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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Wednesday 7:30 am (Isaac Update #3 - with mini-vlog!)

Morning, friends! Just want to say i appreciate your prayers for us in Louisiana! I've gotten some concerned messages from blog friends via email, facebook, twitter & even instagram! That's pretty sweet. XOXO

I wonder if the power will go out as I am writing this... the wind is picking up a LOT & it is starting to rain pretty hard. The way it is now is how we expected it to be late last night/early this morning. But Isaac slowed WAY down and lingered around the coast all night! This creeping along is the craziest thing, and i don't remember it happening like this for any of the other hurricanes (Andrew, Katrina, Rita, Gustav)! They just said on the news that it could be FIFTEEN hours before Isaac is right on top of us in Baton Rouge. Of course, the outer bands have hit us already, but it will be awhile before we feel the biggest winds! The storm is currently traveling at 6mph. So if it seems like this is taking forever...that's because it IS!

I have an app called iHurricane HD now... pretty neat! The blue dot below is ME. The yellow line is the storm's path. The red dot with the white circle around it (right under Houma) is supposed to be the eye of the storm. So ... it's heading this way, for sure. The yellow was right on top of BR yesterday, so it may have moved west a little more.


 My sister is in Mandeville (right next to Covington, if you look at the map above). You can see how close that is to New Orleans. She told us this morning that they lost power last night, but are fine. Today they are escaping to her uncle-in-law's house because they have electricity. Thanks for those of you who prayed for her safety! The storm is coming over a lot of LA, but people worry about NOLA & surrounding areas just because it's so close to the water, and if there is a storm surge, flooding will be bad.

PLUS... if you remember Katrina (7 years ago TODAY, actually!), it wasn't the hurricane itself, but the levees breaking, that caused such major flooding. They've been repaired, and Isaac will be the test to see if they were repaired correctly! (My blog friend, Betty, lives in New Orleans, too! Please pray for them if you think about it!)

Anyway! I slept very well last night, and woke this morning to stronger winds & some rain! I did another vlog... it's pretty short, because it was raining & my umbrella got turned inside out. HA!

And here are some still shots. 

 Just some small branches hitting the ground at this point.



This may or may not be my last update for awhile! Who knows! Haha! Thanks again for praying for us! XOXO

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tuesday 6:30 pm (Isaac Update #2 - with vlog!)

This day has been really boring, which is a problem since we haven't even lost electricity yet! I mean, really? Shoulda got the puzzle. That's all I'm saying.

BUT we did go to Brad's parents for some good ol' Louisiana Red Beans & Rice! I haven't had that in SO LONG & it was the perfect "last meal". Ha! (Hopefully not REALLY our last meal... i just have been getting a kick out of saying that for some reason!)
The wind picked up a bit a few minutes ago, so we headed outside to check it out. Took Fievel this time. He had some energy he needed to get out. I think it worked, as he hasn't bothered us since we came back in! (He was getting a little too hyper (read: annoying) for us for awhile there!)

 
Here are some progression pics from 11:30 this morning!

 Pre-hurricane pics are always pretty. :)

And here we are...drinking coffee...what may be our last cup for awhile!
Although during Gustav, Brad's family did build a small fire & make coffee that way!

 While outside, i did a VLOG! I know you are SO EXCITED! I feel like a weather reporter! HA!

A couple of disclaimers:
 (1) I love how i say "you can't really tell" about the wind blowing - when you can definitely tell! I didn't see it right then while i was filming!
(2) Please excuse the baby talk to my dog. Yes, i'm one of THOSE people. I'm sorry. It's only for the end of the video, I promise!
(3) I didn't notice it until I played it back, but you can HEAR the wind especially at the end!

{ENJOY!}




We just got news that Isaac has hit landfall (around 6:45). I hope we keep power at least until we go to bed tonight! Some people in Baton Rouge have already lost power, though. FUN!

Prayers are appreciated!! :)

Tuesday 11:30 am (Isaac Update #1)

So, after being at work ALL DAY yesterday & hearing of school & business closures all over the city & surrounding parishes... my work FINALLY gave us word that we would close Tuesday & Wednesday as well. The rest of the week will depend on how Hurricane Isaac treats us. The theater also canceled our Thursday night performance of Assassins.

