A Prayerful Post

I was going to post a silly story or joke, but I think today is reserved for thoughtful prayer for the people along the Gulf coast. I don't know how many of you that read this blog live in Texas or on a coastal state, but when the coast is on alert and people are evacuating, we take special notice here. In Texas, we help shelter those trying to get out of harm's way. My mom and I have taken donations to shelters, I've been on committees at work to help families recover from Katrina, and most of us here know someone who had family affected. I work with a guy on my team who actually had to get into a boat from his second floor window when he lived in NO and had to escape Katrina. His story is amazing, and it's still not clear how they survived all that they did.

So tonight, humor me and say a prayer for all those who have had to flee their homes yet again. And for all those who have stayed behind to protect the city and be there in the first responder capacity. I've been watching TXCN all day hoping to see the hurricane die out, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. So please, PLEASE say prayers for everyone affected in any way. It's going to be a long night for all of those people waiting to find out the fates of their homes.

My Long Weekend Was Longer Than Planned

Yeah, I was home sick from work today. I've had this crud for a couple of days now but I felt super crummy this morning. I stayed home and slept, and I had to go to school tonight...it was the first day. I feel better and should be at work tomorrow. This sick stuff is never fun!

I honestly don't have much news. Just me feeling stuffy and sneezy. I'll be back later this week with something witty. Just not today. I think I am going to go to bed.

It's My Friday!

I am taking tomorrow off from work, and I am really happy about that! David and I are having lunch with my mom and then going to buy my books at the bookstore - I start school again on Monday! I've been ready to get back in the swing of things. Mostly I am ready to move toward having my degree finished. I'll be glad to get away from corporate America when the time is right. I'm working on my degree in psychology and a masters in social work so that I will hopefully be able to actually help someone someday. It's the thing I am called to do...I honestly believe that.

Tonight my friend Anne is coming for dinner and some Wii time. We still love the Wii! I swear it's the best investment we've made in a while! :)

So that's about it for today. Everyone have a great evening!

Sleepy Weather

I am loving the misty rainyness we're having these days...but it makes me so sleepy! I refuse to complain about 80 degree weather in August here, though...keep it up, Mother Nature!!

We've been eating out and enjoying some of Dallas' finer restaurants during Restaurant Week. My favorite? Fearing's at the Ritz-Carlton hotel. If you need a special occasion spot, go there!!!!

Other than that, not much is new. I am taking Christy to dinner tonight for a late b-day dinner. We haven't had a chance to get together to celebrate until now, and I am looking forward to it. :)

Everyone have a good day!

MUCH Better!

All is well with me again! Thanks to all for the well wishes...I wouldn't want that for anyone! I'd love to have a ton of stuff to catch everyone up on, but nothing new is happening here. I am in corporate meetings until Wednesday so not much action. Kim is teaching her first Aqua class on Wednesday, so that's very cool. I start school two weeks from tonight and I am looking forward to it. I am going to buy my school supplies this weekend! (Wow... nerd alert!) I'm just ready to make some progress toward my degree. When you know what you want, you just want to get there, you know?

It's creeping up on my 1st wedding anniversary! David and I have some special plans that weekend, and I am ordering a teeny little cake made of what our wedding cake was...and seriously, YUM! I am looking forward to having a bit of that! :)

No other news, really. I hope all is well with everyone else. I'll check in toward the end of the week when I am past all these meetings! (Ugh!)

A Whole new Kind of Pain

So what could possibly be so painful that I couldn't go to work today? It must this raging UTI that I have. Seriously, this could be one of the most painful things ever. I've never had one before, and WOW! This sucks like nothing I have ever know. The good news is that I am on a antibiotic now, but It can take a day or so for it to kick in. I mostly rested today. It's crazy how this stuff wears you out. I hate it. But it will be gone soon enough...I am drowning it with water and cranberry juice to help.

So that's the big thing in my world right now. David comes home Saturday night, so I am happy about that.

I am going to bed now. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday!

Wrap-Up

It's been a nice weekend. David and spent lots of time together, which is good since he leaves tomorrow and will be gone until late Saturday night. He is conducting several seminars on men's footwear for Dillards associates. He did it here in Texas and it got such rave reviews that he is literally taking his show on the road. I am very proud of him! I was originally going to meet up with him in Salt Lake City, but I decided I would rather meet him in South Padre next month. Hopefully it will be in good shape after the hurricane by then.

