Back again

When I get out of the habit of doing something, I feel guilty for not doing it and procrastinate it even more. This applies to my life as well as my blogging. I am the world's worst procrastinator.
So last Sunday we had a La Strada/Berry Hill revivial. The weather was amazing and everyone was in such a good mood Joe and I couldn't resist partaking in the fun. So of course we had a hard time getting back onto a good workout schedule last week.
But at least we had a good time. And we're back on track (for today. It is yet another Sunday so who knows what the afternoon will bring?)

Daily Creativity

When Joe is away I find it hard to motivate myself to get up and run. I made it to the gym yesterday, but not so much today. My saving grace is yoga this afternoon.
I am loving the new BPS class I am taking. Doing something creative everyday for the month of Sept. She gives us a layout to do every other day and then a mini project like card or tag the other days. I haven't been doing the mini projects but I love having the guidance to do layouts. I have a hard time designing my own layouts so scraplifing and using sketches are perfect for me!
I also signed up for a class in Oct using kits. Hopefully we'll be making lots of layouts so I can use up my stash!
One more day and I'm off to Wisconsin. This week has felt like a long one even though it's only been 4 days...

It's almost that time

Ironman time! Joe is already in Madison and I will be joining him on Sat. All his hard work over the past 6 months will be revealed on Sunday.

Rainy weekend

Joe and I have had a running/yoga/relaxing long weekend. No late nights. No hangovers. We may just be growing up - um, kind of scary! Joe's Ironman is less than a week away - I am ready for it to be over and I'm not even competing!
We wasted 2 hours of our life this afternoon on a movie titles Self-Medicated. WAY too melodramatic and drawn out, with a lot of bad acting.
That's all for now, I am going to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Back to school

Well, not really. Thank goodness I am done with real school. Forever, hopefully, but you never know...
I am starting a creativity class at BPS on the 1st of the month. I am debating on taking Shimelle's class too, but I am afraid it will be too much and I won't end up doing any of it!
I am just looking forward to a nice long weekend. Joe has less than 10 days until the Ironman. I can't believe how quickly it had come up!

Ouch

Having a needle stuck in your breast 4 times is not my idea of fun. I didn't feel any pain because of the lidocaine, but I was sore pretty much all afternoon. Good excuse to do nothing but read :). I finished The Queen's Fool by Phillippa Gregory - some good historical fiction about England.
I am looking forward to Sept. 3 3day weekends :). Start a new scrapping class (I am still with BPS even after all the drama). Joe's Ironman is in less than 2 weeks! He's been working so hard so I am sure he will do well.
I guess I should get ready for work now...

Another day

Monday mornings are hard. Especially when one doesn't have a real weekend. At least the light at the end of the tunnel is a 3-day weekend. Our buddies Kirt and Mike are not coming home for Labor Day so we will have to find something else to do!
I also have a dr's apt this afternoon - not looking forward to it. Just a biopsy of my left breast - it's some benign cyst or something, but better safe than sorry! At least it gives me an excuse to take the afternoon off!

Lost my momentum

I was on a blogging roll (albeit a short one), then I went out of town and was thrown off. I loved spending time with Ting and Mom. We did a whole lotta nothing and it was great. This week has been crazy with work and getting up at 4:30 AM to run. Joe's crazy work out schedule is rubbing off on me.

I will just leave with a photos of the girls!

The dancing is over...

and I am most sad! Cute little Sabre won over Danny, Neil and Lacey. I can't believe it! Now we have to wait until November to see more dancing!

Another early morning

We woke up at the crack of dawn today to run. Unfortunately it has been lightening pretty regularly so we had to drive from Memorial to the Met garage. Running aroung the garage definitely is more boring, but I guess it beats being struck down by lightening!

Sleeping in

You know you are used to getting up early when waking up right before 6am seems late. Of course Joe woke up at about 3:30 AM to ride the CompuTrainer before work. Yes, he is crazy crazy! I think, though, even he is getting a bit tired of all this training. I'm sure it will pay off in Wisconsin next month!
We had some major rain and thunder early this morning. Hopefully this will cool things off a bit. Only 2.5 days until I leave for VA...

Dog days of summer

You know it is going to be a hot day when you get in your car at 5 AM to run and the temperature reads 90 degrees. Good lord! We were sweating even before we warmed up!
I am going to visit Tinger in VA this weekend - looking forward to seeing my baby sis as well as her hubby and my mom, who will also be visiting. I have a breakfast work meeting so I guess I should be getting ready.

Monday already?

Sundays are great days because we work out in the morning and have the rest of the day to do whatever we want. Many times the doing nothing involves our friends and hanging out. Yesterday was no exception. We spent the afternoon in Kirt and Mike's pool. They have been working in KC all summer so we really enjoyed spending time with them as well as everyone else (Ken, Peg, Johnny, Matt, Rob, Marc, Joe, Richie, Marc and Darryl). Yesterday was scorching hot as well so being in the water helped cool us down.
But now the weekend is over and it's back to the grind. The OD in Dallas quit, yet again, so Dr. Do is having to travel up there tomorrow and I will be by myself for Tues, Wed, and Thurs. I don't know why the Dallas office has so much drama!
So I am trying to gear myself up. It's very very difficult!

