MLK Day

A couple of the Bible Study Girls have registered for a New Jersey half marathon in May and because of my fabulous endurance on the treadmill lately, I’ve begun to wonder if it’s not something I could do. I have already printed out a twelve-week training program, and last night I headed to a runners’ store for some new running shoes. After all, I have been wearing the same pair for four years. I can’t believe they’ve held up so well . . buuut wait, considering the fact that I haven’t spent much time in a gym over the past two years, maybe it’s not so surprising. At any rate, they’ve become completely unbearable to wear, thanks to the horrible bunyan that has appeared on my right foot. Ouch! I knew the store was open until 8pm on weekdays, so imagine my surprise when the door was locked at 6:30. There were still customers inside, but the sign in the window said “Sorry, we’re closed.” Annoyed that I had parked and walked two blocks in the cold, in addition to driving ten minutes, I looked up the number on my Blackberry and gave them a call, while still staring through their front door. “We’ve closed early for the holiday,” the man said. The holiday, I thought? I realize it’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but what?, are you gonna go home and have some cake? If you’re going to observe a holiday, then close for the entire day! Don’t use it as an excuse to leave early! Besides, I have a dream . . to run in this half marathon, and I need some new shoes so I can get started!

I went back tonight, of course. And after trying on several pair, I had to say it. "These are all really comfortable which is obviously most important . . but I don't think any of them are cute." Fortunately he understood and we found a great compromise I think:

. . . so I went to the gym and ran three miles.

Cookies

I heard voices down the hall today.
“Well, what do we have here?”
“ . . I think it’s macadamia nut peanut butter,”.
I impulsively made a motion to leave my chair.
Stop, Laura!, I said to myself.
“We also have oatmeal chocolate chip . . . “
Don’t do it, I repeated as I sat back down in my chair.
I had just eaten a scrumptious steak sandwich with cheese and peppers and some delicious sauce, whatever that was. I could not be treating myself to cookies! Besides, I’d just snacked on what were supposed to be cookies last night. Supposed to be, had I used the right kind of flour. All I had was self-rising. And sure it didn’t sound right, but it did say that it was perfect for baking. I decided to take my chances, and this is what I got:

Maybe I should just avoid the kitchen altogether.

Highlights of the Week

• My iPod broke . . again. As in for the third time in two and a half years. The screen has been frozen for about twenty-four hours now, and I’m hoping they can’t fix it. Why? Because apparently the third time’s the charm. I was told that I could pick out a brand new iPod the next time it broke (before the three-year warranty was up). And folks, this would be that next time. I can’t decide if I want to go out with friends tonight . . or go to Best Buy.
• My roommate is moving out. The messy one. I don’t think I ever complain about her on the blog, but that can only be because I have great amounts of self-control. I have three roommates who are all sweet. One just happens to leave her crumbs all over the counter and her dishes in the sink. She also happens to let her boyfriend stop by at 7am every morning for no good reason other than to let him see us running around in our robes. They do work together, but as far as I’m concerned, he can just wait in the lobby. He does, after all, enjoy classical music.
• I received two Evites from the old Bible Study Girls which means that I could be hanging out with the gang for the next three weekends. They’ve all been so busy with work and life that we’ve only gotten together maybe twice in the last six months. I need some life updates! . . and to meet a couple of new boyfriends.
• I am lean . . according to the body fat screening I had done at the gym. However ‘lean’ by no means equals ‘toned’, which is really the goal here. But I say this because I am almost positive I was not lean a few months ago . . proving that portion control and a little bit of exercise really do work! The trainer (who I am not buying any sessions from) told me that the level below lean was called “athletic”. I said, “Are you sure that a-word isn’t anorexic?” I mean, isn’t lean good enough?! It is for me. But I’m also not running any marathons.
• Job stuff is looking good. I haven’t applied for anything yet, but the wheels are being set in motion, and I’m highly optimistic and only minimally nervous.
• I’m treating myself to my favorite sandwich place today. I eat Lean Cuisines and apples every single day for lunch. Sometimes it’s nice to have a break. The Greek pita sounds delicious: chicken slices, marinated tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, pepperoncinis, feta cheese, and lettuce. Yummm.
• And I cannot forget to mention that I had dinner with K again, the first time I've met a blog friend twice. It was fun . . and delicious!

