Sunday Funday!

The plan Sunday was to have some friends over & their kids & to spend the day in the pool. It rained several different times but we were able to still spend a good bit of time in the pool & we had a picnic lunch.
Emily has the sweetest little girl voice!
After awhile she warmed up & played.
Cael does not have a little bitty voice.
And neither does Lane. My neighbor that lives across the street & down a couple of houses said he could hear them loud & clear when he was in his yard!

Cael & Lane liked the slide. Emily kept saying she wanted to slide & she'd get on top of it ready to go & then she'd squeal for someone to get her off. It was so funny!

What is it with kids & putting every single float & toy in the pool?? They did good & picked everything up for me before they got out though.
The boys are friends & play well together. They're the same age too.
I've known all the moms for years & years & years & we've been good friends for a long time. It seems like they were just babies. Time flies but it's nice that since the kids are older now we can visit  & they can play.

Toodles!

Busy Saturday!

I was signed up to run a 5K at the zoo with my sis-in-law Saturday. Logan always tells her that he wants to "run race" with them. There was a 1/2 mile kids fun run before the 5K so she thought that would be the perfect thing for Logan.
He was approaching the finish line here. I wish it was a better picture so you could see the look of sheer determination on his face. He is so his daddy's child.

There was some confusion on the route & they ended up running a mile instead of just a half. Logan ran the entire time & finished in 10:15. That's faster than me most days!
His hair didn't even get messed up! They gave the kids cute safari hats as the crossed the finished line.

I had a GREAT run! I have a new PR! 30:54!!! I was so excited. As you can see that's a 9:58 average mile. I NEVER run that fast. The best part was that nothing hurt. I finished the race 100th overall & 13th in my age group. There were over 3000 runners. There's an 84 yr. old man that runs a lot of races in town. My brother & sis-in-law see him all the time. He was ahead of me at one point but I passed him. I mean how awful would I have felt if an 84 year old beat me?? As it turns out, I didn't beat him by much. He finished in 32 something. That's amazing to me! It wasn't horribly hot but it was hot enough. The race went all through the zoo. It was early so all the animals weren't out but I did see some deer & flamingos. It's shady in the zoo so that was nice too.

 

Logan & his little friend Layne.

 

After the race we came back to our house for a little while & cooled off in the pool.

Saturday night Dean & I were going with friends to a wine tasting.
We had a lot of fun. The KC's at Church sponsored the dinner so we knew a ton of people there. It was really nice. It was over around 9:30 so we decided to go to a little bar that's close by & have a drink.
It was a fun night with friends.

Toodles!

Stuff I'm Loving!

Either yesterday or today was a full moon. I took this pic when I went out to run.

Why am I loving a full moon you ask?? Because this is the first time in almost 18 years that I didn't know it was a full moon. Why is that?? Because at my new job I don't answer phone calls from the public all day long. Actually, I don't answer the phone unless it's for me! It's the most awesome thing ever. People may not believe this but it's ALWAYS obvious when there's a full moon when you work with the public. The crazies come out!

Have y'all tried this flavor K cup yet?

If you like coconut this is a must. Soooo good! I bought a little sample pack at Target a few weeks ago & loved it so much we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond last weekend & I bought a box.

This is random

It's a mouse. Has anyone ever wondered why it's called a mouse? I think it could be called something better. I'm not crazy about things I use everyday being named after rodents. I'm not a fan of mice & when I use the mouse or say the word mouse I automatically think of the rodent. Now I'll probably dream about mice - the rodents. Back to the point, this isn't just a regular mouse, it's a WIRELESS mouse. I've seen them before but I never knew how great this thing is. To go along with it I have a wireless keyboard too. It's like I got a new job & stepped into the 21st century!!

I'm still loving FROYO!

I'm doing better with my toppings. I had coconut & cupcake batter yogurt with a little coconut, strawberries & crushed almonds. Really really good! I need to remember this when the candy tempts me.

Anyone loving anything I need to know about??

Toodles!

The Weekend!

We didn't have any big plans this weekend so Saturday when we got up we decided that weeds needed to be pulled & cars needed to be washed. I got weed duty. The weather was pretty good. We had a front of some sort come through & the humidity was down. Highly unusual for August.

