What I'm Loving Thursday

I'm loving...

That I'm trying to improve on my 5K time. After participating in my first 5K last year, I've decided to actually train for my next one. Last time I did it "cold turkey". I downloaded an app called Couch to 5K and I really enjoy it. 

I'm loving...

That I got to see my BFF Mandy last weekend while I was in Austin. We are going on 30 years of friendship this year!

I'm loving...

That two non-beer drinkers made a 45 minutes drive to a beer brewery just to support one of our favorite actors. Mandy and I love the show Supernatural and one of the stars (Jensen Ackles) just opened a brewery last week. We decided to show his business some support and went out there on Saturday. It's an awesome place (even if you are a non-drinker)- it's in Dripping Springs (just outside of Austin) and it is beautiful out there. They have a lot of seating (inside and outside) and there is a food truck available. They have a gated playground for kids and have a lot of areas for people to bring their dogs (on a leash, of course). We went out there on Saturday afternoon, and I really didn't expect Jensen to be there, but after sitting down for a few minutes, he walked by us. We didn't say anything the first time he walked by, but the second time he walked by, I stopped him and told him how much we enjoyed the atmosphere and that the place looked great. He stopped and chatted with us and expressed his appreciation that we were there checking it out. And he agreed to take a photo (Mandy's daughter was super excited to meet "Dean"). This was much cheaper than the time Mandy and I paid to get a photo with him at a Supernatural convention. Lol.

They also serve non-alcoholic drinks

I'm loving...

That I got to hang out with old friends this past weekend. My friend Thomas turned 40 and I went to his birthday party (I've known him since college). Another college friend Kris was there, it was great catching up with them and reminiscing on old memories. I also got to meet up with my friend Justin while I was in town, we went to high school together and hadn't seen each other in 20 plus years. 

I'm loving...

That I got to stay with my "summer mom" while I was in Austin. During the summer of 1998 I lived with this wonderful lady and her family. She has been calling me her "summer daughter" for 20 years now. :)

I'm loving...

That I got to visit the church I grew up in, I hadn't been by in about 13 years. This church will always be very dear to me. Sadly there aren't many members left from my time there, but there was one lady who remembered me. She kept saying "I can't believe you are little Rachel." :) I attended that church from age 5 to age 18.

Ms. Pat

I'm loving...

That I got to hear author Mike Cox speak on his book Legends & Lore of the Texas Capitol. Mandy and I went to hear him speak on Sunday (last thing I did before I left Austin). I can't wait to read the book- I'm a history nerd (especially Texas history) so I look forward to it.

I'm loving...

The cold weather. HA. Just kidding. Going to work when temperatures are in the single digits is not for me. I live in Texas for a reason (well, many reasons, but not having to deal with freezing temperatures in a main one). Lol.

I'm loving...

That I got to have lunch with my amazing friend Devin. You should just be jealous (even if you don't know him). :)

I'm loving...

That I got to attend a farewell dinner for my (now former) manager. When I interviewed at my place of employment ten years ago, she was the second person I interviewed with and she has been nothing but 1000% supportive of my career from the beginning. She retired last week and is going to sail the Caribbean with her husband. I'm going to miss my daily chats with her (and the never-ending supply of chocolate candy in her office). Lol.

What are YOU loving today??

XOXO!

Mobile Monday Weekend Update!

You would think having a four-day weekend with basically nothing to do, I would have updated my blog at least once during that time. But no, I was lazy. Okay, I was binge watching Castle. How come I never watched this show before?? I love it. I'm now on season 3.

Anyways. Wednesday night/Thursday morning Dallas got another round of snow. It started about 11 on Wednesday night and it snowed pretty hard for about five hours or so. Originally my office was going to have a noon opening on Thursday, but about 8:45 that morning, I got a text that we were going to be closed for the day. I had already requested Friday off, so that gave me a four-day weekend (weehoo). I will shamefully admit that I pretty much stayed in bed Thursday and Friday, either reading, or watching Castle. 

I will also admit that about midnight on Wednesday I went outside to take pictures (because that is what Texans do when it snows). 

This was about midnight after an hour or so of heavy snow

Thursday morning I woke up (thinking I would eventually have to go into work later that day), and went outside to get a few daylight pictures. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We hadn't seen the sun in like 10 days at this point, so it was a welcomed sight. The sun probably helped melt a lot of the snow and ice, because by the early evening, it was all pretty much gone.

Again, we take snow pictures! :)

The top picture was taken about 8:30 a.m. The bottom picture was taken about 4:30 p.m. Amazing what the sun and temperatures above freezing can do!

Saturday I was forced dragged against my will convinced to take a break from my Castle marathon (and actually put on real clothes) to meet up for a Rangers Spring Training watch party. I'm going to skip over the ugly part of the weekend which involved the bad news we got about Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish. I don't want to talk about it, I still want to try and be positive about this season. If you really want to know, you can Google it. 

I was able to meet some of my Twitter friends at this party (and also made some new Twitter friends), so that was cool! Of course, my friend Jasen and I had to take pictures to post on Twitter while we were there. :) The first one was a special request from another Twitter peep. :)

After the Rangers meet up, I hung out with my sweet friends Matt and Anna (and their adorable pups!) Last week I did a post about a dog named Rusty (please click here if you missed that). I finally got to hang out with Rusty on Saturday night! I'm pretty sure we are new BFFs. He pretty much stayed by my side the whole night.

My Saturday night date was cuter than yours...

I will shamefully admit (again) that Sunday afternoon I returned to my Castle marathon. I wonder what life is like for normal people who take their time watching TV shows online? Lol.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

XOXO!