Funny Junk Mail

"I greet you! I've been looking for you for most of all my life. But you were so hard to find. But suddenly I decided to come here, and I lost my mind when I saw you. Everything I want now is loving You, caring You and being with you. Everything I want is becoming your second half. We are still far from each other, we don't have memories and romantic dates. But just imagine how many dates are waiting for us in future, what sweet memories we will have. If you are tired of empty relations, of empty trials to build happy family life in love, I will give you everything you need and miss: love, passion, care, tenderness, and comfort of sweet home. I hope that I am woman of your dream, and you can find me if you look at here: (some mail order bride website)."

Exactly why I won't buy a couch

Uh! oh!

One of the house rules around here is: Don't eat on the couch. And I agree that it is a very important rule. One that I would certainly have in place if the couch were my own.

But I happened to forget about that rule today when I grabbed a granola bar and plopped down next to my laptop. After finishing my snack, I hopped up to change into something more comfortable only to return to the couch to find . . a chocolate stain. Not big, but completely noticeable.

*Gasp*

How do you get chocolate out of fabric? And quick?!

I rushed to the kitchen, pulling out bottle after bottle under the sink in hopes of finding a carpet cleaner or some magic potion that might erase the crime I had committed. Nothing. Dashing back to my laptop, I googled "chocolate stain on upholstery" and found a couple of remedies that just might work. But no sooner had I begun to hope when my roommate, the couch owner, opened the door. Quickly, I sat on the stain and acted casual. "You're home early," I said, swear words floating through my mind.

What on Earth would I do now? If I left to get supplies, she'd see the stain. How could I fix the problem without her noticing first?

Flip the cushion!

I'm still sitting on the clean side of that cushion, hoping I can find a time in the very near future to treat that stain that she would hate me for leaving.

I feel so guilty . . and scared it won't come out!

Nine Hours in New York City

What can you do with nine hours in New York?

- hang out in Times Square
- grab a Starbucks

- visit a friend at a nearby bar

- buy hotdogs from a street vendor

- walk through a gorgeous church (old Broadway theater)

- attempt to win lottery tickets to see "Wicked"

- walk around Greenwich Village

- eat lunch at Village Den

- pick up cupcakes at Magnolia's

- buy a book at a small bookstore

- shop on Canal Street, miraculously without buying anything, er much

- stroll through Central Park

- shop 5th Avenue, visit Trump Tower, walk by Rockefeller Plaza

Not bad, eh?

*Note that in only two of the four pictures I am stuffing my face.

A Big Day

It was a pretty big day in L's world today. I did have a funny feeling about this year, primarily because of the big question floating around in my mind: Will I stay with this company or not?

First of all, I'm not sure I could love a company more. Or the people I work with. But while things seem to be going fine now, I haven't been sure if it would be a good fit long-term given my skill set and personality. And today the answer was confirmed. It's time to move on. The blessing in all of this is that I don't have to keep my job search a secret. My employer knows and will give me referrals, make calls where there are contacts, etc. They actually care about me finding a good fit. Could I ask for more?

Well, yes. A little more. How about the answer to 'What do I want to do?' That would be a huge help. Do I want to stick with the same deal? Or do something new?

This also raises the question of: Do I want to move? I mean, this is my chance isn't it? Perfect opportunity to try a new place. But to be honest, the thought of it makes me want to crawl under my bed and start sucking my thumb. Start over? It's an adventure, yes. But I'm not sure if it's one I'm really up for anymore. And that scares me, too.

I have four days to think about what it is I'm interested in pursuing. Four days of serious praying. Then I'll have a meeting to discuss.

The beauty of it all is that I'm not anxious or nervous or any emotion really. And I haven't the first clue what my future holds. All I know is that God has carried me this far, so I'm gonna let Him take me farther.

Why Wouldn't You?

There are over fifty people that come to this site every day. I am five of them, and my mom is probably ten . . but hey, that still leaves a bunch more. So comment, if even anonymously, and tell us something about yourself. Where you're from or how long you've been visiting the blog. I'd love to know . .

oh . . and my Christmas was lovely . .

Year in Review

January
This month, my good friend gave birth to her adorable little girl. I was excited to finally find a church that I loved after seven months of hopping around, and I was able to sit in the President’s box at the Kennedy Center, right next to a circuit court judge!

February
After five years of staying off the slopes, I gave it another try. I went skiing with two friends from back home, and I was petrified the entire time. I didn’t tear my ACL like the last time, but just the thought of it kept me tense all day.

March
My little sister came out for a visit, a week after she was supposed to (thanks to a canceled flight). We packed a lot into just a few days! My Nebraska friend, Shae, also came to visit for the second time.

