you can't deny it

you can't deny it, cuter 1 year old / christmas pictures have never been seen. ohhh i love addi! i can't wait to see some pro pics of my little sarah too! let me know when y'all get tired of this doting aunt thing and maybe i'll simmer down. nah, not possible, my lovelies are too precious!

thankful thanksgiving

it wouldn't be thanksgiving if we didn't talk about the things we are thankful for! there are the obvious generics i've previously mentioned being thankful for, but today isn't the day for generic. i'm thankful for sooo much this year, 2009 has been pretty great.

to sum up my thanks for 2009, this year...

1. i am thankful for my marriage
   hubby and i were together almost 6 years before getting married on april 25, 2009. we always knew we'd marry each other, but i'm happy we waited until we were both done with school, settled in the city we plan to live in forever, and i was able to focus on establishing my career first. our marriage is the thing i'm most thankful for in 2009.
   
   
2. i am thankful for my little family
   making kylie part of our newlywed family has been awesome. it's not enough to be thankful for kylie as a dog, i'm thankful for the experience. just last night she needed to go out around 2am and i happened to wake up, so our family of three went for a late night stroll. hubby and i share responsibilities and find ourselves laughing everyday through the potty training, walks, and playtime.
   
   
3. i am thankful for the great things happening in my family
   jarrett and wendi have the most beautiful one year old girl. steph and daniel have welcomed their sunshine baby sarah. ellie and andrew will be married in 5 weeks. ashley and steven have made a life for themselves in houston. my mom and stepdad are living life to its fullest now that he is cancer free. and my dad and stepmom are taking adventures around the world and renovating our house. everyone in my family deserves nothing but happiness and i'm thankful that that is what they are getting.
   
   
4. i am thankful for our debt-free mission
   we have been so financially responsible the past few months and i couldn't be more proud. aside from our car, we are set to be debt-free by march! it is really easy to spend less frivolously when you think about how much money you waste on being materialistic. it's not worth it to be thousands of dollars in debt so you can be the trendiest people on the block. i'm really proud we've matured and set this goal for ourselves. we plan to pay cash from here on out and it's such an accomplishment in self-control.
   
   
5. i am thankful for the person i've become
   i think i've been through a lot of big life events this past year. learning the ropes as an entry-level engineer, planning a wedding almost completely by myself, understanding the housing process as we overcome each obstacle put in our path, and embracing the joys of puppy training. obstacles are consistently thrown our way and people are consistently trying to bring us down, but we are stronger than ever.
   
   all of these lessons have led me to believe that kindness is everything. if you're nice to the florist, they will be nice to you! if you are patient with your pup, she will learn and do great! if you appreciate your cadd techs, they will give you quality work and make you look good! if you're kind to your mortgage consultant, he will do his best to find creative solutions! i think this year has taught me how to better cope with stress and people. i am so happy right now. even though i am constantly tested by people and events, i'm strong and positive. i'm thankful the stress of this year has made me a better person!

2009 has been awesome, i'm thankful for the year i've been given and can't wait to be thankful for the next!

weight watchers wednesday / turkey day fail

time to discuss my appalling weight watchers progress.

week 0
weight: 140.0 lbs
flex points used: a helluva lot

week 1
weight: 138.8 lbs
flex points used: 63/35 ( +28 )

week 2
weight: 136.4 lbs
flex points used: 48.5/35 ( +13.5 )

week 3
weight: 135.8 lbs
flex points used: 87/35 ( +52 )

i've lost 0.6 pounds since last week, adding up to 4.2 pounds in 3 weeks.

this week i had a massive weight watchers failure. i couldn't resist the amaretto margaritas at serrano's friday night. and those $1.50 appetizers! how can you say no!? then we had thanksgiving at my firm yesterday and it was aaall downhill from there. i think that thanksgiving meal alone used up all 35 flex points. obviously i had to try a slice of every dessert. obviously.

it looks like i'm averaging 1-2 pounds a week and apparently that's healthy, so i'm still happy. thanksgiving is tomorrow so i really have to get my head in the healthy game. or just fast for 2 days afterward. whichever!

since we're talking about thanksgiving/food, i'd have to vote that my firm's thanksgiving was the best ever. we actually watched elf while we ate. if that isn't office fun, i don't know what is.

