KS Connection Time :)

Wednesday is a double whammy with Kelsey's Wishful Wednesday and Kristin's Connection Party, but I love them both! :) So here we go with Windy Poplar's CP...

1. What is your cultural heritage, and is it a part of your life (eg. do you celebrate your cultural holidays, or have special traditions or food that comes from your heritage)?
   German. We do love our potato salad and deer sausage - yumm! Other than that, we don't celebrate any cultural holidays... Although you can thank Germans for Christmas trees, we did come up with the idea. We also hide a pickle ornament in the tree and whoever finds it first gets a special treat - crazy Germans ;)
   
2. Give a short description of your vision for your blog.
   It started as an outlet just for me and kind of as an accountability tool for myself to keep up with my goals for the new year...but now it's changed more into an outlet and a place to get to know others with similar interest. I love that I can get great advise, fun ideas, and feel like part of a "community". That's really not much of a vision as it is what it is sort of statement, haha. But I hope for it to continue in this direction :)
   
3. What is one thing you are really enjoying about spring?
   The sunshine and the warm weather and pleasant evenings it brings!! I'm also excited to plant some flowers this weekend! Any suggestions?? It's my first time!
   
4. Do you have an idea to share about something we could do today to bless our husbands/boyfriends to let them know they're special?
   Take them on a date - maybe his favorite restaurant or grab whatever his favorite guilty pleasure is (MickeyD's?) and a "man movie" and enjoy it together. If you really dislike something he really likes, and you do/eat/watch it anyway, he'll feel the love.
   
5. Are you involved in any social club (garden club, dinner club, book club, etc.) - or would you like to be?
   I am not involved in anything right now, but would just love to be! Especially a book or dinner club. I love reading and cooking. Unfortunately I live in an area where you kind of have to make your own fun...but that's not to say something won't crop up! I know a lot of it is actually getting out there and looking, but I've been so busy lately it's hard to find any time. Hopefully this summer will bring a less hectic schedule and more time to do things I enjoy :)

Well, Happy Wednesday all!! Hope everyone is having a bright, sunshiney day!! :):):):)

Wishful Wed...Youth Job

Wednesday already??! Whew! Time's still a-flyin' by for me! But I'm so happy it's Wednesday because that means Friday is just two days away! Oh how I love weekends... :)

Anyway, as y'all know by now it's Wishful Wednesday over at The Seattle Smith's, and Kelsey has another great topic! So be sure to head on over to play along and link up! :)

"I wish"... I could go back and spend
one day working at a job from my youth,
and it would be from Alpine Municipal Pool.

Yup, this girl was a lifeguard. I was certified to save your life - don't ya feel better now? ;) But seriously, I got paid to get a tan and make sure no one drowned...and I was paid well - $15.25/hr. Ohh yeah, sweet deal. AND I only had to work from 11am-7pm (who doesn't love sleeping in?) and my friends could come and hang out with me at work!

Man, I had it made then! Wake up around 10, do a some chores, go to work, hang out and tan, get off work and walk down the block to the high school gym and play volleyball til the gym closed, then usually go run "the loop" (a 2 mile loop around the park and golf course) with my BFF Jennie, then go to DQ for some frozen goodness! Those were the best 3 years of work...

Where are my glittery ruby red slippers?? *There's no place like home, there's no place like home...*

Still dreaming til then I suppose... ;)

A Very Full Weekend...

Happy Thursday lovelies!
Today Spencer and I are heading down to New Braunfels for my grandparent's 50th anniversary celebration! Yay! I haven't been in NB since Christmas and can't wait to hang out with my fam! We're also going to look at some possible wedding venues tomorrow and I'll be making my first IKEA trip that afternoon! So exciting! Then Saturday we'll be floating the river and going to a crawfish boil (yuuuuummmm!), then Sunday it's party time. Well, kind of. As much partying as two 70+ year olds can handle, haha. Then come Monday it's back to good ol' Midland...

Anyway, I'll be sure to take lots of pics and have some funny stories to write about next week. Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!!! :) :) :)

Random Wednesday

Random Wednesday, you ask? But what about Wishful Wednesday? Well, as much as I love Kelsey's WW, this week's topic is one I know nothing about, so I can't really play along...sad day :( But if any of you are Glee fans (I've never watched an episode but hear that it's great), then head on over and join in the fun!

So here's some random facts, opinions, stories, what-have-you's about little ol' me...

