Running with the Ward's

Back in the Saddle Again

2012-01-23T16:23:00.000-06:00

It is time I get back in the old blogging saddle! I definitely want to update frequently after we move for my faithful readers (do I have any??) as well as my own documentation! I love reading back over posts from past years! We are scheduled to leave Dallas on Saturday, February 25th at 6:40 pm and will arrive in LA at 8:00 pm. We leave LA at 10:00 pm and arrive in Auckland at 8:00 am on Monday, February 27th! The flight from LA to Auckland is 13 hours but we lose an entire day during the flight. On the return trip from Auckland to Dallas, you take off and land at almost the exact same time! So we will have to wait 18 months to get that day back. My company has arranged for a car to pick us up and for 30 days of temporary housing at the Connaught Apartments which are less then half a mile from my office. The packers are coming on February 2nd to pack and move our belongings. Then we will stay with my parents until we leave. It has been crazy trying to get everything in order at work and home for a move across the country! Things are starting to fall into place but we are both stressed about all the details. I just keep trying to tell myself to relax and what happens, happens! That seems to be the only way to deal with everything since all the details seem to be constantly changing. I'm not going to try and catch up on my blogging entirely but there are a few fun trips we took this past fall and winter that I want to document. We had our new camera for some of the trips so I want to be sure and share some of our pics. So check back soon for a few new updates!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T13:45:00.002-06:00

All play and no work!

2011-09-24T19:48:00.001-05:00

I took this week off from work.......9 days of absolutely no work :) A nice and much needed break after a long busy season! So what did I do on my week off, you might ask? Well, let's see...

Took Sophie June to the Plano Balloon Festival (no balloons were launched but we had fun...b/c mom wasn't there!)

SJ on an inflatable slide at the Balloon Festival

Attended Sophie June's pink donut dance party 4th birthday

Waiting on her candles in front of her pink donut "cake"

Baby Ford waiting on a donut

Watched Baylor beat SFA in the shortest game I've ever been to (game called after 3 quarters due to lightening)
Ate gourmet hot dogs with our small group friends (Bruce made 3 different choices!)
Got a pedicure with my mom
Had a girl's lunch and pool day with some of my work friends
Laid out by the pool
Went shopping
Slept in almost every day
Completed my final week of training for my tri including two open water swims
Cooked dinner for my small group
Made homemade power bars

Some for now and a bunch in the freezer!

Saw The Help
Ate at Fuzzy's.....twice
Watched lots of premier week TV
And to top it off.......I'm doing my first Olympic Tri tomorrow!

It was a great week and I feel relaxed and refreshed! I'm not looking forward to going back to work on Monday!

Open Water Swimming

2011-09-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

I'll start at the beginning. The swim part of my sprint tri did not go well. I had done exactly one practice swim in Lake Lewisville and was NOT prepared. I absolutely hated the swim...from getting water up my nose to getting kicked numerous times to almost being caught by the next wave start, it was not a good experience. So being the eager, stupid person I am...I logically signed up for another race with an open water swim over three times as long as the sprint.

I am doing the Stonebridge Ranch Olympic Triathlon on September 25th. The swim is 1500 meters.

Immediately after the sprint tri, I signed up for swim lessons. My friend, Blake, and I took 8 lessons from a young college student. But she really did help me a ton! She taught me to breath on both sides to balance out my stroke, drills to help with my form, and the basic of the free style stroke. I feel MUCH more confident in the pool. However, the lake was still a different story.

I have been so busy at work I haven't had time for many (or any) practice swims. So this week I decided I would do two practice open water swims a week until my race. The first one did not go well. Let's just say it began with my crying and Justin having to get in the lake with me. I did end up swimming some that day and got a little used to the odd feeling of swimming in open water...it is very disorienting at first. Since then I have done two successful swims in Lake Ray Hubbard (1200 and 1000 meters). I am getting used to swimming without being able to see anything since the lake is so cloudy. I am also learning to sight to keep myself going in the right direction. I still don't like swimming in the lake but I am beginning to feel more comfortable and not absolutely hate it. One thing that is hard to get used to is the nasty water going in and out of your nose and mouth! Hopefully with four more swims under my belt in the next two weeks, I will be more than ready for my race!

New Zealand

2011-08-24T23:26:00.000-05:00

I think most people who follow my blog probably already know our exciting news...but just in case...Justin and I are moving to New Zealand! We are doing a rotation with my firm, Ernst & Young. I will be working in the Auckland, New Zealand office beginning February 2, 2012! The rotation will last about 18 months and then we will be moving back to Dallas. We are beyond excited to start this new adventure! We applied for the rotation back in January anticipating that if we were placed at all, it would be in London. About 3 weeks ago, leadership called and asked if I would be interested in New Zealand. It was completely out of the blue! I honestly didn't even know which side of Australia, New Zealand was on when we accepted the offer! After some research and few days in denial that we were actually moving across the world, we discovered that New Zealand is awesome! There are so many exciting things to do there like mountain biking, trail running, river running, and bungee jumping! The weather seems perfect to me...highs in the 50's in the winter (our summer) and highs in the 70's in the summer (our winter). We are so excited and appreciate your prayers and support as we start a new chapter in our life!

Drew

2011-08-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

Drew's brother posted a video on fb today. Well, not just a video, I guess. The video they played at his memorial service. I unknowingly clicked on play thinking it was just a clip of Drew. As soon as those baby pictures of little Drew came up on the screen, I immediately clicked away. But it was too late. It took me back to that moment, giving me goosebumps, thinking of standing in the packed funeral chapel watching Drew's family go through what we would go through the next morning. I remember the sick feeling in my stomach and wanting more than anything to be anywhere else. They played Let It Be and spoke of Drew, a boy I barely knew that I now think of all the time. At the close of the service, Drew's mother tearfully ask the piano player to continue playing. She didn't want the service to end. I think it was a perfect depiction of how we all felt.

As my thoughts continued to wonder through the events of that day, another moment came to mind. After Ben's viewing that evening, Kara, Aaron, Justin, and I walked to our cars a little way into the cemetery. As we tried to drive out, we realized we were locked in the cemetery. Aaron went to get someone to let us out but we had to wait a little while. We were all starving from a long and exhausting day. Luckily, I had stuffed some chicken mini's from Chick-fil-a in my purse that morning. So Aaron, Justin, and I ate the purse chicken biscuits much to Kara's amusement. She wouldn't have anything to do with them! We all laughed and cried. Relieved to be through one of the worst days of our lives. Dreading the day ahead.

A Slight Reprieve

2011-07-27T23:04:00.000-05:00

Today marked the 26th consecutive day over 100 degrees here in the Big D. That puts us at the No. 3 spot for longest consecutive streak of days over 100 degrees in the metroplex. We may soon move to the No. 2 spot if we hit 29 days in a row....not that I'm rooting for it but it seems unavoidable at this point. We are all sweltering! Running is miserable! Thank goodness for my bike which is actually bearable to ride even in the 86 degree weather at 6 am. Our house is sooo hot in the evening. So I have been searching for a decent looking fan that did not cost a fortune to set up in our living room for the rest of the summer. Surprisingly, it was difficult to find. I finally found this one on Walmart.com but had to visit two Walmart's to actually find one in stock...and I got the last one...in an opened box! We are enjoying the new fan which has cooled our living room off by about 5 degrees!

