MyLife

Bella

2011-08-15T07:45:00.001-07:00

Samson has a new friend! About 2 weeks ago we got Bella. She is also a Great Pyraneese so she will grow to be around 100 llbs but right now she is the softest, cutest little puffball ever! (until she pees on the floor)

Dublin Dr. Pepper

2011-06-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

I just heard that Dr. Pepper Snapple is suing Dublin Dr. Pepper. I find it ridiculous that an enormous company like Dr. Pepper would sue a small bottling company...Dublin DP must be doing well and making the big guys nervous! Possible because it tastes so much better and doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it!! I will now ONLY buy Dublin Dr. Pepper!! If you are a Dr. Pepper drinker, show your support to our TX small businesses and buy Dublin DP!

http://www.nbcdfw.com/the-scene/food-drink/Dr-Pepper-Sues-Dr-Pepper-124675289.html

Closing

2011-05-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

So today is the day we close on our Grand Prairie house. I am beyond excited to do away with that mortgage debt! What a joy it is going to be to sign that dotted line and hand that over to someone else!

Rennovations are really taking shape. Wall is down and new end wall is in place for taking in the garage. Our living room is huge! And as of yesterday we now have sheetrock! It is starting to really look like a house!!! I will post more pictures soon.

Samson also got a makeover. We had him shaved for the TX summer and he has become much more playful! He won't fetch; but he sure will race you to the target! Jonathan also took him in for a check up and he is a perfectly healthy, now vaccinated, 1-3 year old weighing in at 110.9 pounds!!! Pictures to come on this one too so stay tuned!

Renovations

2011-04-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

In the midst of selling one house and adopting Samson, we are also in the full throws of renovating the house we will be moving to. My grandparents' old house built in 1964. Complete re-wire of electrical, lots of plumbing, new hot water heater, new air conditioner to meet the demands of building in the garage to have a much larger living room...did I mention termites? Oh yes, we discovered we had a termite problem so we had to get that treated; and we decided to tear out a lot of sheet rock to remove termite damage as well as making the electrical work a little easier for our contractor...if that is even possible with all of the craziness we have thrown at him. Our contractor is amazing though, going way above and beyond on everything! If anyone needs a contractor I have a recommendation!

Samson

2011-04-13T17:31:00.001-07:00

Jonathan and I have become proud parents to the sweetest most loving dog in the world! He is the size of a small horse and I'm sure my nephew can't wait to saddle him up and ride him around the yard! We rescued a Great Pyrenees that has been living on the streets for a while now. I wasn't sure what to expect of him having had who knows what kind of life so far; but he really is just a big 'ole teddy bear who only wants love love love! Samson has already captured my heart. I have been wanting a dog for a long time now and since we have sold the house and are moving to a 5 acre property, we have plenty of room for him!

He enjoyed a dip in the dirty pond just before this picture.

Where I have been...

2011-02-08T09:47:00.001-08:00

I found this cool service that makes a map of where you've been...It looks so dinky on the map. I need to travel more!

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php

I even have lots of places left in the US!

http://bighugelabs.com/map.php

I must add that is because of maps like this that some people believe that Alaska is where Mexico actually is and also that it is smaller than Texas, neither of which is true. But I myself am no geography pro so I shall not judge.

Married!!

2010-12-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

I don't keep up with this BLOG at all!!! So much time has gone by and so many things have changed! Difficult decisions led to stronger relationships and the passing of time led to a wedding! I am now happily married (one month yesterday) to my wonderful loving husband Jonathan Hill!!

Patience

2010-05-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

Most of you hopefully know by now that Jonathan and I are no longer getting married this summer. I appreciate all of the texts, emails, and calls. I feel so loved and supported! I have the best friends and family that anyone could ask for! I love you all!

Catch Up

2010-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Time to catch up! I haven't posted in SO long! I have been getting reminders here and there from some of you that I need to update my BLOG so here it is!

What's been going on?

Same job, but I haven't had to travel since Christmas...I fly out on Sunday for my first trip of 2010.

House hasn't sold yet; but prices in my neighborhood are coming back up so according to my realtor my house is reasonably priced again. It has been showing more lately so that's a good sign.

Since my last posting I have started dating Mr. Wonderful! His name is Jonathan and he is more wonderful to me than I have ever imagined! Good looking, smart, fun...I couldn't ask for more!

We're working on his camera smile :-)

Nothing too Exciting

2009-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Obviously from my lack of posting nothing too exciting has been happening around here. Work has taken me to Orlando, FL and Vicksburg, Mississippi in the past few weeks.

A couple of quotes that have inspired me lately...

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
- Berthold Auerbach

"Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them, And they flew..."
- Guillaume Apollinaire

I can't believe the holidays are here already! Thanksgiving is in less than a week! This year has gone by faster than ever. I look forward to the holidays with family and friends and am excited to see what 2010 has in store.

Coffee...