For the entire time, this has been a Tropical Storm warning for us & nearby parishes, while it's been a Hurricane warning an hour or so away. It was just announced that it's now a hurricane warning for Livingston Parish...which is Denham Springs...which is about 20 minutes from my house. So yeah... it will officially be a hurricane in BR very soon, too.

It's a Category One, so we decided to stay home. (Category 3? I am out of here!)

I stopped at the bookstore last night for #2 in Karen Kingsbury's redemption series. SO GOOD. I debated getting a puzzle, but didn't, and i kind of regret it already. I don't do boredom but after hours without electricity, I'm going to get tired reading & I'm going to wish i had gotten that puzzle! Ha! Hopefully i can find someone to play Phase 10 with me (HINT HINT whoever wants to come over after the hurricane! HA!)

The bad weather doesn't start till tonight, so we're going to Brad's parents for lunch in about an hour. She decided to make homemade Red Beans & Rice (a Louisiana dish) & I can't WAIT! Nothing like a good home-cooked meal - might be our last for awhile! ;)

Earlier, we went outside. I remember for Hurricane Gustav, i didn't have my amazing camera back then & I was sad. Haha. (I did have a point & shoot but it either didn't take great pictures or i didn't know how to make it take great pictures!). Anyway, i went out a little while ago & took pictures. I'll take them progressively throughout this thing so you can see how the sky gets darker & creepier. I say I'm going to do all this like i'm an amazing photographer. I will be lucky if i get what is in my head! Ha!

Maybe just a Before & After shot will do? Here are some before shots for you. Tuesday, August 28th, 11:30 am. (Hurricane expected to hit after midnight tonight.)

 Yes, we live in a trailer. Don't be alarmed, it has survived many hurricanes! Ours is the to the left.

 This is looking down the street. Notice the sky is getting a little gray-ish. It was also just a little windy. Felt kind of nice! Just the calm before the storm. :)

This is the other side of the trailer. (That's ours to the right.)

Now that you have seen our place the day before the storm, I shall entertain you with pictures of us in our crazy, goofy, silly, delirious state! You're welcome! 

Excuse the blurriness in these. Also i have zero makeup on & haven't touched my hair (except to wash it - but this is how it looks when it air dries! Just be happy i brushed it for you!).

 Yes. CRAZY. I know.

I told Brad to make faces for me. The top right is when i told him to show me his "scared of the hurricane face". I love it. Ha!

And a few of us together. Man. You can see now why we are right for each other! One word: GOOFY.

 oh man. the hair is KILLING me.

 Scary hurricane faces.

Oh! I forgot to update you on Fievel. So far he is not bothered by the storm. He has been watching for it, though.

I will keep you updated, as long as i have power.

Fellow Louisiana friends & anyone else affected by this storm: PRAYERS for your safety! Please pray for my sister & her husband, too - they're near New Orleans & if there is a storm surge there will be a LOT of flooding!


Sunday, August 26, 2012

In other news...

We have a hurricane coming!!! 

You read that right. It's excitement. Only because I think it could possibly get us a day or days off work. Once it gets to NO ELECTRICITY for days & days & days? I won't be so excited. I'll be over it. Ready to go back to work. Ha!

It's been looking like it would hit Florida, but it started shifting west, so... that would be us! I think it's still projected that it will make landfall in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Not far from us at all.

 We are in Baton Rouge. Which is basically where i wrote "ME!". Haha!
Category 2. 100mph. 

My fifth hurricane, that i can remember.

My sister is in St. Tammany Parish, which is a lot closer to the eye of the storm than we are. So please pray for her & my brother-in-law & his family!

If i stop blogging sometime Wednesday... and tweeting and facebooking...it means i have lost POWER! BLAH!

But seriously... please pray protection & safety for us & others in the path of the storm. Thanks!

And by crazy, I mean traumatic.

Last week was a traumatic week for me.

In some ways, I'm being a little dramatic. In other ways? NOT REALLY!
I would like to tell you about that time i almost pee'd on myself. At 34 years old.

There was quite a significant day last week, as far as traffic is concerned. And if you didn't already know, Baton Rouge has TERRIBLE traffic just about every day. It's just how it is. But on last Wednesday, the word "traffic" took on a WHOLE NEW MEANING for me!
I wake up, check gmail/facebook/twitter on my phone (i always do this as i'm trying to make myself get out of bed) & the first thing i see on Facebook is a friend's post that says:

"If you're trying to get to Essen Lane this morning, good luck getting there!" 

