The Latest

Well, it's my weekly post. I'd like to do more and it is my goal to do more but a lot of times it doesn't work out. And to add more unfortunate news, this post isn't going to have any pictures. Sorry, Laurie. I know how you like to look at pictures. :) Anyway, let's get started.

JOSH IS HOME!!!!!!!!! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!! I love having him home and I don't want him to go anywhere for a long time. At least until May when he has to go back to Ft. Worth for another class. My days are more fun when I get to share them with Josh. Even though we don't do a lot of exciting things as long as I'm with him I don't seem to care.

Sunday was a great day!! Part of it was because it was my first day having Josh back. I smiled on the inside all day long. Secondly because him mom and sister came to church with us and we went to lunch afterwards. I had a picture but I'm too lazy to upload it.

And lastly because we had an ordination service at our church. It was a very special one because it was for some of the Hispanic men in our church who are part of our Hispanic congregation. I loved watching it and hearing their choir sing and everything. It made me think back to Josh's ordination service. Obviously there was a big difference because no one spoke Spanish at his but the concept is all the same. You can go here if you want to get more details. I had a great time and was so thankful to be able to share it with my parents and friends.

Last night Josh came home early so we just hung out watched TV and went to sleep at 8:30. Ha! Are we old or what?!?! Honestly I'd like to go to bed that early tonight but The Biggest Loser does end until 9:00. I guess I'll have to wait until then to hit the sack. I need to get to sleep...Josh and I are going to the gym in the morning. Yea! I have missed it lately. I have a plan for a new exercise routine but it won't start until next week. I'll share more then.

Happy Tuesday!!

NWA Tour of Favorites

What a GREAT weekend I had (sorry I'm just now posting it)!! I was able to head up to NWA (Northwest Arkansas for those of you who aren't from around here). Josh was taking our youth on a mission trip and since I couldn't be gone a week I thought it would be a good time to enjoy some of my NWA favorites. I started off the tour by meeting Kelly and Laurie for breakfast.

I stole this picture from Kelly because my camera battery died! Oh my! That must be a blogger violation or something.

This truly is one of my favorite things. In fact it is one of the things I miss the most. Laurie, Kelly, and I used to meet up fairly often for breakfast. Most of the time we went to Cracker Barrel because it was halfway between us. And because they would always say, "Cracker Barrel welcomes..." when your table was ready. Ahh, good times. Anyway, I had the BEST time with my friends. They always put a smile on my face. In case you didn't know those girls are two of the funniest people I know. Seriously, the things that come out of Laurie's mouth are so funny and unpredictable. She kept Kelly and I rolling! And Kelly is so witty. I love those two nuts very much and am so glad that we're still such great friends after all these years.

After leaving K and L I continued the tour at Katie and Zach's house. Again, the camera wasn't working so I didn't get any pics. So sad. Let me just tell you though, I had a great time. The last time I saw Zach he was just learning to walk so he had NO desire to be held. This time was different. As soon as he came out of his chair he wanted me to hold him and I gladly obliged. He is so sweet and funny. He has this thing where he will just bust out in laughter at the drop of the hat. He's my bud and I love him so. I was so thankful to be able to play with him aka dodge the balls he threw at me. He's such a big boy. I remember when we was born...so little, and quiet, and still. Now he is all boy and I love watching him go.

I can't forget to mention how great it was to see Katie too! She is certainly a NWA favorite and I couldn't be up there without seeing her. She such a wonderful friend and a GREAT mom! Seriously...I knew she would be but just seeing her in action is awesome! Katie, I hope I can be as good of a mom as you are.

After I left Katie and Zach I headed to my friend Shannon's where I would spend the rest of the weekend. She has recently gotten a new condo and I couldn't wait to see it. It was soooo cute!!

I need to note that before I arrived at her place I stopped and picked us up another NWA favorite. For lunch we had Thai Crunch salads from Market Place Express. Oh so good! I used to get these all the time and I had missed them so.

Here is Shannon in her cute kitchen.

The rest of the weekend we watched some March Madness and kept up with our brackets. What a fun relaxing afternoon. When it came time for dinner I already knew what I wanted:

Guido's pizza!!!!!!!! Again, another favorite. I crave it a lot and knew it was a must have. After dinner we watched MORE basketball then went to bed. A perfect day indeed. Sunday before I headed back there was one more stop to make. A trip to NWA wouldn't be complete without a stop at Bizy's.

