Lots going on lately

March has been a pretty active month for me, with still more fun stuff to look forward to. Spring is my favorite season and the weather is just about perfect here right now (don't even want to think about summer) and that seems to make everything a little bit more enjoyable.

My good friend, Marie visited in early March. Her sister, brother-in-law and niece live here in Austin and were expecting their second baby, so Marie came out in hopes to meet the little guy. Unfortunately, he had other ideas and waited until St. Patrick's Day. Selfishly though, I cherished the little bit of time I had with Marie, whom I miss dearly. We enjoyed great conversation, wine and shopping (as usual).

The next week, my sister visited and we explored lots of sites around Austin, San Antonio and Johnson City. We learned SO much about LBJ, Lady Bird and LBJ's presidency...it turned out to be much more interesting than I had imagined. Check out my Facebook page for the photos. We went to the LBJ Presidential Library, Capital Building, Zilker Park Kite Festival, Town Lake, Mount Bonnell, The Alamo, San Antonio Missions San Jose and Concepcion, River Walk, and the LBJ birth place, boyhood home, Texas White House and ranch. That was all in four days. Our dogs were barkin'! It was a great visit and I'm glad that we got to spend some time together and learn more about the history and the area.

As far as work, we've had about a month or so off from games and we're about to enter into another busy stretch of traveling and hosting games in West Texas. Next weekend, we are headed to Menard and Van Horn. Van Horn is pretty close to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, so I'm going to use my new birthday gifts and go camping for a week! I'm really excited to go on this adventure and explore even more of Texas. I'm still finalizing my itinerary, but I plan to see Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Marfa and Big Bend National Park. Big Bend is going to be the main attraction and I'm spending three days there. It's the biggest national park in the system but one of the least visited b/c it's so remote. It's along the bend of the Rio Grande River that forms the border of Texas and Mexico. It will be so much fun taking pictures, camping, hiking and checking out some ranger lead programs. I have a lot to do to prepare for that as well as make sure all my responsibilities for work are covered, since it's a busy time. It's not guaranteed that I'll even have cell phone coverage where I'm going let along Wi-Fi. I shouldn't even be blogging right now when my To Do List is a mile long! I will post again once I've finalized my itinerary for the upcoming journey. Off to run errands!

512 Fit Club

I'm so bad at coming up with the titles. I wanted to point out a few updates on my side bar. My friend, Rachel McHadiashar turned me on to a few new to me blogs. I didn't realize that she had a new blog herself and had to do some reading to catch up on her life. Unclutterer and Chris Guillbeau seem to have some great tips on organization and travel, two things I enjoy! Thanks Rachel! I also found a couple Austin based blogs, one on fashion and one on things to do around the city.

On Fridays, I've been attending 512 Fit Club and it's been good motivation to get moving again. A small group gets together and works through a 30 minute workout from the Beachbody videos. We've done Tony Horton's yoga, Turbo Jam, Brazil Butt Lift and try a different one each week. I have done a good job of doing much during the week in between, but today I bought Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred. I just did it a little while ago and it was hard, but I enjoyed it. My lower body was already sore from Brazil Butt Lift, so I'm sure tomorrow will be fun. Jillian's dvd has 3 levels and I think it will take me awhile to get to the other levels. I really want to stay motivated and get back in shape.

As far as March Madness goes, Kansas lost in the second round...are you kidding me?!?! My bracket is garbage already. Ugh. Poor Jayhawks. :-(

Boots!

This is a pretty lame post, but I bought some boots on eBay last week and they arrived this morning. I'm so excited about them! The are Steve Madden, Buck in taupe suede and they are a little bit darker than the picture. I can wear them over jeans and with skirts. They have a bit of a western flair, but not too much and remind me a little of riding boots; I love the buckles. I can't wait to wear them. I looked online for a long time for some boots that I really like and read lots of reviews, etc. Everywhere I looked, they were either sold out completely, or didn't have my size. I feel like I got really lucky in finding my perfect size 7 on eBay. I guess that's a Happy Birthday present to myself! =)

Words of Affirmation...updated

I realize that I may not have given enough information the first time around with this post. Dr. Gary Chapman wrote a book called The 5 Love Languages. Basically the idea is that each of us experiences love in one of 5 ways. At least one of those ways is predominant over the other. It's helpful in marriages for each spouse to know the other's love language so that you can give love in the way that they best receive love. This week on the radio, the djs were talking about the book and had the author on-air, so that's what prompted me to take the quiz. You should check out the book...I'd like to read it. What is your love language?

I just took a short quiz to see what my love language is. I always thought that it would be physical touch, but I never read the book or anything. After taking the quiz, I see that words of affirmation is my predominant love language and I guess I'm not really that surprised. Physical touch came in at a close second and quality time was third. Maybe it will be helpful for me to be aware of my own love language. You can take the test too!

Words of Affirmation (this was taken from the profile on the website)
Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important–hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

To Carrie On

It's here!!! The Sex and the City 2 Trailer!!! I'm so excited. The clothes look AWESOME. I love love love the fashion and the friends. =)