Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone!
Its hard to believe 2010 is coming to an end already!  I feel like it was just Christmas not that long ago.  Its funny how Christmas still gets me all excited as if i was 5 again.  Something about Christmas, the meaning, the family time and all the food makes me really happy, giddy and anxious!

I'm extremely excited about this Christmas.  Its going to be a hectic one but I'm ready.  Its my first Christmas with my boyfriend in our new place.  We got all new decorations and our place just makes me smile whenever i see the tree all lit up!  I've come home a few times to see my boyfriend has been sneaky and gone out and bought and wrapped a ton of presents before i have gotten home which is always a nice surprise!  

our tree looks better when its lit up!  There are even more presents that need to be added under there thanks to a recent amazon order lol

Aside from this being our new place and giving each other gifts..... I'm excited cus this is my mom's first Christmas living back in Texas!!!  My uncle is coming to visit as well which is always nice.  Growing up we always made the long drive to mississippi and I always had fun cus my Grandparents were awesome, but being in a car that long and then having to drive around the state to see other relatives, visit and get back in the car was just a pain.  I'm excited to have BOTH my parents back in Houston!  In college i would spend Christmas eve with my dad and hop on a plane at the crack of dawn on Christmas.   It will be nice to wake up on Christmas in my own bed!  I'm also excited to spend the holidays with my boyfriends family!  I am really lucky to have a new extension of my family that is so sweet and loving and welcoming to me.  It will be fun to see the little kids get excited about their toys.  We dont have any little ones within my immediate family so I look forward to the nerf gun war and barbie time i will have with my boyfriends neice and nephew!

Its still weird to me not having my grandparents to celebrate Christmas with.  My Grandma's house was always decorated with her little villages and the stockings she made for my brother and i when we were babies, lots of food and 2 trees.  We'd go to the candlelight service every christmas eve and when we got home it was presents time!  My grandmother and i were both eager and ready to open presents when we got home.  we didnt waste any time.

I'm glad i have those memories and i take them with me every holiday and i look forward to all the new memories and traditions to come.

Anyways.... hope everyone has a great holiday with lots of love, joy, happiness and reflection on why we celebrate Christmas!

in the meantime i am going to enjoy all my favorite Christmas things like:

1) christmas cookies (particularly sugar with icing )

2) lots of other christmas snacks

3) christmas lights

4) ice skating ( we did the outdoor at discover green last week :))

5) christmas trees

6) Christmas themes like reindeer, snowmen, polar bears, penguins, etc

7) nativity scenes- i have the same one from an avon catalog my mom bought me when i was 8

8) Christmas cards!

9) wrapping presents

10) holiday movies

11) time with my family

12) hoiday parties

13) ginger bread houses

14) wishing it would snow on christmas

15) presents

16) oh and celebrating my doggies bday on the 21st.  happy bday skuttle!

End of year goal assessment

With the end of the year quickly approaching i thought i'd take a look at my goals for the beginning of the year to see how i did.  My life had some drastic changes towards the middle of the year that i had to reassess my reasons for some of my goals and what was REALLY  important.

So lets take a look....


1) Travel to at least one new domestic city and one new international city.


Well i got this done!  In February i went with a friend to New Orleans for  the first time and then during the summer with my boyfriend.  In May and June I went to Ft, Lauderdale, Miami, Key West, Nassau, and Cococay.  I also had a chance in August to go to a few small towns in Texas I had never been to!

2)Be more organized

I tell you what... Moving will get you organized if you let it.  I took the new stage in my life and moving to start a clean slate and only take the things i REALLY  needed.  its nice not having all that extra this and that.

3)Achieve my fitness goal of 15-20% Body fat

Well.... this is a big FAIL, which is ok.  I had to reassess what was important to me and why i was doing the things i was doing.  Do i want to be healthy? YES!  Do i want to be fit? YES! However, with the change in my life with a new person in it, moving, studying for a license exam and a million other things, the gym was not my number one priority.  At this point i still make an effort to take care of myself but do i need to be bikini model fit to be happy?  NO!  I think i got to a point where fitness and dieting were becoming a little overboard for me.  I loved the way i looked, i was happy with myself, but now that i'm at a different place.  I'd rather enjoy my time after work with my boyfriend in our new apartment and creating memories with him then spending 2-3 hours at the gym every night.  We like to run or go for walks together or workout at our apartment, but the vanity and obsession with being super duper skinny is not practical or worth it.  Being healthy and happy is more important.



