Is It The Weekend Yet?

Okay, as a newlywed, I have never before spent a Monday-Friday at home while my husband was away on business. This was his first trip. So I can't really feel silly for not knowing what to expect, but can I just say that what I expected is SO not what happened? I thought I would watch movies, read books, blog every night, work out TONS... I had cooking experiments planned for dinner every night... all this while working super late every day to get ahead at work since I won't be able to work this Saturday.

Here's what really happened.

After the fiasco at the airport on Monday, I was so exhausted I left work at 6:00! I made some low cal enchiladas that I enjoy now and again (that will be my Delicious Dish this weekend... I don't want to ruin the reveal!) and channel surfed for a good half hour because nothing was on TV. Then I worked out and was so tired, I went to bed!

Tuesday, as you know, my mom came over for dinner. She was planning to be at my apartment at 7, and I needed a few ingredients for the recipes that I was trying out, and unfortunately I needed to hit 2 stores to get them because one of them can only be found at Wal-mart, but I never buy produce at Wal-mart because they have disappointed me one too many times. So I left work at 5:30 thinking that I would hit both stores and be home at 6:30 and have dinner ready by 7. Well I didn't get home until 6:45 and dinner wasn't ready until 7:30. My mom left at about 8:45. I did the dishes and did a little blogging and suddenly it was midnight! So I went to bed.

Yesterday I left work at 6 again because I needed to go by my parents house to show Mel a proof of the wedding programs and grab the full length mirror that I have yet to move to my apartment (so I could see how my shoes looked with my bridesmaid dress...AWFUL!). I hung out there for a bit but I had to be home by 8 because my sister, Laura, was stopping by on her way to a birthday party to grab a pair of jeans that I haven't fit into since 2007 but was holding onto because they are cute! My plan last night was to make spaghetti squash and ratatouille, but after the soup from the night before and that afternoon, I needed some meat! So instead I baked some breaded chicken and ate it on top of Tofu Shirataki noodles topped with marinara sauce. It was chicken parmesan without the cheese and it was very satisfying! The chicken took about 45 minutes in all to make (I had to thaw it first) so I didn't eat dinner until about 9:15. By the time I was done with dinner and a tasty dessert it was 10:00. Even if I hadn't been too tired to work out (which I without a doubt WAS) it would have been too late because I know I probably sound like an elephant to my downstairs neighbors when I do the Wii Active. All of that jogging and jumping... not gonna happen at 10:00 at night. I'm not that neighbor.

Today was BUSY at work! I was trying to get a lot done because I am leaving at 2:00 tomorrow. I need to pick up Brett from the airport and then we have the rehearsal and dinner at 5:45. I worked until 7, but I had errands to run and recipes to make so that was as late as I could stay. I got a long sleeved white shirt for Brett (for the wedding...woohoo!) at Kohl's (not on sale...boo!) and a pair of more appropriate shoes at Payless for me. They're not great, but they were my best option and they are MUCH better with the dress than the pair that I had.

I made the spaghetti squash, which was both FASCINATING (it totally makes noodles!) and not bad, but I topped it with the ratatouille which was, unfortunately, gross. So after 3 bites I threw it away. But I am going to think about what I could do with spaghetti squash and give it another try sometime. As for the ratatouille... that won't be happening again. I made marinara sauce earlier this week, and that was kind of what I was going for tonight... like a homemade pasta topper, but it's time to face the facts! I'm a store bought sauce girl. There's nothing to be ashamed of... I need to just buy the Healthy Choice marinara and stop torturing all these cans of diced tomatoes.

Once again, I finished dinner at almost 10:00 and it was too late to exercise.

I've been too tired to read all week, and High School Musical 3, which I've had recorded for WEEKS waiting to watch while Brett was out of town, is still sitting in my queue unwatched. If Brett had been gone on a Saturday, I might have had the freedom to enjoy a little "me time" but during the week, especially the week before my sister gets married, there's just no time. So instead, I powered through the week feeling a little sad and lonely and thanking God for giving me Brett because my life feels empty without him.

One last thing... despite the lack of exercise, I have been steadily dropping a little weight each day this week. I'm very thankful for God's guidance, and I pray that I will continue to strive for a life that honors God, in and out of the kitchen.

It's going to be a busy weekend, but I will tell you all about it when the wedding is just a happy memory =-) Now, I am off to do dishes and fall into bed!

Woohoo! Recipe Success!

I tried two Hungry Girl recipes for dinner last night and they were delicious! I made the "Southwestern Surprise" (a soup) from her first cookbook and the "Cheesy Good Cornbread Muffins" from her second cookbook. My mom came over for dinner and we both really enjoyed the meal, and it had super low stats! I modified the soup recipe a bit because I didn't want to make the full batch. 12 servings is too many when you have an itty bitty freezer. So instead of using 2 cans of pinto beans and one can of black beans, I used one can of pinto beans and left the black beans out all together. And instead of 2 cans of diced tomatoes and one can of italian style diced tomatoes, I just used one of each. And one cup of corn instead of 2. But it was really good!

I wish that I had taken pictures to post, but I just wanted to give a shout out to all of my fellow HG fans and recommend a couple of recipes.

Tonight I am trying spaghetti squash with homemade marinara. I hope it's worth the effort! Ha!

Busy Weekend!

Sometimes when I say "it was a busy weekend" it just means that I ran a lot of errands. This weekend was busy because there was a LOT going on!

First of all, Friday was kind of crazy. Brett went out of town today, right? So we had a lot to do to get ready for his trip. We don't travel much. We borrowed suitcases for our honeymoon. And neither one of us has a big wardrobe. I do a lot of laundry because we wear our clothes frequently! Well, we thought that Brett was going to have a bonus on this paycheck so we were planning to buy him some things for the trip. A suitcase, more pants, and best of all, a PSP! So he would have something to do while he is in California missing me. Well Friday morning came, but the bonus did not. So we had to revise our plans.

Friday night we went to dinner at our FAV Mexican place, Pappasitos. I was nervous about overindulging after a week of eating well, but turns out I had nothing to worry about. I WANT to eat well! One chicken taco and some tasty, though slightly dry, rice. It was great!

