Christmas Contest

So, we had a Christmas party at work where there was a prize for the ugliest Christmas sweater. I won. I'm sure you can see why. Ugliest, most hideous, and homemade...and a special thanks goes out to Lisa who helped make this possible.

Yes. Those are cotton balls tacky glued to a t-shirt, with jingle bells for buttons, and a felt carrot nose with a felt top hat and scarf. Hideous!!! And a winner!!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

One of the ONLY things that I like about this time of year is that when it gets cold, that means it's time for FIRESIDE COFFEE!!! Woo-hoo!

I love holiday cheer.

I love the smell of fires burning in chimneys.

I love having a fire in our fireplace.

I LOVE sleeping when it's cold.

I love getting days off of work.

I love guiltless eating.

I love my Christmas tree.

I love Thanksgiving.

I love giving gifts.

And I really, really love Fireside Coffee!

In The Navy, In the Navy

Well, last weekend was the weekend that the ole Smith family headed up to Great Lakes, Illinois to watch our baby graduate from the Navy’s basic training. It was beautiful, emotional, heart wrenching, and exciting all at once.

None of us (except for Beau) had been to Chicago before, so that was a new experience. It was FREEZING! Holy cow! It was as cold in November as it gets the entire winter here. Much too cold and windy for me. The wind was biting. The air was cold. The sun never really came out…the sky was gray and cloudy. We arrived at O’Hare on Thursday evening, and made the 30-40 minute drive up to Great Lakes, grabbed a bite to eat, and settled into our hotel. We stayed at the Navy Lodge, which may not be the Hilton, but it was VERY affordable and clean. And did I mention close to the base? That was the best part! As soon as Andrew would call in the morning, we would race out and head down three traffic lights to pick him up. It was so great!

Friday morning we got up before it was light outside and headed to the base. We hadn’t seen him yet, and we were anxious to get to him. We had heard that we needed to get there super early to get a good seat and to get there before the division t-shirts ran out. (Each division gets to design their own flag, and then they make a limited number of t-shirts that match and sell them the morning of graduation.) We were definitely there early, got a great seat right in front of where Andrew’s division was supposed to stand, and waited, and waited, and waited. Totally worth the wait!!!
The PIR hall (graduation is called Pass In Review, or PIR) is a long warehouse looking building that seems as long as a football field. There is a roll up garage-like door that opens and each division marches in the door, down one “sideline”, and up the back “sideline”. Visitors sit along the front “sideline” as they watch each division come in and then take their place in the hall facing the visitors.
Andrew’s division was second to last to enter, so we were at the end of the hall. We saw his division march up, and we started hunting for Andrew. They all sort of look alike with their matching uniforms, hats, and shaved heads. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen was when I finally caught a glimpse of Andrew marching in with his head up and his shoulders back. It was absolutely beautiful. I can’t describe it, but I will never forget the way he looked. We all immediately burst in to tears (and I mean “we ALL”). We then made it through the rest of graduation, found Andrew afterwards, and then tried to beat a path out of there, lest he get stuck on base when we wanted him all to ourselves!
Dropping him off at the base each evening was terrible. It just sucked having to watch him walk back to his barracks each evening instead of getting to stay with the family. But the next morning, we did it all over again. We got to go into Chicago to the Navy Pier (freaking cold right on the water until we realized that we could walk inside…genius); went to the Sears Tower (I didn’t go up, but drove around the block a few dozen times because I couldn’t find parking that wasn’t illegal); went to a huge mall at Gurney Mills (similar to Grapevine Mills); and ate.
It was just so great to get to see Andrew, and laugh at his humor, and listen to him apologize to Mom over and over for swearing in front of her. A lady thanked him for his service while we were out, and he said, “Thank you, ma’am.” I cried when she told him that, and I really cried when he thanked her. He held doors open for people; he took his hat off when he went into buildings. He really has changed so much in so little time. He was sad to see us leave, and we were definitely sad to leave him. I wanted to pack him up in my suitcase and bring him home. But I didn’t, and he has already left basic training and arrived in Groton, Connecticut, where he will begin his A School on December 1. He doesn’t get to come home for Thanksgiving, but hopefully he will be able to get a few days at Christmas. Can’t wait to see him again, and I really can’t wait for Mike to get to see him. I am just so proud of Andrew, although I still say he might should have his head examined. Haha!

I am a proud (some might describe it as psycho) Navy sister!!!

I'm a Reader

Most of you know that I am a huge reader. I love reading; I am addicted to reading; I spend a ridiculous amount of my time with my nose in a book; I spend a ridiculous amount of money at bookstores; and I truly believe that people who don’t like to read just haven’t found what they like reading yet. This reading thing really works out well if you are married to a tv-aholic. Mike loves television. I love reading. So as long as I am deeply into a book, Mike gets to watch whatever he wants. Never mind that it is probably the same thing that was on Sportscenter 30 minutes ago, over and over again. But this isn’t a blog about the completely unoriginal and boring choice of tv programming that my husband chooses, so enough about him.

Fortunately for me, I am not that picky a reader. I will pretty much read anything that holds my attention. Unfortunately for me, I am a little bit picky about my authors. If I don’t like the way they write, then I cannot make myself get too deeply involved. That doesn’t mean that I am picky about the reading material; I just don’t like having to plow through a book. I read for enjoyment. I don’t find having to force myself to read a book as entertainment. It’s torture. Most of my reading is typically something that won’t be considered a classic in 100 years.

