What could be more fun than today?

Here are just a few of the fun things that I have gotten to do today.

• Sleep in
• Eat beer bread for breakfast
• Go to Old Navy, Chick Fil A, and Target with my sister and her kiddos. We do this whenever I'm here. You would think I didn't have an Old Navy & Target 5 minutes away from my house.
• Decorate cookies with Anita and Nathan
• Get some sweet kisses from Abby
• Share some popcorn with Nathan
• Laugh with Nathan
• Laugh with Anita a lot
• Figure out how to put links to my friends' blogs on my blog.

Here is a picture of Abby. Nathan wouldn't let me take one of him, so this is all there is.

I had to join in on the elf fun...
http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=166dc7366838a68b630d9ecG06122016

I should soooo be sleeping right now, but I have a good excuse. No, I'm not wrapping Christmas presents or cleaning up the spare bedroom. I just watched an episode of Friends I've never seen before!!! What an exciting discovery... Phoebe was dating a teacher and a fireman. Monica thought Pete was going to propose to her. Ross had a kundis on his butt.

I was looking through some pictures that I took a month ago at work today. I came across this picture. I'm not sure how I ended up taking a picture of the sidewalk and my toes, but I'm pretty sure it was an accident. I was on my way out to take pictures of the "You're now entering the mission field" signs for Matt, so I know it was an accident. This picture made me laugh for some reason when I saw it, maybe you will laugh too.

Has anyone tried one of these 3-barrel curling irons? I'm trying to figure out a way to get a wavy look for my hair. I think I might put this on my Christmas list.
If I get it and it turns out like the hot rollers experiment, I'll let you know.

I'm trying out new colors/layouts for my blog. Is the gray hard to read?

A Trip to the DPS

I recently lost my drivers license so I had the pleasure of spending two hours at the DPS today getting a replacement. Here are some of my thoughts and things I learned while there...

• If you are concerned about passing the vision test, just read off whatever numbers/letters you feel like. The ladies working behind the desk aren't paying any attention because they use this time to talk to each other.
• Dude...you look really rough! Are you on meth?!?
• Ma'am, you seem to be having trouble following the waiting lines in the office. Maybe you should quit driving and let your great-great grandchildren give you a ride.
• A t-shirt no one should wear: For Rent (and in small letters) by the hour
• Maybe Houston really is one of the fattest cities in the country.
• Things sure were different when my license was stolen and I went to the DPS in Lubbock 6 years ago.
• When you thing you're really hot, you don't wait in f****** lines! You just storm out. (Matthew thinks I need to clarify this one. The "f**** lines" was a quote. The hoochie-mama in line said it not me!)
  
• I AM NEVER GOING TO LOOSE MY LICENSE AGAIN!!!

Oh well, I survived. Now I just get to wait 2-4 weeks and see how beautiful my new license turned out. If I don't like it I can always loose it and get a new one...

My sister sent this to me as a "getting to know you" email. I haven't filled one of these out in years, but I thought I would do this one since its Christmas. Plus, I didn't have to answer all the questions myself. I just copied my sisters, we did have the same childhood after all.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, but I like Carmel Apple Cider at Starbucks too.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Sits them under the tree and then some are wrapped under the tree from "Mom and Dad". The stocking stuffers we used to get from James Avery were always wrapped.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White only. Red and white is ok too. Matthew and I had a conversation about this last night. The blue and white seem Jewish to me, but I have no idea why!
4. Do you hang mistletoe? nope
5. When do you put your decorations up? It depends. If I’m going to have anyone at my house I use that as my goal to be decorated by.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mom’s chocolate meringue pie, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, orange pudding. I don't like dressing, call me crazy if you want to.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Waking up with my sister and then going out to see what Santa had left then going over the the Erwins for the day.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I remember Mom pretty much saying to me, “You know Santa isn’t real, right?” one day as we were going into the mall. That sounds kind of mean, but it really wasn’t. I had already figured it out before this.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? It depends on what the Christmas schedule is between both our families. We NEVER did growing up.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I did all of it last night while Matthew worked on outside decorations. I did get him to put one ornament on the tree, I think it was the police car one.
11. Snow - Love it or Dread it? Love it! I miss the couple snows a year we got in Lubbock. It was just enough to be fun but not be a pain.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but I its been a long time. I’ve been so klutzy lately, maybe I shouldn’t try it any time soon.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I wouldn't say this is my all time favorite, but Matthew gave me a oscillating tower fan with a remote control a few years ago. I use it in the bathroom every day when I dry my hair. It is wonderful.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Fun times with friends and family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Chocolate pie. But I'm an elf, so I love most desserts.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Its all fun! My sister answered this question with one of my most frustrating traditions. At our parents house, we have this German tradition where mom hides a pickle ornament in the tree and then after all the presents are opened me, Matthew, Anita, & Clay hunt for it. The winner gets a CASH prize. Either Clay or Anita always find it. I have got to find this thing soon, before Nathan gets old enough to beat me to it.
17. What tops your tree? a big red bow this year.
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Both are great.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. It makes me smile.
20. Candy Canes - Yuck or Yum? Again, I'm an elf so I like most sweets. I don't eat many of them. We did get some really cute lighted ones last night for the yard.
21. Look forward to Christmas or wish it would pass by as quickly as possible? no way do I want it to pass by quickly. I love having lots of Christmases (with Matthew, and one with each of our families) to make it last longer.
22. Shop all year round for gifts or are you last minute shopper? I haven't bought one yet this year. Maybe I should start soon...
23. What's your favorite holiday movie and why? It's a Wonderful Life! Just like my sister :)

This isn't the best picture, but here's our tree.

THEY STOLE OUR IDEA!

The last time I was at the movies I saw a preview for Night at the Museum. When I saw this preview I immediately told Matthew, this was just like our Spring Sing show. Our show, "Is It Still In the Night?", was about statues that come to life at night when the museum is closed to sing and dance all night long. The movie is about museum exhibits that do the same thing! Surely they stole this idea from the Chi Omega Pi, Zeta Rho, TNT show. Who knew that movie producers visited Searcy, Arkansas to get their ideas?

I had to go way back to find a picture from Spring Sing. This is so far back that we didn't even have digital cameras back then. How did we survive? Anyways, here is a picture of 4 Chi O statues. That's Tracie in front, Rachel in back in copper, Emily on the right in gold, and me in silver. Fun times!!! :)

Is working at the church great or what? The ladies retreat at WHCC was a couple of weeks ago. They had some leftover ingredients from S'mores that weekend. Being the nice ladies that they are they brought them back to the church building for the youth or anyone to use. Well, this afternoon when things were slow we found someone to use the marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. That's right, the church staff snacked on s'mores today. I may not have been able to fix the internet and email for the office, but at lease I made everyone happy with an ooey gooey chocolate snack!!! Where else can you have an afternoon like this at work?

So they do come in threes...

A couple of posts ago I wrote that I hoped things didn't come in threes because I had just tripped twice and didn't want it to happen a third time. Well, the third came this morning! I was up running before work (shocking I know), when I rolled my ankle and fell off the edge of the side walk. I was and still am very mad about this. I managed to walk/run home without any real pain, so I thought I was safe. I got ready and went on to work not thinking much of it. The problems didn't start until I was at work of course. Every time I got up from my desk, it would hurt a little worse. I took my boot off and yep, its swollen and a little blue. As Matthew put it, I have my first sports injury. Isn't he sweet?

So, does anyone have any tips on recovering from a sprained ankle without missing too much time off from running?

This is only the third time I can remember getting up before work to run. Maybe this is a sign I should go back to sleeping in?

What Was I???

This week my friend Amy turned our monthly bunko time into a Halloween party. Most of us dressed up. It was so much fun!!! Here's a picture of some of us. I'm still not sure what I was, but I definitely didn't look like my regular self. That morning at work I went through the Impact collection clothes for some ideas with friends at work. (Don't worry, I put the clothes back the next morning). This is what we came up with...what do you think I am?

