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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

What day is this again?

MISCELLANY MONDAY


Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters


1. I got my laptop back today. Oh, yeah...recently? I spilled coffee on it. And then it wouldn't work. Thankfully the spill hit the cd player....therefore, it missed the motherboard. YAY! They had to replace the keyboard & the cost was a lot less than I was expecting!

2. I lost my job recently. And i am finding that I hardly even think about it. I sent my resume to 20 or so places... something will turn up by the end of October (when I have to be out of my current job). No worries. It will happen. :) 

3. I found out today that I am down 11 pounds over the last 8 weeks. THRILLED! This is 18.6 pounds total. ABSOLUTELY ECSTATIC!!!! It's WORKING, ya'll!

4. I have a list in my head about a mile long of people i want to send baby gifts to. Babies keep being born! :) I am sooo excited for my friend Patti who just had baby Everett! I hope I get to meet them one day!

5. Three sweet little girls that I know got a baby BROTHER this week!


Their daddy is Brad's cousin. SO CUTE! I can't believe they got their boy! His name is Cayde. Can't wait to meet him! I love that family!

6. I recently won a giveaway from my blog friend, Callie! I love everything I got!

A book by Beverly Lewis (one of my favorite authors) - i just started reading it & it's really good so far!), a cute little notebook that i keep in my purse, a cute blue wallet, some bangle bracelets!!!, some apricot lotion & body spray (smells soooo good!), and a sweet card from Callie. Oh, and Callie, i didn't notice there was also apricot lip gloss until i went to put the box away! I LOVE lip gloss!!!! Kind of obsessed. So thank you! :)

7. I have been sick. Went to the doctor yesterday & am starting to feel better today! YAY!

8. I have a giveaway going on here. Check it out! :) 

9.  I made this recipe again recently & it was SO GOOD! The last time I blogged it I did not have my current camera & did not take pics... but I did this time! So the post is now updated. Check it out, because it is SOOOO YUMMY & healthy! :)

10. Oh wait. I just realized today is TUESDAY. HAHA! I guess that's what being home sick does to ya?!?! I guess this is NOT miscellany monday. I guess we'll call it... "Tuesday Randoms"? Sorry... i'm terrible at coming up with titles. HA!


Monday, August 29, 2011

Michelle & Mike's Engagement Party!

Saturday was Mike & Michelle's engagement party. It was held at Mike's Uncle Alan's house (the best man). We had a great time!

Michelle & Mike!

Great gift from the groom's sister! Love it!

Cake #1

Cake #2...That topper is hilarious. My mom brought it! (Note: I did not eat any cake. Go, me!)

Father of the groom & bride, relaxing by the pool!

Me, Michelle & Kelly (one of the bridesmaids)

Michelle & friends

Michelle & Daddy - awww :) 

And the soon-to-be husband & wife again!! Ready for their big day this November!!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Theo: Teaching Children God's Word - a review & giveaway

I was recently given the opportunity to review a brand new children's DVD series. The series is called Theo: Teaching Children God's Word. It is set to release in stores on September 13th.

I received the dvd (along with an extra to give away!) promptly in the mail & was excited to get it. It is the first in the series. There are two episodes on the DVD, both of which were under 10 minutes long. I think this is great for the little ones without a long attention span! :)

The first show was about SIN & the second, FAITH.

*image from theo's website

I watched both episodes & was immediately impressed by the animation. It is high-quality & also, super cute, which we all know is very important for cartoons! Theo, a student of God's word, teaches kids about what sin means in the first episode, Good News. He talks about how all of us sin & how it means to "miss the mark", and how we need Jesus to be our Savior. 

The second epiode, Saving Faith, talks about how it is impossible to please God without faith. His little guests, Belfry & Luther (the mice in the above pic), provide examples to help kids understand the teachings given by Theo himself.

I think this is a great dvd series. High-quality animation. Lots of humor. And sound biblical teachings. You can find out more about this adorable series here.

I did mention that this is a giveaway, too, didn't I? Leave a comment if you would like to enter! One entry per person. I will pick a winner Saturday morning. You will have 24 hours to contact me after I have announced the winner, or I will pick a new one.

GOOD LUCK!

The Beautiful Conference!

