Goodbye Little Brother

I was honestly waiting to write this post for when I had more time. I knew it wasn't going to the be the easiest thing to write, but I know I want to share it. I have been telling you about my brother and that he is joining the Navy. Well it's official, he has officially joined. He is a seaman and off to boot camp. For some reason, the past week went by faster then I thought it would. I thought I would have more time to talk to him on the phone or just see him, but the days started running together and next thing I knew it was Saturday morning and time for us to head out to San Antonio. We decided to test it out and see how I do before we take the bike up to Lago Vista for our vacation. So Saturday morning, David told me to pack light. So I thought of everything that I wanted to bring to San Antonio and I asked myself if I really needed it. I was actually able to get everything down to fit into 2 saddlebags on the bike. I am pretty proud of myself about that so yay for me! I can minimize, but don't get used to it! So we came down to town and David stopped at his old bike shop to order new pipes for the bike and then we headed to my parents. It was really nice to stop by and sit out on the back deck of my parent's house. My dad just stained it and I do have to say, it looks better then our stain on our deck. (*Cough Cough - meaning someone should re-stain our back deck.... DAVID!) So we got to hang out with my parents and catch up. Then my Uncle Hector showed up to hang out and brought his new wife Ruthe and his step-daughters. It was a super fun time, very chill and lots of laughs. We knew time was coming and we had to head out to see David's Parents. I was really bummed out because I didn't get to see my little brother yet but my mom assured me I would see him on Sunday.
We hung out for a little with David's parents and then went out to see our friends play at a local bar and grill. We went to a place called Freetail. The only advice I can only offer you with this place is to stay far, far away. The food was bland, it was crazy packed and loud and the store manager, himself found it acceptable to treat me with the utmost disrespect I have ever had from an employee from a restaurant. He was rude and just a person I would prefer to never deal with again. When he yelled at his server right in front of me for misinforming me, I refused to deal with it anymore. I stood there and emailed the owner of the company from my smart-phone. I finally got a response back a couple days later with no apology and basically informing me that I and my server were in the wrong, but he hopes we come back to visit. Yea, right.
Anyway, after being beyond pissed out this place of business, I was to tired to stay out any longer and we went back to David's Parents at 10:30. I know, we are getting old. But I wanted to wake up bright and early to see my little brother. We went to my grandmother's house and right when we were getting ready to leave, my wonderfully smart little brother decided to open his big mouth and tell my grandmother that we bought a motorcycle. Thanks, Michael!. So now the focus was on our motorcycle.
Let me give you a little background about this. A super long time ago, my father thought it would be best to buy a motorcycle. My grandparents lived in South America at the time and my grandfather decided to come visit his only son. Papa comes to San Antonio and see this motorcycle, so what does he do? He rides and and immediately falls off. And gets a huge bruise on his butt. So he goes back to South America and of course, my wonderful grandmother sees this huge bruise and asks my grandfather, where did you get that bruise? Without thinking twice, he totally throws my dad under the bus and says "From Michael's Motorcycle." So what does she do? She flies straight to San Antonio, shows up to the house and sells the motorcycle while my father is in class. That is how my grandmother feels about motorcycles. So you can imagine how beyond upset she was that her beautiful, smart granddaughter decided to get on the back of the motorcycle with her rebel of a husband.
We went to lunch and it was honestly a great time. I was only able to take a few bites of the delicious chicken before I was too full to finish. We got to talk to Michael and bring up stories that we all had together. It really was a memory that I wont forget sitting around that table with my parents, brother, husband and loving grandmother. I even got to take a video of everything with our new HD Flip! After lunch was over we headed back to my grandmothers house to sit and talk. I love that my brother and I know so well how to banter and make our family laugh. When the time came for us to say goodbye, walking up to my brother to hold him, I could only remember one thing. The time I tried to change his diaper when he was baby and I was barely 6 and he peed on the wall. Yes, this was the memory I had when I was saying goodbye to my brother. And all I could say through my tears was for him to stay out of trouble.
The next 2 days, I probably talked to my brother a handful of times. Constantly telling each other how much we loved each other and how excited we were for him to go. But the day he got sworn in and left, I caught myself crying in a gym parking lot because I thought I missed the last call from my brother I would get for a while. And just when I thought I would have to wait 2 months to talk to him, he called me while the plane was pulling out of the terminal to tell me he loved me and that he will miss me.
I know that I might say from time to time how my brother can make the worst choices. Or that he has a lot of growing up to do. But he's 6 years younger than me, there is a definite gap. And this, this moment he is out training to fight for our country and learning what it is like to be an adult. I know that his journey ahead won't be an easy one and he will always be learning, but I can honestly say I have never been more proud of my brother than I am right now. Love you , Michael. And PLEASE stay out of trouble.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

What I'm Loving this Wednesday is how easy this post is to write. I have been crazy busy this week at work and with going to yoga on Monday and working out after work, it's nice to just jot a few things down to let you know I am alive.