4) Have no credit card debt

Well this is almost doneski.  we bought all new things for our place and with the help of selling our old things we just about paid for it all but had just a little bit that will be paid off by the end of the year.



5)Continue to grow my savings

Done :)



6) Visit friends i don't see often.

Well i got to go to Dallas in May for the Warrior Dash and I got to see Toneisha, Braden, Brandon and Kristin up there and Morgan came up as well.  Good times!  I would like to make a trip to San Antonio and possibly Florida next year!



7) Complete the warrior dash

Well the week before my 25th birthday Morgan and I completed the Dash.  Whoo hoo.  i think my boyfriend and i are going to do it together with some friends here in Houston in March of next year. 



8) try something/place totally new each month
If you read my blog you know that this has been done



9) Use coupons more often
I have been using coupons each week and have been on the mailing list of several coupon sites and deal sites which have been very helpful


10) Increase my mental recipes
Each week we try something new so this has been great.  It helps that my boyfriend cooks alot so its not all up to me


11) Not hold onto stuff i don't use
Well back to my organization comment.  I sold everything and started new so you can say that if anything was done this definitely was!


12) Learn how to use a sewing machine

havent even touched this one yet....


13)Become more involved with philantrophy

I did help in a feeding the homeless event with my stepmother and i donated my prom dresses to an organization that helps under privledges girls!


14) get my interior design license
Well i studied a ton and still waiting on my results.... cross your fingers!


15) begin to study for my personal training certification
This still intrigues me but I have so much on my plate that this isnt a priority anymore.

I think that 11/15 (assuming i passed the NCIDQ) isnt bad.  Its 12/15 if you assume i pay the Credit Card off by the end of the year.  I'm happy with that!  :)

Throw Back Halloween

Happy Belated Halloween!  I hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend.  The weather was gorgeous... how could you not!
This was the first year in my life i didnt get dressed up for halloween.  I was a little bummed as i LOVE  costumes.  Originally we were supposed to go to NOLA but there was some miscommunication with some friends and it didnt happen this year.  Thats ok because i had a GREAT  weekend!
We did not plan this AT ALL but it just so happened we had a "throw back" halloween weekend.  Since i did a lot of firsts this weekend consider this my October Reviews.....
It started with a nice dinner and Shrek the Musical at the Hobby Center, which that isnt throwback but it was fun.  Getting dolled up for that was i guess my Halloween!  I hadn tbeen to the Hobby Center in years and i loved it.  The show was precious.  I just love Shrek!
The next day though we ate at a little diner nearby (very 1950's in there), took a long walk and then  I made a cute cookie graveyard equipped with tombstones without names on it.  lol  afterwards we kept the 1950's thing goin and we drove way out and went to the Showboat Drive in Theater. For $5 a person you get to watch 2 movies.  Since my boyfriend has a Honda Element we folded the front seats flat to the backseats and made a big bed, brought a ton of snacks, got some pillows and blankets and watched the double feature.  SOOOO many people were there.  Most left after the first show though.  it was neat though.  people were in beds of trucks, had lawn chairs..... and not to mention the weather was PERFECT  for it.  I could do that every weekend.  you can talk and not worry about pissing off the people around you.  it was like movie meets camping.  I loved it!
On Halloween after some yummy breakfast tacos from a place nearby that i had wanted to check out, i had my first experience at the River Oaks Theater.  The last movie of the "Girl with the Dragon tatoo" series was released in America this weekend.  Its called " the girl who kicked the hornets nest"  It was good.  Definitely my least favorite of the trilogy, but it was good.  just not the action and suspense like the others.  I really enjoyed the 1950's old fashioned theater though.  especially because it was clean and there were not any kids!!!!
Well that was the highlights of the weekend and the new places i checked out.  i wont bore you with the tv shows we watched and tales of running errands.  LOL

Things that make me smile....