I like authors who don’t ramble on and on with descriptors. This is just too much for my pea brain to process, and I will never remember it. Then I have to go back and forth in the book trying to figure out what is who and who is what. Too much…too much. Unless, of course, it’s Stephen King, and then he can over describe and get all wordy if he wants. That’s because he’s Stephen King, and the man is a total and complete genius. But this isn’t a blog about the completely overwritten and totally ingenius writings of one of my favorite authors, so enough about him.

I love authors who write series of books based on the same character. (I think it’s why I had a slight addiction to Nancy Drew and Babysitters Club books. But who didn’t when they were in elementary and middle school?) And they don’t have to use the same main character in every book, but I do like when they at least reference them and there is a similar theme to all the books. I love Vince Flynn and Janet Evanovich, I used to like Patricia Cornwell, and I love my new favorite author Kay Hooper.

Now…onto what this blog post is really about. Kay Hooper. I found a book of hers that my mother gave me years ago. I decided I would give it a try, loved it, realized I was reading a book that was in the middle of a series, and subsequently decided to start at the very beginning. (I am hearing Sound of Music in my head right now…love it. “…start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. When you read, you begin with A,B,C…”) Anyway, I digress. I gathered all the books that my mom had of hers, and then I bought the rest. I only have two left, and boy are they good! Once I start one of them, I just can’t put them down! They are pretty weird. They aren’t the typical kind of stuff I read; they are about a special group of investigators in the FBI who are special because they have psychic abilities. Weird, right? I know! But I can’t help it; they are really good.

Now those who are really making fun of me now, remember that you laughed when I told you I was reading a fantastic series of books about vampires that my friend (and fellow reader) Leah told me about. And remember that you loved them too! So don’t knock it until you try it. That’s all I’m sayin’…

Not that I think that anyone cares what I am reading at the moment, but just in case you are ever looking for something good to read, you can try Kay Hooper. I highly recommend her.

Side Note: Just read Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. Not my favorite, but not terrible. I doubt I see the movie though.

Side Side Note: Vince Flynn has a new book coming out in T minus 4 days. Woo-hoo!!

Side Side Side Note: What sucks about reading and being hopelessly devoted to (hearing Grease in my head now) a “series” minded author is that when you have it delivered to your house the very day it is released, and then read it in a day and a half, you have to wait an ENTIRE year before they release the next one. That’s why it is a responsible decision to have many favorites with different release dates. “Reading dry spell” problem solved.

New Meaning to the Phrase "Snail Mail"

Okay, this probably isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but the craziest thing happened today at work. We got an envelope in the mail that was undeliverable to the person to which the letter had been addressed. I don't even remember where it was going; I think it was Florida. Anyway, the sender was definitely from our address and suite number...from 14 YEARS ago! Yeah! 14 years.

We weren't even here 14 years ago. It was a packet of information mailed out May 19, 1994, it was marked undeliverable because the recipient was not there any longer, and then returned to the sending address. 14 years later.

A whole new meaning to the phrase "Snail Mail".

Totally Lost

Our email at work is down due to a server issue. I don't know what to do with myself! At least I still have my personal email. I would say that 95% of my job is done through email; so I am at a major standstill. This is going to be a LONG day...

O.C.T.O.B.E.R.

This is a shout out to my sibs…for only they can truly appreciate what October means to me. :) This is to be said in a chant-like singsong-like way. I can and will perform this for anyone who has an interest in actually witnessing this train wreck of a rhyme.

O.C.T.O.B.E.R
Halloween brings us a candy bar.
(Hand gestures consist of bringing your right and then left hand up to your mouth alternately as though eating a candy bar.)
Christopher Columbus has a holiday.
(Hand gesture here is hand above eyes at brow as though an explorer looking at far away land.)
Fall is here and winter’s on the way.
(Cross one arm over chest during “Fall is here”; cross other arm over chest during “Winter’s on the way”; arms should now both be crossed over chest.)
Brrrrrrr.
(With arms crossed over chest, shiver action while saying “Brrrrr.”)

Also a big shout out to Ms. Jeter at Jane Long Elementary for teaching that nice little rhyme to all four of the Smith kids in a span of over 7 years.

**We had a rhyme like this for every month…is it weird that it’s the only one that any of us can remember? Furthermore, is it weird that even a single one of us (let alone all 4 of us) can remember the words AND motions?

I've Been Tagged - This is a first...

Well, I’ve been tagged by Julie. I have never been tagged before, and I haven’t blogged in forever…so here goes.

1. Where was I 10 years ago?

10 years ago, I was in college at Abilene Christian University, was having the best time, making tons of new friends during pledging, and working hard on my major, Communication Disorders.

2. What was on my To Do List today?

Where to begin...hmmm.

- Work.
- Leave work at 4:00 since I got here before it was even light outside (which was only 7:00). :)
- Go home, cook, and read for about an hour.
- Go to my (and Candas') class for small business starter uppers...this is our last class of this session.
- Come home and go to bed.

Pretty darn exciting day I have.

3. What would I do if I were a billionaire?

Pay off my school loans, first and foremost.
Pay off my family's and Mike's family's debts - all of them.
Set aside money for each person in our family to do something with, whatever they wanted to do with it.
Start college funds for my future kids, Gaite, Paige, and any other future nieces and nephews.
Give a lot of it to church, Samaritan Inn, and the Alzheimer's Association.
Travel, travel, travel.
Sock the rest away where neither Mike or I could touch it...so that we weren't poor in a matter of minutes. :)

4. 5 Places I've Lived:
- Abilene, TX: born, raised, college
- Lewisville/Carrollton, TX: first and second apt after college
- Addison, TX: first apt after getting married
- Dallas, TX: crack shack that Mike and I moved to in the ghetto
- McKinney, TX: our first home that we bought together and where we currently reside

5. Bad Habits:
- Saying "Um" all the freaking time! Sounds so unintelligent, and yet, I can't stop.
- Eating dessert after practically every meal.
- Not good at keeping in touch with old friends...in fact, I am terrible at that.
- There are lots more, but I don't want to be too self-deprecating, if you don't mind. Thank you very much.