What I'm Loving this Wednesday is my date night with my wonderful husband, David. We are meeting after work to hang out for a bit and go to dinner, still no idea where we might go, but just to spend time with him is all I need.

What I'm Loving this Wednesday is that it is 2 days away from my 4:30 am meditiation work out on Friday. I am very much looking forward to it and I think it will be a great way to start my weekend.

What I'm Loving this Wednesday is that David and I decided to book a couples hot stone massage while we go on our vacation in a few weeks. I can not tell you how beyond excited I am about this.

What I'm Loving this Wednesday is that the weekend after we go on vacation, we have a family portrait set up for David and myself. I am so excited about it as well and am looking forward to having some great pictures of us that are not of my doing. I will tell you more about this fabulous photographer very soon.

and finally...
What I am Loving this Wednesday is that I am started to feel a lot better at my job. It has taken me a while to find my groove, but it has finally clicked and I really really enjoy making things into my own and watch it succeed from my hard work.

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Ten on Tuesday

Thanks again to Roots and Rings! Here is this week's Ten on Tuesday!

1. What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then tried and liked?
Calamari. When I found out it was squid, I was so disgusted and could only think about dissecting a squid when I was in Junior School. But I. Love. Calamari. Everytime David and I ever go anywhere that offers Calamari, we order it. I like that about my relationship with my husband. We both like squid.. no wonder we work out so well.

2. Do you subscribe to any foodie publications? If so, which ones?
Nope. But my mom did sign me up for Woman's Day Magazine. And I love that magazine. It has some really great recipes. If you remember, I made a watermelon cake last year. And it was awesome... also my Birthday Twin sister (Margaux) bought me a Food Network recipe calender. It's awesome and has shown us some yummy recipes!

3. What ingredient do you find yourself reaching for the most when you cook?
Olive Oil and Garlic. My husband loves garlic.

4. Are there any foods that you hated as a child, but then learned to like as an adult?
Well I didn't venture out in a lot of foods as a child. I didn't have Apple Pie until I was19. I didn't have a bagel until I was 22. And I went through this phase for over 10 years where I hated, I mean hated syrup on pancakes. I'm getting past it, but it was a very traumatic time.

5. What do you like to eat that others may consider weird?
Tuna Popcorn Balls. You make tuna. Then Popcorn. grab a handful of popcorn, put a spoonful of tuna in it. Then cover it with more popcorn. David shakes his head when he sees me eat it. As well at a meatball sandwich with lettuce and ranch.

6. What is the weirdest ingredient you’ve ever cooked with?
Mustard seed? Not sure how to answer that. But you know what just weird to touch with your hands? Eggs. I don't know why but i get grossed out when I have to touch egg yolk with my hands.

7. Do you have any major food allergies?
Red Dye. I'm very bitter about it. I would love to enjoy a Big Red soda with the rest of the world, but alas, I can not. Damn you Red Dyyyyyeeeeee! *As I shake my fist in fury*

8. Is there an ingredient that you would like to cook with, but are intimidated to try?
A whole Fish. I see them at Central Market with their lifeless eyes. I dont really know how to de-scale it. Or know if it is ok to cook. Oh and crawfish. Their beady little eyes really creep me out too. Maybe I should stop looking them in the eye.

9. Do you bake?
I wish I did more often. I love baked goods in the house. They are so yummy, but I want to stay away from the sweets. And I am sure if I made cookies, you would find me in the closet under the stairs with chocolate all over my face digging into the whole plate of cookies. So that is why I stay away. But the last time I tried to make fat free, sugar free treats was brownies. And our dog copeland ate 80% of the plate. Thankfully it wasn't real chocolate and we didn't have to take him to the vet. But I have never seen him run so fast in my life. I think he liked it.

10. If you could go on any “foodie” show to compete, which one would it be, and why?
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Just let him take me around town and teach me about food. That would be awesome.

I was cursed for a whole day.

