The Future Foy

Here it is, our first child! It has really been awesome to see the development of this miracle. I think it has my nose (Jay).

Great Weekend

We had a great weekend that included getting our new washer and dryer installed. Its pretty and blue and makes me want to do laundry and that alone is worth just about any amount of money! I went to high tea at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas with Catherine on Saturday and it was so lovely and ladylike. That hotel and shops are amazing. I got baptised yesterday and then spent the day with Ashley and Tyler eating, shopping, and napping. The guys mostly played PS3. We went to the doctor this morning and saw the baby's profile with its little nose, mouth, and eyes as well as its arms, legs, hands, and feet. So exciting! We are posting pics tonight so more then...

I WAS RUNNING!

This weekend is Jay's big race! He is running the White Rock Marathon - the WHOLE THING! He's worked so hard to get to this place and I coundn't be more proud of him. His brother and I will be his official cheerleaders rooting him on mile to mile Sunday morning. I wish I had a scooter or one of those things the cops ride around in the mall on and I would ride next to him the whole time yelling and singing and cheering for him. He may find that annoying so its a good thing I dont have any scooters.

So this Sunday be sure to pray for Jay's safety - and the safety of all the runners - and I'll post race pics soon!

Wiggle worm

We had a visit to the ob-gyn this morning and everything is right on track. Its so cool to see the little baby! She measured the baby(1 1/2 inches) and the heartbeat (188 bpm) and when she was done the baby did a little dance and waved its little arms around as if to say "Hi Mom and Dad!" It was so cute! Its good to know this baby has my rhythm instead of taking after its Father and his non hip-shaking self.

We got a new printer that allows us to scan pictures so we're going to attempt to upload the pics tonight so everyone can see the little bean!

Update:

Jay isn't smelly anymore! I think maybe it was the garlic and it just took a while to get out of his system. Whew!

Pregnancy and all its wonders

I thought that I would write a bit to "share" some of the more interesting things that I have thus far encountered with my pregnancy. The last time I was pregnant, I was tired but that was as far as my symptoms went. This time is a whole other experience. I am tired. Tired like I ran the Boston Marathon then jumped on a jet and made it to New York just in time to run the marathon there, then got back on a jet and flew to Hawaii to compete in and win the Iron Man triathlon. I can sleep 12 hours a night no problem and still feel the need for a 2-3 hour nap daily. Not only can I sleep that much, if I don't then I stumble around my day in a zombie-like haze with my mind fixated on sleep, sleep, when can I sleep again!

I don't think husband understands although he is trying. I don't think you can understand unless you feel like this. To top off the fatigue, I'm nauseous. Thankfully, that comes and goes and can usually be made better by eating. But it can also be exacerbated by certain smells very, very quickly. For example - farting in the car WILL make me gag and perhaps vomit. So don't do it! Grocery stores are a bit sketchy, especially the meat department. Also, the smell of onions cooking is not good at all.

The 2 oddest things I have not mentioned yet. The first is funny and really sad. I first should point out that I have developed the nose and smelling capabilities of a bear, so here it is. Jay smells. He smells funny and I can't explain it. I thought at first that it was only in the morning before he had brushed his teeth. Then I thought it was because he had gone running and was sweaty. My most recent theory was that because he inhaled about 400 garlic clove stuffed green olives over the Thanksgiving holiday, the garlic was seeping from his pores and making him smell funny. I think all that is wrong. For some reason he just smells funny to me and its not going away or changing with circumstances. Poor smelly Jay. I blame the baby. :)

The last odd thing happening is the dreams. Vivid, life like, gut-wrenching, dreams. They have been happening fort he last week or so. I remember them vividly when I wake up and am usually extremely happy or gut-wrenchingly sad. I dreamed the other night that my bff Ashley (who is also pregnant) and I were going to be sharing the baby in my belly, but that we had a huge fight. Over what? No idea. All I knew in my dream was that I couldn't find Jay anywhere and Ashley was MAD and getting a lawyer and according to her, once my baby came out, I would "never see it again." First, its funny that we were supposed to be sharing a baby because she and I can't hardly share lip gloss and its been that way since the 8th grade. I woke up crying because she was taking my baby and there was nothing I could do about it. Then I felt really silly but was none the less mad at her all day. I'll keep you posted as these fun little symptoms come to light.

