Chicka Wha?

Registry and Selling Stuff

2011-05-01T13:11:00.001-05:00

So today Alex and I are finishing up on some registry items as well as wedding band shopping and finalizing invitations and the save the dates. Our website is 90% done too!

This morning we spent two hours at crate and barrel's registry party adding things we didn't think about and other odds and ends. It has been pretty enjoyable. Now we just need to decide what all we want to get rid of or donate. This could be a hard decision as some of our stuff is rather new, but just isn't going to go with our new sets of stuff.

Has anyone sold stuff on Craig's list? I think we are just scared of the horror stories. Let me know if you have any tips for posting things and how to deal with shoppers.

Back to shopping....Macy's here we come!

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You Don't Get What You Don't Ask For

2011-04-27T21:48:00.000-05:00

So today I was reviewing my Mint.com and my TV bill has gone from $67 per month to $100 per month...umm not cool! I recently read that you should try to negotiate things such as cable, energy and other items for lower prices. So I called up my cable company and asked if I was eligible for any rebates. So I sat on hold for a while and then she came back and offered me a whopping $10 off my bill for the next six months. I didn't love the offer, but I'll take it. So then asked how much it would be to cancel the service and then asked again if there was anything else I could do to get it lowered cause it is dang expensive....after a being on hold again I got another $10 off. So I'm not crazy that I'm paying $80 in cable per month now, but I will wait a month and then call back again to see if I can get something lowered again. $80 is better than $100 - those pesky cable companies!

I think I'm going to call my health insurance next....then the energy company!

Umm Yeah

2011-04-23T09:07:00.001-05:00

So I get a new blog design and then fall off the face of the earth.....all due to work and my new second job - planning my wedding. So wedding planning and work are both going well. I enjoy them, but haven't had too much down time to just enjoy the experience of wedding planning. Our coordinator has been great so far. She set up and reviewed all of our vendors so we just have to show up, listen to them and then decide who we like best..... I suggest this approach, there are a billion wedding vendors out there! Seriously at least a billion.

I'm glad we don't have any appointments this weekend, it has been nice to relax so far after an appointment every night this week. Ekk....

Off to the beach. Hope to blog again soon!

Holy Geez

2011-02-16T22:02:00.001-06:00

I haven't Blogged in forever. Did you know that it was one of my goals, to blog at least twice a week. I haven't Blogged since December. I've recently had some mixed feelings about posting to the world what is going on in my life. Although I internally edit things, I haven't wanted to share as much. I have been reading blogs here and there but life has really gotten in the way lately. I've worked more 12 hour days than I care to count. I've also gotten use to having a one day weekend. So far I'm making it, but I need to clock more hours at the gym and in my bed than sitting at my desk working.

Exciting news, the boy and I got engaged on new years eve. That has been a whirl wind too. We just now are deciding on a venue and date. I think we have narrowed it down. If a wedding isn't motivation to get in shape I don't know what is. So far that has been going well for me, but I hope to start doing better. This week has been rough so far. I hope to end the week on a high note.

How have you been, what have you been up to these past few weeks?

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New Weight Watchers Plan

2010-12-27T11:25:00.001-06:00

So Weight Watchers rolled out a new plan starting November 28 that I'm really excited about. Fruits and almost all veggies are no points, which is awesome considering how much I like fruit. Something about getting new material really motivated me. I've been looking forward to it for the past few weeks especially because I need some kind of change. The old plan hasn't seemed to work for me lately which I think is mostly due to not getting in enough exercise.

I find that working in exercise is the hardest part for me. I don't really like walking alone, but I think I need to get out and do it more. I also have some great dvds and Wii workouts I could do in my living room, but I tend to watch tv instead. I'm also excited that my boss just got a new treadmill in her home gym. Her old one stopped working about six months ago so I haven't been going over to their gym eventhough I probably could have gotten good workouts in on their bike and elliptical trainer.

But after almost four weeks on the new WW plan I have to say I really like it. The first week I lost almost three pounds which I was a little shocked at, but I really stuck to the plan that week. I ate fruit like it was going out of style. I even had an apple - one of my least favorite fruits. It obviously didn't kill me.

Now I just need to make it through Christmas in Toronto. So far I've done ok with the exception of white chocolate covered pretzels, gum drops and surprisingly juice. I'll just keep counting my points and looking up new foods. Yea!

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Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T11:25:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas today. If you don't celebrate Christmas I hope you have or had and enjoyable holiday season!

So far I've gotten everything I wished for.....socks! I really needed some new socks to wear with my new running (aka walking) shoes. I really like the shoes, but I can't tell if they are a little too big, if I'm just wearing them a little loose or if they just need time to break in.

I was also surprised to get a new ipod nano from my parents. I thought that was really sweet. It even has a pedometer and a radio. So walking more is going to be on the goals list for 2011.

I'm also enjoying Christmas in Toronto this year. It has been great. We have eaten some great food, walked out in the snow and just relaxed. I've been able to really catch up on reading blogs. I found a few new ones too.

I hope you enjoy the last days of 2010 and have a very happy new year!

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Adventures in Cooking: Veggie Pasta

2010-12-23T08:37:00.001-06:00

I've set a recent goal to try and cook one reciepe a week. I figure if I don't set a goal I'm less likely to try and keep up with it. So last week I decided to use all of the veggies I had in my fridge and make a veggie pasta dish. It turned out better than expected.

I first chopped up an onion, mushrooms, broccoli and a bell pepper. I cooked them in a pan with some olive oil and minced garlic till they were soft. Then I added two types of tomato sauce to the veggies and let that mix together and heat up a little. While all of this was happening I cooked some bowtie pasta ( I love that stuff!).

Here is a picture of the finished product:

It actually tasted really good. I was glad that the olive oil and garlic along with the natural flavors of the veggies really came out in this dish.

I was really happy that at the end of the day I didn't catch anything on fire and I had left overs for the week!

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Sing Off

2010-12-15T20:32:00.001-06:00

OMG - Are y'all watching this show? It is super sick. As a past choir geek I am just loving this show. They do some amazing things just using their voices.

I love Ben Folds! He has this demeanor that just makes you laugh. He will say things like "that was just amazing" in a monotone voice so you can't help but laugh. He is pretty serious and can break down the its and outs of the arrangements the groups put together.

I'm in Canada this week so I didn't get to see the finale Monday, but I hope either Street Corner Symphony, The Backbeats or Commited wins. they are all super amazing and entertaining. I'll check it out when I get home...yea, DVR.

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Traveling with Parents

2010-12-15T20:28:00.001-06:00

I was reminded of a funny story I wanted to share with you earlier today.
While travelling to our Thanksgiving destination the boy, my mom and I decided to fly on the same plane. My mom hasn't traveled much in the past few years and isn't use to the upgraded security. So she decided to take a huge suitcase which we checked and then take a small one on the plane. Knowing how my mom packs I double checked with her before we went through security - WOW AM I GLAD I DID.

Me: "Do you have any other liquids in your bag?"
Mom: "No, I don't think so."

Then I saw the can of hair spray.....

Me: "Uh, mom is that hair spray?"
Mom: "Yes."
Me: "Mom, hair spray is a liquid."
Mom: "Oh, yeah, I guess it is, but I just bought it!"

I'm pretty sure security would have detained my mom due to her extra large can of hair spray, contact lens solution, other creams and lotions hiding in her carry on and purse. So needless to say, we had to get rid of the hair spray (I'm saying like a 20 oz can y'all), but the rest we got through security and off we went to Asheville, NC.

So while traveling this holiday season - 1. leave hair spray at home and 2. when traveling with people that don't travel much, check their carry on luggage for liquids.

Carrie Underwood!!! LIVE IN CONCERT

2010-11-17T08:16:00.026-06:00

Carrie Underwood's Amazing Concert!!!

For my birthday the boy and I got tickets to go see Miss Carrie Underwood!!! I have enjoyed Carrie since those old American Idol days and really y'all she is AWESOME in concert. Let me tell you a few things about Carrie:

1. She is super talented
2. She is hilarious
3. She puts on a great show!

I was sicker than a dog the day of the concert, but we bought these tickets back in March so we were going no matter what. The sad thing was I couldn't sing along with all of my favorite songs for fear of having a coughing fit. What a bummer! My pandora station has been padded heavily with Carrie and all of her new songs, so I was bouncing my foot along to everything.

I think my favorite part of the show was when she got into this great blue truck and started singing. It lifted up and over the audience so she could get closer to her fans in the back. The truck at one point stopped and Carrie said "You know, I wanted to be able to connect with all of my fans at my shows so we went with the obvious - A Bright Blue Floating Truck!" You know, that is exactly what I would have picked for her. It was super cute and fun!

If you haven't been to a Carrie Underwood concert - GO! You will know so many songs it isn't even funny. For an artist that has only three albums she has TONS of popular songs that are just fun to sing and grove to. She also plays about an hour and a half set which is pretty long for most headliners.

Loved the whole thing! I can't wait to go to my next Carrie Underwood concert. I'm going to be jamming to the Play On album for a while.

Carrie Underwood - Unapologize

2010-11-15T08:03:00.003-06:00

I have to share this with you. There are times that I just get stuck on songs and how much I love them. This is the current one. I love the lyrics, hook and great musicality that she has in this song. I went to the Carrie Underwood concert a little while back and I have loads of photos and fun stories to tell you about that fun adventure. So here is Unapologize by Carrie Underwood!

Awesome Lyrics:
Last night
I was pouring out my heart
Like a waterfall to you
And with one kiss
I was a runaway train
Flying off the track to you
I love you came flooding out
I couldn’t make it stop
I couldn’t shut my mouth.
I felt like a fool then lied and said I was sorry, but

I unapologize
I meant every word
Won’t take back the way I feel about you
Can’t unsay what you heard
Cause you heard me right
And I won’t try to fighting back and hide my feelings for you
I unapologize

Royal Pains

2010-11-13T09:00:00.004-06:00

I can't wait for January to roll around so Royal Pains will come back into my life. It is a great, fun, hilarious doctor show placed in the Hamptons. It is also part of the five show rotation I was addicted to this summer which included - Royal Pains, White Collar, Burn Notice, Psych and Covert Affairs. USA Network is doing an amazing job on their original programing. All of these shows have hit the spot recently. I can't wait to watch my DVR of White Collar from this Tuesday and Burn Notice from Thursday. Thank goodness NCIS won't be on 8 hours a day everyday on USA anymore...that was so annoying. I even resorted to watching Top Chef Just Desserts - which I ended up liking more than I thought I would. Weird.

Check out this Royal Pains rap. It is pretty funny!

NEW Blog Design

2010-11-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

So for about a year now I've been wanting a new layout for my blog, new design and new everything, however, I have no clue how to do it. I thought I would start from scratch and teach myself how to do this in my spare time. Well I don't know a darn thing about CSS and integrating it with HTML coding. Much less could I pick a color scheme that didn't involve 18 shades of blue none of which I was sure about. So I decided to enlist some professional help. Lindsey with Sweet Simplicity was amazing. By now you are going to need to click on the little hot link in Google Reader so that you can see the beautifulness that is my new blog. Lindsey is a genius, she did great research on what I like, my blog style, things I write about often and my fav colors with good support colors. She invested time on multiple updates and was super pleasant and open to my feedback. We even had a good discussion on stripes, when you can have a multi email about stripes and dots I'm thinking this is someone that cares that you get what you want.

How did I pick Lindsey? I found Sarah's blog and loved it....everything about it. So I though this girl is good and I already read her blog too! Sarah's blog is - Classy & Fabulous

I would totally recommend Lindsey. She is super nice, responsive and has great ideas. Thanks Lindsey!!!!

October???

2010-10-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

What the heck happened to October? One minute I was zooming along in September and then BAM - it is the END of October. I need more time - to work? And live. Everyday I look at my list and it grows and grows....then I go well I'll do that tomorrow then tomorrow becomes next week. That is not good!

I would also...for some odd reason...like to, ummmm - take some time for myself. I have so many blog posts I want to share with you and great pics from New York! I feel like I have overwhelmed myself with wanting to make those posts so super amazing that I put them off cause I don't have mental time to just write what I want to write...and I don't ever seem to have my camera near by when I start to type. I'll work on that.

For now, I can't believe it is the end of October. Boo (literally)!

Speaking of Boo - what are you going to be for Halloween?

I like trying to dress up as something unique but I can get from my closet - last year I was a rocker!

Dirty House

2010-10-21T08:51:00.001-05:00

So a good friend is coming in town on Friday, so I though I would spruce up my house. I'm glad I don't have a huge house at this point because I'm not sure I could clean it on my own. At least not in a few hours.

I'm thinking that God invented baseboards just to remind us how much dust has collected in two days and he invented long hair so we would remember to clean our bathrooms. I think any time I walk into my bathroom I should be armed with my dust buster so I can catch anything that might fall out of my head. Maybe I can make a contraption that just sucks it up as it falls out of my head. The true solution to this problem might be to a) clean more often b) get a maid c) not use my bathroom anymore or d) shave my head. I'm thinking a and b are the only viable solutions and it seems to be leaning more towards a than b. I need to save as much money as possible these days. It's not like I don't clean often either, I probably do a good once over every week and a deep deep clean every month. It doesn't help that Alex stole/took my/I mean his vacuum. Now all I have to use is my/his dust buster. Ekk!

I think my favorite cleaning supply may be the clorox wipes. They are awesome. I can clean my counter tops, make my facets shiny, and know that I'm killing germs. YEA!

So it is nice to do normal things today like take laundry out of the dryer and finally fold it or put away the clean dishes in my dish washer. I'm glad I took the time to just get those things done. Now everything is clean and nicely put away.

So all in all - all the dirt in my house is gone...until tomorrow. Boo!

How do you split up household chores?

Inspiration

2010-10-17T13:28:00.001-05:00

At times I've found that inspiration can be found in the oddest places. Yesterday the boy and I took an unplanned trip to the beach. It was great taking this relaxing roadtrip to a favorite spot of ours. I love listening to the waves crash while reading a June issue of a magazine. Time just stood still.

While sleeping and resting on the beach it inspired me to take more moments for myself. I've been searching for a new hobby to integrate into my lifestyle and I think cooking and walking are the two I want to test out right now. Writing them it sounds boring, but I could use a little boring/peaceful activity in my life. I live in a beautiful neighborhood and fall is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and the amazing houses near by.

Cooking is something I've been toying with for a few months now. I think overall I'm scared that I'm going to make myself or loved ones sick from not cooking things properly or starting another grease fire in my kitchen. I'm going to commit to trying one receipe a week. I'm only cooking for one for the next two weeks so maybe ill just throw out whatever tastes bad.

What are your hobbies and how did you get into them?

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Sick and Allergies

2010-10-07T19:50:00.001-05:00

I am really over my allergies recently. They stopped making my allergy medicine so I now have a head cold. Boo! I've been making it ok this week, but I'm ready to rest. I have been going non stop the past few weeks with events, meetings and travelling all of which have been great!

I loved my last day in New York. I'll have to post the photos from the Met and central park. If you haven't been to New York def check it out.

I'm headed to Dallas this weekend to watch the Ags take on the Razorbacks. I get to "watch" the game with some awesome ladies I haven't seen in a while. It should be a fun time win or lose.

So to re cap..... I have lots of fun things to blog about in the coming weeks.

Anything exciting happening in your neck of the woods?

.....I know a few super awesome ladies ran a marathon! Woohoo!