Yes, I was cursed. I can’t think of any other way this could have happened to me. Some might say that is was the hot dog that I ate from Dog Almighty, but I have eaten from there before and there was never a problem from it, always a great meal. But on Tuesday, I decided to grab Dog Almighty for lunch and bring it back to work to eat. I have never ordered their food to-go, but thought it would be ok. Later on in the day, I wasn’t feeling that well. That night I actually had the greatest time with David, we had a meatball sandwich while watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I really forgot how much I like that movie and enjoyed every minute of it. “Like John Lennon says, I don’t believe in the Beatles, I just believe in me.” Anyway, at the end of the night, my stomach wasn’t feeling that great. I went to bed and figured I would feel better in the morning. On Wednesday, I woke up and pick up a friend to work, that I carpool with. I decided to get a smoothie for breakfast. I figured that would be light for me to have and something that wouldn’t be hard for my stomach. Boy, was I wrong. I went to work, and at the moment, I am teaching a class. Our class lasts for 3 weeks, and Wednesday was the 3^rd day of class. I couldn’t even finish the first hour of class before I had to go to the bathroom because the fruit smoothie disagreed with my stomach. I thought I would be okay after that, but when I realized I couldn’t even hold down water, I knew I had to go home. Luckily, I have a really great boss and also thankful I left when I did. I had to stop at 3 places just to get home. I picked up some soup and crackers, but by the time I got home, I realized that I could only have water. And the only reason I would drink water was so I wouldn’t have to just throw up bile.

The way I see a virus is, you want it to get out of your body as fast as possible. And if your body is telling you how it has to come out, you don’t disagree. So I spent the whole day sleeping, and when I wasn’t sleeping I was in the bathroom. Finally, David came home and convinced me to move downstairs to try to eat some apples and drink more water. I know that I could have taken care of myself just fine and that if David wasn’t in my life I would handle it like a champ, but just having him there really made me feel better and made me want to get better. He would softly pat my head while I would fall asleep watching Law and Order: SuhVoo, until he decided it was time to put me to bed. I ended up having to take a shower sitting down, because I didn’t have any energy to stand up. But I do have to say, I was so glad it was just Food Poisoning. I hate the stomach flu and it honestly terrifies me. I am proud to say I haven’t had to throw up since 9pm last night and I am back at work and able to hold down fluids. I am very excited about this and hoping I don’t get cursed in a long time. If anything being sick, reminded me how much I hate to be sick and how I hope that won’t happen in a long long time.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

So, I came across this cute little blog This Kind of Love and thought I would participate this week. Let's see how it goes.

I'm lovin' Mr. Clean Bathroom Eraser.
This stuff is amazing. I have honestly tried so many different cleaners for the bathroom. This thing cleans in one easy swipe. It took care of rust, dust with no fuss. :) It's a really great product.

I'm also lovin' me some Teen Mom 2. I know this show is considered in the 'bad tv' category, but I bet you watch bad tv too, and I don't judge you. So let me what my mess and let me be.

I'm lovin' me a new Monday workout with my girlfriend, Pata at the Black Swan Yoga. I havent had such a great workout as that in a while.

I'm lovin' our new 'smart house'! David has been installing Z-Wave into the house, so now we know if anyone enters the house, and we can control everything (lights, ac, fans) by our phone or laptop. Yea, it's a really smart house.

and I'm lovin' that I get to see my little brother for the last time in a long time this weekend. My lil bro is turning into a man and shipping off to training camp. So proud of that seaman!

100th Post

So, a 100 posts ago, there was this lovely lady whose husband had to go out of town for business. She was bored out of her mind and had a hard time falling asleep with him away so she decided to take some space from the internet and make herself a blog. She had always had a hard time keeping up with it and recently, for the first time she has been able to keep up with this blog and share her stories with the interwebs. It hasn't been easy, but once she started getting in the habit of it, she started realizing that weeks, months and even years from now, her life will be documented. When she is awake in the middle of the night trying to calm a crying baby down, she can look back at the life she used to live. When she stays home on a Saturday night choosing to stay home to participate in arts and crafts instead of going out, she can look back on this blog and remember the fun times she once had. Yes, when she starts to get older, she will be able to remember what it was like to be young... oh so young.
But in all seriousness. I have really enjoyed spending my time telling you my stories and showing people a little bit of our life. I have no idea who you are and why you are reading, but I can only hope that at maybe some point I have made you laugh or made you think about something you hadn't thought about before. Maybe I showed you how normal your life really is because I live mine a little different, or maybe the opposite. Either way, I have shown myself in a new light and it had really helped me grow into the person I want to become. This blog has been able to remind me of what is really important and help me see how lucky I really am to live the life I have. I have been blessed in so many ways and even if you come here to see my boring life but know that it's okay to be who you are, then that is the greatest gift you can give me. I am so glad that you decided to stop by and I hope I have more adventures to tell you. Life is always bound to change and I hope to roll with the punches and keep you updated along the way. Thanks again for stopping by and you're welcome back anytime!

With all my Love,
Elizabeth

Ten On Tuesday!

Ten on Tuesday is provided to you by the wonderful Roots and Rings. I don't know how she does it every Tuesday, but she always has them ready! Thanks

1. What condiments are always, always in your fridge?
Ketchup, Mustard, Spicy Mustard, Olive Oil Mayonnaise, Grape Jelly and Ranch. Yes, I am the type of person that considers Ranch a condiment.