2009-09-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big coffee drinker. Just don't really like the flavor...well except for an occasional (sometimes too often) white mocha from Starbucks, which let's face it, really is more like sugar with a splash of coffee. I've decided lately to save money and instead of the occasional Starbucks mocha, make my own version at home. I had one this morning...yes-sir-ee Bob, I sure did! And now here it is 4pm and I am still wired through the roof!! I hope I can sleep tonight! See, this is why I don't drink coffee!!!

Excitement

2009-08-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

I love being excited about something. It is such a unique feeling. It changes the way you think about everything! My good friend Andy once told me that crushes make the world go around. I think that is so true! And it doesn't even have to be a crush on a person. I have a crush right now on all of the exciting possibilities in front of me! It is so awesome to look forward to something every day!

Plus I always have a crush on this cutie!

Change is Scary

2009-08-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

My life will be seeing some changes in the near future. I've made the decision to follow my dreams of owning my own business. With the decision comes a lot of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of embarrassment. But the fear of continuing on my same path and looking back with regrets outweigh all of those other fears. Hopefully I can be stronger than my fears and I have the patience to see this through.

"The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." Arthur C Clarke

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly, than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." Bhagavad Gita

"You have to be stronger than your fears if you want to get anything done in this life." Daoud Hari

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." Eleanor Roosevelt

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit." Helen Keller

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." Oscar Wilde

I don't know why, but I thought a picture of Hoover Dam went with this BLOG.

Ann

2009-08-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

"In the midst of our most painful memories, we find our most treasured ones." Erwin McManus

I have been going back and reading my journal a lot lately. It seems for me that it is so easy to allow myself to be completely open and honest there; and I am learning that if I try to have that transparency and vulnerability in my relationships, so many wonderful things can happen. Sharing on this BLOG is a start of that for me. I want to share part of an entry from March. I received a phone call this past week that made me remember this entry in my journal as well as a lot of other memories with my dear friend Ann.

Just for background...When I wrote this I was in a low place. Depression was setting in and the beginning of the entry focused on that. I was about to go on a trip to San Diego and then meet up with my college roommates in Arizona for Stacy's 30th birthday. So here it is...

...Maybe I'll have an upswing, or maybe I'll be able to fake my way through it. But then next weekend I'll be in Arizona with the college roomies. Most of them won't notice, I can fake it with them, which is best; but Ann, she'll figure it out. She knows it all too well. I want a miracle for that girl. I want pain to leave her entirely and never return. She deserves to live in happy painless bliss for the rest of her life. I would live in the black hole of depression for the rest of my life if it in some way could take away her pain.

Ann, I think about you all the time and I love you dearly.

Abilene Reporter News

2009-08-18T20:04:00.001-07:00

My niece Natalie goes to a wonderful little private school. My sister and family were interviewed for an article in their local newspaper so check it out...

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/aug/17/early-start/

Tennessee Vacation

2009-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

So I just got home from my Tennessee vacation! I had an amazing time! So here are some of the things I got to do. A HUGE thank you to the Sever family for taking me into their home for two weeks! You guys are amazing and went above and beyond taking care of me and making sure my vacation was wonderful!

Fishing off the Sever dock.

Deep Sea Fishing for the first time!
Bob and I caught a flounder and we had him for dinner the next night...amazing!!

We saw so many dolphins!
They were incredible and I got some amazing shots!

Thanks to Zach for hosting us in Daytona Beach!

Water skiing for the first time!!
I eventually figured out how NOT to snow plow.

Maybe someday I'll be able to do this...

Surgery Results

2009-07-29T17:07:00.001-07:00

I had my surgery today and everything went well. It didn't end up being polyps as they originally thought but instead was endometreal tissue (Pretty much that is tissue that shouldn't be there). The doctor removed all of it and I am recovering well. I have a check-up in four weeks and hopefully this is all over!

Thanks so much for all the thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes!!

Lizzie Pictures

2009-07-28T07:46:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know Lizzie...definitely check out her BLOG! She's due to have baby Levi in two weeks and she posted some pictures. Adorable pregnant girl! I can't wait to meet Levi! And what a wonderful name you guys chose! :)

http://lizziekim.blogspot.com/

Doctor Update

2009-07-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

So I had my appointment this morning and it didn't turn out quite like I hoped. I was thinking positively and hoping that my body had taken care of everything but the ultrasound showed that wasn't the case. I will be having an outpatient surgery on Wednesday morning and hopefully after that everything will return to normal. Or "normal" :-)

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers and well wishes. My depression is much better and I know that is because of all of you guys who show me the love!

