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we sing. we dance.
Tonight, Michael and I watched the top 15 dance show from So You Think You Can Dance. We also watched Glee. If you enjoy the performing arts, both these shows are a must for you.
When watching SYTYCD, I really went back to my dancing days. I always do when I watch that show. And I cry when I see that perfect combination of musicality, technique, grace and talent. There is just something about watching good art that causes me to well up. After this show, we watched Glee. We loved it! Michael was in show choir in his high school days, so it was right up his alley. I was in dance but also have always loved singing and being in choir at church, so this was also up my alley. It is so great and I highly recommend it…if nothing else for the music. Tonight the ‘glee club’ sang Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey–a favorite of Mikey’s. After that, we proceeded to have an at home karaoke session…great fun on a Wednesday night.
Having a love for and enjoying the performing arts is something I owe to my parents. I don’t tak about the much here for whatever reason, but both are extremely talented musicians. My dad plays cello/violin/conducts in his spare time. For his full time occupation, he is a violin maker. My mother is an extremely talented piano player. Though she hasn’t exercised this talent much of late, she made her way through college on the piano and taught private lessons for a good part of my childhood. She also played for her school’s choir (where she taught) and accomponied my flute solo competitions. Oh and did I mention that she is a dancer at heart? She loves dance as much as me and it’s something we share.
So I”m sentimental tonight, thinking of how lucky I am to have parents that not only exposed me to the arts my whole life, but also gave me opportunities to become educated in the arts and become a performer…and we all know that I am a performer!
Right now, I’m upstairs typing this and I can hear Michael singing along with Phil Collins (one of his favs). Just before this, he played Gene Kelly singing “Singing in the Rain” and I just have to let you know that this is one of my all time favorite movies–EVER. You can’t watch Gene Kelley without seeing his pure joy of singing and dancing and I can’t help but smile and tear up every time I see him. If you haven’t ever seen this movie, here is a glimpse…but rent it. You will NOT be disappointed.
Just For Fun
Lately, I have been taking pictures of dogs. Some people like flowers, windows or doors, but I love taking pictures of dogs! You know how your pooch has the adorable look that you just love? I want to capture those moments.
So we know I’m obsessed with my own babies. Looking through pics I found these great old ones of Kona when we first got her. Two and half weeks old and 2 lbs. So sweet.
Here is Skid…a super cute, super sweet mut. He belongs to Larry and Betty Olson.
And he’s not a dog, but precious none-the-less. Grant Dionne!
Tag
Tonya tagged me to do this a while ago and I haven’t. So now that I am clearly in a updating blog mood, i will go ahead and do this.
1. What time did you get up this morning? 7 am. Had to review my sunday school lesson before we went to youth group. at 9:15…I did take a long nap today though.
2. How do you like your steak? medium rare, though this is a newer taste for me. My dad always cooked them well-done for me when I was younger. I thought pink was bad.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Hangover with the Leivas. I wanted to see Harry Potter but Michael used his executive veto power. It was fun though to hang out with the Leivas.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Grey’s Anatomy, The Office, 30 Rock, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, Criminal Minds, 24, Deadliest Catch
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Um, probably some where East coast…Maybe not NYC (though I love it there) but Maine. Yeah Maine would be nice…right on the coast line.
6. What did you have for breakfast? A 90 calorie granola bar and a weight watchers one point yogurt thing. I was still hungry after! Starving this morning for some reason.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Almost anything Latin. Michael and I have been into Tapas and Paella lately.
8. What foods do you dislike? Sauerkraut, broccoli when its cooked, liver
9. Favorite Place to Eat? That’s a tough one-we really don’t go out to eat that often. We love Rioja and Dolce Vita. I also like Hungry’s and Ruggles and Picos…always Picos. Oh and La Bodega and Cafe Capri (both in College Station).
10. Favorite dressing? I love Greek dressing any time and on anything. I also like just plain olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Mazda 3- sparkly red (would you expect anything else?)
12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans are a must, although I don’t wear them as much lately. I love dresses (though I don’t have much) and a good pair of black pants for work. I like really tailored things and am always struggling with the wardrobe (see my previous post on clothing and style dilemma).
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Greece
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full…to a fault. I’m a dreamer!
15. Where would you want to retire? I definitely want a casita in Mexico. But probably don’t want to live there full time. I just have to be close to the water. I am a “Waters” but also an aquarius…have to have water…beach, lake or river…I’ll take any!
16. Favorite time of day? About 30 minutes after I wake up until about 10-11 am…that is when I am the most productive. I also like the time when Michael and I first get home from work and catch each other up on our days.
17. Where were you born? Salt Lake City, Utah
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Nascar…don’t judge me! I also can get into football.
