It's OK Thursday (Linkup)

It's Thursday, and time for the "It's OK Thursday" linkup with Neely and Amber!!
Let's do it....


It's OK ......

• to have been in a super-funk the past 2 weeks (and not blogged at all) due to all the "stuff" going on in my life right now.
• to be bummed that I had to turn down a job I wanted (and was offered) in The Woodlands.
• to be sore after a group exercise class last night (after I haven't been to one in about 3 years!).
• to realize just how out-of-shape I am after being in grad school for 3 years (UGH!).
• to hope that I am in better shape and have lost some weight by the time my niece's wedding rolls around in April.
• to be anxiously looking forward to other opportunities that may soon be on the horizon (job-wise).
• to be excited that I just started a new Scentsy business yesterday! http://penniepastor.scentsy.us/
• to be bummed that there are no new episodes of Grey's Anatomy or Scandal until mid-March!!
• to be glad it's Thursday, cuz that means tomorrow is FRIDAY ya'll!!

:)

This Weekend I.....

Time for another linkup with Sarah and Syndal!!


This Weekend I.....

• Did our taxes early on Saturday....taxes filed!!
• Had a good workout on Saturday at the gym
• Had dinner out with the hubs
• Caught up on "Scandal" episodes (love that show!!)
• Woken up by wicked storms in the middle of the night
• Woke up with a migraine Sunday morning
• Slept til 3:30pm due to said migraine (meds)
• Did 3 loads of laundry to make myself feel like my whole day wasn't wasted
• Called Dad for his birthday last night and told him we'd be in Houston next weekend (so we could meet up)

Hoping for a better day today and the remainder of the week!! :)

Sunday Social Linkup

I know I'm a day late, but migraines tend to have their own timetable.....

It's time for the Sunday Social linkup with Ashley and Neely!!


1. What was your first car?

My first car was a white Camaro Z-28 with blue racing stripes down the sides. Yes, this was in the early 80's. My parents bought it for me after a drill team audition. I had my license at 15.

2. Who was your favorite childhood teacher?

I had 2 favorite teachers my senior year in high school, my math teacher (Mrs. DeLeon) and my english teacher (Mrs. Poehlman). They helped me so much that year!

3. Were you involved in any sports/extracurricular activities? Share pictures if you can!

I was in drill team (2 years in high school, and 2 years in junior college), and honors society.

4. What was your favorite birthday party?

Well, it wasn't really a "party" per se, but I spent one of my birthdays in Cozumel with my sister and went SCUBA diving for the first time ever on the morning of my birthday! :)

5. Who was your teen celebrity crush?

I had a thing for musicians, so the one I remember most was Robin Zander of Cheap Trick (geez.....I'm really dating myself here!!!)

6. What show/movie did your parents not allow you to watch?

For some weird reason, my mom didn't like us to watch Saturday Night Live or Monty Python's Flying Circus (again....dating myself....sux to be old, lol!!)

Happies & Crappies

It's Friday, and time for the link-up for Happies & Crappies with Stephanie & Sarah! :)

This week's Happies:

• YAY for massages! I couldn't survive without them!
• Finally got that face-to-face interview I was waiting for (next Friday)!
• Going to Houston next weekend; I will get to see my dad and besties!
• Good report from my back doctor (no surgery in my future)
• Coupon swaps with fellow Bzzz agents
• Workouts at the gym

This week's Crappies:

• My current job (ugh!)
• Crazy mood swings (hormones?)
• Being out of shape after 3 years of grad school

Fitness Fridays!

It's time for Fitness Fridays with Noel from High Heeled Mama!

Last week, I was really proud of myself for working out 5 times! However, my back was not in agreement. So Saturday, after a morning mammogram, breakfast out with the hubby, shopping at Sprouts, and a long dog walk, my back said "no more". I spent the remainder of the day sitting in bed with a heating pad on my lower back. You see, I have scoliosis (curvature of the spine), and sometimes it doesn't let me do the things I want to do. When I was younger, I did practically anything I wanted. I used to take all kinds of aerobics classes. I was in drill team for 4 years in high school and college, and continued to take dance classes until my 30's. I had to stop after I realized it was taking me 2 days to recuperate from a 1-hour dance class. It was a really sad time for me, because I always loved to dance. Fast forward to the present. After my sedentary life of a grad student for 3 years, my back is not very strong right now. I hadn't seen my back doctor for 2 years (due to changes in insurance), until last Wednesday. New x-rays were taken, and he said in the 4 years since I started seeing him, my curvature has not changed. This is good news, because it means that surgery is not in my future. The bad news is, I have to continue to deal with the daily pain and discomfort. He prescribed a muscle relaxer, an anti-inflamatory, and Pilates/core exercises to strengthen my back muscles. I have taken Pilates before, but it's been at least 10 years. But I do have a book that explains all the exercises by level (beginner thru advanced), and my gym has JUST ONE Pilates/Yoga mix class on Saturday mornings, which I fully intend to try. Let's just hope I can wake up and make it to the gym by 9:15am! This week I have noticed that my workouts are getting better, even though I've only been to the gym twice this week. But I fully intend on going again tonite, and hopefully the Pilates/Yoga class in the morning. Baby steps.....  :)

It's OK Thursday!

It's Thursday, which means it's time for "It's OK Thursday" with Neely and Amber!

 

It's OK to....

• want to serve on a jury. I was called for jury duty this week, but didn't get picked. I thought it would be interesting to serve on a jury. Maybe I just watch too much Law & Order, etc....
• wish it was Friday already (I think I say this every week?)
• be a procrastinator about some things around the house that I really need to get done
• have weird, unexplainable, almost-daily mood swings (I seriously wish I didn't; so does my hubs!!)
• be tired of this allergy/sinus/whatever crap that's hanging around right now (go away already!!)
• be excited to go to Houston next weekend :)

This weekend I....

