Throw Back Thursday

Daddy making baby Gage laugh




Mac, Shaye & I at the Barn Door in Odessa, TX 10/16/2006. We took his parent's out to eat on one of their trips to Texas.

WWW Wednesday

This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers:

What are you currently reading? I am reading The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf. I've been interested in the Paelo diet lifestyle and reading this book is opening my eyes even more. I'm just trying to figure out if I have the commitment for it now.

What did you recently finish reading? I recently finished Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I absolutely LOVED this book. From the first page I could really feel the pain that the protagonist, Juliette, felt. It really leapt off the pages. Then enters Adam and seeing her world shift was phenomenal. I couldn't put this book down. A definite read. 

What do you think you’ll read next? I still haven't picked up Ally Condie's Crossed. I vow that it will definitely be the next book I read! 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog).

Stepping UP my Life

So probably one of the best purchases I have ever made was my Jawbone UP. I've known for a few years that I need to be more active in my life. Not to boast, but I'm not one of those people who gain weight and can't lose it no matter what I do. I actually have a really good metabolism and if I were to come home every day for a month and stay active, I would probably lose weight without even exercise..

ANYWAY... When I put my UP bracelet on, it really put into perspective how lazy I was actually being. I set my goal for 10,000 steps knowing full well I would probably never get there and went on with my day. Crazy enough, the first full day of me wearing my bracelet, I met my goal. It was like a fun game. I wanted to beat myself at my own game.

After my first 7 days of wearing the bracelet, I had walked an average of 8,612 with only 2 days of actually meeting my goal, but I'm not going to let that stop me. I just let it push me with the goal that I WILL meet it tomorrow. This bracelet has also made me want to do even more than just walking more steps everyday. I'm proud to say that I now have a regular exercise schedule and am watching my food intake better. I'm not stopping myself from eating 'bad' food like for instance, a blizzard from Dairy Queen. But when I get home from eating those foods, I don't plop in front of the t.v. for 3 hours and then head to bed. For instance, the other day we went and watched a movie and I shared a large popcorn (extra butter, yum!) with the kiddos. I was so full and I could have very easily went to bed then. But I knew, I made the wrong choice in eating the popcorn. But, I wasn't going to make myself feel bad about it and just wallow in my self pity, so instead I did a 30 minute Just Dance workout and walked a mile on the treadmill.

I've found with all the exercise I have been doing, I have more energy all together. I'm staying up later, getting up earlier and just doing more around the house. I'm happy :) And I would say it's all because the awesome people at Jawbone for making the UP but mainly its because of me make the awesome decision to make better choices which just happened to begin with the UP :)

If you are thinking about buying into the fad of an activity wristband, you should check out the UP. It competes with the Nike Fuel band and the upcoming FitBit Flex.

Panther Paws Article 2013

I received a phone call from my stepdad this morning saying that as soon as I got to work, I needed to look at section B of today's paper. When I got the paper I was suprised to see Dani's face on the front page. I knew there were some articles covering Dance Explosion the past couple of days but when I turned to the entertainment section I didn't expect to see a whole front page covering them. There are some very good pictures of the girls and I can't wait to see them tomorrow night!

Coyote Run-In

Living in West Texas you are bound to hit animals from time to time. I can't tell you how many rabbits I've hit and how many close calls I've had with deer or cows. Well, today was a first both me and the sheriff's deputy that had to come to my rescue.

Actually on time this morning, Shaye and I were driving through town. We were just talking like we usually do. Ironically we were talking about tardy slips and how she has never had one, even though we have had some pretty close calls. All of a sudden I hear a loud WHAM. First I think there must've been something in the road. I continue driving because I don't feel my tire going flat but something tells me I need to stop and take a look, just in case. So about a block later, I pull over, turn my flashers on and get out. 

Laying there with it's poor head stuck in my running board is an animal. At first I think it's a dog so I go check  and then back away quickly. It's a coyote.. and it's still alive. That's when I start semi-freaking out. Here I am, in town, with a coyote stuck in my truck. A very nice lady stops and talks with me. I call city hall but they aren't open yet. She takes off to look for a city worker or a cop but comes back with news that she can't find anyone. Only one other thing to do and that's call 911. Sure, you think if there is an accident or a crime going on you call 911. But here in the middle of nowhere, if there is a cow in the road or apparently if you have a coyote stuck in your running board, you call 911. Luckily not even 5 minutes later I have a sheriff's deputy and the sheriff there to help me out. That poor animal either died during the time or maybe passed out and they were able to free him without the fear of getting bit. 

Even though the whole process felt like it took 30-45 minutes it was only about 15 minutes and we were able to get on the road quickly after that. And since we left so early this morning Shaye had another close call and didn't have to get a tardy slip anyway. 

Btw, I DID take a picture just because I'm weird that way but I decided against posting it. Figured people really wouldn't want to see it. 

Throw Back Thursday

This week's Throw Back is from September 2005. Dani's gymnastic's meet at Odessa High School. Wow, do I sure miss how little the girls were then. They are getting too big for me!

WWW Wednesday

This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

My answers:

What are you currently reading? I am reading Wake by Amanda Hocking. I loved Amanda's Trylle Trilogy; they were such a fast read and I liked them right away. I figured I would try her Watersong series but I'm having a bit of trouble getting into it. I might have to find some time where there are no distractions before I can really get into this book.

What did you recently finish reading? I recently finished Outside In (Insider #2) by Maria V. Snyder. I loved the second book in the Insider duo. Inside Out took forever for me to get into and actually like the characters but Outside In I could just jump into and love right away. If you love a YA, sci-fi read, pick up these books. 

What do you think you’ll read next? I'm thinking of picking up Ally Condie's Crossed. I absolutely loved Matched but I have yet to pick up the 2nd book. 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog).