Merry Christmas Eve

It finally feels like Christmas to me! Yea! The last couple of weeks I wanted so badly to be in the Christmas spirit, but I was just having a hard time feeling the Christmas cheer. We finally had our last day of work yesterday, and as soon as we got off I felt this huge relief. This is my first year, other than our year in Thailand (which was just crazy and different anyway) to have to work right up until Christmas Eve, so I think it just didn't feel normal to me.

Last night we drove up to my hometown and met my mom and sister for dinner and a little last minute shopping. It felt so nice to just relax and spend time with my family. After running a couple of errands with my mom this morning, I woke J up and we went for a run. It was so cold!!!! I did get to have my first run in my new Asics, so that was super exciting. They worked out great! I think I need to get another layer of tights and a thicker shirt, though, because I was so cold that my skin hurt. I was numb all over for about 20 minutes after we got back. I feel great now though!

Change of subject - my best friend, Jayma, has been living in London for the last six months. She left to go there 3 days before we got back from Thailand, so I hadn't seen her in over a year and a half! I missed her terribly. She flew in this past weekend and on Tuesday night she invited all of her friends to go out to eat together. J and I went, and it felt so good to see her! I can't even explain how great it was. I just can't wait to have more alone time to catch up on everything in the near future. I'd post a pic of the party, but I don't have my camera cord with me (I'm on my mom's computer.) I'll post pics when we get back home from Christmas. Anyway, another great part of our run was stopping by to see her again. Growing up we lived one street over from one another, so we passed by her house on our run, and I had to stop and say hi. It was so refreshing. I hadn't seen her mom in several years so it was great to see her and just reminisce in Jayma's house. We spent so much time there when we were younger so it has a lot of memories. Anyway, that was definitely a highlight of my Christmas Eve.

So, now I'm going to go do some baking with my mom, and then we're going over to my Grandparent's this afternoon to hang out with my family. I love Christmas at my Grandpa and Grandma's. There is just nothing like it. The day after Christmas we're driving down to south Texas to visit J's extended family, which is sure to be a good time as well.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. I'm going to be trying to really focus on what we're really celebrating over the next few days. It's so easy to get wrapped up in everything, but it would really be a tragedy to miss the joy of thinking about the birth of our Savior over the next week(and beyond of course:) I probably won't be posting until next week since we are going to be out of town. So, I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone then. Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Card Carousel

I just stumbled on Faith's blog, and she is doing a Christmas card carousel. I didn't find it until after I had already posted my card earlier, so I'll just post it again! Our card is not electronic, so I had to take a photo of it, and it didn't turn out very good. Sorry for the blurriness!

Merry Christmas....Love, The McCoys

Head on over to Walk with me by Faith and join the fun!

Christmas card, TBL and being vegan

We have finally almost finished our Christmas cards! I'm going to finish up putting them together today. Two of J and I's favorite things during the Christmas season is picking out our wrapping paper and decor for gifts and making our Christmas cards. This year we are running a little late, but better late than never right?

This is a really bad picture of our card, but I couldn't get a good one because of the flash. The picture isn't blurry in real life.

Merry Christmas Love, The McCoys

So, did anybody watch The Biggest Loser finale last night? I was so happy that Michelle won! I thought it was really surprising that America voted to have Ed in the finals. It was even a huge percentage who voted for him. So weird. Anyway, every contestant looked so good, and it was so inspiring to see how they've all changed their lives. It made me feel silly to not be committed enough to lost my last ten pounds.

This last couple of weeks I've been eating vegan. For a long time, I've considered becoming a vegetarian. I've never liked any kind of meat much, and I avoid any kind of red meat at all costs. I do eat chicken fairly often, but I often have a hard time eating it because I'm so skeptical about all of its parts! I guess I'm just weird. Anyway, I was doing some internet research a couple of weeks ago and the information I found was really bothersome. I've heard about the way animals are treated in an effort to produce food for consumers, but I always just kind of ignored it and assumed that it couldn't be true. While I still haven't personally been to these facilities myself, the information that I've read and heard has just really bothered me, and I can't stop thinking about it.

So, I've decided to stop eating meat altogether. I haven't missed it at all during the last couple of weeks (I knew I wouldn't.) Last night, J and I went to Chili's for date night and for the first time I felt disappointed at the thought of not eating meat. The reason was because my favorite healthy meal there is the chicken fajita pita. I just didn't know what else to get that would be healthy and cheap (salmon etc is expensive!) However, after a couple minutes of thinking through my options and discussing with J, I came up with a plan. I ordered the fajita pita with vegetables only and changed out the fries for black beans. I put some of the black beans inside the pita. It was so good! After I ordered I realized that it wasn't the chicken that I wanted at all, I just wanted the pita and grilled vegetables. Once I thought of a way to still get that I was totally satisfied. The meal was so good and I felt great about finding a way to stick to my new committment! Anyway, I haven't decided yet whether I will go completely vegan, but this last week has gone really well and so far I can't think of a reason not to. My only concern is spending so much time staying with family during the holidays and not having complete control over my food choices. We'll see. Feel free to share any thoughts!

it's been too long

oh my gosh, I can't believe how long I've gone without posting! Does anybody else ever feel completely uninspired? That has been me for the last couple of weeks. I've still been keeping up with reading, but I been seriously slacking with posting! I think the busyness of the season is killing my creativity, as well as my time allotted to blogging. I think my blogging will get better after the holidays are over...let's all hope so anyway!

It is officially winter here in Oklahoma! These last couple of days have been so cold with wind chills at 0 degrees! It's freezing...and as of this morning very icy! So icy in fact, that I had an accident this morning. First, let me start by saying that J had an accident last week. He was coming home for lunch one day and the person in front of him stopped suddenly, so he hit his brakes and just slid right into the back of them. Good news - no one was hurt, bad news - the car is no longer drivable. So, I've been driving to get H (the baby I nanny for) every morning, then coming back by our house to pick up J and take him to work. Then I've been going to pick him up after work. We're planning on getting an estimate to see how much it will be to fix it, then we'll decide if it's worth it or not (the car isn't probably worth a lot to begin with.) Anyway, so this morning I was driving to pick up H, and I was being so careful! I'm usually pretty good at driving on ice. I kept tapping my brake to test the road and I was going so slow. When I turned to drive into their addition, my car didn't cooperate. I just kept sliding straight and slid right into this brick statue thing that sits at the entrance. Such a bummer!! The good news with this one is that the car is still drivable, the bad news is that I was driving our "good" car, and now it has several huge cracks in the front bumper! Two wrecks in the same week? Really??