We are so cheesy

So Joe got us, Darah and Marc some tickets to the SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) show coming in November. I'm sure we will be the oldest people there who aren't parents! My love for the dancing outweighs my embarrassment of wanted to see the dancing, so here we go!

Productive morning

Today I ran 4 miles, showered, tidied up the bedroom, did a load of laundry, checked email and cooked part of our dinner, all before 8 am. I get so much more done in the morning than any time of day.
Last night I was feeling just blah. I forgot my yoga clothes so skipped yoga, which may have been why I had a headache. Yoga is good for cleansing the mind, soul and body. No more skipping!
Tinger mentioned wanting to start a blog. Hee hee - I haven't mentioned mine yet. I feel like if people I know realize I have a blog, I will need to be much more witty and clever and interesting than I really am. Not quite ready for that yet!

Here is just a pic of some cuties. Time to start the day!

Say it isn't so

...the long weekend is over. It's back to the grind! Some things to look forward to: cocktail party at Matt and Rob's on Sat night. Kirt and Mike may be back in town for the weekend so we may have some more pool time on Sunday. I am keeping my fingers crossed (it is damn hot and humid out).

Happy birthday

Great weekend! Marc and I started Saturday off by shopping for some jeans at The Warehouse Sale at the Galleria. I found a pair of skinny Chip and Peppers as well as Citizens, total less that $200. We had a yummy lunch at 515 Ruggles Grill in Saks. I finished my shopping with a pair of silver wedges for Marc's party and some new Bobbie Brown makeup. I love getting make-overs - fun to make yourself pretty!

Their party was a great success. Darryl and Joe made some yummy chocolate martinis. We ended the night with dancing at South Beach - I actually got home around 2:30 Am which is not too late for our crew.

D, Marc, Amy and I had brunch on Sunday at Baby Barnaby's before heading over to Club Rue for the pool party. We had perfect sunny weather. Life can't be better than hanging out in a nice pool, sipping pina coladas and catching up with good friends. I wish every day were Sunday afternoon! Kurt and Mike are supposed to be home next weekend so we can hopefully have another pool afternoon.

I am off to scrap my afternoon away. Love my Mondays off!

I can't wait...

for the weekend to begin! This week has seemed interminable...I wish we could have a balance at the office between being too slow (this week) and being too crazed (most other weeks). Sigh. I guess there's just no winning!
We are losing one of our best technicians today as well. She is off to optometry school in a few weeks. I am so happy for her future but she will be missed.
Miss Marc's bday is this weekend. Darryl and he are hosting a cocktail party at their house on Sat night and the Rues have opened the pool on Sunday! I am so looking forward to spending some fun time with our friends. And no work on Monday - even better!

Just another day

I just created my first 6x12 layout. I just picked a photo at random and scrapped. The smaller size is fun because a single photo won't be overwhelmed and it still has enough room for fun embellishments.
I am gearing up for the last day of the month at work. Hopefully it won't be too stressful!
Today's happiness: getting up early and running with my Joey. It doesn't make me happy at the time but I feel good afterwards and it's nice to spend some time with crazy Ironman Joe!

Baby it's wet outside

The rain seems to be never ending! At least it will make being at work on a Saturday a bit more bearable.
Joe and I ran at the Met garage again this morning. I saw my SWAT/MET peeps in class. I am thinking about doing SWAT again next month. I guess I have a few days to decide.
I finished the new HP at the beginning of the week. LOVED it! I am a little sad that the series is over, but I am reading Order of the Phoenix again (before I see the movie). I am actually reading it a bit slower and savoring it more, since I already know what happened.
I guess I should go get ready for work...

Makes me happy

Funny, I was just thinking about the things that make me happy and this week, for my AYTR class, Heidi wants us to find photos that make us smile. It must be something in the air.
Work almost never makes me happy, but I am glad that Dr. Do is back with us permanently. She seems to gel with our dynamics more so hopefully she's here to stay! What makes me happy at work is taking my 10-20 minute car nap during lunch. I find it surprisingly easy to fall asleep in my front seat with the windows down, even when it's hot and humid outside. This probably because I get so COLD inside.
Coming home to Joe always makes me happy. He is such a wonderful husband and guy. I couldn't ask for more. We finally got a coffee table (yeah - one of the first steps I have actually taken towards my new year's resolution of having the house decorated!) and he put it together before I arrived home. And he's always so good about cooking and grocery shopping. He's NEVER expected me to do it all, even when we first started dating. I guess he knew I am not the domestic type!
Yoga makes me happy. I have been going fairly consistently since May (usually 3-4 times per week) and I am definitely seeing improvements. My right hamstring is still a little tight but it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it used to.
And my last little happiness for the past couple days is So You Think You Can Dance. Love love love that show. I wish I could dance - I mean really dance. Too bad I was so uncoordinated as a young child (not that I am all that much more coordinated now!). {I am having trouble finding photos to post so maybe some later} They are coming to Houston in the fall! It's totally cheesy, but I must see the show!