(I'll try to be as entertaining as possible)

• I got a haircut yesterday and L.O.V.E. it! (see pic below... )


• I HATE being called Nikki. Nic, Cole, even Nicholas is fine, just not Nikki. No offense meant to anyone with the name Nikki, I just don't prefer it for myself.


• I am a mommy to two little fur-babies. Nala will be 2 in July and I have no idea what mix of breeds she is. She is my little mess and I love her to death.
  
  Taz is the newest addition to my little family. He is 8 weeks old, also a nice compilation of multiple breeds, and I've had him for 3 days. (Some one was kind enough to dump him on the side of a county road when he was only 5 weeks old to fend for himself in coyote country. How thoughtful of them. Ok, seriously. Just typing that makes my blood boil. What kind of person does that??? A 6 WEEK OLD puppy. Left on the side of the road. Whoever you are, you have no heart, or soul probably. And if I ever found you, I would give you more than a piece of my mind....and probably a black eye...just saying.) Lucky for little Taz, God was smiling down on him and a kind soul rescued him and was looking for a "Forever Home" for him and that's how he found his way into my arms.
  Taz and Nala are BFF already and it's so cute to watch them play. Nala already has protective instincts for him. We're just gonna be one big happy family!
  


• I'm missing a bone in each of my feet (yup, I have two less bones than the average human).


• I recently registered for the Muddy Buddy Race in Austin with my BFF Jennie. I cannot wait! It's going to be so much fun!!
  
• I also hate raw onion. If it's chopped up and mixed in something that's cooked I don't mind, but raw onion = yuuuck!!


• I'm an outdoorsy person. I love to go camping, hiking, rock climbing, etc - if you can do it outside, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll like it. And if it's a nice day out, I'll find any reason to be outside.


• I act like a boy sometimes...ok, more than sometimes. I like "That's what she said" and "Your mom" jokes, I use physical threats to get my way ("I'll stab you with a fork...punch in the face....judo shop your arm...roundhouse kick", etc) - not that I would ever actually follow through, it's all bark, no bite, I can get pretty intense about working out (when Jennie and I used to work out together, we'd be in the weight room doing bench press and she'd say things like "Get it Beast!" haha, we got funny looks), I can be uber-competitive - like to the point that I make it not fun anymore, and I have nicknames like Beast and Lumberjack.


• I am a huge book worm and proud of it.


• I'd rather pursue hobbies than a career.


• I have the travel bug, and, boy is it bad! I caught it about 5 years ago and it's been wreaking havoc on my bank account since.


• I don't watch TV unless Grey's Anatomy, Archer, or Family Guy is on.


• I really enjoy cooking and wish I had more time to do it. It has a soothing effect on me.


• I could eat Rosa's bean and cheese burritos every day for the rest of my life and be happy.


• If I only had one wish, I really would wish for world peace.


• Becoming a book editor is my dream job...or an adventure travel writer/photographer.

Ok...I'm sure you are bored to death now. :) Hope everyone is having a Happy Hump Day! I'm going out to enjoy the wonderful sunshine!!

P.S. Today is Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day - so if you have one, thank them! If you are one - like me ;) - just know I appreciate you!! Hehe... Adios!!

P.S.S. Tell me something random about you! I love getting to know my fellow bloggies!! :)

Seriously, where does the time go???

I'm starting to think that time really is just an illusion... I mean, it went from Wednesday to Monday in what seems like only a few hours! Geesh! Can't a girl catch a break??

We'll catch-up real quick: Thursday night we cooked dinner at Lindsey's house. She made a "light" version of Dijon Chicken (sooo good) with veggies and cream cheese brownies for dessert. Friday night, my lovely fiance took me out to see a movie. We saw Date Night and it was funny. I love Tina Fey! I napped most of Saturday and then got to baby-sit two super cute girls that night. Sunday was church, then lunch at Red Lobster with Spence's grandparents - absolutely delicious! I haven't been in for-ev-er and I had forgotten how yummy it is!

And now it's Monday. Already. Geesh.

No big plans for this week, just try to keep it together til Thursday when we leave to go to New Braunfels for my grandparents 50th anniversary!!! Sooo ExCiTeD!! I love NB and miss it so much, I can't wait to go back and hang out with my family. Plus, it's been so warm there lately that we'll probably be able to float the river while we're there - which is one of my most absolute favorite things to do in.the.whole.wide.world! I've lived there the past two summers and was on the river at least 85% of the time. I will not be as fortunate this summer seeing as how I live 5 hours away from it (or any mass of water for that matter, haha).