Vacation Day 6 - Mine Tour/Yankee Girl Mine

2011-07-24T21:44:00.000-05:00

On our last day of Ouray Vacation 2011, I decided to go on a 4 mile run to soak up as much cool 50 degree running weather as I could. Somehow the 4 mile run turned into a 6 mile run along the river trail and up a hiking trail. How great to see Mount Abrams in the early morning light while running along the Uncompahgre River! Later we met at the big house and then headed out for the Bachelor Syracuse Mine Tour. Unfortunately, the tour used to be a lot longer and you got to see more of the mine. Still it was cool to go deep into the mountain. We also had lunch at the barbecue place up there and had great time eating and hanging out. Then we headed on a "short" trip to Yankee Girl Mine on the other side of Ouray. This may or may not have involved four wheeling in the Expedition with Justin at the wheel and me yelling :) We explored at the mine, took pictures, and then loaded up to head back to town. That evening we had pizza and wings and played games to celebrate our last night together!

Love this one of the Morris kids!

Bachelor Syracuse Mine

They ~~Can~~ Will Kill You became the running joke!

On that great getting up morning....

Yankee Girl Mine

How cute! I love Grandmom's face!

More Yankee Girl Mine

I love this one with little Junie running! She looks so small.

Vacation Day 5 - Owl Creek Hike

2011-07-21T12:21:00.000-05:00

No trip to Ouray would be complete without a family hike! So on Day 5, we tackled an "easy" trail....Owl Creek. Kyle assured us it was an easy trail and the kids would have no problem. Perhaps the 5 year olds had no problem but the 3 year olds and adults did not consider the uphill switchbacks for most of the hike as easy! All kidding aside, we had a great hike despite the on and off drizzle. We also enjoyed playing in and around the creek at the turnaround spot. That evening we ate at our favorite Ouray dining spot, Buen Tiempo. We topped off a great day with ice cream at Mouse's!

Owl Creek Trailhead...Maybe crazyuncle will post his group shot at this spot!

Walker...which way do we go?

View of Ouray from the trail and through the drizzle.

Owl Creek!

Kara and Baby Ford throwing rocks.

The kids enjoying ice cream at Mouse's!

Love that smile Baby Ford :)

Vacation Day 4 - Cascade Falls

2011-07-19T19:22:00.000-05:00

On vacation Day 4, we decided to take it a little easy and spent the day in town and visiting Cascade Falls. The falls was very full this year and beautiful. We had a fun time hiking around the falls and a bunch of us hiked up a trail we had never been on before. The trail took us to an overlook over the town of Ouray and then up to a ledge that lead under the falls. Later that day we shopped around in town and attempted to get a pedicure! Who knew the going price of a pedicure in small town Colorado is $50!

Cute little Bella!

Deuce and Chappy!

Justin crossing the river.

View of Ouray!

Fiver aka Rita...can you tell how dangerously close to the edge she is?? Like literally leaning over it!

I played it safe and didn't lean over the edge.

Wait...was that me or is this?? What color shirt did I have on that day?

Street view of Ouray while shopping.

Don't stop....

2011-07-17T21:31:00.002-05:00

...reading! I posted a few new posts this weekend so keep on scrolling!

Vacation Day 3 - Ophir Pass to Telluride

2011-07-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

We had a long day again on day 3 of our Ouray family adventure! We started out in a traffic jam on the million dollar highway on our way to the Ophir Pass cutoff. We sat on the highway for about 15 minutes waiting for the road construction to clear. We headed over the short pass and had a great time playing on the snow at the top. Justin used his jacket as a sled and then we all had to try! It was nice and cool at the top! We stopped for pictures in the forest on the way down. Then we had lunch at our traditional spot in Telluride...Baked in Telluride. The pizza and pastries were delicious as usual! After lunch we headed over to the Bridal Veil Falls lookout for more pictures. The waterfall was beautiful and very full due to all the snow! Then some of the crew headed back to Ouray while the rest of us decided to go up the gondola to Mountain Village. It was beautiful at the top and we looked around the village for a while. Then we happened upon a rock climbing wall and again, we all had to take a turn...even Aunt Kathie :) Justin and Caleb made it all the way to the top. I got scared about 2 feet off the ground and Justin had to rescue me. Then we got ice cream and headed back to Ouray.

Sledding!

Walker 2011

Uncle Keith sledding...nice :)

Me and Daddy at Ophir Pass. I think we look alike in this one.

View on the way down.

Pictures in the Aspen forest.

Yummy! Baked in Telluride!

Bridal Veil Falls.

The Grandparents at Bridal Veil Falls.

Me and J at the top of the ski slopes in Telluride.

Cookie and the two little cookies. On the gondola, Kendall informed us she was a chocolate chip cookie :)

Telluride.

Rock climbing...J & Caleb on top...B&K underneath.

Vacation Day 2 - Corkscrew Gulch to Animas Forks

2011-07-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

We really packed it in on Day 2 of our Ouray vacation! My parents arrived the night before and rented their own jeep. They got an open jeep and unfortunately that meant a dusty, hot ride! Granddad also rented a jeep since Randy's had broken down the day before and had to spend some time in the shop. We loaded up early and headed over Corkscrew Gulch. We had a picnic on the way, drove through the snow, and enjoyed conversation with family. Then we took a shorter trail out of Silverton to Animas Forks. Bella and Kendall were very excited to see the "ghost town"! We explored Animas Forks and B&K and I played follow the Lindsay and sang about being rule breakers! Justin was driving Granddad's jeep that day and he really enjoyed the 4x4 roads! However, he did get a flat tire on the way out of Animas Forks. Lyndsay and I were sure to fully document the incident from all angles. On the way back into Silverton, we saw a black bear up on the mountain! I had never seen on in Colorado before and we all took turns watching it through the binos.

On top of the pass at Corkscrew Gulch.

Justin hiked up at the pass to get a closer look at this cross.

Posing at Animas Forks for Crazy Uncle.

The Big House at Animas Forks.

Typical Crazy Uncle...anything for a good "water" shot.

Follow the Lindsay! We are rule breakers! I think this one is very Sound of Music!

The Flat.

We watched this guy buy a 12 pack of Bud Light and strap it on the back of his bike and ride off!

Clear Blue Skies

2011-07-16T00:27:00.000-05:00

When I think back on my brother's death, one thing that continues to stick out is the weather in the week that followed. Ben died on March 6th, 2011. During the next week the skies were a perfect blue, no clouds, and the temperatures remained in the high 60's. Basically, it was perfect, spring, Texas weather. It struck me at the time as wrong, so opposite of the feelings surrounding my family. The morning my father told me that we had "lost" Ben that night was a bright, cloudless sunrise. That day I wished it would it rain.

I clearly remember standing near the grave-side of my brother shortly before he was buried with the wind blowing my hair, looking up, and wishing to see gray clouds that would block the bright sun that shone that day. I could not understand how the sky could be so bright when the world seemed to be falling around us.

After Ben's funeral, I was standing outside the church speaking with Steven and Halie. It was extremely windy that day but again a perfect, clear, blue sky. Why wouldn't the skies weep with our family?