Back to Bloggin'

I am going to do my best to post a little something something until the end of the month. The last week of the month always tends to be the most stressful for me because of work and I want to remember to take a minute and BREATHE.




Joe and I enjoyed a yummy dinner and even better dessert from Mo Mong and Cold Stone last night. I always look forward to our cheat meal/date night. On Sat we will be going out for Ken's belated 40th bday so that will count as the cheat meal for this week.
This eating healthy thing is great although I don't feel like I have lost much weight. I could like to get rid of the bit of chub right around my waist. I guess if I tried to actually eat LESS as well as more healthfully it would be more productive but that requires too much work!

Post 301

I just finished Harry Potter. Loved it!
This has been a weekend of scrapping goodness, yoga and lots of reading. Too bad the real world is here tomorrow.
Joe and I are going to Mo Mong for dinner and Cold Stone for dessert - Yum-O!

New favorite song

I've never been a huge Maroon 5 fan, but I love this song!

Love, Elsie

This was a crazy scrap-shopping week. I got 2 kits in the mail, Poppy Ink and One Page at a Time, which were both chock full of Elsie goodness. I also ordered some stamps and such from A Million Little Things. And lastly, I got some Lola and Riley papers from Hobby Lobby. I am obsessed! Now I just need to get some scrappin' done. This is going to be a scrap-filled weekend. I can't wait until Saturday! (I am also getting a haircut, for which I am LONG overdue. Although I have been getting more compliments than ever on my hair the past 2 weeks! Hmmmm...)

Great weekend

My peeps from opt school were in town this weekend. Annie, Ann, ReeDee and I were back together again, reminiscing and reliving old memories. Both Ann and Ree are mamas now, so they were glad to get a short break from their babies, although I am sure they are missing them now on their way home.

We ate sushi at Azuma on Friday night and swung by Volcanos for some frozen screwdrivers. I love being with the girls but Volcanos was tired! Last night we ate at Nit Noi per Ree's request. Then I showed them our house. After a drink we met at Etro for more drins and dancing. BBJ met up with us there and everyone caught up. This is the first time the girls have seen him since he came out, so they had lots to talk about - hee hee.

Our last meal together was breakfast at Empire. Yum. I gave in and had an Almond Joy latte - DELISH! I miss my girls already!

Scrappy goodness

Yesterday was a crappy day at work. I was just not feeling it. I'm not really feeling it today either, but I'm one day closer to seeing my fabulous friends from opt school (ann, annie and ree are coming to h-town for a weekend visit! can't wait!). So I was most happy to receive some Love, Elsie fun stuff in the mail! Now I just need time to scrap!
I love those stamps! I think I should venture into the cardmaking area and make some fun thank you cards with those. I am way overdue for bday thanks.
I am also very tired this morning. I think it may have something to do with getting up before the sun has risen (4:45 AM) and running 6 miles. You think?

Back to the grind.
For some reason blogger is not allowing me to insert titles, so I will have to make due. I am just trying to get back into the swing of things. I think the past 6 days off is the longest vacation I have had since we went to Costa Rica for Christmas. And I have enjoyed every second of it (well, except the wasted time travelling on Sunday and Monday).
We got our goal for July and it seems very doable, which is nice. Hopefully things will be a bit quieter over the rest of the summer before it picks up again.
Joe and I ran "hills" this morning - and by hills I mean up the parking garage at the gym. I can't believe how hot and humid it was at 5 am this morning. Certainly not the nice cool weather we enjoyed in Maine.
I guess I should post some pictures soon - I just haven't been motivated...

"Your flight is delayed." Those are the 4 dreaded words any traveller loathes to hear. Especially when they are on the way home. Our 2 pm flight out of Portland, ME didn't leave until 5 pm for Newark. So we obviously missed our 4:30 pm flight back home. We tried to go standby on the 8pm-delayed-until-9:20om flight but it was overfull. So we stayed at the Ramada Inn by the airport, where I am convinced that I got bitten by bedbugs, and took the 8:35am-delayed-until-9:30am flight out of Newark to Houston. The trip home from hell.



I am glad to be back and have actually gotten a few things done - Target and groceries. But I am one tired chica. I love travelling - visiting family, seeing new things, eating good food - everything about it except for the actual travel part. I wish I could be a genie and blink my way to our destination. But, alas, we live in the real world and genies do not exist. I guess we just need to remember to take the earliest morning flight out we can and to avoid Newark airport at all costs. Just little tips to make the travelling less stresful.

A rare day off

I always feel like I don't have many weekends off. This is probably because in May we were gone the first weekend and then I worked the last three. And June we worked 2 in a row. But, including last weekend, I will have 3 weekends off in a row! Unfortunately this is the only one here at home and techinically I still am working for a bit tomorrow morning.

I love travelling and the such, but being at home is a good thing too. The only thing I wish is that my sister were closer so I could see her more often. I think she is still having a hard time with losing the baby. Mom called her today and apparently upset her; I think she probably just wishes Mom were with her instead of across the world in Taiwan. At least that's how I would feel. I will call her tomorrow and hope she is feeling better.

