Don't Bother Stopping at Walgreens

This is my purse, on drugs. Any questions?


There are six people in cubes adjacent to mine that are sick right now, so my time was coming to catch "it" (whatever "it" is.) Unfortunately, that time was this week. Monday it was the throat, Tuesday the nose started to run, and by yesterday afternoon I thought I was going to die. So I put myself to bed after a lunch consisting of a Whataburger Jr. and the ever medicinal Dr. Pepper, drugged myself to sleep overnight, and woke up this morning as fresh as a daisy. I hope to continue along this path, since I have quite a laundry list of things to do this weekend, not the least of those being the actual laundry which has been piling up since the pre-Mexico days.

My wonderful friend Sherry had baby Chloe on Wednesday, and unfortunately this has kept me from seeing them. (The sickness--not the laundry.) They are doing well and have some precious pics of Chloe's sweet little face on their blog. I can't wait to meet the little cutie!

Mexican Holiday Part II: In Which We are Stuck Between a Croc and a Nude Beach

Day 2 of our Mexican Adventure would be too far fetched for me to believe unless I lived it.

The guys had booked us a snorkeling excursion through our Worry Free (aka Worrisome) Vacation expert on site at the hotel. They had been instructed for all of us to be in the lobby ready to go at 5 'til 8 AM. So when the clock struck 8:15 and we were still waiting, we knew it would be an interesting day.

We found out that the van had actually come by at 7:40 instead of 7:55, so it had to turn around for us. It was especially unfortunate for the other snorkelers already on it, halfway to the destination, who had the privilege of turning around to come back for us. Yes, we were loved, as you can imagine.

We ride out into the middle of nowhere, which in retrospect was a very trusting, yet perhaps dumb thing to do in a foreign country (but hey! it was with worry free vacations, right?) to get on a boat on a high wind day. A High Wind Day. Swimming in the wavy ocean gets little more interesting when the wind is whipping around like blast from a jet engine.

After we have our fill of snorkeling, El Capitan of the boat pulls us up about 20 yards from the shore and says that we will have to get off in this waist deep water and wade to shore with our stuff, then walk down the beach about a half mile because the waves were too high to dock the boat back where we launched. Everyone in our group is saying "you've got to be kidding me" and then, to make matters just a little better (ha!), we look to see that the path between where we need to be and where we are runs directly through a NUDE BEACH resort.

Oh. my. goodness.

So we gather up our stuff and try to not to laugh all the way down the beach. I'm sure we looked like quite a crew, considering there were 4 boats of people (about 20 per boat) wandering through the nude beach. One old man patron of the beach--not sure what else to call him--shouted out, "What do we have here, a group of refugees?" Another started shaking people's hands as they walked by. Awkward...

So we finally make it back to where our stuff is and board the van. On our way out we look to our left and see a swampy area filled with crocodiles!!! We saw at least 4 different ones. And at that moment someone pointed to the right and said, "Look, we're stuck between a croc and a nude beach." I'm not sure which situation was worse.

Crocodile!
After that, we spent the rest of the day recovering on the beach while the Men made their first of two sandcastles. After such an excursion as that, we are certain that we will not be booking anymore through our online travel agency.

Back at the beach
Supper at Captain Charlie's

Mexican Holiday Part I: In Which We Rock the Guac

We just got back from a wonderful late winter holiday in Mexico. So sad that we have to go back to work tomorrow! I don't have a whole lot of pictures, but Ashley captured a ton, and I can't wait to see them all.

Thursday morning, we left for the airport at an extremely early hour of the morning to meet up with 6 of our friends and catch our flight. I don't really remember much about it at this point (other than thinking I probably packed way to much for a 4 day trip) except that we almost missed the flight due to a rule requiring passengers to be in their seats 30 minutes early for an international flight. After sitting around for almost an hour, we ended up running to the gate just in time.

We made it to Cancun and through customs by 11 AM, then waited for a van to take us to our hotel. And it was much hotter there than it was in DFW, so we kinda melted while we waited.

While we checked in, we noticed they were filming what seemed to be an infomercial on the beach. I need to research exactly what product they were selling.


After we checked in (and after almost being ripped off by hotel staff colluding with a random third-party guy, who in no way appeared to be associated with the hotel, trying to require the under-27s in our group to buy extra insurance), we ate about a half gallon of guacamole and hit the beach. I took a long nap in the sun to sleep off a headache, but while I slept, the others met a kid playing volleyball named Nathan Kay who turned out to be a child singer with a cd...songs in different languages. So random.


In my next post, I will recount how we BARE-LY survived a snorkeling trip gone awry.

He Writes the Songs

Us Before the Concert
Last night I joined Barry Manilow for a night of Music and Passion. My mom came too.

It was so much fun, and we had great seats. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen her have as much fun as she did when he started into Copacabana. Oh my, did we dance.

But first, let's talk about the opening act. His name was Brian Culbertson, and he apparently had a hit song on the smooth jazz radio format last year. Lord willing, this is the only reference you will ever see to "smooth jazz" on this blog. Not particularly my cup of tea, but oh my word, he was very talented and in touch enough with the crowd he was playing for to cover some some Earth, Wind, and Fire. Moving on.