Remembering the entire week continues to seem like a movie to me. It was a perfect scene with the brightest blue sky against our black dresses. And like a movie, unreal to me. How could this be? Did I really throw a long stem red rose on the light brown casket of Ben? Is he really buried in a cemetary a few miles from my home? The answer is yes. I ride my bike by the unmarked grave of my 22 year old brother. His grave remains unmarked. The suddenness of his death leaves us all unsure of how to commerate his life. The suddenness of his death leaves us all putting off this final marker.

Vacation Day 1 - Yankee Boy

2011-07-14T23:09:00.000-05:00

I finally got the pictures from our vacation off Justin's computer and on to mine...so let the blogging begin!

Day 1 of our Ouray reunion vacation was definitely one of the best! We spent the day at Yankee Boy Basin, one of my favorite places. We loaded up the jeeps and endured a hair raising ride with Crazy Uncle up to our normal exploring spot. The day was spent enjoying the twin falls, hiking, picnicing, and posing for pictures! The weather was perfect meaning we wore our jackets all day! I have so many memories from this place! One that will always stick out is when I was probably 15 or 16 and Crazy Uncle let me and Katie drive his blue jeep on the 4x4 trail. I remember being scared b/c I couldn't see the road over the front of the jeep going up the mountain. I'll also always think of the day that Kara, Jordan, and I hiked straight up the mountain with no regard to a trail. Our parents said we would never make it to the ridge...but we did despite encountering bushes, swamp, and avalanche territory! Now I have new memories to fill the basin of watching Bella and Kendall enjoy the same simple dam building and river wading that I enjoyed as a child. This was a perfect way to start a great vacation! Can you believe the sky in these pics??

Beautiful San Juan's

Cookie and Bella building a dam

Posing

The Twin Falls

The Mavs Parade

2011-06-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday was the big Dallas Mavericks NBA Championship parade in downtown Dallas. The parade route went down the road directly in front of my office. Since the roads surrounding our office were scheduled to close at 8:00 am, everyone who wanted to see the parade came in around 7. The whole office had a very fun, excited atmosphere as we watched the parade preparation from the 18th floor. Plus we got to wear jeans and Mavs shirts for the celebration. Our building opened up the 5th floor which is currently vacant for all of us to go down and watch the parade. It was really cool b/c we were five floors up directly above the parade. Plus, we got to watch everything in the air conditioning as it was over 100 degrees outside that day. I thought the parade was really cool and had fun seeing Dirk with the biggest smile I have ever seen and Mark Cuban waving the trophy from his convertible! They said about 250,000 people were in attendance. It was fun way to wrap up a great season!

Look at that crowd!

Ha, you can see our reflection!

Cuban and the trophy!

Dirk, Kidd, and the JET

View of the crowd again...so weird to see all those people in my normal view!

Metroplex Tri

2011-06-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Justin and I raced in our first triathlon, the Metroplex Sprint Tri in Grand Prairie. We were both a little over confident thinking that it would only take around an hour and half so how hard could it be. Well, it did only take me 1 hour and 14 minutes but it was HARD! The swim was awful! It was a 400m swim, 11 mile bike, and 2 mile run.

I finished the swim in 13 minutes but ended up on my back for most of it. I could not catch my breath and was flustered by everyone swimming around me. I was beyond relieved to be out of the water and heading toward my bike! The bike was flat and I finished in 38 minutes. Then I had a very good run finishing in 19 minutes. I thought I was safe and no one would recognize me from my embarrassing swim portion. But I was wrong....during my run, a man ran up to me and apologized for kicking me during the swim. So much for hiding behind my goggles and swim cap! Overall we had a great time and I am looking forward to improving my performance in my next race. At least I know what to expect!

I learned my swimming has to improve so we are trying to find a training group to join to help with my form and open water technique. I also had my first dose of the reality that I will be 30 in under 3 months. You start the race according to age groups which are determined based on your age at the end of the year...so I was in the 30 - 39 while Justin and my friend Blake who raced with us were in the 20 - 29 group. I had to start first and all alone and had a big 30 written on my calf!

After the Race

J nearing the finish line

Before the race displaying his number

My turn

The Finish Line

June 6th

2011-06-06T15:43:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has been 3 months. It seems like so much has changed since March 6th but yet just the other day we were all hanging out on Valentine's Day. Time always has a funny way of doing that to you. Here is a picture I like to remember you by. It makes me think of you running slightly flat footed. Of us laughing about having to run on a dirt road up a mountain at the end of a 6 mile race. Of us sharing something I love that you wanted to be a part of. Of you running in the grass at the Dash Down Greenville so we could talk. I'll miss you this year in Ouray.

New Look

2011-01-26T22:03:00.001-06:00

So evidently my old blog background is now retired. Even though I still loved that template, I had to update! As of January 31st, my old green/pink background will be no more. I did a preliminary update to my background this evening and will likely only make small changes to this new yellow/gray template! Hope you like the new look.

Top 10 of 2010

2010-12-31T09:54:00.002-06:00

This year has been a little rough on Justin, myself, and our family. One thing I am thankful for is that Papaw is home and recovering from his stroke that put him in ICU about a month before Thanksgiving. I didn't think this should make my top 10 list (since it is not really a good thing) but we are thankful that he is with us and still making progress in his recovery! I thought it would be good for me to look back at some of the many great things that did happen in 2010 as I look forward to a new year in 2011! So here is my top 10 of 2010 in no particular order....

10. Finished my first year as a manager at Ernst & Young and celebrated 5 years with the company!
9. Ran 2 half marathons, watched my husband run 3, and started training for my third full marathon!
8. Enjoyed a week long vacation in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico with my husband!
7. Celebrated 6 years of marriage with my sweetie!
6. Celebrated the birth of a new niece and the engagement of my brother-in-law!
5. Cheered my Baylor Bears on to their first bowl game appearance in 15 years!
4. My grandparents finally moved to Dallas!
3. Started my super couponing adventure (which reminds me, I need to get serious about it again)!
2. Discovered the P90X workout routine, lost some weight, and gained some muscle definition!
1. Enjoyed getting/staying involved in service through our church including small group service projects and New Creations each week.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T17:28:00.002-06:00

San Antonio - November 13th - 15th

2010-11-29T21:13:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we headed down to San Antonio with my parents. On the way, we ate at Stubbs in Austin for lunch. When we arrived in San Antonio, we drove straight to the marathon expo to pick up our packets. I got a cute new running top and we both got our numbers for the half marathon. We stayed at the Omni La Mansion del Rio on the riverwalk. That evening we had dinner on the riverwalk and watched the Baylor v A&M game. Unfortunately, the Bears lost.

The next morning we got up early and walked to the start line of the race. It was an overcast day with a high of only about 55...so great running weather. I had a good race and finished in 2:22! I can thank my time to the fact that I miscalculated my finish time based on my average pace about half way through the race and decided I needed to speed up to finish in a respectable time. Well, due to the miscalculation...I finished in a pretty good time for me. Justin and I had registered for the full marathon a few months before and so we had full marathon bibs on. When I crossed the finish line, they gave me a full marathon medal. I tried to talk them into letting me switch for a half medal since that is the race I ran but to no avail! I told Justin I tried to switch and he responded, "why on earth would you do that!" He loved having the full marathon medal. I felt guilty for having it and even explained to a couple of people who ask my time why I had the wrong medal!

