Birthday Re-cap & Ta ta for now...

Well, ladies...I have been TERRIBLE the past couple weeks about blogging and commenting on other blogs...my apologies. I am COMPLETELY caught up at work, though and that is an A-MAZING feeling.

I never got around to posting about my birthday weekend so...

My parents send me flowers every birthday without fail...the flower shop was out of Gerber Daisies and Dahlias so they sent these lovelies over instead...

Friday was the Women's Retreat at our church. It was entitled "Loving Well" and totally spoke to my heart! More on that later...

Here's my cousin, Aubrey, me and Tamara. Please ignore my greasiness. It was a hot, humid day here in Texas and I had been RUNNING all day trying to get things ready for the retreat.

The lovely cake Tamara had made for me that we enjoyed at the retreat.

Mom came and joined us at the retreat Friday night. It was so great having her there!

Saturday evening we cooked out at my parents' and my grandparents came down and another couple friend of ours, Jason & Desiree. We had a great time!

Grandmom, me and Mom.

Lily & Tyke chillin' in the kitchen.

I think Marty is getting "baby fever". I toted Miss Berkley around a lot Saturday night and he finally came up to me and said, "Let me give this a try."

Then I snapped this sweet picture.

Tonight is the local cancer Relay for Life. I'm heading up a team so that will keep me occupied this evening. We have a couple of different things going on tomorrow and then Mom and I are leaving early Sunday morning to drive to Fredericksburg, TX. I am SO excited! We are meeting up with a group of 13 women Monday in New Braunfels to float the river for a couple of days. Sunshine and relaxation here we come!

Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend and week next week and I'll be back soon!

Fitness Boot Camp Week One Re-cap

This past week was the first week of boot camp. It was tough, but enjoyable.

Monday was pretty easy, but continual. We did a little bit of running, bleachers, sit-ups, push-ups and some work with free weights.

We divided up into four groups: Advanced, Intermediates I, Intermediates II and Beginners. I started out in Intermediate II, but soon decided I could run with the Intermediates I.

Wednesday we added a little more running and more of the same...

Friday we ran a timed 400m. I was pleasantly suprised that I had the third fastest time overall. I ran with the Intermediate I group and the two girls that beat me were in the Advanced group. I think if I had been running in the same group with them I could have beat them. It was a boost to my ego since they are all in really good shape and workout all the time!

Needless to say, it's going well. I absolutely LOVE it. I will miss two days next week as my mom and I are leaving for New Braunsfels on a float trip with about 15 other mothers and daughters, but I have so much energy during the day! I'm going to have to keep this up after Boot Camp is over!

I'll try and upload pictures from my birthday weekend soon and get those posted. Work has been crazy and we have an intern in the office so my free time the last week has been limited. Sorry for the lack of posts and lack of comments!

Birthday Reflections...

In light of my birthday tomorrow, I wanted to share this e-mail I received today.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Amazing words to live by, don't you think?

These are a few of my favorite things...

about Summer, that is.

I was tagged by Arlynn at Fleur De-licious *(http://fleurde-licious.blogspot.com/) to participate in the Summer Blog Tag where I have to name my top 5 favorite things about summer!

*If someone could tell me how to create a link only using a blog's name instead of the entire web address, that'd be great! I haven't been able to figure it out.

These are in no particular order...

1. My birthday on June 12. Twenty-four, here I come!

2. Grilling out. The food just tastes so good! We cook out every year for my birthday and my mom makes the best hobo dinners (minus the hamburger meat) that have yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, onions, turkey bacon, butter and seasonings. They are YUMMY!

3. The 4th of July. It's a HUGE celebration locally. There's a fun run, parades, parties, cook outs, homemade ice cream, rodeos, rodeo dances and fireworks. What's NOT to love?

4. Water activities...the lake, the beach, float trips on the river, etc. This past weekend seriously made me want to invest in a couple of fancy, smancy seadoos.

5. Our local Farmer's Market. It get's going around mid-July and my boss owns it so we get FREE fresh veggies all summer long!

A big shout out to Fleur De-licious for tagging me for this. Now it's time for me to to a few of my favorite bloggers...

*Sweet Simplicity

Brownies for My Breakfast

Mabel's House

Jimmy Choos & Tennis Shoes

The Faubulous Life of Todd & Erin

*This is where that whole link thing would come in REALLY handy if I knew how to do it!

Have fun with this and don't forget to share the love with 5 of your favorite bloggers!

Friends from OSU and Our Magnolia Weekend!!!

(Insert deep sigh here...) This past weekend was SO refreshing. It's so funny to me how after a weekend of seeing some of the most important people in my life I feel refreshed...spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.