A Good Day

2009-07-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

I thought you all should know that I'm having a good day. I feel better than I have in a long time. My symptoms are minimal today and I feel like tomorrow will be even better. Look at me being optimistic! It's Thursday...which means tomorrow is Friday and then the weekend! It was so nice outside this morning that I drove to work with the convertible top down and let the wind blow through my hair. (I know, I'm a brat for driving a convertible) Today I cry about good things...I cry about everything these days. :-)

I'm really looking forward to my vacation to TN in a week. I am ready to not work for an entire week, relax, go fishing, have fun on the lake, and most importantly see old friends (Can't wait to see you Laura and hopefully Melanie too!) and new ones too (my wonderful and gracious Sever hosts!). I think it is going to be an awesome vacation and truly relaxing and rejuvinating as a vacation should be.

I had forgotten how much I love to fish.

It is so relaxing and peaceful and a great time to think.

Check out my catch!

Old Friends who have become new ones...Love you Severs!

I love this picture. So just deal with it Jason!

(I don't think he looks at this BLOG so he can just get over it)

On a random side-note, there are some people I am really missing right now. Just to mention a few...

Jerry...long weekeend trip minimum...soon!

My Abby who is serving us in Kuwait and Iraq right now.

I can't wait for you to be home safe Abby!

Not to mention my awesome family! I got to go to dinner with my mom, grandma, and cousins last night...why didn't we take pictures?!

An outdated picture of the Jones Family.

Mom probably hates this picture but I love it and I took it so you need to love it :)

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I truly believe it is making a huge difference. My next doctor's appointment is on Monday so I will keep you all updated.

An Honest Update

2009-07-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Most of you crazies who read my BLOG probably already know this; but for those of you I don't keep up with as well...probably my fault...I have been having some health issues lately. Girl stuff, which has had me stressed out considering family history. I went to a new doctor on Friday and have a follow-up appointment a week from today (Monday). The good news is that we think we know what's going on and the doctor thinks my body is trying to take care of it. So thanks to all of you who have been praying. They ruled out all of the really bad stuff so at this point we're just trying to get me back to "normal" again. We all know I'm not normal; but you know what I mean.

The not so good news is that the stress and hormone problems that have come with all of this have been a trigger for my depression. For those of you who didn't know I struggle with that, surprise! I've been able to fake it for years and I have decided not to do that anymore. I can only be who I am and those who love me will take me as I am. So if I don't call you back, or email you back, or act happy enough when you talk to me. I'm probably trying not to cry so just bear with me. I'll be back to normal eventually. I appreciate prayers.

30th Birthday

2009-06-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

I realized I never posted about my 30th birthday. I had a lovely BBQ at my house with friends and family. It was a great way to enter my 30s! Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out! It was wonderful to spend time with all of you! I have gotten terrible about taking pictures...I will try to do better.

My college roommate Hilary went against the direction I had given of "no gifts"...not a big surprise for those of us who know Hilary! But I absolutely love what she got for me! It is a beautiful tin sign that says "Wherever you go, go with all your heart" I love it! Thanks Hil!

My Fingernails

2009-06-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know what's going on with my fingernails. They look worse than they ever have! I swear they are terrible! I don't know if I am not eating as well or if I need to start on a multi-vitamin or what! Ugh. I used to have such beautiful fingernails. I would post a picture but you would be horrified.

Reimbursed!

2009-06-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Good news! My bank investigated the I-Tunes fiasco and determined that it was in fact fraudulent charges and reimbursed me!! Wohoo! Less money towards the "stupid" tax!

Itunes AAAAAHHHH!

2009-04-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

For all of you I-Tunes users out there, I had someone use my account today and charge $100 in gift cards to my debit card! I don't know if it is a security problem with I-Tunes or what but I HIGHLY recommend that you not save any of your credit card information in I-Tunes and if you already have info saved out there I would go to your account information and remove it!! It just cost me $100!!

Hula Hoop Super-star!

2009-04-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

My niece is a hula hoop super-star! This hula hoop she is using is my adult hula hoop which is taller than she is! Natalie you are awesome! I can't wait to see you this weekend!

San Diego and Scottsdale

2009-04-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

This past week I was in San Diego. I started out with a magnificent weekend with Jerry. Saturday was a gorgeous day so we went for a nice motorcycle ride up the coast and stopped in Del Mar for lunch. It was awesome and once again I want a motorcycle, well actually I prefer to be a passenger so I can enjoy the scenery. It is so wonderful and freeing! Saturday night we met up with a bunch of friends at a new place downtown called Basics and had a blast having some drinks and catching up.

Part of the gang...Drew, Susan, Jerry & Laura

On Sunday a group of us met up at the Wave House to enjoy some time together overlooking the Pacific Ocean...can't beat that! Drew had bought some oh so stylish white sunglasses, which we were all forced to try on for the purpose of embarassing pictures. Luckily those weren't on my camera so I don't have to embarass myself; but I did get a picture when Leah tried them on so I'll embarass her instead :)

Leah and the stylish white sunglasses!

Jerry had to fly to Baltimore for a business trip on Monday morning. I spent the day Monday playing with the precious Clara Sue, my SD roommate Stephanie and her husband Mike's adorable 3 month old baby girl. Abby got home from some training she had in the desert on Monday as well, so my priceless time with my Abby began! We went for a lovely dinner with Tim and Barnyard at a restaraunt, where I had never been, in North PB called the Fishery...let me just say the mahi mahi there is incredible.

