Snow Day 2010

It actually snowed in East Texas! I'm used to it snowing, but never ever does it stick. Well, until Thursday night...

I knew there was a chance for snow. I was expecting the usual rain/snow mix that just looks pretty falling. Justin was out of town, so I was in my warm apartment watching a chick flick. After the movie I noticed there were a lot of voices coming from outside. I looked out and it was snowing! REALLY snowing!!


So naturally I get Mandi leashed up and go outside with everyone else. I learned very fast that it was dangerous to have Mandi outside with it as slippery as it was, so I put her back inside the apartment.

There were neighbors I've never met and children I never knew our complex had outside. Everyone was enjoying the snow in their own way with their own friends/family.

I admit, I was very sad Justin wasn't here to enjoy the snow with me. I know he hates to be wet and cold, but I love to experience "firsts" with him. Well, this *was* my first time to play in the snow so I wasn't going to let Justin's absence get me down! I decided to build a snowman.

Wow, it is kind of hard to build a snowman! That or I just lack the necessary skills. I tried to observe others' techniques, but they were able to gather snow 2x or 3x as fast as me. I had my mixing bowl and pink gloves on and gathered as much as I could.


Do you like him? Does he resemble a snowman in the least? He has a blank face because I couldn't stick the baby carrot in without his head falling off and the blueberries I had wouldn't stay in. I had to go back in because I was *freezing* and the snow had turned into rain. Yuck. I knew for sure the snow would be gone the next day.

Wrong again! While I was asleep it snowed more. I peeked out the window Friday morning to see this beautiful snowy day. I put my robe and my gorilla slippers on and let Mandi run around outside. My boss even called and said that I could have a Snow Day!


My Snow Day was wonderful! I played with Mandi outside for a while, opened the blinds to see the beautiful snow all day, and even made cinnamon snow cream! Now Justin can't give me a hard time for having our snowman wreath up in February--it snowed for Pete's sake!

A New Lifestyle

For a while now, I've been trying to change our lifestyle a bit towards the healthier side. My family has a history of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, so I really want to stay as healthy as I possibly can. I've never fooled myself into believing I could change everything all at once, but I feel like every baby step counts towards something.

Here's what I've (we've) accomplished so far:

-We have changed our diet. If you only knew how picky my husband is, this would surprise you! We have fully switched to ground turkey in place of ground beef. I just recently worked in whole wheat flour and hope to stick with it. I've been making a fruit smoothie every morning and eating veggies for snacks. We have slowly transformed our meals to healthier options. I'm proud of what we've done so far just because Justin is so picky!

-No Caffeinated Beverages...I'm the only one really trying to do this. No, I'm not saying I won't get a sweet tea from McDonald's every now and then, but I'm definitely trying to stick with water and Sprite Zero on most days! I want my energy to be real and not fake.

-Made ourselves more active. I'm not where I want to be regarding disciplined daily exercise. We have made a point though to be more active each day.

--THE GOAL--

I guess the main reason I'm putting this all down is because I want to see my/our progress. Maybe now that it's out there I'll be more convinced to wake up each morning early enough to exercise. :) I really have a strong desire to live a healthier lifestyle. I know I'll feel and look better. Plus, it's good to change our lifestyle now rather than when we have children who are used to eating one way and having to change it all around.

Filling in the Holes

I've noticed that most of my posts have been "updates". Just a list of things to document the events of my life that I've never filled you in on. I do this because I can't stand to have holes in my blog. I don't want to revisit this blog later in life only to wonder what happened in between "this" and "that".

In the last post, I filled you in on what happened during 2009. Guess what--I still have holes! This is February 2010, which means I now must update you on January. You'd be surprised at how much has changed!

Work...

I'm still the Assistant to Benefits at my company. I've learned the skills for the job and am no longer the "new person". Well, I'm still a new face, but I don't feel as though it is holding me back.

I've had many new opportunities through work. I am assisting our Corporate Trainer with leadership development which has been an amazing learning experience. I am also on a Wellness Committee which has given me a chance to get to know other leaders.

Teaching...

I still want to teach one day. Up until recently I had only one more test to take before getting into the PBIC program. Unfortunately, laws change too quickly and my 4-8 English/Language Arts/Reading certification is obsolete. *sigh* I have to be a generalist now which means I have to take a completely different test than I already took. Back to square one...

The good news is now I have no excuse, but to be certified in the level I want to be. (EC-6 Generalist) I was originally going the easier route.

Justin...

I'm not sure if you've heard, but Justin is now in a band called Clairmont. We've been traveling with them quite a bit lately and it was just announced that Justin is their drummer! You can read more about that here.

With this comes a lot of change. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for *THAT* update. :)

2009

Whoa! It's been awhile. Well, a year to be exact and we all know how
much can change in a year. So, in order to avoid making 2009 the
"forgotten year", I've decided to copy others' posts and make a list.

Ladies and gentlemen, 2009:

January:
My first month away from Anchor Radiology in two years. The job search
was on! I almost got a job as a surgery secretary, but they weren't
impressed with my longevity. Instead, I started my job as a front desk
receptionist at my in-laws' office! I started the daily commute from
Nac to Lufkin.

February:
We bought our first car in our very own name. (silver 2008 Honda Fit)
Justin was gone for gigs and I was home with Mandi watching gushy
romance movies.

March:
I graduated from Thomas Edison State College!

April:
This month was full of eye doctor visits for Justin and gigs. In
other words, we traveled a lot! Justin's family also hosted a
graduation party for me! I attempted to grow a tomato plant and
failed miserably. Justin went to a family reunion with me for the
first time.

The Blurr:
So, I'm debating whether this happened in April or May...it was all
one stressful blurr! We were in a wreck on the way home from the
Melton's house. The driver was intoxicated and our new car was
totaled! We walked away with just a few burns and bruises.

May:
We got our brand new car...again (red 2009 Honda Fit). Justin went to
see a specialist in Houston to hopefully find out why his vision is
decreasing. We learned there was very little that could be done.

June:
Justin and I went to the Texas Blueberry Festival for the first time!
There were many Justin-less days this month while he was on gigs.

July:
At the beginning of the month I was a bachelorette while Justin was on
a gig. I seriously searched for a job in Nacogdoches. I found out
that it would be easier to get in the PBIC teaching certification
program than I thought!

August:
I quit my job with the in-laws and started my new job as a Benefits
Assistant. Back in Nac! Justin and I also celebrated our 2nd Wedding
Anniversary with a weekend in Dallas. Unfortunately, it rained a lot.

September:
I fought the frustrations of being the "new girl" at work, cleaned the
house a lot, made homemade pizza and cinnamon rolls for the first
time, and accompanied Justin on a few gigs.

October:
We purchased our season passes to Six Flags, went to a U2 concert,
spent a lot of time on the road, studied for my Texes exam, and
survived massive amounts of rain.

November:
After weeks of studying I took the 4-8 English/Language Arts/Reading
Texes exam...and passed! On my way to being certified to teach!

December:
Justin graduated from SFA!!! This will be the first time in our entire
relationship that neither of us are in college. Weird.