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New York City....Part 1

2010-09-30T22:12:00.001-05:00

So I'm enjoying my time here in the "big city". If I can get a good map, I think I can make my way around ok, but right now I know how to get to Grand Central Station (which is beautiful) back to the hotel. Yesterday I had to work a bit and then we went out to dinner via the subway at Grand Central Station. That is one amazing building. It is huge and just beautiful.

Then we went and ate dinner at this Asian fusion place. It was super good and a nice local place. We had to walk down street after street and then really see New York living! We found the Wafles of Dinges truck which apparently is hard to find and has amazing waffles. This reminded me of the waffles I had in Covent Gardens in London - wowo!!!

Then we hopped back on the subway to head to the Empire State Building, but instead we ended up at Grand Central Station again....so we hopped on another train back to the Empire State Building. I just love the mosaic tile in the subway station.

After seeing some amazing Art Deco buildings in Miami it was so neat to see the Empire State building. It just has Art Deco elements everywhere. We went at night which was a neat way to see the city. For $20 bucks and about 40 minutes of waiting with an 80 elevator ride and 6 flights of stairs later = The top of the city.
I'm pretty sure Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks didn't have to wait 40 minutes to get to the top, but they probably didn't have to pay 20 bucks either. So check this one out - I heard not to go in the morning cause the wait is super long.

Today we had our event near Central Park. I can't wait to check out the park and the Met. It was raining quite a bit today and is suppose to rain a lot tomorrow morning. It was a super long event day.

Tomorrow I hope to take a boat tour of the island and maybe check out the park if it isn't too rainy. Then we are checking out a show tomorrow night. YEA!

What to do in NYC?

2010-09-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I'm super excited about going to New York City this week - I'm counting it as a birthday present from work. However, I don't know what to do with myself on Saturday. I was planning to meet up with a good friend from work, but she is going to be out of town. I also though of hanging out with a friend that lives in DC, but she is going out of the country this weekend.

So - if you had one day to spend in New York City on your own....what would you do?

Yea! I'm 27!?!

2010-09-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

So I have mixed emotions on turning another year older. I do love that I am 27 on the 27th! I've been excited about this birthday for a few years now, but I feel that this is the last year I've been looking forward to....now what?

I remember the first birthdays I looked forward to - first it was 10 so I could have two numbers in my age, then it was 16 so I could drive, then 18 so I could vote/graduate high school, then 21 to drink alcohol and then 25 cause I was officially a Quarter century old - aka The Silver Anniversary of my birth! So now is my super cool 27 on 27 birthday. I would like to have a party in my new home, but I haven't planned anything yet. Maybe I can make it a birthday/house warming party.

I'm thinking of making a list of 27 things to do while I'm 27. That could be a fun challenge - I think making the list could be a challenge too...hehe.

What has been your favorite birthday, or which one are you most looking forward to?

Ekk....I'm 27 - already. :)

Far Away Places - New Orleans

2010-09-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I didn't finish this post when I started it back in MAY!!!! See below for the awesomeness that is New Orleans!

Back in April I got to visit New Orleans, LA for a work conference. I went up a few days early so I could check out the town. I must say it is such an awesome city. You can pretty much find anything and everything to do there.

Some of my favorite things were:

The Garden District - There are some amazing old homes in this area. It is like being in the 1900 suburbs of New Orleans. Definitely take the Trolley to see these houses, cemeteries and shopping on Magazine Street.

Trolley - So there are a few trolleys in New Orleans that you can take up to the garden district, down to canal street for shopping or along the river to the French Quarter. These are really neat historic trolley cars, but if it is hot in New Orleans you will be hot in these. You also will probably not get a seat which is ok, but a lot of tourists go up to the Garden District and Magazine Street for historical homes and good shopping respectively. However, they are definitely worth a go at least once just for fun - did I mention it only costs a about a buck to ride.

French Quarter - I now understand why people love New Orleans so much. This place is as special in the day time as it is at night. You just see two completely different sides of the city. At night the party is on - we went during a non festival or Mardi Gras time and it was still busy. So I would suggest making reservations or getting down there early if you want to eat dinner somewhere in the French Quarter. We decided to go back the next day to check out the cathedral and park.

Architecture - The blend of French, Spanish and American architecture is amazing in New Orleans. You will see wrought iron railings, porches, wood siding and sconces welcoming you to each house. Everything has character - even the cemeteries have beautiful wrought iron entry ways. I thought it was neat that nature is a huge part of New Orleans. Every house has grand old oak trees in front of it which makes everything lush. The only part that has suffered are the sidewalks.

St. Louis Cathedral - I love the architecture around this cathedral, square and park surrounding it. This comment sounds bad - but looking at it makes me think of Disney World until you see all of the street vendors and fortune tellers around the park. Walt wouldn't probably have fortune tellers reading tarot cards out front of Cinderella's castle. Just sayin'. It is really pretty though. Inside it has neat stained glass and a beautiful mural on the wall behind the alter.

Food - We had a great time trying things we never eat. We had alligator, lots of sea food and a few great steaks. I was also impressed with the local brew - Abida. They had a nice smooth beer and other flavored beers to choose from.

I love the French influences all around New Orleans. If you haven't been - go check it out. It really is a neat piece of American history and culture!

The Townhome

2010-09-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

This has been a long awaited post for me....to show you my "New" Townhome!

Here are matched photos of what it looked like before and what it looks like now. I'm pretty happy with how it has turned out.

Bedroom Before

Bedroom After

My bedroom is exactly what I wanted. I love the blue that we painted it and added crown molding (it was the only room without it). My bedding is from Restoration Hardware.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

This is the best couch on earth! I am so pleased with how it turned out. I can seat about four people comfortably, but it works alright for everyday usage.
Now I just need a dining room table to finish off my downstairs space.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Not much changed in the kitchen, but I got a few pots and painted it a more neutral color - the bright yellow wasn't working for me. I had nothing for my kitchen when I moved in but plates and cups from college. One quick trip to Crate and Barrel and Target = woohoo! I have almost everything I need now!

Guest Room Before

Guest Room After (stage 1)

The room is now a green color. I couldn't handle the purple on a long term basis. It now has a bit more furniture in the room, but these pics were taken a while ago.

Bathroom After

My bathroom!!! I wish I had one for each bedroom, but this has worked out well since my second bedroom is more my office than my guest room. Although I did have a guest for about a week! That was fun!

Hope you enjoyed the quick tour. I've really enjoyed living here so far and am settled in now. Now to just plan a housewarming!

Blogs I Love

2010-09-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

I've been reading some great blogs out there and just felt like sharing -

Girl with the Red Hair - I'm not sure how I found Amber's blog, but to me she has become a great bloggie friend. I love reading about how her marathon training is going as well as how her job in PR/Marketing is working out. She is just a cool girl overall!

Lisa's Yarns - Lisa is super cool. I found her blog through Amber's blog. She is really encouraging for newbie bloggers like myself (at least I still feel new). She always shows fun cooking recipes and tells about the great books she is reading. She can also make sweet scarves!

Sassy Molassy - Lauren is also a runner. I keep being drawn to bloggers that run and cook - maybe that is telling me something. She also has great stories and adventures on her bike. She shows great recipes like how to make peach cobbler....it looks easier than it sounds.

Classy and Fabulous - I love Sarah's writing style. She will blog about anything and is hilarious while doing it. She has a great fashion sense as well and can probably pick up a great find anywhere. She is also really open with her readers - she recently had a Q&A post and has answered every question in different posts.

Wearing Mascara - Julie has great posts about all of the fun out doorsy things she does like recently running, hiking and zip lining. She writes about every day life and is just fun. I enjoy interacting with her on twitter too.

Mrs. In Training - Kelly is an amazing event planner. She is so creative I'm jealous. I love reading about her love for Target, events she has planned for friends (and pimp decorations she makes herself). Oh yeah, and she bakes - it all looks really good!

Working Girl - These girls have it going on. There use to be just two working girls that posted on the site and now there are five. I love how real they are about what it is like to be in your 20s and working in your first job or third job or working and in grad school.

Are there any blogs out there you just love and want to share?

(Note: I have tons of blogs in my reader these are just the ones I have been reading for a while and wanted to share with everyone.)

Goals for September

2010-09-19T15:19:00.000-05:00

So I've been thinking about goals lately. I've decided that I should make some small goals for September and since it is already the 19th of September these might go into October as well.

1. Track my food and workouts
2. Start finding small ways to workout either at home or at the local gym
3. Cooking - I'm interested in learning to cook - during a busy week I end up not wanting to cook so I just pop something in the microwave - boo
4. Sleep - get to bed at a decent time each night.

Alright, I'm going to stick with those four goals for right now and see how it works out.

I actually have a 6 month, 1 year and 5 year goal list, but I feel like I needed to break it down a little more to help get where I want to go.

Do you set regular goals? If so, do you have a long list or a short list?

New York!

2010-09-11T20:04:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited to announce...I get to visit New York this month!

I've been wanting to check this place out since I was a little girl. I thought I might kick it off like Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in On The Town.

Alright everyone - what should I do when I'm there?

I will have about two days to do whatever I would like! I think I'm going to get to meet up with a friend I know through work, but I don't really know what to do cause I'll be on my own and I'm not a great traveler in an unknown city on my own.

I'm staying near Bryant Park - I know that means a lot of fashion, but what else is near there?
I would like to hit up H&M since we don't have one down here and the one in London is awesome! If you have any places to see or tips for a girl traveling by herself in New York please leave a comment!

Direct Energy - SUCKS!

2010-09-10T20:10:00.000-05:00

I'm so frustrated at this moment with Direct Energy. All I want to do is pay my bill on time. I would even like to give you a credit card to keep on file to just charge each month. I've tried twice to set up a recurring credit card with customer service....both times they assured me that it was set up and that my account would now be on an auto debit. Then for the second time in a row it didn't auto pay the account!!! THANKS! Now I'm charged a late fee for the second time and the real kicker is I don't know how this affects my credit! That can be really scary. I understand if you don't have an auto pay system. That is fine. I can deal with that, but then don't offer it! Don't have it debit my credit card for a penny and have the credit card show up in the payment area as an option if it isn't going to work! GRRR.

I'm not unhappy with the product. I mean it is electricity - it either works or it doesn't. It works just fine, and at a decent non crazy rate. However, please stop asking me to call back tomorrow when I call to get problems resolved. Yes, I called two days ago and was asked to call back today due to their systems needing to be updated. Then I call today and get transfered to be told "please call back tomorrow, our systems are updating". Pick up the clue phone...get a better system! Thanks guys, you are awesome at the whole customer service thing (that would be sarcasm).

Anyone know a non sucky electricity company in Texas?

Have you had anything like this happen to you? Grrr.

Far Away Places - Miami: Vizcaya

2010-09-09T07:30:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to write my Miami posts for a while now. So here are some pictures from the historical house we visited while in Miami. Vizcaya is an "Italian Villa" built by James Deering between 1914 - 1922.

Honestly, it has the most beautiful exterior I have seen on one of these houses. I love Italian architecture and this has it all including an amazing courtyard inside. The gardens were my favorite part. There are about five different gardens - maze, secret, formal, orchid, rose, and one with a fountain.

One of many statues outside Vizcaya - this is at the entry!

We got to Vizcaya about 30 minutes before it actually opened, but I'm glad we had some time to scope out the above statues. I thought they were pretty cool looking.

The back of the Villa from the bay....PIMP!

This is the "house"...I mean really? This is something I could come home to every night! I love this style, the colors, and the symmetry! For some reason, I really like symmetrical architecture it is just eye pleasing to me.

The Barge...who has one of these in their backyards?

This is the barge - I mean wow! This was built to act as a break water when large storms come through, but I think it is a genius addition to the house. I haven't seen too many barge structures in the back of historic homes. Maybe I'm just not looking at enough of them, but I really think this helps to complete the unique picture that is Vizcaya!

Me and the house!

I wanted to partake in the memories with the super awesome house. We did take a tour of the inside - it was pretty sweet. I love the two story courtyard that is in the middle of the house. There is beautiful oolitic limestone all over the place. Each room has its own bathroom pretty much and downstairs there are Roman, Spanish, Italian, and French influences. Including a huge French mantel for the Renaissance Hall fire place. (Sorry we couldn't take photos inside the house). The library even has a secret door filled with fake books.

The Casino - this is so beautiful - it sits on top of of this hill!

I love the idea of having a tea room away from the house. If I have an outdoor wedding - this would be the coolest place to have it! It is built up on top of this small hill called The Mound. The detail put into this place from the layout of the gardens to the inlay in the patio floor - it is just sick. To see this from the house you look out the east loggia (yup there is an east, north and west loggia) out at the formal gardens, it draws your eye up to this magnificent hill with the casino on top. SIGN ME UP, I'LL MOVE IN TOMORROW!

Hey, why not add a mermaid to the barge?

The barge was also used as a way to welcome to guests to the house from the water. Deering had to dredge the bay leading a way up to the barge so his yacht and other vessels could make it up to the house. They would build a bridge from the barge to the house dock. I think this was another way to one up other gilded age houses and families. "Welcome to Vizcaya....before you get to the amazing house we have this barge you are going to need to walk over first.... Pretty cool, huh?" Take that Vanderbilts!

The Maze garden.

Diego Suarez designed all of the landscapes around the house including all 'twenty' gardens. There is even a small secret garden - its on the map so you can find it, but that is what they called it.

Me and a cool gate.

Pose! This is me and a cool gate I liked. Alright, you need to check this place out if you go to Miami. It only costs $15 to get into it. Go early in the morning we were the only people there for about 45 minutes besides the staff. It made me feel like these gardens were made just for me. Way to live in the moment!

Here is their website in case you want to read more about it. http://www.miamidade.gov/vizcaya/

Thunderstorms

2010-09-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

via

I love it when it rains...I'm not so crazy about thunderstorms. Especially when I have to drive in them. This morning I took the boy to the airport at 5:00 am!!!! We drove through a huge mini-hurricane like storm on the way there. It was blowing so hard I couldn't see the little white stripes on the road ....so it was interesting for me. I like driving when I can see the white stripes and know that the large tanker truck coming up behind me will see me and not go into some kind of slide that you hear about on the morning news... Ekk! I always watch those thinking - why would anyone even be out driving at that time of morning? ME! That's who!

The lighter non hurricane parts did make me miss those days early in the summer when it softly rains pretty much all day. I am glad we haven't gotten any hurricane weather this way yet and hope that we get a few more years before our next big hit. (fingers crossed)

Needless to say I was back to my bed by 6:30 and "Morning: Round Two" started at 8:00 am! Woohoo!

Blogging and Miami!

2010-09-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

So the past few days I have been in blogger heaven. I've read, explored and found awesome things. I even entered a few contests here and there....haven't won anything yet, but you know how that goes. Yesterday, I may not have won a prize, but a question I asked was featured on Classy & Fabulous. I've been reading Sarah's blog for a while now and she is always fun, funny and just throws out content I think about, but don't write. Here is my question and Sarah's response:

Lo said...My question is - how do you keep everything going? I've hit a road block on posting and just want to know how you keep your posting fresh and fun?

How do I keep everything going? Good question. There are SO many days when I feel like I am doing so many things and none of them well. I don't even have that much on my plate and it's still hard to get everything done.

For me personally... I get up in the morning and blog first. Before I shower, after I eat, but before I start my day. Which is why working out is so hard for me... it seems to take a backseat to blogging. Bad!

