The day of the "bike ride"

Sunday was a good day! We woke up on time. My BFF and husband arrived at my house on time. We almost left on time. We arrived to church just a few minutes late... but we went to the bookstore to get some much needed coffee and then went to walk in the sanctuary only to find out that we were unable too. They had started the communion and we had to stand outside the doors and wait. When the doors opened there was like a mass entrance. We found our seats and got one song of worship in before the sermon started. After the service we went to bible study and then to potbelly for lunch. It was yummy. I did pretty good and got they TKY with all the fixins for right about 500. I wanted something with a few extra calories for lunch this day because I knew we had a long bike ride coming up.

After we finished eating we came back to my house to change and load the bikes (thank you to my friend who let us borrow a bike for the BFF to ride). I got my Camelbak filled with water and then went outside to help with the bike loading. We begin to put air in the tires and it begins to sprinkle. So we hurry up and get the bikes loaded and start our drive to the park. We decided that a few sprinkles wouldn't be too bad... plus when we looked in the distance at the sky where we planned to ride... we still saw sun. So I called everyone who was planning to meet up with us for the ride to make sure they were still ok riding with the possibility of rain. Everyone was on board and we all figured if it rained it would be short and lite rain.

So when I asked my BFF the day before if she wanted to bikes on Sunday through the park, she asked me if it was a good place to take pics? I said it was. I told her we were going to be riding some on the side walk and do some off road/trail riding... but that we could still stop for pictures. I found out later, that in her mind she thought it would be like a leisure bike stroll through the park. Opps! ;) Well at least we stopped a decent amount... right?

Well the bike ride started off pretty well except something was going on with my bike... the gears just didn't seem right... it didn't matter what gear I put it in it felt like I was having to give way to much effort for very little movement. So after one of the times we stopped one of my guy friends offered to ride my bike and let me ride his (I think it is because he was tired of waiting on me and hearing me complain about something being wrong with my bike). He also offered my BF his gel seat cover because she was complaining of her bum hurting. So I was riding his bike and it was a lot better ride then mine was except now the seat is minus the gel seat cover and now my bum area is hurting too. But, I don’t “really” complain because it is still a better ride then if I was riding my bike. At one of the next stops my guy friend was no longer riding my bike, his wife was and he made sure to inform me that she is having no problems with it and informed me my bike was fine. A stop or two later I noticed that couple was getting way behind and the husband said he was waiting on the wife. So I got to thinking that it was probably because she was riding my bike and having the same issues I was… so I figured at the next stop I would offer to ride my bike again (the reason I waited to the next stop… is because I thought of this while we were riding). So at the next stop, I offered… but the husband decided that he would actually ride it this time.Then his wife informs me that there is indeed something wrong with the gears and it is not riding like it is supposed to. So by this time we have gone like 5 miles and already a mile in to our four mile ride back to the cars… and it starts to rain… not a light sprinkle… a full on rain!!!

So we got to ride the next four miles back to our cars in the rain. Fun, fun! It wasn't too cold (the rain or the temperature outside), so that helped. It is a good thing that I have ok sight without my glasses... because I could no longer see through them and they don't have their own wipers. We did stop under a bridge for like 60 secs to let everyone catch up. But we didn't stay there long because 1.) We didn't think the rain would be over anytime soon and 2.) We were already soaked so what does a getting wet matter now. I could feel the water running down my legs to soak my shoes. Now I must be honest... I think I actually enjoyed riding in the rain!! It was kin of cool!! :)

After the ride we went back to my housee showered and made dinner to take over to one of my friends house. My BF went to school for graphic design and was recently married. She was/is looking for a way to work for herself at home. The wife of the couple we planned to do dinner with has a similar background to the BF and is currently working from home. So I decided it would be a good idea to get the great minds togther and have my work from home friend share her wisdom and know how of a statring/running a work from home business. While listening to all of the information that was bestowed on us... I decided I would like to start my own work from home business. I have since come up with an idea or two that I think could possibly work. So we will see what happens. :)

After dinner we come back to my house and just hang out a little bit (the BFF is due to fly out the next day). The BF loves photography... so she took several pictures of... the puppies. The pictures are shared below. :)



Aggie



Me and the BFF



Little Lola Sticking out her tongue



Baby Drake Handsome like normal!

Heidi and Jason with Lola, Chance and Drakers!



Byron and Chance Pants

Another busy weekend with a surprise!