We went to Snuffers Friday night and then saw "Get Smart", which we thought was hilarious! Saturday we spent cleaning and just doing stuff around the house, and Saturday night David made me an awesome dinner. We watched TV and drank wine and just had a good time.

Sunday has been busier for him, since he leaves tomorrow. We watched the "Bucket List." I really like that movie. I think I may make a Bucket List of my own. I'll have to think on that.

This week will be a bit lonely without David, but one my girlfriends is going to keep me company some, so I am looking forward to that. Wednesday I am taking dinner to a family from church. I am part of my churchs' Care Team. We take meals to families in the are who might have a loved one who is sick, or recovering from something, or just needs a meal for any reason. (They don't even need to be church members...I think that's cool!) So I am going to make chicken with roasted tomatoes. I found the recipe in this month's Real Simple magazine and it looks awesome! (and it's healthy, too!) Tuesday I am having dinner with the family (Craig, I will email you about this but Ann and Grampa are going to mom and dad's...you should come, too!)

But the rest of the week I am free and breezy. I plan to fill some of the time with trips to the gym. I lost 1.4 pounds last week, so I have turned it around and am trying to be back on track.

I hope everyone has had a good weekend in spite of the sweltering 107 degree heat. Seriously, the dog days of summer have arrived.

Stay cool...literally!!!!

A Wee Bit O' Surprise

Shumpy has informed me that Bennigan's is closed! While I didn't find myself there so often anymore, it does come as a bit of a surprise...where the heck will I get cheap beer and a Turkey O'Toole sandwich any more? That's just sad. And I know there was a crew of semi-regulars that spent many a weekend night there. It's like the end of an era. I wonder what will go in there next? It seemed to me that Bennigan's was the staple in the little Bedford Restaurant Row. Hopefully something good and with cheap beer. :)

I feel sorry for all the people who lost their jobs. It's just not a good time to be out of work.

And what will people do for St. Paddy's day next year? This is just sad.

Now would be a great time for the economy to look up. I don't know that either of our Presidential candidates can help with that. *sigh*

On that note, at least the day is coming to a close!!

TGIF!

I think the toll of the week caught up with me today. I didn't sleep particularly well last night, so I was dragging today. But I took off a half day and went home and rested. Actually, I went to mom and dad's and napped. They're out of town so I am feeding their kitty, Maddie. Maddie and I took a good afternoon nap and I felt much better. I went to sit in the hot tub at the gym with a girlfriend and then we grabbed dinner at Jason's Deli. Something healthy and inexpensive. (yay!) David has been busy all week with colleagues in from out of town for their big market meeting, so I am on my own.

Tomorrow would have been New Kim's birthday, so a handful of us are getting together to toast her and remember her. It's going to be an uplifting evening of snacks and drinks and remembering our friend. I'm looking forward to it.

My 13 year old cousin, Ashley, is coming in town next week and I am looking forward to spending time with her. We're going to shop for school clothes and hang out. I want to talk with her about internet safety..she added me to her MySpace page and she's got her first and last name out there for all the world to see. I think no one has had a talk with her about that, so I'm going to. i just don't want someone with bad intentions getting hold of her...she's a very pretty girl and I suspect a little naive.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend! Try to stay cool...it's hot out there!

Something Cute

Today needed somthing cute and fluffy, so for your viewing pleaseure I present...fluffy bunnies! I needed something nice and sweet for today's post. Life has been a bit of a downer this week, so rather than rehash that today, I just wanted a mental vacation. So bunnies it is!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day. Be sure to enjoy the cuteness and I'll be back with my usual blogging tomorrow.

An Unexpected Loss

I got the news last night that one of my friends had passed away very unexpectedly. She was one of those people that I didn't see all the time, but I really cared for her and was always happy when I got to see her. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and most importantly a good friend. I referred to her as New Kim, as I have another very close friend named Kim that I called Paris Kim (for obvious reasons), and New Kim was the newest Kim in our group. :) She had been a good ear for me when I had some dating debacles, she shared my passion for MAC, and she had a really deep love for animals. Over the last year she had to overcome some incredible health issues, but her passing was a total surprise and shock. Even now I just feel so hazy...like this news just can't be real. When Angela told me last night, I didn't even know what to say. I shared the news with Paris Kim and other friends, and none of us really had any words. We all liked New Kim so much, and we will most certainly miss her. She was one of us.

