Friday, March 19, 2010

My brain is on vacation...

It's Friday...and while I am physically present at work...my brain is on vacation. So please, leave a message at the tone... I'll get back to you on Monday. :) But seriously y'all, how am I supposed to be concentrating on work projects when it's a gorgeous, 80 degree, sun shiney day outside? As I stare longingly out the window at the fluffy white clouds that dot the sky, my mind is whisked away to a far away land...a land of mountains and quiet and peacefulness...

And yes, I'm actually heading for that land today. There's a little town in Texas called Alpine and it's home for me. This little town of about 6,000 is nestled in the mountains of West Texas and it is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I've ever been. Spencer was just itching to get outta town to somewhere quiet and relaxing, and with it only being about a 3 hour drive, we thought, "Why not?". He has a cabin in Ft. Davis (Alpine's neighbor town) that we'll be staying at and just do a whole lot of nuthin'. It's gonna be awesome. Of course we'll go hiking and probably into town to wander around but there will be no set schedule of anything. Just doing what we want, when we want. And most importantly catching up on some overdue R&R. We've both been going 180 mph for the past month and are ready for some peace and quiet.

Back to reality for now though... I just have to make it through a half day at the office and then it's poolside with the girls til Spence is off work and we head out.

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring - Yaaaay! I am so ready for summer dresses, flip flops, tan lines, and flowers and green everywhere! :) But because I enjoy all seasons, here is a little farewell to Winter and the things I will miss about it...:
  • Wearing my (knock-off) Uggs - they're so comfy but also so inappropriate for spring weather
  • Using my fireplace
  • Wearing gloves - I really like gloves, I don't know why... I just do, weird I know :)
  • Using the weather as an excuse to be lazy
  • *** Snow ***
  • And the consequential snowball fight

What will you miss about winter? And what are you most looking forward to in Spring?

Happy Friday bloggers!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Wishful Wednesday ... Lottery


I wish ... I could win the lottery
REAL soon, and I would hope to
budget it so it would last.

First things first, I would settle my debts (school loans, car payment, and my credit card); then, I would budget the rest. I would put half into a savings account, invest a fourth of it, and budget the remaining fourth into monthly allocations. I want it to last, not use it up on frivolous things. I would most definitely continue to work. Winning a large sum of money doesn't mean that I get a free pass to be lazy. Assuming a get a teaching job soon, why would I want to quit doing something I enjoy? It makes me happy and gives me a sense of fulfilment. Going around spending money isn't going to do that.


I also want to be able to help people if they were to ever need it and contribute something to society...maybe fund a scholarship or mission, build a park or library, who knows! The possibilities are endless. I would love the opportunity to bless other people the way I had been.


I would also be sure to do something really nice for all the people who have helped me out. Mainly my parents and grandparents, but I also have some really amazing friends who have helped this girl out of a jam or two. It would be super if I could show them the same courtesy and love they showed me.


And I would be a liar if I didn't also say that I would most definitely take a little vacation. No where fancy. I just want a beach, the ocean, a hammock, and my love. But if I budget the right way, then who's to say that little vacays wouldn't become a more permanent thing? Haha.


A girl can dream...

On another note, Happy St. Patty's all!



Brides and BBQ's

What a fun weekend! Marina's bachelorette party was entirely too much fun! It was so great to see the girls. I hadn't seen some of them in over a year! It was definitely one for the books.

MOH, Bride-to-be, and me


Sunday I came back home and we had a bar-b-que at the pool. It was ah-maz-ing. We made shish-kebabs, fresh fruit salad, pasta salad, and grilled some pineapple slices for dessert. So delicious!! And the weather was just phenomenal - 80 degrees and no wind! Perfect pool weather, it was such a treat to lay out and work on my tan (which is much needed!) and just enjoy the company of great friends - complete with chicken fights! Funnn!


Unfortunately Monday was another story... I woke up with pink eye, had completely lost my voice, was covered in random bruises, and just feeling all achy and yucky. Oh, and it rained.all.day. Not fun at all. I spent the first half of the day sleeping and the second half running around between different doctor's offices and pharmacies. But then Spencer came over and made it his number one priority to make me feel better. He rubbed my back, watched Kung Fu Panda with me, and got us Chinese take-out...and brought me these lovelies to brighten my day:

Aren't they beautiful! I love bright colors :)

He is wonderful, I can't imagine my life without him. How was I lucky enough to nab such a great catch? I have no idea...I just know I'm blessed beyond measure because of him.

Today is about the same as yesterday except that I feel slightly better and my eye isn't as bad. My voice is still gone and it's still blah outside. But tomorrow hopefully it will all be better (and it's supposed to be in the high 70's!). Hope everyone has a super Tuesday and tomorrow is Wishful Wednesday - yay!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Indescribable

Happy Weekend All!!