Hmm. I scrolled down a little & then saw a post from WAFB about an accident on the interstate near Essen. Brad works on Essen Lane. So i ran to tell him that he better hurry & leave early because there was an accident. Then i got myself ready! 

I do not work on Essen, but i do travel that way, so i decided to avoid the interstate & go a back way. Good thinking, right? 

Brad stayed home. He's like, "I'm not getting out in that! I'll be sitting two hours! Might as well stay home & go in later!" 

I'll be honest, I was kind of annoyed. Miss work due to TRAFFIC?! Who does that?! Plus, he'd been out sick two days already. I was jealous - i wanted a day off too! But i can't really afford to miss work or i'll never get caught up on my responsibilities there!

So i left the house at 7:30. I was going the back way. At 8:00, I turned from Florida Boulevard to Sherwood Forest Boulevard. My office is 2.1 miles away at this point (I looked it up!). 

That was at 8. I arrived at work after 10!!!!

Ya'll. The reason i say TRAUMATIC, is that ... at some point, I had to pee. 

Please stop reading now if this is TMI. SURELY NOT, though, right?

ANYWAY. It started out kind of amusing that i had to pee when i was stuck in traffic. At this point, I didn't realize HOW LONG i would be there. 

Brad usually fixes coffee soon after i wake up. By the time i leave, i have had coffee & also emptied my bladder. But this particular morning, he made it right before i left, so i had just enough time to pour it into a travel mug - which means it was twice as much as usual - and take it on the go. I had NO IDEA i would be stuck in 2.5 hour traffic! I thought i would be avoiding it by avoiding the interstate!
SO i drank the coffee, made it to Sherwood & thought i was home free. My office is 2 miles down. 
yes, i took pics. um... we weren't MOVING!
At 8, i texted the assistant director. He was stuck in it, too. Then i texted my boss. She lives two minutes from work & she was also stuck. 
The humor in the fact that i had all that coffee & was now sitting in traffic - well, it eventually turned to discomfort. Then it turned into URGENCY. And then? Well. It was bad. I cried. I actually CRIED because i was pretty sure i was going to PEE IN THE CAR! Yes, I'm a grown woman. Have you ever had to pee that bad? I don't think i have. 
I tweeted "This having to pee has gone from funny to uncomfortable to URGENT!" 
 And then later (because the area of Sherwood I was on is lined with houses): "I am looking at all these houses & all i can think is: They all have bathrooms." #batonrougetraffic #desperate"

Y'all. When i say it was HORRIBLE, TRAUMATIC, INSANE! I mean it! 

I called Brad, in tears. He is like "What is wrong?!"
Me: I am crying because i have to GO TO THE BATHROOM SO BAD!!!!
Brad: Oh my god! I'm so sorry, baby! Can't you pull over & walk to McDonalds or somewhere?
Me: You don't understand! I don't even SEE McDonalds! By the time i get there, i will have peed!  I'm not even to Old Hammond yet! I am not even to GOODWOOD YET! (Goodwood is probably 1/2 mile down. At most.) 

I just kept talking to him as i sat through my third light cycle on Sherwood at Goodwood. I just couldn't get close enough to turn. I FINALLY did, turned on Goodwood & prayed for a school or church or SOMETHING! (it's a neighborhood with places like that. No restaurants or anything). I saw St. Thomas Moore Church & pulled in. I saw the preschool drop-off around the side, pulled up next to it, hastily wiped my tears & ran inside. There were two very kind ladies who i owe flowers or chocolates or SOMETHING - and i said, 'Please do not laugh at me, i have been in traffic for over two hours & i have to go to the bathroom REALLY BAD!" LOL!!!!

Someone said i gave them the courage to do that if they had to pee on the road, but y'all. I was not being courageous. Don't you understand? I had NO CHOICE in the matter! It was either a little embarrassment & a relieved bladder in a toilet! Or PEEING ON MYSELF!!!!! And i haven't done that since i was... two????? I mean, seriously. That was just not going to be okay with me!

The ladies smiled & pointed me in the direction of the bathroom. I did my business, came out & thanked them again! I said, I am so sorry! I know i'm crazy! I left my house at 7:30 (at this point it was after 9:30) & i drank a big thing of coffee not realizing!" & she's like, "oh i know, the traffic is all over the news b/c of the interstate being shut down!" 

