Thomison's Treasures

Why I want to be a runner

2010-06-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

In addition to my jewelry making, self-improvement books, BeautiControl, home projects, and helping friends with babies, I'm starting my Couch to 5K program! I've been wanting to do this for some time, and told myself I would do it over my summer break. I want to run because I think runners are the epitome of health and fitness. When I think of runners, I think of long, lean muscles, and someone who's not afraid to sweat. I hate sweating, but I know it's good for me.

So I started my Couch to 5K training today. It was mid-morning before I finally got the courage to go out and face the pavement. So the sun was already hot, and the air was very humid. But, I was determined to do this. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, I may have lost a lot of weight, but I'm still out of shape.

So I laced up my tennis shoes, grabbed my iPhone and headed out the door. I started the C25K app, and then my iTunes and started with a 5 minute walking warmup. After the 5 minutes, a friendly female voice said, "start running now." I ran (jogged) for 60 seconds, and then the voice said, "start walking now." And I said, "gladly!" This little conversation went on for another 15 minutes. I got a phone call halfway through the program, and had to figure out how to restart it. I should've ready the instructions to the app before I got started, it would've saved me 2 more minutes of walking. I stopped the program when there was about 8 minutes left, I was too hot and I was afraid my trembling legs were going to fall out from under me.

I got back to the house and downed a glass of ice water I had waiting for me on the kitchen counter, stripped off my sweaty clothes, and headed for a cold shower. The shower was wonderful, and I just let the water run over my face, which was red and puffy. I used my "Sharp Shower" mint body wash, and it was very refreshing.

I've decided that for day 2, which is Wednesday, I'm going to do this in the evening, in the evening after the sun is down for the day.

Wish me luck! And I'll keep you posted on my progress to becoming a runner!

My HCG Journey

2010-03-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

I started out on this diet back in November, right before Thanksgiving. I knew I needed to make some major changes in how I approached health. I began this diet the heaviest I've ever been. I felt so sluggish and I just hated looking at myself. I think I had just accepted that I was going to be the "fat girl" forever. But then I decided I was worth it, and that anything worth doing was going to be hard.

I found the HCG diet on a billboard in Killeen. "Loose 40 lbs in 40 days!". Yeah, right...I

thought. I didn't lose 40 in 40, I lost 26 in 40! Still great. I decided to keep going and do another 40 days.. That round wasn't as successful. I know now looking back, that I should've taken a break. I got tired of the foods really quick the second time around. Well, now I'm finishing up my last 40 day round and I've lost a total of 47 lbs! I'm smaller than I was when we got married, and I haven't felt this great since college!

Before

After

I still have about 25-30 more pounds to go! But I'm going to take a break for a while and enjoy the size that I'm at. I've gone down 4 sizes!

www.hcgbasics.com

Long time comin'...

2010-01-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

So, yes, it's been a very long time since I've blogged. It's really because I've been on a life journey that I've been waiting to write about. My journey isn't over, but I need to write about what's going on with me.

Where to begin, there's a lot going on! I really just want to talk about the changes I've physically made. I've lost 37 pounds! Yes, it's amazing, I know! And I really never thought I'd be able to say that. My journey to my ideal weight isn't over, and it's been a tough one.

The last 2-3 weeks of my diet I've kinda been stalling. The diet I'm on, HCG diet, is very strict and only works under specific conditions. I only eat 500 calories a day on it, so for the last 60+ days I've basically been starving myself, while using the HCG shots. I'm not venting on the fact that I chose to do this diet, just getting over a period of burn-out. I'm about to begin another round of 20 days of VLCD (very low calorie diet) and I'm trying how to figure out how to get past this feeling of being burned out.

I printed off Dr. Simeons "Pounds & Inches" book, he's the doctor that created the diet and the science behind how it approaches obesity. I plan to read this to help me remember how and why this diet works, and what I have to do to ensure the science part of it works. It's not going to work if I eat over 500 calories a day, or even if I eat 500 calories of foods off the protocol list.

I have a lot of things to be proud of, and I'm just learning that I'm human through this, and I can't believe I expected myself to be perfect through it. Well, I knew I wouldn't be perfect, but I didn't expect it to be this hard, or for me to fall-off-the-wagon for this long. I'm getting back on the wagon today, it's NEW DAY, and I'm a NEW ME! So, pray for me! Because it is challenging, and trying.