So here's to the memory of our friend...we'll be there together tomorrow to remember you along with all the others whose lives you touched in so many special ways.

(from left to right: Me, Paris Kim, New Kim, and Mia)

Hip Hip Hair-ray!

Christy is able to get me in to color my hair today, so I am leaving at 11 this morning. :) I woke up feeling blah and not really wanting to work today, so I am out of here in 18 minutes and off to improve my follicular appearance! Seriously, Christy has been so busy that I wasn't going to be able to get in with her, but she did have a 12:30 today, so I'm on it!

Nothing new to report. David is in New Orleans, Kim is in Chicago, and Mia is in Boston. I miss my posse when they're all gone!

I am not going to WW today because of the VERY important hair appointment, but I am going tomorrow. However, I am not getting on the scale. I am going for the meeting to get re-motivated and get myself in gear to do better. I've been slacking, and I can't do that to myself. No more. No excuses. I have to be a drill sargeant about this.

So that's my news for the day...hope everyone is well. And safe travels to all my peeps!

Back To It

My back is much better now after taking good care this week and not overdoing it. I can't believe I jacked it up at the gym...I know what I did. And no, I won't be trying to curl that much weight with my legs again. Ugh.

I rested last night and watched TV. I got excited to find out that iTunes now offers applications for the iPod Touch! So I went online and downloaded some free apps and a couple of not-so-free ones, only to find that I have to download an upgrade for my iPod. No problem, but it wasn't available until after midnight, and even this morning I can't locate it on iTunes, so I guess I will have to mess with it more tonight.

In other cool news, Joseph is off to work in Europe for a week, and he will be spending a few days in London checking out their office there. If he likes it, he may be moving there permanently. While I will miss him, it will be a very cool thing to have a friend living there that I can go visit sometimes!!

Nothing too big going on this weekend. I am having dinner with Mom and Dad tonight, and I am looking forward to that. It will be nice to relax with them. :) David is gone until Sunday night, so it's quiet at home right now. I had trouble sleeping without him there...I got used to him being home! He'll be in New Orleans next week, and he's looking forward to it since he's never been there. It's been a VERY long time for me. He'll be in the French Quarter, so I told him to enjoy but be very careful out there.

I think that's about it. It's been a busy week and I am happy to have some time to relax this weekend. I am going to South Padre Island in September, so that will tide me over until Cruisemas! (I was going to Salt Lake City in August, but AA has changed their Advantage reward policies, so I would have been able to get there but not come home. I'll pass, thanks!)

Everyone have a great Friday!!

Yeah, I'm Some Kind Of Gym Rat...

So I was working out yesterday and managed to strain my lower back. I know when I did it now, but didn't know at the time...should have. I was overdoing it a little. Ugh. Anyhow, sorry for the lack of posts. I'll get back to it in a few days.

Now I'm Hungry

Next month is the big Restaurant Week in Dallas. August 11th starts the fun, and now the hard part is waiting to see who will be on the list so I can make reservations for David and me. I love getting to go to these very upscale restaurants for reasonable prices! N9NE was on the list last year but we didn't go, and I really want to try them this year. I'm also interested in Abacus, the Mercury Chop House, Silver Fox, and Dragonfly. We can't do them all, but as long as we make it to N9NE, I'm good. I'm hoping we can pick two places, but as I have found before, sometimes David just does it better when he grills. (As much as I love Kirby's, their pork chops have NOTHING on David's!)

So yeah, all the restaurant talk is making me hungry. I ate breakfast and it's not even 10am yet. Ugh!

Nothing else to report, really. Just a busy week so far. I am planning to relax and have fun this weekend. We are going to David's parents house on Friday for a family BBQ. David is making ribs for the family...they haven't had the pleasure of his ribs so they don't even know what they're in for!! YUM! Great stuff! (Seriously...I am starving this morning!)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday. I think I am going to get a cup of coffee and try not to think about lunch for at least an hour. What's my deal today???

Someone's Got A Case Of The Mondays!

