I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Wowee, sorry for my little 10-day sabbatical friends. I was SLAMMED last week, and I should have planned ahead for some scheduled posts, but I didn't. Lo siento.

Let's see if I can give a quickie update....

Weekend before last was super fun! Trey and I got a Christmas tree -  yes, I know it was a little early, but we aren't going to be in town the week of Christmas, so whateva. We went to a wedding the following night and had a blast! Gorgeous bride, beautiful wedding, delicious food and open bar. Who can complain about that? Last week was hellacious. I had something going on almost every minute of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Our restaurant opening was a huge success on Wednesday, and everybody that I talked to had a great time and was loving the food. I am SO glad it's over! Trey, Bailey and I drove to Houston on Thursday morning to spend Thanksgiving with his family, and it was so much fun. I love Thanksgiving - and I love Thanksgiving food. Turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie?? Heavenly. We were very lazy the rest of the weekend, but hey, sometimes you just need a little R&R weekend.

Some highlights from last week: 

1. BABY T IS A GIRL!!!! I am going to be the aunt of a beautiful niece in April! Ecstatic :)

2. I went to see the Muppets movie last week. It was so cute! I remember watching the Muppets growing up and it was so fun to see them back in action. It was surprisingly funny - Jason Segel did an excellent job. He helped to write the screenplay also - betcha didn't know that! He's apparently been a huge Muppets fan since he was a kid.

3. I took Bailey on a 6-mile run in Houston, and he did so great! I think I'm going to have to start running with the little man again.

4. I went to the ORIGINAL Carabba's. Yes, folks, it originated in Houston, Texas, and the original is NOTHING like the chain. It was sooo good, and the food was very authentic. I felt like I was in Italy...okay, maybe Little Italy in New York.

5. I Facetimed for the first time with my family! I got to say hi to everyone on Thanksgiving. It was so nice.

6. It's OFFICIALLY winter in Texas. The temps were in the 30s this morning! Time for those boots, scarves and cozy sweaters. I'm not complaining...yet...

And lastly, since I missed my friday blanks, I'm going to go ahead and fill them in now. Holla!

1.   Waking up at the break of dawn to go shopping is my idea of  Frustration. Black Friday crack-of-dawn shopping just isn't my thing. Props to the people who have the patience to do it, though.

2.   If I were to go shopping today I would be on the hunt for my Christmas gift for T...he's the last one on my gift list!

3.  The best thing I ate on Thursday was  turkey, masked potatoes and wine. My favorite Thanksgiving traditions :)

4. Something I've been learning lately is  that it's okay to let things happen and not worry about the future. Worrying isn't going to get you anywhere.

5.  I cannot start my day without  breakfast or a glass of water? I can't think of an interesting answer here haha.

6.  My nighttime attire consists of   a tank top or T shirt and PJ boxers. I know...SO sexy!

7.  I am looking forward to  Christmas!! I cannot wait to be back in Tampa!

Have a great Monday!

friday blanks

Well, this week officially flew by for me, and I am unbelievably grateful because it was week one of my 8-day hell week. So...only 3 more (long) days to go after today! Side note...who throws a restaurant grand opening party the night before Thanksgiving? Glad I'm not traveling home to Tampa for T-giving this year. Otherwise, I'd have to change my flight and would have some very unhappy parentals. Goodness gracious. Onto my fill in the blanks...

1.   A nervous habit I have is  biting my cuticles/cleaning the dirt from under my nails. I know that sounds super weird, but at least I don't bite my nails anymore?

2.   Something that makes me sad is anything to do with harming animals. I cannot even watch sad animal movies because I cry too much. That Sarah McLaughlin SPCA commercial? Gets me every time. I have to turn the channel. No joke.

3.  Today I am thankful for  my health and the fact that I can run 13.1 miles in foreign terrain, my funny pup who always makes me smile, being in love with my best friend and my amazing parents coming to visit me for less than 48 hours.

4. My favorite room in my house is  well, my whole apartment is one room haha. Ah, the glories of a studio apartment! Since it's the holiday season, and the holidays are about family, I guess I'll say my favorite room in my parent's house is the kitchen because it reminds me of cooking and baking with my momma.

5.  I can't stand  bad drivers. And there are way too many of them in Dallas, Texas. I also can't stand people with egos. Get ova yoself

6.  If I had an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted today I would  put it in my "I need a new iPhone" fund. I really do...