I tag Lisa, James, Chad, Sherry, Alison. (For the record, I don't care if you don't respond to this on your blog by completing this. I am just short on material lately and thought this could enlighten a few of you.)

TTFN

My New Favorite Thing

My new favorite thing is iced coffee. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, for I was thinking it myself just a few short months ago. But then my father-in-law got an iced coffee from McDonalds. I wasn't quite convinced until I tried it myself a week or two later. Now I am a believer...a firm believer.

I recently saw a post on Smitten Kitchen on cold brewed iced coffee. Very simple and very delicious. I must say, I am hooked! I would rather make my own cold brewed iced coffee than buy McDonald's or Starbuck's iced coffee. Not that their's isn't good. It's just a little bitter, where the cold brewed iced coffee is almost sweeter. If you don't believe me, try it yourself. It's super easy and totally painless. You won't be disappointed!

Tropic Thunder - Worst Movie of the Season

Don't go see it. If you decide to NOT heed my advice, at least do yourself a favor and rent it so that you can turn it off when you realize that you should have listened to my valuable advice. That's all I have. Later I plan on discussing the Democratic National Convention. I just have to figure out a way to do it in a non-partisan way. :) More on that later.

You So Funny, Mr Grizzly Adams

If there is one thing I love about my husband, it’s the way he makes me laugh. Now, he can also make me not laugh, like when he is being a pig-headed ignoramous…but that’s not what this is about. It’s about how he makes me laugh. Sometimes it’s the things he says; sometimes it’s the way he looks; sometimes it’s the terrible jokes he tells and then says something like “I am just like my father” (which by the way also makes me laugh because even if no one else thinks his dad’s jokes are funny, I normally do).

Sometimes it’s the funny things he does on a dare. We love to bet each other to do stupid stuff and we love to dare each other to do even more ridiculous stuff. Normally a bet would consist of something silly like the time Mike bet me lunch that I wouldn’t wear my camo shorts that I bought in the men’s section at Target with my unmatching camo shirt that I got when I worked at Legacy. Oh, and did I forget to mention that I had to wear it to small group in front of all my friends? He almost had me convinced to wear knee high striped socks with my cowboy boots…with the camo. I got all dressed up, socks and boots included, came out of the bedroom and Mike said that it was too much with the socks and boots. YOU THINK? That got me laughing. The socks and boots were too much? Not the camo men’s shorts that are WAY too big and the unmatching camo shirt from a former employer? I could not stop laughing. And then I had to walk down the street dressed in that get-up to small group, which was around the corner. The things I will do for a free lunch. I should be ashamed.

One time he asked me if I thought that he should grow out a mustache. Oh yes, I do. I think a mustache is a great idea. It looked like the boys in middle school that don’t shave yet, but almost need to. It was hilarious! And he went out in public like that. Everytime we would leave a place, we would die laughing and wonder if the people inside were laughing as hard as we were. (And as hard as I am laughing now just thinking about it. Seriously, tears are streaming down my face.)



He grew out a fu man chu once for a friend’s wedding. What was he thinking? Probably that it would get a good laugh out of me. And it did. He made it the whole weekend with that thing. Everytime I looked at him I would start giggling. I couldn't stop.

These are all entertaining stories that you can think about for the rest of the day. But I wanted to leave you a little bit of a visual as well. Mike was growing his hair out once, and he loved to put his hair in a samari ponytail. I love it. I can’t stop laughing!!!!!

My Life As I Imagined...And My Life In Reality

I was reading Pioneer Woman the other day and she had an entry about whether or not your life turned out like you thought it would, like you had planned for it to turn out.

She asks:
How similar is your life now to how you imagined it ten years ago? Twenty years ago? Are you exactly where you imagined you’d be? Or are you constantly asking yourself, “How did I get here?” Do you mourn the unrealized plans in your life? Or are you happy no matter what your circumstances?

Some of the responses she got were about how happy people were with where their life was, but a lot of them were really, really sad. They were people talking about how miserable their life was, or about how their kid was in the hospital with a terminal disease, or about how they had made a lot of mistakes along the way, and so on.

I have been thinking about where my life is a lot lately. This post on Pioneer Woman made me contemplate even further. I can honestly say that I absolutely adore my life. It is hardly what I thought it would be in some ways, and exactly what everyone hopes for in other ways. Some days are pretty darn hard. Other days are so happy, how can I even complain about the ones that aren’t?

Am I where I thought I would be 10 years ago? Not even close. But would I trade it for what I naively thought that I wanted? Not a chance.

Let’s start with 10 years ago…I had just finished my freshman year in college (Holy crap!!! That was 10 years ago?!?!). I had just started dating someone who was a year older and had completely different friends than did I. The relationship was doomed from the start, but we generally enjoyed each other’s company. I was serious about school. I couldn’t lose my scholarship; that would have spelled disaster for my college plans. Heck, I could barely get enough financial aid to stay in school. I sure wasn’t going to jeopardize it any further by not having good enough grades to keep the free money I was getting. I was working like a dog to afford life. And I was having a blast. I had a ton of friends, almost all of which had the same beliefs that I did and liked to have fun the way that I did.

I had HUGE dreams. I was going somewhere. (That meant, somewhere outside of Abilene.) I was going to succeed professionally; I was going to make a difference in the world; I was on a career-minded mission. I guess somewhere in there I was going to eventually find a relationship that wasn’t doomed from the start. I had zero plans for children.

