August 2010

Marty's actual birthday was two weeks after his suprise party. Another reason, he said he didn't suspect that I was up to something. We ended up having a small group of his close guy friends from "up here" out to my parents' ranch for the weekend. We shot skeet, fished, rode horses and enjoyed the country.

The Boys.
After the boys locked him in one of the skeet towers (behind him).

Beautiful Texas Panhandle Afternoon.

The boys decided to "chap" (beat him with a pair of chaps, typically worn when riding horseback) Marty 30 times instead of birthday spankings. We "lured" him in by telling him I wanted a group shot in front of the water tower. It took all of them to take him down.

He was so unsuspecting...

The banner made multiple appearances.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves! Hopefully, the birthday boy even though he suffered a little abuse over the weekend.

I'll get caught up one of these days...

A Birthday to Remember...and Quotable Friday

This past Saturday I celebrated my 25th birthday with a few of my closest friends.

I had a bit of celebrating prior to that. Tuesday evening after work I ran to Amarillo to get my hair done before the weekend. Marty teased me unmercifully and asked if I thought I was some kind of rockstar since I was driving two hours one way for a hair appointment. Granted, my hair hadn't been cut or colored in about three months, so it was in desperate need of some attention. Kristen met me at Chick-fil-a after. I could eat there EVERY DAY! We hadn't seen each other in awhile and crammed about three weeks worth of conversation into an hour and a half!

The next day I received a sweet package from my dear friend, Kristin. It was a gift card for a Road ID of my choosing and some precious stationary cards with my monogram on them. When I went to visit her several months ago we went on a run and she asked me if I had one and I told her no. It took me FOREVER to decide, but I chose the Ankle ID because I already wear a watch and a Garmin on my wrists. I got an e-mail saying it shipped today and I can't wait to get it in the mail! They also sent me the following coupon for any of you to use who might be interested.

Coupon Number: ThanksCassi772125
This coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order. It can be used up to 20 times in the next 30 days. Feel free to send this coupon via email, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, town crier, or good ole fashion smoke signal.

Thursday night I went out to Kinsey's and we watched The Real Housewives of New York Reunion special and had a lovely spread that she had made earlier that day. I stuffed my face royally!

Friday I picked Mom up and we headed to OKC. We met Becky at BJ's Brewhouse for a yummy meal and then went back to Becky's for the evening.

Saturday started with a trip to Celeste Day Spa for some pampering. I don't know that mine was as much "pampering", but more maintenance. I was really nervous, but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. We went to a few stores and little boutiques where I snagged this handbag (that matched my shoes for the evening) at White House Black Market at almost half off!

Then met up with Tamara and Tara at Put a Cork in It Winery down in Bricktown for a little wine tasting. It was SO much fun! Red Dirt Road and Sweet Crude were our favorites. Some us used numbering systems to rank the wine, others used stars or check marks and Tara who had never done a wine tasting before wrote things like, "alright at first, then leaves a soapy aftertaste," "if I liked beer, this would be ok," "yuck". HaHaHa

We finished there and went back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. I ran across the street to the Renaissance to have my hair and make-up done and Mom followed shortly after. I was impressed. The stylist washed, blow-dried and curled my hair and did my make-up in one hour.

My favorite cousin, T.C.D. and me.

My beautiful mom and me before leaving the room. She's the one responsible for planning this amazing weekend and I can't thank her enough. It was absolutely wonderful! I am one very lucky girl!

We all met up downstairs in the lobby of the Sheraton and went to Nonna's for dinner.

This was compliments from the chef. Although, I always appreciate such gestures...really??? Cade was like, "Can we eat that?" It was a piece of celery with a pinapple, bacon, maple spread. Tasty, but tiny!

Here's a shot of the ladies at Nonna's.

Do I have some beautiful women in my life or what?! They are all equally as beautiful on the inside. I feel so very blessed to have these girls in my life. They make me a better person, push me athletically and spiritually and enrich my life. (This is true of a lot of my friends who couldn't make it this past weekend as well!)