Last weekend I went to The Beautiful Conference at a nearby church. I went last year too. I really enjoyed it again this year! Kari Jobe was the worship leader, once again. And yes, she is even more amazing in person than she is on cd! No lie! They had a different speaker this year. I sure did miss Angela Thomas, but LOVED hearing this year's speaker too. Her name is Susie Larson & she was great! :)

This year,  I ended up going with my friend Aimie from church. She had gotten some girls together to go - a couple of college girls from our church, her cousin & another girl. It was fun getting to spend some time with these ladies! We met at Dempsey's first & had dinner together. Then we headed on over to the conference. We had worship with Kari Jobe, a session by Susie Larson, a break, & then a concert by Kari. It was AWESOME!

On Saturday morning I headed back to the conference & met up with my group. There was worship with Kari, a session with Susie, a break, and then another session with Susie. We closed with more worship with Kari & a lot of people went forward for prayer. It was a great conference! I truly felt His presence in worship. I felt like I was really meeting with God. Something I can do at home, of course, but don't often enough. This was the day after finding out i lost my job & i have to tell you - God brought SUCH PEACE to my heart as I was worshiping Him. I am not worried about it anymore & know God has an awesome new job waiting for me! He is GOOD.

Here are some pics from Saturday of the conference!

 Me & Aimie - my friend since 5th grade & my roomie until we finally got husbands! Haha! I love her.

 Renee & Jessica - soon-to-be first time mama's!!!

 Rachel & Katelyn, two of our college girls. This was my first time meeting Rachel, even though she leads a lot of worship at our church. I am in love with her voice. I have called her "the next kari jobe" several times!

 Cousins - Brittany & Aimie

 My friend Amber from bootcamp also came! She & her best friend Cristy sat behind us! :)

We had a really great time! Wish it lasted a little longer! Haha! Very soon, I will share stuff from Susie's message on Freedom. It was a powerful message!

P.S. I have implemented a new commenting system & so far I love it. I am tired of so many telling me they can't comment on my blogs & I have heard good things about disqus. If you hate it, I will take it down! Just let me know your thoughts if you haven't already. :) 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Much better day!

Ahhhh....today is a much better day! Thanks for listening to my ranting in my last post! Sometimes you just gotta get it all out! Things are looking up! I just have to remember that God has a plan for me & that He has the perfect job lined up for me already! (And by perfect job, i mean, perfect-for-me job!)

Today has been good. Although it is STORMING outside right now, it's pretty peaceful in my heart. :) I applied to 2 places yesterday & i think 5 today. 2 of these jobs sound like places I would REALLY like to work. I just hope someone calls me for an interview! I mean....how can they know how awesome I am, just from my resume?! At least I know how to spell..... which means it'll at least make it through the first cut (because you KNOW employers just toss all the ones with ridiculous grammar/spelling errors, no matter what the actual content! My boss sure does & I would too!)

Anyway. So there's that! Please keep me in your prayers for the perfect (for me) job!

I also got a call about my laptop. The coffee spill did NOT get to the motherboard, thank you, Lord. It happened to spill right above the cd player... and that prevented it from getting to the motherboard. YAY. They do have to replace the keyboard, but they are giving me a great price for parts & labor! All Sales Computers on Florida. Go there for your computer repairs! :)


At the end of the day, I got a call back from the nurse regarding that medicine I took. She said it is okay to keep taking it, but that "bedtime" means to take it at 10 if i go to bed at 10...not 8. :) So i will do that. Yay. I got off the phone smiling because, ya'll. I freaking LOVE Dr Sunshine Willett & staff. She is awesome! If you need a good obgyn in Baton Rouge, that is who you want! She is sweet, encouraging, friendly... we all hate annual visits, but they make it as comfortable as it can be! There is NO rushing you in & out, like in so many other doctor visits. The nurses never make me feel stupid for my (sometimes stupid) questions. I cannot tell you enough how much i love them. And i do this everytime i get off the phone with them or leave their office! I go on & on about how awesome they are! But they are! I am so thankful to have found them!

I am also excited because my bloggie friend Patti had her sweet baby boy today! SO EXCITING!!! :)

So yeah. Good day! And hopefully tomorrow will be another one! 


Monday, August 22, 2011

If i were superstitious...

