Yay me!

So I made a scrapping goal of completing 31 layouts in 31 days - techinically one for every day in January. While I did not scrap every single day of the month, I did finish the 31st layout today! The page I completed today was my word for this year (ORGANIZE) as well as my goals on how to organize my life. We'll see how they work out!

My next project is a self-portrait everyday in Feb. There are a multitude of 365+ photos of the day challenges out there but I just don't see myself undertaking such a large task. Since Feb is the shortest day of the month I think I should be able to manange. Actually, last March I took a photo of Joe and me everyday and made it into a layout. It was quite fun to do!

Brrrr

Another cold morning! It was about 39degrees when we started our morning run at Memorial Park. I feel hard core when we run in this kind of weather :).

400th post! {+ fun with brushes}

So instead of getting ready for working out and getting ready for work, this morning I have been scrapping and experimenting with digital frames for photos. I am not into digital scrapping as I like the feel of paper in my hand but I do like the look of different frames around photos. I have been playing around with some free frames off of Two Peas. Of course the really cool ones cost $$ but I don't know if I am ready to make that investment.

They are certainly fun to play with but now I must go and deal with real life - boo!

Starting the week off right

I like when I am able to drag my a$$ out of my warm bed and run in the cold (well, it was 49 degrees out so we have run when it's been colder, but still). I am hoping today is not too crazy at work. Wish me luck!

Where did the week go?

Another weekend is over already. January is almost over. Time just goes by too fast!

We finally got some sunny weather over the weekend. After yoga this morning we had brunch at Empire Cafe with Marc. We also stopped by Peg's to say hi after her surgery. And that was our day! I am already ready for next weekend, with no working :).

One more thing to look forward to: LOST!

Still

...cold and wet. I thought Houston was supposed to be warm! Joe and I ended up running in the gym parking lot again to avoid getting soaked and chilled to the bone.

In more fun news, my favorite show American Idol is back! Woo hoo! Joe hates the beginning episodes because the terrible singers annoy him. They annoy me too, but I absolutely LOVE when someone comes on and just sings so well I get chills. Makes me wish I could sing!

Wet and cold

It is a bit miserable outside. Makes me want to curl up under the covers instead of run outside, but run we did. Staying in shape can be such a pain sometimes.

In other news, our dear friend Peg just found out she tore her ACL on the ski trip! Needless to say, she is most upset. I feel so bad for her but am impressed with how well she took the pain. She hurt herself the first day but skiied for 2 more days after that. What a trooper!

Random post

I have this thing with long fingernails - I hate having them. My nails are actually fairly healthy and grow pretty fast. I feel like I cut them as short as possible and am doing fine with them until one day - BOOM - all of a sudden they are long and annoying. This discovery happened during the ski trip and my nails were getting on my nerves the whole time and of course I forgot to bring the mini-manicure set Joe's mom put in my stocking for Christmas! I finally cut them nice a short this morning. And I feel much better. (Yes I am weird and goofy, this I have accepted. I think this idiosincracy (sp?) stems from having to keep my nails short for piano. And don't EVEN get me started on long toenails - that is even grosser!)

Beaver Creek 2008

Here are some photos from our trip. I has a slight obsession with photographing trees this trip...

I'm back!

We froze our tails off and ate our weight in food but had a fabulous time in Beaver Creek. I hope we come back here over Christmas, it really is a great place to ski! I will post some pics later - for now I am just trying to get back into the swing of things. Luckily Joe and I have the day off (him for MLK day; me cause I will be working this Sat - boo!) so we have time to catch up with house stuff (after we work out, of course!).

Off to the slopes

We will be boarding our plane in a few hours to Vail. I am ready to hit the slopes, although it looks like it is going to be cold cold! Brrr

Not quite ready to let go of the holidays

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is receiving cards from friends and family. Many times this is the only time I "talk" to them and I love to see how everyone is doing and changing. Being friends with many 'mos means I do not get a great return on investment in my cards (I think Brad and Andy were the only couple to send one) but I still love making and sending them as well.

One of the best ideas I got from A. Edwards, scrapper extraordinaire, is to use a square punch to preserve parts of the cards on a layout. It is a great way to get most of your cards onto a page, save the best part and save space as well. Today I got a little punch happy and made a 2-page spread that I love.

I think this holiday I made more holiday-oriented layots than I have the entire time I have been scrapping! I guess I was in the mood. Too bad I have to wait a 11 more months before I can get back into the spirit of things!

