Caramelly Delighted But No Longer Thin...Mint

I have declared war on the Girl Scouts of America. Just so you know.

Hey, how are you? Did you have a good weekend? Seriously, let me know!

And have you met my sister, JoAnna?

Friends, Joanna. Joanna, friends. Now you're acquainted.

She visited over the weekend. Joey was out of town so it was the perfect time for a girls' weekend full of fun. I love having my sister here. We're different as night and day, but there's still a similarity in our difference, if that makes sense. You know what's funny? I didn't tell Jo this, but I looked over at her during church and noticed we were doing the exact same pose with our hands. Weird.

I wish I would have documented everything through pictures, but alas.

There was this:

Margherita Pizza - my fav-or-rite

And way too much of this:

If you weren't just girls, we would come to blows. A bunch of Health Wreckers!

And we watched:

Our review? It was meh. I guess we like our Shakespeare a little more traditional.

The next day we did a TON of this:

We had this for dinner:

Don't they make THE best sweet potato fries? I actually feel sorry for the regular fries. I bet they don't get much lovin'. They're like the original sister who got passed over by the step-sister.

The next day we:

All washed down with:

And then I went to an afternoon's Body Pump class as a form of penance.

Those Girl Scouts have been wrecking my healthy eating resolve for years. We definitely have history. I did not eat a scout's worth of cookies this weekend, but rather the whole troop's. Jo did a much better job of resisting the temptation.

I think I worked off about 1 Caramel Delight and 2.5 Thin Mints. Delight, yes. Thin, no.

In other news, guess who made dinner and brought these home for me today?

Yeah, he's pretty great.

Our Night at the Oscars

Alright, I know you're just dying for me to weigh in on my fashion picks from the Oscars last night. It's just that I couldn't reveal my favorites until after I spoke with E.T. and People Magazine who were also dying to know my opinion.

Joey and I had a lovely evening of making dinner and watching the Oscars while playing Words with Friends against each other. We will probably being doing something similar at age 80. I don't know, maybe it will be Bingo on our iPhone 54G's.

These were hands down my favorites and there was a pretty big spread between those that I liked and those that weren't on my list.

Cameron Diaz

Gwyneth Paltrow

(Minus the cape. What is that about? A little too Star Trek for my taste. In fact, I'm talking myself out of like this longer I look at it.)

Emma Stone

Michelle Williams

And someone, please feel sorry for J. Lo. I mean, maybe the dress choice does open you up to such possibilities and yes, maybe it's a miracle that this hasn't happened before - but it's still on international TV. It's certainly mortifying to be stuck in a windy rainstorm with a white skirt with a few elderly women looking on in a parking lot, let alone unknowingly exposing yourself to all seven continents. That skirt hasn't made it off the hanger since.

One more thing, Octavia Spencer. Don't you just love-love her?

The Meanest Lady You Ever Met

I met her today. The lady in customer service who is so rude that she just makes you want to forsake whatever it is you came in for just so you don't have to interact with her. Like the Grinch, a heart that seems three sizes too small if you know what I mean.

When I walked in the door she was yelling at a customer over the phone in a voice ragged with decades of cigarette smoke. She wore Wranglers and hiking boots. It was obvious that she was annoyed with the customer and licked a fingertip as she thumbed through her scheduling book pointing out in sharp words why the request just wasn't possible. Her face was weathered with wrinkles.

There was one thing that seemed out of place. Her hair. It was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was the color of honey and hung about in soft waves at her shoulders. Not one gray hair. It was the hair of Loreal commercials.

As the yelling progressed, I began to wonder if what I came in for was really worth the abuse. About the time that I had located all the emergency exits in the room, she hung up the phone. Expecting her to turn to me, I steeled myself up to be all business. Instead, she didn't even look at me and went through swinging doors into the back room. Did she not see me?

I waited a minute or two, deciding whether or not I dare "ring the bell for customer service" when the swinging doors opened. "Yeah?" - not really even looking at me. I told her I had an order to pick up. She handed me a clipboard and gruffly told me to fill out the information. No small talk. She brought out my order with no words and shoved it at me with eyes on her papers the whole time.