I still have huge dreams. It’s just that now they are totally different than they were back then. My focus has gradually changed. I want a fulfilling job that allows me to be with my family as much as possible. Right now, it’s just Mike and me, but we hope to eventually have kids. I want to be able to focus on that aspect of my life as much as possible. I can’t imagine working in a high-powered position that didn’t allow me to go home at the end of my day and leave my job at work. Sometimes it is really hard for me to accept that I am in a job that is not satisfying and not at all prestigious. In fact, a monkey could do my job. Seriously. But the thought of trading that to go back to my high-stress health care job, where I honestly felt like I was making a difference, makes me cringe.

Do I mourn this change of plans? Absolutely not. While I may have a job that I find less than satisfactory, I still have a job. A job that allows me to go home to the teeny tiny house that I am madly in love with and is the product of our hard work. I love that I love to come home to my husband, dogs, and home. Does that make me a “desperate housewife”???? I guess so. And I'm okay with that.

4th Anniversary Staycation

Last week Mike and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. It seems like just yesterday that we got married, but in some ways it feels like forever. In a good way. I almost can’t remember what life was like without Mike. Then again, Mike and I went out on our first date over 9 years ago, and we were friends for awhile before that. Essentially, Mike has been in my life for right at 10 years. That’s about a third of my life. So that’s what I mean by it “feels like forever”…

We celebrated our anniversary this past weekend. We went on a staycation!!! Mike surprised me by planning the whole thing. He just told me when and where and took care of all the details. We had such a great time! We left the house and drove to downtown McKinney, where we went to a little bed and breakfast that Mike found. The B&B is an old house called the Dowell House. http://www.dowellhouse.com/ It is 130 years old, and was built by an influential family in McKinney. It was also the house used in the Benji movie. It’s been owned by the current owners and run as a bed and breakfast for the last 18 years. It is such a quaint house. Our room was on the second floor and had its own private balcony. There were doors in the room that opened up onto the balcony, which was huge! There were plants and trees all around to shade and make it private. There was a table with two chairs, an awning, and a hot tub. The owners really didn’t miss a thing. We had everything we could think of. There was even make-up removal pads, face masks, Off at the balcony door for mosquitoes…everything we could possibly think of.

We got all dressed up and then headed over to a restaurant downtown in McKinney on the square called Goodhues. http://www.goodhuesgrill.com/ It was so yummy! Mike and I both had fish: he had mahi-mahi and I had sautéed tilapia. It was incredible food. The service was impeccable. I highly recommend it; it’s a great date place. The owners of the place we stayed said they have the most delicious steaks too. We’ll have to try the steaks next time.

The next morning, we were served breakfast in the dining room. We had oven baked French toast that was in corning ware dishes. It had a great cinnamon and pecan sauce at the bottom, a cream cheese filling, with the bread baked on top. Oh my – it was rich and oh so good! Even I couldn’t finish it, and I rarely think anything is too rich. After breakfast, Mike and I headed home to let the dogs out and get ready for our day.

It was a sweet and memorable anniversary. Mike has a lot to live up to for future anniversaries now! And I am sure looking forward to them!!

#1 Redskins Fan

We have a winner folks! It's the number 1 Redskins fan! Little baby Jefferson is such a fan. It's a shame his dad is the number 1 Dallas Cowboys fan... Take a look at happy little Jefferson. He just loves it at the Belknap house.

Here he is lounging on the Redskins blanket that my mom made for Mike. He looks so comfy. I doubt he has a blanket this cool at his house. Poor guy.

Look how much he loves wearing clothes too! (By the way, he was a lot happier about wearing this than Reagan or Roxy ever is...honest.)

Man oh man! That little Jefferson is the cutest thing. He just looks up at you with the sweetest most innocent face. He and Roxy had the greatest time playing. They ran and ran and ran until they could run no more. They wrestled together over and over. Then they would wrap their heads around each other's necks likes giraffes to rest before they started wrestling again. It was so cute. Poor Roxy never has anyone to play with. Reagan, which I'm sure is no surprise, does not like to play with pesky Roxy. But Jefferson sure does.

Oh, and you don't want to miss this - I got Mike an "I love you" gift. This is what it DID look like:

This is what it NOW looks like: (Side note...Kyle, when did you teach Jefferson this trick?)

Little Bits of Nonsensical Information

If you don’t want to completely waste your valuable time, you should stop reading now. If you are interested in a crazy mind at work, then read on…I normally only share these thoughts with those closest to me, but since they are probably the only ones reading this, then I am sure they won’t be surprised or find it a total waste of time…hopefully.

So, I asked Mike the other day if he thought people would think it weird if I told them that our dogs’ middle names were “Bacon” and “Kins”. I know it’s KIND of weird, but is it REALLY weird? I always call the dogs Reagan Bacon and Roxy Kins (although I normally say Roxykins, like it’s one word…so I guess that wouldn’t make it a middle name, it would make Roxy a kind of nickname. But that’s beside that point.). I only call them those names though if I am not calling them Sister. They are sisters, and I think they should recognize each other as such. So it’s a kind of reinforcement to continually call my two totally unrelated and different bred dogs “sisters”. Probably not something that I should share with anyone or that Mike wants me to share. But now it’s totally out in the open.