As far as keeping things fresh and fun? Gosh, this is hard.

First off, it's not always pretty. Feel free to peek through my archives... I've had some BAD posts. Thrown together mish-mashes that completely stink. The one thing that has made me a better blogger is to simply become a better observer. Silly things that I think are so mortifying and weird that nobody will understand... those are usually the best post topics because we are never, ever the ONLY one who does or thinks something.

So what I've gained from Sarah is to just write and observe. There are times I have observed what would make a killer post, but I'm no where near a computer. Luckily, I just got a new phone I can blog from, so I'm going to try busting that out. I'm also going to try and read more blogs I really enjoy people's point of view.

I also found another blog that is super funny - a toast. Whitney has a great personality. I ready her coffee post and I cracked up...anyone who has tried to give up coffee has gone through this type of experience.

Check it out y'all!

Now onto Miami. This will be the first of two or three posts on Miami. There were too many awesome things to put them all in one Miami post. So....this is the first impression I had of Miami - our hotel room!

If you check out Miami, def go in August or September. Those are their "slow" months so we were upgraded to this super pimp of all pimp rooms. They also have great deals on food - it is the drinks that kill you. Man, the drinks at one dinner stop were more than our food! But, they were great and had fruit in them - must be somewhat healthy!

More to come on Miami! Get excited. I hope you like the last photo in this section of all the Aveda products we stock piled at the hotel...it reminded me of the show Horders. We didn't take it all home, just most. :)

Do you take home hotel shampoo and other fun give aways?
What blogs are you loving that I should check out?

Sleepy

2010-08-31T08:25:00.002-05:00

For some reason since my vacation I haven't been sleeping like I normally do. I'm not sure what to do to get back on track sleep wise. I think if I start working out that might help. The past two weeks I've been wanting to work out, but life has gotten in the way. At least today my house is clean, I've done all house chores that I'm aware of....so I should stop stalling on the whole not working out thing.

I've been reading some great blogs lately most are in marathon mode which is incredible. I'm not sure if I don't like running or if I haven't done it enough to really know that I don't like it. However, I'm not sure I can gear myself up to trying it out again. Things I enjoy doing are walking, swimming, riding my bike, pilates and watching tv. I know that last one isn't working out, but I enjoy watching tv while working out. Mmmm that might be the root of the problem. I like tv more than working out. Ekk!

Alright, I'm open to suggestions on how to gear up for working out. How did you get from the couch to fit?

SPAM Comments

2010-08-25T21:52:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I was pleasantly surprised when I logged into Blogger today and it popped up that they are doing new things to help squash spam comments. I have been getting random Chinese text comments on my blog for the past few months. It is really annoying when I get so excited that I have a comment and that it turns out to be a spammer....not cool! I can actually mark what comments are spam and then delete it like email. So great! Thanks Blogger!

Also, I updated it that only Google accounts can comment. So, sorry if you don't have one, I'm just trying to keep the spam away.

I'll post later this week about Miami...let me say that it was a much needed break, but this week is pretty busy at the office playing catch up.

Packing

2010-08-07T13:22:00.001-05:00

How can you tell that you really need a vacation?

I'm thinking when you start packing a week before you leave. It might have something to do with needing to wash clothes and that I have a busy week next week. We are headed to Miami for a week and so far we don't have any plans besides going to the beach and hanging by the pools (there are at least three at our hotel...ekk!)

I'm thinking of maybe checking out the zoo and there is some kind of cool house tour by boat. I would love to maybe go dancing and check out some cool chill bars.

I'm super ready to go all tourist on Miami. It has become a pretty big hotspot lately with the Kardashians, Jersey Shore and Burn Notice...it should be pretty fun. We picked Miami due to it being a short plane ride and is like an island vacay.

I ordered some clothes for the vacation, but they havent shown up yet. Hopefully, the clothes will get here soon! Miami here I come! - in a week.

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Fish Tacos

2010-08-03T20:07:00.001-05:00

I just had to share about my awesome dinner tonight. I went to HEB last night and picked up some fun things like cherries, spaghetti squash and plumnots. I'm not really sure what the last one is, but I'm going to try it twice! Yes, I bought two... for sixty cents why not?

So tonight I was planning on cooking this spaghetti squash, but 1. I don't know how to cook it and 2. I saw the Modelo still in my fridge. There went that plan. On to plan b fish tacos! Thanks to taco night last week I had some left over taco shells, salsa, onion, cheese, and cherry tomatos! Let me tell you, I think this cooking thing could be my new hobby. They were awesome! And I'm not saying good like "well, I cooked and I'm gunna eat it" good, like actually tasty. Who knew?

I'm trying to cook at least four days a week. By cooking I mean at least eat at home. So far the past two days have gone well. :)

Now I'm off to watch one of my favorite shows.... White Collar!

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Weekend Vacation

2010-07-31T10:01:00.001-05:00

I'm hanging out in Toronto visiting Alex's sister. I must say taking a quick weekend trip has really relaxed me. It is amazing how much just one extra day off work can do for your head. I'm not looking forward to my inbox when I get back, but at least right now is nice.

I think I've tweeted more in two days than ever before. My new HTC Incredible is to thank for that. I'm actually blogging from it right now. I hope this app works better than last time.

Sorry for my long hiatus. I hope to be back in the saddle starting in August.

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Aluminum Foil

2010-07-05T22:23:00.002-05:00

I just made the best last minute dinner thanks to aluminum foil. Whoever thought to make that stuff deserves a hug. I'm pretty new to the cooking game so I was super excited when my "made up" mahi mahi recipe didn't kill us but even tasted decent.

I wish I had pictures to share, but I wasn't sure it would actually turn out ok. I had two filets and decided to cook them for dinner tonight with green bell pepper, garlic, lime juice, olive oil and lemon pepper seasoning. In 15 minutes I had a hot meal.

The other big surprise was you can steam corn in the microwave! If you haven't done this test it out. Just wrap the corn in plastic wrap and stick it in the microwave for four minutes. Let it sit for about a minute then take it out of the plastic wrap. Slap a little butter and pepper and you have a pretty tasty meal.

I'm still a little in shock, but my tummy is happy. :)

I'm starting to get excited about cooking and future meals with my new friend aluminum foil. Woohoo!

Self Improvement Sunday - Father's Day

2010-06-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

So today is Father's day...the day of Dad celebration!! Woohoo!

So my Dad is super lucky - he gets to come over and help me with my taxes! Such a wonderful Father's Day gift huh?

We are also taking him out to a nice dinner and will get to spend some quality time playing with our new HTC Incredible phones. We try to see who has better apps and then swap those apps. It is pretty fun.

SIS
I did get to FINALLY paint my toes today. I'm so excited. I've been wanting to paint them for a while now, so it is done and I'm ready for summer! Breaking out the open toed shoes - get excited!

This has been a great weekend, but I wish it was longer. I've gotten to catch up on some TV I've been missing, actually blog! and exercise.

Cooking
Get this - I'm thinking of learning how to cook. I've been around my boss a lot lately and she cooks all the time. I don't think they ever have veggies that go to waste due to not knowing what to do with them, or from not eating at home.

I am planning to have a house warming party in the upcoming weeks and want to have good food for my guests. What are easy fun apps to make for people to munch on?

I was thinking - hummus and pita chips, chips and salsa - that's about what I got right now. HELP!

Blog Design

2010-06-19T14:36:00.000-05:00

So for about a year now I've been wanting to update my blog design. Blogger just came out with a way to update your blogger template and customize its colors which is great....but after playing with it for a while I realized - I don't know what I want.

I have no idea what I want to change my header or colors to. I know what I want the layout to be like, but not much else. I've been wanting to do this myself to just get the feel of how to do it. At work I have to figure out websites and creating flyers for clients, so it is interesting to me.

Here is what I know I want:

different pages - posts, favorite posts, about me
three columns
cool colors and fun header (no clue on images)
blue - cause it is my favorite color

Anyone have any ideas on how to make this happen? I have a CSS and HTML editor to work with, but I'm still not sure what I want. Should I just go out and hire someone to help? Ekk!

Bill & Giuliana - BEST REALITY SHOW EVER!

2010-06-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

Source

If you aren't watching Giuliana & Bill...start watching it now. This is the cutest couple reality show! They are just a real couple with normal issues like what city to live in, what house to move to after your husband sells the one you just moved into...you know normal stuff. They are hilarious and challenge each other over silly things like finding counterfeit Chanel bags in Hong Kong.

Giuliana is on E News on E! and Bill is a real estate developer living in Chicago (he also won the first season of the Apprentice.) They are just a cute non drama couple that go to tailgates and ride motorcycles.

Check, check... check it out!

Bill & Giuliana on Style

Facebook Un-Friending

2010-05-31T17:57:00.000-05:00

So I'm feeling a little guilty today. I've gone through my Facebook friends and un-friended about 700 people.

My reason for doing this was due to the scenario below:

Your boyfriend notifies you of an important real friend's birthday that he found out about via Facebook that you can't find because you have too many "friends" in your feed! Ekk!

In college when Facebook first came about the popular thing was to connect with people that you had only just met to see how many friends you could rack up. My highest total was 1300 friends which was pretty high, but incredibly inflated. So today I went through and took out people that I haven't talked to in over two years, or honestly couldn't remember who they were. I thought those were good standards for taking people off.

So to anyone out there that does want to be friends just let me know. If I haven't talked to you in a while lets chat...I just didn't know.

Do you feel guilty when you un-friend people on Facebook?

Self Improvement Weekend - May 15

2010-05-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

This weekend was filled with self improvements. I don't think I've been this productive in a while. I was super happy to log that I worked out all three days this weekend and am starting to get into a routine. My weeks are crazy and unpredictable, so it is nice to actually have downtime and work on my goals.

I haven't set monthly goals in a while, so I'm going to try that again:
1. Keep working out - it is helping my weight loss and stamina
2. Try to cook more - I'm still learning and need to venture outside of frozen and microwavable options
3. Plan my summer vacation - I think we are going to head to Miami!!
4. Finish up my place - need a few things like a dining room table
5. Have a house warming party! - Probably would be good to be social too

What are your goals for the summer?
Any cool vacays coming up?

I can't believe it is already May 17! That's just crazy. Where did spring go?

Maxxie

2010-05-08T10:20:00.000-05:00

Growing up we got three dogs starting when I was in third grade. Our first and third dog passed a way about 2 years ago. Yesterday we had to put our last dog to sleep. It was really sad. He was 17 years old which is a pretty long nice life, but I don't think we were quite ready to let him go. He had gotten sick and couldn't eat or drink anything and had to be on IV fluids. So we decided that it was probably time for him to pass on and not suffer.

Maxxie 'Doodle Dumpling' Wright
March 10, 1993 - May 7, 2010

Best Memories:

playing tag in the house - taking walks and having to carry him all the way home - jumping off the top of the couch (pretty sure he could fly) - loving personality - twinkle in his eye

Maxxie you are missed and loved!

Manic Thursdays?

2010-04-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

So what's up with crazy days?

I'm pretty sure right now about 10 people are upset with me about something....I can't even keep up. It is amazing how much the day before can affect today. What did I forget or not do yesterday that will now come back to bite me. Ekk!

Here is to hoping the rest of today gets better.

Chicka WOW!!!

2010-04-26T22:45:00.000-05:00

OMG...I haven't posted in forever!

So this week has gone well so far...I mean it is Monday, but I can't believe I've accomplished everything I've done today. I'm now ready for a three week vacay!

Work all day
Workout - Yea for day 2!
Make Dinner
Make Lunch for tomorrow while making Dinner
Dry and put up dishes
Laundry
Hang up clothes
Put away done laundry
Clean bathroom
Clean out bathroom cabinet

How do people do this on an every day/week basis...

I have so much respect for women that take care of their homes and work all day. I can't imagine what it would be like if I had a kid to throw in the mix. That would be a little more than I can handle right now. I'm

Now I'm sore and exhausted...sounds like a good time to go to sleep.

I have a few good posts in the works for you - what I've been up to in the past few weeks. (mostly just crazy work stuff, but other things like New Orleans trip, baseball game, new plant, home photos and more!)

Workaholic-ism Part Deaux

2010-04-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

So after I posted about workaholic-ism I've really tried to delegate which has been a struggle here and there. But I have also given myself time limits on when I'm allowed to work or send emails....

No emails sent after 7pm
Work offline if needed
Organize first thing in the morning
Only check email a few times during the day - (having a hard time with this one)

But the one thing that I didn't account for was how much I needed and valued my help! My super awesome assistant has been out sick for the past two days and wow could I have used her help today. After two 14 hour days I'm way wanting her to get well and COME BACK!!!

With the level of service I want to extend to my accounts I need to be able to delegate. Good lesson to learn for me!

How is everyone else doing on the whole not working 18 hour days thing? Delegating?

Workaholic-ism

2010-03-30T07:07:00.000-05:00

I feel I'm drifting into Workaholic-ism. The beau has been in Mexico for the past few weeks and will be more often now. So I got into this routine of doing stuff with Alex after work....now that routine has changed. I've found myself staying at work just to get a few more things done, or working from home late at night. Ekk!! I know I could work myself to the bone 24 hours a day if I wanted, but the realization I'm not coming to is that...work will be there tomorrow. The other great thing I have in my corner is - help!! I have a teammate now. She is amazingly fun and cool. So I need to buck up and delegate to my awesome teammate then go home at a decent hour!

One day at a time I'm going to take my life back from work...what am I going to do in the spare time?

Ideas:

Uh, blog more/read cool blogs and comment on them.
Workout often
Plan meals and cook!
Hangout/catch up with friends!

That's a good start!

Bed Rest

2010-03-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

I think I'm getting better....I know this cause I'm so bored today!!! There is nothing good on TV either.
This is the first real day I've had to just rest, so I'm trying to make myself take it easy, but I just want to do something....what exactly? I have no clue, but something.

Alright, I'm going to find something to do and some lunch. I'll eat anything at this point as long as it isn't soup. I've had soup pretty much everyday this week. I'm half soup now.

Chase Bank...Chicka-boo

2010-03-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to open a Chase Bank account a few weeks ago. They offered a promotion of $100 if I opened an account. Not loving my other bank account, I decided to switch. Since then it has been a little bit of a regret. I've had a Chase credit card for over a year and love it. They gave me a nice limit which has helped to build my oh, so important credit and gives me great rewards. I give that credit to Marriott...not Chase.

Riffs and Tiffs:

Number 1 - I couldn't deposit my pay check in the ATM because I didn't have the pin code for my debit card...
Number 2 - When I went to deposit my check in the "motor bank" they said they would have to hold my check till everything could be verified....so I took it back and put it in my other bank down the street. (deposited instantly)
Number 3 - I wanted to transfer money from my Chase account to my old bank account and they charged me $3! Then I asked about it and all they said was....yeah, depends on the bank, but you MAY be charged a transfer fee. (To my own account! Suck!!)
Number 4 - I go into a branch to make a deposit for one of my groups and the guy goes into this whole song about needing overdraft protection for my personal account - blah blah blah at 9 am....when I need to get to work. I even tell them about Number 3 and they say nothing.