I'm blessed to have the world's greatest boyfriend who makes me smile and sometimes laugh so hard i cry.  we just have too much fun together.  Anyways, my sweetheart inspired todays blog.  While he makes me smile, a text message he sent me today inspired me to post some other images of things that make me smile.  he sent me this picture of this dog today.. the dogs name is calvin.... so cute

is that not adorable?  i think his name should be tigger, but calvin works even though it should be hobbes!
anyways, these made me smile today so i thought i'd share....

and then my own little man.....  i could have a whole website with the million on pics i have of him!!!

my current loathe list!!!! argh

I am in a mood.... and i feel bad for anyone in my way.  I am sure any girl can relate to having one of these days where we can just flip a switch from Snow White to Cruela Deville in 2 seconds.  Thats me today.  hi!
I'm sure if it wasnt for the fact that I have PMS and the pimples to prove it right now i'd still be in a mood... Here's why (some of these you may not get):

1) 3 weeks ago, my phone went swimming in my handbag because i put a waterbottle in my bag to free up my hand so i could carry a big stainless steel garbage can to the cash register for my new place.  SO.. I finally replaced it this weekend.  I dont need another phone since my company pays for one but i like a little seperation between business and pleasure.  so i wanted to just get a prepaid phone since i really do not use it.  well sprint doesnt allow you to take your number over to prepaid.  OK FINE... anyways so i get a new phone.  its cute, i like it.  I get home and started putting numbers in it and showing michael my new toy and well while it works.... anyone who calls me shows up as  "no id" and my voicemail is shut off.....  I finally got an answer today and apparently the dude who "helped" me turned off  ALL my services when he changed my phone.  thats been a week long headache!

2) i have more pimples on my face at 25 years old than i did all through highschool added up.  whats up with that.  I probably take better care of my face now than EVER  and now i want to get pimples.  and not just pimples, but one on the dimple right between your upper lip and the middle of your nose, one in the middle of my chin and a huge one on my cheek and one huge right next to the corner of my mouth.  UGH.  being a girl sucks sometimes....

3) all you other design friends of mine can probably relate.... but SKETCHUP.  omg.  my file is huge and the littlest thing it just sits there and thinks and processes the fact that its about to blow my computer up....  its taking years to move things i swear.  argh

on the flip side..... there are a few things that are keeping me smiling at the moment
1) my boo.... he puts up with me and is such a doll.  you know what they say, behind every good man is a good woman.... well it might be the flip side for us.  he's the best!!  oh how i love him.
2) we're going to see Shrek the musical next week and the dynamo game this weekend! whoo hoo
3) my new apt.... its so cute.  i just love it
4) call me a big chic for this one, but my new handbag.  thank you chirp machine.  Check it out.  http://www.chirpchic.com/.  designer vending machines at the grocery store with ridiculously affordable prices. 
5) my family and friends.  i love you guys....


 NOW IF MY PHONE AND SKETCHUP WOULD JUST COOPERATE I MIGHT NOT HAVE PIMPLES AND THEN I MIGHT NOT WANT TO GO OFFICE SPACE ON MY COMPUTER!!!!!  :)

the cliffnotes version

Well... i TECHNICALLY could have a lot to write about since my life has been a million miles a minute and i could easily have a handful of blogs documenting ALL  of those things but why not sum it up for a change instead of the typical Emily rambling on and on......

MOVING- i moved from midtown to the heights area and boy do i LOVE  the heights!  such a cute area.  i feel much safer and we love our apartment.... so does the dog!  it just took forever to get out of one apartment into the other and rid of the place.  i guess thats what happens when you find a good deal you do what you gotta do!   i had my walk through of my old place yesterday.  bittersweet, but boy am i happy!  my new place has the biggest most modern kitchen, a washer and dryer ( boy did i take that for granted in college), a walk in closet (took that for granted too!) and a massive bathroom ( yep it too).  vintage apartment life was fun and it was cute but man is the new place 1000x better!

CRAIGSLIST-  i have a love hate with craigslist.  I love that i made $2000 selling my stuff to buy all new stuff, but i hate the hassle of reposting things over and over.  i did it for over a month.  had numerous garage sales where 20 ppl tell me they are coming and don't show.  People try and haggle to basically GIVE  your stuff away.  ugh such a pain in my butt.  finally last thursday a single mom of 3 came by with her boys and went through all i had and gave me $50 for what was left.  Had i sold the things she took at the garage sales like people had requested those items. it would have been HUNDREDS  of dollars!  she took everything basically, but it was just going to be donated the next day so better than nothing and we helped her out.

NCIDQ- i took my interior design license exams a few weeks back.  hardest thing i've ever taken.  i have to wait 14 weeks before i know!  argh!!!!!!!!

