I Choose to Be Thankful

It seems lately (especially over the past few days) social media and the news has been full of hate, ugliness, name-calling, and just plain rudeness. It's so easy to get caught up in that and lash out at your hurt, anger, and disappointment. Instead of doing that, I choose to focus on positive things right now. If other people want to vent, that is their right and I will let them, but for me, focusing on things that make me happy is helping me get through these tough times right now. I know the world is full of awful things, but right now I want to focus on what is good, not evil. So today I give you things I'm thankful for (no matter how big or small they may seem to you). Please feel free to comment on things you are thankful for as well! It's time to be thankful for what we have instead of upset over what we don't.

I'm thankful for...

My friends. I love that my friends make time to see me, whether it's for a sporting event, movie night, lunch, dinner, or just meeting up to say "hi". I couldn't ask for better people to be in my life.

Recent meet-ups with friends

My church family. I've been a member almost a year (I've been attending for 18 months). My Sunday School class is wonderful and I'm excited to get involved with different church activities. The ladies in my Sunday School class recently did a Secret Sister exchange and a few weeks ago I was in charge of the decorations for my class' "trunk" for our annual Trunk or Treat event (act surprised that I picked a baseball theme).

Some ladies from my Sunday School class

My pastor

My wonderful Sunday School class!

Text from friends just to say hi. Sometimes I'm having a rough day and I'll get a text from a friend that just says they were thinking about me.

Baby snuggles. Snuggles from a baby always seem to make a bad day better, don't they? My friend's son came up to the office to visit her this week, and she let me steal some snuggles. It was just what I needed! I hope by the time he's grown, we've left the world in better shape for him.

Thanks to my friend for permission to use her son's picture on my blog! :)

Norma's Cafe. Hey- when you find good food, you have to be thankful, right? I've built a friendship with Norma's Cafe through social media and recently I was asked to be part of their National Chicken Fried Steak Day tour. I got to spend the day with awesome people and we basically traveled around the area eating chicken fried steak all day. I got to meet actor Burton Gilliam (best known for the movie Blazing Saddles), as well as Ed Murph, the owner of Norma's Cafe. And it's always good to see Bill Ziegler, director of operations. It was a great day. I made a new friend (who is a fellow blogger) and it turns out we live in the same apartment complex- small world!

My new car! I mentioned a few weeks ago I was in a wreck. Unfortunately my car was totaled, but that means I got a new car (I'm trying to look on the bright side of things). From the outside it looks a lot like my old car (I love Mazda), but it's a lot fancier inside. I now have Bluetooth and a back-up camera. It's the little things that make me happy. :)

I've named it Silver 2.0

My awesome salesman 

My niece made me this angel when she was five (she's now 18). It's been in every car I've own since then- I call it my guardian angel

Early Christmas gifts. A friend of mine told me last week that my Christmas gift from him was a ticket to the Billy Joel concert in San Antonio next month. I'm SUPER excited! **squeal**

Having the movie theater practically to myself. I guess when you go see a bad "B" horror movie, there aren't a lot of people. But who cares, it's still fun. And I love the recliner seats!

For the record, this was taken before the previews started. I keep my phone put up during a movie

This reminder whenever I'm feeling anxious and stressed.

Dr Pepper. A friend gave me a case of pure sugar cane Dr Pepper. I will not confirm how much of this is already gone. :)

That in 2 weeks, I'll be home with my family for Thanksgiving. I haven't been "home" since August. I'm looking forward to much needed family time!

Tell me, what are YOU thankful for?

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I know I stopped doing the link up (because being in charge of a link up is hard, lol), but I'm still gonna use this idea. MAYBE I'll start the link up again if I have people ask about it. :)

I'm loving...

The Gustave Caillebotte exhibit on display at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Some friends and I went last weekend to see it. I'm a big fan of Impressionism. I knew of his painting Paris Street; Rainy Day (because it was in so many of my art history books) but I really wasn't familiar with the rest of his work. I absolutely loved this exhibit. If you live in DFW, the exhibit is here until February 14, I highly recommend checking it out!

The Kimbell had a replica of Paris Street; Rainy Day that you could pose in front of (they even had props) 

I'm loving...

Dallas Stars hockey games. I went to two games last week with some friends. It was a lot of fun, especially the night that the Stars actually won! :)

With my hockey-loving peeps!

