Wonderful Weekends

This is of course if my favorite season...FOOTBALL SEASON! :) Since the last weekend of August my weekends have been full of high school football and fun fellowship. We make a schedule at the beginning of the season on an Excel document that shows us which game we are going to and what color we should wear. We go to a game every Thursday, Friday & Saturday. We LOVE high school football! :) This is such big fun but it is so exhausting to be on the go constantly. :)

This past weekend we took a break from our Saturday night game so I took that opportunity to spend the evening with my SBC(sister by choice), Lisha. Mom & Dad were out of town for a shooting tournament so we took over their house. :D Lisha cooked us a yummy breakfast for dinner--eggs with cheese, bacon and biscuits. We rented movies and just hung out all night being lazy. It was so nice to just lay around and relax with someone you love and with whom it is 100% safe to be yourself. :D We even slept in Mom & Dad's bed which we love to do for some reason when they are gone! Funny how we get excited about the craziest of things! :) The next morning I woke up to the smell of yet another yummy breakfast! Lisha is such a sweetie...always giving, kind-hearted, thoughtful and would do anything for someone she loves (to a fault sometimes) :D Thanks Lish for a great evening of SISTER time! It made my heart (and tummy) happy! :)

And YES! we are dorks...we set the timer on the camera so we could be in the picture together a little trick we learned from Lianna! :) It is a horrible picture but we had so much fun figuring it out and running around the bar to get in it in time...we just had to post it...we laughed so hard! :)

Wordless Wednesday

A Happy Happy Librarian with her NEW PINK booktruck! :D

Birthday Blessings! :)

I absolutely LOVE birthdays and usually celebrate for a whole week which translates into LOTS of food dates! :) It's football season so that already means tons of fun each week and built in dates with Mr. Ramirez. But for my birthday week we kicked it up a notch! :)

Wednesday: Jeanette and I went to "Gay Barnaby's" for dinner then left in the middle of our meal to praise the Lord at Lakewood Church then headed back to Barnaby's for the remainder of our meal and a yummy dessert--Fudgey Brownie! :) Thursday: Mr. Ramirez & I went to the Galena Park JV game where we ran into lots of kids that we once taught and even ran into a girl that I went to school with since Kindergarten...Angel and I were on the same softball team in junior high and I recently stalked her out and so now we are close again. :) Ramirez and I ate at Wings N More after the game.

Friday: I love how the kids at school and all my friends make a big O deal out of my birthday. I was greeted by a giant sign that said Happy Birthday Ms. Tubbs that was signed by all of the kids and some of the teachers. I had a pot-luck breakfast in the library with all of my favorite foods...tacos, donuts & Dr. Pepper! HA! My friend, Jeanette made me this GIANT cupcake...

isn't it so huge and cute? :) Of course we watched another football game that evening and went to Outback afterwards for our meal. :)

Saturday: First of all...the LORD gave me the MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY as my birthday gift...it was sunny and cool and PERFECT! :D Mr. Ramirez, Jeanette, Carmen, LeeAndra, & Tiffany all came over bearing a HUGE basket full of my favorite things wrapped up in a pink bow(another favorite). It was full of Dr. Pepper, Junior Mints, Whoppers, Hershey's, Lemon Drops, and the best thing...a James Avery charm for my bracelet...Mariachi players! :)

We left the house all wearing green to support our favorite team...the Stephen F Austin Mustangs. We ate at Spanky's Pizza afterwards where we were joined by Coach Baggett and then ran to Academy to buy matching red shirts so that we could go to the next game. :D YES! This is my idea of a SUPER GREAT BIRTHDAY! :) After the second game..we went to "Gay Barnaby's" for salads and yummy desserts! :)
Sunday: Brunch with great friends at Baba Yega's, a good long nap and then dinner with my family at a restaurant that we have been patronizing for over 25 years...Jade's Palace.

Tuesday: Had dinner with my Daddy, Ann, Sam--my sweet little brother & James Junior at Outback.

Wednesday: Had an hour and half massage...AMAZING! :)

My heart was completely full of love from all the calls, emails, Facebook messages, dinners, well-wishes, gifts, snacks and love from all my friends and family. My birthday week was CERTAINLY full of blessings and love! I'm so grateful! :D

Wordless Wednesday...

I'm so thankful for the following folks in my life...