Anyway, so it started off as a kind of bum day. Hopefully it will get better though. I have a hair appointment at 3 today, which I'm pretty excited about. I LOVE getting my hair cut. Anybody who knows me would probably agree that I am like a hair chameleon. I love changing things up all the time! It's not that I'm never happy with my hair cuts, I just love to change it up every time. Anyway...I think I might go out on a limb this time and go short. My hair is already pretty short, but I've always wanted to go "daringly short." I'm not planning on a pixie cut or anything that extreme, but you never know!!!! I just love cute, short haircuts, and it's so fun to wear fun little clips and headbands.

This past weekend we went to Duncan to visit my in-laws and have our family Christmas. It was such a great weekend! Saturday morning we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday.

We made her this "fruit arrangement" instead of a birthday cake

Isn't she pretty??

I don't know if I've mentioned before how much I love my mother-in-law. She is so great. She's one of the most giving, sweet, thoughtful, easy-going people I know. I aspire to be as easy-going as she is. She is so supportive of J and I. She's never demanding of us, and she always loves us no matter what crazy thing we do (like moving to Thailand for a year:) Plus, she's just plain fun to hang out with! During our time in Thailand, she was so thoughtful. Almost every other month, she would send us this huge box of things from home - things we needed and things just for fun. I don't know what we would have done without her!! I will seriously never forget how much she helped us during our time there. Anyway, I want to wish her a super HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Happy birthday Debbie- you're the best!

So, our celebration of Christmas was so special and fun. After the birthday fun, we did our yearly tradition of making cookies and stew for friends around town. The whole family pitches in to cook, then we pile in the car and drive around to friend's houses and sing Christmas carols and drop off the food. It's a tradition we started three years ago, and it's one of my favorite thing about our Christmas. After that we came back home, ate dinner, and then opened gifts. My mother-in-law is outrageous when it comes to Christmas gifts! She does so much. And it's so sweet because she gets so excited about giving them to us. This year she wrote little clues on each gift tag and we all had to guess what our gift was before we could open it. It was such fun! Anyway...there is no way I can list everything I recieved from them, but a few of them included a sewing machine, a foot massager, a new addition to our Willow Tree nativity scene, and Nike hatphones! I really just feel so blessed!

"The McCoy kids" at Christmas

And last, J, O and I had a little photo session for our Christmas cards.

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday - stay warm!!

so cute!

I stumbled upon this blog:fashion is spinach

I found this picture on it...and I love it. I think this outfit is so classy and cute.

love this!

A glimpse of the girl next door had this on her blog today...and I couldn't get enough! In seventh grade I took computer class twice, just because I loved to type so much. And I still do! This was super fun...and caused me to waste about 30 minutes. I just kept having to try one more time, but ended up with the same WPM that I got my very first try. o well!
83 words

Typingtest

Thanksgiving recap/"the blues"/WWW

We had such a great Thanksgiving this year. We were just so thankful to be with family. It still seems like just yesterday that we were giving thanks in Chiang Mai. While I have great memories from last year, I also remember all too well how much I missed our family.

We went to my hometown Wednesday night to see my mom and her husband. She was reunited with her high school sweetheart this past summer, and after just two months they got married. It's quite a sweet story, but for another time. I don't need to add any more randomness to this blog entry. Anyway, so we met my sister there Wednesday night. We hung out and helped my mom make some desserts and casseroles for Thursday. Thursday morning, J and I got up and went for a refreshing run, then came home and shredded with Jillian. It was a great workout, and it enabled me to relax a little bit about food for the rest of the day. Around noon we went to my Grandma's. I love being at my Grandma's on holidays. We had the usual traditions of helping Grandpa and Grandma set the table, eating a wonderful dinner, finishing off with dessert, relaxing and playing games, and of course, a round of karaoke to top it off. It was great fun to just be with family.

Me with my grandma and grandpa - they are amazing cooks!

This is how I found my sweet husband and little Olive
Gotta love family karaoke time:) My sister really gets into it

After a long, fun Thanksgiving at my grandma's, we packed up and headed to J's hometown to spend time with his parent's and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. There is always a good time to be had in Duncan. We got up early Friday morning to hit some sales at Walmart, then spent the rest of the day eating yet another great meal and hanging out. While Karaoke is the name of the game with my fam, there is never any telling what kind of fun will go on in Duncan - from electronic games to cards to DVD games. Gotta love the games:) Saturday J and I got up and went for another exhilirating run and shred. Then spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching OSU football. It was a great game, but with a sad ending:(

Me, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and of course, Olive

Another pic of Olive (that I just couldn't help but include) in her new winter jacket

Lately I've really been having to practice the whole idea of "deciding to be happy." I have no idea what the deal is with me. I've just been feeling really down lately. Must be the winter blues. It's kind of funny because last year I remember thinking that if we could just be home with our family for even one day, it would be the best thing in the world. Here we are this year, with family all around, enjoying all the comforts of home and the holiday season, and I'm having to fight being sad. Does anybody else ever feel this way and you can't figure out why? Weird.

I think that maybe this is affecting my runs too. This morning, as we dragged ourselves out of bed to go to the gym, I was fighting my sad mood already. I really didn't feel like going, but I knew I'd feel better if I did. While I did feel better after the run, I didn't enjoy the run much at all. Yesterday was a really hard one also. It might be because I don't like running on the treadmill. Last week we ran outside on Thanksgiving morning and on Saturday morning and both days I felt as if I could run forever. But yesterday and today - blah! We finally decided the other day that we want to shoot to run the OKC memorial marathon next April, which means we'd start training mid-December. I've felt really excited about our decision, but after these last two brutal runs I'm starting to doubt. I've got to get back into the groove.

On to Weight Watchers Wednesday - I don't have much good news to report on that front. Last week didn't go so well as far as eating is concerned. I did relatively well on Thanksgiving day and the day after, and we worked out every day but Sunday. But, I did so much mindless eating on Saturday and Sunday that I ended up gaining 1.5 lbs this week. Sad! I guess it could have been a lot worse, but I just hate setbacks! I started back fresh on Monday morning though, and I've been able to be on track for the most part.