I arrived in OKC Thursday evening around 9 p.m. and Whit and I ventured once again to Budda Tao for sushi. We ordered FOUR rolls and ate them all. Usually, we order three and have some left over. We were HUNGRY and the food was YUMMY! The only picture of the night was captured on Whitney's camera while we were PAINFULLY whitening our teeth. Her whitening stuff is FOR REAL! *LOL* I love that girl. We always have so much fun together!

The next morning, I met Becky at Mimi's Cafe. The only picture I took this time was of my breakfast. I had planned on opting for a healthy option when both Becky and the waitress scoffed at my choice. So I ordered Blueberry Stuffed French Toast...A-MAZING to say the least.

I met Joy shortly after breakfast and we began our journey to Northwest Arkansas. It's SUCH a pretty drive. We got into town a little later than planned so we opted for a light, late lunch at Einstein Brothers Bakery and then did a little shopping. Rogers has this GREAT outdoor shopping mall. It was so nice and they had lots of neat stores. I got a cute shirt for the 4th of July and a belt to go with it and my new book for Book Club, The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow. It looks really good!

That night one of our favorite friends of Rachel's came over with her husband and we cooked out. Rachel is such a wonderful hostess. She had everything prepared. We had grilled chicken, pasta salad, french bread, corn on the cob and fresh strawberries with vanilla ice cream and/or smores. Yumm-o! Can you tell I'm a complete foodie?

We took our time getting around the next morning and then headed to nearby Beaver Lake. Rachel's grandparents have a very nice pontoon boat that we took out on the water.

Here's Owen (aka the object of all our affections) and I before we left.

Rachel made a very adorable boat captain.
Joy testing the water.

Look at Owen proudly sporting Rachel's niece's pink life jacket. Don't you just want to gobble him up?

Rachel and Nick's friend, Scott, was kind enough to bring his Seadoos which we THOROUGHLY enjoyed and are also the reason my thighs are sunburned beyond recognition. They went from snow white to lobster red in one hour. I hadn't been to the lake in years and it was so much fun. The lake was absolutely beautiful. We don't have big bodies of water like that in the panhandle and I was sssooo impressed!

We left the lake and took our time showering and primping before we left for The Marketplace around 9 p.m. I just LOVE that place. The food is always so good!

Here's a shot of us before we left for dinner.

Rach & Me.

Sunday morning Brittany and Owen left before church so she could get back to Wichita and the rest of us went to church and then to eat at this Mexican food place called Mojito's. It had a really neat atmosphere.

Here we are right before Joy and I left. (It was REALLY bright outside, thus the squinty eyes.)

Joy and I got to OKC and I was able to meet up with Jacob, Amy and Cooper (and Amy's mom who I hadn't yet met). Cooper is so cute! He would not smile for us, but here's a cute shot of he and his daddy. Amy...I should've had Jacob get one of us. I never think of these things until afterwards.

I then met Whit again because I had left some things at her apartment and she gave me the most gorgeous necklace for my birthday. She knows me too well!

I know this was a long post. I am just so grateful to have such amazingly, wonderful people in my life. I was thinking as we were sitting in church Sunday morning how special it was to be able to worship with my friends.

So thank you to everyone for a fantastic weekend. I needed the rejuvenation and the encouragement. I hope we all can get together for an OSU football game in the Fall! I appreciate everyone who hosted me at their house, fed me, etc. I love you all SO much!

Rach gave us all these cute little notepads that say, "I'm keeping you close in my heart...near in my prayers." So true!

"And I thought I loved you, then..."

Four years ago today, I met my best friend after attending my cousin's wedding in Oklahoma City. I cannot believe that Marty has only been in my life four short years, but they sure have been good! I saw one of my friends and her sister over the weekend and they had never heard the entire story of how we met. It's long, even at it's shortest...30 minutes. It's filled with romance, drama and lots and lots of butterflies. But, I'll save you the time and myself the energy. Marty and I met on June 4, 2005, and began dating a little over a month later. He proposed 7 months after that and we were married shortly after our one year dating anniversary. Hey, when you know...you know. And God's fingerprints were all over our story and relationship from the beginning.

I LOVE Brad Paisley's new song called "Then". Here are the lyrics.

"I remember trying not to stare the night/That I first met you, you had me mesmerized/And three weeks later in the front porch light/Taking 45 minutes just to kiss goodnight/I hadn't told you yet, but I thought I loved you then/But now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world/And I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl/Like a river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been/We've come so far since that day and I thought I love you then."

The only difference is I DID tell Marty I loved him after only three weeks. He hadn't even said those three words, yet and being forward is SO not me, but nothing about our relationship was the "typical me".

I got him this card from Old Tom Foolery to celebrate the occasion. Isn't it hilarious? It's more hilarious if you know what a passion the man has for Taco Bell.