Mom & Dad

My #1 VBF, Lianna

My REAL TRUE FRIEND, Laura

Mama

My SBC (sister by choice), Lisha

Daddy

LeeAndra, Elijah & TT

Mr. Ramirez

A TRUE Friend, Cassi

My BABY Brother

Jeanette & Carmen, who keep me in "real life" daily

Wendy, she loves me unconditionally & keeps me accountable

My Prayer Partner & balcony person, Sunshine

The Spiritual Parents, Mr & Mrs. Charles Russell

Everyone needs a core group of TRUE friends and family members to hold them accountable...I'm more than blessed with the folks the Lord has placed in my life! :)

SOOOO GRATEFUL!

Summer Favorites

Clearly I have the best of intentions each time I say that I'm really going to try harder to be a better blogger but it seems that I can't make it into a habit. Most of the time I can't think of anything to blog about since I'm single and don't have any children so I just end up reading other folks' blogs and never post on my own. My #1 VBF, Lianna, participated in a "blog survey" so I thought I would too. I love, love, love survey type activities and it also gives me something to blog about sooooo...here we go! :)

Favorite Summer Movie: The best movie that I saw this summer was The Proposal. A romantic comedy with one of my favorite actresses, Sandra Bullock and of course a happy ending! :)
Favorite Summer Cocktail: Each and every season my favorite drink is the same...A fountain Dr. Pepper. :D I love it! I even gave them up for 3 weeks this summer because I felt I was becoming too addicted to them!

Favorite Summer Song: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE music so it was so hard to choose but I would have to say my favorite songs this summer were Pretty Wings by Maxwell and Moving Forward by Free Chapel.

Favorite Summer Meal: Eating is another one of my favorite things...CLEARLY! HA! My favorite meal this summer would have to be my visit to Bonefish when I was in Jacksonville, FL on our Summer Roadtrip '09. I absolutely LOVE going to eat there...scrumptious Bang Bang Shrimp! :)

Favorite Summer Outfit: I know you can't see my outfit that well in the photo...but I called this little comfie black dress my "uniform" for the summer. I loved it...so comfortable and versatile. I even bought a second one at the end of the summer (yes, the exact same one) on sale for $8! :)

Favorite Summer Reading: The book I enjoyed most this summer was Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I just found out one of the "Blog Queens" we look up to the most (she was actually the reason we started reading and writing blogs in the first place), Angie, is doing a "blog book club" with this book. :)

Favorite Summer Moment: Hands down was our Summer Roadtrip '09--Girls Only trip to Jacksonville, FL to see Lianna...stopping in New Orleans, Biloxi & Destin on the way there! :) We had soo soo much fun spending time together and especially spending time with Lianna! :)

Unexpected Sadness

Although many folks had differences of opinion about Michael Jackson, I venture to say that most folks were saddened by the loss. After all, with today's easy access to media and the minute by minute details of celebrity life, we feel like we know these people "in real life". :) That is why after I heard of the passing of E. Lynn Harris, I have been really truly sad. He was one of my very favorite authors. I feel weird about it since of course he wasn't my personal friend but it was indeed a loss of a human life. He is the only author that I OWN every single one of his books...even after Mom bought us the Kindles last year...I had to continue to buy his books because I had all of his others on my shelf...I couldn't not have the complete set. :) Being a librarian, I read a plethora of books in every genre, and although his books weren't the kind of books that I would normally read...I was drawn to them every single time! I just loved his writing. I also loved his story. :) He paid for his first book to be printed and sold them out of the trunk of his car to beauty shops and malls...places where he could reach a wide audience of women! I guess I'm just mostly sad that after this last book of his that is set to be released in October...there will be no more stories of Basil Henderson...a character that seemed to make an appearance in each of his novels! :)

I love to read all kinds of books...fiction, non-fiction, biography, self-help, trash novels and of course being a middle school librarian...I really enjoy Young Adult Fiction. There are way TOO MANY to list but some of my all time favorite books are:

What are some of your favorite books and authors? I would love to hear about them! :)

Today I'm Thankful for...

A church home that I love, feel comfortable at, and certainly get fed the word and encouragement to do just what it says...friends that hold me accountable...a nice home with air conditioning! :)

Happiest Moment...the compliments and kind words about how loving, kind and accepting my parents are after they served me, Jeanette, LeeAndra, Tiffany & Elijah a yummy meal of ribs, brisket, mac & cheese, baked beans & cole slaw last night. :) I have to agree with Lianna...they are the VERY best parents ever! :)

WOW! Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Can it really be 6 months since my last post? :( I apologize for not following through with my statement that I would be a better blogger! I just feel like for the most part...I don't have anything exciting to blog about since I'm single with no kids...and I'm not living a wild and adventurous life! :D My #1 VBF, Lianna, encouraged me to continue to blog about my everyday happenings since she left me and moved ALL the way to Florida and likes to know what is going on over here in Texas. :) I have two other friends...Mike & Ron who have also asked about my next post and have encouraged me to get busy with the blogging...ahhh...ya'll are all so sweet...I'll try my best to be a BIT entertaining and definitely more consistent! HA! :)