Barry. The hits. The legend. He played all the greats. I was reading the Dallas Morning News review, and the reviewer said it very well...he turned a large group of people into "one big sappy family." He is a fantastic entertainer. During Mandy, he actually sang and played a duet with his 1974 self on the big screen. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was rather emotional! We also got Manilow glow sticks to take home. How cool is that? I'm not really the biggest Barry fan, but the glowsticks really won me over.

I'm going straight home today to download Barry on iTunes.

Barry during Mandy -- in a duet with himself, 30 years ago

Love Barry's face on the screen in this one

Virtual Friday

Some random thoughts for today...

1.  The song "Lady in Red" tops the "songs I dislike the most" list. 

2.  My brother is the best brother.  Period.

3.  I had a great time at Barry Manilow last night.  (Details coming soon.)

4.  My hairdryer blew sparks at me this morning, and I think it was the first time Brad had ever seen a hairdryer blow up like that.  It made me laugh.  I guess boys don't usually wear out hairdryers.

5.  "A little sea bathing would set me up forever." --Mrs. Bennet, P&P. 

Amen, Mrs. Bennet.  Amen.

Oh Yes I Am

buying tickets to the Celine Dion concert on January 5, 2009.

And I have tickets to see Barry Manilow this Tuesday. Oh yes I do.

My Valentine

Valentine’s Day is a Big Deal where I work. Almost everyone wore red or pink yesterday to celebrate. Most of the day we ate heart-shaped cookies and various forms of chocolate. Not a bad way to spend your day, if you ask me, although my legs will not like me this weekend when I get on the treadmill for damage control.

At home we celebrated low key. Between our trip to Mexico in a week and the fact that a new episode of LOST was on last night, we decided to keep it simple. I woke up to beautiful flowers from my sweet husband, and these fortune cookies pictured below. Very appropriate, I thought.


After starting off at Pappadeaux where we couldn’t find a parking spot anywhere in the near vicinity of the restaurant, we decided to try Joe T’s. We figured if any restaurant could handle a large crowd on V-day, they would be the pros. And they most definitely did not disappoint. They had opened up two of their large party rooms for Valentine diners, complete with roses and candles on the (always) tableclothed tables. We lingered over chips and salsa and talked for a long time. It was quiet and romantic, no waiting in line, and we had a great time. Two thumbs up for Joe T’s!

We weren’t going to do gifts this year, but somehow it happened anyway. I can’t really remember how. I got Brad some new kicks, and he found me an awesome wallet for my passport. Good job, BWG!

I’ll leave the LOST commentary to Brad, but you should know that our Valentine’s wasn’t complete without watching it. We had so much fun on our mid-week date night. I am so blessed to have such a thoughtful and wonderful Valentine for these past 5 years. He's such a sweetheart!

Two Things

Today at work, a couple of things happened (well, more than a couple, but these are the highlights):

1. It was holy guacamole day, and they made fresh guacamole to order in our cafeteria. It was delicious.

2. This guy came to visit. It's Captain, the Texas Rangers' mascot!

Eventful-Uneventful Weekend

I don't know how a weekend can be eventful and uneventful all at the same time, but it seems like we packed a whole lot into 2 days despite the fact that we stayed home most of the weekend.

Friday night, Brad met me over in Dallas for a night on the town, at least I guess it can be called that. We dined at Cuba Libre then headed to the AAC to watch the Mavs defeat the Memphis Grizz 92-81. I have a picture of us at the game, but it's on my camera and I'm wrapped up warm in a blanket on the couch and don't want to go find it. I also got a good pic of the Mavs mascot But here's a shot from my phone.


Saturday morning I had brunch with my dear friend Alisia, who is the best pharmacist in town. We caught up with one another and ate at Mimi's, and I walked off and left a muffin I ordered for my husband on the table. Whoops. The seasonal muffin right now is banana chocolate chip, and it looked terribly delicious. We'll never know. Unless I go again sometime this week. Hmm...

I shopped for most of the day and only spent about $5. Well, that is, I spent only $5 on myself. I bought Brad a Valentine's day gift that I thought of all by myself and am quite pleased with how it turned out. We'll see what he thinks.

Oh, and I bought The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory while grocery shopping at Target Saturday afternoon and finished it this afternoon. What in the world?

Brad's been sleeping the sickness off still, and I'm blogging. We have a pantry full of groceries, cookie dough for the eating, I cooked a pot roast for lunch, made soup from it for the rest of the week, and the laundry is almost done. Clean sheets on the beds. Clean kitchen. Wow. I might even pick up my closet before I go to bed tonight.

Thieves Beware!

We have a security system, and it works.

We verified this early today, when Brad ended up giving our friends from FWPD a lovely tour of my home without the bed made, clothes on the floor, and toiletries all over the bathroom--all because our sweet little alarm was set off at approximately 8:15. Now, I'm not one to point fingers, but let's just say that I wasn't the last person out the "compromised" door this morning.