Indecision

I am having scrapper's block. Too many products to use up, too little time!

Note to self- remember to call Ting tonight...

Yikes

I can't believe this is the last week in June. This is probably repetitive, but where does the time go?!?! I remember summer days that were so long I ran out of things to do and the common theme was, "Mom, I'm bored!" Those days are long gone and I wish to have so much time as to be bored! These days are filled to the rim - with what (besides work), I am not sure, but every day seems to go by faster and faster. Why can't it slow down?

I'm off to the doc this morning before going into work. I have some kind of benign cyst in my left breast that I need to have removed but haven't gotten to it yet. So I think they are going to scold me and make me go to a surgeon. Ugh. Who has time for surgery? I guess I keep putting it off because it doesn't seem like anything serious but I need to get this taken care of. Wish me luck!

Sad day

John called me this afternoon at lunch...Clementine is sick and won't survive. Ting is very distraught and I am upset as well. I've never heard John cry so naturally I started crying when he did. I am still not exactly sure what is wrong - just a test came back that she has some kind of rare disorder or that she is not developing normally. I was so looking forward to becoming an auntie. I guess we just won't have a golden piglet this year :(

In other, more-random-and-not-as-life-affecting news, I am experiencing allergies like never before tonight. Itchy eyes, nose and throat, congested nose and sneezing. Ugh - it sucks! Hopefully things will be drier in Lubbock tomorrow. Otherwise I really need to get some allergy medication.

Off to Lubbock in the AM. Yee haw.

Summer is here!

Today is the official start of summer (I think). Not that it hasn't already felt like it. I went running this morning and was sweating by the time I left the house! We had such a mild spring that I forgot how miserable and muggy the weather can be here. I keep telling myself it's good for my skin.

Joe has a half-Ironman this weekend up by Lubbock. We were going to road trip up there, but he luckily found some frequent flier tickets - so for 40,000 miles and $40 we are flying. Thank goodness. Road trips always seem cool in theory to me, but the reality of them usually sucks. Especially the drive home.

That's all for now. I guess I should get out of my stinky running clothes and jump in the shower!

Long week

Working 6 days plus one hour on the 7th makes for one tired girl.

It's been a long week

Today is only Thursday and I still have 4 more days to work. Sunday isn't a full day, but I still have to go in to see the one day post-ops. At least I have been in my scrapping groove and even busted out a page today in less than one hour! Having a kit with ideas definitely helps. I broke down and am subscribing to Poppy Ink and One Page at a Time. I love all the new stuff that is coming out and am also getting inspiration to use my stash. Love love love.

Yum

I just ate the best chocolate chip cookie ever. It was from Barnaby's, a hole-in-the-wall-ish place that is 2 blocks from our house. It was huge and the entire middle was basically all chocolate. Definitely worth the calories. When Joe gets back, we are starting a major life style change (I don't want to call it a diet, because I hate diets) of eating more healthy. Joe already does, and I usually do, but I almost always break down at work and have a few cookies because I have the munchies. No more of that, starting June 15th! Maybe I will be able to see my abs by the end of the summer...

It was only the battery

I called BMW roadside assistance to bring the car to the dealer. The driver thought it was just the battery so when he checked it, he discovered that the connections were loose. So he tightened them up and she's running again. Woo hoo. That was much easier than I expected. Now I won't be late for work (not that I minded) and I can at least go to yoga tonight :).

Scrap record

I have completed 12 layouts this weekend! Definitely a record for me. And I didn't really plan anything either - just kind of scrapped by the seat of my pants, which is what I usually do (in scrapping and in life in general!). Just think how productive I could be if I planned out my layouts in advanced. I have before, but thinking about it takes too much effort sometimes. One of my major faults in laziness (and not far behind is procrastination).

Other than scrapping I have not done much this weekend. It's over and I still don't really have much food in the fridge. All the errands I was planning on running today were put on the back burner since my car isn't working. Tomorrow I am going to call the tow truck first thing in the morning to take my car to the dealer. This is a real pain in the ass, but I guess I shouldn't worry about what I can't control.

I did get out of the house for a couple hours today to go to Costco with Darryl and Danny. I got lots of chicken so now I just need to pick up some veggies before Joe returns home on Tuesday. Hopefully the car will be fixed by then.

Off to bed. Good night!

Nothing to do but scrap.

I was all ready to go to yoga this morning when...the beemer wouldn't start. Ugh! I called my friend Joe W. to help me. He thought it was either the battery or the alternator. When he came over, we tried to jump start it, but the engine wouldn't turn over. So we think it's the alternator. Which means I have to call the wrecker (luckily is free with my extended warranty) and take it in to the shop tomorrow morning.

I don't mind not being able to go anywhere. Now I have an excuse not to go the the grocery store! Of course, living on cereal and cherries is probably not the most nutritious thing...

So I have been on a scrapping roll. I have completed 5 1 page layouts and a 2 page spread. I have really been jonesin to scrap so call me a Scrappy Camper!

