Hallmark Conspiracy ?

So next week my girls group we will be doing our 2^nd annual Valentines Party.

We decided to do this for a few reasons:

1) A few of my girlfriends are strong, independent, single ladies.

2) Some of our husbands just conveniently forget about V-day.

3) Some of our husbands just despise Valentines Day and don’t understand why it’s an important day to us chicks. Some of them even like to use the cop-out theory that Valentines Day is a Hallmark conspiracy. Well, maybe it is….but I think for the majority of girls, it is still an important day.

I for one, cannot help but get sucked in every year. The red and pink slap you in the face every time you walk into any store…including the grocery store. Hell, I think the grocery store is the worst….they have the pink and red out when the Christmas stuff goes on clearance. If you try to play it off and tell your guy that it isn't a big deal to you, you'll just end up with hurt feelings on Valentines day...and that doesn't do anyone any good.

Regardless of the alleged Hallmark Conspiracy, it is an important chick day…always has been, always will be. For me it started really early in life. Before boyfriends, my dad always got my sister and I flowers, or candy, or both. As we grew up and started getting flowers from boys, he started giving us each a box of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies…we liked those more than any heart shaped box of candy.

Side Note: I remember one year my dad gave us each a box of chocolate covered cherries. (Well that is just gross.) So my sister left her box on top of her stereo speaker which was on the floor. Our Sheltie dog Tippy got a hold of that box, chewed through the plastic wrapper, and ate ALL the chocolate covered cherries. When my sister got home and realized Tippy had eaten the entire box, we all freaked out and knew we were going to have a dead dog on our hands soon. Surprisingly not, a few hours later Tippy had a very upset stomach and gave my sister her chocolate covered cherries back.

Back to the Girls Valentines Party....

We had so much fun with our party last year that we decided to do it again this year. Instead of at a loud happy hour spot downtown, we will have our party at one of the girl's houses. (We've been doing this more often lately because it's a little more intimate in that we don't have to yell over the music and the happy hour crowd.)

For fun we do a Valentines version of the secret Santa thing. We draw names and buy a small gift for the person we drew. Last year we did $15 max dollar limit, and this year we are doing $10 max dollar limit.

(Because we are all saving for our 1st annual Girls Birthday Celebration Trip.) :-)

So for the next week I will be on the hunt for the perfect $10 Valentine. I don't want to do the boring bath soaps gift, and surely I can do better than a gift card....this is for someone I call one of my closest friends.

I am positive that I will find something completely cute and unique while I am out searching... but if you do have any suggestions, by all means, send them my way!

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Uber-Awesome Wife

Finally...... I won the UBER-AWESOME WIFE Award....at least my husband says so.

I always fret about what to do or get my hubby for birthdays and holidays because he is so hard to buy for. Seriously. If there is something that he wants, he just goes and gets it. He doesn't really have many hobbies; for the few hobbies that he does have, he already has all the gear he needs or wants.
So this year I went out on a limb and created a day for him to do something that he had mentioned on occasion that he thought would be fun, but never took the time to do anything about it.

Before we headed out for Bobby's birthday dinner on Friday night, I gave him his gift. He unwrapped the box with intense curiousity. Inside the box was a jersey, goggles, and a pair of gloves.... He looked strangly at the items and said, "this is stuff for a dirt bike right?"
I just smiled.
With a confused expression he asked, "Did you get me a motorcycle?"
I replied, "Now that would be a silly thing for me to do, wouldn't it?"
He quickly agreed.
So as I explained to him that I had rented him a dirt bike at a trail park near Marble Falls, his eyes lit up and he was smiling from ear to ear.
He exclaimed, "So that's what I'm doing all day tomorrow!!!"
I went on to tell him the best part was that a few of his friends would be going with him. Two guys who already have dirt bikes, and two more who had rented as well. He was just like a little boy on Christmas morning who had just got exactly what he wanted. He then opened up the big box that I had hidden. He pulled out the full set of dirt bike gear and could not make himself stop smiling.
That smile lasted through dinner and for the rest of the evening......

For his birthday dinner Bobby chose a French place in downtown Austin that has been around for many years, but neither of us had ever tried. Chez Nous is very cute and cozy (read small) so if you want to try it for dinner, get there by 7:00. We did and got right in, but it is known to have a wait most nights. Oddly enough, it is very popular with the grey-headed crowd. First of all, I can't believe that many older people put up with the ridiculous, non-existent parking in that area. Second, this restaurant is located next door to a sex shop, and across the street from the infamous Coyote Ugly. Just one of those factors alone would be enough to deter any grandparents I know from frequenting that restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, no matter how magnificent the food.
The food does deserve to be mentioned. For apps we had a salad and some salmon pate, both tasty. I had the delicious salmon special....I gobbled down the large serving with no problem. Bobby had a tenderloin steak, and even though he said it was a bit overcooked for his taste, he cleaned his plate. For dessert we shared a chocolate mouse....YUM!