Time to linkup with This Weekend I....  with Sar and Syn!!


This weekend I:

• Got my yearly mammogram on Saturday morning (don't forget yours!!)
• Went out to breakfast with the hubs (this doesn't happen very often)
• Took the dogs for a walk (super nice outside this weekend)
• Spent time relaxing (i.e. backache) and catching up on Tivo
• Watched the Super Bowl (yay Ravens!!)

Social Sunday Linkup

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and time again for the Sunday Social Linkup with Ashley and Neely!

1. If you were stuck on an island what are the two material items you would want to have?
Definitely sunscreen and lip balm, or else I'd fry in the sun!

2. What are two TV shows you’d watch over and over
NCIS and Law and Order SVU (they have marathons every weekend on cable)

3. If your house was on fire what two things aside from family, pets, etc would you grab?
My purse and my photo albums

4. What are your two most favorite articles of clothing?
Pajamas and sweats (I like to be comfy)

5. What two movies that you saw in the past year would you recommend to us?
Life of Pi and Flight (even though I haven't seen this one, I hear it's really good, and I still want to see it!)

6. What are your two biggest guilty pleasures?
Chocolate and wine! :)

Which team are you rooting for today (San Francisco or Baltimore)??
Because it's Ray Lewis's last game before he retires, the hubs and I are hoping that Balitmore gets the win.....Go Ravens!! :)

25 Things About Me!

I've seen this going around the blogosphere, and thought I'd give it a try as well, so here goes! :)

25 Things About Me:
1.  I'm a native Texan and have never lived anywhere else.
2.  I am 46 and my husband is 49.
3. We've been married for 14 years, but we have no children.
4.  I have 2 dogs and 2 cats, they are my fur babies. :)
5.  I have 2 dogs and 1 cat that have passed away, each at the age of 13, and each of them died at home. :(
6.  I am the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college. I paid for it with scholarships, grants, and student loans (i.e. no money from parents), and I worked part-time the entire time. I'm also the first one to get an advanced degree, which I also paid for myself.
7.  I went to junior college at Blinn and was on the dance team while I was there; I graduated with an Associates degree in 1986.
8.  I graduated in 1990 from Texas A&M University in College Station, with 2 BBAs.
9.  I just graduated in December 2012 from grad school (MBA in CyberSecurity from University of Dallas). I am DONE with school!! No more school!!
10.  Johnny (Heisman winner) Manziel's father was my very first boyfriend; I was in 9th grade, he was in 8th grade, and I was good friends with his younger sister. (Small world, huh?)
11.  I went to 3 different high schools (my parents moved around a lot), so I have friends spread out all over the place. I claim Houston as my hometown.
12.  I have lived in DFW for 20 years this coming August, and I've lived in my house for almost 13 years. That's the longest I've ever lived anywhere in my entire life (see reason above).
13.  I drive a hardtop convertible (Volvo C70), and I love my car!
14.  I love to travel. We go on 1 or 2 vacations a year (because we have no kids).
15.  In August we went on a cruise to Alaska, and it was so pretty!!  It was also a nice change of pace from the Caribbean cruises we've been on. However, we drove from Seattle to DFW, which took 3 days....ugh! (Hubs doesn't like to fly, and I really don't like to drive long distances.)
16.  Cozumel, Mexico is one of my favorite places ever....I've been there probably 7 or so times. If I could somehow make a decent living there, I would live there (and I would have the best tan)!
17.  Ambergris Caye (San Pedro), Belize is another of my favorite places, but the mosquitos are BAD!!
18.  I'm a SCUBA diver and a snorkler, so the Caribbean is my favorite destination. Gotta love that clear turquoise water! I would love to swim with the whale sharks off the coast of Cancun.
19.  We didn't care much for Jamaica (most of it is not what you see in travel brochures or on tv).
20.  I want to go to Hawaii, but can't get my husband to take the flight (which also means we'll never go to Europe).
21.  I found out last weekend that a trip to Napa might be in my future!! :)  One of my friends has a "big" milestone birthday this summer, and that's his destination of choice. Hubs doesn't want to go, but he said I could go. :)
22.  I would rather watch college football than NFL any day.  Gig'em Aggies!! :)
23.  I do love NBA basketball, but after my beloved Mavericks won the NBA Championship, I've fallen off the basketball bandwagon, and somehow can't seem to make myself watch anymore. Dirk Nowitzki is my favorite player, and I've met him in person (and he is gorgeous up close, and has perfect skin).
24.  My favorite tv shows are: NCIS, Law & Order SVU, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, The Good Wife, and (my new addiction) Scandal. We also love Tivo (we have 2 - one for each tv) and don't know how we lived without it before it came along!
25.  I would rather be hot than cold, so me and skiing do not make a good combination. I've been skiing twice, and do not ever plan to go again (mostly because I kinda suck at it!). I do like snow days, but only if I can stay home inside my warm house! :)

Fitness Friday!!

Time for the Fitness Fridays link up with Noel of High Heeled Mama!

Well, I'll just say that after my first week of 4 workouts, last week only resulted in 2 days of going to the gym. But this week I'm already up to 3 days, and will go again tonite.  I had an appointment this week with my scoliosis doctor (I hadn't been in 2 years), and he told me there was no change in my curvature, which is GOOD news!  At my age, he doesn't anticipate the degree to get any worse, as my xrays have not changed in 4 years, so I will not ever need surgery unless something unfortunate happens.  He prescribed Pilates and core exercises and is glad I'm back to working out since I graduated from school.  He says my back will continue to hurt until my core muscles are strengthened and I start losing a little weight.  It will also help my stress level and help me sleep better.  All in all, I'm in a good starting over position so far.  :)