Another Love Besides My Husband

Howdy!

I know a lot of you already know - but, I am a Shoe Freak.  They are just a fun way to accessorize your outfit.

I don't discriminate with my shoes - I love all shapes, types and colors.

I love the flip flop/casual sandal.

I love a good wedge shoe.

I love pumps!

(Even though these looks like flats in this picture)

I love the UGG too!  So comfy!

Cute "tennis shoes" are fun to wear.

(Is that what you call these?)

I love fun, fun flats!

And Converse are the best!

I love expensive shoes, I love cheap shoes - most of all, I love cute shoes.  And, as many shoes as you see pictured here, I still have about 100 pairs I didn't show you tonight.

However, a girl has to add to her collection, right?

DSW sent me a coupon for my birthday and I took it with me to Dallas, but never had a chance to make it to one of the stores down there.  I noticed today that I could use it online - so the hunt was one tonight for at least one pair of cute shoes.

So, I found these and I am so ready for them to get here!

I also found another pair of black sling-back pumps with little tiny white polka dots with red accents.  Super cute!

Hope you enjoyed a little peek in my closet.

Toodles!

Feeling Naked - but, Fully Clothed

Howdy Ya'll!

Have you ever forgotten something and you just don't feel right all day?  There are two things that if I accidently leave them at home, I just feel naked all day long.

Every morning, I take of my wedding rings after I shower because I don't want to get my hair product or lotion on them.  And, one of the last things I do before I leave for work, is put the rings back on.  Of course, there are days that I just completely forget...walk out of the door...and I am single for the day.  :)  Today was not one of those days because I remembered today!

The other that I just feel lost without is my phone.  Seriously, I can't function without this thing!

This morning I didn't actually forget it - I had to leave it. I decided to try and put the new firmware on the phone this morning at 7:05am - and at 7:25am, it was still working its magic and uploading to my phone. Now folks, I normally leave for work at 7:15 am so you can see that I was already about 10 minutes late. So sadly, I had to leave my phone behind.

All morning, I reached for it so I could listen to Kidd Kraddick in the morning or Pandora or just my own tunes...and nothing. For lunch, I suggested a meal close to my house, The Crumpet Tea Room, so I could grab my phone before heading back to work after work. There was two positives to this - we got to have an orange roll from The Crumpet Tea Room and I got my life back!

Hopefully, I won't forget my wedding rings or phone anytime soon and life can remain in balance!

Toodles!

The Lone Star State

Howdy Ya'll!

This weekend, I got to go to my favorite place on earth - TEXAS!  I just love going back home.  I know I have said this before, but Texas will always be my home even though I have lived in Arkansas for 10 years.

The weekend started off with a nice meal with my in-laws at iii Forks and it was super tasty.  Seriously, I started off with the Lobster Bisque and I wanted to lick the bowl clean.  And, I introduced my mother-in-law to a mojito - she didn't know what it was at first, but she thought it was super tasty.

The real purpose of the trip was to see Wicked with my mom, sister and niece.  I have seen it once before, but I wanted to see it with them for two reasons.  1) I just thought it was amazing and wanted to experience it again and 2) I wanted them to experience it with me.   Next time it is in your area, buy the tickets - you won't regret it!  Here is the best musical performance in the play performed at the Tony's by Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.



Bertha, of course, went along for the trip.  Here are a couple of pics of my favorite gnome.  :)

Bertha at IHOP...she is thinking about drinking that syrup!

Bertha sure did enjoy herself at the play - she could hear the music, but was a little short to be able to see the stage.

Bertha enjoyed a little snack at Pinkberry after the show.  Yummy!

I got to see my sister for the second time since she has found out she was pregnant.  Now folks, she is almost 6 months pregnant - and this is what I see.

Um, hello???  Where is the baby?  I don't see anything there.

Okay, I guess when you pull the shirt back, you can see a little something there.  Hi, Ava Grace!

After the play on Saturday, the girls (my mom, sister, niece and I) did a little shopping at IKEA and Half Price Books.  I love both of those places and I could probably spend hours in both stores - but, we limited ourselves.