After the race, we showered quickly and headed to lunch at Chris Madrid's, a famous San Antonio burger joint. We drove about 10 minutes to get there only to discover it was closed on Sundays! So we had to adjust our plans and used the iphone to locate another recommended burger joint (Longhorn). We were starving by the time we finally got there but the chicken fried steak sandwich was delicious!

Then we headed to El Mercado and walked around for a while. My mom could not get enough of the restaurant Mi Tierra all decorated for Christmas and we watched some of the Cowboys game there. That evening we had dinner on the riverwalk again. The next morning we had a fun breakfast at the hotel and then visited the Alamo before packing up for home. We stopped at the outlets in San Marcus for a little while and Mommy and I got to go to the Vera Bradley outlet which was amazing! We topped off the weekend with lunch at Bush's Chicken (one of our college favorites).

On the Riverwalk

The Riverwalk

The Fam in Front of the Alamo

Ignore my father and look at the decorations in Mi Tierra

Walking back to the hotel after the race
Posing Post-Race

The Starting line!

Holiday Cards - November 18th

2010-11-18T12:36:00.008-06:00

I absolutely love picking out my Christmas card each year! Last year, I designed my own card and had two versions b/c I couldn't decide on just one! This year, I wanted to design my own card again but I am having technical difficulties with my photo editing software (photoshop elements). So I needed to find an alternative. Well, what could be better than 50 free cards from Shutterfly? Shutterfly is running a promotion for bloggers to receive 50 free Holiday cards just by writing up a post on the Holiday 2010 Collection! I am loving some of these cards and have already looked through all 805 options...but I haven't decided on a design yet! I also have to think about which photo I want to use, what direction it goes, and how it will look with my choice. I guess you will just have to wait to get my card to see what design I choose!

I am really liking designs like these with a "ribbon" type thing over the photo.

But I am also loving designs like these with a fun, festive feel!

And last, I think these are pretty cool with a snowflake or star type overlay.

Cupcakes - November 6th

2010-11-12T20:15:00.005-06:00

I saw these cupcakes on the Biggest Loser and all the contestants said they were great. Curtis Stone made them on his guest appearance. So I made them...and nobody liked them :( They were bad! How bad you ask?? So bad that my 5 year old nephew and 3 year old niece took one bite and said they didn't want any more. Yep, that bad. Shame on Biggest Loser for pretending you can make a "healthy" cupcake!

Check out my 2 other new posts I made today and the many more I made yesterday.

Walker's B-day - October 30th

2010-11-12T20:02:00.004-06:00

In honor of Walker's 5th birthday, Justin and I took Walker to the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. The special exhibit was the animatronic dinosaurs which we were sure he would love. We started out the day at Fuzzy's Tacos and then took the light rail to fair park. Walker loved the dinosaurs although he was cautious not to get too close unless I was holding his hand. The science part of the museum was fun as well with lots of activities for Walker to enjoy. He dug for dinosaur bones, experimented with gravity, bubbles, heat activated cameras and much more! After the museum, we capped off the day with Cold Stone ice cream! We all had a great time! Plus Walker made my day b/c he posed for all the pictures I requested!

Me and Walker

Justin with t-rex...I think he is scared :)

Walker and t-rex

Homecoming Part II - October 23rd

2010-11-12T19:39:00.004-06:00

We got up early this morning to head out to the parade. We decided to go downtown and catch the beginning of the parade to avoid the crowds on campus. What we failed to consider was the other people that would be downtown...that's right...the Wacoans. We had to relocate down the street a bit but finally found a spot next to some well behaved future Baylor bears.

Then we headed out to do some tailgating before the game. We ate gut packs at the gut pack shack and enjoyed March of the Bears. The March of the Bears is when everyone lines up and cheers as the players get off the bus and head to the stadium. We got to our seats nice and early and then the game began...and then it stopped! That's right, 1 minute into the game, it got delayed due to lightening. This meant at least a 30 minute delay. We all headed under the stadium at the recommendation of the announcer. We waited under what we thought was an over hang that would shield us from the rain. Well, the over hang didn't really stand a chance next to the giant storm that ensued. Ashley and I tried to cram under the stands with about a million other people! Thank goodness for our ponchos! Justin and Bryan gave up and went back to our seats. They were also nice enough to give a poor little girl one of our extra ponchos.

After an almost 2 hour delay, the game began again. And it was an awesome game! We beat K-state to get 6 wins and the guarantee of going to our first bowl game in 15 years!

The Gut Pack Shack

After the game

After the storm...I loved the sunset behind the clouds

Waiting for the storm

March of the Bears...RGIII

Me and Bruiser

One of my favorite floats

Probably my very favorite float...it had a Ferris wheel and a working roller coaster

This is blurry but I wanted everyone to see what I have to deal with every day!

Justin and Ashley...two proud Baylor Bears

2010-11-11T21:28:00.001-06:00

I doubt I will ever catch up so I am just going to post the highlights! So read the highlights below!

Homecoming Part I - October 22nd

2010-11-11T21:10:00.002-06:00

We all took half days off from work today and headed down to Waco early for the homecoming weekend. By all, I mean Justin, Ashley, Bryan, and myself. We had dinner at Ninfa's, went to the bonfire, and then watched the Ranger's win! They took forever lighting the bonfire and we really wanted to see the game...so we left before it was lite! But we did get to see history made as the Ranger's made it to the World Series for the first time!

Cute Little Fried Up Turkey - October 16th

2010-11-11T21:07:00.002-06:00

We had a little get together today at our house and fried a turkey for the occasion. It was delicious! I also think he looks pretty good. I also thought my table looked nice with my new runner and fall center piece.

Bubba Keg - October 15th

2010-11-11T21:05:00.001-06:00

Yea! I got my Bubba Keg today. That means 52 oz of ice cold water all day long for me!

Southwest Airlines - October 13th

2010-11-11T21:01:00.003-06:00

I recently got a new client...Southwest Airlines. We went out to the client to work this week. This is a pic of the Southwest headquarters lobby all decorated for Halloween. They have a very interesting culture. You can wear whatever (literally, whatever) you want. My client was wearing jorts and a white pocket tee with running shoes! They have sand volleyball and basketball courts in the parking lot and there were people playing at lunch. They have a bar on the roof and as we were leaving it sounded like a party up there for happy hour! Hmmm, maybe I should see if they need a new tax manager :)

Baylor v TT - October 9th

2010-11-11T20:51:00.003-06:00

We went to the fair last night b/c we had tickets to the Baylor v Texas Tech game on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. The tickets got us into the fair on both Friday and Saturday. We knew the fair would be super crowded for the game so we went on Friday to enjoy the fair. On Saturday, we got up early and took the train to the fair. We had time to walk around some before the game at 11. The game was really close but we ended up losing. At half-time, we went down to the front and sat on the 40 yard line about 4 rows up. After the game we enjoyed some more traditional fair food! I had another corn dog and fried queso!

Fried Queso

#10...RGIII

Me at the game

The Cotton Bowl

Justin before the game

The State Fair of Texas - October 8th

2010-11-11T20:43:00.004-06:00

After work we jumped on the green line train and headed to the State Fair of Texas. We enjoyed looking at the animals, strolling through the car show, and eating!

