It's one of my favorite drinks, but that's not what this is about! In a little store in Dahlonega this weekend, I found these shirts I thought were so cute!
The brand is SweeTea and if you have grandmothers, moms or if even you yourself say any "classic" Southern sayings ("Lord, Have Mercy!"), I think you will like these. Started by two women from the northern U.S. who married southern men, and thus, relocated to the South, they've hit the nail on the head with these!
I bought one that says, "Ah'm bout to burn up!" because I say that all the time when I'm hot. My friend got one that says "Bless yer heart." I really like them and can find one that's perfect for almost everyone in my family!
All Wicked Out in Jacksonville, Twisted Sister in Fernandina Beach or Additions in Tifton, Ga. all sell the shirts or you can order them on-line!
Well, I have nevah!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Life at 32
Well, yesterday was my 32nd birthday. As of 9:35 p.m. last night (23rd), I was officially 32 years of age (I refuse to say "years old."). I am so thankful for my life and thought I would share a few (well, 32, actually) memories, realizations and other random thoughts after the day.
In my 32nd year of life:
1. I am thankful to live a life knowing that God loves me and has given me His grace and mercy. I need it every day and would be hopeless and lacking direction without it.
2. I am thankful for my family...my immediate family of my mom and dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...and my amazing husband who shows me love and appreciation, not only on my birthday, but every day.
3. I am happy, happy about my new adorable, sleek, PINK (shocker) iPod nano. I swear it will help me train and finish the half-marathon. So, now that that is the case I made as to why I needed one, I MUST finish.
4. I love having the joy of owning two fun and unconditionally loving dogs, Amos and Sophie. And, for having had Samson - the most amazing dog in the world, loving him like a child and through that, learning more about loving and losing and what matters in life. Yes, even though it is a dog and not a person, the love is the same.
5. I am learning more how to embrace happy, positive, encouraging things/people and not fixate on negative and unhappy things/people and their effect on my life. Life brings all of them and I know I ultimately have no control or say in what happens. However, God gives me direction, discernment and an open heart, and the things He gives me the power and fortitude to change to make me a better person, I will change.
6. I love the smile that I get when my papa remembers and tells me about the "chip off the old block" wood frame he has with my picture in it that sat in his mechanic shop for 25 years and he still has.
7. I love my granny helping me remember my childhood - the Band-Aids I always needed before I left her house (even if I had no injuries) - and other fun things I don't remember about myself.
8. I love getting birthday cards in the mail. When I was young, it was all about getting some money (as bad as that sounds) and feeling the card to see if "it's puffy" - a sure sign of dollar bills or checks! But, now, I just love receiving a tangible card from the people who really care about me. A symbol of their thoughts of me on the day I was born - they took a moment ahead of time to buy and write a sweet note to me of all people. Almost every one of them make me cry just thinking about the fact that people did that.
9. I really love the simple things in life like brushing my teeth and clean sheets.
10. I don't have hundreds of friends, they are few and far between. But the ones I have are THE BEST. They care about me and I care about them. They go to lunch with me, they call me, they keep up with me, they care about what I'm doing and what I want to do, they don't betray me, they trust me, they encourage me, they don't care what I'm wearing...and I feel the exact same way about them.
11. I need very little to be content. I have a lot, have worked hard and been extremely blessed, but know it could all be taken away in a second. Even though I said my iPod made me happy (and it did!), I know being truly happy does not come from things.
12. I have been able to travel and see some amazing places in the world - places I never dreamed I would ever go - and have realized that there is so much more than my little world around me. I am comfortable and happy in my world, but traveling to a variety of places has given me a more expanded view of the world and life and has, without question, made me even more grateful for living in the U.S.A. and for every single thing I have. I want to keep going!
13. I want to do more for more people. I want to be a positive change/influence in someone's life. Even just one person - but I hope for more.