Dear Chase,

I hope you read this and realize that your customer service is lacking. I would suggest that you get someone on your social media right away. You would have been able to remedy this situation before I blogged about it. (Great that you have a twitter account that hasn't been posted on since December 4, 2009). All I wanted was my $3 back and maybe not to be sold a $25 debit card by just trying to make a deposit for my company. Also - not all companies do direct deposit...I've been asked by everyone that works for you (drive through teller, personal banker 1, personal banker 2, personal banker 3, personal banker 4 and walk-up teller) if I can do direct deposit. Sorry, we have a super small company and can't do that. I would think as one of the most populated banks in Houston you would work on customer service. Pick it up Chase!

-Logan

P.S. .01% is not a savings account. Let me know when you can meet or get close to the 1.12% I'm getting.

P.P.S. 1.12% sucks too...I want my 5% interest back!

Thanks and Sick

2010-03-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions and support!!! I really appreciate the feedback on my quest to be healthier.

So far this is what I've done....

Wrote how many points per serving is on any bag or packaged food I have in my house.
Portioned out salad and other lunch options so I can just grab good choices and go
Tracked my food every day - it really makes me see what I've put in my mouth in one day

Set-back...

I woke up with a cough on Monday and totally feel like crap today. I have pretty much been in a cough syrup haze all day. I'm drinking water and tea as much as possible. It is rough though. I was so looking forward to starting my workout routine on Monday. This was the perfect week for that.

Bright side - I found out I have FitTV!! It is like 18 billion workout videos with commercials. This combines something I'm not too fond of with something I love. I think I am going to try getting up early in the morning and doing a 30 minute workout. I think that is the best way for me to put it in my schedule right now.

I'll keep you posted and thanks for the support!!!

Portion Control and Working Out

2010-03-18T23:38:00.000-05:00

Alright Bloggy friends - I need some advice and help.

I've been doing Weight Watchers for the past few months now, but I need help on how to manage portions. Last week was all about portions and how to manage things, but I'm still having problems. Packing up dinner or cutting things in half is hard to do. However, I did make ravioli for lunch the other day and scooped it into single serving portions for other days. I also did it with this bag of salad I bought on Sunday. It has worked out well for lunches and dinners. Let me know if you have any helpful tips for managing portions.

Another issue - I've been trying to get motivated to go workout after work...so far not going too well. I have everything in place - a wii fit, 30 Day Shred, free new place to workout and great shoes! What I lack - the push. How do you find the internal push to go workout?

Customer Service - What to do

2010-03-11T10:26:00.000-06:00

Technology is a great thing, but sometimes it doesn't work the way it should. There are still things even today we have to do manually. No matter what happens, we have to have people on the other end of an email or phone to help people when the automated system doesn't go as planned. It is unfortunate that with the bad economy comes bad attitudes and frustrated people that care about every penny or now have the time to call when everything doesn't go their way - expecting immediate results.

Just a tip to people out there from someone in a customer service job - before going off on whoever is at the other end of the phone - STOP - breath - then continue calmly. Most people in customer service want to help. Someone once told me - you never know what is going on in that person's life, so just be nice. Just being polite can make all the difference.

There are too many real problems in the world to get worked up over small things.

Olympics Recap

2010-03-09T06:07:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to write about the Olympics for a while. We watched the whole thing pretty much. I have to say by the end of the two weeks I was pretty ready to not watch snow sports. Here are the highlights for me:

Ice Skating - I've never loved pairs or ice dancing, but I'm so a fan now! The way they throw the girls in pairs is amazing. I was rooting for the Chinese couple - their story was awesome. They have been married for about a year and skating together for 16. The only thing they didn't have was a gold at the Olympics. NOW THEY HAVE ONE!!! Aww, so cute! I have a new respect for Ice Dancing as well - they really choreograph the routines. My favorite were the Western dancing French team - who would have known that country music is in France??? The Canadian's that won rocked the ice. They were flawless and on such a high from just skating well at the Olympics in their home country. Way to go Canada!

Downhill/Super G/Slalom - Lindsey Vonn is so cool. I'm really happy that she won one gold. You could tell she was sincerely happy that she was able to accomplish that goal. Not sure what is up with Julia Mancuso, her image is not nearly as good as Lindsey's. She seems like she can't handle not winning. The German girl that won the Giant Slalom and Super G was super good. At 6 feet she can be as nimble as these girls that are 5'3".

Snowboard Cross and Half Pipe - They are the cool skater kids of the snow. Nice to see those peeps from Peak Season actually do something besides drink and get into drama. They really are athletes - the tricks they can do while their feet are strapped into a board are pretty impressive. The only scary thing is that some of the chicks really don't look like chicks and that makes me sad. Maybe they just need the ability to see their hair? That does help for most of them. I guess they are more focused on winning and performing well.

What did you like about the Olympics - do you miss them now?

Self Improvement Sunday - March 8

2010-03-07T20:24:00.000-06:00

This weekend has been filled with Self Improvements - definitely got to meet some personal goals:

Social - This weekend included Julia and Barbra's birthday pub crawl! We intended to just hop a few bars, but we had so much fun we did the whole pub crawl and got FREE pint glasses from St. Arnold's. We also got some great walking in - about 2 miles round trip.

Organized - I was able to clean out all of my emails to get more organized for my super busy week this next week. I have two events every day this week Ekk!! However, after Friday morning - I'm free. I have one event the following week, but nothing else big this month - yea!

Rodeo - We got to hit up the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Tuesday night to watch Mr. Alan Jackson and some great bulls and horses buck people off. The best was the little kids that rode the sheep - "Mutton Bustin". It is really cute.

Weight - All in all I was able to look a little under a pound this week at weight watchers. I really didn't think that would happen due to the funnel cake, ice cream, pizza, champagne, steak and potatoes I ate this week. Yea! I think all of the walking really helped - rodeo, pub crawl and office. I'm almost to my first goal...hopefully that will be met next week!

Smooth and Colors

2010-02-25T22:18:00.000-06:00

I've always wanted to be one of those girls that can effortlessly walk into a room and just have it all go their way.

Cute Girl Scenario -

Well put together girl walks into a coffee shop to meet friends. Sees said friend in the corner and walks over, easily takes off her coat and puts down her cute purse all while wearing 3 inch heals. Also has awesome perfect bouncy girls intact while it rains outside.

Me Scenario -

Go to coffee shop to meet up with friends. Can't find friends cause they are late and there are no available seats so I stand in the back. Get bumped by lady with stroller and spill a little coffee on favorite shirt. Friends show up, find table and get settled. I try to take off coat and get stuck in coat... Straight hair stays straight while wet from rain.

This type of thing happens often. I'm not sure why, but it seems every time I try to be smooth I get inches away then....wha wha. Now I just laugh, but the last time this happened to me was at the Snoop Dogg concert. It was super cold in Houston so I wore a coat to the concert and got hot so I took it off. Then I got cold so I wanted to put it back on except my coat is a coat inside a coat and I only got three of the four sleeves back on...wha wha. Man, I so want to one day be smooth!

Are you smooth? And if so, how do you pull it off?

Color Quiz:

Lisa did this post on what's your color? It was cute. I'm yellow even though I'm more of a blue fan. Here is what it says about yellow:

You are quite the powerful thinker. It’s this talent that allows you to overcome a plethora of great obstacles. Luckily, this doesn't affect your ego and you give off a pretty easy-going appearance. You enjoy the finer things in life and also have an attraction to art. If you can help it, you try not to rock the boat. But you also can’t stop yourself from searching for new ideas, methods or styles.

I like how they use the word plethora...not used too often in 5 question color quiz descriptions. Reminds me of an episode of Even Steven's (yes that Disney show back in the day) where Donny decides to use the word cornucopia to make him look smart. So he used it in every day sentences while wearing glasses, to me that's how plethora sounds in this color quiz. Kinda makes me want to take the test again to see what it says for other colors.

What color are you?

Mint.com

2010-02-23T06:30:00.000-06:00

As a young professional I've been looking for something to help me organize my budget and track my spending. I've tried cool budgeting worksheets, importing my statements into one spread sheet and building graphs. What I've found is that it takes a lot of time and doesn't always work. Not to mention by the time you finish you already need to update it. One day on my blog/internet search I found Mint.com. I was skeptical that it didn't cost anything and that it linked directly to my accounts. At first I was scared about security, but they have good security measures set up and their programs are 'read only' so you can't transfer any money.

Spending Tracker Graph - this shows you what categories your spending is falling into each month. Trying to create this graph in excel takes at least an hour with Mint it is a click of a button. Inside Mint.com, it will also split out exactly how much money is in each category or you can view it by merchant.

(source)

Budgeting Graph: Once your transactions are loaded into the system, you get to categorize them based off of a pre-set list or any you decide to make. Categories can be put on monthly, quarterly or yearly budgets. You can also roll over your extra budgeted dollars from month to month (I could see this being helpful for electrical bills, cell phones or shopping purchases). The nice thing about this budget chart is that it shows you where you are throughout the month. As you spend the budgeted money for the month it will change from green = money to spend to yellow = budget close to spent to red = over budget in that category. You can get alerts through email or text on anything you want (i.e. when you go over budget or when a money transfer comes in).

(source)

Mint has some great resources on how to budget and sweet calculators like when you will become a millionaire. They also have a blog that has articles on budgeting, tips for getting out of debt and finance news. I thought these things were pretty nifty considering it is free and incredibly AWESOME!

Catch: Overall there isn't one, Mint has one section called "Ways You Can Save". Which really means come check out some credit cards or loans that would be a good fit for your credit score and spending habits. It is nice to compare interest rates on credit cards.

Check out Mint.com, I think it is the money helper we have been looking for!

How do you currently track your spending? Anyone have experience with Mint or other online finance programs?

100th post and Self Improvement Sunday - Feb 21

2010-02-21T22:04:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that this is my 100th post! I've had this blog almost a hear now and it has been such a great experience. Thanks so much for reading and supporting ChickaWha?! I really love sharing my life and views on crazy things like places to travel and nail polish with the world.

Self Improvement Sunday/Weekend
This weekend has been a great relax/decompress weekend. I got to write a post that will be up Tuesday on Mint.com. I also wrote a post that is being featured tomorrow on Girl with the Red Hair. Amber is highlighting my career at AMC - super excited! Besides writing, we hit up the grocery store and watched the Olympics. I'm so glad that they are highlighting events like Ice Dancing, Biathlon, and Aerials. I didn't even know they existed - who knew there was more than just figure skating to the Winter Olympics? (kidding)

On another note - Does anyone else feel that Bob Costas is a super annoying newscaster? He can ask some really dumb questions. The morning dude is 10 times better.

Cooking...Kinda

2010-02-19T10:22:00.000-06:00

I didn't learn to cook early on in my life or even in College, instead what I have found is a love for Frozen Food. In minutes I can make a meal that I don't have to worry about going bad on me in the fridge. I just pull it out of the freezer and KaBam! I'm a "Chef".

I plan on learning to really cook this year. At least it is a small goal of mine. Making healthy meals in general is the first part of the plan.

Last Night's Meal:

+ =

PreCooked Chicken plus Veggies and Minute & half Rice = Quality Meal!!
Look at those veggies! So colorful!

If you are looking for something organic, healthy and quick = Amy's. Being from Texas we are trained to eat Mexican anytime of day. She also makes Italian and Indian organic frozen food bowls and meals. She has great lasagna!

and

Have any easy recipes to share?

Cool Things I Found This Week

2010-02-15T22:28:00.000-06:00

So I thought I would share these things with you, I plan to write more about a few of them later, but here is a brief overview:

Mint.com - Have you stressed over your budget, wished there was an easier way to view how much money you were spending and even create a cool chart? Bye Bye Excel madness....Mint.com is the new wave of budgeting. Check this out peeps. It will allow you to import all of your bank, credit cards and loans to view and track your spending. It will set up trends over months, by categories, or by merchant. AMAZING!!!

YouTube Playlists - I went to a 90s themed birthday party this weekend and she had a great playlist going the whole time straight from YouTube! I didn't know you could even do that! This was a great add to a party, forget just hooking your ipod up, now you can watch those music videos that you didn't get to watch on TRL with "dreamy" Carson Daly....

iPhone Apps - When they say "There's an app for that". It is true! Alex just got an iphone a while back and it is pretty much the coolest thing since ice cream. I would like to get one, but I'm locked in with my super awesome blackberry...for another 4 months. If you haven't checked it out, or don't know what the hype is about just ask someone that has had theirs less than a month, they won't be able to put the thing down.

Google Buzz - Check out google buzz!! I love Google so much. First they had me with the calendar, then google docs came along...now I'm super pumped about Google Buzz! This really can help you reach every social media outlet you have. It is like twitter, but on crack and increases your SEO a bit. You are able to integrate Flickr, Twitter, Picasa, Blogger, Google Reader, YouTube and more. This is cooler and much more usable than Google Wave. It also shows up in your gmail account, so you can see everything all together.

Alright Gang, I plan to show you more things on Mint.com and how incredibly awesome it is!! Also talking about young professionals and the finance game.

Self Improvement Sunday - Home Edition

2010-02-07T23:45:00.000-06:00

This Sunday was a great day! Not only was it the celebration of Alex and I's 2 year anniversary. Woohoo, but we got so many things done around the house it was awesome!!! We did almost all of those things we have been planing on doing each weekend, but haven't yet.

1. Shower Curtain Rod - My shower is super small, so I got one of those rounded shower curtain rods so that I can wash my hair without pushing my shower curtain out of the way with one elbow. It reminds me of days in the dorm where our shower was so small that washing your feet was a problem. Ok, maybe it isn't THAT small.

2. Fence Latch - My fence is a little warped so the latch is super tricky - you have to pull up and push in all in one motion to open the fence. Plus it wiggles so if you are holding anything in your hands while trying to open the fence you might be there a while. I'm not sure why the previous owner didn't change this cause it took us about 10 minutes to change out the screw holes and put the latch back on. Victory over the fence latch!!

3. Weeds - I had to kill the tree living in my backyard today...mostly because it wasn't a tree at all, it was a weed!!! This was the scariest thing I've encountered while living on my own. This was massive - at least three feet tall. I mean eww! So at Walmart today we picked up some super weed killer, Round Up - kills it in six hours and includes 4 months of weed prevention built in! We also got some great $3 gardening gloves - much needed in my 6' by 14' patio. I think the most gardening I will be doing is killing weeds and watering a hanging plant... (summer may kill it though). We shall see.

4. Back Porch Light - I had the saddest back porch light on earth. It was an LED light on its last leg. So we figured out how to change it...man it is bright back there now. So great for when I'm coming home late at night.

Overall, I feel like I'm somewhat domestic....aka Alex can use a little drill really well and I can stand there and watch like a pro!! Owning a house and fixing little things is so rewarding. I recommend it for sure! Mike Holmes from HGTV would have been so proud of us. We even used Alex's iphone level app!

Are you handy?

Self Improvement Sunday/Week - Um...So When do I get to Rest?

2010-01-25T22:46:00.000-06:00

So I get that whole - you rest when your dead thing, but wow....I think I could be there soon if I'm not careful.

So I must say, I haven't quite found the end of all of the craziness, but it is getting a little better. I was able to actually not work this weekend (except for my weekly conference call...boo). I really got great sleep this weekend. I was pooped by 10 and just conked out! I got to see Star Trek and The Proposal - both were good, but I think I played them up too much in my mind.