Then we went to Fry's and Best Buy to check out their PSPs, but they didn't quite have what we were looking for. So we went to Toys R Us next to check out their selection. They didn't have the game stuff that we wanted either, but we got a gift for the baby shower for Brett's new boss that he will be attending while he is out of town this week. Then we headed to Target and finally found all the good stuff! We got a PSP and a couple of games on clearance. Then finally, we headed home!

When we got home we watched The Watchmen. Interesting flick! The violence was a bit too graphic for my taste, but it was really unique and the cast was eclectic and talented.

Saturday morning I got up early and went to work. I left work at 11:30 because I needed to run to Kohl's and get a gift for my sister's bachelorette party. Found something super cute and on sale, and then I headed to Lewisville for a wedding shower for my sweet friend Becky. I was there from 1 to almost 4. On the way home from the shower I stopped in Coppell at Sprouts. This was the fun find of my weekend! I've heard of Sprouts, the Farmers Market, before, but only recently learned of the one in Coppell and heard about a product that they carried that I wanted to check out. It is an "ice cream substitute" called Arctic Zero and Hungry Girl said that it is a good base for smoothies and the like. The big appeal is that the entire pint is only 128 calories, or something crazy like that. So I had to check it out! Well I found the ice cream, but came home with much more! They had Larabars for $1, so I bought 7! They also had my peanut butter that I was so excited to find at Kroger, but after I bought one jar, it disappeared, and that was months ago! Now I know where to find it! They also had... wait for it... TOFU SHIRATAKI NOODLES! I couldn't believe it! Sprouts is much closer than Whole Foods, and this means that with it just being a short trip away, there is no reason why I should ever have to go without these super duper noodles! I also got a spaghetti squash, a butternut squash, an eggplant and 5 Kiwis for $1! It was a great discovery.

I only went to the first part of Mel's bachelorette party, but it was great! We went to dinner at Joe T Garcia's in Fort Worth. I had never actually driven to downtown Fort Worth before, but I did okay! Melanie looked AMAZING and got some great gifts! I'm really glad I was able to go. But when I got home, I was exhausted!!!

Sunday morning, Brett taught Sunday school at the class we've been visiting. The teacher is really cool. He knows that Brett used to teach our old class, and when Brett mentioned that he loved the story of Gideon, which is what we were studying this week, he offered to let Brett teach. It was a lot of fun!

The afternoon was spent finishing up laundry so that Brett could pack and cleaning up the apartment because Brett's mom came for dinner. I made the same lemon rosemary pork chops that I made for Father's Day and I tried a green bean and corn salad recipe that our WW leader emailed out a few weeks ago. The salad was beautiful, and we all sort of liked it, but none of us loved it. I didn't save the leftovers, and I probably won't make it again. But I'm glad I tried it.

This morning was complete madness for Brett at the airport. The story is so crazy, I don't think I have the energy to tell it. We had heavy rain, so that meant long delays, and the rain brought lots of confusion with it! But he is safely in California, and day one of his trip is over. He just called to tell me goodnight. I miss him already =-( I've never stayed at our apartment alone before. He moved in before I did. But I'm mostly not uncomfortable so far. I didn't eat enough during the day today (stressed about airport issues!) so I came home not feeling very well, but after a good dinner, a good workout, and a few calls from my baby, I am feeling better and I think that I will sleep well.

I hope that I use my time well this week. I didn't get anything done today. But tomorrow should be MUCH calmer! So we'll see how it goes.

30 Day Challenge - Day 9 & 10

Okay, I am way behind on my blogging! What can I say... it was a busy weekend! I have 2 computer jobs to work on tonight, but I am going to procrastinate a bit and try to catch up on a few posts first.

I did day 9 last Thursday. It was tough! I upped the intensity level and I could really feel it. It gave me more reps and the new activity was just a variation on a previous activity that was modified to be MUCH harder! I had to squat and hold for 40 seconds. That is MUCH harder than it sounds! Especially after doing dozens of lunges!

Tonight felt good though. I just finished the 10th workout and when I turned it on it informed me that I was not going to make the 30 day mark. I had too many rest days! I didn't mean to. I enjoy the workouts for the most part... I just get caught up in busy weekends!

Tonight was fun though. Medium intensity felt good. I did great on my reverse lunges! And the tennis and volleyball were really fun. There were no crunches, no inline skating, and only one time of jogging. All good things =-)

Tomorrow I will start baseball. That should be interesting!

Food Journal

I have so much to say! But I will save my weekend wrap up for tomorrow because the weekend isn't over! Brett's mom is coming for dinner, so I need to clean, clean, clean! And then cook, cook, cook, and then we need to get Brett packed.

He is not excited about going. I think it will be a good week and he will grow into his position a bit more comfortably this week, but we will miss each other. We're newlyweds! A week apart is a long time!

Anyway, I wanted to sit for a few minutes before I get cleaning, so I thought I would give you a report on my first week of food journaling.

So far, so good.

As of this morning, I had lost a pound, but it won't be a complete week until tomorrow morning.

I started tracking my food hoping that it would make me more aware. I didn't have numbers in mind that I wouldn't allow myself to go over, but I had a number in mind that I knew was about the amount of calories that I wanted to be taking in. Not because I've been to a website and typed in my stats and found out exactly how many calories I need a day... it's just a guess. It's an approximation based on the amount of Weight Watcher points I know that I would be eating if I were following that plan right now. One WW points is approximately equal to 50 calories. So that's how I got my goal number.

Well turns out, that number is just about right. Monday and Tuesday I was a bit over it, but as the week progressed I got closer and closer. Knowing that I was going to write my food down and total it up at the end of the day really DID make me more aware. It's easy to eat a quarter's worth of Skittles when I tell myself it's only two points. But "2" sounds a lot more harmless than "120" or however many calories it may be. So this week I really did skip a lot of wasteful calories. That may or may not be why I lost a pound. But I am enjoying the journal, either way, and plan to stick with it for a while.