Tuesday was a lazy day. On Wednesday Abby's mom, Jan, flew in. We picked her up from the airport and later took Abby's mom and oldest niece and nephew to the Wednesday night OB Farmers Market...my absolute favorite thing to do in SD. How cute are Peyton and Lilly?! I think they had a blast. They got ballons and Lilly got her face painted and played in the bounce house. It was a fun-filled evening. We had crepes for dinner...mmmmm.

Peyton & Lilly

Thursday was quality time with Abby and then on Friday I flew out to spend the weekend in Scottsdale to surprise my college roommate Stacy for her 30th birthday. It had a rough start because I was extremely sad to leave Abby and part of me wanted to stay in SD to have those few more days with her before she deploys. But it was wonderful to see my college roommates and we ended up having a fun weekend. It was wonderful to get to meet Stacy's newest baby boy, Dominic; and I think Stacy was quite surprised when all four of her college roomies showed up. Hilary, in true form, had T-shirts made for all of us which we proudly wore on Saturday and then Sat night was Stacy's 80's themed birthday party which proved to be quite entertaining.

The Fab 5 College Roomies...Ann, Stacy, Hilary, Me, and Kim in our 30 Rocks t-shirts! The back of the shirts say "Fab 5 Reunion April 2009 - 30 Never Looked so Good! Hil is so creative!

Kim, Hilary, Stacy, Ann & Me at the 80s party.

Hilary won best constume! And yes, my hair is crimped, don't be jealous. And Hilary you are NOT a beast! You just have on very high heels and the rest of us wore flats!

Sand Diego here I come!

2009-03-27T07:26:00.001-07:00

I am beside myself with excitement to get on a plane and go to San Diego today!!! For 7 whole days! Even after having been in Texas for a year it feels like I'm going home when I go to SD! Noon can't come fast enough today!!

Old Friends become New Friends

2009-03-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I had the joy of re-connecting with some old friends. I hadn't seen them in many years and I had a wonderful weekend with them. For someone who has very few friends in the actual place I currently live, it made for a memorable weekend that I will always be grateful for. The four days I was able to spend with them (and impose myself upon numerous family outings!) were filled with fun and laughter. With everything from shooting to four wheeling, seeing a play, fishing, sharing many meals, karaoke...I've never had that much fun in one weekend! Thank you Sever family! You guys are wonderful!

I'm looking forward to sushi tonight Aunt Sue!

Late Night Inspiration

2009-02-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

It is pretty late on Thursday night here in Tokyo. Those of you who know me well, (which I would think is anyone who actually wastes their time reading my blog), knows that I'm not into touchy feely junk; but I guess the three weeks of being on the other side of the world and not getting enough sleep has started to make me loopy. I happened upon a video series tonight on youtube and the narrator said the following and I want to share it.

Regarding LOVE:
“We are most alive when we find it.
We are most devastated when we lose it.
We are most empty when we give up on it.
We are most inhumane when we betray it.
We are most passionate when we pursue it.”

Tokyo, Japan...

2009-02-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

Japan is expensive. Gucci, Prada, Louis Vitton, Burberry...everywhere. Vastly different from Taipei and Hong Kong, which both had areas where there was expensive stuff; but in Tokyo it is everywhere no matter where you go.

I have one word for everyone...SUSHI!!!! In the past few days I have experienced the best sushi I will ever experience in my life...not to mention some I will probably never attempt to try again (keep reading); but more importantly the amazing stuff. I'm talking melt in your mouth delicious. The pictures will not do this justice.

Sushi

I decided that since I am in a foreign country I may never get to visit again, I should be adventurous and try the local cuisine as much as I can gather the courage for. There are a few things that don't make the cut including Stinky Tofu in Taiwan...sorry if that brought back any bad memories Kristin :-) So today was probably my most adventurous yet. Wonderful sushi for lunch...see picture above and a co-worker ordered the deep fried shrimp. He was expecting something similar to popcorn shrimp. Nope. Deep fried shrimp in Japan is just that...whole shrimp flash fried. I had to get past the mental block of the legs and eyeballs; but am proud to say I tried it and it wasn't bad at all! Tasted like crunchy shrimp!

But that wasn't the end of my adventures for the day!...