FURNITURE SHOPPING- we have done some massive furniture shopping for our new place.  it has been hard and time consuming finding things i like.  then when we do,we have the biggest issue with customer service, delivery people.  ugh its been a hassle.   our bedroom set was to be delivered last night and well long story but it didnt.  i was a fan of highfashion home store before.... not so much anymore.

MY MOM MOVED BACK- yep thats right she moved back to a cute new house on the other side of town so now we get to do girl stuff a lot.  sadly enough, her dog died right before she moved :(  the whole family has been pretty torn up about it.  i cannot even imagine if something happened to my puppy.  oh how we fall in love with our pets!

well i got more going on but thats the big things.  i'm really just losing my desire and the time to blog.... anybody else have that problem????

August reviews

Boy did i do alot in the month of August.  I got lots to review on.  from restaurants,bars to movies, stores to hotels and spas.... it was a fun month.  since i have so much to review on i'll try and point out the important details.  This blog is for the restaurants i visited.  I'll write about the other new things later....

Restaurants

Goode co bbq (rice)
not a fan!  they put apples in their beans which i am not a fan of sweet beans  gross.... the jalepeno cornbread was about the only thing i enjoyed.  their barbeque sauve tasted like a weird spiced marinara.  boo!


Pie in the sky (heights)
this place was down right adorable.  I got there right as breakfast ended but was able to have lunch.  their sandwiches are huge and they have awesome sweet potatoe fries.  At the front is a pie tasting station where they have small versions of all their pies for you to taste so you can order a slice or a whole pie to go/for a gift.  We really enjoyed the ones we tried and i'll probably order some small ones for Christmas gifts.  its a small mom and pop place with couples, families, old couples, gay couples, the whole nine years in there.  very cute.  i want to check breakfast out soon!

Harrys (midtown)

Harry's has been on my list of places to try out for brunch for quite some time.  One day my boyfriend and i were talking about restaurants in houston that had been opened for years and years and we were trying to think of some as we noticed lots of new places constantly popping up.  that night in the Houston press was an article about Harry's and how its been around for years, bought out but always maintained some of the orginal dishes.  breakfast is served all day and they commented on how there were always really old men telling war stories there and business men and that the churassco breakfast was awesome.  Well the next day we went.... and everything written was 100% right.  the Churrasco plate was amazing.  check it out

Restaurants ( New Orleans)

Abita brew pub

Cute place... the original brewhouse with lots of Lousianna beer.  unfortunately i'm not a beer drinker, but their crawfish cakes and salad and burgers were awesome.  the little town of covington where it is is so cute and it was right next to a huge outdoor pavilion.  very cute!

Cafe de monde

I had been to the one in the city but the one in covington was just as good.  how can you not like beignets?

Bear's

my boyfriend was telling me how good these poboys were since the day i met him... and OH MY was he right.  I had a shrimp poboy and more shrimp than you can imagine.  i tried his too which he wasnt lying... it was AMAZING.....

Domenica

This is on eof John Besh's restaurants in the city.  It was awesome.  In addition to their awesome pizza they offer small and large portions of their apps and plates which means you can try a little of everything if you want!

Sucre

OMG delicious.  If you like sugar... this is heaven!  From gelato, to any kind of cake or pastry or dessert to chocolate and truffles as well as chocolate drinks with liquor.  wowza's.  I WAS IN LOVE.  the place was adorable, but even if it was a dump.. the food spoke for itself

Broken egg

This is a cute little place that reminds me of a grandma's house.  its quaint and is supposed to be like home cooking.  I thought it was ok.  the portions were huge!  a bit overpriced.  i'd rather eat harry's breakfast!

 
Still to come
Stores:
color and tailor
hotels:
hotel latorretta
Movies
the millenium trilogy
bruno
the princess and the frog
hot tub time machine
The crazies

so long facebook... kinda

So our nation has been hit with this whole "social networking" thing and its become an obsession.  Yes i admit i'm on my facebook on my comptuer way to much but aimlessly reading funny statuses and watching videos people post.  its a big waste of time really.  Sometimes i get so annoyed with people on there and then i think...  WOW I just wasted a good junk of my day being annoyed with people i NEVER  talk to and knew eons ago.

Why do i care to keep in contact on facebook with people i do not speak to, will probably never see again, havent seen in years, was friends years ago.  we dont keep in contact on facebook, we just see each other's pictures, and statuses.

Frankly there were some "facebook friends" of mine who everyday their statuses were so over dramatic.  one day they are hating their boyfriend and breaking up and the next day they are in love and moving back in.  QUIT BEING BIPOLAR!!!!