Delicious Dish - 2

My next post is actually a combo of two products that I eat together. The first one I learned about at Weight Watchers. There was a girl there obsessed with them. She found a reason to mention them every week. The thing that she was most proud of was that she ate them for breakfast even though it is not a conventional breakfast meal. Well I've always been a big believer in mixing your conventionals! Pancakes for dinner, cereal for lunch (shout out Marie!) and even, da da da DAH: Boca Burgers for breakfast.

What is Boca? Let's ask the website.

Made with the nutritious goodness of soy, BOCA foods help you get protein, fiber and calcium—substantial nutrition that helps you live a balanced life. BOCA and you believe the same thing... that the road to better balance starts with what's inside us.

Soy burgers! They are found in your freezer section, and they are DELISH! Well, if you are going for the lowest calorie count possible (70), go for the original vegan burger. It has a nice meaty smell, but the flavor is just so so. But if you are willing to spend a few more calories (120), check out the flame grilled! It's got a really nice flavor that stands well on its own!

So that is the meat part. What about the bun Kim? How do I keep my burgering calories to a minimum? Well, lots of people would tell you to ditch the bun and go with two slices of low cal, high fiber bread. But not me. Most high fiber breads, honestly, taste too much like cardboard to me. It just doesn't do the trick. But my sister and I discovered a product that is high in fiber, fairly low in calories and, in my humble opinion, totally DELISH! Thomas Light Multi Grain English Muffins.

I use these bad boys for burgers, sandwiches, snacks, you name it. Anything that you need bread for, you can reach for these. Except maybe hot dogs.... they're just not the right shape. If you are like I was a few years ago, you think that you don't like english muffins. But the key to eating an english muffin is to always, 100% of the time, TOAST IT! It gives the outside a nice crispiness while warming up the inside to give you the warm chewiness that a lot of us crave in our bread experience.

I make my burgers like so: Boca burger with lettuce, pickles, onion and mustard on a toasted Thomas Light english muffin. It is every bit as satisfying as a whopper from BK, but it is 2 points (one for the "meat", one for the "bun") rather than the 11.5 I would spend on a whopper. (And that's a whopper with mustard. If you are a mayo fan, make that 16.5)

I hope that you will give Boca a try. Watch for coupons because, as with all "health food", you're going to pay big for the small stats. They come 4 to a box and when they are not on sale, they are usually $3.99. But this is what I eat for breakfast that keeps me full and satisfied. (With 5 grams of fiber and 14 grams of protein, how could it not?) This is what I eat for dinner when I drive past the Burger King next to my work and I struggle not to pull in and drive through. And it is the perfect quick lunch when you are in a hurry because it takes 1 minute, 15 seconds to microwave and a tad more to toast. Keep your onion and lettuce pre-chopped in a bag, and you are good to go!

That's my dish for the week. Tune in next week when I talk about... I haven't decided yet, but it will be something Delicious, for sure!

Day After A Bad Day

Feeling jumpy at work. I'm still a little shaken up from yesterday. It's 10:00 and my boss isn't here yet, which means that she had something to do this morning, which means that she will be stressed when she gets here because we are busy and she had to take the morning off, which means she will be much more likely to snap at me. Again.

If you get read this today, say a little prayer for me. Hopefully I will have something cheery to post tonight. Maybe workout 9 will rock my socks. It's possible.

Night and Day

I have so much in my head... so much that I would like to say, but I don't really know where (or when) to start. Our life has been so full of change this past year. Brett's new job, then the wedding, then Brett's new position... there are more changes to come. I fear change. I'm not brave. I'm just not. But I serve a mighty God and I have a husband who believes in me. I know that whatever path God leads me down, I will be okay. More than okay. Abundantly blessed! And honestly, day by day, little by little, I feel God preparing me for change.

Sigh. It was a bad day at work. My boss lashed out at me for something that was not my fault and it just really upset me. I don't like being talked to like I am insignificant, or a nuisance, or lazy... I work hard at my job. I want to do a good job. I really do. If I make a mistake (which I really don't feel was the case today) then it just means that I am WORKING! If you never make mistakes, then you're not working hard enough. Mistakes happen!

Anyway. It was a bad day. I worked until 6:30. The dinner that I had planned for tonight was going to take at least an hour and 45 minutes to prepare and cook. Brett and I were both pretty hungry so we decided to use our On The Border gift card and do a little window shopping instead.

We have a LOT going on this weekend! Well, I have a lot going on... Brett has plenty to do, but I have a few things going on that he does not have to attend. He is teaching Sunday school on Sunday morning and going out of town on Monday morning. We have several things to purchase before he will be ready to travel. Most importantly, a suitcase (that's what we were window shopping for. Kohl's had a lot of good options! Target, not really...). I have a wedding shower at 1:00 on Saturday and Mel's bachelorette party at 6:00 on Saturday. I also need to work. So here is our tentative plan for the weekend:

Friday night we are going to get as many things that we need for Brett's trip as possible. It would be AWESOME if we found it all! We also need to get a gift for a wedding shower, and gifts for 2 baby showers. The stores that I know we need to visit are Target, Babies R Us, Sears, GameStop, and then either Big Lots, Kohl's, or both. We may check Big Lots for luggage. Brett's mom just got a new suitcase there that she likes...

Saturday morning I will get up early and go to work. Boo! And then go straight to the wedding shower and then come home to get ready for the bachelorette party. Sunday morning Brett is teaching, and then we need to get him laundered and packed.

And at some point, we need to do a test drive to the airport. I fear driving in the airport above all else! I have never done it before, and I'm not looking forward to it. So we are going to practice.

The flip side of my bad day is that I have a wonderful husband who gives me good nights. I was so eager to see him after work. To feel his hugs and let him wipe my tears. We had a great chat at dinner (he had a GREAT day at work, so that was good to hear) and then we held hands as we strolled around a couple of stores. Where would I be without him? I guess I'll find out next week when he's gone for 5 days!

Thank you Lord, for always being present... for the times I feel you and the times I don't.

30 Day Challenge - Day 8

I did day 8 on Monday night. Yesterday was my day of rest because I went to see a musical!

Day 8 was another workout that focused on strengthening the upper body. It had a lot of curls and lifts and presses. Still plenty of cardio – running, jumping, dancing (what they call dancing is really just pointing so far), and our favorite: inline skating.