2. How do you like your steak cooked? Your burgers?
Steak.. Medium / Burger... Medium Well.

3. What’s your favorite use for fresh tomatoes?
Homemade salsa. I am pretty sure David would agree.

4. What’s your go-to dinner when you haven’t planned anything in advance and you don’t feel like going out?
Romano's Macaroni Grill Dry Dinners. All you have to do is add some stuff and cooked chicken. Super easy and yummy to make. I would suggest this for anyone who wants a great quick meal.

5. What’s your favorite snack food lately?
Homemade popcorn. On top of the stove with some salt and lime.

6. What’s your favorite weekend breakfast to make at home?
David and I go all out of weekend breakfast. He will make waffles and I will make eggs. Sometimes we will have bacon or sausage.

7. What’s your favorite thing to grill? How do you do it?
David is the griller in the family. But I will put together these amazing shrimp wraps. Slice of serrano pepper, slice of peppered cheese, placed in a butterfly of shrimp, wrapped in bacon. Grill.

8. What’s your favorite wine for under $10? If you’re not a wine person, what brand of beer is your favorite?

9. Give us your most delicious cocktail recipe.
It's called Caipirinha. It's a Brazilian drink that makes me giddy. You just need one and it is soo oh my goodness good.

10. How do you like your eggs?
I used to like them scrambled. Then David introduce me to something called fried eggs. It changed my world. It was so good.

In the Navy!

So my little brother has decided that running around and participating in shenanigans is not the best way to participate as an adult to a productive society. He tried the college route and that didn’t wasn’t really for him. He knew that he didn’t want to find himself in the restaurant industry and seemed interested in the money of the technology field but wasn’t interested in the work. So when he told me that he was joining the Navy, I wasn’t really sure what to believe. I think I thought it was a joke but he said he was serious. And then he had a Navy card indicating that he has signed his life away for 4 years and his time was officially counting down.

So when the time started drawing nearer, I knew that I wanted to throw him a party. 1) Because I knew my parents would appreciate some time to their selves with him gone and 2) If my mom threw him a party it would really just be for herself, and he didn’t want that. So I offered and he accepted. He drove up to Austin on Friday and David and I met him at the house. We drove over to Costco to get our grilling meats for the next day and hit the road back home. It was really nice to hang out with my little brother for a bit. I cleaned the house up and bit and set some stuff up, but when I was ready to relax and hang out, we watched Lion King. I remember being a kid and watching it with him, we loved it so much our dad even bought us the Lion King soundtrack so we could listen to it when we weren’t watching the movie. So I picked it out of our library, and we got to sit on the couch and watch it on our big screen. It was really great, except… The Lion King is a really messed up movie. Like, sad messed up. This kid’s dad dies! Right in front of him and then his uncle is like “yea, kid this is totally your fault.” I cried, like I do when I watch Disney, but we pushed through it. We ended up all heading to bed around midnight, because I am old and anytime after 11, I turn into a pumpkin.

The next day I woke up and went grocery shopping. Got lots of things set up and decorated the house with awesomeness. I tend to go overboard sometimes on parties, but it’s always the small touches that make it a fun time. So friends came over and we got to eat yummy bar b que and then the relaxing after the eating started. We were all just sitting on the back deck when someone mentioned, when are you shaving Michael’s head? What a great question that was, well... I wasn’t doing anything at that moment, so what better time than the present. I pulled out some hair trimming scissors and mustache trimmer. It was horrible; I forgot to buy clippers so we couldn’t just take care of the haircut in 5 minutes. It took about an hour just to get some done. Half way done a friend of mine, Sean just couldn’t take it any longer that he drove home and came back with his clippers. So after an hour of tiring clipping, we were able to finish shaving Michael’s head down within 2 minutes. After a haircut, we all had some cake and got a little sugar high off of that awesomeness. While we were back outside on the deck relaxing and having more conversation, our friend Charles decided he too wanted to shave his head. So we all headed back into the garage and there we were, getting his head shaved by his girlfriend, Jessica. The party actually started dying off after that and it wasn’t long till it was midnight and the house was empty, except for our friend Sean and Michael and I decided going to bed with David would be the best decision I could make. So what did Sean and Michael do? They went to a pool hall to go play 8 ball. Thing is, our new front door is automatic, so it locks after 30 seconds. They didn’t know the code to get in so they have to jump our fence when they came back. They decided to take some pictures as well to show me of their shenanigans.

I’m glad my brother had a great time for his last hoorah, and I know when I look back at this blog when he is just about to graduate; I will be all sorts of proud of him again. I am constantly sending him good positive energy to prepare for his journey to become a seaman. It will involve a lot of struggles and lessons, but I couldn’t think of another person better for the job.