Only 8 hours of work left

...before we leave for Beaver Creek! I am excited about going, although I have yet to get anything packed. I think it is going to be super cold when we're there so I must remember to pack a couple extra sweaters. We get such a skewed view of winter here. Anything below 60degrees is cold! And we are going into 19-20 degree weather - brrrr!

Overlooked

So I am working on a few year long scrapbooking challenges this year. With the advent of blogging, etc so much information is to be found on the internet. And most of it is free! This particular challenge is called "Overlooked" and has to do with noticing the little things in life. The 7th of each month, the host {Ashley Wren is her name} posts a subject which participants will SNAP a photo of. The 14th she will post journaling ideas, prompts and suggestions to JOT down regarding the subject. On the 21 we create layouts.
This month's SNAP was coffee mugs. Since I don't drink too much coffee I decided to snap a photo of what I like to drink everyday, Propel. Some jotting: the first time I tasted Propel I hated it. Joe and I had just run a 5K in the heat of Houston September a few years ago and I was expecting some cold refreshing water. What I got was this sickly flavored water which I thought was disgusting. Fast forward to probably about 2 years later. Now we are addicted to the stuff. I can't remember what precipitated us to start drinking it - we probably got some more samples at another race and it grew on us. Now, I love it. Especially since I try not to drink too many soft drinks, Propel is a good way to get liquid with minimal calories that has some flavor to it. Gatorade tastes too sweet for me now. So I guess that goes to show you how tastes can change. You should always try something at least twice before deciding you don't like it.

2 hours I'll never get back

So I went with Marc, Richie and Bo-Marc to see Atonement this afternoon. Did NOT like it at all. Slow and predictable plot, disappointing ending. I can't believe all the buzz it's getting!

Thank goodness it's over

The half/full marathon that is! The weather was great this morning; a little chilly but good running weather. I finished 2:04, so right under my time for the White Rock. I still got a bit cold and tired towards the end. I keep saying I need to do more long runs. But I am pleased nonetheless.

My crazy husband woke up this morning to ride his bike for 1.5 hours. He ran his marathon in 3:30 and is back on his bike as I type this. Today is just an extra long training day for him. Like I said, crazy!

We are going to be meeting up with our peeps after Joe is finished (if he is still able to stand!). I am going to be hungry!

Scrappy goodness

I received some fun mail today - Cocoa Daisy 12months of mini books kit! It was so cute I couldn't resist. I started working on mine tonight. I love mini albums but I haven't really made any for myself. I think this will be a fabulous finished product at the end of the year.
The other thing I did today was take some everyday photos. I am going to make a 12 on the 12th album for 2008. I am taking 12 photos the 12th of each month. This will be a good snapshot of our life! I just couldn't bring myself to commit to a photo-a-day for the year, which seems to be in vogue these days.
On a working out note, Joe went to be way early this morning as he is waking up at 2AM (yes, you read correctly) to ride his bike for a couple hours before running the marathon. I will probably have to wake up around 4:30 am to get ready for the half. Just thinking about getting out of bed that early is making me sleepy so I'm out.

Random thoughts

I stayed up last night to finish A Thousand Splendid Suns. Fabulous fabulous book. I started crying near the end, which is why I had to finish. I love books that can touch you like that. I haven't decided what my next good read is going to be, but for now I will fill my time with some Phillipa Gregory juicy historical fiction!

Joe and I picked up our packets for the Houston marathon and half-marathon this Sunday. I am looking forward to the race!

We are changing our schedule at work starting in February. I will still be working almost every other weekend, BUT we will have EVERY Monday off. I cannot wait!

I really should start packing for our ski trip, but am finding it hard to get motivated. I watched the latest (and last) episode of Gossip Girl (sometimes I wish I were that young again, just not as stupid as I was) as well as another episode of Cashmere Mafia, which is slowly growing on me. The 2nd episode definitely wasn't quite as contrived as the first.

All for now - good night!

The jury is still out

I just watched Cashmere Mafia, a new show that it supposed to be like SITC, but slightly older. I don't hate it quite yet, but it hasn't really grabbed me either. I have one more episode on the DVR that I will watch and then I'll make my decision if I want to commit to another show.

Namaste

I practiced mysore this evening. I've been going to yoga since the White Rock half-marathon, but slacking just a little bit and only going to the led classes. Mysore is the self-paced practice. And I forgot how much I love it. Sometimes the instructor of the led class makes us hold a pose for what feels like forever, which then tires me out for other poses. Practicing at your own pace lets you hold the pose with your own breath and work on things that you need help on. The only bad thing was that I was trying to lift myself up with my arms only and ended up hurting my right wrist. Hopefuly it will be better by Friday! One of my resolutions/intentions this year is to be more consistent with my yoga practice and go at least 3-4x/week.