Big Tex

Fried Frito Pie

My favorite - Fletcher's Corny Dogs!

The Texas Star

Do you see me?

Kangaroos and a Tortoise...Don't ask me why

George Washington the Duck

Lots of new posts today...

2010-10-11T17:25:00.001-05:00

I think I may catch up this week! I am only 8 days behind and I only took pics on like 4 of those days.

Cottonwood and Biscuits- October 3rd

2010-10-11T17:17:00.004-05:00

We made a stop at the semi-annual Cottonwood Art Festival down the street from our house today. The weather was perfect and we had a fun time looking at all the art vendors. I also made biscuits for dinner. We didn't have much to eat in the house so I suggested biscuits. Of course Justin didn't want them b/c you know how much he loves homemade biscuits. So I tried a new recipe called Buttermilk Biscuits (and added extra sugar). I also cut the biscuits in the shape of stars (for the 'boys!). Justin said he liked this batch of biscuits. But I'm not sure if he felt like he had to say that or if he actually liked them! Either way, he ate them lathered up in homemade jam!

The fluffy, white dog at Cottonwood that I wanted to take home (kinda)!

Cottonwood Art Festival

Cottonwood Art Festival

Cowboy Biscuits

Baylor v Kansas - October 2nd

2010-10-11T17:12:00.003-05:00

Justin, Ashley, Brian, and I went to Waco for the Baylor v Kansas game. We had a great time and won 55 to 7! We went to George's after the game and watched the TX/OU game while enjoying great food and company!

George's Famous Baylor Beggars (rolls with ranch)

Justin pre-game

EY Connect Day - September 30th

2010-10-11T12:48:00.002-05:00

Today was EY Connect Day which is basically a firm-wide service day. We had the opportunity to participate in a number of service projects around the metroplex from 8 -noon. Then if you participated, you got the rest of the day off. If you didn't participate, you had to work all day. I was a project leader and our project was landscaping an elementary school. Luckily, the organization we worked with (Pride in our Neighborhoods) worked out all the details. All I really did was organize the people and show up. We planted a hedge and two flower beds. Some 4th and 5th grade students got to help us and a kindergarten class came out and watched. All my friends signed up for my project and we had a fun time working together! However, there was only one guy on our team! I basically dug holes the entire time so I was exhausted! I thought I was bad with a shovel but turns out I am better than most girls :) I got this blister on my hand through my work gloves so you know I worked hard! I thought this day was a great alternative to our traditional activities day.

Tax Has Talent - September 29th

2010-10-11T12:34:00.004-05:00

Today my team presented for the Tax Has Talent competition at work. Each team had to come up with a unique idea to enhance some aspect of our firm whether it be a technical idea, HR solution, or anything else you could think of! I didn't get to be too involved in our project due to my Staycation. So I was nominated as one of the presenters along with my friend, Sarah. The presentation was pretty cool. Our team made videos to illustrate how our solution would work and inserted the videos into the powerpoint. Sarah and I wrote the presentation and practiced the first part of the week. Our presentation went well and the project was alot of fun. Unfortunately, our team did not win :( Update: Our team actually won Best Presentation!

Rainy Day Fun - September 25th

2010-10-06T12:59:00.004-05:00

We were going to go to Arlington today for Justin to play football with some of his old high school buddies. However, we woke up to torrential down pours forecasted to last most of the day! My group even cancelled our long run. So instead, I ran 8 miles by myself in the rain...at least I had my non-shoes :) Then Kristen and Josh came over and we went to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center downtown. It was national museum day so we got into both for free. We also went to Roly Poly (Kristen and Josh first met at the one in Lubbock). I had no clue they served all wraps...go figure. Then we all went back to our house to watch the Baylor v Rice game. That game was in Houston but it got rain delayed for about an hour and a half. So while we waited, Kristen and I made some delicious Oreo cupcakes. I don't want to brag...but numerous people said they may be the best cupcakes they had ever tasted! Here is a link to the recipe.

My husband, the hood rat, at the Nasher

The Nasher

Delicious Oreo Cupcakes

Volleyball - September 23rd

2010-10-05T23:30:00.002-05:00

I went to volleyball with Justin tonight. He plays every Thursday night from about April to October. I don't go too often in the summer as it is really hot and I enjoy spending the evening alone every once in a while. Plus I get to watch all the shows he doesn't want to watch! But in the spring and fall the weather is really nice and it is fun to spend the evening out watching him play. His team is pretty good (they have won the championship a few times). I tried to get a good shot of the team in action but that was harder than I thought. This was the best I could do on my blackberry.

Mattito's - September 22nd

2010-10-05T23:25:00.002-05:00

Today I continued my Staycation! On my way to the mall, I stopped to get gas and noticed a new Mattito's at Forest and 75, right next to our house! Mattito's is one of our favorite Tex-Mex places that we went to all the time when we lived in uptown. We couldn't resist so we went to dinner there tonight. It was really crowded for a Wednesday night but we got a table fairly quickly and enjoyed our evening!

Biscuits - September 21st

2010-10-05T23:20:00.003-05:00

At the TCU game, Aunt Kathy gave us some homemade jam (she even picked the berries). Today I made biscuits and we enjoyed the jam! Justin always frustrates me when I make biscuits. I am not a huge fan of sweets and to me a biscuit is a perfect dessert! I LOVE biscuits! Justin does not like my homemade biscuits. He prefers Walmart brand canned biscuits. He did say that he would just load on the jam and try to enjoy. To be continued....

I'm on a posting roll...

2010-09-30T21:31:00.001-05:00

Only 12 days behind now! I'll let you guys catch up...that means I expect comments...and then I'll continue my catch up!

Joe T's - September 18th

2010-09-30T21:26:00.003-05:00

To kick off my staycation, we went to the Baylor v TCU game in Fort Worth with Aunt Kathy, Joe, Kara, Aaron, Walker, and SJ. The game was very hot and we lost. But the company was good! We also learned a very important lesson...do not tell Justin to sit down during a football game...especially when Baylor is not doing well. We ended the day with a fun dinner at Joe T's. I love this courtyard and the food is always excellent!

Tax Returns - September 12th - 15th

2010-09-30T21:23:00.003-05:00

I believe all I thought about until about 10 pm on the 15th was 2 of these. Fun times.

Playing Catch-up!

2010-09-29T17:47:00.001-05:00

Lots of new posts today so keep scrolling down!

Sic 'em Bears - September 11th

2010-09-29T17:45:00.004-05:00

We went to our second Baylor game of the season today! Baylor won! I wore my new Baylor shorts. And this guy next to us...well, we think he may be in the Wacoan Mafia. No one just wears a skull wedding ring for no reason!

Tornadoes - September 8th

2010-09-29T17:41:00.004-05:00

Today people watched a tornado touch down in the Trinity River bed from my office window. And I missed it! I had gone to get dinner and when I got back, all the excitement was over! Here is a pic of the sun peaking through after the storm. This is where the tornado was seen! If you are familiar with Dallas, you will also want to note that the river bed actually has water in it!