Both Saturday and Sunday, I tried to get brunch at Breadwinners - but, both times, I didn't make it there. Thankfully, I go to Dallas frequently and I will just make it another time.  However, we did get to squeeze in one of our absolute favorites, Snuffers.  They have the best cheese fries in the World (maybe, the Universe!).  They make a pretty good burger too.

Before heading back to Arkansas, we stopped off at the Gold Class Cinemas for a first class movie theater experience to watch Toy Story 3.  I am a stonewall - I don't cry at anything - but, I felt that tightness in the throat at the end of the movie.  Granted, there were no tears - but, the movie got to me if I got the throat thing going on.  It was a wonderful movie - and a great way to end our trip to Big D.  My favorite quote from the movie came from Slinky Dog, "I've got a kink in my slink!"  So stinkin' cute!

Our dogs stayed at their doggie hotel - and they always come back tired which makes them easy.  I missed these crazy dogs.

We are back home now and sleeping in our own bed.  We came back with a few purchases and an old trusty hiking stick.  This was a stick that Tony used when we went on camping trips with his dad in Colorado and other places.  It is a pretty cool memento have from your childhood.

Well, that is about it - I gotta go love on the zoo.

Toodles!

Happy Birthday, Bevo10? and other Random Stuff

Howdy Ya'll!

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to one of my favorite 3 year olds on the planet, my "nephew" Kennon Dean Teff!

Isn't he CUTE??

Second - as I have told you in the last couple of posts, I love college football and I have been listening to a lot of ESPN radio (Dallas) from my iPhone at work with all of this hoop-la over the Big XII and I have a few things to say about that.

1. I was shocked yesterday when the Big XII decided to stay together - but, happy that everyone seems to follow what Texas does.
2. It cracked me up today that Randy Galloway called the Big XII, the Bevo10 Conference since as I just said, everyone followed the lead of Texas.
3. Just because Nate Newton played football does not make him a football expert/radio personality.  He is just embarrassing on his show.  He seems lost about 99.5% of the time.
4. They keep talking about how the remaining Big XII teams need to beef up their non-conference schedule.  I will admit that Texas's non-conference games this year were pathetic - but I also need to say that they had both Arkansas and Utah on the schedule and were dropped by both.  But, here is the way that Texas usually does it, the play one team from a power conference and then the rest are cupcakes.  This year coming up we have UCLA.  All teams do this and it is not just the Big XII - with the BCS system, a loss can be devastating so teams don't want to schedule tough opponents.
5. I am definitely not the demographic for ESPN radio considering just about every other commercial is for male-enhancement!

Third - You always here about six-degrees of separation.  Well, I watched HGTV's Design Star (I know it seems odd that I can like this and sports - but, hey, what can I say - I am well rounded) on Sunday night and noticed there was a guy on there from Arkansas.  My bestie texted me tonight to tell me that he went to school with her brother-in-law.  I just think that is so funny and odd.

Fourth - This plead goes out to my puppy, Roxy.  Please do not run away from me tomorrow morning because I looked like a fool running down the street in my pajamas at 5:30am chasing after you!

Fifth - Does anyone know of someone that paints murals on walls in the Northwest Arkansas area?

Well, I think that is about all of the random stuff I have for the night.  Have a good one everybody!

Toodles!

Yet Another Post About College Football

Howdy Ya'll!

I went to Walmart today and had a basket full of lots and lots of stuff that I didn't need.  As I was checking out, I looked over and they had this...

This makes me oh so happy!  This just means that football is right around the corner!  YES!  There are a couple of things I don't like about this - like the love for the SEC on the cover, but I just remind myself that I live in SEC country.

Also - really...Boise State at #2 and predicted to go to the BCS National Championship game???  Oh my!

However, I do love to see Texas at #4.  I am ready to see Garrett Gilbert take control of the Horns and take them back to the National Championship game.  I know he wants to make up for his appearance in last year's game.  I still feel bad for Colt today (I love him!)  And, as for former UT quarterbacks, we are not talking about VY tonight...that is just an embarrassment!

Toodles!

The Future of College Football (Sports)

Howdy Ya'll!