The food was delicious, but the atmosphere was a bit stuffy for my taste. I LOVE a nice restaurant, but I want to feel comfortable as well. To Nonna's credit we split dessert which included Avis' Chocolate Cake with almonds, Chocolate Rum Sauce, whipped cream and edible flower and Nonna's A-MAZING Strawberry Shortcake on a heavy cream biscuit with whipped cream-both were unbelievable! We took a cab to Edna's, my favorite little hole in the wall place and got a table on the patio. While we were there, Becky and Whitney went in to order drinks and these three girls were like, "OMG, Cade Davis is out on the patio." HaHa He's kind of local celebrity since he's plays basketball for OU.

My running buddies, Tamara and Tara.

My OSU roomies, Whitney and Becky. I miss you girls, terribly, but always have a great time when we get together!

I don't know what I did to deserve all of these amazing people in my life, but I am everso grateful for each and every one of them. To all of you who sent cards, sweet gifts, texts or posted on my Facebook, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! I love you all and hope I make you all feel as special as I did on your next birthday!

Quotable Friday

Q: What is your definition of a rich life?
"A: Kathy - Richness to me, is me being fully present for those experiences in life that being me real joy. If I can truly be in the moment and present for the joy of this adventure - not worrying about financial responsibilities, obligations and a “to-do” list. THAT is my ultimate freedom and that is the richest possible life for me. I don't want to just be on a path, I want to be defining and owning my own journey.
Rich for me, doesn't mean having stuff, it means having the experience. Well OK, some “stuff”, like being able to buy a different flavor of ice cream I've never tried in a country I've never been to. I guess ice cream is “stuff”, but again, its more about the experience!"

Happy Friday Y'all!!!

Memorial Weekend Re-Cap

I just can't get excited about blogging for some reason. I feel like there is too much to do I guess.

We had a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend, although, I didn't take many pictures to document. My friend, Megs was in town and we went for a lovely run Friday evening. Saturday we did a little fishing and attempted to float the river. I think the girls and I could have floated the entire thing, but the boys made it more difficult by bringing along a canoe. Five hours later we were all a little grumpy and hungry.

Please ignore my paleness. Maybe my skin will thank me in 10 or 15 years...

Here's Russell with the catch that made his day!

Megs making it look easy...Sunday after church we ran the 5k route for the race in July. It was a beautiful day with some great running partners. Later that afternoon our friends, Alan and Marie rolled into town (for good) and I went over to help them unload their Uhaul. We went and saw Robin Hood that evening and I LOVED it!

Yesterday was fairly low-key. It was so nice to have the day off!

We're gearing up to run the Cow Calling 5k this weekend. It should be fun!

I'll leave you with a quote from a book that I received from my grandmother earlier this month.

"Dance While You Can...I will celebrate the sheer joy of being alive...the joy of being created in the image of God. I will not be cheated out of enjoying life's pleasures-the people I meet, the food I eat, the sunshine in the trees, the company of a friend."

Here's hoping I get back in the blogging mood soon!

A weekend full of "M's"...

Becky, me and Mom before I left to go get on a shuttle. They are both such blessings in my life!!!


My Relay Team 4:13 after Tamara finished the last leg. Tara, me, Tamara, Kayln and Kristi.

I started this post first thing Monday morning, but am just now getting around to posting about my weekend in Oklahoma City, OK.

Mom and I drove in after work Friday evening and met Lyndi for dinner at BJ's. It was yummy! Afterwards, we ran to Target before meeting Becky at her apartment. Mom and I have both had this allergy/congestion/sinus mess so I wanted to take care of my body prior to our run Sunday morning.

Saturday we got up and around and went to Ulta and then the mall first thing for manicures and pedicures. I am pretty sure I had not had a pedicure since the end of September. (I'm a little insecure about my ugly toenails that I lost after my half marathon. They've grown back, but they are less than attractive!) Afterwards, we headed downtown to meet up with my relay team at the race expo. I got a sweet new running outfit by Brooks (I got the full top, not just the sports bra. Maybe some day be comfortable in running in just a sports bra, but probably not!) and some Forze bars that I absolutely love! (I like the Cranberry Nut best.)

