The Happy List

Here starts an unusual post. A happy post. A happy list, to be exact. I'm going to share not one or two happy things with you, but TEN! A lovely friend in Baltimore shared a post like this a few weeks ago, and I'm going to do my best to create the 'warm, fuzzy feeling' I got when I read her list.
Here the requirements for The Happy List:
They can be memories or just general cool things that have happened. They can also be great life accomplishments too (ex. graduating college, giving birth, etc…).

Mine are in no particular order.
1. Cooking: I should change this to "cooking for others" because there's no sweeter feeling than making a meal for appreciative diners. Of course, I always have to preface it with a disclaimer, "Well, I hope it's tastes right...It's a new recipe and..."
2. Losing Weight: I never thought I needed to lose weight until my clothes didn't fit the way I wanted them to. That's when I knew I wasn't as healthy as I wanted to be. Also, I had to buy a larger size dress for a formal event, and was thrown for a loop. Now that I've been taking my health into my own hands and making MUCH better choices about eating and exercise, I feel SO good about my weight...and that it's going down! :)
3. Hot Tea on a Cool Day: Need I say more? There's just something about sipping tea and letting the steam bathe your face, while enjoying a cool day.
4. Jetta: Or, shall I say Hetta? (That's her name, and all.) I could not have been more proud of bringing home my first car that I had purchased, and had haggled all by myself. Yes, I've purchased all of my past cars, but I had never WORKED to get the priced I wanted. For me, this was a big accomplishment. Does that make me from Sherman?
5. MAC Makeup: I'm someone who takes pride in how I look, and I love the way makeup changes your appearance AND attitude. It just makes a girl feel good to wear some new eyeshadow that compliments her natural eye color. You know you look your best.
6. Winning the APO Presidential Election: It's weird to look back on things in your life you consider accomplishments, because it may pale in comparison to more recent ones. That being said, when I ran for President of my Alpha Phi Omega chapter at Texas Tech, I never wanted anything more. I was running against a more than qualified opponent, and knew I'd have to step up my game to beat him. When all was said and done, I was overwhelmed with the confidence the voters had in me. I won! It was a hard semester, but I'm so thankful I was able to serve as a leader.
7. Doing Something For Others: I talked about this before, but it's a small accomplishment for me each time I am able to help someone else personally. I remember the first time I chose to volunteer. I folded baby clothes for the Pregnancy Care Center, and helped young women 'shop' for their newborn. It was fulfilling, and empowering at the same time. I could make a difference in someone else's life! Other service projects over the years has reaffirmed what this first one taught me.
8. Drive-In Movies: Cramming several of your friend into a small sedan, turning up the AM radio station with the movie's audio, and munching on homemade treats. Recipe for a deliciously fun night.
9. Graduation: I knew it would happen one day, but didn't really see it coming until it was right in my face. Such a bittersweet time.
10. My Third Anniversary with Husband: I could have written "Marrying Husband" instead of our third anniversary, but I think the anniversary means more. We've been through a lot in 2011, and I feel like we're more understanding of each other. Now I know what experienced folks mean by "You never really know someone until you marry them." They weren't talking about laundry habits (or lack thereof)!

What will make it onto your list?

Busy Weekend!

The holiday season is in full swing, mainly noted by all of the money we've been having to spend (Gifts, Food, Travel, etc.) This past weekend has been fun, but I'm not going to be able to write about the second or third parts of our San Francisco trip. Maybe with my time off?

Friday evening, Amanda and Martie (my sister- and mother-in-law) came to eat dinner with us and stay the night. Roy (my father-in-law) joined us for dinner at La Duni at Northpark. We ate inside because of the rainy weather (I love their outdoor seating!).

The next morning was the 2010 Memory Walk, hosted by the Dallas chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. It was held at the Dallas Zoo, and was a pretty good time! The animals were out and about - the giraffes were especially friendly, and I was able to touch two of them a couple of times. It didn't rain, and the weather was clear and cool. Other than it being a little disorganized because of the way the routes were shaped, it was a great event.

Today I've been doing some catch-up on work (not nearly enough), and am about to get ready to head to Sherman. We're picking up some of our holiday decorations, as well as eating dinner with my side of the family for my Uncle's birthday.

What a weekend! We also made stops by Whole Foods, Nordstrom, Neuhaus Cafe and Daria Lane. I'm looking forward to getting through this week at work, and then enjoying Thanksgiving!

End Of July, Beginning of August

So, it's been a while since I last updated with a real post. Well, a week and a half at least. I've got a LOT to update!

As I mentioned in my last post, I bought Giada De Laurentiis' pasta & coffee from Target while it was on sale. I've tried both, and am prepared to give a review. I used the farfalle in my creamy saffron & shrimp recipe, and it turned out very nicely. I had read reviews that her pasta was going to be gummy and not a good toothsome pasta, but I didn't find that at all. It made a lovely addition because the saffron sauce clung to the ridges in the farfalle, something you wouldn't normally get with your generic bow tie pasta.

Also, her coffee isn't bad. We got the Extra Bold coffee, and even though it's already ground (I prefer whole bean coffee), it made a decent cup of joe.