It has arms!

Good news everyone! Our baby will have arms. And its little heart was beating 157 beats per minute this morning. Wow! At this point, everything seems monumental. Seeing the little peanut with arms on the sonogram screen this morning was so exciting. I was already tired but it energized me for at least an hour before I felt like I needed another nap.

Our due date is 7-7-09 which I think is good luck. I don't really believe in "luck" but I do like numbers and 7's and 9's seem to be a theme in my life. We don't have to go back till 10 weeks, then again at 12 weeks. By then I'll have to figure out who has a scanner so I can post pictures of the "waving peanut".

On another note, my last single bff is getting married!! Her boyfriend proposed yesterday and now she is going to marry him. I'm so excited for her but sad for my selfish self because she is getting married at the end of June and that means that I wont be able to be there since I'll be gi-nor-mously "with child". Congrats Amanda!



Here's another pic of the brothers. In their matching tshirts. Ha!




And in the spirit of continuing the brothers theme, I thought I'd post my most recent picture of my little brother, Austin. He was in a friends wedding. All spiffed up.

Bun in the oven!

Well, we've told family so it is official. We're expecting. As many of you may have guessed - the hives and their persistence may have something to do with the baby, we're just not sure. And I can't take steroids in case our baby is a girl - can do bad things like make a girl look like a boy (you should of heard how my obgyn described it!). So I am still stuck with hives, although they are way, way better than they were. I'm still itchy, but they are covering only about a 1/4 of my body now.



I'm also nauseous, tired, cranky and having food cravings and aversions. Jay is being a great hubby, putting up with my incessant whining and demands. For some reason, I can't seem to talk to him unless its in a high pitch that sometimes increases to a level that only dogs can hear. As far as cravings - all I want to eat is down home cookin'. The more southern and grandma-y it is, the better. Tonight we're going to Cotton Patch Cafe and I'm having chicken fried steak, mashed potato's, and green beans. And if the Lord really does love me, they will have Cherry cobbler for me to finish all that up with. (Just kidding Lord, I know you love me even if they only have peach cobbler.)



All in all, we are so so happy. Seeing that little heart beat on the screen on Monday was such a blessing and an overwhelming experience! I love that little blueberry floating around in my belly already and can't wait to meet him or her. God is good!



I had to attach this picture of Jay and Sansabutt (my brother-in-law aka Mike). They both showed up at their parents house wearing the same transformer t-shirt. What dorks!

I wish I was in Paris

Inside Notre Dame Cathedral

Back view of Notre Dame Cathedral

The good news is that there are no hives on my face. The bad news is that I have a wicked fever blister now. The hives are getting a little better, still very itchy, but covering less of me now so that is a relief. My brother-in-law came over this weekend for a visit and its always good to see ol' Sansabutt. (So-named by me because of his lack of derriere.) He and Jay revert back to boyhood when they get around each other, but that's a good thing, they always have fun. Lots of fart jokes and video games and such. But the combo of hives, fever blister, and fart jokes makes me wish I was wandering the banks of Seine, deciding at which of my favorite cafes to stop and nibble a croissant and drink my cafe au lait. It will get better soon, I am sure of it, but until then here are some pics of my favorite city in the World.

The river Seine

The thinker and the thinker @ the Renoir Museum

Call me Quasi-Moto.

My face has been an unwitting pawn in the game of hives that my skin is playing. Tuesday morning I woke up and my eyes were so swollen that they resembled the "cat lady" in Hollywood's plasticized face...

Oh well - hopefully my medicine will soon kick in and eradicate my hive infestation. They went away yesterday some, but are back today. I gotta go now. Have to find a paper sack to wear over my face.