This is the first Summer in awhile that I've been off more than a week or two and I'm enjoying it to the FULLEST! :) I taught Summer School for the month of June and the first week of July and since then I've been staying up all night playing SIMS3, Facebooking, reading, catching up on TIVOed shows, catching up with friends and lazing around. I went to Louisiana for a couple of days with Mr. Ramirez and I'm taking a road trip to Florida next week with Carmen & Jeanette to see Lianna. I'm so excited! :)

UPDATE: I'm still loving the Body Bugg...it works great and it is definitely eye-opening to see how many calories are in my favorite foods..YIKES! :D I also started a boot camp in Baytown and I absolutely LOVE it. Our instructor is so motivating and pushes me farther than I would ever push myself. It is also helpful that other members in my class hold me accountable for showing up and turning in my food journal! It is hard but I have achieved such great results from the class that I can't stop now! :D Gotta a long way to go but I'm well on my way!

Today I'm Thankful for...

The unconditional love from the parentals (and the yummy meals they feed me are also great!:D), My friend Mike, who makes me want to be a better person and reminds me that I need to focus each day on how I can walk "more" uprightly before the Lord, and the opportunity God gave me to be a "Jill Ponder" to my wonderful child LeeAndra and her son, Elijah. :)

Happiest Moment...Getting treated to a pedicure with an extra 10 minutes of massage from LeeAndra, Elijah & TT.

The Next Biggest Loser!

So clearly I've allowed my weight to get away from me for some years now. And honestly it hasn't been that big of a deal to me except the being unhealthy part...the vanity part didn't even occur to me...I felt like I was still a size 10 until someone told me that I was big...ha! But through a series of events...I'm now on the road to recovery...fat recovery that is! :-) My principal at school started running about 8 months ago and I have witnessed huge changes in her...physically, emotionally, and mentally. I love it! I was motivated to run...but let me tell you a little secret...I have absolutely NO self-discipline or strong competitive will-power. So I started going to the gym a little more and trying to run a little bit...but I was big, out of shape, and lacking endurance. Then after my yearly check-up and a ton of tests and doctor visits...I was told I had a thyroid problem which was working against my weight loss. I'm not a big proponent of medicine...so after a lot of praying and research...I started thyroid medication. I could NOT believe how much better I felt and how my energy soared! I hadn't even realized how badly I was feeling because it had happened slowly over time. I was so excited to be back to my old self...happy and full of energy! :-) With this new medication...the weight seemed to start coming off so quickly and effortlessly. WOOHOO! :-) This in turn, motivated me to go to the gym more often and try to eat a little better. I have lots of bad eating habits and love, love, love to eat at great restaurants...so this is still something I struggle with...but I'm trying! :-) My roommate, Kelly got me addicted to yet another show a couple of seasons ago...the Biggest Loser...do you ever watch it? Well, the contestants wear this cool gadget called the BodyBugg and I have been coveting it ever since. :-) With my new focus on trying to become a runner and to do what it takes to get this extra weight off of me...I have talked Shenalt into buying me this VERY cool gadget. I love it! After sitting down with the BodyBugg "coach" and making out a plan...food, goals, exercise...we programmed my "bugg". Now I wear it on my arm each day and it detects how many calories my body is burning and then I sync it to the computer each night and plug in what I have eaten and it lets me know if I have created a big enough deficit to reach my goals are if not...what I need to do the next day to get back on track! It definitely keeps me mindful of the things that I'm putting in my mouth...do you know that MEDIUM french fries at Whataburger are 400 calories? Can you believe that? UGH! Anyway I just love this gadget because it makes me so aware of what I'm putting in my body and it is not like I'm on a strict diet...I just have to burn more calories than I'm eating! :-) So far so good...I think I'm really on the road to success! :-) Another goal of mine is to become a better runner...I've started and have been able to run more than at first...but I want to be a RUNNER RUNNER! :-) Like get out there and be able to run the whole 5k or 10k without stopping. :-) I've been talking to about 5 or 6 folks that are real runners and they are so encouraging...I've been reading running books...and I'm even joining a running club this week! :-) Hopefully this time next year I will have completed my first half marathon! :-)

The BodyBugg

Today I'm Thankful For...