After dinner, we stopped at the Thirsty Nickel for a drink and reminisced about his big milestone birthday party just one year before.... (good times!)
Then we headed home. Honestly, I think Bobby was just excited to get home and try on all his dirt bike gear. :-)

Saturday morning Bobby bounced out of bed and jumped in the shower. I was nearby brushing my teeth and I heard him giggle. I looked at him and asked, "Did you just giggle?"
He smiled and said, "I'm going dirt bike riding today."
I replied, "So that was a giggle."
He just kept smiling.

One of his friends came to pick him up and drive him out to meet the group. They had venison breakfast tacos and headed out for their day of adventure. About 8 hours later they made it back to our friends house where all the wives had been happily hanging out for the day.
We heard all their stories about the cold, the wrecks, the races...they laughed at each other all night. Bobby's smile had apparently been contagious because they all had grins from ear to ear all evening.
We had a feast of wild game, all kinds of dips, and birthday cake. We got competitive playing couple games and ended the night with missing drunk husband (thankfully not mine). The husband was eventually found and we all headed home to crash after a long day.

Sunday morning Bobby got up at 5:00am and headed out to go hog hunting with another group of friends. For which he caught no crap from me, because I met some friends for brunch to celebrate one of our girls completing her first 1/2 marathon. Then we spent some girl time at the mall, and somehow I managed to leave with just one item: the Twilight soundtrack :-)

When Bobby got home from his Sunday adventure he told me that I win the Uber-Awesome Wife award. I am so happy I was able to both surprise him and make him so utterly happy.

Well Crap.....now how the heck am I ever going to top that?!?!?!
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the best car accessory ever...

on the right track.....

Yesterday was Day 1 of the CardioFit Boot Camp I am doing for the next 90 days.

Somehow, I talked my friend S into suffering through this thing with me. :-)

Our boot camp group will be meeting 3 times a week, for the next 3 months.

Each 60-minute session is a mix of strength training and cardio.

I am really excited about this program, and so far I love the trainer. She is upbeat and motivating, and has fantastic taste in music….at least I think so.

Today my muscles are feeling just a bit tight and sore, but nothing major. I am pretty sure she took it easy on us our first day…..

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The Dawn has Broke

"Fire and ice, somehow existing together without destroying each other. More proof that I belonged with him."
- Bella (Breaking Dawn)

My life can finally move forward. I have been in a state of holding since I started the Twilight series, and I finished the final book last night. I would love to give specifics and talk about all things Twilight, but I don't want to spoil it for those who have not read it yet but plan to.

With my increased infatuation with vampires, my husband suggested I look into some of the books by Anne Rice.
S said she may check out the other book by Stephenie Meyer - The Host. Since I really enjoyed her writing style, that is another possibility for me as well.