Look at the size of these fingers!

I am having some sort of allergic reaction to something and it is driving me CRAZY! I've taken everything that I can think of, and I've rubbed everything from Vagasil to Calamine lotion on the whelps and nothing helps! My hands, elbows, ears and butt are the only places that have the the hives/whelps but where on my hands varies daily. It started on my hand, then my thumb, then palm, then wrist and now is currently attacking 4 of my fingers and causing them to look like yummy red kielbasa sausage links. I'm sure you don't really care all that much about this but I'm putting this out there in case someone reads this and can suggest remedies. Help!

Pics

Butterfly Garden at the Botanical Gardens, Norfolk, VA
Um, she hates me. Soooo cute.

Side View

She's on the lookout for trick-or-treaters.

Our very scary pumpkins (Jay's on left, Davis's in middle, mine on right.)

What is that? Velvet?!

More roses.

Love cranes.

Love lilypads.

I like ducks.

no posts

There have been no posts for a long, long time. I've been busy!

-We went to College Station to see the game and reconnect with Jay's college Corps buddies.
-My mom got diagnosed with cancer, but then found out that it was so early that she didnt even have to have Chemo. She came to visit for the weekend and we saw SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE with Catherine. It. was. so. fantastic. I cant even tell you. We all turned into kids for the night.
-I went to visit Rash-ree the preggers crazy bff. She is 4 months preggers and she and I and her dh Tyler had a great time shopping, eating and going to the amazing botanical gardens in Norfolk.
-We are finally finishing our bathrooms! Jay took this week off to work on our bathrooms that we are remodelling. So far he has tiled our blue bath and is finishing it up today.

I will post pictures soon!!

Back to life

After being on vacation it is always tough to get back into your routine. You know, doing laundry, cooking a meal, and most of all... back to WW. So I finally went yesterday and weighed in and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I gained a total of 1.2 lbs and that ain't bad! So I started back counting today and did great all day until Lindsay had a pregnancy craving for Fuzzy's and decided to go get some tacos and brought me my very own queso. Dang it! Have you ever had Fuzzy's queso? Its made fresh, not from liquid canned cheese, but from Monterrey jack cheese with a sprinkle of cheddar and pico de gallo on top. It is like ambrosia from heaven. It is probably my favorite food in the entire earth. So I ate it. All of it.

So my start to new week with Weight Watchers is rocky. On the upside I did try a new banana creme pie recipe from my Weight Watchers cookbook and it was really good. Not great, but good and healthy too. I also made Nani's King Ranch Chicken and it was also scrumptious but not diet at all... I think I could make it a little more diet friendly so that will be my next try. I'll keep you posted.

Our Family Cruise

We were obviously excited about our Cruise. Despite the fact that it had been down graded from a 5 day cruise stopping at 2 ports to a 3 day cruise to nowhere, we were pumped! So pumped in fact that Jay had to take a nap. When the news came in that the cruise was being shortened we decided to go anyway. We were already packed so why not? Plus they were giving us a 50% refund on this cruise and 50% off the next one - who could resist.
We drove to Galveston Wednesday morning and I couldn't wait to get on the boat! We had heard that embarkation was a breeze. You were simply to drop your bags, park your car, and walk your happy rear onto the boat. Hmmmm... not so much. Because of Gustav (grrrr) the hurricane, our boat, the Ecstasy, was late getting in. That was very evident because people were still getting off the boat when we were supposed to be getting on. The other thing that gave it away was the 2 billion people in line. If you have ever been to the port of Galveston, the line extended the whole length of the building, and wrapped back around. It was pretty miserable. The real drama came when Granddad and I-ene showed up. I had arranged for a wheel chair to be available and of course, in all the craziness, no one had any idea where a wheel chair was. Arg.
So enough complaining, we finally got on the boat after about 3 1/2 hours and the fun began. We stayed on the Empress deck, which is the deck you arrive on. That was really nice and convenient. I am not sure it was worth the extra 100$ to ensure we got it but it was nice. Since I-ene has a bad knee it was really nice for her to not have to walk quite so much. Our room was very nice and clean. The fake window was my favorite. Every night we had a new towel animal for our enjoyment. This was Elephant night.
We ate dinner each night in the main dining room. The food was very good. We tried lots of appetizers, srimps (that's how my gramma says Shrimp), fried mozzarella, gazpacho, chilled strawberry cream soup (which tasted exactly like melted strawberry ice cream), portobello mushrooms, sweet and sour shrimp, and pumpkin soup to name a few we enjoyed. The entrees were excellent as well. The first night I had a strip steak and was very pleasantly surprised that it was really a nice cut of meat and cooked perfectly. Other nights we had lobster, fish, pasta, and more srimps. To follow that glutenous list of food, we had to have dessert every night! The Chocolate melting cake was a huge hit but I chose to try other treats. We tried Black Forest Cake(Excellent!), Tiramisu, and cheese and fruit plates. All very very good. Our waiter was named Margo and was from Indonesia. He didn't say much but was very goofy and had the most tired jokes but they were somehow still funny and entertaining night after night. Probably because I have a silly sense of humor too. The waiters and Maitre d' did some performing each night during dinner. These performances included a rendition of O Sole' Mio sung by a bevy of international waiters - most of whom spoke many languages - but not Italian. The second night they did a dance to some song that I can't recall. Margo wasn't much of a dancer, but I enjoyed a lot of the other Indonesian waiters who mostly looked like they were gettin jiggy wit it in da club, as opposed to dancing in a dining room. Ain't nuttin wrong with a little bump and grind!
I kept forgetting to take pics. Unfortunately my "time with mother nature" occurred simultaneously with the cruise so my head was not quite on straight. We had fun on formal night. We all dressed spiffy and took a picture as a family at one of those prom style spots and it was awful so we didn't buy any. We enjoyed the captains reception. There is a pic below of me and Granddad waltzing on stage. If you know me - I'm never one to shy away from a stage and Granddad isn't either. Afterwards several people came up to us to tell us how cute we are and we even made one lady cry. We must be great dancers!

My favorite activity on the ship was probably the Love and Marriage Game. It was like the Newlywed game, but with a couple that had been married for 50 years, one for 4 years, and one for 1 day. We laughed our heads off! My favorite form of relaxation was definitely the pool and laying out. I was shocked when I dunked my head under and my eyes immediately caught on fire from the salt water that I was not expecting. I had heard that it was salt water but I guess was just not thinking. The hairy chest contest was funnier than I expected it to be. It was sooo nice to just lay out staring at miles and miles of water.

The family enjoyed playing a little bit of slots in the Casino and singing along with Angela at the Piano Bar. As I mentioned earlier, I was born for the stage, so singing along with the piano as she played my requests was right up my alley and come to think of it, everyone in my family had no troubles with it either. We ate in the buffet for lunch, and I ordered a BLT from room service one day for lunch when I was in bed with the cramps and it was SCRUMPTIOUS! I highly recommend it.

I rarely if ever felt the boat rock. Jay was a little bothered by it the first night but had no troubles after that. I did sleep very well at night with the ever so slight rocking! As for the entertainment, I give a mixed review. The comedian was very funny, witty and clean. We also loved the Mexican Juggler in the tight pants. He was a hoot. We went to the midnight "Rated R"comedy show and found it to be not funny but simply vulgar and we were disappointed. We missed the Grand Gala Buffet because we were still full and tired. I heard it was pretty! The next night the singers and dancers put on a show called "X-treme Country" and it was extreme. Extremely cheesy. They did different country songs, and the dancers and singers were good - but seeing them dance around in cowboy hats covered in sequins while line dancing was almost more than I could handle. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it so maybe I'm just a snob!

The buffet was good - I had salad and Ice Cream, in that order. I only ate there once but was pleased. The burgers were good too.