Just an ordinary day

Lots of working today, not too much creating. One exciting thing going on - our good friend Alan is turning 40 this year and he wants to take a weeklong trip to Ibiza, a party island off the coast of Spain. While I am always up for a good party, going clubbing for a whole week does not appeal to me. So we (my hubby, good friends Marc, D, Peg, Coupon, Billy + Juan) are thinking of going to Ibiza for just a few days and either Spain or Portugal for the rest of the time.
We haven't taken an overseas trip in a couple years so the planning and anticipation of seeing a new place is very exciting to me! One of the things I love about Joe is that he loves to travel. We have been to some cool places together: Italy, Mexico, Costa Rica and China, to name a few. But there are so many other places in the world I would love to go. I haven't even been to Paris yet! I have slept in the African Bush but I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower. How random is that!
Speaking of trips, I am also excited about of upcoming ski trip to Beaver Creek next week. I think I have all the gear I need. Now it's just a matter of getting through the week (working through Sat - boo!), and surviving the half marathon on Sunday.

Kona Kampachi

I betcha can't say that 10x in a row! I was inspired by my li'l sis to cook some dinner tonight. I was in the mood for a little seafood, so I bought a Kona Kampachi filet at the recommendation of the Central Market fish man. He said it has more omega-3s than salmon and has the least amount of mercury of any fish. I sauted some lemon in olive oil, added the fish and capers. And it was delicious! Light and tasty, not fishy at all. We had green beans and brown rice to finish off the meal.
Here is our meal in preparation.
And the finished productYum-O!

A little shop shop

I haven't hit any after Christmas sales yet this year. Usually at the end of the year/beginning of the next I am either out of town or tired of shopping (shocker, yes, but it happens). So I went by the Galleria today because I had some gift certificates I wanted to use.

First I bought some mittens, liners and socks for our upcoming ski trip. All practical stuff, nothing too exciting. I also bought a sweater and t-neck from the Gap (on sale, of course), again for the ski trip. Bath and Body Works was having a sale on my favorite lotion (Coconut Lime Verbena) so I stocked up on those as well.

But the piece de resistance was my puchase at Saks. Last Feb Tingaling and I went to NYC for Spring Fashion week (one of the most fabulous trips ever!). During one of our many shopping excursion, she bought some cool Bond No. 9 cologne for her hubby, BoomBoom. We also got a sample of Bond No. 9 Bryant Park, from the fashion show. I have been using it as sparingly as possible because I wanted it to last. Now, almost 1 year later, I am out of my sample. My girlfriends gave me a GC to the mall for my bday last year so I thought this would be a nice splurge. I ended up with a different perfume that I thought is a little more wearable than the Bryant Park. It is called The Scent of Peace (love that name too!). Seriously, the bottle itself is worth the price of admission.

Cutest movie ever

{I am obviously not a work today as it is my 3rd post of the day!} Marc, Joe and I went to see Juno this afternoon. Loved it!

Year in review

I am almost finished with my 2007 year in review album. I wasn't planning on doing one, but I got this idea from Simple Scrapbooks mag. I just blew up one photo from each month and then printed wallets of other photos from the same month, slapped them on some cute patterned paper, added the date and a couple embellishments and called it good.
They look pretty cool all laid out like this and this gets them that much closer to 31 layouts in January! I just have to get my December photos printed and I will all finished!

New music

I typically can't stand having music play when I am blogging, but I must say that I found this catchy tune during one of those such times. The band is called The Radio Dept and the song is called Pulling Our Weight. I love Itunes, because found the song and bought their EP right there on the spot! They are definitely a Cure/New Order influenced indi-rock band. The song reminds me of something I would have listened to the last couple years of college.
The video is kind of random, but I really like this song. I think it's on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack, which includes Ceremony, on of my favorite New Order songs ever.

A layout a day challenge

I am pseudo-participating in a scrapbook challenge over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is to create one layout every day the month of January. So far I am 3 for 3! But I haven't been posting them on the gallery - too much work. I am just satisfied with the knowledge that I will have completed 31 layouts (hopefully!) by the end of the month.

Happy 2008!

We spent a fabulous NYE with our friends at Reef for dinner and then Kirt and Mike's to ring in 2008. We definitely didn't get enough sleep last night but will go to bed early tonight. Here's to the New Year!