Law and Order. "Suh-Voo"

"In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories." Dun Dun.
David and I love Law and Order. We could sit in bed, or on the couch, or even hide in a closet for hours watching Law and Order. And not just any Law and Order, Law and Order SVU. Now in our home we don't say the word Special Victims Unit, that just takes too long. So we say SVU like it sounds (suh-vooo). We shout it with excitement "SUH-VOOO!" as if we are cheering for our favorite team. So if we are channel surfing and one of us sees SVU, the channel is changed , we shout with a cheery tone "Suh-Voo!" and we are drawn into the magic.
Now there have been some weird episodes and it really isn't a show that is appropriate for children, but man how do I love when Detective Stabler throws a bad guy against the wall and threatens him with his deep scary voice. I love how Olivia Benson always has to defend the woman in the case thinking that she is always the victim. (I actually begged David if we could name the motorcycle Olivia Benson, he said no.) We try to spend the first 30 minutes of the show determining who really 'dun it'. We scream at the TV trying to find the humor in a crazy gymnastic coach that has a fetish for unicorns. We make snide comments of in the manner of "That's what she said". With honest truth we enjoy this show for entertainment purposes, but we sometimes turn into two 14 year old sitting on the couch together watching a show that might be just a little too much. And yes, I believe this show may be one of my favorite shows ever, and there is nothing better than having it available at all times from over 3,000 channels, but I just enjoy having something with my husband that is just ours. It may involve issues like child abuse, rape and murder, but hey, it's our family and we can watch what we want to. So please excuse me, I think there is some SVU on and I have to cuddle up with my husband. And just a heads up, if you know there is a marathon of Law and Order on USA, expect me not to pick up the phone. You have been warned.... Dun Dun.

Ten on Tuesday

Thanks to Roots and Rings again for positing TOT.

1. What is your cleaning style like?
Our house is really big. I mean really big so it's hard to clean it all at once. But stuff can pile up, so what I have started to do is when I see stuff laying around the living room, I pick it up and leave it at the bottom of the stairs. So when I have to go upstairs, I can bring it with me. It actually helps out a lot. I wish I could find more time to sweep and mop, but the dishes, that's David's job. I just can't do dishes. And laundry... that happens on Saturday/Sunday. Every weekend. All of the clothes, sheets and towels. I might start doing mine during the week, I wear a lot of clothes.

2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy?
David bought me pearls this last winter, I really love to wear them whenever. But for me to change the feel of an outfit is perfume. I have started to learn that your smell can change everything, and with the right smell, you have a totally different outfit, and maybe pearls. :)

3. Do you like stormy weather?
You mean stormy like this?
Yes. I actually took that picture from my backyard when a storm was rolling in from the southeast of town. It was so beautiful. I also enjoy the hard rain and loud thunder that shakes the house. Not a fan when the power goes out or if I am sleeping and I wake up. For some reason, when I am in bed and there is a bad storm, I feel like the little kids in Poltergeist.
4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day?
Bomb Pop Popsicle! or Sweet Tea.

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day?
Hot Tea. What can I say? I love tea!

6. Who is your favorite animated character?
That's really not an easy question. I love Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and she was actually a character based off of a book, but I have seen cartoons of Dorothy and children's books that are animated. So sorry if you were expecting another answer, but I do love Dorothy. Also Skeeter from the show Doug.

7. What do you keep your jewelry in?
My girlfriends and I had a slumber party one night while the boys went out on their own. We made jewelry boxes and this is mine.

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme?
No. I am still working on decorating the house up. But we have discussed nursery themes and a theme has already been decided for either boy or girl. I will not speak of what it is until it is done and all I have to say is that it will rock your socks off and you will be so jealous that you didn't have a room like this when you were a kid.

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows – if so, what is your favorite?
No, I used to be really into that. At the gym I try to watch the Home and Garden station on one of the TV's but honestly, I am just more obsessed with bad TV.

10. When was the last time you did something risk-taking?
I rode the motorcycle last week. That is probably the most risk-taking thing I have done in a while.