I got frustrated because the censor wasn't picking me up on my side to side lunges again. By the time I finished the workout I was a little grumpy. But it said that day 9 would be a return to the basics with lots of squats, lunges and track.

I realized that I can increase the intensity of the workouts! I had forgotten that I have it set on light. I think that I will return it to medium tonight since we are going back to the basics. Maybe I will be a little sore tomorrow and feel a bit more accomplished =-)

Legally Blonde

I HATE when I'm too busy to blog for a few days. Now I have so much to say, I don't know where to start! I'll take it one blog at a time. Sigh.

Okay, so, yesterday was my sister Laura's birthday. To celebrate, my three sisters and I and my mom, along with Laura's roommate and Jenna's best friend went to opening night of Legally Blonde at Fair Park Music Hall in Dallas. I didn't know anything about the musical except that there was some buzz about it around awards season when it debuted a couple of years ago. I am extremely familiar with the movie on which it is based though. I love Reese Witherspoon. I think she is adorable and she was sweet and endearing when she played Elle Wood's in the film version. Plus, I just love musicals, so I was really excited about the show.

It turned out being a great choice for Laura's birthday. The music was cute and the show had a lot of laughs. Probably not a show that I would pay to see again, but I'm glad that I can say that I have seen it, and I woke up with the opening tune in my head. I only remember 8 words, but it was catchy!

I didn't get home until 11:30 and Brett had some things on his mind that he needed to chat about. So I am VERY sleepy this morning and eager to get my coffee brewing. Guess I should go do that!

30 Day Challenge - Day 7

Good News/Bad News... I'm not sore after the workouts any more... At least, not really. I can sort of feel it walking down the stairs if I do so right after my workout. I'm glad that my muscles are getting stronger, but I'm not sure that my workout was effective if I'm not sore afterwards. That's silly, I know, but... yeah, well.

Day 7 was mostly running and lunges. The new activity was volleyball, and the tennis was more moves than the first time. I don't have very good aim. It's really funny. =-) Replacing the batteries was VERY helpful though! It read me on all of the lunges this time. At the end of every workout it gives me a heads up on what's coming next time. Apparently I will be dancing. Bust a move baby!

In other news, we had a nice weekend. We are on a tight budget this week so we mostly stayed home. Friday night we picked up Boston Market and brought it home and it was DELICIOUS! And then Brett finished Star Wars Force Unleashed. GREAT game!

Saturday we slept in and it was glorious! I sang in a wedding Saturday evening and it really shortened our day. I had to be there at 4 so I had to get ready at 2:30 so I could leave my apartment by 3:30. I wasn't really excited about singing. I was singing with a great friend of mine, Josh, so I wasn't super nervous, but to tell you the truth, the song didn't really suite either of our voices. We sang When God Made You. It's not out of my range necessarily, just out of my sweet spot. But it went well. And now it's done. That's the important part =-)

Today we ended up staying home instead of going to church. Brett didn't sleep well and I had cramps (TMI?), so we took it easy. This afternoon was the couple's shower for my sister. It was at her and my soon-to-be-brother-in-law's new house. It is SO nice! They are in the process of moving in so it was our first time to see the house. It is in Keller and it is just perfect for them! I am so thankful to know that they will be living in such a sweet house! And then tonight we grocery shopped. We did so good budgeting and preparing for this week. Kroger had a great ad! We even got to stock our pantry a little bit and we spent $15 less than we had budgeted! What a blessing! Our cup (okay, pantry) runneth over!

Speaking of this week, I start my food/activity journal tomorrow. I hope that I use it well. We'll see! I need to focus on making better choices at dinner. Nothing that we bought for dinners this week is necessarily health food, so I hope that I can control my portions well and eat mostly veggies. I'll let you know how it goes!

Delicious Dish - 1

First an intro:

Okay so, the last two weeks have been interesting. I have introduced some activity into my life and it's been great! I want to be healthier, and I'm not going to lie, I want to be smaller. I'm HUGE! I hate seeing my reflection in the windows every morning when I walk into the building, and I need some of my old clothes to start fitting again so I will have more to wear. The walking and working out has felt really good the last two weeks, but I didn't go down on the scale this week. I maintained. I'm thankful for maintaining! But I can do better. Yesterday I bought a food/activity journal and I'm looking forward to tracking on my own, and not because someone told me to. I love to make lists and write things down, so I think it will be a good tool to keep me accountable and aware.

I've also started reading a few new blogs, one of which is a food blog that introduced a product to me that I am now thoroughly enjoying as my mid morning snack and it made me think about sharing some of my delicious finds on my blog! I am hoping that this will be a weekly post (I'll keep posting until I run out of tastiness to share!). Some posts will be recipes and some will just be products that I enjoy. I will be starting with my new mid-morning snack.

I eat breakfast around 7:00 every day, and I usually eat some fruit around 10:00. This week I bought some Larabars because Angie mentioned them on her blog a few times and I was interested. It is more calories than my bag of cherries, but they are super filling and really delicious! Now I save my cherries for the afternoon, and it helps hold me over til dinner.

Here are the flavors I have tried and loved:

and here are the flavors I can't wait to try:

My favorite so far have been the peanut butter cookie and apple pie. The chocolate coconut didn't really taste like chocolate or coconut, but actually made me think of raspberry. It wasn't what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. I hope that you try a few and enjoy them yourself! They were $1.49 a piece at Kroger, which is a big cost increase to the weekly grocery budget, but I am going to keep an eye on them and try to stock up when they go on sale. And if it saves me from mindless snacking, then I will save both money and calories!

30 Day Challenge - Day 6

I finally did day 6 of the 30 day challenge last night. It was a good workout. Inline skating was in there twice. I feel like I'm improving, but the game doesn't think so. I realized when I was finished with the workout though, that the batteries on the controller were dying. Actually, Brett was walking through the room and said that the screen was showing me that a controller was dying. Apparently there was a symbol that I wasn't seeing. So maybe next time it will read me better and that will make a difference?