I realized that I have been playing bunko for 4 years. The group has changed a whole lot over time, but each month when we get together it promises to be a fun time. I just looked at the list and of the 20 girls we have on the list, only 3 others were playing when I started. I think we should get an extra prize next month for being the bunko seniors. :)

 

If you need something to laugh at...

Here are two things that you can imagine if you need something to put a smile on your face.

I decided yesterday that I wanted to buy some hotrollers and try rolling my hair. I'm not sure what I was thinking with this idea. After I tried them I decided that they were actually magic time machine rollers. My hair was giant. It was like I had gone back in time 15 years. Just think about that and try not to laugh.

Tonight Matthew was going to Target so he said he would take the rollers back for me. Ok...think of Matthew. Do you have a picture of him (and his hair style) in your mind? Good, now imagine him returning hot rollers to Target. Now try not to laugh. He said he told the girl working there that he really wanted to use them, but when he woke up this morning he was bald. She didn't think it was funny.

Something new...

I started something new this week. I began a Bible study, "A Heart Like His" by Beth Moore. In the past, I have never been very good at following through with things like this after I start them. I remember talking to my sister one time about doing one of Beth Moore's studies. I told her how I didn't think that I would keep up with the workbook. She assured me that once I started, I would not be able to stop. Well, after two days of the study I can tell Anita was right. So far I am loving the study because it gives me a plan and direction to study the Bible. In just today's study, I was reading from I Samuel, Deuteronomy, Jonah, and Ezekiel. It leads me to see things from God's word that I might not have learned.

Thanks Anita for the example you are to me. Thanks to my church for offering this study. Thanks to Beth Moore for following God's direction to write. Most importantly, thanks to God for giving us his word.

I hope all things don't come in threes...

Erin, you shared about locking yourself out, so I'm going to share my embarassing moments for the week. I was running yesterday evening. Everything was going pretty good. I was listening to the radio, running at a pretty good pace, it wasn't too hot out. I thought all was well until I suddenly found myself flying headfirst through the air. In an instant there was no more music from my radio and I was stretched out on the ground. My hands were spotted with blood. My shoulder hurt. My hip was bruised. I had tripped over an uneven seam in the sidewalk. Aren't I graceful? After checking to make sure no one was watching, I did the only thing I could. I found my radio batteries, dusted myself off, turned the radio on and finished my run. recently when I was watching the Astros I found myself wondering what it is like to go from all out running to slide into base. Maybe this is a a taste of that.

Well, you would think that this was enough for one week. Sadly its not. This morning at work I'm walking to the front of the office carrying some papers and a dish. I turn the corner and before I know it I'm on the floor again. My papers are strewn everywhere. My dish has rolled into Donnette's office. And I'm looking around to see if I have any wittnesses. For a brief moment I think I've gotten away with it. But suddenly there are 10 people standing over me asking if I've been drinking this morning. I have no idea what happened. Yesterday I was mad at myself, today I was just embarrassed.

Maybe I should just stay in bed tomorrow!

Back to the real world...

