New homeowner woes

I moved in with Will when we got back from our honeymoon in March. He bought us a house in July last year and we've learned that with owning a home comes great responsibility.  Our house was built in 1978 so it is a little older and things are starting to go - which is natural. Unfortunately, our AC went last Tuesday so we are on our 6th day without AC while the weather hits close to triple digits every day. Our upstairs has gotten up to 90 degrees by the end of the day.

Since we live in an area prone to hurricanes, Will bought a generator last weekend in preparation for hurricane season and has now gotten a window unit to cool it off in here (we will be very prepared for a hurricane this season!).  This has helped A LOT but we are still extremely hot.  At least my parents loaned us a window unit a couple nights ago because I was a little tired of sleeping on the living room couch every day.  Our insurance people said it could be next week or the week after before they can fix our AC. Does that make any sense to you???

Another issue we are having is with the electric plugs in our kitchen. Our refrigerator is having trouble staying cold. It's having some issues again so keep your fingers crossed that it cools off again soon! Otherwise we will lose a lot of food! This gives us even more practice for a hurricane at least.

Since it IS hurricane season, are you prepared??  I worked for the power company during Hurricane Ike and learned first-hand how important it is to be prepared. Take a look at this link to the Houston Chronicle hurricane prep for information how to get prepared in advance (and pray we don't have another hurricane come through this year).

I'm back!!

Hey Everyone!

I know it's been FOREVER. The last seven months have been insane and I've had no real access to the internet and I've really missed adding to my blog. Sorry it's been so long but have no fear, I'll be back way more often from now on.

A lot has happened over the months.  I guess to continue from last time, I ran my race in December. Though it wasn't exactly the time I wanted, I still ran in 2 hrs and 40 minutes. Not back considering the lack of training I had. I began traveling almost every week for work last fall and slacked big time on my training. I also raised over $4,000 for my brother!!! I'm about to sign up for another half but this time it'll just be for fun. Once I sign up, I'll keep you posted!

I got married in March and went on a beautiful honeymoon to New Zealand! It has been almost 3 months since the wedding and during that time I have found a new job (I start Monday!) and gotten a puppy! I'll follow up with more updates soon but until then, here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!!

My amazing friend Maria and me at our race in Vegas

Will and me during our reception

Pictures from Jerry Smith Photography (and Tracy!)

Spit Apple Rock during the honeymoon. I love New Zealand!

View from our apartment on our honeymoon!

My new puppy, Max!! He's 4 1/2 months there

A Modern Day Forrest - What an Inspiration

So Maria sent me this article yesterday about a man with Crohn's Disease who ran over 3,700 miles from Seattle, WA to Key Largo, FL for 142 days straight.  He ran to raise awareness for Crohn's disease and gained some press and support along the way.  Steve Knowlton, the runner, was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in high school and lost even more weight than my brother did. 

It's amazing to read about his journey and his supporters and even more amazing to think that a man is capable of running 37 miles/day without a break.  He only raised about $5,000 during his run, but he said he did it to raise awareness for the disease. 

I hope this article inspires others to learn more about the disease and support finding a cure for it.  It's amazing to see people like Steve who are willing to sacrifice for a cause bigger than themselves.  Thank you, Maria, for sharing this story with me and thank you for supporting my brother through everything!

Veterans Day/Founders Day

Happy Veterans Day everyone!  It's so great to see everyone's shout outs to veterans and service men and women who have touched the lives of their loved ones and the ones they have never met.  We are lucky to live in a country with so many freedoms and we have our veterans and military to thank for that.  One of my very favorite patriotic images is the picture of Kyle Field at Texas A&M when they entire stadium dressed in red, white, & blue after September 11.  When I think if American patriotism, I think of the Aggies and how much it meant to the school and the country for 80,000+ people to show their pride that day.  Check out the beautiful picture of the one and only Kyle Field.

I'd also like to say happy founder's day/happy birthday to Gamma Phi Beta.  I have such wonderful sisters and I'm proud to be a Gamma Phi.  I have to brag on the Zeta Rho chapter because without thinking twice, they made a donation to my half-marathon in my brother's name.  I graduated college before meeting most of the girls that are presently at the chapter, but that didn't stop them from making donations as a chapter and individually.  Couldn't ask for a better group of sisters!  Happy Birthday, Gamma Phi Beta!!

The four women who made Gamma Phi possible



God has blessed me with wonderful friends

Yesterday was just an average day.  I woke up, went to work, went running, and spent the evening with Will.  The thing that made it special was the realization that I am blessed with such wonderful friends.

Some people have "friends" and others have friends.  I think the difference is that "friends" are those who will be there when you have something to offer them and friends are family.

My focus today is on my girl friends.  I have come across so many wonderful women in my life and I am blessed to have girls who will be there through thick and thin.  I don't know how I have found so many loyal, loving, amazing friends, but I just have to say, I don't know where I'd be without all of those friends who have helped me become the person I am today.  Thank you to all of the beautiful women who are there for me every day.

Quote of the Day

When I was younger, I used to love reading quotes and thinking about how to relate the thoughts of others to my own life.  Last night I pulled out an old book that I read cover-to-cover during my teens years.  The book consists of all types of lists for different aspects of life and the section on happiness really touched me.  I decided to find an inspirational quote for today's blog and try to live up to it.  Today's quote is:

"I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward." ~ Charlotte Bronte.

I'm a HUGE planner.  I always have been and it will be hard to let go of that side of me, but I have learned over the years that I can't plan everything -- some things I have to leave to God and trust that He will guide me to the right place.  As I prepare for marriage, I've put a lot of energy into learning more about my faith and trying to grow in my relationship with God.  Will and I are spending a lot of time trying to grow together so we have a strong foundation as we begin our journey together, and I think this quote is a great one to try and live by.  We can plan all we want, but in the end God will guide us to where we need to be. 

Thank you Charlotte Bronte for not only being a talented writer (those of you who have not read her works, you should take the time to read her illustrative Wuthering Heights as well as other books and poems by her) but also a wise woman who made an impact during and after your life.

It's been a while...

So I know it's been a while, but things have been crazy hectic over the last couple of weeks.  I have been trying to get wedding plans set up and I've been fighting getting sick while working tons of over time at work.  Needless to say, I've had very little time to get on here.

This last weekend was great (minus the sick part).  It got cold for the first time and Will and I had our first fire in the fireplace at our new house! Saturday we took our engagement pictures with Sheryl Wyles whom I've known for 9 years (she was my high school counselor for a couple years!).  It was amazing to see her and catch up with her because I hadn't seen her in 8 long years.  She does very creative photography and I can't wait to see how the pics turned out.  Check out her site at http://www.raisinggracephotography.com/. 

I also ran the 5k for pediatric cancer research.  One of my friends from work ran it with me and her cousin joined as well.  I'm really glad we got out there to run and the weather was beautiful!  Below is a picture of me finishing the race.  Will was gracious enough to come watch me and I was so glad to see him when I got to the finish line!