Last week, I was standing at the counter in the kitchen making a sandwich. There was a crash. A loud crash. Under the counter I was working on. I opened the cabinet down there & a glass dipping bowl (the kind that is in the center of a chips & dip platter) was in my (new) rachael ray stoneware. It was SHATTERED. I don't have a clue. I guess it was on the shelf above it & fell into the dish. But it's been in the same spot for 3 years & now it falls? Now that i have new favorite dishes there?! I wasn't as concerned about the glass dip thingie, but my Rachael Ray dish now has a crack that runs the entire width! So saddy!

If I was superstitious, that would have been my warning. But i'm not.

The next day is when I found out I lost my job. Or that i will, by the end of October. If you missed that post, you can read it here. You can even skim to the bottom (it's a good post, though -so you should just go ahead & read the whole thing!). As long as I'm thinking about new opportunities & how God must have something great in store for me (as far as jobs go), I'm FINE. But the minute i start thinking about how much i LOVE working at CAAA, how much i love our new offices, which we finally just got in March, how much i love sharing an office with my "office bff" tonya, how much i love the feeling i have there (i am well-respected there & I like that. But i won't have that anywhere else because that is something you earn) - the minute I think of all that... well... i have to consciously make myself think on something else. Because it just makes mad. Mad at the people who made this decision. Even so, nothing they've done is hindering God's will for my life, right? RIGHT. :) 

Friday night I went to the Beautiful Conference, which was awesome & I will blog about that soon! After the service, I called Brad and asked him to make me some coffee. My throat was killing me & I felt like I needed something warm on it. I got home, made myself a cup, set it on the tv tray (next to my laptop) & proceeded to get myself situated on the couch. But i ended up knocking the tv tray with my knee, causing my coffee to spill on the keyboard. NICE!

Hubby has since tried to clean it & fix it. I ended up taking it to my friend, Tim, who owns a computer repair place to have it fixed. So I'm using my very old piece of junk laptop right now! Ughhhh! I can't believe i did that! I usually have a drink on the tray & the laptop in my lap, but i was just trying to get situated, so the coffeee was next to my laptop. Grr.

Saturday was more conference & it was sooo good. Thank Jesus i was able to spend time with Him this weekend! :) On Sunday, I went to work at the Manship. Sunday night, i took a new medicine. I was told to take 2 at bedtime. No warnings or side effects listed on the bottle. Within 20-30 minutes of taking it, i started experiencing...well, the only other time I have felt like that in my LIFE was when I passed out a few years ago after giving blood. I think i almost did pass out. It was SCARY. I was trying to email my friend & I could not focus at all on the screen. It was swimming. I would stop, put my head in my hands & wait for a second & try again. It started getting worse, so I shut down my computer and tried to stand up. But the room was spinning & i felt HORRIBLE! I sat back down & Brad is kind of freaking out at this point, asking if he should call 911, etc! And I'm thinking no, i'll be fine. He tells me to put my head between my legs & take some deep breaths. I don't know if he made that up but it helped! Then i just got up (tears streaming down my face, more out of nerves I think than anything else) & said i thought i just needed to lay down. I went right to sleep & did not wake up until morning. That was at about 7:30 pm. SCARY!!! So... I guess I can't take that medicine again (by the way, I looked at the side effects and that was NOT on there!). 

SO yeah. It's been a bad week. Or weekend, i guess. And now i'm job searching. I've applied for 3 state jobs. Trying to apply or a 4th, which sounds the most like I'd love it, and it wants your ENTIRE job history... including supervisor names & phone numbers. I don't even REMEMER some of their names! Haha! 

Back to the wonderful world of JOB SEARCHING. Ugh!

So there ya go. Loveliness. Right?

I know things will get better.Just hit a rough patch.But i look forward to November, where at least I'll know where I'm working! Prayers, please! :)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

He will not let me fall.

Have ever noticed you were thinking something about God or church or the Bible or whatever & realized that whatever you were thinking is not who God is...or what the Bible actually says?

This happens a lot these days. A lot. And it's good. Because some of what we have been taught is not necessarily true. Some sayings you have heard are not biblical at all (even though they were taught as if they were). And some things we weren't taught at all, but somehow we ended up believing it anyway. Things adults say to children, you know... you might take things literally that weren't meant that way at all. And you grew up believing a lie. That God was about magic & superstitions & obligations. But some of what we believed growing up was wrong. We knew it, as we got older, but it still kind of got deep into our thinking.

Let me start from the beginning.

On my way to Zumba every Tuesday & Thursday night, I say a little prayer.
I pray that I won't fall down during class.