Vroom Vroom

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I thought I would catch everyone up. David bought a motorcycle! Yes. Yes, he did. It is quite interesting what everyone response to it is. But my opinion is that I think it is quite awesome. He has another bike that is on its last limb and I would prefer he get rid of sooner than later, but we will see. Anyway, he bought a bike. We had to drive up to Round Rock to go see it and check it out. It looked like a great bike, but I am the type of person that forgets what side the gas goes in on my car, so obviously I didn't know much about bikes. But I know it looked pretty and that I looked good riding on the back of it. So I said yes and David thought about it. Next day, which was Monday, he left work and went to go pick it up.It is actually a great bike and we got a great deal on it. The gentleman we bought it from lost his job and was lucky enough to find another one, but it didn't pay as much as he was used to. So they had to sell it, and he was very picky about who it went to. So lucky for us, he got along well with David and saw what an experienced rider he is.So what are we doing to prepare for a new motorcycle in our life? Funny you should ask. This coming weekend we will be going to a 3 day motorcycle class. I have only been on a motorcycle once while it was moving and that was last Tuesday, and it was just around the block. So it really is important for me to learn more, and since David has been riding for over 10 years, it is always smart to take a refresher course. I am just excited that I won't be taking the course by myself, I am so worried I might cry if I fall off the bike in the riding practice.Now don't get me wrong, I am still terrified of bikes. It's taking me some getting use to, but you should see David when he rides it. He loves riding so much and I know that with everything he has in his life, he has too much to risk losing it and that is how I know he will be safe. So allowing myself to sit on the back, I could only do that if I am riding with him. Hopefully this week we will be getting my helmet and the rest of my gear. I am hoping for a baby blue color, but we will see what is available. But the plan is, after I get my certified to ride the bike, we will be taking it to San Antonio to show it off in front of my dad and then we will be taking it to Lago Vista when we go up there for a mini get-away. We've talked about what we will do when we become pregnant, and David is very determined to keep me off the bike. It made me wonder for a bit, what was the point if I would only ride it for a few months. The point is that it will actually give me comfort when my husband goes riding on it by himself. I honestly would throw a fit whenever he rode his bike, but I really am getting better about it. He doesn't ride at night and he doesn't ride when the ground is wet. I am getting used to being the wife of a biker and actually started to become excited about being a biker myself. Now the hardest part is having to find a name for the bike...

Wedding Season is Here!

So it sometimes feels that it's either everyone we know is already married and having babies or is about to get married and then have some babies. And then there are the awesome single people in my life that I love so much that keep me young. But let me get back to the point... Wedding Season. It is officially March and that means it is warming up in Texas. The flowers are blooming and the weather is getting warm, what wonderful weather for a wedding. (Say that 3 times fast!) So since it is just perfect wedding weather, our friends Christine and Michael decided to get hitched, or 'bona fide' as I say. So David and I decided get all dolled up and head on down to San Antonio.We got to the wedding pretty early, but I had to see my grandmother since she had surgery recently. So David stayed for the wedding to represent the Balentine's and I ran off to see my grandmother. I got back just in time to swing by and pick David up and head over to the reception. It really was such a lovely wedding and we had a fabulous time. We ended up getting them a gift that every Texan needs in the winter, a fire-pit. We had some delicious food and some super sweet yummy cake. I got to dance with the bride and even with the groom! Oh, and there was the cutest little one I have seen in a long time. Blog world, please meet David's godson, Trey.

He is just the cutest thing ever and we love him so much!

(He is Teething right now, so he loved my seashell ring)

His birthday is coming up and because gas is so high, we won't be able to see him but we made sure to get him his birthday gift early. And to celebrate his birthday in our own way, we are taking Motorcycle Lessons!
yea.. I know, I will explain it in a later blog. Anyway- so we got to see some super great friends, share some laughs and drink some free booze. I really can't think of a better Saturday than that, even if it is Wedding Season.

Bonus Checks

So David and I both work for AT&T. David originally worked for Wayport which was an Austin based company that ended up being purchased for the big conglomerate known as AT&T. So then David started working for AT&T and climbing up the business ladder, then I decided to join the team. I started off on the bottom of the totem pole but I have been slowly moving myself up the chain and am now the Trainer for the Technical Center. David and I break it down for people that He makes the Internet and I teach people how to fix it. You get the point.
But when AT&T bought out Wayport things started to change, as they normally will, but one thing that was very exciting was the fact that we get a bonus check once a year. It depends on how high you are up on the scale to determine your percentage. And then there is the addition of how well the company did as a whole. This year our company did very well so we got a little extra in the bonus.
The hard part about the bonus was that AT&T has owned our company for over 2 years, but no one got a bonus last year. And that was not fun at all for anyone, so when this year rolled around and everyone got their bonus... we had a lot of fun with it.
We all decided to go to Bender to celebrate. It was so great to have another reason to go out and hang with everyone. We really always have a fabulous time.

Obviously, I enjoyed every penny I could squeeze out of that bottle to enjoy myself that night.

