Day 76 - Meet Joe

It's Monday night, and that means Body Attack class.  I got the this class because it's a great workout, I get to see and catch up a little with CC, and I love our instructor.  Everyone, please meet Joe

Joe makes CC and I laugh and I'm pretty sure that we do the same for him.  This class is a sports-inspired cardio workout for building strength and stamina, and it kicks our butts.  I have said many times that if Joe didn't teach this, I'm not sure I'd go.  He has missed or had someone teach with him a couple of times, and it's just not the same.  I really do enjoy the workout, but I'm extremely thankful to have Joe as an instructor.

Day 75 - Easter Basket

I worked from 11am until 1:45am, and I had to get up and go back again today.  There was a brunch for the guests that stayed in the hotel.  I only had to be there for an hour, but I was not pleased about having to wake up to an alarm clock.  (Side note - one of my favorite things in life is getting to sleep in and wake up whenever my body decides)  I was tired this morning when I stumbled out of my room, but my day got better when I saw this

Even though I'm thirty years old, my mother still makes me an Easter basket every year.  Last year when I was in Michigan, she even mailed it to me.  She's pretty awesome. The tin shown in the picture is my Easter "basket" from when I was a kid.  It's cool that mom still has this and uses it.

I'm not big on Holidays because of all of the merchandising, but Easter is one that I still enjoy for a couple of reasons.  1. It still holds its meaning.  People know that we celebrate Easter as the resurrection of our Lord and Savior who died for our sins so that we could be forgiven. I hope that we all take a moment to let the magnitude of this set in. We are blessed everyday because of the sacrifice of Jesus.  Christ our Lord is Risen!  My next two reasons are very shallow, and pale in comparison to number one, but for blogging sake, I will still mention them.  2.  My last name is Lamb, so I have lots of lamb items.  But, lambs are not the easiest animal to find.  Except at Easter.  Since Jesus was the Lamb of God, marketing people use Easter as a time to sell lambs.  And for people in my family, we buy right into it.  As you can see in my "basket', I have a lamb activity book, a stuffed lamb (which actually has handles and is a purse), and a lamb that I told my mom about from Hobby Lobby that I want to some day put in a baby room.  I know that at that point I won't have the same last name, but as I explained to my Nana today, I will always be a Lamb.  3) The candy!  I laugh even typing that, but it's true.  There are certain candies that only come out at Easter, and they are my favorites.  I bought extra to put in the freezer and ration throughout the coming months.  I had a great Easter with the family, and I hope that you all had a lovely and blessed Easter as well.

Day 74 - A real, live elephant

Today was day 2 of me working the wedding celebrations.  The guests were eating lunch when I arrived, so I jumped in and helped with last minute details.  I was talking to Hala when I heard someone mention that the elephant was here.  Elephant?  I knew that it must have been there for the Baraat (the entrance of the future husband), but I had never gotten to witness one done with an actual elephant.  I took a second to run outside and snap a picture.

People were posing with it before the event started, but I just wanted to see it now because I knew I wouldn't get to watch much of the Baraat.  And, I knew that there would be people everywhere so I wouldn't get a good shot of Christy, the elephant.  The rest of the day was LONG, so I'm glad that I stopped to enjoy this. 

If you have time, go check out http://gregblomberg.com/.  The pictures from this weekend won't be up for a little bit, but he has an entire section of just Indian weddings so you get an idea of how amazing they can be.

Day 73 - Mehndi

As I mentioned, not only did I go home for Easter with the family, but I also had a wedding to work.  I started working weddings for HS about 5 years ago.  She does all kinds of weddings, but has built a name for herself in the area of Indian weddings which is no small feat.  Shameless plug, http://www.eventsbyhala.com/ These events are typically several days long and included different parties and ceremonies.  When I arrived Friday evening for the Sangeet, a couple of ceremonies and celebrations had already take place.  Thursday was the Mehndi party for the bride and her guests.  So, even though they had already done this, she still had a couple of Mehndi artists on hand for tonight's event. 

I am so amazed by the beauty of this kind of art work and the speed at which they do it.  If you ever have the opportunity to get this done, DO IT!  I will warn you that you have to let it dry on your hand for about 4-6 hours, and if you get it on your clothes it will stain.  But it looks beautiful on the skin and lasts for a week or so. 