Also, I started my career as a walker! I walked at least two miles this weekend in lovely Tanglewood. It was so pretty to walk among the pretty trees and pimp huge houses. I've pretty much decided what type of house I would like at all "three" of my homes. North Carolina house - stone/ english castle type...Houston - spanish villa and Galveston or other beach house - farm house with wrap around porch and other great decks and such. (You may need photos or to be in my head to see these.) :)
Anywho, I'm thinking of doing my very first 2K this weekend. The Rocket's Run is on Sunday and I'm thinking maybe I could do a 2K without too much trouble. So we shall see, but I'm thinking it is a definite maybe.

Alright, I hope you have a great week and I'll try to say hi more often!

The Bottom Fell Out

2010-01-19T22:30:00.000-06:00

So if you couldn't tell....the bottom fell out of everything. I've been super swamped at work since January 4th. Everyone in associations makes a New Year's resolution to get involved and attend meetings which on one hand is GREAT...then on the other hand makes my life super CRAZY!

The new life changes have been going well. I re-joined Weight Watchers and have attended the past few weeks and am seeing small improvements. My eating habits have improved leaps and bounds. We have been eating at home which has been good for my "learning to cook" skills. I really enjoy making breakfast and lunch each day or almost each day. I have made some killer sandwiches if I say so myself. :) It has also saved me some money all the way around.

I've been price shopping different stores, but still don't know if HEB, Randall's, or Kroger is best to shop at - which will save me the most money and have the most items I like. That is a little hard. I also found out that if you go shopping after 4pm on Sunday the stores are super quiet. (We went right after the church crowd got out the first time and it was a ZOO!!) Let me know if you have any suggestions on which store is better to shop at.

I finally got my couch two weeks ago (I ordered it in November). It is awesome, super comfortable and it fits in the space well. Target has my heart now - not only that I get 5 times the points if I use my Capital One card, but that I found two super awesome end tables, a coffee storage table plus wooden tray, a lamp, charging station and much much more all for under $500. Luckily this was broken up over a few shopping trips.

Slowly the house is coming together, I hope to show you pictures soon. Right now I have my living room pretty much set as well as my bedroom and bathroom. I still need art, decorations, a dining room table, and to move over everything for my second bedroom. It has been a roller coaster for sure. Being a home owner has been really rewarding in its challenges.

Overall, Yea 2010!

Healthy Living 2010 - Day 1

2010-01-04T18:54:00.000-06:00

THE PEDOMETER

So I got a pedometer today, it is really cool. I need to get a higher tech one though. Pretty sure I got extra steps every time it fell off of my pants today (which was a grand total of 4). Does anyone have any suggestions for pedometers?

Also, I think I made "2,000" steps or so, but how many steps should you get in a normal day?

THE LUNCH

Wow - I made the best lunch today. Who knew that making a somewhat crappy sandwich could be so rewarding. I loved it. (I'll take a picture tomorrow). With that I was actually able to track what I ate this week. So proud of my day accomplishments. I mean heck - I'm even blogging. That's awesome!

THE OFFICE

I've been putting the finishing touches on my new office....it is still pretty bare. I have great space and many boxes that need to find a home. Unfortunately, our phones were turned on today. It was so nice last week when everyone was on vacation. We hardly heard a peep from our phones.

How was your first day of work/school of 2010?

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T22:33:00.000-06:00

This last week has been amazing! I've found such great opportunities in many areas of my life this past month. It is just setting me up for great things in 2010.

1. New home

I love this place! I can't wait to finish decorating and get everything settled in all over. My neighbors are super nice and this should be an awesome community to live in.

2. New office

I actually have an office with walls and a door. I am super excited. It is just nice to look back and see how far I have been allowed to come in 3 short years.

3. Reach my fitness goal.

After watching a marathon of the biggest loser and starting a competition in our office, I think this will encourage me to reach the goals I'm setting for 2010.

4. Boyfriend is back

I'm so excited to have Alex back in Houston. We have had such a great time just hanging out together and getting back into a couple grove.

5. Fun, fun, fun

The past few weeks have been filled with good old fashioned fun! I have surrounded myself with people I enjoy, mixed with good entertainment (i.e. Rockets Games, New Years Parties, and Wii Rock Band) the results have been awesome.

6. Real Adulthood

I have found that moving out on my own has really given me a sense of accomplishment. I can be out on my own and feel safe, confident and take care of everything. It comes with new stress (aka doing finances and making big decisions), but I feel like I'm working well to prepare to handle them correctly.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

What is one thing you want to accomplish in 2010?

Self Improvement Sunday - December 20

2009-12-20T23:27:00.000-06:00

Wow!! This has been one crazy week. I've finally moved into my new place!!! So with that comes...TV installation, internet set up, grocery shopping and un packing. Woohoo!

Clothes and more
To say the least the weekend has been filled with climbing lots of stairs in my two story town home. My first night was awesome - until I woke up this morning and felt like my head had been stuffed with tissue. Boo. Yesterday was filled with moving everything upstairs, and getting things set up. I think all of the dust got to my allergies and just decided to kick me when I'm tired. So I've spent most of the day trying to take it easy...but that didn't work too well. I wanted to unpack more. So I organized my bathroom stuff and placed that in my bathroom....still needs some rearranging. Then I took a small break - pretty sure I had a fever for a little bit. Then I decided to go through some of the boxes I brought over that haven't really been cleaned out since I moved home from college...wow I had a lot of stuff I needed to get rid of. After that I moved on to my clothes. I really have never had a closet this big, much less space where I could put things anywhere I wanted. I'm so pumped. I tried to get rid of more clothes, but I couldn't find anything else to ditch.

TV and internet
I'm in love with direct tv! It is so awesome! I was able to do a free upgrade due to already having an HD dish on my roof...pimp! You can even set up favorites lists for what channels you like the best. I can't get DSL here, so I went with a mifi from Verizon. I can have up to 5 connections on at a time and it works pretty well so far. I am limited on how much I can use per month, but I get 30 days to test drive it. We shall see.

Sleep and furniture
I love my new bed and mattress. So comfy. My bedroom furniture is really pretty. It turned out just how I wanted. Can't wait to see the new couch. The filler right now are two camp chairs and a butterfly chair from college. Not as pretty as my sweet-tastic couch.

Good day, just have to try to stay well. Ekk!

Google Wave Giveaway Winner

2009-12-19T09:16:00.000-06:00

Thanks to those who entered the Google Wave Giveaway.....

So drumroll please.......winner is - Megan!

Now this is partly due to the only two entries in the give away were Megan and Amber. Amber already has wave, so that somewhat defaulted Megan as the winner. I would still love to wave with you if you want...I have a few extra invites. Let me know if you are interested and I'll tell you what to do to earn your Google Wave invite.

I was asked to explain a little on how to use wave, well I honestly haven't played around on it enough to tell you the ins and outs, but this weekend as lazily unpack my house, I will investigate it and get back with you.

Best of 2009 - Part 2

2009-12-17T07:40:00.000-06:00

So I think the idea is to do one of these each day, but each week is working well for me right now...

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

Taking on two new associations and a large conference all in one year. I was starting to settle into my role with my groups and workload, but now its a little crazy. I've gotten one down and successfully passed the conference, but yeah the second group is not quite under control yet...alot to learn, luckily I have help. I'm sure in a few months it will be smooth sailing and hopefully I will have more full time help then.

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?

This is the Year of Taylor Swift, I love pretty much every song on her Fearless album thanks to Pandora!! Carrie Underwood is also one of my favs. She has such great songs and just rocks it!

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

MING! This is a bar in Calgary. They have my fav martini - Marco Polo - malibu, stoli vanilla, lime and pineapple....amazing. Note - two is about the limit, it can get pretty sweet.

December 12 New food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

Sushi! - Miyako has my heart. I'm pretty sure I could eat sushi now about three times a week. They just have good fish and great rolls to choose from. Test - Crunchy, S & M and Skydiver! Whoa awesome.

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?

I bought one! That is a big change. I don't technically live there yet, but wow. I also changed about everything - paint, floors, new furniture = awesomeness! I can't wait to show you the after photos...it may be a little bare for a while. I got my bed furniture on Wednesday though.

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

When I found out I bought a house!!! It is really scary letting go of most of your savings all in one check...ekk!

December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

My netbook box! It is a nice box, but what was in it really made my day!

December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?

Perfectly Pear White Tea - it is really great. I found it last year, but I'm counting it anyways. Try it out!

December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."
Totally Wicked!!

Ode to Apollo

2009-12-15T07:12:00.000-06:00

Here is a little story about my beloved horse, Apollo...

A week after I graduated college as I prepared to move back home and start my job, my horse Apollo suffered a career ending injury. I was greatly saddened by the loss of time Apollo and I would have. I was so excited to finally live in the same city as him for longer than a summer. I had great plans of going to horse shows and just having a good time riding a great horse. Luckily, I do have fond memories of riding Apollo.

First Ride: I really hated him. I couldn't get him to do anything other than walk. I kicked and kicked and nudged and nudged and I'll I would get out of him was faster then slower walking. It was the most frustrating ride I have ever had. I never thought I would ever ride him again…much less like it.

Second Ride: This was at the end of the summer. My trainer came up to me as I tacked up the horse I had been leasing and said "why don't you hop on Apollo tonight, so you can jump around". Well, like most people at the barn, I did whatever Katie said to do. So I untacked Qtee and tacked up Apollo making sure to "wear the largest spurs I owned". This ride started off somewhat like the other ride, then Katie took out this lunging whip and started cracking it in the middle of the arena…suddenly I could trot. Most horses would totally freak out at this, but Apollo didn't really care, he just trotted a little faster here and there. Enough to get her to leave him alone for a while (this I came to find out was how he treated everything…least amount of effort to make people happy). So we got to the jumping phase of the lesson and I was shocked. This horse was amazing. He was easy to find distances on, he helped me when I made mistakes, and overall he didn't really care what happened, but he had a good time. It was really the first horse I clicked with immediately. Once he was warmed up and ready to go. After the lesson I looked at my mom and said I have to have this horse. So in the middle of my college career while I lived an hour away, we bought a horse named Apollo.

Blue Ribbon Ride: The second summer I owned Apollo we were able to go to a horse show in Oklahoma. I got to do everything on him - hunters and jumpers. It was great. We had so much fun, but I will never forget the feeling of one of our rounds. In hunters, you strive for that perfect round and up to that point I had never had a completely "perfect" round. Sure I've had pieces of great rounds, but none that ever came together like that one. Everything just fell into place. It was amazing. I can still to this day see it in my mind - rounding the corner....lead change...square up...3, 2, 1 perfect distance. Pretty cool. Since then I've only had a few other rounds like that and they are all special, unique and forever remembered.

Self Inprovement Sunday - December 13

2009-12-13T21:16:00.001-06:00

So today was clean up day...like most Sunday's lately.

Good things accomplished:
- Getting furniture delivered
- Ready for a great work week - so organized!
- Cleaned up the room a little - more stuff to pack
- Set to move in this week!
- Still looking up internet
- Keep tracking food
- Was able to do tweaking for my blog layout... getting closer to a new design!

Have a wonderful week!!

Hopefully, next week I will be writing from my new home with furniture and all!

Best of 2009 Challenge - Part 1

2009-12-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?

Puerto Rico for sure, we had the best time at the wedding/vacation.

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

Alex and I went to Shula's and ate the most expensive meal we have ever had. It was crazy, but really good. I never thought I would like Creme Brule, but wow that was good. I think if we go back, we will only get dessert this time.

December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away?

I read a great article on Finance that I plan on writing a post about. I think you will like it, great info for young professionals.

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it?

SKIP - I haven't read a book in a while, I'm really into magazines right now....but I loved the last Harry Potter. hehe

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

My friend's batchlorette party in Houston, we played games, made our own pizzas, drank lots of champagne and just had a great time!

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?

Our local association had a workshop on social media and web 2.0. It was greatly informative and I'm glad I get to put that info to use!

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.

Amber with Girl with the Red Hair. She has been so encouraging of my little blog here and pretty much always comments, which I really respect considering her blog roll is whoa long. She is a great asset to the blogosphere.

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude.

I would say that was my last visit to Calgary. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

Self Improvement Sunday - December 6

2009-12-06T16:07:00.000-06:00

I found this great recap from Nora with Walking through the Rain - I modified it a little to reflect me.

Current Mags:
I have really loved Self lately. It is just a well rounded magazine.

Current Music:
Taylor Swift...Fearless is awesome!

Current Obsessions:
Reading new blogs, commenting on blogs
My new place and making sure I have enough money to buy things I need - aka a toaster!

Current Drink:
White Pear Tea, Water, Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps - I've also been craving Apple Cider

Current Songs:
Fifteen by Taylor, Fireflies

Current Movie:
The Holiday and Two Weeks Notice

Current TV Show:
West Wing!!! - I just love it during the holidays.

Current Wish-List:
A toaster, furniture like a dining room table and most to just move into my new place!! Woohoo!

Current Needs:
Motivation to workout and get going!

Current Triumph(s):
Time for me.
Not working 24/7.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
Dairy - dang allergies

Current Goal(s):
Get on working out, more sleep, keep tracking food, move into place

Current Indulgence:
Dang Boy Scout Carmel Popcorn

Current Blessing:
LDR is almost over! Ready for December 22!

Current Slang or Saying:
For Sure - gee-gosh golly darn those Canadians with their sayings.

Current (Fav) Outfit:
My new cardigan from Banana with a black shirt, jeans and my Tory Burch flats.

Current Excitement:
That it SNOWED for multiple hours in Houston today....and the roads didn't ice over so I was able to get home!

Current Mood:
Happy!

Let me know how you are feeling...

Funny Kitten

2009-12-05T08:39:00.001-06:00

I don't consider myself a kitten person, but this is really funny! Enjoy!

Best Invention EVER - Toshiba Netbook!

2009-12-03T10:53:00.000-06:00

So a few weekends back I went to Fry's and picked up a Toshiba Netbook! This thing is too cool for school! I love it. If I was still in school, I would use it all the time. I take it to board meetings with me so I can take minutes on the go. It has built in wifi, 3 USB ports, SD card, printer or projector hook up and du du duh…..weighs 3 pounds!!!! Its pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. It didn't have a few of the things I wanted originally, but I found some open source things to download:

Photoshop open source - Paint.net or GIMP

I'm using this to upload great photos for you to see and I'm trying to redesign my blog and hope to have that ready for you sometime soon!

Microsoft Office - Open Office

This is a neat suite. It works just like Office. You can even save things in office format to open on any computer or send to people. That's been helpful when travelling.

Microsoft One Note - Microsoft One Note - I love this program so much I had to download it again.

I love writing up blogs in Microsoft One Note. It auto saves and when I'm ready to make it into a draft I can just copy and paste it into Blogger. Woohoo! Loving it!

I really love being able to carry it around anywhere I need and if I need internet or if I need to take notes I can do it easily. I also like taking it to coffee shops too. Much easier than my other lap top and it has a 7 hour battery life.

Google Wave Giveaway

2009-12-01T12:20:00.000-06:00

So I've been wanting to post about this for a while, but have been a little tied up to do so. A few weeks ago I received my invite to Google Wave. One more thing I love about Google...I can now Wave. I haven't been able to give it the attention it needs, so I have an idea....Google Wave Giveaway!

I would like to Wave with you! If you would like to score an invite to Google Wave, tell me why you want to wave with me.

Ways to enter the Giveaway: The more times you enter the more likely to score a Wave!
1. Comment why you want to wave with me.
2. Add yourself to my peeps list on the blog.
3. Write a post about why you want to Wave or Google on your blog and send me an email with the link.
You have one week - the giveaway will be announced December 8th.