{ photo from hclibrary.org }

no idea what we're doing tomorrow. we can a) stay home, b) visit my family 3.5 hours away, c) visit hubby's family here in town. we were planning to go with "a" but then hubby got the day after turkey day off, so we switched to "b". but now hubby has been sick the past few days with a sore throat and cough, so we are playing it by ear, we don't want to get anybody sick. we'll probably just wake up and make a decision. is it bad that it wouldn't hurt my feelings if we just ate pizza and had a dexter marathon? i've already enjoyed a feast at work. now i just want to spend the day off with my lovely family- my husband and puppy.

ok, i just shoved a huge frosted cookie in my mouth after devouring a second-day helping of the thanksgiving feast. this feels so wrong, i better go and work on my eating habits.

hope everyone has a safe trip to wherever they may be going!

christmas list 2009

christmas is upon us my friends! and by "upon us" i mean exactly one month from wednesday. but large scale shopping commences this friday. i'm pumped!

we have determined how we are gifting our families (for the most part) this year and have made a list of gifts we'd be happy to receive as well.

first things first- i am drawing a complete blank on my dad. we were planning to buy him an antique map of china for christmas, but our budget has seriously dwindled to about $30 tops. this house thing is putting a damper on christmas extravagance on our end (and a damper on my life in general, i have never been so stressed out in my LIFE) so we're trying to be reasonable. anyways, what do you buy for the dad who already buys everything he wants and needs? he doesn't wear ties to work and already has an ipod and every coordinating accessory (thanks to christmases of past lol). a gift card seems a bit impersonal, but i might do it as a last resort. what are you buying your dads?

now onto my somewhat unexciting christmas list of 2009. for the past several years i've always listed about 1800 different household items i'd love. then we got married and almost everything was purchased from our registry, so there isn't a lot we need. there are things we'll need for the new house, but that's mostly furniture.

• wii
  we listed this as a couples gift because we both want a wii and think it'd be a blast. it's highly possible that we sometimes go to best buy or gamestop on the weekends and play the ones in store for about 30 minutes. it's highly possible that kids will stand there, waiting for their turns and we selfishly hog the game to our heart's content. for the sake of all austinite kids who want to play the wii at the store, my parents should bequeath this gift upon us. for the kids, really.
  
  
  { photo from bestbuy.com }
  
  
  
  
  
• best buy gift card
  to purchase accessories for aforementioned wii, duh.
  
  
• calphalon 2 1/2 quart saucepan
  my mother- and sister-in-law bought us one of these for a wedding shower gift and i swear it is the single most used gift we received. we seriously need a second one. i didn't realize how fabulous pots and pan could be before we owned calphalon.
  
  
  { photo from bedbathandbeyond.com }
  
  
  
  
  
• 4-piece lamp set
  we realized that our house was going to come with lights in many rooms, but that one ceiling light just might not cut it for larger rooms. it's time to add a little light and for that, we need lamps.
  
  
  { photo from bedbathandbeyond.com }
  
  
  
  
  
• bathrobe
  as snazzy as i think it is to walk outside in pink striped pajama pants with a purple tweed winter coat to take kylie out in the morning, i think my neighbors beg to differ. a casual robe would be sensational. i mean, it might actually look trashier to walk out in a robe, but i think i'd rather match.
  
  
• reading light
  for those nights when i don't want to have my bedside lamp on or i want to read on the plane, in the car, etc.
  
  
• gift cards to hobby lobby, target, and bed bath and beyond
  hobby lobby = the mecca of fabulous(ly cheap) home decor
  target = the mecca of well, life's needs in general
  bbb = the mecca of sporadic household (/registry) items one might require
  

and the winner is...

goddessvicky!! apparently having 14 entries in your favor actually does increase your odds of winning a lot. i've known vicky since junior high and i'm so glad we are in each others' "blog lives" once again. she is such a fun loving, thoughtful, and amazing woman, i'm lucky to count her among my lifelong friends. so congrats vicky, i will be e-mailing (or facebooking... or tweeting... or blog commenting...) you shortly to get everything squared away.

and to show my honesty in this, here's the list of giveaway entries and assigned numbers.

and here is the generation on random.org

congrats again vicky! i hope you enjoy the makeup (along with the eyeshadows you already purchased). love ya!

thankful friday

another week of life, another week to be thankful! this week i am thankful for...

1. my coworkers
   aka my brothers and sisters. when i first started working in the stormwater group at my firm almost 3 years ago, there were 4 of us. now we have grown to 8. i'm still the youngest in the group, but every one of these people is like a big brother or big sister to me, especially jbl. i didn't grow up with my brother, only saw him a couple weeks of the summer each year. nowadays i still only see him 2 or 3 days a year. but jbl is almost exactly like my brother and i'm so sad he is planning to move offices next year. who is going to throw paper clips at me!? and put cookies on my desk when i get up to grab some water!? and the girls in my office... love. i know my dad always says "don't take your personal life to work" but it's not my fault they are always so understanding and full of good advice! happy hour, bootcamp, eating cupcakes from the breakroom, i enjoy hanging out with the girls. i love that my coworkers are like family to me, it's great.
   