April
I went home for Easter weekend, celebrated Best Friend’s 26th birthday, watched her say goodbye to her sweet grandpa in the hospital, picked out bridal shower invitations with her, met Chloe and Luke (my friends’ new babies), and loved being with my family. Business travel took me to Philadelphia where I stayed in a hotel that was “pretty money” and raved about the food on South Street. This month, my bedroommate EB and I painted our living room in six hours, something we should’ve done a lot sooner, and I also went to my first professional hockey game. Meh.

May
The Queen visited the White House, and I was there, only ten feet from the path she and the President took. My favorite co-worker, New Girl, left the company and moved back to Boston. I made friends with my neighbors, and they took me for a ride down the Potomac on their boat. I met a blog friend, K from Seattle, and my cousin's new baby girl, Michael, was born (they live in D.C.). Best Friend and I took a fabulous trip to Fort Lauderdale this month to celebrate our friendship and the end of her singleness.

June
I made the decision to leave my Bible study, the group of girls that had become my friends just a month after moving to D.C. (Fortunately my decision was made easier when everyone decided the study should end and people could separately join other small groups.) I went to Baltimore for the first time to visit a Nebraska friend and see the cool parts of the city, and I took a fun weekend trip to the Jersey Shore with the Bible study girls. On June 23rd, I walked down the aisle as maid of honor in my Best Friend’s picture perfect wedding, and I couldn’t have been happier. I came back to D.C. when my aunt and uncle were in town visiting Cousin J, and we ended the month with a dinner on the patio.

July
Only ten days after I’d left, I flew back to Nebraska for the week of July 4th. It was great to be home again, this time without the wedding busyness. For the first time that summer, I slalom skied and tore my MCL which required four weeks of physical therapy and a brace. Fortunately it didn’t mean I wouldn’t be boating – I was invited out to the lake by the same guys I’d spent the 4th with last year. Best Friend and her husband moved from Nebraska to his hometown in New Hampshire, and her dad blessed me by paying my way to see them and attend their second wedding reception. That weekend, we drove up the coast of Maine to see the quaint little towns and the Bush family compound. Instead of flying home, I road tripped all night (driving through Manhattan at 2am) to the airport (to get my car), thanks to a friend of the couple who was headed that way. Back in D.C., I said goodbye to my wonderful bedroommate EB as she moved to North Carolina for law school.

August
My new bedroommate, Lyn, proved to be just as awesome as EB although a pretty opposite personality. A fantastic cook, she made me a delicious crepe cake for my 26th birthday, and I didn’t even cringe at the new number. My former youth leader and two other Nebraska friends hopped in my car, and we drove to Virginia Beach for a day and night. I went boating with the same boys again this month, as well (which is worth noting since I love it so much)! Mom came to visit for the first time, and it was fun showing her a different side of D.C. (ie: not museums). I went on a few dates with Local Boy this month, and I met The Texan at the first game watch (cue booing, haha). More importantly, he introduced me to his friends who I still enjoy and keep in touch with.

September
Alabama came to visit this month, and the highlight of her trip was getting box tickets right behind home plate at the Orioles game.

October
I dated The Texan all month. I also went to Portland, Maine for work and spent the rest of the weekend in New Hampshire with Best Friend. I met Tall Sassy Gal and speaking of her home state, my friend Alabama moved to D.C. this month. I also had a work retreat at the beach in Delaware. . but I never saw the beach.

November
Best Friend came to visit which was tons of fun! Did I ever mention that she had a bad feeling about The Texan upon meeting him? She didn’t tell me until later, though. Coincidentally we stopped dating this month, and I had the worst weekend of the year when he started flaking out on me. Ugh. But I had a fantastic trip to Austin for Thanksgiving with my cousins, and I met Pink!

December
I joined a gym, and it’s going well so far. I had a Christmas tour of the White House, went caroling for the first time, and spent a wonderful twelve days in Nebraska over Christmas and New Year’s.

2007

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
I stood up in a wedding as maid of honor! Woot woot!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Rather than resolving to do something, which only works if I've decided to go shopping or let myself indulge in sweets, I like to reflect on my year, take note of my failures or areas I could improve, and then purpose to do so in the coming year. To a great extent, I was successful in doing that this year, so I hope the year to come is even better in that regard.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my beautiful friend had a baby girl [Chloe], and my old high school friend had a little boy [Luke].

4. Did anyone close to you die?
no, praise God

5. What countries did you visit?
No countries this year

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
I want closer friends here in D.C., people I can do nothing with and love every second of it.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 23rd, my Best Friend's wedding

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I did get a promotion at the beginning of the year and continued to learn more and more in my new position.