Another fun quiz:
A SNAPSHOT OF ME AT THIS MOMENT
Yourself: stranded :)
Your Partner: travelling
Your Hair: short but growing out
Your Mother: inspiration
Your Father: hard-working
Your Favorite Item: camera
Your Dream Last Night: about my friend Matt B - miss him!
Your Favorite Drink: Ice cold water
Your Dream Car: M5
Dream Home: clean
The Room You Are In: office/guest room/storage area
Your Fear: being to old to have babies
Where You Want to be in Ten Years: a mommy
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: me, myself and I
You're Not: insecure
One of Your Wish List Items: travel to Australia
The Last Thing You Did: scrapped
You Are Wearing: one of my pink yoga outfits
Your Favorite Weather: 80 degrees, sunny and low humidily
Your Favorite Book: too many - The Lord of the Rings
Last Thing You Ate: big bowl of cherries
Your Life: busy
Your Mood: calm
Your Best Friend: Ting/Shaila/Joe/Bill
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: scrapping some more
Your Car: steel blue BMW 330i that won't start
What Are You Doing At The Moment: surfing
Relationship Status: happily married

I should make a layout with these quizzes I do!

A month to remember

May was a whirlwind. Not as enjoyable as usual, mostly because I spent the majority either at work or some work related function (i.e. 3 out of 4 weekends were working weekends). Not fun. I didn't even get to my AYTR layout! So this month I want to TAKE TIME for some creativity, everyday that I can. I need to spend less time surfing the web and more time DOING. Like Nike says, JUST DO IT!

Call me Auntie!

My Tinger is preggers!!! She is due around Thanksgiving. I can't believe it! More to come later.

What happened to May????

It's already over. I can't believe it! I think I spent so much time at work or recovering from work that I didn't have time to enjoy it. Spending 3 of 4 weekend of the month on work doesn't leave you with much time for anything else!

At least I have a long weekend starting now! I am flying to Montreal with Mom and we are meeting Ting there. A fun girl's trip - I can't wait. I guess I should finish packing now...

Memorial Day

was a blast as usual. The weather was overcast for most of the day but we did get a wee bit of sun in the afternoon. Unfortunately it poured down rain yesterday so Joe's triathlon was cancelled. And I am still trying to recover today. Now I am just gearing up for work.

Happiness is

...being back at home after a long, working weekend over your birthday. To make matters worse, when I was feeling sorry for myself I reminisced to this time LAST year - we were in LA grooving to a live Madonna concert! How things change in a year!

Joe was very sweet and cooked a yummy and healthy salmon dinner for us last night. I am lucky to have a such a wonderful husband.

I am so looking forward to Lake Travis next weekend. Just gotta get through this week!

Happy Birthday to me!

Although I don't like the idea of getting older, I do like the idea of birthdays and birthday parties. We celebrated mine a little early this year since I will be with work peeps on my actual birthday.

Joe organized a dinner for me and my boys (and LT) at Mo Mong. We had a couple drinks at Guava Lamp afterwards. Low key but good times catching up with my favorite boys!

Getting older sucks

I have a bday in 4 days, but we're celebrating a bit earlier because I will be in Dallas for a work conference (ugh!). I am looking forward to seeing all my friends, but today I literally woke up on the wrong side of my head. I cannot turn my head to the left at all, so I feel like an old man, turning my whole body when I need to look that way. Dr. M prescribed something for muscle spasms, so hopefully that will help and I also saw the chiropractor today but I think this will take a little time to recover. I did this a few years ago as well...just slept on it funny and paid for it later. Ugh!

Three posts in one day

I just spent three hours at the jury room only to be told to go home. While I am glad I didn't get picked to serve on a trial that could go on for an infinite amount of time, I was a little disappointed as well. But I'm glad I had the day off - I really needed some down time to just hang out at home and scrap and not be hung over!
There is so much inspiration out there these days. I love it!
But all good things must come to an end and I must clean up my mess before my baby returns home.

self portrait challenge

Fun challenge from EF's blog. This photo is obviously edited to death, but I love it!

Doing my civic duty

I have a jury summons for this afternoon. While it is a little of a pain, I do get to miss work for a day (and hopefully only a day) and participate in our legal system. While I think being on a jury would be interesting, we have too much going on at work for me to miss more than a day. So we'll see!

In other news, I am finally recovered from my drunkeness this weekend. Marc, Darah, Richard and I met up with Amy and Co at a newish bar called Etro, located right behind Sliders. They played cool 80's music all night (Hold Back the Rain (Duran2), Have in Mind (Cetu Javu) were two of my favorites) and we had many drinks and a couple of redheaded slut shots (Jaeger and red bull). Those shots are what did me in. And not drinking very much over the past few months. I yakked outside of Marc's car (while sitting in the front seat - at least I didn't yak in the car!) and I also yakked when I got home, but that definitely helped my feel better-ish the next day.

I also got some happy mail yesterday! My Poppy Ink Kit and add-on, Cafe Prima flowers and the June CK. Fun fun fun!