   
2. seasonique birth control
   because having the girly thing only 4 times a year for only 4 days each time is the bomb diggity.
   
   
3. mary kay concealer
   i don't have puffy eyes, i don't get bags under my eyes, i have veins. super duper obnoxious purple lines shapes like a "v" under both eyes. on a weekly basis someone will say "oh i think your eye makeup smeared a bit". no peeps, they're veins. i bought mary kay concealer last week (i used to have some 2 years ago and couldn't find a consultant but now obviously i have one again) and someone actually said i looked "fresh" this week. thanks for telling me that aka, i look like crap when i'm wearing cheap concealer.
   
   
4. hobby lobby
   i just looked up and realized that almost every piece of art in our apartment came from hobby lobby. but shh, don't tell hubby! i'm addicted to that store, especially when they are constantly running 50% off sales. speaking of, i wonder if they have christmas decorations half off right now, i could use some...
   
   
5. garnier nutrisse
   garnier gets my vote for best hair care products. i looove their shampoo and conditioner. my hair has become so healthy since i made the switch 2 years ago.. i dyed my hair a few weeks ago and used garnier, again a complete winner. my hair does not feel the least bit damaged!

ok, so this week was a bit materialistic on the thankful front. but i'm a girl so materialistic week was bound to happen! enjoy your weekend!

dining table saga

hubby and i have a hard time agreeing on dining furniture. i like stuff with a bit of cushion and am open to interesting chair designs. he's all about clean lines because you know, he's a boy. we have been looking at dining room tables for at least 8 months now and have not been able to decide on a style we both like.

until this past weekend.

we finally found something we both like, although we aren't planning to buy anything until after the house is finished. (breaking ground december 11!) now that i'm looking at a photo of the set we agreed on, i'm a bit hesitant and need opinions.

{ steve silver 4-piece corner gathering dining set
photo from lacks.com }

pros

• we both like the idea of bench seating on 2 sides
• i like how comfy the chairs are
• hubby likes the clean lines
• we both love the pedestal base

cons

• is this black leather thing going to look sooo 1980's in 2015?
• i have mixed feelings on the corner seat between the benches, that's a bit too restaurant for me
• i'm not seeing a leaf option. what if we want to host a holiday? is a 48" square going to be sufficient?

don't get me wrong, i love the set. i just want to make sure we're looking at all the important factors of a dining table here, like the test of time and seating options.

alternatively, i found this similar set on the rooms to go website and remember liking it in the store. it can extend to a 60" table.

{ marsden 5 piece counter height dining set
photo from roomstogo.com }

does anyone have some life-altering dining room table advice? because ours mostly collects mail and experiences the occasional dinner. we usually just eat in the living room whether it's just us or we have guests.

weight watchers wednesday

YIPPEEEEEEE! it is weight watchers wednesday and i am super stoked for my progress!

week 0
weight: 140.0 lbs
flex points used: a helluva lot

week 1
weight: 138.8 lbs
flex points used: 63/35 ( +28 )

week 2
weight: 136.4 lbs
flex points used: 48.5/35 ( +13.5 )

i've lost 2.4 pounds since last week, adding up to 3.6 pounds in 2 weeks!

this week i still went over my flex points by 13.5 points, but that is significantly better than last week and it shows because my weight loss doubled.

this week i focused on choosing smarter meals. while hubby and i were at the grocery store, i skipped the mac and cheese (it's something like 25 points for the whole box, seriously) in favor of baked potatoes (add turkey and butter, still only about 6 points).

and instead of frozen pizza (27 points for the whole thing!) i got smartones pizza minis (they're yummy!!) and some romaine to make a salad with fat free raspberry vinaigrette, cheese, and turkey (about an 8 point meal instead).