19. Who do you think will not tag you back? You have to tag people back? Why? Doesn’t tag mean that you want them to do it? Why would Tonya have to do it again? I don’t get it.
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? Um, again with the tag back issue. If some one tagged me back, I would most definitely not do this quiz again…why would i answer the same questions twice?
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Next question.
22. Bird watcher? Um, not exactly. My Grammy used to have a bird book handy at all times. When we stayed with her in New Jersey or at the condo in New Hampshire, then we would try to ID the birds, but it’s not a typical activity for me.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning no matter what is going on. On the weekends though, Michael likes to sleep in. So I’ll often get up with the dogs for a bit and then get back in bed to read or nap until he gets up…unless he sleeps past 10, which has been known to happen on more than 100 occasions.
24. Do you have any pets? 2 dogs, Kona and Dixie, also known as The Girls. They are our babies. I love them both though Kona and I have a sort of special attachment…she took a lot of love and care when she was a puppy. We got her at about 2.5 weeks old, so I was like a mom, up with her every 2-3 hours, feeding her, taking her out, playing with her…it was a great effort, but I really enjoyed every minute of it. Now she is pretty attached to me though she adores Michael. And Dixie is just the sweetest dog you will ever meet. Seriously, she just wants love…
25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? Don’t think so. Michael is going to China in October. That is newsworthy I think.
26. What did you want to be when you were little? The Press Secretary of the United States. No kidding. I was always interested in public speaking and writing. I also wanted to be a professional dancer…a dream I chased hard until i was 18.
27. What is your best childhood memory? Probably “filming” cooking shows with my mom. I would set up the video camera and make dinner while my mother, also known as my assistant, would actually do all the cooking and cleaning. I would say things like, “And now my assistant is going to show you how you chop an onion. She will then wash the cutting board and knife.” 
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog. Not a cat fan at all.
29. Are you married? To Michael for just over 3 years. We’ll have been a couple for 8 years in April 2010.
30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes. And did you know that a new law goes into effect on September 1 that everyone in the car (even back seat passengers) have to be wearing a seatbelt? It’s true!
31. Been in a car accident? Just one. We got in a bad one last year a couple days before Thanksgiving. It was scary but I won’t go into details…you can see past blog posts for that.
32. Any pet peeves? Cups left around the house (though I have a few on my nightstand right now that need to be taken down to the kitchen), bra straps hanging out, when people have bad roots
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? pepporoni and jalapeno
34. Favorite Flower? I’ve always loved daisies. I also love hydrangeas and peonies, lillies and roses.
35. Favorite ice cream: Cookies and cream.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-fil-a
37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? None
38. From whom did you get your last email? Gabe and Stacy Neal
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, Nordstroms
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? I used black eyeshadow to create a “smokey” eye look…or at least tried to.
41. Like your job? I love my job!
42. Broccoli? Just raw, but even then, I could do without.
43. What was your favorite vacation? Playa del Carmen–Royal Hideaway
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Hubby–Annie’s Hamburgers for lunch after church today.
45. What are you listening to right now? The 10pm evening news.
46. What is your favorite color? Red and I’m liking bright pink these days…is leopard print a color?
47. How many tattoos do you have? one. Michael loves it
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? unanswered.
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 10:28pm I really need to go to bed now.
50. Coffee Drinker? Yes, but not every morning.
Ok, I tag Amy Dionne and Michael. But please don’t tag me back…i won’t do the quiz again.
NIGHTY NIGHT!
Another Manning Great
Ok, we know I love Peyton Manning right?
I think that whoever his agent is does a fantastic job at getting him in the right commercials for the right companies. You can’t beat these master card and sprint commercials:
And here’s his latest…another great!
Something to Talk About
Well, it is has been over a month since my last blog entry. I know I have often shared the woes of leading a busy life, but the month of August has probably been our busiest month this year…and I have a messy house to prove it. I’ve been so tired during the week and busy during the weekends, that I have let tidiness slip and slip. And now it seems overwhelming to clean! We will get there though. Fortunately, Labor day means a three day weekend for me and Michael. We have NO plans. And that is exciting because all of the things that have needed to get done on the house can now get done…hooray!
August started off with a “lock-in” at the church with the youth group and then going to the George Strait concert. We had a great time at both events. The next weekend was Jim and Carrie’s wedding. Michael was the best man in the wedding so was really involved in all of the festivities. Luke and Julie stayed with us that weekend too–it was great to catch up with them. The day after Jim’s wedding, we had an all day leadership training at the church for the youth group. It was fun, but we were so exhausted. The training ended at 7:30, we were home at ten till 8 and I was asleep by 8:30! The next weekend was another fun weekend! My company, Communications Plus, had a retreat in Austin to relax and play but also plan our vision for the future of our company. It was a great time, and relaxing, but again I as tired! Finally, this weekend Communications Plus celebrated 30 years of being in business. We had a fun party for clients, vendors and friends to celebrate. On top of all that, the building that we had been renting space in failed to pass some city inspections. So we found out last Tuesday that we had to move offices this weekend! It has been eventful to say the least. Tonya and I also made a quick run to College Station on Friday to meet with the Philadelphia Sisters officers (we’re on the alumni board), and we got to see the Neals and Megan and her baby Ella. So now you know why I haven’t been blogging!