At least my kitchen was clean.

And the bonus: the police weren't able to find our address without some serious research, since our neighborhood is brand spanking new, but now--now they know where we live.

Our apologies to our heroes, the police officers. False house alarm calls have to be so annoying.

Update to the Weekend Update

Wow, was I sure wrong about a boring Super Bowl! That was a great ending!

I'm glad the Giants won, but I would've been fine either way. High school and college football are more exciting to me.

Weekend Update

It's Sunday morning, and I'm sitting in front of the tv watching some Dubai golf tournament. Brad is sitting beside me, trying to not crack the windows with his horrible cough. I feel bad for him, but seriously, he needs to turn down the cough volume.

I've enjoyed my 3 day weekend. I met my mom at Canton and had a lovely day shopping. She bought me a cute vintage apron for V-Day, and I bought two new pendants for necklaces (we'll see if I wear them, but they were so cute I had to have them), a canister set that looks fab in the space above my cabinets, and an antique ceiling tile that was probably mass manufactured in Mexico about a month ago. Oh well, it's painted the most perfect shade of red.

And in the name of low self-esteem, yesterday I went swimsuit shopping. That might be the chore I dread the most, with putting ice in the glasses for dinner (my mom and dad made me do this growing up, every night) coming in a close second. I think between the suits I picked out to try on and the others the salesgirl brought me, I tried on about 10 suits, and finally found one that was less worse than all the others. It was the most flattering although flattering is a term I use very loosely while referring to swimwear.

Seriously though, I tried on one Betsey Johnson suit, and Brad was like "what IS that?" It looked like something straight out of "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken." Does anyone remember that movie?

Anyway, hopefully we will be attending a Super Bowl party tonight, but if not, I'll probably be in bed early due to the anti-climactic Super Bowl that is likely to ensue. Oh well, at least we'll see history in the making, even if it does have a "*" next to it.

Thoughts on the Season Premiere of LOST

Hey blog readers! This is Brad posting my first blog post ever. And what better topic is there for me to start with than the most captivating television show that I've seen in a long time, LOST. First, let me apologize for not watching it live last night (big thanks to the guy that invented the DVR). I have to be very sick to decide it is necessary to go to the doctor, and as I struggled with high fever yesterday I finally gave in and went to the clinic. Unfortunately I wasn't the only person that was "under the weather" yesterday so it took a very long time for me to get in and out. I should have just walked out and told them I would be back the next morning, but I really felt bad, so as much as it was killing me to miss LOST and watching it with friends, I decided to stay.

Now, before I discuss the Season 4 premiere, I want to make a few comments about the "clip" show that preceded it. I had heard earlier this week that because of the writer's strike, the clip show was actually put together by ABC and with no writer input. I don't know how true that actually is, but if it is true then it makes me wonder if it gave a proper representation of the direction of the show. What really stuck out to me is that the clip show made hardly any mention of the events of Season 2, particularly the survivors from the tail-end of the plane (Ana-Lucia, Libby, Mr. Ecko, etc.). Was that entire storyline worthless in the grand scheme of LOST? I found several of their flashbacks to be interesting, and it appeared as if Libby had previous ties to some of the main characters. Will they eventually explain that?

As for the new episode last night, I really enjoyed it. It appears as if we are setting up for a major conflict over the next few seasons. The question is who will the conflict be between. The last two seasons it appeared as if the conflict would be between the survivors and the Others. But that may not be how it actually ends up going down, especially with the newly formed Team Jack and Team Locke. We also have gotten our first glimpse of a new adversary (if you believe Charlie's final message) from the freighter.

I'm also enjoying the "flashforwards". Who are the Oceanic 6 that Hurley mentioned? It appears we already know 3 of them, so I expect to find out the other 3 soon. But what about the rest of people?

A few specific questions about last night's episode that I have are, did Hurley really stumble across Jacob's cabin? Did anyone else notice that it was Jack's father (Christian Shepard) sitting in Jacob's rocking chair? Which reminds me, if you haven't seen the very last "mobisode" from the LOST: Missing Pieces series on ABC.com, you need to check it out.

Also, how did all these people develop such great tracking skills? Especially Kate! And finally, what did Charlie mean when he appeared to Hurley multiple times to say that "they need you"? To be honest, I was expecting a lot of answers tonight, but I feel like I have more questions than ever. If you are wanting a good recap of last night's episode, and even some interesting trivia that other people noticed I highly recommend Lostpedia.com, http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/The_Beginning_of_the_End.

Well, that's it for my very first ever blog post. I hope to do more posts in the future, and not just about LOST. I do have to ask though, was anyone else laughing out loud when they showed Hurley running in slow-motion?

Top 5 Reasons I'm Taking a Vacation Day Today

1. It's First Monday Weekend, and I have other shopping to do on Saturday. That other shopping includes Northpark.
2. It's the first day (and first Friday) of the second month of the year 2008.
3. I don't get another Company Holiday until Good Friday. (That's too long, folks.)
4. I am a huge proponent of good mental health. Huge.
5. The glorious prospect of rising later than 5:15 AM.