I know, right? It's okay, you can laugh! But that is my biggest fear. I'm a "front row" girl...because it's easier for me if i can see the teacher. And it's kind of fun (although i always worry people are judging me because I would choose to be on the front row...at my size... or like I think I'm a good dancer... ah, insecurities...but that's another post).

Anyway, it may be silly, but every single time I am on my way to Zumba, i pray, "Dear Lord, thank you for zumba! Thank you for such an awesome class & teacher! Now, help me to have an awesome class, to give it all I've got & TO NOT FALL DOWN!"

This is not from some prior experience. I have never fallen down in Zumba, bootcamp or any other exercise class. I have, however, fallen down at LSU plenty of times & so now it is worth my while to just ask God to help me stay on my feet!

Anyway. This past Tuesday, I was on my way to class & I forgot to pray that I wouldn't fall down.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking..."ohmygosh, she fell down!"

No. I didn't. :)

But in the beginning of class as we were moving our hips like CRAZY... & doing all these moves that I pretty much know by heart now... I thought with a panic, "Oh no!!! I didn't pray that I wouldn't fall in class!"

I guess I had it in my head that because I prayed those other times & never fell...then because I did not pray this time, i would (naturally) fall down. That's what i mean by silly things we believe. Of course, no one taught us God is waiting to strike us down. But just by them saying "if you do this, then God will take care of you", we assumed the opposite was true as well. At least I did & sometimes I catch myself & have to remind myself of the truth.

So, immediately, as we're dancing (& pouring some serious sweat), my thoughts are going like this, "oh no i forgot to pray before i got here that i wouldn't fall! Oh, please Lord, don't let me fall! Don't let me fall during class!" (I hope you are not laughing at me... we all have frantic conversations like these with God, right? ... RIGHT?!).

And this is what I heard in my head: "I won't let you fall, Melissa."

I don't know if it was God's voice as much as it was God reminding me of my father's voice. My earthly father. Who, when i would stand on the edge of the pool, afraid to jump into the deep, would say, "Come on, Melissa. I'll catch you!". Who, when I was on top of some monkey  bars, afraid to get down, would lift up his hands to catch me & say, "I won't let you fall, Melissa. Jump!"

And everytime? I jumped. And every time, he caught me.

And that is like our Father. Our Heavenly Father.

He is not some big holy stranger up in the sky that is waiting for us to make a mistake. He knows we are human and forgetful & often get ourselves in situations where He will need to catch us. He gave us our daddies to be an example of what our Heavenly father is like. Now, i know not all of us had good examples as daddies. It takes a lot longer to trust in a heavenly father when your father figure abandoned you/hurt you/broke your heart. But that is not who God is. He loves you. He is not there waiting for you to make some ridiculous mistake! I know that God doesn't wish to see me fall in Zumba class or anywhere else! He's not wanting to see me fall. Not physically, but not in any other way either. Certainly not spiritually.

* * * * * * * * * * * * 

When I heard that voice say, "I won't let you fall" to me in Zumba class this week, I wasn't sure what it meant. I started this post, but I wasn't really sure what it was that God was trying to tell me. What I would even say about it in this post. But just 2 days later I found out that after the end of October, I will be out of a job.

I've been there 3 years. I love it there. Some of you may remember a time when I HATED it there, but so many things have changed and it's gotten better and better, especially this year. And especially now with our new offices. I love it. There's very little i absolutely hate about it now. And it was definitely going to be my LAST job for a very long time! But all that's over.

We are a government-funded program and it was a pilot program to begin with. Basically, they are pulling the contract. It's about money. And so, our entire department - 15 of us - are out of a job after October. Very very sad.

And what keeps ringing in my ears is, "I won't let you fall, Melissa." I guess He was telling me that to hold on to for later. Just a few days later, when i felt like the floor caved in beneath me. It was a shock. But He won't let me fall. He has other things for me. I have been so respected at this current job. I know you earn respect and anywhere else, I will be starting over. He won't let me fall. I know I have so many friends and have built up with a rapport with so many colleagues. He won't let me fall. I know I have had a couple of raises and cannot possibly take a pay cut. He won't let me fall. I have no idea what November holds for me. I don't know what life will be like after that. If i will like my new job or hate it, if i will feel confident in it (the way i do now) or be shaky. I know that i hate interviews & job searches & being trained & starting over more than anything. But you know? He won't let me fall.