This weekend was another typical busy weekend in the Ewald house. Saturday morning we (actually me, Byron went to the driving range) had a baby shower for the first "mom to be" of our bible study/ Sunday school class. It was a great shower... but I was so tired by the time I got there. I was one of the hosts and I was in charge of games and making/bringing some food. So of course I knew about this way in advance... so I started planning way in advance... and then I got sick and still haven't been feeling great. So I have been going to bed at 830 now because I am so tired. So needless to say... things did not go as I had intended.

So here are the activities that I planned for the shower:

 

1.     I planned to hand make birthday cards for the baby for the next 20 years and have everyone that came to the party pick out a card and right a. Birthday note to the child for the first 20 years of his life.

2.     I bought thank you notes to have everyone self-address.

3.     And for games we did candy bar in the diaper one

4.     A match the candy with the pregnancy/delivery related word.

 

On top of this I have been making baby blankets and baby related things for the past several baby showers I have attended ... so I did that for this shower as well. All of this wouldn't have been that overwhelming had I started a lot earlier... but that didn't really happen. I finally bought the stuff to make my baby blanket and baby stuff the week (Friday before)... planning to get as much done if not all of it done …but that Saturday we ended up spending the whole day with family it was awesome fun... but not productive. I So I finally started making it that Sunday before after church. After I got the blanket made I realized that I had forgotten to prewash the fabric. A major opps! L*Note to self - Always prewash fabric when you sew... so you know what size the fabric is going to be before you starting cutting and stitching. I ran out of time Sunday to do anything more than the blanket.



The completed baby blanket



I also got very little done during the week since I started cooking again this week… and since I still haven’t been feeling well with a bed time by like 8:30. :( I was also a weee bit of a procrastinator... surprise, surprise … I know! :/ So Thursday night I tried to get as much of the baby “stuff” made… but did not get it all done. Friday I got all the materials for the “Birthday cards” and was up to sometime around 1 am trying to finish the “baby stuff” and “birthday cards”. I was unsuccessful of course. I was so close to being done sewing… but I messed something up and I needed to seam rip it out...but my eyes were too tired to see the thread any more… so it had to wait till morning. I was also able to get most of the cards done with only 5 remaining to finish… but I just had to go to bed and I figured I would just plan to be out of bed by 6am.

Well, that was the “plan”, but I didn’t get out of bed until almost 7am and had to drag myself out of it at that time. So I made myself of cup of coffee, took care of the puppies, finished the “birthday cards” and then sat down to finish sewing. It is now like 8amish. I am “supposed to be at the host house by 9am to set up and get things ready before the 10:30am shower and I still have to make the food I am bringing!!! ERK!!! L I HATE to be late to things! I feel soo rude when I am! L But at this point I was doing everything I could to get out of the house as quickly as possible.

Oh and do you remember how I mentioned a surprise in the title? Well that surprise came while I was preparing Monkey bread and making fruit dip. My phone rang… I looked at it and saw my BFF from Florida calling… didn’t answer because I was a little busy/ stressed. But, then she called again. So I figured since she didn’t usually do that I should answer and see what was going on. So I did, but I put her on speaker so I could multi task. She asked me what I was doing that night or Sunday and.. of course I said why (because she lives in Florida and I live in Texas). She informed me that her husband is currently in Houston on business and she would possibly be able to come in… that night by like 7pm!! So of course I said yes…. Come… I will make time for you!! So she got off the phone and bought her ticket and I got off the phone and continued to run around the house like a chicken with my head cut off. I finished up my sewing… I got my Monkey Bread prepared faster than I have ever prepared it before and whipped together my fruit dip like Speedy Gonzalez.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now it is like 9ish… but I still have to get everything loaded in the car and the dogs put away… oh… and get dressed!! I picked out my outfit and was ready in like 5-10 minutes. High Five self! JI was able to get loaded and get to the host house by like 9:45-10ish. Oh, and since I only had enough time to prepare my Monkey bread and not bake it… it got to go in the oven as soon as I got in the host home. Which kind of sucked because everyone else had their food in there staying warm and I had to have them take it out so that my unorganized, procrastinating self could finish making my food contribution. To make things even worse for me is that they were almost all done with the decorating and I hadn’t been there to help. I felt like such a failure!!! Boo hoo! I suck!

But once I got over myself failings... I calmed myself enough I was able to see how great everything looked and thoroughly enjoyed the shower and the company. God has blessed and surrounded me with an amazing group of girls!!

