Turning Over A New Leaf

Yes that's right I am officially turning over a new leaf. This new leaf in my life is called getting in shape and eating right. My plan is to lose 10 pounds by Labor Day. That is about 5 weeks from now and hopefully if I can lose 2 pounds a week, I will make my goal. I started last week getting up before work and going to run/walk. I run at least 1 mile, sometimes 1 1/2 miles and walk the rest. If I don't get up in the morning then I definately go in the evening. We all know I am not a morning person so getting up way before it's time has definately been a challenge. I'm trying really hard though to stay motivated. I went to target yesterday to buy some more workout clothes to keep me motivated. I went to the grocery store on Monday because our pantry was literally empty. I think we might have had about 5 things in there. I cleaned it out because when I started looking for something to cook, half of the stuff was expired. We even had some things from our pantry shower when we were engaged still in there. That is pitiful huh...... At the grocery store I bought lots of fruit and veggies and chicken. I usually only go to the grocery store like once a month and it seems like I end up wasting alot of foods, and throwing half of it away because it goes bad before I can cook it. This time before I went to the grocery store I went through some of my cookbooks and picked out recipes. I made of list of about 10 dishes to cook and then made my grocery list. It worked out so much better because I didn't buy anything extra. I plan do to this every time so I can cook a variety of meals. I am going to try to go to the grocery store every 2 weeks. That might be a bit of challenge since I hate going to Walmart. I always feel like I cook the same thing all the time, so I am trying to do better. Everytime I go to Walmart I usually end up staying there for almost 2 hours. I go down every single eye in the food section to make sure I do not miss anything. Walmart and I have a love/hate relationship : )


My new workout clothes

My IPod Shuffle

My arrangement of fruits and vegetables

The Dark Knight

Todd and I decided to go see the new batman movie on Tuesday night. It was the BEST movie I have seen in a long time. It was almost the best Batman movie ever made. I still prefer the original Batman with Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Heath Ledger played a really good Joker. He is so wickedly evil in this movie and funny at the same time. It makes me sad that he has passed away. Hes such a good actor. I definately think he deserves an Oscar for his role. It was 2 1/2 hours long but worth every minute. It keeps you guessing and keeps you on your toes the entire time. You never know who is on the side with the Joker until the very end. Its also tugged at my heart a little. There were several sad parts I thought. I would definately recommend everyone to go see this movie, even if your not a big batman fan. I promise you will love it.
By the way even if you dont like it who could help but to stare at Christian Bale the whole movie. He plays Batman and he is beautiful!




We went and saw it at the Lufkin mall and of course had to get some popcorn and a coke. They have a new deal where you can get this huge tub of popcorn for about 4.00 or 5.00 dollars I think and you can pay .50 cents for a refill. Every time you come back to theater to watch a movie you can bring your tub and get popcorn for .50cents EVERYTIME!! Now thats what I call a deal. The refreshments get so expensive everytime you go to the movie but thats a pretty good deal I thought.

No More Dell

As I mentioned in my previous post I have been having alot of issues with my Dell laptop. Todd just purchased it for me in April and it already has tons of viruses and is slow as Christmas. Im here to tell you that if you have recently bought a Dell computer, take it back now. Every Dell computer I have had has not lasted more than an year. Now that is just ridiculous to have to buy a new computer every year. Computers are not the chepest thing in the world. Come to find out the one we bought was made with refurbished parts, no wonder it was so cheap. I guess that should have been our first clue but we were just thinking "what a good deal on a laptop." If anyone has any suggestions on a good laptop that I should purchase next, please let me know. We are thinking about getting a Mac computer, because Malee has a Mac from college and it still works just fine. We have already taken our computer in to get fixed and its still not working 100%. I guess thats enough venting for now. I promise I will try and starting posting more. Hopefully we can get our computer running again. It just takes so long to do anything on it.

(The computer I have now)


(The computer I want)

Hope everyone has a good week. Remember we are all blessed, take time today to cherish the ones you love and enjoy your life as it is today for tomorrow will never be the same. We are God's children and he will take care of us. He has blessed so much already and one day he will come back and bless us all with his presence. What an amazing thought!!

The Arrival of Anna Malee

Sorry this is so late. Ive been quite busy this past week and have not had a chance to post. Also my computer is having major problems. We just purchased this computer in April and it already doesn't work. Stupid Dell!! More on that later.

To update everyone, Anna Malee arrived on Wednesday July 16 via c-section. After pushing for 2 hours straight, they figured out that Anna was sunny side up and just wasn't going to quite make it through the birth canal. She came in at 7lbs 9oz and 20 inches long. She is beautiful!! Im officially an auntie now. I am so blessed with a wonderful niece and family and can't wait to spoil her. Its driving me crazy not being able to see her. Hopefully Todd and I can head down there soon to go visit. I know she will change alot over the next few weeks. Malee is doing good just very tired which is to be expected in new motherhood. Sharon is taking up residency at the Greenway house for now until school starts back. Todd and I joke to her about finding a house down in Humble. Here a several pics from Annas BirthDay!!