So, the past couple of days I have been glued to message boards, ESPN radio and ESPN trying to keep up with all of the rumors of the current Big XII teams.

What do we know so far?
- Colorado has left to become part of the Pac 10
- Nebraska has left for the Big 10

What do I think will happen?
- Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all move to the Pac 10
- If A&M decides (is offered) the SEC, Utah will join the Pac 10 in their place, making it the Pac 16.
- Texas and A&M will continue to play their rivalry game no matter where the teams land.
- Baylor will be left out in the cold, probably Conference USA.
- Missouri also lands somewhere they didn't want to be which makes me laugh since they are one of the teams that started all of this.

I think most of the dust (or the dust that I care about) will settle next week and all of these moves will ultimately result in 4 Super Conferences at some point which may lead to a playoff system in college football.

No matter what happens, I will always be a Texas fan through and through! Hook'em!!

Toodles!

My Playlist

Howdy Ya'll!

I am a lover of iTunes!!  I love to look for music that I haven't thought about in years and another of my favorite things to do is look at the Celebrity Playlists.  If you are not familiar with these - celebrities will create a playlist of their favorite songs and tell you why they are on the list as one of their favorites - and of course, you can buy the whole playlist or just buy song by song.

So, tonight - I thought I would give you my playlist which consists of 20 of my favorite songs of all time.  The wide array of music genres that are present on the list may make you laugh - but, seriously, I LOVE all of these songs.  They are in no particular order - except for the first song.

Regulate - Warren G
This is my all-time favorite song.  If I am having a bad day, I could be this on and instantly get in a good mood.  "Regulators, Mount Up!"

What's Up? - 4 Non Blondes
I can picture myself with the windows down, yelling this song at the top of my lungs...oh wait, I don't even have to picture myself, I do it!

Tiny Dancer - Elton John
Not sure why I love this song so much, but it is a classic and hands down my favorite Elton John song.

Cowboy Bill - Garth Brooks
You may not recognize this song, but one of my favorite things about country music is the stories that are told within the songs.  This song tells a great and sad story.

Alone - Heart
This one reminds me of my college roommate, Rebecca.  She bought me this greatest hits on CD in college - and it is still one of my favorites.  Actually, it is in the car right now.  I can belt out a good version of Alone.  :)

Empire State of Mind - Jay Z (featuring Alicia Keys)
I don't have too many new songs on the list - but, this one reminds me of my bestie, Laura and all of the anticipation we had going into our trip to New York City.  I think I may be able to listen to this song over and over and over again.

Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
I can see myself sitting in my mom's Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme listening to this on a tape she had in her car and I thought it was the oddest thing that someone cut off a piece of someone else's ear.  To me, this is another classic that reminds me of my younger years.

Don't Stop Believing - Journey
I love, love, love Journey and this song may be trendy because it has been used on Glee and The Sopranos, but I loved this song and owned a couple of CDs way before it become a hit again.  My niece told me that she downloaded it the other day - I am glad their music is getting introduced to hit another generation.

Lightning Crashes - Live
Don't know what it is about this song - but, I love it.  I think it just reminds me of high school.

3 AM - Matchbox Twenty
This was one of the first CDs that I owned where I could stomach listening to the whole thing.  This song (and the whole CD) was played a lot on I-45 in Texas when I was traveling between college and home.  I am pretty sure that Rebecca introduced me to Matchbox Twenty...so I love her for that (and for lots of other reasons too).

What It Takes - Aerosmith
Such great memories flood back around this song.  Leslie Bambeck and I would sing this song constantly during one particular summer while playing softball, swimming or pretty much any other activity.

I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
I could dance all day and all night to this song - it just puts me in that kind of mood.  Just ask Tony, I have danced myself to sleep listening to this song and got up dancing the next morning.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band
I mentioned last week that I love fiddle players - well, here you go - this song was the start of that love.

Lunchlady Land - Adam Sandler
"Sloppy Joe, slop, sloppy joe..."  Doesn't that make you laugh??  It makes me giggle that he can incorporate school lunches with the lunchlady's gum disease and gout.