Another thing…I really get on these kicks where I am obsessed with something and can’t get enough of it. There are two very important things I am obsessing about right now (I can TOTALLY hear my dad saying, “Stop obsessing, Jennifer!”). One being Cristina’s tortilla soup. Yuummmmyyyyyyy!!!! Can’t get enough. In fact, I made some homemade tortilla soup on Sunday, and I was not disappointed. I even had it again on Monday to satisfy the urge. The second obsession right now is BBC America’s Robin Hood. If you haven’t seen it, don’t knock it. If you have seen it, then you know the acting is completely horrendous and totally addicting. I freaking love that show! Whoever thought that up was a bloody genius. I am currently trying to figure out how to rent season one of the show. We caught the end of season 1 and are now deep into season 2. I feel that it is very important to get all the background info that may have been presented to the viewer early in season 1. What if I am missing some vital piece of information that is hindering my total understanding of the current episodes? Alas, my local Blockbuster does not carry this breathtakingly splendiferous foreign tv show. How irritating. I will have to venture to the next Blockbuster which is a few short blocks from my current Blockbuster. Maybe they will have a better selection for my viewing pleasure.

Ciao.

Down In The Dumps

All day on Monday (and really the whole weekend), I was kind of “down in the dumps”. I was just having a hard day. I couldn’t make a decision for myself; I felt like nothing was going my way; I was pretty mopey. It was just an all around crappy day. I had even flaked out on going to Mike’s volleyball game…and I rarely miss the games. I just wanted to go home and read.

I had to go to Target after work to buy some toiletries that we needed days ago but that I hadn’t been able to make myself go out and get over the weekend. Mike volunteered to go for me, which was SUCH a blessing. I just wanted to go home, prop my feet up, and open up the book I was going to start. Mike was already home from the store when I made it home and he had a surprise waiting for me…

It was a double boiler!!!!!! I was so happy!!!!! What a great ending to my crappy day and my crabby attitude! I have wanted one of those darn things for a while, but I hadn’t wanted to spend my birthday money quite yet. So I was procrastinating. Well, wait no more! I had one sitting pretty on my stove. I can’t wait until my 10 day diet is over so that I can use it! Oh the things I can make with melted chocolate…

God is so good (and not just because of melted chocolate in a double boiler)! He has given me so much for which to be thankful. I know it is so important to remember, even in the midst of a crabby attitude kind of day, that God has blessed me greatly. It may not include the blessings that I think I deserve and am patiently waiting for (whilst tapping my foot and huffing out my breath), but I can hardly complain about the blessings of a wonderful and generous husband, a job, family and friends that I adore, and so on and so forth.

Stuff Christians Like Blog

My two sisters are teaching VBS together at our home church. Jayme mentioned something on her blog that cracked me up…orange “juice” (meaning a form of artificially flavored orange drink) and sandwich cookies (not to be confused with Oreos). Orange drink…not too bad if you don’t consider the rate at which your teeth are rotting with each drink you take. Sandwich cookies…just not the same thing as Oreos. Just not the same thing at all. The orange drink and sandwich cookies will always remind me of VBS as a kid. I guess 20-something years later they are still serving the same stuff!

This subject reminds me of a blog that my friend Warner told me about. http://stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com

Those who grew up in an old school Church of Christ, or probably any Protestant church for that matter, will appreciate the humor in what he talks about. I started reading from the bottom and am working my way up. He mentions things that I had completely forgotten about or just haven’t paid notice to in a while. Like sandwich cookies instead of Oreos, or puppets at VBS, or youth group drama about teen pregnancy, and stuff that, well, that Christians like.

Anyway, very interesting and entertaining…especially if you are a product of the Woodlawn Church of Christ environment, and I suspect any other similar church.

Just a flashback for those that did go to VBS at Woodlawn – a song that went suspiciously like this:
Please don’t curse, please don’t curse
I can’t think of anything that’s worse.
Please don’t smoke, please don’t smoke
Feed your tobacco to a billy goat.
Don’t drink booze, don’t drink booze
Spend your money on a coat and shoes.

And with that…I’m out.

You and the Navy. Full Speed Ahead

Well, it's official. My brother and brother-in-law have now joined the Navy. (Side note: I realize this is a picture of Uncle Sam calling people to the Army, but it serves it's purpose here.) This is an exciting and nerve-wracking time for my family. Andrew and Beau have been talking about this for awhile, but the time finally arrived.

Monday, Andrew came down on the shuttle from Abilene to go to MEPS, Military Entrance Processing Station. Mike and I went to visit him at his hotel that night in downtown Dallas. He was SO nervous. I have never seen him so anxious. This is my brother who never gets worked up about anything. I mean, he gets worked up, but for the most part is quite unresponsive and unexcitable. I could not believe how jittery he was. Although, when you think of signing your life over to the government for four years, that will definitely work your nerves! Anyway, Tuesday morning Andrew was standing in line when a nurse came up to him and pulled him out of line. She said that he was pasty white and asked him if he was feeling okay. When he told her that he was sick to his stomach (nerves, no doubt), she immediately pulled him out of line and told him that he would have to wait until the next day to do his physical and paperwork. He was supposed to be going home that night!! Not anymore. Now he was sitting in a room all by himself for the rest of the day waiting to get back to his hotel room to anxiously and nervously await the next day. At this point, his mother and sisters were calling him incessantly to make sure that he was okay and to make sure that this is what he wanted to do. I was a nervous wreck all day! I was crying at the drop of a hat; my stomach was jumping constantly; and every time my phone rang I was getting that sick to my stomach feeling. Oh it was so horrible and draining.