A WHALE of a tale...We knew we would be heading out of the office a little earlier than we had been so we decided take away would be the best way to go (sushi for me of course). One of the ladies in the office was so impressed that I was eating "real" sushi! She actually went out and bought more because she wanted me to try something that she recommended...WHALE! I'm for real here people...whale. Now mom, you know me...I love whales! I go whale watching! I love humpback whales and all of the glorious songs they sing and the magical way they never sing the same song twice...what wonderful composers they are! Okay, you get the point; but she went out and bought this. FOR ME! So, I felt obligated. I'm thinking, okay, I can do this...think tuna, think tuna, think tuna...I could keep saying that but all I was thinking about was the poor whale. I was able to swallow half of one piece and the other half went into the napkin. Luckily she didn't wait around to watch me try it. She just asked me later how I liked it and I went with "It was different, but I'm glad I tried it. Thank you so much for getting it for me!" I must admit, it didn't taste terrible. It was fishier tasting than tuna and a bit chewier. I think it was the chewier that got me (I'm a texture person). And on a completely different note, I don't like squid. The flavor is okay; but after chewing for 5 minutes I decided I wasn't getting anywhere with it so it too went into the napkin politely.

Whale

Taiwan...

2009-02-23T06:06:00.000-08:00

I am now in Tokyo, Japan. It is after 11pm and I am not sleepy at all...I definitely shouldn't have had that coffee after work today. I won't do that tomorrow afternoon. The hotel here is swanky...actually too swanky for my taste. I feel like there is always someone following me around asking what they can do for me. Sometimes I want to just say, leave me alone! But that wouldn't be so nice :-) So instead, I smile politely and try to get to my room as quickly as possible. But enough about Tokyo, that will be another post for another day...with pictures of course.

Last week was Taipei! It was definitely a different experience than Hong Kong. I don't want to pick favorites, I'm grateful for the experience of all three countries; but...well, Hong Kong was my favorite. It seemed so much more authentic. Stuff was cheap, people were nice. People were incredibly nice in Taipei as well. Vivien, the lady we worked with in the office there, is absolutely wonderful and I will miss her. She had lived in TX and CA so we had a lot in common and plenty to talk about. Sadly, I don't think I got any pictures of her at all!

There is no way I can do justice to the humor of the video below. Unfortunately, I think it may be one of those "had to be there" situations. So Kristin, this one is for you...at the night markets in Taipei there are vendors who set up in the middle of the street making traffic difficult because it limits the walkways to one narrow isle on each side of the street. These people apparently haven't paid the proper dues to sell at the market, or at the very least are not supposed to set up in the middle of the street. So every few minutes chaos would break out. The first time it happened, Kristin and I weren't sure if we needed to be running for dear life or what; but there we were looking at some cool purses that we wanted to purchase when all of a sudden merchandise began flying every direction and vendor stands were suddenly reduced to a quarter of their original size and were on wheels and with vendors pushing their carts for dear life to the nearest alleyway they could get too...mass chaos I tell you. And I don't do it justice; but we soon understood that these "episodes" occurred whenever the "watchman" passed the word that the cops were coming! It was very entertaining to us; but then again we had just eaten food from the market so who knows where we were on the sanity scale at this time! I captured one instance on video...I don't even know if you can tell what it is; but I will always watch it and laugh at the memory.

I can't get it to rotate to view it upright!

View from hotel room...they were projecting these cool lights onto a building near-by. I don't have my good camera with me due to packing space issues, so none of my pictures do anything justice. My mom's camera does have the nice video feature that my SLR doesn't have though.

Taipei 101 - Tallest building in the world at some point in time, I think it has been outdone now.

Taipei Street View

Night Market stuffed pancakes...mmmmm!

The corn ones and peanut crumble were the best!

(I can't believe I ate food from a stand at the night market)
Stay tuned for Japan....

Hong Kong

2009-02-15T22:05:00.001-08:00

I decided I better get a start on posting about my trip to Asia. We started in Hong Kong. Now we are in Taipei and next week will be Tokyo. So here's a glimpse of Hong Kong. I felt very safe there and we did a ton of shopping. We ended our trip by heading out to see "Big Buddha" which is the largest copper Buddha statue in existence (to my knowledge). It rained almost the entire time we were there; but was still quite amazing.

View from my hotel room in Hong Kong. It was the harbor if you looked to the right, and mountains if you looked to the left.

Dim Sum!! Chicken Feet anyone???

We were lucky enough to experience a Lion Dance on day 2!!

Fish market near Times Square...these were so fresh they were flopping around. If I figure out how to post video I will add the video so you can see!

They're Alive!!!

Did I mention it rained the entire time Kristin and I were at the Big Buddha? I like to call this my drowned rat picture because I look like a drowned rat. You can make out the shadow of the Big Buddha statue in the background.

Typical tourists :)

A Cancun New Year!

2009-01-08T08:24:00.001-08:00

I cashed in my hotel and airline points and grabbed my friend Jerry and jetted off to Cancun to celebrate New Years. Four days of relaxation and rejuvenation was wonderful! We went to see the Mayan Ruins at Chichen Itza aka Chicken Pizza :) They are one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and quite impressive. They even had a "basketball" court where the players were be-headed after the game...I knew there was a good reason I quit basketball! I even got a few new freckles!! While Jerry just kept getting more and more tan. I can't help it that I am a delicate red-head!

