crystals, cut a vital piece that enclosed the wiring and fixed it with black electrical tape...I was P*SSED to say the least. Marty assured me we'd get it fixed so a professional electrician came over yesterday only to tell us that the chandelier is broken and his only suggestion is possibly buying a chain/chord cover to hide the damage. Those chain/chord covers are like $40 which isn't all that high, but considering the chandelier was a gift and now we've had to pay for an electrician and a $40 cover...ugh...

There's a few other things that involve our small town's cliquishness, but I've *opened the door for Satan enough this morning. I won't get into that because frankly, I'm tired of hearing myself talk about it. This town isn't going to get any friendlier and I don't think we're moving anytime soon so I just need to zip my lips and move on.

*I've been listening to Joyce Meyers series on Prayer and she says, "When you complain you open the door for the devil."

On the flip side, IT'S FRIDAY! I have a lot to do at the office today, but my mom is coming in tonight to stay with us and we have pedicures scheduled for this afternoon. Then after my race Saturday we are going to pick out a new grill for our anniversary next week, but that's a whole other post.

Later gators!

A Wichita Falls Weekend

2009-08-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I hate living this far up in the middle of NOWHERE! Wichita Falls used to be a 2 1/2 hour drive...now it's more like 4 1/2. Friday after work I drove to WF to see one of my besties from college, Whitney. I didn't get there until almost 10 p.m. We chit chatted and had a glass of wine after that we called it a night. I was pooped from my drive.

Saturday we got around and went to some cute little stores outside of WF all owned by the same family. They included Retro Ranch which had western furniture and decor, Cadillac Cowgirl, a clothing boutique, and a coffee shop called Java Junkie. It was the neatest little place. I have been looking for a fireplace screen since we moved into our house and I finally found one! I'll have to post a picture later, but it had a small tear in the screen and they took $30 off the original price. Whoo hoo!

Whit and I then headed back into WF and had lunch at a local place called Samuri Sushi Bar. It was pretty good and the atmosphere was very interesting. It was teeny tiny and there was only one lady working in there. She took your drink and lunch order and then made your sushi. It was the craziest thing!

After lunch we headed west toward the Wichita Falls Vineyards & Winery. We did a yummy taste testing and did a short tour of the winery. They had this Port dessert wine that they served a sampling of chocolate sauce with...it was heaven! We each got a couple of bottles...the Wichita Red and the Muscato were our favorites.

We had to stop on our way out and take a picture to commemorate our day trip.
When we got back to Whit's bf's house we layed by the pool and then went to dinner at a local spot known as The Peach Orchard. There are only three restaurants in Jefferson County and we hit up two of them. The Peach Orchard is owned by a local family that is good friends with Whit's bf. He actually did all the cooking.

Here we are at the pool.

This weekend reminded me that being with your best friends rejuvenates the soul, you don't have to look like a million bucks to feel like a million bucks, boys are easily impressed by the strangest things and I am very, very blessed! Have fun in MeXiCo, Whit!

Side Note: Is anyone else having trouble arranging your pictures in blogger? It used to never give me trouble and it's like I can't drag it from the top after I upload it to where I want it to go without some serious effort.

Menu from Thursday's Festivities...

2009-07-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

I said I'd post the menu with recipes from last night's dinner party.

We ending up eating a little later than planned, but the food turned out perfect, if I do say so myself! I LOVE when that happens when you're trying a new recipe!

I served chips and salsa while everyone was waiting on me to get dinner on the table and then we had...

Beef Fajita Burgers from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute GET REAL Meals cookbook. I am ALWAYS looking for new burger recipes because I think plain, 'ol burgers are dull and boring. These little jewels did not disappoint!

Ingredients

2 lbs ground sirloin (I used 3 lbs and it made about 8 nice sized patties.)

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 to 3 TBSP fresh thyme leaves (courtesy of my office)

Several drops of hot sauce, such as Tabasco

2 TBSP grill seasoning (such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) for drizzling

1 pkg of large flour tortillas, warmed at passed at the table

Directions:

Heat grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl combine the meat, Worcestershire, spices, thyme, hot sauce and grill seasoning. Score and divide the meat into 4 to 8 (depending on how much meat you used) and make 4 to 8 large patties, 1 inch thick. Drizzle EVOO on the patties. Cook the patties for 5 or 6 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.

I served our burgers on warm tortillas with grilled onions, fresh lettuce and tomato and shredded cheese.

Summer Veggies (I think I've given y'all this recipe before, but I'm going to give it to you again-just in case)

We get free veggies from our company garden which is a HUGE perk. So my "Summer Veggies" vary from time to time depending on what's in season.

Last night it included: zucchini, yellow squash, red potatoes and a yellow onion all thinly sliced and tossed in 1/2 stick of butter, a few dashes of EVOO, a half of a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix, salt and pepper and sprinkled with fresh Parmesan. They were YUMMY!

Sante Fe Salad (I just call it "Sante Fe" because of the bell peppers.)

Ingredients:

Salad greens, carrot slices, tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell pepper. Toss with salad dressing of your choice.

Sopapilla Cheesecake from www.recipezaar.com

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls

2 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

1/2 cup margarine or butter (not spread or tub product)

ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. With 1 can of crescent rolls, line the bottom of a 9x13 pan sprayed with Pam.

2. Stretch Dough and pinch holes close to form a crust.

3. Blend together, with mixer, softened cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over dough, but not too close to the edges.

5. Stretch the second can of crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture to form a top crust. (I usually only end up using 3/4 of the second can of crescent rolls.)

6. Melt margarine/butter, blending in 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

7. Pour evenly over the crust and sprinkle generously with Cinnamon. (I've also added shredded chocolate and finely chopped pecans to the topping.)

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until bubbling and bottom crust is slightly browned.

9. Let cool and refrigerate before cutting into squares. (I always serve mine right out of the oven and it's still gooey and warm. But, it's good cold, too!)

Have a wonderful weekend! I am headed to Wichita Falls to see Miss Whitney! I am so excited! We are going to checkout a local winery, Wichita Falls Vineyards & Winery, and do a little shopping. I love girlfriend weekends!