Spence and I also have appointments to see some possible wedding venues! It's crazy how real it's all getting. Not that I thought it was pretend or anything, it's just so real now. You know? I couldn't be happier :)

Happy Monday Lovelies :):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

Kindred Spirits: Week 2

I know, I know...two posts in one day?? But I couldn't help myself! I just LOVE Wishful Wednesday with Kelsey and found another place to get connected and couldn't resist! Kristin over at Windy Poplars hosts a Kindred Spirits Connection Party (this is week 2, I missed week 1) and I couldn't resist! I love the idea behind her blog and everything about it. If you love connecting to other bloggers and enjoy gardening, crafts/decorating, faith, travel, cooking, style... you should most definitely check it out! :)

Questions for the week:

1. What is your favorite vacation spot?
   Oh how can I pick just one? If it's just to lay back and hang out then definitely Caye Caulker off the coast of Belize. I loved island time and the islanders! It was so relaxing and so much fun.
   



2. What are the three qualities that you most admire about your husband (or if you're not married, what are the three qualities you would most desire in a man)?
   The three qualities I admire in my soon-to-be husband are 1. His unconditional love for me. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes, am moody, have "bad" days, whatever, but he continues to love me regardless. He won't let us go to bed angry and is very persistent about talking it out. He also never raises his voice at me, which I really appreciate. 2. His sense of humor. We just "get" each other and if we're not laughing about something, it must mean we're asleep. 3. His faith. He is an amazing spiritual leader and makes me a better person because of it.
   
   
3. What has been a meaningful Bible verse to you this week?
   "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
   - 1 Corinthians 10:31
   
   
4. What is your favorite color (or colors) and why?
   It usually changes with my mood, but I always enjoy yellow because it's such happy color. Then it's purple...don't really know why, it's just a color I've always enjoyed :)
   
   
5. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you in the last 24 hours?
   We had our Women's Bible Study last night and one of the girl's is definitely the class clown, and boy did she have us rolling with laughter for a good 30 minutes with her witty jokes.
   

It's been a busy week of wedding planning and appointment making, but I'll save all of that for a post later this week - until then - Enjoy living your beautiful lives loves!! :):):):):):)

Wishful Wed... Charity

Yay for Hump Day! And y'all know what that means... Wishful Wednesday over at The Seattle Smiths!! Come join the party :) This weeks topic...

"I wish"... I had never-ending funds
to donate to a charity and it would be
a different one each month!!

There are just too many things that hit close to home for me, so I'd have a rotation of charities! And they would be (in no particular order)...:

1. ASPCA & American Humane Society
2. St. Jude Children's Hospital
3. Cancer Research Institute
4. American Red Cross
5. UNICEF
6. Global Hunger Project
7. Doctors Without Borders
8. Engineers Without Borders
9. Teachers Without Borders
10. Mothers Without Borders
11. World Wildlife Fund
12. Any mission that my church is involved in

Ahh....wouldn't that be nice if it were true! A girl can dream!

What charities would you donate to?? :)

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Sunday Funday on a Monday

Happy Monday Y'all! I know this is supposed to be "Getting to know YOU" Sunday...but since I'm always a straggler, here it is on Monday :)

1. What color do you wear the most?
   I don't have a lot of just one color, I'm a pretty colorful person and my clothes reflect that :)


2. Would you rather have $10,000 or a dream vacation?
   Hmm...toughy... A dream vacation - it could end up costing well over $10,000 seeing as how my dream vacation involves a lot of continent hopping and extreme activities :)


3. Do you have a weird, quirky, or unusual habit?
   Haha, as Jennie said, I have to wash my hands as soon as I wake up. And now I've started doing it before I go to bed, too. I also picked up the bad habit of picking at my eye lashes from her. You're welcome and thanks a lot! ;)


4. I really need to start.........?
   My workout routine again. I was doing really well until I ran that 10K two weeks ago and I've had some pretty terrible pain in the arch of my foot and in my knee and haven't been working out (besides a walk here and there) in hopes of it fixing itself. So far, great success, I feel better and am actually gonna attempt an easy routine after work :)


5. What was the first blog you ever read?
   The Seattle Smith's, and still do! I love Kelsey and thoroughly enjoy her Wishful Wednesdays!