I mean. GAH! The more i sat in my car, the more i thought brad was pretty smart for staying home! He never would have made it! 
After i left the St Thomas Moore feeling MUCH BETTER, i went a WAY OUT OF MY WAY way to get to work - because i was NOT getting back in that traffic! I honestly think if i had stayed, i wouldn't have made it to work until noon. Seriously. I would have DIED!
Oh, but  miracle of miracles. Aveda was finally within my vision.
 Can you see it? No? Well, I'm almost there!

 HA! Yeah. It took me 2 hours to go 2 miles. And by the way - there was no way to get out of it. I was STUCK. NO turn off anywhere in the spot i was! How lovely!

So we found out later that a car flipped & an 18-wheeler slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the car. This caused another 18-wheeler to slam into the first one. It caused a isobutane leak & the interstate had to be shut down for 27 hours until it was completely removed. 
* * * * * * * 

The funny story that i keep forgetting to tell people (in light of the whole "I had to pee so bad i literally CRIED!") is that before the traffic started for me, i reached in my purse to put on some lipgloss & then realized it didn't FEEL right. Glanced in the mirror, and...

Yeah! That would be CONCEALER! Oh, what a day already!

Glad i got all that off my chest. :)

Goodnight!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Rachel's wedding!

Last weekend, we went to my friend Rachel's wedding!

Most of you know I am big-time involved with our local theater. Rachel was the very first person I met in the cast of Beauty & the Beast, my first show. When i went to auditions, she was the only person there, waiting for her vocal audition. I was with my friend, Lizzy. Lizzy & I were SO nervous, but Rachel was a pro as this was not her first audition. She was adorable & sweet & told us that it was not bad at all & not to be nervous. We were both cast in the show, and have worked together on several shows since then. I just love her!
  
Isn't she a beautiful bride?!


We were on the VERY last row, and i couldn't see Rachel at all from where i was (she's so tiny!), so that was my only pic during the ceremony! 

I got lots of pics at the reception though!

First Dance!

 
 Me, Liz & Lauren

 Me & my sweet love!

 My friend, Brittany, who i LOVE & who i am SO HAPPY I got to see even if it wasn't long enough! I got to hug her neck, though! I have missed her so much! Love this girl! Oh, she blogs, by the way!

Thomas, Brittany & Molly!

 Me & the beautiful Rachel! :) 

 The newly engaged, Natalie & Bradford!

 Me with 3 of my whore friends: Rachel, Natalie & Lauren. (Joke, people. We all played whores in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas a few years ago!) 

Micah & Rachel Dawson! 

Rachel's hubby got a job in Missouri - so after the wedding they moved there!! So sad she is not in town anymore. :( But hopefully she will come visit this Christmas!

5 Question Friday. On Saturday.

This week?

Work, Theater, Bed, Repeat.

Everyday.

I'm working a show this week (more about that later) & this is literally the first time I have gotten on my laptop all week! I have missed it! I have been anxious for today - a day of sleeping in, waking up at my leisure, hot coffee, and my cozy chair. 

And blogging. Blog-reading, Blog-writing, Email-responding, Tweeting, Facebooking. All day. Well, until tonight. I have another show. ;) But I'm going to enjoy these next few several hours, for sure!

So. Here is Five Question Friday. Even though it's Saturday. I like the questions.

1. If you could be (could have been) any profession (money & brains not a problem), what would you be?
Meaning i automatically have the degree & all the knowledge? A casting director. Or a theater director. Or a drama teacher. Definitely. 

2. How often do you clean out your car?
Y'all. I'm pretty gross. It makes me sick! My car is cleaned out right now & I actually vaccuumed it with the free vaccuum thing at Benny's last week because i had to get my car inspected & i was too embarrassed for them to see how gross my car is! (Silly, because they're all guys - MECHANICS - like they care!). Anyway...it's gross. Even vaccuumed, the steering wheel & console need to be wiped down. There is no excuse: I'm not a smoker, i'm not a packrat, i don't have toddlers... I'm just busy & never want to clean my car. EVER.