I Will Survive...

2009-07-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

I've been gone the last two days for some job related training. I meant to post before I left, but simply ran out of time.

The sprint triathlon is only 9 days away and I'm already losing sleep over it. Sunday I swam 500 yards and ran almost two miles. Monday morning I went to boot camp, but we got rained out so we just went to our local YMCA and did aerobics. Tuesday after work my friend, Tamara, and I drove to the nearby town where the sprint triathlon is going to be held and went through the entire course minus .9 miles. We would have done the whole thing, but it was started to rain and the lightening was getting a little close so we called 'er quits. Wednesday morning I woke up for boot camp and my ankles and left knee were pretty sore so I took it easy during circuits at boot camp. This morning I got up around 6 a.m. and went and swam laps. My knee feels MUCHO better.

I probably, honestly haven't given my body enough time to train for this triathlon properly, but I've been eating SSSOOO much healthier and have SSSOOO much energy...it's amazing!

It's rained just about every evening since Sunday which is super unusual for this time of year, but such a blessing at the same time.

Ta ta for now!

The hubs and I are having a few friends over for dinner...I'll post the menu with recipes tomorrow!

Giveaways...

2009-07-27T09:47:00.001-07:00

This lovely bracelet is being given away at The Glamorous Life of a Housewife.

And a fabulous print from Flapperdoodle at Down and Out Chic is up for grabs.

This one is my personal favorite. It's entitled, "Unlike Eloise, Ramona has mastered the hula hoop."

I came across ANOTHER great giveaway this morning! Check out B is for Brown where she is giving away ALL of this:

So go there (all three there's) and enter!

Blogger is being rude and won't let me rearrange the pictures so they are in order. So they are backwards. My apologies.

New Silpada Catalog & Etsy Love...

2009-07-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, girls! I was so excited last night because I crawled into bed around 10 p.m. and thought, "I am going to feel SO rested when my alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. for bootcamp." WRONG! I laid there for the next two and a half hours with my mind just racing...It rained through the night, though, and we needed it badly.

In other news, as many of you know I sell Silpada jewelry. It's sterling silver and comes with a lifetime guarantee. If you order something and it breaks, Silpada will ship you a replacement. If you order something and just don't like it, you can return it for a full refund or exchange it for something else. I haven't been working my Silpada business as hard lately, because my full-time job is a little more consuming than the one I had when I first started selling Silpada. However, the 2009-2010 catalog just came out and I thought I'd share it with those of you who are interested.

You can view it by going here. Click on the picture of the catalog in the lower right hand corner. If you find anything you can't live without just e-mail me. Otherwise, feel free to pass it along to your friends.

In other news, I got my daily Etsy e-mail and came across this little jewel. It's fierce, right?

Danish Designer Kofod-Easy Chair for $399.

Have a fabulous day, friends!

It's Finally Friday...

2009-07-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

And I am so glad...the fitness boot camp saga continued this week. We started back Monday morning. It was unusually cloudy and I was not in the mood to be running my little arse off. I would have much rather been in bed. I worked out hard last week, but Monday still left me gasping for air.

Wednesday we did circuits which were a little easier. I still feel like I should be in better shape by now. This morning we did a lot of running and the usual aerobics like moves with our weights.

I had planned on swimming laps on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, but I didn't have the motivation.

The good news is IT'S FRIDAY! The hubs and I are going grocery shopping after work and then going to fix dinner and watch a movie. It's been awhile since we've done anything just the two of us. Tomorrow my parents' are having a cookout so I guess we'll head south for that.

I hope you all have a great weekend! I made a little better attempt at blogging this week, but still would like to be back to blogging every day.

I have a bloggie question. Do y'all add everyone that you "follow" to your blog roll so it's viewable or clickable from your actual blog page? I almost feel guilty if I don't and like having them just a click away...is that odd? But, it's gotten to the point that I have SO many on my blog roll that I don't have time to add them all.

Enough rambling...ta ta for now!

FlyLady.Net

2009-07-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Girls...I've been missing something in my life...it's FlyLady.Net. Your answer to juggling a full-time job/family and all of your household chores. It has tips on how to clean your house 10 minutes at a time, tips for decluttering your space and advice on keeping you underwelmed instead of overwhelmed. Here's a little info I borrowed from their site, " Your FLYing Lessons will guide you through babysteps to help you set up routines, get rid of your clutter, and put your home and life in order."

The tips are A-MAZING! Around our house we are fairly good at keeping things tidy, but I hate to clean more than anything and my excuse is always that I'm too busy with a full-time job and busy weekends...

So go, check out their site and enjoy your flying lessons! They're quite inspiring! And share with all your girlfriends...I wish someone would have told me about this site a LONG time ago!

"It's a Good Night for Dancing..."

2009-07-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

The title of this post comes from a song we heard live Friday night performed by The Josh Abbott Band.

Friday we made a flying trip to Amarillo after work. We met up with some friends for dinner and yummy margaritas at Acalpulco's and then made our way to Midnight Rodeo. Granted, I hadn't been to Midnight since my freshman year of college and thought there was a chance it might be a little on the lame side, but I was WAY wrong and there were a TON of people there. The bands were great although, Aaron Watson, the headliner didn't go on until 11:30 p.m.

Nights like that just make me realize how much I truly love my husband. We had such a great time dancing and catching up with friends. Marty and I just get along so well. I think back to my single days and feel so blessed that at the end of the night, I'm going home with him.

In other news, I introduced two of my single friends and I think it went quite well. I will be anxious to see how it turns out. I don't offer to set people up very often, but these two have a lot in common.

Now for the photos from our evening...

Here's Becky, one of my besties from college, me and Megan before dinner.

Megan and Becky singing La Bamba at Acalpulco's.

Marty, me and Garett

Kristen and Me

3 a.m. Garett and Ryon forego Whatburger for the produce section at Wal-mart. Crazy, boys. An hour later we had a gourmet breakfast.

What a night! The rest of our weekend was pretty low key. We ran a few errands in Amarillo Saturday morning, I took Becky and Marty to Crush Wine Bar & Deli since neither of them had ever been and then we headed home. Becky was my date to a wedding reception that evening and then we called it a night.