When the cat the away

the mouse gets very lonely! Joe with his mom in Phoenix visiting his Gram, Grandpa and Aunt Nancy. They left Wednesday night and he will be back Sunday afternoon. So I have been working, some scrapping, watching TV, and generally making a mess of the house. Luckily we are only working half a day today so I have time to clean up before he gets home.

I found another cute Q+A during my blog surfing. One day I may put some of these onto a scrapbook page!

Two Names I Go by: e and yarbs (nickname from my sister, don't ask)
Two Things I am Wearing Right Now: nightgown and Crocs
Two Things I Want (or have) in a Relationship: laughter and honesty
Two of My Favorite Things to do: scrap and visit with friends and family
Things I Want Very Badly At The Moment: shhhh....don't tell Joe, but I have major baby fever
Two pets I have: none...maybe we should get a furbaby first?
Two things I did last night: ate dinner at Collina's with Marc and Darah; laughed until I almost cried
Two things I ate today: since it's very early, I have had 2 pieces of toast with butter and jam
Two people I just talked to last: Joe and Marc
Two Things I'm doing tomorrow: working and kissing Joe when he arrives home
Two longest car rides: from Arlington to Angel Fire, New Mexico and From Arlington, TX to Colorado; both for ski trips with my parents when I was a mere teenager
aTwo Favorite Holidays: New Year's Eve and Memorial Day (spend fun times with friends)
Two favorite beverages: Propel and Absolut Tonic

This is fun stuff!

Back to the real world

Our vacation in Cancun was fabulous! We played in the ocean, napped on the beach, hung out by the pools, got massages and facials, ran, ate yummy food, watched the sun rise and set, shopped, worked out, parasailed and snorkeled. A whole lot of nothing, really, which is the best kind of vacation.

The best part: hard to say, but I was most surprised when we got on the plane and our seats were 3A + B - in first class. I wish I could fly first class all the time!

And we're off!

Of course Joe got up at the crack (before 5am!!!!) to ride his bike. And I just lazed around and surfed the internet. But we're on vacation - woo hoo! I have just an hour to get ready so toodles until Monday or Tuesday!

5 Years ago my Joey and I gave ourselves to each other! Yay us!

One more day

I know I'm supposed to appreciate the little things in life and take joy in the mundane. And overall I think I do (except those times when work stresses me out - but that happens to everyone). But I am so excited to take this little getaway with Joe - I hope this helps us reconnect some more. Between work, school and training we don't just hang out and BE and this is what I want to do over the weekend. No plans, no agenda, just the two of us on the beach! And just one more day before we get there - woot woot!

Tired today

My allergies are making me feel very run down today. I skipped yoga because I just wasn't feeling it. All I really want to do is go to sleep. But I haven't finished packing for our trip yet so maybe I'll just take a little nap before Joe gets home.

One word at a time

Found this on some random blogs as I was surfing. Fun stuff.

1. Yourself? Sleepy
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend? Husband
3. Your hair? Short
4. Your mother? the best
5. Your father? quiet
6. Your favorite thing? chocolate
7. Your dream last night? deep sleep
8. Your favorite drink? Propel
9. Your dream car? BMW 5 series
10. Room you're in? stuffed
11. Fear? illness
12. What you want to be in 10 years? momma
13. Muffins? blueberry
14. Who you hung out with last night? Joe
15. What you're not? Organized
16. Time? 8:43 PM
17. What you're wearing? shorts
18. Favorite weather? spring
19. Favorite book? Lord of the Rings
20. Last Thing You Ate? Cliff bar
21. Worst vice? procrastination
22. Best friend(s)? Joe and Ting
23. Thinking about right now? need to stop surfin'
24. Car you drive? BMW
25. Your life? Can't complain

A month to remember

Yay - it's May. My favorite month of the year, mostly because it's my birth month and it's my wedding month. Woot woot! We are off to Cancun on Friday so I am going to be positive the rest of the week and not stress about work too much.

We partially made our goal this month - the first time this year! So at least momma will be getting a mini bonus to help pay for the Tory Burch Patent Leather totes she just purchased! I bought one in black and one in white - one for Tinger and one for myself. I missed the UPS guy yesterday but called them and they will be delivering to work on Wednesday.

I got some happy mail last week and yesterday as well. My second Heidi Swapp package with lots of yummy goodness.

I also got the Ali Edwards KOTM fro CK, last week. I've read some negative stuff about the cute stamps so I think I will try them out for myself.

Too bad we will be gone for National Scrapbooking Day this Saturday, but I think I'll take Cancun. :)

The end of the month blues

The last week of the month is always crazy busy at work and when I really dislike my job the most. I need to keep reminding myself that it works in phases and is not always so bad. But of course today is going to be a hectic day and 1 - I didn't sleep very well and 2 - my throat is killing me. I'm hoping it's just allergies and I can pick up some claritin at Walgreen's to make me feel better. But I want to be good by the end of the week, when we fly to Cancun - woo hoo! (I need to keep reminding myself that good things are around the corner and make this a year to remember!)

Madonnarama

Billy Boo was in town this past weekend! We went to the Madonnarma at South Beach Saturday night.