"The Girls"

 

Mom to be with my homemade baby blanket

 

 

Later Saturday afternoon we got together with Byron's family for his dad's birthday. Byron's little nieces were so excited to see him. Dinner was ok... the service a little rocky... splitting the checks... a disaster... the company... Great!

Byron and our little nieces!
 

My BFF landed in Houston around 7. Originally I had planned to go see her at the hotel once she landed... but I was whooped and so ready for bed. So we agreed that she and her husband would meet at my house in the morning to go to church and Sunday school with lunch and a "bike" ride afterwards. But this story is for another post on another day.

 

Hope you have a great day!! see you soon!!

Gym Day 2 and Fish Tacos

This was a good day at the gym!! I actually enjoyed myself. This time for cardio we did racquetball. It was fun fun!! But it was also a little challenging. I am not positive the correct way to play racquetball... but I am fairly certain that we didn't do it that way. We decided to make our own cardio version of racquetball. The rules were we take turns, once she hit the ball... I would have to hit the next one no matter where it landed... and then when I hit it she would have to hit it no matter where it landed and so on and so on. So it was none of that "the ball has to cross the line" or "bounce limit" business for us... no, no... it was anything goes. We were on the go for almost a solid 30 minutes. I swear I sweated more playing our version of raquetball than I ever have before at the gym (TMI I know). I think part of the reason is that I push myself more in sports. For example, if I am running on the treadmill and get tired I slow down my pace... but in racquetball... I may slow for a second once I hit the ball... but as soon as the ball comes to me again ... I am gonna get it!! ;)
After racquetball we did about 70 crunches and 10 pushups . I am going to go ahead and confess I can't do 10 pushups, I can't really even do 10 girl pushups... my coworker... a.k.a the motivator... should me another version that I was able to do. I layed on my stomach and just pushed up my upper body. Which was good... I will do this weakling version until my arms are strong enough for some girl pushups. ;) After my woosey pushups we did 10 lounges with weights 20 curls, 20 behind my head bicep thing, 10 shoulder presses (we had to do this sitting because I was lightheaded). I know we did more than this... but besides stretching that is all I can remember.

So for dinner last night I decided to makeFish Tacos with homemade Pineapple Pico de Gallo. So below I am going to share that recipe.
In the first Picture you will see the Ingredients. (I am going to go ahead and apologize for the quality of all pictures... they are from my camera phone... which is not the best camera. I am also apologizing for the layout of the pictures... it is a struggle to put them where I want... so I get to the point where I just give up... Sorry). :)



The Pineapple Pico ge Gallo

Pineapple Pico De Gallo Ingredients:

• Pineapple
• Roma tomatoes (I like Roma because I feel they are firmer and hold their shape better... especially if I am using the chopper).
• Cilantro
• Limes
• Onion (yellow or purple or whatever you prefer)
• Salt and pepper if you prefer... I don't use it because we try not to add salt to things

The quantities for everything is really up to you and how much you plan to make. But a good thing to remember is you want it equal portions, that it is not all tomatos. I also recommend getting yourself a chopper (pictured below). It makes dicing anything so much easier and cuts way down on prep time.

The Pineapple Pico de Gallo Ingredients

 

The Chopper makes everything easier and faster!!

Sliced tomato

diced tomatoes after the chopper

sliced tomato on the chopper

Directions:

1.  First I start with washing then slicing the tomatoes. I cut off each end and then thickly slice the tomatoes then place them one or two slices on chopper at a time until I have reached my desired amount of tomatoes. (Seen in pictures above)
2. Then I cut the onion in half, and half again until it get it to an ok size to go in the chopper. Then I place it in the chopper and chop desired amount. Note... if using the chopper make sure your onion is turned the right way... otherwise you get longer strips of onion instead of diced pieces.
3. Next, I took already cut pineapple and placed it on the chopper to dice it and added it to the bowl with the tomatoes and onions.

Pineapple in the chopper

4. After I have all of those ingredients chopped and in the bowl I go wash the cilantro. I tear    off the leaves only (I don't like the steams in the food) and then I tear them into pieces. Once again I don't really know how much... I just put it in there until it looks like there is as much green as every other color.) See picture below.

5. I cut the lime(s) in half or quarters and squeeze it into the bowl. Again, this will be too taste. I like a lot of lime.