14. I cry a lot. As I'm getting older, my heart is turning to mush. I don't think that's a bad thing, but whatever.
15. I want to own my own business and I am determined to do what I have to do to try it and see where it goes. No matter what happens, I can say I tried and you can never regret trying, only NOT doing something you wished you had done.
16. I love music and would much rather listen to music than watch TV.
17. I love high heels, but will admit they kill my feet. While I'm not working out of the house, comfy slippers will do.
18. I am not very much fun to be around without air conditioning or when I'm really hungry.
19. I like junk food and have come to terms with that. I try to balance it out, but I am now 32 years old and just know I enjoy hamburgers, french fries, cookies and candy. It's a rare night when I go to bed without a stomach ache from slice-and-bake chocolate chip cookies.
20. I do not like exercising, but because of #19, I know I have to get on a routine, hence the trying to do some jogging.
21. I walk around at the Town Center, not to shop, but as a release. People do a variety of things as stress relievers and mine just happens to be walking around at the Town Center because I can be by myself and it's not weird, I can look at tons of things and people and I can be outside.
22. I will never forget my aunt giving me a pair of shoes one holiday that were not THE ONES I wanted...not the brand, the right style, etc. I acted out, was a complete brat and my parents TORE ME UP. I don't remember the "tearing up" so much as I remember how that must've hurt my aunt and what an ungrateful little snot I was. Since I wised up a few years after that incident, I realized that what someone gives me is what they can give and guess what? They didn't have to get my sorry butt anything at all.
23. I am just not a "green" person. I have fallen in love with my SUV, so I pretty much think I always will drive one. You can not tell me that my SUV puts as much crap in the air as a city bus.
24. I do not like live Christmas trees. One, have you ever lugged one up three flights of stairs? OK, if you did, did you enjoy it? Well, I didn't. Not to mention the sap everywhere, needles up all three flights of stairs and all in the apartment/house...and that's before having to set it up. Having to bolt one to the wall because it fell over; having one mold carpet because of a water leak. People, the smell is not worth the hassle. Get a candle.
25. I love Summer until August. I love Fall until Thanksgiving. I really never like Winter unless I'm on vacation at a beautiful cabin with a fire going and watching the snow fall outside and never having to get out in it (sounds realistic, huh?!). I LOVE SPRING.
26. I am a grammar freak. I HATE when people spell "y'all," which means "you all," - "ya'll." I hate when people should use "too" and they use "to." Or "their" and "they're"..."your" and "you're." I won't go any further because there are many more, these are just the basics. How can Americans learn other languages if they can't even properly spell their own?!
27. Pepsi/Diet Pepsi is nothing like Coke/Diet Coke. When I am having headaches from Diet Coke withdrawals, Diet Pepsi does nothing. One exception: Diet Dr. Pepper is one of THE best diet drinks ever.
28. One current problem that has come to fruition in my 30s is that some believe I have undiagnosed narcolepsy. Several friends can attest to this as I have fallen asleep sitting up while they've been at my house or I've been at theirs. Now, I attribute this to just sitting still and being comfortable after a long day, not because of boring conversation or some medical problem. I can wake up within 20-30 minutes and join in the conversation like I've never dozed. Maybe I'll ask a doctor just to confirm.
29. I have fond memories of sitting in the back of my papa's old Ford truck in Georgia eating fresh peanuts from his farm. There were also always literally hundreds of pieces of paper inside his truck and I don't know why I remember that, but I do.
30. I look at green, grassy expanses some times and dream of jumping out of the car and turning cartwheels all through them.
31. Hearing people chew food disgusts me. I have been known to talk louder or turn up the television or radio (if in the car) so as to NOT hear the juices churning. Surprisingly, the sound of my own chewing doesn't bother me at all.
32. Each birthday, and each day really, I am thankful to live to and celebrate. I have been so fortunate - happy, healthy, blessed - but I do not know what tomorrow will bring, so my desire is to live each day like it is my last.
Celebrate life!
pt
"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
In my 32nd year of life:
1. I am thankful to live a life knowing that God loves me and has given me His grace and mercy. I need it every day and would be hopeless and lacking direction without it.