So overall it was really fun, and I think that we will definitely cruise again. I think it will be better when we get to get off the boat instead of cruising to nowhere. We'll see!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

50 is Nifty!!!!

Hurricanes are the bane of my existance

OK so 2008 has been crazy right? Wouldn't you agree? I think its been a little crazy so far and now Hurricanes are really starting to tick me off! First Gustav ruined our cruise, and now Ike is threatening to ruin our Phi Beta with husbands reunion.

We've been planning this for months and now Ashley and Tyler can't make it in because they are closing the Houston Airport and because they fly standby, they wont be able to make it.

ARrrrrrrrrrrrrrgghhh!

Oh well, we're going anyway and we will hang out and have a good reunion and Ashley and Tyler and co. will be with us in spirit. Maybe we can set up a web cam. Hmmm good idea.

I promise I will post pictures from the cruise next week and from the reunion too. And I'll put up pictures of Ike too.

(I do completely realize that people are having much bigger problems than mine, and I am definitely praying for all the people affected by the Hurricane in large and small ways, I just wanted to whine a little.)

Stupid Gustav

Well, its Tuesday, and sadly I am not cruising along on the high seas. Because of Gustav, they changed our cruise to a 3 day cruise to nowhere. We'll be leaving tomorrow and coming back on Saturday. I'm still looking forward to it and I know that Mom, Pop, Granddad, I-ene, Jay and I will have a great time!

We are going to Landa Pool today - a spring fed pool in New Braunfels to cool off and get some sun. We're going to pretend it is the Caribbean and that we are snorkeling.

Louisiana

Well, I know that I promised pictures earlier, but I am just a bad blogger! Things have been pretty crazy lately and I'm just now taking the time to download my pics and get them up here!

First things first, my trip to Louisiana was great! I drove 6 1/2 hours there on Saturday morning alone, Jay's dad Jim was in the hospital so we split up and he went there and I went to LA. It took me longer than I thought it would but that was probably because I stopped too much. It probably wasn't as long as it seemed, either because I was so excited! After 18 long years I was going to see my baby brother and I couldn't wait!

I got there in the afternoon and saw Austin, his Step dad Judson, and step sister too... Carol was at work still in town. It was a trip down memory lane, I hadn't been to that house in LA in 20 years... that is a looonng time. But it was still so familiar to me. The house was built by Austin's Grandparents and although they have done a lot of work on it since the last time I was there, I still remembered so much. The land out there in LA is gorgeous, green and wooded.

Austin gave me the grand tour and again I was excited to see so many familiar things from my childhood... it was very comforting! We had a good time catching up and filling each other in on the last 18 years or so. Jud, Austins step dad is a funny guy and educated me on many things including Gar Balls... that's right, I said Gar Balls. If you want to know what they are, call me and I'll fill you in.


Carol came home that night and we had a great dinner and continued to catch up. We had a great time talking about old times and old neighbor and all that good stuff. The next morning we pulled out the baby books and she made me some copies and I'll post them when

we get a scanner!) and cooked for us, again, a great big breakfast.

Austin took me through the big town of Evans and out to their camp on the river. The pics of him and the big tree are of a tree that fell in the road that we (well, really him) pulled out of the way. It was an adventure. The camp is really nice, on a sandy beach by the river and I can see why they love it so much, it reminds me of our ranch in South Texas. A nice little retreat.

Austin reminds me so much of Dad. When he was little he favored Carol and now that he's a man, he's definitely taken on characteristics of Dad... which is cool! And, he's taller than me... for real! He's getting a degree in Electrical Engineering at LA Tech in Rustin. I couldn't be more proud of little bro!

I was sad to leave and wished that I had more time. Carol loaded me up with goodies for the road... Amish Friendship
Bread starter, juice to make Mayhaw and Muskydine jelly, canned Chow-Chow, a relish for beans and such. They invited us back this fall and we are planning to go spend some time with them soon.