We went our separate ways after the expo and Mom, Becky and I went ate lunch at In the Raw and then walked through the Arts Festival downtown. If you've never been and live in the area, it's really neat. We watched some quality belly dancing. Those women are quite inspiring! *See the video of them at the bottom of this post!!!* We heard some wonderful jazz music and were able to see some one of a kind pieces that were truly spectacular! I think we got just about every item on our "to do" list for the weekend checked off. We all met back up for dinner at the tasty Macaroni Grill after a trip to Samuel Gordon's to get my rings cleaned and ogle some beautiful jewelry and having blown through the mall.

Although, we made it in early for the night, I COULD NOT SLEEP. I wasn't nervous or uncomfortable or anything else, I just could not for the life of me fall asleep! But, when our alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. I was up. I had some hot tea and a little granola with some Greek yogurt and we headed downtown. I owe Becky a HUGE thank you! She was phenomenal this weekend and we couldn't have gotten by without her. She chauffeured us around the entire time and got us exactly where we needed to be when we needed to be there! We picked up my relay team at their hotel and she drove us as close to the start as we could get. If you've never experienced a race like some of the larger marathons, you should really look into it. They have distances from 5k to the full 26.2 miles and people walking, pushing strollers to an actual wheelchair marathon. The race began at the OKC Memorial Museum before daylight of course. I always get so emotional just due to the atmosphere of these races. There are people with pictures pinned on their backs "In Memory", people who run with prosthetics, like one lady who had a prosthetic leg who pushed a girl in a wheelchair while running the entire marathon. When you witness those moments, it's hard to not break down. It reminds you of how truly grateful you should be for your life, your health and those around you.

Another Day by Natalie Grant pretty sums up every thing I felt/feel when running.

Been driving through the night I pull up and see the lights This is the place that I call home I watch you as you sleep Think of all you mean to me

Touch your face Kiss you softly Before I go to sleep pray under the stars Search my soul and check my heart And thank God for

Another day Another chance to love the ones I love To find my way To laugh, to dance Watch the sun come up Another day I get to live As if Every breath could be the last I take I get another day

I've got a hand that I can hold Someone who knows my soul A safe place to lay my head at night So why do I forget How much I've been blessed in life Forget what means the most to me As I'm waking up I feel my beating heart So grateful that I've come this far And thank God for[Chorus] To make somebody smile Go the extra mile Take a wrong and make it right And try to touch somebody's life

I get another day.....

Random Ramblings...

Well, it's a rainy Friday here in the Texas panhandle. We don't get many of those so it's kind of nice! It's been an interesting couple of weeks around the 'ol office lately. I met the Lt. Gov. of Texas last week and one of the candidates for governor this morning. Of course, I was running late! I even slept through my morning workout...I must have been tired! My alarm was set for 5 a.m. and I didn't even move until 7 a.m. My workout partner didn't either, though; no harm, no foul, I guess. In the morning we're running a local 10K, but there is a 60% chance of rain so we may get a little wet!

I've been nesting/Spring Cleaning like a pregnant person! I've been through both dressers, both my closets, under our bed and the bed in the extra bedroom and I've been vaccum sealing all the winter clothes I find! I still feel like there should be more space, empty space. I have an entire room full of stuff to give away.

As a few of you know, when Marty and I got married we started with a "4 year family plan". As we draw near to the end of that "plan," I've been doing a lot of research (because I'm Type A and it's what I do). www.babycenter.com is an A-MAZING resource! There is all sorts of useful information to be found there. I am close to reaching one my savings goals and felt so good about that until I read that the first year of a baby's life is estimated to cost almost $10,000! YiKeS! Which leads me to another site that one of my friends clued me in on www.smartcookies.com. It's an online money managing resource that has different calculators, articles and tips geared specifically at women. Thanks, Kristen! It has some great information as well!

Do any of you have online resources similar to either of these that you use on a regular basis??? I might as well have all the information/help I can get! : )

I haven't done a Quotable Friday in awhile so here you go...

"Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me." - Carl Sandburg

I need to take that one to heart!

Happy Friday All! Hope you have a FaBuLoUs weekend!

Birthdays, Babies and Bathing...

I am throwing Marty a 30th suprise party this summer. We are inviting his friends and they're families and I'm wondering, what kind of party favor do you hand out? The theme is SUPER casual, it's going to be in the afternoon. I thought about those edible rocks in cute little pails or maybe little bags of popcorn. I don't know...he has a HUGE sweet tooth so I thought about a candy table, but I want it to be appropriate too, is a candy table ok for a 30th birthday? I'm kind of clueless about those things. Moving on...

We have had SSSOOO many activities lately I feel like I'm running in circles! We had Mandy's Mexican Fiesta a few weeks ago. It was an all girls' celebration. We had yummy food that I think I posted about previously and just a great time in general. I was too busy playing hostess to take pictures, though. Then my we had Keri's baby shower. I guess we're all growing up!

Kristen, Keri's sister and me.

This week we did dinner and movie Tuesday night with couple's for Tamara's birthday. We went and saw The Bounty Hunter. It was REALLY cute!

Tessa and Tamara with her cake.

A group shot. Why I always pose with my hand on my hip...I think I get it from my grandma. Note to self: It looks silly when you're doing it alone!

Ok, I need some more advice/hints/tips/etc. The only grooming I ever do for Tyke is a bath in between his grooming appointments if he's played out in the backyard with Mack, our black lab, or something. But, I got the bright idea to buy him a toothbrush the other day because everything you read says it's important to their health, right??? Well, I read the instructions carefully, and followed them closely...and that was the poorest excuse of teeth brushing I have ever seen. If any of y'all out there in blog land do that for your dogs...could you clue me in? He was thrashing around, getting toothpaste on everything in site. I can imagine what a picture we made. So, from now on, I'm leaving that to the groomer!

Sorry, it's been so long. I feel like there's been too much going on lately. On the work front and otherwise. I'm still training for the marathon relay at the end of the month, but I haven't been getting in the higher mileage that I would like.

This weekend we have turkey hunters coming in so there's not a lot on the agenda other than a little cooking and a long run on Sunday. Hope y'all have a great one!

An East Texas Wedding...

A week ago today we drove to Gilmer for Marty's cousins wedding. We barely made it due to construction and traffic in Denton.

Marty and our niece, Ciara. She was a flower girl and did a great job! She lost her front tooth in her sleep! Crazy girl! Isn't she precious?

M and his cousin, Morgan, at the reception.

I'm a bad person and didn't get a single picture of the bride and groom. They were precious, though!!! It was a lovely wedding, but by the time it was over I was one tired puppy.

Saturday Jerrye and I headed to Winnesboro to do some scheming for Marty's birthday. It was a cute, quaint little town and we did a little shopping and eating while we were there.

Sunday we went over to Justin and Robin's to celebrate Justin's 30th birthday. He made fresh mojitos, cooked steak and potatoes and then flambeed crepes. I told him I felt bad that he cooked for us on his birthday, but he was quite the little chef. (And he's a fireman, otherwise, the flambe might have scared me a little!)

Here's Justin working his mojo in the kitchen...

I couldn't capture the flame with the lights on, so we turned them off. Still not a great picture. He was really impressive!

Monday he and Robin found out that they're having a little BOY!!! Congratulations, y'all! We are so excited for you!

Tonight we are having dinner with a few friends and then all day tomorrow (after I get my 6 mile run in) I will be preparing for Mandy's Mexican Fiesta!!! It's Mandy's birthday and there's a small group coming over to enjoy the food and get in the hot tub.

The Menu:

Black-eyed Pea and Avacado Dip

Taco Salad

White Chicken Enchiladas (from The Fitnessista)

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Margaritas and Wine-a-ritas

I'll try and post some of the recipes on Monday. I swear, I don't know if work could get much busier. I guess that's job security, though.

I know I haven't done Quotable Friday in awhile, but this was on Private Practice a few weeks ago and I thought it was a fabulous quote!