Tonight's event was really cool.  It is a party for the upcoming wedding.  There are speeches and singing and dancing performances by the family and friends of the bride and groom.  This particular couple decided to do a Bollywood them complete with a red carpet and movie posters that had them as the stars.  The kicked off the performances with hired fire dancers which was neat to watch.  All in all tonight was a success, and just a small peak of what tomorrow holds.

Day 72 - Patcher Poo

After work today, I made the journey home for Easter and wedding weekend.  I had just gotten to my mom's house when I looked over and saw this

This is my kitty cat, Patches.  I lovingly call her Patcher Poo.  She is HUGE.  Part of it is that she's very fluffy, but for the most part she is just fat.  I got her for Christmas my senior year of high school from my boyfriend at the time.  My mother is NOT a cat person, but she allowed me to have the cat on the condition that when I went to college, the cat would go to live at my boyfriend's house.  Well, that didn't happen.  So, for 12 years now, Patches has lived at my mom's house.  Every time I go home, my mom and step dad try to send her back with me, but I haven't lived anywhere that I've been able to bring her.  She is a laid back animal that just wants to be fed and occasionally loved on.  If I could have her live with me, I would, but since I can't, she'll have to stay a mom's.  Thanks mom!

Day 71 - Free Towel

I mentioned last week that CC talked me into going to a cycling class with her on Thursday.  Well, we couldn't do the Thursday class this week, so we went on Wednesday night instead.  The class was pretty small and the instructor had some extra gifts for members since it was a launch week.  Right before class started she handed each of us one of these

I have never been so excited about a towel.  I have said to myself several times that I need to buy some cheap, white hand towels to take to the gym, but I never seem to remember it when I'm at the store.  So, now I have the perfect sweat towel, and I definitely put it to use tonight.  That class kicks my butt, but it paid to go today, in more ways than one.  Thanks Gold's!

Day 70 - Bertolli

I made myself go to the gym after work today.  During my workout, I was thinking about what I was gonna do for dinner.  I didn't want to stop and get something because I would be gross looking and wouldn't want to negate the work I had just done.  Then it hit me that I had one of these in the freezer.

I have tried a couple of different types of Bertolli frozen dinners, and they are all pretty good.  And, they only take about 10 minutes to cook.  That was exactly what I wanted/needed - yummy, quick and easy!

Day 69 - Tana Jo Thomason

Today is April 18.  For most people, it's just another day.  But, for many people that I went to high school with, this is a date that can cause a  deep sadness.  On this date 11 years ago, our friend Tana Jo passed away from a rare form of cancer.  She was diagnosed in December of our senior year, but she never let it slow her down.  She managed to maintain her grades, uphold her responsiblities within clubs and organizations, play basketball and softball all while going through chemo and radiation treatments.  That spring she went to prom, spoke at the spring sports banquet, and graduated with honors.  Tana did not let cancer slow her down.   Unfortuantly for those she left behind, Tana went to be with her heavenly Father the following spring.

This is us on the couch at my house. 

 I know that this blog is about happy things, so I'm sorry for the sad back-story.  I can be happy on this date for tons of reasons, but I will only mention a couple.  1) I'm blessed to have gotten to know Tana.  We were great friends, and I learned a lot from her.  I have some amazing memories of us together.  2) I know that she is in heaven watching over those she loved.  Her faith throughout everything did not falter.  A few times over the years, I have found myself wondering what life for Tana would be like today if she was still with us, but I very quickly stop and realize that this was all God's plan for her.  She was put on this earth to bring happiness to those around her and glory to God, and she accomplished both of those things and much, much more.  I love Tana and her family very much, and this date will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Day 68 - Carrot Cake Cookies

It's almost Easter which for some reason means carrot cake to me, and I find this strange because I don't really care for carrot cake.  This year I wanted to send some cookies to JE's parents for Easter, and I decided that I wanted to make carrot cake cookies.  I didn't have a recipe for this, so I found one online and altered it a little bit.  It called for pecans and raisins along with carrots, of course.  I didn't have pecans, but I did have walnuts, so I used those.  Also, the recipe didn't call for icing, but I thought that it might need a little more sweetness.  I had some white icing in the fridge, so I melted it and drizzled it on top. 