Five lucky blogger friends will get to Wave with me and then get 20 invites of their own to grow their Wave. This should be a lot of fun.

Screen Shot of my Wave:

More info on Wave from Google:

What are you Thankful for?

2009-11-27T11:03:00.000-06:00

2009 has been a year of hills and valleys. I'm overall thankful to have experienced it all. Here are some things I'm thankful for:

A wonderful relationship filled with support and love.
A great job that allows me opportunities that no other 26 year old could have.
Finding a trainer to workout with that teaches me how to workout confidently.
January through June I was able to lease a really cool horse.
I went to some of the best weddings and batchlorette parties.
I was able to visit great friends around the country.
I bought a house!!
Furnished said house with paint and flooring!

What are you thankful for this year? Have you done anything that will be a lasting experience?

THE WINNER!!!! - Townhome Search comes to a close!

2009-11-25T15:57:00.000-06:00

Its finally here...the day I've been waiting for...I am officially a home owner today. Please meet my new place!

Front door and Living Room.

Dining Room and Second Bedroom

MASTER BEDROOM!! and Kitchen

I'm super excited and can't wait to decorate the whole thing! First on the list is paint and flooring. I've spend a long time at restoration hardware and home depot looking at paint colors and I've settled on:

Master Bedroom - Atmosphere Blue

Secondary Bedroom - Silver Sage

Upstairs Bedroom - Seafoam Blue

Living room - Linen and Gold Accent Wall

Kitchen - Silver-ish

Painting starts on Wednesday of next week! I can't wait to entertain and have house guests!! Chateau Logan will be open for business starting in the new year...let me know if you want to book a party or stay! :)

Whoa way super pumped!!!

Me = Home Owner!!!

Self/Home Improvement Sunday - November 22

2009-11-22T17:42:00.000-06:00

Today was a great self and home improvement Sunday! I was able to go and purchase my furniture for the new town home! Hopefully, I will close on the town home in the next week so the painters and flooring can come in and spruce up the place. Then the beautiful furniture below will be going into my rooms....

Bedroom: I got the bed, a dresser/TV stand, and a nightstand.

I love that this bed has built in storage so I can store my extra sheets or blankets right at the end of the bed!

Mattress:

This was such a good price and a really comfortable mattress...I was ready for a nap right then.

Living Room Couch: In chocolate brown not beige.

This couch rocks because not only is it super comfortable, but I can switch what side the chaise is on, or make it into just a couch...sweet!

I then hit up Home Depot to look at more paint colors. I think I have decided to paint my kitchen a silvery gray. Not too dark, but something that will make all the white in there pop...without making it feel smaller. I think I have a good accent wall color and ideas for rugs, pillows and other accessories for the living and dining rooms. This is going to be super fun, cost a little bit of money, and overall be incredibly rewarding. It may just take a while to all come together. We shall see...first step - close on the town home!

Life Update: I was able to track my food today and I'm proud of that small step. Yea!

Picture is worth 1,000 words

2009-11-21T12:14:00.000-06:00

Wow, I just went through photos from fall 2007 and summer/fall 2009 and it is night and day. Life in general has been so crazy - work, buying a house and just living. I have been putting myself last on the list for the past four months/longer. Where has the time gone? I'm not really sure, but all I know is that time is gone and I have to start taking care of myself. I keep waiting....waiting till I move to be closer to a gym, waiting for my boss to move into her new house with her new home gym, waiting to learn how to eat healthily, waiting to learn how to cook....just waiting for everything to change itself. Light bulb moment - I'm the variable in this equation...I'm going to have to change it for the results to change.

I have a few blogs that I follow that really motivate me, but do you have any blogs that really inspire and motivate you to keep going? I need something like that to read everyday/week. I'm going to start with small goals and see what I can do to keep myself on track.

Week One Goal:
Track my food - just to see what I'm eating everyday. Ekk this could be scary.

Alright, here goes week one.

If you have any other encouraging words or worldly wisdom on getting healthy please post something below.

Self Improvement Sunday - November 15

2009-11-15T18:13:00.000-06:00

Where did my trainer go? Oh yeah, I haven't gone to see him in three months. Well, I've started to notice. I have to get back to the gym. Here is the problem - I need to save money since I'm buying the house, and I don't love the gym my super cool trainer works out of....also I need to leave work early/on time. My work load has grown by a 1/3 over the past 4 months. Now this was going to go back to back to normal after October, but starting October 1 we took on a new group which I'm still learning about. They will be a great addition to my association list, but I really need some help. That keeps me in the office and at meetings more than usual, not allowing me to have time for me (sleep, working out, and relaxing). So when I do find some down time (aka not working 6 to 7 days a week like the past three months)....what do I do? I research things for my house of course and try to see how much money this whole thing is going to cost me and if I'll have any left over for a rainy day...ekk!

So for today - I'm going to get wheels on the broken down wagon and work up a budget for 2010 and for the house. I may even see what type of schedule I can put myself on for this week. Workout maybe? At least this time I know a few things I can do on my own. Woohoo!

Self Improvement Sunday - November 8

2009-11-08T18:56:00.000-06:00

So buying a house is a lot of work. I'm super excited as it gets closer and closer to my closing date. I was able to get pricing on paint, bedding, flooring, and furniture so I can make a budget that should cover everything. There are some good financing options for furniture and I have the name and number of our great work handy man. Things are slowly falling into place. My Sunday hasn't been as productive as my Saturday, but I did get quite a bit of work done today. Hopefully I will have a full time assistant soon so I can quit working weekends. I think the next few months will incur tons of changes - personally and professionally. It may take more overtime here and there, but I think the end results will be worth it. Now off to research power companies. Thanks for reading and sorry I haven't posted as much lately. Its been a little crazy.

Two week recap: Bowling Halloween Tournament, Halloween and Dog Sitting, Golf Tournament, Board Retreat, Board Meeting, New Group Meeting

Upcoming week: Board Meeting, Breakfast Meeting, Huge Lunch Event, Dinner Meeting, Lunch Meeting, Another Dinner Meeting, and Early Morning Friday Board Meeting! Woohoo!!

Help! I need a Halloween Costume!

2009-10-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

So in the last few hours I have realized that I need a costume for a costume bowling tournament tomorrow night and Halloween on Saturday night, but I have nothing to wear...I really need something for tomorrow night...HELP!

Requests:
1. Something I can get from my closet
2. Could be a famous person or athlete
3. Something comfortable (I'll be working)

Things I have been in the Past:
1. Gangster
2. Bowling Pin
3. Aggie Fan
4. Hockey Player
5. 50s Girl
6. Nerd

Thanks for your help!!
Please leave suggestions in the comments section or email me at chickawhablog [at] gmail.com!!!

If you want to share your favorite Halloween costume, just leave that in the notes as well!

Life is Good!!

2009-10-14T22:28:00.000-05:00

I'm such a huge fan of helping to improve yourself and setting goals, but sometimes I need to stop and smell the roses.

Here is a list of those I'm thankful for:

I had a great birthday and received some amazing gifts (more on those later).
I made an offer on a townhome that was accepted...just hope it goes through.
I have a great job and got a raise!
I have great friends and co workers around me that seem to secretly know when to give me a high five or lend an ear.
I get to watch great TV - thanks to DVR.
I have my health (I may be out of shape and have allergies, but overall I'm ok).
Memories - you can take everything away from me, but I will still have my wonderful memories from the first 20 years of my life (I started at 5, I can for sure remember things from back then).

So overall...life is good!

What are you thankful for in your life?

Far Away Places - Puerto Rico

2009-10-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

If you haven't checked out Puerto Rico, I strongly suggest you do. It is one awesome place. The boy and I took a trip back in June for a good friend's wedding, but I haven't gotten to write just about that trip and great things to do there:

El Morro - This is a Spanish build fort from the 1400s. It is not only huge, but an incredible feat of engineering. It is very castle like but without the glitz and comforts inside. It has quite a few levels and you can see where the cannons would be placed to help defend the fort. I thought overall it was pretty cool that it was still standing in general. Check it out, it has some great history.

Old San Juan - This is the most vibrant city I have ever seen. They filmed Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights in Old San Juan because it resembled Cuba the most. You can see the great love Puerto Ricans have for life through their great expression on the outsides of their buildings. Even the grand church has a homey elegant feel to it and is a stones through away from the Old San Juan Gate - which was once the gate that dignitaries used to enter into the city by boat. It still has the 1749 carved into the huge door.

The Ocean and Beach - Living in Texas, I've only seen Texas beaches which due to the Mississippi River Delta are quite brown and dirty with sediment. In Puerto Rico, you have the clearest water I've ever seen. The ocean turns from green to blue to dark blue, colors I have yet to see turned into crayons. Photos don’t even do it justice - at least not with my camera. The beach is a great place. All beaches in Puerto Rico are public, so you could go to a nice resort and just hang out on their beach and no one would say anything to you.

Pimp Hotels - We stayed at the coolest hotel - Marriott Sellarias and Casino. When you walk in it has this great lobby bar right smack in front of you. With a bandstand and dance floor behind that. There is live music at night and people around this part of the hotel at all times. The Casino was right off of the lobby bar. I've never been to a Casino before, so it was great to check out games and play penny slots…we even played nickel slots a dollar or two. The pool was large and had a shallow section mostly for children and a larger deeper section with a swim up bar. I think what we loved most about the hotel was our room. We got an upgrade at check in to a corner king room on the 18th floor. We had two balconies overlooking the ocean and windows around the whole room. I still have dreams about waking up in that awesome room.

Night Life - Just a hop skip and jump away from the hotel are great clubs, after hours clubs and restaurants. Be warned that bars close early (like 11 pm). Our bachelorette party made the mistake of hitting up the after hours club before the bar then trying to go to the bar and it was closed. So it was just an adventure in going out. Also, pretty much everyone knows how to make the best mojito you have ever tasted. Just try one you will like it. Their local beer - Medalia is also great.

Sites: The Jungle - I hear this is one of the most beautiful things to see on the island. Puerto Rico has the 3rd purest water on earth due to its rain forest. You can do about any adventurous type thing you would like. From hiking to kayaking, they have it all. Bacardi Factory - Puerto Rico is home to Bacardi rum and they have a cool factory tour you can take with a taste test at the end. It was one of the highlights for some friends.

Overall, I can't wait to go back to Puerto Rico. Everyone was nice and incredibly friendly. Check it out, you will enjoy. Also, they take US dollars and as a protectorate you don't need a passport to get there.

Plane Trip Tips

2009-10-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

I thought it might be good to share a few plane trip tips I've learned over the last year from traveling. Let me know if you have any tips to add to this:

Airplanes are Cold - This ranges from plane to plane but generally speaking airplanes are pretty cold. You should take a removable layer just incase you need it. Coming from Houston in the summer time it is 90 + degrees outside so you don't think to put on a light sweater or bring a hoodie, but man will it make you more comfortable on the plane. Also, ask or search for blankets. I took two on this one flight and no one said anything. One airplane blanket won't be enough, they are pretty light. You can always take one with you when you get off the plane and just leave on the next flight it when you don't want it anymore. This is how we stocked up on our flight to Hawaii. It kept us warm on the long flight back to the mainland. Window seats are colder by nature, they pump cold air through vents up the side of the plane, so you can freeze pretty good if in this seat. I would suggest and aisle seat if possible.

Airplanes are Cramped - I always check my flight online or at the airport. During check in is when you can change seats pretty easily. I would suggest sitting in the exit row, you get more leg room and for some reason people don't like sitting there. If your plane is not that full, ask if you can move to a row that doesn't have anyone else on it. Flight attendants don't care and it will give you room to spread out, sleep, or just blog on your computer. Invest the $10 bucks in an inflatable neck pillow. Sure these things look silly, but wow your neck will hurt a lot after an 8 hour flight to Hawaii with nothing but crappy airplane pillows - even if you have four of them. It is really easy to fit in to small places like you purse and such. I got mine at Best Buy with a gift card! The inflatable ones you can adjust the air so you don't have to have it at max air, just what is comfortable for whatever you are doing.

Baggage Claim is overrated - With airlines charging up to $50 for one checked bag who wants to wait in line at check in or baggage claim. If you are just taking a quick weekend trip somewhere, resist taking your whole closet with you. Plan out what you will wear each day, something to sleep in, and one extra outfit. If you keep your clothes in the same family palette, you can cut your wardrobe down and reuse pieces on different days. You can also cut out the extra shoes. Wear the most bulky things you are taking with you on the plane, that way you can pack everything into your suite case. This is a photo of my weekend bag (got it on sale at Kohl's!). It is tiny, but I can fit all my clothes, make up and laptop into this little bag. All I have left is my cute purse and I'm off.

What no TVs? - Until this specific trip to Calgary, the planes I took always had TVs on them. You might not always get to pick which movie you watch, but it is better than reading a mag the whole trip. I'm so glad I had my laptop. I typically think it is a pain to have to take it out at security, but with no TVs, I'm glad I have it. I can also catch up on my blogging. That's pimp. If you don't want to bring your laptop you can get a pretty nice DVD player for about $60 bucks on sale or $100 not. I'm also thinking about getting a net book. This would be great for trips. They have a 8 to 9 hour battery life…score!

I'm not sure this is food…. I've been on flights where to eat anything you have to pay them extra on the flight. This is for something crappy like tuna in a can. So I would suggest just eating before you fly. Continental is great about giving you a snack or mini meal, but overall it doesn't have the variety of getting something you want. Most airports now have good food courts so if you are health conscious you can get something that won't give you an instant heart attack. Bring an empty water bottle through security with you, you can fill it up at the water fountains and not have to pay $5 for a bottle of water.

Do you travel a lot? Have any tips I missed?

8:00 am or Bust!

2009-10-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

This is more of something I'm going to try vs. a resolution...

I'm going to get to work starting at 8:00 a.m. every day this month. Alright, lets see how that works. I think it may help with my workout routine and getting to bed earlier....cause I'll be dog tired if not.

(I apologize to those that already start work at 8:00 a.m.)

I need to do something to wiggle out a little time more me time during the day. So I'm thinking if I get to work earlier (aka before the phones start ringing) I might be able to finish up everything earlier, get to workout earlier, get home earlier....anybody see a pattern here?

We shall see. I'll let you know how it goes.

Self Improvement Sunday - October 4

2009-10-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

So it is rainy and gloomy outside. What a perfect day to work on things:

Blogger Template and Custom Header - Thanks to my awesome friend Jhodig who is a IT wiz, I have been able to figure out how to change my blog around using FireBug in Firefox. Here goes a long journey of redoing by blog template and header. I have a good idea of what I want, but maybe I'll let you see what I come up with. I think this will take a few more weeks.

Work - I need to get organized and get ready for this new group that started with us on Thursday of last week. They just have alot going on and I'm going to need to be up to speed. So that means a day of work. Maybe I can also figure out what to delegate to our assistant.

Birthday Brunch - Last Sunday was my birthday, I had a great time with the boy up in Calgary. Since I was away, I'm going to brunch with the rents at the Cheesecake factory! Mimosas here I come!

Room - So often I feel I make resolutions and then am not able to follow through as quickly as I would like. So this weekend has been filled with cleaning out my magazine collection - some dating back to 2006. I'm pulling out all the articles that I really really like and I'll put them in a binder to hold on to and reference when needed. I need to go through old ones from college and clear those out.