{ photo from eatyourbest.com }

eating smart is SO easy. it saddens me that so many people let themselves go and don't make simple efforts to lose weight and be healthy. i walk my dog an hour a day, attend a 30 minute bootcamp twice a week, and don't buy items high in fat, instead i opt for items high in fiber. 2 weeks of this and i've already lost almost 5 pounds. my sister says it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle, and she is dead on. i know a lot of people have kids, but take your kid for that one hour walk. leave your child with his grandmother for 30 minutes twice a week. make those choices at the grocery store. i promise you will love the way you look and feel. so just do it!!!

my personal failure this week was in the candy/cake department. a huge buttercream icing cake showed up at the office along with chocolate cupcakes. i have a weakness for freshly baked goods, i can't say no. it was a problem when i actually ate cake for breakfast one day.

also, if anyone is interested in attending bootcamp with me, please shoot me an e-mail (link on the left) for details. jennifer over at jonesingforthejones might come with me next week and i'd really like to extend the invitation to anyone who wants to try it out. the first session is actually free, just to give it a whirl.

so yay for losing 3.6 pounds in only 2 weeks! i will have lost the 10 i planned to lose by the time my parents take us to miami and key west for sure! thanks for all of the support guys!

our guard dog

the maintenance guy came by yesterday to fix the ice machine in our freezer. hubby was in the shower when all he heard was "hey buddy! hey little buddy! aren't you cute and sweet!" apparently kylie is the sweetest dog he's ever met when coming into a tenant's apartment.

our dog is not guard dog material. or so you might assume.

personally, i think we should focus on her strengths. if an intruder were to enter our apartment...

1. kylie will likely begin to untie the intruder's shoelace. then nip his socks to death.
2. if the intruder attempts to use a laptop to destroy us, she will try to chew the crap out of it while he sits on the couch.
   
3. then she will make the intruder dizzy as she bolts back and forth from bedroom to bedoom.
4. lastly, the intruder will be so captivated by her furry little charm that she will lead him under the bed and he will be trapped.

because seriously, these things happen in our household on a daily basis. shoelaces untied, laptops chewed at, crack puppy running, and scurrying under the bed.

{ i know, she's a real threat }

confession monday - austin edition (on a tuesday)

i was a bit too preoccupied with holidays and john krasinski yesterday to do confession monday, so i delayed it until today. if you're an austinite, you'll need to grab your seats, because this is the austin edition of my confessions.

i would like to preface this with the fact that i spent the first 16 years of my life in iowa, but in a city of 100,000 people, in a metro of 375,000 people. just because i'm from iowa doesn't mean i'm country. i knew what prada was at a young age and coveted my mother's coach purses and leather gloves as a child. my dad bought my sister and i a jean jacket and vest from rodeo drive when we were 9 and they were the highlight of my elementary fashion life. i'm not a bumpkin.

i then lived in a small town in south texas for 4 years. i'd like to pretend those years didn't happen with the exception of meeting my husband and a few worthwhile friends. it's a pretty craptastic town with about 60,000 people.

i've been in austin for 3 years now and adore living in such a huge city with around 750,000 people in austin and 1.6 million in the metro. after 3 years, my judgments have been made, my opinions are pretty set. with that...

1. i think the alamo drafthouse is overrated
   it's true, i don't like going to the drafthouse. i will go on 4 conditions-
   a) it is not opening weekend, unless it's a movie i desperately want to see on opening weekend, but that is incredibly rare.
   b) i do not have plans the next day and can drink my weight in their sangria.
   c) i have already eaten dinner because i'm not a meal and movie kind of gal.
   d) i have a box of mike & ikes in my purse because they are stingy as hell with their candy which is the most important part of the movies for me.
   see? it's just much easier for me to go to the regal gateway where i don't have to fight lines, be distracted by people walking in front of me, or think about how dark and dingy the theater is. i'm not a fan of the atmosphere.
   
   
2. i don't like south austin
   i've only ever lived in far west and the arboretum. if you are on campus or further, you are south to me. there isn't anything in south austin that we don't have in north austin but cleaner.
   
   
3. i love that 2222 has 18 different names
   i know this drives people crazy, but i personally love it. 2222, allandale, koenig, northland, 290, it cracks me up every time.
   
   
4. i call 290 by manor/2222 "290" and the 290 in south austin "ben white" or "71"
   i really don't know if this is the correct way to say things. when i tell hubby to take 290, he thinks i'm talking about ben white. if i'm talking about ben white then dang it, i'll just say ben white. but what else is there to call the 290 leading out to manor besides 290? is there an east/west connotation i should be using? please correct me if this is wrong.
   
   
5. i avoid i-35 like the plague
   i have personally only driven on i-35 once. hubby and i maybe drive on this highway once every 2 months. the first year we were here i think we set a record of 2 trips during the whole year. we had to ease into it once we decided to have our wedding in kyle and when we discovered the round rock outlets. but even then we're all about taking mopac to 45. i-35 is the traffic devil.
   
   
6. trudy's mexican martinis are mediocre
   but then again i love my frozen margaritas with sugar on the rim, so what do i know? ;)
   

 commence hating from the true austinites. startiiiiiiiing now.