3. Do you wish there was a such thing as fashion police, or are you deeply relieved? 
HAHA. What an original question! Um... a little of both? Because honestly, i know what is okay to wear & what is most definitely NOT okay, but most of the time, i'm just in pants & a shirt that coordinate. I would be SO MUCH BETTER about this if i was smaller, but i can't seem to do the fashion thing right at my size. And i know there are some women who are my size who do a FABULOUS JOB at putting together an outfit & looking fabulous. NOT ME.

So, yeah. Maybe I'm more deeply relieved!

At my last place of employment though? I constantly thought of calling Stacy & Clinton. For real.

4. What's your go-to food/drink/activity when stressed?
A long hot bath with a novel & a cup of coffee or glass of wine.
AHHHH. So relaxing.

5. If you had twins, what would you name them?
I love names. We have 2 girl names picked out already & if we had twins, we wouldn't change these names - they're our favorites & they sound good together,  I think! 

Reina & Mariah. 

Reina is pronounced Rayna. I hope you knew that? It's the Spanish word for queen. And we love the name Mariah too. So there ya go!

I'm not sure about boy/girl or boy/boy twins. I would keep Reina & I am not one who thinks twin names must start w/ the same letter or rhyme. DEFINITELY not rhyme!!!:)

Well, that was fun. A good start to my blogging morning. I am sorry to hit you with too many posts at once...  but there is a chance of that happening today! ;)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Fievel is 8!

Today is my puppy dog's 8th birthday. 

EIGHT. 

My baby's growing up! {sniff, sniff} (Haha, just kidding.) 

I LOVE him, though. I'll be honest, i regretted getting him at first. My sister owned a restaurant at the time, and my mom & i went to visit. She told me one of her waitresses had brought a 6-week old shih-tzu puppy she was trying to sell.  We ate and then were just hanging out (the restaurant was closed) when my sister plopped this furry little creature in my lap. I picked him up, put him on his back where he was looking in my eyes, and y'all... 

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

oh, my goodness. 

I wasn't planning to get a dog, even though i was OBSESSED with them at the time & REALLY wanted one! Mom & I talked & talked & talked about it while were there, deciding if i should get him. I finally did. Couldn't have afforded him without mom's help! Yikes!

For the first year that i had him, i regretted it! I was just TOO busy & he didn't see me a lot! :( Plus, he was SO rambunctious as a puppy sometimes i thought i might kill him! HAHA!

But shih-tzu's are the SWEETEST, most affectionate dogs, and he is no exception. SUCH a sweetheart. Sometimes a pain, but mostly a sweetheart. :)

He is FULL of spunk & personality, too!

I realized today he's been with me for my last four single years & my first four (almost) married years! Brad loves him now, just as much as I do!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FIEVEL! We love you!


Thursday, August 16, 2012

Thursday Thoughts


{one} Today was rough. I just felt like nothing was going right! Some days, everybody needs something from me yesterday. And i do these things b/c they're all important, but in the back of my mind is this REALLY IMPORTANT THING (which takes hours)!! Today, around 3, i STILL hadn't gotten to that REALLY IMPORTANT THING & a coworker came & told me she needed this other thing NOW & i told her i couldn't until next week & she said no can do & i kind of lost it. I wasn't mad at her, it was just that there comes a point when i start to really stress about RIT (really important thing) & so the next person who asks me for something gets it! I don't mean to, and I'm sorry. 

After that my boss asked what she could help me with (because, clearly, i was about to lose it), and i told her i just needed some TIME to get that really important thing done! So i went to my office & shut the door (i usually keep it open). I was only interrupted once for the rest of the day, and i got exactly HALF of that Really Important Thing finished. And now i feel a lot better. :) 

{two} I did get my car inspected, though. I have been promising my husband every evening that i would do it the next day on my lunch break. And then the next day... I wouldn't take a lunch break. Today, i ran errands for work in the morning & I made THAT my lunch break. Because i knew once i got back to work i wouldn't be leaving again! The inspection passed & i am glad i can now move on with life & not have to worry about getting my car inspected for another year. GAH! (But that year always comes way too soon, doesn't it?!)

{three} If you have never been to Aveda Institute South for a hair appointment, and live in Baton Rouge, I have a really amazing coupon for you!! Yes, i get my hair cut there & yes they do a great job! They're students but work under licensed educators. So ... let me know if you want a free haircut or really cheap color! 