We danced the night away. I MAY have had a little too much to drink (those redheaded sluts will do it to you every time!).

Here are me and some of my favorite boys. Aren't we cute!

Addicted to LOST

I still love this show although nothing seems to get resolved and things get more twisted. I love it love it. I think I enjoy the process of learning about the characters more than anything.

The end of an era

Sanjaya is gone! Thank goodness - he was a sweet kid but man he needs some more practice! I was worried vote for the best would win and that would be the end of Idol!

Stuff of Life

I'm taking yet another online class. This just direct thru scrapper Nichol Magouirk. She designs for KI Memories, Creative Imaginations and others. I was immediately attracted to to colors of the mini book she had on her blog and since she was offering at a class, signed up immediately! This class is different from BPS in that she sent us a class kit to make exactly what she made, which I love. So I am going to be having fun creating this book this month!

On a random, sad note, my heart goes to the families to lost loved ones at Virginia Tech today. What a waste of life. I can't believe something like this still happens - what would possess a person to shoot more that 30 people before taking his own life. I just don't understand it. Cherish the life you have and live every day to its fullest. Things can always be so much worse.

Yesterday

was a beautiful day. After going into work briefly, Joe and I made our yummy breakfast

of eggs with veggies and steel cut oats with blueberries. Then I went to the museum with Marc and Richard.

We spent about 2 hours there, just tooling around. Marc bought me a McFlurry for a snack - can't go wrong with chocolate and soft serve!

We dropped Richie off at home and met Marc W and Joe for lunch at Mission Burrito. D met us there for a little bit. After lunch we met up with Ken, Peg, Chad, Amanda and Johnny at Onion Creek in the Heights. So we saw a little bit of everyone yesterday.

The humidity is very low these days, which is why the air feels so good. I guess we should enjoy it before summer hits us full force! I'm hoping this weather will keep up through next weekend when Bill is in town and we go to the Madonnarama at South Beach!

My new thing

I traditionally wear brown eyeliner, blush and maybe some lip color over my chapstick when I go to work in the morning. But this new mascara I bought a few months ago is fabulous. I have short stubby eyelashes, but this actually makes my eyes pop a little. And it doesn't smudge, even after a hot, sweaty yoga session, yet it comes off easily with make up remover. So here is my plug for the day - Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara ROCKS.

Joe is crazed.

This photo is not from today, but it might as well be. He woke up is morning this early to run for 1 hour. This is so that he can get to UofH to swim by 5:45. Then he will be at work in the morning and golfing with Mike, his former boss, in the afternoon. I should have taken a picture of everything he brought with him to work. Like 4 bags (swim bag, accessories bag, work bag and golf bag) and 2 lunches. Good grief. This working out and eating right requires a lot of energy and bags (apparently)! It's enough to make me want to eat some chocolate and go back to bed.

Sanjaya!

Still lives! He may actually make it to the top 5 - I cannot believe this! Is America great :)!!!

Scrappy mood

I have so much scrap stuff - I have probably been hoarding for at least 3 years. So I am finally learning to use all those embellishments I got in my kits (KNK, Scrapbook Obsessions and AMM). I have enough paper to make a thousand or more layouts, probably, and yet I still buy more! What is wrong with me?!?!

Monday is movie day

over at Kurt and Mike's. Apparently the boys had a crunked up night at TMC. I wished I had been there just for the photo ops!

We watched Children of Men (very good, although a little heavy and depressing) and Eragon (entertaining, but predictable) but had to leave abruptly because the alarm was going off upstairs. But it was a false alarm.

I got some happy mail from my Stuff of Life class today. Looks like fun! I may post pictures tomorrow.

Good night for now :)

Catch up Sunday

How did we spend our Easter? Relaxing at home and catching up on our, well, my favorite tv shows. Sundays seem to go much slower when we are not at Berry Hill!

Brrrrrrrrrr

The temperature is around 41 degrees today. What happened to spring?!?! Joe and I got manis and pedis, bought a noise machine from Sharper Image, bought house stuff at Target, bought flip flops from J Crew (me), Chuck Taylors from the Gap (J), shorts from Nordstroms (J), face stuff from Lancome (me) and Clinique (J), ate lunch at Brown Bag Deli and grocery shopped. And we were home by 1:30 pm. That's a productive morning!
I skipped yoga this morning because I am having issues with my right hamstring - it doesn't want to stretch. Ugh.
Now we still have to whole afternoon to goof off. Joe is taking a well-deserved nap right now. I am debating on joining him or scrapping...I think I may get some paper and glue out right now!

I love spring

and getting to leave work early!

Today was a pretty slow day so I got to play hookey - woo hoo! I feel like it's a well-deserved break.

We're having sushi for dinner tonight - yums!

Now, off to play :)

This photo of our house was taken this time last year, but the sentiment is the same. Leaves are growing, days are longer...life is good.

I love my mom...