On a totally different note…we’ve picked up on our training for the duathalon considerably this past week. The weather has turned slightly cooler/drier, so this week we are going to try to get up earlier and run in the mornings and then bike in the evenings. We still have until October 11 and we are feeling pretty good on our running and biking lately. I really hit some kind of running wall for a while and just couldn’t get through it! I was waking up in the mornings and taking the dogs with me. Which is good, but kind of a feat. They run really well for the most part, but Kona is slow and Dixie is a roamer…she’ll trip you up because she kind of zig-zags her path. So the running was really difficult with them! This past week though, Michael and I have been running together sans dogs, so it has been so much easier. I never really realized how much extra energy I used when running with the girls…having your hands free is much much easier. We don’t live in a bad neighborhood by any means, but just for safety, if I’m running by myself, Michael likes me to take Kona with me. She is a GREAT guard dog. But like I said, she is slower and running with a dog is tough. So I think Michael and I will try to train together more.
You know, the duathalon is a funny thing. Michael and I do not consider ourselves athletic by any means. We don’t work out a whole lot, although I am always trying to be active and healthy. To a runner, it may not seem like a big deal to run 2 miles, bike 12, and run another 2. While it really is more difficult to bike than you might think and then run when your legs feel like Jell-O (people–you really have to try it before you say it’s “easy”–it’s not), the duathalon for me isn’t about fitness or time. It’s about accomplishing a goal and doing something that I’ve never done before. My goal is to be able to complete the whole thing without any walking. Again, that may sound simple to you, but this is coming from the girl who used to go for a “run” and walk as soon as it got hard. I never pushed myself to get through those blocks. The duathalon isn’t easy for me. I love the biking and am pretty good at it, but combine that with the running and then it isn’t easy anymore. There have been times when I’ve wanted to give up in training. But for some reason, I really want to do this. And I want to do it well.
A lot of goals that I’ve set in my life are hard to measure. Like I want to be a good friend, wife, daughter, sister, worker. But in working towards this duathlon, I wonder if the reason why I set goals that are hard to measure is because there is less accountability in achieving them AND they are so open for interpretation. Like what does it mean to be a good friend? There are a million definitions, so I can almost always get away with saying I’m a good friend…does that make sense? So I’ve shied away from this duathalon thing a bit, because there is actually a standard I will be measured by. And I’m not sure I want to be measured–what if it isn’t good enough? What if I’m the last one to cross the finish line? What if I want to give up? What if all my friends are waiting on me? I’m trying to push all those things aside though and just focus on finishing well. It will be one of the first goals I’ve set in my life in a very very very very long time that actually has a beginning and an end. And I want to meet that end.
Ok, so there is my philosophical insight into the duathalon and training. I’ll keep you posted on that. In the mean time, I will work on just keeping you posted in general. We’ve been running a little bit on empty this month and are hoping that this weekend brings some rejuvenation with it.
Don’t Stop Believing.
Today I came home and Michael was listening to Rush, shortly followed by Journey and then that remix P Diddy did after the Notorious B.I.G. died (aka Biggie Smalls). What an interesting mix we have on our iPod.
Tonight I’m trying a new recipe I’m calling Spicy Chicken Tacodillas. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Maybe I should put on Guantanamerra. That might put me in a real mood for Tacodillas!
Michael spent the weekend in Mason for Jim’s bachelor party and I had great time with my mom. She came a week ago to visit from Kansas City. I took off two days at the end of the week so we could hang out. That woman wakes up early! Then the dogs would hear she was up and there was no sleeping in during her visit. Its amazing the things you can accomplish when you start the day so early. We were actually waiting for things to open because by 8:30am, we had already walked the dogs, showered, eaten breakfast, cleaned up and ran a marathon. Well not really. But seriously. We had a great time visiting and I cried when she left. It was sad. I probably won’t see her again until Christmas and I am a Momma’s girl so that is tough on me.
I spent the rest of my afternoon reading a book. It’s the 8th book in the Janet Evonovich series I started last fall. I think there are like 15 books. I don’t read them consistently, but I pick them up when I need a change of pace. And they can easily be read in a day so that is nice. I also just finished Such a Pretty Fat…another book by Jen Lancaster who wrote Bitter is the New Black. Both hilarious and both recommended by me. I actually have a goal of starting a little book list of the books I’ve read and my thoughts on it. I have lots of goals though that haven’t yet come to pass, but September 1st will be a day of new changes…you just wait and see. Mark you calendar. September 1st.