Today also marks my 100th post. I'm pretty sure it pales in comparision to the previously mentioned anniversary, but it is worthy of note.

Well, I hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend. I have such a fun, friend-filled weekend ahead...I CANNOT wait! I'm having dinner with Whitney tonight in OKC, breakfast with Becky in the morning and then meeting Joy so we can ride together to Arkansas. And sometime either going or coming I've got to stop and see Jacob and Amy and they're ADORABLE, new addition, Cooper. I have yet to meet the little man and shower him with gifts. Fun, fun!

Oh, and say a little prayer for the hubs. He and a friend (who just so happen to be the assistant boy scout master and boy scout master) are taking a group of boys camping at a nearby lake and recreation area. It will be interesting to say the least.

I Sucked...Wind

Well, I finally drug my lazy arse out of bed before 6:30 this morning and went for a run. Let's just say I remember that initial run always being tough. My friend, Abby, and I would go out and run three miles in college having not run in several months and it would hurt, but I could finish.

Friends, I was WALKING up the first hill in the first 5 minutes! Oh, to be old and out of shape!

I think I went about a mile and a half. I pushed myself, but MAN, it was tough!

I signed up for a fitness boot camp through our local YMCA and it starts Monday. Rumor has it that we are running a TIMED 400m on the first day! We will do the same on July 3 (the last day of boot camp) to see how much we've improved. This morning further reiterated the fact that I AM GOING TO DIE!

There's a large group of fitnessistas in said small town and they all go to aerobics together, do P90X and run half and full marathons together. I am a very competitive person, but after this morning I let it sink it that I will more than likely not be at the front of the pack come Monday morning.

I e-mailed my high school coach to see if he had any suggestions and he replied back with "Are you crazy?! I think you'll be surprised at how out of shape you are." *LOL* Thanks, Coach. He's right, though.

But, I think that's the point of boot camp...to whip my flabby, unmotivated butt into shape. So, cheers to that.

I have a CRAZY day ahead of me and tonight I have to pack. I'm leaving tomorrow after work for a fun-filled Magnolia Weekend with some of my wonderful friends from OSU. We're live in four different states now, but we're pow-wowing at Rachel's in Arkansas. I just love it up there. It's SO pretty!

Thoughts for the Day...

While perusing my Bible last night after the hubs softball game (they lost btw) I came across this passage in Jeremiah 1:5-10, "'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'

'Ah, Sovereign Lord,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.'

But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'"

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and it actually falls on a Friday this year. I had kind of started planning on a group of us going to Amarillo and going out for dinner and drinks. Then I found out the Ladies' Retreat at my church was the same weekend and began toying with the idea of whether or not I was going to go...I finally made the decision to not make a big deal my birthday and attend the retreat...and then they asked me to be a group leader.

I was flattered and then I started stressing out. I'm one of those people who has always felt like "I am only a child" in my faith. (My other bible said "I am only a youth." for Jer. 1:6) I just feel like there are SO many women for me to learn from in the church and I'm not sure what I have in all my 23 years of wisdom.

So, then I came across this passage last night and He reminded me that we are never qualified or ready. But, He alone can qualify and ready us for whatever He decides to call us to, He only asks that we be willing. I am praying that He will use me in any way He sees fit and that He will "put words in my mouth" during the retreat.

That's all the widom I have for the day. It a wonderful, rainy day here in the Texas panhandle. Keep it comin', Lord!

Flowers...and Yard Work.

I know I've posted several times about the different blooms popping up in my yard. Here are some pictures I've taken recently that I never got around to posting.

I call this one "Peaches 'N Creme".

I have SO many different iris's it's not even funny.

I'm not sure what this is...a tulip of some sort?

I DID plant this one. My grandmother brought bluebonnets back from a trip to Frederiksburg. I planted mine and guess what...I haven't killed it, yet!

This little bloom came up on one of the fruit trees in the back yard. I thought it was so dainty and pretty.

My mom and I spent Saturday afternoon working in our yard. Trimming things back, pulling weeds, etc. Is it just me or am I missing something? I SO don't get the whole enjoyment factor from working in the yard. My grandparents LOVE it! In fact, they spend two hours per evening watering flowers in the spring and summer. Not I. I would be ok with ripping up everything and just having a lawn full of grass, no flower beds....Granted it was 95 degrees here in the lovely Texas panhandle. I know you're supposed to work in the yard first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, but we had things to do so there we were in the heat of the day.

I'm in the market for a new summer bag. But, I can't decide if I want something bright and bold like this Kate Landry number found at Dillards.com...

Or something more subtle like this Jessica Simpson (also found at Dillards.com).

What do you think?