These are Shannon's parents. They own Bizy's and do a great job. If you are EVER in NWA, for a game or whatever, you NEED to go by there. They have great lunches and dinners as well as a fabulous breakfast/brunch. Perfect for game days.

The NWA Tour of Favorites ended there and then I headed back to LR. What a great time I had. I have some amazing friends there and it was wonderful to see them all again. Just what I needed. Looking forward to my next trip. I think it will be soon.

On another note, Josh is away with our youth and I miss him so much. I don't think I like being left at home. I wanted to go but my vacation time at work isn't that flexible. I hope that one day I'll be able to go on all these fun trips with him. Being home without him is no fun at all.

What's Been Going On?!?!

It's been a while since I've blogged. I wish I could say you've missed out on a lot but that wouldn't be true. Not much has gone on. I did have a FABULOUS weekend. Josh and I spent Friday night eating pizza (from the freezer section at Walmart...on $3.33...woohoo, cheap date), watching Gangland, and just relaxing. Saturday he got up early and had to go work with some of his kiddos at church.

Since he was getting up anyway I did the same and was at Walmart by 6:55am on Saturday morning. It was wonderful. I was able to go up and down the aisles without worrying about other people. Loved it! Then I met my friends Jenny and Sarah for breakfast.

What a great time we had! I loved being able to talk and catch up. They were such an encouragement to me and I'm very thankful for them. We're making a "date" once a month just to make sure we don't miss out on each other's lives. I can't wait until April.

After that I went to Target, took a nap, addressed wedding shower invitations for Holly, and that's about it.

Great weekend!!

This week has started off busy as usual. I've spent a lot of time working on our budget and "allocated spending plan". This is all part of our homework for Financial Peace University. One thing we've started this week is the envelope system.

I had often thought about doing something like it in the past but never did. We thought this was a good time to try it since we're submerged in budget/money talk. I think I'm really going to like it. I have made more envelopes that I probably should but I really like it. It helps me keep things organized. And it has already made me stop and think.

By the way, speaking of Financial Peace University...all you single people out there...you NEED to go through it. I wish I had done it before I got married. Money is not a fun topic in marriage so if you're already being a good steward of it before you get married then it would make your marriage that much more wonderful. At the very least you need to read The Total Money Makeover . And I would also recommend you getting yourself an envelope wallet and get started on it today. This whole process has been one of the best things I've done. And even though we got a shock today on how much some dental work I have to have is going to cost, I know we'll be OK if we keep a close eye on where things are going. I just keep telling myself, If you live like no one else then later you can live like no one else. Praise the Lord.

OK, enough money talk. I'm going to get off here, go eat dinner, and get ready for The Biggest Loser! Woohooo!!! Happy St. Patty's Day!

It's Thursday and It's Random

-Work has been nuts this week!
-Daylight savings time is not my friend in the mornings. I love the afternoon and evenings but it has been so hard for me to get up.
-Josh and I have been bad about going to the gym this week. We went on Tuesday and will go tomorrow. I have still been using the stairs.
-I have had an appetite all week long. I've tried to be good...or at least count what I'm eating. I doubt I will weigh tomorrow. I'm just not in the mood.
-Speaking of moods, I've been in a bad one this week. Everything has annoyed me. I blame it on the weather changes. 80 degrees early on in the week and 35 degrees today.
-I'm still really mad at the black team on The Biggest Loser. They shouldn't have indulged liked they did and still won. Then again, watching their lack of self-control made me feel guilty about the times I give in. I know better than that. Shame on me! Shame on them! Shame on America!
-I'm probably the only one in the world that doesn't watch American Idol. My parents do so I see a lot of the good parts. I'm just not that into "the music show" (remember that, Laurie?)
-I'm excited about this weekend. I have little plans. One thing fun I am doing is going here for breakfast with Sarah and Jenny. I also have to address invitations for a shower I'm helping hostess for my bff, Holly.
-I love Little Rock but I have really been missing Northwest Arkansas lately. Laurie, Kelly, Shannon, Katie...move to Little Rock!
-We have our FPU class tonight. We REALLY like it and are learning a lot. "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else." That's a wonderful concept but it is hard for me to be content sometimes. I get wrapped up in wanting what my other friends have but knowing it isn't for us right now...maybe not ever. That's no fun. God is teaching me a lot.
-I really want to get better about find and using great coupons when I grocery shop. Anyone know a good website or place I can get some?
-I need/want a vacation.
-I'm excited about Razorback football even though it is still 6 months away. I keep getting things in the mail about it so I can't get it off my mind.
-I've recently become a big fan of Seventh Day Slumber...except for a couple songs in which they scream a little.
-I need a hair cut.
-That's all the randomness for now.