I'll leave you with an amazingly good meal I made yesterday for lunch that I thought I'd share. It took a little bit of time to put together, but it was totally worth it! Plus, it makes 8 servings so you can have leftovers. If you're going to be the only one partaking in the wonderful meal, you may want to half the recipe. Also, we don't have a grill, so I just "grilled" the veggies in a pan on the stovetop.

Tabbouleh with Grilled Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 h

Makes 8 Servings:

Per Serving: Calories: 167 , Saturated Fat: 1 g , Total Fat: 8 g , Carbs: 21 g , Dietary Fiber: 6 g , Protein: 5 g , Cholesterol: 0 mg , Sodium: 232 mg

Ingredients:

1 cup(s) bulgur
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup(s) water
2 medium zucchini
2 onion(s), sweet
3 large mushrooms, portobello
2 cup(s) tomato(es), cherry
3 tablespoon oil, olive, extra virgin
1 dash(es) pepper, black ground
1/4 cup(s) nuts, walnuts, chopped
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup(s) parsley, fresh
1/2 cup(s) mint, fresh

Instructions: 1. Place bulgur and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add boiling water and stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak until tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high. Place a fine-mesh nonstick grill topper on the grill to heat.

3. Place zucchini, onions, portobellos and tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush both sides with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill the vegetables until tender, turning once or twice. Allow 8 to 10 minutes for zucchini and onions, 6 to 8 minutes for mushrooms, and 2 to 3 minutes for tomatoes.

4. Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the zucchini, onions and mushrooms. Cut the tomatoes in half.

5. When the bulgur is tender, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, parsley and mint; toss to mix. Add the vegetables and toss. Sprinkle with walnuts.

To make ahead: The salad will keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour.

Another memoir from S.E. Asia - and other thoughts

I went to bed feeling very thoughtful last night. I think lately I've been in a kind of rut. A "me, me, me" kind of rut. And a "buy, buy buy" kind of rut. It's been so evident in my life lately that the more things I have the more I want. It's like feeding a big black hole. Sometimes I just need to step back and regain perspective.

So, last night I was thinking about how I have more shoes than I can even fit in my closet, but I want more. There are so many people in this world who don't even own a pair of shoes.

"According to The State of the World’s Children as reported by Unicef, there are 143 million orphans around the world. Orphanages do not receive enough funding to support the children in their care. One of the greatest and most immediate needs is a pair of shoes. Many of the children receive one pair of shoes to last the entire year, and some don’t have shoes at all."
-taken from shoesfororphansouls.org

Then I was thinking about how I throw away so much food every week when so many people don't have food or clean water. And how I get to go to bed next to my wonderful, caring husband every night when there are so many people who don't have anybody and who are lonely. I complain about our apartment all the time - it's too small or it's too loud or there isn't enough privacy - when there are so many people who don't have anywhere to call home. And these things are just the beginning. I take so much for granted, and I rarely sit and think about people who are really in need, much less try to do anything about it.

When we lived in Thailand, we would go down to the "night bazaar" quite often. It was a really long street, lined with carts where Thai people would try to sell things to make a living. Many tourists would come to this area to eat, shop, get massages etc. One night when we were walking down the street, I saw a middle-aged woman sitting on the sidewalk, holding a very tiny baby. While we often passed homeless Thai people sitting around night bazaar, this woman caught my attention. So, I went and bought her some Thai food and gave it to her. I tried to talk to her with what little Thai I knew, and then I left. From then on, every time I would come to night bazaar, I would buy her some food, kneel down and talk to her and the baby for a few minutes, then walk away.

It wasn't very long before this started to seem frustrating to me. I knew that it helped her in that moment for me to give her some food, but what about after that. What about the next morning? Or the nights that we didn't go to night bazaar? What about when we would leave Thailand for good and I would never bring her food again? I felt so helpless.

I never did figure out how to reconcile this problem in my head or heart. And I don't know how to reconcile the problems I was thinking through last night. I know that I can pray for these people, and I need to learn that that's the main thing that people need anyway. But do you ever feel that you could never really do enough to make a difference in someone's life? Much less in the lives of so many millions of people who are in need.

In writing this I'm thinking that maybe I'm giving myself too much credit. I could never do enough to make these people's lives great. And what is great anyway? What standard am I measuring life by? I mean, I met people in remote villages in Thailand whom I would label as having a poor life just because they didn't have kitchens and bathtubs and stoves and beds. But, I know that many of them were happy, and had a life that was full of the Lord. That's all they needed.

Like I said, I don't know how to reconcile these thoughts. But I do know that I need Christ's fellowship in my life so that I can have a chance of keeping a humble, Christ-centered perspective. Thoughts?

in love:)

I just found my sweet husband browsing Target's online clearance items....for ME! He has spent the last hour or so looking at all the clearance items, and he picked me out a skirt, some ballet flats, and two dresses. Now, he's buying it all for me for $35.00. I am so in love:)

this weekend...and a tentative new blog topic

It has been such a great weekend! I just love weekends when I don't have a lot of plans...other than hanging out with J and O. This was one of those.

Friday night we did have a Sunday school Thanksgiving dinner. It was so much fun. We just started attending Sunday school a couple of months ago, and we love it! There are so many great people in our class, and we already feel so much more involved and at home in our church. We're so glad we started going. So, Friday night we went to our first "get-together" outside of class. We ate a great dinner and then played some games. We really enjoyed getting to know some people better and just hanging out and having fun!

Saturday morning we woke up and went to the gym. We finally decided it's too cold to run outside, so we joined a gym on Friday. We hadn't run in about a week because we've been doing the Shred DVD and because it's been so cold. I can't tell you how great it felt to get a good run in. I just enjoyed it so much, and now I'm so looking forward to going back, even though I'd much rather be running outside than on the t-mill. We came up with a new weekly workout schedule that will incorporate our runs and shredding.

Monday: Just shred
Tuesday: Go run/come home and shred
Wednesday: off - except for some small spurts of exercise I'll try to get during the day
Thursday: Go run/come home and shred
Friday: Just shred
Saturday: Go run/come home and shred
Sunday: off

The rest of Saturday we spent Christmas shopping and got some really good deals at Linen's and Things. I got a gift for my mom, stepdad, dad, grandpa, and J's dad. We felt so productive!