Now Pearl Jam is on. I’m sorry hubby, I will blaspheme on this blog. I do not like Pearl Jam. There. I said it.
So other new things in our lives are that Michael and I are training for a duathalon and Kona is going on a diet. The duathalon is 2 miles of running, 12 biking, 2 running. Michael and I are pretty comfortable with the biking, just want to increase speed. The running is another story for me. I get this mental block when I run and I’m not sure why. Put me on a treadmill and I”m good to go. Put me outside and my feet don’t move. I’ve been running with the dogs, which was a good idea until some where along the way, Kona got a little chunky around the waste and isn’t much good for running 3 miles anymore. In fact, she’s been dying at about the 1 mile mark. She has thick fur, so I’ll give her snaps for running when its 100 degrees outside. But along with our training, we are also trying to get her shape. Big dogs have all kinds of issues when they get older. And Kona has issues now. So I don’t want to add to that because she is overweight or her heart isn’t healthy. Maybe I’ll take before and after pictures of her like they do on all those weight loss infomercials. Maybe I’ll put her in a bikini too! But probably not. She would H-A-T-E that! The running has been much better for Michael which is kind of annoying since he hasn’t really exercised in the 7 years I’ve known him until we started training. And he could runner farther and faster than me. But I have thick hair and get hot easily (like Kona) so I’ll give myself snaps for running when its 100 degrees outside! But really I am proud of him for wanting to do this duathalon and actually waking up early to run/bike/etc.
Aight, I think my dinner is finishing up on the grill and I really must change the song currently being piped through our house. We have moved on from Pearl Jam to Baby Boy Da Prince and I just can’t handle him tonight.
Goodbye for now blogging friends. Pictures to come when I can get them uploaded onto the mega computer then put into an album.
July 4
I have TONS of pictures to post. And I actually thought I would get on the bandwagon tonight and do it only to discover that my lap-top doesn’t have enough free space to upload the pics from the camera. So, I’ll have to put them on the computer downstairs. Not a big deal…I’m just already in bed and don’t feel like getting up to deal with such shenanigans tonight. So instead, I copied a picture from Tonya’s blog so you can at least see a small portion of what we did this weekend. Though it looks like we were rock climbing, I assure you that we were just at Cap Rock pool.
Where have you been?
Well, we have been busy?? Is that even an excuse any more? And the truth is, we actually haven’t been as busy lately but I am REALLY enjoying the slower time.
I am happy to report that Kona’s eye healed nicely. No permanent damage so we are happy for that. She was such a tropper! We had to put this neosporin type ointment in her eye 4 times a day for a week…that was fun. We did have a heart to heart and she really realized that I wasn’t trying to torture her, only make her better. So she allowed me to do this generally without a fight. I really appreciate her for that.
So in looking for pictures of Kona’s busted eye I stumbled upon this gem of an image that Michael had saved on the desktop. So I leave you friends with this….
Superfast Update
So I know I promised more updates last week, but we had Kona drama last week. I’m going to get some pics up so you can see how pitiful she looked…she scratched her cornea some how and now we are going to great lengths to help her heal. Needless to say, with the issues this special dog has had, I could be a vet.
Lunch Posting
It has been a while since I posted something, so I am taking a few minutes during lunch to give you all a quick update on my most favorite topic in the world…me! Just kidding!
So the big surprise gift for Michael was a really cool new watch. But he guessed what it was before I gave it to him so it didn’t quite have the effect that I was hoping for. But it’s all good. He ended up with a kinetic watch (no battery) which is pretty cool. And I actually got a watch too! We went to Rioja to celebrate our third anniversary and then drove around looking at houses for sale (a favorite pastime of ours). On our actual anniversary, I picked up Central Market dinner (yumo) and Michael gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers which is now in my office and still going strong). We watched So You Think You Can Dance with my mom…yes my mom. “How,” you may ask, “did you watch SYTYCD with your mother when she lives in Kansas City?” Well my friend, it’s called a cell phone. I have told her about this show several times, but in the craziness of her past schedules at school, she could never watch. It turns out that it works perfectly in her schedule this year, so after all the good dances (which was like all of them) I got a call from my mom so we could critique the dances together. I, being a former dancer, of course have authority to say who is good and bad, and my mother, who attended almost every dance class and every recital/competition with me, also has authority to say, “that whoopydo move was really cool.” Or, “Ah. Oh, that was just so beautiful!” (Gotta love mom and her sound effects!)
Ok, so now I have to get back to work, but I promise more postings this week…