It introduced basketball last night. I thought there would be some passes and shooting because that's what the demo was, but it was just shooting. I shot 10 baskets, and I think I got 7 in the hoop. Not bad! Two I didn't throw hard enough and one I threw WAY over the board. It was funny.

The funniest thing I do is still the hard hits on the punching bag during the boxing activity. I can't explain it and do it justice, but feel free to ask me for a demonstration next time you see me. I may show you. =-)

I've got a new regular segment I will be starting to post soon called Delicious (to me) Dish, so stay tuned!

In other news, IT'S FRIDAY! Woohoo! We have a lot going on this weekend so I should have quite a weekend wrap up post this Sunday. Admit it... you're excited!

Have a good weekend!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

(First of all, Kudos to Kel and Emily for knowing that I was referencing Empire Records in my previous blog title.)

Okay, so. We went to the 7:35 showing at GVM. We got to the theater around 6:00 knowing that there would be a line. We were actually the 3rd people in line, but I'm glad that we went early because the line was long by the time we seated us. We had an interesting group of kids behind us in line. Their leader was a 14 year old whose dearest ambition is to be Juno next year, and she was workin' her snazzy lingo! They sat a few rows in front of us in the theater and she was talking loud enough for the entire theater to hear and flashing pictures knowing that it was blinding everyone behind her. Aww, to be 14 and stupid again. No thanks!

The theater wasn't sold out, but it was crowded. Plenty of applause in the opening and closing credits. Not from us, but we appreciated the atmosphere.

I was SO excited. And I'm happy to say that the movie did not disappoint. (From here on out, this post may contain spoilers, so continue at your own risk.) I enjoyed it very much. I'm sure that I will see it again soon. I didn't agree with some of the edits, but I had no major complaints this time.

Watching a Harry Potter movie is like eating a Hershey's Kiss, whereas reading a Harry Potter book is like eating German Chocolate cake. They are both chocolate, but one is MUCH richer and more satisfying than the other.

I loved that they showed the Brockdale Bridge attack in the beginning. That is an event that is referenced, rather than experienced, in the books. I knew it was in the movie, and I thought it was a great mood setter. Harry on the trains? Weird. I wish he had been at home like he was in the book so that the three actors who portray the Dursleys could have been in the film.

I love that we saw wanted posters of Fenrir Greybeck in Diagon Alley in the beginning. But I was disappointed that, though he was in the film several times, no one explained who he is.

Slughorn... he came across as a little daft... a heavy drinker who is not always super aware. In the books, he is a sharp character who has survived by his cleverness... though he does like to indulge in luxuries, he is not a lush. But I LOVE Jim Broadbent and I am thrilled he was in the movie. I thought he played the role he was given splendidly.

The way they handled the two relationship plot lines was, again, interesting. They didn't bother me, but some of the changes felt unnecessary. What was with Hermione being way more into Ron than Ron into her? I mean, he seems to be "coming around" while she is totally smitten. They are on equal footing in the books. Both coming to acknowledge feelings that have been building for years. I mean, it didn't bother me, but I felt like Hermione was kind of punked, ya know? And I wish that we had seen more of the Harry/Ginny relationship. In the book, they are actually publicly dating for 6 weeks or so before Harry goes on his adventure with Dumbledore and decides to break up with her. This movie ended with them being together and Ron being "okay with it". What? BUT, I have to say that I thought Lavendar was GREAT! A great performance from a charming actress. And Cormac was really funny too!

One more relationship comment. Interesting that Lupin and Tonks were together in this flick. That is not a relationship that solidifies until between books 6 and 7, but that was rewritten for this movie. Again, didn't bother me exactly, but why?

It did bother me that Ron didn't have any lines for the last 30 minutes of the film. What was with him sitting on the steps while Hermione speaks for both of them in the last scene. Seriously... he didn't utter a syllable. I object!

I also think that it is a shame that the Voldemort story line was so condensed. We saw 2 out of 5 of the memories from the story, and it just didn't feel like he was a major element in this film. That shouldn't be the case. And because we learned so little about him, we learned very little about the Horcruxes, which are a HUGE deal in the final story. So how are they going to handle them?

I don't mind that they added an attack on the Weasley's house, though I worry that they are going to skip the wedding that takes place at the Weasley's in the next film, and that would bother me a bit. And it's not torturing me that they left out the fight scene and funeral at the end, but again, I wish that we had been able to see those characters. I think that if I hadn't heard before hand that those two scenes were left out, I would have felt cheated. But because I was prepared, it was manageable. I didn't get enough Hagrid or Snape.

Cheers to Tom Felton who gave a great performance as Malfoy. But that story line was no where NEAR as exciting as it could have been. In the book, we know that Malfoy is up to something, but we don't know what. In the movie, they tell you from the very beginning what he is trying to do. Not why, but it didn't feel all that intriguing to me.

I am sure I will have more to say later, but those are my first thoughts. I liked it =-) It was a good Rex Manning day.

Rex Manning Day!

10 points AND a gold star to anyone who can tell me what movie I am referencing in the title.

Okay, so even though all three of my sisters told me they were disappointed in the movie, and the reviews are kind of letting me know why I will be disappointed, I'm still super excited. How can I not be excited on a Harry Potter day? It's impossible!

My night was totally not what I expected last night, so I'm a little out of sorts today. Brett and I had a misunderstanding... he thought I was dead, but really it was just my cell phone that died. It totally threw off my mojo! I walked but didn't do day 6. It will have to wait until tomorrow, because like I said... it's HP day!

I will let you know what I think of the movie!

30 Day Challenge - Day 5

I didn't walk yesterday, like I had planned to, but I did day 5. I don't know if inline skating is seriously in every workout, or if they are adding it to mine because I'm so bad at it. I THINK that these are all pre-planned, but the fact that the stupid skating is showing up every day makes me wonder if I am being punished. I don't get it. I squat, I jump. Why am I not landing my spins? Whatever. Inline skating, you will not defeat me.

Day 5 focused on upper body strength building. The 2 new activities were boxing (similar to target punching, but you punch a punching bag too... SO FUNNY!) and reverse lifts or something like that. I don't remember what it was called, but it was effective. I feel a little pull on the back of my arms today. Nice! Today they are adding basketball. That should be interesting.