2. I am thankful for my family...my immediate family of my mom and dad, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...and my amazing husband who shows me love and appreciation, not only on my birthday, but every day.
3. I am happy, happy about my new adorable, sleek, PINK (shocker) iPod nano. I swear it will help me train and finish the half-marathon. So, now that that is the case I made as to why I needed one, I MUST finish.
4. I love having the joy of owning two fun and unconditionally loving dogs, Amos and Sophie. And, for having had Samson - the most amazing dog in the world, loving him like a child and through that, learning more about loving and losing and what matters in life. Yes, even though it is a dog and not a person, the love is the same.
5. I am learning more how to embrace happy, positive, encouraging things/people and not fixate on negative and unhappy things/people and their effect on my life. Life brings all of them and I know I ultimately have no control or say in what happens. However, God gives me direction, discernment and an open heart, and the things He gives me the power and fortitude to change to make me a better person, I will change.
6. I love the smile that I get when my papa remembers and tells me about the "chip off the old block" wood frame he has with my picture in it that sat in his mechanic shop for 25 years and he still has.
7. I love my granny helping me remember my childhood - the Band-Aids I always needed before I left her house (even if I had no injuries) - and other fun things I don't remember about myself.
8. I love getting birthday cards in the mail. When I was young, it was all about getting some money (as bad as that sounds) and feeling the card to see if "it's puffy" - a sure sign of dollar bills or checks! But, now, I just love receiving a tangible card from the people who really care about me. A symbol of their thoughts of me on the day I was born - they took a moment ahead of time to buy and write a sweet note to me of all people. Almost every one of them make me cry just thinking about the fact that people did that.
9. I really love the simple things in life like brushing my teeth and clean sheets.
10. I don't have hundreds of friends, they are few and far between. But the ones I have are THE BEST. They care about me and I care about them. They go to lunch with me, they call me, they keep up with me, they care about what I'm doing and what I want to do, they don't betray me, they trust me, they encourage me, they don't care what I'm wearing...and I feel the exact same way about them.
11. I need very little to be content. I have a lot, have worked hard and been extremely blessed, but know it could all be taken away in a second. Even though I said my iPod made me happy (and it did!), I know being truly happy does not come from things.
12. I have been able to travel and see some amazing places in the world - places I never dreamed I would ever go - and have realized that there is so much more than my little world around me. I am comfortable and happy in my world, but traveling to a variety of places has given me a more expanded view of the world and life and has, without question, made me even more grateful for living in the U.S.A. and for every single thing I have. I want to keep going!
13. I want to do more for more people. I want to be a positive change/influence in someone's life. Even just one person - but I hope for more.
14. I cry a lot. As I'm getting older, my heart is turning to mush. I don't think that's a bad thing, but whatever.
15. I want to own my own business and I am determined to do what I have to do to try it and see where it goes. No matter what happens, I can say I tried and you can never regret trying, only NOT doing something you wished you had done.
16. I love music and would much rather listen to music than watch TV.
17. I love high heels, but will admit they kill my feet. While I'm not working out of the house, comfy slippers will do.
18. I am not very much fun to be around without air conditioning or when I'm really hungry.
19. I like junk food and have come to terms with that. I try to balance it out, but I am now 32 years old and just know I enjoy hamburgers, french fries, cookies and candy. It's a rare night when I go to bed without a stomach ache from slice-and-bake chocolate chip cookies.
20. I do not like exercising, but because of #19, I know I have to get on a routine, hence the trying to do some jogging.
21. I walk around at the Town Center, not to shop, but as a release. People do a variety of things as stress relievers and mine just happens to be walking around at the Town Center because I can be by myself and it's not weird, I can look at tons of things and people and I can be outside.