Fear

2009-10-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." FDR

I've been thinking a lot about this quote the last few days. How true it is. I never thought I was afraid of anything, until I was forced to really think about it. One thing I realized I feared is what other people think about me. This is so much to a point that it is controlling. What bothers me more is that I allow it. I allow my fears to control what I eat, what I wear, how I do my hair, how I worship, how I pray, and so much more.

"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves." Phil. 2:3

Through my experience at "The Road Adventure", (www.theroadadventure.com)

I have realized that I shouldn't care what other people think. I only need to be concerned with what my God thinks. I'm not discounting the fact that what Bart thinks is important to me. I know that if I'm pleasing God, I will please my husband.

Sunday at church, I was standing in the balcony, where we normally sit, and I just realized that I didn't feel free to worship God as I want. Now, I love my church, and I love the people at my church. However, it doesn't promote a "freeing" atmosphere. It doesn't encourage people to feel the sweet release from having no reservations during worship. I stood there during a worship song, very reserved, and was having a very intense internal battle. It was kinda like having a good angel and a bad angel on my shoulders. The bad one was saying, "if you raise your hands in worship you're going to look silly because no one else is doing it. Plus you'll make others who don't understand you feel uncomfortable." Then the good one was saying, "Worship God how you want to! He wants to see and feel your heart! It doesn't matter what others think! This is a time to glorify God!" So, the good angel won, and I lifted my hands in adoration and thanksgiving for all that my God has done for me. There was a time when I wouldn't have been embarrassed to do this. I lost that person a long time ago because of tragedies that I faced. I lost the freedom to worship though my own actions. God still deserved to be worshiped, but it was out of my own self-pity and lack of faith that I stopped worshiping him with an open heart. God has since shown me that he is worthy of my trust and he is worthy of my worship.

I also realized that where we sit during service isn't beneficial to my spiritual growth. We have always sat in the balcony, part out of convenience, and part out of being a "back row baptist." So I've decided it's too distracting sitting in the balcony. So many things to look at when you're at the top. That, and there are so many families with children that sit up there. I love children, but they are a distraction to me.

This morning on the way to work, God really spoke to me. They were talking about fear on KLove and that's what sparked a lot of my thinking today. One of the hosts asked this question: "What would life be like if our first reaction was out of faith and not out of fear?" Wow...what an amazing thought!? Just the fact that they were talking about this on the radio showed me that everyone does this! How silly are we? To place so much care and importance in what others will think, when all along all that matters is what God thinks and that I can fall asleep at night. Living with no regrets is difficult. One thing I do regret is placing so much pressure on myself and on my life to be perfect. Because it hasn't been perfect, and I know I'm not perfect. But I aim for perfection. But why? When I know that I will fail? The reason is because we should aim for perfection in God's eyes, not in the world's.

My hope and prayer for you is that you will stop putting so much weight into what others think about you. That you will put your trust in God and act out of faith and not fear. Faith that you can believe and trust in God's perfect will and design for your life.

Blessings to you.

The Road Adventure -- Part I

2009-09-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ok,

So this last weekend I went to a self-growth seminar called "The Road Adventure." It was an amazing experience. I learned so much about myself and I'm going back for Part II which starts in a week and a half. Part I was all about grieving over past hurts and pains, and learning to forgive. Part II is all about self-discovery. My homework between parts I & II was to decide "what do I want out of life?" I don't want to give too many details in case anyone who reads this decides they want to go through it. The best way I can describe it is that The Road Adventure is a life-changing, experiential growth seminar. It was formed by a Christian based ministry, but the seminar is designed to meet the needs of anyone.

So what do I want out of life?

I want to be happy. Whatever that looks like, I want it. Being happy to me is being successful in my relationships, not being afraid to be who I want to be, not being afraid of what other people will think, helping people with their lives, and traveling and experiencing the world as God made it. Maybe I could become a part-time travel writer.

On a different note, last night Bart & I were driving home from dinner, and the topic of winning the lottery came up. We talked about what we would do with $40 million. It was fun to fantasize about what we would do. And taking an extended vacation was on the top of our list. Let's move to Italy for half a year.

I'll have more to write on The Road as I finish processing everything that I discovered. I highly recommend it to anyone who has been through any sort of trauma or pain, or past hurts from relationships.

It was a good car...

2009-07-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

(little "chipped tooth")

It was a good car. My dream car actually. I know most of you won't think the Jetta could be a "Dream Car", but oh yeah, it sure can. I've wanted one since I was in high school. I dreamed of a silver one to be exact. My dream came true 6 years after high school. I finally got my dream car.