Being a part of the Beth Moore bible study, Inheritance, every Tuesday night (she is more than awesome), having REAL TRUE friends that hold me accountable and keep me uplifted, and a wonderful family that allows me to come over for dinner several times each week...nothing like a yummy home-cooked meal with those you love. :-)

My Happiest Moment...Confirmation after bible study that I'm living in the will of the God and that He is in control...I need to trust Him more...and with Him I DON'T NEED a safety net! :-)

Stalking With Love & Adoration

I've been on a blogging sabbatical for awhile now and have decided that 2009 would be a year of many changes and one of those changes althought not hugely significant...would be...to be a better blogger! :-) I just enjoy reading everyone else's blogs rather than post on my own...but I'm publically stating it here...I will be a better blogger! :-) One of the blogs I love to read is Chapters because Amy is so real, hilarious and has a sincere heart for the Lord! And many of you know...I have issues...I like to go back and read every single post a person has written which for some bloggers is more than two years worth of posts...now do you see why I don't have time to post on my own blog? HA! :-) Well while reading the archive of Amy's posts...I came across this "mini survey" and thought it would be a great way to "ease" back into blogging!

If I were...
If I were a shoe, I'd be a flipflop with rhinestones.
If I were a city, I'd be New York.
If I were a season, I'd be Football season. :D
If I were a car, I’d be a big Ole Lexus/BMW sedan or a BIG diesel pick-up truck.
If I were a vegetable, I’d be carrot.
If I were a fruit, I’d be a banana.
If I were a color, I’d be hot pink.
If I were furniture, I’d be an antique book shelf.
If I were a country, I’d be Mexico...not the touristy part.
If I were a beverage, I'd be a Dr. Pepper from Sonic.
If I were clothing, I'd be workout clothes.
If I were weather, I'd be sunny and cool.
If I were a dessert, I’d be fudge with NO nuts.
If I were a plant, I’d be a bougainvillea.

Feel free to consider yourself tagged. :-)

I'm so blessed & grateful for a brand new year to make some needed changes and to grow as a person and most importantly as a Christian! :-) AND...to continue to STALK all of you! :-) HA!

Happy Ending!

Last Saturday I went out of town to Shreveport, LA and had a super great time! When I returned home on Sunday evening I was talking on the phone to my RTF (real true friend), Laura, and all of the sudden it occurred to me that I left my charm bracelet and my diamond earrings sitting on the dresser in the hotel! :-( My stomach hurt just thinking about it so of course I had to let her go and call the hotel all the while praying that someone honest found my jewelry! The very pleasant lady at the front desk sent a maintenance man over to room 241 to check it out...NO BRACELET! :-( Housekeeping had already cleaned the room and they had already left for the evening so she told me to call back in the morning at 8:00. I was so upset with myself for taking it off and leaving it there and was just sick to my stomach about it. I was gifted the bracelet at my college graduation and have enjoyed collecting different charms from loved ones for 12 years! The bracelet is worth a ton of money but most importantly the sentimental value is PRICELESS! Every charm has a story and was bought with love just for me! I couldn't wait to call the next morning. As soon I arrived at school, I started calling them...finally after being passed around, being put on hold and being told, "we haven't seen it" by three different employees...I sadly hung up the phone! :-( I was heartbroken...I tried to remind myself that it was a material item and could "basically" be replaced...but I loved that bracelet and valued all the love and years that went into making it so special! I emailed Laura and told her the bad news....she was like..."O000h no sister, we are not giving up that easily...give me the number...I'll call." Within ten minutes Laura called me back and had spoken with the supervisor in housekeeping...offered a reward...let them know we weren't just going to let this go and lo & behold...they "found" my bracelet! She told Laura that she had found my bracelet, earrings and some (insert country twang & soulful accent here) chaaaaaaaaange right where I had left it on the dresser! :-) THANK YOU LAURA for knowing the right words to say and the right approach to take! Laura had the housekeeping supervisor take the bracelet and earrings and chaaaaaange to the manager to put it in the safe. We thought it was best that I travel back to Shreveport that very day to get my jewelry before it was passed through too many hands and of course it was way too expensive and risky to have it mailed to me. I asked my principal if I could leave early...got my oil changed...filled up with gas and took off to Shreveport (a 10 hour round trip) to get my belongings! It was certainly a LONG ride but it was so worth it...I was able to have a LONG conversation with my #1 VBF, Lianna, since we never get much of a chance to talk on the phone and sing REALLY loudly all the way there and back...I was able to spend a lot of time with the Lord...chatting it up with Him and in praise & worship. I really had such a great time and of course the best part was getting my bracelet back on my arm...all safe & sound! :-) I know that was a LONG story but I'm so thankful for the happy ending that I just had to share it with ya'll! :-) Thank you Laura Ann from the bottom of my heart for making this so important to you because it was important to me! I can not express to you in words how grateful I am that you spoke up on my behalf!