The next day he got up and headed back and got through the physical. Then came the paperwork and career counseling part. Andrew had decided that he wanted to be a Master at Arms, which is the Navy military police. They told him that he couldn't do that, that he had to be a missile technician. They told him he had to do that or he couldn't be in the Navy. Ever. (Which, by the way, I was calling serious bull on because since when is the military turning able-bodied men away????) Because Andrew scored really high on his testing, they wanted him to do something that fewer people test high enough for. So they had him sign a contract for a missile technician on a submarine. Of course, this is pending a lot of testing that they have to go through to determine whether they can stand to be in an underwater tin can for long periods of time. (Pretty sure I would fail those tests big time...Pretty sure they wouldn't allow a doggie paddling woman on a sub anyway, but that's beside the point.) So Andrew was sworn in on Wednesday afternoon and then went back to Abilene.

Beau headed to Dallas for MEPS on Thursday, and went through his process on Friday. I think he considered doing submarine work as well, but he decided against it because he would be away from Jayme, Gaite, and Paige too much. He wanted to be a Master at Arms and be a diver as well. Divers are apparently in high demand, so I am sure they were thrilled to see Beau come through!! This is a great opportunity for him, and it gives him some reassurance that his family will have the benefits that they need. Especially with two new little babies! He was sworn in Friday afternoon and headed back to his family that evening.

All in all, I think that this is a great opportunity for Andrew because he finally feels like he is doing something with his life. I must agree. I am so excited that he has found something that he is excited about and is considering doing as a career. I am excited about the opportunity for Beau because this is a stepping stone in his future goals for law enforcement. Both of them are leaving in a few months for Basic Training. I will keep you posted as things progress. We are so proud of them!!!

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me!

I had such a nice birthday yesterday. I am so blessed and so lucky to have the family and friends that I have. As most of you know, my in-laws are here visiting. My father-in-law’s birthday is two days before mine, so Monday we went to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate. We all had yummy steaks and their yummy rolls (with cinnamon butter…whoever dreamed up that concoction is a genius). Then Mike and I headed to downtown Dallas to visit Andrew who was here to go to MEPS, which is the process in which to join the Navy (More on that later. It definitely deserves its own post.). ***Side note here: I am fairly comfortable with my grammar and such, but for some reason struggle with punctuation when parenthesis are involved. So pardon the parenthetical mistakes. Thank you very much.***

Anyway, back to my birthday. Four of my coworkers, who have all become friends, took me out to eat yesterday. I got to decide where to go, and I chose the Café Brazil down the street from work. I got the chicken crepes with the rosemary potatoes. Can I say, “Delish!”? It was so fantastic. Then we had dessert. Four of them to be exact. Two pieces of chocolate lovers cake, one piece of Italian Cream Cake, and a piece of Dulce de Leche cheesecake. Holy cow! But that was definitely the best part of the meal. Of course, true to form, it sure did make my stomach hurt…well, that and my brother joining the military, but seriously, more on that later. My stomach hurt so bad that we had to cancel our birthday dinner plans. Bummer! You know how much I enjoy my food. So we rescheduled for tonight, and let me assure you, I will not be doing anything to jeopardize my dining experience for the evening. We are going to go to Prairie House. It has come highly recommended. Can’t wait!

Now that I have talked about food the ENTIRE time, let me tell you what I got for my birthday. I got the CUTEST little serving bowl and plate from this chocolate company that also has gift items. I saw them this past weekend while at the Belknap family reunion and just gushed over them. So Mike went back in and got them for me. I was so surprised when I opened the bag! I also got American Express gift cards. I have been complaining that I don’t have anything to wear, so this is the perfect opportunity to buy some new clothes. I have such a hang up about spending gift cards, so it may take me a while to actually use them. You know…the old “once you spend them, they’re gone” hang up. I can’t help it. I’m insane.

Well, this is my last birthday before the big 3-0. Yikes! Guess I will just have to enjoy my 20’s while they last!

Hello? Hello? Anyone There?

Well...I'm back. I know it's been awhile, but things have been very very hectic. By very very hectic, I mean I have been super lazy. I don't even know where to begin on the last three weeks since I last posted. I guess first things first.

Kim and Shane got married!! We had rehearsal and then ate at Aparicio's on the square in McKinney. The food was GREAT! I had tilapia and loved it! Mike and I had never been there and will definitely be back. Then some of the girls came over and spent the night. Saturday morning we got up and met everyone else at La Madaleine's. We all went back to the hotel, laid out at the pool, and then got ready for the wedding.

It was at such a quaint little place in downtown McKinney called Surrey House. http://surreyhs.com. They have the cutest place with a great gazebo in the back yard. They set up all the tables and chairs, make all the food, make beautiful and tasty cakes, and the place needs very little decoration. It is an old house that has been restored. The wedding was very special and it was so great for all our friends to be back and all in the same place! It is so rare these days that we are all able to get together.

I just know that Kim and Shane will be so happy. They have waited a long time for this day. Mike and I say congratulations and best wishes!!!!!!!

Gaite And Paige

Look how freaking cute my little niece and nephew are. They are finally really starting to grow. They are so sweet. This was at 2 months old.



I can't wait to see them again, so that I can nibble on them. They are just cute enough to eat!

New Blog Design

As you can see, I changed my blog design and in doing so erased most of my extras that I had on there. So, in the next few days (probably over the weekend), I am going to be adding my pictures back, adding my blogs that I stalk, adding websites that I frequent, etc.

I think I have a long ways to go before I start qualifying myself as a computer genius!

Diet Update

Well, the last day of my diet came and went. I lost 4 pounds total! Not bad for a 10 day diet (with little exercise).

I realized the day before that I hadn't had dessert, candy, or anything the whole time. So last night I made chocolate oatmeal cookies. YUMMY!!! This morning, I had gained back a pound of what I lost. So worth it for that little bit of chocolate-y goodness that I enjoyed. Then I sent the majority of them with Mike for him to give away at work. I don't want all of my work to be for nothing, right? I did save 3 for my lunch today...I can't help it! I love dessert! It's truly a weakness.

