Dumb Move of the Day

On Tuesday, my low gas indicator dinged. Normally I can travel 60 more miles after I hear the ding. Due to the fact we were closed yesterday because of ice, I hadn't driven anywhere since then. So...I decided to try to make it to work this morning without filling up. As I'm sure you've already guessed, I didn't make it to work. About 1/2 mile from work my car started sputtering and died. Thankfully I was in the right lane and was able to pull over. The only bad thing was that I was at an on-ramp and rush-hour traffic was in full swing. I called my friend Janie and she had a guy from work come get me. He took me to a gas station where I bought a gas can. On the way outside, a man asked if we needed gas. He said he had a full gas-can in the back of his truck. When we told him my car wasn't at the gas station he said he would follow us as long as it wasn't too far away. The very nice man followed us to my car, put gas in it, and stayed until he knew that my car was going to start. I thought that that was such a kind and thoughtful thing to do!

I have only run out of gas 1 other time in my life...in college...when I was broke. I had no excuses today.

Lesson learned.

Top Braces No More....

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this.

Remember this picture?

Guess what! No more top braces. I have some stubborn bottom teeth and will have to wear my bottom braces for another 3 months. Oh well...

I've tried to post several times lately, but Blogger hasn't been letting me upload pictures.

I'll try to get caught up soon!

Mexico

Thanks to my friends Yolanda and Chris, I got to spend the week after Christmas in Mexico! This was the first time that I had been to Mexico for more than just an afternoon. When I was younger, we lived really close to the border and would go to the market every once in awhile. All in all, I ended up being in Mexico for 7 days. Yolanda's family is from Zaragoza, a town about an hour past the border in Eagle Pass. Her parents have a house in the States and in Zaragoza so we were able to stay there. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Front of the house

Zoey in front of the door

Yolanda's Godmother making homemade tamales

Me with Yolanda's Grandparents

Chris and Yolanda

Two cute little kids at our New Year's Day Party

Look at my little piece of the wishbone. I think I got the short end of the stick.

Zoey and me on the American side of the border

Letter to Lefty (aka, my Isotoner glove)

Dear Lefty,

Last night, I decided to remove you and Righty so that I could easily punch in the numbers at the ATM. The one thing I forgot, however, was to put you back on. You and Righty were sitting on my lap when I decided to get out of the car, forgetting that you were there. As I walked in the apt. last night, I realized you both were missing. Part of me wanted to go back and look for you. The other part wanted to stay in the warmth of the apt. So...I forgot about you and Righty until I got in the car this afternoon. Guess what I found!! Righty...but no Lefty. In a panic, I mentioned to my friend that you were missing. What was I to do?? She quickly commented that you were probably lying on the ground, out in the cold, and had probably been run over several times. Because I could not bear the thought of abandoning you, I returned to the restaurant. As I rounded the corner, I held my breath and....there you were!!! I quickly picked you up off the ground and gently laid you on the floorboard. I promise to have you looking as good as new.

As a reminder, here's what you looked like when I picked you up...

I promise to never let it happen again.

Sincerely,
Your Owner

Goodies

Since I have eaten more than my weight in goodies these last two weeks, I thought I'd share a yummy recipe...

Easy Cheese Blintzes
Must be Frozen

1 Loaf Thin-Sliced white sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
5 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream egg yolk, 1/4 cup sugar, and cream cheese. Set aside. Mix cinnamon and the 1 cup of sugar. Set aside. Roll one slice of bread at a time with rolling pin until fairly flat. Spread cream cheese mixture over bread and roll jelly-roll fashion. Dip in melted butter, roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on wax-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze. Take out of freezer 1/2 hour before cooking. Thaw 15 minutes, then cut in half. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Makes about 40.

Helpful Hints:
Suggested Assembly Order:
Make cream cheese mixture.
Mix sugar and cinnamon.
Cut the crusts off all bread.
Flatten all the bread.
Spread the slices out across counter top.
Spread cream cheese on all of the flattened slices.
Roll all of the bread jelly-roll style.
Dip in butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place on wax-paper lined cookie sheet.
Place in freezer until 1/2 hour before baking.

