My Latest Obsessions

Here I am sitting in a hotel in Newton, TX once again for the 6th night in 1 1/2 week and I can't help but think that small town life is DEFINITELY not for me. The last few weeks at work have been jam packed with challenges and now I am going to have to play major catch-up...YUCK! I left my house last Monday for a "2 day" job and didn't return home until Saturday at 10 pm. Now I am back out in the field for some more excitement, which hopefully will not take as long this time. Long dirty days in the field are my least favorite part of my job, but at least it makes the week go by quickly...so much for a boring desk job!!!

While out in the field, though, I had lots of time to contemplate about what I needed in my day-to-day life at the moment and also to catch up on some much needed game time...(I successfully beat my high score on Bejeweled 6 different times, before realizing that I had probably just given myself carpal tunnel from playing games on my iPhone for 8 hours straight. )

In other news I decided that being dirty doing field work and spending a week on a job where I am surrounded by boys was really depriving me of "girl time". I mean, I just spent the last 5 years living with only girls, 2 years of which I lived in a sorority house with 50 other girls. I miss the drama! I miss the gossip! I miss the boy talk and watching SYTYCD and borrowing clothes from others' closets!!!! So to remedy this, I have joined the sales team of Scentsy! They are a company that sells wickless candles in all shapes and sizes. I recently bought 2 of them and fell in love with the design and scent. I mean, anything that can make my whole house smell like vanilla in only 30 minutes is a winner in my book! I can't wait to get started with my sales and am starting to plan my first party. Bring on the girl talk!! If you want to check out my products, go to https://amdb.scentsy.us/Home

Also, now that I have found a solution to one problem with my job - having no girl friends to talk to all day - I am working on fixing the other one. That would be the lack of exercise that I receive sitting in front of a computer for 9 hours a day. I have put on about 10 pounds in 1 year!! Whoever said the "Freshmen 15" was bad never experienced the "Vendor Lunch". I recently found a fitness tape by the same guy who made the P90X. It is basically the P90X for dummies, or in my case, for the super out of shape and getting fatter by the minute people in the world. It is called 10 minute trainer and it is kicking my butt!! I have spent the last 5 days hobbled over and cringing from soreness thanks to the exercises the night before. I am supposed to see results within a month, though, so I will let you know how it goes!

Well, I guess I had better head off to my first "sales conference call" as a new Scentsy consultant!!!! I hope you have a fabulous evening...

GEAUX TIGERS!!

Last weekend we packed up our car and headed down the road ( 5 hours down the road!) to our beautiful old Alma Mater...LSU!!

We decided that it was time for a little road trip to see the tigers play football. The LSU vs. Florida game was guaranteed to be the biggest game this season, and we just could not pass up the opportunity to tailgate with friends and family. We also decided to bring along a couple of friends from Houston who had never been to an LSU game before...what better time to see Death Valley in action!

It was quite a long ride, and about halfway through we were itching to get to Baton Rouge.

We finally made it to campus, after driving in torrential downpours for 5 1/2 hours. Jonathan was ready for some fun in the sun, but unfortunately the "sun" part was not to be. It was overcast and rainy all day on Saturday, but I was not complaining because that meant cool weather!!! We made stops at 4 different tailgates and ran into many old friends...Including my old roomies!

We also got to hang out with my cousins and aunt and uncle, who were in town for the game too.

Even Cory and Courtney's puppy, Lucy, decided to come join in the fun. She was definitely showing off her Tiger spirit!

We walked about 10 miles that day and even now my legs feel like Jello. I am feeling really out of shape after this weekend and have decided to start a much needed workout program to rectify this...But I am getting off the subject...We had a great marathon of a day tailgating but were ready to see some football by the time 5:30 rolled around.

At 6:15, itwas time to go to the stadium. And while we thought we were excited for the game, it was obvious that 93,000 other people were just as ready for kickoff.

The pregame show is always an event to see, and this game was no exception. They even had firecrackers and the Louisiana Blue Angels flying overhead! After the smoke cleared it was time to watch the Tigers and Gators have it out in the "swamp"...