We finally finished the day off by seeing Twilight! I really enjoyed it. I read all the books and absolutely loved them...and I loved the movie. I will say this: I went into it with really low expectations - a. because of the ratings and b. because I knew it wouldn't be as good as the books. And it wasn't. But, I really enjoyed it, and J liked it too. I would definitely recommend seeing it, just remember to not expect SO much.

Today, we got up and went to early service. We then ran home to let O out of her kennel and change clothes. My dad's side of the family had Thanksgiving today, so we drove to my hometown to see them. I'm not that close to my dad's side of the family - I really only see them on holidays. Now that J and are married though, we don't even necessarily see them then. It's already hard to figure out how to see both my mom's side (who I am close to) and J's family. So, fitting in my dad's family doesn't usually work out...until now! Aside from a little expected awkwardness from being around family who you never see, it was pretty fun. On our way home we stopped by Target only to discover that they had some really cute dog clothes in the $2.50 bin. Yea! We got O some really cute little shirts, and two coats:) I'll post pictures later.

Since we got home tonight, I've been spending time planning our meals for this week. Every Sunday, I sit down and plan all of our meals through the next Sunday night. Then, on Monday I go buy groceries. I think this week is going to be great, but also hard. Wednesday after work, we're going to head to my hometown, be there through Thursday, then Thursday night head to see J's family, and stay there through Sunday. I'm so excited to spend time with our families...I love going to both our hometowns. But, I'm nervous about my week of eating. It's really kind of hard to track calories when you don't know what's in anything! That's why I love to prepare my own food. However, I am going to try to relax, follow my own tips posted below, and enjoy the holidays with family. The good thing is I was able to plan meals with ingredients that I already have through Wednesday lunch, so that means we won't have to spend any money on groceries this week! Yea!!

So, I'm thinking that since I'm enjoying Jillian's food plan so much, I should start sharing it more. I'm going to start trying to post some of the meals we eat throughout the week. Plus I think it would be good to have a more consistent subject for my blog, at least for awhile. We'll see how it works out these next few days!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

all tuckered out

Haha!! I'm not sure where this picture came from...J emailed it to me the other day. I love a good dog pic:)

Weight Watchers Wednesday

I can't believe it's already Wednesday again! Time is flying by so fast. I'm so happy that the holidays are just about in full swing!

Last night was date night so J and I took our usual trip to Chili's. We always drive around trying to pick a new, fun place to eat out, but we always end up back at Chili's. We just can't resist their chips and salsa for starters:) I always get the same thing - Chicken fajita pita: no sauce, salsa on the side, swap steamed veggies (with no butter) for fries. It really is so good!! and only 350 calories for the pita. It's really filling too...sometimes I can't even finish it.

After Chili's we headed for our second date night stop as usual - Big Lots. I don't know if I've mentioned before how much I hate stores like Big Lots. Now don't get me wrong, I love to find a good bargain. But, I strongly dislike junk, and I feel as if Big Lots tends a little toward the junky side. However, my sweet and wonderful husband LOVES bargain stores, even junky ones. Big Lots, Dollar Tree, Walls, you name it. Basically, if you don't shop at these stores, you're not a true member of my in-law's fam. I have to say I find this little trait quite endearing about them. But, I still hate junk.

Anyway, I've gotten used to going to Big Lots almost every date night. I figure that J strolls around in stores that aren't his favorite all the time, so I make an effort to be a good sport. Lo and behold (did I really just say that?) I think I'm even starting to like it:) While they had a lot of junk last night, they actually had a couple of cute things. First, we got our stockings. I decided we should just get cute, but cheaper stockings for now, and then when we start a family maybe we can spend a little more to get ones that match. These stockings are actually really cute...and they go with our decor quite well. We've decided to go with a sort of vintage look with our decorations this year, and these stockings are vintagy and cute! Second purchase was a new toy for Olive. If we leave her home for an evening, we always feel the need to bring her something special back. So, she got this crazy stuffed bird thing that has ropes for legs.


By an hour after we got home, she had already torn open its side and strewn the stuffing from one end of the house to the other. What a naughty dog:)

Anyway. We then went to Hobby Lobby to try to get ideas for homemade Christmas decorations. And we got so many ideas! I'll be sure and post pictures once we get them made. I'm pretty excited about them. I'm so thankful to have a husband who not only gets into decorating for Christmas, but also is super great at designing and creating great decor!

We finished date night off by watching The Biggest Loser. I'm a new fan of this show, but I love it already! It's so inspiring to see what these people can do and how it changes their lives. And, now that I've been spending the first part of every morning with Jillian, watching them suffer during workouts helps me to not feel so sorry for myself when I'm DYING. More on that in a moment. I was really sad when Coleen got voted off last night. I was hoping so badly that Amy C. would vote off Vicki. I try not to hold grudges against people and I wouldn't recommend that for anyone else, but Vicki is just so hard to get along with and mean sometimes....and Coleen is so sweet. I was just really disappointed. With 80's week and all it was a very entertaining show nonetheless.

So, back to Jillian. J and I moved up to the Level 2 workout of the 30 Day Shred on Monday. Oh my gosh. You guys, I'm not even exaggerating - I think I've almost died every morning this week. It was the single hardest workout I've ever done. She pushes you until you think you are seriously not going to make it. You should have seen me at the end - I was a rediculous mess sprawled out on the floor just trying to breathe. You have got to try this workout. It is so hard, but like Jillian says at one point during the workout: we may think she is a total crazy person, but the people she trains get results! I am so excited about the changes I can already see happening to my body just after 13 days.

Also, an update to a past post - I did end up ordering the Mio Motiva petite strapless heart rate monitor. It came in the mail yesterday, and I love it!! I'm always having to be near the computer to track my calories throughout the day, but now I can take my tracker with me everywhere I go! Also, I love knowing how many calories I'm burning during my workouts, so I know exactly how many are going in and how many I'm burning off. And of course it's great being able to know my heart rate during my workouts. During this morning's workout - I was at 94% of my maximum heart rate. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true...I could feel it in my heart. No pun intended. I'm beginning to wonder if what Jillian does to my heart is even healthy. Haha. But really.

Anyway...in regard to the title of this post - I lost another pound this week! Yea! I'm so excited to see it coming off bit by bit. So, I think I'll continue with Jillian's meals for another week. Here is what we are having for dinner tonight (as leftovers:)

Baked Lemon-Garlic Chicken with bell peppers and mashed cauliflower. So good! How did everyone else do this week? I'm a little concerned about this upcoming week b/c I already have 4 Thanksgiving dinners to attend - our Sunday School dinner, my dad's family, my mom's family, and J's family.