I am moving my day of rest to tomorrow instead of today because... TOMORROW IS HARRY POTTER! We have tickets for a 7:00 show at Grapevine Mills tomorrow and Brett has a few festivities planned for the occasion. I'm excited!

Not much else to report this morning, but I will let you know how the basketball goes. Ha!

Mellow Weekend, Big Week!

This weekend felt busy and mellow at the same time. We got a lot done, but spent a good amount of time at home as well.

Friday night we went to Macaroni Grill, which I am happy to report has some healthier menu options! I had Pollo Caprese for 550 calories (not bad for Italian) and it was delicious! We also hit our favorite Borders Bookstore where I purchased the final HP on paperback, completing my collection, and Brett got a JLA book. When we got home, Brett broke in his new Fight Night boxing game that he bought to play with a co-worker online. I wasn't crazy about it. The game LOOKS great. Great graphics, good music, good dialogue from the announcers. But it's a fighting game. Not fantasy style with long swords and crazy outfits, but a more realistic fighting game, that is just not my thing. I will probably try to have something available to read when he plays that one!

Saturday we slept in, and it was greatness! I came to work at noon and stayed til 3, then went on what turned into a 3 hour search for a pair of cheap jeans and a couple of shirts. I really like everything that I got (a pair of jeans from Old Navy, 2 shirts and one tank top from The Avenue and 2 pairs of shoes from Cato) but it was WAY too hot to shop, and by the time I got home all I wanted to do was collapse!

We took it easy Saturday night. I had my favorite Lean Cuisine Pizza, which they have reworked and unfortunately I like MUCH less... and Brett had some thin crust Pizza Inn while we watched Iron Man. What a good movie! I really like it!

Yesterday felt long. We went to First Baptist and then to lunch with Brett's mom. We ran one quick errand after lunch and didn't get home until 3:00! Brett took a nap while I watched the end of Home Alone on TV and then did my workout (day 4!) and some laundry. We ended the day with grabbing a few things at Kroger, stopping by McDonald's for dinner and more laundry. I watched Brett play some Star Wars, Force Unleashed which I LOVE! I call it my favorite Star Wars movie. What a great game! And then I was zonked!

Last week was interesting with Brett's job change. I'm sure this week will be as well. I hope that we are productive and we appreciate God's blessings =-) We have a date night planned for Wednesday because we are going to see the new Harry Potter movie. Woohoo! How can it be a bad week with that on the calendar? I'm excited =-)

30 Day Challenge - Day 4

Well the first thing that I need to report is that when they say "30 Day Challenge", they are counting days of rest. It's only 20 workouts. Good to know.

Day 4... I don't know what my deal was. I was looking forward to doing the workout, but at the same time, not really excited about working out. Does that make sense? It wasn't easy. They warned me up front that it would be the most intense so far. There was only one new activity, so I didn't have demo videos to watch, so the activities followed one another quickly. And it wanted me to run faster than I had been. I was keeping the same pace that I always do, but it told me it was too slow. Blah.

Still can't do inline skating, and I can't do the lunges completely correctly. But I do my best. Which seriously, is better than nothing. And I do TRY to do it right. I just can't go that low. I do okay on the squats, but it's hard on the inline skating to jump up after holding the squat for that long.

I am going to do day 5 tonight. I will let you know how it goes! Hopefully I will have a better attitude about it!

Hello Bandwagon, My Name Is Kim

This idea is new to me but apparently it's been sweeping the blogging world for several months now. I think I'm going to give it a try. If it really is filling, and tasty and will make my skin smooth, how can I resist? I'm going to make a Green Monster.

Not heard of it? Check it out here: http://greenmonstermovement.com/.

I don't have a single ingredient for it, but Brett is having trouble waking up from his Sunday nap so I may sneak off to the store a snag the ingredients. We were given a mid sized food processor today as a late wedding gift. I THINK it will hold all of the ingredients. (If not, that will be my excuse to buy a blender.) So now all that I need is: bananas, spinach, almond milk (I have some in my fridge, but I'm almost out) some type of pb and some type of protein powder. I've never bought the latter. And I will probably try mine with pineapple. But I've ready SO many testimonies and even have a friend or two who are hooked! Why not give it a try? Anything that will help me continue on this path of better food/activities choices is worth investigating. Well, ya know... anything legal.

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

Apparently when they say "30 Day Challenge" they don't mean 30 consecutive days. The first thing the game told me when I loaded my profile today was to take a "rest day" after two days in a row of the workout so that my muscles can recover. Well I was already all dolled up in my workout clothes, so I decided to put the "rest day" into practice tomorrow. It's Friday after all. And it turned out to not be such a bad thing because day 3 was less intense.

Day 3 focused on upper body strengthening. I did a lot of curls and lifts and things like that. I will let you know if I can feel it tomorrow. Tonight, not that much. But I still did plenty of sweating, so that's good.

Halfway through my workout, the battery on my wireless thingy died, so I took it off and connected it to the controller with the wire that it comes with and after that it read me loud and clear. I hit every tennis ball today, thank you very much! It wasn't me missing yesterday! It was the batteries. I still did bad on the inline skating, but that exercise was before I realized that the batteries were dying. I may have done better if I were connected with the wire. Or I may really be that bad. Don't care. It's hard.

The other new activities today were side jumps, which I thought sounded daunting, but were not bad because you don't have to squat for too long, and dancing. Umm... it was weird. They don't change the music to match the rhythm of the moves, so it's a little confusing. And so far the moves are just kind of... well, it wasn't the thrilling experience I had imagined. But today was super simple because it was the intro. It may get better. We shall see.

So I guess that for the remainder of the 30 days I will have a couple of "rest days" during the week. Probably Tuesday (I am thinking of making this my dinner night with my mom because Brett will be occasioning guys night now and then) and Friday. Maybe for Tuesday I will find a longer route to take on my walk (I have just a short 14 or so minute walk that I am doing right now. It's really just the path around the complex. But you have to start somewhere, right?) and Friday can be an overall break. We like to step out on Friday nights. A night on the town, if you will. It's not a glamorous town, but we always manage to have fun =-)

It was a long week, full of lots of emotions, expected and unexpected. We have a lot of bills to pay this weekend, but we have some shopping to do also. It is necessary and fun shopping (the best kind, because you don't have to feel guilty about it if you genuinely need some new clothes!) I'm very tired, both mentally and physically, but, even in my tired state, the richness of the days are not lost on me.