He's got this. God does. He knows what's happening and He is not surprised by it at all. My first reaction was shock and later it was anger. Not at my boss or her boss but at the people in charge who are doing this. But when it comes down to it, none of that matters. Yes, it SUCKS, it absolutely does. I love my coworkers. I will miss them so much. I hate that just when i'm starting to actually love  my job, it's being taken from me. Then again... it's got to be all a part of His plan. And not just for me. He's got a plan for all of us, you know?

I shared about the job situation on my weightloss blog the other day, and i don't think i sounded this positive about it. Well, it was still very new & shocking to me. Also, i should note that I just came from an awesome conference and spent sometime with Jesus. And got some peace in my heart. My world feels a little shaky right now. I don't like having NO IDEA where I will be working in 2 months! But still. It's gonna be okay.


It's like being that little girl again, up in a tree that I climbed & now wishing I hadn't. Daddy's arms outstretched to catch me. That's what God is doing. He's not going to let me fall. Yes, I'm jumping into the unknown. Or should I say, falling into it! But still. He's got this! He knows & his hands are not tied.

"My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus' blood & righteousness.
I dare not trust thy sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand."

Friday, August 19, 2011

Happy birthday, Fievel!

Today is my Fievel's birthday! He is 7 years old!

(Or was. It was August 18th. But it's after midnight, so...)

I love this dog. I mean, LOVE. You may not understand. Unless you have a dog & love him like i love mine. I remember when I first laid eyes on him. I was NOT planning on getting a dog. At all. But his sweet little eyes, looking up at me...begging me to take him??? How could i resist?! 

For the first year, i regretted getting him. He was SO BAD! Haha! But we got through that & he is my sweet puppy! He's hilarious & spunky... full of mischief! But also so sweet. He is currently curled at my feet, sound asleep. I love this furbaby of mine!

{HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FIEVEL!}


 Bone? Please?


 Getting Fiesty!!!


 He pretty much always has this look on his face. It says, "if i sit still will you give me a bone? Or a carrot? Or anything you're eating?!?!?!?" :)

Fun fact: For the first 2 weeks I had him? His name was Zorro. HA! See that gray-ish hair around his eyes? It was BLACK when he was a puppy. Looked like the mask of zorro! After 2 weeks of calling "Zorro!", well. It just wasn't working. He's SO not a Zorro! Good thing, since that black mask faded! Also, note how he has one paw turned to the side. Cracks me up!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Body BaYou Bootcamp!

So I know this is normally something I would talk about on my weightloss blog, but since I probably have more local readers here, I just thought I would share. You may have heard me mention my bootcamp classes. I have been a part of them since January & I LOVE them. If you are in the Baton Rouge area (even better, Central or Denham Springs), you should consider joining. It is fantastic!!

Sarah, our trainer, has added another time slot, so there is really no excuse! ;)

The new class, which starts August 30th, will be:
Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5:30 AM & Fridays at 4:30 PM.

This is great for all you early morning exercisers. :)

There are two other class available as well (the next session for these starts August 29th):

Monday & Wednesday at 4:45 PM & Saturday at 8:00 AM.
Monday & Wednesday at 7:15 PM & Saturday at 9:00 AM.

You are welcome to come try a class for FREE.

And you know... if you join, I get $10 off...per person...just sayin!!

If you need any more information, just let me know! We would love to have you join us!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Praising God!

So, I don't know how many of you remember my post a few months ago, where I asked you to pray for a 19-year-old guy in our church named Joey. Joey had been in a car accident...he was driving a small car, on his way to play the bass for another church's Vacation Bible School, & was hit by an 18-wheeler. He went straight into a coma & was there for months. I asked for your prayers and I know that several of you told me you were praying. The whole church was praying also.

At one point, our church had a prayer/praise service for him & it was so awesome to see believers actually come & pray together for one need. I followed the "praying for joey" facebook page & kept up with the updates, saying he was still in a coma, saying he was breathing on his own, later saying he would be moved to rehab. I heard how he prayed after he was awake & the first words out of his mouth in that prayer were thanking God for the experience.