We stood there as she ran my card in silence. "Sign here."

I don't know what I was thinking after the customer slaughter I saw moments ago, but I couldn't help myself. I let it slip. " You have the most beautiful hair!"

That was the first time she looked at me.

And she smiled. It was an unexpectedly beautiful smile. She said thank you and explained to me that she just returned from the beauty shop. She doesn't normally have her friend do much to her hair, but this time she wanted her to make it beautiful.

She starts chemo this week.

That changed my day. Probably my week. And I hope the way I view and react to people from now on. You never know what's behind the rude. Lord, thank you for the reminder!

And if you will, please say a prayer for the lady with the beautiful hair.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I've never really believe that statement. How about you?

Our internet has been pretty spotty and AT&T can't seem to figure out what's up.

The story goes like this: They send a guy out. We explain the situation and tell him that no one else has been able to fix it. Thirty minutes later he comes back in, puffs out his chest and says that he has fixed the unsolvable problem. The euphoria in the room is palpable. He leaves our house feeling on top of the world and is now looking into solutions for world peace, hunger and why they just don't build houses like they used to.

Meanwhile, our internet goes down the next day. And repeat.

We keep saying that's it - we've had it - but...we're still with AT&T. We really like U-verse. Oh wait, now our DVR is not working. I forgot about that. You shouldn't get AT&T. Joey and I suffer from some sort of disorder.

~

There's not a lot to update you on as Joey and I are still mentally in December.

I wish I could say that my reasons are because I believe that Jesus shouldn't be celebrated just once per year which is true, but alas. I also wish I could tell you that my Christmas tree stand isn't right outside my front door. Or that the garland isn't wadded up in the dining room.

We may be a little behind, but next year around December 1st you'll be wishing you were us.

~

Things have been a little crazy around here. Joey tore his pectoral muscle about a month ago. He was doing a chest press and the muscle and tendon snapped from the bone of the bicep and curled up in his chest. Yipes, right?

While in the hospital, the only thing he would allow me to take a picture of were his hospital booties:

He had surgery a little over two weeks ago. He is currently bonding with a sling, who I believe should be given a name. Although I would never wish this to have happened to him, I will say I kind of like helping him with stuff. Usually it's the other way around - him lifting things for me. While that's nice too, there's something sweet about this time. I think he's ready for this season to be over. He's now prohibited me from singing Lean on Me.

~

In other news, did you watch the season finale of Downton Abbey? What did you think? My immersion in Downton Abbey has gotten so bad that I heard a friend of mine was sick and immediately my mind went to the friend that I had lost just last week from the Spanish Flu. This is similar to a problem I had while reading the Hunger Games. I kept thinking everything was caused from an uprising in one of the other districts. Sheesh. When I go there - I go there.

At the end of the finale they showed several interviews with the cast members. Here's what I have decided, we all should go back to wearing our hair and dressing like they did in the 1920's. The actresses were much more beautiful wearing the fashions then, than those now. I was not prepared to think this, but there it is. Granted, they have stylists, makeup artists, etc.

~

I am also excited to have started a Bible study with some of the ladies at my church. We're studying the fruit of the Spirit. The women that are in this group are fantastic and I have enjoyed getting to know each one of them. One of the reasons I love our church is that it's small enough that we're able to mix with people from all walks of life. I'm super excited to see what God has in store for us over the semester.

My sweet husband just got home from a movie, so I'm going to let you go. You know I love him, right? This is exactly why I'm only going to sing Lean On Me internally only.

The Flash

My husband is not as he says, "a flashy kind of shoes guy".

And yet...

There are his pair of frog shoes, as I call them:

His lime green could be used to signal in airplane on the runway shoes:

And his most recent pair, the Minimus in highlighter yellow and black:

Should we tell him?

Just keep saying it, I'm not a flashy shoes guy, I'm not a flashy shoes guy, I'm not a flashy shoes guy...