Not to mention, people i do not know, do not need to know the details of my personal life.  even people i do know do not necessarily need to know my personal life.  there's always someone who wants to know more than they should and then runs their mouth because they have nothing better to do than to become fixated on other people's lives.

So i decided to take a baby step.  Instead of deleting my account, i simply erased people from elementary school, middle school, highschool, my various jobs, college, friends of friends and kept people that i either 1) talk to regularly 2) are my family or like family 3) good friends

eventually one day i'm gonna be married and have kids and i dont want weirdo's i knew 10 years ago checking out my kid, or guys who used to like me be sizing up my boyfriend/husband.... thats not cool

so that meant 700 friends down to 100, which i plan to clean out regularly.  its my life and not the world's business!

which also means as part of being more private and respectful to my own life, my blog posts wont be specific to my life anymore.  i'll continue random rants and reviews  but not so much on the ins and outs of my daily life.

for now... i'm out!

July Reviews

I havent written this entire month because boy have i been busy..... However, this month i tried a lot of new places and thought i would share. 

My boyfriend enjoys my hobby of trying new places just as much as i do so we had a lot of fun, but we cant do it everynight.

Khun Kay Thai Cafe (Montrose)

This Thai place was SOOOO  good.  When we were up at the counter they had a little table tent of their features mango curry and since I love mangoes i figured why not.  It was delicious!  The sweet with the spicy was a great taste and they make awesome Tom Ghai soup.  This is one of my new Thai places and everytime we drive by we drool.  I could go for some RIGHT NOW!

Yard House ( City Centre)

We met up with my friend Morgan and one of her friends here while she was in town and then later that night for my friend Kristel's birthday.  The menu was a little odd and random but their drinks were good and i had this Tuna Sushi roll off their appetizer menu for my meal that was AMAZING.  it was basically like a 7 layer dip but sushi ingredients the size of a coffee saucer.  Their mojitos were amazing and they patio was nice to watch everyone walk by in the new city centre shopping area.

Monna Lisa ( Hotel Sorella)

I have pictures from in there but its just us sitting in the loungy area,  you cant tell what it is.

we didnt have anything to drink there as the menu was pretty expensive but we checked it out ( and i was back later that week for a bday party).  The design is gorgeous.  Its by the pool which is all lit up with these glowing blue lights and canopy lounge beds.  The bar has a fire pit in the middle and little seating areas surrounded by sheer curtains for an intimate feeling.  the fabrics in there are nice and mainly black and white with a brocade pattern.  The little side tables reminded me of the eames molded wood stools.  Check out the website for the hotel sorella for some cool photos and get dressed up and go check it out, check out the whole hotel.  its beautiful!

Next Door Bar

We left here City Centre with Morgan and her friend and went here.  Its a neat bar thats in conjunction with Hungry's.  The bar has some neat loungy places outside.  In fact it probably has too much furniture, but i imagine on a busy night thats quite nice.  They have some neat vodkas that are infused with fruit.  One is actually infused with peppers for bloody marys.  i tried the strawberry and mint infused vodka for a different kind of mojito and Morgan had a vodka infused with pineapple..

here was a cool pic of their floor i took.

Straits ( City Centre)

i came here for a friends bday party and i have photos but again you cant tell anything about it.  During normal hours its a restaurant and bar and afterwards on saturdays it becomes a bar/club.  We had some issues witht the door guy because he said it was private parties only, but after a phone call we all got in and had a good time for Julie's birthday.  I only had one drink and it wasnt bad.  They have a video dj who mixed the songs and music videos which was a lot of fun.    I'd definitely go back to dance and have a good time!  I'd like to check out the food next time!

Nouveau- Art bar (http://www.art-bar.net/)

This place is sooooo cool!!! Michael and i took my cousin Meg here when she was in town and we liked it so much we took my mom and stepdad when they came.  the place is just different.  the drinks are yummy, and its just unique and chill.  we have this one little corner in the back we like to sit in because its nice and quiet.  if you are into the loud crazy bar/club scene then this is not the spot for you.  They support the arts so they give you a free drink if you show a ticket to a show!

some of my pics:

Maggie Ritas ( Tunnel)

When my cousin came to town, my dad wanted to have lunch with us and because he was stuck up at the office on his usual half day friday, we couldnt do our usual spot.  We improvised and decided we would 1) show my cousin the downtown tunnels and 2) try this mexican place that there is always a line to.

The prices were kind of high but OMG best pork tacos i have ever had in my life.  Hands down!  They came with sliced avocados, jalapenos, and some other goodness but the pork was just amazing.  If you have access to thet tunnels and want mexican aside from Ninfas express and Don Patrons.... go check it out.  you will not be disappointed!

June Reviews

June Reviews

This month i didnt get to go try as many places as i hoped until the end of the month but I still got some in there.  July looks like a month full of adventure and surprises so hopefully my list of reviews will be great!

Sugarcane ( formerly Corkscrew)

 

 A co-worker of mine had her birthday here.  SugarCane is in the old corkscrew on Washington Avenue and its known for its natural and organic products.  You order a drink with juice in and they juice it in the back for you fresh to order.  I had one of their mojitos and it was awesome.  My friends were drinking salty dogs and loved the fresh squeezed juice.  The inside had dim lighting ( as most bars) fun music and a real chill atmosphere.  I'd totally go again!

Reign lounge ( Washington Ave)

 After I left Sugarcane I went with a friend to Reign lounge to see his friends.  The bar was playing awesome music ( booty music i like to dance too lol) and i really liked the materials and design of the downstairs bar/lounge area.  We went upstairs and I didnt get to realy look at anything because we went straight to the patio on the roof.  I love how most of the bars on Washington have roof patios now.  I enjoyed the lounge couches but it was so muggy that night.  If there had been fans or a breeze it would have been perfect.  The crowd wasnt really for me though.  I stuck out as the token white girl.  lol

Luigi's (midtown)

 I wrote about this in my blog from last weekend as well as Pole la Teaz, Discovery Green Music the

The Menil collection 

Christian's Tailgate (midtown)

After the museum we used Urban Spoon on the Iphone to help us make a decision on where to eat in midtown.  Christian's tailgate popped up.  I had seen it and heard of it as some of my friends go have drinks there after work, but apparently they have hamburgers and stuff too.  I ordered a burger with avocado and we sat on the patio and watched the cook grill it on the grill outside.  Super chill place.  I was laughing at the people getting wasted at 5pm on a Sunday night.  I'm either old or they either 1) dont have normal jobs 2) have a drinking problem.....

Dry Creek (Heights)

last night i ate here and one of the nicest nights ever.  The rain was supposed to come through so it was nice and breezey.  we sat outside under the cover, had the whole place to ourselves and drank these drinks called Cafe Cudads.  It's a vietnamese coffee sweetened with condensed milk.  Omg so good.  i also ordered their black pepper shrimp salad that had shrimp (obviously... and the best shrimp i have ever tasted btw), mango, avocado, feta, onions, tomatoes and i ordered this serrano pepper dressing on the side. Food was pheNOMenal.  NOM NOM NOM.  I can't wait to go back.  Go check it out!

What a wonderful weekend....

My weekend was pretty nonstop go go go, but it was wonderful and amazing for many reasons i cannot explain, but for the moments i can... i will

The weekend started with my dad and i seeing Toy Story 3.  Its a super cute movie.  The Barbie and Ken characters were my favorite.  My dad and i laughed and laughed.  I love watching Disney movies with him, more so than anyone else.  Makes me feel like a little girl again.

That night my dear friend Veronica was celebrating her birthday with friends over at Luigi's Pizza in midtown.  I had never been before and holy snikes is it delicious.  I ordered one slice and they were out of the pizza i ordered so made a fresh one for me.  it was awesome.  its a byob place so veronica and her friends had brought some beer and wine and it was nice to see her and her friends.  Her and her boyfriend played a game of hibachi which was fun to watch, as i had never played.  It was a really nice night, good food, great friend, and great company!

Saturday was GO GO GO! 
After getting several things done, the gym, i met up with my friend Crystal at Empire cafe for brunch.  I had only had lunch and dessert there so Brunch was a first time thing for me there.  The line was ridiculous and Crystal had gotten there way before i did, so when i arrived she was at the front of the line.  I probably made the lady behind her mad but i just ran up and instead of being indecisive with the menu was like " umm make it two!"  Brunch was great and there was a nice breeze on the patio, not to mention good catch up time with Ms Crystal!