Now my goal is to maintain and get into shape. It doesn't help to lose it if you're still flabby! My goal is to work out at least twice a week. I am shooting for 3 times a week, but I am sandbagging a little to make myself look good when it ends up being only 2 times a week. :) I will keep you updated on my progress.

I am SOOO Sore!

Man! I am so sore! I can't believe how sore I am from dodgeball. I felt it creeping up on me before we left the Middle School devo last night, and sure enough, I am feeling it today. I know Mike is too. I haven't had such a great workout in quite awhile. And I am wiped out today. I think I will be turning in early to recoup. How sad! :) And I have a bruise on my ring finger on my right hand. It is big and purple and it hurts! Ewwww.

Middle School Devo

Tonight, instead of small group, we went to the middle school devo. James did a devo for them, and several of us went in support. We had SUCH a great time! It really was a blast! When we first got there, I have to admit, I was a little intimidated. There were tons of kids. There were several boys playing basketball, and little groups of girls all around giggling and talking. I commented right then..."Wow. It doesn't change much when you are adults, does it?" It looked like our group. Boys playing basketball, and the girls sitting around talking. I am sure the subject matter was different...maybe. :)

After playing around waiting for everyone to arrive, we prayed and then had pizza for dinner. (Don't worry, I didn't cheat on my diet. I waited to eat until I got home. Painstakingly waited until I got home. That pizza was calling my name!) After eating, we sang a few songs led by some of the boys. They were so sweet! I hadn't heard some of those songs since 9:00 devo. ACU'ers will know what I am talking about. They were so great. The pitch was a little high for me, but I have a man voice, so that really isn't surprising. Then James did a devo about gossiping. Good for kids and adults to hear, thank you very much. He did a great job.

THEN...we got down to business. We played dodgeball. Holy cow! We played adults against the middle schoolers. We won the first game. We lost the second game. We lost third game. WHAT???? Yeah, we were down by a game. Then we came back with a vengeance, thanks to Mike who was our sole survivor and took out 4 girls who had managed to stay in the game. We just played and played and had a really great time.

I really admire Bryan and Heather for their commitment to this group. They are doing a great job, and you can tell the kids adore them. It was also a really great group of kids. I hope they enjoyed having us there as much as we enjoyed being there. It sure did make me feel sick when one of the kids called us old! I am sure we are ancient to them! I have not had that much fun since our kickball practice last year. I can't wait until our rematch against the middle school kids. Revenge is ours!!!!! We may have to recruit others to our cause! ;)

My New Diet

I decided that I was going to start the Leslie Sansone diet this last Monday. She provides 10 days of meal plans and exercise plans. It is very realistic, albeit too little food for one such as myself, and easy to do. I have stuck to it pretty well. I did fall off the wagon a bit on Tuesday when I joined the ladies from work for our weekly tradition...40 cent wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. I thoroughly enjoyed my 8 Garlic Parmesian wings with celery and blue cheese. By the way, they are seriously not on my diet. Anyhow, I have tried and tried to stick to it the rest of the week, without the exercise portion, of course. I was going to try and try on that part, but I figured I was suffering enough on the diet part that I didn't need to put my body through that kind of shock and torture.

Also, on Wednesday I waited too long to eat and didn't have a snack in between meals, which meant that I was doomed for the gall bladder attack that followed. How does one with no gall bladder have gall bladder attacks you say? Good question. It is what Mike and I like to call PGBS, or Phantom Gall Bladder Syndrome (think along the lines of Phantom Limb Syndrome and you get the gist). After I ate, I felt tons better. And guess what???? I am 3 pounds down!!!! Horray! And in only 4 full days of dieting with no exercise. I really wonder what I could accomplish if I would ever do anything all the way and stick it out. My potential would be endless. (I hope you are appreciating my self-deprecating humor.) :)

Anyway, I will post the end results on day 11. I have 5 more days to go. Maybe I can lose 3 more. Keep your fingers crossed that I make it through the weekend.

The Biggest Loser

What can I say? I am a Biggest Loser junkie. I freaking love that show! I cry every time I watch it. The contestants are so sweet. They have worked so hard and are so proud of themselves, and with their new bodies have come new attitudes and higher self-esteem. I was pulling for the first female biggest loser in Biggest Loser history. I even went online last week and voted for Mark because I knew that if Roger won the vote that he would win the whole thing. It would ruin the women's chances of winning the whole show.

So tonight is the two hour live finale. And guess who won...

ALI!!! That is so exciting. She lost 112 pounds. Amazing!

I just love that show.

Spiritual Gifts Assessment

I went to www.highpointechurchofchrist.org and took the spiritual gifts assessment, and I was surprised by some of my gifts and unsurprised by some. We heard such a great sermon on Sunday about spiritual gifts; and I read James Nored's blog entry about others struggling to know what their gifts are and how to use them. So I decided to figure out what my strengths were and how I can use them.

I felt during the question and answer part that I was answering negatively to so much. There are so many questions about sharing your faith and ministering to others, and while I have a firm belief in God, I have such a hard time sharing my faith with unbelievers. I can talk about it all day long with my fellow Christians, but I am really shy about sharing with others. Well, now I know why! It isn't one of my strengths. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be a focus, but it's understandable why it's hard for me.

Most of my strenghts are pretty obvious to me. Administration (Tasks) is my #1. Duh...who wouldn't have known that? I love to organize and make sure everyone is on task to get the job at hand completed. I am like that at home, at work, at church. I carry my planner everywhere I go to make sure that I am not missing anything. What a great way to be able to help at church! It reminds me of organizing class materials for each individual class and theme for last year's VBS. No wonder I enjoyed it.

