Miss Piggy

Y'all I've been feeling like Miss Piggy lately. Urgh, I was doing so well on my quest to get in shape and eat healthy this year. I had lost 6 lbs. and now this week I've fallen off the wagon. I've had to go down to Houston to look for a house (two days eating on the road); then got stuck with two business dinners. The one client last night insisted we eat at P.F. Changs and was offended if I turned anything down. Tonight we had dinner plans with friends. I feel like I've gained 500lbs. I have to meet a client in San Antonio next week and they are planning on taking me to their favorite Mexican restaurant. I love food y'all but I hate to eat out this much. How am I suppose to keep to a healthy schedule when I have so many tasty distractions? Swim suit season is knocking on the door...I'm scared, so scared....

Our new home

We got the call last night and... WE HAVE OUR HOUSE!!! I can't wait to move in and start decorating. I love the backyard and have so many plans for this spring/summer. I can't wait to start planting flowers.

Kendraloo

I found these slip covers off of the Southern Living site. Aren't those cute!!! I love Shabby Chic. My friend has the cutest little cottage home that I can't wait to get my hands on. I want to start decorating it right away. These would be perfect for her bar stools. You can find them on www.kendraloo.com also. Way cute!!!

Strawberry Macaroons

Desperate Housewives of South Park

A friend sent me this and I thought it was too funny....

Things I love Pink

February is a great month to celebrate the months of pink....

We found a house!!!

We found a house!!! We are relocating to the Houston area for work. I was very concerned about finding the perfect area. I feel very spoiled with the traffic in Austin vs. Houston traffic. We found the perfect little town and have already met friends. Everyone was so nice and helpful. Houstonians are the sweetest people in the world. I'm looking forward to the move. Our house is perfect for us and the neighborhood back a greenbelt. I feel like I'm back in the south....

The Garden Cottage Bed and Breakfast

I can't wait for SPRING!!! The flowers, trees, and butterflies will be in bloom. It's my favorite season of the year. We usually take a trip during the spring too. My hubby and I love to stay at Bed & Breafasts and cottages. I'm always searching for them on-line. I came across this little B&B in Utah. It's called, The Garden Cottage, in Cedar City, Utah. www.thegardencottagebnb.com

Things about me ....

Ok, so my husband saw my last posting and said it looks like an episode of "My Name is Earl." I decided to write about me now so y'all know my taste did change.

Things about me....

1.) I love to cook & throw dinner parties.

2.) I love tennis; I play on a co-ed league (play up to 4x week)

3.) I'm learning how to paint

4.) I love to travel

5.) I love to garden (grew my own herbs last summer)

6.) I love decorating

7.) I lived in four states (California, Oregon, Louisiana, Texas)

8.) I love beauty products, shoes, accessories, and handbags

9.) I love the arts; Music, Art, Opera, Symphony, Ballet

10.) I love magazines; Southern Lady, Southern Living, Tea Time, Victoria

Remember this?

My hubby and I were discussing the fact that in two months he'll be turning 39!!! This got us talking about our childhood and what we remember what was cool back in the day. I found some pic's that I e-mailed to him and we had a good laugh.

Things about me that I wouldn't normally admit about my childhood.....

1.) I had a boyfriend with a mullet.
2.) I wanted a firebird (yikes).
3.) I was considered the Atari champion of Frogger.
4.) My first crush was Judd Nelson off of the Breakfast Club.
5.) My favorite T.V. shows were "Married with Children" and "Three's Company."
6.) And I loved anything by STYX.....and my favorite 80's song, "Jessie's Girl."

Goodbye Mr. President

I love Jesus and George W. Bush. If you don't like it; I suggest another blog. I'm not interested in your negative liberal opinions about our former President.

Thank you President George W. Bush for protecting our soil during the past 7 years. You have worked 24/7 to protect us during the darkest economy, worst national disasters, terrorist attacks, and fallen unity of this country. You are one of the few elected leader's that has dealt with so much on his plate. Thank you for standing up for your beliefs no matter what the media reported. Thank you for pressing on to defend and giving hope to the hopeless. You are a true American, a better Texan, and a man of God. Welcome home!!!