Build-a-Bear - September 6th

2010-09-29T17:29:00.004-05:00

Today we took Sophie June to build-a-bear for her 3rd birthday! She loved it! She choose a Hello Kitty to build and dressed her all up in pink complete with hot pink uggs! She had no trouble making decisions on what to get and seemed pleased with her choices! Then we walked around the mall and slid down the giant planters. SJ threw some pennies into the fountain. She was all business with this...just one penny after another without so much as a grin! To top off the day, we had lunch at Chick-fil-a. We ask SJ what she wanted to drink and she replied, "milkshake." So cute! We had a great time and hope she did as well!

Aunt Lindsay and Sophie June in front of Build-a-Bear

Stuffing Hello Kitty

She made her choice!

Uncle Justin dressing Hello Kitty in all pink!

Climbing!

and Sliding!

Happy Birthday to Me - September 5th

2010-09-29T17:26:00.001-05:00

I had a great birthday! Justin made me strawberries and waffles for breakfast. I did have to work for little while but then I got a spa pedicure. That afternoon we met some friends for dinner at Primo's on Lake Ray Hubbard. We had a great Mexican dinner. Then we all boarded the SeaWolf for a sunset sail boat cruise! The cruise was so much fun! There were about 14 people in our group and about 50 total on the boat. We sat on the front of the boat on cushions. I even got to drive the boat! Thanks everyone for a great birthday weekend!

The SeaWolf

The view from dinner

Amanda and Lindsay

Brian, Ashley, Amanda and Lindsay

Sarah and Mark

Sunset on the Lake

Sunset on the Lake II

Justin and Lindsay

Very Seriously Driving the Boat

Birthday Shoes

2010-09-15T09:11:00.002-05:00

I will catch up on my blogging next week while I am on a staycation! But for now...I was featured on this website today and wanted to share. Yes, my name is Lindsay and I am dork who sends in stories to a website dedicated to barefoot running. And, yes, Justin already made fun of me for it so you don't have to.

http://birthdayshoes.com/

My Birthday Eve - September 4th

2010-09-11T14:15:00.002-05:00

I had a great birthday eve! I started out the day with a loop of White Rock Lake. It was great weather (about 65 degrees at 6 am). Then Justin and I went to the Original Pancake House for a yummy breakfast. I think I squeezed in some work somewhere in there. Then we went to the Baylor home football opener in Waco. We won the game and had a great time cheering them on!

Family B-Day Celebration - September 3rd

2010-09-11T14:09:00.002-05:00

Tonight we celebrated my 29th birthday with my parents, grandparents, Ben, and Kara and her family. It was a great time catching up with everyone! My grandmom and mom made me this beautiful, pink cake. My parents gave me this beautiful watch that I have been wanting so badly! Sophie June was so excited to give me my gift from her and her family. As soon as I walked in the door, she started telling me she had a present for me. It was really cute.

Cowboys Pre-Season - September 2nd

2010-09-11T14:08:00.002-05:00

We went to the Cowboys pre-season game at the new stadium in Arlington tonight with our friends Sarah and Mark. This is a view from our seats up in the nose bleeds.

Keep a Scrollin'

2010-09-08T22:14:00.002-05:00

I'm catching up on my posts! We have had an exciting couple of weeks and I want to post pics of the day as best I can even though I have fallen behind. Keeping scrolling down so you don't miss any of the excitement and stay tuned for more soon!

Engagement Party - August 29th

2010-09-08T22:06:00.004-05:00

We hosted an engagement party for Kristen and Josh today. Josh is Justin's little brother and Kristen is his new finance! They recently got engaged in Central Park in New York City. The party was a great time to catch up with the whole family. Justin's parents and grandparents, Aunt Kathy and Joe, Ashley and Brain, and some of Josh and Kristen's friends were all there. I was proud of my craft project center pieces that I made without any assistance from Justin! I didn't get many pics of the party b/c we were having so much fun :)

Kristen and Josh right after they got engaged!

Baby Shower - August 28th

2010-09-08T21:51:00.004-05:00

The daughter of one of the couple's in our small group is having a baby girl! So we threw a baby shower for Megan. I was in charge of games and a veggie tray. We played match the celebrity with their baby name and the baby food guessing game. We had a great time although the baby food was disgusting!

Megan and her gifts

Eww, baby food tasting

The spread

Go Rangers - August 27th

2010-09-08T21:43:00.004-05:00

We went to the Rangers game tonight with some friends. The Rangers won and there were fireworks after! Here is a view from our seats and a pic of Justin with the great Nolan Ryan.

Muffins - August 20th

2010-08-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

I forgot to post these last week. These are my one point blueberry muffins. Don't they look cute in their little wax paper wrappers?

Lexi - August 19th

2010-08-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

We are dog sitting for my brother-in-law while he is in New York getting engaged! Everything was going fine (aside from the black lab hair everywhere) until 5:30 this morning. We woke up to Lexi and a pile of her puke in the hall. Luckily, I got to lay in bed and cover up my nose while my husband had to clean it up. Yes, I could smell it in the bedroom. She looks innocent enough but don't let her fool you. On a cheerier note, Lexi did show me where the yoga pose downward dog came from. I am not fast enough to get a pic of it though.

A Little Piece of the Beach-August 14th

2010-08-19T10:27:00.001-05:00

Much to the chagrin of my husband and father, I have been collecting sand and small treasures (shells and driftwood) from different beaches that I visit. This weekend I finally got around to creating the display for my sand that I have been envisioning. So far I have a little piece of the beach from Cannon Beach, OR; Monterey, CA; Akumal Beach, MX; and Puerto Aventuras, MX. Not bad for a little over a year of collecting. I think they turned out well! Also notice the coral I smuggled out of Mexico against my husbands better judgment.

Headed Home - August 13th

2010-08-16T20:55:00.003-05:00

We left for the airport at 11 but got a few good shots in before we left. So sad vacation is over :(

For Grandmommy...aren't those the flowers you love?

View of our seats for the week.

Pool to the beach.

Posing on the boardwalk.

Relaxing - August 12th

2010-08-16T20:40:00.003-05:00

Today we just relaxed on the beach at our hotel. We did alot of reading, some snorkeling from the shore, and a little kayaking. There was a reef directly in front of our hotel with nice snorkeling. I saw a fish with a bite out of it literally! There was also a school of fairly large fish that we kept swimming through. We didn't make it long in the kayak since the current was fairly strong making it pretty tough to paddle. That evening we went to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was delicious and a great way to cap off our trip.

I forgot to mention that on our first night in Mexico, we went to the Tapas bar and sat on the patio overlooking the ocean. It was really fun!

The waiter made us do it.

View of the Day.

Cozumel - August 11th

2010-08-16T20:17:00.005-05:00

We took a snorkeling tour to Cozumel today. We rode a ferry over to the island and then took a small boat (10 of us total) to two different snorkel spots. Our boat was named the Sea Witch. We were a little disappointed because there wasn't as much sea life as we expected. We heard Cozumel had great snorkeling. But the water was an amazing color of blue and so clear you could see all the way to the bottom probably 60 feet below us. A Mexican guide that barely spoke English took us around and we did see a Barracuda. It was a fun day out on the water! We also got to see the Playa del Carmen beach during day light since the ferry left from there. That evening we went to the Japanese Hibachi grill. We were exhausted but still enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the dinner. Justin even attempted to catch a chunk of fried egg in his mouth that the chef tossed to him while cooking fried rice. We also upgraded our room that evening and got a much nicer room with a third floor patio facing the pool with an ocean breeze.

