Thursday 13: 13 Things I Wish I Were Doing

I wish I were...

1. Reading a book. It's BEAUTIFUL outside, the perfect weather to be on my balcony reading, but alas, I'm stuck inside.

2. Working on my novel. I haven't written anything in a while, I need to find something to snap me out of my writer's block. 

3. Watching the Rangers play baseball. Sadly our postseason run ended earlier than I wanted it to, but hey, at least the Blue Jays are now out of it (suck it Jose Bautista). 

4. Having a Supernatural marathon with my bestie Mandy. She lives in Austin and sadly we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. BUT, we do text daily (in fact she just sent me a text as soon as I started writing this- it's like she knew I was talking about her!) :) We love the show Supernatural and we sometimes watch episodes over the phone together (don't judge us). But it would be nice to have a marathon with her in person. 

Me and Mandy with the stars of Supernatural, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki (yes, I'll use any excuse to post this picture again). :)

5. Going to my great-nephew E's birthday party this weekend. Sadly I am unable to get out of town to celebrate his 7th birthday. :(

Aunt Rachel's sweet boy

6. In better shape so my High Intensity Interval Training workouts weren't kicking my butt. I'm determined to stick with them though, my goal is to be in shape for my cruise in January. 

7. Better at updating my blog. I seem to update on average once a week, sometimes twice if you are I am lucky. I need motivation and a purpose to keep up with it. I did change my header last night though (did you notice??)

8. Better at expressing my emotions. Sometimes I just keep things bottled up because it's easier than talking about them (I know, that's not healthy). My therapist would not be pleased hearing me say that.

9. Going to the Billy Joel concert in San Antonio in December. I saw him last year in Dallas and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I would love to see him again. I just would want him to sing SOMETHING from his An Innocent Man album (it's my favorite). Last time he didn't sing one song from it. :(

10. Having a girls night out with my bestie Brandy (I CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE BESTIE- STOP JUDGING ME). We had one last month and it was a lot of fun. We have plans to get together next month, but it's literally a month away. Sigh.

11. A better cook. I'm trying, I really am. My spiritual gift is not cooking though. But if you want some form of chicken or pasta or cauliflower rice, I got those recipes down pat. Lol.

12. Out of debt (I know, everyone wishes that). One day I will be, one day!

13. Going on vacation. I need a vacation. Even if it's just a stay-cation. I just need time for me. I've been so busy lately.

XOXO!

Check out other's Thursday 13 posts here!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving...

That a new Chick Fil-A opened by my office and the manager gave everyone in my building a promotional card for a free chicken sandwich.

I'm loving...

That Bath & Body Works brought back limited edition "Flashback Fragrances" this month. I possibly stocked up on some of my favorites from college. 

I smell a whole lot like 1996. Ah, memories!

I refuse to admit that I have a Bath & Body Works addiction. Stop judging me...

I'm loving...

That my best friend is letting me read the newest story she is writing. She sends me a few chapters at a time. I spent last Saturday night reading the first five chapters. :)

Picture blurred for obvious reasons (I can't have part of her unpublished story on the internet, come on people)

I'm loving...

That I spent my Friday night organizing my closet (well, I'm loving that it's finally clean and organized, not that I have no life and was home on a Friday night). Lol. 

I organized my Rangers shirts by color. For the record, it will NOT stay like this. After the next load of laundry, I'm sure they will all get jumbled up again. :)

I'm loving...

That I saw seven consecutive Rangers games last week. They won six of the seven games. Yes, I'm crazy. Yes, you knew the Rangers would make this post at some point. I tweeted out that my attendance streak would end at six games because game seven was last Thursday during the day. I said I couldn't get off work. My friend Corinne tweeted that I needed an excuse note to miss work, so the Rangers tweeted me a note to show my boss. I jokingly showed it to my boss and she was like, "fine, if the Rangers are excusing you, you can have the afternoon off", so I went to a little day baseball (which is always fun). Yes, I have an AMAZING boss and work for a great company that they would let me have a day off with such short notice.