6. Lastly if you want you can add salt or pepper to taste.

Make Citrus Fish for the Fish Tacos

 

Ingredients:

• Fish of choice (Tilapia etc.) ( I used four standard size fillets)
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 1-2 limes
• Mrs. Dash  Fiesta lime Seasoning
• Tortillas (I recommend La Tortilla Factory .. they average 50 calories a tortilla which can greatly help you monitor your calorie intake)

Seasoning for fish

Fish before oven

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Take the fish and place it in a baking dish
3. Take your orange, lime and lemon and cut in easy to squeeze sizes and squeeze over the fish. (If you have a lot of fish you may want to use more citrus).
4. Sprinkle on the Fiesta Lime Mrs. Dash ... see picture above.(You can let it marinate a little while to have a better flavor)
5. Place it in the oven approximately 20 minutes covered or uncovered until the fish comes out nice and flakey
6. Flake off pieces of the fish and place in your tortilla.
7. Add your Pineapple Pico de gallo
8. Sit down and enjoy the fruit of your moderate labor!!! :)

**On a side note... the Pico is yummy with tortilla chips and make a good side dish.



Fish after oven

Fish and Pico an an open tortilla

Nutrion Facts                                                                              Calories

Carbs

Fat

Protein

Generic - Tilapa Fillet, 4 oz	110	0	0	0
Lemon juice - Raw, 1 wedge yields	1	1	0	0
Raw - Orange Juice Fresh Squeezed, 0.5 oz	7	2	0	0
Lime juice - Raw, 1 wedge yields	1	0	0	0
Latortilla Factory - Smart & Delicious Tortilla Whole Wheat/Low Carb High Fiber 7", 1 tortilla	50	10	2	5
Homemade - Pico De Gallo, 3.5 oz	26	5	0	1
Pineapple - Raw, all varieties, 0.25 cup, diced	19	5	0	0
	214	23	2	6





First Mishap in the Weight Loss Journey! :(

So yesterday was not a good day for me and "the weight loss journey"! Well it started off well… but  it did not end so well!!   :( boo! For breakfast I had my mixed berry oatmeal; for lunch my leftover homemade buffalo chicken sliders; and for snack I had my 100 calorie cup of frozen strawberry Greek yogurt and a couple of Annie's honey bunnies. With all that being said... I left work at 694 calories out of my allowed 1200... So not too bad. I already knew what I was cooking for dinner and it was low calorie... so I felt good about my choices so far.

Then I got in the car with Byron and he had baked Cheetos and a Cherry Pepsi... so I had a little... but still not too bad probably only 50 calories. I asked him if he wanted to bike or walk the dogs with me when we got home? He said no and I sort of lost my motivation... and I was hungry. So decided I would go ahead and make dinner.

So when we got home I made my low calorie dinner ...Chicken Enchiladas Verdes (recipe to come soon... I forgot to take pics). Again I did good and only had one and a little bit of brown rice totaling about 275 calories. So at this point I am still feeling good about myself and choices.

Then Byron says he wants to make cookies.... dom dom dooom!! ;( so I think that is ok... I have some calories to spare... I've been really good today. So I tell him to just make two for me because I know if he makes more than that I will eat them. Well did he make 2? 5? 8? .... Oh no, no, no... He made like 10 or 12... and I ate 4... with milk!!! FAIL!!! Boo hoo for no self-control!! :(

My Achilles Heel- Fresh Cookies - White Chip Chocolate Cookie

So I have done the calculations for myself precookie/milk devouring and I would have been at 1059 Calories for the day. I would have kept with my original goal to stay under 1200 calories a day. But you know what I could still have exercised self-control and had one cookie and still been under my calories at 1171... but no.. not me... I had to blow it with my 4 cookies and milk and end the day at 1612 calories... a whopping 412 over what I should have had... with no exercise!

But unfortunately that happens sometimes. I choose not to be discouraged but know that each day is a new day to start again. I have done well so far today. Let's see if I can keep it up when I get home!! Wish me luck!!

 

What is your weakness when you are trying to lose weight?

First day Back at the Gym!

Ok so I did it! I went to the gym... and completed a work out!! Thank you work buddy for your help and motivation.

For day 1 work out we did 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical and 5 minutes on the bike (we were going to do 10 minutes on the bike but neither one of us liked the stationary bike; I didn't like how it felt on my knee.) Then we went to the aerobics room and did about 70 abs, 10 lounges with weights, 10 lounges without weights, 10 arm curls on each arm, 10 over head shoulder press, and 20 behind the head work on my tricep thing. I call that a work out and I am pretty sure I am going to be sore tomorrow.

