Hopped up Christmas cookies and cocoa

Last year, while waiting up for Santa, we busted out the Photo Booth and had some Christmas fun.

I might've promised these would never see the light of day, but it's been long enough now that I can't really remember if I actually DID make that promise... so it doesn't count, right?

Merry Christmas from me to you!

XOXO
jam

My body hates me

Most days, not too much happens to me. I usually go to work, read some emails, make calls and appointments... grab a drink with my friends after work... chill around my house, annoy my dog (or he annoys me) and watch some tv... then bed. Pretty standard (read: boring).

But recently, my routine has been thrown off by the fact that I was buying a house (which happened today). Meaning, I'm moving in like 2 days. And given my familiar experiences with moves and how many of your favorite things can break during a move, I know how important it is to pack up carefully.

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So imagine my disdain, when I woke up this morning to really sharp pain in my shoulder and the inability to raise my left arm more than a few inches. My first panic: OHMYGOD - MY HAIR! Yes, it's true. I'm rocking bed hair today because I can't reach my head. (Thankfully, I was able to brush my teeth with the other hand). My second panic: OHMYGOD - I'M MOVING! AND STILL NEED TO FINISH PACKING!

This is mutiny. I told my shoulder that I'm really busy and have an extremely hectic schedule... but it doesn't care. My body hates me and is basically demonstrating the very worst timing possible.

I can't say that I'm overly surprised by this shoulder thing - to be honest, it's been getting gradually worse for about a month. I was blaming my bed (and used it as a handy excuse to buy a new one on Black Friday), but I don't think that's the culprit anymore. And I got a massage on Friday and asked the therapist to focus on my shoulder... so I'm hoping that didn't make things worse either.

I've self-diagnosed via WebMD, so I'll test my theory this afternoon when I go see Dr. McDreamy. I only called him that because his real name is weird and to protect my own privacy. And because he's handsome.

Ugh, the ups and downs of life.

XOXO

jam

Currently...

Obsessing over: My new house. Moving into it. Decorating it. Throwing parties in it. Cleaning it. Loving it.  

Working on: As of RIGHT THIS SECOND, I'm working on charging my iPhone so that I can use it on my long run. I bailed last week. And the week before that. Tonight, I'm making 8 miles my bi-atch.

Thinking about: What it means to be a family. The holidays always get me thinking about what really matters. I'm old enough that the thought of presents under the tree doesn't really jazz me up (ok, ok... it does a little!); it's anticipating spending lots of time with people I really care about, warm fires, yummy meals, sharing laughs and memories... My family includes people I'm related to by blood and others I'm related to by choice... and Christmas is a blast with all of them.

Anticipating: I'm anticipating the closing of my house (Dec. 14th can't get here soon enough!), my sister's birthday (the 18th), the return of a certain someone to the mainland, and CHRISTMAS of course! I'm also a big fan of New Year's - and my birthday right after that. It's a busy couple of months around here.

Listening to: Copeland. I like to mellow out to pretty music at the end of the day. But like I said, as soon as my iPhone charges, I'll be jamming out to my "Running" playlist... which includes such artists as Kelly Clarkson, Ace of Base, Weezy Baby, Michael Jackson, Limp Bizkit, Britney Spears, Junior Boys, Queen... it's an eclectic mix.

Drinking: water. Lots of water. I had too many coffees this morning during my 5 a.m. drive to Dallas. I'm wigging out.

Wishing: that I had more answers. I'm just doing the best I can in the meantime.

How about you? What are you up to today?

Oops... I did it again.

(Oh, Britney)

I've been one crazy lady lately... neglecting my leetle blog in the meantime. Sorry bout that.

But I'm back.

Saturday, Tiff and I did the David Gardner's Diamond Dash to try and win a $10,000 diamond ring. It was a scavenger hunt around campus. Despite a valiant effort (and rusty map skills), we didn't win, but we had an awesome time. And got quite the workout riding bikes all over the place for 2 hours.

Why do events always order one million XL shirts and 4 small shirts?! Of course, they were out by the time we got there... so another oversized shirt that will never see the light of day :-/

I've been keeping up with the running... training for my first half marathon has been no joke. And when I say I've been "keeping up", I actually fell behind this weekend. I skipped my 8 mile run on Sunday. But it was raining. And it was Sunday. God didn't want me to run.

I also have been in the trenches of the house-buying process. From looking at properties, to the bidding war, inspections, etc. etc... I think we're finally in the home stretch. Won't close for a few more weeks to give the current residents a chance to find new digs, but I love it. And I think about it every day.

Here's what the outside looks like:

(Sorry for the tiny pic, but it's from the realtor's site)

The rest of my live is kind of the usual stuff... loving the pup, working hard for the (12th) man, hanging with my sister (who is also the newest President of the forensic club at Sam Houston! Congrats), and daydreaming all the daydreams I like to daydream.

Note: I was making an A&M joke with the 12th Man thing. For the 1,000th time, I DO NOT work for the 12th Man Foundation; I work for the A&M Foundation. Academics. Brains, not brawn. And no, I really can't get you tickets to the game. Unless I want to sit with you and kiss you when we make a touchdown. Then I might be able to.