{four} I finished Karen Kingsbury's first book in the Above the Line series & cannot WAIT to get #2. She has so many books, i can't believe it's taken me so long to start reading them!

{five} I am loving twitter more & more everyday!
(I would love it more if more friends started tweeting HINT HINT!) 

{six} There was a shooting today in LaPlace, which is way too close to Baton Rouge for comfort. Okay, BR is a crime capital, but we don't normally get SHOOTINGS in broad daylight like this one. This happened this morning, at a plant. Two cops are now dead & when i read in the paper that they were only 34 & 27, my heart broke. Some girl like me sent her husband to work that day and he didn't come home. I could just...CRY...every time i think about it.

I have been praying all day for God to comfort the families of those who were lost. And that the two who are injured would have a COMPLETE recovery. 

Please keep them in your prayers!

{seven} On a MUCH happier note (& the part where my crappy day got a lot brighter), i met another blog friend today!!! Megan from Tidbits From my World. She lives in the same city as me, how crazy! I actually met her sister (Lindsey) through blogging first, and then met her (Lindsey) when she came in town (for Megan's baby shower!). Later, i started reading Megan's blog & then she started reading mine & she won a recent giveaway i did, so i thought we'd meet up to get it to her! :) We met at CC's, a local coffee house, and i just LOVE her. She is sweet & cute & easy to talk to. I love her!


{eight} I had to meet Megan & run (pretty much!), though I could have stayed & talked to her for hours! Her sister was like that too (we actually DID talk for hours!). I ran to my in-laws to have dinner with them for my sis-in-law's birthday. The food was DELICIOUS & i always have a good time with them!

{nine} Tomorrow is my first tech rehearsal for Assassins, a show that opens next week at Baton Rouge Little Theater (my happy place). It's so strange that i will just be working backstage, when i have been doing nothing but stage managing, assistant stage managing or performing for the last five years! But it just seems like it will feel good to just be a small part of what goes on instead of in charge of the whole thing (as is the case when you are stage manager!). And it's only a week + two weekends - very short time commitment which i can  handle right now! 

Basically, this is just enough of a theater fix to hold me over until the next show! 

So basically... in case i end up absent on the ol' blog... here is what my schedule looks like...
Tomorrow: tech rehearsal
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: 3 until LATE - tech rehearsal
Monday - Thursday - dress rehearsals 
Friday - opening night performance
Saturday - performance
Next Thurs, Fri, Sat - performances

That's it! And yes, that's a lot next week, but overall, it's a VERY short easy time commitment! :)

I'm excited. But also really tired. So i should go to bed. 

NIGHT!




Sunday, August 12, 2012

Sunday Morning Social: food

Some Sunday mornings, I'm so tired from staying up too late the night before, that i wake up with just enough time to hop in the shower, throw on some clothes, chug down some coffee & get out the door for church. Those are too much like weekday mornings...not my favorite.

Other Sunday mornings, I have had a good 8 hours of sleep, therefore i naturally wake up before my alarm rings. I get out of bed when i want to & take a nice long hot bath with a novel. Hubby always brings a fresh mug of coffee to me. :) Get out of the tub at my leisure, make some breakfast if i feel like it (egg mcmuffins this morning, so good!), sit in my favorite spot & do a little tweeting, facebooking, & blogging. That has been this morning. :)

Ahhhhh. I love weekends. 

So! How about a little Sunday Social? The topic today is FOOD.


{1} If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmm. This is hard... I mean one of the great things about food is the diversity! If i pick something crappy, like PIZZA, then that would be bad. But honestly, no matter how much I love salad, i would get tired of it & I don't want salad for breakfast ever. 

I'm thinking too hard. Cheese. Final answer. Cheese is my favorite.

Or fresh pineapple!!!! 

{2} What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food?
I would say chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven. I actually can't remember the last time I had these. Guilty pleasure that i have more often? Pizza. 

{3} What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten?
I play it safe, y'all. I had sushi twice, and gagged both times. Alligator is pretty weird to some, but it's not all that weird in Louisiana. (It really does taste like chicken.) Still, I've only had it a handful of times.

{4} What foods do you avoid at all costs?
SUSHI, beets, green olives, skittles (if that is a food... i just think they're gross), cantaloupe, honeydew melon. (Not a big melon fan, haha.)