9. What was your biggest failure?
I failed to keep up my daily quiet times at the most crucial point in my year, and things took a turn for the not so good - surprise, surprise.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I tore my MCL, and paying that deductible was not fun.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
decor for my entry way; it makes my apartment seem much more welcoming

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Hmm, how about mine! For still being nice to The Texan and handling things in a mature way . .

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I don't know about depressed, but I was very disappointed by The Texan’s behavior. But it was the Lord’s protection that I saw his character flaw so early on. As my uncle says "Character can be the difference between a life of blessing and a life sentence. Many people are serving their time."


14. Where did most of your money go? Plane tickets and the IRS (I was self-employed part of last year).

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Best Friend’s wedding, our trip to Fort Lauderdale, and going home for the 4th of July


16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
"Ring of Fire" - Johnny Cash; We would loudly belt it out at every game watch for some random reason

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder? sadder b) thinner or fatter? Probably the same c) richer or poorer? richer


18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading, exercising, and serving


19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Nothing. I did way too much of nothing this year, which translates into letting the computer suck hours and hours of sweet, precious time from my life, time I can't ever have back! Gah!

20. How did you spend Christmas?
with my family, and it was wonderful

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
no

22. How many one-night stands?
seriously? of course not.


23. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hating is a sin and also requires way too much energy . . but I do temporarily dislike someone.

25. What was the best book you read?
How sad; I think the only book I actually finished completely was “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. No wait! I read “When I Don’t Desire God”, and it was fantastic!

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn’t do as much music discovery this year, but Colbie Callait has a nice sound.

27. What did you want and get?
I wanted to slalom waterski, and I was able to do that a few times which made me extremely happy. I also wanted a trip to Austin, and that ended up happening too.

28. What did you want and not get?
I always want a dSLR. Someday. Someday.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Dan in Real Life; loved it.


30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 and went to an upscale restaurant on the Potomac with my group of girlfriends (the old Bible study girls; it was delicious! My mom came to visit a week later, and we went shopping for my birthday gift, a new pair of designer jeans.


31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?giving more of myself away


32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
This year’s style could be called ‘leftovers’. I honestly bought less clothes than ever this year (if you ignore last week's shopping spree), and . . just checked my pulse, I’m still alive! I learned that re-wearing things isn’t so bad after all. Imagine that.

33. What kept you sane?
Traveling and having visitors (Shae, Mom, my sister, Alabama, Uncle Ken, my former youth leader, and Best Friend).


34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Steve Carrell is hilarious.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
the war (but I am not against it)

36. Who did you miss?
family and friends at home . . a lot

37. Who was the best new person you met?
my bedroommate Lyn

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
I learned that box seats are awesome in every venue. . Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches do get old. . and I learned how to fight for joy and desire God above everything else in life, which is a process of course. Living like I do is my goal for 2008.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all.

Thus far, my trip has been extremely . . productive, I should say. How else would describe the seeing of nearly everyone on my 'list' in the first three days? (We're talking 9 people.) Of course I hope and plan to see some of them again, take more pictures, eat more food, talk more life . . but I'm off to a great start! And all of that without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. There have been late hours and the word exhaustion could be thrown in here a couple of times without it being an exaggeration, but at the same time it's been relaxing and already refreshing.

I've been spending some sweet time with the niece and nephew for the first time in a year, and I hope to leave them with the lasting impression that Aunt Lala is their coolest relative by far. I know - shouldn't be too tough. :) I was happy to find that my 4-year old nephew actually likes me now, will give me hugs, and enjoys sitting next to me on the couch. All things that should not be taken for granted . . especially in Mr. Moody's case. But lucky for me, he seems amenable to the idea of being my little buddy.

"Lala, do you like sick people? Or do you want them to stay away?"

"I like them. I just don't like when they cough on me."

"Ok . . I won't cough on you . . can I sit by you on the couch?"

My 2-year old niece occasionally finds me funny, didn't mind when I brought her into bed with me at 2am last night (since she woke up crying), and has the cutest little voice . . that I get to listen to all day long, because she rarely stops talking. And her smile? It melts my heart.

I hope you all soak up the smiles and talking and laughter with your family tomorrow. I can't wait to read about it!

I Went a Wassailing

EB was in town this Tuesday, my lovely former bedroommate and brilliant Duke law student. She shot out a mass email to all her D.C. friends suggesting dinner at a nearby restaurant. Of course I'd be there, I said. But when I received a follow-up email suggesting we go caroling instead . . . I was none too thrilled. I envisioned myself among a merry, gay crowd of carolers standing near some metro stop and obnoxiously belting out Christmas tunes. Sounded like a really dumb idea to me. But if it meant seeing EB, I would go.