I'm loving...
This sweet picture with my best friend's kiddos, Miss E and Mr. A. I saw them last month when I was in Austin.

I'm loving...
These amazing, tasty treats. My friend Alan bought some for me. I love them!

Why yes, I do have the complete sets of Diagnosis Murder AND The Waltons on DVD

I'm loving (kinda)...

That I've had to put this on every form of social media since so many random people kept asking if I was a fan of Steven Avery from the documentary Making A Murderer (if you know me, I KNOW you know my Averyfan obsession is from Steve Avery, the former baseball player). :)

I'm loving...

That after having it planned for five months (no lie, I wrote about this in September) my best friend Mandy and I are FINALLY going to the Supernatural Convention in Houston next weekend. We've known each other for 27 years and neither one of us can remember taking a road trip by ourselves together. This is LONG overdo! :) We may or may not need bail money by the time the weekend is over with- stay tuned. :)

I'm loving...

That my first "midnight showing" in the theater was for the new Stars Wars movie (yes I know, that was almost two months ago, I'm way behind on updating my blog). :) 

I love this shirt!

I'm loving...

My sweet nephews C and E. I spent a lot of time with them over Christmas. I can't wait to see them next month! 

On Christmas morning C wanted to get a picture with me. I told him I didn't have any make up on and I didn't look good. He hugged me and told me I always looked good (THIS KID!! Love him.)

After my carjacking in December 2012, I spent a week with my family on the beach in Galveston. E and I took a picture while collecting shells (L). We went back to Galveston after Christmas this past year and took another picture (R). Again, we were collecting shells. If you hear of a shell shortage on the beaches of Galveston, it's because my nephews picked up most of them. :) I can tell how tall he's getting by comparing these pictures!

What are YOU loving today??

XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday my friends! It is time to link up once again for What I'm Loving Wednesday! Please be sure to check out my co-host Jodi's blog as well! 

If you would like to participate, grab this button over on the sidebar or link back to our blogs. Be sure to leave a comment on the blog listed before yours (it's always nice to meet a new blogger with these link ups!) :)

I'm loving...

That by the time a lot of you read this post, I will be in Florida. Sadly, not on vacation, it's for business. BUT, it's always nice to get out of the office every once in a while. :)

I'm loving...

That a lot of my friends sent me this story last week (they know me so well). Click here for the article.

I'm loving...

That I got to have dinner with two of my sweetest friends this week. It's been a while since the three of us have been able to hang out together. I had a rough day on Monday, but being able to laugh and talk with them for a few hours ended my day on a good note. And getting hugs from them didn't hurt either. ;) 

I'm loving...

That I've been busy planning some summer road trips. I'm so excited about them! :) 

I'm loving...

That one of my favorite authors sent me this book. She saw on Twitter that I was looking for a book of hers, so she asked for my address and mailed me a copy. Thank you again Rocki!! :)

I'm loving...

That I'm actually writing this post early, and not at midnight (like I did last week).

Hope everyone has a great week! I'll do my best to get to your What I'm Loving Wednesday posts today, but since I'll be away on business, it might take me a few days!!

XOXO!!

The ABC's Of Me- Blog Challenge Day 2

Day 2: What is something that describes you from each letter of the alphabet?

A: A.D.D. Seriously, I have the attention span of a two year- ooh, what's that, something shiny!

B: Baseball. If you have read any other posts on my blog, I'm sure you are quite aware I love baseball.

C: Chick Fil-A. I could literally eat there every day.

My love of baseball and Chick Fil-A in the same picture! :)

D: Dr Pepper. Seriously, it's like sweet nectar from heaven.

E: Elvis. I'm a big Elvis fan (and I mean that as in Elvis Presley AND Elvis Andrus). :)

Seriously, how could you not like either Elvis? :)

F: Friend. I try to be the kind of friend I would want. 

G: Guns. Nothing like going to the shooting range to let off a little steam.

Say hello to my little friend...

H: History. I love learning about history. I've been known to plan vacations around what kind of museums I can see while I'm there. :)

I: Ice cream. I love me some Blue Bell!

Me and my sister touring the Blue Bell factory

J: Jesus follower. I think this speaks for itself!

K: Kindhearted. Well, I try to be. Unless you cut me off in traffic, then I unleash my wrath. :) But seriously, I hate hurting someone's feelings, so I try my best to be nice in (most) circumstances. 