The above is the only workout i had yesterday! I burned approximately 226 calories. My fitnesspal tells me to lose weight I should eat approximately 1200 calories a day. They give you back the calories you burn to keep you at 1200 calories a day. So since I burned 226 calories yesterday my new total allowed calories was 1426. I consumed 1335. So technically I was still with in my allowed calories for the day... but I want to try to keep my total consumed calories around 1200 total... with or without burned calories. Doing this is when I have seen the best results.

Today I am going to share my breakfast meal with you!! This particular one is Mixed Berry Oatmeal. The oatmeal has no artificial or added sweetner.

Ingredients:

• Oats (old fashioned or quick oats... I like and use the old fashioned oats).
• I use approximately 1/4 cup
• A "No Sugar Added" frozen fruit of your choice.
• I use approximately 1/4 cup
• A banana or half of one (the darker the sweeter)
• Water (I use approximately 1/8 cup) not sure how much really... I just put it in there.

Step 1:

Take the banana. Cut it in slices. Put it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 45sec. When it comes out and you stir it... it should look like the picture below. I do know this may sound gross... but give it a chance. When you melt the banana it brings out all of the sweetness... enough to where you do not need to add sugar. Tip: the darker the banana... the better it melts and the sweeter it is. Also the more banana you use the sweeter.. but that also means more calories. I find a half a banana is enough for me!



 Step 2:
Add you oats, fruit and water. Stir and put back in the microwave for a minute to a minute and a half. You want it to be in there long enough to heat up the oats and thaw out the frozen fruits.


Before the added water

After water and stirred

 Step 3:
Take it out of the microwave and stir. (If you used a larger fruit like Strawberries you may want to cut them smaller to make them bite size.) And ENJOY!!!

Bad picture.. Yummy Oatmeal.

	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein
Quaker Oats - Old Fashion Oats - Raw, 1/4 cup uncooked	75	14	3	3
Bananas - Raw, 0.45 large (8" to 8-7/8" long)	54	14	0	1
Selection - Mixed Berries - Frozen - No Sugar Added, 0.2 cup	21	5	0	0
Totals:	150	33	3	4

So today is a new day for weight loss and exercise. We are not going to the gym today during lunch... so I will have to find another way to get my workout in today. I will probably either go for a bike ride when I get home or walk the dogs or both!

So wish me luck today!! My goal today is to stay at 1200 calories or less period!!

I hope you have a great day!!

Do you have any easy, yummy, healthy reciepes to share??

The Weight Loss Journey!

Since Byron and I have been married I have fluctuated in weight between 10 and 15lbs. :( In the fall of 2011 I lost 10lbs by training for my first 5K… and I have since gained it back. Boo!! I gained the last bit of weight these past couple of weeks being sick. I ate the hearty meals like grilled cheese and creamy tomato soup and it just threw me over the ledge. I personally feel there are two main contributors to my weight gain and struggle to get it off. 1.) I am not as young as I use to be, So I think my hormones and metabolism are a little different and 2.) I have been at a desk job for a year and a half. I sit at a desk with occasional up and down movement for about 8 hours a day. This is the first and only job I have ever had where I sit at a desk most of the day. I noticed the weight gain after I took this job L. It is a struggle for me. I am having to find other ways to maintain my weight because the little changes I use to make that helped me to lose a couple pounds is no longer enough. I am not on my feet all day running around so I am not burning those extra calories and I am still use to eating the way I use to.

 

Over the past year or so I have changed a lot of my eating habits. I eat a lot healthier overall but I still eat my occasional unhealthy meals! I love wings and Pillsbury Chocolate Chip cookies! And both of these meals can easily but me over my limited calories for the day. I don’t feel changing my eating alone will help me to lose the 20lbs that I need to. So I am about to start going to the gym! Boo!! Don’t get me wrong… I love being active… but I hate the gym!! I get so bored at the gym! I would rather just be active playing softball, kickball, biking or whatever. But, I currently feel I need to get in the gym to really make this happen and increase my cardio by a lot.