He's been in rehab for awhile, getting physical therapy & such, and i've watched his sister update his status on what he needed prayers for. It was expected to be a very long road to recovery, but God has brought him through all of these things: from his family thinking he would die, to thinking he would live but be severely brain damaged, to thinking he'd be in therapy for a very long time... God brought him through all of that! On Friday, he updated his own facebook status to: "JOEY is HOME!!!!" :) 

And this morning, he was at church. :)

If you went out of town before his accident & unplugged yourself from facebook...& then came to church this morning not knowing what took place...well, you would not have known anything had happened to Joey while you were gone! He looks exactly the same. After praise & worship & (nine!) baptisms, Pastor Terry had him & his dad go to the front & his dad just talked about how he felt like God took his son & then gave him back. And how thankful he was for what everyone did for them during that time, etc. And when he asked Joey if he wanted to add anything, he said no. :) I think he was probably a bit overwhelmed! But i was just so thrilled to see him, alive & well! There was a lot of tissue out, i promise!! (On our row, for sure. AHEM.)

Thank you, Jesus. 

& thank YOU for praying!

Joey & his sister, Tina

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

My week so far, good books & Hoo Are You???

Loving this week. Despite still being extremely congested, I am feeling much better than I was this weekend! Last night we went to eat at Mike Anderson's for my sister-in-law's birthday & I managed to eat very well (despite being surrounded by carbs & sweets & fried foods!). Work is kind of crazy but not in a bad way & I am excited about my new blog designs. I did this one this weekend while I was sick. You like it? I just needed a change! And I did the one on my other blog yesterday. That one has a whole new name now & I am really excited about it! Check it out! :) 

So, how are you? How is your week going? I just finished reading The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks. Oh.my.GOSH. Great book. NOT the romance I assumed it would be. Oh, there's definitely romance involved, don't get me wrong. But it is much more suspence. It's been awhile since a book kept me up late reading wayyy past my bedtime, but this one did that.


Now what to read? I really want to read The Help. Three of the stars are on the cover of my Entertainment Weekly, which I got yesterday. I cannot wait to see that movie, and I really should read the book first!

Not much else to say... just procrastinating, I supposed, from the actual work I must do! Before I run, I think I'll answer some questions from Night Owl Crafting! I just found this blog today after reading Pinklets!


NightOwlCrafting

1. Do you workout regularly & what do you do?
Yes, maam! I do Bootcamp 3 times a week & Zumba 2 times a week. I miss every now & then, but as long as i make it 4 times a week, I am okay with that! I have been doing bootcamp since January & it's an awesome class that will work your tail off!! I just started Zumba in June & honestly, I have never SMILED so much while working out! HA!

2. Do you have any weird sleeping habits?
No, but I do tend to get really hyper just as we're going to bed. It makes my husband crazy! HA! (He gets me back in the morning, since he is Mr. Talkative & i would rather be up for a bit before communicating with anyone!)

3. How often do you vaccuum?
Ohhh, man... not enough. I'll just leave it at that.

4. Do you accessorize & if so, what is your favorite thing to accessorize with?
I must have earrings in... I feel naked without them. Other than that, just a necklace...sometimes I'll get REALLY crazy & wear a bracelet. ;)

5. What is your favorite drink during the summertime?
I really can't have a lot of sugar anymore, so I drink nothing but water during the day. But i do love lemonade & sweet tea!

That's it! Play along if you wanna!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

2nd Annual BBA Reunion!

So, I know it isn't often that you see anybody from your elementary school class, but a couple years ago the kids I attended Brownsfield Baptist Academy with started finding each other on facebook. Jenni (my elementary school BFF) started a "BBA Alumni Support Group" Haha. After talking awhile on FB, we started talking about getting together for some sort of reunion. We debated about where to do it ... a house, or a restaurant? I was adamant that we do a restaurant... I thought it would be a better atmosphere if it was awkward ... HA! I mean, you never know how these things will go!

So we went to Superior Grill last year. And we had a BLAST! Seriously, such a great time - everyone hit it off really well. As soon as it was over, we started making plans for the next one - this time at Lea's house. Lea & her husband just finished building their house (after years of living in a trailer on the land they bought - something we want to do!) & they were thrilled to open their home to us. 

Once again, we had such a wonderful time. The kids were invited to join us this year so it was fun getting to see everyone's mini-me's! 

{Here are some pics!}

 Jennifer C & Jennifer P! :) Love these two!

 So sweet... Michelle with her little Isaac.

 Rachel couldn't make it last year because she had just had little Brody! He's so cute & wow...he was all over the place! Poor mama!