My Best Friends Wedding

This past weekend Todd and I went to Houston for my best friends wedding. I had the privilege of being her Matron Of Honor. Janci and I have been best friends since first grade. We have been through alot together and not once have we ever been in a fight. We have always been like sisters. The wedding was beautiful and I hope it was everything she dreamed of. I always love going to weddings and seeing two people so in love committing their lives to one another. It just gives me goose bumps, it is so amazing how God puts two people together. Janci and Neal are definately soul mates and they make the cutest couple. Everything turned out wonderful, and we didn't have any mishaps. She was the calmest bride ever. She just rolled with the punches. It was a great weekend. I cried the whole day on saturday through all the events. Im so emotional, I couldn't even give a big speech because I started crying. Anyways we had a great time and we got to spend the weekend with Malee and Chris. They were generous enough to let us crash at their house for the weekend. Todd got in some good bonding time with his sister.

*Update on Malee*
My sister in law went to the doctor today and she is dilated to 4cm. She will be going to the hospital at 5:30 to be induced. We are so excited about meeting Anna Malee. Todd and I will be leaving Lufkin around 7 to be there for the birth. Everyone please keep Malee in your prayers that she has an easy delivery and a healthy baby. Ill be updating my blog with pictures of my new neice so keep checking back.

*There are a few pics from the wedding festivites. I am having some techincal difficulties this evening. I will post more when I figure out whats wrong*

Dancing at the Lodge

Todd and I went dancing at The Lodge Sunday evening when we got back into town. We have been out of town all weekend for a wedding. Mark said he had been having trouble with the air, but it was nice and cold for our dance routine. We decided to share our skills with you. Hope you enjoy!!
(Click on the link below)

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The Bachelorette

Okay so I know this is a few days behind, but did anyone watch the finale of The Bachelorette? Please feel free to give me your thoughts on the show. Oh my gosh, my heart just broke in two for poor Jason. I thought for sure DeAnna was going to pick him. I mean he was perfect, so sweet and caring and he truly loved her. Of course in the beginning I wanted Graham to win, I mean who wouldnt. Somthing about him made DeAnna really squirm, they definately had a connection but he ruined it when he wouldnt tell her what he was thinking. Its funny how guys are like that sometime. Its like they are so scared to committ and show their true feelings....some guys anyways. I could not believe that she picked Jesse. Im glad that they do seem in love and she seems happy, but poor poor Jason. His son was involved and everything and she even let him get down on one knee. Just thinking about it makes me sad. I told Todd I was never going to watch the show again because it didn't turn out how I wanted it too. haha. If you know me, you know I will always watch this show. Its a slight addiction I have, I just love watching love stories even if they dont make it 3 months from now. I really get into it as far as crying and yelling at the tv, like they can hear me or something. I think she picked Jesse though because he is so different, and he is someone she never thought she could fall for. He is that crazy adventurous guy. Why is it that girls always like the challenge? Why is it that guys like the challenge also. They like a little run for there money.

I will say when Todd and I first met I kinda played hard to get. We met in June and did not go on our first date until August 1. I still remember the first time he called me, I was so shy and I honestly think I only said like 2 words to him. He asked me on a date and I had to say no because I was going out of town, so he was like okay I will talk to you later. The next week he didn't call me so I knew for sure I had ruined it. He finally called me the next week and asked me on a date again, this time I had told him I was going home to dog sit. I know what you are thinking- thats a lame excuse but it was the truth. He then proceeded to tell me why I dont just give him a call when I have time. At this point Im like great I really have screwed up. We finally made our first date on August 1, 2003. Its all history from there but I will say at the beginning we hardly saw each other and he wasn't so sure I was the one. At one point we went 3 weeks without seeing each other and when we finally saw each other again Todd came to the door and said "Hi Im Todd Stracener, whats your name?"He is quite the character I tell you. I sure am glad he stuck around and took a chance on me. The day he proposed to me was the best day of my life besides the day I married him. My life couldn't be any better and I could not ask for a better friend and husband. I love you Todd, thank you for being the light of my life!!

The best day of my life!!

NoSy BlOgGeR

The crazy obsessive bloggers!!

On Saturday Todd and I headed over to Mark and Callie's for their combined birthday celebration. Marks birthday was July 1st and Callie's July 5th so we celebrated together. Both of the families got together and we had hamburgers and potato salad and birthday cake. It was fun for all of us to get together.

Sarah, Bonny, Nancy(sarah mom) and I were talking about this whole blogging business. In the meantime I was nicknamed the "NOSY BLOGGER" because if you are linked to one of the blogs that I read then I read your blog too. It doesn't even matter if I know who are you or not. This blogspot thing has become a new addiction of mine. I enjoy reading everyones blog and learning about their life and their view of the world. Its crazy to me that there are so many people in this world and we are all unique in our own way and we all experience life differently. I truly enjoy reading about other peoples lives. I know I must be crazy right, but come to find out there are a few other people just like me. I wont mention names but I'm glad to know there are a few others that feel the same way I do. I would like to take a poll and see who else is just as crazy as I am, that they read other peoples blogs that they don't even know. Hahaha Im pitiful huh??