Well, we all grow up, and when I saw my first VW Touareg, I was in love again. They are super expensive though and I knew it would be a while for me to get one. So, I held on to my HS dream for as long as I could, and we came across a great deal on a Touareg. We couldn't pass it up. So, I know have my grown-up car! I love it!

Thank you Jetta! I'll never forget you!

"Just tell me no..."

2009-06-04T07:16:00.000-07:00

So...here's a story about a little girl and a silly bug that turned her world upside down.....

Once upon a time there was a high-maintenance girl who married a blue-collar man and they lived in a really old house on the verge of falling apart. After about six months of newly wed bliss in their junk yard paradise, they had an unwelcomed visitor. Previously in the day they had their first real married argument, but after the following events, neither could remember what the argument was about. She went to bed angry, upset that they had a fight, and he stayed up a little bit longer to cool off.

Upon entering the bedroom, finding his princess asleep, he crawled into bed with her. It wasn't long until he was up, and slowly turning the lights on. She didn't like being waken up, especially with lights, so this upset her further. She pulled the covers over her head ad buried her eyes into her pillow. She asked, "Why are you turning the lights on??!!", he answered softly, "I heard something hit the ceiling fan." At that moment, he turned the light on and saw a scorpion crawling on her purple satin pillow case. She doesn't really remember what happened next, except there was a lot of screaming and crying. He had ran over to her pillow and pinned the creature down with her pillow case. She was hysterically standing on the foot board with only her tip-toes. (The movie "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" really scared her as a child.)

He asked her calmly to get a tissue but she was so distraught she thought there was an army of them waiting for her to step on the floor. She said, "Where there's one, there's more." Between tears she jumped down and ran to the bathroom and grabbed a tissue for him to kill the bug and then she returned to her position on the foot board. After it was over, she cried and cried for hours. She swore that she could no longer live in their love shack, (literally).

They started looking for houses in the "city" (Belton) the next day. They closed on a house a month later.

Now...fast forward about 6 years. they now live in a beautiful house in the country.

Last night we were watching TV and for the first time in 6 years I saw the dreadful creature from my past. There I was, laying on the couch, enjoying the season finale of Law & Order: SVU, and on the arm of the couch I see the silhouette of a scorpion. I jumped up and told Bart it was on there, and he came to my rescue and killed the insect. I asked him if he thought there were anymore, and he said he wasn't sure....and I then told him, "Just tell me no." And he did.

If at first you don't succeed.....

2009-05-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've decided, "Why not?" share with the world our journey into parenthood. Most of you know it's been a difficult journey, and I know many of you can relate. Bart & I have been trying to get pregnant for 3 years now. We've had 3 miscarriages, one of which was almost fatal and I lost a fallopian tube. So where does that leave us now? Well, it leaves us trusting in God while turning to modern medicine. I've gone through several rounds of blood tests and our doctor has concluded that my hormones need a little bit of a boost. So, I'm taking supplements to try to help mother nature out.

I've been on the supplements for a month now, and since we've never had a problem getting pregnant (just staying pregnant) I was really hoping we'd hit the ball out of the park on the first try....well, not so. As I woke up this morning I was actually optimistic. It reminded me of what Thomas Edison said while inventing the light bulb...something like: "I haven't failed. I found 10,000 ways that didn't work." While I certainly hope it won't take us 10,000 times to get it right, although I'm sure Bart would enjoy that thoroughly, it at least gives me hope to know that we're not giving up, at least not yet. So stay tuned....you never know when I might make a big announcement...but it won't be for at least another month. :-)

Good Friends

2009-05-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

What a true blessing friendship is! It's been a long time since I've had a group of friends I can rely on like sisters. Kristin & Amy thank you so much for offering your friendship to me! The Lord answered prayers when we all met. I believe in devine timing, and this is a perfect example. I have been able to weather a few rough storms thanks to your friendship and ever-open ears.

So here's to you! *cheers*

May I be as much of a blessing to you, as you have been to me.

Roll with the Punches

2009-03-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

I feel like Job today.

I feel like I'm life's punching bag right now. Nothing seems to be going the way I thought it would. Everyday something else seems to go wrong, and I'm having a harder time every day picking myself up from the dirty, dusty floor of life. I do know that things could be worse...for example:

At least I have a good job. My boss may not treat me well, or congratulate me on a job well done. The students at my school are mostly good. However I think we should have a minimum-security campus just for those that require a minimum-security environment.