L: Laugh. I love to laugh and to make other people laugh. I make myself laugh all the time, I feel I'm quite funny, I could have my own comedy TV show. :)

See, my nephew E thinks I'm funny! :)

M: Musicals. I enjoy a good Broadway show, or a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein production.

N: Nerd. It's true, and not like book smart nerd, I'm just overall nerdy. ;)

O: Old movies. I love watching the classics. Especially anything with Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, or Cary Grant. I love them all. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is my favorite cable station!

P: Pictures. I take lots AND lots of pictures (in case you haven't noticed).

Q: Queso. I love queso, oh so much. I'm pretty sure it should be in a food group all by itself!

R: Reader. I love to read. I have so many books my friends borrow from me instead of a library! 

S: Silly. I tend to be very silly sometimes. Again, have you read my blog at all? :)

I also have silly friends! :)

T: Talkative. If you ever meet my family, you'll know where I get it from. Good luck trying to get a word in at any family function! :)

U: Unique. I know, it's cheating to use this word because EVERYONE is unique. But, I'm using it anyways! How many other gals do you know who love Steve Avery, Chick Fil-A, Dick Van Dyke, and will spend money to go see the surviving members of The Monkees in concert? Yeah, didn't think so. Side note: Yes, I'm going to a Monkees concert tonight. Be very jealous. :)

V: Vivacious. Someone I work with used this word to describe me recently, I had to use it, it made me laugh.

W: Writer. Obviously, I mean, I have a blog, I must love to write. I also used to be a sports writer for a newspaper (I know, shocker!) :) And I've been trying to write a novel for some time, it's a slow process. :)

X: X-ray. Thanks to a few car accidents and also my own clumsiness, I've had more than my share of X-rays done. And seriously, how many words start with "X"? I never played the xylophone so I couldn't use that one. 

Y: Young at heart. I sometimes forget I'm not as young as I used to be, but hey, you are only as old as you act feel, right? ;)

Z: Zoo. I love going to the zoo. I'm hoping my sweet great-nephews and my new great-niece will come see me soon so we can go visit the Dallas Zoo again! :)

I just realized this picture is three years old. My little monkeys need to come back for another zoo trip! :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! Thanks for all the positive feedback on my challenge! Again, leave me a link to your blog if you participate. I look forward to your posts!

XOXO!

I'm Back!

So, did ya miss me? ;) As you know, my friend Katie was in town visiting this past week, so we were out causing trouble seeing the town the past few days, and there was no time to blog (there was hardly time to sleep some of those days). I promise to blog about our adventures and misadventures later in the week (we had so much fun!!) Today I thought I would dedicate my post to the storms that hit Dallas last night.

As you know, I'm sort of a tornado junkie. I'm fascinated by them (I don't know why, and yes, I know I'm crazy). So yesterday evening when the tornado siren down the street went off (I could barely hear it, it's a few blocks away), the first thing I did was grab my camera and go outside. I wasn't the only one, a lot of my neighbors were out there too. It was kinda cool, met some of my neighbors I didn't know. It was very windy, but there weren't any funnel clouds. There were some amazing looking clouds though that I took some shots of (pictures below). I went back inside and was disappointed to see that WFAA had decided to air the stupid Dancing with the Stars finale instead of keeping us up to date on the very serious weather. I was forced to watch FOX 4 and NBC 5 for my weather alerts. For the record, if Greg Fields was in charge, HE would have interrupted the show. **getting off soap box**

About 9ish the tornado sirens went off again. This time the one right by my apartments went off. I decided to play it safe and headed to the bathtub to take cover. Mordecai and I had our tornado survival kit (which consisted of a flashlight, iPhone and Dr Pepper). My mattress wouldn't fit in the bathroom, so I had pulled the couch cushions in there (just in case we needed them). The rain/hail/winds were pretty loud, but after about 20 minutes it all died down and the sirens stopped. I am happy to report there was no damage at my apartment complex (or to my truck!) But the fence that runs down the street is now gone in some places.

I do appreciate everyone who texted and tweeted asking if I was okay. I feel loved! And no, I wasn't at the Rangers game (they had to evacuate fans underneath the stadium because it got so bad in Arlington). Some fans were moved just outside the locker room (I missed an opportunity to give my phone number to some of the players!) :)

This has been the CRAZIEST spring, I don't remember this many bad storms in years past. My thoughts and prayers are going out to those who have been affected by all the tornadoes and flooding!