I am so glad it is finally here! The week was so busy and chaotic, I'm ready for a break! I got to substitute teach three times last week and it really isn't as terrifying as I made it sound the first day. I actually really enjoy it. A lot. A whole lot. This is both a good and bad thing. Good because now I am not wandering around aimlessly trying to figure out what it is I want to do with my life, but bad because I have no experience (other than subbing) and believe it will be difficult for me to get hired. But I love a challenge! :)


Wednesday night Spencer and I had our date night (like always) and we went out to dinner then went with some of our friends to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. I really enjoyed it! I had gotten a lot of mixed reviews from people who had already seen it, but I thought it rocked. It's definitely not the Disney version, I mean, it is from Tim Burton after all, but I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. It was different, and I like different. :)

Last night started the weekend off right. Spencer took me to the Wizard of Oz at our local theater and it was a blast! For a small community theater, the quality of the production was amazing - I was very impressed and hope to go see many more plays this season. It was also fun to get all dressed up, hold hands all evening, and enjoy a great performance. After, we opted for some take out and watched Archer until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer. Perfect night. :)




Today I'm heading up to Lubbock for Marina's bachelorette party! Yaaay for fun times! Even though I've never been to one, I know it's going to be a phenomenal time just because of the girls I'm going to be with, they are all just so much fun! :)

I know I'm putting smileys after everything, but I just can't help it! I am so happy right now, I can't control it. While life may not be perfect, it is soo good for me right now. I have a wonderful man in my life that makes every day so special that I can't help but be ridiculously happy. :)

Well it is a beautiful day here in Texas and I can't bear to waste any more of it indoors! I'm gonna take my rambunctious pups for a long walk and soak in some Vitamin D, and then get ready to book it up to the 806! Hope y'all have lovely weekends as well!!!!!!! :):):):)


Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Wishful Wednesday...Gown

Kelsey has another super fab topic today over at The Seattle Smith's...






"I wish"...I could wear this Demetrios dress on my wedding day!





I am in L.O.V.E. with this dress. I love everything from the fit, to the style, to the color!! The entire Demetrios line is to die for... I've been drooling over them all day, wasting hours of my life I'll never get back (thanks a lot, Kelsey ;) ), haha. I love how feminine, elegant, and romantic the dress is. I really like the halter strap because, let's face it, I am somewhat lacking in the chest area, so I'm definitely going to need something else to hold up my dress while I dance and schmooze the night away. Nothing gets more annoying (or makes me more self conscious) faster than clothing that won't stay where it's put. I don't want to have to fidgit with it all night! To me, it's the perfect combination of timeless and modern - somewhere in the inbetween it just flows, kinda like me. Maybe that's another reason I love it so much, everything I'd ever want to say/portray of myself is said through this dress. I also want an outdoor wedding, so the fabic and flowiness of the dress would be perfect for one; plus, it looks like something I could actually move around in! If I'm going to spend some big bucks on a dress, I want to be able to wear it all night!

Ahh... love, sweet love.


Ahh Teenagers!

Relaxing weekend, check. Got caught up with my life, check. Prepared myself for my first day of subbing at a High school, negative. Haha! I've made it through half the day (I'm on lunch break right now and live close enough to the campus that it's easy for me to run home) and now I just have to make it through the other half. Teenagers these days are truly terrifying creatures. They don't make them like they used to when I was in school. Sure we had the "bad" kids, but you maybe had one or two of them the entire day... I have them each period! So depending on your schedule...that can add up to 8-10 trouble makers/rebels-without-a-cause a day. What an emotional workout! I'm not angry at the kids though, I'm more upset with the fact that things have happened in their life that they have turned out that way. It's a shame that family dynamics aren't what they used to be... I have a long schpeel about this but can't get into it right now just because of time constraints (hopefully I'll remember to blog about it later!). My heart just breaks for these kids.

Moving on...my weekend was great. I got a lot of much needed girl time and family time...but I did miss Spencer a whole heckuva a lot and am very glad to have him back. This week is going to be another balancing act, but I'm feeling pretty confident about it. Shoot, if I can handle high schoolers, I can handle anything! Bahah. I am looking forward to the weekend though. Spencer got us tickets to go see The Wizard of Oz on Friday night at the theater, so that gives me an excuse to wear a dress and get all dolled up for my main squeeze. Then Saturday it's off to Lubbock (again) for a friend's bachelorette party! I've never been to a bachelorette party, so I am very excited and looking forward to it. Well it's time to head back in to the lion's den, I'll be sure to post more later!

And if you have some extra time, you should check out Neely's blog and Katie's blog for some super great giveaways and you should check out Kelsey's blog for her Wishful Wednesday and play along - such fun times!!

Happy Tuesday all! :):):):)

Friday, March 5, 2010

TGIF and I'm not goin' anywhere...