Oh. And I will also be buying a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on paperback tomorrow, therefore restoring balance to the universe. It came out on paperback Tuesday, but I didn't have any money. I've been thinking about it all week, sitting on those store shelves when it should be on MY shelf. But all will be well this time tomorrow.

Off to bed! Hope your weekend starts well!

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

Well, I did day 2 of the 30 day challenge on our Wii Active yesterday. It was easier to do, but I still couldn't do all of the things right. Day one had a lot of squats. Day two was all about the lunge! Oh dear. I can't go as low as they want me to (if I do, I can't get up!) and by the time it took me through it a second time, I could barely stand. I looked more like a kid who had to go to the bathroom than a person doing a lunge. But I did my best.

I had MUCH better luck with the strap yesterday. I couldn't get the leg strap (that you put the controller into so it can monitor your leg movements) to stay in place the first day. I was afraid I was too big for it. Turns out I just didn't have it on high enough. There were no problems yesterday.

There was no in-line skating, which I was very grateful for. And instead of boxing, there was tennis. I thought that I would enjoy the tennis, but I was terrible! It was my worst activity! I did the swing exactly like it said to, but I missed all but 2 balls. Our living room is really small and I wonder if I have to move too close to the censor on that one and it is not reading me right. I know if it were a real ball I would have hit them all. Seriously!

I like it. I'm not very good at parts of it, but it feels like a good workout. I sweat like crazy! Again, today, my legs are sore so I look funny walking, but it feels good. I wish that I could feel it in my arms more. Maybe I will try to shorten the resistance band today so it will be harder to do the arm exercises.

I will let you know how tonight goes!

In other news, I miss Brett this week. He's doing a great job at work and learning a lot, but the sudden schedule change has shocked my system a little. I am used to seeing him more in the mornings, but he is going in later and working later, so he gets up when it's time for me to leave. I wish that today were Friday so we would be able to spend more time together tonight. But I am thankful that it is Thursday and I hope that we will make the most of this weekend.

God is in control and I know that He wants to direct our paths. I pray that we let him!

The Other Wii Fit

Wow. My legs aren't working. Brett and I bought EA Sports Active for the Wii. It's like Wii fit, but cheaper. There are tons of options for putting together custom workouts, but last night I decided to do day one of the 30 day challenge thinking that it would probably take me through most of the activities that the game offers. There are SO many, and though I am most interested in the aerobic/dancing activities, I thought I may as well explore what the game has to offer.

Well dang! I think that my first problem is that I told it that I wanted a medium workout. I should have started with light. It probably would have been the same activities with less reps. But Kim chose medium. haha.

So my day one activities included walking, running, squats, lunges, squats, in line skating, squats, boxing, bicep curls, some weird kind of rowing that is really just moving your arms while you do squats, and, let me see... I'm leaving something out... SQUATS!

Seriously, I thought I was going to fall down the stairs. It feels good to be sore, and I am looking forward to day 2 this evening, but it will be interesting!

Brett wasn't there when I did it last night. He was at guys night. That's probably good because we would have laughed so hard that I wouldn't have been able to work out! He should get a good laugh tonight though.

In other news, I made coffee for the first time today. I know. I'm grown up. I also made a new recipe last night that turned out really well! I made chicken cacciatore a few weeks ago from a recipe on the campbell's website that just said to use a jar of pasta sauce. It was nothing special. Well last night I used the Better Homes and Gardens recipe and you make the sauce yourself. It was really good! We didn't eat it last night (long story) but I think we will enjoy it tonight =-)

Back to work!

I Don't Have Much To Say...

I just feel like saying that I am happy. I am sitting at work today, and just have a general feeling of contentment. How refreshing!

I'm so thankful for Brett's new position. I think he will be happier.

I'm thankful for times when God's hand in our life is obvious. It's always there, I know, but it's nice to feel it so strongly, moving us along.

Brett and I walked together last night. The moon was beautiful and the weather was unseasonably mild. It was wonderful. Tonight he will be at guy's night, so I will have some time by myself, and that will be nice after a busy day.

I'm just thankful. Too often in life, we see obligations and not opportunities. Responsibilities and not blessings. I'm thankful for everything that God has placed in my life right now. Even the struggles that, some days, I think will break me.

Hope your day is blessed as well!

Do Mine Ears Deceive Me?

Or is there a new Coconut Records album???

Pandora just played me a song by Coconut Records from the "Davy" album. When I was looking for "Nighttiming" it was the only cd I saw of theirs. Is this new music?

Now or old, it was a good song!

Nice!

Three Day Weekend... Where Did You Go?

It was so nice to have Friday off! Brett has been sick, so Friday and Saturday, we did a lot of relaxing. But I'm sitting here now, on Sunday night, barely able to keep my eyes open and the three day weekend seems to have melted away!

We did a little bit of errand running on Friday because when Brett woke up, he was feeling a little better. Breathing better, slept a little better... so we took our time getting ready and then went to a couple of stores. Actually, first we went to my bank to cash my paycheck. We are switching my direct deposit to Brett's account, which is now our joint account, but that means that for a few weeks, while they are switching things around, I have to deposit my money manually. It is going to take some getting used to when our money is all going to one account, but hopefully I will make that transition quickly. I just can't forget to put money in my account once a month for my car payment! Then we went to Half Price Books to look for some books on some software that Brett wanted to get for work. We didn't find what we were looking for so we decided to check another store. We stopped at Arby's first and enjoyed a couple of roast beef sandwiches. Mmm, mmm good! And then we went to store number 2. It started out okay, but halfway through our search, it was clear that Brett was still ill. He got dizzy walking around the aisles and had a sneezing fit that almost knocked him off his feet! They didn't have the version of the books that we needed so we decided to get Brett home to rest and try Barnes & Noble later that night.