Hope your weekend was fabulous!

My First and Second Blog Awards...

2009-07-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

I feel so honored to have received my first and second blog awards (in the same week)! Especially, since I've been such a crappy blogger lately. I don't know what my deal has been, but work has been so busy. I don't feel like I'm ever caught up anymore. And our social life is out of control. But, the latter I don't mind. I remember when we didn't have a single friend in this slightly cliquish little town.

Now, on to the awards...

I Love Brownies at Brownies for my Breakfast gave me One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you very much, my dear!

Here are the rules...

1.) Accept the award, post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her link.

2.) Pass the award to five other bloggers that you have newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. (I'm cheating a little because it's almost 5 o'clock and I don't have time to select 5, but I will come back and finish, I promise!)

I'm passing this award along to:

Life of a Busy Wife

Thrifty Decor Chick

And Miss Honeydew at Life After I "Dew" gave me the Honest Scrap Award. I appreciate it very much, sweetheart!

So, now I have to tell you 10 honest things about me that you may or may not already know. And then I tag three new bloggy friends.

1. I am an only child. When I was younger, especially growing up in the country by myself I craved brothers and sisters, but now I cherish the closeness that my parents and I share because it's only always been the three of us. They are truly my best friends and I got to them for everything.

2. I am a total hypocrite! I was the girl who had my whole life planned out. I've told y'all before that I'm completely type A. I've always been very driven and planned on graduating from college, possibly attending grad school or work at PR Firm in OKC and worry about that whole "marriage thing" somewhere down the line...like maybe around the age of 3o. Lucky for me life has a way of changing our plans. I graduated early and was married shortly after my 21st birthday. All these things I said I'd "never do" and I've done most of them!

3. I still don't know what I want to be when I want to grow up. I have a good job now, but there are SEVERAL careers I would like to having including photographer, meterologist/broadcast journalist, travel writer, public relations consultant, communications director, boutique owner, restaurant owner and those are just a few.

4. I plan on competing in my first mini-triathalon August 8 in preparation for my first half marathon in November. The mini triathalon is a 450 yard swim, 12.5 mile bike ride and 3.2 mile run. I'm a long way from being in good enough shape for either, but I'll get there.

5. I am a magazine junky. I get Redbook, InStyle, Better Homes & Gardens and Glamour monthly and shopping magazines like Victoria's Secret, Frontgate, Ballard Designs, Acacia, Athleta, West Elm, White House Black Market, Boston Proper, etc. And I make a point to look through ALL of them.

6. I am in a Book Club and have yet to make it all the way through a single book we've "read". I'll blame it on the fact that neither one were real page turners. Pathetic, though, I know.

7. I am an animal lover. I would adopt every stray that showed up at our house if a) we had a place for them all and b) Marty would let me.

8. Tyke is like our child. I know I treat him that way more so than Marty, but while we were in Fredericksburg his stay and grooming bill at the pet resort was almost as much as what it cost me to stay while we were on our girls' trip. CrAzY! He is spoiled rotten, but he's brought me so much companionship. He does not have a ton of clothes, though. He's WAY too hot natured for that.

9. As strange as it is for me to admit...I am not laid back really at all. I like to be on the go, have a plan and follow that plan. Marty has brought this to my attention.

10. I LOVE the way I was raised. I admire my parents so much for their strong work ethic and the things they sacrificed to provide for me. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for cowboys. Especially, my daddy. He manages a large ranch and works full-time, 7 days a week. I respect the fact that Marty would love to follow in his footsteps someday, but ranching is a TOUGH way to make a living.

Now I tag:

Mrs. Southern Belle

Sweet Simplicity

Chapters

Thanks again, girls! Maybe I just needed a couple of awards to "kick me in the butt" so to speak and get me motivated about blogging again.

We are off to Amarillo. We are meeting 10 of our closest friends for dinner and drinks at this little place called Acalpulco's. And then we are headed to see The Josh Abbott Band and Aaron Watson. I love dinner and dancing on a Friday night. Y'all have a great weekend!

Fredericksburg, TX and Chick Dip 2009 Pictures

2009-07-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

If you remember this post, I didn't have any of the pictures from our girls trip because my camera was at my parents' house.

So, let me catch you up...

The pool at our bed and breakfast that I wish we could have lounged a little longer by.

Me in front of Runnymede Country Inn in Fredericksburg before dinner.

My beautiful Mom and I after dinner. I love this picture!

This was in the Garden of Beaden. They had one of those little wire gates to close off the back part of the shop and I, of course assumed it was for a little dog. Nope! They had a pet rooster! Crazy, right?! I think his name was Colonel.

Chick Dippers 2009. I think there were 7 mother/daughter duos and then of course little Eli.

Mika and Eli. I just want to eat him up!

Tomorrow I must post about my first two, amazing blog awards that I just recently received. Thank you both!

Golf, anyone?

2009-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Golf...the game so many love to hate. In my small high school, I chose to run track during golf season so other than putt-putt, my golf experience is limited to say the least.

However, the hubs has two very expensive hobbies: hunting and roping. He is just getting into the latter...

Granted, I do count shopping as one of my major hobbies, but I am ALWAYS looking to try something new so I decided last spring that I wanted to take golf lessons. It never worked out and living in our small town, golf lessons are hard to come by.

As fate would have it, Megs, our office intern is working on her golf game and Ben, a fellow OSU alum is in town staying with Justin for a few weeks and he is a golf PRO.

So last week after work one afternoon we graced the golf course with our presence. Luckily, it wasn't crowded at all. That could have something to do with the fact that it was 106 degrees at 6 p.m., but the heat didn't stop us.

The golf course in C-town is only 9 holes. I think we played 7 holes...it took a while with four people. I didn't have a great game, but everyone said I was a natural and my swing felt great! Needless to say, I'm hooked!

Here's Megan getting some instruction from Ben.

Megs and I looking lovely on the course...yuck.

Great shot of Megs.