Afterwards i went to a cardio class at Pole la Teaz.  Its a women's fitness center that has pole classes and other dance classes.  I had bought a package from Groupon and went to my first class.  The experience was hilarious.  Some funny girls there.  I think its great though.  women of all shapes, sizes, race, were there and some were talking about how those classes had helped boost their confidence.  The dance class was like being at a club minus the boys.... learning some interesting booty shakin dance moves.  It wasnt a difficult workout (despite what some of the girls had told me beforehand) but it was definitely fun!  I would do it again just because they were playing a lot of hip hop i like and well i love to get down!

That night i met up with my dad, stepmom and stepbrother for dinner at guiglianni's in meyerland.  We had a late father's day dinner for my dad and it was quite nice.  My stepbrother invited us to go see his girlfriend Cecelia play in an orchestra at Discovery green play Beach boys songs.  We sat on the hill and omg was i the most perfect night.  breezy and lots of people with cute dogs.  The music wasnt too bad either.  Some belly dancers opened up the show which was fun.  My dad hates belly dancing so his comments were cracking me up!

Daddy on the hill

Afterwards i had a really great fun and exciting night and morning. 

Sunday afternoon I checked out the Menil.  I had never been there before and i have heard great things about the exhibits and the architecture and since i enjoy both, why not.  Art is so interesting how it could mean nothing to us when we see it but the story of the significance to the artist could be really interesting and deep!

So that was only a fraction of my wonderful weekend but i thought i would share....

If you're happy and you know it.. Part 2

I couldnt find the article but Self's sara Eckel wrote this several years ago... i summarized

Take charge of your happiness



If you want to lead a more joyful, satisfying life, grab a pen, shut out the world and spend some quality time with these five mood-lifting exercises. After all, we are in charge of our own happiness, according to new research in the field. We cant promise that everyone of life’s bumps will cease to annoy you once you’re done, but we bet you’ll walk away with more smokes and self knowledge. You’re about 30 minutes from discovering your happiest self.


Chase your dreams


The happiest people are those who feel charged about what they do, where they live and the people around them. Hicks and associates , a business consulting firm in SF, interviewed more than 300 “happy’” people and found that we don’t need the perfect job/home/mate/fill in the blank to live a life that feels thrilling. What is essential: taking regular breaks from the daily grind to pursue whatever excites us most.

Exercise 1: Put your passions on paper


Time:4 minutes


What you need: pen, paper and timer


What to do: Set the timer for four minutes. Write down everything you love or feel passionate about until time’s up –your dog, cooking with friends, running etc… Let your list pour out without censoring yourself.


How to boost everyday: Tuck the list into your purse and read it daily at a designated time. enjoy one thing from the list during the next 24 hours. If entertaining is your bag, invite a group over for Monday night dinner. Love to travel? Research your next trip. Making time for things you adore is not only nurturing, but it adds meaning to life because it reminds us why its fun to be on this planet.



Put joy first


We all have things we need to be happy, but few of us focus on our so-called priorities. if you say you value family but spend 80 percent of your time at work, you’ll end up feeling dissatisfied. Even if you cant ditch your day job, you can get in sync with whats in your heart. You say honesty above all for instance. Then handling day to day interactions with integrity will reap feelings of well being. Plus when you live by what’s important to you, you’re less vulnerable to shifting circumstances. Remind yourself with what matters from this exercise.


Exercise 2: Define core values.


Time:10 minutes


What you’ll need: pen and paper


What to do : Circle the five qualities you value most


Adventurousness
Artistry
Boldness
Charity
Cheerfulness
Civility
Cleanliness
Compassion
Courage
Creativity
Dependability
Empathy
Faithfulness
Fitness
Flexibility
Health
Helpfulness
Honesty
Humility
Humor
Intelligence
Inventiveness
Kindness
Love
Loyalty
Perceptiveness
Pleasure
Reverence
Simplicity
Thrift
Trustworthiness
Wealth
Wisdom


For each selection, write a sentence describing how you incorporate this value into each day (such as “I’m always on time” for dependability) rank each pick from 1 to 5 according to how well you live by it. ( 1 not be at all and 5 being very much so)


How to boost everyday : Write down small ways you can regularly practice your lowest ranked value. Cherish loyalty? Call your best bud Sunday nights for a touch base chat. Once you reconnect with what you care about, you’ll find more ways to seek out joy.