This weekend I was lucky enought to be a part of one of the wedding of one of my oldest friend's wedding. My friend Stephanie got married yesterday morning. She did something a little different and asked several of us to be "Bride's Babes". It was kind of a mixture between being a bride's maid and in the house party. We had the honor of being an attendant, but didn't have to stand up front. We got to wear whatever we wanted. We didn't have any of the responsibilities of being in the house party.
To start off the weekend, Steph had us all stay at hotel icon in downtown Houston for a night of fun. We met for drinks, went to a really nice dinner, came back to the hotel for dessert, and then went up to our rooms for the night. Once we were in our room, it was a grown up version of the slumber parties we had had so many years before. Monopoly was replaced with Turbo Cranium. Our snack was upgraded to chocolate covered strawberries from Godiva. The girl talk advances to PCOS, HSG, and other fertility subjects. In the morning we woke up to enjoy mimosas. Other than Steph, I didn't know any of the other girls very well. After the night was over, I felt I had a whole new group of friends.
After the rehearsal dinner on Saturday night, we went back to the hotel for one more night before the big day. This time, Steph (but probably really Elmer...thanks!) had moved us up the the Oriental Suite on the penthouse floor. This was by far the nicest hotel room that I have ever been in in my entire life. It was beautiful! I felt a little like Vivian in Pretty Woman, except that I wasn't there as a prostitute of course. I lived in a one bedroom apartment in college that could have fit in just the bedroom and bathroom. I tried to paste a picture of the hotel in from their website, but its isn't working for me. So, visit hotelicon.com if you want to check it out. It was great. I would definitely reccomend it if you have some extra money to spend and want a really luxurious night out. But I offer two warnings. First, don't plan on having more than two roll-away beds in one room. Aparently there is a Texas law against this. Second, if to go to Bank, the hotel's restaurant for dessert, don't plan on sharing or over indulging. My serving of chocolate cake, was smaller than a cupcake.
Now, its really back to the real world. After a lazy morning to recover and catch up on Felicity and Sex and the City (i just realized what contrasting views of NYC those are) my laundry is calling. The bathroom that needs cleaning is calling. A trip to Wal-Mart is looming. If only I could call housekeeping for this.

FIVE HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES!

A few months ago I thought it would be a great idea to buy a plane ticket and fly to Ft Worth for Abby's birthday. The ticket was super cheap and I didn't think Matthew would be able to go with me, so I bought it.

Yesterday, it was time to fly home to Houston from DFW. When I checked my flight, it was delayed two hours!!!! I spent 40 minutes in line waiting to check in and try to get on an earlier flight. I'm a dork and I love my IronMan watch, so I decided to start timing things while waiting in line. I did this while I was trying to evacuate for Hurrican Rita last year, but thats a different story.

All the ticket agent could do was put me standby on the early flight. So, I hopped the train over to terminal D to try my odds at standby. When I got there, they had a fancy flat screen monitor showing the list of standby passengers. I was number 18 in line. Perfect! All I needed was for the starting line up for two baseball teams to get in a fight and miss their flight. How else would 18 seats open up on one flight? Amazingly, this did not happen. After much waiting, they shut the doors and my night got longer.

With no other option, I got back on the train and went back to my original gate in terminal C. Starving at this point I decided to find some food. After walking and walking and walking to find the food, I found an Auntie Anne's Pretzel shop. When I saw this, it took me back to high school. How many times did Mel and I drive to the Woodlands Mall to get a pretzel?

The rest of the wait was pretty boring, except for Matthew finally finding his phone, getting my voice mails, and calling me to find out what was going on. Why can't he have his phone when I want to call him?

When I finally got to Houston, got my bag, and made it home I looked at my watch to see how long it had been. You guessed it, it was 5 hours and 15 minutes since I had been in line. It normally takes me right at 4 hours to make the drive!!! Was all this worth it? I think so! Look at this picture and tell me what you think.

A message to the impatient girl in front of me in line: "Don't make a fool of youself if you don't have to!" The people working for American were just going their job. Yes, it sucks that everyone in first class gets to go first in line. But, we knew the rules when we bought our coach tickets.

Flip Flops

Yesterday Matthew and I were talking while we were eating lunch. He was asking about my blog. He suggested that I blog about what was going on in Israel and Lebanon. I guess he came to senses very quickly, because before taking another bite he suggested that I blog about flip flops. This is so more something I would write about.

Although I may be done with summer and ready for cooler weather, I am NOT ready to quit wearing my flops. I was talking Amy and Jodi today about wearing sandals compared to shoes that cover our toes. I realized then that other than running shoes, my toes probably have not been covered since April.

I love wearing flip flops and I worry that the season will come when flip flops are no longer in style. This will be such a sad time. This is very trivial, but Matthew said blog about flip flops so that's what I'm doing.

I can't believe I forgot this one.

I went to the Y to get my free membership and found out that Matthew and I both get free memberships!!!!!!!! This was soooo exciting!