We met at her friends' home where I was reintroduced to her old college chums as we sat around drinking wine and eating white cheddar corn puffs, holiday music playing in the background. Her friends were delightful, genuinely nice people, and the music and stockings on the mantel were really infusing some Christmas spirit into my bones. So much so that when the sheet music was passed around, I was ready to do some singing!

Rather than sing to passersby at a public place, the idea was to stop by the neighbors' houses and treat them to our little ensemble, an idea I was much more comfortable with. Although not everyone opened their doors at our knocking, we didn't mind singing for the sake of hearing our own voices. There was something neat about walking the streets, laughing, singing, and (I can't believe I'm going to say it) enjoying the bearably cold weather.

Our last stop was the apartment of five girls, friends of one of the carolers. They came out of the lobby in their furry slippers and pajamas and joined in the singing, as the guys all took off their coats for them to wear. After a few songs, they insisted we come upstairs to enjoy the cookies they'd just finished baking. We found ourselves not only eating their treats but also dancing to the ever-popular N'Sync and Mariah Christmas songs. The girls even performed their own interpretive dance which we quickly picked up on. It reminded me so much of my college apartment days and the (four) old roommates I love so much.

The point in all of this is . . caroling is not dumb. Er, no that's not really it. The point is that a good attitude makes a big difference, and anything can be fun when you're with great people. I had such an unexpectedly good time!

It's Cool

Have you ever seen "Meet the Fockers"?

Forgive the profanity, but may I quote?:

"Asssssshooooooole"

But you all knew that. WE all knew that.

I ran into him at the gym on Saturday, and he followed me around like a little puppy for at least half an hour wanting to lift weights with me and talk. Of course he acted like nothing had ever happened, he was so happy to see me, and would I give him a 'second chance' and let him take me to dinner? I did hesitate. But I thought it wouldn't hurt to give him an opportunity to explain or try to be my friend. (Sucker.)

He longingly gazed at me when we parted, but I felt unemotional and very guarded. And I didn't really expect him to call. Hello, track record. I'm not a betting woman, but if I was, I wouldn't have put a dime on him following through.

Turns out, he did text that night to see how my time was going with the Nebraska Girls (two of his friends). He also wanted to confirm for Sunday. Hm, maybe this was going to happen, I thought. But the anxiety in my stomach the next day told me otherwise. I just knew he was going to flake. He did call when he said he would, kept saying he wanted to see me (gag), and let me know what he was up to and how long he might be. But he didn't set a time and when 5 o'clock rolled around, he just wasn't feeling well. Poor, poor thing. Normally I would've been over it, and I nearly was. But I did know that he had stayed home all weekend not feeling well. Unless he was lying - but my gosh, why would I ever jump to that conclusion?

The desire to even see him again was growing fainter and fainter. I will give him one more chance, I thought, (because I am L, the pushover). But at that point, I didn't even care if he showed. If he wanted to make it up to me, he could meet me 'here' at 'time' on 'day' (because I would already be there). If not, I hoped he had a great Christmas (fake smile) and he could "take care". Of course he said "Absolutely I want to see you . . " and other $*#% like that. I was not convinced. So when he didn't show last night, I was unphased. And truly relieved. Yet disappointed . . that he wasn't even a decent human being, that 'friends' wasn't even an option. He did text that his flight just landed (don't believe him) and he was going to try to make it, but wasn't sure, and was I having fun? (Excuse me while I throw up a little.)

Let's be honest. We all know that he was sure that he wouldn't be making it. There would be no trying involved. So I said "It's cool. I'll catch up with you later." Vague and open to interpretation. Actual interpretation: "Don't caaare."

And I don't. But boy, this has been a pretty exhausting waste of time . . on someone I knew a long time ago that I didn't care to be with. And I know that I look a fool. I'm one of those people that drives me nuts, that I give really great advice to but can't seem to remember when it's my turn. Oh well. I know that this has triggered some good things, some positive changes in me, and I am walking away a better person . . or something like that. I don't regret the way that I handled things, and that is a good feeling to have. It would've been very easy to throw a few swear words in a text or try to make him feel bad. But I would've been the only one losing sleep at night.

I am thankful that, though I may have given much thought and attention to The Jerk, I gave no piece of my heart away. So really . . it's cool.