Of Germs & Thieves & Pinky Toes

Last night was the first night since last Friday that I have gotten a good night's sleep. This is about the time that I managed to get the first sinus infection that I've had a LONG time. I don't know if it was all the holiday travel or the fact that everyone at my office has been sick over the past month, but my normally strong immune system must have fallen pray to a germ sneak attack.

Anyway, all this to say, it's a good thing I was able to rest up because I was woken up super early to Joey telling me that someone had broken into La Fonda the Honda. In our driveway. In Cinco Ranch.

They stole his laptop. Which normally he doesn't leave in his car except that his routine was thrown off yesterday and instead of carrying his briefcase inside with him he brought in his gym bag in first because he went straight from work to the gym which also isn't normally the case. It's a a story of which's and because's and all adds up to something similar to the germ sneak attack.

So today kind of started out tough.

It did get better though! Because it is supposed to super cold tonight, I decided making a soup for dinner was a must. Anything better than chicken and rice soup on a cold night?

An aside: Today I was wearing my Never-Wear-to-the-Grocery-Store heels. Where did I find myself? The grocery store. Soup, remember? Painful trip. Good thing the shopping cart also double as a walker. They should make throw away flip flops similar to those at the salon for such occasions. Check your heels at the door.

Along with suggestions, pimentos should be next to the olives. They're actually IN olives. Peas are next to carrots. It's only logical that pimentos and olives be neighbors on the grocery aisle.That's all I have to say. I may have lost two pinky toes in my condition due to a quest for said pimentos.

In other news, I found out that Joey doesn't like "red things" in soup. He's had a hard day so I made soup sans red things and didn't mention the those pinky who made sacrifices for the other 'tos.

They say you don't need pinky toes anyway.

Moves Like Jogger

I love the episode of Friends where Phoebe exhibits her running moves. Maybe second to Ross and the leather pants episode as far as favorites go.

One thing I'm trying to work on in 2012 is exercising on a more regular basis. I like to think of original ideas when it comes to New Year's resolutions - you know, really think outside the box. Alright, so along with everyone and their dog I'm trying to get back to the gym. P.S. Please do not bring your dog to the gym - maybe just for a run around the block.

Figuratively, I fell of the treadmill back in October when Joey and I were one weekend of traveling away from being included in the Nomadic people group.

[An aside: In all seriousness though I do know someone who fell off a treadmill and sustained pretty bad injuries. Ouch. This is in fact why I will only run on solid ground and stick to the elliptical at the gym. Treadmill softly my friends. You've been warned.]

I really want to start running, but I have never been a runner. Can't stand it in fact. Before boredom sets in at about minute 6, I'll be doing good thinking - I got this, I can be one of those people - a Runner.

You know, Runners say things like "Oh, I've gotta go get my run in today. Hoping to shave five minutes off my time. Gotta get ready for The Boston coming up in May. Scheduled a few half-marathons in the meantime to keep me on my toes."

OK, I will NEVER be one of those people. Let's be honest. Those people blister and sacrifice toe nails to run. There are a handful of things in this world in which I would sacrifice a toe nail. If being a Runner obligates flesh wounds - I'm out.

Here's the kind of runner I want to be:

1. Finds running refreshing and clears my mind.
2. 3 days a week
3. 5K wouldn't leave me home bound for the rest of the week
4. Wears cute running gear. (so important)
5. A toned one

For inspiration I bought this pair of running shoes for Christmas:

Cute, huh? It's amazing what a new pair of shoes can do for one's mental state. They don't know how much inspirational weight they need to bring to the table. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes. Or would I?

Things I've learned so far:

1. Don't overdress. Particularly fleece.
2. iPod must be ready and loaded or boredom quickly ensues
3. One should not run around the neighborhood during dinner time. You just end up hungry. Tacos across the street, Indian at the corner, steak the next block over, etc. On second thought, if I always end at the house with the curry, my appetite will probably be suppressed. Note to self.

If you have any tips to help me get them moves like Jogger, please share!