Our gorgeous hotel and ocean view from our balcony!

I used my wonderful tripod I got for Christmas last year (thanks Jerry!) and took a cool night shot from our balcony!

Jerry & I at Chichen Itza

One of the structures at Chichen Itza. We wanted to climb the stairs but it is off limits for preservation purposes.

Stairway to the viewing platform for the "basketball" games.

"Basketball" Court

Thumbs up to pepsi!

Ik Kil Cenote (Natural well pool)

Don't flush your toilet paper at Ik Kil...gross!

Pictures as Promised

2008-10-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Cape Cod

Lighthouse

Fenway Park!

Classic Cape Cod

Another Lighthouse

DC in the Fall (I actually took these!)

Lincoln Memorial at Night (My favorite Memorial)

Washington Monument at Night...look at the moon!

Washington Memorial just before sundown.

Tattoo pictures still to come!!!

DC in Fall

2008-10-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

These days I feel like I might as well live in DC. I never thought I'd think I could live here but the more I'm here the more I like it. I guess that's the natural flow when you spend so much time somewhere. The house in TX is nice, my roommate sees it more than I do; and I'm glad I'm not spending money on rent; but instead am making an investment.

I haven't blogged in such a long time. Let's see, what has happened since August 18th when I last blogged...

I've spent a lot of time (4 of the last 8 weeks) in the DC/Maryland area for work. It is really getting beautiful with all of the fall colors here. I didn't take this picture; but to give you an idea of what I see every day...

I spent 9 wonderful days in San Diego spending time with friends and getting a tattoo with my friend Abby, etc. I didn't have my camera so I will have to get pictures from friends and post them later. I love my tattoo. The artist did an amazing job of making my vision a reality.

I got to spend a wonderful weekend in the Austin/San Antonio area. It was much needed quality time with my college roommate Ann. I spent a weekend in Abilene and got to see my family and catch up with my college roommate Kim...her two boys are amazing! Last weekend I was able to spend some time with my college roommate Hilary and her son Brady is cute as ever, even when he's sick! All these precious babies and I get to be a part of their lives and give them back and go take a nap when I'm done! I love being Aunt Kellye!

I'm looking forward to my up-coming Halloween party on Nov. 1st. Yet another college roomie, Holly, will be in TX so we're having a bunch of old friends over! Should be a great time!

That's about all I know for now. I know that pictures are a lot more fun so I will try to get some of those up soon!

Vacation Excitement

2008-08-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

I decided I need a decent length vacation so I have booked a trip to San Diego to see all my SD friends!!! I will be there for 9 days!!! I can't wait! I'm afraid its going to make me want to move back even more; but I'm willing to take that risk. If you are a Cali friend get ready, I'll be there Sept 5-14th!!!!!!

Catch Up

2008-08-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in forever...this is why:

I have spent
2 weeks in DC
Weekend in Denver at an amazing music festival with Andy and My Abby!
1 week in Boston
Weekend in Cape Cod with a day trip to Martha's Vineyard with mom and Ranea!
1 week in Colorado Springs
1 Sweltering weekend with my wonderful family (not to be left out!)
1 more week in Boston

I will have pictures soon; but right now my camera is in one place and I am in another. Plus I got some cheap-o disposable cameras for the music festival so I didn't have to worry about my camera the whole time so those will have to be developed and put on CDs for me to post. I make no promises when that will be. I leave again Sunday for another 2 weeks on the road.

Picture time!!

2008-05-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

I finally took some pictures of the house. They're not the best but they give an idea...

My color palette.

The house.

The Kitchen.

Half wall between the kitchen and living room.

Master Bedroom...old color on left...new green color on right. It's a work in progress!

New car...did I mention I got a new car??? Well, It is new to me!

Estes Park

2008-05-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

One of my latest audits took me to Colorado Springs and I was able to stay over the weekend and spend time with my college roommate Holly and her husband Chris. We went up to Estes Park and saw the hotel from the Shining among other things. Here are some pics...

My Place!!

2008-04-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Everything went smoothly and I closed on my house on Friday, April 4th (Happy Birthday Stacy!) Here's a picture!!!

Hahaha...just kidding. I'm finally able to upload some pictures from my India trip...doesn't the Taj Mahal look fake?! It was amazing!

I will have pictures of my real house at a later date...I'm painting this weekend!

More India pics...

There were monkey's everywhere!

This is inside the red fort in Agra.

All of the archways were amazing.

I love this picture...inside Fatehpur Sikri (Once the political capital of India's Mughal Empire under Akbar's reign, from 1571 until 1585, when it was abandoned, ostensibly due to lack of water. It is located in what is now Uttar Pradesh, India)

A local we met in Fatehpur Sikri.

Life is very different there.

Homeowner

2008-04-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

As of this Friday 4/4/08, as long as everything goes smoothly that is, I will be a homeowner! I have purchased a house on Joe Pool Lake so come visit!!!!! I am looking forward to painting to my own tastes but other than that the house is perfect!!!