22. I will never forget my aunt giving me a pair of shoes one holiday that were not THE ONES I wanted...not the brand, the right style, etc. I acted out, was a complete brat and my parents TORE ME UP. I don't remember the "tearing up" so much as I remember how that must've hurt my aunt and what an ungrateful little snot I was. Since I wised up a few years after that incident, I realized that what someone gives me is what they can give and guess what? They didn't have to get my sorry butt anything at all.
23. I am just not a "green" person. I have fallen in love with my SUV, so I pretty much think I always will drive one. You can not tell me that my SUV puts as much crap in the air as a city bus.
24. I do not like live Christmas trees. One, have you ever lugged one up three flights of stairs? OK, if you did, did you enjoy it? Well, I didn't. Not to mention the sap everywhere, needles up all three flights of stairs and all in the apartment/house...and that's before having to set it up. Having to bolt one to the wall because it fell over; having one mold carpet because of a water leak. People, the smell is not worth the hassle. Get a candle.
25. I love Summer until August. I love Fall until Thanksgiving. I really never like Winter unless I'm on vacation at a beautiful cabin with a fire going and watching the snow fall outside and never having to get out in it (sounds realistic, huh?!). I LOVE SPRING.
26. I am a grammar freak. I HATE when people spell "y'all," which means "you all," - "ya'll." I hate when people should use "too" and they use "to." Or "their" and "they're"..."your" and "you're." I won't go any further because there are many more, these are just the basics. How can Americans learn other languages if they can't even properly spell their own?!
27. Pepsi/Diet Pepsi is nothing like Coke/Diet Coke. When I am having headaches from Diet Coke withdrawals, Diet Pepsi does nothing. One exception: Diet Dr. Pepper is one of THE best diet drinks ever.
28. One current problem that has come to fruition in my 30s is that some believe I have undiagnosed narcolepsy. Several friends can attest to this as I have fallen asleep sitting up while they've been at my house or I've been at theirs. Now, I attribute this to just sitting still and being comfortable after a long day, not because of boring conversation or some medical problem. I can wake up within 20-30 minutes and join in the conversation like I've never dozed. Maybe I'll ask a doctor just to confirm.
29. I have fond memories of sitting in the back of my papa's old Ford truck in Georgia eating fresh peanuts from his farm. There were also always literally hundreds of pieces of paper inside his truck and I don't know why I remember that, but I do.
30. I look at green, grassy expanses some times and dream of jumping out of the car and turning cartwheels all through them.
31. Hearing people chew food disgusts me. I have been known to talk louder or turn up the television or radio (if in the car) so as to NOT hear the juices churning. Surprisingly, the sound of my own chewing doesn't bother me at all.
32. Each birthday, and each day really, I am thankful to live to and celebrate. I have been so fortunate - happy, healthy, blessed - but I do not know what tomorrow will bring, so my desire is to live each day like it is my last.
Celebrate life!
pt
"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Diner Premiere
Last night, we attended the premiere of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," featuring The Metro Diner, a favorite local spot! The Davoli's (brothers Mark and John and their families) put on a great party with big-screen televisions and some of their awesome catering for over 100 of the diner's biggest fans to enjoy the night and celebrate the show!
Guy Fieri and the crew visited Metro in February and tested several of its best dishes (how can you pick?!) including Yo Halla on the Square (french toast on steroids), Meatloaf Plate (including turkey, beef and pork in the loaf) and Pittsburgh Steak Salad (which includes french fries ON THE SALAD). Last night at 10 p.m. was the premiere and the "You Found 'Em" episode featuring The Metro Diner will air again Friday, Oct. 1 at 9 p.m.
Lots of socializing with fellow neighbors, laughs and hearty cheers could be found within and pouring out of the diner for several hours before and throughout the show.
Mark graciously shared the recipe of one of the diner's famous favorites, "Yo Halla on the Square" on the show's web site. Try your hand at it!!!
Next time you're in San Marco (or, coming soon to the Julington Creek area), make a stop at The Metro Diner. You WILL NOT be disappointed. It serves up amazing foods that test culinary rules (not just burgers and fries) and friendly nostalgia. You just can't get better than that!!!