51 Hours to Live

Monday night, I decided to surf the web and check out a favorite website I have. One of the news reports was that there was an event going on in Reddit.com where you can "Ask Me Anything". It's a forum post that allows you to ask someone anything you want to and have them answer. One post that caught my eye was "I have 51 hours to live."
It was a forum help by a guy who had been fighting a battle with Lymphoma Cancer and he decided to take control and end his battle with Cancer by taking the Oregon's Death Act so he would die with dignity. He stated about himself that "Who I was doesn't matter. I'm in pain, I'm tired and I'm finally being granted a small shred of respect."
After reading through the many posts, I started to realize more of our society. With someone deciding to end their life with respect, they decided to treat him with their up most respect. I don't know what it feels like to be dying, but I can only see that there is a bit of clarity with it. While reading through someone wrote him a quote from Socrates, "To fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise, without being wise, for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For anything that men can tell, death may be the greatest good that can happen to them, but they fear it as if they knew quite well that it was the greatest of evils. And what is this but that shameful ignorance of thinking that we know what we do not know?"
With everything that was posted, it was amazing to see that one thing this dying man wished he accomplished was to have traveled more. So the internets decided to tell him 'hello' from around the world and send him pictures of some of their favorite places in the world. I couldn't comment because I don't feel that I have anything important that he needs to spend his time reading, but in case you want to ask him something or just read this amazingly beautiful story of the end of a life, feel free to check out Lucidending on Reddit.com
He has been on my mind all day, just hoping that he wasn't in pain anymore and everything was ok for him. I leave you with an amazing quote written by this gentleman, and just remember you are alive, that's one thing to be happy about.
"Nothing we have is worth hurting anyone else for. It's all fleeting people. Stop seeing race, color, sex, religion, etc.... Theyre all just people, and if you try to love them you won't lose anything."
- Lucidending. Reddit - 2011

Ten on Tuesday

Sending a Howdy and a Thank You to Roots and Rings for always hosting the wonderful Ten on Tuesday.

1. How did your parents decide on your name?
Funny that you ask. The way I remember it was that my mother had a dream that the Virgin Mary came to her and told her that she would have a daughter and she would name her after the Virgin Mary's sister, Elizabeth. Yep. So that's how I got my name.

2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny?
EKB. I have mentioned it before, but I have the same amount of letters in my first and last name. I think that is kind of cool.

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?)
I choose to keep my childhood middle name. Kelly. I was named after the Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. And with my maiden name 'Pena' I thought if I had it as my middle name I would sound like a law firm. Pena and Balentine, Law Enforcement!

4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of same origin…)
I think the first same letter is kind cheesy. And I hate things like Jack and Jill, fairy tale type of things. But we have already talked about names for future children and David and I both think it's best to involve family names.

5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
When I was a teenager I swore that I would name my first son Harvey Danger. So he could say his middle name was 'Danger', girls name not so much.

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
Not that I know of. There are some great names out there but nothing that has been used over and over again.

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
Just the name itself. I don't think the meaning of a name determines what kind of person they end up being. But I do think that just the name itself can give you a first impression of the person.

8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffy, Mr. Bo Bo)?
Actually, we name them with human names. But after musicians. Erin Copland. Johnny Cash and Ella Fitzgerald

9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?
Hated Names: Joni. Beth. Jennifer. Hannah. I could go on, but I might mention too many names.

10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?
Bruce, Katherine, Madeline. I'm sure I could think of more, but it has been quite a long day and I call this the end of my post.

Pata, Lucy and Bear! Oh My!

The last weekend of February my girlfriends and I decided it would be good to get out of the house and go to the Zoo. Sometimes it's hard with all of our schedules to find time to hang out with each other, but when we actually get around to it, it really is a fantastic time. So last Saturday, my friend Pata (Patricia) came over to the house and we sat around watching the end of Back to the Future with David while we waiting for the sun to come out and warm our day up. Finally the sun broke out and the clouds parted and what was thought to be an ugly wet day, quickly became a fantastic warm sunny day. So we went to pick up our friend Lucy and head out to the zoo.

In a previous post I had told you about that amazing alligator hat I bought in San Antonio, yes I am a hat connoisseur and I thought it would be best to bring my hat with me to the zoo. Why? Well, because I knew they wouldn't sell a hat as awesome as this at the zoo and two, because I wanted to walk around looking so awesome with my amazing hat and have all those snotty little kids be jealous of me with my hat. And guess what, they totally were! I knew it, kids would point and me and say I want an alligator hat.. Well guess what kid, you can't have one. Sorry, but that's the lesson of life, you can't always get what you want.
Now besides me taunting little children with the excitement of me having such a great hat, we did happen to see lots of other things too. We saw the creation of life between two turtles. It was quite awkward and a little surprising, but it's nature. We also got to hear a Lion roar. I have never heard it before, and yes it is very loud. We got to see a pig get a back massage and we went to the petting zoo where our new friend not only ate all the food we had, but the paper bag as well.

Once we realized that we had finished the tour of the zoo and had seen everything there was to see, we starting winding things down. And that is when I saw something that made me look at motherhood and say "bring it!" A mother was walking along with her daughter that seemed to be between the ages of 3 and 4. While the girl was slightly running, she tripped and fell on her hands and knees. Her first reaction was to open her mouth and make an attempt of a quite cry. Then she was able to breathe in and that is when the howling started. The mom's first instinct was to pick her up and as she proceeded to pick her up, the little girl went to the bathroom all over herself and her mother. Yes, it was horrible to watch. Yes, I didn't know whether to look away or just stare. But it reminded me. Of the time when I was a nanny, and one of the boys I was watching decided to go to the bathroom while in a candy shop. And what did I do? I made him pack up his candy, took him to the car and had him change in the car into dry clothes. Why? because I was prepared. Yes, when I had to take care of kids, there was always an over-sized beach towel, a regular towel, unlimited amount of baby wipes, a box full of different snacks, bug spray, itch relief, a kite, bathing suits and yes, and extra pair of clothes. Not just for them, but for me as well. And what do you thin having all of that did for me? It gave me relief because when something happened I had it under control.
So yes, the zoo was an important wonderful day filled with memories that I will cherish forever. And yes every little child I passed was jealous of my hat while I stood proud and held my head high. But most of all I saw motherhood in the face, and told them to bring it. Because one day in the future, it will be me at the zoo, and I will be the one with a child who pissed them self, and I will be the one laughing but I got it under control.
(Note to self: Future Elizabeth, you have every right to read this post in the future, shake your head in disappointment and rewrite a new post of how very wrong you are)

Ten on Thursday

Thanks again to Roots and Rings for providing this weeks questions

1. What type of cell phone do you have and how would you rate it?

I have an HTC Aria and I would rate it a 8.95. It is a great phone. I love it. I used to have an iPhone and I would rate that a 2.1 + .5 points for teaching me different ways to express hatred towards a phone. If you have read my blog at all, you would know that technology is a pretty big thing in my household. David already has his 3rd phones in a year. Don't worry, he haggles his way of ever having to pay anything for it.

2. What has been your most serious injury?
I got bit by a dog once. But let me tell you of my dumbest injury. I sprained my ankle many times as a child, one way was due to us tossing around a medicine weighted ball around. I tried to convince a friend that I was stronger than a teenage mutant ninja turtle and I could kick the medicine ball like a bouncy ball. I kicked it and it didn't move, but my ankle did!

3. What is one movie you hate and why?
Any of David's horrible Sci-Fi movies. I once watched one with him and it enticed me because it had Luke Perry in it. That didnt make it better. It was sort of a low budget idea of the movie Armageddon but it had aliens? and Luke Perry wasn't as cute as he was in 90210 time, so it was a complete waste of time and now I don't watch those movies with him anymore.

4. How many email addresses do you have?
Too many. 2 yahoo accounts. One from highschool and one from college. One that i use and share a domain with my husband. One for my photography and one just for no reason at all. What a waste of email space!

5. What website do you waste the most time on?
The Daily What. I Heart that sight. It has the most interesting things and then I just repost it on the facebook and then everyone likes it and I look all clever.

6. Which mexican restaurant makes the best salsa?
I make the best salsa, I don't ever make it that often but there has been an occasion or two when I go all out and make my salsa. David loves it and I like to make him smile. I am pretty sure I will be making it in some time to come. Oh, but Chuy's has some amazing creamy jalapeño.

7. What is your dream car?
I pretty much have my dream car. It is a Dodge Hemi Charger. Oh by the way, did I mention that I have a Hemi? Yes, I have a Hemi. But if I could add another car to the list of cars that I own it would be a Dodge Hemi Challenger.

And let me just say, for the record. The only reason I do not own this car is by choice. I do not think it would responsible to drive such an amazing car as this and then to get it all dirty once we have a kid. Trust me, it would happen.

8. If you could spend up to $100 with no strings or restrictions or guilt, what would you buy?
I would go to the Outlet in San Marcos. I would either go to Dooney and Bourke or Coach. I need to own more. I have a problem. It's ok, but at least I can admit I have a problem.

9. What is your favorite board game?
Apples to Apples! It's the best game ever! David has decided to 'blow my mind' by reminding me that Apples to Apples doesnt have a board. But I would like to say that I don't care and it's just my favorite game so he can deal with it.

"That's right David! I'm talking to you, I know you can read this and you are smirking like a smirker stalker watching me right this while you watch Indiana Jones"

David's response "You mean watching you like someone who is right? Yea, that just happened. Snaaaapppp!"

This is my blog and I am awesome and so is Apples to Apples.

10. How often do you change your hairstyle?
Whenever I feel like it. Right now I have been getting my hair colored. I love it so much and my stylist is the best ever.