This helps the process go quickly and prevents your hands from getting the bread gooey with the cinnamon sugar.

This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and keep in your freezer. It is easy to take out a few or several and bake on a moment's notice for family or friends.

The Shack

As I was walking through Wal-Mart the other day looking for a book to buy, I came across The Shack. I have heard several people say they loved the book and that they couldn't put it down once they started reading it. As a result, I bought it. I must admit...I'm 112 pages into the book and I'm not sure I like it. The plot seems a little slow to me and to be honest, a little strange.

For those of you that have read the book and loved it, am I missing something??

Let Your Worries Go...

December 31st is the last day to vote on www.letyourworriesgo.com and help decide how The Northwestern Mutual Foundation (I work for Northwestern Mutual) will distribute $1 million to four important organizations: Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America and YMCA.

Currently, Health and Fitness (YMCA) has been selected 35,940 times. Illness (Susan G. Komen for the Cure) has been selected 33,198 times. Natural Disasters (Habitat for Humanity) has been selected 32,803 times. And Hunger (Feeding America) has been selected 23,324 times.

Even if you already cast your worry – and therefore your vote, you can do it again. And again. You can even participate on Facebook, using the application “Let Your Worries Go Vote.” Either way, you can let your worry go as many times as you like. You’ll help the cause that addresses your biggest worry receive as large a donation as possible.

PLEASE go to this website. It's fun, humorous, and you can vote without having to enter any personal information.

If you vote, please leave a comment below. How many chances do we get to help decide where $1,000,000 will be donated?

Happy Anniversary!

4 years ago today, Donny and I started dating.

Happy 4th Anniversary Donny!!

Coming Soon: Part 1:Inservice, Danny, and Lunch

Birthday and Thanksgiving

I had a great birthday this year, complete with lots of time with family and friends. The weekend before my birthday I went to Donny's. He used to take me shopping for my birthday, but I love surprises and have tried to hint to him that I'd much rather be surprised with my gifts (please read...I gave him a long list of things I wanted/needed for him to choose from). So...I got to his house and my gifts were waiting on his table. He got me these CUTE shoes:

All I told him was I needed a new pair of black heels and he picked these out on his own. He also got me a new charm for my charm bracelet:
He said he chose the basketball and hoop since we were basketball coaches when we met. I thought that was really thoughtful!____________________________________________

On Thanksgiving, I worked at The Retreat. We had a Thanksgiving buffet that was fit for a king. 85 of our members and their guests attended. Here are some pictures of the buffet and the table settings (this is only a portion of the food):

Central Market

Several of my coworkers and I love to eat at Central Market. It's great because everyone can get what they want and when the weather's nice, we can sit outside. We went today and I got one of my favorite meals.

My roommate, Ashley, introduced me to Philly Rolls last week. I had no idea they had cream cheese in them. Yum!! My mom's boyfriend introduced me to the Mexican Coke. It's Coke's version of the Dublin Dr. Pepper and it's made with pure cane sugar. I try not to drink regular cokes, but today I just couldn't resist.

I Knew She Should Have Picked Jason!!

Bachelorette Star DeAnna Pappas Calls Off Engagement

Milwaukee Take 7

Recently, I took my 7th trip to Milwaukee in two years. I had a blast the whole week, but the highlight definitely happened my last night there. 5 of us went out and returned to our hotel around 1 in the morning. For those of you who know me, that is WAY past my bedtime. As we arrived at the hotel we saw a cargo truck full of luggage being delivered. Inside, we saw three 8-foot tables with cookies and soft drinks on them. One of the guys in the group said, "Hey...I think the Brewers are staying here." At the time, the Brewers were still in the playoffs. As it turns out, the Phillies were staying there. We waited a little while to see if we could see any of them and sure enough, they started coming off of the elevator one by one. One of the guys walked by us with four suitcases. I jokingly told him I would help him with his luggage if he would take a picture with me. His response was..."No, I'm not taking a picture." Gee, thanks. They won that night too. You'd think he'd be willing to take a picture. There was no one around, in other words it wouldn't cause a frenzy of fans to want pictures and autographs.