Guy Fieri and the crew visited Metro in February and tested several of its best dishes (how can you pick?!) including Yo Halla on the Square (french toast on steroids), Meatloaf Plate (including turkey, beef and pork in the loaf) and Pittsburgh Steak Salad (which includes french fries ON THE SALAD). Last night at 10 p.m. was the premiere and the "You Found 'Em" episode featuring The Metro Diner will air again Friday, Oct. 1 at 9 p.m.
Lots of socializing with fellow neighbors, laughs and hearty cheers could be found within and pouring out of the diner for several hours before and throughout the show.
Mark graciously shared the recipe of one of the diner's famous favorites, "Yo Halla on the Square" on the show's web site. Try your hand at it!!!
Next time you're in San Marco (or, coming soon to the Julington Creek area), make a stop at The Metro Diner. You WILL NOT be disappointed. It serves up amazing foods that test culinary rules (not just burgers and fries) and friendly nostalgia. You just can't get better than that!!!
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| The Metro! |
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| Cliff and his new adopted Grandma, Carmen |
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| Me watching the show! |
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| Mark on camera with Guy. |
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| Mark and his wife. |
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| Head server, Brittany (center), with her family. |
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| John and his wife. |
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Dog Days of Summer
Amos got to go to the Julington Creek Animal Walk for his first official "off-leash" day of fun Saturday. I don't know what it feels like to him to be able to have that freedom and fun, but I'm assuming it's something like me having a day off work and being told I have an unlimited amount of money and being set in Aldo or Anthropologie or White House Black Market...maybe something like that.
Anyway, as the pictures indicate, he had an absolute blast. The leash came off and he went directly in to the pool...like he's always known what to do! I guess being a Retriever, it's in his blood, but it still amazed me to see him go right in and start swimming, chasing toys and dogs double his size in the water. He met friends - a Lab Samantha, Golden Lacie, Chihauha Bruiser, saw our friend Lab Piper Swaim who was on extended stay at the place, and another Boxer whose name I never learned, but with whom Amos formed a special friendship. The Boxer never got in the pool, but Amos would jump out of the pool and they would chase each other for what seemed like miles and then Amos would jump in the pool again and the Boxer would wait for him to do the chase all over again. It all was fun to watch and, on another note, I realized I am going to be a basket case as a worried mom when I have kids because I was a freak when Amos was trying to swim in the deep end (which he's not quite strong enough to do yet) and had to hold myself back twice to not jump in after him!
Needless to say, he slept from the minute we left the parking lot throughout the afternoon...he was exhausted! I think a membership to the dog park is in our future!
"The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog."
P.S. Amos also has lost four baby teeth! So cute...two middle front teeth and two middle bottom teeth. It's kind of sad to see them gone, but we know bigger ones will come in soon and that will allow him to do better wood-working on our baseboards.
Anyway, as the pictures indicate, he had an absolute blast. The leash came off and he went directly in to the pool...like he's always known what to do! I guess being a Retriever, it's in his blood, but it still amazed me to see him go right in and start swimming, chasing toys and dogs double his size in the water. He met friends - a Lab Samantha, Golden Lacie, Chihauha Bruiser, saw our friend Lab Piper Swaim who was on extended stay at the place, and another Boxer whose name I never learned, but with whom Amos formed a special friendship. The Boxer never got in the pool, but Amos would jump out of the pool and they would chase each other for what seemed like miles and then Amos would jump in the pool again and the Boxer would wait for him to do the chase all over again. It all was fun to watch and, on another note, I realized I am going to be a basket case as a worried mom when I have kids because I was a freak when Amos was trying to swim in the deep end (which he's not quite strong enough to do yet) and had to hold myself back twice to not jump in after him!
Needless to say, he slept from the minute we left the parking lot throughout the afternoon...he was exhausted! I think a membership to the dog park is in our future!