 

So I am going back to tracking my food and exercise on www.myfitnesspal.com which will now sync with my outdoor running/ biking app Endomondo and try to get this weight off and in shape. (If you want to see what I am eating daily you can add me to your myfitnesspal account...my username is autumnewald). I have challenged a few friends to our own Biggest Loser Competition (I love this show by the way... it encouraged me to do my first 5k; and is helping to get me motivated again). I am trying to recruit fellow friends that I know want to lose weight... to join me. We would all put in $5-$10 and set a time frame and then whoever loses the highest % of weight by the deadline wins the money pot. I feel this would be a good motivator.

Today is my first day to the gym. I will be going during my lunch break. Luckily I have an hour lunch break and a gym that takes me approximately 5 minutes round trip to get there. I am also lucky because I recruited a coworker to go with me. She does not need to lose weight but she wants to get in better shape. I am glad she is coming with me. I think she will be a good motivator and push me more than I would push myself as well as helping to keep me from getting too bored.

 

Oh, one more thing. If any of you can help me with this that would be great! As I have posted in previous post… I am actively trying to get pregnant. So my question is do you guys have any pointers or information on things I can and can’t do in working out and weight loss while TTC? My doctor told me I can’t “train” but she did tell me I could keep playing softball. I am just a little confused… so if any of you have been there and have a few good pointers please let me know! I just feel I can’t put the weight loss off because of wanting to get pregnant. I want a healthy pregnancy and I know me being healthy will help that.

 

Wish me luck as I start my “Weight Loss Journey”

Being Sick is no fun!! :(

Hello all my friends!! Once again I am way behind on posting! Anyone surprised? I am not! This is what happens in my life!! Byron and I have been taking turns being sick the past two weeks!! BOO!! :( Two weeks ago Byron was sick and last Monday night (when Alabama beat Notre Dame for their 15th National Championship) I started feeling achy and sick!
The flu has been going around but luckily Byron and I have not had the flu but just a really bad cold! The weather has been crazy in Texas these past several weeks and I guess our bodies got fed up with it and decided to throw a revolt!
My cold did not really hit me hard till Thursday about lunch time. Byron and I car pool so I called him to see if he could come pick me up and take me home... this is at like 11-11:30ish. He says he had a meeting at 1:30 and wanted to know if he could come get me after. I told him I was really ready to go home now. But it takes us about 45 minutes to an hour to get home... so for him to be able to take me home and get back in time for his meeting was not an option. So Byron thought to call a friend who works in a building close to him and lives not too far away to see if he would take Byron home from work at the end of the day. I am very thankful that our friend said yes! Byron was able to come and pick me up, but I had to take him back to work and myself home.
On my way home I stopped by the store to buy me some Dayquil, Nyquil, vitamin C, soup and OJ.
I got home, took care of the puppies, took some Nyquil and got in bed to get some much needed rest. But the puppies had other plans. They were trying to decide who got to lay closets to mommy and which position is the most comfortable... for about 20 minutes. They finally settled down and I laid in bed... AWAKE... for another 45 minutes and finally thought screw it. I get up... make a list... and go back to the store for ingredients to make my favorite soup. . Chicken Avocado Soup...

... and some Tylenol PM.

 

When I got home I made the yummy, delicious soup and Byron and I ate dinner together. Then I took my newly purchased Tylenol PM and went to bed for the night at like 8:00ish.
I woke up Friday morning at 5ish to go to work and decided I didn't feel good enough to go to work yet. So I emailed work and said I wasn't coming in that morning but if I felt better after more sleep I would be in around lunch. Let's just say.... I didn't make it in by lunch. I rolled back over at 5ish and slept till 9ish when I decided I would finally get up to feed the puppies and then let them outside to potty. Well I didn't let them back in from pottying until like 12ish. I need as much uninterrupted sleep as possible where I could move around and stretch out my legs... and I knew that would be too hard to accomplish with 4 dogs wanting to cuddle with mommy. So they got lots of outdoor time so mommy could actually get some sleep time!

Monday I was going to go to the doctor after work... because I thought I might need an antibiotic to beat this thing. But, I ended up not going. I actually felt a little better by the end on Monday and just figured by body needed rest and time to kick it. Today is Wednesday, I am still not well... but I am better. I feel by this coming Monday I should be feeling back to my old self. :) I am so ready for that. I feel like from my laziness (needing to sleep more to kick this) and eating heartier food (mainly grilled cheese and tomato soup and OJ) I have gained a wee bit of wait! :( So I am ready to feel good enough so I can exercise and get this weight off!!