This shot of the boys is a little dark, but if you look closely...only in C-town do people play golf in a cowboy hat, long sleeved button up shirt, jeans and boat shoes. *LOL* Try to ignore the moron's shadow taking the picture!

"It Got a Little Bit Western Last Night..."

2009-07-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

I stole the title of this post from some friend's of ours new clothing line, Texas Tea. It describes our weekend to a "T". *LOL*

We began our festivities Wednesday evening in celebration of John's birthday. He had quite a few friends in from California, Dallas and Florida.

Here's a shot of me and Jylian before walking in. (I know this dress has shown up in a lot of my posts lately...It's been hanging in my closet for the past year and after I put it on for the first time in awhile a few weeks ago it's been my "go to party dress".)

That's the only picture of the night as the rest was spent visiting and eating. It was a great party and we closed 'er down around 2:30 a.m. Yes, we both had to work the next day which made us both VERY sluggish on Thursday.

That didn't stop us, though. We had a backyard party to attend at the Culver's Thursday night. Both of their boys were in (the same ones that started Texas Tea). They had a couple of mini concerts one by Doug Moreland and the other by Brett & Cruise Duke. There were SO many people there and we got to catch up with a lot of people we hadn't seen in awhile.

Here's a picture of the guys before going in.

I immediately ran into this lovely lady...we chatted most of the night. To the point that someone came up and was like, "Y'all know there's a party going on here, right?"

Friday I didn't have to work which was SO nice! It was supposed to be my last morning of Boot Camp before our two week break, but after going to bed at 3 a.m. there was NO way I was waking up at 5:30 a.m. to go workout. So, my dear, darling friends came and woke me up at 7 a.m. after they finished working out. I guess they didn't want me to feel left out...*lol*

Marty was in the rodeo that evening, but I didn't get to watch his event because we didn't find out what time he went on until the last minute. We'd been invited to a cookout that night, but didn't get to go because of his involvement in the rodeo. We did make an appearance at the dance. It was PACKED and it was HOT! Jason Boland and the Stragglers put on a great show. I danced a lot. Not every single song like back in the day, but a lot!

Marty, Me, Tristan and Aubrey walking into the dance Friday night.

Me & Megs

Me & Megs' sister, Kathleen.

I got about four hours of sleep Friday night and got up in time to make it to the parade and parade party. Aubrey and I took Brendan and Tyke.

Here we are before leaving my house.

And sporting our "shades".

Brendan enjoying a sucker from the parade.

Megs & I at the parade party.

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of Tyke in his cute new harness with matching collar and leash from Dogologie in Fredericksburg, but he was looking pretty cute! He got a ton of compliments. It was HOT, though. We made it up to the square and decided it was too hot to stay long. By the time we got to Aubrey's vehicle Brendan and Tyke were pooped. Brendan was asleep before we could even get in the car and Tyke crawled up as close to the air conditioning as he could and didn't move a muscle.

I was supposed to make a trip to see my parents', but they called and said my hometown's festivites were a little lack luster so mom came up here and we walked around the courthouse lawn and found a few things we couldn't live without. We went to the ranch rodeo afterwards and then cooked hamburgers and some fresh veggies from the garden before she went home.

I snapped this shot while we were at the ranch rodeo. This is one of the things I LOVE about Texas. Good looking cowboys standing around in cowboy hats, starched shirts and Wranglers.

We hadn't planned on making a second appearance at the rodeo dance Saturday night, but after the fun we had Friday night we decided it was a must.

Here's Marty and I before we left the house.

Lauren, me and Megs at the dance.

I was suprised at the sheer numbers of people that came home for the 4th. I got to see so many people I knew and catch up with them.

By the time Sunday rolled around I was so glad that we had absolutely NOTHING planned and I was able to take a LONG nap in the afternoon.

I am so glad 4th of July only comes once a year. It is a fabulous holiday, but I'm not sure I could survive celebrating like that very often!

4th of July

2009-07-02T10:10:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I know I am a little early, but we just found out that our office will be closed tomorrow in celebration of the holiday so I wanted to blog before the weekend.

Wednesday was my first day back at fitness bootcamp since my week long girls' trip. It. Was. Rough. to say the least. I am a very competitive and like to be at the "front" of whatever I am doing...I was at the back, sucking wind and looking pathetic. Missing a week of workout is tough. I had every intention of working out while I was gone, but a) we didn't end up having a DVD player in our condo and b) it was UNBELIEVEABLY hot outside. After baking in the sun while floating the river all day working out was the LAST thing on my mind.

So, I took one for the team and now tomorrow morning when I should be sleeping in on my day off I will be running timed 400m. Pray for me! *lol*

I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July! And I wanted to give a BIG shout out to all the soldiers and military serving here and over seas. We love you, we miss you and are praying for your safe return home. Thank you for all you do for us and our country we can never repay you for your sacrifice!

Fredericksburg, TX and Chick Dip 2009

2009-07-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well...our girls' trip was fabulous!

Mom and I left Sunday morning and arrived in Fredericksburg just in time for dinner. We dropped Tyke off at the Paws and Claws Pet Resort. They took very good care of my "fur baby" by taking him on daily walks and indulging him in his individual play times. Ridiculous, I know!

We then checked into our bed and breakfast, Runnymede Country Inn, which is owned by a couple of girls I know. It was adorable and the breakfast was delicious! I would have given anything to spend some time lounging by the pool...We will definitely be returning.

We went next door to House. Wine. and had a glass of the most amazing wine EVER while we were waiting on a table at Auslander Biergarten and Restaurant. The food was good. We shared a German Snack-"Choice of grilled sausage served with sauerkraut, Swiss and cheddar cheese and pumpernickel bread." I ordered Texaschnitzel-"A local twist on an Old World favorite! Schnitzel covered with ranchero sauce, Monterey Jack, sour cream and guacamole." Although, I had to ask what schnitzel was...my dad has always taught me to try new things when it comes to food and when in German restaurant you order German food.

Monday was a FULL day of shopping! Oh the cute, whimsy shops in Fredericksburg! It reminded me very much of the shops in Durango, CO where we vacation. I got a great necklace custom made at the Garden of Beaden (in OSU colors, of course). I will have to post a picture later because ALL of my pictures are on my camera which I left at my parents' house.