I forgot to wear my cap to the sixth game and they lost that game. The Rangers teased me about it

Day baseball with friends is fun! The picture on the bottom left shows mine and my friend Misti's reaction to Prince Fielder's home run. We had possibly been talking smack about him and we felt that he showed us up by hitting the home run. :) My nephew Peter (top left) was at the game with his church so I had to get a picture with him. Yes, in the picture of the shoes, I'm the one with the ghostly white legs. Lol. 

I'm loving...

That I got to see two of my Twitter peeps at the games. I got to sit with my friend Steve last Wednesday night and I met up with my friend Phillip at the day game!

I'm loving...

That TCM was streaming one of my favorite movies online this week. This movie starred Nancy Reagan (when she was Nancy Davis). I also love TCM On Demand streaming. It's great for classic movie fans such as myself! :)

I'm loving...

That my friend Micah is mailing me a copy of her newest book. I've already read it (I helped her with edits), but I can't wait to read it again. It's great! A review of the book will be up on my blog SOON (so stay tuned!) :)

I'm loving...

That BMW stopped by my office today and allowed employees to test drive different cars. I test drove an electric car (which was different). There is no coasting so as soon as you take your foot off the gas pedal, you come to a stop. It was fun though! All of these pictures were taken when the car was STOPPED (just do you know that I don't take pictures while driving). :)

What are YOU loving this week?

XOXO!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

The weeks keep going by so fast! It's hard to believe it's time to link up again with me and Jodi for What I'm Loving Wednesday. I have to say, I would be lost without Jodi reminding me that Wednesday was coming up each week. Lol. :) One of these weeks, I'm actually going to blog MORE than once a week. I started this link up to guarantee that I blogged at LEAST once a week, but I really wanted to post more than that. Hopefully this week I'll post again. I owe y'all some book reviews! :)

If you link up, don't forget to mention the link up in your post. You can use the button on the right sidebar if you would like! :)

This week I'm obviously loving a lot of pictures, so bear with me... ;) 

I'm loving...

That I got some much needed family time last weekend (which is a good excuse why I didn't blog more last week). I went home on Thursday for the first time since Christmas. I got to see a small portion of my family (when your immediate family is close to 40 people, seeing about 10-15 people is considered a small gathering). Lol.

My sweet kiddos- my great-nephews C, E, and my great-niece K. Or is it grand-nephews and grand-niece? I've never fully understood how that works. They are my niece's kids, so whatever that makes them to me... :)

This is what happens when they get a hold of Aunt Rachel's phone during church. Lol.

Me and my beautiful niece Alice (the mother of C, E, and K). I have to thank her for letting me borrow a dress and jacket. An unexpected cool front hit the night before Easter, and the sundress I brought for church was not going to cut it. Thankfully we are the same size. :)

My wonderful parents!

Me and my amazing sisters

Aunt Rachel's Easter bunny!

I'm loving...

That it's finally baseball season again! So glad the Rangers bounced back last night after a HORRIBLE Opening Day (night) game. Let's go Rangers. Never Ever Quit.

My nails are ready for baseball season! :)

I'm loving...

That I got to see my sweet friend Keva last weekend. She and her family were brave enough to join my family for Easter lunch! :)

I'm loving...

That I FINALLY finished the Harry Potter series. I promise it will be the next book review I write. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe. By next week for sure! :) 

I'm loving...

This wreath that Alice made me for my birthday (which is next month- it's an early birthday present. Or perhaps it's a late Christmas present, I can't remember). :) Regardless, I love it and it looks great on my front door!

I'm loving...

That even at my age, I still get a basket left by the side of my bed on Easter morning. What's even funnier is that my mom still tries to be sneaky gathering the candy the night before. And this year she was mad because my dad forgot to get my Big Red gum. I told her it was okay, but she was still mad he forgot. Lol. She's adorable. ;)

I'm loving...

That my first article for the website ShutDownInning was published yesterday! Please click here to read it! :) 

Hope everyone is having a great week!!
XOXO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

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Welcome to another edition of What I'm Loving Wednesday! We are hoping to grow each week, so please link up below. Even if your post isn't about what you are loving, leave your blog name anyways, we would love to say hi! :) If you would like to link up, feel free to use this button so others can join in too! :)

I'm loving...