Show some Appreciation


Love is all you need, though not necessarily the head-over-heels variety. What’s more important is appreciation-the kind of love that’s evoked by the mountaintop view that comes after a tough hike to a peak, or an afternoon spent goofing around with your niece who happens to be the cutest smartest toddler ever. Indeed, you might say that appreciation is the highest form of love. For one thing, it can blossom even when its not fully returned. For another, it’s physiologically impossible to experience feat or anxiety when you’re deep in appreciation mode.


Exercise 3: Create an appreciation diary


Time: 5 minutes


What you need: pen, paper, and a calendar.


What to do: every evening take out your calendar, and write down one positive aspect of your life- your husband’s habit of bringing you OJ in the morning, the swell of pride you feel after finishing a home improvement project. Use the questions below as a guide


Monday: what did you enjoy most about your day


Tuesday: Who enriched your life today? how?


Wednesday: What gave you peace of mind today?


Thursday: How did you help someone today?


Friday: how did you invest in your future this week?


Saturday: when were you at your best this week?


Sunday: What are you looking forward to in the week ahead


How to boost everyday: you your daily noted as a guide to discovering and relishing the smaller joys tht often crop up but rarely get your attention. Slow down and savor them, watch them multiply.



Go with the Flow


There are days when a long bath and an evening with the remote are all you need to feel content. To keep the pleasure rolling beyond the latest episode of trading spaces, however, you also need activities that require effort, skill and concentration, whether its completing a crossword puzzle or riding a bike. You want to look back and say, “ I learned something new. “ That generally requires mental or physical exertion. Ideally, aim to spend at least 20 percent of your leisure time doing things that fully absorb you and get you into a state of mind that flows. The deeper the satisfaction you’ll glean from developing skills and putting effort into whatever you’re doing will lift your spirits more than if you blot everything out with television.


Exercise number 4: Up the quality of your downtime


Time: 10 minutes


What you need: pen and paper


What to do: make a list of the 4 quick and dirty ways you unwind that don’t necessarily leave you feeling satisfied, such as watching reruns of Behind the Music or playing computer solitaire. Next jot down alternatives more likely to get you into an engaged frame of mind. For example:


Instead of watching reality tv


Consider documenting your own reality with a camcorder or weblog, or by sending weekly email updates to friends and family containing goofy, sweet, beautiful photos you have taken



Instead of eating a bag or oreos


Consider heading to the kitchen to develop your own signature cookie recipe or leaning how to make your grandmother’s world famous grasshopper pie


Instead of trolling for new clothes at the mall


Consider hosting a “new to you” clothes swapping party, where you and pals exchange garments that you no longer wear, or simply deconstruct some old t-shirts


Instead of playing a mind numbing video game


Consider a rousing night of poker,- or hearts even go fish- with a group of your closest friends

How to boost everyday: Now that you’ve made a list, starting putting your flow-inducing pursuits into action. Replace at least one monotonous habit per week with something more challenging and you’ll feel not only more relaxed but smarter too.


Pen your own happy ending


You’ve blown a big job interview. Your best friend is dating your ex. Whatever humiliation you’ve experienced, you’re bound to feel bad. Just how bad, however, varies from person to person and can have a big impact on happiness. People who brood about failure are likelier to be depressed six months after the fact than those who let life’s rejections roll off their back. so instead of replaying past flops, amend history. You can actually trick yourself into feeling better by creating newer more positive memories!


Exercise 5: Rewrite history


Time: 10-20 minutes


What you need: pen, paper and a highlighter


What to do: write the story of your worst moment ever ( the one that makes you cringe thinking about it) exactly as it happened. Use a highlighter to mark all the red flags of the narrative- the signals along the way that, with hindsight, you now know meant trouble ahead ( like the snooty receptionist who had no record of your appointment for a job interview). Then outlandishly revise your role without altering anyone else’s. The point is to lighten up and get out of the victim mode. Instead of painfully recalling how the receptionist treated you, fabricate a memory of you morphing into Donald trump and bellowing “You’re Fired!” to the rude woman. we all carry memories in the body that’s why your heart aches when you head a song you danced to with an old love. The good news is your body doesn’t know the difference between the real experience and one you’ve made up


How to boost everyday: once you’ve recast yourself as the person in control, the should, coulds and woulds will melt away, leaving you more self assured. By creating a new story you’ll change your self talk from “ugh I was such a dope!” to “ Hey, I let her have it!” In the end, when it comes to bringing more happiness into your life, taking responsibility for your own feelings is key. Take on that power and it will be yours to keep.