I left all my great floppy hats that would have been PERFECT for floating the river at home so I had to purchase a new one. I chose a cute little black number from this awesome little boutique, Root. I would have LOVED to spend much more $$$ in there, but I was trying to behave!

Here's a picture from the website of the hat I purchased.

Photo courtesy of Root website

The girls got into town around 4 p.m. and we grabbed some ice cream and headed to New Braunfels. There were three vehicles in our caravan and we were the last one the ENTIRE time. I swear following someone through 5 o' clock San Antonio traffic was an experience I will not be enjoying anytime soon. It didn't help that our 'fearless leader' was driving at record speed.

Anywho...we made it to New Braunfels and got unloaded and settled in to our lovely condos on the river.

We got around the following morning and were on the river by 9:30 a.m. It was SO nice and relaxing. It took two hours to float the Comal. They said it was low, but being my first time on the "Chick Dip", I couldn't tell. We went back to our condo after the first time down and had lunch and refueled and went again. I was NOT a fan of the mid-day float. It was record breaking temperatures, well over 100 degrees and I am 90 percent sure I got a contact burn from my tube. The valiant ones in our group made the third float of the day and said it was much cooler.

I got a great picture of all 15 of us that first morning, but again...it's on my camera!

On Wednesday I slept until 10 a.m., went down and had breakfast and went back to bed until noon. Worthless, I know, but I was on vacation! Mom and I went and layed by the pool after lunch, but it was SO hot we didn't last long...Lyndi and Lezli got back from the second float trip of the day and we made our way over to Schlitterbahn. I have to say, I wasn't that impressed. I thought it'd be bigger, better...and I didn't realize there were multiple parks. After visiting their website, though, I realize that we totally got screwed. We ended up at Blastenhoff when we were intending to go to Schlitterbahn West. Who knew!? I am thoroughly disappointed!

Mom and I woke up EARLY Thursday morning to make the LONG drive back to the panhandle. We picked up Tyke in Fredericksburg and did some last minute shopping. My little Tyke was MORE than excited to see me...I have the scratches to prove it. I also wonder what they're thinking when you leave them somewhere like that.

We stopped at BLUE taco in Abilene on the way home for lunch. It was yummy! Can you tell our trips tend to be focused around our meals?

I made it home around 9:30 p.m. Thursday evening. I was pooped and glad to see my hubby!

Until tomorrow...I promise to be better at blogging. I've just been busy!

Birthday Re-cap & Ta ta for now...

2009-06-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well, ladies...I have been TERRIBLE the past couple weeks about blogging and commenting on other blogs...my apologies. I am COMPLETELY caught up at work, though and that is an A-MAZING feeling.

I never got around to posting about my birthday weekend so...

My parents send me flowers every birthday without fail...the flower shop was out of Gerber Daisies and Dahlias so they sent these lovelies over instead...

Friday was the Women's Retreat at our church. It was entitled "Loving Well" and totally spoke to my heart! More on that later...

Here's my cousin, Aubrey, me and Tamara. Please ignore my greasiness. It was a hot, humid day here in Texas and I had been RUNNING all day trying to get things ready for the retreat.

The lovely cake Tamara had made for me that we enjoyed at the retreat.

Mom came and joined us at the retreat Friday night. It was so great having her there!

Saturday evening we cooked out at my parents' and my grandparents came down and another couple friend of ours, Jason & Desiree. We had a great time!

Grandmom, me and Mom.

Lily & Tyke chillin' in the kitchen.

I think Marty is getting "baby fever". I toted Miss Berkley around a lot Saturday night and he finally came up to me and said, "Let me give this a try."

Then I snapped this sweet picture.

Tonight is the local cancer Relay for Life. I'm heading up a team so that will keep me occupied this evening. We have a couple of different things going on tomorrow and then Mom and I are leaving early Sunday morning to drive to Fredericksburg, TX. I am SO excited! We are meeting up with a group of 13 women Monday in New Braunfels to float the river for a couple of days. Sunshine and relaxation here we come!

Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend and week next week and I'll be back soon!

Fitness Boot Camp Week One Re-cap

2009-06-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

This past week was the first week of boot camp. It was tough, but enjoyable.

Monday was pretty easy, but continual. We did a little bit of running, bleachers, sit-ups, push-ups and some work with free weights.

We divided up into four groups: Advanced, Intermediates I, Intermediates II and Beginners. I started out in Intermediate II, but soon decided I could run with the Intermediates I.

Wednesday we added a little more running and more of the same...

Friday we ran a timed 400m. I was pleasantly suprised that I had the third fastest time overall. I ran with the Intermediate I group and the two girls that beat me were in the Advanced group. I think if I had been running in the same group with them I could have beat them. It was a boost to my ego since they are all in really good shape and workout all the time!

Needless to say, it's going well. I absolutely LOVE it. I will miss two days next week as my mom and I are leaving for New Braunsfels on a float trip with about 15 other mothers and daughters, but I have so much energy during the day! I'm going to have to keep this up after Boot Camp is over!

I'll try and upload pictures from my birthday weekend soon and get those posted. Work has been crazy and we have an intern in the office so my free time the last week has been limited. Sorry for the lack of posts and lack of comments!

Birthday Reflections...

2009-06-11T12:26:00.001-07:00

In light of my birthday tomorrow, I wanted to share this e-mail I received today.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Amazing words to live by, don't you think?

These are a few of my favorite things...

2009-06-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

about Summer, that is.

I was tagged by Arlynn at Fleur De-licious *(http://fleurde-licious.blogspot.com/) to participate in the Summer Blog Tag where I have to name my top 5 favorite things about summer!

*If someone could tell me how to create a link only using a blog's name instead of the entire web address, that'd be great! I haven't been able to figure it out.

These are in no particular order...

1. My birthday on June 12. Twenty-four, here I come!

2. Grilling out. The food just tastes so good! We cook out every year for my birthday and my mom makes the best hobo dinners (minus the hamburger meat) that have yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, onions, turkey bacon, butter and seasonings. They are YUMMY!