At least we have a good place to live. Sure, it's a little out of the way, and we drive a little bit farther than we would if we lived within the city limits. But, it's a haven, and I love going home.

At least I have good/fair health. Sure, I can't seem to stay pregnant, and losing 25 lbs. takes an act of congress, and keeping it off takes even more. And sure I have more scars than a Gitmo prisoner, and I may as well buy a room at King's Daughters Hospital. Sure I lost a fallopian tube due to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. But, I have the breath of life.

Life without any trials or tribulations is no life at all. Pain helps us remember that we are alive, and that we need something more than what we can provide on our own. God give me strength, courage, peace, and comfort during the hard times.

Sometimes it's hard to recognize God's presence and presents in the midst of hard times. But, I have to remember how God has blessed me, and how he continues to bless me. Just remembering his blessing provides comfort. He has given me a wonderful family, an amazing husband, supportive friends, an intelligent mind, and a sensitive soul. I am proud of who I am as a person and I daily remember that He's not done with me.

So, this morning I woke up with the country song by Jo Dee Mesina, "Roll with the Punches." I have had a really bad week personally and at work. Life sure has it's ups and downs, and sometimes, well, most of the time, I just can't figure it out. But, I think the point to life is to stop trying, and "roll with the punches." That doesn't mean be a door matt and just take it, but we do have to pick our battles. I'm having to pick some pretty major ones right now.

While I was on my way to work, that song came on the radio. It helped me remember that no life situation is permanent. Things change, things constantly change. So, just roll with it, and eventually you'll come to a stop. That's what I'm waiting for. I need a break from the rolling before the next round of punches begin.

Thanks for reading.

Twilight

2009-03-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I usually don't get caught up in modern pop culture or trends, but I had to check out the Twilight book series. Once a book is turned into a movie I know I won't waste my time reading the book. I actually borrowed the book from my school library several months ago and never had the chance to even read the first line. I always feel guilty for starting another book when I haven't even finished another one. I betrayed John Grisham by not finishing his last book, The Appeal, while I started the first of the Twilight books. I further disgraced John by finishing Twilight in 2 days, it's a 500 page book. I've been reading The Appeal for 5 months now! Now I really feel bad....I must finish it next.

So here's my commentary on the first Twilight book:

**** (4) out of 5 stars.

First of all, this book took my emotions for a ride on a very wild, richety roller coaster! But then again, that's the life of a teenager. The emotions that Edward & Bella felt were euphoric. They lived off of the natural "high" that those emotions provided. It is amazing to get caught up in emotions like that. They let you know that you're alive. I think this book was a very good depiction of teen love. Confusing, scary, and exhilarating. Their attraction and devotion was magnetic. I remember feeling that way. You're not sure what draws you to a person until it's too late, and you're too involved. But Bella & Edward never felt that way, neither of them wanted out. Their curiosity of each other kept them together. The shear fear of not being able to live without each other drew them closer and closer. Their hearts became so entertwined that they had a hard time separating. I kept on wondering if their relationship was going anywhere, it seemed like it took them forever to kiss. Then I remembered this book was written for teens and young adults. I think it would've been very different had it been intended for an adult audience. But I think the author wanted more of the focus to be on their emotional committment and devotion, instead of on the physical attraction. They were obviously attracted to each other from first sight, both for different reasons of course.

After I read the book I was ready to see the movie. I was so excited to finally put a face to all of the characters. Edward wasn't nearly as handsome as he was in my head, and his voice wasn't deep enough for me. I must say, my imagination did a better job at creating the movie in my head than the actual movie did. We were interrupted 3 times while watching this movie, so that may have something to do with it. I'll have to watch it again in one solid setting without interruption. There were so many things left out of the movie. Bart was watching it with me and I asked him if it was easy to follow. He said it was, so I guess it was just me. I had a hard time because I was comparing it to the book the entire time. I'll wait a few days and watch it again.

There is something that draws me to vampire movies/books/tv shows. I never missed an episode of Buffy in high school, and one of my favorite Tom Cruise movies is "Interview with a Vampire." Reading Twilight encouraged me to continue my fascination of this mythical, magical, and mysterious creature.

After we watched the movie I watched the entire Bonus DVD tracks. I learned that the author of the series had never written a book before and she got the idea for Twilight from a dream she had. This was so encouraging to me as a blossoming author myself. Many of my novel ideas have been born from my dreams, it's encouraging.