As for the working out, I have been bad these last 2 weeks. I had about 30 days in a row then our birthdays come around and I used that as an excuse. I've lost 9.9 with weight watchers so far and a total of about 13 since I began so that is good! I'm going to get in 5 more workouts before we leave on our cruise next week. I'm so excited about our cruise!!! We're going to Austin to help Jay's mom and dad with moving into and settling into their new house before heading to my Mom and Pops house Sunday. We'll drive to Galveston together and meet up with Granddad and Aline and sail away. One big happy dysfunctional family on the high seas!!!


I will take tons of pics and blog about our whole trip. We are planning a snorkeling excursion in Cozumel and a trip to the ruins in Progresso.

Oh Brother!

I had an absolutely awesome weekend! I got to see my little bro for the first time in 18 years!! It was really awesome to see him and Carol, and meet her hubby and daughter. I'll post some pics tonight...

Day 23

Yes, thats right, I am still chugging along! Walking, Baliwood-ing, Carmen Electra Strip-Teasing my way to skinny town. Well, I did miss 1 day but that counted as my Birthday day off.

This weekend I am going to see my little (half) brother. I haven't seen him or my Step-mom in 18 years. I am nervous and excited about it! Pray that we have a safe trip and a great time hanging out! I'll post pics when I get back!

Day 17

Yes, that is right, 17 days of working out in a row. That's what I have been up to! Some days are definitely easier than others... Yesterday was hard. We did Evening Stars last night, which I absolutely love, then got home at 10:30 and had to go walk. But we did it! Go us! I'm so tired today - and at work - booooo.

To help my workouts along I bought a couple dance DVDs which are great... I got a Baliwood dance DVD, a Carmen Electra Strip Tease one, and like a Modern one. So far I have dont he Baliwood, and Strip Tease one and they are both very fun and very good work outs. I look like a complete fool in my living room, but that is OK. I just make Jay go in another room.

My cousins, Peter and Amy, are having their baby today! I'm so happy and excited for them. Everyone I know is pregnant or has just had a kid it seems like. I guess we'll be next!

Day 9

My exercise routine keeps changing... I am no longer going for the Sprint Triathlon, or 5K at this time. The reasons are that 1. I wasn't going to have enough time to train for the Sprint Triathlon, so I decided to do the 5K. 2. I started to train to run 5K and realized that maybe I should learn to walk before I run, literally. So that brings me to my current plan that I didn't even want to tell anyone about until I started it because I don't want to be a quitter.

So now I am on Day 9. That is, 9 consecutive days of exercise. My commitment is to work out every day until we leave on our cruise on September 1st. That's a total of 53 days of working out. The rules are simple. I have to do 30 minutes daily of some sort of exercise. Right now that means walking up and down the hills around our neighborhood, or doing a really cheesy Salsa Dance video that makes me very sweaty. I already feel better and more fit, not to mention the fact that I am sleeping VERY well. My biggest challenge thus far was Wednesday night when I worked, then went to a Birthday dinner, then Bible study and didn't return home until a little after 11 and had to work out before going to bed. I think my DH was surprised that I actually did it. I was a little surprised myself. My other challenge is that I have developed something called Plantar Facitis (SP?) that makes my foot hurt real bad - but I will work through it!

Jay and I have devised some incentives to keep each other going. This all started when he and his brother decided to work out every day for a month. Then I opened my big mouth and said that I would just do it all the way to the cruise... what a dummy. So if I miss a day, I have to do the trash and kitty litter box for a month. If Jay misses a day, he has to do laundry for a month.

So we'll see what happens... I am trying not to set my expectations too high. You know, like being disappointed if I don't fit in a size 2 by September 1st. I'm trying to be realistic and so my goal is to drop a size. I have been doing better with WW and am down 6 lbs... I'll keep you posted!

PS3

I decided to go ahead and give in to my better judgement and buy my husband a PS3. Well, his Mom and Dad and brother bought it with me as a collective birthday present. I have heard of nothing else for the last 6 months. Each time it was brought up, it included hints that the "Limited Edition" could be obtained through a connection that he had with Carl's brother - in - law. So we ordered it.