"The most affectionate creature in the world is a wet dog."
P.S. Amos also has lost four baby teeth! So cute...two middle front teeth and two middle bottom teeth. It's kind of sad to see them gone, but we know bigger ones will come in soon and that will allow him to do better wood-working on our baseboards.
Friday, September 17, 2010
It's Finally Friday!
Happy Friday! I will always say Friday is my favorite day because it's the kick-off to each weekend and what's better than that, no matter what you're doing?! And, as my favorite Hallmark card characters, Hoops & YoYo say, "it's I don't care Friday!"
So, if you're like me, you may not get all the servings of fruits and veggies that you need every day. I thought about V8 to help, but I am just not too keen on basically drinking tomato soup every day! UNTIL I FOUND V8 FUSION. Sooooo good. And, it comes in a few LIGHT flavors. For someone like me who, regrettably, but enjoyably, eats a lot of fast food, Fusion is awesome!! I'm not getting paid to say this, but you should try it! Good stuff.
Today, I am baking. I am very overdue in baking a thank-you treat for my neighbor who rescued my dog, Sophie, for me. Sophie tends to think she has a horrible life and that the grass is greener running through the streets, which, in a dog's mind, may be so. However, she does NOT have a horrible life because we rescued her, gave her open-heart surgery to save her life and have spoiled her rotten ever since, even though she has THE worst dog breath by far. But, she seems to be very eager to always get through any hole in the back yard and run free with her ears blowing in the wind. Luckily, one day when she decided on such an adventure, my neighbor was mowing the lawn and saw a black streak scurry past her. When she heard me yelling for Sophie, she realized it was the furry crusader and left the mower to run through the neighborhood to be my hero for the day. So, a homemade pound cake will be coming her way today and I hope that is sufficient thanks for bringing my little gremlin back to me.
So, if you're like me, you may not get all the servings of fruits and veggies that you need every day. I thought about V8 to help, but I am just not too keen on basically drinking tomato soup every day! UNTIL I FOUND V8 FUSION. Sooooo good. And, it comes in a few LIGHT flavors. For someone like me who, regrettably, but enjoyably, eats a lot of fast food, Fusion is awesome!! I'm not getting paid to say this, but you should try it! Good stuff.
So, while I'm baking, here's the recipe for a great pound cake from my Aunt Marcia and Granny D.
3 sticks of margarine
1 8-oz. container of cream cheese
3 cups of sugar
6 eggs
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla flavoring
1 tsp almond flavoring
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease tube or loaf pan (or round pan with hole), sprinkle with 2-3 tbsp of sugar. Cream together margarine and cream cheese. Add sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating in to margarine and cream cheese mixture after each egg. Add flour a bit at a time. Add vanilla and almond flavorings and pour entire mixture in to pans. Bake for 1-1.5 hours.
"Make each day of the week like Friday and your life will take on new enthusiasm."
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Half-Marathon
So, I decided, along with my friend and past co-worker, Janet, to take on First Place Sports' half-marathon training course this fall. Being a spectator at too many triathlons and Ironman races, I have gotten tired of being on the sidelines and not pushing myself to accomplish something physically.
So, we began two weeks ago and so far, so good! I missed the first week, but the second week, we ran 3.5 miles (expected) including over the Main Street Bridge (not expected)! I barely made it over the bridge and back, but did with some walking, so I was a bit discouraged.
This week, we ran over 4 miles including TWO bridges - the Main Street and the Acosta. Wow. I was slow as molasses, but made it and actually felt good afterwards! And, I wasn't even sore the next day. I attribute the lack of soreness to making sure I'm stretching sufficiently before and after each run, no matter the distance.
Yesterday was an "EZ 2 miles," as it's referred to in our weekly running schedule, but I ran late last night when it was getting cooler and I completed the two faster than I have in the recent past. Tonight, an "EZ 3 miles" and rest day Friday (YAAAY), before the week's longest run Saturday (Boooo!). But, I am joining a group for the long run, so am hoping that and a fully charged IPod will help me along.