Are you one of those I have a sniffle... let me go to the doctor... or I am good.... and only go to the doctor when you feel it is absolutely necessary??

Just an FYI... my post will probably not always be in chronological order. I plan to catch up on this past while I post things current as well... so that I do not continue to stay behind!!

Till next time!!

Christmas in Alabama - "the flight"

This year we spent Christmas in Alabama with my family. 95% of my family lives in Alabama and his whole family lives in Houston, TX. So we made a deal when we got married that we would alternate our holiday’s between families. If we did Thanksgiving  in Houston then we would do Christmas in Bama. This year we (mainly Byron) decided that we were going to fly instead of drive. Which was great! I don’t mind so much driving. It does take a while but it is much cheaper than flying and I am cheap. Byron on the other hand HATES driving for any type of “road trip”. This is mainly because he is 6’7” and he finds it very uncomfortable to ride in the car for any period of time without being in pain. So this year we planned ahead (at least somewhat) and bought our plane tickets early.

The Thursday evening before our scheduled Friday flight out we took the three big puppies to the boarding facility. We love the place we board our dogs. This is the only place we have ever brought our puppies to more than once. We love it for many reasons. One they have a large enough kennel to board all 3 dogs together comfortably (they all like to stay together… they get sad when we separate them). Two they get to go to doggie daycare outside most of the day at no extra charge and they love it. This summer they even brought out a kiddie pool and hose for the puppies to play with/ in. Thirdly we only get charged for the night(s) they stay… unlike some places that charge you another night if you drop them off too early or pick them up after 9am. They don’t have extra charges for things. Lastly, I feel like the employees really care about my puppies which is really important to me!

We got back from  dropping the puppies off and I finally "start" my laundry. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing to procrastinate on if I actually put most of my clothes in the dryer to dry… but no… I hang probably 75% of my clothes up to dry. My philosophy is … If I like the way it fits me… it doesn’t go in the dryer… because if it does go in the dryer... it may never fit me again! J So after I got all my loads in the washer and out and hanging up with everything else I could pack, packed… I went to bed (it was like 10ish). I decided it would be better to just go to bed and get up early to finish packing.

So we wake up at like 4am the next morning to finish packing and we are out the door by like 5:15ish. We are driving across town to Byron's parents house who live next to the airport. They were very generous to offer to take us to the airport so that we do not have to pay to leave our car there while we are gone. They were also kind enough to watch little Lola for us while we were out of town.Our flight is scheduled out at 7:45ish.... so we get to the airport at like 6:16ish. we figured this would give us plenty of time to get our bags checked, through security and to the gate. We were a little surprised when we got to the airport and saw that there were not many cars there to drop off people. then we looked a little closer and saw the incredibly long lines to do curbside check in. It was ridiculous! So we decided we had a better chance to just go inside and check baggage. Well with line was shorter is still debatable because this line was ridiculous as well!! I have never seen the lines this long at the airport before! So we wit in the checked baggage lane for approximately an hour... which isn't terrible considering how many loopy loos the line did. next we head to security which was pretty quick and get to our gate with time to spare!! whew!!

This is a blurry picture of what the line looked like at the airport!!! Crazy!!!

We try to always check in online so we get boarded sooner and get to pick a better seat. We try to pick the seats that will give Byron the most leg room possible. For some reason even though I Checked in and printed out our boarding passes at exactly the same time... I was given an A group boarding pass and Byron was given a B group boarding pass. So it was up to me to find the best seats! I think i did pretty well! I git us front row seats and even better... I ended up sitting by a hunting/fishing TV personality. I don't remebmer what show he was from... but he and Byron talked about hunting and fishing almost the whole way to Alabama while I listened squised in between the two. :) The flight was pretty unremarkable (besides the great conversations). We get off the plane quickly since we are front row and get to the baggage claim location pretty quickly. We didn't have to wait too long for the bags to start coming. Our first bag was one of the first one's to come. This bag had all the blankets I had made for my nieces and nephews. I joked and told Byron... "well at least we have this one if none of the other bags come!" That's all funny and HaHa of course... untill someone' sbag didn't make it to Alabama and that someone's bag happens to be mine with all of my shoes (besides what I was wearing), all of toiletries, straightening iron and my bundt cake pan. All of which of csourse are necessities. So  I have to go to the "my bag didn't make it on this flight office" and figure out what we do next.