Yeah, I don't want to be at work today. But only because I was sleeping so good when the alarm clock rudely interrupted my sleep! But it is a short week, after all, so I will just suck it up and be here. (But I'll be dreaming of being warm and toasty in my soft, comfy bed!)

It was a good weekend! Friday night I picked David up from the airport and we had dinner at our favorite little sushi place. YUM! Saturday David had to work, but Kim came over and we went to water aerobics class. Since she is officially hired by the gym, she was checking out the Aqua class and getting some info from the instructor that does this class. We had a great time, and I have been sore this weekend from the workout!

Saturday night, Craig came over and David grilled and we played Wii...that was some serious fun! David had to work Sunday, and after that we went to his parents and had dinner. It was a lovely weekend!

David is home for about a week and a half, and I am very happy about that! I am also happy that it's a short week...did I mention that already??? :)

Everyone have a good Monday!

Weigh In...Not The Best, Not The Worst

Well, I went to WW today instead of yesterday and the news was as expected. I enjoyed my birthday quite a lot! I didn't weigh in last week, so I got my little shock on the scale and the worst is over. Now I am back on track and ready to get the few pounds that are visiting back off. I have slacked off on the exercise over the last two weeks, and I think that was the biggest part of why I gained. But next week will bring better news for sure! :)

See? It's different this time. I faced my fear of the scale, got on, and now I have a plan. Lots of exercise!!

That's it for today. David is out of town and will be home tomorrow. Yay!!

Birthday in Review

So back on Saturday we had my birthday pool party, and it was a blast! :) Good friends, tasty drinks, and yummy food all made for a lovely day. Thanks to Tom and Angela for letting us enjoy the pool!

Sunday was actually my birthday, and it was wonderful! I got one more of the Lolita martini glasses ("Celebrate!") and the promise of a fab new gym bag which should be arriving soon in the mail! Yay! Mom took us to brunch at the Blue Mesa Cafe - YUM! That buffet is huge and quite filling! Then we came home and relaxed for a while, played some Wii, and hung out. David made dinner reservations at my very favorite restaurant, Kirby's Steakhouse. We got there at 6:30 and had a lovely table. The service was spectacular, and the food was so good I can't begin to describe it. It was amazing! We got home after that and sat on the patio and enjoyed some wine. It was a perfect day! Turning 36 has been so wonderful, and I know next year it will be just as fun to celebrate again! (Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so much fun!)

Birthday Day 3 and 4

There was more birthday fun, and I'll have to update soon. I just ran out of time this weekend. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Oh, and a very happy birthday to my blog friend Carmen!! Enjoy your Monsters! :D

Birthday Celebrations Day 2

Friday was day 2 of pre-birthday fun, and it started out with David making me a VERY yummy breakfast of French toast and turkey bacon. It was absolutely delicious!

After the best French toast ever, we did some cleaning around the house and then went to the movies to see The Love Guru. Do not go to this movie if you don't like potty humor! However, apparently we're like a couple of 12 year olds, and laughed at the silliness of the movie. I couldn't help it...it was just funny! (Check your brain at the door for this one...you won't need it!)

Then we came home and filled and frosted cupcakes. We injected them with cheesecake flavored pudding and frosted them with a bit of cream cheese icing. When mom and dad got here, we all shared what may be the best birthday cupcakes ever made! Oh, they were little cakes of heavenly joy!

Then it was on to D'Vine Wines for some wine tasting. We had some good stuff, and I love this little wine bar. We all shared a wine and cheese plate and sampled a few wines.

From there it was on to a very tasty little hole in the wall Italian restaurant, where we ate some amazingly good food! After that we called it a night, and after David and I got home we played the Wii for a few hours. It's the first time we've had a chance to just play together, and we played bowling, golf, tennis, and boxing. (I got smacked in the arm playing tennis...they are serious when they tell you to make sure you have room between you and the other player!) We broke a sweat playing boxing - it's physically involved with all the punching and jabbing and ducking! Then I finally had to call it a night. I was very tired!

Today is the day before my birthday, and it's pool party day! I can't wait! Almost everyone invited can come, and I am so excited to enjoy the day with so many good friends! I'm tomorrow will bring more pictures of all the fun! David has really made this a very special birthday!