God Bless America, God Bless Texas, God Bless George W. Bush.............

NEWSBOYS

I'm doing my housework this afternoon and put on my NEWSBOYS cd. We saw the, "Houston We Are Go" tour. It was fantastic. We are huge NEWSBOYS fans. I'm hoping that they will put out more music and come back to Texas soon. They are too awesome and they put on a great show. My husband had to see Van Halen when they came through Texas and they couldn't hold a candle to NEWSBOYS. Christian concerts are the best. When I feel blah I put on NEWSBOYS and they always keep me stay upbeat and positive. NEWSBOYS, YOU ROCK!!!

Eye appointment

Yesterday I had my annual eye appointment. I'm still blind as a bat. However, my Rx hasn't change but now I have a stigmatism. I wear contacts and glasses and thank goodness because I don't think I'd be allowed to drive if I didn't. The chart had a big E on it and I was calling out all sorts of letters. Yikes! I can see fine with my contacts but I heard the laser surgery is worth having. I'm looking into it and have a consultation next Friday. Surgery is surgery in my book and I'm always worried about being the "special case." You know the one, "this has never happened before", you know when something really bad happens. That would be just my luck.

The Devil Dog

Best thing about moving……Devil Dog!!!

The one thing I won't miss when we move is our neighbor’s dog. We love dogs, y'all. We had a black lab that we adored. But this little dog is driving me crazy. The new neighbors allow their dog to bark nonstop. The dog likes to bark from the hours of 11pm~3am!!! There are exceptions; the dog knows when we have a dinner party, company over, or watching a movie. We have named it, DEVIL DOG. No, I won't be missing “Devil Dog.”

Our weekend

Every January we pick a weekend where we go through old books, magazines, clothing, etc. and we take them to the local Goodwill and Half Price Books.It's a way to organize for the new year with getting rid of the old. I was so happy I took the time to get organized because this weekend I made over $50.00 at Half Price Books!!! I had a small box of Southern Living magazines and decorating books that I rarely look at anymore. Not only did I clear a space on our bookshelf but I bought lunch too at our local hang out, Phil's Ice House. It's our Saturday afternoon hang out. We love the burgers there!!! http://philsicehouse.com/ I think I'm going to use this next weekend to work on clearing out some more space....It will definitely help during the big move.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

My husband is working on an account in San Antonio, Texas. We drove down from Austin for a meeting. I got to shop while he worked. Isn't that the way it's suppose to be? Just kidding...I truly appreciate all the hard work my hubby does. We came across this great mexican restaurant called, Mi Tierra Cafe. If you are ever in the are; you need to check out www.mitierracafe.com

We're moving, y'all!

My husband got the big news. We knew it was coming. The company wants us to move. This is very difficult for me because this has been my home since we got washed over from Katrina. I just got settled and now I have to leave and start over again. I've met so many wonderful people in Austin. I'm going to miss my tennis league, shopping in Fredricksburg with friends, our weekend hang outs, and my awesome church. I'm going to miss our little house too (sniff, sniff). I love our neighborhood. Austin has become more than just a home. I'm really going to miss it.

This is our neighborhood. Isn't it beautiful? I love living in the Texas Hill Country. I'm very happy that I got to experience everything I did while we had the opportunity.

The Funky Pirate

I'm originally from California. My husband and I met and married out there. When we decided to get married he flew me out to New Orleans to meet his family and friends. My first night in NOLA they took me to the Funky Pirate. We danced and danced and I met "Big Al." I think I had more fun than anybody else because they introduced me to Pat O' Briens hurricane. If you haven't had a Pat O' Briens hurricane, you haven't experienced the French Quarter.

It was also during the Spring and I had my first taste of crawfish. I had never heard of crawfish before. They dumped out these ugly red bugs onto newspaper and I about fell out of my chair when I saw my husband rip its head off and sucked the juice out. But he talked me into trying one and now I'm a pro. I love Crawfish!!!