The next couple of weeks for me involve buying as many gadgets and gizmos for my new house on Black Friday, tackling my Christmas list and packing/unpacking my life before the new year.

Friends and family - be looking for my Christmas wish list on here soon! :) :) :) 

If you love me, that is.

XOXO

jam

Instead of blogging

You know how when you haven't called your mom in a long time, and you know she's going to be mad at you for letting so much time pass between phone calls, so you dread calling her and you don't and it gets even longer and then you REALLY don't want to call...?!? (No? Just me?)

That's what has happened with this blog.

I could say that I've been bored and haven't had anything to blog about lately, but that would be an absolute lie. The truth is, I've been having the MOST fun... and just haven't taken the time to tell anyone about it. Besides, everyone who probably cares was there.

Well maybe except my Nana. And since she is one of my [only] loyal readers, I should probably update her. (Hi Nana! Love you!)

So basically, I've been...

~ running a lot. Maybe not a lot to you, but definitely a lot to me. I finished a 5K this weekend in 30:56... I was so proud of myself! All because I'm training for a half marathon next year. More on that later.

~ living it up in Dallas. Work, play, play, a little more work, and a tiny bit more play. I'm quite fond of that place these days.

~ drinking lovely wines, cooking and eating yummy foods, and slowly but surely depleting my hard-earned foreign dark chocolate stash. Looks like I need to plan another trip to Paris, Italy and/or Spain to replenish. [ahem, travel buddies?]

~ spending the best days and nights with my friends - and family. And friends that feel like family. And my families who are my best friends.

~ snuggling Bandit all the time. He's just so cute. And snuggly. [But he does get booted to the foot of the bed when he starts wiggling around and licking me in the face at 3 a.m.]

~ tailgating and cheering for my Aggies. It's up and down... but I love 'em. Especially in the first half.

~ making plans. To travel, to skydive [yes! it's really happening!], to explore. This is a really exciting time.

~ car shopping. My beloved Envoy - Little Black to those who know her - is on the fritz. She's at the shop today hopefully getting right with God, but if not... I'm on the prowl for her replacement. Not going to lie, I'm going to cry if I have to get rid of her...

~ house browsing. I. Sold. My. Land. wowie wowie, I can't believe it. But it went through, the deal is done, and Papa Dave and Momma have a new neighbor. And I'm looking to find a casa for me and the pup sometime soon. I'm nervous though. I thought I'd have a handy man around by the time I got old enough for this stuff!  :-/

~ daydreaming. Lots of daydreaming.

That's about all I feel like divulging. Some things must be kept to myself... as soon as you talk about them, they disappear, ya know?

XOXO
jam

Recent thoughts that prove I'm getting OLD...

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~ When asked “where is the after-party?!” my first thought was: “The only place I’m going after this is home to take off my makeup and these shoes. Have fun.”

~ When receiving a speeding ticket, my thought wasn’t “oh crap, a fine!” my first thought was: “Oh CRAP – my insurance!”

~ When texted to go out to the bars at 11:30 p.m., my first thought was: “Wah… where am I? Is it morning yet?” (I had already fallen asleep. Granted, after 3 glasses of wine at Messina Hof, but still.”

~ When shopping and considering new jeans and shoes, my first thought was: “Do I REALLY want this or should I put this money in my IRA?”

~ When my friend asked me to dog-sit for the weekend, my first thought was: “Hmmm… I just shampooed the carpets. I hope he’s potty trained.”

~ When one of my friends got pregnant, my first thought was NOT: “Oopsie. Who’s the dad?” (Thank goodness for this!)

~ When my phone rings with an unrecognized number, my first thought wasn’t “Stalker!” my first thought was: “Hold on, I have to take this. Business call.”

It’s true; I’m getting old. Gracefully. And I don’t care what you say, I like it. Still just the right amount of fun, just the right amount of real world. These are the days!

XOXO

jam

Flashback Viral Vids

I have no idea what got me thinking about it, but I started thinking about the viral videos I used to love.

Maybe it was the banana phone I saw while out vintage shopping with Tiffany. Maybe it was a text from my bestie Jessica while I was eating an apple with peanut butter. I don't know why it happened, but it did.

And I'm so glad. I almost forgot about these annoying, fantastic little gems. Shared here in order of frequency I've viewed them.

Banana Phone. Fun to sing when the phone is ringing. And when eating bananas.

Whistle Tips. So delightfully quotable.

End of the world. Also a fantastic spice to sprinkle into conversations randomly. And sadly, much of my understanding of the nuclear arms race I learned from this video.

And my VERY FAVORITE...

Peanut butter jelly time!!! My best friend Jessica and I (for unknown reasons) played this song before any test in college. It was our "hype-up" song. We choreographed moves. We sang it acapella. We really took this viral video to the next level. (And we graduated with pretty awesome grades).

Ahhh... That was fun.

They say everything comes back eventually. But I won't let these videos die to give them a chance to come back. I love 'em.

Hope you have a peanut butter jelly time day tomorrow!

XOXO
jam