The Chair - George Strait
Such a cheesy pick up line, but a perfect song!

The Walk - Sawyer Brown
I pretty much love anything that is patriotic/about the military and this song tells a great story.

All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow
This is another song that will make you want to roll all of the windows and sing at the top of your lungs. How could one resist??

Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Conner
She made abbreviating cool even way back in the early 90s.

Renegade - Styx
I owe this one to Frank Parker at Sam Houston State University - he was shocked that I had never really heard of Styx and Bread so he brought some CDs to work - and I feel in love with Styx.

Angus Dei/Worthy - Third Day
This is my all-time favorite Christian song - simple, but awesome!


Maybe this list will inspire you to go in iTunes and buy some music - and heck, since most of them are old songs, you would only have to pay $0.99/song instead of $1.29/song.

I would love to know some of your favorites too.

Toodles!

Jillian Michaels is Kicking My Butt

Howdy Ya'll!

Holy Moly - Jillian Michaels may be the devil.  She may not look like the devil - but, trust me she is!

Laura and I started the Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred 9 days ago...and I was already getting bored with doing the same ole workout over and over again so I decided to use these other Jillian Michael DVDs.  Seriously, they were so much harder than the 30-Day Shred - I bought them several years ago and had never really done them before.

Yesterday, I finished the Shape Up Backside and today was the Shape Up Front...for a beginner like me, they were a serious workout.  But, I do like them...and I like how this set comes with 5 different workouts, plus I have the 30-Day Shred to mix in as well.

I will keep you guys up to date - but, I would like to give a shout out again to my motivation partner, Laura.  I feel so guilty when she works out before me for the day - and the guilt continues until I get finished for the day.  I even woke up at 4:45 am on my birthday, which was a SATURDAY, just to get my daily torture from Jillian Michaels because I wasn't going to have any other time in the day.  Hopefully, the motivation sticks.

I am going to go pass out now.

Toodles!

Catching Up

Howdy Ya'll!

I spent yesterday catching up - I haven't printed a single picture in about a year and a half - so, I uploaded about 3,000 pictures to Walmart.com.  It was fun looking at all of the pictures from all of the trips we have taken in the time frame which has included a couple of trips to New York City and Nashville, quick weekend trips to Dallas and Oklahoma City, longer weekend trips to Las Vegas and Chicago and of course, a trip to Walt Disney World!

So, I decided to take you down memory lane and share some of my favorite photos along the way.

December 2008 - Memphis, TN - Taken from the window of my car while driving down the street.  This is where Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash got their start! (Sun Records)

March 2009 - My Dad's Surprise 60th Birthday Party

April 2009 - Tony and I in the Sofitel Hotel in New York City before going to see The Lion King.  Amazing Show!

May 2009 - Memorial Day Weekend at my mom and dad's with one of the best friends a girl could ask for.

July 2009 - Walt Disney World - My favorite place on earth.  When I die, please bury my at The Magic Kingdom.

September 2009 - Chicago, IL - A high school girl's trip to see P!nk!  She was fantastic!!

September 2009 - Oklahoma City at the Skirvin Hotel - I made Tony lay in this chair and act like he was on the phone.

September 2009 - The State Fair of Texas with my family.  Note that I traveled three weekends in a row...fun, but tiring!

December 2009 - Big XII Championship Game

December 2009 - I took my niece, Hailey, to Dallas to the American Girl Cafe and to see 101 Dalmatians the play for her birthday.

December 2009 - Tony taunting our niece, Anne Grace, while we were in Nashville visiting family for Christmas.

January 2010 - Tony and I in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace.

February 2010 - My family game to visit and we took them to the Aquarium in Tulsa, OK.

April 2010 - My bestie Laura and I took our first of many trips to New York City together and here we are with the hosts of Good Morning America.

May 2010 - Laura, Tabby Cat and I in Texas for a wedding.  We had a blast!

All of these pictures tell me a few things:

• I LOVE to travel.
• I am blessed to be able to travel.
• I have lots and lots and lots of scrapbooking to do.
• I have been home for a few weeks and I am itching to travel.  Glad we have a quick trip to Dallas coming up soon.