Helping was #2. I am truly my parents' daughter. My mother is a social worker and my dad is always including "less fortunate" people in our Thanksgiving celebration. I am often a volunteer for doing things that directly benefit others. I love helping those who are less fortunate (a characteristic of my mother) and including those who might otherwise have nowhere to go (a definite characteristic of my dad).

Prayer was #3. I struggle with my prayer life. I believe in the power of prayer. I pray daily for others, my family, my friends, my life, knowledge and wisdom to do what is right, and so on and so forth. I also am trying to gain more maturity in my prayer life. I don't like rote prayer, but it seems as though my prayers are often repetitive and redundant from day to day. I yearn to be able to pray mature prayers and also to pray in confidence in a group (that one is a REAL struggle). How intimate is your prayer life when it consists of your deepest and darkest thoughts; how difficult to share that vulnerability with others????? Definitely something I need to work on. But be sure that I am always praying for those that have requested it and that I see need it. I do believe that even an immature prayer can move mountains.

#4 for me was Mercy. Ohhhh, where to begin. Mike always promises me that one day I can get my non-profit job that won't pay the bills. I so look forward to making that move and helping the less fortunate in a way that I can't now. Again, probably something that I got from my mother, but I ache for those who ache, hurt for those that hurt, cry with those who cry, and make jokes so that all of the above can laugh. I am quite self-deprecating in such instances, and sometimes self-deprecation is quite humerous.

Last but not least was Service. I often end up doing things that others don't like doing. Not because I like them, but because they need to be done.

Now that I know what my gifts are, I can feel good about the way I use them. I mentioned at small group last night that sometimes people just assume that I will like teaching a class at church. I know that most women enjoy (or are at least good at) teaching children. I am not particularly good at it, and I really don't enjoy it. I love helping in class (note gift #2), but I am not much of a teacher. Now I know why and I don't have to be embarrassed that I don't like doing it. I think that gives me more direction in choosing an area in which I will be enthusiastic about serving.

Not that this gives me an excuse to not attempt to grow in the other areas. Evangelism, ministry, teaching, shepherding...these are all at the bottom of my spiritual gifts chart. These are pretty important aspects of my faith. I need to be able to share my faith with those who don't believe. I need to feel confident enough in my knowledge to share it with others. I need to not be afraid that I am cramming my beliefs in another's face. I can only imagine how my faith will grow when I am able to share it with others and see them grow! While working to put my strengths to work in my life, I hope that I can further my spiritual walk by sharing it with others.

Thunderstorms and Tornados

At 4:00 this morning, I was awakened to the sound of rain pelting my roof and wind blowing my house down. It sounded like a freight train was rushing towards my house. Being from West Texas, I know that is not a good sound. So I thought that Mike probably needed to wake up so that I could run my "I think there is a tornado" theory by him. As soon as he was awake, we heard the sirens going off. (Side note: Mike isn't a real big fan of tornados. Apparently in Northern Virginia they don't get them. Who doesn't get tornados?) Anyway...We jumped out of bed, I told him to run get Andrew, I grabbed Reagan and Roxy, and off we went to cram into our closet.

Now, for some reason Andrew was not nearly as concerned as we were, and I had to send Mike back out to go get Andrew because he still hadn't made it into the closet. When that didn't work, I headed out and there he was digging in the fridge. I think the conversation went something like this: "Are you insane? There is a tornado and you are jacking around looking for food!?! Get in there right now!" Then I thought about how we didn't have any emergency supplies. So I went in search of a flashlight, 1 bottle of water (for three adults and two dogs, I might add), and my alarm clock so that we could watch the time slowly tick by waiting for the storm to pass. By the time I got everything gathered up and got us all crammed into our closet, we only had to wait approximately 5-7 minutes before we were out of the worst part of the storm.

Then I had to get my clock plugged back in by the bed, set the time and the alarm for 45 minutes later when I was to be getting out of bed. I can only imagine that the rest of our street was sleeping peacefully as the storm waged outside, while my house was scrambling trying to get in our "storm shelter". Meanwhile, Andrew is laughing at us the entire time because he obviously thinks that I am totally crazy and Mike just goes along with it...

Will my life ever be normal?

Gaite And Paige

Mike and I recently became an uncle and aunt. A first for both of us. We are so thrilled with the arrival of my sister's twins. Gaite and Paige are about the cutest things ever. I must say, I am truly in love with them. I love being an aunt! It is so exciting and they are just terrific. They were so tiny when I first rushed to Abilene to catch my first glimpse. Gaite has been steadily getting bigger and bigger, while Paige has been gaining weight at a much slower pace. That poor little baby has acid reflux and just can't seem to hold much down. Gaite doesn't seem to have a problem with that. That chubby little baby has the cutest fat tummy.

My sister sent me the sweetest pictures them. They just turned 6 weeks old. Is it possible it has already been 6 weeks?!? They are getting so big. Here are some pics of them.

Here they are sleeping together in the hospital. Gaite is on the left, Paige is on the right.

Again, in the hospital with G on the left and P on the right.

Here they are (G on left, P on right), where they are sleeping together and little Gaite is sucking on Paige's finger. How freaking cute is that? I love these babies. They are so special and such a blessing to our family. I can't wait to see how they grow!

I've Arrived At Last

Well...here it is...my first blog entry. I have been blog stalking so many people for so long, contemplating creating my own blog. I have done it at last. I am so very excited! I am going to bore everyone with useless information that no one will care about. I will be neither witty nor will I be insightful. This is soley intended to curb my blogging appetite. I am sorry if you came by expecting more, but I do hope that you will come back!