6. Do you collect anything?
   Crosses, turtles, and cups of sorts (i.e. mugs, steins, martini and wine glasses)


7. How old were you when you had your first kiss?
   13, it was on a dare in a game of Truth-or-Dare


8. Do you text/twitter while driving?
   Ugghh....yes :( I know I shouldn't. I won't actually send a text while I'm driving (okay..maybe at a red light) but I will read one if I get it and am driving.
   

I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend! Mine was great and the weather was absolutely gorgeous!! We really didn't do anything special, just enjoyed the sunshine and took a lot of naps :) Friday Spence and I went out to dinner then rented some movies and spent the rest of the evening watching them and going to sleep halfway early. Saturday he had to work, so I ran some errands, did some laundry, and laid out by the pool and soaked up that Vitamin D! We had dinner with my parents that night- Mmmm, fajitas!! - and then watched more movies and fell asleep early again (must've been all that time in the sun). Sunday we went to church, then he had to work and I napped.all.afternoon. We tried to be somewhat productive the rest of the day and took my little Nala for a walk and did some wedding planning (Eeek! So exciting! We picked a date, set a budget, and just tossed around some ideas for the "look" and "feel" we want to go for). Excellent weekend :)

This week is gonna be pretty busy, but nothing I can't handle. I'll let you know how it goes when I get there! Have a wonderful day y'all!!! :):):):)

Five Question Friday...

Hey y'all! Happy Friday!! I'm so ready for 5 o'clock to be here...only three and a half more hours...then I'm going home to take a nap and start enjoying the weekend. We had a blast last night at the baseball game - and the Hounds won, too! Woot woot! Maybe too much fun because I have been uber-tired allllll day, hehe, oops. Way to get the season started off on the right foot! :) I really don't have that much going on, so I thought I'd join in some fun and games with all you other lovely bloggers :)


So here's Five Question Friday from Mama M at My Little Life...





1. Who would you want to play you in a movie of you life? Amanda Bynes, she's just so dang cute and funny! Gotta love a quirky girl. Plus, she's in great shape and has great style :)



2. Did you ever go to summer camp? I went to Girl Scout camp, haha. It was a lot of fun!



3. What sends you running and screaming in the other direction? Hmm...crying kids/babies. It terrifies me when they cry because I don't know how to make it stop. Other than that I really enjoy them :)



4. What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts? Well I'm not married (yet! hehe), but it does drive Spence nuts when I'm late for things....and I have chronic lateness! I am late to everything. Ask any of my friends. Haha.



5. What is currently your favorite song? "Outside My Window" by Sarah Buxton. It's such a happy song, I can't help but sing along and be happy :) I'm also on a huge Texas country kick because it's the.BEST.summer music. Ever. :)

Wishful Wed ... Diet

It's time for Wishful Wednesday over the The Seattle Smith's! If you wanna play along or see what everyone else has to say, head on over and see Kelsey!

"I wish"... I had the willpower to
stay on one particualr diet,
and it would be marathon training!

Yup, marathon training. I know it's not really a "diet" per say, but it is definitely a lifestyle. Spencer and I are hopefully going to begin training for a marathon in the middle of May (I have to get the A-OK from my doctors first, and couldn't get an appointment til the end of the month). We want to run a half marathon sometime between August and October and then participate in the Rock'n'Roll Marathon in Las Vegas in December! It would be so much fun! My birthday also happens to be in December, so making the trip for the marathon would double as a birthday trip.

But back to the topic of diets... I hate that word - diet. It only makes me think of things I can't have. I especially hate "low-carb diets", they are so terribly unhealthy for you. Carbs are what fuel your body, you need them! It's all about portion control and choosing complex carbs (which digest slowly and keep you fuller longer) over simple carbs (which break down into sugar faster and then are immediately stored as fat because your body doesn't need them right then and there). If you regularly exercise, but are not on any kind of a demanding physical schedule (i.e. marathon or triathlon training), your plate should be divided up something like this: 40-50% vegetables/fruit, 25% lean protien, and 25% carbs.

I really love the book "The Abs Diet for Women" and reference it often. It's the best "diet" book I've come across and it's so easy to incorporate into your life. That's about as crazy as I've ever gotten with dieting. The more realistic a plan is, the easier it is to fit in to my actual life, the more likely I am to stick with it.

What about you? Any diet you've just loved?. ....or hated?

I'm back!...with BIG news!

First, let me apologize for being MIA these past two weeks. Y'all, things have been crazy busy for me lately and I have had zero time (or energy) to spend on anything but things that have to be done... not fun.