Tractor Girl

2009-03-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tractor Girl

These last few days we've had a full house! My brother Nathan and his wife Beth and their precious 3 1/2 year old daughter Carter have been here for a much-needed visit. My mother also came in to town, so we've been busy!

The visit started off late Sunday night when Nate & Beth got to Salado at about 9 pm. We all had a nice chance to catch up on stuff and they got the tour of our new house. Mom & Roger got here about 30 minutes after they did, and we just stayed up late visiting.

On Monday we went to Jalisco's in Belton for lunch. When Nate got here on Sunday he said there were only two things for sure that he wanted to do, and they both had to deal with eating. He had to eat at Jalisco's and Schoepf's Old-Time Pit BBQ in Belton. So Monday we had Jalisco's. Which for us, is a typical place to go out to eat, but for Nate, just having their salsa was pure bliss.

After lunch Mom, Nate, Beth, Carter & I all went to spend a little bit of time at Sirena of Salado.

Before we went home, we all enjoyed some icecream at the local DQ. Nate and I have lots of memories in that place. Now we have one more.

On Monday night I made my homemade enchiladas...YUM! Bart's brother Cody and his kids came over. He has twin 5 year old girls and they and Carter got along great. They all helped me and Mom make dinner. It was quite an adorable sight.

Carter also enjoyed "sleeping" with Britain in their dog bed. Poor Britain & Lana.....they'll sleep great for a week off of the energy that they used playing with Carter.

Nate & Beth left today, but before they did, I had to get a picture with Carter and her diva sunglasses.

It was the perfect visit....at least until the next one.

Goodness!

2009-03-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

I sat down to do a blog a few week sago or so, and when I tried to log in, my password wasn't working...either that or I forgot what it really was...so I closed down Blogspot and decided to try again....

Fastforward to today...

I can't believe it's been close to 2 months since my last post!! This time of year is crazy busy for me at school. I'm working really hard to get my students ready for their DECA competitions. We've already been through the District & State levels, and now on to National (International) levels! It's called Internationals because we compete with countries besides the USA. I'm taking 2 students to Anaheim CA at the end of April for 4 nights! Bart's coming with me as a "chaperone", but he's really there because I don't do well traveling alone in MAJOR cities like LA.

Besides that, and trying to keep my sanity, I'm going to start learning how to meditate to help relieve stress. I'm also going to incorporate Yoga into my daily schedule...Speaking of which, I've been so lazy with my daily routine with all my stress. I vow today to slowly get back into the groove of having a respectable, responsible schedule.

Not much else is new. I'll definately write more when I'm not so emotionally, physically, and mentally drained.

Too many directions to go

2009-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

So, here I am. Finding myself being pulled in 1,000 different directions. My heart is at a crossroads. You are probably wondering "what in the world is going on??" Well, nothing, actually, that's the problem. I'm finding myself with so many projects going on at once that I can't completely devote 100% of my best to any one of them. I feel like I'm 7 years old and I want to play soccer, take ballet, play little league, take twirling, take piano lessons, and what other meaningless activities I did as a child. I strongly feel that in order to do something well, it deserves your complete attention. You can't give something 55% of yourself and expect to get the results as if you had given 100%. So what's the answer? I have to find my priorities and understand what's really important to me.

Here's what's pulling me in so many directions, in no particular order:
a. A clean house is important. "You never know if Queen Elizabeth is going to be dropping in." As my mother always said. Once I grew up and learned that she never would, not even the Mayor would, I learned to be a little more lazy. But, for my peace of mind, my house can't be cluttered and unclean.
b. Dieting/exercise. So I've lost 20 pounds, which I'm very proud of, but I am tired of giving it 100%. Well, I'll be honest, I haven't given it 100% since probably before the holidays. What a wonderful time of the year to celebrate, except for the fact that I feel like I'm starting all over again in my diet. Which I kinda am. I'm having to learn portion sizes all over again, and what it's like to be hungry and not eat...sometimes you just have to ignore the thoughts that you're hungry, and just drink water...*sigh*
c. Reading. It's so easy for me to start a book and not finish it before I start another one. I guess I have reader's ADD. It's amazing that this is even on my to-do-list and that I'm worried about not giving it 100% of my effort.
d. Writing. Here I am writing a blog when I could be devoting this precious time to writing my book, which is gathering dust on my hard drive right now.
e. Husband. Need I say more?
f. School. My students require so much of my energy! I care about them so much and they need someone that will show them that they do, but sometimes they don't deserve it. They're seniors and have SO MUCH to learn before they're ready to be on their own. They think they're ready, we all thought we were ready, but in actuality, it's such a mis-service if they're not properly prepared. Of course, it's not just the teachers' responsibility to help them with this, it's more the parents than anyone else. But, in our culture today, most parents are lazy and would rather let someone else teach them, or even worse, let them learn on their own suffering all the way through the phase when you're not really an adult, but your driver's license says you are.
g. "Me Time". I know this sounds silly, but if I don't have several hours to devote to whatever the heck I want to devote it to every week, I may go through a nervous breakdown. All my stresses boil on top of each other and what comes out is not pretty. I have to take care of myself, it's not going to happen without me.
h. God time. I have got to start giving God more of my time. I say it's my time, and actually all 24 hours every day is something he's given me. He deserves so much more than what I devote now, which isn't much I regret.