For Weight Watchers Wednesday I thought I'd share some tips that I've used in the past in order to not lose all my progress during hard times (like holidays):

• Don't expect perfection, but don't give up entirely either. Keep your goals in mind.
  
• Splurge only on things that you really love and don't usually have
• Be really careful about portion sizes. At home I use a miniature plate and fork, which helps a lot! Sometimes at holidays or special events I allow myself to have a few splurge items, but I eat very small portions of them. The first bites are always the best anyway.
• Remember that food is not the focus and happiness/fun are not found at the end of a fork:) Try to focus on the family and friends around you.
  
• Get in some exercise, even if it's several 10-15 minute walks with family members, some leg lifts, 2 minutes of jumping jacks several times a day etc.
• If you mess up, don't beat yourself up about it...this is a lifelong journey of being healthy. Just get right back on track with your next bite. Mess ups usually aren't as bad as we think they are.
  

I hope these are helpful...I'm counting on them to help me out throughout this next week!

I think that's all for now. Sorry this post was so random. There's just lots of random stuff going on right now.

Oh, and I read several blog posts today about people getting the weird emails, so I'm going to stop using our real names on here... just in case you were wondering about the initials.

Happy Wednesday!!

Ahhh Mondays....

Today has unfortunately been kind of a blah day. I'm not sure why. I'm a nanny to a 6 month old baby boy. We'll call him H. Basically, I pick him up at his house at about 7:45 in the morning....bring him to my house, and then his mom picks him up at about 5. It's really a great set-up....and he is adorable! It's given me a little taste of what it will be like to be a stay-at-home mom someday.

I love being at home, but let me tell ya...it can be harder than you would think. I've always thought that staying at home sounded sooo easy and relaxing. I dreamed of getting tons of stuff done, always having the house perfect and the laundry done....and spending all of my spare time organizing, doing fun crafts, and staying caught up with friends and family.

Some days are just like this. Some days are not. Today is not. I've just felt really tired today. The thing about staying at home is that you have to be your own boss. You have to be disciplined enough to a. come up with the tasks that need to be done b. complete the tasks c. use spare time wisely. This is not always easy. When H is awake we eat, we play, we play, we change his diaper, and we play some more. However, when he is asleep, it is up to me what I do with that time. And today I have not used it wisely. I've basically been blogging all morning...and I took a 30 minute nap at about 10am. Now, you may be thinking you'd love to take a nap at 10am, but it's different when you actually have the oppotunity. Now I feel unproductive and even more tired. So there - that's a description of my morning so far, and of what it "can be like" to be a stay-at-home "mom." Any advice from real stay-at-home mom's on how you stay motivated and disciplined to be on task every day?

New subject. I recieved my very first blogger award!!


I'm so excited. It was so sweet of lyndsau over at All things Fluffy, Fashionable and Famous to think of me. Her kind words encourage me to keep this thing going, even when I don't really think anybody would want to read. Her blog is adorable!! You should definitely check it out if you haven't already. I want to pass this on to:

Danica at the chic runner - I absolutely love this blog. Every single time I read it I just want to lace up my shoes and go for a run....and I'm always going back for more. Love it.

Amy at Chapters - This girl is so down to earth and so inspirational at the same time. She is so genuine, and her posts are always either super funny, super insightful...or both!

Notquiteabride at How Sweet It Is - If you want fun and fashionable ideas for your wedding...look no further. It's exciting to see her go through this fun stage of life!

I'd love to continue on with some more randomness, but the little one just woke up so I think I'll go buy groceries instead! I'm excited to start a new week with all new Jillian meals! A glimpse of my planned meals this week - Almond crusted shrimp w/ steamed carrots and cauliflower, Open faced spinach and feta melt w/hummus and broccoli, and Baja Chicken wrap with corn and avocado. Yummm! More updates on that later.

WWW

So, as mentioned a few posts ago, I've taken a temporary hiatus from Weight Watchers to do Jillian Michael's online food plan. I had already decided to do her 30 Day Shred Video, so I thought it would be fun to change it up and do her food plan with it. I've really been enjoying it. I have made several great meals including: open faced hummus, olive, cucumber sandwich with walnut/cinnamon ricotta, chicken and veggie couscous salad and Jalapeno lime chicken with black beans and mexican coleslaw. Yummmm! I did make one meal (shrimp and black bean salad) that was a bit of a disappointment flavor wise, but I'd say one mediocre meal over the course of one week of bfasts, lunches and dinners isn't too shabby! Pics of meals still to come.

Also, to report in for WWW, I lost 1 lb! Now, for some that would not be very exciting. But, let me tell you, when you are nearing the end of your weight loss journey...with just a few measly lbs left to go, you will celebrate every single ounce that comes off! And I do. Some weeks I even celebrate maintaining. I just keep telling myself I'll get there eventually.

And, to update you on the 30 Day Shred video: I've been doing it for seven days now. I'm still on level one and it never ceases to kick my butt. And I'm still loving it! I can definitely see a difference in my muscle tone, especially in my arms. I can't wait to see what the results are at the end of the month!

Unrelated to WWW, I stumbled upon this blog today. When I say stumbled, I mean I really have absolutely no idea what path led me to this gem of inspiration. I love fashion, and I love trying new things and attempting to be stylish. However, I feel like God did not bless me with one ounce of natural ability at knowing how to put trendy, cute outfits together. But, He did bless Jessica at "What I Wore." This girl is so cute and so fashionable. I hope that some of her style know-how just might rub off on me if I keep up with her blog. We'll see. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

decisions, decisions....

Okay, so Jon accuses me of being indecisive on a regular basis. Now, I've always thought that I was really decisive. I'm starting to think that was only because my mom and sister are extremely indecisive. Ex: my sister couldn't decide whether to go live in Thailand for the year or not. Now, obviously, this was a really huge decision. I mean, Jon and I knew for a year before we left that we were going to go. My sis, Cristen, decided THE DAY BEFORE WE GOT ON THE PLANE that she was actually going to go. I'm not even kidding. Then, when it was time to decide whether we were staying a second year or not, after much stress and deliberation she finally decided to stay another year. So, she came home to raise more support....and two weeks after she got to the U.S. SHE CHANGED HER MIND! Insane, I know. So, she went back to Thailand after "(not) raising support to say goodbye to everyone and get her stuff, then a month later - back to the U.S. for good. Now you may be wondering why I told you all that - and I'm not really sure. I think just because her indecisiveness is so outrageous!!