I didn't try one, but I was told they're good. Thanks JE and NE for being my guinea pigs.  I'm glad that y'all liked them.  I will probably make this recipe again.  (next Easter, haha) 

Day 67 - World Market

I had a great day today.  I woke up when my body wanted to, I ate when I got hungry, and I went where I wanted when I wanted.  One of the places that I went was World Market.  I want to live in some fantastic combination of this store and Pottery Barn.  Anywhoo, they had these really cool colored glasses lanterns that I think would look great at the new house in Hawaii, so I went to get some.  They didn't have them in all the colors, so I picked a couple and then grabbed a kitchen towel that just happened to match.

I really  like them, and am planning to go back this week and see if they got more colors.  I haven't figured out exactly how I'm getting these to HI yet, but I will.  They're gonna look great out by the pool on a nice night.

Day 66 - Michelada

I was gonna run errands with CC after work today.  Her parents are having a garage sale, so we were gonna grab dinner and head out to help them. Well, at some point today my co-worker, RW, was talking about the greatness of a Michelada.  I mentioned that to CC, and she was like, oh, yummy!  I was killing time after work by wandering around Target :) when CC called and said, never mind on the garage sale, let's go get a Michelada.  This was a perfect plan.  Her and JC met me at Pacific Star to share a delicious pitcher of this wonderful creation. 

Again, I forgot to get a picture.  This one is really bad because I even had my camera out showing some pictures.  I blame my complete enjoyment of the drinks.  Or, maybe this is my excuse to have to get Micheladas again so I can get a picture.

Day 65 - Spin Class

CC mentioned to me recently that she got JC to take a Spin Class on Thursday nights.  For those of you that don't know about "spin" or "cycling", it's a class that done entirely on station bikes.  I tried this once about 7 years ago with a group of teens during summer camp, and it kicked my butt.  I couldn't quit or even take a break because I had to set an example for the teens in the room.  Due to the fear of the pain and the craziness those addicted to cycling classes, I have not tried again.  But, I decided that today was the day!  I joined CC & JC for a 50 spin class, and it was great!  I paced myself really well and think that I can even push myself a little harder next time.  And, yes, there will be a next time!

I forgot to take my camera in at the gym, so I will have to get a picture to put here.

Thanks CC for inviting and encouraging me!

Day 64 - Newcomber's Guide

It's Wednesday, and since I know that sales ads come on Wednesdays, I stopped and checked the mail.  And, to my surprise, I had a package waiting. 

JE sent me a book to read before I make the big move.  It's exciting to get regular mail, but uber exiting to get an unexpected gift.  I'm looking forward to reading this, but looking more forward to living in Hawaii with JE.

Day 63 - I'm becoming my mother

I give my mom a hard time about several things, but one of them is that she carries multiple wallets in her purse.  Each one seems to contain different important items, but I've never seemed to understand why it can't all go into one.  This morning I looked down and saw this

Yep, it's 2 wallets in my purse.  The yellow one is new and the green one is the old one.  I just haven't taken the time to move things over, so until I do, I guess I will be like my mom.  It's not the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Day 62 - It's a Monster

A Monster Cookie that is.  As I've previously mentioned, I love to bake.  My friend Trace's birthday is coming up, and her favorite cookie that I make is the monster cookie. 

So, I decided to make them to ship to her.  And, lucky for you, I'm gonna share the recipe for these amazing treats.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, 1 cup brown sugar, 2/3 cup sugar, 5 tablespoons butter (I use Crisco butter sticks instead), 3/4 teaspoon White Karo Syrup, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3 cups oatmeal, 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and 3/4 cup M & Ms

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in large bowl.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes.  Cookies will set as they cool.  Makes 4 - 6 dozen. 

Enjoy!

Day 61 - H.E.B. coupons

My roommate, SS, and I decided, out of necessity, to make a trip to the grocery store today.  We went to HEB which, in college, I used to despise, but, during my time in Austin, I have grown to love.  HEB has coupons throughout the store that aren't for an amount off the product you want to purchase, but are if you buy product X, you get product Y for free.  Today they had the best coupon that I've ever seen.  I went to get my Lean Cuisines for the week, and found this

I got free Skinny Cow Ice Cream for buying something I was going to get anyway.  Woohoo!  Now that is a good coupon.  And now I have to publically admit that I love my HEB.