To get through some of the training, I found a great recipe in Triathlete Magazine from five-time Ironman BJ Gumkowski. The ingredients are below and if you click on the link above, you can get the remainder of the instructions. For those of you interested, try them out!
BJ's Protein-Packed Muffins
1.5 cups of oat bran
1 cup of egg whites
1/2 cup of unsweetened cinnamon apple sauce
1/2 cup of pumpkin (hard to find because of the shortage, so if you can't get it in your grocery store, just use more non-fat Greek-style yogurt to substitute)
1/4 cup of non-fat Greek-style yogurt OR cottage cheese
1 tblsp. natural peanut butter
1 full banana, sliced
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
So, we began two weeks ago and so far, so good! I missed the first week, but the second week, we ran 3.5 miles (expected) including over the Main Street Bridge (not expected)! I barely made it over the bridge and back, but did with some walking, so I was a bit discouraged.
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| Main Street Bridge - it's long! (Photo from activerain.com) |
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| Acosta Bridge - even longer! (Photo from FDOT) |
To get through some of the training, I found a great recipe in Triathlete Magazine from five-time Ironman BJ Gumkowski. The ingredients are below and if you click on the link above, you can get the remainder of the instructions. For those of you interested, try them out!
BJ's Protein-Packed Muffins
1.5 cups of oat bran
1 cup of egg whites
1/2 cup of unsweetened cinnamon apple sauce
1/2 cup of pumpkin (hard to find because of the shortage, so if you can't get it in your grocery store, just use more non-fat Greek-style yogurt to substitute)
1/4 cup of non-fat Greek-style yogurt OR cottage cheese
1 tblsp. natural peanut butter
1 full banana, sliced
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
MS 150
This past weekend, my family met in Callaway Gardens to enjoy the MS 150 in honor of my aunt Valeria, who currently has Multiple Sclerosis. Over 3,000 cyclists, including my uncle Stan, his brother-in-law, Ben, and Cliff, joined in the long two-day ride to raise funds and bring awareness to fight the disease. It was a beautiful weekend and so inspirational to see everyone biking for this cause...and to see some stricken with the disease out there riding, too! For more information on the MS Society, visit http://www.nationamssociety.org/.
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| Everyone at the start on the first day. |
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| My beautiful aunt and me. |
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| The guys coming through the finish! |
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Let's Try This Again...
Obviously, I've had a hard time blogging, but I am determined to try again. I am venturing in to some new territory in my life, so am hoping writing about it keeps me on track and focused and of course, it will give me something to write about! I recently left my job of almost seven years to get out of a certain environment, refresh myself and, in the meantime, try my hand at something about which I'm passionate. I'm finding it's not so easy...research, action items, plans, timelines...can get overwhelming. But, I am excited to say I've tried to do something I love and whether it is a success or not quite, I am okay because I will be able to say I took a risk and tried it! So, this is where I say, I do not want to yet let on what my venture is because, like when you're pregnant in the early weeks and you don't want to tell anyone yet...well, that's what I feel like right now! So, stay tuned.
Until then, I would like to share pictures of my somewhat new puppy, Amos (official, distinguished AKC name - Amos Buttermilk Taylor of Kersey). He is an absolute doll/devil golden retriever all packaged in this beautiful, light hair that is starting to grow and shed. He is a handful and has kind of destroyed at least one room in the house - the laundry/mud room. But that is the one he has been allowed to destroy, so it's okay.
People - if you have never had a puppy, do not get one unless you are ready to have another child. Seriously, it is nothing but feeding, pottying, cleaning up potty in the house, mopping, vacuuming, playing, not being able to take your eyes off them for a second, getting up four or five times a night, feeding, mopping, cleaning up potty, training, training classes, vacuuming and it goes on and on. But, just like parents say of their children - they are worth it. So, it is a wonderful thing to have a puppy, but I'd better go before something else gets destroyed today!
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