Ch-ch-ch-changes.

I signed up for a gym today.

Why?

Because I'm sick of being fat. I mean really sick of it.

It's not that I'm the cliche fat person who sits around and eats her feelings, like the lunch table in Mean Girls, but it bothers me that I can never find clothes that fit. Or that I'm often in the company of some of my really beautiful girlfriends who are at a healthy weight and happy with themselves. I want and deserve that happiness too, and it's something I don't have.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who always tells me he loves me regardless of what I look like, but which is hotter, really? A jiggly lady, or a fit lady? I'm thinkin' fit is waaaay hotter.

I eat when I'm bored, I have a weakness for foods that aren't good for you and I'm definitely going to have to cut back on the eating when I'm bored and not eating unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to lots of fruit and vegetables, but in the last year or so, I've noticed that I really love oranges. So I'm going to incorporate oranges into my diet. Possibly for snacks and breakfast. I also love green beans, and I am determined to learn how to prepare them in a delicious and nutritious way. The challenge is finding food to cook for Travis and I both that he likes too, and he is a picky eater. But I can handle it.

The gym has endless cardio machines, weight machines, free weights, a pool, an aerobic room, a room devoted to spinning, racquetball courts, a basketball court and volleyball court. They have all sorts of classes, and I'm ready for it.

I'm excited about this. I'm actually glad to pay the money, because that means that I'll be in the gym, getting my dollar's-worth out of each monthly payment.

So maybe that'll give me an additional topic to write about. It definitely gives me something to do with my day. I'm planning on going in the mornings with my best friend, Kim, who wants to go before she goes to work each day. (She signed up, too.) I figure that's a good way to start the day and an excellent habit to get into. My intention and hope is that since I have no where to be each day, I can do standard workouts with Kim, and then do classes and such after she's gone off to work. I figure it'll have me pretty exhausted by the end of the day, but the harder I work, the faster I'll get to feeling better about myself. And that's the most important part.

Ahhh, music. How I love thee. Let me count the ways...

I am not the kind of person to say things like, "I absolutely MUST do this before I die." It's just not the way I think. Despite what I said in my previous post about being "over" concerts, I had a discussion with my friend Aaron this weekend about the ultimate must-go-to concert, and I agree that I simply must go when they tour again.

Who is this band that is worthy of my attendance? Coldplay.

I cannot seem to get enough of them. I feel that the Viva la Vida album is absolutely brilliant, as it I continue to listen to it over and over. I think it was the first full album (and one of the few) that I have bought on iTunes. When I downloaded it a few months ago, it was actually the first album that I, Jessica had bought on my own (aka not waiting for Travis to buy it and then ripping it later), in a long time. I think that the last CDs I had purchased were Imogene Heap, and the soundtracks to Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, and I believe that those purchases were while Juno was still in theaters, so I'm guessing at some point in 2008.

Here's the kind of music person I am: I don't listen to the radio. I am consistently late to hearing of bands and learning the names of songs. A recent example was when I kept seeing the preview for Valentine's Day and couldn't get the song out of my head. So I asked my friend Kim (who is always all-knowing in the latest in pop music), what the name of the song was and who sang it, and she instantly rattled off, "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas. I never know this stuff, but I once I do find something that I like, I'm perfectly content with listening to it forever.

I was recently introduced to the music by Explosions in the Sky. It's all instrumental and it really is amazing stuff. It's the kind of 'sound' I guess I like, which would explain why I like the Viva la Vida album so much. It's all kind of similar. I have one of their songs on my phone and I've listened to it a number of times. I actually don't even remember what it's called right now.

As lame and odd as this may sound, I am moved by music. This probably really extends from my activity in the church. I feel more connected to God when I'm worshiping Him than I do at any other time, so maybe that's why I find myself so enthralled with the power of music. Today, I was in the Stone Briar Mall in Frisco, TX and there was a harpist playing. I couldn't stop watching, and I was really bummed when Travis was done wandering through the Field of Dreams store because it meant that I had to move away from what I was staring at.

I don't usually discriminate when it comes to music. Being a Texan, I am the odd one out for not OMG LOVING COUNTRY MUSIC AND REBA, OMG. But I can only handle so much. That isn't to say that I don't love line dancing to "Boot Scootin' Boogie" or screaming "I Got Friends in Low Places" as loud as I can at certain times, but I just can't take it at every restaurant/store/public location that has a sound speaker that I go to. When I was in college it was the worst. We only had country stations and tejano stations, and every now and then, 106.9 The Point would come in through the static playing an excellent song from the 1980s. That would always make my day.

I mentioned the harpist before, and I'm a total dork because I like classical music. When I was planning music for the wedding ceremony, going through and listening to different pieces trying to find the right song was fun for me, because I like it. I think that this may mean that I was really meant to live in the days of Mozart, but whatever. One of my favorite traditional classical pieces is Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Movement II. It was the song on Mr. Holland's Opus that they played after Mr. Holland found out that his son, Cole was deaf. I remember liking it when the movie came out, so when I was older and everyone had since gained internet access, I looked up the song and it really is completely magnificent.