When it came in I went to pick it up at the appointed Gamestop. It happened to be the one in Grapevine Mills Mall. So after walking for about 3 miles to find the store I entered the Gamestop and asked for the contact name that I was given and said mistakenly that I was there to get a "Limited Edition XBox". This of course brought about looks of incredulity from the 16 year old lovers of D&D. I quickly realized my error and corrected my request. They then proceeded to "Awwww Dude! A girl is getting that? Cool!" for a minute or two before rummaging through the back room to bring it out. About the time that the blond one came walking out with it (none too soon, the brown-headded one was staring at me as if I was an actual Klingon Warrior that had just walked into the Gamestop) another associate there threw himself in the way of the blond ones path to stop him.

We quickly explained that I was in fact the girl that it was being held for and that it was ok to sell it to me. They were skeptics. I think that for a minute or two they were convinced that I had done some serious recon and figured out that there was a much sought after PS3 limited thing there and had was trying to take it out from under its rightful owner. This kind of conspiracy theory is probably what lead to them loving D&D and working there in the first place. I digress.

So I brought the unit home and didn't want to just hand it to my hubby, so decided to a little scavenger hunt. The pictures above are his clues... It was fun! He came home and followed the clues around until he found it and was very happy... The pics below are right after he found it - a very happy hubby!

Also - as an update - I did not do so hot with my 5K training this past week... so I'm getting back on track. I run tomorrow - Monday night - again. I did lose 2.6 lbs at WW this week - so that is very very good!

Another update - Baba seems to be feeling and doing much better. He didn't have any fluid around his heart when they did his EKG this week and the leg is getting better but not completely healed. Please continue to keep him and Nani in your prayers. Its been a long road and he is ready to get better and start building his strength back up so I pray his condition continues to improve.

I ran!

I ran! That's right, I ran! Ok, it was only for 2 minutes but for me that may as well have been a marathon. And, I ran ahead of my couch potato to 5K schedule! Oh, and it was really more of a slow jog, but who cares!?! I ran!

Today is a rest day. My hubby made some chicken thighs last night that were really good but first made some sort of (in my opinion) horrible sauce for them. (olive oil, Dijon mustard, chili powder, A1 sauce, etc etc) I didn't enjoy the sauce but really liked the chicken. No new recipe yet, but I'm planning on trying a Weight Watchers one again soon.

Oh, and my good chicken salad was only beloved by yours truly. He didn't like it OR the Gazpacho. C'est la vie.

Fathers Day Weekend

Driving to Corpus takes a LONG time. But this weekend it was well worth it. We got to drive down on Friday and spend time with Nani and Baba. Baba went to lunch with us for Fathers Day on Saturday. The infection in his leg is back but is being treated with antibiotics again. He is still a bit out of it but hopefully on the road to recovery. We were able to see Lindsey and her guy Todd, and go to dinner with Julie and Andrew from work too. All while Baba had gone to bed.

Sunday we had lunch with Baba (Whataburger) and set out on the road. I should mention here that Baba REALLY loves Whataburger. Its amazing how much he can eat there and it doesn't seem to get old. The highlight of his Whataburger experience is the Fried Lemon Pie. I know he shouldn't have it probably but he loves it so much its hard to say no. It truly was a road trip being that we stopped at Mom and Pops to give Pop his Fathers day goodies before heading on to the Foys. We had a great time hanging out for a bit and having some grilled Burgers with Jim, Mary, Mike and the Uncles. Lola had a heck of a time - she thought that all those people were there for her as usual. Leigh, Jay's Aunt, let her sit on her lap and she was happy as a clam. (Are clams happy? Why? They are invertebrates.) We got home late but happy that we had been able to see so much of our family - and Dads - in one day.

By the way - I am continuing to to move towards 5K from my current semi-couch potato position. So far I am only walking and not running but let me tell you this - IT IS HOT. And I know that it will only get hotter and hotter as the summer progresses. By the end of this week I am supposed to be running for 3 minutes and walking 27... we'll see.