7.  The last person I hung out with was  Trey and Bailey (he thinks he's a person?)

back!

I am hugely behind on blogs/blogging this week and it's only going to continue to get worse! Crazy two weeks but I'll try to get on here whenever I have a break.

As you can see from my Saturday post, I officially finished my third half-marathon! Woop woop! And somehow I beat my best time, which is insane because HOLY HILLS. Nashville ain't the easiest place to run, especially when you're used to flat Dallas terrain. They threw in a huge hill on mile 12 too...awesome. Really proud of myself and my friends who ran with me and have to get excited about my next one in 2 weeks! Starting to think this was a little over ambitious, but what the hey.

My parents came in town on Sunday afternoon for a quick 2-day visit, and I SO loved having them here. My momma is truly my best friend, so having her visit for less than 48 hours is a huge tease. I miss her every day :( But really excited to see them over Christmas! Only 35 days until I'll be in Tampa for the holidays. Cannot wait.


Signing off with a hilarious pin I saw this morning. Happy Hump Day!

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I finished!

Well, holy hills! I officially finished my third half marathon in Nashville, Tennessee! It was so much fun, but Lordy my ass is going to be sore for days!! Never ran so many hills in my life. Really happy and proud of myself but glad its over. Time to party! Happy weekend :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:6th Ave S,Nashville,United States

friday friday friday

Happy Friday friends! Sorry I've been MIA this week - it was a crazy one, and in about 20 minutes, I'm heading to the airport for my trip to Nashville for my Half Marathon! Wish me luck!

1.   My favorite new blog of the moment is  Style Me Swanky. So cute!

2.   Something I am thankful for is  my friends, my family and my health.

3.  Something that made me laugh this week was  Ha I can't think of anything in particular because I'm usually giggling, but my sister-in-law did send me some pretty hysterical pins this week.

4. An item that is currently on my wish list is  a fur vest! I can't find an inexpensive one (that doesn't look cheap) anywherrrrre.

5.  I am excited about  this weekend! Excited to see a best friend and excited to run my heart out tomorrow morning!

6.  If I were a color I would be   turquoise because it's just bright and happy.

7.  My favorite way to spend a chilly fall day is by  cozying up by a warm fire or going to the park with the pup.

exciting news...

I'm going to be an AUNT!!!

My sister-in-law is pregnant :) :) :)! I have known since August but was sworn to secrecy until her first trimester was completed in October. Now that it's Facebook official, I decided it's time to post about my excitement! I seriously could not be happier. I cried when she and my brother told me a couple months ago and am beyond happy for both of them. They are going to be the BEST parents. Literally, the best. My brother has always had that "father" gene in him (and, as he gets older, he acts more and more like our dad...it's prettttty hysterical), and Shelby is going to be the most amazing mom! She is the most selfless person I know - she's always the first to throw you a birthday party, listen to you vent when you're having a bad day, cheer you up when you're down, pick you up at any time of day/night if you need her, etc. They are both such wonderful people, and I couldn't be happier that God is giving them this amazing gift.

They find out the sex in a couple weeks and are telling the whole fam on Thanksgiving.  Since I'm going to be in Houston for Thanksgiving this year, I'm FaceTiming in to hear the big news. SO EXCITED. I think it's a boy (shhh), but we will see! They are due in April, and it's going to be so fun and crazy to have a little bebe in the family now!

Anywhoo, just thought I'd share the big news and how excited I am for the two of them. Here are a couple onesies I cannot wait to purchase for Baby T when he/she is born...

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Had to throw a girly one in there for good measure! Pretty presh, huh?

crazy morning...

Happy Friday, chickadees. Welllll, it's only 11:30 a.m. here, and I've already had QUITE the morning. Started off with an 11-mile run (and officially done with training! Half-marathon is in one week!) followed by an annual physical at my doctor's office. Welp, the tollway that I typically take to my doc's was backed up for miles and miles due to a car accident. Therefore, I was 30 minutes late to my appointment and (after calling the receptionist and letting her know that I'd be late because of traffic) was told I'd have to reschedule because they had a full schedule today. Hey, bitch, why didn't you tell me that when I called?? I just waited in traffic for 50 minutes, and when I called 30 minutes ago, you could have mentioned this. I immediately started bawling. Hey, I'm PMS-ing, okay? Plus it's been a while since I've gotten a good cry in. Following the tears, I realized what I was crying about (nothing) and started laughing at myself. What a morning! Anywhoo. At least I'm back in the office and in front of my puter listening to music and blogging away my troubles getting some work done!