Apparently, in my older age I've become allergic to ants. It's virtually impossible for me to pull weeds without getting bit. The bites turn into whelps & they look awful for days. It's the weirdest thing.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but Dean is neat. Like really neat. I've never seen anyone fold a t-shirt like him. It bothers him that I have "stuff" in my car. It doesn't bother me in the least but I cleaned it out to make him happy. I found a variety of stuff.

I'm not really sure why or how the blue toe things were in the car. The fleur de lis is part of a key chain that broke. I plan to do something diy/crafty with it. I have no idea what yet but that's the plan. There's random jewelry that ended up in the car from when I'd go to Yoglates after work.  I had wondered about that pair of earrings. The foot pads are because I changed shoes after work Friday since I was going shopping. See? It all makes perfect sense.

Saturday night we went to Mass & then ran a few errands. We had dinner at Mestizo. It's a "Louisiana Mexican" Restaurant.

 A skinny mango margarita! It was really good.

I had tortilla soup for an appetizer. It was really good. My entree was a shrimp & crab chimichanga & a shrimp & crab enchilada. Really good! I didn't care much for the beans & rice. Caliente is much better.

My foot/ankle has been feeling much better so I decided I was going to attempt a run Sunday. I didn't set the clock because I knew I wasn't going far so I wasn't overly concerned about the heat. I had this in the pantry & decided to try it before my run.

I know Lance is a liar & a cheat but it was sooo good. It tasted like a cookie. It was delicious!!! 

Since I've started running I've become very interested in the weather. Very weird but I like to know what I'm in for before stepping out the door. I was THRILLED to see this!
Yeh, the humidity is up there but do you see that 69 dew point??? It was soooo nice. I ran a 5K. I could've gone further but I didn't want to take any chances of hurting my foot more. I was really excited when I saw my time - 32:33! That's a PR for me. By 34 seconds. My foot seems to have recovered from the run ok so I'm excited. I plan to run again Wed. I may try 4 mi. We'll see.

My parents came over Sunday. It was my mom's birthday. We got in the pool for awhile but the water was actually a little too cool. I know. Weirdest thing ever. It felt like early May rather than mid August.

How was y'alls weekend?

Toodles!

TGIF

This week has taken some getting used to. It hasn't been bad at all, but I don't feel like I'm in a regular routine. I think the main problem is my stupid foot still isn't 100% so I haven't been running & that has things all out of whack. It's really funny to even think that because there was a time that if I would've said that people would've said that things were out of whack BECAUSE I was running.

I treated myself to Yogurtland Wednesday. I generally only do this when I'm running but  there was an offer on Facebook for 3 free ounces & who am I to pass up a deal!
I had coconut & birthday cake & I went semi healthy on the toppings with strawberries, almonds & coconut. It was delicious.

Thursday night was "Work Happy Hour". It was a lot of fun. We went to a place called Portico's. I had an Arnold Palmer Plus. Y'all it was delicious!!! It was tea, lemonade & some sort of vodka. I also discovered one of the partners wives has a sister that was very good friends with my aunt. It's such a small world.

One thing that is absolutely fantastic about the new job is that the office closes at 2:00 on Friday's. During tax season that changes. I'm enjoying it while it last. I decided to do some shopping today. I've been wanting shoes this color.
I found them on sale at DSW.
They don't have a ridiculous heal either.
These just have a very small wedge heal. They're basically flats. The color isn't accurate. They look black on my monitor but they're actually a silvery pewter color. It's a great color to have that will go with a ton of stuff. They're Life Stride & seem to be somewhat comfortable.

Tonight, Dean & I were flying solo at Caliente. As usual everything was delicious.
Friday nights are $5 martini's. This is the sun something or other. Yes, that's how I ordered it. I couldn't remember the name of it.

I'm hoping to maybe get a short run in this weekend & definitely some weights & lap swimming. I don't want to be out of the habit for too long.

We have no plans this weekend so I'm hopeful that I can get some of the things done around the house that are on my to do list.

Have a great weekend!

Toodles!