I took Brett home and then went to meet Jenina at Starbucks. Can I just say, thank you Lord for my girlfriends?!? I saw Jennifer on Wednesday and Jenina on Friday, and it was better than a good nights sleep on Tylenol PM! Seriously, nothing breaths life into you like some one on one time with the people who know you best. I love my husband with all my heart, but thank goodness for my girls. I need all of the above!

After a nice long chat with Jenina over some delicious chilled Chai, I drove through Bank of America to deposit the previously mentioned cashed check and then swung by Jenna's (mi hermana) apartment to deliver some printing, stopped at Kroger for some more medicine and mints (he can't handle cough drops) for Brett and then headed home.

Brett was feeling better after a couple of hours of resting and we went to Barnes & Noble and found exactly what we were looking for. When we got home we ate simple dinners (burger for him, tuna helper for me) and watched Young Guns, which I had never seen. Who knew Lou Diamond Phillips was such a hottie in the 80's? Probably everyone. But it was news to me. Westerns are one of my least favorite genre's of film because the violence is so overwhelming and usually extremely brutal. But it was not a bad flick and I am glad I can say that I have seen it. I couldn't stop laughing when Dermot Mulroney thought he was seeing a giant chicken. I have to say though, even when he is playing a good guy, it's impossible for me to not be scared of a young Kiefer Sutherland. Sorry dude. Lost Boys used to keep me up at night! And not in a good way... in a cowering in my bed way.

Saturday was restful... sort of. We didn't leave the apartment, which was nice, but I spent ALL day editing wedding pictures. I mean, ALL DAY! I edited them and then loaded them to the Walgreens website to get them printed and placed the order, and it took ALL DAY! I started before lunch and ended after dinner. I wanted to go to work, but that didn't happen. Brett played and slept and rested and was definitely better... but still ill. When we sat down to eat dinner we started to watch a movie that I recorded for us a few weeks ago, and thirty minutes into it, he stormed out of the room and went to bed. He was finally fed up with not feeling well. Either that, or he didn't want to tell me that he didn't want to watch Run, Fat Boy, Run. The movie was good though. I enjoyed it. Cute story, cute cast, insanely cute little boy. It was nice.

After all of the resting he did Saturday though, he was genuinely better this morning. Not 100%, but probably up to 90%. No fever, not really any coughing except occasionally coughing up draining, and only one sneezing fit. He didn't take any cold medicine today, only headache medicine, and he seems to be okay. Hopefully after a good nights sleep tonight, he will be well rested and ready to start his first full week as Training and Development Supervisor. =-)

We went to Plymouth Park today. Brett wanted to visit our old Sunday school class because they have been a part of praying for Brett's "job situation"s for so many years. He wanted to thank them and share his story about the new job. It's a holiday weekend, so there were only a couple of people in class, but it's always good to see our friends.

I didn't want to go to Plymouth Park today. I didn't want to admit that to myself, so I was completely out of sorts all morning, but when I said those words inside my head, while the choir was singing at the beginning of the service, I immediately felt better. Two months ago, the thought of not being at Plymouth Park was extremely difficult. Today, the thought of BEING there was uncomfortable. I didn't realize how much I value the anonymity that comes with visiting a church. I have been a member of Plymouth Park for almost 29 years. Every corner I turn within those walls seems to hold expectations for me. Every step that I take, someone says hello. In some ways, that is a blessing and in others, it is a burden. Brett and I are at the beginning of this insanely wonderful, terrifying journey. We got married. I am learning to live my life in a completely new way. I crave the freedom to feel pressure to please no one but my husband. To make mistakes without being under a microscope. I especially need that freedom when I am in a house of worship. It has nothing to do with Plymouth Park, and everything to do with me. Right or wrong, that is how I am feeling. As soon as I could be honest with myself today, I was honest with Brett and he understood.

All of that is not to say that we will never visit Plymouth Park again, because I'm sure that we will. But coming to those realizations today was confusing and freeing at the same time.

I was still out of sorts when we left church, but at least I knew why! I needed a few hours to myself to decompress, so I kissed my husband sweetly and went to see a movie. On the way to the movie, I stopped at Walgreens and picked up our pictures. I am saddened (and somewhat frustrated) to say that around 30 did not get printed. I am hoping that I had another package and the girl there didn't notice it. Either way, I will get those pictures tomorrow. I went them all in a book so I can put the book safely on a shelf and be done with it! (Until I find the time and money to make an awesome wedding scrapbook, which I totally will... someday.)

I saw My Sisters Keeper and it was great. Anyone who has seen the commercial knows it's a tear jerker. It was almost comical... there was a moment when the one man in the theater laughed out loud because he couldn't stop crying and all around the room people laughed the same confession. It is a moving story and a vivid picture of a disease that touches thousands of lives everyday. I'm glad that I saw it, and I enjoyed the performance of every actor in the movie. Joan Cusack, you rock my socks.

After the movie Brett and I went to dinner at my parents house. My whole family (minus Jenna's Chris and Madi, who is in Oklahoma) was there and it was great to laugh for an hour. Then we hit the grocery store and came home. I'm ready for bed, and ready or not... a new week is starting tomorrow.

Thank you, God, for new beginnings. For tearful afternoons, tight hugs, sweet kisses and sweet dreams.

Good News =-)

Well, I don't have time for an elaborate expo, but I wanted to share the good news. Brett got a promotion =-)

He applied for the position months ago, and then there was a freeze put on upper level hiring, so we haven't thought about it for a long time. But Friday morning he got an email telling him that he would interview Monday afternoon for the position, and at 5:00 on Monday, when all of the interviews were done, they told him he had the position. He is the Training and Development Supervisor.

This position fits him like a glove! He will be developing people, writing curriculum and all kinds of good things. He also gets to set his schedule now, which is a huge blessing for Brett. And it is a significant raise, which is a huge blessing for us! We will be able to pay off our debt, get him into a safer car, and possibly, by this time next year, get him into seminary classes. Nice =-)

God is good. He has been so faithful. I guess we are moving on to the second paragraph of this new chapter in our lives =-) I can only hope it is filled with as many blessings as the first!