Coast of Cozumel.

On the snorkel boat.

Coast of Playa del Carmen.

The ferry to Cozumel.

Hibachi Mexican Style.

View from our balcony.

View from our balcony. The thatched roof building on the left is the Mexican restaurant. The umbrellas are the creperie.

Tulum - August 10th

2010-08-15T22:44:00.006-05:00

Today we went to Tulum, an ancient Mayan city situated on the coast about 30 km south of our hotel. It was sooo hot! But the ruins were really cool! We saw a ton of Iguanas and got some great pics. That evening we went to the specialty steak house at our hotel. The food was really good. The restaurant was open air near the water. The waiters wore western style shirts and they played country music.

Me posing in a ruin...notice my 5 fingers non-shoes that totally embarrassed my husband.

View off the cliff in Tulum.

Another view off the cliff.

A precious couple shot in front of Tulum (Justin only lets me have a few each trip).

The main structure in Tulum.

Mr. Iguana

Ruin on the cliff.

El Eden Cenote - August 9th

2010-08-15T20:44:00.006-05:00

We went to the El Eden Cenote today. A cenote is a fresh water cavern. This cenote had an opening to enter into an under water cave that led to another cenote. We saw some scuba divers go in to the cave. The water was freezing but it felt great! The water was really clear and so we could see all the way down to the bottom of the cavern. There was also a cliff you could jump off of into the water so Justin and I jumped off with all the kids! It was really cool to swim in the freezing water in the middle of the jungle! After swimming for a while, we went back to the hotel and laid on the beach for the rest of the day. That evening, we took the hotel shuttle into Playa Del Carmen for dinner and shopping. We went to a little taco place for dinner and bought some souvenirs. PDC is a really cool little town. I just loved the way the very green trees met over the road!

See me jumping off the cliff?

Posing with the cenote.

Cenote El Eden

Chillin' on the Beach

Yummy Tacos!

Beach in Playa Del Carmen

Beautiful street in Playa Del Carmen

Akumal and Yal Ku Lagoon - August 8th

2010-08-15T14:09:00.004-05:00

We went to Akumal beach in the morning and snorkeled with sea turtles and sting rays. You could swim right next to the turtles but the sting rays would swim away fairly quickly. The turtles were huge...the bigger ones were probably 3 feet in diameter. We saw probably 10 different turtles! Justin took most of these pics with an underwater camera. In the afternoon, we headed to Yal Ku lagoon for more snorkeling. We swam out to where the lagoon entered the ocean and saw some of the most beautiful coral I have ever seen. The lagoon had tons of fish and we snorkeled for almost two hours straight. This was my favorite day of the trip!

Akumal Beach

Sea turtle going down after coming up for air

Sting ray

Me with a small sea turtle

Sea turtle chilling on the ocean floor

Yal Ku Lagoon

Catalonia Riviera Maya - August 7th

2010-08-15T13:59:00.003-05:00

We spent most of the day on the beach at our hotel relaxing and reading.

View of the beach at the Catalonia Riviera Maya.

Posing on the beach.

View from our loungers.

Mexico Here I Come - August 6th

2010-08-06T10:23:00.001-05:00

We are on our way to Puerto Aventuras! See you in a week!

Work and then play - August 1st

2010-08-01T16:53:00.003-05:00

First church, nursery, work...and then a little bit of play :)

Elephants - July 30th

2010-07-30T10:05:00.003-05:00

Not sure if you can see them but this is the best picture I could get. I can't seem to get the camera on my blackberry to zoom in. There are 4 elephants marching in front of the blue fence and trailer on the far side of the field. Click to enlarge the pic. The elephants march in and out of the tunnel to the American Airlines Center holding onto each others tails with their trunks. They just got their bath and I assume are marching back in for the 10:30 circus!

Birthdays - July 25th

2010-07-27T14:24:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, we celebrated my parents birthdays. I know it is a little late but they were out of town on both their real birthdays. Kara and I made a Mexican feast and we had a great time hanging out as a family.

Melinda - July 24th

2010-07-27T14:21:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, my family went to Melinda Scogginns wedding at our old church. The I met Melinda when we first came to Lakeside when I was in second grade. We went to church together through high school. It was great to see her so happy and starting a new phase of her life! Here are pics of the cakes. I just love cakes and thought these were both very cute.

Fluor - July 21st

2010-07-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

I've been hanging out here at Fluor this week in Las Colinas with this 3 headed Fluor brothers statue and these crazy rocks. They have a nice campus but I am ready to head back to the office and see my friends!

God Bless Texas - July 19th

2010-07-20T02:53:00.001-05:00

I am considering painting my garage like this. And you probably can't see it but in the upper right hand corner is an aggie sign...fitting.

Too Hot To Handle - July 18th

2010-07-19T21:56:00.004-05:00

Justin and I ran the Too Hot to Handle 15K race at White Rock Lake this Sunday. It was supposed to start at 7:30 but was delayed until almost 8:00. It was a tough and hot race. I ran it in 2007 and swore I would never do it again. I let Justin and my running group talk me into again. Now really NEVER again! It is too hot for a race in Dallas in July. The high for the day was over 100 so I don't even want to know how hot it was when we finished around 9:45. I was exhausted all day! I didn't get any pictures of the event so I went on the website to look for a generic start or finish line photo...and found a pic of me! Out of the over 2,500 participants, I made it into one of the 50 or so photos on the website. The guy in front of me is my pace group leader, Hans. Oh, I finished in 1:43 which seemed pretty good to me especially in the heat. It is a full 5 minutes faster than my 2007 time.

Babe's - July 17th

2010-07-18T17:11:00.001-05:00

We had lunch at Babe's today with some good friends who were in town from Austin. Babe's is a famous family style fried chicken joint that I have heard about for forever and I finally got to go. It was delicious! This pic looks like we are in a small country town but it is just old downtown Frisco. We also got to meet sweet Miss Addison. She is 6 weeks old.

Target Fun - July 16th

2010-07-16T22:31:00.004-05:00

I am definitely on a coupon high tonight. Justin and I did P90X after work, went to Chili's (to use our free chips and queso coupon) and then made a Target run. Now Justin is watching the Rangers beat the Red Soxs while I type this post. What a fun filled Friday night! I got everything pictured at Target for $23.17. This includes:

1 Herbal Essence large shampoo

1 Herbal Essence large conditioner

1 Clean & Clear face wash

1 Hawiian Tropics tanning lotion

4 packs of Stride gum

1 sprinkler

2 ice packs

1 fun purse

1 pair of workout shorts

1 hot pink running top

And now Justin is hooking up the Wii on the big screen for some Mario fun to cap off the evening. You know you are jealous :)

Yoga mats - July 15th

2010-07-16T13:43:00.001-05:00

We got his and her mats today for yogaX. We have been slipping all over the place while doing yoga both on the rug and hard wood floor. We thought the yoga mats would help but we are still slipping! Any ideas? Could be a result of all the sweating but people do hot yoga?

Texas Tech - July 13th

2010-07-14T14:49:00.001-05:00

I borrowed my dads truck for the day while my jeep was in the shop. I would have taken the Mercedes if I had remembered how flamboyantly my dad displays his Tech spirit. I feel a little dirty for driving this!