Updates

When we last "spoke" I was asking for prayers for my mom's heart cath. I slept very little Sunday night & had the constant feeling that I was going to throw up. Sorry but it's true. For me nerves = nausea. It also equals passing out but thankfully that didn't happen this time. I got up at 4:00 Monday morning & got to the hospital by 5:30. Her procedure was at 6:00. They took her back & 20 minutes later they were wheeling her back in the room. Crazy right? My friend said it's like a drive thru. Prayers were answered & all was good. No stents, no surgery. Yay! Thanks for the prayers.

I thought my stomach would quit hurting after the good news but alas, that wasn't the case. sigh. I've said before I don't mind change. I don't mind meeting new people but I don't like meeting a group of new people when I'm the only new person. Not to mention it's a new place, new duties, new responsibilities, etc.I need to get over that I know.

So I got to work & was shown my new office. My very own office. It has a door & everything. Yes, I'm excited by this because my entire working life I've lived in a cube. Not only does it have a door but it has a window!
This is my view! Y'all don't know how exciting it is to me to be able to actually know what the weather's like outside. It's not a bad view either. I like seeing trees.

Something else that excites me is this
Yes, it's a mouse but do you see what it doesn't have? WIRES! My keyboard is wireless too. This is a huge deal to me. I used to fight with my mouse & keyboard at my last job because of the stupid wires that were everywhere.

It's been 2 days & I've learned a few things. One of those things is that  I've got a lot more to learn. Unlike the last job, I'll be using my brain. That's a good thing because it keeps you from getting Alzheimers from what I hear. I also think I'm going to be much busier with this job than the previous one. That's a good thing too because the day goes by faster.

There are 2 minor issues with the new job. The first is the candy bowl. It's filled with nothing but chocolate candy. Very hard to resist. The second is by far harder than the first - the refrigerator is stocked with can drinks & bottled water for anyone that wants them. Just a little perk the company provides. Do you know how hard it is to see an icy cold Dr Pepper every time you open the refrigerator door?? sigh. So far I've refrained & stuck with water. I've been very lazy on the exercise front so I don't need any extra calories. My foot/ankle is still a little swollen & bothers me some when I'm on it a lot. I think it's getting better. I would love to be able to run a little this weekend. I plan to get up early tomorrow & do a weight workout. Can't get out of the habit.

Toodles!

Unemployment

I'm currently unemployed. Well, until 8:00 am tomorrow morning I am. I took Thursday & Friday off & enjoyed my unemployment.

Thursday morning I got up & ran 4 miles. I made a mistake in not getting up early & going. I left around 7:15 & it was 78 degrees. When I got back at 8:00 the heat index was 85. It was really hot. Once I got home I got in the pool to cool off & swim laps. Once all that was done I was going in to get dressed for the day. I had all sorts of plans - a pedi, green tea, maybe some Yogurtland. What I did not have planned was a trip. I stepped wrong on the patio & my ankle twisted & I tripped & hit the ground. Thankfully, nobody was around to watch. It hurt so bad & all I could think was that I wasn't going to be running for awhile. After a few minutes I was able to walk. I immediately iced it & took some Advil.

I went & got my pedicure & it was delightful! The owner of the shop was there & she wasn't happy with the mani I had Tuesday so she had them redo it. I was happy because I was disappointed with the polish job they did but I wasn't going to complain. I ended up being there at least 2 hours. It was nice just to sit & enjoy it & know that there wasn't anywhere I had to be. Afterwards, I ran some errands. One of those was a trip to Target. I keep trying to love this place like everyone else & they continue to disappoint me. It's like Shark Week. I don't understand the fascination. To me the best thing Target has going for them is that there's a Starbucks inside the store. I got my green tea so it wasn't a wasted trip.

Once I got home I had a little nap. Also, delightful. I really love a good nap.

Dean & I went to dinner Thursday night at Gino's. It's a local Italian restaurant & it's so good. I posed this question on Instagram - Is it date night if you don't have any kids to get away from?? The general consensus was yes. I'm the one that seems to be on the fence about it. Think about it, pretty much every time we go out would be date night right? Regardless, it was a nice dinner.

Fried calamari with marinara sauce. It was really good!!

I had champagne. I love that stuff! I got seafood cannelloni for my entree & it was delicious. So delicious that there's no picture!

Once we got home my ankle looked like this.

What a nice goose egg I have there. I'm so annoyed with myself. I can run 10 miles but I injure myself walking. I've iced it a lot this weekend. For the most part it doesn't hurt. Every now & then it's a little tender. I don't think it's been this swollen since either. I hate to see what it's going to look like tomorrow when I get home from work.