 This is Michelle's other child, Isabelle...sometimes called Izzy. Is she not PRECIOUS?! She was talking to Rosebud, the dog, so sweetly. :)

 Mona & Jennifer!

Kelly, Lea & Dusty
 Kelly & her son, Alex

Travis & his daughter, Anna Grace 

 Me & Lea -yes, we are sweaty...it was HOT!

 Sarah Beth & Zoe - too cute!

 Some of my favorite girls from elementary school. Michelle (with Izzy), Jennifer, Jenni (with Noah), me & Mona

The kids were too cute, swinging away! Craig (pushing the swing), Izzy, Sarah Beth, Anna Grace, Lainey, Mya & Zoe!

Those of us who made it this year (from our class). i felt so bad, i didn't take any pics of the significant others! Oops! :( 

We had a really awesome time! I can't wait till next year already! :)

Cucumber, Tomato & Feta Salad

Yesterday we had a reunion & I was to bring the salad & baked beans. I recently found this beautiful salad on Pinterest & decided to make it. I am so glad I did - it was a hit! At first I thought nobody was trying it until someone told me it was delicious & the other two at the table nodded in agreement. Next time I went into the kitchen, it was all gone! Great dish & so easy to make.

                                                                                       Source: jennysteffens.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

{Her pic (above) is way prettier than mine (below)... & I need a pretty salad dish!}

Cucumer Tomato & Feta Salad
Original Recipe here

2 cucumbers - peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup feta cheese




Combine all ingredients together. Make vinaigrette!

Classic Sweet & Tangy Vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. dried italian seasoning
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Pour over veggies & toss well. Best when marinated in the fridge for for 1 hour before serving, if possible. YUM! :)


ENJOY!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

What I'm Lovin'!

I decided to join in on What I'm Loving Wednesday.


Here's what I'm loving today!

{ONE}
I'm loving Pinterest! Thank you, Laura, for sending me an invite! I'd heard about it, but thought it's another site to waste time on & no thank you very much! Haha. But as soon as I was on it, i knew I'd found something that is right up my alley. I love it. I discovered today that it is blocked at work. Probably a good thing or I might never get any work done! Ha!
Follow Me on Pinterest

{TWO}
 I'm loving Nicholas Sparks. Reading my second book by him right now...The Guardian. Have you read it? Very, very good so far. Love finding new authors. And yes, I know. Everyone knows Mr. Sparks is good. It just took me too long to realize that!


{THREE}
BOOTCAMP, ZUMBA, & Sparkpeople! Seriously, my weightloss journey is going well right now. I'm getting somewhere with the eating - finally - & i actually miss exercise if i don't get to do it! We're learning new routines in bootcamp & tonight we had an awesome workout! Zumba is so much fun, I never stop smiling. If you're near me (you know who you are!) then please ask me for info & come to one or both of these! SO worth it!

As for Sparkpeople, well, I'm really loving it. I joined in 2009 but was never consistent with it. Now, because of the Insulin Resistance, i MUST track what I eat, especially carb intake & this site just makes it so easy. They have TONS of informative articles, message boards where everyone seems to be SO helpful & encouraging, and it just makes it really easy to keep track of everything! I love it!

Join me at: SparkPeople.com

{FOUR} 
My new Kindle. I was given my Uncle's kindle when we went to Grenada this past weekend. This is the 91 year old uncle who passed away in January. His wife asked me if i would like to have his Kindle...um, yes please? Is that weird? I don't mind it. My aunt said he would have liked for me to have it. I never thought I'd want a kindle until Brad got one - I realized they're pretty cool! I will always love actual books, but i do like the kindle a lot! Excited to have one - for free! :)

{FIVE} 
My husband. Seriously. I have definitely been a bit of an emotional basket case lately - & a little stressed out - & I have been SO thankful for Brad because he knows how to handle me. He knows the right things to say or do to help me feel better. And he never makes me feel bad about acting like an idiot. :) I really really love him!

 my friend laura edited this for me. uncle george took it in Grenada. Love it!

{SIX}
This picture. How funny is that! This is me (the one refusing to smile) with my sister, my mom & our cousin Ben. I just love it! My aunt posted it to FB the other day & i hadn't seen it in a long time.


So much more I'm loving, too! That it's almost the weekend for one! :) 

What are you loving this week!?