So, if I were to rank these in order, honestly, they would be:
1. God Time
2. Me Time
3. Husband time
4. Housework
5. Writing
6. Dieting/exercise
7. School
8. Dieting

Is this my ideal list? Not really. Ideally housework wouldn't be so high, but too bad I care so much about it.

I started writing this hoping I would have a solution. But I don't. How is this supposed to work? I probably way over analyze things, I'm sure I do. It's really because I'm an "all or nothing" type of person. I can't do something half-way and if I do I'm so hard on myself. I think that may be the key. I have to learn not to be so hard on myself and not to take on more than I can handle. That's my nugget of information for today. Click and save it.

New Computer!

2009-01-16T06:38:00.000-08:00

On last Friday night our computer went out again for the 2nd time in a month! When it first went out I told Bart that we should just buy a brand new one with a warranty and everything, but he wanted to fix it himself with the help of his uncle...so I gave in and said ok. So we went to Austin and bought the part it needed to be fixed and all was well with the world for about 3 weeks. Then, on Friday it wouldn't boot up! I was rather calm about it because I had pretty much washed my hands of the whole thing and told Bart it was his responsibility....so...he takes our computer to his uncle and now the mother board was out! That was going to be another $130. I didn't really care as long as it got fixed. I figured he was just going to buy a new mother board and fix it. Well...while I was cleaning house trying to get ready for our college student, Bart calls and says he "bows to my wisdom" and that I was right and we should've just bought a new computer, so that's what he wanted to do. I was furious! I told him we'd talk about it when he got home. He thought I'd be happy when I was actually extremely frustrated because he hadn't listened to me a month ago. When he got home he was really expecting me to say "I told ya so". But I told him I couldn't say that to him because I knew that would only hurt him and make the situation worse.

So last Sunday after church we went to Best Buy and bought a new HP computer. It's lightening fast! Now I can play all my high-graphics computer games without any problems. AND..if something happens to it all we have to do is call the Geek Squad. I would rather pay a premium for convenience than have the headache of having to fix something myself!

Piece of advice: Go and purchase a back-up hard-drive at Staples or Best Buy... Back up crucial data including documents, photos, music, etc. every month so that in case something goes out on your computer, you've got it remotely backed up. I wish we would've known to do this months ago! It's worth the $100 price tag for the little device.

Beginning my first Book!

2009-01-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

So, I took the plunge. I started writing my first book. It's crazy how one thought can spur a thousand others. Friday night I had this one thought, and before you knew it, I turned it into a story-plot for writing my first book. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Becomming Jane. In the movie it's said "In order to write well, one must have experience." So my first book that I'm writing is losly based on my life. It's still fiction, I'm just using some of my experiences to prompt my writing. I was playing Dr. Mario yesterday afternoon and I decided that at 5:00pm sharp I would stop playing and begin typing. Well....5 o'clock rolled around and I suddenly had cold feet. I was so nervous! A blank computer screen was waiting for me and it was rather intimidating. So I decided to play one more game, then go....and I did! I sat down, thought about my thoughts from Friday night and just started typing. It came so easily! And I'm very excited about continuing my story. I'm going to devote some time every day to write. It's very exciting!

My Hero!

