Friday's Off...

So every other Friday I get to stay home from work. It might be the best agreement and only driving factor that gets me out of bed and at the office on time! Today I got to wake up around 9:45am (first at 6:45ish because Dakota kept opening up my door) and cleaned the house for a while. I also did some great sweeping, wiped down the counters, and did some thorough picking up. Around 11:00am I got in the car and headed towards Chick-fil-a (shout out) and had a great lunch! Then stopped by the office to finish off a few things and went BABY ROOM shopping with Vanessa! We went up to IKEA in Plano and shopped for only an hour and a half. I couldn't believe how quickly we moved through the showroom. She bought a diaper changing station and a chest of drawers for the nursery, but they were out of stock on the crib she wanted. Then we headed to Hobby Lobby to do some quick shopping and finally landed back at home. Pretty decent day not spent at work. No real time commitments, take it as I want, and most importantly I wasn't answering any phone calls. I encourage all employees to request this system. It gives you that extra boost during the week and motivates you on the weeks that you do work Fridays because that means the next one you have off!


This should be a great weekend. I hope to relax and take care of some To Do items. Thank you 9-80 system, without you I would cry...



This is Cate Button...Jenny Davis took this picture and captured how beautiful she is. Found it and I wanted to share!

It's go time..

Summer is just around the corner and it's time. Time to shine! No more Taco Bell, yikes, no more Whataburger on the way into work. It's time to focus on water, fiber, and protein. Let's just do it. I'll get motivated and more than that I'll become committed. What a challenge. It's just all too easy to sign up for a cause, but a complete challenge to follow through and do what you want to do. That applies to everything. Whether it's a job, a simple workout routine, or just not drinking Dr. Pepper every hour at work. Meh, anyway, spent the weekend in Boerne, TX to watch a dear friend get married. I love her! She's one of those friends who doesn't have to know every detail of your life to continue the love or care for you. Any time I see her I feel like she's genuinely happy to see me. She's great and her new husband is a lucky lucky man!

Shout out Shallan Van Kleff!

I wish Cate Button could have been with us! We missed you Cate!!


What a beautiful wedding..

HOLY COW!

It snows in Texas. It's happened and it was wild. I literally drove around town on multiple occasions and remind myself that I was in Dallas and not in Colorado. It's absolutely unbelievable that snow can be so beautiful, calming, and destructive at the same time. Apparently the news said we had over a foot and a half of snow during the course of a few days. Snow..in Dallas..it's wild.

What if Texans were used to this weather? I feel like perhaps we'd all drive with more confidence and at an appropriate speed. But we'd probably be forced to go to work when the roads were icy and questionable. Snow in Texas is ultimately lose/lose. A lot of people were lucky enough to encounter a closed office and more time to shop at the mall. However, not everyone in the Metroplex had a phenomenal Snow Day. I'll tell you, 48 hours without electricity was not optimal. When I prayed for a snow day, I never considered the possibility that I wouldn't enjoy it to the fullest. In fact it was miserable. Thankfully we had a great group of friends over at the house to keep us company while we tried to distract ourselves from the freezing temperatures. Our front yard started off looking peaceful and welcoming to the inclement weather but by hour 36 it was a different story. Our acorn tree in the front yard was fed up and not accustomed to the change which resulted in a large branch landing in our walkway. I could not be more thankful that no damage was done to the house and that the cars were spared.

We also got full use out of our candles we've accumulated over the 8 months we've been in our house. It's quite beautiful to be in a house that is completely dark except for 25 candles providing light for us. Absolutely beautiful and a great reminder of what life was barely like when times were more simple. I came to realize that I'm thankful for inventions like: indoor plumbing, the light bulb, gas fireplaces, snuggies, and wall insulation. What if we all still lived in log cabins and had to endure the drafts that would come through the cracks in the walls. After this past weekend, that almost seems like the worst thing. It's not the worst thing, but it could have been...comparatively.

Do you see Dakota sitting on the front porch?

Dallas!

Well I've been up here for 8 months now. 8 MONTHS! That is a pretty substantial amount of time and I've got to tell you that it's been fun. I enjoy my job, most days, and really do enjoy the people I work with. I have a great group of friends that each offer there own perks and set of personality. My roommates Lo and JD and I have gotten closer which has been wonderful and I love the house we live in. The surrounding area is so quaint and beautiful and I can't help but feel very lucky and blessed.

Ten things in Dallas that I love:
1. Cafe Brazil
2. Knox St. Pub
3. North Park Mall
4. Snow
5. My own room with two closets
6. Paychecks
7. Michael Burlison
8. White Rock Lake
9. The Kimmel Baby
10. The Slip Inn - Unbelievable!

I do miss my friends who aren't here with me. A LOT. College really was awesome. Go to class, or don't go to class..watch movies, hang out with friends, stay up late. Little to no responsibility outside of the classroom. It was great and I miss my old roommates. I'm so thankful for them..

I'm looking forward to the warm weather again because I would like to walk outside more and I want the sun to be out later. But as it is, cold and wet, I still enjoy my new home. I wonder how long I'll be here..

Here's to February 2010. I know it'll be a great month full of excitement and great stories to tell later on..and more blogging..