3. The 4th of July. It's a HUGE celebration locally. There's a fun run, parades, parties, cook outs, homemade ice cream, rodeos, rodeo dances and fireworks. What's NOT to love?

4. Water activities...the lake, the beach, float trips on the river, etc. This past weekend seriously made me want to invest in a couple of fancy, smancy seadoos.

5. Our local Farmer's Market. It get's going around mid-July and my boss owns it so we get FREE fresh veggies all summer long!

A big shout out to Fleur De-licious for tagging me for this. Now it's time for me to to a few of my favorite bloggers...

*Sweet Simplicity

Brownies for My Breakfast

Mabel's House

Jimmy Choos & Tennis Shoes

The Faubulous Life of Todd & Erin

*This is where that whole link thing would come in REALLY handy if I knew how to do it!

Have fun with this and don't forget to share the love with 5 of your favorite bloggers!

Friends from OSU and Our Magnolia Weekend!!!

2009-06-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

(Insert deep sigh here...) This past weekend was SO refreshing. It's so funny to me how after a weekend of seeing some of the most important people in my life I feel refreshed...spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.

I arrived in OKC Thursday evening around 9 p.m. and Whit and I ventured once again to Budda Tao for sushi. We ordered FOUR rolls and ate them all. Usually, we order three and have some left over. We were HUNGRY and the food was YUMMY! The only picture of the night was captured on Whitney's camera while we were PAINFULLY whitening our teeth. Her whitening stuff is FOR REAL! *LOL* I love that girl. We always have so much fun together!

The next morning, I met Becky at Mimi's Cafe. The only picture I took this time was of my breakfast. I had planned on opting for a healthy option when both Becky and the waitress scoffed at my choice. So I ordered Blueberry Stuffed French Toast...A-MAZING to say the least.

I met Joy shortly after breakfast and we began our journey to Northwest Arkansas. It's SUCH a pretty drive. We got into town a little later than planned so we opted for a light, late lunch at Einstein Brothers Bakery and then did a little shopping. Rogers has this GREAT outdoor shopping mall. It was so nice and they had lots of neat stores. I got a cute shirt for the 4th of July and a belt to go with it and my new book for Book Club, The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow. It looks really good!

That night one of our favorite friends of Rachel's came over with her husband and we cooked out. Rachel is such a wonderful hostess. She had everything prepared. We had grilled chicken, pasta salad, french bread, corn on the cob and fresh strawberries with vanilla ice cream and/or smores. Yumm-o! Can you tell I'm a complete foodie?

We took our time getting around the next morning and then headed to nearby Beaver Lake. Rachel's grandparents have a very nice pontoon boat that we took out on the water.

Here's Owen (aka the object of all our affections) and I before we left.

Rachel made a very adorable boat captain.
Joy testing the water.

Look at Owen proudly sporting Rachel's niece's pink life jacket. Don't you just want to gobble him up?

Rachel and Nick's friend, Scott, was kind enough to bring his Seadoos which we THOROUGHLY enjoyed and are also the reason my thighs are sunburned beyond recognition. They went from snow white to lobster red in one hour. I hadn't been to the lake in years and it was so much fun. The lake was absolutely beautiful. We don't have big bodies of water like that in the panhandle and I was sssooo impressed!

We left the lake and took our time showering and primping before we left for The Marketplace around 9 p.m. I just LOVE that place. The food is always so good!

Here's a shot of us before we left for dinner.

Rach & Me.

Sunday morning Brittany and Owen left before church so she could get back to Wichita and the rest of us went to church and then to eat at this Mexican food place called Mojito's. It had a really neat atmosphere.

Here we are right before Joy and I left. (It was REALLY bright outside, thus the squinty eyes.)

Joy and I got to OKC and I was able to meet up with Jacob, Amy and Cooper (and Amy's mom who I hadn't yet met). Cooper is so cute! He would not smile for us, but here's a cute shot of he and his daddy. Amy...I should've had Jacob get one of us. I never think of these things until afterwards.

I then met Whit again because I had left some things at her apartment and she gave me the most gorgeous necklace for my birthday. She knows me too well!

I know this was a long post. I am just so grateful to have such amazingly, wonderful people in my life. I was thinking as we were sitting in church Sunday morning how special it was to be able to worship with my friends.

So thank you to everyone for a fantastic weekend. I needed the rejuvenation and the encouragement. I hope we all can get together for an OSU football game in the Fall! I appreciate everyone who hosted me at their house, fed me, etc. I love you all SO much!

Rach gave us all these cute little notepads that say, "I'm keeping you close in my heart...near in my prayers." So true!

"And I thought I loved you, then..."

2009-06-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today, I met my best friend after attending my cousin's wedding in Oklahoma City. I cannot believe that Marty has only been in my life four short years, but they sure have been good! I saw one of my friends and her sister over the weekend and they had never heard the entire story of how we met. It's long, even at it's shortest...30 minutes. It's filled with romance, drama and lots and lots of butterflies. But, I'll save you the time and myself the energy. Marty and I met on June 4, 2005, and began dating a little over a month later. He proposed 7 months after that and we were married shortly after our one year dating anniversary. Hey, when you know...you know. And God's fingerprints were all over our story and relationship from the beginning.

I LOVE Brad Paisley's new song called "Then". Here are the lyrics.

"I remember trying not to stare the night/That I first met you, you had me mesmerized/And three weeks later in the front porch light/Taking 45 minutes just to kiss goodnight/I hadn't told you yet, but I thought I loved you then/But now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world/And I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl/Like a river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been/We've come so far since that day and I thought I love you then."

The only difference is I DID tell Marty I loved him after only three weeks. He hadn't even said those three words, yet and being forward is SO not me, but nothing about our relationship was the "typical me".

I got him this card from Old Tom Foolery to celebrate the occasion. Isn't it hilarious? It's more hilarious if you know what a passion the man has for Taco Bell.

Today also marks my 100th post. I'm pretty sure it pales in comparision to the previously mentioned anniversary, but it is worthy of note.