Couch Potato to 5K

I have officially begun my journey from Couch Potato to being able to run, actually run, a 5K.
That is the name of the training plan my dh found for me. At first I was a little offended but then quickly realized its true. The first night was actually a blessing, an affirmation that I am doing something good. The weather was nice. Such a simple thing but I expected it to be about 124 degrees and miserable and God gave me a beautiful, sunny, breezy evening to walk in. So I am not running yet, just walking so far, but I will be running like Phoebe around our neighborhood soon. You see, there are a couple of reasons why I have never really liked to run. I mean never... even when I was a kid. One is that its hard. I mean really not fun. The other is that I look like a moron when I run. The third has been added since my "days of blossoming"... certain attributes that make running a bit uncomfy. I'm working through all 3 in an effort to become more healthy. I'll keep updates here to let you know how its going.

Now as for my recipes I mentioned yesterday, the Chicken Salad is awesome. Its a triumph to be admired by chicken salads everywhere. The Gazpacho leaves something to be desired. Its ok. Its very veggie-ish as good gazpacho should be, but I didn't quite hit the mark. Jay hasn't tried it yet but I think that when he does, he'll be somewhat less than enthused. Oh well, they cant all be fabulous.

Productive Sunday

I love productive Sunday afternoons. They have to be the perfect blend of relaxing and getting stuff done. I was able to take a fantastic 3 hour nap! I went to the grocery store then came home and cooked meals to last us through the week. I made chicken salad and gazpacho soup from my WW cookbook that are awesome! Jay is not too sure about the gazpacho, so I'll let you know how that goes over, but I think its swell. I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Got New Hair Lt. Dan!

I got my hair cut and colored again. Its dark and I have lots of bangs. Right now I think that I look like I am wearing a wig. I think its too dark. I'll post a picture later today for some honest feedback.

Besides that Baba is doing better all the time. I am concerned about the care he is recieving so please keep him in your prayers. He has lost a lot of weight - 25 lbs in the last month - so also pray that he gets his strenght and weight back to normal.

I havent cooked lately but Jay did make the most scrumptous wheat pasta salad this weekend while I was visiting Nani and Baba. I got to eat some last night and I was most impressed. I'll get his recipe from him and post it.

Buffalo Wings

I love Buffalo Wings. Ok, they are really chicken wings fried then dipped in sauce but everyone already knows that. What I hate, however, are bones. That's why this recipe is so genius. I wish I could say that it was my idea but it isn't. I got it from my friend Kim. Its really good, a definite crowd pleaser, but in no way healthy. I made it for the 2 Memorial Day bar-b-que's this weekend that we went to instead of a healthy option.

Buffalo Wing Dip

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup chunky bleu cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pkg cream cheese
1 lg chicken breast

Mix wing sauce, cream cheese, bleu cheese dressing, and cheddar cheese in a bowl. Chop up the chicken breast into chunks and boil. After cooked, chop chicken and stir it into mixture. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Then add another 1/2 cup of cheddar and put back in oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

Its pretty awesome... I add extra chicken and a little extra bleu cheese dressing and wing sauce if I'm making it for a lot of people. Serve it with tortilla chips.

Memorial Day was really fun this year. I got to swim twice. That is great considering I don't think that I swam last summer at all. I am very sunburned right now. I think this all means this is going to be a really good summer. Its about time! :)

Recipe

I dont have a recipe. I don't even have any groceries. I am planning on trying a dip from my cook book for Jayme and Kevins Bar-b-que this weekend. I'll post that and let you know how it turned out. Baba is getting better, slowly but surely.

Beach

Footprints

Ocean Suds

Tiny Dunes

Ripples

Afternoon

These are some of my beach pictures. I love the beach. I cant believe how I took it for granted when I lived in Corpus. I went out for about 30 minutes in the evening after a day at the hospital and took these. Hope you like them!