Anyway Friends

"A little white dress with ABCs all across the front. I remember I came home one evening after a marathon of kids’ parties and whatnot and Little Miss Maya was not quite ready to take her little dress off and get in the bath so we went to her room and hung out on the floor and started talking. And out of nowhere, she told me that when she grew up, she wanted to marry me. So I said, “Why?” I asked her, I said, “Why me?” And she looked up at me and she said, “Because, Daddy, you are my anyway friend.” Now at the time I didn’t know what that meant so Maya had to explain to me that an anyway friend is the one person in your life who, no matter what they say or do, no matter what they’ve been through with you, they love you anyway. So my sincerest hope is that for Maya, Dink, and for Dink, Maya, is that anyway friend. Because no matter how old you are or what your responsibilities, if you have love, real, unconditional love, I think you can make it. So, to my anyway friend and her anyway friend, may you not only make it but enjoy it."

I hope you all have a few "anyway friends" in your life. The older I get, the more I realize that those true friends may be far and few between, but they sure make life easier. And if you have at least one person you can consider your "anyway friend" than you are truly, truly blessed!

Have a fabulous weekend, y'all!

Next week is St. Patrick's and I am so excited!!!

Obsessed...slightly...

Oh my goodness! I saw Dear John this past Sunday and absolutely LOVED it! If I had read the book, I might have been disappointed in how they changed a few things, but instead I am now officially obsessed. I seriously might go see it again tonight and I've already downloaded the entire Dear John Soundtrack. Channing Tatum is my new favorite male actor and Amanda Seyfriend is pretty talented as well! What's not to love about this love story?

This past weekend was wonderful. My mom and I drove to Oklahoma City and met up with one of my best friends from high school, Lyndi, and one of the girls who was in my cabin my first term at Camp Balcones Springs, Caitlin. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and conversation at Zio's. I love both those girls and it did my heart good to get to spend some time with them! Saturday morning I got up EARLY (I'm always late so if we want to be half-way on time I have to have time to prepare!!!) We got around and met Becky at Mimi's for breakfast. Then we did some serious, but successful speed shopping and then met Lyndi and headed to OU for the basketball game. We had great seats and it was a really close game, but OU just let Baylor get away from them. I was still proud of my baby cousin. He did great! We went to eat at Charleston's afterwards with some of the family and Caitlin stopped in before her sorority's formal to say "hi" and "bye".

Lyndi Jyl and me before leaving the hotel for Zio's.

Caitlin and me Saturday at Charleston's. Doesn't she look stunning?! It's so hard to believe that we met when she was 10!!!

Here's me with "the big guy" after the game.

Sadly, these are the only pictures taken throughout the glorious weekend. I think I subconsiously know that taking more pictures just means I'm getting further and further behind at printing them off and organizing them into albums!

Random Facts from the Weekend...

Friday night was so much fun! We went over to some friends' house for dinner and games. There were 5 couples total and of course, I forgot to take any pictures. The girls played cards for awhile. Well, we attempted to learn Pitch. Have y'all ever played that before? It was too complicated for me. So we switched to Spades for awhile. Then we played one of the dance games on the Wii. I AM SOLD! A Wii is now on my wishlist! I was sweating after two songs! We left early because we had told some friends they could come over and hang out for their first date. We played games until 1:30 in the morning.

And then at 4 a.m., the dreaded stomach bug hit our house. IT WAS AWFUL!!! I learned that Finigrine is my new best friend. (And it's still affective even after a two year old expiration date.) I also discovered that under the right conditions that Chicken Broth can taste like a gourmet meal. Oh, and last but not least...Tyke LOVES figure skating. I was flipping channels the whole time I was sick and he was entranced by the couples figure skating. *hahaha*

I didn't sleep more than an hour at a time from 4 a.m. through the rest of the day Saturday, but I slept an entire 12 hours from Saturday night until Sunday morning, and although, I wasn't batting 100, I felt much better! Most everyone I talked to said the stomach bug lasted anywhere from two-four days so I am VERY thankful that mine was only 24 hours.

Happy Monday, Y'all!