But she sometimes stresses me out! We made plans for a girls trip to Montreal the weekend of June 8th. Apparently that weekend happens to be the same weekend of some Formula One race, so EVERY SINGLE HOTEL in town is booked up. The natural course of events is to change weekends, which is what Ting suggested we do. Mom freaked out, saying it was impossible and that we wouldn't be able to. So I called AA and got the same flights, just the weekend before. Since the tickets were less expensive, we ended up breaking even. At least that little drama was taken care of! I am looking forward to the summer. We have lots of little weekends planned.

Now it's time for bed!

Digital is great...

...but nothing beats having photos in your hand. Maybe it's the tactile sensation, but for me looking at photos on the computer still doesn't compare. When we bought our first digital camera, this huge Kodak, I remember thinking, now I don't have to have any prints and we can just look at the pictures on the computer! Unfortunately one of our hard drives crashed and I have lost many photos some certain events (a birthday at La Strada, a visit to Phoenix). That, and re-discovering my love of scrapbooking, has brought me full circle.

Yes, take as many pictures as you need to with the digital camera (I have since upgraded to a Nikon D50 - love it! as well as a Canon point and shoot) but get those photos printed. Not every single one, but lots of them. You don't need to scrap all of them, but I always like browsing through photo albums.

















I love this photo of my parents from their wedding. They look so young. Well, I guess they were so young! Digital has made it possible for me to save this picture well into the future, but I still had it printed out. This is definitely one for the favorite photo scrapbook.

Fun mail

I am addicted to scrapping supplies. I have done good and not joined any monthly clubs for almost a year (I broke down and finally got on the list for Poppy Ink - they have the cutest kits and I couldn't resist). I also loved this flower kit from Cafe Pima, so I joined for 6 months. Fun stuff.

I have been inspired by this two pea, Subbacultcha, and she uses lots of flowers and embellies, which is what prompted the buy. That, and I love to shop. The internet makes it too easy! But hey, what's a little flowers to make someone happy?

Iron Joe!

We have had a long but exciting day today. As you can see, we were up at the crack of dawn to drive to Galveston for his half-Ironman. Although the conditions in the water and on the bike were windy and rainy, Joe raced a record day! He was 7th out of the water at 30:56, with a 2:19 transition onto the bike. He finished the 56-mile bike route in 2:33:55 with a 1:05 transition to the run. He completed the half-marathon in 1:40:04, a record time for him!

His finish time was 4:48:22, placing him 6th in his age group out of 66 total competitors and 19th place overall out of 417 total competitors! I am so proud of him. I guess his hours of training, strict diet and no alcohol has really paid off!

TGIF

...even though I must work tomorrow - blah!! My back/butt started hurting again yesterday - must pay attention to posture and stretches!! I am enjoying yoga again so I don't want to stop but I just need to be more careful.

Joe and I have been getting up at the crack to run in the mornings. He is a crazed, obsessed boy. I am anxious for him to do well on his half-Ironman in Galveston on Sunday. THAT would be very good positive reinforcement that NO DRINKING is a good thing! I am so proud of him this month - I need to go pick him up a little surprise for his race and for his dedication.

That's all for now. I am just gearing myself up for a crazy busy day.

Yoga does a body good

Today was the 4th day in a row that I practiced yoga. A record for me! And I feel pretty good. My back definitely isn't hurting as much, if at all, and I was finally able to get into some twisty poses myself today. I am back!

Paper junkie

I think I have more patterned paper than I could ever use in my lifetime. In multiple lifetimes. And I want more! My problem stems from the fact that I love pretty colors and patterns but I want to use them for the "perfect layout." Unfortunately none of my layouts are perfect so I just end up hoarding the paper. I need to use what I have.

I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more paper or embellishments until I made 50 layouts. That promise has be (somewhat) kept. Now, really NO MORE PAPER until at least 100 layouts/projects made. Now that I have this in print somewhere, I need to be honest. (And the no more paper doesn't count the new Love, Elsie papers I just preordered ;) !!)

Fun stuff

Photo a day

My goal this month has been to take a picture of me and my sweetie every day. We've done great so far - it helps that we've been working out together some mornings so we have been having breakfast together and leaving for work together. Although you don't change very much in one month, I like to see how we just slightly different everyday.

good times with good friends

My good friend Cindy is in town this weekend. She flew in 'cause she got some free tickets to the Scissor Sisters show on Friday night. Unfortunately I couldn't spend any time with her yesterday because I worked all day (blah) but we did have dinner with 15 of our closest friends at Dolce Vita. After much food and drinks (they have the BEST chocolate espresso martinis there - I actually had 2!), we went to The Flat for a drink. The bar was a little slow but we got to catch up some. Darryl and Cindy went home and Marc, Matt and I headed to Guava Lamp for more drinks and merriment. The boys dropped me off at home around 1:45 this morning; Joe actually woke up at 4:45 to get ready for his half marathon (ugh - better him than me!).

Unfortunately I am definitely feeling the effects of the glass of wine, 2 martinis and 2 vodka tonics I had last night. I am drinking water and trying to get my a$$ up and going - need to hit the grocery store and yoga before Joe gets home. I hope I can make it through yoga - I think an aspirin and some coffee should be the answer!