On the other hand my sister in law Malee went to the doctor today and the doctor believes she could possibly go in to labor tomorrow. I came home and have my bags all packed just in case. I have Thursday and Friday off from work, so it would work out perfectly if she did. Please keep her in your prayers that she has a healthy baby and easy delivery. Todd and I cannot wait to meet our precious niece. I have to say though it might give me a little baby fever ; ) Maybe it will give Todd baby fever too.....lets hope anyway. Well thats all for tonight, I will try to keep you updated on Malee.

A few pics from Saturday:

The Hicks Family

The boys trying to look as fit as Josh...hahaha

My cutie hubby and I : )

Do the Watermelon Crawl

What a fun weekend this has been. On Friday Todd and I and his parents headed to Atascasita to visit his sister Malee. We had an early birthday celebration for her, her birthday is Tuesday. On the way there we saw signs for watermelon and since Malee doesn't like birthday cake we decided to stop and get her a watermelon. I know you are thinking she must be crazy, who doesn't like birthday cake?? I personally could eat a piece every day. We stop on the side of the road to get her a nice juicy watermelon and Daddy is saying I bet they are expensive since its the Fourth of July. He gets out of the car to pick us a good watermelon and Mother says I bet he is going to get back in the car and say that's an expensive watermelon, it was 10 dollars. Sure enough as soon as Daddy got back in the car he said Mothers exact words. It was so funny!! We continued our journey to Malee and Chris house. Their house is so cute and its decorated very nice. It was Todd and I first time to see their new house. It was so much fun seeing the nursery and how pregnant Malee is. She is the cutest pregnant girl I have ever seen. We all got to feel little Anna move and kick. She is due any day now. We went and ate lunch at this quaint little mexican restaurant....surprise surprise. If you know Todd and Malee you know they LOVE mexican food and the spicier the better!! After lunch we headed back to their house and just lounged around. Chris, Daddy and I ended up taking a nap on the couch and then we decided to cut up the watermelon. It was the juiciest watermelon, Malee and I were chowing down. We each had 2 pieces, nobody else really cared to eat as much watermelon as we did. That was okay though because it meant more for us. It was so good, I hadn't had watermelon in several years. Malee and I had juice running down our chin : ) Here are a few pics from our watermelon eating. We had a wonderful visit and can't wait for the arrival of our precious Anna!! We are anxiously awaiting her arrival. We have been telling Malee to walk, swim and eat pineapple...haha, anything we can think of to make her go into labor. We all know though she will come when she is ready. Happy Birthday Malee!!



Doesn't she have the cutest belly ever!!

Birthday Weekend

Okay so if you most of you didn't know my birthday was last Thursday and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. It was wonderful day and I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. I turned 25 and man I'm starting to feel old. Ill dedicate this beginning part of my post to my wonderful mother because 25 years ago she gave birth to me and has been by my side ever since. She is my best friend and the most giving and loyal person I know. I can only dream to be just like her when I grow up. She has stuck by me through everything and given me the greatest advice and shown me what love is really all about. She has given me strength and knowledge and taught me to be independent and be happy with who I am first and foremost and love myself. She has taught me grace and given me all the encouragement I have ever needed. Thanks mom for sticking by me for these last 25 years and My mom gave me this gorgeous ring for my birthday. Its an old opal stick pin that was given to her from her grandfather and she had it made into a ring for me. Its getting resized at the moment and as soon as I get it back I will post pictures. Its so BEAUTIFUL!! I cant wait to see what the next 25 years hold and maybe one day I will be as great as a mother as you are to me.

My birthday started off with coming to work and going to the doctor, I know your thinking man what a way to start off a birthday. I had to go to the doctor because I have had this dry cough for 3 weeks now and I finally got some medicine that maybe will help. My coworkers all brought food and we had a little party, what a nice surprise. I work with some of the best people and I continue to love my job. I love coming in and taking care of my pts and having something different every day.

When I got off work I headed home to change and then Todd and I went over to his parents house to open gifts. He got me a shirt, purse and shoes (something every girl loves) and his sister got me a cute yellow shirt and then his parents got me the cutest john hart tote bag to match the rest of my luggage. I loved it all. Let me tell you my wonderful father in law said he spent hours picking that tote out too. He loves to go to the mall and shop ( haha) The elves picked out my gift from Todd and as Todd and Daddy would say (ELVES ARE GREAT!!) Yes the elves that always pick out Christmas, Birthday and Anniversary gifts. I cant complain because I always LOVE what the elves pick out, they really are great and sometimes I am one of those elves too when it comes to Christmas time. Lets just face it guys don't particularly like to go shopping all day long, thats just a girl thing!
After we opened gifts Todd and I headed over to a friends house for some homemade spaghetti. Several people that we go to church with all met over at our good friend Davids house and he had been cooking all day long on his famous spaghetti. Let me tell you it was truly the best spaghetti I have ever had. We had good food, great fun and fellowship. We also got to see Davids 59 Deville (black and white with fins on the back) The car is the size of a limo, if only I had a picture to show you. It looks like it just came off the showroom floor, I have never seen anything like it. Needless to say I had a great birthday!!

P.S. Sorry I havent posted in a while, I have been a little under the weather with a stomach virus.