This past weekend I decided I wanted to go camping. It was my first free weekend, and I wanted to use it for a vacation. So, I researched State Parks, and with Michael's suggestion, chose Tyler State Park. I had heard they had a bunch of rain the week before, so I thought it would be so hot there in the Piney Woods region of Texas. I thought wrong. It was still 98 degrees by the time the sun went down and had been down for hours. We got there, and pitched out tent with the remaining daylight.


Michael went into town because I had forgotten to pack the lantern, and we needed light to prepare dinner. While he was gone I got spooked because I was all alone in the dark. I took a field trip to the lighted bathrooms, and when Michael returned we drove back to the campsite. While I was gone, a raccoon broke into the cooler and ate all of our chocolate and started in on the onions and pepper. I think they went back to the chocolate. :) Anyway, I didn't sleep well that night (lay awake in the heat), and woke Michael up at 4am. He was fine with that.

We drove into Tyler, and waited for the Starbucks and donut shops to open. After getting an iced dirty soy chai latte(!), we got a few donuts and started to drive around Tyler, sipping and eating our treats. We watched the sun rise over downtown Tyler, and scouted out some antique/vintage stores to look at later. We drove by the famous Rose Gardens, which were obviously not at their peak. Still pretty, though.

Then we drove to Kilgore and went to the East Texas Oil Museum. (http://www.easttexasoilmuseum.com/)
It was fascinating! Michael, of course, is now in the oil and gas industry, so he hears about this stuff all day long. I, however, am reading books (The Big Rich by Bryan Burroughs - such an interesting read!) and trying to actively learn about Texas involvement in the beginning of the oil and natural gas boom.
I learned a lot and bought a t-shirt. It was a super interesting museum and I would recommend it to anyone traveling or in the area.

We drove back to Tyler and went to the place we had decided on for lunch - Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q!
Michael had heard nothing but amazing things about this barbecue place. He works with a few people that are from Tyler as well as people who do business in Tyler, and they all said he had to try it. They're only open from 7-10 and 11-2pm, Monday through Saturday. That's it. Or, until they run out of food. In fact, when we got in line, the first thing the pit master said was, "They're in luck. We still have some left." We got there at 11:02am.

As I always do at barbecue places, I ordered ribs. Michael ordered the 4-meat plate with sausage, pulled pork, smoked turkey and brisket. We had every meat represented. I even remembered to take pictures!
It was all very good, but entirely too sweet for me.

They used brown sugar in their rub and sauce. Obviously, Sweet-Tooth-Michael loved it to bits. I like a more smokey, vinegary, peppery sauce. The rub I could care less about, as long as it has some spice and color. I want some singed pieces! Anyway, it was good, but it still doesn't beat a Baker's rib.

Later we shopped around downtown Tyler in their antique & vintage stores. We looked at a lot of interesting stuff, and I only let myself come away with one item: a brass owl.

We drove back to Dallas with smiles on our faces, and we will definitely be giving Tyler State park and the Piney Woods another shot this fall, winter or spring. Gorgeous!


On Monday, I started a new job with the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse in their Tobacco Prevention unit. I'll be doing public relations, promotions and city council advocacy for the GDCADA anti-tobacco coalition. I've only been there a week, but I've been really enjoying getting to know the awesome people at The Council. I'll write more on this later.


I'm hoping tonight we will get to go see Inception. I've been hearing a ton about it, and I finally have a free evening to go see it.

Tomorrow morning, I want to go to the Four Season's Market in Addison. It's a European-style market, and is outdoors. It opens at 10 tomorrow, but they have it today as well. (http://www.fourseasonsmarkets.com/?sct=events) I've been meaning to check it out, and have known about it for a while. One of my past coworkers works there selling Roundrock Honey (at the Firewheel market), but I haven't had a chance to go to one because of my past work schedule.

Later, I want to go to Sherman and check out the new Dean Gilbert Lake and Park area off of 1417. Maybe I'll pick us some Vitina's sandwiches up to sweeten the experience. :) I hear it's a nice park with a walking trail. We shall see.

For dinner, we'll be stopping by Martie and Roy's for Michael's grandpa's birthday celebration. She's making fish tacos. Yum!

That about sums up my weekend! I am so thankful that I actually have a weekend again!

Passed Away

Yesterday was a very sad day. A high school friend of mine, Charis Wacker, told me Bill Estes had passed away Friday. This is his obituary.


Now for mine.

Bill Estes passed away on Friday, March 26. Bill was a caring, funny, and genuine person, who loved to teach whether it be in the classroom or not.

He and his wife owned the Book Rack, where I held my first job - a book seller/stocker/reader. I held that job for more than 6 years. I am thankful for him for not only helping my buy my first car with my wages, but for teaching me about those pesky life lessons.

Among many other gifts, much-needed advice, and never-ending encouragement, Bill and his wife, Kay, threw me a graduation party at Kelly Square when I graduated from Sherman High School. That might mean something to people who live in Sherman. It was fabulous.

Bill was great. He was an amazing boss, and an even better friend. I, of course, will miss him.

I'm going to his funeral on Tuesday at 3pm. If anyone from the Dallas area would like to go, I would be happy to take them.

(http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heralddemocrat/obituary.aspx?n=bill-estes&pid=141254268 )