{5} What meal reminds you of your childhood?
Good ol' roast with potatoes & cooked carrots. Mom made it growing up & it's one of my favorite meals to date. Even though I hardly ever have it anymore! Also, sloppy joes, chicken with rice & gravy, little minute steaks. And her green beans are amazing. Haha. I'm serious.

{6}  Share one of your favorite recipes & the story behind it.
This was a tough one. I love trying new recipes, not sure if there is a good story for any of them, though! I finally went with Picky Palate's Romano Ranch Chicken & Rice Skillet. Y'all. SO GOOD. I love that it sneaks in a lot of veggies. It is really good. I haven't had it in awhile, because I'm trying to stay away from starches, but if you are okay with rice - white or brown - definitely try it. SO GOOD! I've also made it for dinner guests and to bring to families... it is always a hit. 

Another one is Chocolate Chip Pound Cake. This is a family recipe we've made for years & years. The recipe says a box of yellow cake mix, but last year i was tasting cake a friend of mine made & it was AMAZING! We were discussing ingredients and i discovered the only difference between hers & mine was that hers used a box of chocolate cake mix. So now I use that & am not going back. DELISH.

{{What are your favorite foods?}}

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Stormy weather, Fievel the Dog & an engagement!

So... just some pics from the week!

Even though my week was CONSUMED by work stuff, i still got some random pics in. :)

It stormed a lot this week, on & off. Of course, both nights where i had all the students at the end of the day - that's when it stormed. :) But one night i let them go just as it was about to pour. It was thundering & lightening like crazy, but no rain until most of us where in our cars & on our way home! This is what it looked like when i left work - except a lot scarier in person! I have never heard it thunder SO LOUD! And it was raining (thus the umbrella), even though you can't tell it in this pic!

Hard to believe this is what i saw when i left work the very next day! GORGEOUS!
That is not edited. Just beautiful! 

Brad was reading next to me one night, and i just thought he was so handsome that i kept snapping pics of him. Then i got this annoyed but amused expression: 
He was saying, "It is very hard to read when you are over there snapping pictures of me!" LOL. Sorry, hoob. You're cute. (Notice his Mr. Right shirt. Haha!)

Remember that time i deactivated Facebook? I'm back, but posting to Twitter now & just reading & responding on FB. (My twitter posts show up on FB though.) Anyway, i think this is funny. This is what happens when you deactivate:
If you can't read it - it says - "Your 875 friends will no longer be able to keep in touch with you. Laura will miss you. Wendy will miss you. Timothy will miss you. Robyn will miss you.Jessica will miss you."

Um... actually, Facebook. I am sure i can manage to keep in touch with them. (It's hard for some of these, I admit, but don't tell Facebook i said that!) I just think it's funny that they do this. I don't know why!  Then it asks your reason. And i wish it had an "other" blank so i could write: "It's not you, Facebook. It's the 800 out of 875 people who post nothing put stupid things all day long." HA!

Anyway. I just thought it was funny that FB wanted to tell me how much people will miss me so i will stay! HA. MOVING ON!

I know this pic is blurry, but i think it's so cute when Brad holds Fievel like that! Haha!

Fievel has been a sweetie all week.

This might be my fave pic of him, ever. He's sitting on the ottoman at my feet, looking out the window. :)

{Now. Saving the best for last...}

One of the most exciting pieces of news is that my friend Natalie got engaged this week! Her now fiance, Bradford, actually facebooked a ton of her friends, myself included, a couple weeks ago letting us in on his plan & asking us to be a part of it. He wanted to do a huge dance in front of the bell tower at LSU. A flash-mob type dance. Leonard, who I know from theater & is an AMAZING dancer in town, agreed to choreograph. I had to miss both rehearsals, so the day of (Wed) i was going to go to our friend Rachel's after work to learn it so i could join the fun! But i had to work late & was just EXHAUSTED when i left, so i went home. :( I was sad. ANYWAY - the news ended up being there & that was AWESOME! LOVE this video & so excited for Bradford & Natalie!

Here are a still shots. :)
 Bradford (the proposer) CENTER, Leonard is the one to the far right, that's my friend Susan on the left in the LSU shirt. :)

 End of the dance - popping the question!

 So cute!!! :) :) :)
Pictures by Tate Tullier Photography - They did a great job!

{I am so happy for Bradford & Natalie!}

Now please just humor me when i come back with the actual video! HA!