Right after that, I decided I was tired and needed to get some rest. My room was on the 20th floor and on about the 10th floor, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Guess who got on...the same Phillies player that had denied me a picture. He started asking me where I was from and where I worked. Come to find out it was Shane Victorino.

All in all it was pretty cool to see the players and was a great end to my trip to Milwaukee.

Dream

On Sunday night, I dreamed about a friend of mine and her son. I dreamed I had gone to their house and played with her son. As I was leaving, my friend said, "Don't you want to give him a hug? It's his birthday." On Monday, I woke up and decided I needed to call my friend. We hadn't spoken in a couple of months, but are always able to pick up the phone and act like we've never been apart. I tried to call her on my way home from work, but wasn't able to reach her. When she called me back I asked her when her son's birthday was. It was on Sunday. The day that I had the dream. I didn't know the exact date of her son's birthday. In my opinion, God was telling me to reach out to her in my dream. I'm so thankful I did because she has been going through trials and tribulations that I hope I never have to experience in my life. It's like something out of a movie. Please keep her in your prayers and the next time you dream about someone, call them. They just might need a listening ear.

Do You Know About This?

The information below is from the Texas Comptroller's office...

Unclaimed Property

State law requires the Texas Comptroller's office to hold abandoned and unclaimed property reported by businesses and financial institutions until its owners or their legal heirs claim it. The agency attempts to find the rightful owners of unclaimed properties through annual newspaper advertising, direct mail notices and the agency's Web site.

Go here to search for your name.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I won't have access to a computer until after my mom's birthday (Sunday), so I wanted to say Happy Birthday a little early!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Amazing!

See Emily's original post here. Then...

Watch this video.

Long OVERDUE!

I can’t believe it’s been a month and a half since my last post. Recently I have…
· Gone on my 6th trip to Milwaukee
· Gotten a new title – Technology Coach
· Moved offices
· Been to see Donny
· Started playing co-ed softball again

I realized when we got to the airport to go to Milwaukee that my cell phone was missing. I had left it in my car ,with the car unlocked, with my spare set of keys inside. Luckily one of my coworkers was able to get my phone and lock the door until I got home. I hate not having my phone, especially when I’m traveling so I went to the T-Mobile store and luckily, the man took pity on me. He had me buy a phone for $30 and told me I could return it before I went home. He was a lifesaver!

Here are some pictures from Milwaukee...

Amanda, Sarah, Me, Terry & Cliff

Me, Amanda, & Sarah

Cheeseheads

Amanda, Janie, Me, Mr. Bostick & Sarah

Amanda, Sarah, & Me

My Study Group

Rhonda, Me, Sarah, & Amanda

Miller Park (Just for you, Dad)

Sarah, Me, Rhonda, & Amanda

Amanda & Me

Up Next...Softball Stories...

Note to Self...

Do not get on an elevator after donating blood due to the overwhelming sense of needing to pass out.

I can't believe...

It's been well over a month since my last post. I have a lot to catch up on.

About a month ago, my grandma was going to her cardiologist appointment and was involved in a wreck. We don’t know exactly what happened because she apparently blacked out. The police report said she probably stopped at a stop sign, then continued without looking for cross-traffic. As a result, the other car was forced to hit her. Luckily, she didn’t receive a ticket, but she’s been in pretty bad pain. She broke her collar bone, is bruised down the whole left side of her body, sprained her ankle, and broke her pelvis. Home health care is taking care of her and she’s getting better everyday. Here are some pictures of her car.

After 4 years at Walnut Springs, Donny got a new job in Cuero, Texas. I am so happy for him, as he’s going from coaching at a 1A-Six-Man school to a 3A school. He’s going be the head basketball and golf coach, and an assistant football coach. Rebel, Donny’s parents and I all helped him move this weekend. While this is a very exciting move for Donny, we have decided to take a break for at least 6 months. We both want to make sure that we are meant to be married and think that this is the best way to find out. We’ve spent the last 2 years of our 3 ½ year relationship in a long-distance relationship. Before I even think about moving to Cuero, I have to make sure that there is a permanent commitment there from him. The greatest thing about Cuero is their mascot. They are the GOBBLERS! I love it. Check out their mascot!