New Delhi

2008-03-10T11:12:00.001-07:00

So I just got back from a work trip to New Delhi, India. I got SO sick while I was there! Not stomach-sick like you would expect. Instead my neck and head hurt and I got dizzy and nauseous every time I stood up! Needless to say I wasn't very useful at work this week. I did get to see the Taj mahal before I became completely useless though! You can check out all my pictures on Picasa at the following link. For some reason I can't post any to my BLOG right now.
http://picasaweb.google.com/kellye.beard/NewDelhi

Greta

2008-02-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have heard this story from me already. So my dad decided we needed some goats for 7 acres of our property so we wouldn't have to mow as much. He bought 4 goats...2 girls and 2 boys. We ended up selling the stinky mean boys :-) Both of the girls ended up being pregnant and the first one had her twins the first week we had her. BUT she decided she only wanted one so she rejected the smallest of the two kids...so my dad (since he is retired) is bottle feeding a baby goat 3-4 times a day. I help whenever I'm at my parents' visiting. So here she is...baby Greta. She's really a sweet goat...hahahaha. Quite the change from living a block from the water in San Diego!

I look goofy in this picture; but it shows you how cute and sweet she is.

Mom and dad's cat is not so sure about this.

My friend Lizzie took a turn feeding Greta.

Road Trip to TX

2008-02-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

So now that I've been in TX for a month or so I decided it might be time to post some of the pictures from mine and Lizzie's road trip back to TX.

Starting in CA (of course). I look at some of these and can't believe I left. There is a retaining wall they built in La Jolla so there could be a place for kids to go into the ocean but not have to deal with as much of the currents, etc. Ends up this was a perfect place for Seals to be away from their predators and get out of the rip tide's, etc. as well. So now it's a habitat for the seals.

First we went to Vegas...Lizzie took all the pictures there so I don't have them electronically to add to my BLOG. Then we went through Nevada and into Arizona...we drove over the hoover dam, which was really pretty amazing to see.

We stopped in Scottsdale, AZ and saw my college roommate Stacy and her husband and precious little boy Ethan. I have some pictures; but they are in an email account I don't have access for right now so I'll have to add them later. I thought this picture was classic Arizona though!

Road Trip!

2008-01-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow is my very last day at work in San Diego. I will definitely miss people; but not work! I'm looking forward to my road trip back to TX. Lizzie and I will be winding around out of the way and making a fun time of the drive back. Vegas is our first stop and we'll be seeing The Blue Man Group and staying at the Paris hotel for the night. Then we'll be off for Phoenix where I will hopefully finally meet my college roommate Stacy's precious little boy Ethan! After that I have no idea! I guess I need to plan the next step! I'm sure we'll try to go through Abilene on the way and see friends and family...that will be our last stop before we make it to our final destination!
Can't wait to be back!

Christmas 2007

2007-12-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

I had a Christmas Party in SD before traveling to TX for our family Christmas.

Matt & Leah
Sarah & Jerry and Mr. Corn from Iowa

Mike & Steph

Julie, Brandon, & Sheena

My nephew chillin after a big Christmas dinner.

My niece Natalie drawing a lovely chalk bubble gum machine.

My sis Anne, cousin Kara, and me...Kaci we miss you!!!

Bored

2007-12-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

I don't know about anyone else out there but working the three days after Christmas is quite boring. I should be going home and packing every night but I've been getting home and being quite lazy. Mom get ready I have a feeling we'll still have a bit of packing to do when you get here. I have 10 more days of work here in San Diego. I just booked the one way ticket for Lizzie to come out and make the drive back to TX with me!! Yay!! We'll be making a trip out of it and stopping in Vegas and the Grand Canyon! Hopefully there won't be too much snow or bad weather on the way.
That's about all I know. Pretty boring these days.

Reminiscing Fun Friend Visits

2007-12-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

So before I move back to TX I thought I'd give kudos to all my wonderful friends who have made it out to CA to visit me! So in no particular order...

Autumn & Mike

Joel almost made it to SD so I met him up in Huntington Beach!

Holly and Andy...a couple of times!

My cousin Kaci...and Kara too but I can't find a picture right now!

Nancy & Kim!

There have been more; but I can't find all my pictures right now. Kara, I'll look for one from yours and Kaci's trip out; Lizzie, I need to scan in one of our super-cool surfing pictures! Heather, I'm pretty sure I got zero pictures of us due to the Fall! You had a memorable trip I'm sure...no one else can say they were visiting me when I broke my heel! Let's see...I'm sure there's more I just can't recall right now. Thanks to all my friends who brought a little bit of TX (or Oklahoma) out to me in CA!!

Moving time!!

2007-11-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

I oficially accepted the position today and will be moving to Dallas the third week of January 2008!! I am VERY excited!

New News...