That I was asked to be a writer for the Rangers fan website ShutDownInning. This website is operated by fans who love writing about the team that they love the most- the Texas Rangers (through thick and thin, for better or for worse, in wins and in painful losses, we are fans for life). I do love that I will get an opportunity to write about sports again (if you didn't know, I used to be a sports writer). :) Check the website out here.

I'm loving...

My sweet friends who send me a message when I'm having a bad day. I had a horrible day on Tuesday. I got a few texts and tweets that cheered me up. My friends are amazing (yes, that means YOU too. You know who you are). ;)

I'm loving...

That some of my favorite TV shows have already been renewed for next season (I know, that seems kinda silly to be loving that, but I'm still recovering from my bad day. I'm having a hard time thinking of things I love right now). Lol.

I'm loving...

That I always seem to have a cup of Ramen noodle soup in my pantry for those days when I'm not feeling all that great. Best 29 cents I have ever spent.

I'm loving...

That in less than two months, I will be at the Ballpark watching my Rangers play. Hurry baseball, hurry!

So, what are you loving today? Please link up below! :) Be sure to check out a new blog and leave a comment (you never know, you could make a new friend). :)

XOXO!

Blog Award

My sweet blogging friend Laurie gave me the following blog award. Thanks girl!! I enjoy reading about Laurie's adventures and I love her comments on my posts! If you would like to check her page out, go here.

As part of the "award ceremony", it looks like I have to list 7 things about myself you may not know. I know I've done this before in a previous post, I'll try and think of new ones. 

1. I am on a "mission" to visit all the baseball ballparks/stadiums in the U.S. (and the one in Canada). I guess this probably isn't a surprise to any of my regular readers. I have a long ways to go. I've obviously visited the baseball ballparks in Texas (The Ballpark in Arlington and Minute Maid Park in Houston. I also got to see a few games in the Astrodome, the former home of the Houston Astros, before they moved next door to Minute Maid Park). When I went to New York three years ago I was able to catch a Yankees game in the old Yankee Stadium. Some friends and I are in the process of planning a trip to Atlanta this August, so I can cross Turner Field, home of the Braves, off the list.

2. I have a bad case of stage fright (this surprises a lot of people since I'm so outgoing and talkative). But if you get me in front of crowd, my knees start shaking and my voice squeaks. And I usually feel like I'm going to throw up.

3. If I can't fall asleep at night, I watch kid shows on The Disney Channel. It's gotten so bad that I know some of the theme songs now. **hangs head in shame**

4. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 11 years old.

5. A friend and I are in the process of trying to write a novel (we have a ways to go!)

 
6. When I was 12 my friend Tanya and I were riding a roller coaster and the bar flew up during the ride (there was some malfunction with it, obviously). There were no seat belts, so we were holding on for dear life until it came to a stop. It took me nearly 10 years to get on another roller coaster. And even to this day, I've very picky about which ones I'll ride. And when I do get on one, I'm usually halfway up the hill before I start thinking, "why am I doing this again?"

7. I never learned to parallel park in Driver's Ed (okay, if you have driven with me, this is not a surprise). In the Driver's Ed course that I took, we had to have 8 hours of driving and 8 hours of observing before we could get our licenses (in addition to the 8 week classroom course). On my last "hour" of driving, the instructor was like, "okay, the last thing we have to complete is the parallel parking, are you ready?" and I said no. He was like, "well, that's okay, we'll just say you did it", and he marked it as completed. I hope that doesn't get my license taken away by saying that!! : )

With the honor of winning this award, I now have to pass the award on to five fellow bloggers. ONLY FIVE?? I enjoy all the blogs I read, so I hate to just list five. I would like to pass the award on to everyone (but alas, I cannot). So, here are five blogs that I love reading every chance I get!! Check them out!!

-Kristin at Adventures of a Betty Crocker Wanna-Be 

-Vic at From Here to There

-Sheriliee at Sweet Tea and Sunshine

-Frenchy at Le Chateau des fleurs 

-Lindsay at Little Thoughts by LT