Enough about me, onto the blanks...

1.   My favorite thing about this week was/is  that it's over? Is that depressing? It was my last week of official training, so now I can chillax.

2.   Colder weather makes me cold...and sometimes grumpy. Hey, I'm from Florida, okay? Our winters top off at like 50 degrees. No ice storms this year, Dallas. You promised!

3.  Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are that it is *officially* holiday season, I get to hang with my bestie Stacey next weekend for our big race in Nashville and I get to see my family in less than 2 months for Christmas.

4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I'd choose  flippy floppies. Duh.

5.  My personality type is   ENFJ, as in Extroversion, INtuition, Feeling, Judgment. What does this mean, you ask? Evidently, I am outgoing, intuitive, appreciative, subjective and someone who likes closure and stability in their life. I'd agree, although I'd like to exchange the F for Fun instead? I think I'm pretty fun! Always up for a good time, that's fo sho.

6.  I have a serious problem resisting   sweets...specifically desserts. Trey HAS to have something sweet after dinner...and I've sort of bandwagon-ed on this tradition. Not. good. for. my. ass.

7.  My favorite color to wear is  black - but with bright/colorful accessories. I'm no goth, but I do think black is really flattering. It's kind of my go-to color, but I'll always add some fun shoes, a bright jacket/scarf or cool jewels to happify the look. Yes, I just made up the word happify.

friday fancies!

I am linking up with {av} from long distance loving today for an AMAZING Lilly Pulitzer giveaway for today's friday fancies - you should check it out!

friday fancies! by jtuttle42 featuring hoop earrings

a father daughter talk

This letter is currently floating around the internet and I wanted to share it with y'all. Now I don't typically post political issues on here [and promise not to get into a habit of it], but this was particularly interesting to me. I like to share my interests with y'all because, hey isn't that a blog's purpose :) Without further adieu...

A Father Daughter Talk

A young woman was about to finish her last year of college. Like so many others her age she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat and was for distribution of all wealth. She felt deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Conservative, which she expressed openly.

One day she was challenging her father on his beliefs and his opposition to higher taxes on the rich & the addition of more government welfare programs. Based on the lectures that she had participated in and the occasional chat with a professor she felt that for years her father had obviously harbored an evil, even selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father.

He stopped her and asked her point blank, how she was doing in school. She answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain. That she studied all the time, never had time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend and didn't really have many college friends because of spending all her time studying. That she was taking a more difficult curriculum.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your good friend Mary doing?" She replied, "Mary is barely getting by." She continued, "She barely has a 2.0 GPA," adding, "and all she takes are easy classes and she never studies. But Mary is so very popular on campus, college for her is a blast, she goes to all the parties all the time and very often doesn't even show up for classes because she is too hung over."

Her father then asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your 4.0 GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0." He continued, "That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter visibly shocked by her father's suggestion angrily fired back, "That wouldn't be fair! I worked really hard for mine, I did without and Mary has done little or nothing, she played while I worked real hard!"

The father slowly smiled, winked and said, "Welcome to the Republican Party!"

Thoughts?

wish i were here wednesday

 

I would do anything to be in bed right now. Since the seasons are changing (and I always tend to get sick when the seasons change unfortunately), I am feeling a little under the weather today. I need some hot tea, a good movie and my cozy pillow please!

a happy hallowen from a very cute pup

HAD to post my "nephew's" costume for Halloween yesterday:

Yes, he is a fly fisherman! Isn't he the cutest? Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

tasty tuesday & a great deal!

I've been meaning to post this amazing crockpot recipe that I made last Sunday night for T and I. It was SO easy and so delicious! And the added bonus - we ate the leftovers for lunch all week too.

Cajun Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, skin removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
8 ounces fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 to 1 cup diced cooked ham
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
a few dashes of Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce
2 cups instant rice, uncooked

Preparation:
Combine chicken, tomatoes, broth, sausage, ham, onion, tomato paste, water, seasoning, and Tabasco sauce in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.

Add rice and to crockpot and cook for 10 minutes longer, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

FYI, I didn't use onions because I hate them, and I used 2 cups of instant brown rice instead of white rice, so it took a little bit longer than 10 minutes at the end.  Hope you enjoy!

And I have a great deal for any of you crazies that DON'T own a crockpot yet! Kalorik is selling their crockpots for over 70 percent off (for a very limited time). Click the video below to purchase.