I don't know that there is really a moral to these little stories or a point to this post, but it's not really what I intended it to be at all. But that's okay. Now you, (whoever you are that has found your way to my blog today) knows how I feel about music. I hope that you have a song that you can listen to over and over too. :)

Boredom Causing Facebook Beef?

Ugh...I'm so bored all the time lately and I feel like even having a blog is a waste of internet space since I have nothing of value to say.

Today, Travis and I are leaving for Dallas for the weekend. There's a concert that we're going to on Friday night which I'm semi-excited about. David Crowder*Band will be there, and I've not seen them in concert in a long time, so that's nice. Fee will also be there, and I'm a fan of Fee. Family Force 5 will be there, and I'm dreading it.

I'd almost rather go up to Dallas and just hang out. I think that I'm kind of "over" concerts. I don't feel like standing for hours with a bunch of people. I don't want to have to cover my ears because of bad audio balancing. Maybe it's an age thing. I notice that the older I get, the more I like things to just be low-key. Hopefully the concert will be really fantastic and I'll be like, "What was I even saying?! I love concerts!"

Pssssh, yeah right.

I feel like a bad person lately, because I've been realllllllly judgmental about crap I see on Facebook. This is probably because I spend far too much time on Facebook and I have way too much time to think.

I think that status updates should have to be funny in order to post. I only appreciate the funny updates. It doesn't have to be hilarious, but at least make me smile.

UPDATES I DON'T APPRECIATE:

"ANGIE JOHNSON IS FIXIN 2 CLEAN THE HOUSE B4 THE KIDZ GET HOME FROM SCHOOL. WHEN WILL THEY LEARN THEY GOTTA PICK UP ALL THERE TOYS B4 THEY GO PLAY WITH OTHER TOYS. TIME TO DO LAUNDRY. TTYL"

"CARL JONES GO TO POOPS-MCGEE'S FAN PAGE AND VOTE FOR MY TURD!! IT'S SHAPED JUST LIKE MY TRUCK!!!! HOPIN TO WIN FIRST PLACE!!"

"TROY ANDERSON GOT JOBS ON MY PAGE FOR MY FARM!! SEND ME A BARN AND A CHICKEN AND A HORSE AND A BALE OF HAY AND A REINDEER AND SANTA CLAUS AND A BOWL OF SPAGHETTI!!! I NEED THEM ASAP!!! THX FARMER FRIENDS!"

"JOANNE SMITH LOVES HER AUNTS/UNCLES/COUSINS/CHILDREN/HUSBAND/PARENTS/NEIGHBORS/CO-WORKERS!!!! ONLY 83% OF PEOPLE WILL REPOST THIS. WILL YOU BE A PART OF THE 17%???"

"KAREN DOBSON HATE THE GOVERNMENT!! OMG, 2012 IS NEAR BECAUSE OBAMA IS PREZIDENT!!!!!!!"

"SAM COOK LIVES IN AMERICA. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PRESS ONE FOR ENGLISH!!"

What's sad is that all of those examples are based off of the stuff people post ALL DAY long. I get that people don't agree with things, and that's fine. But coming across as an arrongant, close-minded idiot does nothing for anyone.

I also am BEYOND tired of being invited to become a fan of something OVER AND OVER again by the SAME person. Take the hint. I don't want to be a fan of your _____ page. Probably because whatever it is that you're promoting is stupid and/or sucks. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I think that your band is wonderful when I would never actually listen to your music intentionally. This logic applies to whatever skill or craft is being promoted through the said fan page.

I also don't understand why people post unflattering photos of THEMSELVES? I don't know this person, but this is what I mean:



I've been seeing a lot of that lately, and I just don't understand it. My sister and I have actually talked about this topic and decided that it doesn't make sense.

And lastly, excessive punctuation is killing me.........................one day.....................at a time!!!!!!!!!!!

Or what about excessive punctuation combined with odd spacing ????? !!!!!!! That's a new trend I'm noticing as well.

Well, writing this lovely entry has certainly passed some time for me. Thank you to my non-existent readers. :)

Surprises & Get-togethers

My friend's (Melinda) birthday was last week, and I felt like a jerk because I never called, texted or even wrote on her Facebook wall a happy birthday wish.

A mutual friend (Jill) of Melinda and myself decided to get together and make her a Big Top Cupcake (yes, the one from tv) and drive the 45ish minutes to her apartment and surprise her.

Let me just say, Jill and I were really impressed with the Big Top Cupcake. It was easy to use, easy to clean, and the shape held really well.

Anyway, Melinda was excited about the surprise and it was good to visit with her. She's also a newlywed, and today was the second time I'd been able to see him on a day that either he wasn't getting married or where I wasn't getting married. Other than that, I'd never spoken to him.

Melinda and I decided today that our husbands will probably get along really well. They're hopefully moving to the area in the fall, in which case it'd be amazing to have another newlywed couple to hang out with. We don't have many married friends.