Well, I hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend. I have such a fun, friend-filled weekend ahead...I CANNOT wait! I'm having dinner with Whitney tonight in OKC, breakfast with Becky in the morning and then meeting Joy so we can ride together to Arkansas. And sometime either going or coming I've got to stop and see Jacob and Amy and they're ADORABLE, new addition, Cooper. I have yet to meet the little man and shower him with gifts. Fun, fun!

Oh, and say a little prayer for the hubs. He and a friend (who just so happen to be the assistant boy scout master and boy scout master) are taking a group of boys camping at a nearby lake and recreation area. It will be interesting to say the least.

I Sucked...Wind

2009-06-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally drug my lazy arse out of bed before 6:30 this morning and went for a run. Let's just say I remember that initial run always being tough. My friend, Abby, and I would go out and run three miles in college having not run in several months and it would hurt, but I could finish.

Friends, I was WALKING up the first hill in the first 5 minutes! Oh, to be old and out of shape!

I think I went about a mile and a half. I pushed myself, but MAN, it was tough!

I signed up for a fitness boot camp through our local YMCA and it starts Monday. Rumor has it that we are running a TIMED 400m on the first day! We will do the same on July 3 (the last day of boot camp) to see how much we've improved. This morning further reiterated the fact that I AM GOING TO DIE!

There's a large group of fitnessistas in said small town and they all go to aerobics together, do P90X and run half and full marathons together. I am a very competitive person, but after this morning I let it sink it that I will more than likely not be at the front of the pack come Monday morning.

I e-mailed my high school coach to see if he had any suggestions and he replied back with "Are you crazy?! I think you'll be surprised at how out of shape you are." *LOL* Thanks, Coach. He's right, though.

But, I think that's the point of boot camp...to whip my flabby, unmotivated butt into shape. So, cheers to that.

I have a CRAZY day ahead of me and tonight I have to pack. I'm leaving tomorrow after work for a fun-filled Magnolia Weekend with some of my wonderful friends from OSU. We're live in four different states now, but we're pow-wowing at Rachel's in Arkansas. I just love it up there. It's SO pretty!

Thoughts for the Day...

2009-06-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

While perusing my Bible last night after the hubs softball game (they lost btw) I came across this passage in Jeremiah 1:5-10, "'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'

'Ah, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.'

But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'"

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and it actually falls on a Friday this year. I had kind of started planning on a group of us going to Amarillo and going out for dinner and drinks. Then I found out the Ladies' Retreat at my church was the same weekend and began toying with the idea of whether or not I was going to go...I finally made the decision to not make a big deal my birthday and attend the retreat...and then they asked me to be a group leader.

I was flattered and then I started stressing out. I'm one of those people who has always felt like "I am only a child" in my faith. (My other bible said "I am only a youth." for Jer. 1:6) I just feel like there are SO many women for me to learn from in the church and I'm not sure what I have in all my 23 years of wisdom.

So, then I came across this passage last night and He reminded me that we are never qualified or ready. But, He alone can qualify and ready us for whatever He decides to call us to, He only asks that we be willing. I am praying that He will use me in any way He sees fit and that He will "put words in my mouth" during the retreat.

That's all the widom I have for the day. It a wonderful, rainy day here in the Texas panhandle. Keep it comin', Lord!

Flowers...and Yard Work.

2009-06-01T07:29:00.000-07:00

I know I've posted several times about the different blooms popping up in my yard. Here are some pictures I've taken recently that I never got around to posting.

I call this one "Peaches 'N Creme".

I have SO many different iris's it's not even funny.

I'm not sure what this is...a tulip of some sort?

I DID plant this one. My grandmother brought bluebonnets back from a trip to Frederiksburg. I planted mine and guess what...I haven't killed it, yet!

This little bloom came up on one of the fruit trees in the back yard. I thought it was so dainty and pretty.

My mom and I spent Saturday afternoon working in our yard. Trimming things back, pulling weeds, etc. Is it just me or am I missing something? I SO don't get the whole enjoyment factor from working in the yard. My grandparents LOVE it! In fact, they spend two hours per evening watering flowers in the spring and summer. Not I. I would be ok with ripping up everything and just having a lawn full of grass, no flower beds....Granted it was 95 degrees here in the lovely Texas panhandle. I know you're supposed to work in the yard first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, but we had things to do so there we were in the heat of the day.

I'm in the market for a new summer bag. But, I can't decide if I want something bright and bold like this Kate Landry number found at Dillards.com...

Or something more subtle like this Jessica Simpson (also found at Dillards.com).

What do you think?

Writer's Workshop

2009-05-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

I decided to try Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop after reading about it on This, That & My Blog (http://jessicaelizabethr.blogspot.com). I couldn't decide on just one so I chose two.

1.) What is your life's anthem? You know...that song that is ALWAYS in your head. The one you'd go to sing first if someone told you to sing a song right NOW. What is it and what does it mean to you?

And again, my indecisiveness shows through. I chose "Shine" by The Newsboys and "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey. Hilarious duo, right? The first one goes "shine make 'em wonder whatcha got make 'em wish that they were not on the outside looking bored shine let it shine before all men let 'em see good works and then let 'em glorify the Lord" It's a Christian song that always reminded me of how I want to live my life. The second one I just LOVED growing up and my roommate and best friend in college, Whitney, and I used to drive around Stillwater, OK blaring it loudly. It just brings back good memories.

4.) Describe in what ways you expect too much from your significant other. Do they deserve an apology?

Marty is an A-MAZING husband. But, we are both perfectionist...he is SO good about helping around the house whether that means loading and unloading the dishwasher, putting in a load of laundry, whatever...I just don't acknowledge those things enough. I'm working on it, though. When I got in from my run this morning I made him sausage and eggs.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I realize that once again I am behind as it is now Thursday, but work has been NUTS this week.

This past weekend was fairly low key for us. We just picked up around the house Friday night. Saturday my cousin, Dee, got married.