This summer we will also be going to Hilton Head Island (and Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC too) - so if you have been to any of those places and want to give me some tips, please send them my way!  This is the last trip that we have planned for quite a while for a couple of reasons - 1) I must save my vacation time for the baby.  Walmart only gives me 2 week leave for adopting so the rest of my time off will be my vacation and 2) we have to save money for the baby.  It is totally worth giving up the travel to be able to care for and raise a child for the next 18 or so years.

Hope you had a great time going down Memory Lane with me.

Toodles!

The Story of a Cupcake

Howdy Ya'll!

I know you are tired of me talking about the Shareholder's Meeting - so I will just give you a few pics and details and then get to the funny business.  So, for the cliff notes version of the meeting - Jamie Foxx hosted, lots of artists performed, business was conducted, and fun was had.

The opening number of the Shareholders Meeting

Jamie Foxx emceed the show - as well as sang.

Enrique was there too...and he is still hot.

Hey look - it's Mr. Rollback from the commercials.

Billions of dollars of wealth right there between these three Walton offspring

Then, out pops Mary J. Blige

As always, the American Idol winner was there - Lee DeWyze

Mariah was there - and we were looking for a baby bump.

Josh Groban closed out the show.

Now, onto the funny stuff.  After the Shareholders meeting today - Rhonda meet Laura and I at Mimi's Cafe for brunch because it is one of our favorite breakfast places...yummy for my tummy!

As soon as Rhonda shows up, she said, "This day has gone from bad to worse."  I asked her why - and she went into the story of the cupcake (but, before I share it, I feel like I have to give you the back story).

There is a place in town called The Green Bean that we love.  But, when I tell you that we love it, we really only love the food.  The place is small and cramped, the line is usually out the door, the service is slow and the lady that owns it (we think) is super flighty!  However, the wonderful salads keep us coming back for more and more.  

Rhonda and Kelly always raved about this carrot cake they had there - but every time we went in, it was never on the rotating menu.  A few weeks ago, Rhonda called up to The Green Bean to ask if they would make a carrot cake to put on the menu the following day and the flighty lady said absolutely.  It got mine, Rhonda's and Laura's mouth watering for the goodness we had heard (and Rhonda had experienced) about.

However, we got there the next day - and NO CARROT CAKE!  Seriously, nothing, nada, zilch.  The flighty lady let us down.  We opted for the Banana Bread instead (which is tasty), but we longed for the Carrot Cake.

So, fast forward to today, and we will start off with Rhonda saying the day has gone "from bad to worse."  I asked why it was so bad - and she stated that as a surprise for my birthday she was going to order a whole carrot cake from The Green Bean.  She called this week, got it all ordered, told the flighty lady she would pick it up at 11 so she could meet Laura and I after the Shareholder's Meeting at Mimis.

At 10:35 am this morning, flighty lady calls Rhonda to explain that the ovens have been backed up and she won't be able to have the carrot cake ready for another couple of hours.  Rhonda told her that it was unacceptable because she was needing it for a "party" (our lunch) at 11.  She told her that instead she would make cupcakes because it wouldn't take as long in the oven.  And, she told her that she would have them done at 11:30 and would call her.

Guess what - flighty lady never called.  We ate lunch and wrapped up a little after noon - and Rhonda decided to make a pit stop by The Green Bean to see if the cupcakes were ready.  Much to our surprise, flighty lady actually had them finished - but, failed to pick up the phone to tell Rhonda.

One more thing to mention about The Green Bean is that they are very "granola"...that is my term for Green or Sustainable.  She doesn't use plastic, styrofoam, etc which is great, but she also doesn't have a way to give her customers take out food.  She gave Rhonda the cupcakes on a ceramic platter with nothing covering them - and told her to bring the platter back when finished.  Just odd.

I shared the cupcakes at work - and brought home these for on a styrofoam plate that I had at the office - again no cover.

However, I will say that the cupcakes where super, super tasty - and even with all the lady's flighty-ness I will eat at The Green Bean again because I love the food so much.  If you have good patience, try it out.

Toodles!