When I moved to New Orleans I thought I landed in another country. The accents, the spicy foods, the music, ah...the music. It's been 8 years since I moved from California. I wouldn't go back for the world. I love the South. And there is nothing better than a Bayou man. We plan on having lots of Southern cutie pies and I want them to love New Orleans as much as I do. No matter where we are living. This house is "LOUISIANA PROUD."

I'm ready to go home to New Orleans

Yesterday I talked to my in-laws back in NOLA. It's almost crawfish season, the weather is going to have a final snap before Mardi Gras, and the king cakes will start to appear in advertisements. I'm missing New Orleans. I'm so home sick I'm beside myself. Texas has been good to us but its nothing like being home. We miss our friends. Sure, Louisiana is a mess and is full of problems but they are "our" problems. You wouldn't understand if you haven't lived there. A total LOVE/HATE relationship. I'm so excited to go home for a few days. I'm going to not eat for a week so I can pig out when I'm there. I have hush puppies, po-boys, and beignets dancing in my head. Ah, New Orleans.....

My Church Rocks!!!

This morning we went to church. Before we found this church we had tried to find a church home. That is more difficult than you could imagine. Believe me, there are some real lousy churches out there and I think we stumbled into about half of them. One Sunday morning we attended a church near our home. We arrived early and sat in the Bible Study class. We were the first to arrive and took the first to take a seat. The teacher and others walked in and sat on the opposite side of the room (as if we were unwelcomed outsiders). Nobody even introduced themselves to us!!! The instructor actually started discussing how to spread the gospel. Ha, I busted out laughing. They couldn't even go out of their way to make a new guest feel welcomed. Now I wasn't raised in the church. But even before I gave my heart over to Jesus I knew a thing or two about common courtesy. I use to dread Sundays...church after church but my husband (who was raised in the south & did go to church) told me not to give up. Just when I thought I'd have to endure another bad experience of rude and obnoxious religious people...we found Celebration Church in Georgeown, Texas. It rocks!!! We love it. Pastor Joe is awesome and come to find out; he went to college with my husband. He use to play football for the LSU Tigers....GAUEX TIGERS!!! The one thing I noticed about our new church home was how friendly everyone was. They were even smiling and waving to us as we pulled into the parking lot. That is something that a lot of churches are lacking; just plain friendly hospitality. If you attend a friendly church; you're lucky. A good church is hard to find.

The work shirt!!!

Ok, so my hubby has a work shirt that he loves wearing around the house. He wears it when he is cleaning in the garage or working in the yard. And....you say? And it is the most disgusting thing ever. I've tried to get rid of it on countless occasions. It has holes, stains, and it says, "I'm due in December." I have no clue where it came from but I can't seem to get rid of it. I've tried taking it away but he notices when it's missing. I've tried replacing it with something else but he wants THAT shirt. Like a kid and the blankie. I think he loves it because I'm so mortified when he is out in the front yard and the neighbors or UPS sees him wearing it. To make matters worse; they all laugh (only encouraging him). What should a girl do?

Vatican City

A few years ago we went to Rome to see the Vatican. It was amazing!!! Walking through Rome was such a spiritual experience. Standing before the Colisuem was an eye opener. I tried to imagine the roar of the lions and our Christian brothers and sisters who were thrown into the dens. I was amazed that I was walking down the same cobblestone as Paul. Wow, you couldn't put a price on the experience of that trip. It's sometimes easy to forget where our Christian beliefs come from when we are over in America with all of our comforts. Sometimes I need to be reminded of those who sacrificed for my freedom to worship the Holy Creator. This year I hope that I become closer to God by depending on Him more than myself. That I can put all the material things aside and all my comforts that I grow accustom to daily and just focus on Him. He has blessed our home and yet I do not give Him enough of daily worship. I need to read my Bible more, spend time meditating on His word, and focusing on Him. That is what I'll be doing for 2009. Turning back to God.