Pina Colada - July 11th Part 2

2010-07-11T21:54:00.004-05:00

Today (7/11) was free slurpee day at 7-11. You just had to walk in and fill up the 7.11 oz cup with any slurpee flavor. We went to 7-11 to get gas and fill up our back left tire...so I got a free 7.11 oz pina colada slurpee. Yum. I love slurpees. My favorite is lemonade...but they never have that flavor anymore. When I was in high school, they always had lemonade slurpee at the 7-11 by our house. Ah, the good old days.

Saturday Night - July 11th

2010-07-11T21:47:00.003-05:00

Saturday night we met the Ward's in Grapevine for dinner. I know what you are thinking, we are the Ward's. I'll rephrase, we met Justin's parents for dinner. Then we went to Bass Pro Shop. We saw a giant shark and a water wheel. Then Justin killed a bear and claimed it for Baylor. Just another day in Grapevine.

Free Coupons - July 10th

2010-07-10T09:52:00.003-05:00

Any true couponer is always looking for a way to get those coveted coupon inserts that come in the Sunday paper for less then the $3 it costs to actually buy the paper. I, for example, have my mom save her coupons for me and then buy 1 paper so I get two sets of inserts each week. I found a discounted Dallas Morning News subscription for Sunday only delivery for $8.48 a month and was about to bite the bullet and subscribe when I found it...The Briefing. On a fellow Dallas couponers blog, I saw mention that the Saturday edition of the Spanish edition and The Briefing both contain the coupon inserts that normally come in the Sunday edition. Best part...both are free. I looked on The Briefing website and signed up to get free delivery Wednesday through Saturday. But nothing came. I wasn't too surprised as the website said delivery was only available in certain areas of the metroplex. So I tried to find the Spanish edition but that involved visiting gas stations in the area south of our house we try to pretend doesn't exist. Then on my run last week I noticed The Briefing laying on the sidewalk in front of my neighbors house! I was so excited! As soon as I got home, I logged on and reapplied to have free home delivery of The Briefing. Only a few days later, we walked out to leave for work and there it was, the Wednesday edition of The Briefing! By now you can probably all guess what was laying on my lawn when I got home from my run today...that's right...the Saturday edition of The Briefing! I ran inside and opened it up and it was true...there were my two coupon inserts...for FREE!! It is a couponers dream come true! Plus The Briefing is actually pretty cool. It is a brief version of the Dallas Morning News. So basically a one section newspaper covering all the main stories.

My favorite - July 8th

2010-07-08T20:56:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things is using face oil blotting sheets on a hot humid day. It just instantly makes me feel cleaner! So I ordered 15 for a $1 each from Elf and they arrived yesterday. I got a hot humid day today in which to enjoy them. I'm not sure exactly what this post says about me...but I'm sure it says a lot :)

My new toy - July 6th

2010-07-07T11:45:00.004-05:00

I got a new docking station for my computer at work. Actually, I swiped it from a coworker that recently left. Anyway, now I can just snap my computer in and I'm ready to roll. Too bad it is not compatible with the new computer I am getting at the end of the month. Way to make some extra money, Dell, by making your newer models non-compatible with accessories for your older models. Guess I will just enjoy the convenience while I can.

Legos - July 5th part duo

2010-07-07T11:39:00.003-05:00

After Eclipse, we went over to half price books and saw this cool Lego replica of the store. It looks just like the store we were in! I didn't buy anything b/c I left my list of recommended reads at home. Guess I'll have to go back before our trip! Justin recently commented that I am turning into my Uncle Randy by takings pictures everywhere we go. I think it embarrasses him when I do something like stop in the middle of a busy mall to snap some pics of a cactus :) Now I just need to start carrying around a large camera with multiple rented lens instead of just a blackberry with a built in camera and the transformation will be complete.

About to see Eclipse - July 5th

2010-07-05T13:21:00.001-05:00

Maggiano's - July 2nd

2010-07-04T12:08:00.002-05:00

We had dinner at Maggiano's. This is where we had our rehearsal dinner and it is always fun to go back. Then we saw turtles and cacti.

Vacation - July 1st

2010-07-01T22:10:00.001-05:00

I made it through the month and I'm still going! My passport came in yesterday! Now time to book our trip.

For the last two weeks - June 30th

2010-06-30T22:43:00.001-05:00

For the past two weeks my team and I have been working long hours to complete about 200 federal and state returns. They were promised to the client by today. We delivered all of them today around 2. Looks kind of measly all stacked up, huh?

Yea! - June 29th

2010-06-29T22:28:00.002-05:00

Our house is back to a livable temperature! On a sad note, I wish I were at the Twilight Saga 3 movies night :)

Atticus - June 28th

2010-06-28T22:08:00.001-05:00

Atticus loves it when his sister and brother-in-law stay over. We stayed at my parents again tonight. Our AC is fixed but our house is still cooling off. It was still 80 degrees at 9:30.

It's Hot in Here - June 27th

2010-06-28T15:01:00.001-05:00

Our AC went out this weekend. It was a warm 87 degrees in our house this morning. Luckily we spent the night at my parents last night. Hopefully when the repair guy comes this afternoon, he will say it can be fixed cheaply and quickly!

Racing Strips - June 26th

2010-06-27T21:21:00.001-05:00

Yes, someone used pink duct tape to make racing stripes on their truck.

Fireworks - June 25th

2010-06-27T10:21:00.002-05:00

Wonder what we did on Friday night?

Late Nights - June 24th

2010-06-24T22:10:00.001-05:00

I've been working long hours this week. I've been coming home to work but tonight I stayed and ate dinner and worked with my staff. Here is the view from the parking garage when I left tonight.

In Need of Rain - June 23rd

2010-06-24T09:22:00.002-05:00

Please let it rain soon. I can't take these 100 degree days any more plus my car really needs to be washed.

Sophie June - June 22nd

2010-06-22T08:30:00.004-05:00

How could this not be my picture of the day?? How cute is she? And don't worry, she knows it! Funny story about that tiara. SJ loves her big brother so much she always wants to do exactly what he does. So while the kids were staying at my mom's, if they behaved all day they got to choose a treasure from the treasure chest. On Friday, I helped them choose out their prize. Walker choose a sticky hand...and so did SJ. Then I put the tiara on SJ's head and she lite up with the biggest smile. Then she saw Walker choose a sheriff's badge. She immediately ask for the badge and switched it for the tiara. Looks like she got the tiara another day!

Blackberry Bold - June 21st

2010-06-21T22:45:00.001-05:00

Got my phone covers and screen protectors in the mail today all the way from Hong Kong. Now I can rock the Blackberry Bold in green, purple (although I think they sent me blue), or pink without worrying about unsightly scratches.

Isaac - June 20th

2010-06-20T20:58:00.002-05:00

This is Isaac, Justin's best friend in new creations. He HATES nursery and makes that known by crying and standing at the door pointing out. The only thing that will calm him down is for Justin to put him in the stroller and give him a cup of cheerio's. Justin's patience is wearing thin after 5 weeks of this. Next week we are going to try to just leave him in the room and let him cry. He has to get used to staying in his class so Justin can do his job.