This was Taylor's first game so she was really anticipating a Tiger win...

Unfortunately, that was not to be. The tigers lost 13-3, but our boys put up a good fight. But, when in Baton Rouge, the parties go on whether you win or lose. We had fun, ate lots of great food, saw old friends, and walked more than I have in a year. I think it I can say we had the time of our lives...

Visiting "The Mile-High City"

I'm home!!! After one crazy week in Denver and then a very long day out in the field yesterday, I am finally back and ready to share all of my traveling tips with you!

Denver was so much fun. If you have not been before, you definitely need to go check it out. Next time I am in town, though, I am hoping that there will be some snow on the ground so I can go skiing. But, even though it wasnt snowing, it was still nice to relax in some cold weather for a change. Amazingly, coming home, I got on the plane in Denver with a coat and boots on and stepped off in Houston to 85* weather....WAY TOO HOT.

But, I'm rambling...While I was in CO for work, I managed to thoroughly enjoy myself. So, without further ado, here are my hotspot suggestions (most center around the 16th Street walking mall.) :

Stay at the Hotel Monaco. The rooms were really trendy but also really comfortable.

They even have animal print robes in your rooms and you can request a fish to keep you company! This is definitely the place to go for pet lovers, since you can bring your furry friend along.

The hotel is also home to one of the best restaurants in Denver, Panzano, and an awesome spa (where I managed to find time to get a mani, pedi, and facial!)

The 16th Street mall is a great place to go shopping. It is basically one long pedestrian street. They have free buses that you can hop on to head down the street. The best part about this mall, though, is the food. There are tons of restaurants with sidewalk seating, which is so nice at night when it is cool outside. They also have lots of bars and hangouts that are pen most of the night. It sort of reminded me of a clean Bourbon Street...Definitely a must!!!

Unfortunately there are many great sites that I did not have time to visit because of my class. In the end, though, it was a great week. I learned alot, got to visit some friends and family in town, and got lots of much-needed shopping done...

But enough rambling from me...It's time stuff my face with home-made chocolate chip cookies and watch some DANCE!

There's No Place Like Home...

So I am in Denver for the week for a training class for work. While I am having the time of my life, enjoying the shopping and happy hours, I am also missing many things from home...

Like my little baby/doggie, Bella -

And my wonderful hubby -

But mostly, I am missing...my own BED!!!!

I never sleep well in other beds, mainly because I love my own bed and pillows soooo much. It seems like I can never get a good night's sleep anywhere else!

If you have to stay in a hotel, though, The Hotel Monaco is the place to be. I will definitely tell you all about it when I get back home and have more time to blog, but for now I am going to say good night, read my latest book, and hang out with my hotel room fish!!!

THE FIRST

So I have thought long and hard about how to start this first post, and after much soul-searching, I have come up with...NOTHING!

I have been sitting in meetings all day at work and while everyone else is chatting away about important work stuff I have been daydreaming about my first blog post. It is just so scary!!! I mean, I know no one is actually reading these yet, but someday they might actually have to entertain an audience. YIKES.

Well, I guess if nothing else, I will give you a peek into my shopping bag at present. I am signed up with this discount website through work and occasionally they send me emails about special sales and coupons that I can get through them. Yesterday was one of those days. As I am committedly trying to finish up some very important work stuff, an email pops up - GET AN ADDITIONAL 20% OFF OF SALE ITEMS AT THE GAP ONLINE. I thought, "There goes the rest of my afternoon!" And sure enough, 2 hours later I am the proud owner (well, sort of since they haven't actually shipped yet) of some fantastic new clothing. Take a look at some of my great scores:

GAP MOLESKIN COAT

GAP BOYFRIEND SWEATER

BANANA REPUBLIC DOLMAN-SLEEVE TOP

BANANA REPUBLIC SILK PRINTED TOP

GAP KAKHI PANTS

Now the question is how can I manage to integrate my fabulous new items into my wardrobe!!!! I'm sure there will be pictures to come...