 

Friday Dean took the day off to hang with me. We went & saw We're The Millers. It was HILARIOUS, however it was also a bit raunchy. After the movie we had lunch at Bar Louie. I had the turkey, ham & brie sandwich.

It was good & I loved that it was on french bread. I rarely eat regular white bread so this was a treat.

Saturday, I spend a good part of the morning in the pool. Saturday night we went to Caliente with the neighbors to listen to a band we like, The Lewinski's. Yes, that's Lewinski, as in Monica. They're a 90's cover band. I love 90's music!

Jose of the infamous "Jose Special" is acting manager while the owner is on maternity leave but he  took a few minutes to hook our table up with our favorite drink. It was delicious as usual!

Today my parents, Lydia, Scott & Logan came over to swim. We were able to get in a few hours before the rain came.

All in all I had a very relaxing few days. I think unemployment suits me!

Please say some prayers for my mom. Tomorrow at 6:00 am she's having a heart cath.

I start my new job tomorrow so a few prayers my way would be greatly appreciated too. I'm a little nervous.

Toodles!

The End

Today was the end of an era. It was the last day in almost 18 years that I worked at The Advocate.  I was barely 22 yrs. old when I started. I don't think it's hit me yet. I expect that to come Monday when I'm parking in a new parking lot.

Today was better than I expected. I thought I'd be really sad but I wasn't. I thought I'd probably shed a few tears but I didn't. I was happy that the day had finally come. Dean says that means I made the right decision.

There are a lot of people that I'm going to miss. Some others not so much. Ha! Apparently, my now former co-workers really liked me. They had a little party. We had sandwiches & wraps from Jason's Deli & this
Give me white cake with butter cream icing & I'm a happy girl. It was delish! The only problem is only half was eaten & the other half was sent home with me. I pawned some off on the neighborhood teens.

This is me & some of the guys I worked for. Stan, Tommy & Aaron.
I think Aaron was trying to be taller than me. He always liked when I wore flats because I didn't tower over him. Tommy doesn't do pictures so I consider this a huge honor. This pic is also on Facebook. I can't believe I haven't gotten a text telling me to take it down immediately. Yesterday, Stan brought me to Roberto's to get "the best shrimp po boy ever".

For the first half of my time at The Advocate I worked in the Classified Dept. These were some of my friends. Mike was my boss. He's retired now & came especially for my party. Toni, Christine, Sandy & Brenda were all there when I started. Brendan was my immediate supervisor.

I even got gifts! A gift card to my favorite nail salon & a Starbucks card (thanks again Wendy)! I think there's going to be a pedicure & green tea in my life tomorrow! I'm off the next 4 days before starting my new job Monday.

I managed to skip out around 1:00. I had things to do!
It was time for a cut & high light. I had a few low lights thrown in too. The sun had really lightened my hair this summer.

All in all it was a good day & I'm looking forward to relaxing the next few days.

Toodles!

Weekend in pics!

We had dinner at Mike Anderson's Friday night. It's one of my faves.
Shrimp 7 ways. This is the best option for me because I have such a hard time deciding what I want. There's shrimp stew, au gratin, fried, grilled, boiled, stuffed & salad. YUM!
I spent a good part of Saturday staining the front door. It was ridiculously hot!

Saturday night was dinner & Yogurtland with Allison & Wendy for Wendy's birthday dinner.

10 miles Sunday morning. It was hard but I was so happy to get it done. I have a sore hip now so I'm not sure how much running will get done this week but that's ok. Sometimes you need to rest.
Protein smoothie after the 10 miles. Almond milk, frozen banana, kale, peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, flax seed, cinnamon, vanilla & a little mango.
Delicious!! I drank it while I took my first ice bath. Good Lord an ice bath is really cold.

After a short nap some family came over.
Dean's cousin Sam. She loved the pool.
She loved playing with Dean too.
Dean's cousin & Godchild Lexie. She's a senior in high school this year. So hard to believe. When I met Dean she was 2.

Our niece Camille.
Dean's parents & his aunt were there & so were my parents. We pretty much just floated around the pool because it was such a hot day. How was y'alls weekend?

Toodles!