You can see, though, why I may have always believed that I'm a decisive person. Now...to the point of this post. My dad gave me a $100 birthday gift card to amazon.com in August. Yes, August. And I still haven't used it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to decide how to spend $100 on amazon? I mean....there is just a whole world of options! First, there were a few books that I thought I'd get. But I decided to wait just to be sure. That passed. Next, workout clothes. After that, black boots. After that, a nice, everyday watch. You see the pattern.

Well, I have a new item on the mind. As I said in a previous post, I was surfing around the blog world a few days ago...and I landed on this

the Chic Runner poster this on her blog with a great description of all the wonderful features. This little watch does so many amazing things. It has a heart rate monitor, alarm, 5 different timers and a personalized face where you can put your name/initials/whatever. Also, it will tell you how many calories you've burned during a workout. You can track the calories you consume throughout the day and it will give you a running total of calories in vs. calories out. I'm sure I'm forgetting something it does...because there is just so much! If you buy the above model, then 10% goes to Susan G. Komen. There is another model that has all the same features, but it is a petite version so it's smaller.

I want this amazing watch mostly because it's a strapless heart rate monitor, which I've wanted for a long time. All the other features would just be a huge bonus! If I decide to get it, I'll probably go with the petite version because I have pretty small wrists and some of the amazon reviews said that this one might be a little big for smaller wrists.

So, what's the problem you ask? I just can't seem to make the final decision. I mean, it's extremely rare that I have a$100 to spend on almost anything. So, I'm just having trouble committing! What to do, what to do. Any thoughts?

Christmas is coming!

I'm so excited about the rapidly approaching holiday season! I can't believe it is coming so fast. Last year we were in Thailand, and the holidays looked quite a bit different than usual, especially since the Thais don't recognize Thanksgiving or Christmas as being different than any other normal day. The holidays were still fun and meaningful...and I'm so happy that I'll always have those memories. It was really hard to be away from family, though. I'm a big "traditions" person and our traditions also looked a little different. Here are a few pics from the holidays in Thailand.

I almost died of heat exhaustion (no a/c in our kitchen +gas stove+100 degree weather=not a good atmosphere for cooking!) making a casserole and homemade rolls for our team Thanksgiving dinner


Thanksgiving dinner - Thai style:)

Celebrating Loy Kratong Festival with two of my favorite Thais

During Loy Kratong, the Thais send these lanterns into the sky in an effort to get rid of troubles/sins in their lives. Our Christian Thai friends don't believe this, but because it's such a big part of their culture they go to the festival and have lots of fun!

Our stockings (mine, my sisters, Jon's) and gifts


Our very humble Christmas tree. It was really just a potted plant, but I think we made it pretty festive!
My sweet husband on Christmas morning (your wish list changes just a bit when you're living overseas:)
The "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake I made for our team Christmas to carry on the tradition from Christmas at my Grandma's

We rounded out the Christmas holiday by spending a few days in the village with our Thai friends
For a Christmas Village outreach we presented the Jesus film - this cute little baby showed up to watch!

All loaded up for the 4 hour drive to the village!

Jon participating in street aerobics with the villagers. This is the kind of thing you have to love about Thailand:)

We went to church before we left the village. After church, they had lunch and an auction and some of our team bid on and won this chicken! Ha! Again, only in Thailand. In the picture is our teammate Tricia and my sister (right).

There was lot more to the holiday season than I could show you here, but those are a few of my more vivid memories. Probably the only Christmas on which Jon and I will go to the post office at 8 am Christmas morning in shorts and a tshirt to get packages from family...and then them not be there! I have a video of this, but I currently can't find it. Anyway.

I started thinking about Christmas today because I really want to start decorating our apartment soon. We don't have very many decorations, so I thought it would be really fun to make some. I want them to look classy, not so much homemade. Does anybody have any ideas??

RLS and Running

So, I've joked with Jon for some time now about having restless leg syndrome. I really have felt like I've had it at times, but it also seems like one of those things that people just make up or something. Am I the only one that thinks that? For the last couple of years, my legs just get really restless at night sometimes. Not every night, just randomly. So I'd say "I have RLS" in a really whiny voice, and we'd both laugh....but I'd struggle to lay still for the next half hour until I fell asleep. Sometimes it would also happen on long road trips or times when I would have to be still or confined for an extended period of time.

Anyway - for the last several nights it has been really bad. I was in tears last night because it was so frustrating! It so hard to describe how it feels - but I just can't stay still. Sometimes Jon will try to just massage my lower legs, which does bring relief, but only while they're being massaged. Can't blame him for not wanting to give up an hour of sleep to rub my legs while I try to sleep. I feel like such a freak.

So, in the midst of spazzing (sp?) out last night, I decided to do a little internet research into this crazy problem. I actually found quite a lot of info. Two things that interested me most were:

a. One possible cause of RLS is anemia (iron deficiency)
b. Taking an iron supplement can possible reduce the symptoms

This was a great find because

a. I've been diagnosed as being anemic - once in high school when I tried to give blood and once when I had a physical right before leaving for Thailand
b. I have an iron supplement already. My sweet MIL was kind enough to ship it to me when we were living in Thailand. I just haven't been taking it because I misplaced it in our move back to the U.S.

So, I immediately popped one in last night (after finding it in our medicine cabinet - you can tell I really wanted to find it before:) hoping to find semi immediate relief. While I still have not found relief (as I am about to die of frustration in writing this post), I'm hoping that if I stay consistent in taking them, maybe relief will come!

Has anybody else had problems with RLS or something similar?

On to happier things. Jon and I had a wedding to go to tonight, which was quite fun by the way. We got home fairly early though and decided to just relax and do nothing for the evening...which for me means blogging! So, I was surfing around, and I stumbled upon some wonderful running blogs. I would love to give them credit right here and now, but my restless legs are not going to allow me to sit still long enough to finish this post, much less go back and copy/paste url's for the great sites I found. You can look at the blog list in my sidebar to find them if you're interested...and I'll hopefully be in better shape to list them another time.

Anyway...these blogs were so inspiring. Some gave great style tips for runners, some great running tips and some just stories and experiences of running.