2008-12-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

This morning on my way to work I saw a deer had caught her leg in the top of a cow pen fence. I could tell the deer was still alive, so I called Bart to see if he could help. I felt so sorry for the deer because I could tell she was scared and very tired. Later Bart called me and told me that he was able to cut the fence to let the deer go. He said it looked like she wasn't injured too badly because she was able to run away. Hopefully she'll get some good rest and be just fine. I love that Bart has a heart for animals like I do! If I could rescue animals the rest of my life I would!

DECA Day with the Dallas Mavericks!

2008-12-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday I took 31 of my Seniors to a Dallas Mavericks Game. The Mavs hold an event especially for DECA students! Before we went to the game we went to the Galleria Ice Skating Center in N. Dallas. My students had a blast! This wasn't their usual type of mall....it has a Coach store, and other high-end designer retail stores. So it was a place they weren't typically used to shopping. I heard several students talk about the $600 purses! After the mall we went to the American Airlines Center to tour their facility and to watch the Mavs play Charlotte. The Mavs won the game 85 to 80! My students were very well behaved and I was very proud of them! The best part was that Bart went with me as a chaperone!

Sweet, sweet husband of mine

2008-12-09T07:31:00.000-08:00

Bart is so sweet. Last night, after I showered and was ready for bed, I was on the couch online searching for a new desk. Bart sat down in one of our chairs, and said, "When you're done I have a plan.." Whenever he says that, I know he's got something sweet for me. He brought over lotion and sat at the end of the couch. He took my feet and massaged them with lotion. He just said it had been a while and wanted to pamper me. When he does this, he makes me feel so special. I just wanted to brag on him.

Proud Moments at School Today

2008-12-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

So I have to brag on some of my students today. I have a group of 3 girls (I teach a junior/senior Career Prep class at Killeen High School) who have been working really hard on their end of semester project. This project also doubles as their competitive event which they will take to competition in February. Anywho...their project was to present a short program on Finance to the entire 8th grade at Fairway Middle School in Killeen. They did such a wonderful job! I was there to take pictures and be supportive of them. I can't express how much of a wonderful job they did...and most of it without much help from me. Since this is for competition I have to be hands off. They took the project and ran with it! I reminded them as we were leaving the school that they still had to type the 30 page paper that goes along with their project...of course they didn't want to think about that. But job well done!

Weight lost so far

2008-12-04T17:56:00.000-08:00

So Bart & I have been on a weight loss journey since June of this year. He's lost 30 pounds, and I've lost a little over 20! I don't want to share pictures with you yet, I'd rather you be surprised in person. Bart's gone down 3 pant sizes and I've only gone down one. I'm still losing weight, Bart is almost done losing everything he wanted to. He looks so great! I'm so very proud of him (& me). I personally haven't lost this much weight since I was in high school, so it's a very good feeling. I'll keep you updated with our total weight loss, but to get the real picture you'll have to see us in person. When we're all done, I'll post PLENTY of pictures.

Facebook Hypnotics

2008-12-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

Funny Story....Wow, my honesty amazes me...
So...yesterday while I was in HEB I had the sudden urge to use the ladies room. I knew there was no way I could wait till I got home, so much to my dismay, I used their facilities. As I usually do, I got out my iPhone because heaven forbid I get bored while using the restroom. The iPhone has only intensified my obsession with staying networked & connected. I got so busy posting stuff and reading walls that once I was done posting what I needed, I couldn't remember if I needed to wipe! It's like Facebook had brain washed me for 5 minutes and I couldn't think of anything else! Thank goodness I was properly potty trained and my body functions well under hypnosis. (And yes, I wash my hands and use anti-bac for sanitary reasons, my iPhone is clean for all you germ-a-phobes out there!)

Caught in the act!

2008-12-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

This is Britain. She has a fetish with tissues. Apparently we need to stop leaving the boxes out because when I got home from work the last box in the house had been attacked! We had just opened the box, guess we'll have to put them out of doggy nose reach!

First Timer

2008-12-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

So I've been avoiding blogging, just because it adds one more thing to keep updated on the internet. And it also adds to my to-do list everyday. So you may be wondering why am I starting one now? Well...several reasons:

1. My husband and I are on a weight loss journey and I'd like to share it with the world!

2. I have discovered I have a passion for writing/journaling. One of my life goals is to write a novel, or a book of some sort.

3. I have several friends that blog and it looks like fun!

4. My life is hilarious. Sometimes the funny kind of hilarious, but most of the time it's more the "Are you serious?" kind of hilarity. Some of the stories you won't believe are non-fiction, but thats my life. It's real, but sometimes reads like fiction.

So here's to blogging!