But, before we left the Fed Ex man delivered a small package. I am now officially "one of those people" I was on Biscuits and Belly Rubs blog (http://biscuitsandbellyrubs.blogspot.com) and they had a post about these adorable Ralph Lauren dog clothes. Granted they were on sale and I reasoned that I spent less on this shirt than I have most of the other coats and things Tyke has. Unfortunately, it was sweltering Saturday and I put the shirt on to take his picture and then took it right back off, but isn't he so cute? (There's a little lime green polo guy on the side of the collar you can't see.)

Mom & Me before going into the church.

Here's a shot of M & me at the wedding. I LOVE this picture, but it's a little blurry.

My adorable grandparents.

After the wedding we headed back to my parents to spend the night. We went to church with them Sunday morning and then just lounged around that afternoon.

Monday we headed to a friend's ranch to help them work cattle. I was riding Marty's Tennessee Walker, Blackjack, and toting my camera so I wasn't expecting to see much of the action other than from behind my lense. Well, they were short handed so I did ALL of the branding. It was fun, but being the blonde I am I applied sunscreen generously, multiple times to my arms, face and neck, but I forgot my back. I have a nice square, lobster-colored sunburn now. I went from pasty to fire engine red in less than 12 hours.

Here's a few shots from that day.

Marty and Jason flankin'.

Marty sortin' calves off the cows.

Rader aka "the gate keeper".

BeAuTiFul day in the Texas Panhandle.

Rader ropin'.

Of course, I got something on my lens and didn't realize so the ones of Marty roping have a fuzzy spot in the middle.

We got finished and Rader's mom and two sisters had fixed the most delectable meal possible. We ate, recooped and then headed to the house to shower and freshen up for a cookout and pool party we had that evening.

It was a fun weekend. I'm glad it's Thursday and the weekend is almost here once again!

Gonna Be a Bear...

2009-05-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

I got this e-mail this morning and thought it was too cute not to share. Image By: Bryan Harry - NPS

Gonna Be a Bear

In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do NOTHING but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup, gonna be a bear!

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys...Part II

2009-05-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

Last night we cooked out at a friend's house. He doesn't know many people in town so he hosted and I did the inviting. I of course, was too busy to take pictures, but we had such a good time! There's nothing like getting to entertain without having to clean your own house!

Some of you may be tired of my cowboy pictures, but I took a lot of them and I still had a few that I wanted to share.

Here's Marty and Jeremiah. The "nice guys" who got stuck with the dudes.

62, my dad's horse.

My daddy on the start of day two. It was YUCKY outside. Can you tell?

Brock's son.

Brock

The next generation. Stormy and Boudreaux. I kid you not.

Big 'ol bull...

Levi

Dazed and confused calves.

The "overseers"

The end.

Hope you all have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

New Blog Design

2009-05-21T08:46:00.001-07:00

I have to give a HUGE shout out to Sharon of Redbud Designs. She patiently helped me with my design and to not know each other personally I think she captured my personality to a "T". I'm only slightly indecisive and OCD. She is amazingly talented and super sweet! You can check out her designs here...

http://redbuddesigns.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much, Sharon!

"That's What I Love About Sunday..."

2009-05-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

I waited to post about Sunday afternoon because I hadn't uploaded my pictures from my Canon Digital Rebel, yet.

After the luncheon at church Marty and I went home and prepared for an afternoon outdoors. We loaded up and headed northeast of town to turkey hunt and fish. It was a B-E-A-UTIFUL day! I was glad to be outside and I hadn't really been hunting at all with my husband this year, so I agreed to go. I always take my camera along because there are SO many pretty things you miss if you don't.

I took a lot of pictures of the wild flowers. I realize some of these are probably weeds, but it makes no difference to me. They are pretty nonetheless!

Here's my handsome hunting guide.

I thought this little bridge was SO neat! It's tucked away (as you can see) and runs over the most beautiful creek called Oasis Creek. I tried to get pictures of the creek itself, but none of them turned out very good.

THIS is why I go with him...

It was a wonderful day. We rarely spend an entire day together anymore...especially on the weekends. It was oh so nice. We didn't get a turkey *(which I'm ok with) and we caught a couple of bass. They weren't big enough to keep, though.

Weekend Recap...

2009-05-18T07:47:00.001-07:00

Friday night was slightly stressful. Marty and I were supposed to attend a fundraiser that my grandmother, the Director of a local Meals on Wheels organization had put together. My mom was also planning on taking part in the fundraiser and had taken off work early to be there to help set up.

There had been a chance for severe storms in the forecast so we left the office a little earlier than usual. I went home and turned on the TV only to discover that they had issued tornado warnings about 45 miles away where my mom and grandparents happened to be. So, I immediately called my mother who was completely unaware of the weather. She went to by a nearby church and my grandparents were worried about their vehicles so they went to their house.

All in all, there were about four tornadoes, grapefruit size hail and they shut down the main highway because the storm was moving along it and people were still driving through the storm. Luckily everyone was ok, but I got a call from one of my friends shortly after this asking if my parents were home because their was a fire just south of their house. It was a wild night!

I went outside and took a picture of the clouds. They were freaky looking!

Saturday Mom and I headed to Amarillo for a spa day with the girls. We met Randi, her mom, sister and future mother-in-law for lunch. Here's a picture of our group. Randi's soon to be mother-in-law had shirts made.

Then we headed to the spa. I had never had a facial before and it was glorious! We left town right after our pampering so we could make it back from one of my best friends mother's 50th birthday party. It was an action packed day!

Sunday was our last day to teach Sunday school for this term. The kids were so sweet! They were like, "you know you can teach back to back terms if you want to?" We had a senior luncheon after services and the food was YUMMY! I swear we have the best cooks around...I had a slice of Kentucky Derby Pie that was to die for. This isn't the original recipe, but I found this one online at http://www.americanfood.about.com/.

Kentucky Derby Chocolate Walnut Pie Recipe

This delicious Kentucky bourbon chocolate walnut pie is traditionally served at the annual Kentucky Derby Horse race. This pie recipe is similar to the Melrose Inn's famous "Derby Pie," which has been served at the race for over 50 years. Makes 1 Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Walnut Pie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 ready-made piecrust
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and butter; mix to combine. Stir in the bourbon, walnuts, chocolate chips, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture into the unbaked piecrust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool before slicing.