My weekend!

Hello my sweet friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Mine was pretty relaxing. It started on Friday with SNOW in Dallas. Okay, I'm sure all of you up north will laugh that we were excited with the little amount of snow we got, but hey, it doesn't snow that often, so when we see any amount of it, we get excited. We also get stupid when driving (but alas, that's a story for another day). 

It started snowing about 9 am. I was already at my office, so about 10:30 I asked a co-worker if she would take my picture in the snow. Yes, we are also nerds that have to document the snow with pictures. My office had once again allowed us to wear jeans (I tell you, this NEVER happens, much less twice in the same week). 

Yes, it wasn't a lot, but hey, it was snow. The picture on the top left is my new favorite picture of me. :)

Fridays are usually my half-days at work anyways, so I left by the early afternoon. I decided to go to the grocery store then, just so I wouldn't have to worry about it later in the weekend. It was still snowing pretty hard by the time I got home, so yes, I took more pictures. Lol. 

I'll have to remember what my pool looked like covered in snow when it's 107 this summer. 

I was told that I needed to do a Mary Tyler Moore pose (I guess the picture of me looking up at the snow reminded people of the Mary Tyler Moore Show intro.) For those who don't know it, here you go...

I never want to disappoint, so I went ahead and took a picture like that...along with some other ones. Lol.

"I'm gonna make it afterall..."

Despite the crummy weather, my friend Monica and I rode the train to the American Airlines Center to see a Stars game for our friend Beks' birthday. I guess the weather must have scared off a lot of people, because there was hardly anyone at the game. Or it could have been the fact that the Stars are stinking it up this season, but why go there.

We got to see our good friend Michael (bottom L) and I got to meet the infamous Grubes (bottom R) ,who is a Twitter friend. I also finally met the new Stars mascot, Victor E. Green.

Starting at top L: Me and the birthday girl Beks; spending some time talking to Beks' husband Chuck; The Stars paid their respects to Mr. Spock. I never watched Star Trek, but I know Leonard Nimoy was loved by millions; Me with Beks and Monica- my hockey homegirls!

When we got back to the train station after the game, it was still snowing/sleeting. The drive to my apartment wasn't too bad, there was a little ice on the one bridge I had to cross. I was happy to finally get home. The rest of the weekend I spent pretty much inside my apartment. I got caught up on some DVR watching (I possibly watched about 10 hours of TV on Saturday- don't judge me). I did workout both Saturday night and Sunday night (after a guilt trip from my friend Matt-lol). I also drank a lot of hot tea (I couldn't seem to get warm), and I read a little (yes, I'm still reading Harry Potter. As God as my witness, I will finish reading this series. Lol). I've been in such a reading funk lately. I can't seem to get motivated to read anything. :( 

Picture proof that I actually worked out. Also, my favorite tea mug that my sister Martha gave me. And the 5th book in the Harry Potter series.

So, how was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting??

XOXO!

Thoughts For Thursday...

-I'm still working on my blog post where I asked people to tell me one word that describes me. I was hoping to post it today, but alas, it didn't happen. Hoping for next week! I promise, I did have a reason for asking! :)

-We had nine link ups yesterday for What I'm Loving Wednesday! I like that we are growing each week. Maybe next week we can reach double digits! :)

-I seriously need Mother Nature to stop it with her mood swings. This going back and forth between warm and cold is killing me. And my sinuses. I will never breathe normally again. 

-I'm thankful for the kindness of strangers. Saturday morning I was driving to the Fort Worth side of town to see one of my best friend's son play in a basketball game. I got a flat on my way there (along I-30, for those familiar with the Metroplex). Now, I know HOW to change a tire, I just suck at it (my upper body strength needs work). This nice stranger named Mike stopped to change it for me (he probably took pity on me standing by my flat tire with a look of "well, crap", on my face). I'm also thankful for Discount Tire's warranty and the fact the new tire I had to get only cost me $18 (which was the price of insurance for the new tire). 

-After reading my Facebook news feed and Twitter timeline this week, I think I'm the only person who didn't watch the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary special. I didn't watch the show growing up and I don't watch it now, so I really had no desire to watch a special on it. That being said, I also feel like I'm the only person who doesn't watch Saturday Night Live.  Lol.

-I'm not sure I have ever found a quote that described me better than this one. Thank you Danu Grayson.

-Hope everyone is surviving the week. The weekend is in sight. Stay strong! 

XOXO!!

Blog Challenge Day 8- What I Love About Each Season

Day 8: What do you love most about each season?

Spring:

Opening Day of baseball, Texas wildflowers, pedicures, flip-flops, my birthday, riding on a motorcycle with my buddy B, thunderstorms, pleasant temperatures (although in Texas it only lasts about a week or two), March Madness

Summer:

Hanging out at the Ballpark with friends, Chick Fil-A milkshakes, Blue Bell ice cream, wearing cute summer hats, outdoor concerts, Dallas Summer Musicals, going to Six Flags, Fourth of July, being by any form of water, 

Fall:

Football season, State Fair of Texas, fall decorations, Halloween parties, playoff baseball at the Ballpark, Thanksgiving with the family (and seeing how many pies and cookies my mom can bake)

Winter:

Decorating for Christmas, snow in Texas (okay, doesn't happen that often, but when it does, I love it),  hot chocolate, Holiday in the Park at Six Flags, Rangers Fanfest, wearing cute winter hats, my mom's homemade chili, 

What do you love about every season??

XOXO!