Which leads me to having a small dinner party soon. Yay for dinner parties.

I was in the mood to write a little more, but I just came across news that saddened me.

Eva Markvoort, the 25 year-old Canadian that was fighting Cystic Fibrosis that I had posted about a while ago died on March 27th. I haven't been on the computer much in the last few days, and missed that announcement.

65redroses.livejournal.com

Internet, Family & Puppies.

Sometimes, I think the internet is my best friend/enemy.

I felt like cleaning today, but now I don't think I'm going to. First I was like, "Lookie! My guitar!" So I picked at it for a while (did you catch the pun?) and then I found my car registration renewal form, and discovered that I can renew it online.

I love that with the internet, you don't have to wait in lines for things like renewing your registration.

However, then I decided to check Facebook, and now I'm here updating my blog. Which means that I won't really clean today. But I am going to make myself go to the grocery store today. I don't think I can put that task off anymore.

Travis wants chicken and rice for dinner, so maybe I'll pick up those ingredients. I think he asks for that meal more than any other meal. Thankfully, it's easy to make. He even tackled it once when I was sick. I just follow the Campbell's recipe that you get on the back of a can of Cream of Chicken.

Click the photo for the recipe.

I skip the vegetable part, because Travis will not eat it otherwise, and I just by chicken tenderloins and put several in there. It's really good. I think I add other ingredients, too, but it's a spur of the moment thing, so I can't even remember what I put in there. ;)

Since I last posted, Ethan turned 4. It feels like he was just born a few days ago. I got to see him yesterday, and he was so excited when I got there. I know that we're incredibly blessed to have the relationship we have. He came over about a week or so ago, and this is a picture I snapped of him:

He loves The Beatles, I tell you. He was flipping through the book, all snuggled on the couch with his beloved "Furry Fella." Yes, it's a stuffed opossum. It's the mascot from Cracker Barrel.

His birthday party was a surprise party, and his response was fantastic. There is a video, and I'm trying to get my sister to email it to me. It was a Wow! Wow! Wubbzy theme. Sarah and I worked together to make the invitations:

On the back, it says, "Shhh, little buddy. It's a surprise!" They turned out really cute. Here he is blowing out his candles:


Ethan informed us that he wanted "real" musical instruments, not toys. So he got them. He got a 1/4 Electric guitar and a set of bongos. Here he is with "Ol Buddy H" proudly holding his guitar. The kid in the background is Sammy, his cousin. His face cracks me up.


People keep asking me when I want to have kids. After spending a day with Ethan, I think, "probably after about a year" and then I go out in public, see children that are horribly behaved, and then I think, "How about...in 10 years."

I'm sure it'll be much sooner than 10 years, but we've still got a way to go before I think either of us is ready. I've started talking to Travis about us getting a dog. In Houston, there is a Lhaso Apso/Shih Tzu rescue center that adopts out dogs (mostly that came from puppy mills) and I would love to give one a good home. I think we've decided that we're going to start saving up the money for the pet deposit and adoption fees of the center.

So adorable.

Death.

These last few weeks have been weird for me.

I had an uncle that I wasn't close to pass away after being in a hit and run.

I found out yesterday that a friend from high school has terminal brain cancer.

And today I found out that a friend of mine died this afternoon.

I would just like for people to stop dying. Especially young people.

It's been a few.

I've hardly been on the computer lately because I've been so busy.

The first thing that happened was that I came down with strep throat. Luckily I didn't really have any fever, but the pain was pretty bad. However, the medicine worked quickly and I was fine the day after I got my diagnosis.

I went to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Cook-Off with a friend who works for a company that was entered into the competition. We ate lots of delicious barbecue and spent the day enjoying the carnival. Originally, there were 4 of us altogether, but then my friend's sister and the sister's boyfriend left so it was just my friend and I. We decided to go do the fun-houses and we couldn't stop laughing. It was a nice change to feeling like crap.

Natalie, Kim, Christy & Me

That night I coughed and coughed and coughed (possibly due to the smoke from the cook-off) and had to relocate myself to our guest bedroom so that Travis could get some sleep. As soon as I woke up that morning, my phone rang and it was my mom. She was telling me that my uncle had died early that morning and had been in a victim of a hit-and-run. This was my uncle that I wasn't particularly close to, as he had a really difficult life. I spent the week going to my mom's house every day, helping with my grandparents and my nephew so that my mom could make all of the funeral arrangements.

Hopefully, this week will be much calmer and normal. Travis leaves tomorrow to go to Beaumont, and then he, his brother and some friends are going to New Orleans for a Chick-Fil-A opening and to spend some time just hanging out down there. He'll be gone until Friday, so I'll just be here, hoping to find something to do. :)

I must confess that right now, due to poor daytime programming, I'm semi-watching an episode of Full House and they're trying to teach Michelle to read. Their tactics really are terrible. No wonder she couldn't read yet. People, don't let Full House teach your child to read.