Day 60 - Girls' Night

Tonight was the party.  CC made dinner reservations for us at Vivo, a local Mexican food place with a great atmosphere.  There was a party in this room before us, but they should have been out in time for our reservation.  When we got there, the other party was still in the room.  So, we got margaritas a caught up with one another.  Well, about an hour passed before we were able to get the room that CC reserved.  One of the girls in our party spoke with a manager and explained the situation.  The people at Vivo were great about it, and they gave us a couple of appetisers and a round of shots on the house.

It may look like a small group, but it's a group that was ready to party.  We had great laughs and a wonderful night.  Thanks CC for putting this together!  And, congrats to KM!

Day 59 - Pre-party

Tomorrow is KM's bachelorette party. CC and I got together to get a couple of last minute items and grab some dinner.  We went to Spencer's in the mall and found ourselves standing in front of a wall of pink items.  WARNING - the following is not appropriate for all audiences.

And this is only a portion of the items available to celebrate with.  It made me laugh to see the creativity and variety that is offered.  

Day 58 - Flight Friend

I was super anxious about my flight home the other day, and for those of  you that know me this will come as no surprise, but my axiety came to life in the form of tears.  There I was, sitting in my seat dreading my flight with tears running down my face.  I was so embarassed when the girl sat down next to me that I avoided talking to her at first.  It took a couple of minutes, but I was able to collect myself and say hello to her.  I explained my tears and we began to talk which always helps me a little on flights.  We chatted until the in-flight movies came on.  When they shut off for landing, we chatted a little more.  Before we exited the plane, she gave me her business cards and told me to look her up on facebook.  I was cleaning out my bag tonight when I came across her cards. 

It made me happy that she was willing to reach out and make herself available to me.  She was friendly and I hope to keep in touch with her. 

Day 57 - Replay

After being on a plane all night, I was exhausted.  My roomie took me by Scholotsky's to grab some lunch and then home.  I ate half my food and snuggled in for a nice nap.  I slept about 4 hours, woke up, at the rest of my meal, and went straight back to bed.  I turned on the t.v. to veg and try to stay awake for a little bit so that I could sleep later tonight.  I flipped over to Bravo just in time to see this

Top Chef Finale!  It orginally aired last week, but I had just arrived in HI and wasn't thinking about it.  The next day I realized that I had missed it and was kicking myself for not recording it.  I was super pumped that they replayed it.  What a great way to relax and enjoy my first night back!

Day 56 - What a view

This is what I see when I sitting by the pool or in the bedroom, or living room, or the kitchen. 

If I look to the left there is more ocean, a sand bar and a small island.  It is pretty amazing. 

Day 55 - Famous Table

We had lunch at this little place today, and they sat us at the "Presidents Table".

I'm not sure what this means.  Did they eat at this restaurant?  Did they sit at this table?  Did the restaurant just decide to put this plague up just because?  I don't know and didn't ask.  I'm gonna assume that the President and his wife sat at that exact table and shared a wonderful meal.  I felt pretty special sitting where they had sat. 

Day 54 - Surfers kick arse

We drove up to the North Shore today.  It was a beautiful drive, and there are several cool beaches along the way.  We stopped at one and watched the surfers.  I was so impressed.  I've seen surfing on tv and in movies, but it's totally different to witness it live.  Some of the best ones were chicks!

I know it's hard to see in this picture, but it really was totally rad! 

Day 53 - Won't be the last time

This morning we got up and went to breakfast at this great little restaurant that JE had told me about.  He said that he had the best breakfast of his life there, so I had to experience it for myself.  We shared banana pancakes with coconut syrup, scrambled eggs, Portuguese sausage and fried rice.  It was an interested combination and one that I never would have chosen.  But, I trusted him, and he was totally right!  It was a great meal that I know I will have several more times in my life.

Next, we went to an outdoor flea market/swap meet that happens every Saturday around the big football stadium.  There were vendors set up with all sorts of cool Hawaiian souvenirs and stuff. It was nice to wander with JE and look at all the cool stuff.  We got some ideas for things to decorate the house with, and there was really interesting people to watch.  I bought a fun straw hat and some flower hair clips.  JE got some dried fruit, and he bought me a really pretty sarong. 

There were several people selling them and there were a ton of different colors and designs, but this one was my favorite.  The colors are so vibrant and the flowers have significance.  The bigger ones are hibiscus which is the state flower of Hawaii, and the smaller one are plumeria which I think are gorgeous. 