The lady in that office was very nice and gave me two options. Option 1: the next flight from Houston was due to Alabama and approximately 1 hour... so I could wait for it... and if I did wait I would get $100 travel voucher to use in the future. Or Option 2: I could have it Fedexed to my dad's house (which is where I was staying while I was in Alabama) it "should" get there in the next day or two.next,I had to check with my dad and make sure he was ok waiting around for the hour (the airport was about 2-3 hours from his house). He was feeling extra generous and said it was up to me I chose option 1!! We decided to go get lunch while we waited. We had a good lunch at Zoe's Kitchen and came back to the airport at the scheduled time.

 So, once again I waited for my bag to come and.... it was one of the last bags out!!! Woo Hoo!!! I have all of my belongings now safely in Alabama to spend the week with me!

The rest of Christmas is to be continued in another post... ( I write too much and this post is already pretty long) there is more excitement to come! :)

Byron is back from South Korea!!

Yay!!! He made it back safely. There were moments when we wondered if he would. I don’t know if any of you guys heard… but North Korea was going to launch a missile/ satellite and South Korea said if North Korea  did launch it they would shoot it down. Could have been a war and Byron would have literally been in the middle of it. North Korea did launch the missile/ satellite after they said they would not… but South Korea did not shoot it down so Byron was safe!! YAY!!!

 

Byron said Korea was really really cold but pretty. One of his favorite things was the Korean BBQ. The first Korean BBQ place he went to they had him sit on the floor at the table. They had a “grill” in the middle of the table and they brought his food to him raw and he cooked it himself. At one of the places he went to they offered him “dessert”.  It was noodles in ice water with chicken and some other things. I don’t really remember it all… but he said it was yummy!!

At Korean BBQ sitting on the floor. See the Grill?

 

 

I picked Byron up from the airport Thursday the 13th. He was originally scheduled to come back on the 15^th… but he was able to finish up early and get home a little earlier. So the Thursday night he is scheduled to come in is the same night we have our company Christmas party. So I went to my Christmas party for exactly 1 hour and then headed to the airport to pick up my love muffin!!

The following weekend was just as busy as always! We had our last softball games for the season Friday night. We only had four of our regular players available to play. So as the team manager I did all the recruiting I could do to get a full team. I even got to the field early and went around to each dug out asking for extra girls. At game time we were still 3 girls short. Boo! But, a team we had previously played against and I and another girl had played for/with the week before where short girls as well. So we struck a deal. The deal was that they would forfeit their first game and play with us and we would forfeit our second game and play with them. Because at the end of the day we all came out to play… if we won that was a bonus.

So if you didn’t know I was/ am the “coach” as well as the manager of the team. So, it was a little stressful at the beginning of that first game combining teams and figuring out the field positions and the lineup as the game starts. It was a wee bit stressful. But we did it. The team we played was a really good team and high up on the rankings. So we lost… but not by much 6-7. We were going to forfeit our second game to play with the other team…. But we didn’t have too. The team we were supposed to play was available to play at 7:30 instead of our scheduled 8:30 time… and since we were available to play and there was an open field… we played at 7:30. We didn’t win against this team either L they won by a little more this time… but we still didn’t do bad... the score was 23-10! So we still ended up playing with the other teams second game with them and we won that game 25 -10. SO over all we played three hours of softball straight… but I loved it!! I am already ready for the next season!!

Saturday was a blast as well! One of our good friends was celebrating his 30^th birthday. He decided to schedule it at Sky High. For those of you who don’t know it is one of those indoor trampoline places. So we started at the foam pit. I was a little bit of a chicken with this because I did not attempt to do any flips with this one (or any other one for that matter). I did however try to jump off the side walls and land all the way on the back wall. Fail… instead I landed in the foam pit like a taco (arms and legs straight in the air)… it probably took me a good 3-5 minutes to get out. I did get the closest to the back trampoline!! Yay! Go me!! After the foam pit trampoline we went to the “big” trampoline. This is pretty much like 50 trampolines all together. I did a couple of “knee - ups” and “back-ups) and wall jumps…but that is all. Last we went to the trampoline dodge ball courts. Of course I was horrible at this. I would do pretty well at dodging the balls until I would try to get one. As soon as I would reach for a ball I would get hit and be out! L But at the end it was a blast and a great workout!! Ready to go back again!!

I know this post is so far behind. I’m am going to do my best to get caught up and start posting events that are more current and not a couple of weeks late!