But, I am taking suggestions for my next book.....and no, it does not have to involve vampires...
~~~

Team Edward!

"I coveted you." His smile darkened. "I had no right to want you- but I reached out and took you anyway. And now look what's become of you! Trying to seduce a vampire." He shook his head in mock horror."
— Edward Cullen (Eclipse)

Yes I am one of those.....
Thanks to my girlfriends (Madison in particular) I am fully invested in the Twilight mania.
I am not proud of the fact that my reading level is apparently the same as a 16 year olds.....but I have to be honest about it... I LOVE THIS S**T!!!!!
I have just started the 4th (last) book of the series. Thank Goodness! Once I finish the last book, I can finally get back to my life. My mind won't even let me concentrate on anything else. The Twilight series is completely addicting. And that addiction gets stronger with every book. I have not talked to anyone who has read it, who does not feel the same.

Since finishing Eclipse last weekend, I have been chomping at the bit to get started on the Breaking Dawn. Apparently T knew I was likely having withdraws because she brought me the 4th book yesterday when we met for an impromptu lunch. Thank you T!

I admit, even though I have been in between books, I never started twitching because I was getting my Edward and Bella fix online. The author, Stephenie Meyer has a partial book on her website: Midnight Sun. It is the Twilight book, but written from Edward's perspective rather than Bella's. There are always two sides to a story, and it is fascinating to read this future classic from the other side. The author wrote Midnight Sun for fun, to help her develop the other main character in her mind...which helped her write the other 3 novels in the series. (For the full story see her website.)

Last night I compared the lengths of the books Breaking Dawn and Eclipse. I was so excited to see that the last book, Breaking Dawn, is even longer than Eclipse!!! I can promise you, I have NEVER in my life been excited about a longer book.

To all of you skeptics....just start reading Twilight. I promise you'll be hooked - quick....although you'll probably also be pissed off that the rest of your life will be put on hold...
I have never been a big reader.....so there you have it.

I REALLY hope there will be future additions to the Twilight series.
To quote T: "I am really going to miss Edward, Bella, Jacob, Alice, and the others!"













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Guilty Pleasures

Wikipedia defines a Guilty Pleasure as...
A guilty pleasure is known as something one considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Fashion, music and food can be examples of guilty pleasures.

A few of my Guilty Pleasures are......

• Days of our Lives
• Dixie Chicks
• White Powdered Doughnuts dunked in Chocolate Milk
• ANYTHING Chocolate....no seriously, ANYTHING

Tell me yours!!!
Really! Create your lazy self a free account on blogger, and add your guilty pleasure in the comment section!
Seriously....less than 5 minutes people.
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Male or Female?

You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female.
Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again.
They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong Buttons.
TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated
HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.
SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.
WEB PAGES: Female, because they're constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.
TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.
EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.
HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they've hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.
THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.
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(taken from a goofy forwarded email I received)

Holiday Update

I FINALLY got my Christmas stuff down and cleaned up yesterday. I am glad Christmas is officially over at my house. I am already starting to look forward to springtime!!! Winter Solstice has come and gone, so slowly but surely the days are starting to get longer. Whew! Once again I made it through the hardest part of the year for me. The holidays and a few trips always serve as a good distraction.

After the Costa Rica trip I had about a week at home before our trip to Georgia. During that week I hosted my girls group Christmas party (the only reason I even decorated this year at all). We had so much fun laughing and having good girl-bonding time. I hated that the evening seemed to go by so quickly. A few of us stayed up late after the party was over...guess we weren't quite done with the girlie night....we watched the Sex And The City movie. Due to a slight hangover, work the next day was long and torturous. I warned the girls that future parties MUST be on weekend nights! I am getting too old for this.....

Bobby and I spent Christmas at his sister's house in Georgia. We flew in Christmas Eve, rented a car, and drove 2.5 hours to just outside of Evans/Augusta. His sister her best friend had recently finished painting and decorating their beautiful home. We had the perfect Christmas holiday with lots of eating, drinking, games, eating, Wii tennis/golf/bowling, movies, drinking more.....and did I mention eating? Bobby loves to remind me that his sister and I bonded over 4 bottles of Champagne we drank on Christmas Day alone....he thinks there were 7-8 empty Champagne bottles by the end of visit....but who's counting?!?!? (that isn't including the wine and misc other mixed drinks.)
I loved spending quality time with Bobby's family, but especially his sister. She, her husband, and their two girls only recently moved back to the U.S. after living overseas for about 3 years. Before this visit she and I had only hung out one other time....which was the week of our wedding. It was great to just sit and talk and find out more about each other. Of course when I've been drinking I get all kinds of chatty...so she probably learned more about me than she really cared to know.... :-)
Bobby has twin nieces....and I absolutely love them! The were little princess flower girls in our wedding and they called me the big princess. That is when they stole my heart. I was slightly concerned that I wouldn't get that same kind of admiration without the big white dress, but that wasn't the case. They warmed up to me again quickly and were soon calling me Aunt and wanting my attention as much as I wanted theirs. :-)

We stayed indoors all but one day of the visit, which we took a day trip to Stone Mountain. I can best describe it as a theme park, without the rides. Well there were two rides, one was a cable car that takes you to the top of the mountain.
The main thing about this place is the Confederate Memorial Carving int he side of the stone mountain. For all you locals...the actual Stone Mountain was like Enchanted Rock times ten thousand.
In the same concept as Mount Rushmore, there is a carving of three figures of the Confederacy on horseback.

I won't bore you with the details...however, I do want to mention the 2nd "ride"... a train that goes around the mountain. OMG! The headache we all acquired by the end of that ride was indescribable and unforgettable. The brakes on that train needed several gallons of WD-40!!! Ridiculous that people were actually standing in line to get a massive headache. The important thing was that the girls had a blast and we all got to spend the day together....and got out of the house.

Sunday we got up extra early and headed for the Atlanta airport. We were at the airport over 2 hours early and it's a really good thing that we were. We walked in the door to see the Delta check in-line was super long and full of pissed off people. So remembering that we had booked 1st-class for this flight, we found the first class check-in line. This line was not nearly as long, but it hardly moved. Evidently many others had not allowed that 2 hour cushion and missed their flights home. So now they stood at the check-in counters trying to change their flights. Unfortunately, we were unable to check-in online or use the kiosks for our check-in. Bobby had purchased the tickets using credit card rewards through Continental for this Delta flight, so long check-in line for us....at one of the busiest airports in the U.S. on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The airport was no problem at all once we finally made it through the check-in line. After about an hour flight delay we finally made it home....so happy to see our four furry kids.

We ended 2008 at a dinner with some friends, and we started 2009 at family lunch at my Mom's house. Friends and Family....the most important things in life.



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