Second Chance

I'll give you one guess as to what the subject line is about. If you can't guess . . too bad, because I am not going to get into it right now. It's quite the long story detailing the past two days of my life. I sound in a bad mood, but I'm really not. I've just been restless I suppose, and I'm ready to go home for Christmas.

I've wanted to blog, but several times I've sat down and felt like anything I wrote here would be worthless. Not that it's normally anything spectacular.

Today was a day that was supposed to end one way and didn't, just as I suspected all along. For good reason maybe, but that's neither here nor there.

It ended with my roommate and I making one of my favorite Christmas treats. My friend J came over, too.

As is occasionally the case on Sunday evenings, I am anxious about the week ahead. Three days of work before flying home. I can't wait to be sitting in the salon chair, having Cousin Joy do my hair. Can't wait to hug my sister after nearly six months of being apart. Can't wait to curl up under my old comforter and have my sweet, skinny cat come sleep between my legs. Can't wait to be with my extended family, eating, laughing, and being reminded of what really matters in life.

I'm headed to my company's Christmas party in a wrinkled emerald green knit babydoll, wrinkled black pants, and half-painted toenails . . and I have a sore throat. Not in the mood!

back on track

Last night I made the best decision I’ve made since moving here. I joined a gym. After a year and a half of flab fluctuations and wishing I was motivated enough to use the apartment amenities more often, I finally faced the cold, hard truth. The keys to a fabulous and sweaty workout are: men and hundreds of pieces of equipment.* I need variety, and I need eye candy, people. Otherwise, I’ll be looking at the clock the whole time. On top of that, being surrounded by big screens and spandex is like a shot of steroids. I’m wired, and I’m ready to go. Last night was the perfect example. An hour and a half flew by as though it was ten minutes, and I would’ve stayed longer, but I knew I had to use my arms and legs today. There is a gym two blocks from my apartment and several others that are nearby, offering different class schedules and various sizes of facilities. I drove to a newer gym three miles away, and it was newer and much more spacious, so I may alternate between the two depending upon the day. Ironically enough, I would almost rather drive three miles than walk two entire blocks at a gradual incline (no parking at nearby gym). . but that is also because it’s getting cold outside, got all the way down to 42 today (that’s for you, Nebraskans:). I’ll have plenty of workout partners (if I want them) because two of my roommates and a couple of fun co-workers are members, too. I’m so anxious to get back in shape, the way I was before I moved. Actually, the way I was about a year before I moved. Yeah, that’s what I’m going for. Wish me luck!

*I suppose I should make a disclaimer here. I do not run around in tight pants and sports bras trying to get dates or even attention for that matter. But the heavy lifting I observe is a real motivator for me. And who wants to jiggle around the gym in front of cute guys? Or anyone? Not this girl.

White House Christmas

PIcture Austin

Say hello to Hermie III. This is the third year my family in Austin has had Thanksgiving with my cousin and his family in Houston. The turkey was given the name Hermie the first year and so it will always be called from here on out. It's a long story. All I know is that Hermie was delicious. The herbs made all the difference.
Jelly Bellies, mmm. The cousins don't usually keep junk food around the house, but while I was in town, things were different. No wonder they didn't want me to leave! Every night, we enjoyed our Blue Bell ice cream or Skinny Cow treats (Fat Boys, as Uncle Rich calls them) or some bulk candy we'd picked up at the store. When it comes to Jelly Bellies, I like all cinnamon all the time.





Here are Pink and myself up on Mount Bonnell in Austin with the skyline in the background. The city is just gorgeous with its rolling hills and green, green, green everywhere. The views from this place were amazing. I can't remember if I had managed to spill hot chocolate down the front of my sweater and scarf at this point, but fortunately when I did, it didn't stain anything. We took loads of pictures up there, posing in a dozen different ways. Coats on, coats off, kicking our boots up, back to back, picture with the skyline, picture with the lake . . and so on. I told her today that I can't believe it's only been a week since I was there! It feels like an eternity. Probably because I've been having a hard time since being back. Not because I'm back, but . . another reason. It's been fun to look at the pictures every day and remember what a wonderful time I had.

singing the truth

Your mercy overwhelms me
More amazing every day
This kindness straight from heaven
Is relentless like the waves

You're good, Lord
You're wonderful to me
You're good, Lord
So wonderful to me

Your mercy overtakes me
Even when my feet have strayed
And though I don't deserve it
You surround me with your grace

You're good, Lord
You're wonderful to me
You're good, Lord
So wonderful to me

- Kathryn Scott