We have a wonderful day, and I have a strong feeling that this day will be replicated several times in my future.  If you're planning to come visit, you will get to experience this day for yourself.  And, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Day 52 - Mai Tai

On my first visit to Hawaii, back in November, I was introduced to the greatness of a Mai Tai.  I like alcohol well hidden in my drinks and even though mai tais have a lot of alcohol in them, you don't really taste it.  They are sweet and yummy!  We tried to make them one night back in Austin, but they were not at all the same.  So, I knew on this trip that I wanted a real Hawaiian mai tai.

I asked JE to hold it for me so I could take the picture.  It is a great drink being held by a great guy!

Day 51 - B.A.B.

Today we went to Costco to see about purchasing a rug for the living room.  After purchasing a membership, we proceeded to wander around the store and enjoy some free samples.  We noticed a woman about to do a demonstration, and were both sucked in.  She had a blender full of fresh fruits, ice and spinach.  I thought that sounded really yuck.  Why would you put spinach in with delicious fruits?  The woman turned on blender and talked about the power of the blender and all the cool stuff that it can do.  Then, she turned it off and poured the green mixture into cups for everyone to try.  It was DELICIOUS!  I couldn't taste the spinach at all.  I was amazed.  JE and I looked at each other and I knew we had the same thought, we have to have one of these machines.  She told us the price and we decided that now was not the best time to make this purchase.  We found some items that we needed and left, but we continued to talk about the awesomeness of this blender and all the cool things that we could make with it.  It was a Bad Ass Blender, and at some point we will own it. 

I didn't have my camera with me, so I didn't get a picture.  I'm gonna find a picture online to put on here, but I haven't looked into how to do that yet.  Thanks for your understanding.  :)

Day 50 - Pure beauty

After a short flight to Houston followed by a LONG flight to Hawaii, I finally got to see JE.  I was waiting for my luggage when I turned around and saw him.  I immediately got lei'd.  (Sorry, but that pun will never get old.)  I wish I would have taken a picture of him with the lei, but I was too in the moment to stop and get out my camera.  We began the drive back to the house, and it was awesome to get to be with him and catch up.  I was really looking forward to seeing the house.  I found it on Craigslist, and he moved in a couple of weeks ago.  I have seen pictures and videos, but was still very excited to see it for myself.  JE's furniture and household goods arrived earlier that morning, so there were movers and boxes everywhere.  JE showed me around while we talked about where different things might go.  The house is very unique.  It has some awesome things about it as well as some things that will take some getting use to.  One thing that will be easy to get use to is the back yard.  We walked outside and I immediately noticed some beautiful colors.

This gorgeous hibiscus bush is right outside the master bedroom window.  The hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii, and they come in a variety of amazing color combinations.  The details and colors of this plant are awesome!



This interesting plant is red ginger, and there are several of them growing along the wall around the pool.  They're really close to the hibiscus bush.  They are rich in color and are very unique looking in the way that they grow.  As you can see, the grow out of the top of one flower.  The will then turn and grow down before deciding to grow back up.  I will take a better picture in the future. 

There is also a mango tree, coconut tree and guava tree in the back yard.  I'm looking forward to learning new recipes for all of those, as well as eating them naturally.  The coolest part to me about all of these wonderful plants is that they require little to no maintenance.  Because of the side of the island that the house is on, they get rain and sun just about every day.  What a great place to be!



Day 49 - All my bags are packed

I'm leaving early in the morning to visit JE in Hawaii.  I started packing last weekend which has been extremely helpful tonight.  I typically wait until the last minute to gather things and try to squeeze them all in.  Planning ahead has made tonight much more calm.  I'm so excited to be in Hawaii, but much more excited to be spending time with JE. 

I'm a blessed, thankful, and today, prepared lady.

Day 48 - Medicine

I had planned to meet CC at the gym tonight for our normal Monday class, and I was actually looking forward to a good workout.  But, this afternoon I started feeling really bad.  I came home and took a nap hoping that would give me energy.  It didn't.  I was really tired, but JE convinced me to get up and go get some medicine.  I started taking it as soon as I got home, and am hoping that it does the trick. 

Sometimes hope is the bright spot, even if it's hope in medicine.