Introducing Baby Harris

My friend Rebekah had her baby yesterday! For the details on the BIG baby girl check out her blog. I'm so happy for Flint and Rebekah! I KNOW they will make great parents.

BB's Birthday Bash

What a great weekend!!! Josh and I had a low key weekend and it was perfect. One of our highlights was Benjamin's 1st birthday party! We had a GREAT time! The pictures are a little blurry so I apologize.

Here's the cake his Pippy made for him. It was delicious!

It was a Cowboy/Western theme and was decorated very cute.

The boy did not miss out on presents. He got a lot of neat things.

Here he is playing with the frog pull toy Josh and I got him. (I also got one for Zach on his birthday and it is my new favorite gift to give).

Look at this fun horsey! I know he'll have tons of fun on this.

This was his first try at the cake. He was just warming up for the real show. They saved the big cake for the guests and gave Ben this...

So cute!!!

He didn't waste any time.

Mmmm...so good!

Like I said earlier, Josh and I had a great time at Ben's party. He's such a sweet boy and belongs to great parents. I'm so glad to be able to share in his fun memories. I know there will be many more.

Me, Suzanne, Jenny (Ben's mom) at the party! It was so fun getting to hang out with them too!

I've Been Betrayed...

...by the scales! So yesterday was the weigh-day and I was UP 1.2 pounds! Are you kidding me? First of all I should admit that last weekend while visiting with friends I ate yummy foods high in fat in calories. I must have sabotaged myself with that. BUT on the other hand the rest of the week I worked hard to get these pounds off.

• Josh and I went to the gym 3 times this week (we hope to go more next week)
• I was faithful to take the 4 flights of stairs at work...multiple times a day.
• I ate fresh fruit for snacks...oranges, strawberries, and a few grapes (grapes are higher in calories so I limited myself)
• I counted my calories and made sure I stayed within my limit
• I said no to "second helpings"
• Overall I just felt good and felt like I had lost weight

At first I was really bummed about it but then I made a choice to move on. It's just one of those things. I'm going to keep doing what I did last week, drink lots of water, and trust the scales will do what they need to do. It's a proven fact, if you burn more energy than you consume you'll lose weight. I BETTER!! So yesterday...I gave myself a little freedom yesterday. You have to allow yourself some splurges or you'll go nuts. My splurge came from,

Also...I have a daily dieter's devotion e-mailed to me every day. It's really short but most of the time it says something I need to keep in mind while on this journey of weight loss. If you're interested it you can go here to subscribe. It's free and they have a ton of other good devotionals too.

Off To Grammy's We Go

Let me start off by saying I had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time!! Josh and I loaded up the car on Friday and headed to Hot Springs to spend the weekend with my best friends from high school (and a few husbands joined us as well). We all met in town for dinner then headed to Grammy and Grampy's house (they belong to Katie's husband).

Friday night we sat around and talked, played games, and ate some wonderful brownies that Jenny made.

Here we are before an intense game of Catch Phrase.

Jenny...you spoiled me with the brownies!

After a late night of fun on Friday we all went to bed and woke up the next morning to the wonderful aroma of a homemade breakfast.

Grammy and Grampy went all out and served us up a delicious meal!

Here we are deciding who was going to pray by using the "thumbs up" method.

After breakfast the boys got all dressed up to go play outside.

First they rode four wheelers in the frigid weather.

There they go!!

While they were gone the girls sat around and talked, laughed, talked, laughed, and played games. First we started of with a "question" game. As you can see it had some interesting questions.

Next we moved on to Apples to Apples. I like this game. There is very little thought involved but if you play it right there can be lots of laughs.

Jenny and Katie getting it all set up.

At this point in the days the guys had made their way back in from outside but decided they still needing to do some more manly activities.

We were playing our game right inside this window and the gun shots scared us half to death.

Boys will be boys!

After a wonderful day of relaxing we got ready and headed out for dinner.

Josh, Jason, and Brad

My hubby and Me

Sarah, Jenny, Me, Katie, Laura

The whole gang!!

What a great time I had with some great friends. God was so good to give us this opportunity to spend time together. I can't wait to do it again!!!