I made it through the week - YESSS! It was a very good and productive week, but oh-so-busy, so I'm glad it is now the weekend. The weekend I get to stay at home and just focus on me. No traveling. No boyfriend. No obligations. Just me and time. Awesome. Not that I don't adore traveling and the boyfriend, but I've been so busy with them that I've gotten behind on some me stuff. Like working out. Reading. Napping. Cleaning (yikes!). And most importantly, girl time. But that's all changing starting in about 15 minutes - Yaaay :) My girlfriend Lindsey and I are going to go see Valentine's Day, then go grab some food and catch up on life.

Tomorrow I'm doing a hard core workout, going to a Farmer's Market, napping/reading the afternoon away, and then we're having a GNO (Girl's Night Out). I'm excited to see all my beautifu lady friends! Then Sunday it's off to church and I start volunteering with the 7th grade girls - so stoked to be doing it again. Sunday night will be spent with Spencer once he gets back from his "man-cation". I know it's probably not as exciting to you as it is to me, but that's ok :)

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Wishful Wed...Olympics


"I wish" ... I could have gone to the 2010 Winter Olympics to see one event, and it would have been
Men's Ice Hockey Championship Game.




Even though we lost, it would have been one heckuva game to be at! I've never been to a hockey game, so why not start with the best one in the world? I love being part of a good sports crowd and I'm sure the one there that afternoon was nuts! Tensions were soaring, hits were hard, everyone was playing to win. It would have been awesome!

I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say! You can join in the fun or just browse some other lovely people's answers over at Kelsey's fabulous blog.

Happy Hump Day all!! :):):)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Already March?!?

Where did February go?? Boy, did it just fly on by! It was definitely the busiest month I've had in a few years. There was something going on every weekend, and I was out of town for the last three out of the four... no wonder I'm exhausted! Here's a short little timeline...:

  • SuperBowl weekend
  • California weekend
  • Started new job
  • Lubbock weekend
This past week was a very nerve racking one for me... I started substitute teaching and then went with my wonderful beau on a little weekend roadtrip...to meet his parents, grandparents, oldest brother, and best friend. The pressure was on! I get nervous about meeting friends, but then add on meeting the most important people in his life. Dun Dun Duuunnnnnn....

We went to Austin Friday afternoon to see his best friend and stayed the night there. I just adore Austin. I love the vibe you get from the city, so chill and unique. We went out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory (I had never been to one) and it was fabulous, and the serving was HUGE! I could barely put away half the plate, and I'm a girl who is not shy about my appetite. Then Saturday after breakfast at Kerby Lane, another Austin eatery treasure, and meeting the oldest of the three brothers, we saddled up and headed to north to see his parents and grandparents. I was pretty much sweating bullets the entire two and a half hour journey to Houston (well, actually a little town outside Houston). All I could keep thinking was, What if they don't like me? What if I do something embarrassing? What if, what if, what if... And after meeting them, all that worrying really was needless and a waste of my energy. They are some of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and spending a weekend with. In fact, when it was time for us to head back home, I found myself wishing we could stay longer. A lot longer. Never once did I feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. I really didn't feel nervous about anything at all while I was there, and I think that is so rare.

The drive back was a lot longer than the drive there... so during our 8 hour journey home we made a few pit stops. First at a lake. We just walked around, stretched our legs, and chilled on the dock taking in the beauty. Then we stopped in Dublin, Texas: Home of Dr. Pepper. You know, the real Dr. Pepper...made with Imperial Sugar. So we stopped, of course! And we had ourselves a little Dr. Pepper float which was delicious and the perfect sugar rush for our half way point.

(It's the best picture we could get...hehe. What can I say?
It's a tall sign and I'm a short person...hence awkward angle...and smiles)

Oh well, it was fun anyway. The drive also consisted of ridiculous stories, even more ridiculous games, and a lot of goofing around. I suppose that's a good thing when you can spend 8 hours in a tiny space with someone and not ever get annoyed or tired of them; in fact, it made me appreciate him even more. I am so blessed to have this man in my life.

This is going to be a looong week. Every day is jam packed. I'm lucky I have a little extra time right now to catch up on my blog reading and scribble out a quick one myself. This week I'm juggling three jobs, my dad's birthday (which is tomorrow!), Bible study, and hopefully one night to hang out with Spencer before he goes to Vegas on Friday (lucky duck!). But on the bright side, I will have a weekend to catch up with some of my girlfriend's I haven't seen in weeks and just to get a little "me" time in. Do I hear a massage calling my name? I think so.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and a here's a little quote I'm using as a mantra/reminder to keep me sane this week:

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." - Ghandi

Maybe some of you need it, too? :)

Elements by Franziska Altmann

Meet Cinderella...

My photo
I'm just a small town girl with big dreams and an open heart. I truly believe that all you need is Love and to look to the Lord whatever may come your way. Engaged to my forever love and planning a September wedding, just finished my first year of teaching, and working on becoming a "real" grown-up: This is the story of my journey, however topsy-turvey and chaotic it might be... :)

The Royal Court :)

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