2007-11-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

I got an offer for the job I interviewed for. If everything works out as planned I should be back in TX sometime in January!!! Still up in the air if I will be in Austin or Dallas...stay tuned!

Falling Down on the Job!

2007-11-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

I've been falling down on the job on keeping my posts up to date!

A couple of things going on right now...I'm finally off my crutches! I went to the doctor this morning and he reluctantly said I can go without them. I will be using them some when I know I have to walk long distances; but it will be nice to have the option to go without them if I need to. I still have lots of Ligament and nerve damage to work through and that just takes time!

The other thing that many of you will be happy to know is that I traveled to Bethesda, MD this past week for a job interview. I am trying to get a position with the Corporate Internal Auditing Team. I'm still waiting to hear back whether or not I got an offer; but the job is virtual so if I do get it I would likely be moving back to TX to be closer to my family.

Thats about all the big news right now. I'll make sure and post when I hear something!

CA Fires

2007-10-23T16:03:00.001-07:00

I've heard from a lot of people concerned about the fires out here. I want to say thanks for your thoughts and concern. So far my home and work are in clear zones. They are still working to control the fires and stop the spread west.

I have numerous friends and colleagues who have been evacuated. I have included a map to show the extent of what's going on out here. Fires and evacuation areas are shaded in red and yellow. To give some scale to the map...my home and work are 8 miles apart.

Again thanks for your calls and emails.

Aunt Kellye's Cuties...

2007-10-22T14:05:00.001-07:00

What BLOG would be complete without these cuties?!

Silly silly Natalie!

Levi loves Zerberts from his Aunt Kellye!

Natalie got to visit California and see the ocean for the first time!

Foot Pictures as Promised!

2007-10-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

I can't get the picture to rotate so turn your head sideways :)
This is me on my lovely crutches...perched on the wall from which I fell.
Now wouldn't you think there was just a flower bed on the other side?

No Flower bed! This is the stairwell...I didn't hit any of the stairs.
Just fell straight down to the bottom!

And even though it's my heel that's broken, you can see that even after 14 days of healing I'm still bruised. I don't think the picture does it justice and it was much worse 14 days ago; but I didn't really feel like taking pictures then.

Calcaneal

2007-10-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

So I was standing on this ledge to see if my friend Matt’s uhaul would clear the entrance into my underground garage. I thought there was a flower bed on the other side of the ledge and started to fall. No big deal right? Well, there was no flower bed. It was a stairwell. So I dropped 10 feet to the bottom and landed on my feet on concrete. I fractured my calcaneal bone aka broke my heel. I’m supposed to be able to get off my crutches on Nov 14…I’m counting down. It’s my right foot so I can’t drive and it’s a pain! Nov 14 can’t get here fast enough! Pictures to come!

Two Year Catch up Part Deux

2007-10-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so here's my second attempt at a two year catch up...talk about NOT chronological!

I live in Pacific Beach one block from the water.

This is my neighborhood.

Surfing is awesome!

Sunsets are incredible!

This is my lovely roomie Stephanie!

Went Whale Watching on a sailboat!

Saw a momma and baby whale!

Went to the Bahama's for Thanksgiving with Daysi!

I was on the coolest Kickball team ever! Go WTFs!

What Kickball season would be complete without a homecoming??

...dresses for the girls, ties for the guys!

We lost :(

But I'm a Tuff Grrrl!

Chopped 12 inches of my hair off!!

There's an adorable little girl out there somewhere with a great curly red-headed wig!

Mardi Gras Madness 40th Birthday Party for Jerry!!

Looks like he's in his twenties to me!!!

I won an Evening of Stars Award with Lockheed Martin and they sent me to Philadelphia to a schmucky scmuck award ceremony.

Jerry was my date. Aren't we lovely?

Eatin' lots of sushi. Mmmmmm!!!

Sushi + Friends = Night of endless fun! Right Paula?

Valentines isn't just for couples so I threw the Valentine's Party of the century!
(Don't worry mom it's a rub-on tatoo!)

Costumes were Required!

Leah and Sarah say cheese!

Trip to Vegas with Abby and the Kittle boys! (Hotties Matt & Nick).

Abbicans I need your pictures from Vegas!

There still more to come!!!!.......

Two Year Catch Up!

2007-09-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try this BLOG thing. I look at my sister's, Kim's, Hilary's, Lizzie's, and Elizabeth's almost every day and I love seeing pictures and getting some insight on all of your every-day lives. It makes me feel closer. So I have two years of catching up to do. So these are some of the things I have been up to...

Scuba Diving with Santa!

That's me on the left if you can't tell.

Mirimar Air Show

Check out those Blue Angels!

Motorcycle Trip to Through Death Valley with my friend Jerry.

He's been my saving grace time and again! Love you Jerry!

Which Just so happens to be the lowest point in the US.

My Friend Autumn Came to visit!

Holly & Andy Came to Visit!

Wow. This is going to take a lot longer than what I thought; but that's a start!