So where did I leave off...? Oh yes, weekend trip to Ft. Davis for some R&R in the mountains. It was a great trip. Nothing but me, Spence, beautiful scenery, and some peace and quiet. The cabin had electricity but no TV or radio, and it was so nice to have all the time in the world to just talk.

We stopped in my hometown of Alpine that Friday night for dinner at my favorite mexican food joint, La Casita (oh-em-gee, soooo delicious!), before heading out to the cabin that evening. When we got there, the sun had just set and the stars (which look crystal clear and are huge and shiney!) had come out to play. So we dragged one of the mattresses from inside out on to porch, grabbed a ton of blankets, and laid down and had a really great conversation (you know the kind that are just soo perfect and deep and reach down all the way in to your soul? yeah that kind). But then a cold front rolled in and covered up the lovely night sky and started to rain on us, so we reluctantly took shelter inside.

Saturday we woke up to snow. Yup, snow. Apparently that lovely cold front that spit rain on us that night decided we should have some snow, too. I made some banana pancakes for breakfast, then we lounged around and looked out the windows at all the animals going about their business. Tons of deer and a javelina here and there. Lots of napping also took place. Later that afternoon after it (kind of) warmed up, we braved the chilly wind and took a little hike to an Indian Cave - soo cool! We went back in to town later that afternoon to grab stuff to make dinner, and spent the rest of the night playing board games and jut being plain goofy.

Sunday was much warmer. So we packed up and stopped to climb some rocks before we headed home. We went back through Alpine and stopped at DQ to have some ice cream with my BFF Jennie and her little brother, then we hit the road back to Midland.

Such a nice weekend. Then Monday came before I knew it! And between my office job and subbing, I barely had to time shower! Kidding...well mostly, haha. The next weekend I thought I'd be able to catch up...but it didn't happen. We had a "Brinner" (breakfast for dinner) party at my friend Lindsey's on Friday night, then woke up early on Saturday morning to run the United Blood Services Bloodgusher 10K. Guess what this girl did? Got a medal! - 3rd in her age bracket! Woot woot!! My time was 61 min 50 sec. Pretty good for my first 10K. Spence ran it with me, although after hangin' back with me the first half, he left me in the dust and finished ahead of me. But, my Dad ran the half marathon (which started an hour earlier than my event) and I got to run the second half of my run with my daddy and finish with him. Perfect! I started with one man I love and finished with the other. :)

Brinner!

My medal :)

Sunday was a full day of church then just resting. With Monday came another whirlwind of a week. But eventually the weekend was here again and it was absolutely wonderful. I spent it with the people I love the most. I went to my first hockey game Saturday evening, the Odessa Jackalopes (semi-pro) had a play off game in town, so me, Spence and my daddy went and watched. Super fun and intense! Who knew I'd like hockey? Also, Spencer's best friend came home for Easter weekend, so we hung out with him and his super sweet girlfriend Saturday afternoon and then again that night after the game. Sunday was Easter service with the fam, then home for some Spring cleaning. That night we did some grilling and watched one of our fave movies - "Top Gun". :)

And now it's another new week and it seems like things are only going to speed up with no sign of a slow down any time soon... (womp womp :( ). I did have today, Tuesday, off, which I am so thankful for. I got caught up on a lot of cleaning and little things, so hopefully this week will go much smoother than the past ones. Tonight we began our small Women's Bible Study and I'm so stoked about it. I stole the idea from my best friend Jennie, and we're doing Beth Moore's "Breaking Free". I'll be sure to let y'all know how it goes :) Tomorrow is Date Night, not sure what we're going to do yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to try out an Asian Shrimp Salad recipe. Thursday night is opening night for our semi-pro baseball team, the Midland Rockhounds! I love going to ball games. It also happens to be Thirsty Thursday (half price tap beer! ), so let the games begin! Teehee. Friday will probably be low-key because we're running in a 5K Saturday morning. Then Sunday is church and cooking out. Hopefully I can keep it together this week and not get behind! :)

So maybe you're wondering why I have "BIG news" in my title and nothing has seemed BIG so far.... Well... here it is....

I GOT ENGAGED!!

Spencer proposed the Friday night we were star-gazing and having that really great talk in Ft. Davis. So, needless to say, I've been super busy with calls from friends and family and have just been emotionally exhausted by the end of the day due to all the excitement.

I am so happy and looking forward to planning an amazing wedding and spending the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. But as for tonight, I'm just ready to lay down and close my eyes. Got a long week ahead of me, and there won;t be any slowing down anytime soon ;)