Outside my bedroom window

Outside my bedroom window

Low clouds

More clouds

I thought this cloud had potential for a funnel, but I saw nothing

I thought the sun behind the clouds like this was so beautiful!

Storm moving closer

This is when it got really windy and there was more lightning and thunder, so I went inside

Mordecai was very brave while the tornado sirens were going off! 

Hope you all have a great day! XOXO!!

Wednesday Ramblings

It's Wednesday, right? I haven't gotten a lot of sleep this week, so my days are kind of running together. Three guesses why I've been up late the past few days. (Let's go Rangers). I know, there are 157 games left in the season and we have a long ways to go, so I'm trying to not get too excited right now, BUT, starting the season 5-0 feels nice. Keep it up guys! I love it!

So, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Boys' hit song Elvira. For those of you who have been deprived your whole life and have never heard this song, here it is (this video has to be from the early 80s- picture quality is a little off but the sound is good).

I LOVED this song when I was little. No really, I loved it. I even named my cat Elvira when I was 3 (I might have been 4, the early 80s are a little hazy!) ;) I would also dance around my room singing it.

Me and Elvira on Easter 1982

American Idol 1982: Me singing Elvira into a curling iron. Thank goodness there is no video!

My sweet friend Martha bought me this shirt last week. I LOVE IT! :) Thanks again friend!

So, my awesome friend Katie over at Words by Katie tagged me the other day on a "getting to know you post". I'm finally finding time to answer those questions. (side note: 6 weeks until Katie makes her trip to Texas- wahoo!) :)

1. What is your dream job?

I have a journalism degree and I love to write (I was a sports writer for a few years right out of college), so if I could get back into a job that allowed me to write, that would be cool. But I also agree with Katie, I would love a job that allowed me to travel, be around sports, and meet new people. I told her we should just marry professional athletes and travel with them. hehehe...

2. What is your favorite drink?
Do I really need to answer this? Have you not figured it out already? Okay, in case you are new to my blog, I'll let it slide, this time. My favorite drink is Dr Pepper. Speaking of which, I think I need an afternoon DP!

3. What is your most important beauty secret?

I'm not sure if I'm qualified to answer that! ;) Katie said to drink water, so I'll go with that (since I drink a lot of Dr Pepper, this might explain my problem!) 

4. If you had an all expense paid trip to anywhere, where would you go?

Europe- there are SO many places I want to see over there. London, Paris, Rome, Madrid..the list goes on and on and on.. ;)

5. If a genie popped up right now, what would you wish for?

1. Enough money to pay off my debt (I don't need to be insanely rich, but to be debt free would be nice).

2. Either the job or guy from question #1.

3. And like Katie said, more wishes! (Katie had all the good answers, which is why I'm agreeing with her!)

6. If you could only have one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Um...Italian. I love my carbs, and there are plenty of them in Italian food! :)

7. What one talent do you wish you had?

I wish I could sing. Both of my sisters have a lot of musical talent. Me- not so much (hardly at all). I joke that I got the height and they got the musical talent (I'm about 4-6 inches taller than my sisters).

8. Who is your biggest celebrity crush?

Who me? Crush on celebrities? That's just silly. Okay....you know I'm kidding. Who am I NOT crushing on might be a better question (I really thought I would outgrow this, but evidently, you are never too old to crush on celebrities). It's a tight race. I have it narrowed down to three. CJ Wilson (of the Texas Rangers), Zachary Levi (from the TV show Chuck) and Joe Mauer (from the Minnesota Twins- shhh, don't tell the Rangers I like another team's player- they wouldn't understand). For the record, I don't cheer for Joe when he's playing against the Rangers! :) And I would never be a Twins fan. He would just have to accept me loving the Rangers. :)

CJ Wilson

Zachary Levi

Joe Mauer

9. If you could look into your future, would you?

No way. It would be like reading the end of the book before you started reading it.

10. What made you start a blog?

My friend Lindsay had a blog that I would read and I thought I would give it a try. I'll be honest, I never thought that anyone other than my parents and a few friends would ever read it. I'm now over 200 followers! Y'all are the best!!

I'm supposed to tag others, so I'm tagging all of you reading this! If you participate, please let me know, I'd love to see your answers! :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!! We are halfway to the weekend!!

XOXO!!

Love, hugs and Dr Pepper ice cream floats to you all! :)