I love to run. I've mentioned it before, but I started running back in January when I started training for my random half marathon. In the past if anybody asked me about running I would tell them that I hated it. I hated to run just to run. However, in training for the half I found such a love for just good ole' running. Sometimes it's fun and I feel like I'm flying, othertimes it's all I can do to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, but regardless I love it.

After the 15k that Jon (my running buddy and sweet sweet husband) and I recently ran in, I've been slacking off. We went for one pretty short run this past week, and it was a really tough one. For some reason, I've just not felt like getting out there. Maybe it has to do with the onset of colder weather - I'm not sure. Either way, I've felt somewhat of a burden on my shoulders bc of the lack of runs lately.

Reading these blogs tonight though, made me realize that I think I've forgotten to remember and focus on the joy of running. The way I can just zone out and think of nothing (which is impossible at any other time of day.) The way I can plan and dream of future aspirations - when I'm running I always feel as if I can accomplish anything. The excitement and inspiration I get from my running playlists, beautiful sunrises, pretty trees etc. So many things I love.

So, I thank the wonderful running blogs for helping me get geared up to hit the pavement again. I can't wait to get up bright and early tomorrow morning and get in a nice long jog before church. Oh, how I love the blog world.

WWW...and some changes

Yea for Weight Watchers Wednesday!! Hop over to Make Mine a Mojito to see her WWW post when you get a chance.
As for me - I've had quite the struggle these past couple of weeks. I've just had such a hard time staying on plan. I think I've become a little bit bored with the meals I always eat. Also, I think I need to mix up my workout some. I've been running since last January. My husband and I first trained for a half marathon, then we went down to a 5k for Race for the Cure. Last, we ran a 15k a couple of weeks ago. I'd highly recommend a 15k, by the way. It's not too far and not too short. It doesn't take quite as much time or training as a half marathon. I also have done weight training off and on.
I think maybe my body has become accustomed to running and so it's not being pushed anymore. So, I found a dvd by Jillian Michaels the other day. She is the trainer on Biggest Loser. I've only watched a couple of episodes of BL, but I thought I'd try the dvd anyway. So far, I've done it twice....and I can barely move. This is the DVD.
It incorporates circuit training by having three minutes of weight training (with free weights), then two minutes of cardio, then one minute of abs. She does this rotation three times. I didn't think 20-25 minutes (includes warm up and cool down) of working out would really do much for me, but she pushes you so hard and doesn't give you any breaks. The first time I did it I went for a twenty minute jog first. She recommends doing this video every day for 30 days, and while I plan on doing that I don't want to give up running for the next month. So, I'll probably try to do both most days. Anyway. I'm really hoping this will give me a little extra momentum so that MAYBE I'll be able to get off these last 10 lbs! I think my biggest problem is that I don't always believe that I can actually get to my goal. I'll probably never be able to until I actually believe I can - so I'll be working on that for sure.

Anyway...so the crazy thing I've decided to do is to follow her eating plan for 30 days as well. Now, let me clarify something - I love Weight Watchers. I know that WW is a plan that I can do for the rest of my life. It is realistic and flexible...and it works. But, like I said earlier, I think I'm just getting a little bored. I've been doing WW for two years now. After reading Jillian's food plan, I decided that it might be refreshing to try new meals that are pre-thought out for me. I know, I know, I could just mix up my meals and keep doing WW, but even though I usually would shy away from a plan that tells you everything to eat, I think it may be just what I need to get to my goal. I just really want to go hard-core and push myself to get this last ten off. I've also been having trouble planning food and deciding what to eat, so hopefully it will help with that problem as well. So, today was my first full day following her food plan...and it was so good! I didn't get hungry all day, and Jonathan even loved the dinner I made. I think it will be a good temporary change, but I plan on going back to counting points at the end of the month.

I'm a little scared to try something new like this, but I think I just need a change for a little while.
I'll letcha know how it all works out. But, in the meantime, if anybody is looking for an at-home dvd that doesn't take much time, but is very challenging I would highly recommend Jillian's workout.

That's all for now. I've been having a little blogging trouble. I just haven't felt very inspired lately. Hopefully I'm just going through a dry spell. Here's to hoping that my blogging juices start flowing again soon!!!

100th Post Giveaway!

Make Mine a Mojito is hosting a 100th post giveaway! I absolutely love reading her blog....definitely check it out if you haven't already. Click here to enter her great giveaway to win some super cute jewelry!!

My first tag!!

I've been tagged for the very first time! I'm super excited. When I first started blogging I told myself that I probably wouldn't have any readers, but that writing down thoughts just for the fun of it would be just fine. Now that my followers have built up to a whopping 4...I am just ecstatic:) While it seems that I'm joking, I assure you I'm not. Thank you so much to those of you who have stopped by and who do read and comment. I appreciate you so much, and I am so thrilled to have some blog friends!

Thank you especially to Nina for this wonderful tag. If you haven't stopped by her blog, you should check it out {Nina's Blog}. It's always interesting and fun!

Four Wishes:
1. That we could spend Christmas day with my family and Jonathan's at the same time
2. That we could save enough to build a house next year.
3. That we could get a better car for Jonathan to drive
4. That I could go back to Thailand to visit our friends asap

Four Places I want to Travel:
1. London - to visit my best friend Jayma
2. Italy
3. India
4. NYC at Christmastime

Four Careers I want to be involved in:
1. Teacher - High School English
2. Nutritionist
3. Hairstylist
4. Stay-at-home mom (sometime far in the future:)
5. Editor of a fitness magazine (I had to add an extra!)

Four Things I Would Like God to Say to Me at the Gates of Heaven:
1. Well done good and faithful servant!
2. Dog's DO go to heaven!
3. I forgive your sins (I know He forgives us already, but I would just LOVE to hear Him say it!)
4. I love you

I Tag :
All Things in Moddy - Hollie is so funny, and I enjoy her blog so much!
Simple Yet Classic - I love to get Weight Watcher tips from her on Wednesdays!
Tales of the Trees - I found Megan through my best friend Jayma. She is very witty. Her blog always makes me laugh or gives me new perspective.