Schedule - I need to get into a routine. My October isn't nearly as crazy as September so I just need to schedule everything in and stick to it. I'll at least try it one more time. :)

I hope you have a great Sunday!
Any plans you want to share?

Beauty Routine

2009-10-02T11:42:00.000-05:00

I've been reading quite a few blogs lately and one of the interesting things to me has been individual beauty routines. When I say this I'm thinking moisturizer, make up, hair, eyebrows, nails and other things. So I though I would share some of my favorite beauty products and tricks.

Best Nail Polish - OPI - I've said this in past posts, but OPI nail polish is my favorite by far. You can't beat the endless list of colors or funny names. They just have a great product. It stays on long, goes on easily, and comes off pretty well too. So you can change your nails as often or not so often as you like.

Best Mascara - Chanel Waterproof Intimate in Black - I have eye lashes that angle down. I'm not talking out, but really straight down. If I don't curl them with my awesome eye lash curler I will have lashes that even I can see. Not so cool. This mascara is the only one that has been able to hold my lashes against rain, tears or fierce Houston humidity. Check it out. It won't come off in pools either!

Best Moisturizer - Neutrogena Oil Free Face Moisturizer - I have semi oily skin and I've started using moisturizer in the past few years. I stopped using my last one because it made me breakout, but this one is so easy to put on and has an SPF of 15. I never have a problem putting my makeup on over this one either.

Best Sunscreen - Neutrogena 30 with Helioplex - I bought this one to try on our trip to Puerto Rico. It claims that it will cool your skin right as you apply…..and it is true! I was in the sun and got a little hot and worried about my feet. I sprayed it on and instantly my feet cooled down. I would de say check this one out!

Best Eye Shadow - MAC - I love MAC! They have the best eye shadows. I have this one dark brown, Brun that is amazing as eye liner, smokey eye filler, or just shadow. It doesn't have too much red in it which is hard to find. It goes great with my skin tone and stays put. MAC comes out with awesome fun youthful colors, check them out. The sales team is typically friendly and pretty knowledgeable about their products.

Best Quick Save - Goode Hair Bands - These things can outlast a pair of jeans. It is amazing how great they can stay for so long. Anytime you are in a pinch - say going to a workout - just pull one out and you are set. They are cheap too! I keep an extra pack in my car.

Best Perfume - Mademoiselle by Chanel - Keria Knightly is a spokes model for this one. It is good enough for a pirate then I'm in! I actually just love the way this one smells. I have about 20 billion samples due to my mom's obsession with makeup counters and getting free samples, so that just adds. I can keep it anywhere.

What are your Beauty Routine favs?

Help! My blog is boring!

2009-09-28T20:34:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I've decided after a few months of blogging that I would like to change the look of by blog. I don't think it expresses me or what I'm looking for very well. I'm not sure how to get it started, but I'm really interested in doing the changes myself. I was a marketing major in college and have always had fun playing with images. At my internship back in the day (circa 2004) my amazing boss taught me InDesign and Photoshop stuff which was incredibly awesome. I love these programs and have been able to work with them at my current job too. I need to take a course in both just to get more familiar with what all you can do in both programs. I hear from my good friend that is a photographer you can pretty much make sick images with photoshop…I'm ready to learn. Only problem - I don't have the extra cash to get photoshop, so I have Gimp which is suppose to be just an open source photoshop. We shall see - it took me 2 hours to find the rotate button that was right above the text button…boo. I have some great images from my travels I would like to use somehow, but how do I make those images display the meaning of Chicka Wha? I'm pretty partial to my blog name (shout out to CREW 2006!) so I don't want that to be part of the new look. Here are my ideas.

I want a new header that I can create myself.
I would like a blog with three columns. Example - Dancing Through Life
I would like something with a static background. Example - Girl with the Red Hair
In the new header I would like a cool somewhat script font.

I have been looking at free font websites, but they are worse than digging through the clearance racks at an outlet mall shoe store.
Here are some I like graphically and script wise.

I would like to incorporate a photo I've taken. This is a maybe, but it would be cool.

Slide show of cool photos I would like to use:

I really like the color blue.

I found a neat color wheel website. Here

I think specialized topic headers would be cute too. Texan Couture

Please help me on my quest to create a new look for my blog. If you have any great blogs you think I should look at leave it in your comment. If you think I should change anything else on my blog let me know too. I'm open to suggestions right now. I'm getting into this a little more each month and I want to have something that is fun to look at, but doesn't cost an arm and leg.

Self Improvement Sunday - September 27, 2009

2009-09-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

Its my birthday!! I think I shall have a few birthday resolutions:

Chill out! - I need to start giving myself a break. This month has been as crazy as I expected it to be. I didn't get to do a lot of the things I planned on doing here. I need to get back on track and really come up with a plan that will work for the next few months.

Wheels on Wagon - I have to start tracking my food. It really helps everything. I know what I have eaten and can put it on the list again if it something I really like.

New Clothes - I need some new things to spice up my wardrobe. I have gotten a few pieces here and there, but I need new pants and skirts because I'm sick of what I have.

Clean out my magazines - In high school I had this great idea to pull out articles that I really liked and save them, but it has turned out to be not so great. I need to do this more as I go than to sit down and do it all at once. I have found some great things in magazines over the years. I should start a binder instead of a folder. That might be easier to manage.

Research Home Needs - If I get this fab townhome that I would really really like to get…I'm going to need to make some updates. I, however, have no idea how much that would cost. I need to see what the best option for badly painted crown molding is - should I strip it, sand it down, or just take it off and start all over? How do I remove an old water spot from the ceiling? Where do I get furniture…what furniture do I still need? What kitchen items are a must vs. get later?

Get Fab townhome - Ok, so I'm going to try. This lady is a little crazy though. She wants more than what she paid for it at the top of the market….um I think she needs a lesson in economics. Prices don't go up in a buyers market. We shall see. Maybe she just needs more time to figure that out.

Have fun with the boy - I am in Canada. I should have a good time with the boy. I'm sure we will visit a few parks and rivers and just hang out. I'm excited.

Birthday Wishes

2009-09-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

**Sorry guys, I wrote this last night on the plane but didn't get to upload it.

My birthday is this Sunday, September 27…I'll be 26. Ekk. I still feel like I just left college yesterday, bounding out as a 23 yr old ready to start work. Its odd leaving college and getting older. In high school you can't wait to be 16 so you can drive then 18 so you can vote(?)/ leave home. In college it is all about being 21, after 21 it is like you are dead…."what you are 23?!? That's so old." Yes, I've had freshman 18 yr olds say that to me. Thanks for the love guys. But after 21 where do you go? I guess 25 is special cause you don't get charged excessive amounts to get a rental car anymore or you could go with what I did. 25 = Silver Anniversary of your birth so it must be EXTRA special and it was. I went to Calgary to visit my boyfriend and we all went out on the town with his friends. I don't think I've ever had that much to drink and live to walk home easily at the end of the night. It was impressive and mostly due to lots and lots of water after every drink. Luckily the bathroom was near by in the cool Karaoke club we pub crawled to.

I feel like 26 won't be extra special except that I'm right now as I type on my way to Calgary on a last minute unplanned trip thanks to Continental specials…they are pretty good deals. I was even set to go tomorrow morning instead of Friday night, but do to a $50 upgrade to an already cheap ticket I couldn't pass up the extra time to spend with my lobster (cue Calgary friends laughing when I call him my lobster hehe).

So far it has been a pretty great day and today isn't even my birthday. I got up after sleeping in till 8:30. Got to work and didn't really do much but give my boss some tea, talk to my other boss, talk with this lady from the Sheraton that brought pretty good banana bread, ate said banana bread and orange juice, then decided where I wanted to go for my birthday office lunch. We went to Collina's a great local Italian place where you can get awesome pizza for pretty cheap. This is where it started to get to be a great day. Our office has this tradition to go around at birthday lunches and tell the birthday person what you like about them. It is somewhat like hot seat, but opposite. So it somewhat puts you on the spot to come up with something creative and hope you get to say what you want before someone else steals it.

Here is what they said.

"I'm always optimistic and fun."

"I'm wise beyond my years and a true part of the AMC family."

"I can see through bull crap and call people on stuff." - didn't know I did that but cool

"I helped someone get a job and it has been fun hangout out more."

"I'm smart, talented and organized."

"I'm good with technical things and am very dedicated."

So those things just make you warm and fuzzy inside. They said a few more things, but that is the jest and really one of the greatest presents I could have received. I really enjoy the people I work with. I never could have imagined that this opportunity would have existed when I was in college. I thought I could only end up working for some huge company where I would be nothing but a number. I realize I talk about my job a lot, but it is a large part of my life. I've learned and grown so much over the last few years.

Now I get to go spend my actual birthday with my lobster who also sent me a great bouquet of flowers and chocolates for my birthday. I'm so excited to get to hang out and have a lazy weekend in Calgary.

What was your best birthday so far?

Conferences

2009-09-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

So I really do love my job, but I have been working so much I don't know what day it is. I haven't had a day off since September 7th. Today is the 23rd. I've been working on two conferences for this week. It has been hairy to say the least. I feel like September has been the month I have let some of my clients down. I hate that feeling. I really want to give excellent service all the time to each of them. We have a new client coming in which is great. I think we will learn alot with this group and it will be a good transition process, but wow I'm tired.

So this week has been crazy due to a three day conference that started on Sunday and then a one day conference that was on Tuesday. The last minute details are the part that kills you. Especially since it was my first time on either conference. I can't trouble shoot things I'm not familiar with completely. So I try the best I can and then...make a decision and go with it. Both conferences went well thanks to some great help. The three day one that I administered on my own was awesome. The chairs were great, our student interns were amazing, and the help from the office was super on top of it. I really saw a team pull together to make this conference work. The one day conference was a complete success as well. I was sad that I didn't get to check it out, but I loved working with the vendors and creating the program. They were both a great learning experience and prompted me to note....I need help! I can't do most of this on my own. We will see what happens with that after my feet stop hurting.

This morning I had to wake up early again to do check in for a class for the same group that put on the three day conference. It went well, I just really could have used the extra hour of sleep. The thing that keeps me going this week was a great email from Continental. They are having a special to Calgary this weekend (which also happens to be my birthday weekend) so I'm packing up my things and headed to Calgary for a short trip and a fun time with the boy. I can't wait!

Thanks for being good sports with my crazy non blogging - I've opted for sleep a few times I could have blogged. Trust me for my sanity - I needed the sleep. :)

Far Away Places: Galveston, TX

2009-09-16T19:59:00.000-05:00

The boy and I hit up Galveston for his birthday. We had the best time. If you get a chance to visit Galveston check out some of these hot spots around the island.

Moody Gardens: We decided to stay at Moody Gardens. We typically stay at my boss' bay house, but it is still in need of some repairs after Hurricane Ike. Besides a hotel and conference center Moody Gardens has a spa, pool, private beaches and pyramids!! These pyramids have an aquarium, rainforest and then there is a third one and I have no idea what is in it. I think maybe dinosaurs? Who knows? But you could check it out. Also Schlitterbaun is right across the street. We didn't get to go over there, but I would recommend it. It looked awesome!

Enjoy the peaceful waves!

The Strand: This historical downtown center was once booming with business till the hurricane of 1900 scared everyone back to the mainland. Before the hurricane Galveston was a large port city and a big immigration spot there is a museum that talks about how immigration worked on Galveston - it was the "Ellis Island" of the south. So The Strand has great historical buildings and cool plaques that talk about what the building use to be used for. It is pretty cool. We ate lunch at the Yaga Cafe and I found a great deal on Reef flip flops at the surf shop next door. I've been looking for black reef flip flops for about two years. I mean I haven't diligently been looking, but any time I'm in a store that sells them, I look. Which probably isn't that often, or I would have found some quite a bit earlier. I digress, The Strand takes you back to old time glamour with 21st century conveniences and good shopping - what everyone needs!

H2O Bar - San Luis: The way fab San Luis hotel has this great, hip, cool bar around their pool. So we decided to check it out as a birthday hangout place. I ordered a nice pineapple and lime martini and sat out in the lounge area. We really enjoyed hanging out watching drunk people dance to crazy playlist music (seriously it went from Kelly Clarkson to Techno then some old old stuff thrown in weird).

The Beach: Pirate's Beach that is. This was a nice relaxing "time at the beach". I would check it out. Unlike Jamaica Beach there aren't cars, loud music, or BBQs going on. Just listening to the ocean and watching dogs get into fights...right in front of us! Def doesn't go with the relaxing vibe of Pirates Beach. There were some cute kids playing football and building sand castles right next to us...five year olds can't really catch by the way.

Photos from Galveston!

Ok, so Carnival has cruise ships that leave from Galveston - I think this one was trying to tell us something!

Self Improvement Sunday - September 13

2009-09-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend was one fulled with Self Improvement. I'm pretty excited about upcoming things and I'm really glad I was able to accomplish some of the things I did.

Workout - I started my Friday off right. I worked out with Rockett and let me tell you, he knows how to make you sore. It was good. After a week off, I needed a little butt kicking. Then I came back for round two early Saturday morning. I feel that it is helping my mental health more than anything. I've got to put myself first these days, or I'll pay for it later.

Dog Sitting - I got to dog sit for a co worker and it was pretty enjoyable. She has sweet dogs that are really pretty easy to take care of. It was nice to stay by myself somewhere and enjoy just being alone. I think I'm more mentally ready to live alone now. It did help that a bull mastiff was sleeping in the backyard. :)

Townhome - I've decided on the townhome for me. It is a cute two bedroom, one and half bath with a two car carport. I looked at these early on, but wasn't impressed with the unit I saw. It has some things that need to be done to clean it up, but overall it is the perfect first place for me. It is 1100 sq feet and has a little outdoor patio, perfect for a small bistro set. I really hope everything works out, I can't wait to live in my very own home! Fingers crossed!

Boss Chat - Today I got to chat with my boss about the help in our office and money. We have a few new accounts coming in and need to figure out how to structure taking on the workload. I'm excited for our business. We are growing so fast. It is so neat to have a hand in shaping the future of a company. I can't wait to have my own one day!
Blogger Signature - I found out from Carissa how to get the nifty signature now at the bottom of my blog posts. Thanks for the tip! Check out her blog...it just got a makeover. The signature is from My Live Signature and is free!
Twitter for Gmail - I found the best gadget for gmail - Twitgether. I needed something that I can just access straight from chrome in gmail. It even lets you switch between twitter accounts. I have one for work and one for this blog. With one click I can switch without having to log in and out multiple times.

Overall it has been a good weekend. I've worked a lot of extra hours, but it will pay off in the end. It was nice to not be pressed for time. Now it is off to bed so I can get up extra early to start my day! One more week of craziness...I can make it work.

Self Improvement Sunday - September 6 and September Resolutions

2009-09-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

So yes, it isn't Sunday, but I plan to tell you what went on last weekend and my September Resolutions.

So this last weekend was a great Self Improvement Weekend. Alex came into town and we hit up Galveston. Such a great city, we have decided we need a house there, or we might just keep using my boss' house forever! We hung out by the pool, got a massage, went to the trendy H2O bar at the San Luis, chilled at the strand and then the beach ....last but not least checked out my hopefully future townhome. I have to say it was a great weekend!

More on Galveston and the Townhome to come.....on to September Resolutions.