Sorry if I tagged you and you've already been tagged!

ponytail or no ponytail

So, when we decided to get a Yorkie, Jonathan made me promise to not make it wear a ponytail on top of its head because he thinks it looks stupid. I promised... and I fully intend to keep that promise - but I never said I wouldn't try to change his mind about the whole matter. Now, her hair is getting so long that it's kind of hanging in her eyes a bit. So, just for fun, I put her 1st ponytail in this morning to see how it would look. What do you think? Stupid or cute? Be honest, it won't hurt my feelings:)

What a crazy weekend

I can't believe I haven't posted in over a week! Last week was just so busy. We planned a surprise 50th birthday party for my mom, so every second of spare time I had went to planning the party and making a scrapbook for her.

This past friday night was great fun! If you haven't ever been to Stillwater for OSU homecoming, you should really give it a go next year. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law came up Friday, and I made taco soup and OSU cupcakes! It was super good. After dinner we went to walk-arounds. The fraternities and sororities create giant floats out of tissue paper...which are really pretty cool. My favorite part though, is just walking around and seeing friends and people I haven't seen in awhile. I got to see one of my best friends - Elyse, as well as several other really great friends whom I haven't seen in forever! We took Olive this year, and she was so cute! She walked part of the time, but when it got crowded she just got scared and would crouch really low to the ground and not move. So, then she got carried of course:)

Olive in her homecoming outfit

This is what she was going to wear, but we decided she looked a little silly:)

Jon, Olive and I before homecoming (my cupcakes in the background:)

Elyse and I at walk-arounds

Anyway...after walk-arounds, we packed up and drove to Harrah. My mom's 50th birthday was on Sunday so we had her party on Saturday, which went really well. She was really surprised and I think it made her happy to see everyone. After her party we went bowling - me, Jon, Cristen (my sister), my mom and her new husband, my little cousin Addie and my other little cousin Ashton with his girlfriend. We had so much fun. Bowling is just fun no matter what! I love it.

The family at mom's party

Me, my mom, Cristen

Cristen, me and Addie
Jon and I (it was freezing in the bowling alley so I put on this random sweater)

Sunday was a little more low key. Jon and I got up early to do our long run for the week. It was our last one before the race this Saturday in Tulsa. I think we're ready for it. Anyway, then we went to church and to my mom's favorite restaurant, Alfredo's, for lunch. The rest of Sunday we just relaxed, gave my mom her gifts and hung out. Jon, Olive and I drove back to Stillwater Sunday night just in time to hit the sack. It was such a long weekend, and I was so tired! It was so worth it though! I just love spending time with family.

This was the second weekend in a row to get to spend with family. Last weekend we went to Duncan to hang out with my in-laws. Let me tell you - I have the best in-laws ever. We always have a great time with them. It's so sweet how much they love Olive too. Last weekend they got her a bed, a Tshirt and Pedipaws. She is a spoiled little dog and so adorable!

My father-in-law and Olive - tug of war!

Jon trying to use Pedipaws on Olive - it just needs some getting used to:)

This is what I found in my purse one morning last week. I don't smoke, never have, don't know anybody who does smoke and had only been carrying this purse for two days. What gives?

So sad it's just wrong

Who all has seen the movie P.S. I Love You? For those of you who have, was anybody kind enough to warn you about how dismal the majority of this movie is or about how heavyhearted you would feel if you watched it?

Well, no one cared to warn me. I thought it was a sappy happy love story. And...during some parts it is, but there are the other parts...oh, I'd say about 85% of the movie that is just downright brutal. So, for everyone out there who hasn't yet seen this movie, this is your warning. You will cry like you've never cried before. At times you will ask yourself "why did I want to watch this movie?" However, if you're like me in any way, when it's over you will sniffle, wipe your eyes, and then get on your most convenient social network and add it to your faves.

Let me tell you about my first viewing of this movie. Jonathan and I's (someone please tell me if "I's" is a word. It seems okay to use verbally, but so wrong when you write it out) trip home from Thailand included a layover in Tokyo. So, because it fell so close to our 2 year anniv. of marital bliss, we decided to extend the layover by a couple of days and live it up in this fantastic city.

So, the last night we were in Tokyo, we decided to "officially" celebrate our big day. It was such a great evening. After hanging out on the busy streets-eating, walking, eating, checking out the pachinko places, and walking some more...we decided to head back to our lovely hotel to relax for the rest of the evening. By about midnight, we were super tired and ready to turn in for the night. So, like many other nights, we decided to start a movie that we had brought with us from Thailand. The lucky pick? P.S. I Love You.

So, we start watching it, and I got really into it right away. The beginning of this movie is intriguing. However, not intriguing enough for my husband, who is known for falling asleep during movies. So, as he slept soundly and peacefully beside me, I endured this movie alone and quietly. Until....one scene in which Hilary Swank meets up with her mother and she just cries and cries and talks about how, well I don't want to spoil it, but let's just say she has maybe the biggest breakdown of the whole movie. It was SOOO sad.

Suddenly I just couldn't hold in my sadness anymore. I burst into tears. And "burst" is not an exaggeration. I just could no longer contain the desolation I felt. Of course, my outburst of tears and sobbing woke Jon, who had just settled into that state of sleep which no one should have to come out of. He was so baffled and could not figure out what was wrong - I couldn't explain to him because I couldn't even get a breath in around my wailing! The longer and harder I cried, the harder he tried to comfort me. After about 4-5 full minutes of this crazy business, I began to get a little bit tickled amidst my anguish, which resulted in this outlandish combination of laughter and intense crying. I just began to realize how absurd it was that I was this upset over a movie at 2 o'clock in the morning, and Jon's efforts to comfort me even in his sleepy confusion became funnier and funnier. I just kept saying "I can't believe you left me!" over and over again. The poor boy.

After this went on for way too long, I finally began to calm my hysterics. I was so bushed from the late night (it was about 2am by now), the crying, the laughing etc. that I was finally able to fall asleep curled up tight against my poor husband.

I'm sorry that I have no explanation for why this movie is on my favorites list, but it is. I love it. It makes me appreciate my husband a hundred times over every time I watch it. Let's be honest, we never know what might happen in the future. I know I'm not the only wife who gets nauseated just thinking about what life would be like without our "one and only." This movie just really hit me hard...and I love it! The sad thing is that I scared Jonathan to death and now he won't even consider watching it with me. Everytime I suggest it, he basically acts like he doesn't hear me...it's pretty funny. One day I'll get the energy to force it upon him. Believe me, I'll make sure we watch it at a decent hour next time so I don't find myself having another lonely breakdown.

So, in closing, I would fully recommend this movie, but make sure to have a huge box of tissues and someone nearby, ready to comfort you at a moment's notice.