This is going to be one busy month. I have 3 large conferences, 4 board meetings, 2 regular meetings, 1 extra happy hour, 1 extra seminar, 1 three day course, 2 pre-conference events and did I mention we are starting with a new group this month? So needless to say, I'm overwhelmed. Not just a little, but a whole freaking lot! Just reading that sentence makes want to go back to work now and just keep on working till October 1. Who needs sleep, right?

This September I plan to:

Get to work early - I don't have time to not be there when the phone isn't ringing
Workout 3 days a week - this will take some skill, but I will just have to get up and leave
Work weekends and late nights - to get everything I need accomplished I would be kidding myself if I didn't think I would have to do that this month
Delegate tasks - I have two people that can help me at work, I have to use them as much as possible to help share the workload...I've already gotten the green light, so here goes
Get sleep - I'm going to need as much sleep as possible.
Eat well - this one is a continuing theme in what I'm doing
Blog as much as possible - I have so many topics to write about, I just need to keep writing!
Be social - I have a few things on the calendar right now that would be fun, I need to have a little fun

Ok, so I think that is all I can take for right now. I can't wait till October! I usually love September, it is my birthday month, but now I'm not sure I'll be conscious on my birthday....oh well.

Work it out!

2009-09-03T11:57:00.000-05:00

Work it out! I'm beginning to like this little hobby I've picked up. It's called working out. You may have heard of it. Many people do it, I just haven't been one of them for a while. I've mentioned my personal trainer that I started with back in June, but I haven't really updated since. This month starts my 3.5 month with Rockett. I'm excited because I'm starting to see and feel results. Example: When I started I truly didn't have much strength in my tricepts. Rockett had me do dips once and I couldn't do more than 3. So we went with that for a while. Last week was dip challenge week…I did 30 dips. Now I wouldn't really count all 30 as real dips, but about 6 each set were real dip material. It was intense. He also bumped up my chest press to 50 lbs. I was not a happy camper. It was way too hard for what I had been doing. (Oh the difference 10 pounds makes.) I'm starting to like going to visit Rockett, Terrance and the ladies at the gym. I've met some sweet women who are in great shape. It is encouraging me to stick with it. I want to be able to throw people across a room, or have them stare at my big biceps. Ok, not really, but I do want to be fit and this is helping me get there.

Far Away Places - Ft. Worth, TX....not so far away

2009-09-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

This last weekend I visited my friends Zach and Jess who live in Keller, TX just outside of Ft. Worth (which is near Dallas for all those not familiar with Texas). So I hoped on a plane and in 45 mins or less I was in Dallas/Ft. Worth home of the Rangers, Mavericks, Cowboys and many many cows. I've never ventured much in my home state…much less our rival city of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Here is a little breakdown of what we did in Ft. Worth.

Fuzzy's Tacos - First stop on the weekend adventure was Fuzzy's Tacos. This place is well known in the area for great tacos and amazing queso. We had a little of both. There are a few locations in Ft. Worth, so check out the new one or the old one near TCU's campus. I had the grilled fish and steak soft tacos with awesome garlic sauce. Who knew garlic would taste good on Mexican tacos? Their white cheese queso is something little Texas girls dream about. They also put Fuzzy Dust on the chips to give them a little kick. Overall best tacos!

J and Z House - Jessica and Zach are good friends from college that got married about three years ago. Two years ago they bought this adorable house in Keller, TX. It really is like their own little world out there, they have a Super Target, Best Buy, tons of restuarants and a pimp shoping center not too far from them.

Water Garden - On Saturday we ventured out to the Water Gardens in downtown Ft. Worth. If you didn't know where to look, you would completely miss them. I posted a few pics below as well as a video of the rushing water. At first Jess and I didn't want to walk on the stepping stones all the way to the bottom, but Zach eagerly said "Let's Go!" and we just followed.
Jake's - Burger place - the Ft. Worth heat was getting to us, so we decided to go get some grub in the form of huge ass burgers! Jake's is located downtown in Sunset Square in what use to be a Chili's. they have burgers the size of your face and if you are interested you can get a double meat burger with Texas chili like Zach did, but really that's a lot of beef in one sitting. They also have great sweet potato fries with cinnamon on top! It was another great eating experience in Ft. Worth.

Ft. Worth Stockyards - By far the best part of our trip. The historic stockards date back to the 1800s. You can still see historical markers all around the stockyards. Even the sign "Ft. Worth Stockyards" is 100 years old. They have a neat Grapevine Vintage Railroad train that comes into this barn looking train station with shops lining the inside of the station. We saw longhorns just hanging out along the street ready to take you picture with them. We experienced a real life cattle drive with about 16 longhorns walking down main street. Pretty cool!

Grapevine - Sunday Jess and I hoped over to Grapevine to check out the historical downtown. It reminded me a lot of Brenham's downtown just without Blue Bell being sold in every shop. We ate at the cutest sandwich shop. It was beautiful inside and looked nothing like a small town sandwhich shead, this was big city digs. We picked up the best dessert - a chocolate mousse cake thing. (That's a technical name for those wondering.) See before and after photo…. Then I was able to find a few more things for Alex's "birthday present of mystery". Pretty cool little town. We also had dinner at Esperanza's Tex-Mex. They are known for their Margaritas, but I would definitely go back for their queso and quesadillas!
Red Box Movies - Saturday night we rented a movie after our long day of walking around in the heat. I don't know why I haven't tried out these things earlier, but if you haven't experienced the Red Box Movies check it out! For a $1 you can rent pretty new releases that even on On Demand you would have to pay at least $5 for. Pretty pimp deal!

Ft. Worth Slide Show - Water Gardens and Stockyards.

So thanks for checking out Ft. Worth and my post with many types of pictures. I know the video is not that exciting, but thank you to Lindsey for telling me how to post video from blogger!

Relationships and Mates

2009-08-31T11:35:00.000-05:00

To find your mate - The ultimate quest. It seems like for most young girls/women that finding the person they will spend the rest of their lives with and growing up is something to fixate on. You know that you go to college, get a job and then? When does the happy ever after happen? Going to a college like Texas A&M, its not uncommon for people to get engaged and married to their college boyfriend or girlfriend right after graduation. That is actually a very common trend, but what if you don't meet your mate in the first week of school, or the last semester? Are you doomed to be alone? Well ladies, I'm here to tell you no! At 22 or 23 when you graduate from college you are not an old maid if you don't have a ring on your finger.

Now I don't mean to discredit those that do find their mate early on. I've met wonderful couples that started dating before they could drive and that was it. They knew that was the person for them and by the time they graduated college, and in one case during college they got married. The ones I have at the forefront of my mind were all healthy well thought out relationships and are currently successful marriages. Those make me know it can work, but for me it was a little different.

I thought I would meet him in high school. Then after two years, I really started to wonder….will he be a transfer student? There wasn't anyone that I meshed with, that really understood me completely. So then I thought, I must be waiting to meet him in college…so I got excited. In college I fell into "guy bestfriend mode", where I would find a guy that I got along with really well - then think I wanted to date him, but instead I made myself one of the guys which I liked even better. Those came and went, but I did learn more and more about the type of relationship I wanted and how I expected him to treat me. (I also found a group of guys that would beat him up if I ever needed that to happen.)

I graduated college and thought…how am I ever going to meet someone when I'm leaving the most densely populated place of people my age? So after a long summer, (four months after graduation and now "destined to be an old maid") I met him. I don't think I knew it right away right away, but after a few times of talking for hours with this guy, I knew I had found something different than those wonderful guy friends in college. I found my lobster.

So this post is dedicated to Alex…Happy Birthday love…even if you are "old" at 28! Besos!

Self Improvement Sunday - August 30

2009-08-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

This weekend I trekked up to Ft. Worth, Texas to hang out with some dear friends from college. I've had such a great time and I can't wait to do a Far Away Places - Ft. Worth blog about all the great things we have done so far in Ft. Worth. It has also been great to get down time. This is the first weekend I haven't worked this month. I've been able to write more, read great mags, overall relax, hang out with awesome friends, and enjoy Ft. Worth. Really, I hope you all have the chance to make great life long friends that are easy going, fun loving, family like people. Here are a few of the self improvement things I have done this weekend and plan to do today:

Relax - It has been awesome just getting to live. I told you how wonderful the couple I'm staying with is and they truly are the best! I have a great room and wifi to get to just write on my computer and catch up on things I never find time to do…like read other blogs I love!
Shopping - I received an email from Banana Republic today. They are having a one day sale so I had to check it out. The clothes I bought at the last sale have been awesome, so I got two more shirts like in different colors. I think they will spice up my wardrobe enough without breaking my budget for the month. We are also going to check out this place called Sam Moon today. I can't wait!
Tasty treats - Since this is like a vacay I totally had some awesome Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. If your state doesn't have Blue Bell, come to Texas and we will show you what it is all about. It is the best Ice Cream on earth! Seriously!
Getting Prettified - I've gotten to take my time and actually get a little spruced up this weekend. I wore make up, did my hair, and accessorized. This is not typical weekend workings for me. Its been fun!
Memories - I've loved taking video and pics of my weekend in Ft. Worth. I can't wait to share all of the things we have done with you. I have some pretty unique experiences in good old Ft. Worth! I'm going to have to keep this up for future adventures.

I'm off for my last day in Ft. Worth and to do some good shopping! Have a great Sunday everyone!

Birthday Gifts

2009-08-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Alex: Don't read this post...hehe

So my sweet, wonderful beau is having a birthday soon. I have no clue on what to get him. We are celebrating the weekend after his birthday by going to Galveston (he loves the ocean). We plan on hanging out at the beach, going to the historic strand for a cure cancer burger at Fuddruckers - I'm refering to the burger with guacamole, grilled onions and mushrooms. We think it is the guac that has the cancer curing attributes. So I would like to get something that will make him smile. Last year I got him a wii, this year I want to get him something better, something I can't buy. We have had some great adventures Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Canada, Galveston and just random good times along the way. I was thinking about putting together photos or something like that, but he gave me a photo album for my birthday last year which was awesome. So what the advice I'm really looking for here is...what is the best present you have received that someone mostly made?

Far Away Places - Kauai, Hawaii

2009-08-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

So I was thinking this morning, Hawaii would be a great place to be right now. I would love to go lay on the beach, drinking a lava flow, reading a magazing (while the cover sticks to my sunscreened legs....so grose). Right...

So one of my favorite things that we did in Hawaii was Zip lining. Check out my beau zip lining over this beautiful canyon. Pretty much everything is beautiful in Hawaii.

Pretty neat, huh?!?

We visited Kauai, Hawaii in December 2008. It was the most relaxing, exciting vacation I've taken. Kuaui is the furthest island in the chain and is considered the garden island because it is so lush and green.

Here are some of the things you should check out when you go to Kauai!

Horse back riding - I thought we would be up high, but it was still cool walking around in the flora.
Dukes - this is a restaurant at our hotel we ate there about four times. Awesome fish and the hula pie is so amazing! Just try it even if you are full.
Java Kai - Cutest coffee place on the island. The one in Hanalai has great waffles in the morning.
Hanalai - Best town on the island. It is in this cove off the main highway and has beautiful beaches and beach houses.
Surf Lessons - My boyfriend took surf lessons while on Hawaii. He signed up for a group lesson and ended up in a private lesson with a local surf pro.
Kiluea Lighthouse - This lighthouse is on a great point. We didn't get to see it upclose, but it was still amazing. We ran into a local and had a great convo on the spot and how that's where the whales liked to hang out most! COOL!
Zip Lining - Please see the video, it was a great experience. I thought I would be scared to do it, but it is easy and once you start you get a little hooked.
Na Pali Coast - You can only see this three ways - boat, helicopter, or hiking. We saw this by boat. It was a bad experience for me. I did get to see it as I was leaning over the boat "looking at the beautiful water".
Weimia Canyon - This was funny in the sense, we drove all the way up there to see an incredibly fogged in canyon. We could distinguish that it was a pretty deep canyon. I hear there is a good video you can buy at the Kmart if you don't get to see it. :)
Luaus - We went to the Smith Family Luau. It was a little more family friendly than we expected...you would have thought we would have gotten it from the word family in the name. During the luau the heavens opened up and it just down poured on the performers. I felt really bad that they got that wet, but it was still a neat show.

So after reading that list you may conclude that the weather wasn't always in our favor, but we loved it anyways. Check out Kauai, you will enjoy the peace and quiet!

Eat Healthy Challenge

2009-08-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

The last two weeks, I've been monitoring what I have been eating. The first week I had no inhabitions - I had wine, chocolate, wine and chocolate together...lets just say if I saw it and kinda somewhat wanted it, I ate it. Then Sunday of last week I had a wake up call...I gained four pounds. I was so upset. The wheels had come off the wagon once again. I vowed, like I have done many times in the past to change my ways. So last week was week one of my own eat healthy challenge.

Here are the guidelines I came up with:

If it doesn't taste good, don't eat it.
Track what is going in your mouth.
Chill on the extra sugar.
Find your full point and listen to it.
Move more.
Find support from those around you and support yourself.

So some of these I've taken from being on weight watchers before, but overall, I want to eat healthy. I want to not feel self conscious about situations or going places. Talking about this in general is a huge step for me. I use to not be able to tell anyone about what I was doing or trying to do. This time, I'm just going to go for it. If I feel I have to hide something from people, I won't feel comfortable doing needed things to keep on track. I don't plan on buying TV ads or anything, but just know I have goals set and I'm going to keep working toward those. Thanks for your support and maybe challenge yourself to eat something healthy this week like a vegetable!

Self Improvement Sunday - August 23

2009-08-23T15:15:00.000-05:00

This Sunday has been such a great Self Improvement Sunday.

It all started with some Royal Pains. If you haven't checked out this show I strongly suggest you do. The last episode is this Thursday, but there are repeats on Saturday and Sunday. Royal Pains is a fun, witty show that takes place in the Hamptons. You watch senery filled with million dollar estates and half million dollar cars. Who doesn't want a glimpse at the "way" the rich Hampton weekenders live while being entertained by Hank, Evan and Divia? Check it out!
I have found a small niche of cleaning my room on the weekend. Doing this task clearly reminds me that I need more space. I then start to dream about having a kitchen, living room, second closet, and mostly storage. I need a bookshelf, place for my DVDs, linen closet and good chest of drawers. I feel my room has become a good reflection of my life - stuck between college and adulthood. That helps spur my townhome search!
I also did some much needed laundry. The part that isn't so fun about laundry is folding. I like folding much more than hanging things up, but I still dislike it. The washing and drying part is easy.
I was able to sign up for 20 something bloggers. I'm not sure where to get the badge I need to post it on my blog, but I'm going to poke around a little more. I am excited to join this blogging community and hope I can meet some great blogging/writing friends!
I set up a technorati login and messed around with my you tube channel. I'm not sure what to do with either really, but I'm going to check them out a little more and get back with you on that. I have one video I plan on sharing later this week. Get excited! If anyone knows what to do with technorati please share.
There is also this little thing called the West Wing which I keep watching. I'm pretty ready to have cable set up in my room. I love the West Wing, but I'm thinking some HGTV from the comfort of my own corner of the world would be celebrated.
Continued townhome search...I've decided that with the townhome I'm going to need some luck. It seems most large things in my life have come when I needed or most ready to recieve them - job, boyfriend, car, and a few other small things that I still feel lucky to have in the first place. I'm calling on my patience and going to keep on searching.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have had a great Self Improvement Sunday!